Electrically operated lock for doors of motor vehicles or the like

Abstract

A lock for doors of motor vehicles or the like includes a lock catch component mounted for movement between an initial open position and a fully closed position through an intermediate position and includes preliminary and a final abutment. A lock latch component is mounted for displacement between an arresting position and a releasing position in which it engages and disengages one of the preliminary and final abutment of the lock catch component to hold the latter in and release the same for movement out of the intermediate and fully closed position, respectively. An electrically powered auxiliary opening drive is designed to cause the lock latch component to disengage the one of the abutments of the lock catch component to release the latter for movement toward the initial open position. An electrically powered auxiliary closing drive is provided to move the lock catch component from its intermediate into its fully closed position and includes a step-down transmission that is connected with the lock latch component via a driving element and a coupling interposed between the driving element and the lock latch component. The auxiliary closing drive is designed to also be able to act on the lock latch component when necessary. A control device first determines the occurrence of an emergency situation involving the action on the lock catch component of excessive forces making it necessary to employ the auxiliary closing drive to accomplish the disengagement, and then operates the auxiliary closing drive in such a manner after a demand for opening the lock has been issued in the emergency situation that it acts to disengage the lock latch component from the lock catch component.