Closing device for a vehicle

#The invention relates to a closing device for a vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1 or claim 2.

#A closing device of this kind comprises at least one lock; a drive for determining the locking states of the closing device (i.e. the locking states of the lock or locks), through which the closing device can be brought into at least three or four different locking states which correspond for example to the unlocked, locked, dead-lock and child-lock state; as well as a rotary mounted shaped disc on the drive which can be rotated by the drive to determine the individual locking states, whereby the different locking states are each assigned specific angular positions of the shaped disc.

#With a closing device of this kind which is known from DE 199 17 789 A1 the shaped disc is formed by a drive disc which is provided with internal and external protrusions and is scanned by one end of a lever. The other end of the lever is assigned to the lock (that is the locking parts of the closing device such as e.g. the rotary latch and locking pawl) and influences the interaction of an operating device such as e.g. an inside door handle or outside door handle, with the lock. Thus for example in the dead-lock state of the closing device the lock cannot be actuated by either the inside handle or by means of the outside handle. This means that any actuation of the inside door handle or outside door handle is not transferred to the corresponding lock elements (e.g. locking pawl and rotary catch). Conversely in the unlocked state of the closing device the door can be opened both by means of the inside handle and by means of the outside handle. In a corresponding way further locking states, such as e.g. the locked or child-lock state can be similarly defined.

#Further features and advantages of the invention will now be explained with reference to the following description of the embodiment shown in the drawings in which:

#FIG. 1a shows diagrammatically a shaped disc which can be driven by means of a motor and through which four different locking states of one closing device can be defined;

#FIG. 1b shows a concrete embodiment of the shaped disc of FIG. 1a;

#FIG. 4 shows part of the side of a vehicle body with a door T whose closing device has in known way an inside door opener in the form of an inside door handle 6, an internal locking button 65, an outside door opener in the form of an outside door handle 7 as well as a closing cylinder 75 and a door lock 9. The door lock 9 is assigned a holder 8 which is mounted on the side of the body and with which the lock parts of the door lock can be brought into engagement in order to lock the door.

#A diagrammatic illustration of a door lock and the associated holder in FIGS. 5a and 5b shows the lock parts of the door lock, namely a locking pawl 3 with hook 31 capable of swivelling about an axis 30, and a rotary catch 22 with recess 21 which is capable of swivelling about an axis 20 and interacts with the locking pawl 3, with the recess 21 associated with a locking pin 80 of the holder 8. Furthermore a measuring scanner 25 is provided with which the external contour of the rotary catch 2 can be scanned in order to determine the rotary angle thereof. The lock parts 2, 3 (rotary catch and locking pawl) which make up the lock are mounted in a lock housing 90 which is fixed on the door panel.

#A closing device of the kind described above is generally known and therefore needs no further explanation.