Patent Application
20250003267
The invention relates to a motor vehicle lock, particularly a motor vehicle door lock, with a locking mechanism consisting substantially of the rotary latch and the pawl, and with a latching element arranged in the engagement area between the two locking mechanism components, which is pivotally mounted on the rotary latch and/or the pawl for the most part in a locking mechanism level.
Vehicle locks and particularly vehicle door locks have been acoustically optimized for years in order to meet the increasingly stringent noise requirements. The focus is also on comfort improvements. The motor vehicle locks in question are, for example, motor vehicle door locks, which in principle can also be used on vehicle hoods, tailgates, fuel filler flaps, etc. This also includes vehicle locksmiths for seat locks, load locks, etc.
The engagement area between the rotary latch and the locking pawl as the two locking mechanism components has a decisive influence on both the acoustics and the feel of such motor vehicle locks and thus the comfort of operation. In principle, however, the engagement area can also be between two pawls in a multi-pawl locking mechanism. In this case, the engagement area refers to the area between a so-called comfort pawl and a pawl.
In the case of a motor vehicle lock and, in particular, a motor vehicle door lock of the design described at the beginning in accordance with WO 2020/083435 A1, the overall aim is to improve the guide of the latching element while taking into account a structurally simple and at the same time low-noise solution. For this purpose, the known teaching suggests that the latching element has a guide projection projecting from the locking mechanism level for additional axial and/or radial guidance. The guide extension can be designed in one piece with the latching element, for example as an embossing. It is also possible in this context to work with an additional element in the form of a separate push-through pin, for example, and/or to form this as part of a wrapping of the latching element.
Furthermore, in practice, the plastic sheathing already provided on a rotary latch, for example, is often used to guide and secure the latching element axially. In other words, in this case the plastic sheathing is extended into the area of the bearing of the latching element in the example case on the rotary latch and covers the area of the bearing. As a result, the latching element is axially secured with the aid of the plastic sheathing, meaning that the bearing axis of the latching element cannot move axially.
However, situations do occur in practice in which axial movements of the bearing axis of the latching element are observed due to the sheathing despite the axial securing that has been implemented. In this context, the sheathing may even shear off or break because it is produced from plastic. The invention as a whole seeks to remedy this.
The invention is based on the technical problem of further developing a motor vehicle lock in such a manner, and in particular a motor vehicle door lock, so that the latching element has perfect axial securing.
In order to solve this technical problem, the invention proposes in a motor vehicle lock of the same type, and in particular a motor vehicle door lock, that at least one locking mechanism component is equipped with a cover of the same material that at least partially overlaps the latching element in order to axially secure the latching element.
As already explained in the introduction, the latching element can in principle be pivotably mounted on the rotary latch as well as on the pawl or on both locking mechanism components, namely in relation to pivoting movements in the locking mechanism level. The locking mechanism level is spanned by the rotary latch and the at least one pawl. In principle, the engagement area can also be present between two pawls in a multi-pawl locking mechanism, as already explained.
As a rule, however, the engagement area is provided on the rotary latch and the latching element is pivotably mounted on the rotary latch as the relevant locking mechanism component. In order to equip a bearing axis of the latching element defined in the course of the pivotable bearing with the desired axial securing, the invention proposes the material-like cover on the locking mechanism component in question, which at least partially overlaps the latching element. It is particularly important that the cover reaches and covers the engagement area of the latching element in the locking mechanism component in question and thus ensures and can also ensure the desired axial securing of the position axis.
According to the invention, the cover is a cover of the same material as the locking mechanism component, i.e. the cover and the locking mechanism component are made of the same material. Steel is typically used for the locking mechanism component. Accordingly, the cover of the same material is also made of steel, so that the axial securing of the bearing axis of the latching element is significantly improved compared to the plastic sheathing used in practice and in the prior art.
