MOTOR VEHICLE LOCK

Abstract

A motor vehicle lock comprising a locking mechanism having a rotary latch and at least one pawl, wherein the rotary latch can be engaged in at least one engaging position by means of the pawl, a release lever, wherein the locking mechanism can be transferred from the engaging positions into a release position by means of the release lever, and an electrical drive unit for actuating the release lever. According to the invention, the pawl and the actuation lever and the release lever are accommodated in the motor vehicle lock such that they can swivel about a central axis.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle lock comprising: a locking mechanism with a rotary latch and a pawl, wherein the rotary latch is engaged in at least one engaging position by the pawl; a release lever, wherein the locking mechanism is transferred from the at least one engaging positions into a release position by the release lever disengaging the pawl from the rotary latch; and an electrical drive unit for actuating the release lever, wherein the electrical drive unit includes an electric motor and a gear stage, and the gear stage has an actuation lever, wherein the pawl, the actuation lever, and the release lever are arranged in the motor vehicle lock such that the pawl, the actuation lever, and the release lever swivel about a central axis.

2. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the release lever acts on the pawl.

3. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the actuation lever is brought into engagement with the release lever.

4. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 3, wherein the release lever has an opening into which the actuation lever is inserted.

5. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein gear stage includes a worm gear that drives the actuation lever to perform a swivel movement so that the swivel movement of the actuation lever releases the pawl from engagement with the rotary latch.

6. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the release lever includes a driving contour that produces a swiveling of the pawl about the central axis so that the pawl and the rotary latch disengage.

7. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the gear stage include a worm and a worm gear, and thea worm, the worm gear, the actuation lever, and the release lever are made of plastic.

8. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism is arranged in a wet region of the motor vehicle lock, and at least a portion of the actuation mechanism for unlocking the locking mechanism is arranged in a dry region of the motor vehicle lock that is separated from the wet region.

9. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 8, wherein the actuation lever extends in the motor vehicle lock from the dry region into the wet region.

10. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, further comprising a housing and a seal, wherein thea seal is arranged in a region of a passage opening of the housing through which the actuation lever extends.

11. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 10, wherein the seal is a sealing ring.

12. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 10, wherein the seal is mounted on the actuation lever or the release lever.

13. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 10, wherein the seal is inserted into the release lever.

14. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 10, wherein the seal is integrated into the release lever or the actuation lever or the housing by a two-component injection-molding process.

15. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 8, further comprising a lock housing that separates the wet region from the dry region, and the lock housing houses electrical components of the electric drive unit within the dry region.

16. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 15, wherein the lock housing includes an opening through which the actuation lever extends, and a seal positioned in the opening and around the actuation lever that seals the dry region from the wet region.

Description

[0027] In the drawings:

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of the actuation chain for unlocking the locking mechanism, wherein a section through the actuation lever and a pivot axis of the pawl is shown; and

[0029] FIG. 2 shows a further view of a section through the actuation lever and the axis of the pawl, to illustrate the position and function of the seal on the actuation lever.

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a motor vehicle lock 1 in a three-dimensional view and, in the region of a locking mechanism 2, in a section through the actuation lever 3. The locking mechanism 2 comprises a rotary latch 4 and a pawl 5. The pawl 5 is supported on an axis 6, wherein the axis 6 is received on one side in a reinforcement plate 7. The axis 6 is supported on both sides, wherein, for better clarification of the invention, the lock case for the opposing bearing of the axis 6 is not shown. The pawl 5 has a metal core 8 and is provided with a plastic coating 9. The plastic coating 9 can in turn have damping properties. The pawl 5 interacts indirectly with the rotary latch 4, wherein a pivotably-mounted, rolling blocking element 10 is arranged in the rotary latch 4. The locking mechanism 2 in the form shown in FIG. 1 thus consists of the pawl axis 6, the pawl 5, the blocking element 10, and the rotary latch 4. The locking mechanism 2 can have further components.

[0031] A release lever 11 acts on the pawl 5. The release lever 11 is provided with a return spring 12 and has a recess 13 into which a seal 14 is inserted. The seal 14 itself is mounted on the actuation lever 3 and seals the wet region 15 against the dry region 16 in the motor vehicle lock 1. The actuation lever 3 extends from the wet region 16 into the dry region 15, wherein the actuation lever extends through the housing of the motor vehicle lock 1. The housing 17 has a passage opening 18 for this purpose. The passage opening 18 can at the same time form a bearing point for the actuation lever 3. A lever arm 19 is integrally formed on the actuation lever 3 and can be brought into engagement with a worm gear 20.

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a main engaging position of the locking mechanism 2, wherein the pawl 5 is in engagement with the rotary latch 4 and in particular with the blocking element 10. The pawl 5 is mounted in the axis 6 and held in the reinforcement plate 7 and the lock case. The pawl and actuation lever 3, as well as the release lever 11, are accommodated in the motor vehicle lock 1 so as to be pivotable about a central axis M. If the actuation lever 3 is now swiveled about the central axis M, wherein the actuation lever 3 is driven via the lever arm 19 and the electric motor, the actuation lever 3 likewise swivels the release lever 11 in a clockwise direction, in the direction of arrow P in FIG. 1. A driving contour on the release lever 11 then causes the pawl 5 to pivot about the central axis M, such that the pawl 3 and the rotary latch 4 or blocking element 10 are disengaged. In this case, the engagement between pawl 5 and rotary latch 4 is not undone, but the pawl 3 rolls on the blocking element 10 so that an easy and quiet opening can be achieved.

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the motor vehicle lock 1 with a view of the actuation chain 21. Shown is a section through the housing 17, the pawl 5, the axis 6, the reinforcement plate 7, the release lever 11, the seal 8, the actuation lever 3, and the worm gear wheel 22.

[0034] The actuation lever 3 is pivotably accommodated, on the one hand, in the passage opening 18 and, on the other, in the housing 17. The dry region 15 and the wet region 16 are separated by a housing wall 23, wherein the passage opening 18 is penetrated by the actuation lever 3. The position of the seal 8, which in this embodiment is accommodated in the release lever 11 and seals the passage opening 18 against the housing wall 23 by means of a sealing lip 24, can be clearly seen.

[0035] The worm gear 20 drives the actuation lever 3, wherein a contour on the worm gear 20 acts on the lever arm 19, and thus effects a pivoting of the actuation lever. The actuation lever 3 and the release lever 11 are firmly connected to one another in a form-fitting manner, so that the torque introduced into the release lever 11 by the actuation lever 3 can be used for actuating the pawl 5, and thus for unlocking the locking mechanism 2.

[0036] In any event, the solution according to the invention provides a secure means for, on the one hand, providing a structurally advantageous option for driving the release lever 11 or for unlocking the locking mechanism 2, and, on the other, a secure sealing in the motor vehicle lock can be ensured by means of the seal 14. In particular, the electrical drive or the electrical components in the motor vehicle lock 1 can thus be accommodated in the motor vehicle lock 1 so as to be protected from environmental influences.