EP0095983A1 - Lock, especially for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A latch, in particular for a motor vehicle door, of the type comprising, on one hand, a case (1) for the latch mechanism (6) and, on the other hand, a keeper (5) movable relative to this case (1), the latch mechanism being provided, on one hand, with a bolt (7B) pivotable about a pin (8) which is perpendicular to the direction of movement of the keeper (5) with which this bolt cooperates by a fork-shaped portion (24), and, on the other hand, with a movable lever (9) for actuating the latch which is adapted to allow the rotation of the bolt (7B) in the direction for releasing the keeper (5) through a locking element (12) interposed between the bolt and the actuating lever, the locking element (12) being mounted to be movable, in one one the two parts formed by the bolt and the actuating lever between a projecting position for inter-connecting the parts and a retracted position for allowing the free movement of rotation of the bolt relative to the lever, the second of the two parts comprising for the interconnection at least one notch (30) in which the locking element (12) is adapted to penetrate, the two parts (7B, 9) being mounted in such manner as to be capable of moving away from each other so as to shift the locking element (12) out of the notch (30) provided in said second part, characterized in that the bolt (7B) is coupled to an assisted mechanism (33, 81) for driving it around its pivot pin (8) in the direction for locking the latch.

Description

The present invention relates to a lock, in particular for the door of a motor vehicle, of the type comprising on the one hand a housing for the lock mechanism and on the other hand a keeper movable relative to this housing, the lock mechanism being provided with a part of a bolt oscillating around an axis which is perpendicular to the direction of movement of the keeper with which this bolt cooperates by a fork-shaped portion, and secondly of a movable lever for maneuvering the lock which is intended to authorize the rotation of the bolt in the direction of release of the strike by means of a locking member interposed between the bolt and the operating lever, the locking member being mounted movable in the one of the two parts formed by the bolt and the operating lever between a projecting position to secure the parts and a retracted position to allow the free movement of rotation of the bolt relative to the lever, the second of the two parts comprising for the securing, at least one notch into which the blocking member is intended to penetrate, the two parts being mounted so as to be able to move apart from one another to remove the blocking member from the notch provided in said second room.

The present invention aims to improve the lock defined above mainly for the following reasons.

In general, the current motor vehicle door locks of the type defined above ensure the closing of the door under the action of a force due to a manual push combined with the inertial forces resulting from the slamming of the door. Manual action combined with inertial forces gives the seals, which are generally fixed to the body, a certain compression which ensures the airtightness of the vehicle.

Currently, we can blame the doors of all vehicles for a lack of airtightness which is reflected on the one hand by air noises perceptible by the occupants of the vehicle and the penetration of cold or hot air disrupting the air conditioning. The result of these phenomena is a reduction in comfort.

In addition, the weight gain currently sought by all manufacturers to reduce the vehicle's energy consumption results in a reduction in the mass of the doors, which reduces the inertia forces due to the slamming of the door and results in less good compression. of the gasket thereof, which further accentuates the defects mentioned above.

The object of the invention is precisely to remedy these defects and it therefore relates to a lock defined above which is characterized in that the bolt is coupled to an assisted drive mechanism around its axis of oscillation in the direction of closing the lock.

Thanks to this special feature, the door is no longer closed. dependent on manual action or the inertia of the door itself but of a driving force of a predetermined value generated in the lock and triggered in the final phase of the door closing.

• La Fig. 1 est une vue en élévation et en coupe d'une serrure suivant l'invention ;
• Les Fig. 2, 3, 4 et 5 sont des vues en coupe prises respectivement selon les lignes 2-2, 3-3, 4-4 et 5-5 de la Fig. 1 ;
• Les Fig. 6A à 6D représentent schématiquement quatre phases de fonctionnement de la serrure suivant l'invention et :
• Les Fig. 7A et 7D représentent quatre phases de fonctionnement d'un schéma électrique qui est associé à cette serrure.

The invention is set out below in more detail with the aid of drawings representing only one embodiment in which:

• Fig. 1 is an elevational and sectional view of a lock according to the invention;
• Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are sectional views taken respectively along lines 2-2, 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5 of FIG. 1;
• Figs. 6A to 6D schematically represent four operating phases of the lock according to the invention and:
• Figs. 7A and 7D represent four operating phases of an electrical diagram which is associated with this lock.

We will first refer to Figs. 1 to 5 to describe the construction of the lock according to the invention.

The lock shown in the drawings comprises a housing 1 in which a blind passage 3 is provided, provided with a flared entry 4 in which is intended to penetrate a keeper 5, it being understood that this lock is designed to be mounted on the edge of a door of a motor vehicle, the keeper being fixed to the amount of the bodywork associated with the door. However, the design of the lock in no way prevents a reversal of this layout, with minor modifications. The keeper 5 is therefore movable in translation relative to the passage 3.

