EP3039209B1 - Electric motor vehicle lock with emergency unlocking - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a locking device with a lock, in particular for a motor vehicle with a locking mechanism comprising a rotary latch and at least one pawl for locking the rotary latch.

A lock of such a closing device is used for temporary closing of openings in motor vehicles or buildings by means of doors or flaps. In the closed state of such a lock, the rotary latch engages around a particular bow-shaped locking bolt, which is usually attached to the body in the case of a motor vehicle. If the rotary latch reaches a closed position starting from an open position by means of a pivoting effected with the aid of the locking bolt, the rotary latch is finally locked by means of the locking pawl. A blocking surface of the pawl then abuts a blocking surface of the rotary latch, which prevents the rotary latch from being rotated back in the direction of the open position. The locking pin can not leave the locking mechanism in the closed position.

For opening, it is necessary to move the pawl out of its detent position. If the pawl has been moved out of its detent position, then the catch rotates in the direction of the open position. In the open position of the catch and thus in the open position of the locking mechanism, the locking bolt can leave the lock. The door or flap can be opened again.

There are locks with two different locking positions of the catch. The catch can then first in the so-called Pre-locking be latched and by further rotation in the closing direction finally in the so-called main detent position. Although in the pre-locking position, a locking bolt can no longer leave the locking mechanism. A corresponding door or flap is not completely closed yet. Such for or flap is only completely closed when the catch is rotated to the main catch position and locked here. For locking in the pre-locking position, a second pawl may be provided. But it is also possible to lock the catch with only one pawl both in the pre-latching position and in the main latching position.

The lock may include a blocking lever that is capable of blocking a pawl when the pawl locks the catch. To open such a locking mechanism, the blocking lever must first be moved out of its blocking position.

In order to open a lock with very little effort, the catch can in the locked state an opening moment in the pawl initiate. The opening moment may cause the pawl to be moved out of its detent position. In such a lock unwanted moving out is prevented by a blocking lever. If the blocking lever is moved out of its blocking position, the lock then opens automatically. Such a prior art is from the document DE 10 2007 003 948 A1 known.

To open a lock, there is an actuator. When the actuating device is actuated, the locking mechanism opens. A handle of a door or flap may be part of the actuator. This handle will usually Upper a linkage or a Bowden cable connected to an operating lever of the castle. If the handle is confirmed, the lever of the lock is pivoted by means of the linkage or Bowden cable so that the lock opens. A motor vehicle can have a generally pivotable outer handle, which can be reached from the outside, and / or a generally pivotable inner handle, which can be reached from the inside.

Like from the WO 2006/053553 A2 As is known, a lock or a locking device with such a lock can have an anti-theft device. Mechanical opening is not possible if theft protection is activated. An electric opening using an opening device is then not possible. To be able to open a door or flap, the anti-theft device must first be deactivated again.

According to the document DE 100 48 709 A1 In normal operation, the lock known therefrom can not be opened by operating an external handle, because in normal operation, a connection between an actuating lever and the locking mechanism, which is necessary for this purpose, is missing. The lock can be opened from the outside in normal operation only with the help of an electric drive. In an emergency, however, the mechanical connection between the handle and the locking mechanism is made by the electric drive, in order to be able to mechanically open the lock in an emergency by operating the outer handle. An emergency exists, for example, in the event of an accident or power failure. If a sensor signals the presence of an emergency, the electric drive establishes the mechanical connection within a few 10 ms in order to be able to open the lock without electricity.

The sensor can be the sensor of an airbag. If the sensor of an airbag signals an accident, electrical energy is usually available for a few milliseconds (ms) following the signal so that the mechanical connection can be established by the electric drive. After that, the electrical power supply may fail.

Another sensor can monitor the state of charge of a vehicle battery. If the state of charge of the battery falls below a certain threshold value, then this malfunction or emergency can be signaled by the sensor in order then to automatically ensure that the electric drive establishes the mechanical connection in order subsequently to permit mechanical opening.

It is an object of the invention to further develop a locking device with an electric opening mechanism. In particular, the object of the present invention is to be able to convert a lock of such a closing device, in particular in a short time, from normal operation to emergency operation with little expenditure of electrical energy.
To achieve the object, a lock comprises the features of the first claim. Advantageous embodiments emerge from the subclaims.

The solution is a locking device with a lock, in particular for a motor vehicle with a locking mechanism provided, the catch can be locked in a main detent position and in a pre-locking position with at least one pawl. The locking device has an electric drive, with which the lock can be opened electrically in normal operation. It also has an upper control device with which the lock can be converted to an emergency operation in the event of an emergency from normal operation. During this conversion, the lock is moved from the main latch position to the latch position. In the pre-locking position, the lock can be opened mechanically. A mechanical opening of a door or flap is basically not possible, at least from the outside, when the locking mechanism is locked in the main latching position.

