MOTOR VEHICLE LOCK

Abstract

A motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, which has a lever arrangement consisting of at least two levers. The two levers are supported coaxially with respect to each other on a common bearing pin. The bearing pin is anchored in a lock housing. According to the invention, the bearing pin consists of at least two parts, namely a plug-in pin and a plug-in pin receptacle. Each bearing pin part is provided with one stop which together form a spacer between the two levers.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle door lock comprising: a lever arrangement including at least two levers, the two levers being supported coaxially with respect to each other on a common bearing pin, the bearing pin being anchored in a lock housing, wherein the bearing pin is formed in two bearing pin parts including a plug-in pin and a plug-in pin receptacle, the two bearing pin parts each being provided with a stop that together define a spacer between the two levers.

2. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the lock housing is formed in two parts including a housing shell and a housing cover.

3. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 2, wherein the housing shell includes the plug-in pin and the housing cover includes the plug-in pin receptacle.

4. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 3, wherein either of the two bearing pin parts is formed on the housing shell or the housing cover.

5. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 4, wherein the housing shell and the housing cover are each designed as a plastics injection-molded part.

6. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein each stop is formed eccentrically on a respective one of the two bearing pin parts.

7. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 6, wherein each stop is designed as a circular arc segment.

8. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 7, wherein each circular arc segment extends through a through-opening in a respective one of the two levers.

9. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein both the plug-in pin and the plug-in pin receptacle are provided with stepped diameters in an axial direction.

10. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, further comprising a spiral spring that surrounds the bearing pin.

11. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 2, wherein the housing shell includes the plug-in pin receptable and the housing cover includes the plug-in pin.

12. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the at least two levers include an internal locking lever and an internal actuating lever, and the internal actuating lever is formed in two parts.

13. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 12, further comprising a coupling lever that couples the two parts of the internal actuating lever together during a first operation, and mechanically separates the two parts of the internal actuating lever from each other during a second operation.

14. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 13, wherein the coupling lever is actuated by the internal locking lever.

15. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 10, wherein the lock housing is formed in two parts including a housing shell and a housing cover; and wherein the spiral spring includes a first leg that engages another stop formed on the housing cover and a second leg that acts on an internal actuating lever one of the two levers.

Description

[0021] The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to drawings, which show only one exemplary embodiment. In the drawings:

[0022] FIG. 1 shows the motor vehicle lock according to the invention in the form of a motor vehicle door lock in perspective in a first embodiment variant,

[0023] FIG. 2 shows the subject matter according to FIG. 1 in a modified second embodiment variant,

[0024] FIG. 3 shows the subject matter according to FIG. 1 in the course of the mounting of the one first lever,

[0025] FIG. 4 shows the subject matter according to FIG. 1 during the mounting of the other, second lever and the optional spiral spring, and

[0026] FIG. 5 shows the complete assembly process in an exploded view and in the assembled state.

[0027] The drawings show a motor vehicle lock which, in the exemplary embodiment, is a motor vehicle door lock. This has a locking mechanism (not shown in greater detail) consisting of a catch and pawl that functions in a conventional manner. In addition, a lock housing 1, 2 is provided, which houses the entire arrangement. According to the exemplary embodiment, the lock housing 1, 2 provided is in two parts with a housing shell 1 and a housing cover 2, which are only partially shown in the exemplary embodiment.

[0028] In addition, a lever arrangement 3, 4, 5 consisting of at least two levers 3, 4 is provided and implemented. The two levers 3, 4 are, according to the exemplary embodiment and not by way of limitation, an internal locking lever 3 and an internal actuating lever 4. In the context of the variant according to FIG. 2, a further third lever 5 is added to the two levers 3, 4, which third lever is a coupling lever 5 in the example. In addition, in this variant according to FIG. 2, the internal actuating lever 4 is formed in two parts with a first internal actuating lever 4a and a second internal actuating lever 4b.

[0029] In the “engaged” state shown in FIG. 2, the coupling lever 5 which can be actuated by means of the internal locking lever 3 ensures that the two internal actuating levers 4a, 4b are mechanically connected to one another in the variant according to FIG. 2, such that in this case the locking mechanism can optionally be opened via a release lever (not shown) via an internal handle and the assembled internal actuating lever 4a, 4b. The “child safety device off” state corresponds to this in the example.

[0030] In the “child safety device on” position, however, the coupling lever 5 ensures that the two internal actuating levers 4a, 4b are mechanically separated from one another in the example, such that a mechanical connection is interrupted up to the locking mechanism and any actuations of the assembled internal actuating lever 4a, 4b are ineffective. As already explained, the coupling lever 5 is actuated by means of the internal locking lever 3 in the example. In the following, however, the version corresponding to the illustration in FIG. 2 and the coupling lever 5 provided there is of secondary interest, and this will therefore not be discussed in more detail below.

[0031] In particular, a comparison of FIG. 1 in conjunction with the assembly sequence according to FIGS. 3 to 5 makes it clear that the two levers 3, 4 are supported coaxially with respect to each other on a common bearing pin 6, 7. For this purpose, the bearing pin 6, 7 is anchored in the lock housing 1, 2.

[0032] According to the invention, the bearing pin 6, 7 is formed in two parts with a plug-in pin 6 and a plug-in pin receptacle 7. In this case, the plug-in pin 6 and the plug-in pin receptacle 7 each define a bearing pin part 6, 7 and together define the bearing pin 6, 7.

