Motor vehicle door lock

Abstract

A motor vehicle door lock comprising a locking mechanism (1, 2), an actuating lever unit (3, 4, 16), which interacts with the locking mechanism (1, 2), a drive (6, 7, 8, 9) impinging upon the actuating lever unit (3, 4, 16) and an anti-theft protection device (10, 11), wherein a buffer member (12, 13) is assigned to the actuating lever unit (3, 4, 16) and to an unlocking lever (5) which interacts with the actuating lever unit (3, 4, 16), the buffer member being controlled by the anti-theft protection device (10, 11) in accordance with the desired functional position of the locking mechanism (1, 2).

Claims

1. A motor vehicle door lock comprising: a locking mechanism, an actuating lever unit, which interacts with the locking mechanism, a drive impinging upon the actuating lever unit and an anti-theft protection device, wherein a biasing member is assigned to a lever of the actuating lever unit and to an unlocking lever which interacts with the actuating lever unit, and wherein said biasing member is either blocked or unblocked by the anti-theft protection device respectively in an anti-theft position and a non-anti-theft position to allow or prevent unlocking of the locking mechanism.

2. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member is arranged between the drive and the locking mechanism.

3. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member is made up of two parts, a leg spring and a rocker spring.

4. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 3, wherein the rocker spring impinges on the unlocking lever depending on its position in an open or keep closed position of the locking mechanism.

5. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 3, wherein the leg spring interacts with a coupling lever on one hand and the unlocking lever and/or anti-theft protection device on the other hand.

6. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 5, wherein a one free leg of the leg spring rests against the coupling lever and an other fixed leg rests against a journal of the unlocking lever.

7. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 3, wherein the leg spring is mounted on the unlocking lever essentially on the same axis as its axis of rotation.

8. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein the drive is designed as an opening drive and contains a cam driven by an electric motor for opening.

9. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein the drive interacts with a release lever.

10. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 1, wherein in an unlocked position the unlocking lever releases a previously blocked coupling lever.

11. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 10, wherein the coupling lever is mounted in at least one guide.

12. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 11, wherein two guides are provided for the coupling lever which are arranged in adjacent levers.

13. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 12, wherein the one guide is provided in an internal release lever and an other guide in the unlocking lever.

14. The motor vehicle door lock according to claim 3, wherein the anti-theft protection device is equipped with a motor and a cam acted upon by the motor for blocking a fixed leg of the leg spring.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Below, the invention is explained in more detail with reference to exemplary drawings showing only one embodiment, as follows:

(2) FIG. 1 shows an overview of the motor vehicle door lock of the invention in the unlocked position and with the anti-theft detection device being disengaged;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the motor vehicle door lock of FIG. 1 during electric opening;

(4) FIG. 3 shows the motor vehicle door lock of FIGS. 1 and 2 in the locked state with engaged anti-theft protection device; and

(5) FIG. 4 shows the object of FIGS. 1 to 3 during mechanical opening.

(6) Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) FIG. 1 shows a motor vehicle door lock equipped with a locking mechanism 1, 2, only indicated in the figure. Indeed all figures do show a pawl 1, interacting with a rotary latch 2 in the usual manner but which is not expressly shown. This is because the pawl 1 and the rotary latch 2 are located together in a plane vertical to the shown planes of projection. An actuating lever unit 3, 4, 16, comprising in detail a release lever 3, an internal release lever 4 and a coupling lever 16, interacts with the locking mechanism 1, 2 and said unit then interacts with an unlocking lever 5 in the example. The arrangement can in principle contain even more levers, such as an external release lever, another coupling lever, etc., which are however not shown and are of no significance for the described invention. The figure also shows a drive 6 to 9, impinging on the actuation lever unit 3, 4, 16. Finally, the general arrangement contains an anti-theft protection device 10, 11.

(8) As part of the invention, a buffer member 12, 13 is assigned to the actuating lever unit 3, 4, 16 and to the unlocking lever 5. This buffer member 12, 13 is actuated by the anti-theft protection device 10, 11. This depends on the desired functional position of the locking mechanism 1, 2. In other words, the anti-theft protection device 10, 11 either releases or blocks the buffer member 12, 13. In the embodiment the buffer member 12, 13 comprises a leg spring 12 and a rocker spring 13 and is thus made up of two parts. Depending on the position of the unlocking lever 5 and of the actuating lever unit 3, 4, 16 as a whole, the rocker spring 13 ensures that the unlocking lever 5 is acted upon in the open or keep closed direction of the locking mechanisms 1, 2.

