Motor Vehicle Lock Drive Unit Merging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current motor vehicle locks aim to be smaller, lighter, and more compact while maintaining functionality and security, but they often require a complex mechanism to balance electrical and manual operation, which increases the number of components and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle lock design featuring a dual-function drive unit that simultaneously locks the vehicle and actuates the release lever, allowing for electrical opening while preventing manual unblocking, using a minimal number of components and integrating a locking unit to interrupt the manual actuating lever chain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complex mechanism is used to balance electrical and manual operation, then functionality and security are maintained, but the number of components and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drive unit is designed to perform multiple functions: it can electrically actuate the release lever to unlock the locking mechanism, and simultaneously lock the actuating lever to prevent manual opening. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining security and functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the electrical actuation mechanism and the manual locking mechanism into a single integrated drive unit. By merging these functions into one component, the number of separate parts is reduced, simplifying the overall structure while ensuring both electrical operation and manual security are maintained.
2Weight of stationary object
If the locking system is made smaller and more compact, then weight and space requirements are reduced, but maintaining functionality becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By combining multiple functions into the single drive unit, the overall size and weight of the locking system are reduced. The integrated design eliminates the need for separate mechanical linkages and components that would otherwise be required for electrical actuation and manual locking, achieving compactness without sacrificing functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-functional drive unit performs both electrical actuation and manual locking prevention within a single compact component, reducing the overall space and weight requirements of the locking system while maintaining all necessary functions.
Data Source
AI summary
A motor vehicle lock, in particular an electrically actuatable motor vehicle lock, comprising a locking mechanism having a rotary latch and at least one pawl, a release lever, wherein the release lever can be actuated by means of an electric drive unit and at least one manually actuatable actuating lever, and wherein the release lever interacts with the locking mechanism in such a way that a blocked locking mechanism can be unblocked, and a locking unit, wherein manual unblocking of the locking mechanism can be prevented by means of the locking unit, and wherein simultaneous locking of the actuating lever and unblocking of the locking mechanism can be made possible by means of the drive unit.