EP1926870A1

EP1926870A1 - Driving device for actuating a latch via a lock

Info

Publication number: EP1926870A1
Application number: EP06793504A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Fabrice Giacomin
Original assignee: Valeo Securite Habitacle SAS
Current assignee: Valeo Comfort and Driving Assistance SAS
Priority date: 2005-09-15
Filing date: 2006-09-14
Publication date: 2008-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 2026-09-14
Also published as: EP1926870B1; US8262143B2; KR101364897B1; CN101305144A; JP5004957B2; CN101305144B; WO2007031549A1; KR20080050487A; BRPI0616032A2; FR2890679B1; FR2890679A1; JP2009508027A; US20080224479A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a driving device (30) for actuating a latch via a lock, in particular for a motor vehicle door system, comprising a coupling element (40) whereof the ends are respectively adapted to be rotatably coupled with a part of the lock mounted axially mobile in rotation and with a part of the latch mounted axially mobile in rotation. The invention is characterized in that the driving device (30) comprises over the entire length of the body of the coupling element at least one rigid plastic cylinder fixed on the coupling element body, and in that the fixed cylinder(s) is/are separated from the coupling element body and freely rotates when a torque is exerted upon them the value of which is strictly lower than that of the torque required for interrupting the drive train of the rotational movement between the lock and the coupling element.

Description

DRIVE DEVICE FOR ACTUATING A LOCK WITH A LATCH

The present invention relates to a drive device which is intended for the actuation of a lock from a lock.

The invention finds a particularly advantageous, but not exclusive, application in the field of closures of opening of motor vehicles.

In a motor vehicle door, the lock and the lock associated therewith are generally located at a distance from one another, and especially at different heights. For the lock to be able to control the implementation of the lock despite this particular relative positioning, it is known to use a drive device mechanically connecting the movable portion of said lock to that of said lock. The drive device is generally in the form of a rotational connecting element, one end of which is coupled with a portion movable in axial rotation of the lock via a cardan type connection. The other end of the connecting element is also coupled in rotation, always by cardan connection, but this time with a movable part in axial rotation of the lock. Commonly, the moving parts in rotation concerned are respectively constituted by the barrel of the lock and the external control lever of the lock.

This type of arrangement, however, has the disadvantage of being extremely vulnerable in terms of inviolability. The link element proves indeed relatively accessible from the outside, if initially removing the rubber part which seals between the glass and the outer sheet metal panel of the door, and if in a second time as far as possible said panel of said glass, using for example an inflatable balloon. It is then not difficult to clear enough space to allow the insertion of a pliers manifold in order to tighten the connecting element to forcefully drive the latter. The cardan is certainly retained by the lock, but by applying a sufficiently large torque, it is possible to break at least one component of the transmission chain rotation, that is to say to cause a break inside. latch and / or at the level of the connecting element and / or the interface of these two bodies. If a torque then continues to be applied to it via the clamp, the connecting element will be rotated effectively. As the connecting element is also still coupled with the control lever of the lock, its rotation will therefore cause the unlocking of said lock. All that remains is to pull the handle and the door opens. In order to substantially reduce the vulnerability of such a device, it is generally proposed to add a fixed cover covering the connecting element.

Another way is to increase the torque resistance of the connecting element.

Unfortunately, these different solutions have the disadvantage of increasing the size.

Also the technical problem to be solved, by the object of the present invention, is to propose a driving device for actuating a lock from a lock, in particular for a closing system of a motor vehicle door, comprising a connecting element whose ends are respectively capable of being coupled in rotation with a portion mounted in axial rotation of the lock on the one hand, and with a portion mounted to rotate axially of the lock on the other hand, a driving device which would make it possible to avoid the problems of the state of the art by notably offering a reduced footprint and a significantly improved level of inviolability.

The present invention relates to a drive device for actuating a lock from a lock, in particular for a closing system of a motor vehicle door, comprising a connecting element 30 whose longitudinal body 40 presents ends 43 and 44, respectively adapted to be coupled in rotation with a portion mounted to rotate axially of the latch 10 on the one hand, and with a portion mounted to rotate axially of the lock 20 on the other hand, characterized in that that the body 40 of the connecting element comprises at least one cylinder 50, made of rigid plastic material, fixed on said body 40, so that the longitudinal portions of the body 40 left visible are less than 20 mm (millimeters).

