FR2741374A1 - VEHICLE DOOR HANDLE - Google Patents

Abstract

Vehicle door handle (4) in which at least one butt body (6), gripped manually by a user, has a rigid core (24), a layer (26) of soft coating material covering the core (24) , and a sealing lip (28) which is pushed against the panel (2) of the door (1) to define a seal; the coating layer (26) and the sealing lip (28) being integral with one another and made of injectable elastomeric material.

Description

VEHICLE DOOR HANDLE

  The present invention relates to a vehicle door handle, and in particular to a handle operated by a lever intended for vehicle doors.

  motor vehicle, to which the following description simply refers by way of

example.

  As is known, the vehicle door handles operated by a lever comprise a positioning body, which is housed in one piece in the vehicle door panel, and an elongated, generally C-shaped stock, which is manually grasped by the user, and for its part comprises two opposite extreme parts: one articulated on the door panel, and the other cooperating by contact with the positioning body and normally connected to the lock

  the door by a lever transmission.

  The stock at least of the known handles is normally made of a molded plastic material, preferably pressure injection molded, reinforced with glass fibers, which are protected by a resin which returns to the surface

  during the molding process and allows the fibers to be isolated from the outside.

  The positioning body and the stock of known handles are both housed in the door panel via the interposition of respective seals conventionally made of elastomeric material and intended to prevent the ingress of water or dust inside. of the panel through the openings of the devices which connect the handle to the panel and to the lock, and to prevent the

  handle to come into contact with the paint on the door panel.

  Although widely used, known handles of the type described above have several drawbacks, due to the material of the handles, and in particular the stock, which deteriorates gradually and becomes unpleasant to the touch in a relatively short period of time. Specifically, after prolonged exposure to external agents, and particularly to ultraviolet rays, the resin film covering the glass fibers wears out, so that the fibers are exposed and are

  directly in contact with the user's hand when the handle is grasped.

  In addition, known handles require a relatively long time to be installed in the door, mainly because of the seal required between each part of the handle and the door panel, and which, both for functional reasons and aesthetic, must be positioned correctly in relation to

  the respective part of the handle.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive vehicle door handle designed to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks. According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle door handle comprising at least one stock body, to be manually grasped by a user, characterized in that said stock body comprises a rigid core

  and a layer of soft coating material covering the core.

  Preferably, said coating material of the above handle is a

  injectable elastomeric material, and conveniently a polyester.

  A non-limiting embodiment of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 represents a part of a vehicle door panel showing a handle in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; and

  FIG. 2 represents a section along line II-II of FIG. 1.

  The number 1 in the accompanying drawings indicates a vehicle door (the vehicle not being shown) comprising a panel 2 defined by a surface

  exterior 3; and a handle 4 maneuvered by a lever housed in the panel 2.

  The handle 4 comprises a first fixed positioning body 5 housed in one piece in the panel 2; and a second mobile body 6 generally C-shaped

  defining the grip stock 4.

  More specifically, and as shown in FIG. 2, the body 5 comprises a part 8 which extends inside a cavity 9 in the panel 2 through an opening 10, and connected in one piece to the panel 2 at the by means of a screw 11; and another part 12 projecting outwards from the panel 2 in front of the surface 3, and having an end part 13 intended to carry the body 6 and which has

  as for a through hole 15 through which the cavity 9 communicates with the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the body 6 comprises a first end portion 16 housed in the panel 2 by a known articulation 17 having an axis 18 and intended to allow the rotation of the body 6, in operation, around the axis 18 and relative to the body 5; and a second end portion 19, which extends opposite the front portion 13 of the body 5, and includes an appendage 20 which extends into the hole 15 and has an end portion connected to the lock of the

  door (not shown) by a known lever transmission.

  As shown in Figure 2, the bodies 5 and 6 include respective rigid internal cores 23 and 24; the core 23 is preferably made of metal; the core 24 is conveniently made of plastic material reinforced with glass fibers at least partially embedded in the plastic material; and the bodies 5 and 6 both comprise layers of soft coating 25 and 26 respectively covering the entire part of the core 23 defining the part 12 of the body 5, and the whole of the core 24 with the exception of appendix 20 and the surface of part 16

facing panel 2.

