EP1234936A1 - Latch for an automotive vehicle openable with disengageable crank pin - Google Patents

Abstract

The motor vehicle door lock comprises a wheel (RD) intended to be driven in rotation about an axis (A1) under the action of an electric motor, said wheel driving in rotation a crank pin (MT), said crank pin (MT) cooperating with an opening member (OV) of said lock to move it from a rest position to an open position on rotation of said motor. In this lock, the pin (MT) is integral with a plate (PT) which is rotatably mounted around said axis (A1), and it comprises first and second associated members for rotationally coupling the plate (PT) and the wheel (RD), said first and second members comprising a drive pin (PE) and an associated groove (RO) in the form of an arc of a circle, so that said crankpin (MT) is free to rotate around said axis (A1) at a certain angle. With this arrangement, the lock can be opened manually when its engine has failed. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock, comprising a wheel intended to be rotated about an axis under the action of an electric motor, said wheel driving in rotation a pin, said pin cooperating with an opening member of said lock for moving it from a rest position to a position opening on rotation of said motor.

The invention applies more particularly to locks for trunks and tailgates of vehicles which include an electric assistance capable of trigger the opening of the trunk. These locks usually include a barrel intended to receive a key and a handle for opening the trunk manually, and they are designed so that when the user unlocks the lock, electric assistance also causes opening the trunk. More particularly, these locks include general an intermediate opening member which can be operated manually when the user actuates the handle, or electrically by example via a crank pin set in motion by a motor electric.

It is known from the prior art a lock of this type in which the crankpin is integral with a toothed wheel which is driven by the motor electric. The defect of this lock is that in case of engine failure or power supply failure occurring during assisted opening, the crankpin is then immobilized in an intermediate position. This crankpin therefore blocks the opening member in a position to which the trunk is not necessarily open. It is then impossible to the user opens his trunk by operating the handle as long as the lock has not not reconditioned, or that the power supply problem has not been resolved.

The object of the invention is to remedy this drawback by proposing a lock which does not prevent the opening of the trunk even when its electric actuator is immobilized in an intermediate position.

To this end, the invention relates to a vehicle door lock automobile, comprising a wheel intended to be rotated around an axis under the action of an electric motor, said driving wheel in rotation a crank pin, said crank pin cooperating with an opening member of said lock for moving it from a rest position to a position opening on rotation of said motor, characterized in that said crankpin is integral with a plate, said plate being rotatably mounted around said axis, and in what it includes a first and a second associated organs of rotational coupling of the plate and the wheel carried respectively by the wheel and plate, said first and second members comprising a pin drive and an associated groove in the shape of an arc of a circle, such so that said crankpin is free to rotate around said axis along a certain angle, to avoid blocking of said opening member in the event of failure of said engine.

Such a construction means that in the event of an engine failure in a intermediate position, the crankpin is still free to turn on a half-turn, so that the opening member has sufficient mobility so that the user can operate the handle of the boot and open it successfully.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lock comprises furthermore a torque limiter rotatingly linking the toothed wheel with said tray, so that said tray is stably positioned in a neutral position for which the crankpin is decoupled from the member in said engine fails. With this arrangement, actuating manually the lock when its engine is faulty configure it in a manual mode for which it can be opened indefinitely and closed manually.

According to yet another particular embodiment of the invention in which the torque limiter comprises a spherical stop arranged in said face of said toothed wheel, and a plurality of spherical holes defining a circle in a corresponding face of said plate said spherical holes being intended to receive said spherical stop. With this arrangement, the torque limiter is included in the chainring and the wheel toothed, which reduces the manufacturing cost of the assembly.

La figure 1 est une représentation partielle de la serrure en position de repos ;

La figure 2 est une représentation partielle de la serrure en cours d'ouverture ;

La figure 3 est une représentation partielle de la serrure en position ouverte ;

La figure 4 est une vue en perspective de la roue dentée et du maneton ;

La figure 5 est une vue en perspective de la roue dentée seule ;

La figure 6 est une vue en perspective du plateau seul.

The invention will now be described in more detail, and with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate an embodiment by way of non-limiting example.

Figure 1 is a partial representation of the lock in the rest position;

Figure 2 is a partial representation of the lock during opening;

Figure 3 is a partial representation of the lock in the open position;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the gear wheel and the crankpin;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the toothed wheel alone;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the tray alone.

The lock according to the invention comprises an OV opening member capable of turn around an axis A2 to trigger the opening of the lock when it is moved from a rest position visible in Figure 1 to a open position visible in Figure 3. This OV opening member has a substantially planar arm shape having its axis of rotation A2 at a first end, and having an EN notch at a second end. It can be moved by an AC cable, or by through a drive system acting on its EN notch at level of the second end. The AC cable is linked to an external handle of the lock so that a user action on this handle external pulls on the AC cable to manually trigger the opening of the trunk by moving the opening member OV to an open position. The drive system acting on the notch is driven by a motor electric not shown and includes in particular a mobile MT crankpin rotating around an axis A1 capable of engaging in the notch EN, as visible in Figure 2, to move the OV member to the position opening visible in Figure 3, on rotation of the electric motor. This training system is generally known as assistance electric opening, and it allows the user to open the sound safe vehicle without having to act on the manual opening handle. More especially when the lock is opened by the system the MT crankpin makes a U-turn during which it engages in the EN notch to take the OV opening device from the rest position towards the open position where it emerges from the notch IN. When the crank pin emerges from the EN notch, the OV member returns in a position corresponding to the position of the open lock, under the effect of an RR return spring.

