Locking device for a motor vehicle

Abstract

A locking device for a motor vehicle comprising an actuator, a lock with a locking mechanism, comprising a rotary latch and at least one pawl, the actuator and the lock can be interconnected by a Bowden cable and the Bowden cable has provision for actively blocking a force transmitted by the Bowden cable.

Claims

1. A locking device for a motor vehicle, the locking device comprising: an actuator; a lock with a locking mechanism; a Bowden cable, wherein the actuator and the lock are connectable to the Bowden cable; and a locking unit that is configured for active locking of a force transmitted by the Bowden cable, wherein the locking unit includes: an actuating lever that is connected to the Bowden cable and pivotably movable by operation of the Bowden cable; a coupling lever pivotally mounted on the actuating lever; a release lever that is engageable with the actuating lever via the coupling lever; and a control lever, wherein when the actuator lever is pivotally moved above a limit speed by the operation of the Bowden cable, the control lever is held in a starting position and the coupling lever disengages from the release lever.

2. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the coupling lever is guided by the control lever.

3. The locking device according claim 2, wherein the control lever is pivotally mounted at least with the actuating lever along a joint axis.

4. The locking device according to claim 2, wherein the locking unit includes a mass inertia lever, wherein the control lever is engageable with the mass inertia lever.

5. The locking device according to claim 4, wherein the control lever is guided in a control contour of the mass inertia lever.

6. The locking device according to claim 2, wherein the control lever includes an extension, wherein upon actuation of the extension, the coupling lever is disengaged from the release lever.

7. The locking device according to claim 6, wherein the extension is electrically actuated.

8. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the coupling lever projects into an opening of the actuating lever and is guided in the opening.

9. The locking device according to claim 2, wherein the actuating lever, the control lever, and the release lever are respectively pivotally and movably mounted on a joint axis.

10. The locking device according to claim 1 further comprising a control curve configured to guide the coupling lever.

11. The locking device according to claim 2, wherein the coupling lever has a pin that engages into a control curve of the control lever.

12. The locking device according to claim 11, wherein the control lever has a guide pin that engages into a second control curve defined by a mass inertia lever.

13. The locking device according to claim 12, wherein the guide pin has a circular path about a bearing point of the control lever.

14. The locking device according to claim 2, wherein the locking unit is movable between an unactuated state and an actuated state, wherein the control lever is in the starting position when the locking unit is in the unactuated state, and wherein the locking unit is moved toward the actuated state by pivotal movement of the actuating lever in a first rotational direction, whereby the pivotal movement of the actuating lever causes movement of the coupling lever and the control lever in the first rotational direction.

15. The locking device according to claim 14 further comprising a spring element arranged between the actuating lever and the control lever, wherein the spring element biases the control lever to the starting position.

16. The locking device according to claim 2 further comprising a locking lever, wherein the control lever has an extension that is engageable by the locking lever for locking the lock.

17. The locking device according to claim 4, wherein the mass inertia lever is offset in mass around an axis of rotation of the mass inertia lever.

18. A locking device for a locking mechanism in a motor vehicle, the locking device comprising: a Bowden cable for locking and unlocking the locking mechanism; an actuator lever that is connected to the Bowden cable and pivotably movable by operation of the Bowden cable; a coupling lever pivotably mounted in the actuating lever, wherein the coupling lever is pivotally moved by pivoting movement of the actuator lever during the operation of the Bowden cable; a control lever having a control curve into which at least a portion of the coupling lever engages during the pivoting movement of the coupling lever, a mass inertia lever that is engageable with the control lever; and a release lever that is engageable by the coupling lever, wherein during normal operation of the locking device in which the actuator lever is pivotally moved by the operation of the Bowden cable at a first speed, the control lever moves from a starting position and follows the pivoting movement of the actuator lever, such that the coupling lever engages the release lever, and wherein during a secondary operation of the locking device in which the actuator lever is pivotally moved by the operation of the Bowden cable at a second speed that is excessive relative to the first speed, the mass inertia lever holds the control lever in the starting position and the coupling lever disengages from the release lever.

