Electric motor vehicle lock having a spring accumulator
AssigneeKiekert AG
InventorsThorsten Bendel, Michael Merget
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The problem addressed by the invention is that of being to switch a motor vehicle lock from normal operation to emergency or disruption operation within an especially short time and/or with the least possible expenditure of electrical energy. This problem is solved in that a lock for a motor vehicle having a lock mechanism and an electric drive is provided such that the lock can be electrically opened in normal operation. The lock has an additional operating state, called disrupted operation. In disrupted operation, the lock can be opened mechanically, which is not possible in normal operation. The lock comprises a mechanical energy accumulator for switching the lock from normal operation to disrupted operation.
Claims21
An assembly for use with a latch for a door or a flap of a motor vehicle, the latch having a closed state in which the latch retains a locking bolt and an open state in which the latch does not retain the locking bolt, the latch comprising an electrical drive and an activation lever, wherein the latch has two different operating states, a first operating state, a normal operation state, in which the latch can be electrically opened with the electric drive, and a second operating state, a breakdown operation state, in which the latch can be mechanically opened by manual activation of an external handle of the door or flap which moves the activation lever and opens the latch, wherein, in breakdown operation, the activation lever is moved without the electrical drive, the assembly comprising:
- a mechanical energy storage device, and
- a movable body operatively connected to the latch, wherein the mechanical energy storage device is arranged to selectively move the movable body, wherein moving the movable body shifts the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state, wherein the mechanical energy storage device is configured to move the movable body and shift the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state in the event that the motor vehicle is in an accident.
An assembly for a motor vehicle with a latch and an activation lever, the latch having a closed state in which the latch retains a locking bolt and an open state in which the latch does not retain the locking bolt, wherein the latch has two different operating states, a normal operation state in which the latch can be electrically opened and the activation lever cannot open the latch, and a breakdown operation state in which the latch can be mechanically opened by the activation lever, the assembly comprising:
- a movable body that is operatively connected to the latch and configured to shift the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state,
- a spring that biases the movable body toward shifting the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state,
- a movable pin having a first position where the movable pin restrains the movable body from shifting the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state and a second position where the movable pin does not restrain the movable body from shifting the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state,
- a sensor adapted to detect when the motor vehicle is in an accident,
- an electric drive adapted to move the movable pin from the first position to the second position, and
- an electrical control operatively coupled to the sensor and the electric drive, wherein, upon the sensor detecting the accident, the electric drive moves the movable pin from the first position to the second position thereby releasing the movable body to move the latch from the normal operation state to the breakdown operation state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.