Abstract
A motor vehicle door lock which is equipped with a motor vehicle lock having a locking mechanism that is mounted in a lock case and consists substantially of a rotary latch and a locking pawl. Furthermore, a lock striker that interacts with the locking mechanism is provided, as well as an opener that engages the lock striker during an opening process of an associated motor vehicle door. The opener is acted upon by means of an opening device, at least part of which is integrated in the motor vehicle lock. According to the invention, the opening device is also designed to lift the locking pawl off the rotary latch.
Claims
1. A motor vehicle door lock comprising: a locking mechanism that is mounted in a lock case and that includes a rotary latch and a locking pawl, a lock striker that interacts with the locking mechanism, an opener that engages the lock striker during an opening process of an associated motor vehicle door, and an opening device, wherein the opener is acted upon by the opening device, at least part of the opening device being is integrated in the motor vehicle door lock, wherein the opening device also lifts the locking pawl from the rotary latch.
2. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein the opening device comprises at least one of an actuator and a spring.
3. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein the opening device is pretensioned in a direction of the lock striker by a spring.
4. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 3, wherein the pretensioned opening device is unlocked with aid of a ratchet pawl that is operable by an actuator.
5. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein the opening device comprises at least one operating lever.
6. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 5, wherein the operating lever is mounted in the lock case.
7. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 5, wherein the operating lever both lifts the locking pawl from the rotary latch and acts on the opener.
8. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 2, wherein the opening device comprises a drive lever that is acted upon by the actuator and/or the spring.
9. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 8, wherein the drive lever in turn acts on the operating lever and/or the opener.
10. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1-8, wherein the opener is connected to the drive lever.
11. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 10, wherein the opener has a contour that engages with the lock striker.
12. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein opening device includes an actuator, and the opener interacts directly with the actuator.
13. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 12, wherein the actuator engages toothing on the opener, and the opener has a gearwheel on an output side.
14. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 5, wherein the operating lever has two arms including a first arm that interacts against a pin of the locking pawl and a second arm that is connected in a pivoting manner to the opener.
15. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 8, further comprising an operating lever that has two arms including a first arm that interacts against a pin of the locking pawl and a second arm that is connected in a pivoting manner to the drive lever.
Description
[0021] The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to a variant which shows only one exemplary embodiment. In the drawings:
[0022] FIG. 1 shows the motor vehicle door lock according to the invention in a first and particularly preferred variant,
[0023] FIG. 2 shows a modified second embodiment,
[0024] FIG. 3 shows a further third variant,
[0025] FIG. 4 shows a further fourth embodiment, and
[0026] FIG. 5 shows the lock striker in detail.
[0027] The drawings show a motor vehicle door lock, which consists of the essential structural features of a motor vehicle lock 1 on the one hand and a lock striker 2 on the other. The motor vehicle lock 1 can be mounted in or on a motor vehicle door, not shown in detail. In contrast, according to the embodiment, the lock striker 2 is situated on the body. A reverse arrangement of the lock striker 2 on the motor vehicle door and of the motor vehicle lock 1 on the body is conceivable, but not shown.
[0028] The motor vehicle lock 1 is equipped with a locking mechanism 4, 5 consisting of a rotary latch 4 and a locking pawl 5 mounted in a lock case 3. Other components of the motor vehicle lock 1 that are also mostly mandatory, such as an operating and locking lever system, are not shown for reasons of clarity.
[0029] The locking mechanism 4, 5 interacts with the aforementioned lock striker 2. In the four different embodiments according to FIGS. 1 to 4, the motor vehicle lock 1 is shown in its closed state, which corresponds to the lock striker 2 being caught by the locking mechanism 4, 5.
[0030] The basic structure then includes an opener 6 and an opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. The opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 is integrated at least in part in the motor vehicle lock 1 according to the exemplary embodiment. This is explained in more detail below. With the aid of the opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, the opener 6 engaging the lock striker 2 during an opening process of the motor vehicle door (not shown) is acted upon. According to the invention, the opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 is additionally designed to lift the locking pawl 5 from the rotary latch 4 (in the closed state of the locking mechanism 4, 5 with the lock striker 2 caught).
