Motor-vehicle lock
AssigneeKiekert AG
InventorsÖmer Inan, Peter Szegeny, Michael Scholz, Holger Schiffer, Manuel Reusch, Michael Herrmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and a device for operating an opening drive for a motor-vehicle lock, in particular motor-vehicle door lock. Also provided is a locking mechanism which consists substantially of a rotary latch and a pawl. Further, a sensor associated with the rotary latch is provided, as well as a drive unit that indirectly or directly acts upon the pawl, the drive unit being controlled according to signals of the sensor. According to the invention, the sensor produces a signal only once the rotary latch can be freely opened.
Claims11
A method for operating an opening drive for a motor-vehicle lock, wherein the motor vehicle lock comprises a locking mechanism including a rotary latch and a pawl, a sensor associated with the rotary latch, a drive unit acting indirectly or directly on the pawl, and a control unit configured to receive and evaluate a first signal representative of an electric current drawn by the drive unit and to receive and evaluate a second signal from the sensor,
- the method comprising controlling the drive unit via the control unit as a function of the first signal and the second signal from the sensor,
- wherein the sensor only generates the second signal as soon as the rotary latch is in a position to be opened freely, and
- wherein controlling the drive unit as a function of the first signal and the second signal from the sensor includes switching off the drive unit after an opening process when the second signal indicates the opening of the rotary latch and the first signal indicates the electric current drawn by the drive unit falls below a predetermined threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.