19. A locking device for a motor vehicle, the locking device comprising: an actuator; a lock with a locking mechanism; a Bowden cable, wherein the actuator and the lock are connectable to the Bowden cable; and a locking unit that is configured for active locking of a force transmitted by the Bowden cable, the locking unit including: an actuating lever; a release lever; a coupling lever, wherein the release lever is coupled by the coupling lever with the actuating lever; and a control lever, wherein the coupling lever is guided by the control lever, wherein the locking unit is movable between an unactuated state and an actuated state, wherein the control lever is in a starting position when the locking unit is in the unactuated state, and wherein the locking unit is moved toward the actuated state by movement of the actuating lever in a first rotational direction, whereby the movement of the actuating lever causes movement of the coupling lever and the control lever in the first rotational direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) The following are shown:

(2) FIG. 1 the principle of a locking device of a motor vehicle with the essential components to explain the invention. The illustration shows the functional unit in a starting position, that is to say in the unactuated state,

(3) FIG. 2 the rear view of the functional unit according to FIG. 1 in the nonactuated state, that is to say a starting position,

(4) FIG. 3 a front view of the functional unit of the lock in a normal operation of the Bowden cable and

(5) FIG. 4 a front view of the functional unit with greatly accelerated movement of the actuating lever, in which the mass inertia element prevents transfer of the force via the Bowden cable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) FIG. 1 shows a basic representation of a locking device 1 of a motor vehicle. The functional unit 8 in the locking device 1 is merely indicated as a dashed line. The functional unit 8 comprises an actuating lever 2, a coupling lever 3, a control lever 4, a mass inertia lever 5, and a release lever 6. The further components of locking device 1 are dispensed with for the sake of clarity, so that only the crucial components of locking devicel are reproduced to explain the function of the invention.

(7) FIG. 1 shows the functional unit 8 in an unactuated state. For operating the actuating lever 2, the actuating lever 2 is operated, for example, by means of a Bowden cable 7 in the direction of arrow P1 in the clockwise direction. During operation of the actuating lever 2, the coupling lever 3 accommodated in the actuating lever 2 is moved via its axis 9 accommodated in the actuating lever 2.

(8) The coupling lever 3 in turn has a tap 10 which is more clearly visible in FIG. 2, with which the coupling lever 3 engages into the control curve 11 of the control lever 4. The actuating lever 2 takes along the control lever 4 in operation of the actuating lever 2 in the direction of the arrow P1. In this case, a spring element 12 acts between the actuating lever 2 and the control lever 4. The spring element 12 holds the control lever 4 in its starting position so that the spring element 12 acts with a relative force between the control lever 4 and the actuating lever 2 to a relative movement between the actuating lever 2 and the control lever 4. The spring force of the spring element, which can be a spiral spring or leg spring in particular, must be overcome in order to create a relative movement between the actuating lever 2 and the control lever 4.

(9) If the pin 10 of the coupling lever 3 interacts with the control lever 4, the control lever 4 in turn thus interacts with the mass inertia lever 5 by means of a guide pin 13. For this purpose, the guide pin 13 engages into a control curve 14 of the mass inertia lever 5. As can be seen clearly in FIG. 2, the guide pin 13 in the control curve 14 is radial, that is to say it can be guided or pivoted outward on a path which can be described as a circular path about the bearing point of the control lever 4. The mass inertia lever 5 is pivotally mounted around its axis 15 in the functional unit 8. The mass inertia lever 5 preferably has a mass distribution which is in equilibrium in relation to the axis 15. In other words, the mass inertia lever 5 is offset in mass around the axis 15. An offset mass balance in relation to the axis 15 offers the advantage that no natural oscillations can arise due to vibrations in the motor vehicle or can be largely prevented.

(10) Upon operation of the actuating lever 2, therefore, the coupling lever 3 is operated, and in the case where the actuating lever is operated at a normal speed, the control lever 4 follows the movement of the actuating lever 2. This has the consequence that the coupling lever 3 maintains its orientation in the functional unit 8. A radial end 16 of the coupling lever 3 then engages with a stop edge 17 of the release lever 6. Such an engagement between the radial end 16 of the coupling lever 3 and the stop edge 17 is reproduced as a normal operation of the lock in FIG. 3. In other words, a movement can be transmitted to the release lever 6.

