EP3201411B1 - Motor vehicle door lock - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock, with a locking mechanism consisting essentially of catch and pawl, fermer with an operating lever work on the pawl, and with a child safety device with a spring-loaded child safety lever, the child safety lever depending on its position "child safety on" or "child safety off "allows a selective deactivation / activation of an associated to the operating lever interior door handle, while an outside door handle remains activated unchanged.

With the help of the child safety device can typically manipulate a rear side door in a motor vehicle so that in its "child safety on" the inner door handle is empty. On the other hand, the side door in question can still be opened from the outside because the outside door handle remains activated unchanged. The position "child safety on" the child safety device or the child safety lever thus corresponds to the previously mentioned selective deactivation of the inner door handle, which as a result is empty and is not able to open the locking mechanism. In contrast, corresponds to the position "child safety off" the child safety device or the associated child safety lever to the fact that the inner door handle is activated and consequently can lift the pawl of the catch on the operating lever mechanism. As a result, the associated motor vehicle side door can be easily opened, from inside and outside. This functionality has proven itself in principle and can of course be transferred to other motor vehicle doors and expanded.

Child safety devices have long been known, such as the utility model DE 70 09 223 the applicant makes clear. There, the child safety device is actuated by means of a child safety lever to be operated from the cuff side of the door. The inside door operation consists of a remote control lever and a coupling lug connected to it. The The coupling tab can be decoupled from the remote control lever using the child safety lever.

The DE 195 36 648 A1 shows a motor vehicle door lock with a child safety element system and a child safety button. The child-safety button is rotatably arranged in a bearing recess of the motor vehicle door lock. In addition, the child safety button has an eccentrically rotating in a circumferential plane control cam, which operates on a coupling element. Depending on the position of the control cam, the associated actuating lever mechanism is interrupted for internal operation or mechanically closed.

In the generic state of the art after the utility model DE 296 23 782 U1 is a parental control system realized with a child safety switch element. The child safety switch element is acted upon by a mounted in the housing of the motor vehicle door lock rotary member with an actuating slot in the head, a so-called actuation nut. From the rotary element in question is for this purpose from a crank from which the child safety switch element is connected. In addition, the crank arm cooperates with a return spring.

For further state of the art still includes a locking system, in particular for a door lock, as it is in the context of DE 10 2007 055 413 A1 is described. This locking system has a rotary body which can be pivoted between a first stable position and a second stable position. In this case, a spring element is deflected along the associated path of movement.

Also from the DE 39 41 669 A1 is a motor vehicle door lock with a catch of a rotary latch and a pawl, with an operating on the pawl operating lever mechanism and with a child safety device with a child safety lever and with a Leaf spring that biases the child safety lever into a child safety lock.

Although the previous embodiments of the child safety device are able to convince in their function, but are constructively designed consuming, because in addition to the child safety lever at least one additional spring is realized, with the help of the two end positions of the Child safety lever or even one end position is taken safely. In addition, additional clutch levers, control cams and other elements are usually considered indispensable. This is where the invention starts.

The invention is based on the technological problem of further developing such a motor vehicle door lock in such a way that the design complexity in implementing the child safety device is significantly reduced compared to previous embodiments.

To solve this technical problem, the invention proposes in a generic motor vehicle door lock, that the child safety lever and the spring are designed as a unit, wherein the child safety lever is equipped with a guide groove for engagement of a pin, in its longitudinal extent on the one hand by a relative to a rotation axis the child safety lever radially inner stop wall and on the other hand a radially outer spring wall is limited as a spring.

In the context of the invention, therefore, the child safety lever and the spring form the relevant structural unit. In this case, the spring ensures in this context that even with an incomplete actuation of the child safety lever, the desired end position is reached. D. h., The parental control lever can be first and basically transfer into its two end positions, which correspond on the one hand to the position "child safety on" and on the other hand to the position "child safety off". The "Child safety on" function deactivates the internal door handle belonging to the operating lever mechanism. In the "child safety off" position, on the other hand, the pawl can be lifted off the catch via the activated inner door handle and consequently the associated motor vehicle door lock can be opened. - The outer door handle unfolds against it in both positions of the child safety device or the child safety lever its effect.

So that now these two end positions are safely taken - even with an incomplete operation - ensures the spring for a corresponding application of force. D. h., The spring transferred with its spring force the child safety lever even with an incomplete operation either in its one or the other end position.

The fact that the child safety lever and the spring form a structural unit, the technological and design effort is already significantly reduced. Because the production and installation of the child safety lever, including the spring done together. In this case, the parental control lever and the spring need not necessarily be formed in one piece or in one piece. Rather, it is sufficient if, for example, the child safety lever is equipped with the spring mounted or suspended in order to realize the unit in question.

