EP1460204B1 - Actuation device for an electric vehicle lock system and/or for a lock of a door, lid or similar of a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A transmitter (13) is integrated into the handle (6). The associated receiver (14) is integrated into the vehicle. The transmitter is supplied with energy from a piezoelectric generator (7, 17, 21) in the handle.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for actuating an electric locking system and / or built in the door, a flap or the like. Lock for vehicles, with a movable handle for opening an associated door or flap lock and a sensor arranged, whereby a control command is activated can be.

From the DE 199 43 986 A1 a handle is known which includes for actuating an electrical locking system sensors, such as pressure switches, to thereby trigger closing or opening commands to associated door locks by actuation. For this purpose, pressure switches are integrated in the handle in corresponding recesses. When actuated, a circuit is closed and an electrical signal passed out of the handle electrical cable to the control unit or the lock. The electrical cable is connected via a plug with a corresponding coupling behind the opening of the door panel, from where the line is guided to the lock or a control line. As part of vehicle assembly, the electrical wiring harnesses in the body are already laid, when outside door handles or handle flaps are mounted. In this respect, the installation personnel must before mounting the outside door handle on the handle support or the door outer panel, lead the electrical connection cable through the sheet metal opening and connect to the connector coupling.

A disadvantage of this arrangement that the cables must be laboriously laid by hand, on the one hand in the production of the handle itself and on the other hand in the assembly of the movable handle on the motor vehicle.

Also in the DE 100 62 042 A1 is a device for actuating an electric locking system with a handle which is mounted on a support member for pivoting described. The handle has electronic components, such as push-button switch, to the power supply and signal transmission electrical cables are led out in the vicinity of the bearing.
At the end, the cable has a plug, which is coupled during assembly of the handle on the vehicle with a counter-coupling, which is mounted in the carrier part. In this case, the coupling element is pivotally mounted on the carrier element in order to simplify the assembly.

The disadvantage here is that the support member must be elaborately constructed to allow folding away of the clutch. Furthermore, high demands are placed on the plug and on the coupling with regard to the effects of dirt and moisture, because the connection is arranged in the door, in the so-called moist space. In this area, moisture and dirt penetrate through the openings in the door outer panel, the retaining elements and the overlying rubber seals of the openable side windows. The design effort for coupling elements and connectors also increase the manufacturing costs.
Since the handles such as pull or folding handles are often moved, there is also a risk of cable breaks. In vehicle electronics, cable plugs are always critical elements in terms of their operational safety.

In the WO 9 928 170 a device according to the preamble of claim 1 is described.

The present invention is therefore based on the object to realize devices for actuating electrical locking systems, which allow a simple design and installation to reduce costs. In addition, failures due to cable breaks to handle due to moving cable elements should be avoided and the reliability against the negative effects of moisture and dirt can be increased.

This object is achieved by the features listed in claim 1.

The device is characterized in that at least one transmitting unit is integrated in the handle and the associated receiving unit can be integrated in the vehicle and the transmitting unit, the transmission energy from a piezoelectric element which is arranged in the handle relates.

By actuating the piezoelectric element on the handle by an authorized user, electrical energy is released and supplied to the transmission module, whereby this transmitter is activated and sends a signal to the receiving unit. In this case, the current generated in the piezoelectric element is used as transmission energy and as a signal in itself. The energy for the transmission of the signal, the transmitter obtains only from the electric current generated when the piezo element is actuated. The resulting relatively low electrical charge is sufficient.
As a result, no cable connections for signal transmission and energy supply of the transmitting unit between the movable handle and the locks to be controlled or the central vehicle control unit or the vehicle are necessary. Thus, any cable connection parts, such as plug elements, into which moisture and dirt can penetrate, also fall away, whereby the material costs and installation costs are reduced. The installation effort into the vehicle is reduced enormously, since no more cables must be pulled by hand through door openings. Furthermore, a failure of the handle is avoided because of damaged cable or defective plug couplings.
By using a piezoelectric element as an energy source, no other energy storage are needed.

It is preferably provided that the receiving unit is arranged in the carrier of the associated handle.
As a result, the communication is kept very short and it can be worked with the lowest transmission power or simple means of transmission. The energy requirement of the transmitter is thereby minimal.
This arrangement also makes the carrier an ideal one with the receiver Assembly unit for installation in a vehicle. Since the commonly used handle carriers are plastic structures, the receiver can be easily integrated.