(11) Upon actuation of the release lever 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the release lever 6 performs a movement in the direction of the arrow P2, whereby a release arm 18 is pivoted in the direction of the arrow 3.

(12) The case is now illustrated in FIG. 4 in which the actuating lever 2 is rotated with excess speed in the direction of the arrow P1 around the axis 9 in a clockwise direction. Excessive speed leading to excessively quick movement of the actuating lever 2 above a limit speed results on the one hand to the spring element 12 being deflectable and simultaneously to that the mass inertia element cannot follow the accelerated movement of the actuating lever 2.

(13) The coupling lever 3 is accommodated in the actuating lever 2 and must follow the movement of the actuating lever 2. However, as the control lever 4 remains in its starting position, the pin 10 of the coupling lever 3 is guided in the control curve 11 of the control lever 4. As a result, the coupling lever 3 pivots in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4 and disengages from the release lever 6. As can be clearly seen in FIG. 4, the radial end 16 of the coupling lever 3 is disengaged from the stop edge 17 of the release lever 6. The release lever 6 remains in its initial position, so that the release arm 18 is not brought into contact with the locking mechanism 7. In this movement, the coupling lever 3 also moves in the aperture 19 of the actuating lever 2.

(14) In order to disengage the coupling lever 3 with the release lever 6, the control lever 4 furthermore has an engagement means 20 which is formed as an extension 20 in this embodiment. If, for example, a lever 21, which can also be designated as a locking lever 21, engages the extension 20 in the lock 1, the lever 21 exerting a force F on the extension 20, then the control lever 4 also remains in its starting position. The remaining of the control lever 4 in its starting position causes the coupling lever 3 to be guided in the control curve 11 of the control lever 4 during operation of the actuating lever 2 and thus the coupling lever 3 disengages with the release lever 6. Thus, the lock 1 can be locked by means of the lever 21, as shown by way of example in FIG. 1.

(15) As is clearly apparent in the exemplary embodiment, a multitude of advantages are attained by the exemplary embodiment, whereby only the least possible spatial requirements are necessary, whereby the highest level of security can be attained by the construction, in particular the insertion of a control curve 11 into the control lever 4.

(16) As explained above, by means of operating the Bowden cable 7, a force is introduced into the actuating lever 2, whereby the actuating lever 2 is pivotable. The Bowden cable 7 may be accommodated in a housing 22 of the functional unit 8 and is connected to an actuating means 23, for example to a door inside or outside handle. By operating the actuating means 23, a force can then be transmitted to the functional unit 8.

(17) In a conventional operation, that is, without acting of the mass inertia element 5, a force is transmitted to the release lever 6 by operating the Bowden cable 7 and the release lever 6 is pivoted in the direction of the arrow P3. The force can be transmitted to the other part of the Bowden cable 7′. The other part of the Bowden cable 7′ is in turn connected to a lock 24, so that operating the Bowden cable and the functional unit 8 the lock 24 can be unlocked.

(18) The actuating chain of the locking device 1 thus comprises the actuating means 5, the functional unit 8, the Bowden cable 7, 7′ and the lock 24. In case of excessive acceleration of the Bowden cable 7, 7′, the functional unit 8 blocks the transmission of force and thus prevents unintentional opening of the lock 24 or the locking mechanism in the lock 24.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(19) TABLE-US-00001 1 Lock 2 Actuating lever 3 Coupling lever 4 Control lever 5 Mass inertia lever 6 Release lever 7, 7′ Bowden cable 8 Functional unit 9 Axis 10 Pin 11 Control curve 12 Spring element 13 Guide pin 14 Control curve 15 Axis 16 Radial end 17 Stop edge 18 Release arm 19 Opening 20 Engagement means, extension 21 Lever 22 Housing 23 Actuating lever 24 Lock P1, P2, P3, P4 Arrow F Force