The term "visible longitudinal portions" of the body of the connecting element, the parts, uncovered or protected by the plastic cylinder, considered in the longitudinal direction of the body of the connecting element.

Moreover, the plastic material will be said to be rigid because having a low, or very low, elastic deformation. Examples of plastic used include POM (polyoxymethylene), PA (polyamide), PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PU (polyurethanes), or epoxies.

The longitudinal portions of the body left exposed have been limited to 20 mm (millimeters), to make it more difficult to attack the device by a conventional tool that grips an apparent zone, that is to say not completely covered or protected by the cylinders. of the body the connecting element and thus to force its rotation.

Other advantages of the invention will be apparent in the following optional features: the rolls are overmolded on the body of the connecting element, the plastic material of the overmolded rolls has a coefficient of friction on the body of the connecting element, less than 0.4 - the overmolded rolls are interconnected by at least one overmolded connection zone the rolls are fixed on the body of the connecting element, by gluing, the longitudinal portions of the body 40 left Apparent are less than 12 mm and preferably less than 5 mm, in this configuration it proves impossible for a conventional tool used to force the drive device to be able to tighten an area, not completely covered or protected by cylinders, of the body the connecting element and thus to force its rotation by force, the torque exerted on a cylinder so that it disengages from the body of the element is strictly less than the torque necessary to break the chain of transmission of the rotational movement between the lock and the connecting element, the body of the element connection is made of metal or ceramic, the ends of the body of the connecting element, are molded, the plastic material of the cylinders, fixed on the body of the connecting element, consists of a matrix and a reinforcement , the plastic material of the cylinders, fixed on the body of the connecting element, is either

POM, either PA or PBT, possibly with reinforcement, the cylinder, fixed on the body of the connecting element, covers almost all, - a plurality of cylinders fixed on the body of the element of liaison, covers almost all of it.

The plastic cylinders being overmoulded or fixed by gluing, the action on one or more cylinders, of a torque less than the torque necessary to break the transmission chain of the rotational movement between the lock and the connecting element, will prove sufficient for them to disengage from the body of the connecting element, and then become free in rotation relative thereto.

On the other hand, after uncoupling, as the rolls have been molded or fixed by gluing, the cylinder or cylinder interface more glue with the body of the connecting element is zero clearance. From this In fact, the device according to the invention has a reduced level of vibration.

On the other hand, thanks to their intrinsic rigidity, the protection cylinders are able to withstand individually the deformation forces likely to be applied to them, especially during an attempt to crush by means of a clamp. In this respect, it is understood that the intrinsic rigidity of the rolls can come in particular from the nature of the material component and / or its structure and / or its dimensioning.

In the context of the invention, the fact that the protective rolls are rigid means that they are substantially indeformable with respect to at least crushing forces that can be generated by manually implementing a classic clamping tool.

The ideal is of course that the protective cylinders do not deform at all, so as to preserve their freedom in axial rotation relative to the connecting element. There is then no possibility to drive in axial rotation the connecting element from the outside, which reinforces the inviolability of the closure system. However, a comparable result can be obtained if the protective cylinders are deformed a little. Indeed, when the crushing is not too large, the clamping between the protective cylinders and the connecting element is insufficient to be able to transmit a high enough torque to break one of the components of the lock. It has a torque transmissible by the protective cylinders, but it is much lower than the torque needed to break the chain of protection. transmission of the rotational movement between the lock and the connecting element.

The term "covers almost all of the connecting element", the fact that at least 90% of the surface of the connecting element is covered by rolls overmolded or fixed by gluing.

The coefficient of friction μ is commonly understood to mean the ratio of the friction force to a force, usually gravity, acting perpendicular to the two contact surfaces.

Thanks to a low coefficient of intrinsic friction, the protective cylinders, after having disengaged from the body of the connecting element, are found free in axial rotation. There is then no possibility to drive in axial rotation the connecting element from the outside, which reinforces the inviolability of the closure system. It is understood that the low coefficient of intrinsic friction of the rolls comes from the nature of the material composing them.

