KR101871517B1

KR101871517B1 - Motor vehicle door latch

Info

Publication number: KR101871517B1
Application number: KR1020127008687A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 루드거 그라우트
Original assignee: 키커트 악티엔게젤샤프트
Priority date: 2009-11-14
Filing date: 2010-11-11
Publication date: 2018-06-27
Also published as: RU2560394C2; WO2011057618A1; CN102575491A; EP2499315B1; KR20120107929A; EP2499315A1; DE202009015560U1; RU2012117513A; CN102575491B

Abstract

The gist of the present invention is a vehicle door latch, whose basic design is provided with locking mechanisms 3, 4 and lever systems 5, 8, 9. The lever systems 5, 8 and 9 have at least two levers 5 and 8, which are interconnected at an angle and interact with each other. According to the invention, in the region of the housing opening 17, the two levers 5, 8 are coupled to each other in a pivotal manner by means of detachable plug connections 15, 16.

Description

A motor vehicle door latch

The present invention relates to a vehicle door latch with a lever system and a locking mechanism having at least two levers connected to each other at an angle and interacting with each other.

The lever system may be an operating lever system and / or a locking lever system. The general prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1 mainly describes a vehicle door latch including an inner locking lever and a main locking lever. The inner locking lever is actuated by the inner locking button with the help of the rod. The inner locking lever and the main locking lever are disposed orthogonally to each other.

In order to transmit the operating movement of the inner locking button to the main locking lever through the inner locking lever, the head of the inner locking lever is pivotally engaged with the seat of the main locking lever. This generally proves to be a successful device. However, this device does not care about the problem of housing sealing. Indeed, for example, in an apparatus in which an internal locking is provided by an internal locking button, a connection between the internal locking lever and the internal locking button or between the rods disposed therebetween must be provided. This requires a housing to include a somewhat wide opening in which the main elements of the vehicle door latch are received and protected.

To this extent, some attempts have already been made as part of another prior art disclosed in Patent Document 2. Here, Patent Document 2 describes a detachable connection between the vehicle door latch and the inner locking rod attached to the outer panel of the door. The inner locking rod is pivotally connected to the locking lever through an opening provided in the outer panel of the door. For this purpose, one end of the locking rod includes a coupling member extending through the opening. The opening permits the assembly of the coupling member and is adapted to the swivel region of the locking lever provided therein.

In this embodiment, it is clear that the assembly is relatively complicated since the coupling member disposed at the end of the locking rod must ultimately be located on the push-on axle and must also be connected to the locking lever. This device requires special skills and / or additional tools during assembly. Thus, the assembly is complex and expensive.

Patent Document 1: DE 39 08 183A1 Patent Document 2: DE 25 36 431B2

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems.

The present invention is based on the technical problem of developing a vehicle door latch in such a manner that most of the sealed housings are provided within the area of the opening that is particularly required, except for providing a simple assembly.

In order to solve these technical problems, a comprehensive vehicle door latch according to the present invention comprises two levers which are interconnected at a certain angle and interact with each other through detachable plug connections in the area of the housing opening, Or connected or connected to each other.

Thus, the present invention is based on a specific connection between two levers interconnected at a certain angle, i.e., a detachable plug connection. As a result, the connection between the two levers can be facilitated and can also be released again when necessary, for example during the repair of the vehicle door latch and / or associated vehicle doors. The detachable plug connection mentioned above is also provided in the region of the housing opening. Thus, the plug connection can be directly connected so that the plug connection can be made easily and separated again when needed. There is also a substantial choice to seal the housing opening in question with the aid of plug connections within the area of the housing opening.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, one of the levers connected to each other at an angle and interacting with each other comprises a plug. Therefore, this lever can be referred to as a "plug lever ". The other lever, on the other hand, includes a pocket in which the plug engages. In order to differentiate this lever from the plug lever, this lever will be referred to as a "pocket lever" hereinafter. The pocket is open at one side thereof and the plug engages the pocket from its side. Thus, the detachable plug connection is also designed as a lateral clamping connection.

