EP4013930B1 - Door lock, in particular motor vehicle door lock - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a door lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, with a locking mechanism consisting of a rotary latch and at least one pawl, and with at least one damping means between two locking components, which has a noise-dampening effect due to its deformation at least when they interact with one another, the damping means on the edge of at least one stop surface the rotary latch and/or the pawl is provided, and wherein the damping means has a certain height relative to the associated stop surface, the damping means being equipped with a cavity which is compressed upon closing contact between the two locking components, the damping means being in the area of a recess the stop surface is arranged.

Door locks and in particular motor vehicle door locks are typically equipped with a so-called single lock consisting of a rotary latch and a pawl securing the rotary latch. In the context of the present application, multiple locks or multiple pawl locks are also considered, i.e. those that are equipped with a rotary latch and, for example, two pawls, a comfort pawl and a blocking pawl securing the comfort pawl.

With such door locks and in particular the associated locking mechanism, more or less pronounced "metallic" noises often occur, particularly during the closing process of the locking mechanism. These can be attributed to the fact that the pawl falling into the rotary latch, ie both of the aforementioned locking components, are each equipped with a metal stop surface for security reasons in order to realize the associated pre-closing position or main closing position. A comparable metallic contact with corresponding acoustic noises can in principle also occur between the previously mentioned comfort pawl and the blocking pawl securing the comfort pawl and is discussed here Observed under certain circumstances, but in practice it is usually negligible. For this reason, the present application focuses on single locks, although the teaching described is not reduced to this, but can also fundamentally be used with multiple locks or multiple pawl locks.

There are already various approaches in the state of the art to positively influence the noise development mentioned above. They actually work DE 102 01 367 B4 or even that DE 102 16 313 A1 with a damping agent or a damping layer at contact points of the rotary latch where a locking bolt or a pawl comes into contact. For this purpose and to avoid impact noise, recesses are provided in a damping layer on the surface of the rotary latch. The recesses are filled with an elastic damping material, the elasticity of which can be adapted to the respective impact mass. In this context, outwardly projecting thickenings are also addressed, which increase the cross section of a damping membrane.

A rotary latch or fork latch with a casing made of a damping material is also used in the DE 23 20 351 described. The casing made of the damping material is equipped with additional buffer formations in the form of spring mechanism chambers and bridging projections at contact points between the fork latch and locking bolt or rotary latch and pawl.

With the generic state of the art according to the EP 1 500 762 B1 The procedure for a motor vehicle door lock is such that the damping means is implemented on the edge of at least one stop surface on the rotary latch and/or pawl. In addition, the damping means has a certain height compared to the associated stop surface. The damping means has a web-like or wedge-like cross-section, for example. Through the If the arrangement of the damping means is selected on the edge of the stop surface, a particularly effective damping is achieved because this means that the opposite stop surface or counter-stop surface first moves against the damping means and then the stop surface. This has basically proven itself.

From the US 2013/270845 A1 is a motor vehicle door lock, with a locking mechanism consisting of a rotary latch and at least one pawl, and with at least one damping means between two locking components is known, the damping means being equipped with a cavity which is compressed upon closing contact between the two locking components, the damping means being in the area a recess in the stop surface is arranged,

However, the state of the art is in need of improvement in that the known teaching according to the EP 1 500 762 B1 the effective deformation path of the damping means implemented at the edge is relatively small. In conjunction with inevitable aging phenomena, this leads to a decrease in effectiveness of the damping agent, which is usually made of plastic, in comparison to its new state, particularly over long time scales and when hardening of the damping agent, which is usually made of plastic, is observed. This is where the invention comes in.

The invention is based on a door lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, with a locking mechanism consisting of a rotary latch and at least one pawl, and with at least one damping means between two locking components, which has a noise-dampening effect due to its deformation at least when they interact with one another, the damping means being at least one on the edge Stop surface is provided on the rotary latch and/or the pawl, and wherein the damping means has a certain height relative to the associated stop surface, the damping means being equipped with a cavity which is compressed upon closing contact between the two locking components, wherein the damping means is arranged in the area of a recess in the stop surface. It is based on the technical problem of further developing such a door lock and in particular a motor vehicle door lock in such a way that the effectiveness of the damping means is further improved compared to the prior art, especially on long time scales.

To solve this technical problem, the invention proposes in a generic door lock and in particular a motor vehicle door lock that the recess (4a) of the stop surface (4) extends in the direction of a locking component axis (2') into a recess (11) in the metallic core of the locking component (2). passes over, the recess (11) serving to anchor the damping means (6).