[0033] In addition, it can be seen that the two aforementioned bearing pin parts 6, 7 are each provided with a stop 8, 9. The stop 8 is located on the plug-in pin 6, whereas the other stop 9 is formed on the plug-in pin receptacle 7. In addition, according to the invention, the design is such that the two bearing pin parts 6, 7, with their relevant stop 8, 9, together define a spacer 8, 9 between the two levers 3, 4 in the assembled state according to the illustration in FIG. 5. This means that the spacer 8, 9 is composed of the two stops 8, 9 which are each formed separately.

[0034] In addition, the design is such that the housing shell 1 is provided with the plug-in pin 6. This can be seen in FIG. 3. In contrast, the housing cover 2 is provided with the plug-in pin receptacle 7, as clearly shown in FIG. 4. In principle, this can also be reversed. In this case, the plug-in pin receptacle 7 is located on the housing shell 1, whereas the housing cover 2 is provided with the plug-in pin 6. However, this is not shown.

[0035] FIGS. 3 and 4 also make it clear that the relevant bearing pin part 6, 7 is formed on the housing shell 1 or the housing cover 2, respectively. In fact, the design is such that the housing shell 1 and the housing cover 2 are each designed as a plastics injection-molded part. As a result, the plug-in pin 6 on the housing shell 1 can be formed on the housing shell 1 in the course of a common plastics injection molding process. In the same way, the plug-in pin receptacle 7 can also be formed on the housing cover 2, which is also produced in the course of a plastics injection molding process.

[0036] FIGS. 3 and 4 also make it clear that the relevant stop 8, 9 is formed eccentrically on the associated bearing pin part 3, 4. In fact, according to the exemplary embodiment, the relevant stop 8, 9 is a circular arc segment. In addition, the design is such that the circular arc segment in question or the associated stop 8, 9 as a whole is adapted to a corresponding through-opening 10, 11 in the relevant lever 3, 4.

[0037] It can be seen that the internal locking lever 3 is provided with the through-opening 10 for the plug-in pin 6, as the assembly process in FIG. 3 shows. By contrast, the internal actuating lever 4 has the through-opening 11, by means of which the internal actuating lever 4 is placed on the plug-in pin receptacle 7, as the assembly process according to FIG. 4 makes clear. After the internal actuating lever 4 has been placed on the plug-in pin receptacle 7, a spiral spring 12 is then additionally placed on the plug-in pin receptacle 7 with the coiled portion 12a thereof. When the spiral spring 12 is mounted on the plug-in pin receptacle 7 according to the exemplary embodiment, one leg 12b of the spiral spring 12 that extends from the coiled portion 12a then additionally engages behind a stop 13 which is also formed on the housing cover 2. The other second, free leg 12c acts on the internal actuating lever 4 in the mounted state according to FIG. 5, and ensures, for example, that the internal actuating lever 4 is pivoted back into the basic position thereof after it has been deflected, for example in order to open the locking mechanism.

[0038] Since, according to the exemplary embodiment, the relevant stop 8, 9 is designed as a circular arc segment and is also adapted to the associated through-opening 10 in the internal locking lever 3 and to the through-opening 11 in the internal actuating lever 4, which otherwise largely correspond in terms of size, the process of placing the relevant lever 3, 4 on the bearing pin part 6, 7 takes place in such a way that a mounting direction shown in dashed lines in each of FIGS. 3 and 4 is not only in the axial direction in this case, but a radial movement is additionally required in the region of the relevant stop 8, 9. As a result, the relevant lever 3, 4 is simultaneously captively held on the plug-in pin 6 or on the plug-in pin receptacle 7, respectively, in the pre-mounted state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0039] Finally, it can be seen in particular in FIG. 4 that the plug-in pin receptacle 7 is provided with a lateral opening 14. As a result, the plug-in pin receptacle 7 has a cylinder-segment-like character. In fact, the lateral opening 14 in the plug-in pin receptacle 7 facilitates the combination of the preassembled structural units according to FIGS. 3 and 4, which combination is then shown in FIG. 5. In addition, FIGS. 3 and 4 make it clear that both the plug-in pin 6 and the plug-in pin receptacle 7 are provided with stepped diameters in the axial direction. These stepped diameters ensure that when the two bearing pin parts 6, 7 are in the assembled state in accordance with the lower illustration in FIG. 5, the two stops 8, 9 defining the spacer 8, 9 are at a predetermined distance. As a result, the spiral spring 12 previously placed on the plug-in pin receptacle 7 in the context of the illustration according to FIG. 4 is also correctly positioned with the coiled portion 12a thereof on the assembled bearing pin 6, 7, as can be seen in FIG. 5.

REFERENCE SIGNS

[0040] 1 housing shell [0041] 2 housing cover [0042] 3 internal locking lever [0043] 4 internal actuating lever [0044] 4a internal actuating lever [0045] 4b internal actuating lever [0046] 5 coupling lever [0047] 6 plug-in pin [0048] 7 plug-in pin receptacle [0049] 8 stop [0050] 9 stop [0051] 10, 11 through-opening [0052] 12 spiral spring [0053] 12a coiled portion [0054] 12b leg [0055] 12c leg [0056] 13 stop [0057] 14 lateral opening