In case of engine failure in an intermediate position such as the position of FIG. 2 in which the crankpin is engaged in the notch, this MT crankpin is still mobile in rotation. In this way, the organ OV opening is not blocked in the intermediate position and the opening the trunk is still possible manually.

As shown in Figure 4 the SE drive system includes a gear RD which can rotate around an axis A1, and a plate PT in disc shape that can also rotate around an axis A1, which supports here two MT crankpins intended to actuate the OV member in turn. Wheel toothed is rotated by a motor not shown via by example a worm, and it is pressed on the plate so as to form a compact package. More particularly, the toothed wheel is linked in rotation with the PT plate while leaving this plate free to rotate by relation to the toothed wheel of a certain angular value being worth for example a half turn. This freedom of movement being achieved by a first and a second associated member for rotationally coupling the plate and the wheel. Here, the first coupling member is integral with the plate, and the second is integral with the gear wheel, but the reverse association is also possible.

As shown in Figure 5, this gear RD includes on one from its faces an oblong groove RO which defines an arc of a circle on this face. This groove receives a PE drive pin integral with the plate visible in Figure 6 and allowing the toothed wheel to rotate the tray. When the gear is rotated, one end of the RO groove reaches the PE pin and this in turn drives the plate PT in rotation. This PE training pin can also move the along the RO groove so that the plate is free to rotate one certain angle to the gear wheel. Here, the angle chosen is worth a U-turn, and the arc defined by the groove is worth a semicircle.

In case of engine failure during opening, for example when the MT crankpin is engaged in the EN notch, the user can still manually operate the handle of the lock to pull the AC cable, which pulls the crankpin through the opening organ. In a classic lock for which the crankpin is integral with the toothed wheel, the opening member is blocked by the crankpin, and the action of the user does not move this opening member. With the lock according to the invention, when the user actuates the handle, the opening member pulls on the crankpin to make it finish its course in using the U-turn which is still possible between the PT plate and the wheel toothed RD, which allows the OV member to reach the open position.

As a variant, the lock according to the invention will also comprise a limiter torque in movement linking the PT plate and the toothed wheel RD. This limiter torque has the role of stabilizing the chainring in a neutral position in the event lock motor failure. More specifically, in the event of a breakdown, when the user manually operates the lock handle, the crankpin MT is brought back to a neutral position corresponding to the visible position in FIGS. 1 and 3 for which it is not engaged in the notch EN, so that in this neutral position it does not interfere with the organ OV opening hours. The torque limiter keeps the chainring in this neutral position, so that the crankpin does not fall back into the EN notch when the user releases the handle of the lock. Without torque limiter, the MT crankpin could fall back into the EN notch and prevent a return to the rest position of the opening member OV which is would lock again in the corresponding intermediate position by example to that of figure 2.

In this variant, the torque limiter may include a stop spherical BS arranged in the toothed wheel at the level of the face comprising the oblong groove. This spherical abutment being intended to press in exerting a pressure directed along the axis A1 in spherical holes complementary TS arranged in the corresponding face of the plate PT. More particularly, the spherical holes TS will then be arranged according to a circle centered on the axis A1, so that during a relative movement of the plate relative to the toothed wheel, the spherical abutment BS will pass from one hole to another and keep the tray in the current position when the movement will be stopped. This spherical abutment can for example be mounted on a strip acting as a spring so as to facilitate relative movement of the plate PT relative to the toothed wheel RD. With this layout, the torque limiter is integrated into the chainring and the gear wheel, which reduces the manufacturing cost of the assembly.

The invention is not limited to chest locks and can be adapted to other types of locks such as door locks motor vehicles.

Claims (2)

Motor vehicle door lock, comprising a wheel (RD) intended to be rotated about an axis (A1) under the action of an electric motor, to move via a crankpin (MT ) an opening member (OV) from a closed position to an open position, said crank pin (MT) being integral with a plate (PT) rotatably mounted around said axis (A1), said lock further comprising first and second associated members for rotationally coupling the plate (PT) and the wheel (RD) carried respectively by the wheel and the plate, said first and second members comprising a drive pin (PE) and an associated groove (RO) in the shape of an arc of a circle, so that said crankpin (MT) is free to rotate about said axis (A1) at a certain angle, to avoid blocking of said opening member in the event of failure of said motor characterized in that said platform (PT) is also linked in rotation with said gear wheel e (RD) by a torque limiter so that said tray is positioned stably in a neutral position in which the crank pin (MT) is decoupled from the opening member (OV) in the event of failure of said engine. The lock of claim 1, wherein said torque limiter includes a spherical stop (BS), and a plurality of housings (TS) associated and defining a circle, said housings being intended to receive said spherical stop (BS).

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