Pivotable key with reinforced position latching for actuating a lock

[0001] The invention relates to a key used, for example, to open motor vehicle locks.

Background of the invention [0002] There are wrenches having a tip rigidly connected to a sheath mounted between two walls of the housing for rotation about the axis of rotation between the position of the key hidden in the housing and the position of the extracted key. The control button is mounted in the housing so that it is rigidly connected to it during rotation and moves between the extended position, blocking the housing, in which the button's tabs are located in the cutouts in the housing, which are set so that they correspond to each position, and pressed position, slowing down the rotational movement of the cover, in which the projections are removed from the cutouts. A spring is inserted between the housing and the control button to resiliently spring the cover back to its extended position, and the control button to its locked position.

[0003] Such a key is known, for example, from document EP1 526 232 A1, which describes a key according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0004] The housing is generally made of plastic and the button is made of metal. The housing often includes a shielded opening for passing the key ring.

Object of the invention [0005] It has been noticed that holding the key in position over time threatens the loss of its effectiveness due to rotational forces applied to the key or the housing when the key is locked in the extended position. Thus, when the key in the extended position is inserted into the lock and the pendant ring is heavily loaded, the button tabs cause high stress on the walls of the notches, which tend to tarnish, which causes the notches to expand and in turn promotes falling out of the notches.

[0006] To remedy this problem, consideration may be given to increasing the dimensions of the contact surface to better distribute the stresses. However, this would increase the external dimensions of the housing. Another solution would be to increase the spring stiffness to prevent the tabs from unexpectedly falling out of the cutouts, but this would make it difficult to operate the button.

[0007] The object of the invention is to provide a means for locking the cover in position, which means would be reliable and at the same time simple.

Brief description of the invention [0008] To this end, according to the invention, a key is provided having a tip attached rigidly to a guard mounted in the housing, for rotation between the position of the key

- 2 hidden in the housing and the position of the withdrawn key, and a control button, mounted in the cover so that it is rigidly connected to it during rotation and moves between the extended position, blocking the cover, in which at least one button projection is located in the cutout in the part housing, and the pressed position, slowing down the rotational movement of the cover, in which the projection comes out of the cutout, wherein a spring is inserted between the housing and the control button to resiliently retract the cover to its extended position, and the control button to its locked position, characterized in that the cutout is made in a ring located in the housing part and the hardness of the ring is greater than the hardness of the housing.

[0009] A ring is any part having a hole for receiving a button. Thus, the ring is more mechanically resistant than the housing and can be made of a material as durable as the one of which the button is made. The cover lock is therefore particularly durable and not very susceptible to wear.

[0010] According to a first preferred embodiment, the ring is inserted into the recess of the housing parts.

[0011] According to a second preferred embodiment, the housing part has been molded onto the ring.

[0012] According to a third preferred embodiment, the housing part comprises at least one fragment that has been deformed to maintain the position of the ring.

[0013] Preferably, the ring comprises means for fixing it during rotation relative to the housing portion, said components having a non-round outer contour, and preferably at least one projection extending outwardly for abutting on the housing surface.

[0014] The non-round contour may extend over all or part of the thickness of the ring. The projections take advantage of the lever arm and create a relatively large surface to distribute the stress caused by the ring in the housing when it is subjected to it during rotation relative to the key.

[0015] Other features and advantages will be apparent after reading the following description of a preferred embodiment of the non-limiting invention.

Brief description of the drawings [0016] Reference will be made to the attached drawings, in which:

- figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the key according to the invention,

- figure 2 - perspective view of a key housing part, this housing part being equipped with a ring according to the invention,

- figure 3 - partial perspective view of the first embodiment of the ring,

- figure 4 - partial perspective view of a housing part equipped with a second embodiment of the ring.

Detailed description of the invention [0017] The key according to the invention is here described as a device for opening locks, such as in motor vehicles. In particular, the key can be used to lock and unlock the wings (door, suitcases ...) and steering column or to turn the ignition switch on.

