EP0959206B1 - Motor vehicle door lock with electrical locking - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to locks for motor vehicle and, more particularly, locks with electric lock.

Such locks comprise, in a known manner, a latch fork intended to cooperate with a keeper, a pawl ensuring normally locking the bolt in the closed position, a locking mechanism release of the bolt comprising a control member undergoing a actuation movement in response to actuation, by the user, from the door handle. The controller can take an active position for which he acts, during his actuation movement, on the pawl to put it in position escapement, and an inhibited position for which, during its movement actuation, it has no effect on the ratchet. The lock has, in in addition, an electrical device responding at least to a signal unlocking by moving the control member until it is reached from its active position.

We know vehicle door closing systems in which the unlocking signal is generated by actuation of a lock cylinder. In other known systems, this unlocking signal is provided by electronic recognition in response to an infrared remote control signal or of radio remote control produced by the user by means of a suitable remote control.

These known systems do not give entirely satisfaction because they require the use of either a key or of a remote control, these objects occupying a hand of the user.

This is why we have proposed so-called "access to hands-free vehicle "not requiring the use of a key or remote control to unlock the lock. These systems are equipped recognition electronics fitted with a radio transmitter and designed to be able to communicate with a radio device incorporated in a watch, credit card, badge, or the like, worn by the user. Recognition electronics only produce sound unlocking signal only after identification of the correct owner.

In such systems, the transmission of the signal unlocking commanding the electrical device, on the one hand, and the actuation of the release mechanism, on the other hand, take place simultaneously.

Now the difference between the response time, relatively long, of the electrical device and that, very short, of the release is such that the control unit has completed its movement while it is still not in the active position, so that the first action of the user on the door handle does not not opening it and that said user must act on again on the door handle to open it.

This need for a double action on the door handle constitutes a drawback that the present invention proposes to remove.

The present invention therefore relates to a lock for motor vehicle door, comprising: a fork bolt intended for cooperate with a striker; a ratchet normally ensuring blocking of the bolt in the closed position and can take an "escaped" position for which it no longer acts on said bolt; a release mechanism of the bolt comprising a control member, which, on the one hand, can take either an active position for which he acts, during his actuation movement, on the pawl to put it in position "breakaway" is an inhibited position for which, when actuation movement, it has no effect on the ratchet and, on the other hand, may be actuated in response to user actuation of the door handle; and a device electric responding at least to an unlocking signal in moving the control member from its inhibited position to reaching its active position, characterized in that the organ of control consists of a set of two articulated links between them by a kneepad, one of the rods, said first connecting rod, has a pushing surface which is positioned in such a way so that, when the control member is in the active position, the thrust surface meets and drives a pin provided on the pawl, during the actuation movement of the control member, until putting said pawl in the escaped position, and that, when the control member is in the inhibited position, the thrust surface is as close as possible in contact with said pawn, during the movement actuation of the control member, so that the control member command has no action on the ratchet, and the other link, called second link, is articulated on an external opening lever of the lock intended to move the control member in its actuation movement in response to actuation by the door handle user, and the fact that the device electric aforementioned includes a locking / unlocking lever cooperating with the toggle to rotate it around the articulation between the second link and the opening lever outside, so as to increase the distance between the pin and the pawl of the toggle, therefore of the thrust surface, when the control is moved to its inhibited position. By planning a knee switch control, you can reduce the number of moving parts in the lock, which allows for a more compact lock.

In a particular embodiment, the lever conviction / unlocking has a fork at one end between the branches of which the axis of the toggle to allow actuation movement of the organ both in its inhibited position and in its active position.

According to another characteristic, the lock comprises a opening catch-up means which, when the signal is emitted unlocking substantially at the end of the movement actuation of the control member, brings the pawl into position breakaway, the opening take-up means being carried out in the manner next: part of the thrust surface and the adjacent part of the perimeter surface of the pawl being shaped and positioned so as to form respectively a fulcrum and a pivot cooperating with each other when the control member substantially in the end position of actuation movement, the movement of the control member by the lever locking / unlocking up to the active driving position, thanks to the action of the fulcrum on the pivot, the pawl of the pawl up to put said pawl in the escaped position.

Thus, thanks to the invention the opening of the door is obtained by a single actuation of the door handle, and this despite the difference between the response time of the mechanism release, very fast, and that of the electrical device unlocking, slower.

