MOTOR VEHICLE DOOR LATCH

Abstract

The object of the present invention is a motor vehicle door latch which is equipped with a locking mechanism (2, 3) predominantly consisting of a catch (2) and a pawl (3). Furthermore, a spring-impinged storage element (8) is provided for which maintains the pawl (3) in an elevated storage position during an opening process of the locking mechanism (2, 3) until the catch (2) is opened. According to the invention, the spring-impinged storage element (8) is formed as a leg spring (8) which is anchored in the latch with its one leg (8b) and with its other leg (8a) in the storage position maintains the pawl (3) in the elevated position and is braced on the catch (2) to this end.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle door latch comprising: a locking mechanism having a catch moveable between a closed position and an open position, and a pawl that is engaged against the catch when in the closed position, wherein when the catch moves from the closed position toward the open position, the pawl is moveable toward an elevated storage position in which the pawl is disengaged from the catch; and a spring-impinged storage element which holds the pawl in the elevated storage position until the catch is fully moved to the open position, wherein the spring-impinged storage element is formed as a leg spring having a stationary leg which is anchored and held stationary in the latch, the leg spring having a latch leg that engages and braces the pawl to hold the pawl in the elevated storage position and is engageable by the catch to release the pawl from the latch leg.

2. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the stationary leg and the latch leg have an acute angle therebetween, and the leg spring has a wound central section to which the stationary leg and the latch leg are connected.

3. (canceled)

4. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the latch leg has a stop and the pawl engages against the stop when in the elevated storage position.

5. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 4, wherein the pawl has a protrusion that engages the stop.

6. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 5, wherein the protrusion glides along the latch leg and overlaps the stop when the catch moves toward the open position.

7. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the catch has a contour that engages the latch leg to release the pawl from the latch leg.

8. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 7, wherein the contour is arranged on the catch facing the pawl.

9. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 7, wherein the contour has a leading edge that impinges the latch leg.

10. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 5, wherein the catch has a contour that lifts the stop on the latch leg from the protrusion of the pawl to release the pawl from the elevated storage position.

11. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 4, wherein the stop is z-shaped.

12. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1 further comprising a latch housing, wherein the stationary leg is braced against the latch housing.

13. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the catch has a main ratchet recess and the pawl is engaged within the main ratchet recess when the catch is in the closed position.

14. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 13, wherein the catch has a secondary recess within which the pawl is engageable.

15. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the catch has a contour that engages the latch leg to release the pawl from the latch leg.

Description

[0020] Hereinafter, the invention is explained in further detail on the basis of a sketch which only depicts an execution example.

[0021] FIGS. 1 to 6 show the motor vehicle door latch according to the invention in different functional positions.

[0022] The figures depict a motor vehicle door latch which is equipped with a latch case 1 and a pivotably stored locking mechanism 2, 3 in the latch case 1. The locking mechanism 2, 3 comprises a catch 2 and a pawl 3 interacting with it. The catch 2 is pivotably located around an axis 5 in the latch case 1. In contrast, the pawl 3 is pivoted around a rotational axis 6.

[0023] The catch 2 is assigned to an only depicted catch spring 4 which pre-tensions the catch 2 in the direction of its open position. This is shown by an arrow in FIG. 1 which corresponds to an anti-clockwise direction movement of the catch 2 around its axis 5 during an opening process. In fact, FIG. 1 shows the locking mechanism 2, 3 in its closed position or in a main ratchet position. In this main ratchet position, the pawl 3 engages into a main ratchet recess 2a braced by a pawl spring 7. Furthermore, the catch 2 may possess a further ratchet recess, namely the secondary recess 2b if dictated by customer or regulation.

[0024] A spring-impinged storage element 8 is of particular importance for the invention now which involves a leg spring 8 according to the invention. The storage element 8 ensures that the pawl 3 is maintained in the elevated storage position until the catch 2 is opened beyond any ratchet positions (2a 2b) in an opening process of the locking mechanism 2, 3. The relevant storage position is depicted in FIG. 3.

[0025] The spring-impinged storage element 8 or the leg spring 8 possesses a leg 8b which is braced against a stationary feature in this example a latch housing. The relevant leg 8b is consequently a housing leg 8b. The latch housing is not explicitly shown in the illustrations because it extends upwards in the top view over the latch case 1 so to speak. However, the relevant leg 8b is anchored, it is not explicitly depicted.

[0026] The leg spring 8 possesses a further moving leg 8a in addition to the one stationary leg 8b. The leg 8a is a latch leg 8a. The leg spring 8 maintains the pawl 3 in the storage position with the other leg or latch leg 8a. The storage position of the pawl 3 corresponds to the elevated position of the pawl 3 as depicted in FIG. 3. To this end, the relevant leg or latch leg 8a is not engaged by the contour 12 on the catch 2. In the same way as the pawl 3, the entire locking mechanism 2, 3 is naturally in the storage position within the scope of the illustration according to FIG. 3.

[0027] As already explained, the latch leg 8a engages the pawl protrusion 11 when not impeded by the contour 12 of the catch 2 in the storage position of the pawl 3 according to the illustration in FIG. 3. In the execution example, the relevant contour end 13 is arranged in the catch 2 beyond any ratchet recess 2a or pre-ratchet recess 2b. Thus, the leg or the latch leg 8a can be directly engaged in the pawl protrusion 11 in case the catch 2 predominantly maintains its closed position according to FIG. 1 maintaining the elevated position of the pawl 3 from the catch 2 until an opening of the locking mechanism 2, 3. The opening movement of the catch 2 in an anti-clockwise direction in relation to its axis 5 already spoken about in reference to FIG. 1 and depicted by the arrow there corresponds to this as is known.

