Commonly known are various devices designed for blocking and securing of automobile door locks, whose main purpose is to protect the motor car from a break-in.

For example, the German patent specification No EP 0244554 describes a device comprising a hydraulic actuator connected to a complex lever system used for blocking of the automobile door lock. The main disadvantage of this device is its complex structure which limits the scope of application. Described in the German patent specification No 4002770 is an electro-hydraulic device which is also designed for blocking of the automobile door locks and where the piston rods of the hydraulic actuators are directly coupled to the lock bolts to ensure their blocking.

Described in the German patent specification No 3041827 is a device for central blocking of automobile door locks which is actuated by turning of the key of the ignition switch and whose output controls through a separate control system a compressor powering a pneumatic diaphragm actuator. Also this device is so complex that its cost prevented a wider implementation.

A further device is described in the German patent specification No 3307542. This device, being primarily designed to prevent car theft, has an even more complex structure than that of the previously mentioned devices.

The fundamental drawback of the above-mentioned devices is that they all have been designed exclusively for blocking of the automobile door locks to prevent breaking into the car.

In the practical use of automobiles driven by a chauffeur the possibility of remote opening and closing of the vehicle doors is not less important than the possibility of controlling the locking and unlocking of the automobile door locks. It is so because of the importance of elimination of the necessity to step outside the vehicle to open or close the doors of the passenger compartment and of elimination of improper closing of the door by the passengers themselves, which frequently involves door banging.

Known are pneumatic devices designed for opening of the doors, e. g. in the buses, but these devices require special construction of the doors, for example they must be capable of folding, and cannot therefore be adopted for the mass production motor cars.

The idea of the present invention is to create such a device for closing and opening of the door, in particular in the automobiles driven by a professional driver like, for example, taxi cabs, which would be able to execute sequentially following functions controlled by the driver: unlocking of the door, opening of the door, preparing the lock for latching, closing of the door and latching of the lock.

The above idea has been realized according to the present invention by designing a device comprising pneumatic or hydraulic actuator mounted inside the car door and connected at its one end to an element of the car body and at the other end to a system of levers controlling the bolt of the door lock in such a manner that at the first step it opens the lock and at the second step the door itself.

The hydraulic actuator being at the same time controlled by means of the known distribution valve coupled with an electromagnet being actuated by the car driver using a three position electric switch, the said switch simultaneously switching on the compressor or pump feeding the actuator. The actuator located inside the car door can assume four sequential positions, first of them corresponding to latched lock bolt and closed door, the second to retracted lock bolt with the door still closed, the third to retracted lock bolt and opened door and the fourth to protruding lock bolt as prepared for latching and opened door.

Owing to the above features, the device according to the present invention enables the driver to control fully the cycle of closing and opening of the car door without leaving the car or even turning himself to be able to close or open the door manually. This is of fundamental importance for the safety of the driver, e. g. of a taxi cab, because the passenger cannot leave the car without the knowledge of the driver and the safety of the passenger as well because the driver will always open that particular door which is next to the pavement.

Characteristic of the device according to the present invention is that it can be installe in mass produced motor cars, since the application of the said device does not require any important modification of the vehicle doors or locks. Therefore, this device can be mounted in mass produced automobiles, especially those designed to be used as taxi cabs. Moreover, unlike other known devices, it is of simple design, thus being cheap and easy to install.

The invention is explained in the drawing where: fig. 1-demonstrates the functional diagram of the device for opening and closing of the door, in particular of an automobile, where the door lock is shown in latched condition and the door itself in closed position; fig. 2-the same diagram as above-mentioned but showing the lock in unlatched condition and the door in closed position; fig. 3-the same diagram as under 1 but showing the lock in unlatched condition and the door in opened position; fig. 4-the same diagram as under 1 but showing the lock as prepared for latching and the door in opened position; fig. 5-represents the device mounted inside the car door with the lock in latched condition and the door in closed position; fig. 6-represents the device mounted inside the car door with the lock in unlatched condition and the door in opened position.

