DE19846764A1 - Automatic servo drive for flap on vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

An automatic servo drive to open and close a flap on a vehicle, e.g. boot lid, comprises an electric motor (3) with a reduction gear and a pinion (6) mounted on a support plate and fitted to the inside of the vehicle. The pinion drives a rack (7) which slides over a fixed stop (8) set into a slot (9) running the length of the rack. The other end of the slot has a lug (10) fitted to a swan neck hinge (12) attached to the flap (2). The lug is linked to the end of the rack by a spring (16). The position of the lug is monitored by a sensor (17) to switch off the servo motor in the closed position and in the fully open position. The spring accommodates any motor overrun and thereby dispenses with the need for a clutch in the drive linkage.

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic locking device for a Vehicle flap, in particular for a tailgate, which is at least motorized, on the Vehicle body attached drive means, and to said motorized Drive means coupled, attached to said tailgate Flap actuators in the closing direction.

The automatic opening devices of a tailgate are large Number of vehicles well known and generally are spring cylinders which, as soon as the lock is opened, the automatic opening of the flap and the Maintain their open position. In most cases the tailgate manually closed again. However, some vehicles have one automatic tailgate closing device with the help of a motor drive fitted. However, this motor drive must be connected to a clutch with the help of which the engine is disengaged to open the tailgate to enable. For this reason, this device adopts automatic Enclosing a relatively large amount of space is costly and is either serial or as Option, but rarely intended as a retrofit option.

The present invention intends to overcome the disadvantages mentioned above by an automatic locking device for a vehicle flap is manufactured that does not Coupling required, is inexpensive, takes up very little space and can easily be offered for retrofitting.

This goal is achieved by an automatic locking device, as in the Introduction, which is characterized in that it comprises reset means, which are arranged around the motorized drive means after complete closure  In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the motorized Drive means at least from a gear motor, a drive pinion, a mobile, in translation movable rack and a pressure roller, which in the motor pinion holds gripping rack in position.

The actuating means of the tailgate are advantageously with a Operating fingers equipped on the one hand on the tailgate joint and on the other is coupled to the rack.

The rack is preferably provided with a longitudinal groove in which the Actuation finger slides and the tailgate joint is with a gooseneck to which the actuating finger is firmly attached.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the reset means are included at least one between the bottom of the longitudinal groove and the actuating finger arranged compression spring and with a provided on the rack Safety switch provided, which is arranged to close when the spring in the final position of the rack corresponding to the closed position of the tailgate is squeezed.

The safety switch is preferably connected to the power supply of the gear motor coupled and is arranged around the direction of rotation of said geared motor reverse, bringing the rack back to its original position.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the rack is with a Projection provided at the end opposite the compression spring, and the The circuit of the geared motor is equipped with a switch that is switched off by the said projection is actuated when the rack is in its initial position has returned. The automatic locking device according to the invention can be equipped with anti-clamping means be provided between the closure of the tailgate in the event of an obstacle Trunk and the said tailgate should automatically prevent.

In this case, the anti-clamping means can advantageously with the resetting means be united.

The present invention and its advantages will appear more clearly in the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• - Fig. 1 is a plan view of the automatic closing device according to the invention, with the tailgate in the open position and the said device is in the starting position,
• - Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, with the tailgate in the closed position and said device in the end position,
• - Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, with the tailgate in the closed position and said device again in the starting position;
• Figure 4 represents a perspective of said device according to the invention, and
• - Fig. 5 represents an electrical circuit diagram of said device.

With reference to Figs. 1 to 4, the automatic closing device 1 according to the invention is intended to automatically close a flap 2 of a vehicle trunk. It consists of a geared motor 3 , which is mounted on a circuit board 4 , which is fixedly attached to the vehicle body 5 , a motor pinion 6 , which engages in a mobile, translatable rack 7 , which is mounted on the circuit board 4 by a pressure roller 8 is held against said motor pinion 6 .

The rack 7 is provided with a longitudinal groove 9 in which an actuating finger 10 is mounted, which is connected to the joint 11 of the flap 2 , which in our example takes the form of a gooseneck, but which also takes the form of a parallelogram or any other known one Joint can have. The gooseneck 12 has a first end 13 , which is connected in an articulated manner to a carrier 14, which is fixedly attached to the vehicle body 5 , and a second end 15 , which forms a sole, which is fixedly attached to the flap 2 . It has an arcuate part 12 a, which corresponds to the angular movement that the flap 2 must perform between the open and closed positions, and a noticeably L-shaped part 12 b, which is completed by the said end 13 of the joint.

The actuating finger 10 is in the gooseneck 12 noticeably attached to the connection of its two parts 12 a and 12 b. The rack 7 has at its most distant and toothless end between the bottom of the longitudinal groove 9 and the actuating finger 10 a compression spring 16 , and a safety switch 17 mounted on the rack 7 , noticeably above the actuating finger 10 . This safety switch 17 consists of a fixed part 17 a and a movable part 17 b, which is fixed on the rack 7 and which contacts the fixed part 17 a when the rack 7 is driven by the gear motor 3 and the actuating finger 10 in the joint 11th the flap 2 is blocked, thereby exerting sufficient pressure on the spring 16 to overcome its compressive force. This safety switch 17 controls the reversal of the direction of rotation of the geared motor 3 both when the flap 2 is closed in order to automatically bring the rack 7 back into its initial position and in the event of an obstacle between the trunk and the flap 2 . The rack 7 also includes a projection 18 at its other end which cooperates with a switch 18 of the gear motor 3 when the rack 7 has returned to its original position.