The identical material design of the cover compared to the associated locking mechanism component does not, of course, rule out the possibility that different types of steel may be used for the locking mechanism component and the cover. This is because the locking mechanism component in question is usually designed as a multi-layer with at least one core layer and a cover layer having the cover. The core layer and the cover layer can each be made of steel. Nevertheless, it is possible to use a particularly tough steel for the core layer compared to the cover layer. This means that the term “same material” is to be interpreted broadly in the context of the invention.
It is also sufficient if the core layer in question and the cover layer are each made of one metal. For example, it is conceivable that the core layer could be made of steel, while the cover could be made of another metal such as copper or brass. Of course, different metal alloys for the core layer on the one hand and the cover layer on the other are also conceivable in this context and are comprised by the invention.
In contrast, a cover of the same material and a corresponding cover layer, for example made of plastic, are excluded according to the invention. As a result, the cover and consequently also the cover layer have material properties comparable to those of the core layer, particularly with regard to strength and toughness, which must be able to withstand the tensile forces that occur, for example, to meet safety requirements or in the event of a crash. As a result, the latching element is perfectly secured axially and, in contrast to the prior art, there is (no longer) any risk of the cover layer or the cover being sheared off, torn off or otherwise damaged. These are the main advantages.
The possibility of equipping the locking mechanism component with at least one core layer and a cover layer having the cover can be further developed in such a manner that the at least one core layer is provided between cover layers on both sides. In addition to such a three-layer structure, further layers in the sense of a multi-layer structure of the locking mechanism component in question are of course also conceivable and are comprised by the invention. In all these cases, the invention also proceeds in such a manner that the cover layer exceeds the core layer in terms of area by the amount of the cover. In this context, the cover ensures that the engagement area between the locking mechanism component in question and the latching element is covered, thereby providing the designed bearing axis with the desired axial securing.
In addition to the previously described possibility of producing the cover layer and the core layer from the same or different metals, the invention also allows the cover layer and the core layer to have the same or different material thicknesses. This also allows the different strength requirements to be met with particular precision.
There is also the further option of coupling the cover layer and the core layer to one another using external connecting means. These external connecting means can be rivets or screws that penetrate the respective layers, for example. Furthermore, within the scope of the invention, it is possible to connect the individual layers to one another by means of a sheathing made of plastic, for example.
In principle, the measures described above can of course also be combined with one another.
In a particularly preferred variant, the cover layer and the core layer are connected or coupled to one another by a forming process without additional material. This means that the individual layers are deformed together or subjected to the forming process described above in order to couple them to one another without additional material. This can be a so-called through-joining or clinching. In this case, the individual layers are coupled to one another by forming, for example by means of punctual clinching indentations.
In principle, there is also the further possibility of coupling the cover layer and the core layer with one another by means of a joining process and particularly a heat joining process without forming. This can be done, for example, by welding the individual layers together at least at certain points. Laser welding or spot welding are generally available for this purpose.
As previously explained, the latching element is usually mounted on the rotary latch in such a manner that it can rotate, defining the layer. This is usually done in such a manner that the latching element engages with a bearing tooth in an associated joint recess of the rotary latch.
As a result, a motor vehicle lock and particularly a motor vehicle door lock is made available which, first of all, provides particularly quiet operation with increased convenience due to the latching element realized. This is because, in contrast to conventional locking mechanisms, there is no (longer) metal-to-metal friction between the two locking mechanism components; instead, the interposed latching element, which is pivot-mounted at the locking mechanism level, ensures that the interaction is more or less “rolling”, so that the background noise is reduced and less force is required, thereby improving comfort. All this is paired with a perfect radial and axial guide of the latching element according to the invention, so that the kinematics are improved once again overall. These are the main advantages.
In the following, the invention is explained in more detail with the aid of a drawing showing only an exemplary embodiment; in the figures:
In the drawings, a motor vehicle lock is shown, which is not limited to a motor vehicle door lock. In its basic design, this has a locking mechanism 1, 2 consisting of the two substantially locking mechanism components, namely rotary latch 1 and pawls 2. In principle, however, the locking mechanism 1, 2 can also be equipped with more than one pawl 2, although this is not represented in detail.
