Motor Vehicle Door Lock Lever Cover Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Motor vehicle door locks face reduced longevity and operational reliability due to contamination and moisture ingress through housing openings, leading to potential corrosion and impaired functionality.

Innovation Solution

A rotatable lever with a cover that substantially closes the housing opening over its entire travel path, preventing moisture and dust ingress by minimizing slit dimensions, ensuring a hermetic seal that maintains operational reliability without complex sealing measures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If housing openings are provided for lever passage, then mechanical connection to external actuating elements is enabled, but contamination and moisture ingress occurs reducing reliability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemechanical connection to actuating elementsVSAvoidprotection against contamination

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies a flexible membrane seal that allows the lever to pass through the housing while maintaining hermetic sealing. The membrane deforms elastically to accommodate lever movement while preventing contamination ingress, resolving the contradiction between mechanical connection and protection against contamination.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Reliability

If hermetic seal is implemented using complex sealing measures, then protection against moisture is improved, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection against moistureVSAvoidsealing measures complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a simple flexible membrane instead of complex sealing measures. The membrane's elastic properties provide hermetic sealing while allowing lever movement, achieving moisture protection with minimal complexity and cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The flexible membrane automatically adapts to lever movement through its elastic deformation, providing self-adjusting sealing without requiring additional actuators or complex control mechanisms. The system seals itself through the inherent properties of the membrane material.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Adaptability or versatility

If lever is led through housing opening, then coupling to external actuating elements is enabled, but longevity is reduced due to corrosion risk

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoupling to actuating elementsVSAvoidlongevity of door lock

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The flexible membrane creates a hermetic barrier that protects the lever and internal components from corrosion while allowing the lever to pass through and couple with external actuating elements. This extends the longevity of the door lock without sacrificing adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Data Source

PatentUS10094149B2Motor vehicle door lock

Publication Date: 2018.10.09 KIEKERT AG

AI summary

The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock, having at least one housing (3) and at least one lever (5) mounted rotatably about an axis (4) in the housing (3), wherein the lever (5) can be coupled to an actuating element (6) disposed outside the housing (3) and for this purpose passes through an opening in the housing (7), and the lever (5) has a cover (8) which substantially completely closes the housing opening (7) when viewed over the entire travel path(s) thereof.