Motor vehicle door lock

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock (1) comprising: a lock housing (2); an actuating nut (3) that is rotatably mounted in the lock housing (2), the actuating nut (3) being mounted in the lock housing (2) such that said actuating nut can be rotated by an actuator acting externally on the actuating nut (3); and a locking lever (7), the locking lever (7) being displaceable by means of a rotation of the actuating nut (3). The actuating nut (3) can be positioned in the lock housing by means of a housing cover (25).

Claims

1. A motor vehicle door latch comprising: a latch housing; a switching nut that is pivotably disposed in the latch housing; a locking lever that is moveable for locking and unlocking the motor vehicle door latch; a transmission lever that is connected to the switching nut, the switching nut and the transmission lever being positionable for rotational movement in the latch housing; a linear movement element connected between the transmission lever and the locking lever; and a ball joint connection that connects the switching nut and the transmission lever by way of a ball-shaped head and a ball socket that receives the ball-shaped head, whereby rotational movement of the switching nut is transmitted to rotational movement of the transmission lever and the rotational movement of the transmission lever is transferred to linear movement of the linear movement element which engages the locking lever to pivot the locking lever, wherein a rotational axis of the switching nut is deflectable at an angle relative to a rotational axis of the transmission lever.

2. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the switching nut and the transmission lever interact such that the rotational movement of the switching nut is deflectable at an angle relative to the rotational movement of the transmission lever.

3. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the ball-shaped head of the ball joint connection is formed integrally on the switching nut or the transmission lever.

4. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the transmission lever is supported in the latch housing.

5. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the latch housing has a housing lid that includes positioners formed integrally with the housing lid, whereby the transmission lever is rotatably supported by the positioners in the latch housing.

6. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the switching nut is accommodated in the latch housing in a form-fitting manner.

7. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the ball joint connection has a cylindrical-shaped section that is connected to the ball socket and the transmission lever has a cylinder that is connected to the cylindrical-shaped section.

8. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the transmission lever is formed as the ball socket.

9. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the ball socket has at least one recess, whereby the at least one recess overlaps the ball-shaped head of the ball joint connection.

10. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 9, wherein the ball-shaped head of the ball joint connection has at least one cylindrical pin which interacts with the at least one recess in the ball socket.

11. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 10, wherein the ball-shaped head has four cylindrical pins that are arranged circumferentially and at regular intervals, the four cylindrical pins being displaced by 90.

12. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 9, wherein the at least one recess has a changing opening width.

13. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the linear movement element is a towing arm that is connected between the transmission lever and the locking lever.

14. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 13, wherein the towing arm has a mounting for a compression spring.

15. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 14 further comprising the compression spring, wherein the compression spring interacts with stops on a housing lid of the latch housing.

16. A motor vehicle door latch comprising: a latch housing; a switching nut that is pivotably disposed in the latch housing; a locking lever that is moveable for locking and unlocking the motor vehicle door latch; a transmission lever that is connected between the locking lever and the switching nut, the switching nut and the transmission lever being positionable for rotational movement in the latch housing; and a ball joint connection that connects the switching nut and the transmission lever by way of a ball-shaped head and a ball socket that receives the ball-shaped head, the ball-shaped head having at least one radially protruding pin which interacts with at least one recess in the ball socket, whereby rotational movement of the switching nut is transmitted to rotational movement of the transmission lever, wherein a rotational axis of the switching nut is deflectable at an angle relative to a rotational axis of the transmission lever.

Description

(1) The invention is described in further detail below with reference to the attached drawings on the basis of the preferred design forms. However, the principle applies that the design example does not limit the invention, but only constitutes an advantageous design form. The characteristics depicted can be executed individually or in combination, individually or in combination with other characteristics of the description, as also of the patent claims.

(2) The following are shown:

(3) FIG. 1 a top view of a latch housing with an integrated operation chain starting from a switching nut via a transmission lever, a towing arm for the locking lever, whereby the motor vehicle door latch is depicted without a latch lid,

(4) FIG. 2 a view of a housing lid with the operating chain switching nut, transmission lever, towing arm and

(5) FIG. 3 a further view of the housing lid with the operation chain switching nut, transmission lever and towing arm in the installation position.

(6) FIG. 1 reproduces a motor vehicle door latch 1 in a view on the latch housing 2. A switching nut 3 is accommodated in a torque-proof manner in the latch housing 2, whereby the switching nut 3 interacts with a transmission lever 4 and the transmission lever 4 engages with a towing arm 5. The towing arm 5 is accommodated in the latch housing 2 in a linearly shiftable manner. The towing arm 5 interacts with a locking lever 7 at one end of the towing arm 5, whereby the locking lever 7 is pivotably accommodated on an axis 8 in the latch housing 2. The locking lever 7 is pre-tensioned via a spring element 9. The locking lever 7 also has a gearwheel segment 10 which engages into a wormgear 11 of a motor 12. The purpose of the motor 12 is to perform electromechanical unlocking or locking.

