Motor vehicle door lock arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9593512-B2
Application number	US-201514815590-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2015
Priority date	Jul 31, 2014
Publication date	Mar 14, 2017
Grant date	Mar 14, 2017

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a motor vehicle door lock arrangement with a motor vehicle lock, wherein a force transmission chain is provided and wherein an actuation movement may be transmitted via the force transmission chain for opening of the motor vehicle lock, which force transmission chain is designed for a longitudinal force transmission along a longitudinal extension of movement, wherein a crash coupling arrangement is provided between two force transmission chain sections, which comprises a coupling element in the form of a coupling spring element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A motor vehicle door lock arrangement with a motor vehicle lock,
wherein a force transmission chain is provided and wherein an actuation movement may be transmitted via the force transmission chain for opening of the motor vehicle lock,
wherein a crash coupling arrangement is provided between two force transmission chain sections, which comprises a coupling element in the form of a coupling spring element,
wherein the coupling spring element can be brought into a coupling state, coupling the two force transmission chain sections, and into a decoupling state, decoupling the two force transmission chain sections,
wherein the crash coupling arrangement comprises a first link element assigned to one force transmission chain section and a second link element assigned to the other force transmission chain section,
wherein, the link elements are moveable along a longitudinal extension of movement,
wherein the coupling spring element for coupling the two force transmission chain sections may come into coupling engagement with at least one of the link elements,
wherein an inertial characteristic of the coupling spring element causes the coupling spring element to fall into or to remain in the decoupling state, when the actuation movement surpasses a rapidity threshold, and causes the coupling spring element to fall into or to remain in the coupling state, when the actuation movement is below the rapidity threshold,
wherein at least one of the link elements, in the area of interaction with the coupling spring element, is at least partly symmetric with respect to the longitudinal extension of movement, such that rotation of this link element against the rest of the crash coupling arrangement around the longitudinal extension of movement does not affect its interaction with the coupling spring element.

2. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the motor vehicle lock comprises a catch and a pawl, which is assigned to the catch, wherein the catch can be brought into an opening position and into a closed position, wherein the catch, which is in the closed position, is or may be brought into holding engagement with a lock striker, wherein the pawl may be brought into an engagement position, in which it is in blocking engagement with the catch, wherein for opening of the motor vehicle lock the pawl may be deflected into a release position, in which it releases the catch.

3. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling spring element may be brought into a catch position, in which the coupling spring element is arranged within the movement area of the first link element, and wherein the coupling spring element may be brought into a freewheel position, in which the coupling spring element is arranged outside the movement area of the first link element.

4. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling spring element comprises a first output section and a second output section, wherein the spring bias of the coupling spring element acts between the first output section and the second output section and wherein the first output section of the coupling spring element comprises an engagement section for the coupling engagement with an engagement section of the first link element.

5. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein the second output section is connected to the second link element, such that a coupling engagement between the first output section and the first link element leads to coupling of the two link elements and thereby coupling of the two force transmission chain sections.

6. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein, during actuation, the engagement section of the first link element moves along the longitudinal extension of movement and an actuation section of the first link element releases the actuation section of the coupling spring element, such that the coupling spring element moves, driven by its spring bias, into the catch position.

7. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein, during actuation, when the actuation movement surpasses the rapidity threshold, due to the inertial characteristic of the coupling spring element, the engagement section of the first link element bypasses an engagement section of the coupling spring element, before the coupling spring element reaches its catch position, such that the coupling spring element enters its decoupling state.

8. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein, during actuation, when the actuation movement is below the rapidity threshold, the engagement section of the coupling spring element reaches its catch position before the engagement section of the first link element bypasses an engagement section of the coupling spring element, such that the coupling spring element enters its coupling state.

9. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein a part of the coupling spring element, in particular the first output section of the coupling spring element, is guided in a guide contour and that a reset spring, in the non-actuated state, drives said part of the coupling spring element along the guide contour.

10. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 9 , wherein the guide contour is slanted with respect to the longitudinal extension of movement such that, in the non-actuated state, driving the coupling spring element along the guide contour by the spring bias of the reset spring leads to driving the coupling spring element into its freewheel position.

11. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein the coupling spring element is a leg spring with two legs, wherein one leg provides the first output section and wherein the other leg provides the second output section.

12. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein the first link element comprises the actuation section and the engagement section connected to it, wherein, the actuation section and/or the engagement section is/are rotationally symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal extension of movement.

13. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein the second link element is a tube like element, which receives at least part of the first link element, in particular at least part of the engagement section of the first link element.

14. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the spring bias of the coupling spring element urges the coupling spring element into its catch position.

15. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling spring element is at least partly made of an elastically bendable wire or strip.

16. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling spring element comprises an impact section, which in the installed state, due to a crash induced deformation of a part of a motor vehicle, in particular of a body part of the motor vehicle, may be driven by the deformed part, thereby driving the coupling spring element into its freewheel position.

17. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the crash coupling arrangement is provided separately from the motor vehicle lock, and/or, wherein at least one force transmission chain section is provided separately from the motor vehicle lock.

18. The motor vehicle door lock arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein at least one fo

Assignees

• Brose Schliesssysteme Gmbh

Inventors

• Rosales David
• Wittelsbuerger Michael
• Hanke Stepan

Classifications

• E05B15/04

  Spring arrangements in locks {(E05B3/065, E05B15/101, E05B15/143, E05C19/06 take precedence)} · CPC title

• E05B79/20

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

• E05C3/12

  with latching action (devices in which the securing part is formed or merely carried by a spring and moves only by distortion of the spring, e.g. snaps, E05C19/06; tilt-plate latches E05C19/007) · CPC title

• E05B77/12 Primary

  Automatic locking or unlocking at the moment of collision · CPC title

• E05B77/06 Primary

  by means of inertial forces · CPC title