[0028] The latch leg 8a is equipped with a stop 10. The stop 10 on or in the latch leg 8a of the leg spring 8 interacts with a protrusion 11 on the pawl 3. The stop 10 in or on the latch leg 8a is a Z-shaped connection or a Z-shaped characteristic of the otherwise straight latch leg 8a within the scope of the execution example. However, the stop 10 in or on the latch leg 8a ensures that the pawl 3 is maintained in its storage position according to FIG. 3. Because in this storage position the relevant stop 10 interacts with the protrusion 11 on the pawl 3.

[0029] Despite the spring forces accumulated by the pawl spring 7 on the pawl 3 which pre-tension it in the direction of its adjacency to the catch 2, i.e. which correspond to a clockwise direction movement depicted in FIG. 3 around the rotational axis 6, in the storage position according to FIG. 3 the pawl 3 is consequently unable to interact in a ratchet-like manner with the catch 2. Because the pawl 3 is maintained in its storage position and in an elevated position in relation to the catch 2 with the aid of the leg spring 8.

[0030] During an opening process of the locking mechanism 2, 3 the protrusion 11 glides along the latch leg 8a and overlaps the stop 10. This is apparent in the transition from FIG. 1 to FIG. 2 or on the basis of the two positions of the pawl 3 depicted in FIG. 2. In fact, the opening process of the locking mechanism 2, 3 corresponds to the pawl 3 being elevated from the catch 2, for example with the aid of a triggering lever engaging on it. To this end, the pawl 3 is pivoted around its axis 6 with the aid of the triggering lever along the arrow depicted in FIG. 2 in an anti-clockwise direction. The pawl 3 is thus lifted from the catch 2. In this process, the protrusion 11 on the pawl 3 glides along the latch leg 8a and overlaps the relevant stop 10 in the elevated position of the pawl 3. As soon as the triggering lever no longer impinges the pawl 3 in the example, the pawl 3 movesimpinged by the pawl spring 7slightly in a clockwise direction back around its axis 6, until the protrusion 11 on the pawl 3 becomes adjacent on the stop 10.

[0031] If the catch 2 still maintains its closed position in this position according to the illustration in FIG. 1 because of ice or other flap obstruction, the pawl 3 is located in the storage position according to the illustration according to FIG. 3. In the storage position, the latch leg 8a is not engaged by the contour 12 on the catch 2.

[0032] If now, starting from the storage position according to FIG. 3, any obstacle to the opening of the locking mechanism 2, 3 is removed, the catch 2 can open increasingly, namely by the catch spring 4 impinging the catch 2 in an anti-clockwise direction according to the arrow illustration in FIG. 4 around its axis or rotational axis 5. The catch 2 is equipped with a contour 12 to cancel the storage position. The contour 12 is located on an edge of the catch 2 which faces the pawl 3. Furthermore, the contour 12 has a leading edge 13. The contour 12 in conjunction with the leading edge 13 formed from the contour 12 cancels the storage position of the pawl 3. For this purpose, the contour 12 and the leading edge 13 ensures that the stop 10 on the latch leg 8a of the leg spring 8 is elevated from the protrusion 11 on the pawl 3. This functional position is apparent in the transition from FIG. 4 to FIG. 5.

[0033] In fact, the opening catch 2 starting from the storage position according to FIG. 3 ensures that the latch leg 8a of the leg spring 8 previously located against the protrusion 11 is impinged by the leading edge 13 of the contour 12. Thus, the latch leg 8a of the leg spring 8 is moved in the direction of the stationary held leg 8b of the leg spring 8. This is apparent in a comparison of both functional positions according to FIGS. 4 and 5. As a result, the stop 10 in or on the latch leg 8a is simultaneously moved away from the protrusion 11 on the pawl 3. Consequently, the protrusion 11 on the pawl 3 is free from the stop 10 in the illustration according to FIG. 5. The latch leg 8a glides along the contour 12 of the catch 2 and can consequently no longer interact with the pawl 3 because the opening catch 2 with its contour 12 has engaged the latch leg 8a. In the same way, the pawl 3 glides along the external edge of the catch 2 because it is beyond any ratchet recesses 2a, 2b. The catch 2 is now completely opened as illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0034] If now, starting from the open position according to FIG. 5, the locking mechanism 2, 3 is closed, this closure process according to the illustration according to FIG. 6 corresponds to the catch 2 being pivoted in an anti-clockwise direction around its axis or rotational axis 5, as depicted by a relevant arrow in FIG. 6. This pivoting movement in the clockwise direction by the catch 2 is thus initiated or triggered by a not explicitly depicted locking bolt engaging into the catch 2 and impinging during closure of the motor vehicle door latch in the closure movement depicted by the arrow in a clockwise direction around the axis 5. After completion of a certain pivoting course of the catch 2 in the illustrated clockwise direction according to FIG. 6, the pawl 3 assisted by its pawl spring 7 initially engages into the pre-ratchet recess 2b and subsequently into the main ratchet recess 2a until the main ratchet position or closure position is (re)attained according to FIG. 1. Throughout this closing process the pawl 3 impinged by its spring 7 towards the catch 2 is not elevated sufficiently for the pawl protrusion 11 to engage the spring stop 10.