Vehicle door locking system

• US 4,876,909 A
• Filed: 04/14/1988
• Issued: 10/31/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SWF Auto-Electric GmbH
• Original Assignee: SWF Auto-Electric GmbH
• Inventors: Bruhn, Rainer, Maier, Iris, Bayha, Heiner, Andrei-Alexandru, Marcel
• Primary Examiner(s): ASCHENBRENNER, PETER
• Application Number:
  US07/208,357
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 292/201, 292/336.5, 74/50, 74/411.5
• US Class Current: 74/411.5
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/25 Actuators mounted separately from the lock and controlling the lock functions through mechanical connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/18256 Slidable connections [e.g., scotch yoke]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19637 with brake means for gearing

Abstract

An adjusting device for a door locking system of motor vehicles is described which prevents, by means of a mechanical brake device, the motor after being switched off from further running. Before an adjusting process is started, this brake device simultaneously checks if the adjusting force of the motor is sufficient to actuate the driven element. Moreover, a coupling is realized in the power transmission path by means of a crank pin axially movable.

By taking these measures operational and functional reliability is substantially improved.

Claims

1. In a vehicle door locking device including a housing, an elongate lock actuating slide mounted for longitudinal reciprocatory movement along a fixed path within said housing between a locked position and are unlocked position, manually operable means for shifting said slide between said locked and unlocked position, crank means mounted in said housing at one side of said slide for rotation about a fixed axis normal to said fixed path and having a relatively small diameter pin means projecting toward said slide at fixed radial distance from said axis, a pair of stop members longitudinally and transversely offset from each other fixedly mounted on and projecting from said slide member into the path of rotation of said pin means about said axis, the longitudinal spacing of said stop means being less than the radial distance between said axis and said pin means and the transverse offset between said stop means being greater than the diameter of said pin means, unidirectional rotary drive means operable to drive said crank means about said axis between first and second parked positions 180°

apart from each other wherein said slide may be manually shifted between said locked and unlocked positions without interference between said pin means and said stop means, said pin means being engageable with one of said stop means during rotation of said crank means between said parked positions to shift said slide between its locked and unlocked positions;

the improvement wherein said drive means comprises a rotary member coupled to said crank means;

brake means engageable with said rotary member to apply a predetermined braking force resisting rotation of said rotary member, and brake actuating means for applying said brake means when said crank means is within a predetermined rotative displacement from either of said parked positions and for releasing said brake means at all other rotary portions of said crank means.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said brake means comprises a brake block mounted in said housing for movement toward and away from said rotary member, and spring means biassing said block toward said rotary member, and said brake actuating means comprises cam means rotatively fixed to said crank means for shifting said block away from said rotary member when said crank means is rotatively displaced beyond said predetermined displacement from either of said parked positions.

3. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said predetermined braking force is operable to prevent rotation from said crank means from either parked position unless the driving force exerted by said drive means exceedsd a force sufficient to assure a complete movement of said crank means from one parked position to the other parked position.

4. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said drive means comprises a drive motor coupled to drive a worm gear constituting said rotary member, and said crank means includes a gear driven by said worm gear.

5. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said pin means comprises a pin mounted in said crank means for axial movement toward and away from said one side of said slide, spring means biassing said pin toward said slide, the end of said pin adjacent said slide being of a rounded conical configuration and said stop means having complementarily inclined pin engaging surfaces.