The pocket of the pocket lever generally includes a spring-loaded side jaw for holding the plug of the plug lever. In this manner, the plug is releasably retained in the pocket between the two elastic side encounters. The plug can be easily inserted between the elastic side jaws of the pocket and can be removed again in the clamping seat or lateral clamping connection produced when needed. Generally, the pocket protrudes vertically from the first lever or the pocket lever. The design is also generally made such that the pocket extends from the pocket lever to the housing opening. Thus, the detachable plug connection is easily provided within the area of the housing opening. The pocket also at least partially ensures that the housing opening is completely or partially covered.

In most cases, the pocket includes a duct for receiving the plug, which extends upwardly from the housing opening to the interior of the housing. As a result, the lever containing the plug is guided and inserted into the housing opening, and then the plug can be inserted into the pocket or duct along the layout of the pocket.

As the plug extends vertically from the plug lever, the pocket generally has a lateral opening slit for the plug. Also, the duct of the pocket that receives the plug generally extends vertically into the housing opening. The plug lever and the pocket lever are also simply coupled in the same vertical direction by a vertically inserted plug into the side jaw pocket. Here, after plug insertion, the side jaws elastically open and surround the inserted plug. The two side encounters are spaced apart by the aperture slots disposed therebetween such that when the two levers are engaged, the plug can slide along the aperture slots.

After being coupled to the pocket lever to define the rotation axis, in order to ensure that the plug lever is not unintentionally (again) detached from the pocket using a detachable plug connection after this coupling process of the two levers, To the housing. For this purpose, the plug lever includes an opening at one end, which is in alignment with the associated opening in the housing. A cotter pin or bolt is then inserted through the two aligned openings to define the axis of rotation.

Generally, the plug lever is designed as an angle lever. Indeed, this design has proven advantageous for plug levers that will be L-shaped. Either way, each binary lever includes a rotary arm and a connecting arm. The rotary arm includes a rotary shaft for operating a cotter pin or bolt, or a plug lever, at one end thereof. On the other hand, the termination of the connecting arm for attaching the connecting arm to, for example, a rod assembly or other actuating means for establishing a connection with an internal locking button or other internal locking means comprises a connecting lug or similar connecting means .

Generally, the rotary arm includes a plug, so that the rotary arm and the plug are primarily disposed within the housing. This means that the rotary arm basically enters the housing vertically through the housing opening and is pivotally connected to the housing by bolts or cotter pins on its rotational axis. Conversely, the plug of the plug lever is disposed within the region of the housing opening, wherein the plug detachably engages within the pocket of the pocket lever. In general, the device will be designed in such a way that the size of the housing opening corresponds to the size of the pocket opening. This minimally reduces the remaining uncovered area of the housing opening adjacent the pocket opening, so that there is little or no opening for entering water, dust or the like into the housing.

As already explained, the plug lever is partially disposed within the housing together with the rotary arm. Conversely, the entire pocket lever is disposed within the housing. As a result, only the connecting arms of the plug levers extend out of the housing and thus protrude from the housing opening, for example, to provide the desired connection of the plug lever with the inner locking button. In this case, the plug lever and the pocket lever are each designed with a locking lever having a lever system which is advantageously a locking lever system. In particular, the device can be designed in such a way that the plug lever is an internal locking lever while the pocket lever is a main locking lever or a central locking lever.

The above structure is of course only one example of the present invention, as the detachable plug connection described above in the area of the housing opening can be used naturally in an operating lever system with each designed operating lever, It is not a scope. Normally, however, one locking lever or a plurality of locking levers are wholly or partly projected from the associated housing of the vehicle door latch, and thus the locking lever and locking lever system are used in the present invention and routinely.

Finally, the spring-loaded side jaws of the pocket or pocket may include locking protrusions and locking indentations. Even using such a plurality of locking protrusions and locking depressions to define various positions of the plug compared to pockets or ducts extending into the interior of the housing can be realized. It is possible to detachably fix the plug in the duct at various "height positions" relative to the duct with the aid of these locking protrusions and locking depressions arranged in the direction of the duct. As a result, various mounting positions of the levers can be matched, for example, in the case of other vehicle door latches, other housings, and the like.

Thus, a vehicle door latch is provided that provides the advantages of simple and functional installation of individual doors. A particular challenge is to improve water management. This task is accomplished when the vehicle door latch including the housing is complete and can be sealed, for example. Only after this step the invention proposes, for example, a selection for connecting the inner locking lever to the main locking lever in the housing, so that these levers interact with one another. This significantly simplifies installation and reduces costs. In one example, this means that the associated vehicle door latch is covered and the locking lever is installed after the housing is installed.

