Locking aid drive for a motor vehicle lock

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016177602-A1
Application number	US-201514973420-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 17, 2015
Priority date	Dec 18, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to a locking aid drive for a motor vehicle lock, with a drive housing, the locking aid drive being coupleable in terms of drive to the motor vehicle lock via a Bowden cable with Bowden cable core and Bowden cable sheath, and a driving motor with a downstream feed mechanism for producing driving movements and a coupling element for transferring the driving movements being provided. It is proposed that the coupling element can be brought, in particular by means of the drive motor, into at least one coupling position in which said coupling element is accessible from the outside for the production of a coupling of the Bowden cable to the coupling element, and otherwise is inaccessible from the outside for the production of a coupling of the Bowden cable to the coupling element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A locking aid drive for a motor vehicle lock, a drive housing being provided, the locking aid drive being coupleable in terms of drive to the motor vehicle lock via a Bowden cable with a Bowden cable core and Bowden cable sheath and a drive motor with a downstream feed mechanism for producing driving movements and a coupling element for transferring the driving movements being provided,
wherein the coupling element can be brought, in particular by means of the drive motor, into at least one coupling position in which said coupling element is accessible from the outside for the production of a coupling of the Bowden cable to the coupling element, and otherwise is inaccessible from the outside for the production of a coupling of the Bowden cable to the coupling element.

2 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coupling element is adjusted within an operating movement range during a locking aid operation.

3 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, for the coupling of the Bowden cable, a core end piece of the Bowden cable core can be brought into engagement in a form-fitting manner with the coupling element when the coupling element is in the coupling position.

4 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the form-fitting connection between coupling element and core end piece acts in the direction of the driving movements, but permits a rotational movement between coupling element and core end piece about the longitudinal extent of the Bowden cable.

5 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, for the coupling of the Bowden cable, a core end piece of the Bowden cable core is insertable into the coupling element with an installation direction substantially transverse with respect to the longitudinal extent of the Bowden cable when the coupling element is in the coupling position.

6 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drive housing has an installation channel into which the core end piece of the Bowden cable core is insertable with an installation direction substantially along the longitudinal extent of the Bowden cable.

7 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, when the coupling element is in the coupling position, the form-fitting connection between core end piece and coupling element is releasable, and wherein, when the coupling element is in the operating movement range, the release of the form-fitting connection between core end piece and coupling element is blocked, in particular by the drive housing.

8 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drive housing has a housing cutout through which the coupling element in the coupling position is accessible from the outside for the coupling of the Bowden cable.

9 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a covering element is provided which, when the Bowden cable is fitted, covers the entry point of the Bowden cable into the drive housing, and wherein, when the coupling element is in the coupling position, the covering element locks the release of the form-fitting connection between core end piece and coupling element.

10 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the covering element provides a seal in relation to the drive housing, on the one hand, and in relation to the Bowden cable sheath, on the other hand, such that the housing cutout is sealed towards the outside.

11 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the feed mechanism has an output element which is coupled to the coupling element.

12 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the feed mechanism is configured as a spindle/spindle nut mechanism with spindle and spindle nut.

13 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coupling element is guided in a longitudinally displaceable, but non-rotatable manner along the geometrical spindle axis in the drive housing.

14 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the spindle is coupled to the coupling element.

15 . A method for installing a Bowden cable on a locking aid drive as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coupling element is brought, into a coupling position in which said coupling element is accessible from the outside for the production of a coupling of the Bowden cable to the coupling element, and wherein the Bowden cable is subsequently coupled to the coupling element.

16 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the coupling position lies outside the operating movement range, or wherein the coupling position lies within the operating movement range.

17 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the coupling element has a coupling formation for this purpose.

18 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the coupling formation permits a form-fitting coupling to a Bowden cable drum which has a rotationally symmetrical configuration with respect to the longitudinal extent of the Bowden cable.

19 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the installation channel has a deflecting contour which brings about a deflection of the core end piece transversely with respect to the longitudinal extent of the Bowden cable.

20 . The locking aid drive as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the covering element is configured as a covering bush.

Assignees

• Brose Schliesssysteme Gmbh

Inventors

• Graute Ludger
• Simkin Oleg
• Bettin Axel
• Kamburg Axel

Classifications

• E05B81/25

  Actuators mounted separately from the lock and controlling the lock functions through mechanical connections · CPC title

• E05B79/20 Primary

  using flexible connections, e.g. Bowden cables · CPC title

• E05B81/32

  Details of the actuator transmission · CPC title

• F16C1/101

  Intermediate connectors for joining portions of split flexible shafts and/or sheathings · CPC title

• E05B81/20

  for assisting final closing or for initiating opening · CPC title