FR3139153A1 - Device for securely blocking the exterior door opening control of motor vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for securely blocking the exterior handle (2) of a motor vehicle door pivotally mounted on a stirrup (1) while being balanced by a tilting interior counterweight (21), said device comprising a cam (3) intended , on the one hand, to support a first end of a blade (4) under stress while a second end is fixed in the stirrup (1) and, on the other hand, to come into abutment contact by rotation with the counterweight (21) during an impact on the door, characterized in that the characteristic length (L) of said blade (4) between its first (4a) and second ends (4b) corresponds to its natural frequency and is adjustable so as to avoid resonance during an impact. Abstract figure (Fig. 6)

Description

Device for securely blocking the exterior door opening control of motor vehicles

The invention relates, in general, to the field of passive safety of motor vehicles and is more particularly interested in the means used to protect the occupants of the vehicle in the event of a side impact.

The doors of motor vehicles are generally equipped with locks comprising, respectively, a bolt secured to the door capable of cooperating with a striker secured to the bodywork and an opening control comprising an exterior handle.

This exterior handle is pivotally mounted on a stirrup while being balanced by an interior tilting counterweight and is possibly coupled to a return spring. A pulling maneuver on this handle allows the strike bolt to be released and thus ensures that the lock is unlocked before returning to its rest position.

However, the safety standards applicable to vehicles require that, in the event of a side impact, the doors must remain blocked to prevent the risk of occupants being ejected. However, it turns out that through an inertia effect, the kinetic energy resulting from the impact can generate a tensile force on the exterior handle which is then likely to cause the door to open inappropriately.

Among all the solutions implemented today to comply with these security rules, there are systems called“anti-g » (or “inertia lock”), which ensure, in the event of an impact, the blocking of the exterior door opening control handle. Depending on the systems, which are diverse and varied depending on the supplier, this blockage can be reversible or irreversible. The invention relates, more particularly, to anti-g systems with irreversible blocking.

These anti-g systems each have their advantages and disadvantages. Thus, FR3079544_B1 describes a safety device intended to control the blocking of an opening, such as a motor vehicle door. This device includes an inertial member ensuring locking of the exterior handle, particularly in the event of an accidental side impact.

Furthermore, there is also an anti-g system including a cam mounted in the stirrup which carries the pivoting handle, the latter being balanced by an interior tilting counterweight ensuring its return to the rest position.

This cam supports the end of a blade under stress fixed in the stirrup and remains inactive in the absence of impact against the door. During a lateral impact impacting the caliper and via appropriate mechanical balancing, this cam then immediately rotates into contact with the counterweight. At the same time, the blade is released and, released from its constraints, immobilizes the cam in its counterweight stop position so as to prevent the handle from moving outwards and thus block the door in the closed position, so as to permanent and irreversible.

However, existing anti-g systems have non-robust mechanical behavior, particularly due to blade vibrations. Indeed, if the blade is subjected to too high an amplitude vibration during the impact, it escapes the cam and cannot therefore immobilize it while the latter tends to return to its initial position. In this case, the handle is not blocked during the impact and the door can then open, which is problematic.

However, it turns out that the vibrations to which the blade is subjected are due to resonance during the shock, which means that the technical problem is linked to the natural frequency of the blade.

In this context, the invention consists of proposing a solution which, in its most general aspect, makes it possible to resolve in a simple manner the technical problems posed by anti-g systems known to eliminate vibrations by modulating the natural frequency of the blade , depending on the type of vehicle, and without adding or modifying any part compared to the existing system.

This goal is achieved, according to the invention, by means of a secure blocking device for the exterior door handle of motor vehicles pivotally mounted on a stirrup while being balanced by a tilting interior counterweight, said device comprising a cam intended, 'on the one hand, to support a first end of a blade under stress while a second end is fixed in the stirrup and, on the other hand, to come by rotation into abutment contact with the counterweight during an impact on the door, characterized in that the characteristic length of said blade between its first and second ends corresponds to its natural frequency and is adjustable so as to avoid resonance during a lateral impact.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the device of the invention, the second end of the blade has at least one orifice intended to receive a fixing member engaged in a bore of the stirrup, allowing variable positioning of the blade relative to said cam.

According to a specific alternative embodiment of the device of the invention, the stirrup is provided with a series of bores each allowing the installation of the blade fixing member.

According to a first alternative embodiment, the orifice of the blade has an oblong profile.

According to a second alternative embodiment, the blade has a series of orifices with a circular profile.

According to another alternative embodiment, the blade is positioned parallel to the axis of rotation of the cam.

According to an alternative variant, the blade is positioned perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the cam.

Preferably, the characteristic length of the blade between its first and second ends is variable over a range of 4mm.

