The invention relates to an operating device for a motor vehicle latch.

A latch or a latching device for a motor vehicle has a locking mechanism which is generally formed of a catch and a pawl for ratcheting of the catch. If the catch is ratcheted, a locking bolt—also known as a latch holder—of a door or a flap can no longer leave the locking mechanism. The door or flap is then latched. With the aid of the operating device, the pawl is moved out of its ratchet position in order to thus open the door or flap.

An internal operating lever of an operating device enables opening, i.e. unratcheting of the locking mechanism from the motor vehicle interior. An external operating lever, for example a door handle accessible from the outside of an operating device enables opening of the locking mechanism.

Other details regarding the construction and function of a motor vehicle latch with an operating device are described in publication DE 10 2011 005 758 A1. The characteristics of the latching device and the latch stated in the stated publication and in the introduction to the description can also be a component of the present invention, individually or in combination.

A latching device with a ratcheted locking mechanism can also be bolted. In the bolted state, the locking mechanism cannot be unratcheted, i.e. opened, by means of operation of the external operating lever. Bolting or unbolting can occur with the aid of a key, for example, or completely electronically by means of remote control.

A latching device regularly has central locking which enables simultaneous bolting and unbolting of all doors and mostly also flaps, such as the tailgate or fuel flap. The central locking can in turn be operated with the aid of a key and/or a remote control.

A latching device can encompass a child lock, i.e. one or several locking devices which prevent opening from the inside. The possibility of opening a door or flap from the inside of a motor vehicle by operation of an internal operating lever can therefore be prevented by means of an activated child lock. A child lock is generally only provided for the rear doors of a motor vehicle.

A latching device for a motor vehicle also regularly encompasses an anti-theft lock. If the anti-theft lock is activated, a latch of a motor vehicle can neither be opened from inside nor outside by operation of an internal or an external operating lever.

Publication DE 20 2007 010 301 U1 publishes a latching device with an anti-theft lock, a child lock and central locking. Publication DE 10 2005 052 190 A1 publishes a motor vehicle latch with a coupling element which can assume at least three positions in respect of operating lever chains and hereby can activate and deactivate the internal operating lever chain, the external operating lever chain or both. The child lock and anti-theft lock can thus be activated or deactivated.

It is a task of the invention to create an operating device for a latch of a motor vehicle with which a multitude of functions can be realized without the requirement for a large number of components and/or a complex and/or bulky construction.

The task of the invention is solved by an operating device with the characteristics of the disclosure. Advantageous designs result from the disclosure.

An operating device according to the disclosure for opening of a locking mechanism of a motor vehicle latch encompasses an anti-theft device, a central locking device and a child lock device. There is a multifunctional coupling lever which is capable of opening a locking mechanism of a motor vehicle latch by means of an opening movement. This opening movement of the multifunctional coupling lever can be prevented by means of the anti-theft lock device, the central locking device and the child lock device. An operating device is thus available which is capable of fulfilling a multitude of functions with few components. As only relatively few components are required, the constructional cost can be low.

In order to effect the opening movement of the multi-functional coupling lever, there is an operating lever which is coupled with the multi-functional coupling lever. If the operating lever is operated, its movement is thus transferred to the multifunctional coupling lever such that the multifunctional coupling lever executes its opening movement. The locking mechanism is opened by means of the opening movement.

The anti-theft lock device, the central locking device and/or the child lock device can prevent the opening movement of the multifunctional coupling lever in particular by uncoupling the operating lever from the multifunctional coupling lever. In the activated state of the anti-theft lock device, the central locking device and the child lock device there is therefore no coupling between the operating lever and the multifunctional coupling lever. The consequence of this is that operation of the operating lever is not capable of moving the multifunctional coupling lever and opening of the locking mechanism is prevented.

The anti-theft lock device, the central locking device and/or the child lock device can prevent the opening movement of the multifunctional coupling lever additionally in particular by these blocking an opening movement. The anti-theft lock device, the central locking device and/or the child lock device are at least in a preferred embodiment able to prevent the opening movement of the multifunctional coupling lever by means of blockage. A blockage is present when the multifunctional coupling lever cannot move according to its opening movement because a component of the anti-theft lock device, the central locking device and/or the child lock device blocks the path which needs to be moved along the multifunctional coupling lever for moving.

The multifunctional coupling lever is preferably held in a starting position, also known as a 0-position, by means of a spring, for example, if no external force impacts on the multifunctional coupling lever. If the multifunctional coupling lever is pivoted in a first direction from the starting position, the locking mechanism is thus opened. If, starting from the starting position, the multifunctional coupling lever is pivoted into a second, for example an opposite, direction, it is thus uncoupled by an internal operating lever. An operating movement of the internal operating lever then no longer means that the multifunctional coupling lever hereby performs an opening movement. Activation of the anti-theft lock device, the central locking device and/or the child lock device then causes the multifunctional coupling lever to be pivoted according to the second direction, thus preventing an opening movement of the multifunctional coupling lever.

