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(11) | EP 0 303 304 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Actuation device to actuate a car lock, in particular to actuate the lock of the car boot |
| (57) The actuator device to actuate the lock of the boot of a car comprises a remote-controlled
actuator (24) and a key actuator (27), wherein a further key actuator (39, 50) is
provided, which is able to inhibit the operation of the remote-controlled actuator,
to prevent the unlawful opening of the boot. |
[0001] The present invention relates to an actuator device to actuate the lock of a car, in particular the car boot lock.
[0002] In general, the actuators of the car boot locks are directly actuated by means of a key, or from the interior of the car driver's cabin, by means of remote control means constituted by electrical pushbuttons, or by levers, and suitable transmissions.
[0003] The actuation of the boot lock by means of a key is more immediate, and hence more comfortable for the user, whilst the remote control means from the driver's cabin interior offer a higher security against effractions.
[0004] Also combined solutions are known, wherein the boot lock can be actuated both by key, and by remote control means.
[0005] These combined solutions offer, at least partially, the advantages of both of the above-described solutions; furthermore, they make it possible to open the boot lock also in case of failure of the remote control means, what compensates for their greater complexity and increase in cost.
[0006] The possibility of the double actuation mode of the boot lock is very comfortable in general, except in case the car is left with its door locks unlocked, and hence openable, e.g., inside a public garage, or in a guarded car-park.
[0007] In this case, the boot lock can be opened from the interior of the driver's cabin, and hence possible intrusions or unduly openings cannot be prevented.
[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to solve this problem and to propose an improvement of the actuators known from the prior art, which prevents, in case such a need arises, a double-actuation lock to be opened, even if the remote control means is accessible.
[0009] The present invention provides therefore an actuation device to actuate the lock of a car, in particular to actuate the boot, or trunk, lock, constituted by a striker stud, and hooking members suitable to engage said pin, respectively supported on the one, and on the other of the parts to be mutually locked by means of the lock, wherein the above-said device comprises first and second actuator means, operatively connectable with said hooking members, the first ones of which are actuated by means of remote controls, provided in the interior of the car driver's cabin, and the second ones of which are actuated by a key, wherein the above-said device is characterized in that it comprises third actuators, able to inhibit said first actuator means, and which too are actuated by means of the above-said key.
[0010] According to a preferred solution, the above-said second actuation means are formed by a lock cylinder, rotatably supported inside the boot lid and rotatably actuatable by a key, and by a sleeve coaxial and integral for rotation with the same lock cylinder, wherein said sleeve is provided with a first cam able to engage said hooking members to actuate them to perform the opening movement; furthermore the above said third actuator means are formed by a second cam, it too integral with said sleeve, and actuatable by means of said key, and by normally closed switchgear means, with which said second cam can be engaged to render inoperative said first actuator means.
[0011] The proposed device represents a security against the unduly opening of the lock, because the remote controls can be rendered temporarily inoperative by the above-said second cam, by means of the key of the said lock, and can be re-enabled only by means of the same key.
[0012] Characteristics and advantages of the invention are illustrated now by reference to figures 1 through 3, wherein, as a non limitative example, a preferred form of practical embodiment of the same invention is shown.
Figure 1 is a front view, from the interior of the boot of a car, of the actuators of a lock, having the structure according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a rear view of a detail of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a partial sectional view according to the plane of line III-III of Figure 1.
[0013] In Figure 1 the actuation device for the lock of a car boot is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10.
[0014] The true lock, constituted by a striker stud, integral with a wall of the boot, and by hooking members, e.g., of the toggle type, rotatably supported in the lid 11 of the boot, also visible in Figure 3, is not shown, because it is known from the prior art.
[0015] On the contrary, partially shown is a lever, indicated with 12, which is an integrant part of the above-said hooking members, and serves to open them.
