Electrically and manually operable locking mechanism and drive arrangement for the same
AssigneeFichtel & Sachs AG
InventorEgon Gelhard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The door of a motor vehicle may be locked and unlocked by means of an electric motor mounted in the door and accelerating a flywheel. When enough energy is stored in the flywheel, the flywheel is coupled to the lock mechanism. When the lock operation is completed, the flywheel is uncoupled from the lock so that its residual energy need not be absorbed by the lock, and the lock may be operated manually without requiring the flywheel to be turned during manual operation.
Claims19
A drive arrangement comprising:
- (a) an inertial mass having a center of gravity and mounted for rotation about an axis;
- (b) an electric motor drivingly connected to said mass for rotating the same about said axis;
- (c) a movable output member;
- (d) motion transmitting means operatively interposed between said mass and said member, said motion transmitting means including
- (1) delay means for transmitting motion from said mass to said member after acceleration of said mass about said axis, and
- (2) disconnecting means for disconnecting said member from said mass after a predetermined motion of said member transmitted to said member by said motion transmitting means.
A drive arrangement comprising:
- (a) an electric motor having two parts connected for relative movement in response to electric current energizing said motor;
- (b) mounting means fixedly mounting one of said parts on a support;
- (1) the other part including an inertial mass having an axis and rotating about said axis relative to said support when said motor is energized,
- (2) said inertial mass having a first moment of inertia relative to said axis;
- (c) a flywheel having a center of gravity;
- (d) connecting means connecting said inertial mass to said flywheel for simultaneous rotation of said flywheel,
- (1) the moment of inertia of said flywheel relative to the axis of rotation thereof being greater than said first moment of inertia;
- (e) energizing means for energizing said motor and for thereby initiating rotation of said flywheel;
- (f) coupling means for coupling said flywheel to a load in motion transmitting relationship after an acceleration of said flywheel and for uncoupling said load from said flywheel in response to deceleration of said flywheel.
In a locking mechanism including a support, an operating element mounted on said support for movement between a locking position and an unlocking position, a flywheel rotatably mounted on said support, electric driving means mounted on said support and drivingly connected to said flywheel, and motion transmitting means operatively interposed between said flywheel and said operating element for moving said element between said positions thereof after an acceleration of said flywheel, the improvement in said motion transmitting means which comprises coupling means disconnecting said element from said flywheel in response to a predetermined motion of said element between said positions thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.