In one configuration, the multifunctional coupling lever has a towing arm arranged adjacent to the rotational axis of the multifunctional coupling lever. Adjacent to the rotational axis means that this towing arm is located relatively close to the axis around which the multifunctional coupling lever can be rotated, compared to other lever arms of the multifunctional coupling lever. Beneficial lever ratios are thus possible in the multifunctional coupling lever in order to be able to open a locking mechanism with little force expenditure. In one configuration, the operating lever is an internal operating lever which causes the opening movement of the multifunctional coupling lever by pivoting. This internal operating lever can only be operated on the inside of a pertaining door or flap for opening.

In addition to the internal operating lever, in one configuration there is an external operating lever which can be operated externally in order to open a door or flap.

In one configuration the operating lever, in particular the internal operating lever, has a contact surface which lies adjacent, for example, on a laterally protruding pin of the multifunctional coupling lever for transfer of a movement of the internal operating lever on the multifunctional operating lever in order to thus cause the opening movement. In order to enable such an extensive contact surface for reliable functioning between the contact surface and the pin in a technically simple manner, the contact surface of the operating lever is preferably provided by a bended bracket. Furthermore, such a large contact surface is thus provided without requiring an excessive amount of material. If, in a respective configuration, the multifunctional lever is pivoted from the aforementioned starting position into the above-named second direction, the contact surface of the operating lever can thus no longer lie adjacent on the multifunctional coupling lever. The operating lever is then uncoupled from the multifunctional coupling lever. Operation of the operating lever can then not cause an opening movement of the multifunctional coupling lever.

In one configuration, the child lock device has a child lock lever which blocks an opening movement of the multifunctional coupling lever with an activated, i.e. engaged child lock. In addition, the multifunctional coupling lever is thus preferably moved by engagement of the child lock that the operating lever is uncoupled from the multifunctional coupling lever. Operation of the operating lever can then no longer cause the multifunctional coupling lever to be jointly moved. In two respects, opening of a door from the inside can thus be prevented.

In one configuration, the anti-theft lock device encompasses an anti-theft lock lever which lies adjacent in the case of an engaged, i.e. activated, anti-theft lock on a contact surface of the multifunctional coupling lever and thus prevents or at least impedes the opening movement. In particular by pivoting of the anti-theft lock lever the multifunctional coupling lever is also moved in such a way that an internal operating lever is uncoupled from the multifunctional coupling lever. In two ways, it is thus prevented that a door or flap can be opened unintentionally.

An electrical drive is preferably present by means of which the anti-theft lock lever can be pivoted in order to thus activate or deactivate the anti-theft lock. This electrical drive which is an electromotor in particular is preferably only provided for the anti-theft lock lever so that this electrical drive is independent from other electrical drives. This can provide especially reliable protection from theft.

The central locking device preferably has a central locking lever which is capable of lying adjacent on a contact surface of the multifunctional coupling lever for prevention of the opening movement, in particular by means of a laterally protruding locking bolt. Pivoting of the central locking lever into the bolting position also has the consequence in particular that the multifunctional coupling lever is uncoupled in turn from an internal operating lever in order to ensure in two ways that a door or flap is bolted especially reliably.

The contact surface of the multifunctional coupling lever for the central locking lever preferably has a greater distance to the axis of the multifunctional coupling lever than the contact surface of the multifunctional coupling lever for the anti-theft lock lever. The consequence of this is that due to lever ratios bolting takes place with a greater force compared to the force exerted by the anti-theft lock on the multifunctional coupling lever in order to block an opening movement or at least prevent such a movement and/or in order to uncouple the operating lever of the multifunctional coupling lever. This is advantageous because the anti-theft lock only supplements bolting.

In an advantageous configuration, the two aforementioned contact surfaces for the anti-theft lock lever and the central locking lever are separated by a step. Only one lever arm of the multifunctional coupling lever with a step is required in order to provide the two contact surfaces for the anti-theft lock device and the bolting device in a spatially suitable manner with little installation space.

Advantageously, an electrical drive is present with which the central locking lever can be pivoted. It is thus possible to provide an electrical central locking unit. An electromotor is predominantly suitable as an electrical drive. The central locking device preferably encompasses an external bolting arm which is capable of uncoupling an external operating lever by means of a pivoting movement via an additional mechanism such that operation of the external operating lever cannot cause an opening movement of the locking mechanism. However, if the external operating lever is coupled, an operation of the external operating lever results in opening of the locking mechanism.

The anti-theft lock lever of the anti-theft lock device and the central locking lever of the central locking device are preferably rotatably mounted on a common axis. The number of components is thus kept low. A compact design is thus enabled in an improved manner.

The axes of rotatably mounted components of the operating device are preferably aligned vertically to the catch and pawl axes in order to enable a compact design and in order to enable beneficial lever ratios.