It is preferably provided that the communication of the transmitting and receiving unit takes place on a radio base, preferably in the GHz range in Bluetooth technology.
As a result, a simple transmitter-receiver communication is given at high speed for the near range, so that an actuating order to a lock in millisec. can be done. Such an arrangement also allows the control of multiple receivers in the vehicle, with the lowest energy consumption.

A further advantageous embodiment is characterized in that the communication of the transmitting and receiving units via infrared transmitting and receiving units is realized.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the communication of the transmitting and receiving unit is realized on ultrasound basis.

It is preferably provided that at least one piezoelectric element is arranged on the side facing the outer surface of the door or flap side of the handle.

It is preferably provided that at least one piezoelectric element is arranged on the side facing away from the outer surface of the door or flap side of the handle.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the sensor is a piezoelectric element, so that the sensor serves for a signal generation and at the same time can serve as an energy generator for the transmitting unit.

It is preferably provided that the pressure sensor is applied as a piezoelectric paint on the handle. As a result, the piezoelectric element can be easily adapted to any handle geometry. About the area size, the amount of energy be set.

Advantageously, this device is integrated on a pivoting handle or a pressure handle.

Further measures and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and the drawings.

In the drawings, the invention is schematically embodied in two embodiments:

Fig.1:

eine schematische Draufsicht auf ein Fahrzeug mit einem elektrischen Schließsystem

Fig.2:

schematische Draufsicht auf eine erfindungsgemäße Türaussengriffanordnung

Fig.3:

schematische Draufsicht auf eine alternative erfindungsgemäße Türaussengriffanordnung

Show it:

Fig.1:

a schematic plan view of a vehicle with an electric locking system

Figure 2:

schematic plan view of a door outer handle assembly according to the invention

Figure 3:

schematic plan view of an alternative invention outside door handle assembly

In Fig. 1 a vehicle (1) is shown, which is equipped with an electric locking system. This locking system is to allow the authorized user of the vehicle (1) in a comfortable and easy way to access the vehicle (1). In this embodiment, a door handle (3) and an electric lock (4) are arranged on the two doors (2), wherein the door handles (3) by means of a support (4) on the door (2) is fixed. The carrier (5) is mounted on the back of a door (2) which is fixed in position to the door panel by means of one or more screws. Through recesses in the door panel (12) in the region of the support (5), the handle (6) of the door handle (3), in this case a Swivel handle in the form of a pull handle, connected to the carrier (5).
The handle (6) has sensors (7) which trigger an electrical signal by operation, which are passed to a control unit (8) or the electric locks (4). The sensors can be switching elements. There corresponding functions are triggered, such as start of the identification query between a transmitting and receiving unit (9) and a user-led ID transmitter, electrical opening of the lock and thus the door (2), the automatic closing of the entire locking system (central locking) when leaving the vehicle (1) or activating the double-lock function, ie that the vehicle in the closed state can not be opened from the inside.
From the carrier (5) of the door handle (3), the signals via cable (10) to the control unit (8) or the door lock (4) are transmitted. On the tailgate (11) and a handle (3) with a corresponding carrier (5) and electrical lock (4) and handle (6) is provided.
In FIG. 2 a device according to the invention is shown as a schematic diagram. The device has a handle (6) in the form of a pull handle. This pull handle is mounted in a handle support (5) which is mounted on the inside of a door outer panel (12). The handle support (5) usually has the task to record the storage of the handle and other lever and trigger elements, such as crash lock, Bowdenzugaufnahmen and lever, which serve for the mechanical release of locks by means of actuation of the handle (6). The handle (6) is mounted in two places in the handle support (5). First, at the rear bearing (15), where the pull handle (3) is pivotable about an axis that is nearly vertical, and on the other to the front bearing (18). By pulling the handle (6) directly or indirectly via a tension element (16) a lock (4) in the door (2) of the vehicle (1) is actuated. The tension element (16) may be a Bowden cable.
In the handle (6) two pressure sensors (7, 17) are integrated on a piezoelectric base, while these piezo elements in recesses (19,20) of the handle (6) are used.
Furthermore, located in the handle (6) a transmission module (13) comprising a modulator and an antenna to a triggered signal in a transceiver Signal to convert and send. In this case, the triggered signal is transmitted by radio in Bluetooth technology, the frequency is in the range of 1 to 3 GHz.
In the handle support (5), the receiving module (10) is integrated.
In the case of operation of the door handle (3) by a user, pressure is applied to the piezo element (7, 17) by the user's hand, and a current flows, which activates the transmission module (13) so that a radio signal is transmitted. The transmitted signal is received by the receiving unit (14), modulated back into an electrical signal and sent via a signal line / cable (10) to the central control unit (8) or directly to the lock (4), followed by actuation of an associated lock (4). or the mentioned locks (4) takes place.
The signal transmitted by the transmitting unit (13) can be received by a plurality of receiving units (14), which may be integrated in the vehicle at different locations, in order to simultaneously realize actuations of locks or other components in several places. Thus, the transmitted signal from all arranged on the vehicle receiving units (14) for activating a central locking function can be received or even only from certain receiving units (14) in the vehicle (1), for example, on door handles to activate their decoupling in the double-lock function ,
It is also conceivable that the signal transmitted by the transmitting unit (13) is received by the central transmitting and receiving unit (9), which among other things establishes the communication with the ID transmitter, and is converted therefrom to the control unit (8) ,
In FIG. 3 an alternative device according to the invention is shown, which differs from the previously described embodiment in that the handle (6) is equipped only with a sensor (7), which causes the closing of the central locking when actuated, for example. In this case, this designed as a mechanical probe sensor (7) acts on a piezoelectric element, so that a pressure is exerted on it, which activates the piezoelectric element (21) and a current to the transmitting unit (13), whereby the transmitter is activated and for sending a Signals is caused.
The handles can also be used as folding handles or pressure handles in all cases, such as on trunk lids or interior flaps and glove boxes Find application to be executed.
The design of the piezoelectric element is also conceivable as a piezoelectric paint, which is applied to the surface of the handle. As a result, recesses (19,20) in the handle (6) can be avoided.
These arrangements all have the advantage that no electrical cables from moving handles (6) must be routed to the vehicle. By the use of piezoelectric elements (7,17,21), the handle (6) to a self-sufficient system, which can be dispensed with energy storage, such as batteries.