That is, the cavity extends largely at an angle and usually even at right angles to the closing direction between the two locking components, so that during a closing process and the resulting closing contact between the locking components, the cavity, which extends largely transversely, is compressed as desired. By resorting to the cavity, the damping means as a whole can be equipped with a significant height compared to the associated stop surface, which in any case corresponds to that of the damping means according to the prior art EP 1 500 762 B1 more or less significantly exceeds.

In fact, the prior art in this context speaks of a height of the damping means relative to the associated stop surface, which is between 0.1 and 1 mm. In contrast, by resorting to the cavity, the invention allows heights or overall heights compared to the stop surface, which as a rule more or less clearly exceed 1 mm.

Such a design is possible because during a closing process and consequently an approach of the stop surface and the counter-stop surface to the interacting locking components, the cavity is first compressed until its defining walls or longitudinal walls lie on top of each other. The damping agent as such is then intrinsically compressed.

In this way, the invention can ultimately work with two different spring constants of the elastic damping for the damping means used. First of all, the compression of the cavity at the beginning of the closing process corresponds to a low spring constant because the damping means, which is usually made of plastic, is predominantly deformed macroscopically. However, if the cavity has disappeared due to compression and the longitudinal walls defining the cavity lie on top of each other, a further and usually larger or significantly larger spring constant is observed. Because now the damping agent typically counteracts the further closing movement with microscopic deformation forces in the material of the movement. As a result, a slight damping is observed at the beginning of the closing movement, which increases as the closing movement increases. As a result of this, according to the invention, particularly effective noise attenuation is achieved.

All of this is achieved in combination with space-saving and effective damping in such a way that the damping means is arranged on the edge of the stop surface. This means that the stop surface as such is not influenced, or at most only slightly influenced, in terms of its size and its still existing metallic character. This is where the main advantages can be seen.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the cavity is lens-shaped. In addition, the cavity usually has a length which is adapted to a longitudinal extent of a counter-stop surface moving against the stop surface.

In most cases, the longitudinal extent of the stop surface and the counter-stop surface correspond, so that the cavity can easily be adapted to the relevant longitudinal extent. Through this topological design, the invention ensures that during a closing process between the two locking components, the counter-stop surface moving against the stop surface compresses the cavity, which is adapted to the length of its longitudinal extent, practically over its entire length in the first region of the travel path. In the second part of the travel path, the longitudinal walls delimiting the cavity then ensure, through their mutual contact, that the plastic, which is usually used for the damping agent, is intramolecularly elastically deformed during this second travel path, as has already been described previously.

According to the invention, the damping means is arranged in the area of a recess in the stop surface. According to the invention, the design is such that the recess in the stop surface merges into a recess in the metallic core of the locking component in the direction of a locking component axis. This means that the recess in the stop surface for receiving and defining the damping means is not (only) flat, but also has a spatial character because the recess merges into the previously mentioned recess in the direction of the locking component axis.

In this way, the plastic generally used as the material for the damping means is connected particularly effectively and over a large area to a metallic core of the locking component. In addition, the depression ensures that the plastic can be deformed particularly effectively, first macroscopically and then microscopically, namely intramolecularly. The anchoring of the damping means in the recess is still favorably influenced in the event that the recess opens conically towards the recess. This ensures that the damping agent defining plastic is, as it were, squeezed in within the recess. The constraining effect increases due to the conicity in the closing direction of the locking components.

This is important because, particularly during the intramolecular deformation of the plastic during the closing process, such a plastic typically tends to "spread out" or deform into a spherical or barrel-shaped shape. In order to counteract such a deformation, the recess opens in the direction of the recess or, conversely, the plastic is increasingly forced into the recess in the closing direction and this deformation of the plastic is counteracted accordingly.

According to the invention, the recess therefore serves to anchor the damping means. In addition, the depression counteracts any and possibly permanent deformations of the damping means caused by the application of force during the closing process.

As already explained, the stop surface having the damping agent on the edge is equipped with the recess. In order to compensate for the associated loss of area at this point, a bulge or bulge is usually realized on an edge of the stop surface opposite the recess. This bulge in the metallic core of the locking component also advantageously merges into a thickening in the metallic core of the locking component in the direction of the locking component axis. Due to the recess and also the bulge or bulge, a predominantly jagged surface of the metallic core is observed in the area of the stop surface of the locking component, which promotes the adhesion of the damping agent in this area. This is because the damping means is advantageously designed as a component of a plastic casing of the metallic core. In any case, this special design ensures that the plastic coating, particularly in the area of the stop surface with the damping agent, adheres perfectly to the metallic core is liable, also and in particular taking into account the deformation forces absorbed in this area during the closing process.

