Electrical transmission or interconnection systems – Vehicle mounted systems – Automobile
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-20
2004-05-18
Toatley, Jr., Gregory J. (Department: 2836)
Electrical transmission or interconnection systems
Vehicle mounted systems
Automobile
C180S286000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06737758
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock system with a motor vehicle lock which can be locked and unlocked by a motor and which can be opened mechanically or by a motor, and with control electronics.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional electromechanical motor vehicle door lock systems with radio remote control, but without the passive entry function, are known. In these classical vehicle door lock systems the operator presses a button on the remote control module. This activates the control electronics which passes through its reaction phase immediately. Based on the distance of the operator when the button of the remote control module is pressed, the operator reaches the outside door handle on the motor vehicle door with such a long time delay that the reaction phase of the control electronics has long been completed and the motor vehicle lock has been unlocked. By pulling on the outside door handle, the operator opens the motor vehicle door, the motor vehicle lock either opening mechanically, therefore the detent pawl being lifted by the motion of the outside door handle, or opening electromechanically or pneumatically, the outside door handle delivering a control signal to the opening drive to raise the detent pawl.
One such conventional electromechanical motor vehicle door lock system is known for example from U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,296. The lock element is driven by an electric motorized central interlock drive with an electric drive motor and a worm gear pair. The worm wheel of the worm gear pair is the drive element of the central interlock drive and it runs comparatively slowly. The shifting of the lock element from the locked position into the unlocked position by means of the central interlock drive requires at least 50 ms, usually longer.
Control electronics with a so-called passive entry function, also called an “electronic key”, differs from the above explained classical motor vehicle door lock system in that on the remote control module no manipulation is necessary, therefore a button need not be pressed to unlock the motor vehicle lock when approaching the motor vehicle. Rather, this takes place all by itself simply when the operator approaches the motor vehicle.
A motor vehicle door lock system with a passive entry function requires for the control electronics a certain reaction phase which is ordinarily composed of a starting interval to activate the system as the remote control module approaches, an authorization check interval to check the operator for his authorization using the coding of the signals exchanged between the remote control module and the control electronics, and finally the actual action interval in which the action takes place, especially the unlocking of the motor vehicle lock is carried out. (A corresponding reaction phase is also needed when locking the motor vehicle door lock system, but this is less critical because it is essentially unnoticed by the operator.)
A length of the reaction phase of roughly 150 milliseconds compared to conventional motor vehicle door lock systems is perceived as long if the starting interval is begun only when the outside door handle is activated. Pulling the outside door handle or the like can take place in a passive entry function under certain circumstances when the reaction phase of the control electronics has not yet been completed. The operator is annoyed that he must then pull the door handle a second time and this is interpreted as a “malfunction”.
Since the resulting total time of the reaction phase cannot be shortened as much as desired, attempts have already been made to conceal the delay time as is described in the published German reference DE-A-195 21 024. In this motor vehicle door lock system the starting interval and the authorization check interval of the control electronics are shifted into the phase which precedes the actual operation phase which is noticeable to the operator. Then, simply the remaining time which corresponds to the reaction time of mechanical, conventional motor vehicle door lock systems is noticeable to the operator.
A different approach is to have the starting interval of the control electronics initiated not only when the outside door handle is activated, but to use the approach of the hand of the operator to the outside door handle to initiate the starting interval. For this purpose, a proximity sensor on the outside door handle is described in German published references DE-A-197 52 974 and DE-A-196 17 038, by which the proximity of the hand of the operator is acquired roughly 100 to 150 ml before the hand touches of the outside door handle. Initiation of the starting interval of the control electronics, therefore the “wakening” of the control electronics, therefore takes place so far in advance of the actual pulling of the outside door handle that the starting interval and generally also the authorization check interval have already been completed when the outside door handle is in fact moved by the hand of the operator.
The use of proximity sensors in motor vehicle door lock systems of the type under consideration entails various difficulties. On the one hand, the proximity sensors have a comparatively high rest current, on the other hand it is difficult to set a stable, definite response threshold. External influences such as rain, snow, dirt and dust greatly change the measured values in capacitive proximity sensors. Finally, in proximity sensors the problem of the stray electromagnetic radiation emitted by them cannot be ignored. Therefore, in spite of the aforementioned difficulties, motor vehicle door lock systems with the passive entry function in which only actuation of the outside door handle by the hand of the operator initiates the starting interval of the control electronics also have major advantages.
As can be taken from the aforementioned, in motor vehicle door lock systems with a passive entry function in all the aforementioned versions there is the problem that the reaction of the control electronics is preferably to be shortened as much as possible, in any case with respect to perception by the operator.
For themselves, it is known in motor vehicle door lock systems that the central interlock drive can be connected via a centrifugal clutch to the drive element for the lock element as described in published European reference EP 0 064 942 B1. This makes it possible to move the lock element by hand without major resistance if the central interlock drive is stationary. This is one alternative to the initially addressed construction of a conventional electromechanical motor vehicle door lock system in which this shifting by hand is implemented without major resistance by a corresponding configuration of the lock element. In any case, the construction there does not act in each position of the central interlock drive, therefore especially not when the central interlock drive remains stopped in an unintended position. Here the use of a centrifugal clutch has clear advantages.
In the motor vehicle door lock systems with a centrifugal clutch, on the central interlock drive the problem of reaction time then arises even if there is no passive entry function. The central interlock drive must first reach the necessary rpm before the centrifugal clutch engages and closes the energy transmission train to the lock mechanism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The teaching of the invention is to improve a motor vehicle door lock system of the type under consideration, especially one with a passive entry function with respect to the reaction of the control electronics with consideration of the fact that the central interlock drive is equipped with a clutch which engages only with the beginning of minimum rpm, especially in the form of a centrifugal clutch.
The aforementioned object is achieved by a motor vehicle door lock system. On the central interlock drive of each motor vehicle lock a clutch, which engages only with the beginning of minimum rpm, especially in the form of a centrifugal clutch, is assigned to
Bartel Peter
Weyerstall Bernd
Robert & Bosch GmbH
Safran David S.
Toatley , Jr. Gregory J.
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