Quick-Unlock Motor Vehicle Door Latch Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power-actuated motor-vehicle door latches with quick-unlock features face design limitations and long response times, leading to inconvenient user experiences due to the need for additional confirmation steps after initiating keyless entry systems, as users often operate the door handle before the latch is fully unlocked.
Innovation Solution
A compact motor-vehicle door latch design featuring a quick-unlock element pivotably mounted on a blocking element, which interacts with a linkage to establish a direct mechanical connection between the actuating lever subassembly and latch parts, allowing immediate unlocking with minimal drive travel, utilizing a one-arm blocking lever and a prestressed link for efficient coupling and decoupling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a keyless entry system is used with standard unlocking path, then access authorization can be verified, but the response time is too long (100 msec or more) causing user inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The unlocking process is segmented into two independent paths: a standard unlocking path for normal operation and a quick-unlock path for immediate response. The quick-unlock element can be activated independently to bypass the conventional lengthy unlocking sequence, allowing the system to verify authorization reliably while providing a fast response option that reduces perceived wait time to under 20 milliseconds.
Solution Approach 2:
The quick-unlock element is pre-positioned and pre-loaded within the latch mechanism, ready for immediate actuation. When the drive is activated, the quick-unlock element is already in place to bridge or shorten the unlocking path of the locking lever, eliminating the need for the lever to travel its full conventional distance and enabling instantaneous door opening upon authorization.
2Ease of operation
If the locking lever follows the conventional unlocking path, then the latch can be unlocked, but the unlocking process takes too long and users must perform additional confirmation steps
Solution Approach 1:
The quick-unlock element acts as an intermediary mechanism between the drive and the locking lever. When activated, it directly bridges or shortens the unlocking path, allowing the locking lever to transition from locked to unlocked position in a fraction of the normal time. This intermediary element eliminates the need for users to perform additional confirmation steps by enabling immediate door opening after authorization is granted.
3Speed
If the quick-unlock element is mounted on the locking lever and both pivot about the same axis, then quick unlock is achieved, but the design becomes uninviting and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The quick-unlock element is mounted on a blocking element that operates in a different dimensional plane than the locking lever's primary rotation axis. This spatial separation allows the quick-unlock element to function independently without interfering with the locking lever's conventional operation, simplifying the overall mechanism design while maintaining high-speed quick-unlock capability. The blocking element's distinct mounting location creates a more elegant and manufacturable design.
Data Source
AI summary
A motor-vehicle door latch has a housing, latch parts in the housing operable to unlock a vehicle door, and an actuating element. A linkage engageable between the actuating element and the latch parts is shiftable between a coupled position for operation of the latch parts by the actuating element and a decoupled position operatively disconnecting the actuating element from the latch parts. A blocking element connected to the linkage is operable to shift the linkage between its coupled and decoupled positions. A drive motor operates the blocking element, and a quick-unlock element pivoted on the blocking element is operable by the drive.