EP2024588B1 - Handle configuration - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a handle assembly for a door, in particular for a motor vehicle door, with a pivotally mounted outer handle, which is arranged on the outside on an executed with an inwardly curved recessed door outer skin, wherein the outer handle has an inside arranged first and second bearing arm, the first bearing arm is mounted about an axis of rotation, the outer handle in the region of the first and the second bearing arm each having an end face which faces the outside door skin, and a gap between the end face and the outer door skin.

Such handle arrangements are basically known in practice. With the help of such handle arrangements can in particular side doors on motor vehicles open and close. For this purpose, the outer handle can be designed as a pull handle which opens a motor vehicle door lock connected thereto via a tripping lever mechanism. The DE 30 30 519 A1 shows such a pull handle.

Of course, this only succeeds when the lock cylinder of the handle assembly is not in the locked position. Otherwise, the outside handle is blocked or makes a no-load stroke with respect to the trip lever mechanism. Instead of a trip lever mechanism, the connected motor vehicle door lock can also be addressed via a signal.

In the known handle arrangements arise again and again tolerance problems that affect in particular negative during installation of the handle assembly to the door or in the installed state of the handle assembly. Temperature and humidity are one of many influencing factors that can trigger a material expansion of the individual components of the handle assembly. In addition, the individual elements of the handle assembly on their own individual tolerances, which must also be considered during installation. If the outer handle has already been mounted on the door, it has been shown that, due to possible material expansions, the outer handle can become jammed within the recessed grip, which negatively influences the functionality of the handle arrangement.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a handle assembly that avoids the disadvantages mentioned, in particular can be mounted without considerable effort, any existing or resulting tolerances do not interfere with the operation of the handle assembly substantially.

To solve this problem, a handle assembly with the features of claim 1 is proposed. In the dependent claims preferred developments are carried out.

At any tolerances occurring within the handle assembly, a tolerance compensation can be effected by the guide according to the invention, without causing malfunction during assembly or in the installed state of the handle assembly. Here, the outer handle is always kept at a distance to the door outer skin, preferably a tolerance compensation by the movement of the outer handle takes place and the gap between the end face and the outer door skin remains substantially constant. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the gap is in a range between 0.5 mm and 3 mm. It is particularly advantageous that in the guide for tolerance compensation at the same time the outer handle is rotatably mounted with its first bearing arm, whereby a compact handle assembly can be achieved. Depending on the respective tolerance compensation takes place a relative displacement of the axis of rotation along the guide. Advantageously, the first bearing arm is arranged about the axis of rotation at a movable bearing, wherein the second bearing arm is mounted within the vehicle door to a fixed bearing. The second bearing arm can only be moved out of the vehicle door by a manual pull on the outer handle, wherein the second bearing arm is held immovably within the door construction in the vehicle direction. According to the invention, the guide does not have to be an image of the contour of the outer door skin on the recessed grip. It is sufficient that the direction of the guide runs almost parallel to the curved outer door skin. Preferably, the angle between an applied imaginary tangent at the relevant area of the outer door skin facing the end surface at the first bearing arm and the direction of the guide is less than 20 °, more preferably less than 10 °, and most preferably less than 5 °. In this case, the said relevant area of the door outer skin can be arcuate but also linear. In the area of the passage of the first bearing arm on the door outer skin, a seal is expediently provided, in order to avoid in particular penetration of moisture into the vehicle door.

According to the invention, the second bearing arm is guided on an abutment which can be arranged on a door-side support structure in such a way that only the end face associated with the first support arm can be moved along the outer door skin for tolerance compensation. The handle assembly is designed in this embodiment of the invention so that in Essentially only the end face of the outer handle on the first bearing arm shifts along the curved outer door skin for tolerance compensation. A movement on the end face of the second bearing arm is largely not done, since the second bearing arm is firmly clamped in the vehicle direction. In addition, a shift of the end face of the outer handle on the first bearing arm is not noticeable to the viewer. This means that a tolerance compensation is compensated for example by a possible material expansion exclusively on the floating bearing by a movement of the door handle parallel or nearly parallel to the arcuate recessed grip plate. Since a material expansion is largely reflected as a change in length of the outside handle, the tolerance compensation is essentially a length compensation in the present invention.