According to yet another characteristic, the device electric has an electric motor to drive a mechanism of transmission of the movement which acts on the end, opposite to the end cooperating with the toggle joint, of the lever locking / unlocking, this lever being articulated on a fixed axis of the lock at an eccentric point on the side opposite the end cooperating with the knee lever, to increase the lever arm on the side knee brace. This gives a reduction in the effort to supplied by the electric motor to move the toggle switch, which allows to use a less powerful electric motor than in a classic lock.

Advantageously, in the active position, the two rods of the control member are substantially aligned in direction of the pawl, and the locking lever / unlocking cooperates with the kneepad so as to allow its displacement in said direction, during actuation movement of the control unit.

Conversely, one can predict that, in the inhibited position, the two rods of the control member form between them a obtuse angle, the knee lifter being laterally offset from the line passing through the pawl pin and the joint between the second connecting rod and external opening lever.

According to another characteristic, the first link is guided, during the actuation movement of the commands, both in its active position and in its inhibited position, to so as to maintain the thrust surface substantially in the direction of the pawl pin.

In another variant, the first link is guided, during the actuating movement of the control member, both in its active position than in its inhibited position, so that keep the thrust surface in line with the pawl pin and the articulation between the second link and the opening lever exterior.

Advantageously, the knee brace is a bistable joint having two stable angular positions corresponding to inhibited and active positions of the control member.

It is advantageous to provide that the signal unlocking is issued by recognition electronics which is electrically powered only during the action exerted on the door handle by the user, said electronics then identifying a user authorized by a radio emission exchanged according to a appropriate protocol with an electronic element carried by the user ; this avoids unnecessary consumption of electrical energy. This can be achieved by a microswitch (or any other system normally open, closing of which is ordered by the opening action on the door handle, this system of control closing a power supply circuit of recognition electronics.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the description, given below under indicative and not limiting, of two preferred embodiments, description made with reference to the accompanying drawing.

• la figure 1 représente une vue partielle en élévation d'une serrure selon un mode de réalisation de l'invention, l'organe de commande étant en position active, le levier d'actionnement relié à la poignée de porte étant en position de repos ;
• la figure 2 représente une vue analogue à la figure 1, montrant l'organe de commande en position active et le levier d'actionnement en position actionnée ;
• la figure 3 représente une vue analogue à la figure 1, montrant l'organe de commande en position inhibée et le levier d'actionnement en position actionnée ;
• la figure 4 est une vue partielle de la figure 1, mais représentant un autre mode de réalisation de l'invention ; et
• la figure 4A est une vue en perspective montrant l'agencement de la pièce de guidage illustrée sur la figure 4.

On this drawing :

• Figure 1 shows a partial elevational view of a lock according to an embodiment of the invention, the control member being in the active position, the actuating lever connected to the door handle being in the rest position;
• 2 shows a view similar to Figure 1 showing the control member in the active position and the actuating lever in the actuated position;
• FIG. 3 represents a view similar to FIG. 1, showing the control member in the inhibited position and the actuation lever in the actuated position;
• Figure 4 is a partial view of Figure 1, but showing another embodiment of the invention; and
• FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the guide piece illustrated in FIG. 4.

According to the first embodiment, the lock represented in FIGS. 1 to 3 comprises a box (not shown), a fork bolt 1 hinged in 2 on the housing, and a pawl 3 hinged in 4 on the housing. The bolt 1 is intended to cooperate, in a known manner, with a keep not shown. The pawl 3, in a known manner, is associated with elastic means not shown urging it towards a position ensuring the locking of the bolt 1 in the closed position, such that shown in Figures 1 and 3, and can be set to the "escaped" position against said elastic means, by a release mechanism bolt, controlled by a door handle (or pallet), not represented.

The bolt release mechanism includes a lever actuation 5, also called external opening lever, articulated in 6 on the housing, a link 7 articulated by its end lower at 8 on the left end of lever 5, and by its end upper at 10 on the lower end of another link 11. The articulation axis 10 constitutes a movable hinge between the two links 7 and 11 which together form a control member to toggle for the pawl 3. The two links 7 and 11 extend in a substantially vertical direction in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The lever 5 is articulated by its right end at 12 to one opening rod not shown which is connected to a handle of door. The lever 5 is associated with elastic means urging it towards its rest position in which it has been represented in FIG. 1. The lever 5 is intended to abut against a projection 13 provided on the lock box, to limit the pivoting of the lever 5, in its actuating stroke of the control member.

