Motor Vehicle Door Lock Blocking Lever Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Motor vehicle door latches fail to prevent unintentional unlocking during lateral impacts due to excessive activation speed caused by mass inertia of the door handle, leading to premature release of the locking mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle door latch design featuring a blocking lever and leg springs that delay the transition from a blocking to a release position, preventing rotation of the triggering lever unless the activation speed exceeds a defined threshold, thereby ensuring the locking mechanism remains engaged during impacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the door handle is activated during a lateral impact, then the activation speed exceeds the threshold due to mass inertia, but the locking mechanism unintentionally releases
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking lever dynamically transitions between a blocking position (preventing triggering lever rotation) and a release position (allowing triggering lever rotation). This dynamic positioning is controlled by the activation speed threshold, enabling the system to adapt its behavior based on whether the activation is intentional or accidental during lateral impacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the state parameter of the blocking lever (position between blocking and release) based on the activation speed parameter. When activation speed exceeds the threshold during lateral impacts, the blocking lever remains in the blocking position to prevent unintentional unlocking, while slower activations allow the blocking lever to transition to the release position for normal operation.
2Reliability
If the blocking lever prevents rotation of the triggering lever, then unintentional unlocking is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking lever serves multiple functions: it blocks the triggering lever during lateral impacts, allows normal operation during intentional unlocking, and works in conjunction with the leg spring to provide the blocking force. By integrating these functions into a single component, the patent reduces overall system complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The leg spring acts as an intermediary element between the blocking lever and the triggering lever. It provides the necessary blocking force to prevent triggering lever rotation during lateral impacts while allowing controlled movement during intentional unlocking operations, thereby simplifying the direct mechanical connection requirements.
3Ease of operation
If the activation speed threshold is set low, then normal door opening is facilitated, but unintentional unlocking during impacts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback through the leg spring and blocking lever mechanism that responds to activation speed. When the activation speed exceeds the threshold (indicating a lateral impact), the blocking lever automatically engages to prevent triggering lever rotation. This feedback mechanism allows normal door opening operations at low speeds while automatically preventing unintentional unlocking during high-speed impacts.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively prevents unintentional unlocking by ensuring the locking mechanism remains locked during lateral impacts, allowing controlled opening of the door only when the activation speed is within a safe limit, thus enhancing safety and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
via a first leg spring on the blocking lever
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock with a locking mechanism comprising a rotary latch and a pawl, a trigger lever which acts on the pawl, a blocking lever which acts on the trigger lever, a first actuating lever which acts on the trigger lever and which acts on the blocking lever via a first leg spring, and a second actuating lever which acts on the trigger lever and which acts on the blocking lever via a second leg spring.