Locking device

The invention relates to a locking device with a locking element (11) that can be axially displaced by an electromechanical drive (4) from an unlocked to a locked position and vice versa, wherein the locking device (1;1') comprises a drive part (8) that is rotatable by the electromechanical drive (4) and an axially guided driver (10) connected to the locking element (11), which is connected to the drive part (8) via a threaded drive (9), and wherein the locking device (1;1') comprises a safety element (24) biased by a spring (23), which engages in a lateral recess or under a projection (25) of the driver (10) or of the locking element (11) to secure the locking element (11) in the unlocked position. In order to provide a compactly constructed locking device (1; 1') with a safety element (24) that can be pivoted or displaced to fix the locking element (11), which is also easily operable into its locking position or into its release position when a drive with freewheeling is used as the threaded drive (9) for the displacement of the locking element, the invention proposes selecting the distance between control cams (26) and safety element (24) such that in the unlocked position of the locking element (11) the control cam (26) is axially displaced relative to the control contour and thus lies outside the range of action of the control contour. Only when the electromechanical drive (4) is activated to displace the locking element (11) into its locked position does the drive part (8) with the control contour (16,17) come into engagement with the control cam (26), so that the latter and thus also the safety element (24) are pivoted, the locking element (11) or the driver (10) are released and the arrangement consisting of drive part (8), driver (10) and locking element (11) are suddenly displaced into the locked position.