The presence of a pre-locking position in a motor vehicle lock improves safety and is therefore widespread. If a lock is moved from the main latching position to the pre-latching position, a gap arises or increases between the associated door or flap and the adjacent body of the vehicle. This gap can now make it possible for a mechanical actuating device to be accessible, preferably at least from the outside, in order to be able to open the vehicle door or flap. But it can also be a mechanism that allows opening of the door or flap mechanically always and / or only possible when the lock is locked in the pre-locking position.

In an advantageous embodiment, a mechanical actuator of the locking device is accessible when the lock is locked in the pre-locking position. The mechanical actuator is not accessible when the lock is locked in the main latching position. This embodiment reliably ensures that in normal operation an associated door or Flap can not be opened without authorization. Following an emergency, the door or flap can be opened mechanically.

In one embodiment of the invention, an actuating element such as a lever or loop is moved into the resulting from switching to emergency operation gap so that the actuating element is accessible from the outside by means of the electric drive. By subsequently actuating the actuating element, the door or flap can then be opened mechanically.

In one embodiment of the invention, the locking mechanism is such that in the main locking position, the rotary latch initiates an opening moment in the locking pawl, which locks the rotary latch in the main locking position. There is a blockage lever that blocks this pawl in the main catch position. For a switch from normal operation to emergency operation of the blocking lever is moved out of its blocking position and in particular by means of the electric drive with which the lock can be opened electrically. Alternatively, another drive may be provided, but as a rule this is to be avoided in order to minimize the number of drives used. Due to the opening moment introduced into the pawl, the pawl then moves out of its pre-locking position and the catch can move into the pre-locking position. In the pre-locking position, the catch can then be locked with this pawl or with another pawl. A blocking lever can be moved out of its blocking position with a particularly low expenditure of energy, so that this embodiment makes it possible to convert a lock from a normal mode to an emergency mode with a particularly low expenditure of energy. Since the blocking lever acts directly on the ratchet, this can also be converted very quickly from normal operation to emergency operation.

In one embodiment of the invention, there is an anti-theft device that does not allow locking of the lock when it is in the pre-locking position. In particular, in this embodiment there is a sensor, such as a microswitch, which can be used to detect when the lock is in the pre-locking position and then automatically prevent the theft deterrent from being activated when the lock is in the pre-engaged position.

In one embodiment of the invention, there is a control device which, during an electrical opening, prevents the lock from rusting in the pre-locking position when the lock is opened electrically. The control device is preferably an electrical control device which is only able to prevent it from falling into the pre-locking position when a power supply is available.

In one embodiment of the invention, the control device may comprise a control lever, which is able to control the locking of a pawl in the pre-locking position. An example of a control lever is in the German patent application 102013207725 described. Preferably, such a control lever is in an initial position, which has the consequence that the lock is locked in the pre-locking position. For opening, the control lever is moved out of the starting position in particular by the said electric drive. The control lever then detects the locking pawl provided for the pre-locking position in such a way that it is prevented that this pawl can engage in the pre-locking position in order then to lock the rotary latch. This embodiment is particularly advantageous in combination with the embodiment in which the lock otherwise it can be opened by moving a blocking lever out of its blocking position. It can then be sufficient for the switch to emergency mode that only the blocking lever is moved from its blocking position, which can be done very quickly and with very little energy. The combination of these features therefore solves the above tasks particularly well.

In one embodiment, the lock comprises a control contour, which is able to control the latching in the pre-locking position. If the control contour is in a starting position, then the control contour controls the movement of a pawl provided for this purpose such that it locks the catch in the pre-latching position when the rotary latch moves in the direction of the opening position starting from the main latching position. If the lock is opened electrically, then the control contour is moved so that the catch is not locked in the pre-locking position by the pawl provided for this purpose. This embodiment is especially advantageous in combination with the embodiment in which the lock can otherwise be opened by moving a blocking lever out of its blocking position. It can then be sufficient for the switch to emergency mode that only the blocking lever is moved from its blocking position, which can be done very quickly and with very little energy. The combination of these features therefore solves the above tasks particularly well.

In one embodiment of the invention is dispensed with an outside door handle, as this is no longer required in normal operation and is ensured in an emergency in case of failure of a power supply that can still be opened mechanically. This not only leads to manufacturing advantages, but also allows Form designs that are not possible in a conventional vehicle with outside door handle. This also contributes to theft security. An outside door handle according to the present invention is always accessible and pivotable from the outside, wherein the door can be mechanically opened by pivoting the door handle.