All while keeping the housing opening as small as possible. This is only due to the fact that the housing opening, in which the plug of the plug lever is somewhat more or less vertically inserted, has to accommodate the pocket of the pocket lever, thus saving space. In addition, the housing opening must ensure that the plug lever can perform pivoting motion about the axis of rotation on its rotary arm, which is required for the operation of the pocket lever. As in this specification and according to the present invention, the rotation axis is provided at the end of the rotary arm and provides the largest lever arm that is capable of this arrangement, while the plug and the pocket are described in the region of the housing opening, State. The lever arm extends substantially along the entire housing from its base or frame box to the cover or cover plate. As a result, the inner locking lever can be operated without requiring relatively little operating travel, and the position of the main locking lever can be easily changed with the aid of the inner locking lever or the central locking lever.

As a result, the present invention provides a device that proposes a rigid installation and the smallest possible housing opening cross-section, so that any malfunction caused by water and / or dirt inflow can be minimized. These points are the main advantages of the present invention.

1 is a front view of a vehicle door latch according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a rear view of the vehicle door latch of Fig. 1; Fig.
FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C are detailed and partial views of the object shown in FIG. 1, together with a removed housing cover or cover.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings showing only one embodiment.

The accompanying drawings first illustrate a vehicle door latch including a housing 1 having a partition 2. The housing 1 houses the locking lever 5, the coupling lever 6 and the operating lever 7 according to the front view of Fig. 1, as well as the locking mechanisms 3 and 4 shown from the rear of Fig. The figures also show an inner locking lever 8 and an outer locking lever 9. The apparatus further comprises drive units (10, 11, 12).

The drive units 10, 11 and 12 operate on the motor or electric motor 10, the drive worm 11 and the locking lever or main locking lever 5 and are driven by the motor to at least the "unlocking position" Quot; position ". Similarly, the inner locking lever 8 and the outer locking lever 9 can move the locking lever or the main locking lever 5 to the respective "unlocking position" or "locking position".

Figure 1 shows the locking lever 5 in the "unlocking position". In order to move the locking lever 5 to the "locking position ", the locking lever 5 must be turned counterclockwise about each rotary shaft 13, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. This turning is carried out by an electric motor 10 operating in accordance therewith, so that the locking lever 5 operates counterclockwise around the rotary shaft 13 with the help of the worm gear 12 by the coupling gear . Alternatively, it is possible for the inner locking lever 8 to operate in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. As a result, the inner locking lever 8 pivots around the rotary shaft 14 and causes the locking lever 5 to move in the counterclockwise direction again. However, the inner locking lever 8 is moved in the locking lever 5 Or the plug 15 in the plug retainer 16 disposed on the locking lever 5.

The force applied on the inner locking lever 8 in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1 results in moving the plug 15 in the same direction, followed by the plug retainer 16 interacting with the plug. During this process, the locking lever 5, in any case, turns in a counterclockwise direction and moves from the previously assumed "unlocking" position to the "locking" position. For this purpose, the inner locking lever 8 can be provided with an inner locking button (not shown) in a manner as shown in detail in the patent document 1 already outlined above and can also be connected to an inner locking lever have.

Similarly, the locking lever 5 can be pivoted with the aid of the outer locking lever 9. For this purpose, the outer locking lever 9 can be operated in the direction of the arrow indicated in Fig. For example, the outer locking lever 9 is connected to a locking cylinder. As soon as the key is inserted into the locking cylinder and rotates in the "locking" direction, the movement associated therewith is such that the outer locking lever 9 is pivoted in the direction of the arrow about the rotational axis 13, And also acts counterclockwise according to the locking lever 5.

The catch 3 of the locking mechanisms 3 and 4 as well as the external locking lever 9 is also disposed on the rotary shaft 13 except for the locking lever 5 or the main locking lever 5. Indeed, the locking mechanisms 3, 4 include a catch 3 and a pole 4 (pawl) that interacts with the catch 3 and engages the closed catch 3. This catch and pole are made up of a common design. On the one hand the locking mechanisms 3 and 4 and the locking lever or main locking lever 5 and on the other hand the coupling lever 6 and the release lever 7 are received in the housing 1, It is obvious that they are on opposite sides of the partition 2.