[0031] In detail, the opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 is initially equipped with an actuator 10. According to the exemplary embodiment in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the actuator 10 works on a drive lever 8 (FIGS. 1 and 2) or directly on the opener 6 (cf. FIG. 4). In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3, on the other hand, the actuator 10 acts on a ratchet pawl 9. In this case, the drive lever 8, which is also implemented there, is not acted upon by the actuator 10, but rather by a spring 11.
[0032] In addition, the opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 also has an operating lever 7, as is provided in the particularly preferred exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1. The operating lever 7 is mounted in the lock case 3 and is rotatably connected at one end to the opener 6 or the drive lever 8. That means that the opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 comprises the operating lever 7, the drive lever 8, the ratchet pawl 9, the actuator 10 and finally the spring 11, wherein, depending on the exemplary embodiment, selected individual components or all components are used, as will be explained in more detail below. The overall design is such that the opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 acts on the opener 6 when the motor vehicle door equipped with the motor vehicle door lock 1 is opened. In addition, the opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 ensures according to the invention that, before the opening process, the locking pawl 5 is first lifted from its engagement with the rotary latch 4, so that, starting from the closed state shown in each case, the lock striker 2 is released and consequently the motor vehicle door can be opened.
[0033] As already explained, the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1 comprises the operating lever 7 which is mounted in the lock case 3. The drive lever 8, which is used in the first three exemplary embodiments, is also mounted in or on the lock case. The actuator 10 works on the drive lever 8 in the variant according to FIGS. 1 and 2. This can take place directly or indirectly. If the actuator 10 acts on the drive lever 8 indirectly, a transmission means that is not expressly shown may be interposed, which is designed, for example, as a rod or Bowden cable. In the variant according to FIG. 4, on the other hand, the drive lever 8 is not necessary because in this case the actuator 10 comprises an output-side pinion, which in this case engages in a toothing on the opener 6 for the opening process. The opener 6 is connected to the lock striker 2 in this case. As a result, a rotational movement of the output shaft of the actuator 10 with the pinion provided there can be converted directly into a linear movement of the lock striker 2, so that the desired opening process is carried out as a result.
[0034] If, in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1, the actuator 10 uses the pulling movement shown there to ensure that the operating lever 8 is pivoted counterclockwise about its axis mounted in the lock case 3, this first of all ensures that the V-shaped, two-armed operating lever 7 moves with its locking pawl arm 7a against a pin 5a on the locking pawl 5. As a result, the locking pawl 5 is pivoted counterclockwise about its axis and releases the rotary latch 4 and thus the lock striker 2. For this purpose, the operating lever 7 is connected with its connection arm 7b in a pivoting manner to the drive lever 8 or to the opener 6, which is also connected in an articulated manner to the drive lever 8. The further counterclockwise rotation of the drive lever 8 with the aid of the actuator 10 now causes the opener 6 to move against the lock striker 2 and this results in a relative movement between the motor vehicle lock 1 and the lock striker 2. The result of this is that the motor vehicle door supporting the motor vehicle lock 1 is opened as desired in relation to the lock striker 2 connected to the body. For this purpose, the opener 6 has a front contour 6a, which is adapted to a bracket of the lock striker 2.
[0035] The exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2 substantially corresponds to that of FIG. 1, except for the missing operating lever 7. In this case, the drive lever 8 or the opener 6 actually ensures that the locking pawl 5 is lifted from its engagement with the rotary latch 4 in the opening process shown. For this purpose, the drive lever 8 is again acted upon in a counterclockwise direction with the aid of the actuator 10. The anticlockwise rotation of the drive lever 8 again and again causes the locking pawl 5 to be lifted from its engagement with the rotary latch 4 via the drive lever 8 or the opener 6. Only then does the opener 6 work in a manner comparable to the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1 on the then-released lock striker, so that the motor vehicle door is opened as desired in relation to the motor vehicle body.
