Collision protection for vehicle door lock has an inertial mass displaced by the door opening mechanism and which blocks the lock when displaced by impact forces

摘要

The operating handle (2) of a vehicle door lock is coupled to an inertial mass (5) via a cable/wire pull (10). Operating the handle causes the inertial mass to spin. If the rate of spin exceeds a preset level than the inertial mass is displaced and acts as a blocking element onto the door handle mechanism. This blocks the door lock and prevents the door from opening during the collision, irrespective in which direction the collision impact occurs. The wire/cable pull is balanced by a return spring (11) and can be fitted with additional ballast masses to operate at the correct impact level.