EP0269508B1 - Motorised closing device, especially for a boot lid or a rear door of an automotive vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a closure device for releasably securing a movable element and a fixed element; it particularly finds its application for closing a trunk of a motor vehicle.

It is known that the trunk closing devices of a motor vehicle generally consist of a bolt member which is fixed on the fixed part of the trunk, that is to say on the body of the motor vehicle and of a member strike carried by the boot lid. The striker body very often has the shape of a U and enters the opening provided for this purpose of the bolt member. In devices of known type, the user is required to slam the cover on the trunk so that the striker penetrates sufficiently into the bolt member to cause the locking of the bolt and, consequently, the locking of the closure. To seal the trunk all around the hood, there is generally a seal, which is compressed when the hood is slammed to ensure its locking. It follows that, for the locking of the closure to take place, the seal must be slightly crushed, which requires a certain compression force; the user is therefore led to slam the hood relatively hard to ensure its locking, which, on the one hand, is not very practical for the elderly or disabled and, on the other hand, is not very recommendable for the good behavior of the hinges of the boot lid and the seals because, when the hood is slammed, the impact force, which is exerted on the seal, is generally much greater than that which would be necessary to ensure simply locking the closure.

It has therefore been imagined to ensure the closing of a trunk such as that of a motor vehicle, by means of an automatic device as described in EP-A 0 143 705. Such a device simply requires from the user effortless engagement of the keeper in the bolt member after which, the automatic device controlled by a motor system takes over from the user's action and ensures the installation of the hood on the boot with compression of the seal until locking of the closure is obtained. Such a closure device has the advantage of avoiding any deterioration of the seal and of the hood hinges and of avoiding any effort on the part of the user. Unfortunately, such a device has a drawback due to the fact that, if the boot lid strikes a hard obstacle, the closing force exerted by the engine system causes the boot cover or the closing device to deteriorate; in addition, if the obstacle interposed between the hood and the boot at the time of closing is a part of a human body for example, the hand of the user or the hand of a child, the use of the automatic device driven by a motor system may cause serious injury.

On the other hand, it is known from FR-A-2 516 149 a device for separating between a leaf with an oscillating movement from a transmission pinion of a mechanism driven by a motive force which makes it possible to decouple the oscillating movement of the leaves, motive force when a force exerted on the leaves exceeds a determined value.

The present invention aims to provide a closure device of the type defined above, which is actuated by a motor system but which, however, does not have the drawbacks mentioned above. According to the invention the closing stroke, which is ensured by the action of the engine system, is divided into an approach stroke and a final stroke. The approach run begins when the strike is engaged in the bolt member and ends when the hood is close enough to the trunk so that there is no risk of inserting an element of human body or rigid element between the hood and the boot; the final stroke begins at the end of the approach stroke and ends when the seal is compressed enough for the locking of the closure to have occurred.

According to the invention, during the approach run, the motor system is disengageable as soon as the closing resistance exceeds a predetermined threshold; this results in a complete impossibility of accident during this approach race. On the other hand, during the final race, the disengaging of the engine system is inhibited and all the power of the engine system is used to close the boot lid. According to the invention, the motor system can exert its action either on the strike itself, or on the bolt member, it being understood that the driving action only intervenes from the moment when the strike is engaged manually by the user in the bolt member, which can be easily detected by a micro-contact.

The present invention therefore has as its object a closure device for releasably securing a movable element and a fixed element, one of said elements carrying a bolt member and the other a keeper member capable of cooperating with said organ-bolt to ensure the joining of the two aforementioned elements with one another, one of the bodies- (bolt or strike) being associated with at least one motor system controlling the joining and / or decoupling of two aforementioned elements, when the striker member has previously been engaged in the bolt member, characterized in that, in an approach stroke, the member (bolt or striker) associated with motor system is disengageable with respect to said system thanks to a declutching device, which is triggered as soon as a resistance greater than a threshold is manifested during the closing movement leading to the joining of the fixed and mobile elements with each other, while, in the final closing stroke, said declutching device is inhibited.

In a preferred embodiment, the disengaging device of the closure device according to the invention is interposed between a driving block moved by the motor system and an operating block which controls the operation of that of the organs (-latch and strike ), which is associated with the engine system. In a preferred application, the movable element carries the strike member and the fixed element carries the bolt member; the movable element can be a hatch box key connected to said box by a hinge, in particular a motor vehicle cover, and the fixed element may be constituted by the body of said box, in particular the body of said motor vehicle.

It is preferred that the device according to the invention comprises a single motor system constituted by an electric motor associated with transmission means.

In a first alternative embodiment, the motor system is associated with the strike member.

In a first embodiment of this first variant, it is possible to provide that the transmission means comprise a gear train driven by an electric motor, the output wheel of said train driving a helical screw which ensures the displacement of the driving block; the helical screw is integral with the output wheel and driven by it in rotation, the drive unit having a threaded bore and moving in translation in a housing as well as the operating block associated therewith.

In a second embodiment of the first variant, the helical screw cooperates with a threaded bore formed along the axis of the output wheel of the gear train and it is locked in rotation relative to the casing of the device to move in translation by report to said casing, said screw comprising a head which constitutes the driving block, at least one movable pusher carried by the operating block coming to bear on the driving block under the action of a spring to constitute on the one hand, the connection mechanical between the drive unit and the operating unit and, on the other hand, the declutching device when the head of the screw escapes the pusher by compression of its associated spring.

