EP1187962B2 - Outer door handle, especially for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

An outer door handle for vehicles has a stationary housing in the vehicle door. The handle has a handle arm and acts on a lock arranged within the door. A pivotable latching member serves as a mass latching mechanism and makes the handle actuatable in a release position. Because of its inertia in a crash situation, the latching member reaches an active support position and blocks the handle. The pivot bearing for the latching member is located on the stationary housing. The movable handle arm has a shoulder. A counter shoulder is provided on the latching member. The folding movement path of the shoulder on the handle arm is intersected by the pivot movement path of the counter shoulder. In a crash situation the shoulder comes to rest against the counter shoulder. In the release position, the shoulder passes the counter shoulder upon handle actuation.

Description

The invention is directed to an outside door handle specified in the preamble of claim 1. Art. There, so-called "mass barriers" are provided which act in the event of a crash as an automatic locking device on folding handles. The mass locks are designed as pivotable locking members and ensure that during a side impact of the vehicle, the door with its lock remains in the locked state. In a crash, acceleration forces occur. These forces are used by the masses of the locking member. In the event of a crash, the locking member is brought by these forces in a support position relative to a support surface on the housing, where the movement of the handle is blocked.

In the known outside door handle of this type ( DE 196 25 392 A1 ) is the pivot bearing for the locking member on the movable arm. There, the locking member is freely oscillating. In this known outside door handle of the handle folding movable handle arm on the one hand and the pivoting on the handle arm locking member on the other hand form a jointly movable in the handle assembly. The locking member swings freely with the movable handle arm. In this door outside handle, the handle is designed as a so-called "folding handle", where a hinge axis is mounted horizontally in the housing. However, the invention is also applicable to outside door handles with differently shaped handles, eg in the following "pull handles". The locking member normally has with its free mass end, which has a toothing away from a counter teeth located on the housing. In the event of a crash, however, the mass end of the locking member is pivoted by the inertial forces acting and comes with its teeth with the counter teeth on the housing into engagement. Already in the intended handle operation may result in unwanted blockages by the co-moving locking member. In the supporting position of the locking member, the supporting forces are transmitted via the pivot bearing on the handle arm. The strength of this supporting effect depends on the stability of the locking member bearing on the handle arm.

Mass locks are also used for outside door handles ( DE 196 10 200 A1 ), which are equipped as the already mentioned "pulling handles" with a vertical pivot axis at one end of the handle. The other end of the handle cooperates with a pivot arm, which in turn is pivotally mounted in the housing about a substantially vertical axis. The invention is, as I said, also applicable to such outside door handles. In order to distinguish the movement of the pivot arm from the pivoting movement of the locking member, the term "folding movement" should always be used in the following description, even if this term fits more to the pretreated version of the door handle as a folding handle. In the known, designed as a pull handle outside handle the mass lock is rotatably mounted as a pivotable, spring-loaded lever in a pivot arm. Also in this case, therefore, the mass lock in an analogous manner, as in the known folding handle, pivotally mounted in a movable part of the pull handle. There are thus the analog disadvantages as in the pretreated folding handle.

The invention has for its object to develop an inexpensive, compact outside door handle mentioned in the preamble of claim 1 species, which is reliable and withstands high loads. This is inventively achieved by the measures listed in the characterizing part of claim 1, which have the following special significance.

In the invention, the locking member is not pivotally mounted on a movable component, such as provided in the prior art for this purpose, the arm or arm, but on a stationary component, namely on the stationary housing. Thereby, the pivot bearing axis can be arranged outside of the supporting forces in the blockade receiving force transmission path. The support position in the event of a crash occurs in the invention in that the movable arm with a shoulder on a mating shoulder of the locking member comes to rest, because the locking member due to the resulting in the event of a crash inertial forces were previously pivoted to its support position with respect to the support point provided here on the housing is. The folding movement path of the shoulder intersects with the swinging movement path of the completely separated therefrom, namely, the housing mounted on the locking member. Normally, when the locking member is in its release position, the folding movement path of the arm located on the arm or swivel arm passes the counter-shoulder of the locking member.

Nevertheless, it may, as stated in more detail in claim 3, also come in the normal case to a certain deflection movement of the locking member. Even with the usual handle operation occurs a small pivoting of the locking member, without the locking member thereby reaches its full support position with respect to the housing. As a result of this idling motion of the locking member, which normally already results, its functionality is ensured in the event of a crash. A setting of the locking member on its pivot bearing because of prolonged disuse is therefore not to be feared in the application of the measures of claim 3.