(9) If the unlocking lever 5 is, for instance in the locked position of the motor vehicle door lock shown in FIG. 3, rocker spring 13 acts upon the unlocking lever 5 in such a way that this is impinged on in counter-clockwise direction around its axis 14 as indicated. If, on the other hand, the rocker spring 13 or the associated unlocking lever 5 assumes the unlocked position of FIG. 2, the rocker spring 13 acts upon the unlocking lever 5 in such a way that it rotates in the shown clockwise direction around its axis 14. As a result, the release lever 3 can, when in the functional position shown in FIG. 2, impinge with its extension arm 15 on the pawl 1 during the shown electric opening and can lift the pawl 1 during this process from the associated rotary latch 2not shown. The locking mechanism 1, 2 is consequently also opened at the end of the electric opening movement shown in FIG. 2.

(10) In contrast, the leg spring 12 interacts, on one hand, with a coupling lever 16 and, on the other hand, with the unlocking lever 5 and/or the anti-theft protection device 10, 11. For this purpose the one free leg 12a of the leg spring 12 rests against the coupling lever 16, which can mainly slide linearly along the said free leg 12a of the leg spring 12. In contrast, the other fixed leg 12b of the leg spring 12 is supported on a stop 17 of the unlocking lever 5. In addition, the anti-theft protection device 10, 11 with its cam 11 is assigned to the fixed leg 12b of the leg spring 12. Depending on the position of the anti-theft protection device 10, 11, the cam 11 blocks the fixed leg 12b of the leg spring 12 and retains the leg spring 12 at the same time. This applies for the position anti-theft protection device inserted. If, however, the anti-theft protection device 10, 11 is in its disengaged position, the cam 11 releases said fixed leg 12b of the leg spring 12.

(11) Die leg spring 12 is mounted on the unlocking lever 5 on an essentially common axis. This means that the axis of rotation of the leg spring 12 mainly corresponds with the axis of rotation 14 of the unlocking lever 5. Also the arrangement is in most cases such that the aforementioned drive 6 to 9 is designed as an opening drive. For this purpose the drive 6 to 9 consists of an electric motor 6 and a worm gear 7 driven by the electric motor 6. The worm gear 7 engages with a driving pulley 8, accommodating a cam 9 on the external circumference. In this way, the drive 6 to 9 can interact with the release lever 3.

(12) If the release lever 3 is in the position shown in FIG. 3, the drive or the opening drive 6 to 9 ensures, as part of the opening process shown in FIG. 2, first of all that the release lever 3 is moved from its initial position shown by the solid line to the position shown by the dashed/dotted line (see FIG. 2). This is achieved with the cam 9, coming into contact with the release lever 3 and pivoting the release lever 3 during this process around its axis 18 in clockwise direction.

(13) As a result of this operation, the previously blocked coupling lever 16 is released. Said coupling lever 16 is in fact arranged in two guides 19, 20 with one guide 19 for the coupling lever 16 being arranged on the internal release lever 4 and the other guide 20 in the unlocking lever 5. A cam 21 of the coupling lever 16 engages in the guide 19 of the internal release lever 4 and is thus captively retained in the respective guide 19 of the internal release lever 4 and also in guide 20 of the unlocking lever 5 and is linearly guided.

(14) It is apparent that the coupling lever 16 also contains a journal 22, sliding along the free leg 12a of the leg spring 12. If the coupling lever 16 moves from its right and ineffective position (locked) as shown in FIG. 2 into the left and effective position (unlocked), said journal 22 slides at the free end of 12a of the leg spring 12 into a radial outer position. As a result, the leg spring 12 is increasingly acted upon. Also, the coupling lever 16 and its cam 21 is released from the release lever 3 and thus enters a recess 23 in the release lever 3.

(15) The function is as follows. FIG. 1 shows the position (mechanically) unlocked, followed by mechanical opening with the anti-theft protection device 10, 11 disengaged. It is apparent that first of all the release lever 3 has carried out a counter-clockwise movement around is axis 18 starting from the locked position shown in FIG. 3. This transition of the release lever 3 from the locked position of FIG. 3 to the unlocked position of FIG. 1 can be mechanically initiated by the internal release lever 4 being slightly pivoted around its axis 18 in clockwise direction as shown by an error in FIG. 3. The internal release lever 4 and the release lever 3 do in fact share a common axis 18 around which they can be pivoted.

(16) This operation causes the cam 21 of the coupling lever 16 to enter the recess 23 of the release lever 3. This operation is assisted by the fact that the rocker spring 13 acts upon the unlocking lever 5 in clockwise direction as apparent from FIG. 2. After this mechanical unlocking process the internal release lever 4 with the coupling lever 16 or the cam 21 on the coupling lever 16 rests in any case against the release lever 3 in the respective recess 23. As soon as, starting from this functional position shown in FIG. 1, the internal release lever 4 is pivoted around its axis 18 in counter-clockwise direction, as indicated in FIG. 1, the carried-along coupling lever 16 ensures with the journal 22 abutting the free leg 12a that the leg spring 12 is acted upon.