  In the example shown, the coating layers 25 and 26 have substantially the same thickness greater than one millimeter, and are both formed by injection, and are both made of elastomeric material, preferably a polyester conveniently selected from materials known commercially under the names "aytrel", "pebox" and "arnitel", or a polyolefin chosen from

  materials known in the trade under the names "alcrin", "megol" and "santoprene".

  As shown in Figure I and more particularly Figure 2, the parts 12 and 16 end, on the side facing the panel 2, by respective peripheral annular lips 27 and 28, each of them being made of the same material as the respective coating layer 25, 26, being integral with the respective coating layer 25, 26, and being pushed, when in place, against the surface 3 of the panel 2 to define a respective seal intended to prevent

  the penetration of water and dust, for example, into the cavity 9 of the panel 2.

  In addition to having the same rigidity and resistance as corresponding known handles, the handle 4 therefore also has the precise advantage of completely eliminating the unpleasant sensation provided to the user by handles

  known after a relatively short period of time.

  In fact, the coating layers 25, 26 and the specific material in which they are made allow not only to permanently prevent the user's hand from coming into direct contact with the respective cores 23, 24 and therefore with glass fibers in the case of body 6, but also provide a pleasant

  feeling of softness particularly appreciated by demanding users.

  In addition, the handle 4 also allows a marked reduction in the duration of the

  assembly and the number of parts to be assembled.

  In fact, to assemble the handle 4, no seal must be installed between the handle 4 and the panel 2, the seal being provided by the lips 27 and 28 which, being made of elastomeric material, are easily deformed and adhere

  firmly to panel 2 to ensure a perfect seal.

  In addition, unlike known seals, and thanks to the fact that they are in one piece on the respective bodies 5 and 6, the lips 27 and 28 eliminate all the functional or aesthetic problems resulting from incorrect positioning of the

  seals in relation to the door panel or the handle.

  Certain modifications can clearly be made to the handle 4 as it is described and shown here, without however departing from the scope of the present invention. In particular, it is possible to use materials different from those described in example for the cores 23, 24 of the bodies 5, 6 and for the coating layers 25, 26, provided that these layers 25, 26 are relatively soft with respect to cores 23, 24, and this in order to avoid any uncomfortable feeling when

  user when grasping the handle 4.

  In addition, the lips 27, 28 can be made of a material different from the covering layers 25, 26, and / or be formed separately and then be fixed

to the bodies 5 and 6 of the handle 4.

  The body 5 can also include a lock for locking the door 1 with a key Finally, like the bodies 5 and 6, handles can obviously also be formed for vehicles of all types

  or model without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (9)

  1. Vehicle door handle (4) comprising at least one stock body (6), to be gripped manually by a user, characterized in that said stock body (6) comprises a rigid core (24) and a layer (26) of material   soft coating covering the core (24).   2. Handle according to claim 1, characterized in that said material of   coating is an elastomeric material.   3. Handle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said   coating material is injectable material.   4. Handle according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized   by the fact that said coating material is a polyester.   5. Handle according to any one of the preceding claims, which comprises   at least one sealing lip (28) cooperating, in operation, with a panel   (2) of a respective door (1) to define a seal.   6. Handle according to claim 5, characterized in that said sealing lip (28) is made of the same material as said coating layer (26). 7. Handle according to claim 6, characterized in that said lip   sealing (28) is integral on said coating layer (26).   8. Handle according to any of the preceding claims, comprising   also a positioning body (5) to be housed in one piece in a panel (2) of a vehicle door (1), said stock body (6) comprising a first part (16) articulated to said panel (2) so as to rotate relative to said positioning body (5) about an articulation axis (18), and a second part (19) cooperating by contact with the positioning body (5), and said positioning body (5) comprising a respective rigid core (23), and a respective layer (25) of soft coating material covering the respective core (23)   9 handle according to claims 7 and 8, which comprises, for each of said   body (5, 6), a respective sealing lip (27, 28) defining, in use, a respective seal; each of said sealing lips (27, 28) being in one piece and made of the same material as said respective coating layer (25, 26).