The lock comprises a lock mechanism 6 which firstly comprises a bolt 7B mounted oscillating around an axis 8 which is fixed in the case parallel to the bottom of the latter. With this bolt cooperates an operating lever 9 which is mounted oscillating around a pin 10 also fixed on the bottom of the housing 1.

These two parts 7B and 9 are controlled by the actuating assembly 11.

Between the bolt 7B and the operating lever is provided a locking member 12 which has the general shape of a roller. This roller is housed in a notch 20 which is formed in the periphery of the bolt 7B, the latter also comprising a heel 23 forming a stop intended to bear against the rear edge of the operating lever 9 when the bolt is in the corresponding position when the lock is opened.

The bolt 7B will comprise roughly diametrically opposite the notch 20, a notch 24 which is intended to receive the keeper 5 and to retain it when the bolt is in the position corresponding to the closing of the lock. Around the axis 10 of articulation of the operating lever 9 is mounted a spring 25 which biases this lever in its position of release or release of the roller 12 and this spring is supported on the one hand on a stop 26 integral with the housing 1 and secondly in a notch 27 formed in the rear edge of the operating lever 9.

In the concave edge 28 of this lever, opposite a convex edge 29 of the bolt 7B are made notches 30, 31 and 31a serving to receive the locking member 12, the notch 30 corresponding to the complete closure of the lock, the notch 31 has a so-called "first notch" closure and a third notch which corresponds to a so-called "second notch" position. The first two positions are intended to secure the vehicle door when the user has not closed it properly. This poor closing is generally noticeable, when the vehicle is moving, by vibrations of the door, because it is not closed until the seals are compressed, the user being thus encouraged to carry out a complete closing. . In the lock described here, the first and second notches are in fact provided to meet international standards governing the construction of door locks for motor vehicles, although these notches are strictly speaking not necessary in the lock according to the invention since as as will be seen below, as soon as the mechanism 6 of this lock is in one or other of the positions corresponding to the first or the second notch, assisted locking of the lock is carried out.

The lock also comprises an electric motor 33 coupled to an endless screw 34 which meshes with the toothing of a toothed wheel 35 rotatably mounted on a spindle 36 fixed in the housing. This toothed wheel comprises at the periphery of one of its faces, a cavity forming a cam surface 39 cooperating with a pusher 41 of a switch 42 fixedly mounted in the housing.

On the spindle 36 of the toothed wheel 35 is rotatably mounted a cup 60 whose bottom is turned towards the toothed wheel and whose peripheral flange 61 constitutes a cam with which a roller 62 forms a cam follower which is mounted to rotate on a pivot 63 secured to the operating lever 9. It will be noted that the rim 61 has a deformation 64 over a small part of its periphery, this deformation corresponding to the lower part of the cam path formed by this rim.

A puncture 65 is formed in the bottom of the cup 60 forming a tongue 66 bent at 90 ° in the direction of the wheel 35 and thus penetrating into a cavity 67 formed in the wheel 35. This cavity 67 is in an arc centered on the axis of the spindle 35 and extends over a predetermined angle α.

In the wheel 35 is also practiced a central recess 68 crossed by the pin 36 around which is wound a helical spring 69 which is retained by one of its ends in the wheel 35 and by its opposite end in the cup 60. The spring 69 urges this cup in the direction of arrow F6 (fig. 1).

The rim 61 of the cup 60 also includes a cleat 70 which extends axially from its peripheral edge and which cooperates with a lever 71 for emergency release which is mounted oscillating on a pin 72 fixed between the bottom 1 of the housing and a support plate 73 in which are also fixed the corresponding ends of the pin 8 and the axis 10. At the end of the lever 71 opposite to that intended to come into contact with the stopper 70, a yoke 74 is provided in which is articulated an operating rod 75 at the end of which is provided an emergency actuation button 76 which is preferably located in a housing formed in the interior wall of the door so to be easily accessible to vehicle passengers. The lever 71 is attached by the same end to a return spring 77 also attached to the housing 1 and urging this end of the lever against a stop 78 secured to the wall of the housing 1.