In the case of the aforementioned first embodiment, it can advantageously be provided that the driving and maneuvering blocks are in contact according to an interface allowing relative sliding and that the declutching device is constituted by a ball pushed by a spring to partially cross said interface , the disengagement being obtained when the ball compresses its associated spring to come into a position where the interface is tangent to it under the effect of a resistant force applied to the operating block; inhibition of the declutching device can be obtained by implementing a key interposed between the drive unit and the operating unit; this keying can be obtained by means of a sliding piston, the head of which rests on a guide secured to the casing, while the end of the rod of said piston serves as a stop for a sliding pusher held in abutment on it by a spring, the bearing surface between the pusher and the rod being merged with the interface between the driving block and the operating block during the approach stroke, while due to the shape of the guide, the pusher partially crosses said interface as soon as the final closing race begins.

In the case of the second embodiment of the aforementioned first variant, the disengagement of the declutching device can be obtained, at the end of the approach stroke, by blocking the pusher (s) in their position d support on the driving block by means of a blocking piece carried by the casing, said blocking part being connected to the casing by at least one spring and moving with the driving and maneuvering blocks during the final stroke; the device preferably comprises at least two pivoting pushers, regularly arranged around the axis of the helical screw and the blocking part is then a ring arranged in line with the ends of the pushbutton, which are opposite their pivot axes.

In a second variant embodiment, the motor system is associated with the bolt member. In this case, the transmission means may comprise a cable, one end of which is fixed to a plate driven by the motor system and the other end of which is fixed to a slider, said slider constituting the driving block and being subjected to the action of a return spring which keeps the cable in tension, the motor system comprising a fixed stop device which allows only one rotation of one turn of the plate to cause a return trip of the slide.

In this second variant, the declutching and inhibiting declutching devices can advantageously be strictly the same as those which were provided for the first embodiment of the first variant defined above, namely a ball declutching device and an inhibition of this device by keying. In an interesting construction of this second variant, the operating block can control a lever, which pivots on a fixed axis of the casing and said lever being in abutment on a stud engaged in a pivoting bolt, which can block the keeper and be locked by a closing pawl, the said bolt being subjected to a return spring and the movement of the said lever controlling the pivoting of the bolt in the closing direction, the stud being able to slide relative to the pivoting bolt to escape the support of the lever, in the event that said lever has not finished its return stroke due to a failure of the engine system, to allow the device to be opened; the release of the stud relative to the lever can be obtained by a guide ramp on which the stud is held in abutment by a spring, said ramp being movable relative to the pivoting bolt and being linked to the locking pawl; the bolt member may consist, on the one hand, of the pivoting bolt operated by the lever and, on the other hand, of a pivoting bolt, actuated by the bolt by means of a gear, the bolt having one end forked which receives the strike and is closed by the latch in the closed position.

To better understand the object of the invention, we will now describe, by way of purely illustrative and non-limiting examples, three embodiments shown in the accompanying drawing.

• - la figure 1 représente, en coupe partielle, un dispositif selon la première réalisation de la première variante de l'invention, ladite coupe étant limitée à l'organe-gâche, l'organe-pêne n'étant pas représenté et étant constitué par un pêne à ressort de type classique, les pièces de l'organe-gâche étant représentées dans la position correspondant à l'ouverture du dispositif, c'est-à-dire au début de la course d'approche ;
• - la figure 2 représente une vue selon II-II de la figure 1 ;
• - la figure 3 est une vue analogue à la figure 1 montrant les pièces de l'organe-gâche après qu'un débrayage se soit opéré pendant la course d'approche ;
• - la figure 4 est une vue analogue à la figure 1, montrant les pièces de l'organe-gâche dans une position correspondant à la fin de la course finale de fermeture lorsqu'aucun débrayage n'est intervenu ;
• - la figure 5 représente, en coupe schématique, un dispositif correspondant à la deuxième réalisation de la première variante de l'invention, la représentation étant limitée à l'organe-gâche, alors que l'organe-pêne n'est pas représenté et est constitué par un boîtier de pêne à ressort de type classique, les pièces de l'organe-gâche étant représentées dans la position qu'elles occupent à l'ouverture, c'est-à-dire au début de la course d'approche ;
• - la figure 6 représente une vue selon VI-VI de la figure 5 ;
• - la figure 7 représente le dispositif de débrayage de la réalisation de la figure 5 dans une position correspondant au débrayage au début de la course d'approche ;
• - la figure 8 représente une vue analogue à la figure 7, lorsque la course d'approche s'est déroulée sans débrayage et que le dispositif de débrayage est inhibé au début de la course finale ;
• - la figure 9 représente une vue analogue à la figure 7 lorsque les pièces sont parvenues à la fin de la course finale sans qu'aucun débrayage n'ait eu lieu ;
• - la figure 10 représente une vue en coupe du dispositif de débrayage de la réalisation des figures 5 à 9 lorsque l'utilisateur amène le capot et sa gâche en contact brutal avec l'organe-pêne au début de la course d'approche ;
• - la figure 11 représente schématiquement un dispositif selon la deuxième variante de l'invention, le système-moteur étant associé à l'organe-pêne, l'organe-gâche étant un simple U solidaire du capot d'un coffre de véhicule automobile, les pièces de l'organe-pêne étant représentées dans la position qui correspond au début de la course d'approche ;
• - la figure 12 représente une coupe selon XII-XII de la figure 11 ;
• - la figure 13 représente le dispositif de débrayage de la variante de la figure 11, lorsque le débrayage se produit ;
• - la figure 14 représente l'organe-pêne de la réalisation de la figure 11, lorsqu'aucun débrayage ne s'est produit et que l'on se trouve en cours de course finale ;
• - la figure 15 représente une coupe selon XV-XV de la figure 14 ;
• - la figure 16 représente les pièces de l'organe-pêne de la variante de la figure 11 lorsque le pêne est en position de fermeture et qu'à la suite d'une panne, le bloc entraîneur n'est pas revenu dans la position initiale, l'utilisateur ayant agit manuellement pour débloquer la fermeture ;
• - la figure 17 est une coupe selon XVII-XVII de la figure 16.