[0018] With reference to figures 1 and 2, the key marked generally with number 1 is mounted in the housing 2 so as to rotate between the retracted position in the side brace 3 of the housing 2 and the extended position in which the key 1 is set at an angle of 180 ° with respect to stowed position. The housing 2 here is formed of a container 4 closed by a lid 5 and includes a remote control electronic module, positioned in a known manner to remotely actuate the central locking and unlocking device of the motor vehicle door wings. The electronic control module can also be used to activate and deactivate the alarm or to switch on and off the vehicle's headlights.

[0019] The container 4 and the lid 5 are here made of thermoplastic material, by injection molding.

[0020] The cover 5 has a slot 27 whose central axis 11 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the key 1 and which coincides with the axis of rotation of the key 1.

[0021] The ring 13 is received in the front recess 14 made in the lid 5 coaxially to the slot 27 of the lid 5 of the housing 2. The cut-outs 26, extending at an angle of 180 ° to each other, are made in the thickness of the ring 13 and face the inner circumference of the ring 13 and the side of the ring 13 facing the container 4 (the height of the notches 26 is smaller than the thickness of the ring 13). The non-circular outer circumference of the ring 13 is here provided with a flattening 15 that extends in contact with the flat side of the front recess 14 to fix the ring 13 when rotating relative to the cover 5.

[0022] The ring 14 here is made of metal, more specifically a zinc-based alloy containing mainly aluminum, such as that marketed under the name ZAMAK. Ring 13 is made by bar turning, cold forging or punching and extrusion. The cover 5 is here molded onto the ring 13. The hardness of the ring 13 is therefore greater than the hardness of the thermoplastic material of which the housing 2 is made. In general, the mechanical strength of the ring 13 is greater than the strength of the housing 2.

[0023] The wrench 1 has a tip 6 mounted in a sheath generally indicated with the number 7 and sandwiched between two parallel walls of the housing at the end of the side stiffener 3 to rotate between the extended position and the retracted position of the key 1.

[0024] The cover 7 has two outer sides 8, 9 parallel and opposite to each other. The cover 7 has an opening 10 with an axis coinciding with the central axis 11, perpendicular to the outer sides 8, 9. The opening 10 has a circular cross section and faces the outer sides 8, 9.

[0025] In the seat 10 of the cover 7, an articulated member, generally designated 16, and a control button, generally designated 17, between which the spring 18 extends, is received.

[0026] The articulated member 16 has an outer cylindrical shape with a round circumference and has an end 19 received in the cavity 20 for the end of the lateral stiffener 3 receiving the cover 7 and opposite the end 21 are rotatably received in the seat shell seat 10 of the shell 7. The end 19 of the articulated member 16 and the recess 20 have protrusions of a matched shape, locking the articulation member 16 when rotating relative to the housing 2. The end 19 may thus include, for example, flats in contact with the respective flat surfaces of the cavity 20 or an eccentric recess receiving a corresponding protrusion protruding from the cavity 20. The end 21 has an essentially cylindrical outer shape with a circular cross-section.

[0027] The control button 17 has a cylindrical outer surface and has an end portion 22 received in the seat 10 and an opposite end portion 23 protruding from the seat 10 and the cover 5, passing through the slot 27 of the latter. Two projections 24 angularly offset 170 ° from each other protrude from the end portion 22 and are received in grooves 12 made in a known manner in a bayonet-shaped socket 10 to allow the button to be moved between the position of blocking rotation of the guard 7 and the position releasing the guard 7 .

[0028] In the locked position, the two projections 25 protruding from the end portion 23 at the rear at its end side are arranged in two notches 26.

[0029] In the releasing position of the guard 7, the control button 17 is depressed and the tabs 25 are removed from the notches 26.

[0030] The articulated member 16 and the control button 17 define the pivot and rotation axis of the cover 7 relative to the housing 2. This pivot axis coincides with the central axis 11.

