Latch for vehicles

• US 8,186,730 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Berghahn, Jörg, Ruppach, Dirk, Kaiser, Hans-Günter, Kamps, Rolf, Moczygemba, Jürgen, Schuler, Eckart
• Primary Examiner(s): Beach, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cumar, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US12/312,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20100000271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• Field of Search: 292/194, 292/201, 292/202, 292/216, 292/DIG.23, 292/DIG.42, 492/80
• 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 81/15 with means preventing the detent to return to its latching position before the bolt has moved to the unlatched position
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5155 Door
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5889 For automotive vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to a latch that comprises a lock and a closing part (10). Said lock comprises a catch (15), a click (20) equipped with an adjusting arm (21) and a motorised opening aid (30). Said catch (15) comprises a receiving element for the closing part (10) and at least one stop notch (17) for engaging the click (20). The opening aid (30) is equipped with an eccentric (40) that is driven by a motor, whereby the eccentric curve interacts with a lateral adjusting surface of the adjusting arm (21) and ensures that the clink (20) is displaced in a motorised manner from its locked position in the stop notch (17) into an elevated position. In order to prevent problems in the latch, an end segment (42) of the eccentric (40) and/or the adjusting arm (21) of the clink (20) is elastic. When in the elevated position, the clink (20) is on a fixed stop (18), performing an elastic deformation (59) when passing the eccentric end segment (42) on the adjusting arm (21) of the clink (20), until an end-sided shoulder of the eccentric (40) catches behind a counter shoulder on the adjusting arm (21). After catching, the eccentric shoulder is supported on the clink counter shoulder and prevents the eccentric (40) from reversing.

Claims

1. A lock mechanism with a moving part of a motor vehicle, such as a hinged lid (40) or door, and a stationary part (60) of the motor vehicle,

consisting of a lock (12) on one part (50) of the motor vehicle and a closing part (10) on the stationary part (60),

where the lock (12) comprises a rotatably supported catch (15), a rotatably supported latch (20) with an actuating arm (21), and a motorized opening aid (30),

the catch (15) has a recess (13) for the closing part (10) and at least one stop notch (16, 17) for engaging the latch (20),

the catch (15) and the latch (20) are spring loaded (19, 29) towards each other, and

the opening aid (30) has a driven eccentric (40), whose eccentric curve (46) cooperates with a lateral actuating surface (22) on the actuating arm (21) in order to move the latch (20) by means of a motor out of its locked position (20.1) in the catch stop notch (17) and into a lifted position (20.3), in which the catch (15) is released,

wherein

the eccentric (40) has two segments (41, 42) of differing relative elasticity, the segments including an inelastic main segment (41) in a region of smaller radii (61, 62) of an eccentric curve (46) of the eccentric (40), the main segment beginning with an impact surface (45), and an elastically yielding (59) end segment (42) in a region of larger radii (62, 63) of the eccentric curve (46), the end segment (42) ending with an eccentric shoulder (43) at a maximum end radius (63),

wherein the latch (20) has an opposing impact surface (25) which, in a final phase of the driving of the opening aid (30) strikes the impact surface (45) of the main segment (41) and stops further motorized rotation of the eccentric (40),

wherein during rotation of the eccentric (40) the latch (20) strikes a stationary stop (18) in the lock (12), which stop (18) defines a fully lifted position (20.3) of the latch (20), whereby the lateral actuating surface (22) of the actuating arm (21) radially limits a free space for the eccentric curve (46),

wherein during rotation of the eccentric (40) the main segment (41) with the small radii (61,62) passes through, but not the end segment (42) with the larger radii (62, 63) which results in the actuating surface (22) bending (56) the eccentric until the eccentric shoulder (43) snaps behind an opposing shoulder (23) on an end of the actuating arm (21), and

after snapping in, the eccentric shoulder (43) and the opposing shoulder (23) on the actuating arm (21) prevent a reverse rotation (64) of the eccentric (40).

2. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein the actuating arm (21) of the latch (20) is elastically yielding.

3. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 2, wherein the eccentric curve (46) of the main segment (41) begins at the impact surface (45).

4. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 2, wherein the impact surface (45) runs approximately perpendicularly to the eccentric curve (46).

5. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 2, wherein the latch (20) has a blocking arm (24)

where the opposing impact surface (25) is formed by the free end face of the blocking arm (24).

6. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein the end segment (42) of the eccentric (40) is designed as a spring arm (48)

where the outer lateral surface of the spring arm (48) forms an end section of the eccentric curve (46)

and where the spring arm (48) is elastically flexible (59) relative to the preceding main segment (41) of the eccentric (40).

7. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 6, wherein the spring arm (48) is formed by a slot (38) in the disk material (47) of the eccentric (40)

where the slot (38) is set back from the controlling eccentric curve (46) towards the eccentric axis (44)

and where the slot (38) weakens the disk material (47) in the end segment (42) to such an extent that the remaining disk remnant (39) is radially flexible (59) and therefore forms the spring arm (48).

8. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 6, wherein the shoulder (43) of the eccentric (40) is formed by the free end face (49) of the spring arm (48).

9. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein the opposing shoulder (23) of the latch (20) is formed by the free end face of the actuating arm (21), whose lateral actuating surface (22) interacts with the eccentric curve (46).

10. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein the main segment (41) of the eccentric (40) has an essentially dimensionally stable design.

11. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein, in addition to the actuating arm (21) and the blocking arm (24), the latch (20) has a supporting arm (28)

where the supporting arm (28) is supported on the stationary stop (18) in the lock (12) when the latch (20) is in its fully lifted position (20.3).

12. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 11, wherein the actuating arm (21), the blocking arm (24), and the supporting arm (28) of the latch (20) are arranged at least partly in different planes (51, 54, 58) from one another and/or have arm lengths that are different from one another.