On this drawing :

• - Figure 1 shows, in partial section, a device according to the first embodiment of the first variant of the invention, said section being limited to the striker member, the bolt member not being shown felt and being constituted by a spring bolt of conventional type, the parts of the striker member being shown in the position corresponding to the opening of the device, that is to say at the start of the approach stroke;
• - Figure 2 shows a view along II-II of Figure 1;
• - Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the parts of the strike member after a clutch has been operated during the approach stroke;
• - Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the parts of the keeper in a position corresponding to the end of the final closing stroke when no clutch has intervened;
• - Figure 5 shows, in schematic section, a device corresponding to the second embodiment of the first variant of the invention, the representation being limited to the striker member, while the bolt member is not shown and is constituted by a spring-loaded bolt case of the conventional type, the parts of the keeper being shown in the position they occupy at the opening, that is to say at the start of the approach stroke ;
• - Figure 6 shows a view along VI-VI of Figure 5;
• - Figure 7 shows the declutching device of the embodiment of Figure 5 in a position corresponding to the declutching at the start of the approach stroke;
• - Figure 8 shows a view similar to Figure 7, when the approach race took place without declutching and the declutching device is inhibited at the start of the final race;
• - Figure 9 shows a view similar to Figure 7 when the parts have reached the end of the final stroke without any declutching having taken place;
• - Figure 10 shows a sectional view of the declutching device of the embodiment of Figures 5 to 9 when the user brings the cover and its keeper in abrupt contact with the bolt member at the start of the approach stroke;
• FIG. 11 schematically represents a device according to the second variant of the invention, the motor system being associated with the bolt member, the strike member being a single U secured to the hood of a motor vehicle boot, the parts of the bolt member being shown in the position which corresponds to the start of the approach run;
• - Figure 12 shows a section along XII-XII of Figure 11;
• - Figure 13 shows the declutching device of the variant of Figure 11, when the declutching occurs;
• - Figure 14 shows the bolt member of the embodiment of Figure 11, when no clutch has occurred and that we are in the final race;
• - Figure 15 shows a section along XV-XV of Figure 14;
• - Figure 16 shows the parts of the bolt member of the variant of Figure 11 when the bolt is in the closed position and that following a breakdown, the drive unit has not returned to the position initial, the user having acted manually to release the closure;
• - Figure 17 is a section along XVII-XVII of Figure 16.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, it can be seen that the sheet metal of the hood of a motor vehicle boot is designated by 1. This sheet 1 carries, in the direction of the interior of the trunk, a keeper 2, which has the shape of a U, the core 2a of which is intended to be introduced into a bolt member (not shown) carried by the fixed part of the trunk of the vehicle, that is to say the body of said vehicle. The bolt member is a conventional bolt housing comprising an opening mechanism, the bolt passing through the keeper 2 in the free zone located between the core 2a and the web 2b, which occupies the upper part of the space between the two branches of the U formed by the keeper 2. These two branches are fixed by their free ends to an operating block designated by 3 as a whole. The operating block 3 is disposed inside a casing 4, which contains the mechanism of the striker member; the operating block 3 can move in translation in the casing 4, its guidance being provided by slides 5 parallel to the arms of the keeper 2. When the cover is substantially in the closed position, the arms of the keeper 2 are substantially vertical .

The operating block 3 is associated with a driving block 6 also subject to moving in translation inside the casing 4 by sliding in slides 7 parallel to the slides 5. The driving block 6 has, in its central zone, a bore threaded, which cooperates with a helical screw 8 rotated by the output wheel 9 of a gear train, which has a double pinion 10 cooperating on one of its wheels with the wheel 9 and on its other wheel, with a input pinion 11 driven by an electric motor 12 via a worm gear and tangent wheel, the details of which are not shown in the drawing. The assembly 8-9-10-11 constitutes a reducing gear train making it possible, from a relatively low power electric motor, to obtain a large force for the displacement of the drive unit 6. The casing 4 contains all the elements of this gear train and receives at its upper part the sub-assembly constituted by the electric motor 12 accompanied by its output reduction gear (screw / tangent wheel). The housing 4 carries, of course, the bearings for fixing the various pinions of the gear train as well as the journal bearings 13 and 14 arranged at the two ends of the helical screw 8.