This arrangement allows the locking lever 5, the coupling lever 6 and the actuating lever 7 to be located at a level below the partition 2 and consequently below the locking mechanisms 3, 4 with respect to Figure 2 . In other possible arrangements, the locking lever 5, the coupling lever 6 and the actuating lever 7 may be located above the locking mechanisms 3, 4. As a result, other types of door latches, such as, for example, so-called left-hand latches and so-called right-hand latches, can be fabricated while maintaining a basic design.

Particular features of the vehicle door latches, including the door latches described above, or the locking bolts not specifically shown, which cooperate with the locking mechanisms 3, 4 configured as above, are described below. 1, the locking lever or main locking lever 5 and the inner locking lever 8 as well as the outer locking lever 9 constitute a lever system 5, 8, 9, Which are designed as locking lever systems 5, 8 and 9 in the example. In this arrangement, while the plug 15 on the inner locking lever 8 is engaged in the plug retainer 16 on the locking lever or the main locking lever 5, the two levers 5, 8 are connected to each other at an angle And interact with each other. In this embodiment, the levers 5, 8 are arranged orthogonal to each other, which is of course not an essential arrangement.

In fact, the two levers 5, 8 already mentioned are coupled to each other in a pivoting manner by detachable plug connections 15, 16 in the area of the housing opening 17. In particular, this means that the inner locking lever 8 includes a vertically extending plug 15 in the inner locking lever 8. In this way, the inner locking lever 8 is designed as a plug lever 8. The plug 15 is engaged on the other lever 5, that is, in the pocket 16 formed thereby or on the plug retainer 16 on the side. As a result, as a whole, the locking lever or the main locking lever 5 is designed as the pocket lever 5. In addition, a lateral clamping connection exists between the plug 15 and the laterally open pocket 16.

In particular, the pocket or plug retainer 16 includes two side jaws 16b and a base 16a, and two side jaws 16b are connected to the base. The two side jaws 16b are elastic load encounters and perform the function of supporting the plugs 15. A basic U-shaped cross-section of the pocket 16 is obtained as essentially two side jaws 16b extend vertically at the base 16a of the pocket 16. [ As a result, the pocket 16 features the lateral opening slit 18 on the side opposite base 16a. As a result, the two side jaws 16b are spaced from each other in consideration of the opening slit 18 disposed therebetween.

This lateral opening slit 18 ensures that only one portion of the plug 15 is contained within the pocket 16 and can be laterally contained within the pocket and that the plug is also coupled to the plug lever or inner locking lever 8 do. As the pocket 16 is vertically extended in the locking lever or the main locking lever or the pocket lever 5, it is inserted into the pocket 16 (associated) with the plug 15, which is essentially perpendicular to the plane of the projection in Fig. The interlocking between the inner locking lever 8 and the locking lever 5 is caused by the inner locking lever or the plug lever 8, During this process, the two side jaws 16b are opened and releasably hold the plug 15 contained within the pocket 16. In order to provide a detachable connection, each resilient load side jaw 16b has a locking projection 19 in the longitudinal direction and an associated indentation 20. In this manner, it is possible to releasably secure the plug 15 to another "height" in the pocket 16, as is evident from the longitudinal cross-section of the pocket 16 as shown in Fig. 3b.

As the pocket 16 extends into the housing opening 17 or into the area of the housing opening 17, the housing opening 17 is at least partially filled by the pocket 16 or the pocket opening 21 thereof. As the pocket opening 21 itself is almost completely filled with the plug 15 together with the locking protrusion 19 the housing opening 17 is substantially aligned with the housing opening 17 and the pocket 21 protruding into the pocket opening 21. [ (16).

In some cases, the pocket 16 extends from the housing opening 17 into the interior of the housing. As a result, a duct for receiving the plug 15 is formed between the two side jaws 16b, and the base 16a of the pocket 16 with the duct also extends from the housing opening 17 toward the interior of the housing And extends vertically in the direction of the locking lever or the main locking lever 5.

3A to 3C, it is clear that the entire locking lever or the main locking lever 5 or the pocket lever 5 is in the housing 1. [ Alternatively, the inner locking lever or plug lever 8 at least partly protrudes from the housing 1 and is partly disposed outside the housing 1. [ The illustrated vehicle door latches including the cover 22 for the housing 1 as the detachable plug connection 15 and 16 are located between the two levers 5 and 8 in the area of the housing opening 17. [ Can be assembled (preliminary).