The axis of articulation of the toggle joint 10 is housed at sliding between the branches of a fork 14, shown schematically and only in FIG. 3, forming part of a electric device for locking / unlocking the lock. The fork 14 is provided at one end of a lever 15 which is articulated at 16 on a fixed axis on the housing B and which comprises at its end opposite another fork 17 between the branches of which is received a pin 18 projecting from a nut 19. The nut 19 is suitable for translate longitudinally on a worm 20, when rotational drive, said screw 20 being integral in rotation with a toothed wheel 21 which meshes tangentially with a pinion gear 22 which is driven in turn by the motor shaft 23 of a electric motor 24. All the elements 14 to 24 constitute the electric locking / unlocking device. The lever locking / unlocking 15 can take two fixed positions per report to the lock box. A so-called condemned position for the lever 15 is shown in Figure 3 and corresponds to a position so-called inhibited angularity of the toggle 10 and therefore of the ordered. The other so-called unlocking position of the lever 15 is not shown, but corresponds to the so-called active angular position of the toggle switch 10 and therefore of the control member, shown in the Figures 1 and 2. The motor 24 of the electric actuator is designed to respond to a condemnation signal and a signal of unlocking, axially translating the nut 19 on the screw without end 20, so as to move the lever 15 around its axis 16 between its locking position (and therefore the knee lifter 10 in its inhibited position), and in its unlocked position (and consequently, the knee switch 10 in its active position).

The unlocking signal can be issued by a recognition electronics, not shown, forming part of a system known per se "hands-free vehicle access" not requiring not use a key or remote control to unlock the lock. In this system, the recognition electronics are equipped of a radio transmitter and is designed to be able to communicate with a radio device incorporated into a watch, or card, or a badge, worn by the user. Recognition electronics don't produces its unlocking signal only after identification of the correct owner.

For each fixed position of the locking / unlocking 15, when the lever is pivoted actuation 5 in the direction of arrow P in Figures 2 and 3, in actuating the door handle, the control member undergoes a so-called upward movement of actuation during which the link 11 may or may not act on the pawl 3 to put it in the "escaped" position (position shown in FIG. 2), as this will be explained later.

The link 11 has at its upper end a thrust surface 11a substantially planar and perpendicular to the vertical direction in Figures 1 and 2. The pawl 3 has on its face turned towards the link 11 a pin 25 projecting in the direction of said link 11.

Elements 5 to 13 constituting the release mechanism of the bolt, and the pin 25 of the pawl 3 are arranged together so that when the control member is in an angular position active (Figures 1 and 2), the link 11 can, during its movement actuation, act on the pawl 3, by the action of the flat surface of push 11a on pin 25, to put the pawl 3 in position escapement and that, when the control member is in position angular inhibited, during its actuation movement, the rod 11 either has no effect on the pawl 3, the thrust surface 11a remaining then, throughout the actuation movement, substantially at distance from pin 25 and just coming into contact with pin 25 at the end of actuation stroke, in the position illustrated in Figure 3. The inhibited angular position of the control member, when the lever 5 is in the rest position, is shown in phantom in Figure 1. In this position, we see that the toggle 10 has been angularly moved to the right, by pivoting around the joint 8, under the action of the fork 14 of the lever locking / unlocking 15, the link 7 being inclined towards the straight relative to the vertical direction, while the link 11 is inclined in the opposite direction from the vertical, so that maintain the thrust surface 11a substantially in alignment with line L passing through pin 25 and joint 8. In the position illustrated in phantom in Figure 1, the two links 7 and 11 of the control member together form an angle substantially obtuse, but one could alternatively provide that they form an angle acute, without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the position illustrated in FIG. 3, the lever 5 is in actuated position, and the knee switch control unit retains substantially the angled shape which is visible in phantom on the FIG. 1. In fact, during the pivoting of the lever 5 around its axis 6, the joint 8 lifts and moves the link 7 upwards, and by next, the toggle 10, because the axis of the toggle 10 cannot escape laterally and is forced to move upward between the branches of the fork 14 of the lever 15, which also raises the link 11 which brings its thrust surface 11a just in contact with the pin 25 of the pawl 3. Thus, when the control member is substantially at the end of the actuation movement, as shown in Figure 3, and that the toggle 10 is driven by the lever 15 towards its active position, the thrust surface 11a serves as a fulcrum for the pin 25 which constitutes a pivot around which the thrust surface 11a which simultaneously raises the pin 25 towards the position illustrated in Figure 2. The part of the perimeter surface of the pin 25, adjacent to the thrust surface 11a is rounded to facilitate the pivoting of the thrust surface 11a on the pin 25.