Fig. 1,

in Draufsicht, die Rückseite des Gehäuses, das mit einem nicht mitgezeichneten Klappgriff versehen ist,

Fig. 2

einen Querschnitt durch den Türaußengriff von Fig. 1 längs der dortigen Schnittlinie II - II in der Ruhelage des Klappgriffs, der hier nur strichpunktiert angedeutet ist und dessen Klappbewegung zusammen mit dem schraffierten Griffarm erfolgt, wobei hier sowohl die Ruhestellung als auch die Arbeitsstellung dieser Bauteile gezeigt sind,

Fig. 3,

in einem der Fig. 2 entsprechenden Schnitt, den gleichen Türaußengriff, wenn sein Klappgriff sich in einer Zwischenposition zwischen den beiden in Fig. 1 gezeigten Stellungen befindet, und

Fig. 4 + 5,

wiederum die Schnitte von Fig. 2, wenn sich ein Crashfall ergibt und zwar in Fig. 4 in der Anfangsphase und in Fig. 5 in der Endphase eines solchen Aufpralls.

Further measures and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the other dependent claims, the following description and the drawings. In the drawings, the invention is shown in one embodiment. Show it:

Fig. 1,

in plan view, the back of the housing, which is provided with a not mitgezeichneten folding handle,

Fig. 2

a cross section through the outside door handle of Fig. 1 along the local section line II - II in the rest position of the folding handle, which is indicated here only by dash-dotted lines and whose folding movement takes place together with the hatched handle arm, here both the rest position and the working position of these components are shown,

3,

in one of the Fig. 2 appropriate cut, the same outside door handle when its folding handle is in an intermediate position between the two in Fig. 1 positions shown, and

4 + 5,

again the cuts of Fig. 2 when a crash occurs and in Fig. 4 in the initial phase and in Fig. 5 in the final stages of such an impact.

The outside door handle shown in the figures comprises a housing 10, of which in Fig. 1 As already said, the back 12 can be seen. On the opposite front side 11 is the actual, manually operated handle 20, whose position, as already said, in Fig. 2 indicated by dash-dotted lines. It is in the present case to the already explained above folding handle, which is arranged around an inclined to the horizontal, dash-dotted lines in Fig. 1 indicated hinge axis 13 is hinged. For this, the housing 10 has two spaced-apart bearing lugs 14. On the display side 11, the housing with a Fig. 2 recognizable concave trough 15 which is at least partially covered by the folding handle 20 and is useful for engaging the hand in the grip use.

In this embodiment, a handle arm 21 is rotatably connected by not shown in detail connecting means with the folding handle 20. The two components 20, 21 thus form a jointly movable assembly in the handle operation. While the folding handle 20 is arranged on the display side 11 of the housing 10, the handle arm 12 is located on the back. The handle 20 and the handle arm 21 at an angle to each other. Although they are arranged on the same hinge axis 13, but on separate sections 16, 17 While the folding handle 20 is mounted on the located between the two pairs of lobes 14 central portion 17, the arm 21 engages on one side of the one lobe 14 arranged outer portion 16 of the hinge axis 13 at. Because of the inclination position of the hinge axis 13 and the dash-dotted lines in Fig. 1 plotted level 23 of the Fig. 2 clarified by the arrow 25 clarified folding movement arranged inclined.

Of course, the hinge axis 13 could also be horizontal, for which reason the folding movement plane 23 would then run vertically. The arm 21 is the side, as from Fig. 1 can be seen, surmounted by a nose 22 having a takeaway effective shoulder 24 on its side facing the housing 10. This can when the handle 20 from its rest position in Fig. 2 by one with the arrow 26 in Fig. 2 clarified handle operation has been moved to its working position 20 ', retract through an outbreak into the housing interior 27. In this working position 20 'of the handle nose 22 is in their off Fig. 2 recognizable, also dash-dotted working position 22 'come. Their folding movement is indicated by an arrow 25 and takes place on the dotted in Fig. 2 illustrated circular folding movement path 28th

Inside the housing 27 there is a locking member 30, which is arranged in a special way and which acts automatically as a so-called "mass lock". The locking member 30 is always pivotally mounted via a seated on the housing 10 pin 30. Its Schwenkbewegungsweg 38 is in Fig. 2 also indicated by dots. The locking member 30 is under the action of a spring force 41 of a leg spring 40 od. Like., Which, as shown in the Fig. 4 is explained in more detail, at one end on a cam 32 of the locking member and the other on a stationary stop 18 in the housing 10 is supported. By the spring force 41, the locking member 30 is in his Fig. 2 apparent location. This layer 30 is provided by the investment of a locking member 30, in Fig. 4 clarified counter stop 37 determined by the locking member on the aforementioned stop 18 in the housing 10. The cam 32 is, as evidenced by Fig. 4 , a counter cam 33 associated with the locking member 30, which determines a locking end 39 of the locking member 30. This blocking end 39 is located in the in Fig. 2 shown position 30 of the locking member 30 at a distance from a provided on the housing 10 support point 19. In the position of Fig. 2 So is the locking member 30, apart from the mentioned spring force 41, free, which is why this position is to be referred to briefly below "release position".