The lock comprises in one embodiment an emergency lever which is so arranged and / or whose movement is controlled so that it is able to lock the lock in the Vorrostposition only in an emergency.

The FIG. 1 outlined a locking mechanism of a lock with a rotary latch 1, which is locked in the main locking position shown by a pawl 2. If the rotary latch 1 is rotated clockwise about its axis 3, the rotary latch 1 moves in the direction of the open position. If the catch 1 has reached its open position by turning in the clockwise direction, then the locking pin 4 held by it can leave the locking mechanism. The pawl 2 is applied to the rotary latch 1, that the rotary latch 1 initiates an opening moment in the pawl 2. By the opening moment, the pawl 2 can be rotated in the clockwise direction about its axis 5 from its shown Taststellung out. This is prevented in the main rest position shown by a blocking lever 6, which can be moved counterclockwise, for example about its axis 7 by means of the electric drive 8 from its blocking position shown.

If the blocking lever 6 is moved out of its blocking position by the electric drive 8, then the pawl 2 leaves its in the FIG. 1 shown locking position due to the initiated opening moment. The pivoting movement in Clockwise direction of the pawl 2 ends as soon as a protruding from the pawl 2 pin 9 contacts the pivoting control lever 10. The control lever 10 thus limited in its initial position shown, the pivotal movement of the pawl 2 out of its detent position. The lever 10 is in its initial position shown, so the pawl 2 locks the catch 1 finally in the pre-locking position. The blocking surface 11 of the pawl 2 then abuts against the blocking surface 12 of the rotary latch. Such latching of the catch 1 in the pre-locking position is avoided when the lever 10 is pivoted counterclockwise about its axis 13 by a drive, not shown, in its dashed position shown by pivoting.

In normal operation, both the blocking lever 6 and the control lever 10 is pivoted as described to open the locking mechanism for opening the locking mechanism. In an emergency, only the blocking lever 6 is moved out of its blocking position. As a result, the locking mechanism is then adjusted from the main detent position to the pre-detent position.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1:

catch

2:

pawl

3:

Rotary latch axis

4:

locking pin

5:

Pawl axis

6:

blocking lever

7:

Axle of the blockage lever

8th:

electric drive

9:

Bolt on pawl

10:

control lever

11:

Locking surface of the pawl

12:

Locking surface of the catch

13:

Axle of the control lever

Claims (10)

1. Latching device with a latch in particular for a motor vehicle with a locking mechanism comprising a catch (1) and at least a pawl (2) for ratcheting of the catch (1) in a pre-ratchet position and a main ratchet position, with an electrical drive (8), with which the latch can be electrically opened, and an activation device, with which the latch can be mechanically opened in the pre-ratchet position and whereby mechanical opening is not possible in the main ratchet position, with an actuator with which the latch can be moved from the main ratchet position to the pre-ratchet position in an emergency.
2. Latching device according to claim 1, characterized in that the activation device is accessible when the latch is ratcheted in the pre-ratchet position and the activation device is not accessible when the latch is ratcheted in the main ratchet position.
3. Latching device according to the previous claim, characterized in that the activation device is accessible due to a gap or in a gap which arises or increases by moving the latch from the main ratchet position to the pre-ratchet position.
4. Latch according to the previous claim, characterized in that an activation element of the activation device is moved into the gap as soon as this arises or increases.
5. Latch according to the previous claim, characterized in that a lever or a loop of the activation device is moved into the gap as soon as this arises or increases.
6. Latch according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the catch (1) conducts an opening moment into the pawl (2) in the main ratchet position, that the latch encompasses a blocking lever (6), which blocks the pawl (2) in the main ratchet position, which ratchets the catch (1), whereby the blocking lever (6) is moved out of its blocking position in order to move the latch from the main ratchet position to the pre-ratchet position in an emergency, in particular with the aid of the electrical drive (8), with which the latch can be electrically opened.
7. Latching device according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the latching device comprises an anti-theft device which cannot be activated when the latch is in the pre-ratchet position.
8. Latching device according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that a control device is present which, during electrical opening of the latch, prevents the latch being able to ratchet in the pre-ratchet position.
9. Latching device according to the previous claim, characterized in that the control device is only capable of preventing ratcheting in the pre-ratchet position when an electrical power supply is available.
10. Door for a motor vehicle with a closure device according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the door does not possess a pivotable external handle enabling the latch of the latching device to be opened.

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