Description:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
and
THE PATENTS RULE, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10, rule 13)
1. TITLE OF THE INVENTION
A VEHICLE DOOR LOCK MECHANISM
2. APPLICANT
(a) Name (b) Nationality (c) Address
Minda Vast Access Systems Pvt. Ltd. An Indian Company B21, MIDC Chakan, Pune, Maharashtra, India

3.PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
PROVISIONAL
The following specification describes the invention
COMPLETE
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

 
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to locking mechanisms in vehicles and more particularly, relates to a vehicle door lock mechanism that is designed to prevent unauthorized access to a vehicle by using wrong keys.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Implementing robust door lock/unlock mechanisms that protect the door lock lever from damage and prevent theft using incorrect keys is crucial for vehicle security. These mechanisms not only deter thieves but also ensure the longevity and reliability of the vehicle's locking system. Today, a freewheeling mechanism and an electronic key recognition system are in practice for such purposes. The freewheeling mechanism allows the lock cylinder to rotate freely when a wrong key is inserted, preventing any force from being transferred to the door latch assembly. In electronic key recognition systems, electronic sensing devices such as RFID or smart keys, are employed to authenticate the correct key before allowing mechanical components to engage.
KR20050032879A describes a free rotation door lock device that prevents the door lock from unlocking by rotating the inner rotational member without actuating the lever connected to the latch when the mismatch key is inserted. The device includes a first rotational member, a second rotational member, a clutch plate, and a clutch spring. The first rotational member is configured with an insertion groove and protrusion to prevent the key from rotating when the outer diameter of the rotor is matched with the lock plate and to rotate the key when the lock plate is not matched with the outer diameter of the rotor. It thus provides an anti-theft free-rotating door lock device that allows only the inner rotor to rotate and the lever connected to the latch does not rotate to prevent unlocking of the door lock. However, the rotor and the first rotational body are placed in the rotor case, which is locked by a snap ring. An accidental or purposeful removal of the snap ring by any suitable means will result in pulling the rotor assembly from outside thus unlocking the door by accessing the lever.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a vehicle door lock that would eliminate the deficiencies of the prior art systems when incorporated with a door latch mechanism.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An objective of the present invention is to provide a vehicle door lock mechanism.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle door lock mechanism with the functionality of free-wheeling therewithin.
Yet, another objective of the present invention is to provide a vehicle door lock mechanism with a stator and a rotor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This section is provided to introduce certain objects and aspects of the present disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In an aspect, the present invention relates to a vehicle door lock mechanism for a vehicle door latch assembly. The vehicle door lock mechanism includes a rotor configured with a plurality of lock plates therewithin. The rotor further includes a top surface with a key slot, and a side surface provided with a plurality of apertures that allows protrusion of the lock plates therethrough. The vehicle door lock mechanism includes a stator rotatably accommodating the rotor therewithin. The stator includes an inner surface with a slot for receiving the lock plate protruding through the aperture of the rotor. The vehicle door lock mechanism includes a freewheeling assembly containing a clutch arranged below the stator, the clutch configured to removably bond with the rotor, and a spring mounted between the clutch and a link rod assembly coupled to a door latch assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in accordance with the accompanying drawing wherein,
Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a vehicle door lock mechanism in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 illustrates an exploded view of the vehicle door lock mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 illustrates a pictorial view of the rotor part in the vehicle door lock mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4 illustrates a pictorial view of the clutch in the vehicle door lock mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 5 illustrates a pictorial view of the clutch spring fitment in an upper housing of the vehicle door lock mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and
Figure 6 illustrates a pictorial view of a protrusion of the lock plates into the stator at the locked door and a wrong key insertion condition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing objects of the present invention are accomplished and the problems and shortcomings associated with the prior art, techniques, and approaches are overcome by the present invention as described below in the preferred embodiment.
The present invention provides a vehicle door lock mechanism for preventing unauthorized access to a user using the wrong keys. The door lock comprises a free-wheeling mechanism particularly, a single spring clutch mechanism that helps to detach the key lock mechanism away from the latch mechanism.
In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details. One skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments of the present invention, some of which are described below, may be incorporated into a number of systems.
Furthermore, connections between components and/or modules within the figures are not intended to be limited to direct connections. Rather, these components and modules may be modified, re-formatted, or otherwise changed by intermediary components and modules.
Throughout this application, with respect to all reasonable derivatives of such terms, and unless otherwise specified (and/or unless the particular context clearly dictates otherwise), each usage of:
“a” or “an” is meant to read as “at least one.”
“the” is meant to be read as “the at least one.”
References in the present invention to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” mean that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, or function described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one of the embodiments” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
If the specification states a component or feature "may”, “can", "could", or "might" be included or have a characteristic, that particular component or feature is not required to be included or have the characteristic.
As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of "a, an," and "the" includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of "in" includes "in" and "on" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided so that this invention will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those of ordinary skilled in the art. Moreover, all statements herein reciting embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure).
While embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention, as described in the claim.
The present invention is illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, throughout which reference numbers indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. These reference numbers are shown in the bracket in the following description and in the table below.
Reference numeral Component Reference numeral Component
100 Vehicle door lock mechanism 12 Lower housing
10 Rotor assembly 14 Upper housing
20 Rotor 16 Key slot
30 Stator 18 Socket
40 Clutch 22 Seat
50 Link rod 24 Lock plates
60 Spring 26 Aperture
70 Link rod holder 42 Groove
80 Ljnk rod assembly 44 Legs
62 Free end
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle door lock mechanism suitable for a vehicle door latch assembly for preventing unauthorized access to a vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle door latch assembly is coupled to the vehicle door lock mechanism via a link rod. The link rod is configured within the door latch assembly such that a user can actuate the link rod using a key inserted into a key slot in the vehicle door lock mechanism that is securely placed on a handle bar.
In the embodiment, an actuation of the link rod eventually releases the door latch assembly and opens the door. The vehicle door lock according to the present invention permits only the correct key to open or close the door latch, thereby preventing unauthorized access with fake keys.
Referring to Figure 1, a perspective view of the vehicle door lock mechanism (100) (hereinafter referred to as “mechanism (100)”) in accordance with an embodiment is illustrated. Figure 2 represents a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle door lock mechanism (100) comprises a housing consisting of a lower housing (14) and an upper housing (12). The vehicle door lock mechanism (100) is provided with a key slot (16) for receiving the keys for opening and closing a vehicle door. The housing securely accommodates a rotor (20), a stator (30), and a freewheeling assembly coupled to a link rod (50) in communication with a door latch assembly (not shown). The housing is arranged in such a way that the rotor (20) and the stator (30) can freely move inside in synchronization with the rotational movements of the key. The rotor (20) and the stator (30) are movably attached to a freewheeling assembly. The freewheeling assembly includes a clutch (40) and a resilient member particularly a spring (60) that couples the clutch (40) with a link rod (50). The link rod (50) is a member that upon actuation releases a latch lever in the latch assembly of the door lock system. The latch assembly of the door lock system is coupled to the rotor (20) and stator (30) by means of the clutch (40) and the link rod (50).
As shown in Figure 3, the rotor (20) is a cylindrical component with a key slot (16) at one end provided for the user to insert the key for operating the door lock system. The other end of the cylindrical rotor (20) is configured with a seat (22). The internal area of the rotor (20) is made in such a way that a plurality of lock plates (24) is secured therewithin. The lock plates (24) are designed to move in response to the rotation of a key inside the key slot (16) and protrude through a plurality of apertures (26) on a curved surface of the rotor (20).
As shown in Figure 4, the freewheeling assembly includes a clutch (40) and a spring (60) resting on the top surface of the link rod holder (70). The clutch (40) is a circular disk-like component with a groove (42) at the top surface and at least two legs (44) resting on a curvature of the top surface of the link rod holder (70). The space between the legs (44) and the curvature of the top surface of the link rod holder (70) accommodates the spring (60), which provides sufficient resilient force for the clutch (40) to disengage from the link rod holder (70). The seat (22) at the bottom surface of the rotor (20) is provided to fit into a groove (42) on the top surface of the clutch (40) to form a groove joint. The groove (42) on the top surface of the clutch (40) is a U-shaped groove (42) for receiving the seat (22) of the rotor (20). The rotor (20) is configured to rotate inside the stator (30) in both, clockwise and anticlockwise directions in 3600.
As shown in Figure 5, the spring (60) comprises two free ends (62) securely mounted on a socket (18) of the upper housing (14). This offers sufficient torsion force for the free-wheeling operation of the mechanism. The spring (60) acts as both, a torsion, and compression spring for the free-wheeling operation. The lock plates (24) are spring-operated plates that move in response to the insertion of the key. The groove joint is designed in such a way that the rotor (20) engages with the clutch (40) after every 1800 rotation.
In another aspect of the present invention, an operation of the mechanism (100) is explained by referring to the Figures from 1 to 5. The operation of the mechanism is better explained with the three states of the rotor (20), namely, a normal state, a link rod actuation state in response to the insertion of a right key in the key slot, and a nonactivation state after insertion of a wrong key into the key slot.
