GB2141976A

GB2141976A - Vehicle door handle

Info

Publication number: GB2141976A
Application number: GB08407296A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Werner Radde; Horst Heseler; Engelbert Seebacher; Hermann Bartels
Original assignee: Ymos AG Industrieprodukte
Current assignee: Ymos AG Industrieprodukte
Priority date: 1983-03-26
Filing date: 1984-03-21
Publication date: 1985-01-09
Also published as: SE8401270L; IT8420133A0; GB8407296D0; SE8401270D0; IT1173889B; FR2544783A1

Abstract

The essence of the invention is that the handle (4) has its external contour (6) let in flush with the external contour (7) of the door (9). Preferably the handle is spring loaded and held in the closed, flush position against the spring bias by a catch which is releasable to permit the handle to spring out into a position in which it can be gripped and used to open the car door. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for opening and closing doors of vehicles The invention relates to an apparatus for opening and closing doors of vehicles, particularly doors with a handle arranged externally in a recess in the door.

Apparatuses of this type are known in many different embodiments. A feature common to them all, regardless of the form and shape of the door handle, is that they increase the air resistance of the vehicle and easily become dirty. According to the type of handle and to its arrangement, there will be larger or smaller cavities and corners and edges, which lead to increased turbulence of the wind in the air and the wind produced by travel, and consequently sometimes attract more dirt than other parts of the vehicle. The purpose of the invention is to provide measures for lowering the air resistance of the vehicle in the region of the door handle and also to protect the handle as far as possible from becoming dirty.

This purpose is achieved by the features of the invention, in that the door handle can be sunk into the handle recess in such a way that its external contour lies flush in the external contour of the door. When the door is closed the handle does not therefore project beyond the outer contour of the door at any point and thus no longer forms any particular air resistance. The parts of the handle which can be sunk into the recess can furthermore not become dirty, since they are completely covered and thus protected.

Further features of the invention will emerge from the description and claims in conjunction with the drawings.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In these: Fig. 1 is a theoretical outline of a vehicle with an apparatus according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the door of the vehicle, with the handle recess and the door handle and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the door with the recess and handle.

Fig. 4 is a section through a vehicle door with a modified embodiment; Fig. 5 is a view of details from the fig. 4 apparatus in the "closed" position with the locking cylinder in the neutral position; Fig. 6 is a view similar to fig. 5, in the "open" position and with the locking cylinder in the "open" position; Fig. 7 is a view similar to figs. 5 and 6 in the "open" position with the locking cylinder in the neutral position; Fig. 8 is a view similar to figs. 5-7 in the "closed" position with the locking cylinder in the "closed" position and Fig. 9 is a plan view.

Referring to figure 1, a door 1 of a motor vehicle 2 contains a recess 3 for a handle 4, and a locking cylinder 5 may, for example, be arranged beside it. In the closed position shown in figure 2, the external contour 6 of the handle 4 lies flush in the external contour 7 of the door 1, and for this purpose can be sunk into the recess 3 so an appropriate depth. In addition, the external contour 6 of the handle 4 is desirably adapted in its shape and curvature to the external contour 7 of the door 1 in the region of the handle 4 and recess 3. The same applies to the edges 8 of the recess 3, which are let flush into the external panel 9 of the door 1.

The recess 3 surrounds the handle 4 positively. At least this applies to the opening 10 in the recess in the region of the external contour of the door 1, so that all cavities and undercuts are as far as possible avoided. To the extent that gaps are nevertheless left between the recess 3 and handle 4 for reasons of correct functioning, one or more sealing lips 11 cover these gaps in order to obtain a smooth external contour. In the closed position shown in figure 2, it is not therefore possible to engage behind the handle 4 at any point.

For the purpose of opening the door 1, the handle 4 has to be pivoted out of the closed position shown in figure 2, firstly into a position of readiness I indicated by the dash and dot line in figure 3. Only in this position can the handle 4 be taken hold of manually and pulled further in the opening direction as shown by position 11, where the closing members open; these members are joined to the handle 4 in the usual way but not illustrated in the drawings.

A spring element 12, e.g. in the form of a torsion spring, urges the handle 4 constantly in the opening direction, and a movable stop 1 3 is provided to bolt the handle 4 in the recess 3 in the closing position. With this in view the handle 4. which may e.g. be Lshaped, has an aperture 1 5 in one limb, the short one, and the stop 1 3 engages in this aperture in the closed position.

The handle 4 is mounted in the recess 3 for pivoting movement about a spindle 16, on which the spring element 1 2 is also seated.

Various measures may optionally be provided to swivel the handle 4 out of the closed position into the position of readiness I. Thus the swivelling may take place, for example, with the aid of the locking cylinder 5 arranged in the door 1. In this case the user pulls the stop 1 3 out of the aperture 15 in the short limb 14 of the handle 4 by means of the key and locking cylinder, so that the handle 4 is swivelled into the position of readiness I by the spring element 12.

Another way of reaching the position of readiness I is for the stop 13 to be released by a special key 17, located on the outside of the door 1 or elsewhere on the body, after an opening code has previously been entered in an appropriate control element 18 on the outside of the body of the vehicle.

Finally, a separate device may be provided to release the handle 4 and/or its stop 1 3 and/or to swivel it into the position of readiness, when pressure is exerted on the handle 4 in the closing direction.

An exanple with such a device is illustrated in figs. 4-6 and will be explained below.

Components which are the same as the numbered parts in figs. 1-3 will carry the same reference numerals.

Referring to figure 4, a recess 3 for a handle 4 is provided in the door 1 of a motor vehicle, and a locking cylinder 5 may, for example, be arranged adjacent the recess. In the closed position shown in figs. 4, 5 and 8 the handle 4 has its external contour 6 flush within the external contour 7 of the door 1, and for this purpose can be sunk an appropriate depth into the recess 3.

