Motor vehicle door lock

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock, having at least one housing (1) made of plastics material and having a locking mechanism (3, 4) comprising substantially a rotary latch (3) and a pawl (4), wherein the pawl (4) is mounted inside the housing (1) and the rotary latch (3) is mounted on the outside of the housing (1).

Claims

1. Motor vehicle door lock with at least one housing made of plastics material; a locking mechanism comprising a rotary latch and a pawl; the housing comprising: an inner side; an outer side; a latch bearing surface having a latch side where the rotary latch is rotatable mounted; a pawl bearing surface having a pawl side where the pawl is rotatable mounted, wherein the pawl side is part of the inner side of the housing and the latch side is part of the outer side of the housing; a ledge that extends between the pawl bearing surface and the latch bearing surface between the rotary latch and pawl; the pawl is arranged inside the housing and the rotary latch is arranged outside the housing.

2. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein a locking arm of the pawl extends through an opening in the housing to interact with the rotary latch.

3. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 2, wherein the opening is designed as an opening slit with a slit width that is adapted to the material thickness of the pawl.

4. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein the pawl is mounted rotatably around a respective axis on a pawl bearing pin arranged on the housing to form a single piece.

5. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 4, wherein the pawl bearing pin and the housing are produced in the same process, such as plastic injection moulding and/or metal die casting.

6. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein the rotary latch is arranged at the end of an inlet slot.

7. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein the rotary latch is mounted on a rotary latch bearing pin.

8. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 7, wherein the rotary latch bearing pin is accommodated in a hollow bore of the housing.

9. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 8, wherein the housing contains a base plate and a projection defining an inlet slot.

10. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 9, wherein the hollow bore for accommodating the rotary latch bearing pin is arranged below the projection.

11. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 10, wherein the opening through which the pawl extends, is arranged in the area of the projection.

12. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 10, wherein the projection is wedge shaped.

13. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 10, wherein the projection rises up from the latch bearing surface.

14. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 13, wherein the latch bearing surface is raised by an amount adapted to the material thickness of the pawl in relation to the pawl bearing surface.

15. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein apart from the housing a housing hood closing off the housing is provided.

16. Motor vehicle door lock with at least one housing made of plastics material; a locking mechanism comprising: a rotary latch and a pawl; the housing comprising: a latch bearing surface having a latch side where the rotary latch is rotatable mounted; a pawl bearing surface having a pawl side where the pawl is rotatable mounted; a ledge that extends between the pawl bearing surface and the latch bearing surface between the rotary latch and pawl, wherein the pawl side faces an opposite direction compared to the latch side, wherein the latch bearing surface is offset from the pawl bearing surface on the pawl side of the pawl bearing surface such that the latch bearing surface and the pawl bearing surface are not coplanar, and wherein the pawl is mounted inside the housing and the rotary latch is mounted outside the housing.

17. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 16, wherein the latch bearing surface is offset from the pawl by an amount adapted to a material thickness of the pawl.

18. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 16, wherein the ledge defines an opening, wherein a locking arm of the pawl extends through the opening to interact with the rotary latch.

19. Motor vehicle door lock according to claim 18, wherein the opening has a length adapted to accommodate a maximum pivoting movement of the locking arm to open and close the rotary latch.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows the motor vehicle door lock of the invention with an integrated pawl and indicated rotary latch and

(2) FIG. 2 shows the object of FIG. 1 with the pawl removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(3) The figures show a motor vehicle door lock containing at least a housing 1, made of plastic. The example embodiment actually contains, apart from the housing 1 as the main structural element or as the bottom housing section, a housing hoodnot shownfunctioning as the top section of the housing. This housing hood can be incorporated in the housing 1 in a sealing manner and can for this purpose be, for instance, inserted in a groove 2. Alternatively, the groove 2 can also accommodate a seal 2, sealing a slit remaining between the housing 1 and the housing hoodnot shown.

(4) The basic design of the shown motor vehicle door lock provides apart from the at least one plastic housing 1 also a locking mechanism 3, 4, comprising substantially a rotary latch 3 and a pawl 4. Significant for the invention is the fact that the pawl 4 is mounted inside the housing 1 whilst the rotary latch 3 is mounted outside the housing 1. In detail, the rotary latch 3 is mounted on a rotary latch bearing pin 5. The pawl is mounted on a pawl bearing pin 6, designed in this case as a hollow bolt 6.

(5) The pawl bearing pin 6 is formed on the housing 1 to form a single piece. The pawl bearing pin 6 and the housing 1 are actually produced in a common process, for instance a common plastic injection moulding process. For reasons of stability, the pawl bearing pin 6 can contain a reinforcement embedded in the plastic material. This is not shown in detail.

(6) The pawl 4 contains a locking arm 4a, extending through an opening 7 in the housing 1 in order to interact with the rotary latch 3. It is apparent from the figures that the opening 7 is designed as an opening slit 7.

(7) The opening slit 7 has a slit width adapted to the material thickness of the pawl 4. A slit length l of the opening or of the opening slit 7 takes into account the maximum pivoting movement of the locking arm 4a of the pawl 4 during intended use. During the closing process of the locking mechanism 3, 4 the pawl 4 is actually used to first engage in an intermediate position recessnot shown in detailand then in a fully-closed position recess of the rotary latch 3, in order to retain the rotary latch 3 in the associated intermediate position or fully-closed position. As a result, the not expressly shown locking bolt, initiating this process, is also retained by the locking mechanism 3, 4. Conversely, the pawl 4 must be lifted off the rotary latch 3 so that the rotary latch 3 can open with the aid of a spring and release the locking bolt.

(8) It is apparent that the rotary latch 3 is arranged at the end of an inlet slot 8. For this purpose, the rotary latch bearing pin 5 is accommodated in a hollow bore 9 of housing 1. This hollow bore 9 is located below a projection 10. The projection 10 also contains a journal 11 for accommodating further lock elements, not shown.

(9) In detail, the housing 1 first of all contains a base plate 12, serving in the shown example also as a pawl bearing surface 12 or base surface. Apart from this base plate 12 or the base surface produced thereby or the created pawl bearing surface 12, the housing 1 also contains a rotary latch bearing surface 13. In relation to the pawl bearing surface, 12 the rotary latch bearing surface 13 is raised or lowered by an amount adapted to the material thickness b of the pawl 4 when viewed from the top. This means that the transition between the pawl bearing surface 12 and the rotary latch bearing surface 13 contains a projection or ledge 14, having a height that corresponds to the material thickness b of the pawl 4. This ledge 14 contains the opening or opening slit 7.

(10) The projection 10 is arranged on the rotary latch bearing surface 13, which in turn is raised or lowered in relation to the pawl bearing surface 12 as described.

(11) The projection 10 has an overall prismatic shape. The projection 10 tapers in wedge shape towards the rotary latch 3 or a transverse edge located at this point. The hollow bore 9 accommodating the rotary latch bearing pin 5 is actually arranged at the bottom or underneath the projections. The respective hollow bore 9 can thus be found at the bottom longitudinal edge of projection 10, having a trapezoidal cross section. The opening 7 for the pawl arm 4a is provided in the area of the upper longitudinal edge of projection 10 on the pawl side.

(12) The transverse edge of the projection 11 on the inlet side is open, allowing the locking bolt to move over it into the inlet slot 8. The two longitudinal edges of the projection 10 are tapered in a wedge shape in order to move the locking bolt in the direction of the rotary latch 3.