Door lock of a motor vehicle or the like with an electric locking aid and opening aid

• US 6,439,623 B1
• Filed: 12/06/2000
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Erices, Bernardo, Lohfeld, Ulrike, Weyerstall, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, J. J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rodgers, Matthew E.
• Application Number:
  US09/646,130
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 292/201, 292/292, 292/216, 292/DIG.23, 292/DIG.43, 292/DIG.65
• US Class Current: 292/201
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/14 operating on bolt detents, e.g. for unlatching the bolt
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/20 for assisting final closing or for initiating opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/21 with means preventing or detecting pinching of objects or body parts
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/82 using batteries other than the vehicle main battery
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/23 Vehicle door latches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/43 Rear deck lid latches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/65 Emergency or safety
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor

Abstract

The subject matter of the invention is a motor vehicle door lock or the like with a lock latch (2) and a detent pawl which keeps the lock latch in the main catch and the preliminary catch, with an electrical auxiliary closing drive (5) which is turned on after the lock latch (2) has reached a preclosing position and then transfers the lock latch (2) by motor into the main closing position, and with an electric auxiliary opening drive (10) which is turned on to raise the detent pawl (3) off the main catch or the preliminary catch of the lock latch (2). This door lock is characterized in that the coupling of the auxiliary closing drive (5) has a mechanical coupling element (9a) which can be raised for decoupling and which can be raised by a correspondingly controlled actuation of the electrical auxiliary opening drive (10). One version is especially important in which power supply to the electrical auxiliary opening drive (10) takes place via the extra battery (17) which is always recharged from the vehicle electrical system (15) (active electrical redundancy), but power supply of the electrical auxiliary closing drive (5) takes place directly from the vehicle electrical system (15).

Claims

1. Motor vehicle door lock comprising:

a lock latch having a main catch and a preliminary catch;

a detent pawl which keeps the lock latch in the main catch and in the preliminary catch postions;

an electrical closing drive including an electric motor which is actuated after the lock latch has reached a preclosing position wherein the detent pawl retains the lock latch in the preliminary catch position, and which then transfers the lock latch, utilizing the electric motor, into a main closing position with the detent pawl retaining the lock latch in the main catch position;

an electric opening drive which is adapted to raise the detent pawl of the main catch or to raise the preliminary catch of the lock latch;

wherein the electric motor of the electrical closing drive includes a step-down gear, which is coupled to a drive element on the lock latch by means of a coupling;

wherein the coupling, adjacent the lock latch, can be selectively electrically decoupled; and

,

wherein the coupling has a mechanical coupling element which is operable by the electric opening drive and can be raised, in an emergency situation, for decoupling by a correspondingly controlled actuation of the electric opening drive to interrupt the chain of force from the closing drive to the lock latch.

2. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 1, wherein power to the electrical opening drive is via an additional battery which is always recharged by a vehicle electrical system,

wherein power to the electrical closing drive takes place directly from the vehicle electrical system.

3. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 1, wherein the coupling element is an extra detent pawl which re-engages the preliminary catch of the lock latch.

4. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electric motor of the electrical closing drive is a reversible drive motor.

5. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electric motor of the electrical closing drive is a non-reversible drive motor which is connected to a reversible step-down gear.

6. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 5, wherein the reversible step-down gear is a cam drive element.

7. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electrical closing drive, after transfer of the lock latch into the main closing position or after interruption of the closing motion, returns to an initial position.

8. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electrical opening drive includes a driven element which can be rotated in two opposite directions, wherein upon movement in one direction of rotation the driven element lifts the detent pawl and the coupling element and upon movement in the other direction of rotation the driven element lifts only the coupling element.

9. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 8, wherein the electrical opening drive further includes a detent pawl lever movable by the driven element and attached to a free-running lever which is movable by the detent pawl lever only in one direction.

10. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 9, wherein the coupling element includes a portion which is held by the free-running lever in the raised position and wherein the free-running lever has a section which keeps the coupling element in the lifted position throughout the closing process.

11. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 9, further including a decoupling lever wherein the decoupling lever is adapted to raise the coupling element while actuating the free-running lever without lifting the detent pawl or actuating the detent pawl lever.

12. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electrical opening drive has one driven element which can be moved in one actuation direction of rotation, and which when moved in the actuation direction first lifts the coupling element and afterwards upon further movement in the actuation direction lifts the detent pawl and which can be reset into an original position after movement in the actuation direction.

13. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 12, wherein the driven element includes a detent pawl lever or a decoupling lever for raising the coupling element.

14. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 13, wherein the decoupling lever has a section which holds the coupling element in the lifted position along the path of motion of the decoupling lever and the coupling element has a section which is held in the lifted position by the decoupling element.

15. Motor vehicle door lock as set forth in claim 11, wherein the electrical opening drive includes a driven element comprising two force transfer elements in the form of projecting journals, a detent pawl lever, and a decoupling lever, wherein one force transfer element actuates the detent pawl lever to lift the detent pawl and the other force transfer element actuates the decoupling lever to lift the coupling element.