When the cover 22 is in place, the inner locking lever 8 is coupled to the locking lever 5 in a pivotable manner and a detachable plug connection 15, 16 is constructed. For this purpose, the plug lever or inner locking lever 8 as compared to the housing opening 17 is detachable to the pocket lever or the main locking lever 5 by a vertical insertion movement (orthogonal to the plane of the projection in FIG. 1) Lt; / RTI > After this engagement of the plug lever 8 and this engagement of the pocket lever 5 a cotter pin or bolt 23 is then inserted into the housing 1 and the rotation axis 14 for the pocket lever or inner locking lever 8 ). For the region of this rotary shaft 14, the pocket lever or inner locking lever 8 engages the housing 1 in a pivoting manner by a cotter pin or bolt 23 inserted in the aligned opening.

The lever arm reaching the plug 15 from the rotary shaft 14 as the rotary shaft 14 is positioned at the end of the rotary arm 8a of the plug lever 8 in the base of the housing 1 is almost And extends over the entire thickness S. As a result, a relatively large torque can be applied on the main locking lever 5 by the inner locking lever 8 via the detachable plug connection 15, 16, Only some swiveling motion of the inner locking lever 8 about the center 14 is required. As a result, only a relatively small housing opening 17 is required in order to allow pivoting movement of the inner locking lever 8.

Except for the already mentioned rotary arm 8a, which has a limited rotational axis 14 at its end, the plug lever 8 also comprises a connecting arm 8b, which, for example, Button. The rotary arm 8a of the plug lever 8 supports the plug 15.

In this embodiment, the plug lever or inner locking lever 8 is designed as an angular lever, preferably an L-shaped angular lever. On the other hand, the locking lever or main locking lever 5 is a flat lever having an overall flat profile parallel to the partition 2. Of course, this is only an example and not a complete range of the invention.

Claims

8, 9 with a locking mechanism 3, 4 and at least two levers 5, 8, the levers 5, 8 being interconnected at an angle and interacting with each other Are coupled to each other in a pivotal manner by detachable plug connections (15, 16) in the area of the housing opening (17)
One lever 8 comprises a plug 15 coupled in a pocket 16 on the other lever 5 and the pocket 16 includes an elastic load side jaw 16a, 16b, spring-loaded side jaws.

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A vehicle door latch according to claim 1, characterized in that the pocket (16) extends orthogonally from the lever (5) and upward into the housing opening (17).

The vehicle door latch of claim 1, wherein the pocket (16) defines a duct that receives the plug (15) and extends from the housing opening (17) into the housing.

6. The vehicle door latch of claim 5, wherein the duct is essentially orthogonally disposed with respect to the housing opening (17).

The vehicle door latch of claim 1, wherein the pocket (16) includes a side opening slit (18) for the plug (15).

2. The vehicle door latch of claim 1, wherein the size of the housing opening (17) is adapted to the size of the pocket opening (21).

2. Vehicle door latch according to claim 1, characterized in that one lever (5) is arranged in the housing and the other lever (8) is located partly and externally in the interior of the housing (1).

A vehicle door latch according to claim 1, characterized in that one lever (8) comprising a plug (15) forms an angular lever with a rotary arm (8a) and a connecting arm (8b).

11. Vehicle door latch according to claim 10, characterized in that the plug (15) is arranged on the rotary arm (8a).

8, 9 with a locking mechanism 3, 4 and at least two levers 5, 8, the levers 5, 8 being interconnected at an angle and interacting with each other Are coupled to each other in a pivoting manner by detachable plug connections (15, 16) in the area of the housing opening (17)
The plug 15 of one lever 8 is inserted into the housing opening 17 while the other lever 5 is connected to the pocket 16 by a detachable plug connection while the housing 1 is sealed Of the vehicle door latch.

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13. A method according to claim 12, characterized in that the two levers (5, 8) are detachably engaged by a vertical insertion movement as compared to the housing opening (17).

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein one lever (8) is connected to the other lever (5) while the housing (1) and the rotary shaft (23) Wherein the vehicle door latch is detachably attached to the vehicle body.