Door lock, especially for motor vehicles

• US 6,648,380 B1
• Filed: 10/10/2001
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Szablewski, Piotr, Kiehl, Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): ESTREMSKY, GARY WAYNE
• Application Number:
  US09/913,820
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 292/201, 292/216, 292/DIG.65, 702/64
• US Class Current: 292/201
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/06 by means of inertial forces
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/14 operating on bolt detents, e.g. for unlatching the bolt
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/65 Emergency or safety
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor

Abstract

A rotary latch (11) of a door lock is retained in a detent position by a spring-mounted retainer (20). A motor-driven working member (47) is provided for lifting said retainer (20). An energy-storing device (30) subjects a storing member (22) to a force and hereby serves to lift the retainer (20) out of its detent position in the rotary latch (11). To this end, the storing member (22) has a control surface against which the working member (47) travels in a first motor phase in order to load the energy-storing device (30). A counter-control surface (29) against which the working member (47) travels when lifting the retainer (20) in a staggered second motor phase is also provided. The aim of the invention is to provide a reliable door lock which will also function in the event of an accident. To this end, both the control surface (23) and the counter-control surface (29) are located on the storing member (22). The additional force required for lifting the retainer (20) acts on said retainer indirectly through the storing member (22). As a result, the quantities of energy produced one after the other in the two motor drive phases can be transmitted spontaneously from the shoulder (32) of the storing member (22) to the counter-shoulder (33) of the retainer (20).

Claims

1. A door lock for a door of a motor vehicle, the door lock comprising:

a rotary latch (11) having a main catch (17);

a locking member (10) configured to be introduced into the rotary latch (11) during closing of a door of a motor vehicle and to pivot the rotary latch (11) from an open position into at least one locking position;

a spring-loaded (28) retainer (20) configured to engage in one of the at least one locking positions the main catch (17), wherein the retainer (20) has a counter shoulder (33);

a working member (47) configured to indirectly lift the retainer (20);

a motor (40) acting on the working member (47);

a storing member (22) having a control surface (23) and a counter control surface (29);

a force storage device (30) loading the storing member (22), wherein the storing member (22) has a shoulder (32) configured to contact the counter shoulder (33) for lifting the retainer (20) away from the main catch (17) by discharging the force storage device (30);

wherein the motor (40) has a first motor drive phase for moving the working member (47) in order to charge the force storage device (30);

wherein the motor (40) has a second motor drive phase for moving the working member (47) against the counter control surface (29) during lifting of the retainer (20) out of the main catch (17), wherein the second motor drive phase is time-delayed relative to the first motor drive phase;

wherein, in a crash situation, forces of the motor (40) applied successively in the first and second motor drive phases onto storage device are used for lifting the retainer (20);

wherein, in a disturbance situation, an additionally required force of the motor for lifting the retainer (20) is indirectly transmitted via the storing member (22) onto the retainer (20) so that the forces successively applied in the first and second motor drive phases are transmitted simultaneously from the shoulder (32) of the storing member (22) onto the counter shoulder (33) of the retainer (20).

2. The door lock according to claim 1, wherein the storing member is a storing lever (22) pivotably supported coaxially relative to the retainer (20), and wherein the retainer (20) has an arm provided with the counter shoulder (33) and wherein the storing lever (22) has a second arm provided with the control surface (23), wherein the arm of the retainer (20) is shorter than the arm of the storing lever (22).

3. The door lock according to claim 2, wherein the storing lever (22) has a cutout (35) engaged by the working member (47).

4. The door lock according to 3, wherein the cutout (35) is located in a substantially planar area (34) of the storing member or storing lever (22) and wherein oppositely positioned sides of the cutout (35) form the control surface (23) and the counter control surface (29) for the working member (47) positioned between the control surface and the counter control surface, wherein the working member is rotatable about an axis of rotation (46).

5. The door lock according to claim 4, wherein the storing lever (22) has at least one partial member (34) divided into two legs (36, 37) which enclose the cutout (35).

6. The door lock according to claim 5, wherein the two legs (36, 37) are not connected to one another and impart a fork shape to the storing lever (22).

7. The door lock according to claim 5, wherein the two legs (36, 37) are connected to one another by a stay (38) so that the cutout has an elongate profile.

8. The door lock according to claim 7, wherein the cutout has an elongate oval shape and wherein oppositely positioned edges of the oval shape, viewed in the pivoting direction of the storing lever, form the control surface (23) and the counter control surface (29).

9. The door lock according to claim 8, wherein the working member comprises a profiled elongate cam (47) and wherein the cam is radially displaced relative to the axis of rotation (46).

10. The door lock according to claim 9, wherein the cam (47) has a drop-shaped profile.

11. The door lock according to claim 10, wherein the drop-shaped profile is asymmetric.

12. The door lock according to claim 9, wherein the cam (47) has a cam profile matching a profile of the edges of the cutout (35) and, as a function of operational states of the door lock and a rotary angle of the cam (47), contacts different profile locations (31, 39, 42, 49), radially displaced relative to the axis of rotation (46), of the profile of the edges (23;

29) of the storing lever (22).

13. The door lock according to claim 3, wherein the working member (47) rotates in the same direction during charging and discharging of the force storage device (30).

14. The door lock according to claim 3, wherein the working member during charging (50) of the force storage device (30) is rotationally driven in a rotational direction (48, 49) opposite to a rotational direction during discharging of the force storage device (41) between profile edges of the cutout (35).

15. The door lock according to claim 1, further comprising control means for recognizing a position of the door, wherein the control means comprise sensors (51;

52) and a logic control circuit connected to the sensors.

16. The door lock according to claim 15, wherein a first one of the sensors responds directly or indirectly to a certain position of the rotary latch and wherein a second one of the sensors (51) responds to a position defined by the retainer (20) engaging the main catch (17) or a pre-catch (16) of the rotary latch (11).