This changes only when a crash occurs, the in 4 and 5 is clarified. Then act on the masses of the two projections 32, 33 inertial forces, the locking member in the 4 and 5 transfer apparent position 30 '. The resulting inertial forces are sufficient to overcome the small spring force 41. In this position 30 'comes the locking end 39 from the locking member 30 on the housing-side support point 19 for support. Therefore, this situation should be 30 'hereinafter referred to as "support position" of the locking member. This support position 30 'occurs in the event of a crash.

The Fig. 4 shows the initial phase of the crash. The locking member is very quickly in his described support position 30 'in the housing 10 passes. The resulting due to the acceleration in the event of a crash inertia forces, of course, also act on the handle 20 and the handle arm 21 jointly movable with him. This assembly 20, 21 is under the action of a return spring not shown in detail, which endeavors the handle in the off Fig. 2 apparent rest position 20 to keep. But this handle spring has a relative to the spring force 41 of the locking member 30, 30 'greater restoring force. As a result, and because of the structural conditions, the inertial forces occurring in the event of a crash only act on this assembly 20, 21 with a certain delay. The handle arm may indeed in the event of a crash in the off Fig. 5 apparent minimal pivoted position 21 "'offset, but is a more extensive, the lock in the sense of in Fig. 2 described working position releasing Weiterverschwenkung the unit prevents. Those in position 22 '"of Fig. 5 In fact, the nose located with its shoulder 24 is supported on a counter-shoulder 34 of the locking member located in the support position 30 '. This counter-shoulder 34 consists in the present case of the end face of the counter cam 33. The in Fig. 5 Inertia force illustrated by the force arrow 42 is transmitted from the nose 22 '"via the counter cam 33, its locking end 39 and the support point 19 directly to the housing 10. Thus, the inertia force 42 ends after the crash Locking member back in his off Fig. 2 apparent release 30 back.

How out Fig. 3 shows, provided on the counter cam 33 counter-shoulder 34 forms the one flank of a groove whose other groove flank is formed by the corresponding end face of the cam 32. The resulting groove 43 has in itself a clear width, which is slightly larger than the width of the nose located on the handle arm 22. That's why the nose can be mentioned from its already mentioned, in Fig. 2 drawn drawn rest position 22 on the also mentioned dotted folding movement path 28 through the groove 43 in the dash-dotted lines in Fig. 2 clarified, already described working position 22 'reach without it comes to the mentioned collisions between the shoulder 24 from the moving arm and the counter-shoulder 34 from the locking member. The Klappbewegungsweg 28, the described Schwenkbewegungsweg 38 and the counter-shoulder 34 intersect, such as Fig. 2 shows, in an intersection 29. This leads in the event of a crash to the in Fig. 5 recognizable collision. The groove 43 is but in places by a Fig. 3 recognizable projection 44 narrows, so that it already in the normal grip operation 26 of Fig. 2 comes to a small entrainment of the locking member 30, which is based on the Fig. 3 will be explained in more detail.

In the release position 30 of the locking member this projection 44 projects into the direction indicated by the arrow 25 in FIG Fig. 2 characterized Klappbewegungsweg the nose 22 into it. This position is also dot-dashed in Fig. 3 marked. In this folding movement 25, the nose abuts on the projection 44 and takes the locking member in some areas 46 up to an intermediate position 22 "along with the further course of the handle operation 26, in which the nose engages the in Fig. 2 marked full angle 45 describes the locking member is released again. This release time is in Fig. 3 clarified. There, that intermediate position 30 "of the locking member is shown, where just the release of the projection by the nose 22" of the located in the corresponding intermediate position 21 "gripping arm takes place.In this intermediate position 30", the locking member has pivoted by a partial angle 46 which is smaller than the aforementioned full angle 45 is. In the intermediate position 30 ", the locking member is still clearly removed with its locking end 39 from its housing-side support point 19, between the components 19, 39 consists in Fig. 3 a gap 47.

