Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch has a housing and a locking mechanism in the housing having an inside locking lever displaceable between a locked position in which the latch is locked and an unlocked position in which the latch is unlocked. An output element rotatable about an axis on the housing is formed with a spiral main groove having a pair of ends and with a transverse connecting groove extending between the ends. A pin mounted directly on the locking lever rides directly in the spiral groove. A reversible electric motor can rotate the output element so that the pin travels between the ends of the spiral groove for displacing the locking lever into the locked position when the pin engages one of the groove ends and for displacing the locking lever into the unlocked position when the pin engages the other of the groove ends. A locking element connected to the inside locking lever displaces same manually between its positions with movement of the pin along the connecting groove between the spiral groove ends.

Abstract: A vehicle lock system has individual door locks each having an actuator provided with a printed circuit board on which a microcontroller, motor driver of the lock actuator, and a multiplexing element are encapsulated, the printed circuit board being mounted in the housing of the respective lock and being connected by the multiplexing element to a single-line data bus for binary communication with the individual lock from the central station.

Abstract: A vehicle door lock having a closing element component, a locking element component and an actuating element component, the latter having a component actuating element and a securing actuating element, is connected to a central locking unit for remote controlled actuation of the securing actuation element. The actuation is effected with an electric motor and, in addition, a position monitoring is provided. The electric motor, for drive by the central locking unit is a reversible polyphase stepping motor with a phase confirming stator winding and which acts via a transmission on the lock component. The locking component is designed for a drive power which is greater than the nominal power of the polyphase stepping motor when it is permanently energized. The stepping motor is driven with a working voltage which is greater than the design voltage corresponding to the drive power for the centrally operable unit. For the position monitoring, a step monitor system is used.

Abstract: An acoustic absorber is made of a pot-shaped lower part with a pot bottom and side wall as well as an upper part having a horn. The horn projects into the bottom part and tapers in the direction of the pot bottom. Undesired noise is effectively reduced by the absorber. A relatively broadband, and at a given size, a relatively low-frequency absorption effect is achieved that is capable of protecting human hearing from injury or reducing the impact of noise such as on technical equipment and components.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch for securing a door to a doorpost has a support mounted on a doorpost, a bolt projecting from the support, and a latch fork pivoted on the door, including a switch-actuating part, and movable between an engaged position interfitting with the bolt and retaining the door in a closed position fixed relative to the doorpost and a disengaged position out of engagement with the bolt and permitting the door to move relative to the doorpost. A switch on the support detects the position of the switch-actuating part and generates a door-closed output when the fork is in the engaged position and a door-open output when the fork is in the disengaged position.

Abstract: By means of this acoustic protection it is possible to protect the payloads of expandable launch vehicles effectively against noise emissions from the rocket propulsion system which result in damage of the payloads. For this purpose acoustic absorbers (8) tuned to a defined frequency range are provided and are arranged in foamed plastic mats (7) disposed on the insides (6) of the payload fairing (1). The acoustic absorbers (8) are composed of a cup-shaped lower part (12) and an upper part (13) having a horn (18). The horn (8) tapers in a curved-conical manner from a larger diameter (D.sub.m) to a smaller diameter (D.sub.t) and projects into the lower part (12) by a defined distance (a) from a bottom (14) thereof. Slits (21) for the dissipation of the directed flow energy occurring in the horn (18) are disposed in the wall of the horn in the area of the smaller diameter (D.sub.t).

Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch has a housing and a locking mechanism in the housing having an inside locking lever displaceable between a locked position in which the latch is locked and unlocked position in which the latch is unlocked. An output element rotatable about an axis on the housing is formed with a spiral main groove having a pair of ends and with a transverse connecting groove extending between the ends. A pin mounted directly on the locking lever rides directly in the spiral groove. A reversible electric motor can rotate the output element so that the pin travels between the ends of the spiral groove for displacing the locking lever into the locked position when the pin engages one of the groove ends and for displacing the locking lever into the unlocked position when the pin engages the other of the groove ends. A locking element connected to the inside locking lever displaces same manually between its positions with movement of the pin along the connecting groove between the spiral groove ends.

Abstract: A vehicle lock system has individual door locks each provided with a printed circuit board on which a microcontroller, motor driver for the lock servomotor, and a multiplexing element are encapsulated, the printed circuit board being mounted in the housing of the respective lock and being connected by the multiplexing element to a single-line data bus for binary communication with the individual lock from the central station.

Abstract: A motor vehicle having a plurality of pivotal doors and a sliding door each movable between a closed and an open position has a lock system with a respective lock on each of the doors having an electrical motor energizable to set the respective lock in a locked position and in an unlocked position. A sensor at the sliding door produces a closed-door output when the sliding door is closed and an open-door output when the sliding door is open. Contacts on the sliding door are connected to the respective motor and contacts on the vehicle are engageable with the sliding-door contacts only in the closed position of the sliding door. A command unit can generate a lock-doors output and an unlock-doors output and an electrical controller is connected to the sensor, to the command unit, to the pivotal-door motors, and to the motor-vehicle contacts for energizing the pivotal-door motors to place the pivotal-door locks in the locked position after generation of the lock-doors signal.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle lock system has a remote operator separate from the motor vehicle and having a key part having a predetermined bitting, a transmitter actuatable to transmit a main signal containing a main code word, and a transponder independent of the transmitter for receiving an interrogation signal and thereupon generating a callback signal containing a callback code word. A lock provided with a switch is actuatable mechanically by the key part to operate the switch. A receiver in the motor vehicle connected to a central lock controller receives the main signal including the main code word, extracts the main code word from the transmitted main signal, compares the extracted main code word with a predetermined main code word, and sends a release signal to the controller when the extracted main code word corresponds to the predetermined main code word to actuate the elements.

