DE29914986U1 - Motor vehicle rotary latch lock - Google Patents

Description

·

Utility model application

Motor vehicle rotary latch lock

Lock and metal goods factory Böddecker & Co. GmbH & Co. KG Flieth 9
D-42327 Wuppertal (DE)

211 VGN: 265098 Mü./Pa./G August 26, 1999

Motor vehicle rotary latch lock

The invention relates to a motor vehicle rotary latch lock with a rotary latch and a pawl, wherein the rotary latch has a pre-latch, with an actuating arm that interacts with the pawl.

Such rotary latch locks for motor vehicles are known in various designs. In these, the pawl that holds the rotary latch in its closed position is moved to release the rotary latch via an actuating arm, which, in the case of a motor vehicle door, is connected to the internal and external handles. The latter usually pivots with the aid of a spring into a position that releases a locking bolt. It is also known to provide such rotary latch locks with a pre-lock. This pre-lock defines a secure position for the rotary latch lock. In particular, if the door or hood is not closed properly, the locking bolt is already caught in such a pre-locking position, so that the door or hood cannot spring open again. This pre-locking position also proves to be advantageous in the event of an accident involving the motor vehicle, since in this case, for example, a door cannot immediately spring open completely. The pre-locking position is found automatically by spring-assisted retraction of the pawl into a recess in the rotary latch that defines the pre-locking position. Such a pre-locking position is particularly disadvantageous when the pawl or the actuating arm acting on it is normally actuated to open the door or hood. The pawl reaches the pre-locking position after only a short release, which results in a renewed release to fully open the door or hood.

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This circumstance proves to be a disadvantage, especially in cold weather, since the seals that support the opening movement of a door in particular do not provide sufficient opening travel due to the low temperatures.

In view of the previously described prior art, a technical problem of the invention is seen in the improved design of a motor vehicle rotary latch lock of the type in question, in particular with regard to a conventional unlocking process.

This problem is initially and essentially solved by the subject matter of claim 1, whereby the actuating arm interacts with a spring-loaded blocking arm which prevents the pawl from pivoting into the pre-lock position when the pawl is released during normal operation. As a result of this design, while retaining the pre-lock for additional safety, a rotary latch lock of increased utility value is provided, in which the pawl is prevented from pivoting into the pre-lock position during normal opening. The rotary latch can thus be freely pivoted into the position which completely releases the locking bolt, even if the door or hood is not opened in one go. If the actuating arm that releases the locking pawl is only operated for a short time, the locking pawl remains in the position that releases the rotary latch, so that the door or hood can then be swung open without having to operate the opening handle again. However, when the door or hood is closed, the locking pawl can

23 211 VGN: 265098 Mu./Pa./G August 26, 1999

The catch can be pivoted into the pre-locking position so that if the door or hood is not closed properly, the desired securing position is still maintained. Even if the door or hood is not opened intentionally, e.g. in the event of an accident, the pre-lock securing the locking bolt continues to work. A design is preferred in which pivoting the rotary latch moves the blocking arm from the blocking position to a release position to release the catch after the pre-lock has been overrun. As a result of this design, the catch is held in a pre-locking ready position again after the rotary latch has completed its opening movement to release the locking bolt. The blocking arm, which holds the catch out of pre-locking engagement during the normal opening process, is disengaged by the rotary latch which is completely rotated into the open position. In a further embodiment of the subject matter of the invention, it is provided that the actuating arm has a blocking blade that interacts with a blocking shoulder of the blocking arm. Here, a positive engagement is preferably formed, which takes effect in a pivoted-out position of the locking pawl. The latter is held in this position until the rotary latch reaches the end position of opening. In this case, the locking nose of the locking pawl is temporarily fixed outside the pivoting range of the rotary latch. The positive connection between the blocking blade and the blocking shoulder is canceled by the rotary latch when the rotary latch reaches the opening position, which causes the locking pawl to swing back automatically, spring-assisted, into a standby position. It is advantageously provided that the locking pawl can be pivoted relative to the blocking arm.