[0036] FIG. 3 shows a variant in which the drive lever 8 is not acted upon with the aid of the electromotive actuator 10, but rather with the aid of the spring 11. In principle, of course, in the previously discussed exemplary embodiments according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the aforementioned spring 11 rather than the actuator 10 can be used to act on the drive lever 8, but this is not shown. In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3, the actuator 10 does not interact with the drive lever 8, but rather with the ratchet pawl 9. The ratchet pawl 9, like the drive lever 8 and also the operating lever 7, is again mounted in the lock case 3, so that the at least partial integration of the opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 in the motor vehicle lock 1 is explained.
[0037] In this case (FIG. 3), the design is such that the opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 is pretensioned in the direction of the lock striker 2. The spring 11 provides the pretensioning. The design is such that the spring 11 in question is tensioned during a closing process of the locking mechanism 4, 5 and accordingly when the lock striker 2 moves into the locking mechanism 4, 5. During this closing process and also thereafter, the spring 11 retains its tension as long as the locking mechanism 4, 5 maintains the closed state shown in FIG. 3. This is ensured by the ratchet pawl 9, which holds the drive lever 8 in the position shown with the tensioned spring 11. The opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 pretensioned in this way can now be released with the aid of the ratchet pawl 9 that is operable by the actuator 10. All that is required for this is that the actuator 10 acts on the ratchet pawl 9 in the direction of the arrow indicated in FIG. 3, so that the ratchet pawl 9 performs a counterclockwise movement. As a result of this counterclockwise movement of the ratchet pawl 9, the drive lever 8 is released and can in turn pivot counterclockwise in order in this way to act on the opener 6, which is pivotally connected to the drive lever 8, with the aid of the spring 11, which as a result moves with its front contour 6a against the lock striker 2 and ensures the desired opening process.
[0038] The exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 4 is distinguished in that in this case neither the drive lever 8 nor the operating lever 7 is implemented. Rather, the present actuator 10 is practically integrated in the motor vehicle lock 1, specifically it engages with a pinion mounted on its output shaft directly into a toothing on the underside of the opener 6, which in turn is firmly connected to the lock striker 2. Rotational movements of the pinion of the actuator 10 on the output side now in turn lead to the desired opening process.
[0039] All of the exemplary embodiments make it clear that the opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 has a drive lever 8 that can be acted upon by the actuator 10 and/or the spring 11. The drive lever 8 in turn acts on the operating lever 7 in the variant according to FIG. 1 and/or directly on the opener 6 in the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3. In this case, the opener 6 is either connected to the drive lever 8, as the embodiment variants according to FIGS. 1 to 3 make clear, or it can also interact directly with the actuator 10, as the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 4 shows. Either way, the opener 6 is moved against the lock striker 2 with the aid of the opening device 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. The actuator 10 or the spring 11 or both can ensure this.
[0040] In the context of FIG. 5, it finally becomes clear that the lock striker 2 is composed of a base plate 2a and two stepped mandrels 2b connected to the base plate 2a. The stepped mandrels 2b are connected to one another with a head-side plate 2c, the two stepped mandrels 2b and the plate 2c being coupled to one another via a riveting process. Of course, this only applies as an example, because at this point it is also possible to work with a lock striker 2 bent entirely from a wire.
REFERENCE SIGNS
[0041] 1 Motor vehicle lock [0042] 2 Lock striker [0043] 2a Base plate [0044] 2b Step mandrels [0045] 2c Head-side plate [0046] 3 Lock case [0047] 4 Rotary latch [0048] 5 Locking pawl [0049] 5a Pin [0050] 6 Opener [0051] 6a Front contour [0052] 7 Operating lever [0053] 7a Locking pawl arm [0054] 7b Connection arm [0055] 8 Drive lever [0056] 9 Ratchet pawl [0057] 10 Actuator [0058] 11 Spring