The driving block 6 and the operating block 3 are in contact along a flat interface parallel to the slides 5 and 7. Between these two blocks are arranged, on the one hand, a declutching device and, on the other hand, a keying device making it possible to inhibit the above-mentioned disengagement. The declutching device consists of a ball 15 pushed by a spring 16 against the driving block 6, said driving block comprising an imprint in the form of a spherical cap 19 to receive the ball 15. The ball 15 and its spring 16 are housed in a bore 17 provided inside an operating block 3 and the compression exerted by the spring 16 on the ball 15 is adjusted by means of a threaded plug 18 which is screws more or less inside the bore 17. As long as the resistive force exerted on the keeper 2 and which opposes the movement of the operating block 3 does not exceed a predetermined threshold, that one rule by the plug 18, the ball 15, which crosses the interface between the blocks 3,6, provides the mechanical connection between these two blocks, which move, therefore, being linked to each other. On the other hand, if the resistive force exceeds the predetermined threshold indicated above, the ball 15 compresses the spring 16 and enters the bore 17, which separates the operating block 3 from the block trainer 6: a clutch has thus been obtained.

FIG. 1 shows the elements of the keeper in the position at the start of the approach stroke, that is to say in the position it occupies, when the keeper 2 has been engaged manually in the housing bolt and the strike is thus retained by the bolt without the trunk being closed. A microswitch placed in the bolt housing makes it possible to identify the movement of the bolt when the strike passes and then controls the supply of the motor 12. The motor 12 drives the screw 8, which causes the translation upwards of the block driver 6, which drives by the declutching device 15, 16 the operating block 3. As indicated above, this training continues throughout the approach stroke, as long as a resistance greater than the predetermined threshold does not manifest. Otherwise, the declutching device plays its role and the translation of the operating block 3 is stopped: this position is shown in FIG. 3. In this way, during the entire approach stroke, it is impossible to have a closing incident or an accident due to the interposition of a human body element between the hood and the fixed wall of the boot.

If the declutching does not occur during the approach stroke, the driving block 6 arrives with the operating block 3 in the position corresponding to the end of the approach stroke. The driving block 6 contains, in a bore perpendicular to the plane of the interface between the blocks 3 and 6, a sliding piston 20, which is subjected to the action of a spring 21 bearing on the bottom of the bore and pushing the head of the piston 20 against a guide ramp 22 carried by the casing 4 of the device. The piston 20 comprises, on the side which is opposite its head, a cylindrical tail sliding in a bore of smaller diameter than that which contains the head of the piston. The operating block 3 also includes a bore of the same diameter as that which contains the tail of the piston 20, said bore containing a pusher 23 which is pushed, in the direction of the interface between the blocks 3 and 6, by a spring 24 housed at the bottom of the bore. The pusher 23 has the same diameter as the tail of the piston 20 and it is therefore capable of engaging in the bore, which contains the tail of the piston 20. When the blocks 3 and 6 are secured by the ball 15, the pusher 23 is exactly in the extension of the tail of the piston 20. During the entire approach stroke, the guide ramp 22 keeps the head of the piston 20 in a position such that the support plane of the pusher 23 on the tail of the piston 20 is coincident with the plane of the interface between blocks 3 and 6. When the approach stroke is finished, the guide ramp 22 allows the piston 20 to move in its bore under the action of spring 21, so that the pusher 23, under the action of the spring 24, enters the bore, which contains the tail of the piston 20. The pusher 23 therefore constitutes a keying between the blocks 3 and 6, which inhibits the declutching device 15, 16. As a result, during the final race which begins at least ent where the ramp 22 allowed the displacement of the piston 20, the operating block 3 necessarily follows the translation of the driving block 6; all the power of the motor 12 is therefore used to pull the keeper 2, which brings the hood closer to the body since the distance between the sheet 1 and the fixed bolt box carried by the body is reduced. All the power of the engine 12 therefore allows the compression of the trunk seals until one reaches the end of the final stroke, which is shown in Figure 4; in this case, the drive unit comes to bear on a stop 25 which, by a micro-contact, controls the stopping of the supply of the motor 12.

It can therefore be seen that the closing stroke of the device according to the invention has thus been divided into an approach stroke, where the automatic drive is disengageable, and a final stroke, where the automatic drive is not disengageable. and ensures, with all the necessary power, the compression of the trunk seals. The trunk is opened by supplying the motor 12 in the opposite direction, which causes the reverse movement of the keeper 2 relative to the hood; after which, all that remains is to maneuver the bolt member in a conventional manner.

In a particular embodiment, the time for actuating the keeper 2 for closing or opening is 2.5 seconds; the motor 12 is supplied with direct current at 9 volts and the closing force exerted on the keeper 2 is 50 daN. The total closing stroke is 20 mm and the approach stroke is 10 mm; declutching takes place during the approach stroke if the resisting force is greater than 16 daN.