23 211 VGN: 265098 Mü./Pa./G 08/26/1999

bar, to move the pawl into the locking or pre-locking position without pivoting the blocking arm. The blocking arm only comes into effect when the rotary latch lock is opened intentionally using a handle. If the lock is opened inadvertently, e.g. due to a shock following an accident or the like, and during a closing process, the pawl can be pivoted relative to the blocking arm, whereby the pawl automatically reaches the next locking or pre-locking position, preferably with spring support. The blocking arm acts directly or indirectly on the pawl, preferably on the actuating arm which interacts with the pawl. For this purpose, it is further proposed that the actuating arm have a link, within which an actuating pin of the pawl can be moved with a limited angle of rotation. It is thus provided that the angle of rotation limitation corresponds at least to the control angle during passive movement of the pawl from the locking position to the release position. For example, with a control angle of 10-15° and passive movement of the pawl, the rotation angle is limited to 30-45° in the area of the gate. Finally, the pawl is spring-loaded radially outside its axis of rotation relative to the rotary latch, and when force is introduced into the rotary latch, it is also spring-loaded radially outside the rotary latch axis. As a result of this design, the pawl and rotary latch are always spring-loaded against each other in the direction of a locking or pre-locking position.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing, which represents only one embodiment. It shows:

23 211 VGN; 265098 Mü./Pa./G August 26, 1999

Fig. 1 shows a motor vehicle rotary latch lock according to the invention in view, relating to a secured locking position;

Fig. 2 is a representation corresponding to Fig. 1, but during a usual, voluntary opening movement of a pawl and a rotary latch;

Fig. 3 shows the section along the line III-III in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a follow-up view of Fig. 2 with further rotational displacement of the rotary latch in the opening direction;

Fig. 5 is a further subsequent representation after completion of the rotational displacement of the rotary latch into the open position; before release of the pawl for the return displacement;

Fig. 6 the opening position of the rotary latch lock in the rest position of all integrated locking parts;

Fig. 7 the rotary latch lock during a closing movement of the rotary latch;

Fig. 8 is a continuation of Fig. 7, showing the pre-locking position between rotary latch and pawl;

Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a rotary latch, a pawl, an actuating arm interacting with the pawl and a blocking arm.

211 VGN: 265098 Mü./Pa./G August 26 , 1999

i · · · · Φ··ΦΦΦ

Shown and described with reference to Fig. 1 is a motor vehicle rotary latch lock 1 with a shell-like lock housing 2, the bottom of which has an open-edged insertion slot 3 for the entry of a generally U-shaped locking bolt 3 of a door or hood of a motor vehicle.

In the housing 2, a rotary latch 5 and a locking pawl 6 are pivotably mounted on the floor in a known manner.

The rotary latch 5, which can be pivoted about an axis x, has a fork-shaped latch mouth 7, by means of which the locking bolt 4, in particular the web of the U-shaped locking bolt 4, can be caught.

Furthermore, the rotary latch 5 is provided with two formed locking steps 8, 9 on the outside edge, facing the pawl 6, with the locking step 8 being formed on the exit side of the latch mouth 7. The second locking step, which forms a preliminary locking step 9, is characterized by an inward-facing notch 10.

The pawl 6 is pivotally mounted about an axis y, which is aligned parallel to the axis x of the rotary latch 5. The pawl 6 is essentially composed of two radially projecting arms enclosing an angle of approximately 100-120°, with one arm forming a locking arm 11 and one arm forming a driving arm 12.

The locking arm 11 has a shaped locking hook 13 in the area of its free end, for interaction with the locking steps 8 and 9 of the rotary latch 5. The locking hook 13 is shaped in such a way that it can

23 211 VGN: 265098 Mu./Pa./G August 26, 1999

«&igr;

entering the latch mouth 7 and interacting with the locking step 8 as well as plunging into the notch 10 and can interact with the pre-locking step 9.

The rotary latch 5 and in particular the locking arm 11 with its locking hook 13 are arranged on a common plane.

The rotary latch 5 and the locking pawl 6 are spring-loaded against each other, for which purpose a tension spring 16 is provided which acts on the one hand in the area of the locking arm 11 on a pin 14 arranged here and on the other hand on an arm 15 of the rotary latch 5. The latter acts both radially outside the axis of rotation y on the locking pawl 6 and radially outside the axis of rotation x on the rotary latch 5 in such a way that both locking parts are always spring-loaded in a clockwise direction - with reference to the illustration shown in Fig. 1.

In addition, an actuating arm 17 is provided which interacts with the pawl 6 and can be pivoted about the same axis y of the pawl 6. This actuating arm 17 is arranged above the pawl 6 and interacts with an actuating pin 19 which penetrates into a slot 18 of the actuating arm 17 and projects vertically upwards on the driving arm 12. The slot 18 is designed in plan like a ring-circle segment with a center point on the Y axis.

The actuating arm 17 has a button-like actuating arm 20 in the area of its cantilevered end. The latter is actuated, for example, via a lever mechanism (not shown) by actuating a handle - when the lock 1 is arranged on a motor vehicle door

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inside and/or outside handles are displaced in an anti-clockwise direction, which results in the actuating pin 19 being carried along via the link flank 21 and thus a rotational displacement of the pawl 6 into a position that releases the rotary latch 5. The actuating arm 17 is also spring-loaded into the basic position according to Fig. 1, for which purpose a leg spring 22 surrounding the actuating pin 19 of the pawl 6 acts at one end against the pawl 6 and at the other end against the actuating arm 17.

