Motor Vehicle Lock Assembly Drive Train Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle lock arrangements do not achieve high operating comfort with minimal design effort, as they require separate and complex mechanisms for adjusting locking elements and functional elements like outside door handles.
Innovation Solution
The motor-driven adjustability of locking elements is utilized to also control the outside door handle, allowing it to be adjusted into an engaged position during the opening process, leveraging the drive train components to simplify design and enhance user access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate drive assemblies are used for the motor vehicle lock and the outside door handle, then each component can be independently controlled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drive assembly for the motor vehicle lock is designed to perform multiple functions: it not only controls the locking elements (lock latch and pawl) but also controls the outside door handle. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for a separate drive assembly for the door handle, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining independent control capability through the same drive mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the control functions of the motor vehicle lock and the outside door handle into a single drive assembly. The drive assembly is mechanically linked to both the locking elements and the door handle, merging what would traditionally be separate control systems into one unified mechanism, thereby simplifying the overall device structure
2Ease of operation
If the outside door handle is adjusted before the opening process, then it is more accessible, but the operating sequence becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The outside door handle is adjusted into the engaged position as a preliminary action during the opening process, specifically when the pawl is being lifted. This timing ensures the handle is accessible before the door is fully opened, while integrating the adjustment into the existing opening sequence rather than adding a separate preliminary step, thus maintaining operational simplicity
3Ease of manufacture
If the motorized adjustment of the locking pawl is used to adjust the outside door handle, then the design effort is reduced, but the coupling between components must be precisely controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transmission line (such as a Bowden cable) as an intermediary element between the locking pawl and the outside door handle. This intermediary component facilitates the transfer of movement from the pawl to the handle while providing mechanical advantage and isolation, reducing the precision requirements for direct coupling and simplifying the manufacturing process
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3a)~3b)
AI summary
The invention relates to a motor vehicle lock assembly comprising a motor vehicle lock for a motor vehicle door and an adjustable functional element separate from the motor vehicle lock, wherein the motor vehicle lock has the locking elements latch and pawl, wherein the latch can be moved into a closed position, preferably into a pre-locked position and/or into a main closed position, in which it is engaged with a locking element, wherein the latch can be moved into an open position in which the locking element is released from the latch, wherein the engaged pawl holds the latch in the closed position, and wherein, during an opening operation, the pawl can be lifted out of engagement from the latch in the closed position, wherein the motor vehicle lock has a drive assembly.which forms a drive train with at least one of the locking elements for the motorized adjustment of the locking element. It is proposed that, during the opening process, the motorized adjustment of at least one of the locking elements causes an adjustment of the functional element by coupling, or being able to couple, a component of the relevant drive train, consisting of the drive arrangement and the locking element, to the functional element.