Another object of the invention is a method of adjusting a safety blocking device as defined above, characterized in that the natural frequency of the blade is modulated by adjusting its characteristic length with an offset of +/ - 4mm from its attachment point in the stirrup in the direction of its length.

Yet another object of the invention is a motor vehicle provided with at least one exterior door opening control equipped with a security blocking device as defined above.

Thus, in principle, the invention proposes an improvement of known blocking devices or anti-g systems which makes it possible to eliminate the vibrations of the blade and which, consequently, guarantees the reliability of this system and compliance with safety standards in force.

This improvement is essentially based on the possibility given by the invention of modulating the natural frequency of the blade ensuring the blocking of the cam and the blocking of the external handle during the impact, depending on the type of vehicle, without adding any part in relation to it. to the existing system.

The device and method of the invention thus offer a modular solution for a given unique design and a reference handle present on a majority of vehicles, on the front and rear doors.

This possibility of modulating the characteristic length of the blade can be used in the event of a proven problem during the validation phase of the specifications relating to the behavior of the vehicle with regard to impacts.

Furthermore, the implementation of the modulation method does not generate any need to modify the structure of the external opening control due to the fact that neither the moving masses of the device, nor the stiffness of the mechanical elements (blade, springs , …), nor the contact forces of the anti-g system, are modified.

Consequently, the implementation of the invention does not require any redesign of the anti-g system. The traditional opening control can be retained by simply being adapted to a specific method of assembly and fixing of the blade which alone allows solving the technical problem of vibrations posed by previous systems. The invention therefore does not generate any additional costs.

Consequently, compliance with the specifications concerning the activation of the anti-g system under different accelerations is not impacted and the exterior opening control blocking device can be used from one vehicle to another without modifying the method of assembly of the blade.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge on reading the description which follows, with reference to the appended figures, for which:

is a cross-sectional view of a traditional embodiment of an exterior opening control for a motor vehicle equipped with a secure blocking device in the door closed position.

is a detailed cross-sectional view of the safety locking device for the control of the in the door closed position.

is a detailed top view of the safety locking device for the control of the in the door closed position.

is a detailed cross-sectional view of the exterior opening control of a motor vehicle of the in the locked position during an impact.

is a detailed top view of a preferred embodiment of the safety locking device of the invention in a first blade adjustment position.

is a detail and top view of the safety blocking device of the in a second blade adjustment position.

is a detailed top view of another embodiment of the safety locking device of the invention in a first blade adjustment position.

For greater clarity, identical or similar elements are identified by identical reference signs throughout the figures.

Naturally, the modes of implementation of the invention illustrated schematically by the figure presented above and described below, are given only by way of non-limiting examples. It is explicitly provided in the context of the invention that different modes can be proposed and combined to offer others.

The invention relates to the general field of passive safety of motor vehicles and aims to improve the safe blocking devices for vehicle doors activated during a side impact.

For safety and regulatory reasons, exterior opening controls for motor vehicle doors are today equipped with a security blocking device (also known as an anti-g system) for the lock and, more particularly, for its handle. .

Traditionally and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the exterior handle 2 is pivotally mounted on a stirrup 1 while being balanced by an interior tilting counterweight 21. A pulling maneuver on this handle makes it possible to release the strike bolt (not shown) and thus ensure the unlocking of the lock before returning to its rest position thanks to the action of the counterweight 21, possibly coupled to a return spring (not shown).

Such a blocking device generally comprises a cam 3 intended to support a first end 4a of a blade 4 placed under stress while a second end 4b of this blade is secured to the stirrup 1 by means of a fixing member 5 (screws, etc.). The first end 4a of the blade 4 therefore rests on the cam 3.

During an impact on the door and by rotation around an axis X before any pivoting of the counterweight 21, the cam 3 comes into abutment contact with this counterweight. Thus, the counterweight 21 is immobilized and normally prevents any pulling by inertia of the handle 2 likely to occur during impact.

It is generally expected that, together with the rotation of the cam 3, the blade 4 frees itself and, released from its constraints, jams and immobilizes the cam in abutment contact with the counterweight 21 so as to prevent any subsequent movement of the handle 2 towards the outside and thus permanently lock the door in the closed position, as illustrated by the . For this purpose, the cam has a hook 30 ( ) arranged on the side opposite the side in contact with the counterweight 21 and intended to retain the end 4a of the blade 4.

However, if during the impact, the blade 4 is subjected to a vibration whose amplitude is too great, it escapes the cam 3 while the latter tends to return to its initial position, as illustrated by the vertical arrow on there . Under these conditions, the counterweight 21 is no longer blocked by the cam 3 and is free again. As a result, the device can no longer ensure that the handle 2 is blocked during the impact.

