MOTOR VEHICLE LOCK

Abstract

A motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, which is equipped with a locking mechanism arranged in a lock housing and made up substantially of a rotary latch and a pawl. Furthermore, an electromotive drive is provided, in particular for the locking mechanism and an emergency power source for emergency electrical power supply of the drive. According to the invention, the emergency power source is arranged in the lock housing in such a way that it can be replaced.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle lock comprising: a lock housing, a locking mechanism which is arranged in the lock housing and includes a rotary latch and a pawl, an electromotive drive that drives the locking mechanism, and an emergency power source for emergency electrical power supply of the electromotive drive, wherein the emergency power source is replaceably arranged in the lock housing.

2. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, further comprising a lock-side control unit that additionally is arranged in the lock housing, and the lock-side control unit monitors a voltage or charge state of the emergency power source.

3. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 2, further comprising a body-side control unit, wherein the lock-side control unit communicates with the body-side control unit.

4. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 3, wherein the body-side control unit transmits an emergency signal to the lock-side control unit in an emergency.

5. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 4, wherein the emergency signal is transmitted serially as a pulse width modulated signal.

6. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 4, wherein the emergency signal corresponds to detection of a voltage drops or voltage failure of a body-side power supply.

7. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 24, wherein the lock-side control unit switches a power supply of the lock-side control unit and/or a power supply of the electromotive drive to the emergency power source when the emergency signal is received.

8. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 7, wherein the lock-side control unit switches power supplies of an entirety of the motor vehicle lock to the emergency power source.

9. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the emergency power source is configured as electrically independent from a body-side power source and non-rechargeable.

10. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the emergency power source is accessible via a lock mouth in the lock housing that at least partially receives the rotary latch.

11. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 3, wherein the lock-side control unit communicates with the body-side control device via a bus connection.

12. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 7, further comprising an emergency sensor, and the lock-side control unit monitors the emergency sensor.

13. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the emergency power source includes a non-chargeable lithium battery.

14. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the emergency power source is replaceably arranged in the lock housing by arranging the emergency power source within a replaceable insert within the lock housing.

15. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the lock housing includes an openable flap for accessing the emergency power source for replacement.

16. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 2, wherein the lock-side control unit is configured to output a warning signal when the voltage or charge state of the emergency power source falls below a threshold.

Description

[0025] The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to a drawing which shows only one exemplary embodiment. In the drawing:

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview of the motor vehicle lock according to the invention; and

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a perspective detail view of the lock housing.

[0028] A motor vehicle lock is shown in the figures. The motor vehicle lock is a motor vehicle door lock which, according to the exemplary embodiment, is arranged inside a merely indicated motor vehicle door 1. In the exemplary embodiment, the motor vehicle door 1 is a motor vehicle side door, specifically a motor vehicle driver's door. In principle, however, the motor vehicle door 1 can also be a motor vehicle hatch, a motor vehicle tailgate, a motor vehicle fuel filler flap, etc. I.e., the term motor vehicle door 1 is to be interpreted broadly within the scope of the present invention.

[0029] In its basic design, the motor vehicle lock or motor vehicle door lock according to the illustration has a locking mechanism 3, 4 arranged in a lock housing 2. As is usual, the locking mechanism 3, 4 is composed of a catch 3 and a pawl 4. Within the scope of the illustration according to FIG. 1, a closed state of the locking mechanism 3, 4 is shown with the pawl 4 dropped into the rotary latch 3.

[0030] The basic structure of the motor vehicle lock also includes an electromotive drive 5 which, according to the exemplary embodiment, works on the pawl 4 and can lift it from its engagement with the rotary latch 3. As a result, the electromotive drive 5 is designed as an electromotive opening drive for the locking mechanism 3, 4 within the scope of the exemplary embodiment and without restriction.

[0031] The electromotive drive 5 is controlled by a lock-side control unit 6. The lock-side control unit 6 is located like the locking mechanism 3, 4 and the electromotive drive 5 in the interior of the lock housing 2. This also applies to an additionally provided emergency power source 7, with the aid of which the electromotive drive 5 can be energized for an emergency electrical power supply. The emergency power source 7 is likewise arranged and placed inside the lock housing 2.