The other basic structure includes a latching element 4 arranged in the engagement area 3 between the two locking mechanism components 1, 2. According to the exemplary embodiment, the latching element 4 is rotatably mounted on the rotary latch 1 and can perform pivoting movements in a locking mechanism level E spanned by the locking mechanism 1, 2. In fact, in the exemplary embodiment, the design is such that the latching element 4 is rotatably mounted on the rotary latch 1 and has a bearing tooth 4a for this purpose. The bearing tooth 4a on the latching element 4 is located at one end of the latching element 4, opposite the other end of the latching element 4, which interacts with the pawl 2 according to the exemplary embodiment. For this purpose, this opposite end of the latching element 4 is equipped with a reinforcement 4b.
The bearing tooth 4a engages as a whole in a joint recess 1a of the rotary latch 1 in the engagement area 3. In this manner, a bearing axis 5 is defined about which the latching element 4 is pivotably mounted in the locking mechanism level E, namely relative to the rotary latch 1 bearing the latching element 4.
In accordance with the invention, the relevant locking mechanism component 1, 2 supporting the latching element 4, in the exemplary embodiment the rotary latch 1, is now equipped with a material-like cover 6 at least partially overlapping the latching element 4 for axially securing the latching element 4, which can be understood particularly by comparing
The design is such that the cover layer 1c overlaps the core layer 1b by the amount of the cover 6. In fact, the cover 6 is designed and configured in such a manner that it at least covers the engagement area 3 between the relevant locking mechanism component 1, 2, in the exemplary embodiment the rotary latch 1, and the latching element 4, in order to be able to provide in this manner for the axial securing of the bearing axis 5 and thus of the latching element 4. In other words, according to the exemplary embodiment, the two cover layers 1c on both sides of the core layer 1b with the respective covers 6 provided thereby ensure that the latching element 4 is thereby secured axially and consequently cannot perform any axial movements along the bearing axis 5. Rather, any movement of the latching element 4 relative to the rotary latch 1 is ultimately and solely reduced to the locking mechanism level E, within which the latching element 4 can pivot relative to the rotary latch 1.
The cover layer 1c or the respective cover layer 1c and the core layer 1b are generally produced from the same or different metals. For example, a particularly tough steel can be used for the core layer 1b in order to be able to control the tensile forces that the core layer 1b usually has to absorb on the locking mechanism 1, 2. In contrast, the cover layer 1c can be produced from a steel that is not as tough as the core layer 1b. In principle, a metal other than steel is also conceivable for the realization of the cover layer 1c in this context.
In addition, the side view shows that the cover layer 1c and the core layer 1b have the same or different material thicknesses s1, s2. In most cases, the design is such that the core layer 1b has a material thickness s1 many times greater than the material thickness of the cover layer. For example, thickness ratios of 2:1 and more are observed at this point.
This means that the material thickness s1 of the core layer 1b is generally at least twice as thick as the material thickness s2 of the respective cover layer 1c. In most cases, ratios
In order to connect the individual layers 1b, 1c of the rotary latch 1 to one another, external connecting means can generally be used. Here it is conceivable, for example, to work with rivets or screws that reach through the individual layers 1b, 1c together and thereby couple them. A connection of the individual layers 1b, 1c is also possible by means of a plastic sheathing 7, which is only indicated in the figures. In addition, the individual layers 1b, 1c can also be connected to one another by a forming process without filler material or a heat joining process.
In this location, the so-called through-joining or clinching process has proven to be particularly favorable as a suitable forming process without filler material. In this case, the relevant layers 1b, 1c are each point-clinched together by joining or clinching the layers 1b, 1c together using point-acting plungers. Alternatively or additionally, the layers 1b, 1c can also be firmly connected to each other by means of a heat joining process. In such a heat joining process, the layers 1b, 1c are simply welded together. This can be done in detail using a spot welding process or a laser welding process.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2021 123 441.7 | Sep 2021 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/DE2022/100629 | 8/22/2022 | WO |