The projection 44 is provided with a direction of the folding movement 25 facing bevel 49. The size of this partial angle 26 characterizing the intermediate position 30 "depends inter alia on the height of the projection 44. In the limiting case of FIG Fig. 3 the projection 44 is supported on the narrow side of the nose 22 'facing the hinge axis 13 which is marked there. Upon further completion of the folding movement 25, the shoulder 22 "moves away from the projection 44 of the locking member 30", when it in connection with Fig. 2 already explained folding movement path 28 to its working position 22 'follows. The released locking member 30 "is then again because of the force 41 of the return spring 40 in its release position 30 of Fig. 2 recycled. The locking member performs in the grip operation 26 only a small pendulum movement in the extent of the aforementioned partial angle 46.

The projection 44 is located, as evidenced by Fig. 4 , on the inner surface 35 of the cam 32. In the intermediate position 30 "of the locking member, the gripping arm has moved to the already mentioned intermediate position 21", namely around the Fig. 3 apparent angle 48. The projection 44 is opposite the front end of the groove 43 delimiting, local cam 32 reset. In the release position of Fig. 2 the nose 22 is aligned with the Nuteingang and the groove 43 forms, apart from the above-described pendulum movement 46 at the start of operation, a passage for the nose 22 of the handle arm 21st

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

casing

11

Front of 10

12

Back of 10

13

Hinge axis at 10

14

Bearings for 13 to 10

15

Mulde from 10 to 11

16

Exterior section of 13 for 21

17

Midsection of 13 for 20

18

Stop for 40 in 10

19

Support point at 10 for 39 of 30 '

20

Folding handle (rest position)

20 '

Working position of 20

21

Handle arm at 20 (rest position)

21 "

Intermediate position of 21 ( Fig. 3 )

21 ''

slightly tilted position of 21 ( Fig. 5 )

22

Nose to 21 (rest position)

22 '

Intermediate position of 22 ( Fig. 3 )

22 "

Intermediate position of 22 ( Fig. 3 )

22 " '

slightly tilted position of 22 ( Fig. 5 )

23

Plane of the folding movement of 21 ( Fig. 1 )

24

Shoulder at 21

25

Folding movement arrow ( Fig. 2 )

26

Arrow of manual handle operation

27

Case inside of 10

28

Folding movement path from 22 to 22 '

29

Intersection of 28 and 38 ( Fig. 2 )

30

Locking member (working position)

30 '

Support position of 30 ( Fig. 4, 5 )

30 "

Intermediate position of 30

31

Pivot bearing pin for 30 to 10

32

Cam on 30

33

Counter cams at 30

34

Face of 33, counter shoulder for 24

35

Inner surface of 32

37

Counter stop at 30 for 18

38

Swing motion path of 30 ( Fig. 2 )

39

Locking of 30 ( Fig. 4, 5 )

40

Return spring for 30, leg spring

41

Spring force of 40

42

Inertia ( Fig. 5 )

43

Groove between 32, 33

44

Lead in 43

45

Full angle between 22, 22 '( Fig. 2 )

46

Partial angle between 30, 30 ", pendulum movement ( Fig. 3 )

47

Gap between 19, 39

48

Angular amount between 22, 22 "( Fig. 3 )

49

Ramp of 44 for 22, 22 "

Claims (15)