Although not shown in Figures 1 to 3, the upper end portion of the link 11 is housed at sliding in a guide piece which is itself articulated on a fixed axis on the housing, to maintain the thrust surface 11a in line with line L, while allowing the inclination of the link 11, as illustrated in broken lines in FIG. 1.

In the other embodiment shown in the figures 4 and 4A, the lock of the invention differs only in that the guide piece 26 for the link 11 is articulated on an axis 27 which is slidably received in a groove 28 in the housing, instead to be fixed relative to it. So, as seen in Figure 4, when the control member is moved to its inhibited position shown in phantom, the thrust surface 11a of the link 11 moves laterally to the right with respect to line L, to maintain said thrust surface 11a oriented towards the pin 25. In other words, the thrust surface 11a is maintained perpendicular to the line passing through the toggle 10 and the pin 25. Thus, when the control member is moved to its position inhibited, the knee lifter 10 is angularly moved in the direction the arrow F around the joint 8, and the link 11 tilts towards the left while sliding down inside the room guide 26 which itself translates to the right along the groove 28.

The guide piece 26 can be in the form a flat plate whose lateral edges 26a are stamped with so as to form lateral guide rails for the link 11a.

The operation of the lock shown in the figures 1 to 3 is as follows.

Figure 1 shows the lock in a position of start, in which the control member is in the active position (unlocked lock), and lever 5 in the rest position. If in these conditions, we exert an action on the door handle, we do tilt lever 5, in the direction of arrow P, as visible on Figure 2, bringing up the hinge pin 8 and therefore the assembly two links 7 and 11 which, being in the active position, will act during their displacement, by the thrust surface 11a, on the pin 25 to rotate the pawl 3 counterclockwise until reaching its escaped position. The links 7 and 11 will have undergone a vertical translation, which translation is authorized by the lever 15, because the toggle 10 will have slid vertically between the branches of the fork 14.

In Figure 1, there is shown in broken lines a other starting position of the lock, in which the control is in the inhibited position (lock locked) and the lever 5 in rest position. If, under these conditions, a action on the door handle and, at the same time, the motor is activated electric 24 by the emission of a unlocking signal produced, by example, by approaching a badge with the lock, we will first the situation shown in Figure 3: the action on the door handle will, as in the previous case, raise the hinge pin 8 and so the set of two links 7 and 11, but the tilting of the knee pad 10 from its inhibited starting position to its active position does not will realize that later, because the electrical device is slower as the release mechanism. So, until the end of the movement actuation of the control member, the latter will remain in inhibited position, so that the pushing surface 11a will come just in contact with pin 25 at the end of the movement stroke actuating.

When the electrical device begins to act by pulling to the left, in Figure 3, the knee lifter 10, thanks to the point of support produced by the thrust surface 11a against the rounded shape of the pin 25 serving as a pivot, there will be no blocking of the pin 25 against the link 11, but on the contrary, the pin 25 will be raised, as a result, pivoting of the pawl 3 anticlockwise, up to bring said pawl into its escaped position, as shown on FIG. 2, for which the pawl no longer acts on the fork bolt 1, thus authorizing the opening of the door.

As shown in Figure 3, the portion of the lever 15 extending between the hinge pin 16 and the fork 14 is clearly longer than the portion of the lever 15 extending between the axis hinge 16 and fork 17, so that the lever arm of the side of the knee lifter 10 is much more important, which allows a reduction of the efforts to be provided by the electric motor 24. In effect, the angular travel of the toggle joint 10 is reduced compared to that of the fork 17.

Thus, thanks to the invention, an actuation is sufficient single door handle to get the opening of this last, despite the difference in response times that exists between that of the release mechanism, very fast, and that of the slower electric locking / unlocking device.

It is advantageous to provide that the electronics of recognition is electrically powered only during action exerted on the handle by the user to open the door, in order to avoid unnecessary consumption of electrical energy. This can be obtained by a microswitch (or any other control system) not shown, normally open, closing of which is ordered by an action on the door handle, this closing microswitch an electrical supply circuit, not shown, for the electronics of recognition.

