EP0666391B1 - Door lock for motor vehicle and its installation process - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock with the features of the preamble of claim 1.

A locking device on a motor vehicle door is known (DE-A-40 05 369), which can be installed in a simple manner without an empty stroke. In the motor vehicle door lock provided there, the fixing screw of the screw connection arrangement is loosened when the motor vehicle door lock is delivered. The external actuation lever and the clutch lever are pushed apart as far as possible by the pre-tensioning spring until the external actuation lever is in the final position as far as possible. After the motor vehicle door lock has been installed, the outer door handle is used by first inserting a hook located at the front in the direction of travel through an opening in the door area and then pushing the outer door handle forward until it stops. The rear handle area is then screwed into the opening, the outer door handle being guided at the edge of the opening. This guidance is necessary so that a hook-shaped area passes an engagement section of the outer operating lever and this comes to rest on the stop surface on the outer door handle. When the outer door handle is pushed further into the opening until it rests against the sheet metal of the motor vehicle door, a stop surface pushes the outer operating lever against the pretensioning force of the pretensioning spring, which changes the relative position of the outer operating lever with respect to the stationary clutch lever. The pawl is not influenced. After the outer door handle has then been pushed back and this functional position has been fixed in this way, the fixing screw is tightened so that the new position of the outer operating lever is now fixed relative to the clutch lever. This means that the arrangement is practically free of empty strokes. If the outer door handle is now pulled to open the door during operation, the actuating surface opposite the stop surface on the outer door handle comes to rest on the outer operating lever and transmits the force from the outer door handle to the outer operating lever. The game given here, which cannot be excluded, corresponds to the distance of the actuating surface from the stop surface.

In a similar locking device it is known (DE - C - 39 11 327) to tighten the fixing screw of the screw connection arrangement also in the delivery position and to fix the two previously explained levers against each other according to Installation of the motor vehicle door lock and attachment of the outside door handle to then loosen the fixing screw, then bring the outside door handle into its functional position while taking the outside operating lever and fix it in position and then tighten the fixing screw of the screw connection arrangement again. Also in this locking device, from which the present invention is based, when the outer door handle is inserted, the outer operating lever is carried against the action of the biasing spring by an abutment surface on the outer door handle which is opposite the actuating surface on the outer door handle which transmits the force when the door is opened. The situation is the same here as in the prior art explained above.

The motor vehicle door locks explained above require that the motor vehicle door lock is first installed in the motor vehicle door and only then is the outer door handle attached. Both require the outside door handle when it is installed in the door panel to move the outside operating lever from its delivery position against the force of the biasing spring to its functional position. For this purpose, a special stop surface must be formed on the outside door handle for the purpose of this power transmission. Finally, even after the installation has been carried out, a slight play remains, which is noticeable when the outer door handle is pulled, namely corresponds to the distance between the stop surface and the actuating surface on the outer door handle.

The invention is based on the object of specifying a motor vehicle door lock which has been further improved in terms of installation technology and which, if possible, is also structurally simplified again.

The object presented above is achieved in a motor vehicle door lock with the features of the preamble of claim 1 by the features of the characterizing part of claim 1. The subclaims describe preferred configurations.

What is essential for the invention is the principle of a "self-adjusting" external actuation lever which is implemented here. It is no longer the movement of the outer door handle that occurs during installation that moves the outer operating lever into its functional position, but the outer operating lever is initially completely independent of the outer door handle when the motor vehicle door lock is installed in the motor vehicle door and its end is far from the stop surface on the outside door handle. Only when the motor vehicle door lock is installed and after loosening the fixing screw does the external actuation lever automatically turn on the outside door handle under the action of spring force. This adjustment under the action of the bias spring takes place against the actuating surface, that is to say the surface which, when the door is opened, transmits the force from the outside door handle to the outside operating lever. This employment systematically eliminates any game. In addition, this concept, realized by reversing the direction of action of the pretensioning spring, has the advantage that the stop surface on the outside door handle, which was only used for adjustment, can be completely eliminated. The function of the stop surface is taken over by the operating surface.

On the one hand, this assembly technique is extremely useful because the assembly time on the belt is significantly reduced again, on the other hand, it is now completely irrelevant whether the outside door handle is installed in front of or after the motor vehicle door lock in the motor vehicle door. The motor vehicle door lock according to the invention can therefore be used uniformly for all installation requirements.

Fig. 1

ausschnittweise, ein Kraftfahrzeug-Türschloß, schon eingebaut in der Kraftfahrzeugtür, im Anlieferungszustand,

Fig. 2

das Kraftfahrzeug-Türschloß aus Fig. 1 mit dem Außenbetätigungshebel in Funktionsstellung, also im Betriebszustand, und

Fig. 3

einen Schnitt gemäß III - III in Fig. 1.

In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to a drawing showing only one embodiment. In the drawing shows

Fig. 1

excerpts, a motor vehicle door lock, already installed in the motor vehicle door, in the delivery state,

Fig. 2

the motor vehicle door lock from Fig. 1 with the outer operating lever in the functional position, ie in the operating state, and

Fig. 3

2 shows a section according to III - III in FIG. 1.