Figures 5 to 10 show a second embodiment of the first variant of the invention. In this embodiment, the elements similar to those which were described for the first embodiment bear the same reference numbers increased by 100. In this variant, an electric motor 112 drives a keeper 102 to cause it to move relative to the sheet metal 101 d '' a motor vehicle boot lid. The keeper 102 has the shape of a U, as in the first embodiment, and it cooperates with a mechanical bolt housing of conventional type in the same way as described for the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4. When the core lower of the strike 102 is engaged manually in the bolt box, a micro-switch controls the supply of the motor 112 to cause the movement of the strike upwards 102 and, consequently, the displacement of the movable cover towards the fixed part of the boot. As before, the closing stroke is divided into two parts, an approach stroke in which the strike of the strike 102 is disengageable and a final stroke in which the disengaging device is inhibited.

The motor 112 drives by means of a system (screws 112s! Tangent wheel 112b), a gear train constituted by a pinion 110, which drives the output wheel 109 of the gear train. The tangent wheel 11 2b and the pinion 110 are keyed on the same axis. The output wheel 109 rests on a bearing 113 carried by the casing 104 of the device. According to its axis, the output wheel 109 has a threaded bore 151, which cooperates with a helical screw 108 having a flat 150. The helical screw 108 slides in an orifice, the shape of which corresponds to its cross section, said orifice being formed in a plate 152 carried by the casing 104 and disposed above the output wheel 109. When the wheel 109 is rotated, the position of its median plane is fixed relative to the casing 104; the helical screw 108 being locked in rotation by the cooperation of its flat 150 with the corresponding edge of the orifice formed in the plate 152, the rotation of the wheel 109 causes the screw 108 to translate relative to the casing 104.

At the lower part of the screw 108, a head 106 is provided, which constitutes the driving block of the device. The head 106 has at its lower part an O-ring, which cooperates with two movable pushers 153 carried by an operating block 103 on which the keeper 102 is fixed. The operating block 103 can move in translation in the casing 104 thanks to two slides 105 parallel to the axis of the screw 108. The pushers 153 can each pivot about an axis 154 carried by the operating block 103 and they are pushed symmetrically on either side of the screw head, which constitutes the driving device 106, by springs 155. Each pusher 153 comprises, facing the driving device 106, a boss. When the driving unit 106 and the operating unit 103 are in the low position, that is to say at the start of the approach stroke, the two pushers 153 have their bosses bearing on the head of the screw 108 just at above the O-ring that said head carries at its lower part; it follows that, if the screw 108 is moved upward in FIG. 5, the pushers 153 ensure the transmission of the translational movement upwards by catching above the bead, which constitutes the O-ring . The screw 108 can thus cause the upward translation of the operating block 103 and the keeper 102.

This drive is only maintained insofar as the resistive force exerted on the keeper 102 does not exceed a predetermined threshold; beyond this threshold, the force exerted by the driving unit 106 on the bosses of the pushers 153 is sufficient to cause the crushing of the springs 155 and, consequently, the pivoting of the pushers 153 around their axes 154, which allows the separation of the driving block 106 with respect to the operating block 103. This situation is shown in FIG. 7 and corresponds to the disengagement of the striker drive system 102 in the event that the force resisting closing is greater than the fixed threshold. This threshold is adjusted by the precompression of the springs 155, precompression which is obtained by threaded plugs 156, which can be screwed more or less in the bores, which contain the springs 155 and which are practiced in the operating block 103.

A spring 157 is interposed between the operating block 103 and the driving block 106, so that, if the user slaps the cover too suddenly to engage the keeper 102 in the bolt box carried by the body, the spring 157 collects the 'excess energy by compressing without there being any risk of shock at the end of the screw 108, which would be likely to deteriorate the thread of said screw. This compression of the spring 157 is shown in FIG. 10. It should be noted that the spring 157 also protects against impacts both the strike 102 and the bolt of the associated lock.

The general shape of the operating block 103 is a cylindrical shape with the exception of two diametrically opposite ears, which penetrate the slides 105. The pushers 153 are arranged in a central bore 158 provided at the upper part of this operating block 103 The operating block 103 moves, inside the casing 104, in a cylindrical housing in the middle zone of which there is a cylindrical ring 123 connected to the casing 104 by helical springs 124, the axis of which is substantially parallel to the axis of the screw 108; the springs 124 are regularly distributed over the ring 123, the ring 123 is therefore placed in line with the operating block 103 and can, by compression of the springs 124, move in the cylindrical housing provided for the passage of the operating block 103 The central opening, which has the ring 123, has dimensions which allow the ring to take up position around the heads of the pushers 153.

When the motor 112 has caused the operating block 103 to move over the entire approach stroke, which is shown in FIG. 8, the heads of the pushers 153 engage in the central opening of the ring 123, which thus plays the role of blocking part and prevents the spacing of the pushers. The declutching device, which constituted the pushers 153, is thus thus inhibited by the ring 123 and any displacement in translation of the screw 108 is necessarily transmitted to the operating block 103. The final closing stroke is thus started, which continues until the ring 123 comes to bear against the block 159 of the casing, which supports the bearing 113 of the wheel 109: this position is shown in FIG. 9. The springs 124 are then compressed and the support of the ring 123 on the plate 159, which serves as a stop, makes it possible to trigger a micro-contact, which controls the stopping of the supply of the motor 112.

It can therefore be seen that, here again, as for the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4, the device according to the invention makes it possible, in an approach stroke, to have a disengageable drive of the strike 102 and, in a final stroke, to transmit all the mighty that of the engine 112 on the strike 102 to ensure the closing of the trunk.

