Latch for a vehicle

• US 8,303,003 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Berghahn, Jörg, Kaiser, Hans-Günter, Moczygemba, Jürgen, Schuler, Eckart
• Primary Examiner(s): Fulton, Kristina
• Application Number:
  US12/312,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20100045051A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 292/201, 292/216, 292/DIG.23
• US Class Current: 292/201
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/38 Cushion elements, elastic guiding elements or holding elements, e.g. for cushioning or damping the impact of the bolt against the striker during closing of the wing
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/40 Lock elements covered by silencing layers, e.g. coatings
• 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 81/68 by sensing the position of the detent
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/26 Cooperation between bolts and detents
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1021 Motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor

Abstract

The invention relates to a latch that comprises a lock and a closing part that engages with the latter. Said lock comprises a catch (10) and a clink and said catch (10) comprises a receiving element (19) for the closing part and has a stepped profile in the direction of the periphery, said stepped profile having a prestop (13) and a main stop (14) for a locking point on the clink. Said catch (10) can be adjusted at least between three rotational positions which are an open position, a stop position and a main stop position. In order to prevent problems with the latch, the prestop (13) and the main stop (14) are placed on the catch (10) at a radial distance (47, 48), that is different from each other, in relation to the rotational axis (11). A sensor determines the different radial distance that is obtained in the prestop position and the main stop position, and informs the control device. In accordance with the information provided to the sensor, the control device performs the functions defined by vehicle.

Claims

1. A lock mechanism between a moving part of a vehicle, the moving part being a door (40) or hinged lid on the vehicle, and a stationary part of a vehicle, namely, the vehicle body (50),

which consists of a lock (30) on one part (40) of the vehicle and a closing part (51) on the other part (50) of the vehicle,

where the lock (30) comprises a rotatable supported (11) catch (10) and a swiveling (21) latch (20) that is spring-tensioned (22) towards the catch (10),

the catch (10) has a recess (19) for the closing part (51), a periphery having a profile (15) with a prelocking stop notch (13), and a main stop notch (14) for a locking catch (23) on the latch (20), and can be moved among at least three rotational positions (10.1 to 10.3), namely,

an open position (10.1) of the catch (10), in which the closing part (51) can be moved in or out (52) of the recess (19), the latch (20) is supported by its locking catch on an initial section (16) of the profile (15) that is located before the main stop notch (14) and the prelocking stop notch (13), and the door (40) can move freely,

a prelocking position (10.2), in which the closing part (51) is captively grasped by the recess (19), the locking catch (21) of the latch (20) engages the prelocking stop notch (13) in the profile (15) from behind, and the door (40) is in a preclosing position,

and a main lock-in position (10.3), in which the closing part (51) of the catch (10) has been carried farther along, the locking catch (51) of the latch (20) engages the main stop notch (14) of the profile (15) from behind, and the door (40) has been brought into its final closed position, wherein

the catch (10) has a larger radial distance (46, 47), relative to the axis of rotation (11), at the prelocking stop notch (13) than the radial distance (47, 48) at the main stop notch (14), so that at the periphery of the catch (10) there is a step profile (15),

wherein due to the difference (46, 47;

47, 48) in the radial distance, the latch (20) assumes three different swivel positions (20.1-20.3) in the three rotational positions (10.1-10.3) of the catch (10), namely, a resting position (20.1) in the open position (10.1) of the catch (10), an initial operating position (20.2) in the prelocking position (10.2), and an end operating position (20.3) in the main lock-in position of the catch (10),

wherein the latch (20) directly engages a sensor (35) and is the only actuator of the sensor (35) so that in response to actuation the sensor determines the actual one of the three swivel positions (20.1-20.3) of the latch (20) and signals a control unit,

wherein, based on the signals from the sensor, the control unit determines the actual rotational position (10.1-10.3) of the catch (10) and carries out a certain function in the vehicle.

2. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein the segment of the catch (10) that is located in front of the prelocking stop notch (13) has a greater radius (46) than the segment of the catch (10) that is located behind the prelocking stop notch (13).

3. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein the control unit activates and/or inactivates a motorized shutting aid and/or a motorized opening aid.

4. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein the initial section (16) of the step profile (15) of the catch (10) serves to support the locking catch (23) of the latch (20) in the open position (10.1) and has a radial distance (46) to the axis of rotation (11) of the catch (10) that is different from both the radial distance (47) of the prelocking stop notch (13) and the radial distance (48) of the main stop notch (14)

where this radial distance (46) is also monitored by a sensor (35) and signaled to the control unit.

5. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, where the sensor (35) for monitoring the prelocking position (10.2) and the main lock-in position (10.3) is the same sensor that determines the open position (10.1).

6. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 5, wherein the sensor (35) consists of a pair of contact switches (34, 36), which are connected to the control unit,

where both contact switches (34, 36) together uniquely determine the three rotational positions (10.1 to 10.3) of the catch (10) for the control unit by variation of their switching state (on or off).

7. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein a middle section (17) of the step profile (15) of the catch (10) is located between the prelocking stop notch (13) and the main stop notch (14) of the catch (10)

where the whole middle section (17) has an essentially constant radial distance (47) from the axis of rotation (11) of the catch (10).

8. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 7, wherein the middle section (17) of the catch (10) is provided with a slot (55) in the border region towards the periphery, which dampens noise when the latch (20) falls into a prelocking stop notch (13) of the catch (10).

9. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein the entire initial section (16) of the step profile (15) that is present in the open position (10.1) of the catch (10) and extends to the prelocking stop notch (13) of the catch (10) has an essentially constant radial distance (46) to the axis of rotation (11) of the catch (10).

10. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 7, wherein an end section (18) of the step profile (15), which interacts with the latch (20) in the main lock-in position (10.3) of the catch (10), has the smallest radial distance (48) from the axis of rotation (11) of the catch

where the middle section (17) of the step profile (15) has an intermediate radial distance (47) from the axis of rotation (11), and the initial section (16) has a large radial distance (46) from the axis of rotation (11).

11. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 7, wherein the middle section (17) of the profile (15) has an initial segment (37), which directly follows the prelocking stop notch (13) and has a radial distance that is initially reduced from the radial distance of a remaining segment (39) of the middle section (17) of the profile (15) by a radial difference (38).

12. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 11, wherein the radial distance of the initial segment (37) increases continuously with increasing distance from the prelocking stop notch (13) until the radial distance (47) of the remaining segment (39) of the middle section (17) of the profile (15) is reached.

13. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 11, wherein the recessed initial segment (37) of the middle section (17) of the step profile (15) prevents the end of the locking catch (23) from striking when the latch is supported on the prelocking stop notch (13) of the catch (10).

14. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein the main stop notch (14) is formed by one of the side pieces (31) of the recess (19) in the catch (10), into which the closing part (51) moves during the closing operation (52) of the door (40)

where, besides the locking catch (23), the latch (20) has a supporting catch (24), which is supported on the initial section (16) of the step profile (15) in the main lock-in position (10.3) of the catch (10) and limits the depth of penetration of the latch (20) into the catch (10).

15. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 1, wherein a radial cam (25) is connected in a rotationally rigid way with the latch (20),

where the radial cam (25) is sensed by the sensor (35)

and where, when the latch (20) swivels among the three swivel positions (20.1 to 20.3), the radial cam (25) is swiveled with it and changes its position relative to the sensor (35).

16. A lock mechanism in accordance with claim 15, wherein the radial cam (25) is located on a lengthened arm (27) of the latch (20) and where the sensor (35) is mounted in a stationary way in the path of the swiveling movement of the radial cam (25) that is obtained during the transition of the latch (20) between the resting position (20.1) and the end operating position (20.3).