LOCKING DEVICE FOR A CONTAINER OR LID, IN PARTICULAR OF MOTOR VEHICLES, WHICH CAN BE ACTUATED BETWEEN A CLOSED AND OPEN POSITION

Abstract

A locking device for a container or lid (2) is actuatable between an opened and closed position in relation to a housing element (1). A guide pin (4) arranged on a swiveling lever (5) engages into a connecting link (3). The connecting link (3) has a slope (9) by which the pin (4) glides in the direction (16) of a dead stop (7) arranged on a container or lid (2) under the influence of external acceleration forces to bring a lever (5) into a position blocking movement of the container or lid (2).

Claims

1. A locking device for a container or lid that can be actuated between an opened position and a closed position in relation to a housing element, comprising: a connecting link having a slope; a swiveling lever; and a guide pin engaging into the connecting link, the guide pin being arranged on the swiveling lever, wherein the guide pin glides along the slope of the connecting link in the direction of a dead stop arranged on the container or lid under the influence of external acceleration forces to bring the swiveling lever into a position blocking movement of the container or lid.

2. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the connecting link with slope is arranged on the container or lid, and the swiveling lever is arranged to swivel on the housing, or vice-versa.

3. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the container or lid is disposed in association with a housing element of a motor vehicle, with said motor vehicle defining a high axis (Z), and wherein the connecting link with slope extends on a side wall of the container or lid in a shifting direction of the container or lid, and wherein the swiveling lever experiences a moment in direction of the vehicle high axis (Z) under the influence of external acceleration forces, the moment bringing the swiveling lever into contact position with the dead stop.

4. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the container or lid is disposed in association with a housing element of a motor vehicle, with said motor vehicle defining a transverse axis (Y) and a vehicle length axis (X), and wherein the connecting link with slope extends on a bottom of the container or lid in the shifting direction of the container or lid, and wherein the swiveling lever experiences a moment in the direction of the vehicle transverse axis (Y) or the vehicle length axis (X) under the influence of the external acceleration forces, the moment bringing the swiveling lever into contact position with the dead stop.

5. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the dead stop and swiveling lever have detent and opposing detent means cooperating with each other in the position blocking movement of the container or lid.

6. The locking device according to claim 1, further comprising a push-push mechanism for the container or lid configured to be actuated between the opened position and the closed position in relation to the housing, wherein the container or lid is held in a detent position against the force of a spring element.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Further objectives, advantages, features, and applications of the present invention are derived from the subsequent description of an embodiment by way of the drawings. All described and/or depicted features per se or in any combination constitute the subject matter of the present invention, regardless of their summary in the patent claims or their back-reference.

[0018] There is shown in:

[0019] FIG. 1 a possible embodiment of the storage compartment with inventive locking device in a perspective representation and closed state,

[0020] FIG. 2 the storage compartment according to FIG. 1 in a side view,

[0021] FIG. 3 the storage compartment according to FIGS. 1 and 2 in an open position,

[0022] FIG. 4 an enlarged representation of a cross section of the storage compartment in a closed position,

[0023] FIGS. 5 to 7 the storage compartment according to FIG. 4 in a lengthwise cross-section, at the start of the opening motion of the lid,

[0024] FIG. 8 the storage compartment in the closed state of the lid, but immediately when a crash occurs, and

[0025] FIG. 9 the storage compartment during a crash in locked position of the lid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The storage compartment shown in the figures is for example intended for the center console of a motor vehicle. But storage compartments arranged to swivel in the motor vehicle doors are also conceivable.

[0027] The storage compartment has a housing 1 that can be inserted into a receiver of the motor vehicle, wherein the housing is lockable with a lid 2. The lid 2 can be moved from a closing to an opening motion and vice-versa.

[0028] In the exemplary embodiment selected here, a connecting link 3 is provided on both sides of the lid 2 along its side walls to guide the lid 2 on the housing 1, wherein a guide pin 4 arranged on a lever 5 engages into the connecting link 3. The lever 5 is arranged on an axis of rotation 10 on the housing side. The connecting link 3 secures the lid 2 in its opened position. The connecting link tracks 12 on each side of the housing 1 have a contour to bring the lid 2 into the opened position of the compartment in a space-conserving manner.

[0029] The lid 2 is opened by sliding the latter leftward in direction of the arrow 6 against the force of a (not shown) spring in FIG. 2. During this normal opening motion, the pin 4 glides over the ramp 9 until the lid 2 has reached its opened position according to FIG. 3. The pin 4 in this case engages on the lever 5 into a locking recess 14 on the cardioid 8 and keeps the lid 2 in the opened position.

[0030] When the lid 2 is now brought back into the closed position, the lid 2 is briefly shifted inward against the force of the (not shown) spring in direction of the opening position, which is also called over-pushing. In this case, the pin 4 disengages from the locking recess 14 of the cardioid 8 such that the opening position is unlocked and the lid 2 is brought back into its closed position according to FIGS. 1 and 2 by spring force. The guide pin 4 in this case glides lengthwise along the connecting link 3 over a ramp 9 or slope into the position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0031] To open the lid 2, the guide pin 4 glides in the connecting link 3 until the guide pin 4 engages behind the locking recess 14 of the cardioid 8 in the open position, and the guide pin 4 holds the lid 2 in the open position. This normal, or also slow, opening speed of the lid 2 is shown in FIGS. 4 to 7. When the vehicle decelerates normally, the lid 2 remains in its locked position when the storage compartment is closed. When the vehicle deceleration—for example in a front-end collision—is sufficiently high, the lid 2 could shift into the open position such that objects located in the storage compartment could be flung about in the vehicle interior and injure passengers.

[0032] To prevent this, the exemplary embodiment selected here provides a dead stop 7 on the lid 2, against which the lever 5 arranged to swivel on the housing 1 is brought into contact position under the influence of external acceleration forces. During a crash, the pin 4 is accelerated over the ramp 9 such that the latter—as indicated by the arrow 18—is brought into contact with the dead stop 7, therefore blocking an opening motion of the lid 2 and causing the lid 2 to be in a blocked position.

[0033] The invention takes advantage of the spring path predetermined by the push-push mechanism and of the spring path reserve available for unlocking in normal operations when over-pushing the lid 2 to move the lever 5 into the blocked position of the lid 2 without the closed storage compartment opening further or opening fully.

[0034] The end of the lever 5 and the dead stop 7—which are brought into actuating position with each other—are adapted on the lid 2 as interacting detent and opposing detent means to also ensure that the lid remains in its blocked position. When the vehicle passenger then shifts the lid 2 into the closed position, the detent and opposing detent means are disengaged on the lever 5 and dead stop 7, therefore again permitting the storage compartment to be operated normally.

[0035] It is of course also possible to arrange the connecting link 3 on the locally fixed housing, whereas the lever 5 with pin 4 are arranged to swivel on the lid 2 or container.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0036] 1 Housing [0037] 2 Lid [0038] 3 Connecting link [0039] 4 Pin [0040] 5 Lever [0041] 6 Opening motion [0042] 7 Dead stop, detent [0043] 8 Cardioid [0044] 9 Slope, ramp [0045] 10 Axis of rotation [0046] 11 Side wall [0047] 12 Guide track [0048] 13 Guide pin [0049] 14 Locking recess [0050] 15 Opening motion (slow) [0051] 16 Opening motion (fast)