The motor vehicle door lock shown in detail in FIG. 1 has a different locking mechanism and locking elements such as a lock latch 1 and a pawl 2. Of the lock mechanics, only the levers essential for understanding the teaching are shown. One recognizes first of all an external operating lever 6, which cooperates operationally at one end 3 with an actuating surface 4 on an outside door handle 5, which is shown here in section is pivotally mounted on a pivot bearing 7 at the other end. The operating surface 4 serves in the operating state when the door is opened to transmit the force from the outside door handle 5 to the outside operating lever 6.

A housing 8 is also indicated. A coupling lever 9 which interacts with the external actuating lever 6 and which interacts directly or indirectly with the pawl 2 is provided. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the pawl 2 has an upwardly projecting extension 10 on which an angled driving lug 11 on the coupling lever 9 attacks as soon as the clutch lever 9 is moved to the right in FIG. 1.

The previously explained movement of the clutch lever 9 is caused by the outer operating lever 6. For this purpose, a screw connection arrangement 12 with an elongated hole 13, fixing screw 14 and biasing spring 15 is provided between the outer actuation lever 6 and the clutch lever 9. The biasing spring 15 biases the outer operating lever 9 in the direction of the actuating surface 4.

When the motor vehicle door lock has not yet been installed, the external actuation lever 6 is adjusted relative to the clutch lever 9 against the force of the biasing spring 15 in or close to its end position - delivery position. In this position, the fixing screw 14 is tightened so much that the biasing spring 15 is ineffective. With a built-in motor vehicle door lock and outside door handle 5 and then loosened fixing screw 14, the outside actuating lever 6 then automatically acts on the outside door handle 5, namely on its actuating surface 4, under the action of the biasing spring 15. This also acts as a stop surface for the outer operating lever 6. The fixing screw 14 is then tightened again so that the two levers 6, 9 are firmly connected to each other again in this function.

When the fixing screw 14 is tightened, both levers 6, 9 are then firmly connected to one another to form a unit that can be adjusted jointly by the outside door handle 5. This can be seen in Fig. 2 of the drawing. If the outer door handle 5 is moved (pulled) to the right in the drawing, the outer operating lever 6 is pivoted clockwise about the pivot bearing 7, the clutch lever 9 is pulled to the right and takes the extension 10 on the driver lug 11 Pawl 2 clockwise with, so that it lifts out of the latch latch 1 (door opening).

If the clutch lever 9 is connected to the external actuation lever 6 with the fixing screw 14 tightened both in a rotationally fixed and non-displaceable manner, the clutch lever 9 is pulled in an arc to the right. However, the fixed connection of the clutch lever 9 to the external actuation lever 6 can only relate to the displaceability according to the course of the elongated hole 13, but not to the pivotability of the clutch lever 9 about a pivot axis formed by the screw connection arrangement 12. Then the coupling lever 9 can be pivoted unchanged with respect to the outer operating lever 6 even when the fixing screw 14 is tightened, so that when the outer operating lever 6 is pivoted, it does not perform an arc movement, but only a linear displacement movement, that is to say it swivels backwards about the pivot axis in the opposite direction. A fixed connection between the two levers 6, 9 is of course also in the sense of the teaching, because the external actuation lever 6 takes the clutch lever 9 with it.

The clutch lever 9 could be pivoted with the outer operating lever 6 on the same pivot bearing 7, as is evident from the construction of a known motor vehicle door lock explained at the outset. Such a construction, in which the screw connection arrangement 12 then only serves to fix the two levers 6, 9 against one another, is also shown in DE-C-39 11 327.

The exemplary embodiment shown here shows another construction in which the screw connection arrangement 12 simultaneously fulfills the bearing function for the clutch lever 9 on the outer actuating lever 6 in a particularly expedient manner. It is provided here that the fixing screw 14 cooperates with a threaded connector which has a central section 18 which is guided in a practically rotationally fixed manner with flattened guide edges on the edges of the elongated hole 13. The assignment of the elongated hole 13 and the threaded connector 17 to one or the other lever 6 or 9 is in principle arbitrary. In the illustrated embodiment, the elongated hole 13 is in the outer operating lever 6, while the threaded connector 17 passes through a normal circular hole in the clutch lever 9.

The construction can be clearly seen in detail in Fig. 3. The pivot bearing 7 and the bias spring 15 wound there as a leg spring, which engages in a groove 19 on the threaded connector (see also FIGS. 1 and 2), can also be clearly seen here.

From Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 it can be seen in connection that the unit of external actuation lever 6 and clutch lever 9 is biased by means of its own bias spring against a fixed stop 20 on the housing 8 of the motor vehicle door lock and so otherwise unloaded a certain rest position (locking position of the Pawl 2) takes. The biasing spring that does this is not shown here.