In the view shown in fig. 9, the door handle 4 is bent at right angles and arranged in the door for pivoting movement about a bearing journal 20. A leg spring 21 urges the door handle 4 in the opening direction.

A pendulum strip 23, which keeps the handle free in the closed position, is located in a cavity 22 in the recess 3. It is mounted for pivoting movement on a pin 24, which is in turn seated displaceably in a slot 25, the slot being located in a wall 26 defining the back of the cavity 22. The pendulum strip 23 has an attachment 27 which is engaged by a spring 28. The spring fulfils two functions. It pushes the strip 23 to the left in figs. 5-8, until the sin abuts one end of the slot 25, and in addition it tips the strip 23 about the axis of the pin 24.

The pin 24 is also engaged by a draw bar 29, with the aid of which the pendulum strip can be pulled out of its inoperative position.

The draw bar 29 is further connected to the locking cylinder 5 by an entrainment member 30. The member 30 engages in a slot 31 in the draw bar 29; it is also non-rotatably connected to the locking cylinder.

The locking cylinder 3 further controls the second entrainment member 32 which has two end positions. For this purpose the member 32 contains a slot 33, into which a lug 34 engages from the locking cylinder.

A further drawbar is coupled to the second entrainment member 32. The other end of the drawbar 35 is flexibly connected to a plate 36, belonging to the device connecting the door handle 3 with the lock. The plate 36 lies in the direction of the path of a member 37 on the handle 3 or on its handle portion 38 extending away in an arc and substantially perpendicularly. The result is that when the handle 4 is pulled, the member 37 strikes the plate 36, thereby putting the handle in the position of readiness. If the handle is now pulled further, the lock is opened by means of the plate 36 and the angle lever 39 connected to it.

A further drawbar 40 is coupled with the second entrainment member 32. The drawbar 40 controls a small block 41 which blocks the pendulum strip 23 in the closed position. The block 41 is T-shaped and engages in a slot 42 in the strip 23. In the "open" position shown in fig. 6 the drawbar 40 has shifted the block 41 to the right, so that the strip 23 can pivot downwards about the pin 24. At the same time there is the certainty that the lock cannot be closed in this position, since when the block 41 is shifted to the left in fig. 6 it abuts one end of the slot 42.

The handle portion 38 is substantially Ushaped in cross section, as will be seen from fig. 6. A cam (not shown) is constructed inside the portion 38 and interacts with the free end 43 of the pendulum strip. It is only in the "open" position shown in fig. 6 that the free end 43 of the strip 23 does not engage in the cam. Here the locking cylinder is also in the "open" position. When it is turned back into the neutral position in accordance with fig. 5 or 7, the free end 43 of the strip 23 is again in engagement with the cam.

Finally, fig. 4 shows a further entrainment member 44, mounted for pivoting movement about a spindle 45. The spindle 45 is also the point of rotation of the forked latch 46 of the lock. On the latch 46 is an arm 47 with a projection 48 which positively engages the entrainment member 44. The projection 48 is located in a cavity 49 and is held therein by a springloaded pivoted lever 50.

At the end away from the spindle 45 the entraining member 44 has a protruding edge portion 51, which interacts with an oscillating crank 52 (Schwinge) coupled to the handle portion 38. The crank 52 is pivotable about a spindle 53 and in fig. 4 is not yet in engagement with the entraining member 44. The function of the member 44 is to pull the handle portion 38 and the handle 4 out of the "open" into the "closed" position. This is done by means of the oscillating crank 52; a head 54 on the crank engages behind the protruding edge portion 51 on the entraining member 44. When the door is being closed and the latch 46 has completely pivoted the entraining member 44 during its rotation about the spindle 45, the crank 52 can slide off the protruding edge portion 51, so that there is no longer any connection between the member 44 and the door handle 4. The handle is thus free to open again.

The spring-loaded lever 50 is a safety device, so that a user closing the door does not run the risk of catching his fingers between the handle 4 and the recess 3. In this case the projection 48 on the arm 47 could come out of the cavity 49. The spring 56 on the lever 50, finally, is strong enough to pull the entraining member 44 with its cavity 49 onto the projection 48 on the arm 47 when the handle 4 has been released.

The invention is not restricted to the measures illustrated and described for pivoting the door handle out of the closed position into the position of readiness I, since these measures can still be further modified and adapted.

Claims

1. Apparatus for closing and opening doors of vehicles, particularly doors with a handle arranged externally in a recess in the door, characterised in that the handle can have its external contour (6) let in flush with the external contour (7) of the door (1).

2. The apparatus of claim 1, characterised in that the recess (3) for the handle surrounds the handle -(4) positively.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, characterised in that the handle (4) can be pivoted out of the recess (3) into a position of readiness to open the door (1) of the vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, characterised in that the handle (4) can be pivoted out of the recess (3) with the aid of a locking cylinder (5) arranged in the door (1) of the vehicle.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, characterised in that the handle (4) can be pivoted into the position of readiness when a opening code is entered and/or by means of a key (17).

6. The apparatus of claim 3, characterised in that the handle (4) can be pivoted into the position of readiness with the aid of a separate device, when a pressure is exerted on it in the closing direction.

7. The apparatus of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the spring element (12) acts on the handle (4) in the opening direction.

8. The apparatus of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the handle (4) can be bolted in the recess (3) with the aid of a stop (13).

9. The apparatus of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that a sealing lip (11) is arranged between the recess (3) and the handle (4) in the region of the external contour (6, 7).

10. The apparatus of claim 1, characterised in that the handle (4) is L-shaped.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, characterised in that an apparatus is provided, which opens the handle (4) in response to pressure, draws it into its closed position and keeps it there.