This spring-supported basic position of the actuating arm 17 is also limited by a stop, essentially by a bolt 23 extending perpendicularly from the housing base and thus parallel to the axes x and y of the rotary latch 5 and pawl 6.

A blocking arm 24 is also mounted on this bolt 23 so as to be pivotable about an axis ζ. The latter has a blocking shoulder 25 in the form of a pronounced step in the area of a first arm section and a release section 26 adjoining this first arm section and running at an angle to the latter. The blocking arm 24 extends essentially level above the pawl 6 and rotary latch 5, but essentially below the actuating arm 17.

The length of the release section 26 is selected such that it enters the pivoting path of the rotary latch side boom 15, which also extends from the rotary latch plane upwards, passing through the blocking arm plane. Consequently, the rotary latch 5 and the locking pawl 6 are pre-tensioned against each other.

23 211 VGN: 265098 Mü./Pa./G August 26, 1999

The tension spring 16 is arranged above the blocking arm 24.

Specifically, in the embodiment shown, the design is selected such that the blocking arm 24 rests on the surface of the rotary latch 5.

The blocking arm 24 is also spring-loaded in a clockwise direction - based on the view according to Fig. 1. For this purpose, a leg spring 27 is provided which encompasses the section of the blocking arm 24 which overlaps the bolt 23 and which is supported at one end on a housing wall and at the other end on the blocking arm 24 in the region of its first section.

Starting from a basic position according to Fig. 1, actuation of the actuating arm 17 according to arrow a in Fig. 2 via the actuating pin 19 which penetrates into the guide 18 causes a pivoting displacement of the pawl 6 according to arrow b in Fig. 2. This pawl displacement in the direction of arrow b results in the release of the rotary latch 5, which is displaced in the opening direction according to arrow c in Fig. 2 due to the tension spring 16 acting on it.

In order to prevent the locking hook 13 of the pawl 6 from entering the notch 10 defining the pre-locking position in the event of a further rotational displacement of the rotary latch 5 in the direction of arrow c from the position shown in Fig. 2, the pivoted-out position of the pawl 6 is secured as shown in Fig. 2. This is achieved by the blocking arm 24 losing its support on a flank of the actuating arm 17 due to the pivotal displacement of the actuating arm 17 in the direction of arrow a and is then spring-supported by

23 211 VGN: 265098 Mu./Pa./G August 26, 1999

the pivot spring 27 is pivoted in the direction of arrow d according to Fig. 2, in which pivoted position the blocking shoulder 25 moves behind a blocking blade 28 of the blocking arm 24 pointing downwards into the plane of the blocking arm 24 (see Fig. 3). As a result, the blocking arm 24 is initially held in the actuated position according to Fig. 2, which at the same time results in the locking pawl 6 being secured in the pivoted-away position according to Fig. 2 due to the actuating pin 19 supported on the link flank 21.

As a result of this positive locking of the blocking arm 24 and, in addition, the locking pawl 6, the rotary latch 5 can pivot into the opening position according to Fig. 5 in one go without the locking pawl 6 collapsing into the pre-locking position.

Fig. 4 shows an intermediate position in which the pre-locking position has just been exceeded. The locking bolt 4 is not yet completely released.

It can be seen that in this intermediate position, shortly before the opening position is reached, the boom 15 on the rotary latch side acts on the release section 26 of the blocking arm 24. By further, spring-assisted rotation of the rotary latch 5 into the opening position, the blocking arm 24 is moved back in the direction of arrow d ¹ via the boom 15, which results in the positive connection between the blocking shoulder 25 and the blocking blade 28 of the actuating arm 17 being removed. Due to the lack of a rear grip, the actuating arm 17 and the locking pawl 6 can now be actuated according to the broken lines in Fig. 5 due to the spring preloads.

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The locking pawl 6 is displaced by the tension spring 16 until the end- ^side locking hook 13 strikes a front face of the rotary latch 5. The opening position releasing the locking bolt 4 is shown in Fig. 6. This position is also a rest position of the lock 1.

Due to the inventive interaction of the blocking arm 24 and the actuating arm 17 or pawl, it is possible to intentionally overrun the pre-locking position via a handle during a normal opening of the closure 1.

As can be seen from Figs. 7 and 8, however, this pre-locking position is still present during a normal closing process of the door or hood, since the blocking arm 24 does not come into effect in this case.