(17) As the leg spring 12 with its fixed end 12b is not blocked by the anti-theft protection device 10, 11 or its cam 11, as the anti-theft protection device 10, 11 is in the disengaged state, the leg spring 12 carries along the unlocking lever 5 during this process. This is achieved by the fixed leg 12b of the leg spring 12 engaging with the stop 17 of the unlocking lever 5. The unlocking lever 5 thus carries out a pivoting movement in clockwise direction around it axis 14, as already indicated in FIG. 2 and also in FIG. 1. As a result, the unlocking lever 5 ensures that the pawl 1 can be lifted off the rotary latch 2 by the actuating lever unit 3, 4, 16. The locking mechanism 1, 2 has been mechanically opened.

(18) A similar scenario is shown in FIG. 2. The figure depicts the electric opening operation. During such electric opening the release lever 3 must first of all be moved into its unlocked position by the drive or opening drive 6, 7, 8, 9, as shown by the dashed/dotted line in FIG. 2. The position locked of the release lever 3 is in contrast shown by a solid line. In order to achieve this change of position, the cam 9 of the drive 6, 7, 8, 9 comes into contact with an arm of the release lever 3 and ensures that during the transition from the locked position shown by the solid line to the position shown by the dashed/dotted line, the release lever 3 carries out a small counter-clockwise movement around its axis 18, as indicated by the direction of the arrow, and disengages the pawl 1.

(19) As a result, the cam 21 on the coupling lever 16 can enter the recess 23 of the release lever 3. As a result of this process, the leg spring 12 is increasingly acted upon at its free leg end 12a as the coupling lever 16 is at the same time moved radially outwards and the journal 22 resting against the coupling lever 16 acts upon the free leg end 12 of the leg spring 12 with increasing force. If during this process anti-theft protection device 10, 11 is also disengaged (see arrow in FIG. 2), the unlocking lever 5 is rotated in clockwise direction around its axis 14, as indicated, as the leg spring 12 is being acted upon at its free leg end 12a. This is either caused by the journal 22 or also by the internal release lever 4 being pivoted around its axis 18 in clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 1. In any case the fact that the leg spring 12 is being acted upon at its free leg end 12a ensures that the fixed leg end 12b carries along the unlocking lever around the axis 14 with its stop 17, in the described direction of rotation.

(20) The operation disengage anti-theft protection device 10, 11 can be carried out electrically or mechanically. In any case the operation corresponds with the cam 11 being pivoted from the initial engaged position as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrow and then assumes the disengaged position as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 1. As a result, the fixed leg end 12b of the leg spring 12 is as a whole released from the anti-theft protection device 10, 11 or the cam 11 and the unlocking lever 5 can, as described, pivot around its axis 14 in clockwise direction. As a result, the pawl 1 acted upon by the release lever 3 via the actuating lever unit 3, 4, 16 is again lifted off the associated rotary latch 2.

(21) This means that as part of the electric opening according to FIG. 2, the anti-theft protection device 10, 11 ensures amongst other things and mainly that unintentional opening operations do not cause the locking mechanism to open. This is because the locking mechanism 1, 2 is only and exclusively opened, if the anti-theft protection device 10, 11 has first released the free leg end 12b of the leg spring 12 with its cam 11. If the leg end is not released as part of the function depicted in FIG. 2, the leg spring 12 is compressed as a result of the internal release lever 4 impinging on it without the unlocking lever 5 changing the shown position. Only if the fixed leg end 12b is not (no longer) blocked by the cam 11 of the anti-theft protection device 10, 11, does the unlocking lever 5 carry out the described clockwise rotation around its axis 14 and is the locking mechanism 1, 2 opened.

(22) In the functional position shown in FIG. 3 the motor vehicle door lock is in the locked position as the cam 21 of the coupling lever 16 rests against the release lever 3 and is blocked by the release lever 3. Also, the anti-theft protection device 10, 11 is in its functional position engaged, so that the leg spring 12 is secured between the blocked coupling lever 16, on one hand and the cam 11 of the anti-theft protection device 10, 11, on the other hand. From this point a release only takes place if the internal release lever 4 is moved slightly around its axis 18 in clockwise direction, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 3 and as is apparent from the transition between FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. The coupling lever 16 can then be moved with its cam 21 along the guide 19 in the internal release lever 4 and the cam 21 of the coupling lever 16 is able to enter the recess 23 in the release lever 3. A spring impinging on the coupling lever 16 in the respective sense but not expressly shown in the figures, can be responsible for this. The subsequent impinging on of the internal release lever 4 in the opening sense by a counter-clockwise movement around axis 18 then causes, starting from the functional position shown in FIG. 2, the release lever 3 to be carried along and to take up its position shown by the dashed/dotted line.

(23) If the anti-theft protection device 10, 11 is disengaged during this process, the process results in the unlocking lever 5 being pivoted around its axis 14 in clockwise direction and the locking mechanism 1, 2 being impinged on by the release lever 3 via the actuating lever unit 3, 4, 16 in the opening sense.

(24) It is to be understood that the above-described embodiment is illustrative of only one of the many possible specific embodiments which can represent applications of the principles of the invention. Numerous and varied other arrangements can be readily devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.