[0031] The spring 18 has the tips fixed during rotation in the articulated member 16 and the control button 17. The control button 17 here has a slot 27 receiving a corresponding spring tip 18 to lock the end during rotation relative to the button. The spring 18 is a spiral spring, positioned so that when compressed it acts to bring the control button 17 to its locked position. In addition, when the cover 7 is placed in the retracted position, the spring 18 is twisted by at least 180 ° relative to the rest state. The spring 18 is therefore also arranged so that it works twisted in such a way as to hold the tabs 24 against the side of the grooves 12 and to bring the cover 7 to the extended position of the key 1.

[0032] It is noted that the operating control button 17 in the locked position simultaneously maintains the guard 7 in the extended position of the key 1 and in the retracted position of the key 1. If the notches 26 are laterally bounded by sides parallel to the direction of travel, the control button 17 must be depressed release position to bring the key 1 from its extended position to the retracted position or vice versa.

[0033] In the embodiment of figure 3, the height of the notches 26 of the ring 13 is equal to the thickness of the ring 13, so that the notches 26 extend to both sides of the ring 13, which facilitates production, in particular by punching and extrusion.

[0034] The ring 13 has two lateral projections 28, projecting outwardly of the ring 13, each of which is provided with one cutout 29 The lid portion 5 receiving the ring 13 has a lateral surface facing at least one of the lateral projections 28 so that this lateral projection 28 rested on the surface of the lid 5, resisting the relative rotation of the ring 13 and the lid 5. Both notches 29 receive a pin 30 protruding from the inner surface of the lid 5. Each pin 30 has a head that projects from the ring 13 and which has been hot deformed (here flattened) to allow the ring 13 to adhere to the inner surface of the lid 5.

[0035] In the embodiment, the pins 30 may be forced into the holes of the ring 13.

[0036] In the embodiment of figure 4, the ring 13 is forced into the front recess 14, the dimensions of the recess 14, perpendicular to the central axis 11, being smaller than the external dimensions of the ring 13, and the ring 13 is held in the front recess by elastic deformation. In order to facilitate force depressing, input slants are used in the front recess and on the ring 13.

[0037] The ring 13 has circumferential projections 31 intended to cooperate with protrusions 32 of the front recess 14 with a matching shape for immobilization when rotating relative to the cover 5. The projections 31 extend here only on part of the thickness of the ring 13, from the bottom of the front recess 14, symmetrically to the diametral plane of the ring 13.

[0038] In another embodiment, it is possible to attach the ring 13 to the lid 5 by ultrasonic, frictional or induction welding, gluing or otherwise allowing the ring 13 to immobilize with respect to the lid 5. The ring may have an outer surface with protrusions, e.g. knurled, to facilitate positioning.

[0039] The ring 13 can be fixed in the front recess or directly at the bottom of the cover.

[0040] Of course, the invention is not limited to the described embodiment and other embodiments can be added thereto without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the claims.

[0041] In an embodiment, to bring the key 1 out of its position, pull out to the retracted position without having to operate the control button 17, the side of the notches 26 located on the side of the retracted position (i.e. the side on which each of the tabs 25 rests at the time of attempting to bring back key 1 from the extended position to the hidden position) can be tilted to create, by sliding on the projection 25, a cam for moving the control button 17 in its release position.

[0042] Furthermore, the housing 2 may have a shape different from that shown here, for example a cylindrical shape, and the retracted and extended positions of the key may be at an angle other than 180 °, for example 90 ° or 120 °.

[0043] Furthermore, the articulated member may be one part together with the housing.

[0044] It is possible to use only one cutout or more than two. Cutouts are made at a height less than the thickness of the ring or the entire thickness of the ring, reaching both planes of the ring.

[0045] The ring may consist of one or more elements, it can be made of metal or any other material that is more durable than the part of the housing to which it is attached.

Prepared and verified

Grażyna Palka Patent Attorney