Motor Vehicle Door Lock Lever Alignment via Integral Detent Spring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Motor vehicle door locks with quick unlocking functions face issues with lever alignment during coupling, leading to malfunctions due to complex kinematic designs and the need for precise relative positioning of levers.
Innovation Solution
Integrating a detent spring onto the first lever, forming a one-piece component with it, which acts on the second lever to ensure reliable and reproducible alignment in multiple locking positions, allowing for a simplified and cost-effective design with the detent spring and lever arranged either on the same plane or at different angles, including a leaf spring or spring ring configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complex kinematic design with separate detent spring and levers is used, then the lever coupling can be achieved, but the device complexity increases and manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The detent spring is integrally formed with the first lever to create a one-piece component. This merging of the detent spring and first lever simplifies the overall structure, reduces the number of separate parts, and eliminates alignment issues between separately manufactured components while maintaining reliable lever coupling functionality
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate components are used for lever system, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The first lever and detent spring are formed as a single integrated component through integral forming processes. This eliminates the need for precise alignment and positioning between separate detent spring and lever components during manufacturing, thereby reducing manufacturing precision requirements while maintaining ease of manufacture
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate detent spring and lever components are used, then assembly flexibility is improved, but the number of parts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detent spring and first lever are combined into a single integrated component, reducing the total number of parts in the lever system. This merging maintains the necessary functional flexibility and adaptability of the assembly while eliminating redundant separate components
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
Enables reliable, quick, and reproducible coupling of levers in motor vehicle door locks, ensuring flawless operation of the quick release function by maintaining precise relative positions and reducing the complexity of the kinematic design.
Implementation Method 1
the detent spring ensures that the detent spring acts on the detent lever with a force perpendicular to the axial direction of the axis of rotation
Implementation Method 2
the arrangement of the detent spring and detent lever at different levels, in particular their perpendicular arrangement to one another, corresponds to the detent spring acting on the detent lever with an axial force
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock comprising an actuation/locking lever mechanism (1, 2), with a first lever (1) and a second lever (2), both levers (1, 2) being couplable with each other in at least two different relative positions. At least the one, first lever (1) comprises a detent spring (5) connected thereto for cooperation with at least one detent contour (6) on the other, second lever (2).