Abstract: A remote control lock system for a vehicle has a coder of the transmitter and the decoder of the receiver designed to receive either a radio frequency or light frequency oscillator and detector, respectively, so that for a given coding system, different modes of wave transmission between the receiver and the transmitter can be effected.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch has a drive having a housing formed with an inner surface formed relative to a main axis traversing the housing with two angularly offset and radially inwardly open notches, a shaft rotatable in the housing about the main axis and having a radially outwardly projecting bump, and a wheel rotatable in the housing about the main axis, surrounding the shaft in the housing, and connected to the input member of the latch to rotate jointly with the input member between locked and unlocked positions of the latch. A lobe on the wheel projects radially outward into one of the notches. A radially outwardly deflectable abutment on the wheel is angularly engageable with the bump of the shaft and is urged by a spring radially inward on the wheel so that the bump can angularly engage the abutment and angularly displace the wheel.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch has inside and outside locking elements and an actuator having an electric motor having a threaded output spindle and a drive nut threaded directly on the spindle and displaceable by the motor between unlocked, locked, and antitheft positions. An inside lever assembly includes a first inside lever pivoted on the housing and connected directly to the inside locking element for displacement jointly with the inside locking element between locked and unlocked positions and a second inside lever pivoted on the first inside lever and coupled to the actuator drive nut for pivotal displacement jointly therewith between unlocked, locked, and antitheft positions. A spring braced between the first and second levers urges abutments on them into engagement with each other so that when the abutments are spaced apart the spring is loaded.

Abstract: A safety system used in combination with a vehicular power door latch has a mechanism operated by a motor in turn driven by a drive apparatus for opening and closing vehicle door. The safety system comprises a vehicle speed sensor generating an output when vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined limit, a counter startable when the motor is actuated, and a controller connected between the speed sensor and the counter and to the apparatus for shutting down the apparatus and thereby deenergizing the motor when the vehicle-speed output exceeds the limit and when the counter has counted since the motor started beyond a predetermined limit.

Abstract: A power actuator used with a door latch has a housing fixed adjacent the latch and a slide linked to the latch and displaceable along an axis in the housing between locked and unlocked positions respectively corresponding to the locked and unlocked conditions of the latch. This slide is formed with a radially elastically deflectable entrainment formation and with a crosspiece. An axial spindle carries a nut engageable with the entrainment formation and the crosspiece of the slide. A radially elastically deflectable locking dog axially fixed to the slide is also engageable with the nut and the housing is formed with a radially inwardly open recess in which the dog is engageable only in the locked position of the slide. An electric motor can rotate the spindle and thereby displace the nut from an antitheft end position through an intermediate position and into an end locked position.

Abstract: The door-lock system for a motor vehicle has mechanical motor vehicle door locks in all motor vehicle doors and the trunk lid, a mechanical lock cylinder in the motor vehicle door lock of the driver's door and a remotely operable electronic operating mechanism with a transmitter acting as an electronic key, a receiver and decoder as well as a power supply. The motor vehicle door locks in the doors have at least one locked configuration and an additional theft preventative configuration as well as a central lock mechanism drive with control positions for engagement and/or disengagement of the theft preventative configuration. The central lock mechanism drive is operable by the electronic operating mechanism. The decoder and the receiver of the electronic operating mechanism are independent components which are connected only electrically. The receiver is located otside, e.g. in the driver's door, and only operates from the outside by a transmitter.

Abstract: A security system has a key including a transmitter for emitting a coded signal and a receiver for the signal and connected to a latch of the vehicle for unlocking a door secured by the latch only when the coded signal is received. A column bolt is displaceable in a housing fixed around the steering column between a locking position preventing the column from rotating and a freeing position. A barrel rotatable in the housing is formed with an axially open pocket generally complementary to the key. A switch is actuatable in one end position of the barrel for starting the vehicle and a locking pin is displaceable in the barrel and engageable into the pocket and into a lateral recess of the key when same is fitted in the pocket. A lever can engage in the recess of the barrel in the other of the end positions and can also engage in this other end position with the pin to push same into the pocket and into the recess of the key therein.

Abstract: A vehicular lock system used in combination with a battery has at least one latch settable in an unlocked position, a locked position permitting manual opening only by a key, and an antitheft position preventing manual opening even with the key. An electric servomotor is powered by the battery to displace the latch between at least the antitheft and locked positions. This servomotor is unable to move the latch between the positions when the battery power is below a predetermined minimum. An externally operable control unit is connected between the battery and the servomotor for feeding the battery power to the servomotor for displacing the latch at least between the antitheft and locked positions. A reference signal corresponding to the minimum battery power is compared to the battery power to displace the latch from the antitheft position to the locked position when the battery power falls below the predetermined minimum represented by the reference signal.

Abstract: A food container comprising an inner heat proof tray which is closed by a lid and in which the food to be heated is contained is protected by an outer cardboard member surrounding the bottom and sides of the inner tray. Opening tabs extending from the upper edges of the cardboard member are releasably secured to the inner tray or lid so that pulling on the tabs first releases the tabs therefrom without damaging the lid or its sealing with the tray and further pulling tears the outer cardboard member so that the inner tray can be readily removed from the outer before being heated.