Positioning drive for a motor vehicle door closing device

• US 4,821,521 A
• Filed: 07/09/1987
• Issued: 04/18/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kiekert AG (Lingyun Industrial Corporation Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kiekert GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Schuler, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Ostrager, Allen M.
• Application Number:
  US07/071,625
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 60/716, 292/144, 292/201, 292/216, 70/279, 70/282
• US Class Current: 60/716
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/25 Actuators mounted separately from the lock and controlling the lock functions through mechanical connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1021 Motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7124 Retracted electrically only

Abstract

The positioning drive for a motor vehicle door closing device, particularly for a motor vehicle central locking mechanism, comprises an electric motor, a transmission, a gear/spindle unit and a positioning element all mounted in a housing. The positioning element is extendible and retractable by alternating action with the spindle. So that the positioning element can be moved back to its initial position without operation of the motor or application of a external manual force a spring extensible by a rotary motion is mounted in the transmission. It is attached with one end on a rotatable transmission component and braced or supported with the other end on the housing. This spring is extensible by the electric motor with the extension or retraction of the positioning element. The positioning element is returnable to its initial position by operation of the spring after the electric motor is shut off.

Claims

1. A positioning drive for a motor vehicle door closing device, particularly for a motor vehicle central locking mechanism, comprising:

a housing;

an electric motor mounted in said housing;

a transmission including a gear shaped like a cup and a coil spring mounted in said gear with one end attached to said gear and braced with the other end on said housing and being stressable by rotation, said transmission being mounted in said housing and connected to and driven by said electric motor;

a gear/spindle unit engaged with said transmission and mounted in said housing; and

a positioning element mounted in said housing extendible and retractable by alternating action of said spindle so that said coil spring is stressable by rotation by said electric motor with the extension and retraction of said positioning element and said positioning element is returnable by said coil spring after shutting off said electric motor.

2. A positioning drive for a motor vehicle door closing device, particularly for a motor vehicle central locking mechanism, comprising:

a housing;

an electric motor mounted in said housing;

a transmission mounted in said housing and engaged with said motor;

a threaded spindle unit rotatably mounted in said housing and driven by said transmission;

a threaded positioning element mounted on said spindle and axially displaceable therealong by the rotation of said spindle; and

a spring stressable by rotary motion mounted on said transmission and connected at one end to a rotatable component thereof, the other end of said spring connected to said housing and stressed by said transmission when said transmission is driven by said motor for the displacement of said positioning element in one direction, said positioning element being returnable from the displaced position by said stressed spring acting on said transmission when said motor is off, said transmission including a gear formed with an annular cuplike recess and said spring is disposed in said recess with said one end connected to said gear.

3. The positioning drive defined in claim 2 wherein said spring is formed as a helix.

4. The positioning drive defined in claim 2 wherein said spring is formed as a spiral.

5. The positioning drive defined in claim 2, further comprising a disk mounted on said housing, said other end of said spring being connected to said disk.