The invention as defined thus has the advantage of protecting the portion of the connecting element which is neither integrated in the lock nor integrated into the lock, and which is theoretically accessible in the closing systems of the prior art. During a force attack using a clamp, overmolded cylinders will separate and be able to rotate freely around the body of the connecting element. The cylinders therefore form a movable interface which prevents direct gripping of the connecting element, and avoids that a torque can be applied axially to the latter in order to force the closure system to which the drive device is associated . It will therefore be impossible to transmit a sufficient torque to the lock and unlock the door.

The present invention also relates to the features which will emerge during the following description, which should be considered in isolation or in all their possible technical combinations.

The description given by way of non-limiting example, relates to an embodiment relating to the fixing of rolls by overmolding. Of course the same functions could be obtained with the fixing of the cylinders by gluing. This description will make it easier to understand how the invention can be realized, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a motor vehicle door, which is provided with a closure system comprising a lock and a lock coupled via a drive device according to the invention.

Figure 2 specifically illustrates the driving device of Figure 1, which is in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 specifically illustrates the driving device of Figure 1, which is in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

For the sake of clarity, the same elements have been designated by identical references. Likewise, only the essential elements for understanding the invention have been represented, and this without regard to the scale and in a schematic manner.

FIG. 1 illustrates a door 100 of a motor vehicle which conventionally has a closure system 1 composed essentially of a lock 10 and of a lock 20. Concretely, the lock 10 is implanted through an outer panel 101 of the door 100 via a holding module 102 which further supports an opening handle 103. The assembly is arranged so that the head 11 of the lock 10 opens on the outside. The lock 20 is arranged more inside the door 100, beyond a window 104 which extends here in the background. In this first representation, it is noted that the lock 10 and the lock 20 are arranged at a distance from one another, and at different heights. However, in order for the latch 10 to perform its main function, that is to say to condemn and / or unlock the lock 20, the closure system 1 is furthermore provided with a drive device 30 mechanically connecting a moving part. said lock 10 to a movable part of said lock 20. In this particular embodiment, given solely by way of example, the driving device 30 is rotatably coupled with respectively the barrel 12 of the lock 10 and a control lever 21 of the lock 20. It should be noted that the control lever 21 in question here has a swallowing cone allowing it to cooperate in drive with the drive device 30 despite the offset of the axis of the lock 10 relative to the axis of the lock 20. It is also observed that the lock 20 has only been partially shown here for reasons of clarity.

As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 2, the driving device 30 is provided with a connecting element 40 whose ends 43, 44 are respectively able to be coupled in rotation by gimbal-type links with a portion mounted to rotate axially of the latch 10, namely the barrel 12, and with a portion mounted to rotate axially of the lock 20, in the occurrence of the control lever 21.

The connecting element 40 is made of steel which makes it possible to reduce its section relative to the Zamak or to the plastic, without reducing its resistance to torque.

The entire drive device 30 and in particular the two ends 43, 44 being difficult to achieve in steel, it flattened initially the ends of the steel body of the connecting element 40 and then there is overmolded both ends coupling 43 and 44.

In addition and in accordance with the object of the present invention, the driving device 30 comprises, on the steel body of the connecting elements 40, one or a plurality of rolls 50 overmolded of rigid plastic material and low coefficient friction.

According to the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the protective cylinders are distributed over the entire length of the element 40, with a small space separating one cylinder from another, and a small space separating the outer cylinders from the endpieces. This low space is necessary to prevent a tool, used to force the closure system, to access an area not covered with the element 40.

On the other hand, to facilitate the injection operation, the rolls are overmoulded during a single operation with a reduced number of points. injection. For this, one or more small channels are arranged in the mold between the areas useful for overmolding cylinders. The material to be injected can thus pass from an area intended for overmoulding from one cylinder to another. At the withdrawal of the mold, the resultant is a plurality of cylinders with a connecting zone 60 between them. Preferably, for cylinders 10 mm long and 1 mm thick, the bonding zones will be 5/10 to 1 mm wide, 1 mm thick and 5 mm long.

The plastic used in accordance with the present invention must have good mechanical strength and a coefficient of friction μ on the steel less than 0.4. POM (polyoxymethylene), PA (polyamide) or PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) are examples of materials with such characteristics. These different materials can be used loaded or not.

The connecting element is generally dimensioned to be able to accept a torque of at least 5 Nm (Newton meter) before breaking.