As a result, a door lock and in particular a motor vehicle door lock is provided which has particular advantages over the prior art. First of all, the realization of a cavity in conjunction with the edge-side arrangement of the damping means ensures that particularly effective noise dampening is achieved during a closing movement between the stop surface and the counter-stop surface. This is because the counter-stop surface moving towards the stop surface is slowed down in its movement with the help of the damping means relatively far before it hits the stop surface.

In fact, the damping means provided according to the invention on the edge of the stop surface can be equipped with a height above the stop surface which more or less significantly exceeds one millimeter, for example 2 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm and more. Nevertheless, the movement of the counter-stop surface is effectively dampened as it approaches the stop surface, because the cavity of the damping means is initially compressed. Only after the compression of the cavity and the associated contact of the longitudinal walls defining the cavity against one another does additional intramolecular damping of the further closing movement occur.

All of this is advantageously combined with a particularly effective casing of the relevant locking component, to which, on the one hand, the recess provided in the area of the recess and, on the other hand, the thickening on the respective metallic core opposite the recess contribute. This is where the main advantages can be seen.

Fig. 1

Das erfindungsgemäße Türschloss in einer Übersicht und reduziert auf die für die Erfindung wesentlichen Bauteile,

Fig. 2

eine Aufsicht auf die Anschlagfläche mit dem Dämpfungsmittel und

Fig. 3

einen Schließvorgang zwischen zwei Gesperrebauteilen in Seitenansicht.

The invention is explained in more detail below using a drawing that only shows an exemplary embodiment; show it:

Fig. 1

The door lock according to the invention in an overview and reduced to the components essential to the invention,

Fig. 2

a view of the stop surface with the damping agent and

Fig. 3

a closing process between two locking components in a side view.

The figures show a door lock which, according to the exemplary embodiment and not by way of limitation, is a motor vehicle door lock. The motor vehicle door lock has a locking device 1, 2 consisting of a rotary latch 1 and a pawl 2 interacting with it. With the help of the rotary latch 1, the Fig. 1 shown (main) closing state of the locking mechanism 1, 2, a locking bolt 3 is caught and secured. An additional actuating lever mechanism and/or locking lever mechanism implemented in this context, as well as electric motors also provided, are not shown as a whole because they are irrelevant to the present invention, although they are of course reflected in practice.

In order to avoid the development of noise, particularly during the closing process of the locking mechanism 1, 2, which can essentially be attributed to the fact that during this process there is a noise in the Fig. 2 If the metallic stop surface 4 on the pawl 2 that can be recognized meets a likewise metallic counter-stop surface 5 on the rotary latch 1, a specially designed damping means 6 is realized on the pawl 2 according to the invention. In principle, the damping means 6 can also be implemented on the rotary latch 1. For this reason, we will primarily and generally speak below of locking components 1, 2, which are equipped with the corresponding stop surfaces 4, 5, which move against one another during a closing process of the locking components 1, 2 and thereby typically generate "metallic noises", which, however, according to the invention Suppressed with the help of the damping agent 6 become. These metallic noises can be attributed to the fact that both the rotary latch 1 and the pawl 2 are each equipped with a plastic casing 7 for the rotary latch 1 and a plastic casing 8 for the pawl 2, which is interrupted in the area of the stop surface 4, 5 . Otherwise, the plastic casing 7, 8 almost completely encloses a metallic core of the rotary latch 1 or pawl 2. As a result, the stop surface 4, 5 is also made of metal and the noise development described occurs without the damping agent 6.

Based on a comparative consideration of the Fig. 2 and 3 It can be seen that the damping means 6 is provided between the two locking components 1, 2 on the edge of the stop surface 4 on the pawl 2. The damping means 6 between the two locking components 1, 2 has a noise-dampening effect due to its deformation, at least when they interact with one another, as will be explained in more detail below.

In addition to the edge-side attachment of the damping means 6 in relation to the at least one stop surface 4 of the pawl 2 in the example, the damping means 6 also has a (vertical) height H relative to the associated stop surface 4. According to the exemplary embodiment, this height H is in the Usually 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm or even 5 mm and more, is therefore significantly larger than the generic state of the art EP 1 500 762 B1 designed and laid out. Of particular importance for the invention is the fact that the damping means 6 is equipped with a cavity 9, which is defined between two longitudinal walls 10 of the damping means 6. It can be seen that the cavity 9 is essentially transverse to one in the Fig. 3 indicated closing movement or closing direction S of the locking components 1, 2 extends. In addition, the cavity 9 is lens-shaped. Furthermore, the cavity 9 has a length L, which is adapted to a longitudinal extent L of the counter-stop surface 5 moving against the stop surface 4.

