Vehicle Door Lock Supporting Element Delaying Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Motor vehicle door locks with abrupt opening movements cause noise due to high forces from rubber door seals, which existing designs struggle to mitigate effectively, especially in tailgates, where forces exceeding 500 Nm result in 'plopping' noises.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle door lock design featuring a supporting element that delays the opening of the locking mechanism, allowing the catch to glide along a contact surface until a specified opening angle is reached, at which point the pawl is released, reducing resetting forces and preventing sudden contact breaks, thus suppressing noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the locking mechanism is opened abruptly to release the catch and pawl, then the opening operation is fast and simple, but high forces from rubber door seals cause plopping noises and structure-borne vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting element is designed to delay the opening movement of the locking mechanism, ensuring that the catch glides along the contact surface only after the resetting forces from the rubber door seal have disappeared. This preliminary timing adjustment prevents the catch and pawl from moving apart abruptly under high force conditions, thereby eliminating plopping noises during the opening operation.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the catch and pawl are designed with precise geometric conditions (contact surface angle of 120° to 150°) to reduce noise, then noise is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase and production becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting element acts as an intermediary component that decouples the noise reduction function from the precise geometric relationship between the catch and pawl. By introducing this intermediate element that controls the timing of the opening movement, the system achieves noise reduction without requiring the catch and pawl to be manufactured with high angular precision (120° to 150°), thereby simplifying manufacturing processes.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the catch glides along the contact surface for a longer distance to delay opening, then noise is reduced, but the opening operation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting element is designed with specific geometric parameters (contour shape, engagement position) that control the duration and distance of the catch's glide along the contact surface. By optimizing these parameters, the system achieves the minimum necessary delay to allow resetting forces to disappear, thereby reducing noise while keeping the opening operation time as short as possible.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a vehicle door lock and an associated method for the operation thereof, wherein the vehicle door lock is equipped with a locking mechanism, which essentially consists of a catch and a pawl. The pawl has a contact surface for the catch, which rests on said contact surface when the locking mechanism is closed. According to the invention, a supporting element, which delays the opening of the locking mechanism, is associated with the pawl, so that the catch glides along the contact surface up to a predetermined opening angle until is it is released from the pawl.