Motor Vehicle Door Lock Common Spring Accumulator Lever
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle locks with spring-based accumulator levers face issues with decreased spring effect due to aging or environmental loads, and are not optimally adapted to control various loads, particularly in scenarios like snow loads.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle lock design featuring a common spring acting on both the rotary latch and the accumulator lever, ensuring reliable control of the accumulator lever by the rotary latch, even in fully open positions, thereby maintaining optimal functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a spring-based accumulator lever is used to hold the pawl in its open position, then the opening function is improved, but the spring effect decreases due to ageing or environmental loads
Solution Approach 1:
The accumulator lever is designed as a rigid body instead of a spring, making it dynamically stable and immune to ageing effects. The rigid accumulator lever is actuated by a control element (cam or lever) that provides the necessary motion to hold and release the pawl, eliminating the degradation issues associated with spring-based solutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-based mechanical system is replaced with a rigid lever system actuated by a control element. This substitution eliminates the elastic deformation and ageing characteristics of springs while maintaining the accumulator function through a different mechanical principle based on rigid body kinematics and control element actuation.
2Reliability
If a spring-based accumulator lever is used, then the opening function is improved, but the spring effect is not optimally adapted to control various loads
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid accumulator lever system allows for dynamic control of the pawl position through a control element that can be adjusted or designed with specific cam profiles/lever ratios. This enables optimal adaptation to various load conditions while maintaining reliable opening function, as the control element geometry can be tailored to the specific application requirements.
3Ease of operation
If a separate spring for the accumulator lever is used, then the control of the accumulator lever is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control element serves multiple functions: it actuates the rigid accumulator lever and integrates with the existing locking mechanism components. This merging of functions reduces the overall number of separate components needed while maintaining effective control of the accumulator lever throughout the opening and closing cycle.
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 provides a motor vehicle lock with enhanced functional reliability and ageing resistance, ensuring flawless operation even on long time scales, while also simplifying the design and reducing production costs.
Implementation Method 1
a common spring 8a, 8b and 8c acting on the rotary latch 2 and the accumulator lever 6 is provided
Data Source
AI summary
A motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, which in its basic design is equipped with a locking mechanism consisting essentially of a rotary latch and a pawl. In addition, an accumulator lever that is controllable by the rotary latch is realized, which temporarily holds the pawl in its open position (accumulator position) at least during an opening process of the locking mechanism. According to the invention, a common spring acting on the rotary latch and the accumulator lever is provided.