We will now describe a construction corresponding to the second variant of the invention and shown in Figures 11 to 17. In this variant, the motor which controls the closure device according to the invention is not associated with the keeper as in the two previous embodiments, but with the bolt member. It follows that the keeper carried by the boot lid is a simple U fixed to the lower part of said hood and brought manually into a position of engagement inside the bolt member. For this embodiment, the elements, which are similar to those of the embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 4, have been designated by the same reference numbers increased by 200.

The motor system, which is associated with the bolt member, is an electric motor 212 connected, by means of a screw reducer and tangent wheel (not shown), to a plate 250 at the periphery of which is located projecting a fixing stud 251. The plate 250 is located inside the casing 253, which contains the reduction gear associated with the motor 212, and it is surmounted by a protective plate 252. The fixing stud 251 moves from a circular movement around the axis of the plate 250; a passage 254 is provided in the casing 253 to allow the passage towards the outside of a cable 255, the end of which is hooked on the fixing stud 251, the passage 254 being covered by the plate 252. The motor 212 is associated with a fixed stop device (not shown), which allows rotation of one turn of the plate 250 and which stops the supply of the motor as soon as the rotation of the plate 250 has been carried out over 360 _° . The cable 255 therefore undergoes, for each revolution of the plate 250, a round-trip translation whose amplitude is equal to the diameter of the plate 250.

The cable 255 is connected to a driving device 206, which is a slide capable of moving in translation inside a sheath 256. According to the axis of the slide 206, a bore was made inside which is engaged an operating block 203. The mechanical connection between the operating block 203 and the driving block 206 is ensured by a ball 215 arranged at the interface between the blocks 203 and 206; when the operating block 203 is fully engaged inside the driving block 206, the ball 215, which is pushed by a spring 216 placed in a bore of the operating block 203, is opposite a bore of corresponding diameter made in the wall of the driving block 206, which delimits the housing where the operating block 203. This bore contains a spacer 257, which keeps the ball 215 in a position where it is engaged on less half its volume inside the bore where the spacer 257 is located. The ball 215 constitutes a mechanical connection system between the blocks 203 and 206, but it is a disengageable connection since, if the resistive force exerted on the operating block 203 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the spring 216 is compressed and allows the ball 215 to fully enter the bore where the spring 216 is located, which separates the operating block 203 vis-à-vis the driving block 206; this state of the device is shown in FIG. 13.

Inside the sheath 256, a guide ramp 222 is provided. This guide ramp cooperates with a pusher 220, placed in a bore in the wall of the driving block 206, which delimits the housing of the operating block 203 When the operating block 203 is fully engaged inside the driving block 206, the pusher 220 is opposite a pusher 223 of the same diameter; the pusher 223 is disposed inside a bore provided for this purpose inside the operating block 203, the pusher 223 being pushed by a spring 224 towards the interface between the blocks 203 and 206. When the device is at the start of the approach run, the slide, which constitutes the driving block 206, is in abutment against the plate 261, which closes the sheath 256 at the end opposite to that by which the cable 255 enters. position, the guide ramp 222 maintains the bearing surface of the pushers 220 and 223 in coincidence with the interface existing between the blocks 203 and 206. If the slide, which constitutes the driving block 206, moves CI inside the sheath 256, the pusher 220 arrives at a point on the ramp 222, where it is allowed to move inside its bore under the thrust exerted by the spring 224. In this case, the pusher 223 crosses the interface between the blocks 203 and 206, which constitutes a keying coming to inhibit the declutching device 215, 216: this position is shown in FIG. 14. The moment when the ramp 222 allows the movement of the pusher 220 corresponds to the end of the approach stroke and to the start of the final stroke .

The operating block 203 is extended by a rod 203a around which is disposed a helical spring 262, which is compressed between the head of said rod 203a and the closure plate 261 of the sleeve 256. This spring 262 keeps the tension constantly cable 255. The rod 203a controls the bolt member of the device according to this variant of the invention.

The bolt member is shown in Figures 11, 14 and 16 in three different positions, only the mechanical elements being shown in the drawing, the housing of the bolt housing not being shown for clarity. The keeper 202 carried by the boot lid comes, in a manual engagement movement, to rest on the lower branch 263a of a fork-shaped bolt designated by 263 as a whole. The bolt 263 is capable of pivoting about a fixed axis 264; it comprises, at its end opposite to its pivot axis, a fork constituted by a lower branch 263a and an upper branch 263b, the branch 263a being longer than the branch 263b. The bolt 263 comprises, on a part of its border which surrounds the axis 264, a cutout in the form of gear teeth, which cooperates with a corresponding cutout made on a latch bolt 265. The latch bolt 265 pivots around 'a fixed axis 266 and, in its zone opposite to its pivot axis, it comprises a single tooth 265a. When the keeper 202 comes manually to rest on the branch 263a of the bolt 263 (see Figure 11), said bolt is slightly driven in a movement pivoting about its axis 264, which controls a micro-contact which triggers the supply of the motor 212.

As will be described in detail below, the motor 212 will cause the bolt 263 to pivot, which, by means of its gear teeth, causes the bolt 265 to pivot in the opposite direction, so that the core of the strike 202 is positioned at the bottom of the fork 263a, 263b and is blocked there by the single tooth 265a of the latch 265: this position is shown in FIGS. 14 and 16.