Pin 36 is fixed in a support plate 79 integral with the housing and also serving to consolidate another pin 80 whose axis is parallel to those of pins 8, 10, 36 and 72, and around which is mounted oscillating a crew 81 assisted blocking of the lock. This equipment comprises a toothed sector 82, the toothing 83 of which meshes with a portion of toothing 84 provided at the periphery of the bolt 7B. The crew 81 which has roughly the shape of a yoke with asymmetrical branches, also comprises a connecting portion 85 which extends parallel to the axis of the spindle 80 and which is extended, at right angles, by a operating arm 86 extending parallel to the bottom of the housing 1 but on the opposite side with respect to the support plate 79. The equipment 81 is thus articulated doubly on the spindle 8Q. At the end of the maneuvering arm 86 opposite the spindle 80 is provided a thrust tab 87 which again extends at right angles to this arm in the direction of the wheel 35 and which cooperates with a roller 88 mounted rotatably around a pivot 89 integral with the wheel 35 and whose axis of rotation extends parallel to the axis of the spindle 36. A helical spring 90 is wound around the spindle 80 to urge the crew 81 counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 1, that is to say in a direction tending to place the bolt 7B in its open position.

The bolt 7B is provided at its periphery, in an approximately diametrically opposite position relative to the toothing 84, with an insulating track 91 forming a cam track cooperating with a feeler 92 secured to the movable contact 93 of a switch 94 provided of two fixed contacts 95 and 96, the movable contact 93 being in abutment against the fixed contact 95 when the probe 92 is on the upper range 91 of the cam path (this position will be referred to below as the "O" position of the switch 94).

A similar arrangement is provided for the switch 42, the probe 41 of which cooperates with the cavity of the toothed wheel 35. In FIG. 4, it can be seen that this probe is integral with the movable contact 97 of the switch 42 which moreover comprises two fixed contacts 98 and 99 against which the movable contact 97 can selectively be pressed by the probe 41. In what follows, we will consider that when the probe 41 is in the cavity. of the gear 35, the switch 42 is in position "1".

Finally, to complete the above description, it will be noted that the roller 12 is held in place by a yoke 100 which overlaps the area of the bolt 7B in which the notch 20 is located and this yoke is held on the latch by two rods 101 and 102 which extend between the wings of this yoke and which penetrate into small notches 103 and 104 formed in the bolt.

Figs. 7A to 7D represent, in four configurations, the electrical circuit which can be used with the lock according to the invention.

The diagram shown shows the switches 42 and 94 connected in series with the motor 33 on a power source which may be the vehicle battery. There is also an actuation button 105 which is a two-position switch operable by the user of the vehicle. To facilitate the explanation of the operation of the lock, only one switch 105 has been shown, but it is understood that normally the door having to be able to be opened from the outside as from the inside of the car, this switch must be either double or be provided with control means arranged in such a way that this switch can be actuated both from outside and from inside the vehicle. As regards the exterior, for example, any control means can be provided such as a magnetic card, a key switch, or any other similar means. Inside, a simple control button can be provided. ^f

We will now examine the part of the operation of the lock which has just been described.

Fig. 6A shows the situation when the lock is open. Under these conditions, the keeper 5 is released from the bolt 7B and to initiate the closure, the keeper 5 must approach the lock in the direction of the arrow F7, this movement of course being relative. The roller 12 is not in any of the notches of the operating lever 9 while the lever 86 is located in its lower extreme position defined by its connection en.rotation with the bolt 7B which is in abutment by its heel 23 against the lever 9. As for the wheel 35, it is placed in a position in which the roller 88 is almost in contact with the lever 86 which is biased in this position by the spring 90. Furthermore, the switch 94 is in the "O" position because the probe 92 is located on the low range of the cam track 91. The switch 99 is on the position "O" because the probe 41 is out of the cavity of the wheel 35. If we now begin closing the door, the keeper 5 pushes the bolt 7B into the position in which the roller 12 can penetrate into the first notch 31a of the operating lever (9). Under these conditions, the switch 94 changes position since its feeler goes up on the high range of the cam track 91 which places the switch in its position "1". Under these conditions, the electrical circuit of the motor 33 is closed and this motor is therefore supplied. This results in the rotation of the wheel 35 which by its roller 88 begins to push the lever 86 which rocks around the spindle 80 by driving the toothed sector 82. The toothing 83 thereof meshing with the toothing 84 of the bolt, this the latter oscillates around its axis 8, causing the roller 12 to move beyond the last notch 30 of the operating lever 9, a position which is shown in FIG. 6C. Under these conditions, the door is therefore supported on its seals which are stressed beyond their normal compression.

When the roller 88 is in the diametrically opposite position relative to that which it occupied when the lock was open (position of FIG. 6C), the lever 86 is released. As for the bolt 7B, it rotates in the opposite direction than previously since the keeper 5 pushes it in this direction as a result of the force exerted by the compressed seals of the door. It therefore follows that the roller 12 enters the notch 30 of the operating lever 9, which causes the blocking of the lock.

Meanwhile, the probe 41 of the switch 42 has penetrated into the cavity of the wheel 35 which causes the movable contact 97 to switch to the "1" position, thus interrupting the supply circuit of the motor 33 which, moreover, is suddenly stopped. by the short circuit of the contact 97 and of the movable contact of the operating button 105. We then find ourselves in the situation in which the lock is completely blocked, which corresponds to the situation shown in FIGS. 1 to 5.