A closing movement of the door or hood results in an essentially linear displacement of the locking bolt 4 within the housing slot 3, with the rotary latch 5 being driven along in rotation when the locking bolt 4 enters the latch mouth 7. The pivoting direction of the rotary latch 5 is shown in Fig. 7 with the arrow c ¹ .

The pawl 6 is actuated against the spring force of the tension spring during the closing rotation of the rotary latch 5. Due to the slot-like design of the guide 18, the pawl 6 can be freely pivoted over a certain angle of rotation (see arrow b ¹¹ ). This free pivoting of the pawl 6 is made possible by a larger selected angle of rotation.

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limitation within the gate 18 than is necessary for the control during passive movement of the pawl 6, as occurs during the closing process. An opening angle Alpha of the circular arc segment-shaped gate cutout of approximately 45° is selected, compared to a control angle Beta of 5-10°.

As the rotary latch 5 continues to rotate to close, the pawl 6 or its locking hook 13 reaches the pre-locking position 9, after which the locking hook 13 automatically plunges into the notch 10 of the rotary latch 5 with the aid of a spring. The locking bolt 4 is already secured in this position. The pre-locking position created by this serves as a safety feature in the event that the door or cover is not closed properly.

By completing the closing movement as a result of a further displacement of the locking bolt 4, the rotary latch 5 is further displaced in the direction of arrow c ¹ with the pawl 6 being actuated again and the locking hook 13 finally entering the area of the latch mouth 7 to engage the locking step 8 as shown in Fig. 1.

The pre-locking position for safety is also achieved by opening the lock 1 without intention, as shown in Fig. 8. This non-intentional opening can be caused, for example, by vibrations as a result of an accident or the like, during which vibration the locking pawl 6 briefly releases the rotary latch 5. After this, however, the locking pawl 6 can immediately swing back again, spring-assisted by the tension spring 16, in order to reach the pre-locking position.

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To cancel this pre-locking position, which serves as a safety feature, the actuation arm 17 must be actuated, as this is the only way to enable the rear grip between the blocking shoulder 25 and the blocking blade 28, which secures the pawl 6 in the pivoted-out position. In the case of an involuntary opening movement or a closing movement, neither the actuation arm 17 nor the blocking arm 24 come into effect.

All disclosed features are essential to the invention. The disclosure content of the associated/attached priority documents (copy of the prior application) is hereby fully included in the disclosure of the application, also for the purpose of including features of these documents in the claims of the present application.

23 211 VGN: 265098 Mu./Pa./G August 26, 1999

Claims (7)

1. Motor vehicle rotary latch lock ( 1 ) with a rotary latch ( 5 ) and a pawl ( 6 ), the rotary latch ( 5 ) having a pre-lock, with an actuating arm ( 17 ) interacting with the pawl ( 6 ), characterized in that the actuating arm ( 17 ) interacts with a spring-loaded blocking arm ( 24 ) which prevents the pawl ( 6 ) from pivoting into the pre-lock when the pawl ( 6 ) is released during a normal actuation. 2. Motor vehicle rotary latch lock according to claim 1 or in particular according thereto, characterized in that the pivoting of the rotary latch ( 5 ) moves the blocking arm ( 24 ) from the blocking position into a release position for releasing the pawl ( 6 ) after overrunning the pre-lock. 3. Motor vehicle rotary latch lock according to one or more of the preceding claims or in particular according thereto, characterized in that the actuating arm ( 17 ) has a blocking blade ( 28 ) which cooperates with a blocking shoulder ( 25 ) of the blocking arm ( 24 ). 4. Motor vehicle rotary latch lock according to one or more of the preceding claims or in particular according thereto, characterized in that the pawl ( 6 ) is pivotable relative to the blocking arm ( 24 ) for moving the pawl ( 6 ) into the locking or pre-locking position without pivoting the blocking arm ( 24 ). 5. Motor vehicle rotary latch lock according to one or more of the preceding claims or in particular according thereto, characterized in that the actuating arm ( 17 ) has a guide ( 18 ) within which an actuating pin ( 19 ) of the locking pawl ( 6 ) can be moved with a limited angle of rotation. 6. Motor vehicle rotary latch lock according to one or more of the preceding claims or in particular according thereto, characterized in that the rotation angle limitation corresponds at least to the control angle (Beta) during passive movement of the pawl ( 6 ) from the locking position into the release position. 7. Motor vehicle rotary latch lock according to one or more of the preceding claims or in particular according thereto, characterized in that the pawl ( 6 ) is spring-loaded radially outside its axis of rotation (y) relative to the rotary latch ( 5 ), and when force is introduced into the rotary latch ( 5 ) likewise radially outside the rotary latch axis (x).