1. Outer door handle, especially for vehicles, comprising a housing (10) stationarily arranged in the door,
   comprising a bearing (14) for a manually actuatable handle (20) on the housing (10), especially for a folding handle (20) foldable (25) about a hinge axis (13) horizontally arranged or arranged in a sloping position relative to the horizontal,
   wherein the handle (20) has a handle arm (21) and upon handle actuation (26) acts on a lock arranged within the door,
   and comprising a pivotable (38) latching member (30) serving as a mass latching mechanism rests on its pivot bearing (31) is located at the stationary housing (10),
   which is normally in an ineffective release position relative to a support location (19) provided on the housing (10) and, in this position makes the handle (20) actuatable,
   but which, in the event of a crash, as a result of the inertia of its masses, moves into an active support position (30') on this support location (19) and thus blocks the handle (20),
   wherein the movable handle arm (21) has a shoulder (24) and that associated with shoulder (24) is a counter shoulder (34) on the latching member (30),
   that the path (28) of the folding movement of the shoulder (24) arranged on the handle arm (21) is intersected (29) by the path (38) of the pivot movement of the counter shoulder (34) on the latching member (30), and
   that normally, in the release position of the latching member (30), the shoulder (24) on the handle arm (21) moves past the counter shoulder (34) of the latching member (30) upon handle actuation (26)
   characterized in that,
   in the event of a crash, initially the locking end (39) of the latching member (30) goes to an active support position (30') on the housing side of the support location (19)
   and then the shoulder (24) arranged on the handle arm (21) folds against the counter shoulder (34) and attaches there,
   so that the latching member (30) blocking between the support location (19) on the housing side and the shoulder (24) rests on the handle arm (21).
2. Outer door handle according to claim 1,
   characterised in that the latching member (30) is springloaded (41) in the direction counter to the pivot movement which occurs in the event of a crash, and in that the release position (30) of the latching member is determined by a stop (18) on the housing (11) against which the locking member (30) normally rests as a result of its spring bias (41).
3. Outer door handle according to claim 1 or 2,
   characterised in that the latching member (30) has a projection (44) which even in the release position (30) of the latching member projects into the path (28) of the folding movement of the handle arm (21), and in that at the beginning of actuation (26) of the handle (20) of latching member is entrained by means of its projection (44) by the handle at least partially (46),
   but as the handle actuation (26) continues, before the latching member (30') reaches its support position (30'), the handle arm (21) releases the projection (44) again.
4. Outer door handle according to one or more of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the shoulder (24) is formed by a nose (22) provided on the handle arm (21), in that the counter shoulder (34) on the latching member (30) forms one flank (33) of a pair of flanks (22, 33) which delimit a groove (43) positioned therebetween in the latching member (30), in that the inner width of the groove (43) - aside from a projection (44) which may be provided in parts - is smaller than/identical to the width of the nose (22) present on the handle arm (21),
   and in that in the release position (30) of the latching member the nose (22) is aligned with the entrance of the groove (43) and in that the groove (43) upon actuation (26) of the handle (20) normally forms a passage for the nose (22).
5. Outer door handle according to claim 4,
   characterised in that the nose (22) projects laterally from the plane (23) of the folding movement of the handle (20).
6. Outer door handle according to one or more of claims 3 to 5, characterised in that the projection (44) serving to entrain the latching member (30) is located on one of the flanks (32) of the groove (43).
7. Outer door handle according to claim 6,
   characterised in that a cam (32) on the latching member (30) provides one of the groove-limiting flanks and in that the inner surface (35) of the came (32) facing the groove (43) supports the projection (44).
8. Outer door handle according to claim 7,
   characterised in that the other flank of the groove (43) opposite the cam (32) is formed by a counter cam located on the latching member (30), and in that the end face of the counter cam (33) forms the counter shoulder (34) for the nose (22) of the handle arm (21).
9. Outer door handle according to claim 7,
   characterised in that the projection (44) is recessed relative to the end face of the cam (32) limiting the groove (43).
10. Outer door handle according to one or more of claims 3 to 9, characterised in that the projection (44) has an approach gradient (49) for the nose (22) provided on the handle arm (21).
11. Outer door handle according to one or more of claims 3 to 10, characterised in that the projection (44) has a projection height,
    which is left behind by the handle arm (21) after passing through only a partial angle (48) of the full angle (45) required for the full completion of the folding movement (25) and, in this way, the latching member (30) is released by the handle arm,
    wherein in this borderline position (30") the latching member itself has only completed a part (46) of its pivot movement path (38) between its release position (39) and support position (30').
12. Outer door handle according to one or more of claims 1 to 11, wherein the handle (20) is arranged on the visible side (11) of the housing (10),
    characterised in that the handle arm (21) is arranged on the back side (12) of the housing (10) and on actuation (26) of the handle the handle arm (21) moves with its shoulder (24) from behind into the interior (27) of the housing.
13. Outer door handle according to one or more of claims 1 to 12, characterised in that the handle (20) and the handle arm (21) consist of two separately manufactured components,
    but that these components (20, 21) are fixedly connected to one another for common rotation and form a commonly foldable modular unit.
14. Outer door handle according to claim 13, characterised in that the handle (20) and its handle arm (21) enclose an angle between them in the modular unit and are preferably supported on different sections (17, 16) of a common hinge axis (13).
15. Outer door handle according to one or more of claims 1 to 14, wherein the handle is a pulling handle, whose engaging end is mounted in the housing, while on actuation of the handle its other handle end moves a pivot arm, the latter which is in turn mounted in the housing, and acts on the door lock, characterised in that the pivot arm embodies the handle arm (21) provided with the shoulder (24).

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