(7) The switching nut 3 is held flush in the latch housing 2 and accommodated by the latch housing 2 in a form-fitting and torque-proof manner. An axial end of the switching nut 3 ends flush with the latch housing 2. In this design example, the switching nut 3, in particular the axial end 13 is of a cylindrical design. The switching nut 3 haves a rectangular recess 14 into which a non-illustrated setting means of a locking cylinder can engage. A larger diameter is connected to the diameter of the axial end 13 of the switching nut 3 which is adjacent to the latch housing 2 and is thus able to guide the switching nut 3 so that the switching nut 3 forms a bearing point with the latch housing 2.

(8) A ball-shaped head 15 is formed integrally on the larger diameter of the switching nut 3 which has cylindrical pins 16. The ball-shaped head 15 and the cylindrical pins 16 are accommodated in a ball socket 17 with recesses 18. A cylindrical-shaped section 19 is connected to the ball socket 17. The transmission lever 4 also has a cylinder 20 which is accommodated in a bearing point 21 of the latch housing 2. Furthermore, extensions 22 are formed on the cylinders 20 of the transmission lever 4.

(9) If a setting means now acts on the switching nut 3, whereby in particular an setting means engages into the recess 14 of the switching nut 23, the rotary movement of the switching nut 3 is transmitted to the transmission lever 4 by means of the ball joint connection 23. The extensions 22 on the transmission lever 4 then perform a circular movement, whereby the towing arm 5 is shifted in a linear manner. A linear movement of the towing arm 5 leads to the locking lever 7 being adjusted. This consequently enables unlocking or locking of the motor vehicle door latch 1.

(10) It is clearly apparent in FIG. 1 that the cylindrical section 19 is held in the latch housing 2 at a distance from the bearing point 21. The bearing point 21 accommodates the transmission lever 4 but does not position the switching nut 3 in the latch housing 2. Bracing of the cylindrical-shaped section 19 of the transmission lever is vital for positioning of the switching nut.

(11) The cylindrical section 19 of the transmission lever 4 is braced by means of positioners 24 as illustrated in FIG. 2, formed integrally with a latch lid 25 in this design example. The positioners 24 are formed as extensions of the latch lid 25 and engage between the cylindrical-shaped section 19 of the transmission lever 4 and the bearing point 21 in the latch housing 2. The positioners 24 position the switching nut 3 and the transmission lever 4 securely in the motor vehicle door latch 1. Torque-proof accommodation of the switching nut 3 in the motor vehicle door latch 1 is thus only enabled by the positioners 24.

(12) As can furthermore be detected from FIG. 2, the transmission lever 4 has a lengthwise axis L 1 which is aligned displaced at an angle W to a lengthwise axis L 2 of the switching nut 3. According to the invention, the cardanic ball joint connection 23 enables offsetting of the angular displacement W between the switching nut 3 and the transmission lever 4.

(13) FIG. 3 depicts a further three-dimensional view of the switching nut 3 and the transmission lever 4. The switching nut 3 is depicted without the latch housing 2 but in an installed position in the motor vehicle door latch 1, whereby the positioners 24 are clearly apparent. The positioners 24 have bevels 26 which facilitate positioning of the transmission lever 4 and thus the switching nut 3 in the motor vehicle door latch 1.

(14) Extensions 22 act on a setting means 27, formed from a formed extension of the towing arm 5. A linear movement of the towing arm 5 is performed from a rotational movement of the transmission lever 4 with the interplay of the transmission lever 4 or the extensions 22 and the setting means 27. The towing arm 5 is reset via the spring 28 which is executed as a compression spring and which interacts via apertures 29 with stops 30, see in particular FIGS. 1 and 2. Two apertures 29 are arranged in the towing arm 5 which interact with corresponding stops 30 formed on the latch lid 25.

(15) TABLE-US-00001 Reference sign list Motor vehicle door latch 1 Latch housing 2 Switching nut 3 Transmission lever 4 Towing arm 5 End of towing arm 6 Locking lever 7 Axis 8 Spring element 9 Gearwheel segment 10 Worm 11 Motor 12 Axial end of the switching nut 13 Recess 14 Ball-shaped head 15 Cylindrical pins 16 Ball socket 17 Recesses 18 Cylindrical-shaped section 19 Cylinder 20 Bearing point 21 Extensions 22 Ball joint connection 23 Positioner 24 Latch lid 25 Bevels 26 Setting means 27 Spring 28 Apertures 29 Stops 30 Angle, angular displacement W Lengthwise axis transmission lever L1 Lengthwise axis switching nut L2