Lock for a motor vehicle

• US 9,920,555 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2013
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kiekert AG (Lingyun Industrial Corporation Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kiekert AG (Lingyun Industrial Corporation Limited)
• Inventors: Brickner, Robert L., Pettengill, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fulton, Kristina
• Assistant Examiner(s): AHMAD, FARIA F
• Application Number:
  US13/744,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20140203575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,887 Days
• Field of Search: 292200, 292201, 292216, 292194, 292195, 292210, 292198, 292DIG 23, 292217, 292DIG 22
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/06 by means of inertial forces
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/12 Automatic locking or unlocking at the moment of collision
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/26 Cooperation between bolts and detents
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/702 Pivoted or swinging

Abstract

A lock with a locking mechanism includes a rotary catch and a pawl for engaging the rotary catch, and a releasing lever for opening or releasing the locking mechanism. The lock may include a blocking lever capable of blocking the pawl if the latter is located in its catching position. If the releasing lever is actuated, the pawl or the blocking lever is thereby moved out of its blocking position if the releasing lever is not excessively accelerated. If excessively large accelerations of the releasing lever occur, as can be caused by a crash, then an arresting device of the lock prevents the releasing lever from being able to move the pawl or the blocking lever out of its blocking or latching position, respectively. The lock is therefore incapable of opening if the releasing lever is accelerated in the event of a crash.

Claims

1. Lock for a motor vehicle comprising a locking mechanism with a rotatably mounted rotary catch for receiving a locking bolt, a pawl with which the rotary catch can be engaged for retaining the locking bolt, a releasing lever for disengaging the locking mechanism;

and an arresting device which is configured such that in response to a first accelerating force applied to the releasing lever, the arresting device permits the releasing lever to disengage the locking mechanism, and in response to a second accelerating force that is excessively large relative to the first accelerating force, the arresting device prevents the releasing lever from being able to disengage the locking mechanism;

wherein the arresting device comprises an inertia lever, a blocking lever that blocks the pawl for retaining the locking bolt, and a spring that directly interconnects the inertia lever and the blocking lever, and wherein the inertia lever, the blocking lever, and the spring are interconnected in such a way that the spring acts as a rigid connection between the inertia lever and the blocking lever whereby rotation of the blocking lever by the releasing lever rotates the inertia lever in response to the first accelerating force, and the spring does not act as a rigid connection between the blocking lever and the inertia lever by acceleration of the releasing lever in response to the second accelerating force such that the blocking lever rotates while the inertia lever does not rotate.

2. The lock of claim 1, wherein one leg of the spring rests against the inertia lever and the other leg of the spring rests against the blocking lever.

3. The lock of claim 2, wherein the blocking lever is rotatably mounted on the inertia lever.

4. The lock of claim 3, wherein the blocking lever comprises a lug which can be moved by the releasing lever for moving the blocking lever.

5. The lock of claim 4, wherein a leg of the spring rests against a contour of the lug in a biased manner.

6. The lock of claim 1, wherein the mass of the inertia lever is several times larger than the mass of the blocking lever to enable lack of the rigid connection between the blocking lever and the inertia lever in response to the second accelerating force.

7. The lock of claim 1, comprising an arresting profile connected to a lock casing or a plate of the lock.

8. The lock of claim 7, wherein a rotatably mounted safety lever arresting profile comprises the arresting profile and rests against a contour of the inertia lever in a biased manner.

9. The lock of claim 1, wherein the blocking lever is capable of blocking the pawl in a catching position of the lock.

10. The lock of claim 9, wherein the rotary catch is capable of introducing an opening moment into the pawl if the pawl is in its catching position.

11. The lock of claim 1, wherein the arresting device further comprises a safety lever, and in response to the second accelerating force the blocking lever moves until it reaches the safety lever such that the safety lever acts as a stop that limits movement of the blocking lever sufficiently to preclude a further rotation of the release lever in response to the second accelerating force.