Further cost advantages are observed in this context, when, in addition to an advantageous embodiment of the child safety lever and the spring are made of the same material, for example, plastic. In this case, the parental control lever and the spring are manufactured by a common plastic injection molding operation in a common tool. This can be implemented particularly easily and inexpensively.

In detail, for this purpose, the child safety lever is equipped with a guide groove for engaging a pin. The interaction between the guide groove and the pin in conjunction with the spring ensures that the child safety lever safely reaches either one or the other end position, even with incomplete operation.

The pin in question is typically a guide pin connected to a housing. As a housing may regularly act a plastic cover for the motor vehicle door lock. In fact, the motor vehicle door lock essentially consists of a motor vehicle door-side motor vehicle door lock and a body-side locking bolt. In principle, the procedure can also be reversed.

The motor vehicle door lock has a lock case and the mentioned housing or a lock case to the outside closing Plastic lid. The lock case is made of metal. According to the plastic lid acts as a housing made of plastic, so that the previously mentioned pin can be easily formed on the housing or plastic cover in question. For this purpose, the pin may also consist of plastic and be formed in the manufacture of the housing or plastic cover from this.

In this way, the pin of plastic and the guide groove interact, which is also made of plastic due to the uniform design of the parental control lever and the spring and can be on plastic walls. As a result, favorable friction conditions plastic - plastic are observed.

The pin is advantageously designed as connected to the housing or plastic cover guide pin. D. h., The pin ensures in conjunction with the guide that the parental lock lever when inserting the two end positions "child safety off" or "child safety lock on" properly. In order to pivot the child safety lever, for example, an actuating nut is provided which may be mounted in a corresponding opening in the motor vehicle door lock or its housing. The operating nut has an actuating slot in which, for example, a key, a screwdriver, a coin, etc. can engage for actuation.

In this context, it has further proven, if the operating nut and the child safety lever are also formed of the same material of plastic and thus form a structural unit. D. h., The child safety lever, the operating nut and the spring taken together constitute a one-piece plastic injection molded part, which leads to low overall manufacturing costs. In addition, the installation is easy to do. With the help of the operating nut, the child safety lever is pivoted, typically in either the one end position or the other end position. The pivoting movement takes place in consideration of a rotation axis, which is defined by the fact that the operating nut engages in the opening of the housing, thus the opening acts as a bearing or pivot bearing for the operating nut.

Thus, the two end positions are taken and reached safely, the guide has generally in the region of the respective end positions of the child safety lever over a cross-sectional enlargement, so is formed cross-section enlarged. In addition, the guide groove is delimited in its longitudinal extent by the one hand with respect to the axis of rotation of the child safety lever radially inner stop wall and on the other hand, a radially outer spring wall as a spring. D. h., The guide groove has the stop wall and the spring wall as longitudinal walls between the two querschnittsvergrößerten end positions. The spring wall takes over the function of the spring as part of the parental control lever.

In this context, the stop wall is usually formed in a circular arc in comparison to the respective axis of rotation, which acts in this context as the center of the circle. In contrast to the circular arc-shaped stop wall, however, the spring wall has a predominantly straight extension. In fact, the spring wall is generally designed as an elastic bridging web between on the one hand the radially inner guide groove on the other hand and a radially outer recess on the other hand.

The recess ensures that the spring wall can be elastically deflected as a spring and can escape into this recess. As a result of the predominantly straight design of the spring wall or of the elastic bridge web in comparison to the circular arc-shaped configuration of the stop wall, the guide groove in the transition region between the two end positions of the child safety lever generally has a smaller cross-section than the pin guided therein. Only in the two end positions of the cross section of the guide groove largely corresponds to that of the guide in the groove guided pin. In this way, the guided in the guide groove pin in the end ensures that in the transition region between the two end positions, the spring wall is elastically deformed.

As a result of this elastic deformation of the spring wall in the transition region, a restoring force is generated on the child safety lever. The restoring force ensures that the child safety lever is transferred depending on its angular position in one or the other end position. The angular position of the child safety lever corresponds to a pivoting position compared to its axis of rotation. The design is usually made so that the restoring force works on the child safety lever that this is transferred to the end position, which corresponds to a lower swing angle compared to the transfer to the other end position.

Thus, the invention achieves that the child safety lever is properly positioned and fixed in one of the two end positions. This is true even if the parental control lever is operated incompletely by means of the operating nut or otherwise. In any case, the invention ensures that, in both complete and incomplete operation of the child-safety lever, this restoring force, due to the restoring forces generated by the spring wall, will safely occupy either the "child-safety on" or "child-safety off" position. All this is achieved with a strikingly simple structure, which is also characterized by very low costs. Here are the main benefits.

