Electric lock for a motor vehicle door

• US 6,349,983 B1
• Filed: 09/17/1999
• Issued: 02/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: U-Shin France SAS (Minebea Mitsumi, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Securite Habitacle (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Jacquinet, Philippe, Dupont, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): ESTREMSKY, GARY WAYNE
• Application Number:
  US09/397,933
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 292/216, 292/201, 292/DIG.27, 292/DIG.23, 702/791, 702/82
• US Class Current: 292/201
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/16 Preventing locking with the bolt in the unlatched position, i.e. when the door is open
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/34 Protection against weather or dirt, e.g. against water ingress closures or guards for keyholes E05B17/14
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/14 operating on bolt detents, e.g. for unlatching the bolt
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/01 Mechanical arrangements specially adapted for hands-free locking or unlocking handles with means for initiation of a hands-free locking or unlocking process E05B81/78
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor

Abstract

Electric lock for a motor vehicle door, comprising a lock casing (B), of which a first compartment contains a latch and a pawl, and of which a second compartment (15) contains, in sealed manner, a locking lever (41) capable of placing the lock in a locked/unlocked position, and an electric motor (16) for assisting with opening, characterized in that, in the second compartment, the electric motor is capable of rotating, via a set of gears (17-19), a gear wheel (22) with at least one radially eccentric wrist pin (24), the said wrist pin being intended, as the wheel rotates, to drive an operating lever (11) until a radially eccentric peg (23a) on the said wheel comes into contact with an elastic end-of-opening travel stop (27), the supply of electric power to the motor being timed to last long enough for the said peg to be sure of reaching the elastic stop, the said operating lever rotating as one with an opening lever arranged in the first compartment and capable of cooperating with the pawl to move it into the position for releasing the latch.

Claims

1. Electric lock for a motor vehicle door, comprising a lock casing (B), of which a first compartment (3), known as the retention compartment, contains a latch (4) capable of retaining a striker and a pawl (5) for immobilizing the latch in a striker-retaining position, and of which a second compartment (15), known as the driveline transmission compartment, contains, in sealed manner, a locking mechanism comprising a locking lever (41) capable of placing the lock in a locked/unlocked position, and an opening mechanism comprising an electric motor (16) for assisting with opening, characterized in that, in the second, driveline transmission, compartment (15), the electric motor (16) is coupled, via a set of gears (17-19), to a gear wheel (22) having at least one radially eccentric wrist pin (24) and a radially eccentric peg (23a), said wrist pin being able to engage an operating lever (11) in said second, driveline transmission compartment (15), so that when the electric motor (16) is supplied with electrical power, the electric motor rotates said gear wheel (22) and, as said gear wheel rotates, said wrist pin (24) drives said operating lever (11) until said radially eccentric peg (23a) on said gear wheel comes into contact with an elastic end-of-opening travel stop (27), the supply of electrical power to the motor being timed to last long enough to ensure said peg reaching the elastic stop, said operating lever rotating as one with an opening lever (9) arranged in the first, retention, compartment (3) and capable of cooperating with the pawl (5) to move said pawl into a releasing position for releasing the latch (4).

2. Lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the set of gears comprises a first pinion (17) secured to a drive shaft of the electric motor (16) and meshing with a second pinion (18) secured to a worm (19) which meshes peripherally with said gear wheel (22), said worm being connected to a spiral return spring which causes the worm to rotate in an opposite direction when the power supply to the motor is cut, thus causing the wrist pin (24) of the gear wheel (22) to return to an initial position.

3. Lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking mechanism comprises a reversible second electric motor (52) for assisting with locking/unlocking the lock, the second electric motor having a drive shaft (51) fitted with a pinion (50) meshing with a toothed sector (48) of the locking lever (41).

4. Lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric motor (16) for assisting with opening drives the opening lever (9) in response to a control signal emitted by a contactor (60) for opening from the outside, when an external operating means of the motor vehicle door in which the lock is fitted is actuated by a user.

5. Lock according to claim 4, characterized in that said lock further comprises an outside mechanical linkage means (C) having an outer portion which is connectible with said external operating means, and another, inner, portion which extends into the sealed second compartment (15) of the lock, said contactor (60) for opening from the outside being arranged in said sealed second compartment on a path of travel of said inner portion of the outside mechanical linkage means (C), so as to emit an opening-from-the-outside control signal when the outer portion of the outside mechanical linkage means is connected to said external operating means and the outside mechanical linkage means is moved over a determined opening travel when said external operating means is being actuated.

6. Lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking lever (41) comprises three arms:

a first arm (47) for placing a mechanical linkage means (C) for linking to an external operating means in a locked or unlocked position;

a second arm (43) for linking with a lock barrel; and

a third arm (45) for linking with a member for operating the door from the inside.

7. Lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening mechanism comprises an emergency lever (32) for mechanical opening in the event of an electrical fault or failure of the vehicle battery, said emergency lever comprising a first branch (31) cooperating with a peg (30) projecting from the operating lever (11), and a second branch (34) cooperating with a mechanical linkage means (C) for linking to an external operating means, when the lock is in an unlocked state.

8. Lock according to claim 1, characterized in that said lock further comprises a means for automatically unlocking upon opening, comprising a first lever (13) having a cam follower element (13a) arranged in the first, retention, compartment (3) to cooperate with a cam profile (4a) provided on the latch (4), and a second lever (54) arranged in the sealed second compartment (15) and capable of cooperating with an abutment (49) provided on the locking lever (41), so that as the latch rotates into an open position, the cam profile causes a movement of the cam follower element and consequently of the second lever (54) which rotates as one with the first lever (13), to automatically bring the locking lever (41) into an unlocked position.

9. Lock according to claim 8, characterized in that the second lever (54) of the means for automatically unlocking on opening is capable, when the latch is in the open position, of immobilizing the abutment (49) of the locking lever (41) so as to prevent the lock from being locked in the door-open position.

10. Lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the pawl 5 is connected to a means for operating from the inside by means of a mechanical linkage means to bring the pawl into a position for releasing the latch (4).

11. Lock according to claim 2, characterized in that the locking mechanism comprises a reversible second electric motor for assisting with locking/unlocking the lock, the second electric motor having a drive shaft fitted with a pinion meshing with a toothed sector of the locking lever.

12. Lock according to claim 2, characterized in that the electric motor for assisting with opening drives the opening lever in response to a control signal emitted by a contactor for opening from the outside, when an external operating means of the motor vehicle door in which the lock is fitted is actuated by a user.

13. Lock according to claim 3, characterized in that the electric motor for assisting with opening drives the opening lever in response to a control signal emitted by a contactor for opening from the outside, when an external operating of the motor vehicle door in which the lock is fitted is actuated by a user.

14. Lock according to claim 2, characterized in that the locking lever comprises three arms:

a first arm for placing a mechanical linkage means for linking to an external operating means in a locked or unlocked position;

a second arm for linking with a lock barrel; and

a third arm for linking with a member for operating the door from the inside.

15. Lock according to claim 3, characterized in that the locking lever comprises three arms:

a first arm for placing a mechanical linkage means for linking to an external operating means in a locked or unlocked position;

a second arm for linking with a lock barrel; and

a third arm for linking with a member for operating the door from the inside.

16. Lock according to claim 4, characterized in that the locking lever comprises three arms:

a first arm for placing a mechanical linkage means for linking to an external operating means in a locked or unlocked position;

a second arm for linking with a lock barrel; and

a third arm for linking with a member for operating the door from the inside.

17. Lock according to claim 5, characterized in that the locking lever comprises three arms:

a first arm for placing a mechanical linkage means for linking to an external operating means in a locked or unlocked position;

a second arm for linking with a lock barrel; and

a third arm for linking with a member for operating the door from the inside.

18. Lock according to claim 2, characterized in that the opening mechanism comprises an emergency lever for mechanical opening in the event of an electrical fault or failure of the vehicle battery, said emergency lever comprising a first branch cooperating with a peg projecting from the operating lever, and a second branch cooperating with a mechanical linkage means for linking to an external operating means, when the lock is in an unlocked state.

19. Lock according to claim 3, characterized in that the opening mechanism comprises an emergency lever for mechanical opening in the event of an electrical fault or failure of the vehicle battery, said emergency lever comprising a first branch cooperating with a peg projecting from the operating lever, and a second branch cooperating with a mechanical linkage means for linking to an external operating means, when the lock is in an unlocked state.

20. Lock according to claim 4, characterized in that the opening mechanism comprises an emergency lever for mechanical opening in the event of an electrical fault or failure of the vehicle battery, said emergency lever comprising a first branch cooperating with a peg projecting from the operating lever, and a second branch cooperating with a mechanical linkage means for linking to an external operating means, when the lock is in an unlocked state.

21. Lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the supply of electrical power to the motor is timed to last approximately 100 ms.