When the bolt 263 and the counter bolt 265 are thus brought into the closed position, the tooth 263a of the bolt 263 snaps under the spoiler 267a of a pawl 267 capable of pivoting about a fixed axis 268. The pawl 267 is subjected to the action of a return spring 269 and it carries, at its end opposite to its pivot axis 268, an axis 270 on which is articulated a link 271. The link 271 carries, at its end opposite to the axis 270, a guide ramp 272, which is fixed to it by screws 273 and which delimits, between it and the link 271, a tunnel 274. In line with the tunnel 274, the link 271 has an oblong recess 275, which is crossed by a stud 276, the head 276a of which is held in abutment on the guide ramp 272 by a spring 277 interposed between said head 276a and the link 271. The stud 276 passes through a bore the bolt 263 and protrudes from the side of the bolt, where the link 271 is not located.

On the end of the rod 203a is articulated a lever 278, the opposite end of which is pivotally supported by the pin 264. The lever 278 is disposed along the face of the bolt 263, or the link is not located 271. The lever 278 comes to bear against the projecting end of the stud 276 and it is located on the side of this stud, where the sheath 256 is not located.

When the driving block 206 is pulled by the cable 255 to the right in FIG. 11, the lever 278 pivots about the axis 264 and drives, by the stud 276, the rotation of the bolt 263 in the closing direction. This position is shown in Figure 14. When the closure is reached, the pawl 267 maintains the bolt 263 and the latch 265 in the closed position. The closure is obtained for a rotation of half a turn of the plate 250; in the subsequent rotation of a half-turn, the cable 255, which is held taut by the spring 252, lets the driving block 206 return to the initial position, that is to say to the position shown in FIG. 11 In this movement, the lever 278 also returns to its initial position, but the bolt member remains in the closed position thanks to the pawl 267. To trigger the opening, it suffices to act manually on the axis 270 by pulling to the left to release the spoiler 267a; in this case, under the effect of its return spring 279, the bolt 263 returns to the open position by a rotation about its axis 264, which causes a simultaneous rotation in the opposite direction of the latch 265. pin 276 returns to press against lever 278 and the device is thus returned to the initial position.

An electrical control device may fail. If this fault occurs before the closing position, closing can be obtained manually, in which case, the stud 276 slides in the oblong opening 275, all the closing force having to be exerted by the user, of course. on the keeper 202 to produce a sufficient crushing of the seals, so that the branch 263a comes to hang under the spoiler 267a.

If, on the contrary, the failure occurs, after the closure has been obtained by the action of the motor 212 but before the lever 278 has returned to its initial position, that is to say if the failure occurs during of the backward movement of the cable 265 and of the driving device 206, in this case, the opening can be obtained by exerting a force F on the axis 270 as indicated in FIG. 16. In doing so, on the one hand, releases the tooth 263a from the blocking effected by the pawl 267 and, on the other hand, the connecting rod 271 is made to slide relative to the stud 276, which is blocked by the lever 278, the rear return of which has not been obtained. In this movement, the guide ramp 272 moves relative to the stud 276 until said stud, pushed by the spring 277, moves in the bore, through which it passes through the bolt 263, until complete disappearance of the projecting part on which the lever 278 was supported. The bolt 263 is then released and can pivot about its axis 264 under the effect of its return spring 279. This position of release of the stud is shown in Figure 17, while Figure 16 shows the device in the case where the lever 278 is blocked at the start of its return stroke and where the action of the user on the axis 270 according to the force F brings the pin into the position shown in FIG. 17, the opening of the bolt not being still performed, but can therefore be performed according to arrow G.

It can therefore be seen that this second variant of the invention makes it possible to control the bolt member by means of an electric motor disengageably during the approach stroke by means of the declutching device 215-216 and non-disengageable during the final stroke thanks to the keying device 220-223-224, which inhibits the declutching device.

It is understood that the embodiments described above are in no way limiting and may give rise to any desirable modifications, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (19)

1. Closing device to interlock a movable element (1, 10) and a fixed element in such a way that they can be disengaged, one of those elements having a latch and the other a clasp capable of cooperating with said latch in order to ensure interlocking of the two aformentioned elements, one of them (either the latch or the clasp) being associated with at least one motor system (12, 112, 212) to control interlocking and/or disengagement of the two elements referred to above, when the latch has previously been made to engage in the clasp; wherein, during an approach stage, the member (latch or clasp) associated with the motor system can be disconnected from said system on account of a disengaging mechanism (15, 16; 153, 155; 215, 216) which is triggered whenever a resistance greater than a preset level becomes evident in the course of the closing movement that leads to interlocking of the fixed and movable elements; whereas, in the final stage of closing, said disengaging mechanism is inhibited.

2. Device, in accordance with Claim 1, wherein thedisengaging mechanism (15,16; 153,155; 215, 216) is interposed between the drive block (6, 106, 206), moved by the motor system (12, 112, 212), and a shunt block (13, 103, 203) which controls operation of whichever one of the members (latch or clasp) is associated with the motor system.

3. Device, in accordance with one of the Claims 1 or 2, wherein the movable element (1, 101) carries the clasp (2, 102) and the fixed element holds the latch.