It could be provided that the clutch lever 9 on the outer operating lever 6 can be moved by means of the screw connection arrangement 12 only in accordance with the course of the elongated hole 13, but not pivotably. Then there would be the arc movement explained above for the clutch lever 9. In the illustrated embodiment, on the other hand, it is provided that the fixed connection of the clutch lever 9 with the external actuation lever 6 only affects the displaceability of the clutch lever 9 about a pivot axis formed by the screw connection arrangement 12; the clutch lever 9 is formed here by the threaded connector 17. The solution explained above is realized when the clutch lever 9 is locked on the threaded connector 17 or is otherwise fixed. If the coupling lever 9 is not locked on the threaded connector 17 or otherwise fixed, it can logically be pivoted about the threaded connector 17. This can be useful for actuation or special anti-theft device and in any case has the consequence that the clutch lever 9 is only moved laterally when the outer actuation lever 6 is pivoted. In order to achieve this in a defined manner, it is provided in the exemplary embodiment shown that the clutch lever 9 is biased by means of its own biasing spring about the pivot axis against a fixed stop 21 on the housing 8 and is therefore only shifted laterally without any other influence when the outer operating lever 6 is pivoted. The biasing spring is not shown here, but its effect is only indicated by the arrow in FIGS. 1 and 2. It can be the same biasing spring that also causes the bias against the fixed stop 20. The fixed stop 21 is different in its function and consequently also separated from the stop 20.

Claims (8)

1. Motor vehicle door lock with a lock mechanism having various levers and with locking elements, such as a lock latch (1) and a detent pawl (2), the lock mechanism having an exterior actuating lever (6), operatively interacting at one end (3) with an exterior door handle (5), and a coupling lever (9), interacting with the exterior actuating lever (6) and directly or indirectly interacting with the detent pawl (2), the exterior door handle (5) having an actuating face (4) which, in the operative state, transmits the force from the exterior door handle (5) to the exterior actuating lever (6) during the opening of the door, there being provided between the exterior actuating lever (6) and the coupling lever (9) a screw-connection arrangement (12) with preferably a long hole (13), a fixing screw (14) and a prestressing spring (15), the exterior actuating lever (6) being prestressed in one direction relative to the exterior door handle (5) by the prestressing spring (15), and, with the fixing screw (14) tightened, the two levers (6, 9) being fixedly connected to one another to form a unit jointly adjustable by the exterior door handle (5), in the first place, with the motor vehicle door lock not installed, the exterior actuating lever (6) being in or near one end position, delivery position, relative to the coupling lever (9) counter to the force of the prestressing spring (15) and the fixing screw (1) being tightened so firmly that the prestressing spring (15) does not take effect, the motor vehicle door lock being installed in the motor vehicle door with the exterior actuating lever (6) being in the delivery position, and, with the motor vehicle door lock installed, the fixing screw (14) being released, so that the prestressing spring (15) takes effect and, in the functional position then assumed, the fixing screw (14) is tightened so firmly that the two levers (6, 9) are fixedly connected to one another, characterized in that the prestress of the prestressing spring (15) is aimed in the direction of the actuating face (4) on the exterior door handle (5), so that, with the fixing screw (14) released, the exterior actuating lever (6) is consequently moved by the prestressing spring (15) until the said exterior actuating lever comes to bear on the actuating face (4), functional position.
2. Motor vehicle door lock according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the exterior actuating lever (6) is pivotably mounted at the other end on a pivot bearing (7).
3. Motor vehicle door lock according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coupling lever (9) is mounted on the exterior actuating lever (6) by means of the screw-connection arrangement (12) so as only to be displaceable only according to the shape of the long hole (13), but not pivotably.
4. Motor vehicle door lock according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fixed connection of the coupling lever (9) to the exterior actuating lever (6) relates only to the displaceability according to the shape of the long hole (13), but not to the pivotability of the coupling lever (9) about a pivot axis formed by the screw-connection arrangement (12), that is to say, even with the fixing screw (14) tightened, the coupling lever (9) is pivotable relative to the exterior actuating lever (6).
5. Motor vehicle door lock according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fixing screw (14) interacts with a threaded plug (17) which has a middle portion (18) guided virtually fixedly in terms of rotation with flattened guide edges on the edges of the long hole (13).
6. Motor vehicle door lock according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the threaded plug (17) of the screw-connection arrangement (12) forms the pivot axis of the coupling lever (9) for the exterior actuating lever (6).
7. Motor vehicle door lock according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the unit consisting of the exterior actuating lever (6) and of the coupling lever (9) is prestressed by means of a specific prestressing spring against a fixed stop (20) on the housing (8) and thus assumes a definite position of rest (locking position of the detent pawl (2)) in an otherwise non-loaded manner.
8. Motor vehicle door lock according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coupling lever (9) is prestressed by means of a specific (or the same) prestressing spring about the pivot axis against a (further) fixed stop (21) on the housing (8) and is thus displaced only laterally, without being otherwise influenced, during the pivoting of the exterior actuating lever (6).

Images