Motor vehicle latch

Abstract

A motor vehicle latch, in particular to a motor vehicle door latch, is equipped with an actuating lever chain having at least one actuating lever for opening a locking mechanism. Also provided is a linearly displaceable actuating slide and a sensor that can be acted upon by the actuating lever via the actuating slide. According to the invention, a spring is assigned to the actuating slide such that the sensor is permanently acted upon, with only an opening movement of the actuating lever lifting the actuating slide from the sensor.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle latch comprising: an actuating lever chain having at least one actuating lever for opening a locking mechanism, a linearly movable actuating slide, a sensor that is acted upon by the at least one actuating lever via the actuating slide, and a spring directly acting on the actuating slide such that the actuating slide is biased by the spring into direct engagement with the sensor, and an opening movement of the at least one actuating lever acts against the spring to lift the actuating slide away from the sensor to entirely separate the actuating slide from the sensor, wherein the at least one actuating lever comprises an outside actuating lever and an inside actuating lever, and wherein the actuating slide has a first stop contour for the outside actuating lever and a second stop contour for the inside actuating lever.

2. The motor vehicle latch according to claim 1, wherein either an opening movement of the outside actuating lever, or an opening movement of the inside actuating lever, or an opening movement of both the outside and inside actuating levers lifts the actuating slide away from the sensor.

3. The motor vehicle latch according to claim 1, wherein the inside actuating lever interacts with the actuating slide via a clutch element.

4. The motor vehicle latch according to claim 1, wherein the spring acting on the actuating slide is a spiral compression spring.

5. The motor vehicle latch according to claim 4, wherein the spiral compression spring is positioned on a pin of the actuating slide on a foot side of the spiral compression spring and is supported on a head side of the spiral compression spring on a stop.

6. The motor vehicle latch according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is part of an electric component carrier having one or more electrical components in addition to the sensor.

7. The motor vehicle latch according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a microswitch.

8. The motor vehicle latch according to claim 1, wherein the actuating slide is made of a plastic material.

9. The motor vehicle latch according to claim 1, wherein the motor vehicle latch has an L-shaped design including an electronics leg that has the inside actuating lever and a latch leg that has the outside actuating lever and that is oriented relative to the electronics leg to form the L-shaped design.

10. The motor vehicle latch according to claim 1, wherein the actuating slide further includes a third stop contour that directly engages with the sensor by pressing upon the sensor.

11. A motor vehicle door component comprising the motor vehicle latch according to claim 1 and an external drive unit for operating a moveable element.

12. A motor vehicle door arrangement comprising a motor vehicle door equipped with the motor vehicle door component according to claim 11.

13. The motor vehicle door arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the external drive unit is a power window drive and the moveable element is a vehicle window, and the power window drive raises or lowers the vehicle window.

14. The motor vehicle door arrangement according to claim 13, further comprising a control unit that detects a state of the sensor and operates the power window drive, wherein when the control unit detects that the at least one actuating lever is lifted to entirely separate from the sensor, the control unit generates an opening signal that controls the power window drive to open the vehicle window.

15. The motor vehicle door arrangement according to claim 12, further comprising a control unit that detects a state of the sensor and operates the external drive unit, wherein when the control unit detects that the at least one actuating lever is lifted to entirely separate from the sensor, the control unit generates an opening signal that controls the external drive unit to move the moveable element.

16. A motor vehicle latch comprising: an actuating lever chain having at least one actuating lever for opening a locking mechanism, a linearly movable actuating slide, a sensor that is acted upon by the at least one actuating lever via the actuating slide, and a spring directly acting on the actuating slide such that the actuating slide is biased by the spring into direct engagement with the sensor, and an opening movement of the at least one actuating lever acts against the spring to lift the actuating slide away from the sensor to entirely separate the actuating slide from the sensor, wherein the at least one actuating lever comprises an outside actuating lever and an inside actuating lever, and wherein the motor vehicle latch has an L-shaped design including an electronics leg that has the inside actuating lever and a latch leg that has the outside actuating lever and that is oriented relative to the electronics leg to form the L-shaped design.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to drawings which show only one exemplary embodiment. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective overview of the motor vehicle latch according to the invention; and

(3) FIG. 2 shows the components of the motor vehicle latch according to FIG. 1, which are essential for the invention, in a slightly modified embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) The drawings show a motor vehicle latch that has an actuating lever 1, 2 in its basic structure. In fact, two actuating levers 1, 2 are implemented according to the exemplary embodiment, namely an outside actuating lever 1 and an inside actuating lever 2. Both actuating levers 1, 2 are connected to a handle (not expressly shown); for example, the outside actuating lever 1 is connected to an outside door handle, and the inside actuating lever 2 is connected to an inside door handle.