It has been demonstrated, as part of the search for a solution to this technical problem which is the basis of the invention, that the vibration of the blade 4 is due to its resonance, during the shock .

However, for a theoretical model of a beam in bending, its frequency is proportional to the inverse of the square of its length. The blade 4 used in the device of the invention also meets this principle.

Consequently, the invention aims to modulate the natural frequency of the blade 4 which depends on its characteristic length L to avoid any vibration and guarantee the blocking of the handle 2 in the event of an impact.

For this purpose, the invention provides means allowing the adjustment of the characteristic length L of the blade 4 (and therefore of its natural frequency) between its first end 4a which is supported on the cam 3 and its second end 4b which is fixed in the bracket 1.

In such conditions, if in a vehicle (or on a door) the blade is subject to a vibration problem likely to generate a safety fault, it will suffice to move it in the bracket to change its natural frequency and prevent it from it resonates. The blocking device installed in another vehicle having this same handle but not presenting a vibration problem will be able to keep the blade in its initial reference configuration.

In practice, a calculation has shown that on a reference blade with a natural frequency of 245Hz, for a length of 29mm, it is enough to reduce its characteristic length L (between its two ends 4a, 4b defined above) by 2mm to increase its natural frequency of 40Hz, which is clearly significant.

According to a preferred embodiment, the adjustment of the position of the blade 4 relative to the cam 3 is obtained by producing, on the second end 4b of the blade, at least one orifice intended to receive a fixing member 5 engaged in a caliper bore.

According to a first alternative embodiment of the device of the invention illustrated by Figures 5 to 7, the orifice 40 of the blade 4 has an oblong profile. This orifice allows a movement of +/-2mm from the characteristic length L of the blade. Preferably, the characteristic length L of the blade between its first end 4a and its second end 4b is variable over a range of 4mm.

The position adopted by the adjustment of the , corresponds to a characteristic length L of the blade 4 of 29mm, i.e. a natural frequency of 245Hz while the adjustment of the corresponds to a characteristic length L of the blade 4 of 27mm, i.e. a natural frequency of 238Hz.

According to another alternative embodiment of the locking device of the invention (not shown), the stirrup 1 is provided with a series of bores, each allowing the installation of the fixing member 5 of the blade.

According to yet another variant illustrated by Figures 5 to 7 and possibly combined with the previous one, the blade 4 has a series of orifices and here a single orifice 41 (complementary to the oblong orifice 40) of circular profile. The blade could then be fixed in one of the positions corresponding to one of these orifices, each of which is associated with a natural frequency.

In the alternative embodiment illustrated in Figures 5 and 7, the blade is positioned parallel to the axis of rest and also allows not to have a hook 30 of specific depth to ensure the retention of the blade and which would then depend on the variable position of the latter. This variant of blade positioning could constitute the initial configuration of the vehicle's exterior opening control. In the variant of the , the blade is positioned here perpendicular to the axis X of rotation of cam 3.

The method of adjusting the safety locking device of the invention is implemented by means of the device described above and illustrated by the figures by modulating the natural frequency of the blade by adjusting its characteristic length L with an offset of +/- 4mm in the direction of its length.

Claims (10)

Device for securely blocking the exterior handle (2) of a motor vehicle door pivotally mounted on a stirrup (1) being balanced by a tilting interior counterweight (21), said device comprising a cam (3) intended, on the one hand , to support a first end of a blade (4) under stress while a second end is fixed in the stirrup (1) and, on the other hand, to come by rotation into abutment contact with the counterweight (21 ) during an impact on the door, characterized in that the characteristic length (L) of said blade (4) between its first (4a) and second ends (4b) corresponds to its natural frequency and is adjustable so as to avoid a resonance during a side impact. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second end of said blade (4) has at least one orifice (40, 41) intended to receive a fixing member (5) engaged in a bore of the stirrup (1) by allowing variable positioning of the blade (4) relative to said cam (3). Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the stirrup (1) is provided with a series of bores each allowing the installation of the fixing member (5) of the blade. Device according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that said orifice (40) of the blade (4) has an oblong profile. Device according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that said blade (4) has a series of orifices (41) of circular profile. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said blade (4) is positioned parallel to the axis (X) of rotation of the cam (3). Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said blade (4) is positioned perpendicular to the axis (X) of rotation of the cam (3). Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the characteristic length (L) of said blade (4) between its first (4a) and second (4b) ends is variable over a range of 4mm. Method for adjusting a safety blocking device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the natural frequency of the blade (4) is modulated by adjusting its characteristic length (L) with an offset of +/-4mm from its point of attachment in the stirrup (1) in the direction of its length. Motor vehicle provided with at least one exterior door opening control equipped with a security blocking device according to one of claims 1 to 9.