The application of this system is in all types of door handles (2) with their handles (6) conceivable, especially for swivel handles of doors and print handling on exterior and interior flaps, such as tailgates and glove box flaps. The swivel handles include pull and folding handles, as well as combined pull-folding handles.
Depending on the number of required signals, a plurality of sensor elements with associated piezo elements are installed on the handle. These can be attached to a variety of locations, such as at the front, top and / or bottom of the handle (6).
In an alternative embodiment, at least one sensor (7) is integrated on the handle for triggering the signal, as well as at least one additional piezoelectric element which only has to be activated to activate the transmitting unit (13). This may be necessary when large energies are needed for signal transmission. In this case, signal current and energy flow are not identical in contrast to the previously described examples.

Claims (12)

1. Device for actuating an electric locking system and/or a lock installed in the door (2), a hinged lid (11) or the like, for vehicles, comprising a movable handle (6) for opening an associated lock (4) for a door or a hinged lid and an arranged sensor (7), as a result of which a control command is able to be activated, characterised in that at least one transmitter unit (13) is incorporated in the handle (6) and the corresponding receiver unit (14) may be incorporated in the vehicle and the transmitter unit (13) obtains the transmission energy from a piezoelectric element (7, 17, 21) which is arranged in the handle (6).
2. Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the receiver unit (14) is arranged in the mounting (5) of the associated handle (5).
3. Device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the transmitter and receiver unit (13, 14) communicate in a radio-based manner, preferably in the GHz range by Bluetooth technology.
4. Device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the transmitter and receiver units (13, 14) communicate as infrared transmitter and receiver units.
5. Device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the transmitter and receiver units (13, 14) communicate as ultrasound transmitter and receiver units.
6. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that at least one sensor (7) is arranged on the side of the handle (6) facing the outer surface (22) of the door (2) or hinged lid (11).
7. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that at least one sensor (7) is arranged on the side of the handle (6) remote from the outer surface (22) of the door (2) or hinged lid (11).
8. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the sensor (7) is a piezoelectric element.
9. Device according to Claim 8, characterised in that the sensor (7) is applied as a piezoelectric coating on the handle (6).
10. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the sensor (7) is a button or switch (23) which acts on a piezoelectric element (21).
11. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the handle (6) is a swivel handle.
12. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 20, characterised in that the handle (6) is a push handle.

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