Closing device for a movable element, in particular for a...

Closure fasteners – Bolts – Swinging

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C070S280000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06279972

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a closing device for a movable element, in particular for a door, a flap or the like, of a vehicle.
A closing device of this type is disclosed in DE 42 28 233 A1. This document describes lock elements, such as a detent pawl, a rotary latch and a closing bolt which interacts with the rotary latch, for locking or unlocking the movable element. The rotary latch is arrested by the detent pawl and in the process surrounds the closing bolt in such a manner that the door is locked. An actuating drive which acts on an arm of the detent pawl is provided for releasing the rotary latch and hence also the closing bolt for the purpose of opening the door. The actuating drive is driven by a switch which is actuated as a function of a handle, such as a door handle, being actuated.
DE 42 28 233 A1 shows the actuating drive as a solenoid having an extendable ram, the ram acting upon one arm of the detent pawl. After current is supplied to the actuating drive, the ram extends and in doing so moves the detent pawl in such a manner that the latter releases the rotary latch in order to be able to unlock the door. After this procedure, or after currentless switching of the actuating drive, the ram returns into its starting position. In the process, it may happen that the ram, during the movement from its working position (actuation of the detent pawl) into its rest position, dynamically rebounds against a stop in this rest position and the detent pawl is thereby partially or completely activated to effect a further release of the rotary latch. This procedure is called apparent closing, this apparent closing constituting a safety risk since the door has possibly again to be closed during this apparent closing but this is not possible since the rotary latch is unable to be arrested by the detent pawl which has been brought into its release position. It goes without saying that an unlocked door or the like, which can thus be opened at any time or is open, constitutes a high safety risk.
There is thus a need for a closing device for a movable element, in particular for a door, a flap or the like, of a vehicle, which effectively prevents the above-described apparent closings.
Other needs will become apparent upon a further reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one form of the invention, the aforementioned needs are fulfilled by providing means which control the actuating drive in such a manner that after the actuating drive has been driven from a rest position into a working position for the purpose of releasing the rotary latch it is returned in a controlled manner again from the working position into the rest position. This controlled return from the working position into the rest position ensures that the actuating drive, in particular an actuating element, such as the ram, which acts within the actuating drive, or else an actuating element which is separate from the actuating drive, is not able, once the rest position is reached, to rebound in the direction of the working position but rather remains in this rest position. The drive is thus to be designed in such a manner that this rebounding is completely suppressed or rebounding is permitted only to an extent which is unable to result in the detent pawl being actuated to effect the release of the rotary latch.
A control of this type can, for example, be carried out in that the movement of the actuating drive or of its actuating element from the working position into the rest position is detected and after a certain distance has been covered to reverse the polarity of the control variable in order to achieve a braking effect. A further possibility resides in the actuating drive being driven by a certain control variable for the purpose of actuating the detent pawl and being driven by the same control variable with reverse poles for the purpose of returning it.
In a development of the invention, the actuating drive can be controlled by pulse-width modulation. A pulse-width modulated control signal for the actuating drive advantageously provides a control signal which can be adapted to a very wide variety of conditions. The pulse-width modulation can be adapted to various actuating drives so that the type of actuating drive used (such as, for example, a solenoid, electric motor or the like) is insignificant. In addition, by changing the pulse width for the very different actuating drives and the very different designs of the closing device, in particular with regard to its geometrical shape, the control signal can be optimally adapted to the prevailing circumstances.
In a development of the invention, the pulse width when driving the actuating drive from its rest position into the working position is smaller than the pulse width when driving the actuating drive to reach the rest position. The result is that in order to open the movable element (by driving the detent pawl which in turn releases the rotary latch), after the actuating drive has been driven it drives the detent pawl of the rotary latch in the shortest possible time. If the same signal as when driving the actuating drive for the purpose of obtaining a movement from the rest position into the working position were used in the reverse direction, it would lead to the already described, disadvantageous rebounding and thus to a risky apparent closing.
This is effectively avoided in that when the actuating drive returns, i.e. when it moves from the working position into the rest position, the speed of the actuating drive or of its actuating element is reduced in order to avoid the rebounding. At this point it is also conceivable that if the detent pawl is forced in the direction of the arresting position for the rotary latch by a restoring force, the actuating drive can be driven, in the movement to reach the rest position, by a control signal which does indeed counteract this restoring force but this restoring force is larger than the counterforce of the driven actuating drive or of its actuating element. By virtue of these two forces acting against each other with the restoring force for the detent pawl being larger, a damped movement of the actuating drive or of its actuating element in the direction of the rest position is advantageously achieved.
In a development of the invention, the pulse width when driving the actuating drive to reach the rest position can be changed. If the pulse width is selected such that a rapid movement is initially achieved during the movement from the working position into a rest position and shortly before the rest position is reached the pulse width is reduced, the effect is advantageously achieved thereby that the actuating drive or its actuating element is initially moved rapidly out of the region in which the detent pawl is arranged, and a reduction of the pulse width of the control signal results in the actuating drive or its actuating element being slowed down. This changeability to the pulse width can be carried out continuously or discontinuously over the region between the working position and the rest position.
In a development of the invention, the actuating drive is assigned a drive module, in particular an end stage, for the actuating drive, which module together with the actuating drive and optionally other parts of the closing device, is arranged in a housing. This has the advantage that the above-mentioned closing device can be designed and pre-assembled as a complete module which is subsequently inserted in the door, the flap or the like of the vehicle. Then, especially when using means for detecting the actuation of a handle (for example, door handle), as a function of which the actuating drive is driven, only electrical cabling is still required. For this purpose, the housing can have a plug or a bushing or the like via which the closing device has to be connected to the remaining elements mentioned.
In a development of the invention, the actuating drive is assigned a drive module which is a component part of a centr

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