Furthermore, it may be advantageous that the first bearing arm terminates in a bearing fork, which is formed with the guide, wherein the guide receives a bearing pin connected to the door-side support structure, which forms the axis of rotation. In addition, it can be provided according to the invention that the guide is arranged on the door-side support structure, wherein the first bearing arm is at least partially received by the guide. In this embodiment, it may be useful to form the first bearing arm with at least one pin which is held in the guide. During a tolerance compensation, the first bearing arm moves along the door-side guide, at the same time the outer handle along the curved grip moves with it. The guide may for example be designed as a kind of slotted guide, in which the pin of the first bearing arm is movably held.

Fig. 1

eine erfindungsgemäße Griffanordnung mit einem ersten Lagerarm, der gabelförmig ausgeführt ist,

Fig. 2

eine alternative Griffanordnung, bei der der erste Lagerarm mit einem Zapfen ausgebildet ist, der in einer türseitigen Führung eingreift, und

Fig. 3

eine Schnittansicht entlang der Schnittlinie III - III gemäß Fig. 2.

In a further alternative of the invention, the first bearing arm may have two bearing journals which are each arranged on one side of the bearing arm and extend into the guide. Conveniently, the first bearing arm is integrally connected to the pin and the outer handle. The bearing arm with pin and outer handle can be designed as an injection molded part made of plastic or metal. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the outer handle, the first and the second bearing arm and the pin, which establishes the connection between the first bearing arm and the guide, made of different materials. Depending on the stress, it may make sense to provide a plastic which is reinforced by glass fibers and / or carbon fibers and / or by aramid fibers.
Advantageously, the guide is linear or arcuate. In a linear design, the guide is almost adapted to the contour of the curvature of the recessed grip, that is, the guide extends for the tolerance compensation almost parallel to the contour of the recessed grip of said relevant area of the outer door skin. An optimal compensation of a tolerance compensation is achieved by the arcuate guide, which represents an actual image of the contour of the recessed grip curvature. In one possible embodiment of the invention, the guide and the contour of the curvature of the recessed grip are arc-shaped, wherein the smallest distance between the guide and contour of the curvature remains constant, which means that there is no intersection of the two curves. Even such a course is to be understood as a "parallel" course. Preferably, the direction of the guide is provided at an angle α to the vehicle direction, which is between 0 ° <α ≤ 50 °, in particular between 20 ° <α ≤ 45 ° and particularly preferably between 25 ° <α ≤ 40 °. The angle range is determined by the course of the relevant area of the outer door skin which faces the end face of the first bearing arm at a distance.
Further advantages, features and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description in which, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of the invention are described in detail. The features mentioned in the claims and in the description may each be essential to the invention individually or in any desired combination. Show it:

Fig. 1

a handle assembly according to the invention with a first bearing arm, which is fork-shaped,

Fig. 2

an alternative handle assembly in which the first bearing arm is formed with a pin which engages in a door-side guide, and

Fig. 3

a sectional view taken along the section line III - III according to Fig. 2 ,

FIG. 1 shows a handle assembly according to the invention, which is attached to a motor vehicle door. Here, the handle assembly has a pivotally mounted outer handle 1, which has a first 10 and a second bearing arm 20. The outside door handle 1 is fastened on the outside to a door outer skin 3 designed with an inwardly curved recessed grip 2. The first bearing arm 10 is mounted about an axis of rotation 11, wherein the second bearing arm 20 can only be moved out of the door in the x-direction.

