LOCKING DEVICE FOR A VEHICLE DOOR OF A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

A motor vehicle locking device for a vehicle door includes a door lock that can be released electrically released and, parallel thereto, mechanically released via a mechanical operative connection to a first actuatable door handle. A coupling is arranged in the mechanical operative connection between the door handle and the door lock, which coupling can be engaged and disengaged via a coupling motor. A control unit is connected to a crash sensor for detecting an accident. In the normal operating state, the coupling is always in the disengaged state irrespective of opening requirements and, in addition to the coupling motor, can be engaged and disengaged by an electromagnetic actuating device that engages the coupling when the power is switched off. A first timer can be triggered by the signal of the crash sensor, such that the control unit, after the first timer elapses after receiving a crash signal, activates the coupling motor to engage the coupling. Accordingly, the mechanical active connection between the door handle and the lock is always disengaged, except in an accident situation.

Claims

1-11. (cancelled)

12. A locking device for a vehicle door of a motor vehicle, the locking device comprising: a door lock configured to be electrically, and in parallel, mechanically released via a mechanical operative connection to a first actuatable door handle; a coupling arranged in the mechanical operative connection between the first actuatable door handle and the door lock; a coupling motor configured to engage and disengage the coupling; and a control unit connected to a crash sensor, which is configured to detect an accident situation, wherein the control unit includes a first timer device with a first timer time and which is triggerable by a signal of the crash sensor, such that the control unit, after the first timer time has elapsed after receiving a crash signal, activates the coupling motor to engage the coupling; and an electromagnetic actuating device configured to engage and disengage the coupling, wherein the electromagnetic actuating device is configured to engage the coupling in event of a power failure of the motor vehicle, wherein in a normal operating state, the coupling is always in a disengaged state irrespective of opening requirements and, in addition to the coupling motor, is engageable and disengageable by the electromagnetic actuating device.

13. The locking device of claim 12, wherein an interior door actuator is in mechanical operative connection with the door lock via the coupling.

14. The locking device of claim 12, wherein the control unit has a second timer device having a second timer time which, wherein the second timer device, on receipt of a door opening request signal from electric door opening switches, checks whether a crash signal is present and only activates the door lock for electrical release to release the door after the second timer time has elapsed and no crash signal is present.

15. The locking device of claim 14, wherein the first timer time is between 5 seconds and 7 seconds.

16. The locking device of claim 15, wherein the second timer time is between 80 msec and 120 msec.

17. The locking device of claim 12, wherein the electromagnetic actuating device is a spring-loaded monostable latching relay which, when current is switched off, moves the coupling into an engaged state.

18. The locking device of claim 12, wherein the control unit comprises a binary locking state storage unit configured to forward a door opening request from electric door opening switches to an electric lock release unit only when a locking state is 0.

19. The locking device of claim 18, wherein the control unit, on receipt of a crash signal, switches the binary locking state storage unit into an unlocked state.

20. A vehicle door for a motor vehicle, comprising: a first actuatable door handle; and a locking device configured to lock the vehicle door, the locking device comprising a door lock configured to be electrically, and in parallel, mechanically released via a mechanical operative connection to the first actuatable door handle; a coupling arranged in the mechanical operative connection between the first actuatable door handle and the door lock; a coupling motor configured to engage and disengage the coupling; and a control unit connected to a crash sensor, which is configured to detect an accident situation, wherein the control unit includes a first timer device with a first timer time and which is triggerable by a signal of the crash sensor, such that the control unit, after the first timer time has elapsed after receiving a crash signal, activates the coupling motor to engage the coupling; and an electromagnetic actuating device configured to engage and disengage the coupling, wherein the electromagnetic actuating device is configured to engage the coupling in event of a power failure of the motor vehicle, wherein in a normal operating state, the coupling is always in a disengaged state irrespective of opening requirements and, in addition to the coupling motor, is engageable and disengageable by the electromagnetic actuating device.

21. A motor vehicle, comprising: at least one vehicle door, which comprises a first actuatable door handle; and a locking device configured to lock the vehicle door, the locking device comprising a door lock configured to be electrically, and in parallel, mechanically released via a mechanical operative connection to the first actuatable door handle; a coupling arranged in the mechanical operative connection between the first actuatable door handle and the door lock; a coupling motor configured to engage and disengage the coupling; and a control unit connected to a crash sensor, which is configured to detect an accident situation, wherein the control unit includes a first timer device with a first timer time and which is triggerable by a signal of the crash sensor, such that the control unit, after the first timer time has elapsed after receiving a crash signal, activates the coupling motor to engage the coupling; and an electromagnetic actuating device configured to engage and disengage the coupling, wherein the electromagnetic actuating device is configured to engage the coupling in event of a power failure of the motor vehicle, wherein in a normal operating state, the coupling is always in a disengaged state irrespective of opening requirements and, in addition to the coupling motor, is engageable and disengageable by the electromagnetic actuating device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURE

[0021] The sole FIGURE illustrates a schematic functional diagram of the locking device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The locking device 10 shown in the sole figure comprises a door lock 12 having a locking unit 14 having at least one rotary latch and a pawl (not shown). The locking unit 14 can be actuated electrically as well as mechanically. Electrically, the actuation occurs by means of an electric lock drive 16, which in turn is controlled by a control unit 18. Mechanically, the locking unit 14 is actuated by an actuatable outer door handle 20a and an actuatable inner door handle 20b via suitable mechanical operative connections, preferably Bowden cables. An engageable and disengageable coupling 22 is located between the door handles 20a, 20b and the locking unit 14 in the mechanical operative connection. In the engaged state, the locking unit 14 can thus be opened by the door handles 20a, 20b. In the disengaged state of the coupling 22, however, actuation of the door handles 20a, 20b is ineffective. The coupling 22 has two parallel actuating inputs, namely a coupling motor 24 and an electromagnetic actuator 26, both of which are controlled by the control unit 18.

[0023] The control unit 18 is connected to a crash sensor 28, which provides a crash signal to the control unit 18 in the event of an accident situation. The control unit 18 is also connected to two door buttons 30a, 30b which are assigned to the door handles 20a, 20b. When one of the door handles 20a, 20b is actuated, the associated door button 30a, 30b is actuated, which triggers an electrical opening request signal for the door lock 12 in the control unit 18. Finally, the control unit 18 is connected to a locking signal transmitter 32, which is actuated, for example, by a remote control or a central vehicle control device, in order to keep the locking device 10 in the locked state or to allow unlocking. For this purpose, the locking signal transmitter is connected to a locking state storage unit 34, which is a component of the control unit 18. If the locking state storage unit 34 is in the state 0, i.e., is set to this state by the locking signal transmitter 32, opening requests by the door buttons 30a, 30b have no effect. However, if the locking state storage unit 34 is in the logic state 1, then when an opening request signal is present from one of the door buttons 30a, 30b, it is checked whether a crash signal is present and only after this check, preferably after a time delay t.sub.2 has elapsed, is the lock drive 16 activated, which unlocks the locking unit 14.

[0024] The control unit 18 comprises a first timer device 36, which is triggered by a signal from the crash sensor 28, and a second timer device 38, which is triggered by a door opening request from the door buttons 30a, 30b.

[0025] In normal operation, the functionality depends on whether the locking state storage unit 34 is in the state 0 or 1. In state 0, nothing happens when an opening request signal is present, i.e., the operation of the door buttons 30a, 30b has no effect. In state 1, on the other hand, an opening request from a door button 30a, 30b is forwarded to the lock drive 16 after the timer time t.sub.2 has elapsed.

[0026] If the crash sensor 28 has generated a crash signal, the first timer device 36 is started and preferably the locking state storage unit 34 is simultaneously set to state 1. After the timer time t.sub.1 has elapsed, the locking state storage unit 34 is set to state 0 again, which enables door unlocking in the “normal” way. At the same time, the coupling motor 24 is switched on, engaging the coupling 22 and thus establishing a mechanical connection between the door handles 20a, 20b and the locking unit 14, such that a subsequent manual operation of one of the door handles 20a, 20b mechanically unlocks the locking unit 14.

[0027] The connection between the control unit 18 and the electromagnetic actuator 26 is merely a power supply, not a signal line, and serves only to keep the actuator 26 constantly energized and thus in a mechanically biased state. Only in the event of a power failure in the control unit 18 does the actuating device 26 fall into the mechanically relaxed basic state, wherein at the same time the coupling 22 is engaged by a mechanical connection, such that in the event of a power failure, a mechanical door unlocking via the door handles 20a, 20b is possible in any case.

[0028] Although the invention has been illustrated and explained in more detail by preferred exemplary embodiments, the invention is not limited by the disclosed examples and other variations can be derived therefrom by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the invention. It is thus clear that a plurality of possible variations exists. It is also clear that exemplary embodiments are really only examples which are not to be understood in any way as limiting, for example, the scope of protection, the possible applications or the configuration of the invention. Rather, the preceding description and the description of the figures enable the person skilled in the art to implement the exemplary embodiments in a concrete manner, wherein the person skilled in the art, being aware of the disclosed idea of the invention, can make a variety of changes, for example with regard to the function or the arrangement of individual elements mentioned in an exemplary embodiment, without leaving the scope of protection defined by the claims and their legal equivalents, such as further explanations in the description.