LATCH FOR VEHICLES

• US 20100000271A1
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Moczygemba, Jürgen, Berghahn, Jorg, Ruppach, Dirk, Kaiser, Hans-Günter, Kamps, Rolf, Schuler, Eckart
• Granted Patent: US 8,186,730 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 70/91
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/14 operating on bolt detents, e.g. for unlatching the bolt
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/15 with means preventing the detent to return to its latching position before the bolt has moved to the unlatched position
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5155 Door
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5889 For automotive vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to a latch that comprises a lock and a closing part (10). Said lock comprises a catch (15), a click (20) equipped with an adjusting arm (21) and a motorised opening aid (30). Said catch (15) comprises a receiving element for the closing part (10) and at least one stop notch (17) for engaging the click (20). The opening aid (30) is equipped with an eccentric (40) that is driven by a motor, whereby the eccentric curve interacts with a lateral adjusting surface of the adjusting arm (21) and ensures that the clink (20) is displaced in a motorised manner from its locked position in the stop notch (17) into an elevated position. In order to prevent problems in the latch, an end segment (42) of the eccentric (40) and/or the adjusting arm (21) of the clink (20) is elastic. When in the elevated position, the clink (20) is on a fixed stop (18), performing an elastic deformation (59) when passing the eccentric end segment (42) on the adjusting arm (21) of the clink (20), until an end-sided shoulder of the eccentric (40) catches behind a counter shoulder on the adjusting arm (21). After catching, the eccentric shoulder is supported on the clink counter shoulder and prevents the eccentric (40) from reversing.

Claims

1. A lock mechanism with a moving part of a motor vehicle, such as a hinged lid (40) or door, and a stationary part of the motor vehicle, namely, the automobile body (60),

consisting of a lock (12) on one part (50) of the motor vehicle and a closing part (10) on the other part (60),

where the lock (12) comprises a rotatably supported catch (15), a rotatably supported latch (20) with an actuating arm (21), and a motorized opening aid (30),

the catch (15) has a recess (13) for the closing part (10) and at least one stop notch (16, 17) for engaging the latch (20),

the catch (15) and the latch (20) are spring loaded (19, 29) towards each other, and

the opening aid (30) has a driven eccentric (40), whose eccentric curve (46) cooperates with a lateral actuating surface (22) on the actuating arm (21) in order to move the latch (20) by means of a motor out of its locked position (20.1) in the catch stop notch (17) and into a lifted position (20.3), in which the catch (15) is released,

wherein

an end segment (42) of the eccentric (40), which end segment (42) has the greatest radii (62 to 63) on its eccentric curve (46) relative to the axis (44) of the eccentric, and/or the actuating arm (21) of the latch (20) is designed to be elastically yielding

where, in its fully lifted position (20.3), the latch (20) rests against the stationary stop (18) in the lock (12)

where, as the end segment (42) of the eccentric (40) moves past the actuating arm (21) of the latch (20), it is elastically deformed (59) until an eccentric shoulder (43) that defines the maximum end radius (63) snaps behind an opposing shoulder (23) on the actuating arm (21)

and where, after it has snapped in, the shoulder (43) of the eccentric (40) is supported on the opposing shoulder (23) of the latch (20) and prevents reverse rotation (64) of the eccentric (40) in the open position (15.3) of the catch (15).

2. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein an impact surface (45) is located on a main segment (41) of the eccentric (40) that precedes the end segment (42),

where this impact surface (45) is associated with an opposing impact surface (25) on the latch (20)

and where, in the final phase of the driving of the opening aid (30), the impact surface (45) of the eccentric (40) strikes the opposing impact surface (25) of the latch (20) and prevents further motorized rotation of the eccentric (40).

3. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 2, wherein the eccentric curve (46) of the main segment (41) begins at the impact surface (45).

4. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 2, wherein the impact surface (45) runs approximately perpendicularly to the eccentric curve (46).

5. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 2, wherein the latch (20) has a blocking arm (24)

where the opposing impact surface (25) is formed by the free end face of the blocking arm (24).

6. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein the end segment (42) of the eccentric (40) is designed as a spring arm (48)

where the outer lateral surface of the spring arm (48) forms an end section of the eccentric curve (46)

and where the spring arm (48) is elastically flexible (59) relative to the preceding main segment (41) of the eccentric (40).

7. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 6, wherein the spring arm (48) is formed by a slot (38) in the disk material (47) of the eccentric (40)

where the slot (38) is set back from the controlling eccentric curve (46) towards the eccentric axis (44)

and where the slot (38) weakens the disk material (47) in the end segment (42) to such an extent that the remaining disk remnant (39) is radially flexible (59) and therefore forms the spring arm (48).

8. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 6, wherein the shoulder (43) of the eccentric (40) is formed by the free end face (49) of the spring arm (48).

9. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein the opposing shoulder (23) of the latch (20) is formed by the free end face of the actuating arm (21), whose lateral actuating surface (22) interacts with the eccentric curve (46).

10. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein the main segment (41) of the eccentric (40) has an essentially dimensionally stable design.

11. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein, in addition to the actuating arm (21) and the blocking arm (24), the latch (20) has a supporting arm (28)

where the supporting arm (28) is supported on the stationary stop (18) in the lock (12) when the latch (20) is in its fully lifted position (20.3).

12. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 11, wherein the actuating arm (21), the blocking arm (24), and the supporting arm (28) of the latch (20) are arranged at least partly in different planes (51, 54, 58) from one another and/or have arm lengths that are different from one another.