(5) Both actuating levers 1, 2 serve according to the exemplary embodiment in particular for opening a locking mechanism 3, which is composed as is usual of a rotary latch and a pawl interacting therewith but is arranged under a cover in FIG. 1 and is therefore not visible. A comparison of FIGS. 1 and 2 shows that the motor vehicle latch has an overall L-shaped design in cross section and in this context has an upright electronics leg 4a in the exemplary embodiment and a latch leg 4b that is oriented horizontally in comparison. For this purpose, the latch leg 4b has a metal latch case 5, in which the previously mentioned locking mechanism 3 is rotatably mounted.

(6) In contrast, the other components of both the electronics leg 4a and the latch leg 4b are predominantly made of plastics material, wherein, in this context, the electronics leg 4a is designed overall as a side cover 4a made of plastics material and the latch leg 4b has a further side cover 6 in addition to the latch case 5 as substantial structural features also made of plastics material.

(7) The outside actuating lever 1 is arranged in the latch leg 4b and is mounted so that it can rotate about an axis which, according to the exemplary embodiment, is defined by a bearing mandrel anchored to the latch case 5. An opening movement of the outside actuating lever 1 now corresponds to a counterclockwise movement, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2. In contrast, the inside actuating lever 2 is located in or on the electronics leg 4a and, in this case, is mounted about an axis which in turn is anchored on or in the side cover 4a implemented in this context. According to the illustration in FIG. 2, an opening movement of the inside actuating lever 2 corresponds to the inside actuating lever 2 being pivoted clockwise about its axis. Both levers 1, 2 are consequently arranged in mutually perpendicular planes and are also pivoted in these mutually perpendicular planes to open the locking mechanism 3.

(8) The basic and substantial structure also includes a linearly displaceable actuating slide 7, which, on the one hand, interacts with the actuating lever 1, 2 or both actuating levers 1, 2 and, on the other hand, acts upon a sensor 8. According to the invention, the actuating slide 7 is now assigned a spring 17 which ensures that the sensor 8 is permanently acted upon. Only an opening movement of the actuating lever 1, 2 ensures that the actuating slide 7 is lifted off the sensor 8.

(9) The sensor 8 is designed according to the exemplary embodiment and substantially as part of an electric component carrier 9. The electric component carrier 9 has a plastics-coated and therefore not visible conductor path structure and is additionally equipped with further electric components or electronic components 10, 11, which are, for example, a further sensor 10 and, according to the exemplary embodiment, an electric motor 11 as well. In other words, the electric component carrier 9 ensures the electrical contacting of the sensor 8 as well as of the other electric components 10, 11. In addition, the electric component carrier 9 is equipped with a connection socket 9a, which connects the electric component carrier 9 and consequently the sensor 8 as well as the other electric components 10, 11 and thus the motor vehicle latch as a whole to a control unit 12 that is only indicated in FIG. 2.

(10) The control unit 12 in turn serves to act upon an external drive unit 13, which is designed as a power window drive 13 according to the exemplary embodiment and corresponding to the illustration in FIG. 2. By means of the power window drive 13, a window pane 14 or a window of a motor vehicle door 15 can be lowered or raised along the double arrow shown in FIG. 2. According to the exemplary embodiment, the motor vehicle door 15 is designed to be frameless. In addition, the motor vehicle door 15 and the pane or window pane 14 together define a motor vehicle door arrangement 14, 15. The motor vehicle door arrangement 14, 15 is equipped with both the motor vehicle latch (as shown in FIG. 1) and the control unit 12 (not shown in detail for reasons of clarity). For this purpose, the motor vehicle latch as well as the control unit 12 and the external drive unit 13 are each inside the motor vehicle door 15.