In fact, the longitudinal extent or length L of the cavity 9 corresponds to both the longitudinal extent L of the stop surface 4 and that of the counter-stop surface 5. In this way, the cavity 9 is in the Fig. 3 The closing movement shown in the closing direction S is compressed practically over its entire length L. Here, the stop surface 4 moves against the counter-stop surface 5 or vice versa. In this way, in a first area of damping the closing movement S between the two locking components 1, 2, there is mainly a compression of the cavity 9, which is accompanied by a macromolecular deformation of the plastic usually used at this point to realize the damping means 6. In fact, one can see from the figures that the damping means 6 is designed as a component of the plastic casing 8 of the pawl 2. A thermoplastic can advantageously be used as the plastic at this point, with polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyamide, etc., for example, having proven to be favorable. Because such plastics can advantageously be processed into the respective plastic casing 7, 8 in such a way that the metallic core of the locking component 1, 2 remaining inside is overmolded with the help of the plastic, with this process only affecting the two stop surfaces 4, 5 or the stop surface 4 and the counter stop surface 5 are left out.

After the cavity 9 in the first area of damping is compressed during the closing movement S to such an extent that the two longitudinal walls 10 defining the cavity 9 lie against one another, the further relative movement between the two locking components 1, 2 along the closing direction S results in the damping means 6 or the plastic used at this point is deformed intramolecularly as a material. Here, individual chains of plastic molecules are elastically deformed, which corresponds to relatively high damping rates. That is, at the beginning of the damping of the closing movement S between the two locking components 1, 2 there is a slight damping, which after compression of the cavity 9 becomes one constantly increasing attenuation. This is expressly desired and leads to a particularly effective damping of the closing movement S and thus to the annoying noises associated with it being avoided.

Based on Fig. 2 It can be seen that the damping means 6 is arranged in the area of a recess 4a in the stop surface 4. The figures also make it clear that the recess 4a of the stop surface 4 extends into a recess 11 in the direction of a locking component axis 2 '. The depression 11 is open conically towards the recess 4a. As a result, the plastic of the damping means 6 engaging in the recess 11 is forced into the recess 11, as already described in the introduction. As a result, the recess 11 not only serves to anchor the damping means 6, but also counteracts any excessive deformations of the damping means 6 along the closing movement S.

Based on Fig. 2 It can also be seen that an additional bulge 4b is realized on an edge of the stop surface 4 opposite the recess 4a. The bulge 4b merges into a thickening 12 in the metallic core of the associated locking component 2 in the direction of the locking component axis 2 '. The thickening 12 in conjunction with the recess 11 ensures overall that, due to this rugged design of the surface of the relevant locking component 2, the plastic casing 8 in the area of the damping means 6 is particularly effectively connected to the metallic core and cannot detach from it even over long time scales .

Reference symbols

• Lock 1, 2
• Rotary trap 1
• Pawl 2
• Locking component axis 2'
• Locking bolt 3
• Stop surface 4
• Recess 4a
• Bulge 4b
• Counter stop surface 5
• Stop surfaces 4, 5
• Dampening agent 6
• Plastic coating 7
• Plastic coating 8
• Cavity 9
• Longitudinal walls 10
• Deepening 11
• Thickening 12
• Height H
• Length L
• Closing movement, closing direction S

Claims (7)

1. Door latch, in particular a motor vehicle door latch, comprising a locking mechanism (1, 2) consisting of a catch (1) and at least one pawl (2), and comprising at least one damping means (6) between two locking mechanism components (1, 2), which damping means has a noise-damping effect due to its deformation at least when these components have a closing interaction, the damping means (6) being provided on the edge of at least one stop surface (4) on the catch (1) and/or the pawl (2), and the damping means (6) having a certain height (H) with respect to the associated stop surface (4), the damping means (6) being equipped with a cavity (9) which is compressed during closing contact between the two locking mechanism components (1, 2), the damping means (6) being arranged in the region of a recess (4a) of the stop surface (4), characterized in that the recess (4a) of the stop surface (4) transitions into a depression (11) in the metal core of the locking mechanism component (2) in the direction of a locking mechanism component axis (2'), the depression (11) being used to anchor the damping means (6).
2. Door latch according to claim 1, characterized in that the cavity (9) is lenticular.
3. Door latch according to either claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the cavity (9) has a length (L) which is adapted to a longitudinal extent (L) of a counter stop surface (5) which travels against the stop surface (4).
4. Door latch according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the depression (11) opens conically in the direction of the recess (4a).
5. Door latch according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a bulge (4b) is produced on an edge of the stop surface (4) opposite the recess (4a).
6. Door latch according to claim 5, characterized in that the bulge (4b) transitions into a thickening (12) in the metal core of the locking mechanism component (1, 2) in the direction of the locking mechanism axis (2').
7. Door latch according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the damping means (6) is designed as a component of a plastics casing (8) of the metal core of the locking mechanism component (2).

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