Automobile door locking device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11085204-B2
Application number	US-201515779019-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2015
Priority date	Nov 26, 2015
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

A motor vehicle door lock apparatus includes a meshing mechanism configured to mesh with a striker, an outside operation switch, an inside handle, a locking and unlocking mechanism configured to be selectively switched to an unlocking state and a locking state that cannot be released based on a door opening operation of the inside handle, a control unit configured to authenticate a transmitter signal and, when the transmitter is situated outside a vehicle, to enable operation of the outside operation switch when authenticated and to disable operation of the outside operation switch when not authenticated and an electric releasing mechanism to release a meshing of the meshing mechanism by the control unit driving a releasing motor to activate operation of the outside operation switch when the control unit authenticates the transmitter outside the vehicle, regardless of the locking and unlocking mechanism staying in the unlocking or the locking state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A motor vehicle door lock apparatus comprising:
a meshing mechanism configured to mesh with a striker to hold a door in a closed state;
an outside handle provided on an outer side of the door and not linked mechanically with the meshing mechanism;
an outside electric operation element provided on the outer side of the door;
an inside mechanical operation element provided on an inner side of the door;
a locking and unlocking mechanism configured to be selectively switched to:
an unlocking state where a meshing of the meshing mechanism can be released based on a door opening operation of the inside mechanical operation element; and
a locking state where a meshing of the meshing mechanism cannot be released;

a control unit configured to authenticate a transmitter based on a signal emitted by the transmitter, wherein in a case where the transmitter is situated outside a vehicle, the control unit is configured to:
enable an operation of the outside electric operation element when the transmitter is authenticated; and
disable the operation of the outside electric operation element when the transmitter is not authenticated;

an electric releasing mechanism configured to release a meshing of the meshing mechanism by the control unit driving a releasing motor to activate a releasing operation based on the operation of the outside electric operation element when the control unit authenticates the transmitter outside the vehicle, regardless of the locking and unlocking mechanism being in either the unlocking state or the locking state,
an inside electric operation element provided on the inner side of the door,
wherein in a case where the transmitter is situated inside the vehicle, the control unit is configured to:
enable an operation of the inside electric operation element when the transmitter is authenticated; and
disable the operation of the inside electric operation element when the transmitter is not authenticated, and

wherein the electric releasing mechanism is configured to release the meshing of the meshing mechanism by the control unit driving the releasing motor to activate the releasing operation based on the operation of the inside electric operation element when the control unit authenticates the transmitter inside the vehicle, regardless of the locking and unlocking mechanism being in either the unlocking state or the locking state.

2. The motor vehicle door lock apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein in a case where the transmitter outside the vehicle is disposed within a predetermined area on the outer side of the door, the control unit is configured to authenticate the transmitter in association with the door and to drive the releasing motor to activate a releasing operation in relation to the electric releasing mechanism of the door associated with authentication of the transmitter outside the vehicle based on an operation of the outside electric operation element of the door.

3. The motor vehicle door lock apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein when the control unit drives the releasing motor to activate the releasing operation in relation to the electric releasing mechanism of the door associated with the authentication of the transmitter outside the vehicle, the control unit is configured to drive a locking and unlocking motor of the locking and unlocking mechanism of the door associated with the authentication and locking and unlocking motors of locking and unlocking mechanisms of other doors to activate an unlocking operation, so as to switch the locking and unlocking mechanisms to an unlocking state.

4. The motor vehicle door lock apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein in a case where locking and unlocking mechanisms of other doors other than the door associated with the authentication of the transmitter outside the vehicle stay in an unlocking state, the control unit is configured to drive the releasing motors to activate a releasing operation in relation to the electric releasing mechanisms of said other doors based on operations of the outside electric operation elements of said other doors.

5. The motor vehicle door lock apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein in a case where the transmitter inside the vehicle is disposed within a predetermined area on the inner side of the door, the control unit is configured to authenticate the transmitter in association with the door and to drive the releasing motor to activate a releasing operation in relation to the electric releasing mechanism of the door associated with authentication of the transmitter inside the vehicle based on the operation of the inside electric operation element of the door.

6. The motor vehicle door lock apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein in a case where locking and unlocking mechanisms of other doors other than the door associated with the authentication of the transmitter inside the vehicle stay in an unlocking state, the control unit is configured to drive the releasing motors to activate a releasing operation in relation to the electric releasing mechanisms of said other doors based on operations of the inside electric operation elements of said other doors.

7. The motor vehicle door lock apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein in a case where the locking and unlocking mechanisms of said other doors other than the door associated with the authentication of the transmitter inside the vehicle stay in a locking state, the control unit is configured to disable operations of the inside electric operation elements of said other doors.

8. The motor vehicle door lock apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a child proof mechanism configured to be switched to a child proof locking state where an operation of the inside mechanical operation element of one or more of the doors is disabled,
wherein in a case where the child proof mechanism stays in the child proof locking state, the control unit is configured to disable the operation of the inside electric operation element of the door in which an operation of the inside mechanical operation element is disabled by the child proof mechanism.

9. The motor vehicle door lock apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein in a case where a vehicle speed sensor detects that the vehicle is running, the control unit is configured to disable operations of the inside electric operation elements of all the doors.

10. The motor vehicle door lock apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein in a case where a vehicle speed sensor detects that the vehicle starts running from a halt state, the control unit is configured to drive locking and unlocking motors of locking and unlocking mechanisms of all the doors to activate a locking operation so as to switch the locking and unlocking mechanisms to a locking state.

Assignees

• Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corp

Inventors

• Ichinose Mikio

Classifications

• E05B81/16 Primary

  operating on locking elements for locking or unlocking action · CPC title

• E05B77/22

  Functions related to actuation of locks from the passenger compartment of the vehicle · CPC title

• E05B81/42

  Cams · CPC title

• E05B85/12

  Inner door handles · CPC title

• E05B77/32

  allowing simultaneous actuation of locking or unlocking elements and a handle, e.g. preventing interference between an unlocking and an unlatching action · CPC title