The device for opening and closing of the door, in particular of an automobile, is composed of the following basic parts: a pneumatic or hydraulic actuator comprising piston 1 with piston rod 2, fastened by means of articulated joint to an element of the car body 3, for example, a door post, cylinder 4, coupled to a lever system composed of fork 5 connected to double-arm lever 6, control rod 7 joined with the opposite arm of the said lever 6 and coupled to the bolt 8 of the coarsely shown door lock 9 constituting the standard outfit of the automobiles, a control system composed of a piston-type distribution valve 11 whose armatures 12 are controlled by the electromagnets 13 switched over by the three-position switch 14 and of a power supply system including compressor 10 or a pump connected through the distribution valve 11 to the actuator 1,2,4 using a system of flexible pipes 15.

The pneumatic or hydraulic actuator is located inside the vehicle door 16 in such a manner that the piston rod 2 of the actuator is joined by means of articulated joint 17 with a stable part of the car body, for example, a door post 3, while the cylinder 4 slides over the piston 1. The external front part of the cylinder, opposite to the articulated joint 17, carries fork 5 engaged with an arm of the double-arm lever 6 of the lever system, the other arm of the lever 6 being coupled by means of the control rod 7 to the bolt 8 of the typical car door lock the counterpart of the bolt 18 being fixed to the car body.

The principle of operation of the device for closing and opening of the doors, in particular of an automobile, shown in fig. 1 to 6 is as follows: In the status shown in fig. 1 and 5 the access of the compressed fluid to cylinder 4 is cut off, piston 1 assumes the extreme left hand position inside the cylinder 4 (fig. 1), this position corresponding to maximum travel of the cylinder over the piston, that is to the situation where the car door 16 is closed and the lock bolt 8 is in protruding position, i. e. the lock 9 is closed. The switch 14 is then in the neutral position.

To open the car door, the driver switches over switch 14, which is located within the reach of his hand, to the opened position (fig. 2 and 3). The above mentioned position of switch 14 corresponds to the energizing of the lower distribution valve electromagnet 12 whose armature pulls down the piston of the distribution valve and at the same time switches on the compressor 10 or a pump. The compressed fluid (air or oil) flows then through the distribution valve and the upper pipe 15 to the left chamber of the cylinder 4 thus pushing the cylinder to the left as the piston 1 is immobilized. The displacement of the cylinder to the position shown in fig. 2 results in the rotation of the double-arm lever 6, shifting of the rod 7 according to arrow a and shifting of the bolt 8 which becomes disengaged from part 18 of the lock 9 i. e. opens the lock (fig. 2). Further movement of cylinder 4 caused by the compressed fluid still being fed into the left chamber of the cylinder, slowly opens the door up to the position where it touches the door swing limiter. When the door is fully opened the passenger steps in or out and the driver stops to push the button of the switch 14 and the said switch automatically returns to its neutral position. To close the door the driver switches over switch 14 to the position"close" (fig. 4) thus energizing the upper electromagnet 13 whose armature 12 shifts the distribution valve piston to the upper position at the same time switching on the compressor 10 or a pump and feeding the pneumatic or hydraulic system through the lower pipe 15.

As a result, the pressure in the right hand chamber of the cylinder 4 rises (fig. 4) and the cylinder is displaced relative to the immobilized piston 1 in the right hand direction. Now the double-arm lever 6 rotates in the opposite direction and pushes rod 7 in the direction of the arrow b (fig. 4), thus shifting bolt 8 to a position enabling the lock 9 to be latched.

Further movement of cylinder 4 in the right hand direction slowly closes the door until it touches the car body (fig. 1 and 5) and lock 9 becomes latched since the bolt 8 engages part 18 of the lock.

The above described design example does not limit the scope of application of the invention in any respect, because its principle will not change if the pneumatic actuator is replaced by a hydraulic one or if the cylinder 4 is immobilized and the movable piston 1 is connected with the lever system closing and opening the door lock 9 or if pneumatic or hydraulic control devices of a different type are used.

The device for closing and opening of the door, in particular of an automobile, can be implemented especially in automobiles driven by a professional driver like, for example, taxi cabs. It is possible in such a case to remove from car interior the door handles in order to reserve the possibility of opening and closing of the car door exclusively for the driver in order to increase the safety of the driver and the passengers.