Motor vehicle lock

Abstract

A motor vehicle lock includes a locking mechanism with a rotary latch and at least one pawl, an actuating lever which can directly or indirectly unlock the locking mechanism, and at least one Bowden cable. The Bowden cable, in particular the Bowden pull cable, has a spherical-shaped end piece and the end piece can be connected to the actuating lever. The Bowden cable is housed in the motor vehicle lock so it can rotate.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle lock comprising: a locking mechanism with a rotary latch and at least one pawl; a housing in which the locking mechanism is accommodated; a lock cover connected to the lock housing; an actuating lever which can directly or indirectly unlock the locking mechanism; at least one Bowden cable having a Bowden pull cable with a spherical end piece that is connectable to the actuating lever; a receptacle attached to an outer surface of the lock cover where the at least one Bowden cable exits the lock cover; and a joining bracket that receives the Bowden cable, wherein the joining bracket configured to enable twisting of the Bowden pull cable about an axis of the Bowden pull cable through the joining bracket, wherein the joining bracket is configured to be laterally inserted into the receptacle along the outer surface of the lock cover, and the receptacle is configured to clamp the joining bracket in position, the joining bracket being at least partly arranged outside the receptacle and providing a bearing point for the Bowden pull cable, the Bowden pull cable extending outside the receptacle and the lock cover at the bearing point; wherein a lock cover portion of the lock cover is received within the receptacle such that a first portion of the receptacle is located internally within the lock cover and a second portion of the receptable is located externally from the lock cover; wherein the joining bracket includes a first thickening and a second thickening that define a grove; and the first portion of the receptacle is located within the groove of the joining bracket, and the second thickening of the joining bracket abuts against the lock cover portion that is received within the receptacle, wherein the actuating lever is wholly contained within a cavity formed by the housing and the lock cover.

2. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the joining bracket is formed annularly and circumferentially on the Bowden cable.

3. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the joining bracket is slideable into the receptacle.

4. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the actuating lever has an opening, the end piece being insertable into the opening.

5. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 4, wherein the actuating lever is formed from a sheet metal strip.

6. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 5, wherein the end piece is insertable in a deformed region of the sheet metal strip.

7. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the end piece has an extension.

8. The motor vehicle locking device according to claim 7, wherein the extension extends in a direction of the Bowden pull cable and at an end of the end piece opposite the Bowden pull cable.

9. The motor vehicle locking device according to claim 8, wherein the end piece and the extension are arranged along a common axis.

10. The motor vehicle locking device according to claim 1, wherein the joining bracket is formed as a single piece with a sheath of the Bowden cable.

11. The motor vehicle locking device according to claim 1, wherein the actuating lever has a first deformation which has a positive fit with the end piece.

12. The motor vehicle locking device according to claim 11, wherein the actuating lever has a second deformation that is configured for securing a position of the end piece.

13. The motor vehicle locking device according to claim 1, wherein the actuating lever is configured to swivel.

14. The motor vehicle locking device according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle includes a clamping device for securely holding the Bowden cable in the lock cover.

15. The motor vehicle locking device according to claim 1, further comprising a lock case that is connectable to the housing and to the lock cover.

16. The motor vehicle locking device according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle is formed as a separate body relative to the lock cover and is connected to the lock cover by a mechanical connection.

Description

(1) The following are shown:

(2) FIG. 1 a three-dimensional view of a motor vehicle lock with a Bowden cable mounted

(3) FIG. 2 an enlarged view of the connection area of the Bowden cable to the motor vehicle lock

(4) FIG. 3 a three-dimensional representation of the mounted Bowden cable and the connection of the Bowden cable to an actuating lever

(5) FIG. 4 a detailed view of the Bowden pull cable with an end piece

(6) FIG. 1 shows a motor vehicle lock 1 in a three-dimensional representation. The motor vehicle lock 1 has a lock case 2, a lock housing 3, a lock cover 4 and a Bowden cable 5. In lock case 2, a lock 6 is pivotably mounted, whereby the locking mechanism axes 7, 8 are accommodated in lock case 2. Through an inlet opening 9 of the lock case 2 and the lock housing 3, the rotary latch 10 can be seen as part of the locking mechanism 6 in an open position.

(7) The lock cover 4 can be constructed in one piece or several and can, for example, be connected to the lock housing 3 and/or the lock case 2 by means of a clip connection and/or a screw connection. The lock cover 4 is only shown schematically in some areas.

(8) Lock cover 4 features a receptacle 4 for a joining means 12. The joining means 12 can be designed as a single piece or as a separate component with the Bowden cable sheath 13.

(9) FIG. 2 shows an enlarged representation of the connection area 14 on the lock cover 4. Same components are provided with the same reference symbols. As can be clearly seen, the joining means 12 is designed as a circular circumferential thickening, whereby two circular circumferential thickenings 15, 16 are designed as joining means 12, forming a groove 17.

(10) The groove 17 and the thickenings 15, 16 can be slipped into place laterally into the receptacle 11. The receptacle 11 can have a clamping safety device 18 so that the Bowden cable 5 is securely held in the lock cover 4.

(11) FIG. 3 shows an open motor vehicle lock 1. You can see the Bowden cable 5 inserted in receptacle 11, whereby the Bowden pull cable 19 extends up to an actuating lever 20. The actuating lever 20 in this design version is designed as a sheet metal strip. The Bowden pull cable 19 has an end piece 21 at its end, which is inserted into an opening 22 of the actuating lever 20. The end piece 21 is positively held in the actuating lever 20. The actuating lever 20, in the form of a sheet metal strip, has a first deformation 23, which requires a positive fit with the end piece, and a second deformation 24, which represents a position securing for the end piece.

(12) The actuating lever 20 is mounted in the motor vehicle lock so that it can be swiveled. In addition, motors are depicted that serve, for example, for a central locking or electrical opening.

(13) The Bowden pull cable 19 can be moved in the direction of the arrow P. For example, the Bowden cable 5 can be operatively connected to an outer door handle, so that after pulling the door handle, the Bowden pull cable 19 can be moved in the direction of the arrow P. The movement of the Bowden pull cable 19 causes the actuating lever 20 to move in the direction R and thus counterclockwise.

(14) FIG. 4 shows an enlarged representation of the end piece 21 in an end area 26 of the Bowden pull cable 19. The Bowden cable 19 has an extension 27 next to the end piece 21, which can serve as a position securing and positioning safety device. The extension 27 extends along a central axis M of the Bowden pull cable 19. End piece 21 and extension 27 are preferably constructed symmetrically. The design of connection area 14 and end area 26 according to the invention provides a safe connection between Bowden cable 5 and vehicle lock 1. In addition to the advantages of easy assembly and cost-effective manufacturability, a high degree of operational reliability is also provided.

(15) TABLE-US-00001 List of reference symbols 1 Motor Vehicle Lock 2 Lock case 3 Lock housing 4 Lock cover 5 Bowden cable 6 Locking mechanism 7, 8 Locking mechanism axes 9 Inlet opening 10 Rotary latch 11 Receptacle 12 Joining means 13 Bowden cable sheath 14 Connection area 15, 16 Thickenings 17 Groove 18 Clamping safety device 19 Bowden pull cable 20 Actuating lever 21 End piece 22 Opening 23 First deformation 24 Second deformation 25, 26 Motors 26 End area 27 Extension P Arrow R Direction M Central axis