4. Device, in accordance with one of the Claims 1 to 3, wherein the movable element (1, 101) is a chest cover, which is connected to said chest by an articulation, in particular an automotive vehicle trunk lid, and the fixed element consists of the body of said chest, in particular the body of said automotive vehicle.

5. Device, in accordance with one of the Claims 1 to 4, wherein it involves a single motor system consisting of an electric motor (12, 112, 212) associated with means of transmission.

6. Device, in accordance with Claim 5, wherein the motor system (12, 112) is associated with the clasp.

7. Device, in accordance with Claims 2 and 6 considered simultaneously, wherein the means of transmission comprise a gear train (9, 10, 11; 109, 110) driven by the electric motor (12; 112), the output gear (9, 109) of said train driving a worm (8, 108), which ensures movement of the drive block (6, 108).

8. Device, in accordance with Claim 7, wherein the worm (8) is integral with the output gear (9) and made to rotate along with it, the drive block (6) entailing a threaded bore and moving, via translational motion, into a case (4), the same as the shunt block (3) that is associated with it.

9. Device, in accordance with Claim 7, wherein the worm (108) works together with the treaded bore made in the output gear (109) axis and is kept from rotating, with respect to the housing (101) for the device, said worm (108) comprising a head (106) that constitutes the drive block, at least one mobile push pin (153) carried by the shunt block (103) coming to rest on the drive block (106) under the action of a spring (155) to constitute, on the one hand, the mechanical connection between the drive block (106) and the shunt block (103) and, on the other, the disengaging mechanism when the head of the worm (108) gets free of the push pin (or pins) (153) due to compression of the associated spring (155).

10. Device, in accordance with Claim 9, wherein inhibiting of the disengaging mechanism (153, 154) is obtained, at the end of the approach stage, by locking of the push pin (or pins) (153), in their bearing position on the drive block (106), by means of a locking part (123) carried by the housing (101), said locking part connected to the housing by at least one spring (124) and moving along with the drive (108) and shunt (103) blocks in the course of the final stage.

11. Device, in accordance with Claim 10, wherein it involves at least two swiveling push pins (153), arranged regularly around the axis of the worm (108); and wherein the locking part is a ring (123) placed to the right of the pin ends that are opposite their axes of pivot (154).

12. Device, in accordance with Claim 5, wherein the motor system (212) is associated with the latch.

13. Device, in accordance with Claim 12, wherein the means of transmission comprise a cable (255), one of whose ends is fastened to a plate (250) driven by the motor system (212) and the other end fixed to a slide (206). The slide constitutes the drive block and is subject to the action of a recoil spring (262) that keeps the cable under tension, the motor system including a stationary stopping device that allows a plate (250) to rotate just one turn in order to cause the slide (206) to move back and forth.

14. Device, in accordance with Claims 8 or 13, wherein the drive blocks (6, 206) and shunt blocks (3, 203) are in contact along an interface that permits relative sliding, and the disengaging device consists of a ball (15, 215) pressed by a spring (16, 216) to partially traverse the interface, the disengagement being accomplished when the ball (15, 215) compresses its related spring (16, 216) to get to a position where the interface is tangent to it under the effect of a resisting effort applied to the shunt block (3, 203).

15. Device, in accordance with either of the claims 8 or 13, wherein inhibiting of the disengaging mechanism results from keying interposed between the drive block (6, 206) and the shunt block (3, 203).

16. Device, in accordance with Claim 15, wherein the keying is obtained with a sliding piston (20, 220) whose head bears on a guide (22, 222) integral with the housing, whereas the end of the stem of the piston (20, 220) acts as a stop for a sliding push pin (23, 223) kept against it by a spring (24, 224), the bearing surface between the push pin (23, 223) and the stem blending with the interface between the drive block (6, 206) and the shunt block (3, 203) during the approach stage; whereas, by virtue of the shape of the guide (22, 222), the push pin (23, 223) passes part way through the aforementioned interface as soon as the final stage of closing begins.

17. Device, in accordance with one of the Claims 13 to 16, wherein the shunt block (203) controls a lever (278) that swivels on a fixed pin (264) of the housing, said lever (278) bearing on a dowel (276) engaged in a swiveling latch (263) which can lock the clasp (202) and be locked by a dog (267) in the closing position, said latch (263) being subject to a recoil spring (278) and the movement of the lever (278) controlling the latch (263) swivel in the direction of closing. The dowel (276) can slide, in relationship to the swiveling latch (263), in order to be free from resting on the lever (278) in case said lever has not completed its return stroke by reason of a malfunction in the motor system (212).

18. Device, in accordance with Claim 7, wherein disengagement of the dowel (276), with respect to the lever (278), is realized via a guide ramp (272), against which the dowel (276) is held by a spring (277), said ramp being movable with regard to the swiveling latch (263) and it is also connected to the locking dog (267).

19. Device, in accordance with Claim 18, wherein the latch member is comprised, for one thing, of the swiveling latch (263) maneuvred by the lever (278) and, for another, by a swiveling counter-latch (265) actuated by the latch (263) proper by virtue of a gear, the latch (263) having a forked end that receives the clasp (202) and is closed by the counter-latch (265) in the closing position.

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