The invention relates to a lock, in particular a motor vehicle lock, comprising a lock housing, a lock case, a locking mechanism and an operating device, wherein at least one component of the operating device extends through an opening in the lock housing and said opening is designed with at least one reinforcing insert.
A motor vehicle lock serves to lock motor vehicle doors, tailgates and similar. For locking the door, the motor vehicle lock comprises a locking mechanism with a rotary latch and a pawl. The rotary latch and pawl are arranged in such a way that they can accommodate a striker fixed on the car body side in their locked position and can lock it in place. The pawl has the task of locking the rotary latch in this position.
The rotary latch and pawl are normally rotatably fixed to a lock case generally made from metal. In many cases the lock case provides other functions and can, for instance, serve to fix a lock in a door or tailgate of a motor vehicle. Also, other components or parts can be attached to the lock case, such as a rotatably mounted blocking lever, which can block the pawl in its engaged position. Usually, there is also a reinforcement plate, generally also made of metal, serving to provide an additional rotatable fixing of the rotary latch and/or pawl. The rotary latch and the pawl are generally located between the lock case and the reinforcing plate. As the reinforcing plate generally only serves to improve the fixing of the rotary latch and/or pawl, the main area is normally small compared to the main area of the lock case.
As the components of a motor vehicle lock generally have to be protected against dust and water, a motor vehicle lock normally contains a lock housing covering one or several components of the motor vehicle lock. The lock housing is often closed off with a cover plate to further improve the desired protection for said components. The lock housing and the cover plate are preferably made from plastic for weight reasons.
An operating device of such a motor vehicle lock serves to open the locking mechanism. Such an operating device can contain a Bowden cable. The Bowden cable core can extend through an opening in the lock housing, as described in publication WO 2009/049588 A2.
The lock of the invention can include one, several or all of the above characteristics of a lock. Any combination is possible.
A locking mechanism of a motor vehicle can be exposed to increased forces, in particular, during a side impact, for instance when an external door panel is pressed against the housing, causing considerable deformation. In extreme cases this can block the locking mechanism so that the respective motor vehicle door can only be opened with great effort. It therefore has already been suggested to provide the motor vehicle lock with reinforcing elements to improve crash safety, e.g. in form of reinforcing plates connected to the housing. To further increase operational safety during a crash, WO 2009/049588 A2 discloses that the aforementioned opening in the lock housing is, in addition, equipped with a reinforcing insert in form of a suitable elongation of the reinforcing plate.
The invention has the task of providing a reliably operating motor vehicle lock that can be produced with little production effort.
To solve this task the motor vehicle lock contains the characteristics of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are described in the sub claims.
To solve the task, the motor vehicle lock is provided with a lock housing, a lock case, a locking mechanism and an operating device, wherein at least one component of the operating device, in particular the core of a Bowden cable, extends through an opening in the lock housing. This opening contains a reinforcing insert to provide a good level of operational reliability. The reinforcing insert is part of the lock case.
The main area of the plate or of the metal sheet from which the lock case is made, is basically relatively large. In light of this it has proved advantageous to form the reinforcing insert from the lock case in order to minimise or even completely avoid waste during production. The reinforcing insert and lock case are thus connected, forming a single part.
To machine the lock case out of the main area of the plate or the metal sheet, the plate or metal sheet is first suitably punched, drilled and/or milled. The punched plate or metal sheet is then bent to produce the lock case with the reinforcing insert. The waste created by the punching is at most increased slightly by the provision of a reinforcing insert.
The lock case generally contains one or two side walls forming a right angle with the main area of the lock case. The side walls serve, amongst other things, to protect the locking mechanism attached to the main area and to fix the lock. The side wall or the side walls extend up to the level of the reinforcing insert. Where the lock case contains two side walls, the reinforcing insert is located between two end sections of the side walls. The side wall or side walls protect the reinforcing insert against undesired external mechanical stresses, such as impact loads. This further improves operational reliability.
The reinforcing insert is preferably connected to the main area of the lock case by means of a web. Such a connection between the main area and the reinforcing insert has shown to be sufficiently strong. The reinforcing insert and web only insignificantly increase the total weight of the lock case.
The reinforcing insert preferably has the shape of a fork or U, allowing a Bowden cable to be easily secured.
The lock case including the reinforcing insert is generally made of metal to provide a mechanically stable basis for the lock. The lock housing is generally made of plastic to keep its weight to a minimum and protect against soiling and similar.
The reinforcing insert is generally arranged inside the lock housing or inside a double wall of the lock housing and is, in particular, connected to the lock housing by a snap-in connection. Externally, the lock resembles a conventional lock and can therefore be handled like conventional locks.
The thickness of the lock case is preferably greater than the thickness of a reinforcing plate of the motor vehicle lock. The forces generated during operation can thus be expediently predominantly absorbed by the lock case. Also, the opening is thus particularly advantageously reinforced, producing a particularly high level of operational reliability.
The lock case is therefore preferably produced from a 1.5 mm to 3 mm thick plate, made in particular of steel. The reinforcing plate is therefore preferably produced from a 0.5 mm to 2 mm thick plate, made in particular of steel. The thickness of the lock case is then 1.5 mm to 3 mm, e.g. for instance 2 mm and the thickness of the reinforcing plate 0.5 mm to 2 mm, e.g. for instance 1.5 mm.
The reinforcing plate is in particular U-shaped and does consequently not contain the extension known from WO 2009/049588 A2, serving to reinforce the opening of the lock housing.
Below the invention and the technical background are explained in detail with reference to the figures. It should be pointed out that the figures show particularly preferred embodiments of the invention, although the invention is not limited to these. The drawings show:
The operating device 6 extends into an interior 19 of the indicated lock housing 2 where the locking mechanism 3 is arranged, containing a rotary latch 4 and a pawl 5. In the shown position, the rotary latch 4 accommodates a striker 17 fixed on the body side and said latch is blocked from moving by the engaging pawl 5. With the aid of the Bowden cable 7, an opening movement of the door handle 16 can be transferred to the pawl 5 in such a way that the pawl is moved out of the shown engaged position.
In a perspective view from a different direction,
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10 2010 063 868 | Dec 2010 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/DE2011/002108 | 12/10/2011 | WO | 00 | 7/2/2014 |
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WO2012/083924 | 6/28/2012 | WO | A |
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