MOTOR VEHICLE LOCK

Abstract

The aim of the invention is to provide a lock for a motor vehicle, whereby the accidental opening of said lock is prevented. To achieve this aim, a lock comprises a locking mechanism with a rotary latch and a locking pawl for arresting the rotary latch in a latch position. In order to open the lock with minimum effort, an electric drive (1) is provided by means of which drive the locking pawl can be moved directly or indirectly out of its locking position. The lock is further provided with a movable blocking pawl (2), which can impede the electric drive (1) from opening the lock. For the locking mechanism to be electrically opened, the blocking pawl (2) needs to be moved out of its blocking position and the electric drive (1) needs be to actuated.

Claims

1. A latch with a locking mechanism comprising a catch and a pawl for ratcheting of the catch in a ratchet position, an electrical drive, with which the pawl can be moved out of its ratchet position, comprising a movable blocking pawl which in a blocking position is capable of preventing the electrical drive from opening the latch.

2. The latch according to claim 1, wherein the blocking pawl is not subjected to any contact pressure when in its blocking position.

3. The latch according to claim 1, wherein the electrical drive is capable of moving a drive element, in particular a wheel and/or a disk, for opening of the locking mechanism and the blocking pawl reaches into a recess of the drive element in its blocking position and thus blocks or limits movement of the drive element in such a way that the locking mechanism cannot be opened by the electrical drive.

4. The latch according to claim 3, wherein the drive element is part of a gearbox.

5. The latch according to claim 1, wherein a stop for the blocking pawl is present which is capable of restricting the movement of the blocking pawl in its blocking position.

6. The latch according to claim 5, wherein the stop is designed as an attenuating element.

7. The latch according to claim 6, wherein the surface of the stop is made of plastic, in particular of an elastomer.

8. The latch according to claim 5, wherein the stop is attached to the electrical drive.

9. The latch according to claim 1, wherein a sensor, in particular a microswitch, is present, which can be activated by the blocking pawl.

10. The latch according to claim 1, wherein a triggering lever can be pivoted by the electrical drive.

Description

[0020] The following are shown:

[0021] FIG. 1: Drive for electrical opening of a latch with a blocking pawl in the blocking position;

[0022] FIG. 2: Drive for electrical opening of a latch with a blocking pawl in the non-blocking position;

[0023] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a drive for electrical opening of a motor vehicle latch. In order to be able to open the latch with little force, the drive comprises an electromotor 1 with which the locking mechanism of the catch can be opened in an electrically driven manner. There is a pivotably mounted blocking pawl 2 which prevents the electrical drive or the electromotor 1 from electrically opening in its blocking position shown in FIG. 1. The blocking pawl 2 can be rotated around its axis 3.

[0024] A worm gear 5 is attached to the motor shaft 4 of the electromotor 1. By rotating the shaft 4 and thus by rotating the worm gear 5 a rotatable gear wheel 6 is rotated around its axis 7 into which the worm gear 5 engages. A disk 8 is attached to the gear wheel 7. In its blocking position, a protrusion 10 of the blocking pawl 2 reaches into a recess 9 of the disk 8 and thus limits a rotational movement of the gear wheel 6 and the disk 8 in an anti-clockwise direction, by means of which the locking mechanism of the latch could be opened in an electrically driven manner. Reaching into a recess 9 requires no contact pressure. Consequently, the blocking pawl 2 can be moved out of its blocking position with especially little force. The blocking pawl 2 is therefore also predominantly not subjected to any contact pressure in its blocking position.

[0025] The worm gear 5 and the gear wheel 6 form a gearbox. The drive element in the form of the gear wheel 6 with the disk 8 thus fulfills a dual function. The gear wheel 6 and the disk 8 can be designed as a single component or multiple components.

[0026] There is a stop 11 for the blocking pawl 2 which is capable of restricting movement of the blocking pawl 2 in its blocking position. This is illustrated in FIG. 1. The blocking pawl is thus prevented from initiating a damaging impulse into the disk 8 with the gear wheel 6, i.e. in mechanically sensitive areas of a drive chain, by moving into its blocking position.

[0027] The stop 11 can be designed as an attenuating element which has an elastic surface. In this execution example, the stop 11 is attached to the housing of the electromotor 1.

[0028] There is a microswitch 12 which is activated by the blocking pawl 2 as shown in FIG. 2, as soon as the blocking pawl 2 is in its non-blocking position. By means of the microswitch 12 the electromotor 1 is then started for opening of the locking mechanism. The blocking pawl 2 thus fulfills a dual function.

[0029] The blocking pawl 2 furthermore comprises a protrusion 13 which is adjacent to the disk 8 when the blocking pawl 2 is in its non-blocking position as illustrated in FIG. 2. The protrusion 13 limits the pivoting movement of the blocking pawl 2 into its non-blocking position.

[0030] If, starting from the position shown in the Figure, the blocking pawl 2 is pivoted around its axis 3 in a clockwise direction, it ultimately activates the microswitch 12. This starts the electromotor 1. As a consequence hereof, the gear wheel 6 and thus also the disk 8 are rotated in an anti-clockwise direction. A tappet 14 of the disk 8 ultimately grasps an arm 15 of a pivotably located triggering lever 16 and pivots it around its axis 17 in a clockwise direction. As a result, the pawl of the latch locking mechanism is moved out of its ratchet position and the latch is thus opened.

REFERENCE SIGN LIST

[0031] 1: Electromotor [0032] 2: Blocking pawl [0033] 3: Axis of the blocking pawl [0034] 4: shaft of the electromotor [0035] 5: Worm gear on the motor shaft [0036] 6: Gear wheel [0037] 7: Axis of the gear wheel [0038] 8: Disk [0039] 9: Recess [0040] 10: Protrusion of the blocking pawl [0041] 11: Stop for the blocking pawl [0042] 12: Microswitch [0043] 13: Protrusion of the blocking pawl [0044] 14: Tappet [0045] 15: Triggering lever arm [0046] 16: Triggering lever [0047] 17: Axis of the triggering lever