BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the latch according to the invention;
FIG. 2 show a subassembly comprised of the latching lever, the drive, the quick-unblocking element, and the linkage;
FIGS. 3
a and 3b show the linkage respectively in the coupled and decoupled positions;
FIGS. 4
a,
4
b, and 4c show the latching lever with the linkage and blocking element in a front view respective in the unlatched, locked, and quick-locked positions;
FIG. 5 is a back view of the structure as shown in FIG. 4b; and
FIG. 6 is a side view of the structure shown in FIGS. 4a-4c and 5.
SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION
As seen in FIG. 1 a motor vehicle door latch has a lock plate 1 as well as a lock housing 2 that extend perpendicular to each other and that support a drive 3, 4, 5, 6. The drive 3, 4, 5, 6 comprises an electric motor 3, a drive worm gear 4, a control gear 5 as well as two diametrally opposite actuating formations or pins 6 carried on the control gear 5. The control gear 5 is mounted on a pivot 20 in the lock housing 2. A locking lever 7 is mounted on a parallel pivot 21, and these elements form part of a central power locking and unlocking system.
The vehicle door latch also includes latch parts 8 and 9 having a rotary latch fork 8 and a retaining pawl 9 interacting with it, both mounted in the lock plate 1. As is standard, the housing 2 is mounted on a door edge so that the fork 8 can engage around a post-mounted bolt and hold the door closed. A linkage 10, 11, 12 is connected between an actuating lever subassembly 13 and the latch parts 8, 9, so that as shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, clockwise rotation of a link 11 pulls back the pawl 9 and allows the fork 8 to release the door. The subassembly 13 is typically connected to a door handle illustrated schematically at 23 in FIG. 3a. Finally, a quick-unlock element 14 is part of the basic configuration.
FIGS. 4
a to 4c show that the quick-unlock element 14 is mounted coaxially and pivoted about a blocking element 15 that actuates the linkage 10, 11, 12 and interacts with this blocking element 15. Further, the blocking element 15 is pivoted on a transmission lever or element 16. The locking lever 7, the drive 3, 4, 5, 6, and the control gear 5 lie in a plane on the flat housing 2 that is generally perpendicular to the plate 1 and the linkage 10, 11, 12 and latch parts 8, 9.
The quick-unlock element 14 can be pivoted in two directions relative to the blocking element 15 by the drive 3, 4, 5, 6. More particularly, the quick-unlock element 14 is configured as a ratchet that interacts with the actuating pin 6 of the drive 3, 4, 5, 6. Consequently, the quick-unlock element 14 acts as a blocking wheel that pivots the blocking element 15 one way or another as it is oscillated by the drive 3, 4, 5, 6. This means that the quick-unlock element and/or the ratchet 14 do not perform a full rotation, but instead just oscillate or move back and forth.
To this end, the quick-unlock element 14 is coupled to the blocking element 15 via a pin 17 that engages through the blocking element 15 and that fits in an actuating hole 18 of the quick-unlock element 14. The pin 17 also extends into a further actuating hole 19 of the transmission lever 16. Thus the pin 17, which projects perpendicularly from the blocking element 15 and engages in both the transmission lever 16 and the blocking element 14, pivotally supports both the blocking element 14 and the transmission lever 16 on the blocking element 15.
The pin 17 comprises a cylindrical bearing part 17a and an actuating part 17b connected to the cylindrical bearing part 17a. The two actuating holes 18 and 19 of the quick-unlock element 14 and of the lever 16, through which the pin 17 passes accommodate this shape in that they have respective bearing portions 18a and 19a as well as pivot portions 18b and 19b. The actuating part 17b engaging in the pivot portions 18b and 19b can be moved back and forth in the portion 18b and 19b only across a limited rotational angle to create a one-way lost-motion coupling between each of the elements 14 and 16 and the element 15.
The blocking element 15 is pivoted on the transmission lever 16, which in turn is pivoted on the locking lever 7, as illustrated particularly in the rear view in FIG. 5. In detail, the blocking element 15 is configured as a one-arm lever that operates a link 10 of the linkage 10, 11, 12 with its lever end 15a opposite the axis of rotation defined by the pin 17. The above-mentioned link 10 is prestressed in the coupled direction of the linkage 10, 11, 12. More particularly, a spring F illustrated schematically in FIGS. 4a to 4c ensures this function, which is as follows.
When starting in the unlocked position of the motor vehicle door latch according to FIG. 4a, the central locking lever 7 is shifted to the locked position according to FIG. 4b by clockwise rotation of the control gear 5 by the drive 3, 4, 5, 6 about its axis 20 as shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b through about 360°. More particularly, the locking lever 7 is subjected to the corresponding counter-clockwise rotation about its axis 21, in that one of the actuating pins 6 of the drive 3, 4, 5, 6 engages into an actuating seat or recess 22 on the locking lever 7 and thus ensures the required counter-clockwise pivoting about its axis 21 during the transition from the position of FIG. 4a to that of FIG. 4b. On such clockwise movement, the pin 6 engages the quick-unlock element 14 and pivots it clockwise without moving the elements 15 or 16.
In this FIG. 4b position, the motor vehicle door-latch has assumed the locked position. The transmission lever 16 is carried along at the same time as the locking lever 7, as is the quick-unlock element 14. The transition from unlocked to locked position corresponds to such counter-clockwise rotation of the transmission lever 16 in the rear view according to FIG. 5 about the axis 20 it has in common with the control gear 5, so that the blocking element 15 that is connected via the pin 17 pushes the link 10 downward.
As soon as the link 10 moves downward against the force of the spring F as shown in FIG. 3a, from the coupled position of the linkage 10, 11, 12, the two links 11 and 12 of the linkage 10, 11, 12 are no longer mechanically connected. The linkage 10, 11, 12 changes from the coupled position to the decoupled position.
In fact, in the coupled position the actuating lever subassembly 13 engages on the link 12 and can open the latch parts 8, 9 via the closed linkage 10, 11, 12 when the link 10 has assumed the position according to FIG. 3a. The two linkage elements 11, 12 are in this position mechanically coupled.
However, if the link 10 has assumed the decoupled position according to the illustration in FIG. 3b, no mechanical connection exists any longer between the actuating lever subassembly 13 and the latch parts 8, 9, so that movement of the actuating lever subassembly 13 is without effect and the latch parts 8, 9 cannot be opened. This decoupled position of the linkage 10, 11, 12 corresponds to the locked position of the motor vehicle door latch, which is illustrated in FIG. 4b.
If a quick unlocking operation is now performed starting with the position of FIG. 4b and moving into that of FIG. 4c, the actuating pin 6 of the drive 3, 4, 5, 6 is rotated counterclockwise to engage and trip the quick-unlock element 14 is with less than 20% of the conventional angular travel required to activate linkage element 10. Consequently, the quick-unlock element 14 is pivoted clockwise and entrains the blocking element 15. As a result, the lever end 15a of the blocking element 15 pulls off the link 10 by moving out of engagement with a pin 10a of the link 10.
The link 10 is then moved upward by the force of the spring F, and, starting from the position according to FIG. 3b, is moved into the coupled position in accordance with FIG. 3a. The actuating lever subassembly 13 can then directly open the latch parts 8, 9 because now there is a mechanical connection between the actuating lever subassembly 13 and the latch parts 6, 9 via the coupled linkage 10, 11, 12. As shown in FIG. 4c, the control gear 5 and the transmission lever 16 are shifted, so that at the end of this movement the motor vehicle door latch has reached the unlocked position according to FIG. 4a.
Patent Application
20080073915