In the normal state, under the door locked or unlocked conditions, the rotor (20) stays inside the stator (30) with a groove (42) joint formed with the clutch (40). During this stage, the clutch (40) is in communication with the rotor (20) due to the spring force acting from the lower surface. When a user inserts a right key inside the key slot (16), the lock plates (24) in the rotor (20) may start moving inward direction towards internal surface apertures (26) of the rotor (20). This makes the rotor (20) freely rotate in one direction, subsequently, the clutch (40) and the link rod assembly (80) also rotate in the respective direction of the rotor (20). The link rod (50) thus obtains sufficient force to actuate the latch in the door latch assembly to change the state of the mechanism (100). The link rod (50) thus actuates the door latch assembly in response to the insertion of a right key in the key slot (16). In the third state, when the user inserts a wrong key into the key slot (16), the lock plates (24) stay protruded into the stator (30) and the apertures (26) and push the rotor (20) to rotate in the same direction along with the stator (30). However, the lock plates (24) get locked inside the slot in the stator surface tries to restrict the motion. Referring to Figure 6, as the rotor (20) rotates the stator (30) moves backward along with rotation. As the stator (30) moves backward it pushes the clutch (40) backward resulting in a disengagement of the clutch (40), the groove (42), the rotor (20), and the seat (22). Subsequently the rotor (20) and the link rod assembly (80) disengage from each other. Thus, the link rod (50) does not obtain sufficient force to actuate the latch in the door latch assembly to change the state of the door lock system.
In an implementation of one of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the groove joint is designed in such a way that the rotor (20) makes the bonding with the clutch (40) after every 1800 rotation.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
1. The vehicle door lock mechanism (100) is incorporated with the free-wheeling mechanism that protects the door opening in case of unauthorized access by disengaging the rotor assembly with the link rod assembly through the clutch with the help of the spring which acts as a compression as well as torsional spring and the stator.
2. After applying a certain force, or operating the mechanism (100) by using a wrong key, the rotor continues to rotate more freely without damaging the latch lever. Therefore, a door lock with a freewheel mechanism is advantageous in protecting the door latch lever from damage thus preventing theft of the vehicle.
3. The mechanism (100) ensures fitment of the latch lever in the latch assembly of the door lock system with a pin and positioning of the latch lever between the lower and the upper housing. This arrangement protects against any attempts of tampering and/or removal of the pin.
4. In the mechanism (100) the rotor assembly and the stator are secured in between the lower and upper housing with a flange on the rotor which is inserted in the grooves of housings. This design thus provides better protection against the removal of the rotor from the outside.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but such omissions and substitutions are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the scope of the claims of the present invention.
, Claims:We claim:
1. A vehicle door lock mechanism (100) for a vehicle door latch assembly, the mechanism (100) comprising:
a rotor (20) configured with a plurality of lock plates (24) therewithin, the rotor (20) including:
a top surface with a key slot (16); and
a side surface provided with a plurality of apertures (26) that allows protrusion of the plurality of lock plates (24) therethrough;
a stator (30) rotatably accommodating the rotor (20) therewithin, the stator (30) including an inner surface with a slot for receiving the lock plate (24) protruding through the aperture (26) of the rotor (20); and
a freewheeling assembly containing:
a clutch (40) arranged below the stator (30), the clutch (40) configured to removably bond with the rotor (20); and
a spring (60) mounted between the clutch (40) and a link rod assembly (80) coupled to a door latch assembly.
2. The vehicle door lock mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1 includes a lower housing (12) and an upper housing (14) that sealingly covers the stator (30) and the freewheeling mechanism therewithin.
3. The vehicle door lock mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotor (20) is a cylindrical component rotatably mounted inside the stator (30) and is configured to rotate inside the stator (30) in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions in 3600.
4. The vehicle door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the freewheeling assembly is configured to attach or detach the rotor (20) with the link rod (50).
5. The vehicle door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clutch (40) is a circular disk component with a groove (42) at the top surface and at least two legs (44) resting on a curvature of the top surface of a link rod holder (70).
6. The vehicle door lock mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clutch (40) is configured to removably bond with the rotor (20) by a groove joint.
7. The vehicle door lock mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the groove joint is formed between a seat (22) provided on the bottom surface of the rotor (20) and the groove (42) formed on an upper surface of the clutch (40).
8. The vehicle door lock mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the groove joint allows the rotor (20) to bond with the clutch (40) after every 1800 rotation.
9. The vehicle door lock mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring (60) is located in a space between the legs (44) and the curvature of the top surface of the link rod holder (70).
10. The vehicle door lock mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring (60) provides sufficient resilient force for the clutch (40) to get engaged with the seat (22) of the rotor (20) after every 1800 rotation.
11. The vehicle door lock mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring (60) comprises two free ends (62) securely mounted on a socket (18) of the upper housing (14) to provide sufficient torsion force for the free-wheeling operation.
12. The vehicle door lock mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring (60) acts as both torsion and compression spring during free-wheeling operation.
13. The vehicle door lock mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of lock plates (24) is configured to protrude through the apertures (26) on the side surface of the rotor (20) in response to a wrong key inserted into the key slot (16) and move inward direction upon the insertion of a right key.
14. The vehicle door lock mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of lock plates (24) is spring-operated plates that moves in response to the rotation of the key.

Dated this on 27th day of March 2025

Prafulla Wange
(Agent for Applicant) (IN/PA: 2058)