(11) It can be seen in particular from the illustration in FIG. 2 that the actuating slide 7 is equipped with a stop contour 7a for the outside actuating lever 1 and with a further stop contour 7b for the inside actuating lever 2. The two stop contours 7a, 7b are in each case folds. In addition, the actuating slide 7 is made entirely of plastics material, for example designed as an injection molded part made of plastics material. Another fold or stop contour 7c on the actuating slide 7 now ensures that the actuating slide 7 acts upon the sensor 8 permanently. The spring 17 is provided for this purpose.

(12) In fact, within the scope of the exemplary embodiment and not restrictively, the spring 9 is a spiral compression spring which acts upon the actuating slide 7 with a linear force F indicated in FIG. 2 in the direction of the sensor 8. As a result, an actuating cam of the sensor 8, which is designed as a switch or microswitch, is permanently pressed down. An electric circuit that belongs to the sensor 8 and is to be checked by means of the control unit 12 is thus permanently closed in this way.

(13) If, however, either the outside actuating lever 1 or the inside actuating lever 2 is acted upon, this results in the corresponding opening movement lifting the actuating slide 7 off the sensor 8. As a result of this, the previously mentioned electric circuit is interrupted and the control unit 12 interprets this as an opening signal for the associated actuating lever 1, 2. This opening signal is further processed by the control unit 12 such that, when the opening signal occurs, the external drive unit 13 or the power window drive 13 implemented at this point is activated in order to lower the window pane 14 slightly. As a result of this, the motor vehicle door 15 can be opened immediately and without any problems as soon as the locking mechanism 3 and thus also the motor vehicle door 15 have been transferred to their open state.

(14) The signal of the sensor 8 is detected by the control unit 12 before a possible opening signal of the locking mechanism 3 which is also to be queried, so that the motor vehicle door 15 can be opened without any problems. The reason is that the window pane 14, which typically engages with a seal in a frameless motor vehicle door 15, has previously been lowered to such an extent that the motor vehicle door 15 can then be pivoted open manually by an operator without any problems when the locking mechanism 3 is open.

(15) FIG. 2 shows that the inside actuating lever 2 interacts with the actuating slide 7 via a clutch element 16. The clutch element 16 may be designed as part of a locking unit, for example a safety unit in the form of a child safety device or anti-theft device. In any case, the opening actuation on the inside actuating lever 2 in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2 and the associated pivoting movement of the inside actuating lever 2 in the clockwise direction shown there results in that not only the actuating slide 7 is lifted off from the sensor 8 but also in that the clutch element 16 becomes exposed. This can optionally be used in order to unlock the safety unit already mentioned, for example in a first stroke, so that the motor vehicle latch or locking mechanism 3 can be opened by means of a second stroke.

(16) The spring 9 or spiral compression spring implemented at this point is mounted on a pin 7d of the actuating slide 7 or slipped onto this pin 7d, namely on the foot side, for perfect guidance and actuation of the actuating slide 7 with the linear force F indicated in FIG. 2. On the head side, the spring 9 or spiral compression spring is supported on a stationary stop (not shown). This stop may be provided by the side cover or electronics leg 4a or may be arranged thereon.

(17) From a comparison of FIGS. 1 and 2, it can finally be recognized that the electric component carrier 9 is attached to the side cover or the electronics leg 4a for assembling. For this purpose, the electric component carrier 9 has fastening openings 9b, which are slipped onto associated pins on the side cover in question or the electronics leg 4a and are connected thereto. In addition, only the actuating slide 7 has to be assembled, so that assembly is particularly easy and quick and any adjustments are kept to a minimum.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(18) 1 Outside actuating lever 1,2 Actuating lever 2 Inside actuating lever 3 Locking mechanism 4a Electronics leg, side cover 4b Latch leg 5 Latch case 6 Side cover 7 Actuating slide 7a Stop contour 7b Stop contour 7c Stop contour 7d Pin 8 Sensor 9 Spring, electric component carrier 9a Connection socket 9b Mounting holes 10 Sensor 10, 11 Electric components 11 Electric motor 12 Control unit 13 Drive unit, power window drive 14 Window pane 14, 15 Motor vehicle door arrangement 15 Motor vehicle door 16 Clutch element F Linear force