The functioning of this automatic locking device 1 will now be described with the aid of FIGS. 1 to 3. In Fig. 1, the flap 2 is open and the rack 7 is in the starting position. As soon as the user gives the command, for example with the aid of a push button, to a remote control to close the flap 2 , the gear motor 3 is started, the rack 7 being set into a translational movement. The actuating finger 10 follows the movement of the rack and pulls the joint 11 of the flap 2 with it until it is closed, as shown in FIG. 2. If the flap 2 is in the closed position, the gear motor 3 is still working and the rack 7 is still performing its lifting movement. Since the actuating finger 10 can no longer be displaced, it exerts pressure on the compression spring 16 until it is compressed between the bottom of the longitudinal groove 9 and the said actuating finger, thereby causing the safety switch 17 to close. This safety switch 17 thus controls the rotation reversal of the geared motor 3 which drives the rack 7 in inverse sense to bring them back into their in Fig. Starting position shown in Figure 3, the actuating finger 10 in the hinge 11 of the flap 2 is stationary. As soon as the rack 7 reaches its starting position, the projection 18 actuates the switch 19 , which controls the stopping of the geared motor 3 . In this position, the automatic closing device 1 is ready to carry out a new closing cycle. When the flap 2 is opened , the actuating finger 10 slides freely in the longitudinal groove 9 of the toothed rack 7 up to the compression spring 16 , the device 1 thus being brought back into its starting position from FIG. 1.

In Fig. 4, the automatic locking device 1 is shown alone and in perspective. You can see the geared motor 3 , which is mounted on its circuit board 4 , the rack 7 , the actuating finger 10 , the compression spring 16 , the safety switch 17 , the gooseneck 12 with its sole 15 , its support 14 and its hinge end 13 . This figure also represents a spring cylinder 20 , which enables the flap 2 to open automatically. This spring cylinder 20 has a first end 21 , which is coupled to the vehicle body 5 , and a second end 22 , which is coupled to the joint 11 of the flap 2 , approximately at the location, but on the opposite side, where the actuating finger 10 is attached becomes.

Fig. 5 shows the electrical circuit diagram of the automatic locking device 1 according to the invention. Here you can see a push button 23 for controlling the automatic closing of the flap, which supplies a relay 24 with current during a delay time T1, which supplies the geared motor 3 via a protective fuse 25 puts it under tension. The safety switch 17 controls another relay 26 via a different delay time T2, which reverses the sense of the supply current of the geared motor 3 and thus its sense of rotation. Finally, the switch 19 serves to interrupt the circuit of the geared motor 3 in order to stop its operation.

The present invention is not based on the exemplary embodiment described limited, but extends to all changes obvious to a specialist and variants.

Claims (10)

1. Automatic locking device ( 1 ) for a vehicle flap ( 2 ), in particular for a tailgate, at least consisting of motorized drive means ( 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 ) fixed to the vehicle body ( 5 ), and actuating means ( 10 ) Flap in its closing direction, which is fixedly attached to said tailgate and is coupled to said motorized drive means, characterized in that the reset means ( 16 , 17 ) are arranged around the motorized drive means after the flap has been completely closed in their starting position bring back. 2. Device according to patent claim 1, characterized in that the motorized drive means at least from a gear motor ( 3 ), a drive pinion ( 6 ), a mobile, movable rack ( 7 ) and a pressure roller ( 8 ), which in the motor pinion ( 6 ) holds the rack ( 7 ) in position. 3. Device according to patent requirement 2, characterized in that the actuating elements have an actuating finger ( 10 ) which is coupled on the one hand to the joint ( 11 ) of the flap and on the other hand to the rack ( 7 ). 4. Device according to patent requirement 3, characterized in that the rack ( 7 ) has a longitudinal groove ( 9 ) in which the actuating finger ( 10 ) slides. 5. Device according to patent requirement 3, characterized in that the joint ( 11 ) of the flap ( 2 ) is a gooseneck ( 12 ) to which the actuating finger ( 10 ) is fixedly attached. 6. Device according to patent requirement 4, characterized in that the return means at least one between the bottom of the longitudinal groove ( 9 ) and the actuating finger ( 10 ) arranged compression spring ( 16 ) and a on the rack ( 7 ) provided safety switch ( 17 ) is arranged to close when the compression spring ( 16 ) is compressed in the end position of the rack ( 7 ) corresponding to the closed position of the tailgate ( 2 ). 7. The device according to patent requirement 6, characterized in that the safety switch ( 17 ) is coupled to the electrical power supply of the geared motor ( 3 ) and is arranged to reverse the direction of rotation of said geared motor ( 3 ), whereby the rack ( 7 ) back in their Starting position is brought. 8. The device according to patent requirement 7, characterized in that the rack ( 7 ) has a projection ( 18 ) at its end with respect to the compression spring ( 16 ) and that the circuit of the geared motor ( 3 ) has a switch ( 19 ) through which said projection ( 18 ) is actuated when the rack ( 7 ) has returned to its starting position. 9. Device according to patent claim 1, characterized in that it Has anti-clamping means which are arranged around the closure of the flap in the If there is an obstacle between the trunk and the said flap automatically to prevent. 10. The device according to patent requirements 8 and 9, characterized in that the Anti-clamping agents are combined with the restoring agents.