Pneumatic central locking mechanism for doors and hinged covers in motor vehicles

Claim 1

A pneumatic central locking mechanism for controlling lock means arranged at doors and/or hinged cover means of motor vehicles, the central locking mechanism including one pneumatic operating means provided at each of the doors and hinged cover means which are to be locked by a central locking operation for locking and unlocking the locking means associated with the doors and hinged cover means, pump means for producing an excess pressure and a vacuum, an electric drive motor for driving the pump means, a reversing valve means for selectively controlling a feeding of the excess pressure and vacuum to the pneumatic operating means, switch means for controlling an activation of the electric drive motor, and at least one central locking means operatively connected to the switch means for operating the same in response to a key actuation of the central locking means, characterized in that a further pneumatic operating means controls a positioning of the reversing valve means, means are provided for pneumatically connecting the further pneumatic operating means in parallel to the pneumatic operating means provided at the doors and hinged cover means, means are provided for applying a predetermined load resistance on the further pneumatic operating means which must be overcome upon each actuation of the further pneumatic operating means, means are provided for delaying an actuation of the further pneumatic operating means until the other pneumatic operating means have been actuated, and in that the further pneumatic operating means is operable to switch a positioning of the reversing valve means, so that following a completion of a locking operation, the reversing valve means is in a position required for an opposite locking operation.