Motor vehicle lock

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11274474-B2
Application number	US-201515311013-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2015
Priority date	May 12, 2014
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

The aim of the invention is to provide a lock for a motor vehicle, whereby the accidental opening of said lock is prevented. To achieve this aim, a lock comprises a locking mechanism with a rotary latch and a locking pawl for arresting the rotary latch in a latch position. In order to open the lock with minimum effort, an electric drive ( 1 ) is provided by means of which drive the locking pawl can be moved directly or indirectly out of its locking position. The lock is further provided with a movable blocking pawl ( 2 ), which can impede the electric drive ( 1 ) from opening the lock. For the locking mechanism to be electrically opened, the blocking pawl ( 2 ) needs to be moved out of its blocking position and the electric drive ( 1 ) needs be to actuated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A locking mechanism having an open position and a ratchet position;
an electrical drive for opening the locking mechanism, the electrical drive having a rotatable gear wheel with which the locking mechanism is moveable out of the ratchet position and having an electromotor within an electromotor housing;
a blocking pawl having a blocking position in which the blocking pawl directly contacts the rotatable gear wheel to limit rotational movement of the rotatable gear wheel, whereby the locking mechanism is prevented from moving out of the ratchet position; and
an elastomeric stop that is directly fixed in position to the electromotor housing of the electromotor of the electrical drive, wherein the blocking pawl is movable relative to the elastomeric stop to engage and disengage the elastomeric stop, the elastomeric stop having a stop surface that is configured to be engaged by the blocking pawl for restricting the movement of the blocking pawl in the blocking position,
wherein during movement of the blocking pawl from the blocking position to a non-blocking position, the blocking pawl both mechanically activates the electrical drive and is moved out of direct contact with the rotatable gear wheel and the elastomeric stop to enable rotation of the rotatable gear wheel that moves the pawl out of the ratchet position.

2. The latch according to claim 1 , wherein the blocking pawl is not engaged with the locking mechanism when in the blocking position.

3. The latch according to claim 1 , wherein the gear wheel has a recess defined along a peripheral surface of the gear wheel and the blocking pawl reaches into the recess of the gear wheel in the blocking position.

4. The latch according to claim 3 , wherein the gear wheel is part of a gearbox.

5. The latch according to claim 1 , wherein the resilient elastomeric stop is made of plastic.

6. The latch according to claim 1 further comprising a sensor that is in communication with the electrical drive which is activated by the blocking pawl directly contacting the sensor during movement of the blocking pawl to the non-blocking position.

7. The latch according to claim 6 , wherein the sensor is a microswitch.

8. The latch according to claim 1 further comprising a triggering lever that is pivoted by the electrical drive to open the locking mechanism.

Assignees

• Kiekert Ag

Inventors

• Fuchs Carsten

Classifications

• E05B77/40 Primary

  Lock elements covered by silencing layers, e.g. coatings · CPC title

• E05B81/06

  using rotary motors · CPC title

• E05B81/56

  Control of actuators · CPC title

• E05B81/34

  of geared transmissions · CPC title

• E05B81/64

  Monitoring or sensing, e.g. by using switches or sensors · CPC title