Electric motor vehicle lock having a spring accumulator

Abstract

The problem addressed by the invention is that of being to switch a motor vehicle lock from normal operation to emergency or disruption operation within an especially short time and/or with the least possible expenditure of electrical energy. This problem is solved in that a lock for a motor vehicle having a lock mechanism and an electric drive is provided such that the lock can be electrically opened in normal operation. The lock has an additional operating state, called disrupted operation. In disrupted operation, the lock can be opened mechanically, which is not possible in normal operation. The lock comprises a mechanical energy accumulator for switching the lock from normal operation to disrupted operation.

Claims

1. An assembly for use with a latch for a door or a flap of a motor vehicle, the latch having a closed state in which the latch retains a locking bolt and an open state in which the latch does not retain the locking bolt, the latch comprising an electrical drive and an activation lever, wherein the latch has two different operating states, a first operating state, a normal operation state, in which the latch can be electrically opened with the electric drive, and a second operating state, a breakdown operation state, in which the latch can be mechanically opened by manual activation of an external handle of the door or flap which moves the activation lever and opens the latch, wherein, in breakdown operation, the activation lever is moved without the electrical drive, the assembly comprising: a mechanical energy storage device, and a movable body operatively connected to the latch, wherein the mechanical energy storage device is arranged to selectively move the movable body, wherein moving the movable body shifts the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state, wherein the mechanical energy storage device is configured to move the movable body and shift the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state in the event that the motor vehicle is in an accident.

2. The assembly in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an electrical control which controls the release of the energy stored in the mechanical energy storage device.

3. The assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the mechanical energy storage device comprises a spring.

4. The assembly in accordance with claim 3, wherein the mechanical energy storage device further comprises a movable pin which is adapted to release the energy stored in the mechanical energy storage device by means of movement moving the movable pin.

5. The assembly in accordance with claim 4, wherein the pin is adapted to release the energy stored in the mechanical energy storage device by moans of rotation rotating around its longitudinal axis.

6. The assembly in accordance with claim 5, wherein one end of the pin comprises a step adapted to release the energy stored in the mechanical energy storage device when the pin is rotated.

7. The assembly in accordance with claim 6, wherein the electrical drive, with which the latch can be electrically opened in normal operation, is adapted to rotate the pin to shift the latch from the normal operation to the breakdown operation.

8. The assembly in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an electrical control, wherein the electrical control controls the electrical drive to release the energy stored in the mechanical energy storage device.

9. The assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the movable body is a rotatable lever.

10. The assembly in accordance with claim 9, further comprising an intermediate lever adapted to functionally couple the rotatable lever with the latch to move the latch from the normal operation to the breakdown operation upon release of the mechanically stored energy.

11. The assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the mechanical energy storage device is adapted to be charged by opening the door or the flap.

12. The assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein, absent the mechanical energy storage device moving the latch from the normal operation to the breakdown operation, a door or flap of the motor vehicle cannot be mechanically opened from outside the motor vehicle.

13. The assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the mechanical energy storage device comprises an arm spring.

14. The assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the mechanical energy storage device further comprises a movable pin which is adapted to release the energy stored in the mechanical energy storage device by moving the movable pin.

15. The assembly in accordance with claim 14, wherein the electrical drive is adapted to move the pin to shift the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state.

16. The assembly in accordance with claim 7, wherein the electrical drive is configured to move the pin to shift the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state in less than 5 ms.

17. The assembly in accordance with claim 7, wherein the activation lever is positioned outside the motor vehicle and wherein, absent the mechanical energy storage device moving the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state, a door or flap of the motor vehicle cannot be mechanically opened from outside the motor vehicle.

18. The assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the electrical control is configured to release the mechanical energy storage device to shift the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state in less than 5 ms.

19. The assembly in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: a sensor adapted to detect when the motor vehicle is in an accident, and an electrical control operatively coupled to the sensor and the mechanical energy storage device, wherein, upon the sensor detecting the accident, the electrical controller releases the mechanical energy storage device to move the latch from the normal operation to the breakdown operation.

20. An assembly for a motor vehicle with a latch and an activation lever, the latch having a closed state in which the latch retains a locking bolt and an open state in which the latch does not retain the locking bolt, wherein the latch has two different operating states, a normal operation state in which the latch can be electrically opened and the activation lever cannot open the latch, and a breakdown operation state in which the latch can be mechanically opened by the activation lever, the assembly comprising: a movable body that is operatively connected to the latch and configured to shift the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state, a spring that biases the movable body toward shifting the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state, a movable pin having a first position where the movable pin restrains the movable body from shifting the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state and a second position where the movable pin does not restrain the movable body from shifting the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state, a sensor adapted to detect when the motor vehicle is in an accident, an electric drive adapted to move the movable pin from the first position to the second position, and an electrical control operatively coupled to the sensor and the electric drive, wherein, upon the sensor detecting the accident, the electric drive moves the movable pin from the first position to the second position thereby releasing the movable body to move the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state.

21. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the movable body is a rotatable lever.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1: Mechanical energy storage device in the charged up state;

(2) FIG. 2: Mechanical energy storage device during emission of mechanically stored energy;

(3) FIG. 3: Cut by a pin with a step-shaped end.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(4) FIG. 1 shows a door 15 which contains a mechanical energy storage device of a latch 17, with which the latch 17 can be shifted from normal operation to breakdown operation. The mechanical energy storage device comprises a pre-tensioned arm spring 1 with two arms 2 and 3. One arm 2 lies adjacent to a bolt 4 in a pre-tensioned manner. The other arm 3 lies adjacent to a pin 5 in a pre-tensioned manner. Furthermore, the spring 1 is held by an axle 6. The pin 5 demonstrates a step-shaped end with a higher step 7 and a lower step 8. In the charged state of the mechanical energy storage device, the arm 3 of the spring 1 is adjacent to the higher step 8.

(5) FIG. 1 also shows a lever 9 which can be rotated around its axis 10. Lever 9 is operationally coupled to latch 17 by intermediate lever 18. One end of the lever 9 demonstrates a protruding bolt 11 which is adjacent on the arm 3 of the spring 1. The pin 5 can be rotated around its longitudinal axis 12 shown in profile in FIG. 3.

(6) If the pin 5 is rotated from the position shown in FIG. 1 around its longitudinal axis by motor 19, so that it assumes the position shown in FIG. 2, the arm 3 of the spring 1 is no longer adjacent to the higher step 7. Electronic controller 21 controls operation of motor 19 if sensor 20 indicates an emergency. The arm 3 now moves via the lower step 8 in the direction of the arrow 13. Thus, the lever 9 is rotated around its axis 10 in accordance with the arrow direction 14. This movement of the lever means that the latch 17 can subsequently be mechanically opened in a way, such as by activation lever 16, which was not previously possible.

REFERENCE SIGN LIST

(7) 1: Arm spring 2: Arm of the arm spring 3: Arm of the arm spring 4: Bolts 5: Rotatable pin 6: Axis 7: Higher step 8: Lower step 9: Activation lever 10: Axis of the rotatable lever 11: Bolts protruding from the lever 12: Longitudinal axis of the pin 13: Direction of the arrow 14: Direction of the arrow 15: Door 16: Handle 17: Latch 18: Intermediate lever 19: Motor 20: Electronic sensor 21: Electronic controller