[0032] According to the invention, the emergency power source 7 is replaceably arranged in the lock housing 2. In fact, the emergency power source 7 in question is accessible according to the exemplary embodiment and according to the illustration in FIG. 2 via a lock mouth 8. The lock mouth 8 can be seen especially in FIG. 2. In fact, the rotary latch 3 at least partially enters the lock mouth 8 in order to be able to interact with a latch holder (not expressly shown) located on a body of the motor vehicle when the motor vehicle door 1 is closed. For this purpose, the lock holder in question moves into the lock mouth 8. In addition, said lock mouth 8 is freely accessible as soon as the motor vehicle door 1 is open. This makes it possible to place an insert E in the lock mouth 8, which replaceably accommodates the emergency energy source 7 and can be replaceably inserted into the lock housing 2. At the same time, the insert E ensures that the lock housing 2 is closed.

[0033] Instead of the insert E, however, an openable flap can also be provided and realized in the lock housing 2 in the region of the lock mouth 8, the opening of which makes the emergency power source 7 accessible. This flap K is indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Either way, the emergency power source 7 can be easily replaced by a layperson if necessary, which only requires the motor vehicle door 1 to be in the open state.

[0034] In the exemplary embodiment, the emergency power source 7 is one that is designed to be self-sufficient in comparison with a body-side power supply 9. In addition, the emergency power source 7 is not only designed to be self-sufficient or independent of the body-side power supply 9, but is also designed to be non-rechargeable. In this case, one or more non-rechargeable and commercially available lithium batteries have proven to be particularly advantageous as the emergency power source 7. These can even be present and designed in the form of button cells that are inserted into the replaceable insert E or in a holder which is accessible in the region of the lock mouth 8 when the alternatively provided flap K is opened.

[0035] The lock-side control unit 6 communicates with a body-side control device 10. A bus connection 11 is provided for this purpose. The bus connection 11 can be the LIN bus already mentioned in the introduction. As soon as the body-side control device 10 registers an emergency, the body-side control device 10 outputs an emergency signal to the lock-side control unit 6. As a rule, the emergency signal corresponds to a voltage drop/voltage failure of the body-side power supply 9.

[0036] As soon as the lock-side control unit 6 has received the emergency signal in question from the body-side control device 10, the lock-side control unit 6 switches its power supply and that of the electromotive drive 5 to the emergency power source 7. I.e., in normal operation, the lock-side control unit 6 is supplied with the required electrical energy along with the electromotive drive 5 with the aid of the body-side power supply 9. However, as soon as the emergency signal has been transmitted to the lock-side control unit 6 by the body-side control device 10, the power supply is switched over, namely from the body-side power supply 9 to the emergency power source 7. In this case, the emergency power source 7 may provide the entire electrical power supply for the motor vehicle lock, i.e. not only for the lock-side control unit 6 and the electromotive drive 5, but also and if necessary for the power supply of additional sensors, further motors, drives, etc. provided inside the motor vehicle lock. It is substantial, however, that the electrical power supply to the lock-side control unit 6 and the electromotive drive 5 is ensured with the aid of the emergency power source 7.

[0037] In this way, the lock-side control unit 6 automatically switches to the emergency power source 7 in the event of an emergency or when the emergency signal is received by the body-side control device 10. In addition, the design is such that in said emergency or when the emergency signal is received, the lock-side control unit 6 additionally monitors an emergency sensor 12. This emergency sensor 12 can be provided in the interior of the motor vehicle door 1, on the outside of the motor vehicle door 1 or also at another location. Since the emergency sensor 12 in question is monitored only and exclusively after receipt of the emergency signal from the lock-side control unit 6, any actuation of the emergency sensor 12 is ignored during normal operation.

[0038] Only in the event of an emergency and after receipt of the emergency signal does activation of the emergency sensor 12 cause the locking mechanism 3, 4 to be opened electrically in an emergency. This is because, in the event of an emergency, actuation of the relevant emergency sensor 12 is interpreted by the lock-side control unit 6 as meaning that the desired emergency opening of the lock 3, 4 is to be carried out. In principle, the emergency opening can be accompanied by a change in direction of rotation of the electromotive drive 5. However, this is not mandatory.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0039] 1 Motor vehicle door [0040] 2 Lock housing [0041] 3, 4 Locking mechanism [0042] 3 Rotary latch [0043] 4 Pawl [0044] 5 Electromotive drive [0045] 6 Lock-side control unit [0046] 7 Emergency power source [0047] 8 Lock mouth [0048] 9 Body-side power supply [0049] 10 Body-side control device [0050] 11 Bus connection [0051] 12 Emergency sensor [0052] K Flap [0053] E Insert