The illustrated outer handle 1 is thus fastened to two bearing points on the door-side support structure, wherein the region of the first bearing arm 10 is a movable bearing and the region of the second bearing arm 20 is a fixed bearing. The outer handle 1 further has in the region of the first 10 and the second bearing arm 20 each have an outer end face 5, which faces the outer door skin 3. Between the end face 5 and the outer door skin 3 there is a gap 4, which is about 2 mm in the present embodiment.

The first bearing arm 10 is formed with a bearing fork at its end portion, which is designed with a guide 12. In the guide 12, a bearing pin 6 is accommodated, which forms the axis of rotation 11. The bearing pin 6 is arranged on the door-side support structure, which is not shown as an example. The guide 12 is aligned almost parallel to the relevant area B of the curved door panel 3. In the case of any tolerance problems or material expansions which essentially result in a change in length ΔL of the handle arrangement, tolerance compensation is effected on the floating bearing of the first bearing arm 10. In this case, a movement of the first bearing arm 10, which is predetermined by the linear direction of the guide 12.

A material expansion, for example, due to existing temperature differences of the outer handle 1 is compensated by the handle assembly according to the invention such that as far as possible the left grip area moves outwardly along the relevant area B of the door panel 3, wherein substantially the gap 4 is constant remains. The movement of the outer end face 5 of the first bearing arm 10 is predetermined by the guide 12 of the first bearing arm 10. In the case of material shrinkage, on the other hand, the end face 5 of the first bearing arm 10 moves in the opposite direction, that is to say into the inner region of the arched recessed grip 2, wherein the direction of movement is again predetermined by the guide 12. Also in this case, there is no contact of the outer handle 1 with the outer door skin 3.

The possible movement of the outer handle 1 and the first bearing arm 10 is in accordance with a respective double arrow FIG. 1 indicated. During the tolerance compensation, which essentially corresponds to a length compensation, there is largely no movement of the end face 5 of the second bearing arm 20, since the second bearing arm 20 is held immovable in the y-direction and only in the x-direction from the vehicle door by a manual pulling is movable ,

As in FIG. 1 can be seen, the outer handle 1 on its side facing the second bearing arm 20 side a receptacle 7 for a cylinder lock, not shown. While the user actuates the outer handle 1, that means the outer handle 1 pulls out of the door, there is a rotation of the outer handle 1 about the axis of rotation 11, wherein there is no displacement of the first bearing arm 10 along the guide 12, since the second bearing arm 20 in Y-direction is fixed and immovable stored. In the present embodiment, the bearing fork of the first bearing arm 10 is executed with a stop 13. A displacement of the first bearing arm 10 for the tolerance compensation can thus be achieved up to a contact of the bearing pin 6 with the stop 13.

In FIG. 2 is shown a further alternative of the handle assembly according to the invention. Again, the area of the first bearing arm 10, the movable bearing and the area of the second bearing arm 20, the fixed bearing of the outer handle 1 is one of the main differences is only that the first bearing arm 10 and the guide 31 are designed differently for tolerance compensation. At the end region of the first bearing arm 10, two bearing pins 8 are arranged, which protrude into a guide 31, which also in FIG. 3 is clarified. In this embodiment of the invention, the first bearing arm 10 each have a bearing pin 8 on each side, which protrudes at its free end in the guide 31 on the door-side support structure and is guided by this during the tolerance compensation. The guide 31 is as in the embodiment according to Fig. 1 adapted to the contour of the curvature of the recessed grip 2 of the relevant area B, that is, substantially parallel to the curved outer door skin 3 of the area B executed. Also in this embodiment, a movement of the end face 5 of the first bearing arm 10 is parallel to the outer door skin 3 substantially for the tolerance compensation, the area of the outer handle 1 is held on the second bearing arm 20 by the abutment 30 reliably in the y direction. In both embodiments, an applied, fictitious tangent at the relevant area B to the direction of the guide 12,31 at an angle which is less than 2 °.