Fig. 1

den erfindungsgemäßen Kraftfahrzeugtürverschluss in einer Rückansicht vom Innern des Kraftfahrzeugtürschlosses aus gesehen,

Fig. 2

den Gegenstand nach Fig. 1 in einer Frontansicht mit der Betätigungsnuss und

Fig. 3A bis 3C

die Kindersicherungseinrichtung separat in verschiedenen Funktionsstellungen.

In the following the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to a drawing showing only one exemplary embodiment; show it:

Fig. 1

the motor vehicle door lock according to the invention seen in a rear view from the interior of the motor vehicle door lock,

Fig. 2

the object after Fig. 1 in a front view with the operating nut and

Figs. 3A to 3C

the child safety device separately in different functional positions.

In the figures, a motor vehicle door lock is shown, which is reduced to the components and elements essential to the invention. It can be seen first of all a housing 1, which in the present case is designed as a plastic lid and closes a lock case, not shown. The lock case is typically in a drawing plane above in the FIG. 1 arranged plane of drawing and not shown for reasons of clarity. As usual, the lock case is used to store a likewise not shown locking mechanism of essentially a rotary latch and a pawl. On the pawl operates a partially recognizable operating lever unit 2a, 2b, which in the interior of the Fig. 1 only partially shown and represents a part of an internal operation. In addition, one recognizes a child safety device 3, which is equipped with a child safety lever 4. The child safety lever 4 is acted upon by a spring 5. According to the parental control lever 4 and the spring 5 are designed as a structural unit 4, 5.

In the illustration after the Fig. 1 3A or 3A, the child-safety lever 4 is in its "child-safety on" position, in which the child-safety lever 4 interrupts an inner-operating lever chain or an inner operation via the operating lever mechanism 2a, 2b belongs to an idle stroke on an inner door handle (not shown). In contrast, the dash-dotted corresponds in the Fig. 1 indicated position or in Fig. 3C shown position "child safety off" to the fact that on the operating lever mechanism 2a, 2b, an internal operation is possible, therefore, the pawl can be lifted from the rotary latch. In both functional settings "Parental control on" and _" child safety off", the motor vehicle door lock shown can be operated unchanged from the outside.

Specifically, the interpretation may be made in such a way that the in the Fig. 1 3A or 3A to be recognized child safety lever 4 in the illustrated position "child safety on" with an end-side pin 6 blocks an internal operating lever 2b as part of the operating lever unit 2a, 2b in this position or causes an idle stroke when the internal operating lever in the in Fig. 1 Arrow direction is pivoted about its axis. Because in this case the two lever arms coupled to each other by a spring are decoupled from each other or blocked against the stop 6 current lever arm. This can consequently raise the pawl neither directly nor indirectly from the catch.

The in the Fig. 1 or the FIGS. 3A and 3C shown two functional positions "child safety on" and "child safety off" of the child safety lever 4 can be with the help of a in the front view of the Fig. 2 specify to be recognized operating 7 in the example case. Of course, instead of the actuating nut 7, the child safety lever 4 can also be pivoted manually (or even motorically) in any other way. In the exemplary embodiment, the actuating nut 7 integrally connected to the child safety lever 4 ensures that the child safety lever 4 assumes either its end position "child safety on" or the end position "child safety off" with the consequences already described above.

According to the invention it is now not only important that the parental control lever 4 can be brought into the two illustrated end positions, but these end positions must also be kept accurate to the position. This is the only way to prevent inadvertent insertion or removal of the child safety device 3 or the child safety lever 4. For this purpose, the child safety lever 4 has the already mentioned spring 5. Actually, the child safety lever 4, 5 and the spring 5 according to the invention as a structural unit 4, 5 are formed. In the exemplary embodiment, the child safety lever 4 and the spring 5 are made of the same material, for example, plastic. To the assembly 4, 5 occurs in the embodiment nor the actuating nut 7 is added, so that a structural unit 4, 5, 7 of the child safety lever 4, the spring 5 and finally the actuating nut 7 is present in the embodiment as a one-piece plastic injection molded part 4, 5, 7 is designed. Of course, this is only an example and not mandatory.

Based on the presentation in the Fig. 1 it can be seen that the child safety lever 4 is equipped with a guide groove 8 for engagement of a pin 9. The pin 9 is connected to the housing 1 and in the present case designed as a guide pin 9 for the child safety lever 4. In fact, the guide pin 9 in conjunction with the actuating nut 7, which in an associated and the Fig. 2 to be recognized opening 10 of the housing 1 engages, that on the one hand a rotation axis 11 of the child safety lever 4 is defined and on the other hand, the child safety lever 4 properly with the help of engaging in the guide groove 8 pin 9 is guided in this pivotal movement about the axis of rotation 11.