[0016] As shown in Figure 2, the lever 12 is provided with a side flange, indicated by the reference numeral 13, and with a slot though which a plastic ferrule is pressure slid, which is indicated by the reference numeral 14, and is externally provided with a fork 15, and which performs the function of supporting a rod, indicated by the reference numeral 16, whose bent end is slid inside the same ferrule 14 and is pressure-restrained inside it.
[0017] The other bent end of the rod 16 is slid, restrained by a snap ring, not shown, inside a slot 18 of a tang 19, hold by a pin 20, integral with the anchor, not shown, of an electromechanical actuator 21, fastened onto the lid 11 of the boot by means of a bracket 22.
[0018] The electromechanical actuator 21 is not shown in detail, because it is known; in any case, it is provided with an electromagnet and with an anchor, which can freely move to cover the lock opening stroke, between a closure stop, against which it is pushed at the assemblage time, and an opening stop, against which it is attracted by the electromagnet, when this latter is energized.
[0019] A sheath, indicated by the reference numeral 23, encloses the leads, which connect the actuator 21 with an electrical power source through a normally open, schematically shown pushbutton 24, which is provided inside the car driver's cabin, e.g., on the dashboard.
[0020] As shown in Figure 3, onto the lid 11 of the boot there is fastened a base plate 25, which is provided with a bush 26, suitable to rotatably support a key actuator, generally indicated by the reference numeral 27, of the same boot lock.
[0021] The actuator 27 is formed by a lock cylinder 28, provided with a housing for a key, not shown, and with an axial stud 29; the lock cylinder 28 is rotatably supported inside the bush 26 and inside a ferrule 30, mounted on the base plate 25, and can freely rotate between purposely provided stops, not shown.
[0022] The stud 29 is provided with a longitudinal tooth, indicated by the reference numeral 31, which enters a corresponding longitudinal groove, indicated by the reference numeral 32, provided inside a sleeve, generally indicated by the reference numeral 33; thus, both the lock cylinder 28 and the sleeve 33 are mutually integral for rotation.
[0023] The sleeve 33 is rotatably supported by the bush 26, on which it is snap-spring mounted, due to the presence of elastically yielding tongues 34. with which the same bush is provided; the sleeve 33 is axiaLly retained by the bush thanks to the engagement of a collar 35 of the sleeve inside an annular groove 36 provided on the bush.
[0024] The end wall 37 of the sleeve 33 is provided with a radially protruding cam, indicated by the reference numeral 38, whilst a second radially protruding cam, indicated by the reference numeral 39, is integral with the side wall of the same sleeve, as shown in Figure 1.
[0025] On the metal sheet constituting the boot lid 11, two openings are provided, inside which the bush 26 and a stud 40 of the base plate 25 enter.
[0026] The base plate 25 is fastened onto the plate sheet 11 of the lid, with the interposition of a gasket 41, through a ring nut, indicated by the reference numeral 42, also visible in Figure 1.
[0027] The ring nut 42 is slid on the bush 26, through a collar 43 thereof, and on the stud 40, through a hook 44 thereof.
[0028] The collar 43 of the ring nut is provided with notched sectors, such as that indicated by the reference numeral 45, which enable the same ring nut to slide on corresponding protrusions, like 46, of the bush 26, in the axial direction of the bush, and make it possible to position the ring nut against the metal sheet 11.
[0029] The collar 43 of the ring nut is also provided with wall sectors, like 47, which are provided side-by-side to the notched sectors 45 and which, as the ring nut rotates counterclockwise in Figure 1, come to stop against the protrusions 46 of the bush 26.
[0030] In a similar way, the half-ring collar 48 of the hook 44 comes to stop against a protrusion 49 provided on the stud 40.
[0031] The ring nut 42 supports the block of a normally closed switchgear indicated by the reference numeral 50, which is connected with the electrical power source which feeds the electromechanical actuator 21 of the boot lock. When the ring nut 42 is assembled, the switchgear 50 is positioned in the nearby of the actuator 27.