Claims (11)

1. Motor vehicle door lock comprising: a fork bolt (1) intended to cooperate with a keeper; a catch (3) normally ensuring the locking of the bolt in the closed position and being able to adopt an "escaped" position in which it no longer acts on the said bolt; a bolt release mechanism comprising a control member (7, 10, 11) which on the one hand can adopt either an active position in which it acts, during its actuation movement, on the catch in order to put it in the "escaped" position, or an inhibited position in which, during its actuation movement, it has no effect on the catch, and on the other hand can undergo an actuation movement in response to the actuation of the door handle by the user; and an electrical device (15-24) responding at least to an unlocking signal by removing the control member from its inhibited position until its active position is reached, characterised by the fact that the control member consists of a set of two links (7, 11) articulated on each other by a knuckle joint (10), where one (11) of the links, referred to as the first link, has a thrust surface (11a) which is positioned so that, when the control member is in the active position, the thrust surface encounters and drives a stud (25) provided on the catch (3), during the actuation movement of the control member, until the said catch is put in the escaped position, and so that, when the control member is in the inhibited position, the thrust surface moves closer at most in contact with the said stud, during the actuation movement of the control member, so that the control member has no action on the catch, and where the other link (7), referred to as the second link, is articulated on an external opening lever (5) of the lock intended to move the control member in its actuation movement in response to the actuation of the door handle by the user, and by the fact that the aforementioned electrical device comprises a locking/unlocking lever (15) cooperating with the knuckle joint (10) in order to make it pivot about the articulation (8) between the second link (7) and the external opening lever (5), so as to increase the distance separating the stud (25) from the knuckle joint catch, and therefore from the thrust surface (11a), when the control member is moved into its inhibited position.
2. Lock according to Claim 1, characterised by the fact that the locking/unlocking lever (15) has at one end a fork (14) between the arms of which there is slidably housed the spindle of the knuckle joint (10) in order to allow the actuation movement of the control member, both in its inhibited position and in its active position.
3. Lock according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised by the fact that it comprises an aperture take-up means which, when there is an emission of the unlocking signal substantially at the end of travel of the actuation movement of the control member, brings the catch (3) into the escaped position, the aperture take-up means being produced in the following manner: part of the thrust surface (11a) and the adjacent part of the peripheral surface of the stud (25) of the catch being formed and positioned so as to form respectively a support point and a pivot cooperating with one another when the control member is substantially in the end of actuation movement position, the movement of the control member by the locking/unlocking lever (15) as far as its active position driving, by virtue of the action of the support point on the pivot, the stud (25) of the catch until the said catch is put in the escaped position.
4. Lock according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised by the fact that the electrical device comprises an electric motor (24) for driving a movement transmission mechanism (18, 23) which acts on the end (17) opposite to the end (14) cooperating with the knuckle joint, of the locking/unlocking lever (15), this lever being articulated on a fixed spindle (16) of the lock at an off-centre point on the side opposite to the end cooperating with the knuckle joint, in order to increase the lever arm on the side of the knuckle joint.
5. Lock according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised by the fact that, in its active position, the two links (7, 11) of the control member are substantially aligned in the direction of the stud (25) of the catch (3), and the locking/unlocking lever (15) cooperates with the knuckle joint (10) so as to allow its movement in the said direction during the actuation movement of the control member.
6. Lock according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised by the fact that, in the inhibited position, the two links (7, 11) of the control member form between them an obtuse angle, the knuckle joint (10) being offset laterally with respect to the line (L) passing through the stud (25) of the catch (3) and the articulation (8) between the second link (7) and the external opening lever (5).
7. Lock according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised by the fact that the first link (11) is guided, during the actuation movement of the control member, both in its active position and in its inhibited position, so as to maintain the thrust surface (11a) substantially in the direction of the stud (25) of the catch (3).
8. Lock according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised by the fact that the first link (11) is guided, during the actuation movement of the control member, both in its active position and in its inhibited position, so as to maintain the thrust surface (11a) in line with the stud (25) of the catch (3) and the articulation (8) between the second link (7) and the external opening lever (5).
9. Lock according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterised by the fact that the knuckle joint (10) is a bistable articulation having two stable angular positions corresponding to the inhibited and active positions of the control member.
10. Lock according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterised by the fact that the unlocking system is emitted by recognition electronics which are supplied electrically only when an action is exerted on the door handle by the user, the said electronics then identifying an authorised user by a radio transmission exchanged according to an appropriate protocol with an electronic element carried by the user.
11. Lock according to Claim 10, characterised by the fact that the electrical supply to the recognition electronics is obtained by means of a normally open microswitch whose closure is controlled by the opening action on the door handle, this control system closing an electrical supply circuit of the recognition electronics.

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