During a possible material expansion, the first bearing arm 10 moves with its bearing pins 8 along the guide 31, wherein at the same time the left outer handle portion moves in parallel along the outer door skin 3. As Fig. 3 clarified are the free ends of the bearing pin 8 bead-shaped, that is formed extended in its cross-section. The guide 31 includes the journals 8 at their end portions, whereby a rail-like guide is achieved. Of course, it is possible in a further alternative to perform the pins exclusively cylindrical, which protrude into a guide 31. In a further embodiment, not shown, of the invention, only one bearing journal can be arranged on the first bearing arm 10, which extends into a door-side guide 31.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

outside handle

2

grip

3

Door outer skin

4

gap

5

external face

6

pivot

7

admission

8th

pivot

10

first bearing arm

11

axis of rotation

12

guide

13

attack

20

second bearing arm

30

abutment

31

guide

Claims (12)

1. A gripping device (1) for a door, especially for a vehicle door, comprising a pivotally mounted external grip (1), which is provided on the exterior side on an outer door shell (3) designed with a grip recess (2) in an inwardly directed, curved fashion, whereby the external grip (1) has an internal first (10) and second bearing arm (20), the first bearing arm (10) is located on a turning axis (11), the external grip (1) has an abutting face (5) in the area of the first (10) and second bearing arm (20) that is turned toward the outer shell (3) of the door, and there is a gap (4) between the abutting face (5) and the outer shell (3) of the door, wherein
   the external grip (1) is mounted in a rotatable guide (12, 31) that is essentially fitted to the contour of the curve of the grip recess (2), whereby tolerance compensation is achievable through motion of the external grip (1) along the guide (12, 31) without the external grip (1) coming into contact with the outer shell (3) of the door and the second bearing arm (20) is guided on a counter bearing (30) that is provided on a bearing construction on the door side so that for tolerance compensation only the abutting face (5) of the first bearing arm (10) is displaceable along the outer shell (3) of the door, wherein the region of the first bearing arm (10) represents a floating bearing and the region of the second bearing arm (20) represents a fixed bearing.
2. A gripping device (1) according to Claim 1,
   characterized in that
   said gap (4) remains substantially constant during motion of the external grip (1).
3. A gripping device (1) according to Claim 1 or 2,
   characterized in that
   said gap (4) is in the range of between 0.5 mm ≤ s ≤3 mm.
4. A gripping device (1) according to any of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the first bearing arm (10) ends in a bearing fork that is provided with a guide (12), whereby the guide (12) accepts a bearing journal (6) connected with the support construction on the door side that forms the axis of rotation (11).
5. A gripping device (1) according to any of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the guide (12,31) has at least on one side a limit stop (13).
6. A gripping device (1) according to any of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the guide (12,31) is made linear or curved.
7. A gripping device (1) according to any of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the guide (31) is provided on the support construction on the door side, whereby the first bearing arm (10) at least in part is accepted through said guide (31).
8. A gripping device (1) according to Claim 7,
   characterized in that
   the first bearing arm (10) has at least one bearing journal (8) which is retained in guide (31).
9. A gripping device (1) according to any of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the guide (12,31) is fitted to run parallel with the contour of the grip recess (2).
10. A gripping device (1) according to any of the preceding claims,
    characterized in that
    the direction of the guide (12,31) is at an angle to the direction of the vehicle that is between 0 ° < α ≤ 50 °, preferably between 20 ° < α ≤ 45 °, and especially preferred between 25 ° < α ≤ 40 °.
11. A gripping device (1) according to any of the preceding claims 8 to 10,
    characterized in that
    the free end of the bearing journal (8) is torus-shaped and thus formed to expand in its cross section.
12. A gripping device (1) according to any of the preceding claims,
    characterized in that
    the angle between an imaginary tangent applied to a relevant area (B) of the outer shell (3) of the door that is turned toward the abutting face (5) at the first bearing arm (10) and the direction of the guide (12, 31) is preferably less than 20°, more preferable less than 10°, and especially preferred when less than 5°.

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