Motor Vehicle Lock Single-Direction Drive Cinching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle locks require complex mechanisms and dual-directional motorized drives to perform cinching and opening functions, leading to increased costs and mechanical complexity.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle lock with a detent mechanism and drivetrain arrangement that uses a single drive element to perform both cinching and opening functions by transitioning between coupling and decoupling states, allowing for a compact and cost-effective design with motorized movement in a single direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single drive element is used to perform both cinching and opening functions, then device complexity is reduced and cost is decreased, but the drivetrain arrangement must transition between coupling and decoupling states which requires sophisticated mechanical design
Solution Approach 1:
The drive element is designed to perform multiple functions (cinching and opening) through a single component, eliminating the need for separate drive mechanisms. The drivetrain arrangement includes coupling elements that allow the same drive element to engage different parts of the detent mechanism for different functions, achieving multi-functionality without increasing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The drivetrain arrangement transitions between coupling and decoupling states dynamically based on the required function. The coupling elements are designed to engage and disengage from different positions on the drive element, allowing the system to adapt its mechanical configuration without manual intervention or complex control mechanisms
2Device complexity
If the drive element is driven in only one predefined direction, then the motorized drive becomes simpler and more compact, but the mechanism must use directional coupling surfaces to differentiate between cinching and opening operations
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling surfaces on the drive element are designed with asymmetric geometries that allow engagement with different coupling elements based on the direction of drive element movement. The first coupling surface engages the second coupling element for opening function, while the third coupling surface engages the fourth coupling element for cinching function, creating directional control through asymmetric mechanical interfaces
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling elements act as intermediaries between the single-direction drive element and the detent mechanism components. These intermediaries translate the unidirectional drive motion into different functional outcomes (catch actuation for cinching, pawl actuation for opening) based on which coupling surface is engaged
Data Source
AI summary
A motor vehicle lock including a catch, a pawl, and a drivetrain arrangement with a drive element. When the catch is in the secondary closed position, the pawl is moveable from the engaged state the released state to release the catch. The drive element may be configured to move in a predefined drive direction. The motor vehicle lock may include a first coupling element, provided with a first coupling surface and a second coupling element, provided with a second coupling surface. During the cinching sequence, the first coupling surface and the second coupling surface may be engaged with one another to move the catch. During the release sequence the drive element is moved in the predefined drive direction such that the first coupling surface and the second coupling surface are disengaged from one another.