To open the lock, the button 105 is actuated, which again supplies the motor 33 via the contact 97, the movable contact of the button 105 and the movable contact 93, this circuit being kept closed as soon as the movable contact 97 switches again due to the fact that the probe 41 leaves the cavity of the wheel 35. The opening of the lock is carried out when the roller 62 enters the deformation 64 of the rim of the cup 60 and the keeper 5 can then free yourself from the bolt 7B.

It can therefore be seen that the lock is blocked by motorized means to which the driving force is supplied by the motor 33 which, due to its particular mounting and its associated operating means, only rotates in one direction to perform all the functions in the lock. A supply circuit with reverse polarity is therefore not necessary for this motor.

When the supply voltage disappears, the lock can nevertheless be opened by the emergency control formed by the lever 71 which is actuated in this case by the pull tab 75 and the button 76. When this button is pressed, the lever oscillates around the axis 72 coming into contact with the cleat 70 of the rim 60. This results in a slight rotation of this cup relative to the wheel 35 around the spindle 36, movement which is authorized due to the fact that the cavity 67 provided in the wheel 35 has an angular extent α just sufficient for the roller 62 to be able to penetrate the deformation 64 provided in the rim of the cup 60. Consequently, as soon as the lever 71 is actuated, this cup performs a relative movement of small amplitude relative to the wheel 35, the lever 9 can tilt, the roller 12 is released and the keeper can escape from the bolt 7B.

When the emergency lever 71 is released, the spring 69 returns the cup 60 to its position it previously occupied, the lock returns to the normal open position and the electrical voltage being available again, the lock can operate in accordance with sequences described above.

Claims (7)

1. Lock, in particular for the door of a motor vehicle of the type comprising on the one hand a housing (1) for the lock mechanism (6) and on the other hand a keeper (5) movable relative to this housing (1), the lock mechanism being provided on the one hand with a bolt (7B) oscillating around an axis which is perpendicular to the direction of movement of the keeper (5) with which this bolt cooperates by a fork-shaped portion ( 24) and on the other hand a movable operating lever (9) of the lock which is intended to authorize the rotation of the bolt (7B) in the direction of the release of the keeper (5) by means of a locking member (12) interposed between the bolt and the operating lever, the locking member (12) being movably mounted in one of the two parts formed by the bolt and the operating lever between a projecting position for securing the parts and a retracted position to allow the free movement of rotation of the bolt relative to the lever, the second of the two parts comprising for securing, at least one notch (3.0) in which the blocking member (12) is intended to penetrate, the two parts (7B, 9) being mounted so as to be able to move away from one of the other for removing the locking member (12) from the notch (30) provided in said second part, characterized in that the bolt (7B) is coupled to a mechanism (33, 81) assisted by drive around its axis of oscillation (8) in the direction of blocking the lock. 2. Lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the mechanism for rotating the bolt comprises detection means (91, 94) intended to detect the start of the movement of the bolt (7B) from its position of opening, these means being coupled to said mechanism for controlling it in order to complete the movement of the bolt in the closing direction. 3. Lock followed by claim 2, when it depends on any one of claims 13 to 20, characterized in that said bolt rotation drive mechanism (7B) comprises an oscillating assembly (81) with a toothed member (82) meshing with a toothing (84) provided on the bolt and with a lever (86) which is coupled to the toothed member and which is arranged to cooperate with the toothed wheel (35) which authorizes the movements of the operating lever (9) constituting the second part of the lock, so as to pivot the bolt in its closed position when said detection means connected to the electric drive motor (33) cause the supply thereof. 4. Lock according to claim 3, characterized in that said toothed wheel (35) which is coupled to the motor (33) by an endless screw (34) comprises an actuating member (88) preferably a roller, which cooperates with the lever (86) of said mechanism to cause it to pivot about half the travel of this wheel (35). 5. Lock according to claim 4, characterized in that said detection means (91, 94) comprise a cam path (91) provided on the bolt (7B) as well as an electrical switch (94) connected in the circuit of the motor (33). 6. Lock according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises emergency unlocking means (7 ₀ , 71, 75,76) to allow emergency unlocking in the absence of electric voltage supplying said electric motor. 7. Lock according to claim 6, characterized in that the cam (60) of said toothed wheel is movable in rotation relative to the axis thereof within the limits of a certain angular clearance (CX), and in that it is provided with an actuating member (70) cooperated rant with an emergency lever (71) which can be actuated from the interior side of the door and making it possible to cause a slight rotation of this cam (60) on said angle so as to present it in a position in which it releases said lever operating (9).

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