According to the present invention, when a tool used to force the closure system, squeezes the connecting element, it is inevitably in contact with the surface of one or more protective cylinders which, at this stage, are secured to the steel body of the connecting element by a plastic / steel connection. Due to the low bond strength, a torque of the order of 1 to 2 Nm (Newton meter), much lower than the torque (> 5 Nm) required to break the chain of transmission of the rotational movement between the lock and the connecting element, is sufficient to cause the separation of the cylinder or cylinders with which the tool was in contact. Once disconnected, the cylinder (s) can / can rotate freely about the axis of the connecting element. It is understood that the connection areas between two cylinders, given their reduced size, will quickly break. The cylinder (s) form / form a kind of mobile interface which prevents the direct gripping of the connecting element, and avoids / avoid that a torque can be applied axially to the latter in order to force the closing system to which the driving device is associated.

In the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, a single cylinder 50 covers substantially all of the steel body 40 of the connecting element. The body 40 of the connecting element 30 designates indeed all the central part extending between the two interfaces 43 and 44 which are intended to be coupled in rotation with respectively the lock 10 and the lock 20, which as such are intended to be integrated within said lock 10 and said lock 20, and which are therefore virtually inaccessible.

In a similar manner to the first embodiment, when a tool used to force the closing system, tightens the connecting element 30, it is inevitably in contact with the surface of the protective cylinder 50, which at this stage is integral with the steel body 40 of the connecting element 30 by a plastic / steel connection. Due to the low bonding force, a torque of the order of 1 to 2 Nm, much lower than the torque (> 5 Nm) necessary to break the transmission chain of the rotational movement between the lock and the connecting element , is sufficient to cause the separation of the protective cylinder 50 with which the tool was in contact. Once uncoupled, the cylinder 50 can rotate freely about the axis of the connecting element 30. The cylinder 50 then forms a kind of mobile interface that prevents direct gripping of the connecting element 30, and avoid that a torque may be axially applied to the latter for the purpose of forcing the closure system to which the driving device is associated. Of course, the invention also relates to any closure system 1 provided with a lock 10 and a lock 20, wherein said lock 10 is able to actuate said lock 20 via a device drive 30, as previously described.

Even more generally, the invention is furthermore related to any motor vehicle equipped with at least one closure system 1 as previously described.

Claims

1. Drive device for the actuation of a lock from a lock, in particular for a closure system of a motor vehicle door, comprising a connecting element 30 whose longitudinal body 40 has ends 43 and 44, respectively adapted to be coupled in rotation with a portion mounted to rotate axially of the lock 10 on the one hand, and with a portion mounted to rotate axially of the lock 20 on the other hand, characterized in that the body 40 of the connecting element comprises at least one cylinder 50, rigid plastic material, fixed on said body 40, so that the longitudinal portions of the body 40 visible are less than 20 mm (millimeters).

2. Drive device according to the claim

1, characterized in that the rolls are overmoulded on the body 40.

3. Drive according to the claim

2, characterized in that the plastic material of the overmolded rolls 50 has a coefficient of friction on the body 40 of less than 0.4.

4. Drive device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the overmolded cylinders 50 are interconnected by at least one overmolded bonding zone 60.

5. Drive device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cylinders are fixed on the body 40, by gluing.

6. Drive device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the longitudinal portions of the body 40 visible are less than 12 mm and preferably less than 5 mm.

7. Drive device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the torque exerted on a cylinder 50 so that it disengages the body 40 is strictly less than the torque required to break the transmission chain of the movement of rotation between the lock 10 and the connecting element.

8. Drive device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body 40 is made of metal or ceramic.

9. Drive device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ends 43 and 44 of the body 40 are overmolded.

10. Drive device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plastics of the cylinders 50, fixed on the body 40, consists of a matrix and a reinforcement.

11. Drive device according to claim 10, characterized in that the plastics of the rolls 50, fixed on the body 40, is either the POM or PA or PBT.

12. Drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the cylinder 50, fixed on the body 40, covers substantially the entire body 40.

13 Drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that a plurality of cylinders 50, fixed on the body 40, covers substantially the entire body 40.

14. Locking system comprising a lock and a lock, characterized in that said lock is adapted to actuate said lock via a drive device according to any one of the preceding claims.

15. Motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises at least one closure system according to the preceding claim.