Based on Fig. 1 as well as the Figs. 3A to 3C it can be seen that the guide groove 8 is designed cross section enlarged in the region of the respective end positions of the child safety lever 4. In fact, in the region of the two end positions, the guide groove 8 has a cross section which essentially corresponds to the cross section of the pin or of the groove 8 engaging in the guide groove 8 Guide pin 9 corresponds. In contrast, observed for a transition region 12, 13 between the two end positions, a cross section of the guide groove 8, which is less than the cross section of the guide pin 9 is formed. As a result, the spring 5 is deformed as the Fig. 3B represents.

In fact, the guide groove 8 is delimited in its longitudinal extent on the one hand by a stop wall 13 and on the other hand a spring wall 12 as a spring 5. The stop wall 13 is arranged radially in comparison to the guide groove 8 compared to the axis of rotation 11, whereas the spring wall 12 radially outwardly compared to the axis of rotation 11 finds their arrangement and correspondence.

It can be seen that the stop wall 13 is formed in a circular arc in comparison to the axis of rotation 11, which in this respect functions as a circle center. In contrast, the spring wall 12 has a predominantly straight extension. In fact, the spring wall 12 is designed as an elastic bridging web 12 between on the one hand the already mentioned guide groove 8 and on the other hand a recess 14. The recess 14 ensures that acting as a spring 5 and acting spring wall 12 can escape into this recess 14 at a possible deformation by the guide pin 9 (see. Fig. 3B ). It can be seen that the recess 14 is arranged radially outward compared to the axis of rotation 11 of the child safety lever 4, while the guide groove 8 has a contrast radially inner arrangement.

As already explained above, the one hand predominantly straight design of the spring wall 12 in conjunction with the other hand, the circular arc shape of the stop wall 13 leads to a total that the guide groove 8 in the transition region 12, 13 between the two end positions of the child safety lever 4 has a smaller cross-section than the guided therein Spigot 9 has. As a result, the pin 9 ensures that in the transition region 12, 13, the spring wall 12 is elastically deformed. Due to the elastic deformation, the spring wall 12 generates a restoring force on the child safety lever 4. This shows the Fig. 3B , There you can see that the child safety lever 4 has been pressed incomplete. The spring wall 12 is elastically deformed and generates a restoring force in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the axis of rotation 11. In this way, the incompletely actuated child safety lever 4 in the direction of the "child safety off" according to the Fig. 3C with force.

The restoring force of the spring wall 12 is dimensioned so that the child safety lever 4 is converted depending on its angular position compared to the axis of rotation 11 in one or the other end position. In any case, this ensures overall that the child safety lever 4 is properly positioned, even if the child safety lever 4 have been incomplete acted upon by the operating nut 7. In this case, the deformed in the transition region 12, 13 spring wall 12, which acts as a spring 5, ensures that the restoring force generated by the deformation transfers the child safety lever 4 in the angle next to the final position. The angle-closest end position corresponds to a smallest pivot angle with respect to the two basically achievable end positions.

Consequently, if the guide pin 9 dipping into the guide groove 8 is closer to the end position "childproof lock on" than to the end position "childproof lock off", the restoring force generated by the deformation of the spring wall 12 ensures that the childproofing lever 4 moves into the end position "childproof lock" "is automatically pivoted.

Claims (8)

1. Motor vehicle door latch with a locking mechanism fundamentally comprising a catch and a pawl, furthermore with an operating lever mechanism (2a, 2b) working on the pawl, and with a child safety device (3) with a child latch lever (4) acted on by a spring (5), wherein the child latch lever (4) and the spring (5) are formed as a structural unit (4, 5), wherein the child latch lever (4) is equipped with a guide groove (8) to engage a pin (9), which is limited in its lengthwise extension on the one hand by a radial internal stop wall (13) in relation to a rotational axis (11) of the child latch lever (4) and, on the other hand a radial external spring wall (12) limited as a spring (5).
2. Motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, characterized in that the child latch lever (4) and the spring (5) are designed in a materially uniform manner, for example, from plastic.
3. Motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pin (9) is formed as a guiding pin (9) connected to a housing (1).
4. Motor vehicle door latch according to claim 3, characterized in that the guide nut (8) is designed in a cross-sectionally enlarged manner in the region of the respective end positions of the child latch lever (4).
5. Motor vehicle door latch according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the stop wall (13) is formed as a circular center point in an arc shape compared to the rotational axis (11).
6. Motor vehicle door latch according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the spring wall (12) is designed as an elastic bridge (12) between the radially internal guide nut (8) on the one hand and a radially external recess (14) on the other hand.
7. Motor vehicle door latch according to one of the claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the guide nut (8) in the transition area (12, 13) has a smaller cross-section than the pin (9) guided therein between the two end positions of the child latch lever (4) which consequently elastically deforms the spring wall (12) in the transition area (12, 13).
8. Motor vehicle door latch according to one of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the spring wall (12) generates a resetting force on the child latch lever (4) in the transition area (12, 13) which transfers it into one of the end positions according to its angular position.

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