[0032] By means of the above disclosed device, the opening of the boot lock can be commanded from the interior of the car driver's cabin by means of the pushbutton 24; this energizes the electromechanical actuator 21 and, through the rod 16, pulls the lever 12, causing the lock-hooking members, not shown, to move by the opening stroke, in the clockwise direction in Figure 1.
[0033] The opening of the boot lock can be alternatively commanded by means of the key actuator 27, with the rotation of the lock cylinder 28, in the counterclockwise direction in Figure 1; this movement of the lock cylinder 28 drives to rotate the cam 38 which comes into contact with the bracket 13 of the lever 12, and pushes it, to cause it to move by the opening stroke of the lock hooking members.
[0034] The rod 16 does not hinder the rotation of the lever 12, because it too can freely run by its opening stroke, under the push applied to it by the lever 12.
[0035] The boot lock closes hermetically again when the lid 11 is pushed downwards, because the striker stud of the lock acts on the hooking members, shifting them towards the direction contrary to the opening direction, and causes them to move by the closure stroke, so that they get clamped on the same pin, is a per se known way.
[0036] By means of the hereinabove disclosed device, it is possible to inhibit the operation of the electromechanical actuator 21, by rotating the lock cylinder 28, by means of the key, by an angle of about 180° in the clockwise direction in Figure 1.
[0037] By so doing, the cam 39 integral with the sleeve 33 is brought into contact with the switchgear 50 and acts on it opening it, and interrupting the feed of electrical power to the electromechanical actuator 21.
[0038] When the key is extracted from the lock cylinder 28, the switchgear 50 is kept blocked in its open position by the cam 39 and prevents the actuator 21 from being energized by actuating the pushbutton 24, provided inside the car driver's cabin.
1. Actuation device to actuate the lock of a car, in particular to actuate the boot,
or trunk, lock, constituted by a striker stud, and hooking members (12) suitable to
engage said stud, respectively supported on the one, and on the other of the parts
to be mutually locked by means of the lock, wherein the above-said device comprises
first and second actuator means, operatively connectable with said hooking members
(12), the first ones of which (16, 19, 20, 21) are actuated by means of remote control
means (24), provided in the interior of the car driver's cabin, and the second ones
of which (27) are actuated by a key, characterized in that it comprises third actuators
(39, 50), able to inhibit said first actuator means, and which too are actuated by
means of the above-said key.
2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said second actuation means
(27) are formed by a lock cylinder (28), rotatably supported inside said boot lid
(11) and rotatably actuatable by a key, and by a sleeve (33) coaxial and integral
for rotation with the same lock cylinder (28), wherein said sleeve (33) is provided
with a first cam (38) able to engage said hooking members (12) to actuate them to
perform the opening movement.
3. Device according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said third actuator means
(39, 50) are formed by a second cam (39), it too integral with said sleeve (33), and
actuatable by means of said key, and by normally closed switchgear means (50), with
which said second cam (39) can be engaged to render inoperative said first actuator
means (16, 19, 20, 21).
4. Device according to claims 1 and 3, characterized in that said first actuator means
are of electromechanical type, and are operatively connected with a source of electrical
power through the above said switchgear means (50) and through further normally open
switchgear means, actuatable by means of the above-said remote control means (24).
5. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that a base plate (25), fastened
onto the lid (11) of the boot is provided with a bush (26) to rotatably support, and
integral for rotation with each other, the above-said lock cylinder (28) and the above-said
sleeve (33).
6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the above-said bush (26) is
inserted inside a purposely provided opening in the boot lid, to engage a ring nut
(42) able to stop against at least a protrusion (46) of the same bush.
7. Device according to claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the above-said base plate
(25) is also provided with a stud (40) suitable to be inserted through a corresponding
opening of the boot lid, to engage a hook element (44) of the above-said ring nut
(42), able to stop against at least a protrusion (49) of the same stud.
8. Device according to claims 3 and 6, characterized in that the above-said normally
closed switchgear means (50) are supported by the above-said ring nut (42).