GB2536669A

GB2536669A - Rectractable handle arrangement

Info

Publication number: GB2536669A
Application number: GB1505034.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Brown Olly; Edwards Sean; Lumsden Peter; Gaouyer Bruno; Lidgard Brian
Original assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Current assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Priority date: 2015-03-25
Filing date: 2015-03-25
Publication date: 2016-09-28
Anticipated expiration: 2035-03-25
Also published as: GB201505034D0; GB2536669B

Abstract

A retractable door handle arrangement comprising a handle 6, a linkage 27 moveable about pivot 24 for coupling the handle to a door 4 for movement between a stowed state (fig. 3a) and a deployed state (fig. 3b), wherein the handle is further movable relative to the linkage between the deployed state and an operative state (fig. 3c) for unlatching the door. The handle or linkage may have telescopically acting rods 46 or guide slots (40, fig. 2a) corresponding to rod receivers 48 or guide pins (42, fig. 2a) which may be straight or curved for guiding translational or arcuate movement between the deployed and the operative states. There may be a pair of parallel or concentric rods or guide slots. Alternatively the handle 6 may be pivotally connected to the linkage (see pivot 30, fig. 4a). The handle may be biased by spring 50 into the deployed position. Also claimed is a body component of a vehicle and a vehicle comprising the handle arrangement. The handle may lie flush with a door surface in the stowed state.

Description

RECTRACTABLE HANDLE ARRANGEMENT

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a retractable handle arrangement for a door or other type of closure, in particular for a vehicle. Aspects of the invention relate to a handle arrangement, to a body component incorporating the handle arrangement, and to a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

The invention will be described in the context of a car door, but it could also be used with other closures such as trunks/tailgates, or with other types of vehicles such as boats or aircraft. In a broad sense, the invention may also be used in non-vehicle applications.

A relatively recent development in the design of vehicle door handles is the retractable handle in which a flush-mounted handle is retractably mounted to the vehicle door such that the handle is flush with an outer door skin of the vehicle. This means that the handle can move between two states: a stowed or retracted state in which the handle is flush-mounted and a deployed or extended state in which the handle protrudes from the surrounding door surface so that it may be grasped by a user. The handle may be movable between the stowed and deployed states by mechanical or electrical actuation.

Once the handle is in the deployed state, it can be pulled, usually against a spring bias, to move the handle towards a third, operative, state to unlatch the door. In moving to the operative state the handle may unlatch the door mechanically, for example by acting on a Bowden cable coupled to the door latch, or electrically by acting on an electrical switch coupled to the latch.

In the context of retractable door handles, the handles themselves may be movable between the stowed and deployed states mechanically or by electrical means. For example, in a handle arrangement used in some cars, a flush-mounted handle comprises a bar-like handle pivotally attached near one of its ends to a door. In the stowed state the handle lies flush with the door skin and, in the deployed state, the major portion of the handle pivots away from the door skin so that a user can grasp the handle and pull it further into the operative state to unlatch the door. A user moves the handle between the stowed and deployed states simply by pressing the front end of the handle against a spring bias so that the rear portion pivots outwardly. Although this scheme provides a relatively simple mechanical action, it is rather unintuitive to use and requires a two-handed operation which is undesirable.

In contrast, an electrically-actuated scheme is implemented in some other cars. Here, a flush-mounted strap-type handle is actuated electrically between a stowed state in which the outer surface of the handle is flush with the door skin and a deployed state in which the outer surface of the handle is spaced from the door skin and so reveals a grab-loop which can be grasped by a user. The handle is moved from the stowed to the deployed state by means of an actuation system which senses the presence of a person next to the door or about to grab the handle and deploys the handle in response. The actuation system may also be configured to command the handle into a deployed state in response to a deployment signal transmitted by a suitable control device, e.g. a remote key fob of the vehicle. Although this scheme offers a 'surprise and delight' feature to the user, it requires a relatively complex electrical operating system, which adds weight and cost.

As further background, U.S. Pat No. 5,123,687 describes a retractable strap-type car door handle arrangement in which a handle is mounted on two pivot levers on fixed pivot axes, one on each end of the handle. The levers are connected by a link rod that causes the two levers to move together between the deployed and stowed states so that the handle is deployed along a substantially linear path. Once in the deployed position, the handle can be pivoted into the operative position in which the handle moves angularly relative to its associated pivot lever thereby unlatching the door. The mechanism in this arrangement is complex, bulky and occupies a considerable volume in the door panel, where space is usually at a premium.

It is against this background that the invention has been devised.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an aspect of the invention, there is provided a retractable door handle arrangement comprising a strap-type handle and a linkage that is moveable angularly about a pivot and arranged to couple the handle to a door for movement between a stowed state and a deployed state, wherein the handle is mounted to the linkage and is further movable relative to said linkage between the deployed state and an operative state to unlatch the door. In the stowed state, the handle may lie substantially flush with an outer surface of the door and in the deployed state the handle may protrude from the outer surface of the door.

The handle arrangement provides an ergonomic benefit to the user, since the arrangement has is very space efficient within what can be in vehicular applications a very tight door width, while still permitting a useful range of movement of the handle.

The relative movement between the handle and the linkage may comprise substantially translational movement. Alternatively the relative movement between the handle and the linkage comprises substantially arcuate movement.

The handle arrangement may comprise one or more guide means configured to guide the handle as it moves between the deployed and the operative states. The guide means may comprise one or more linear or arcuate guides.

In one embodiment the guide means may comprise a first guide slot in the handle which constrains movement of the handle relative to the linkage and the linkage may comprise a guide pin received within with the first guide slot. The guide means may further comprises a second guide slot that is spaced from, and is oriented substantially parallel to, or concentric with, the first guide slot and the linkage may include first and second guide pins received within the respective first and second guide slots. Alternatively the slots and pins may be in the opposite orientation such that the guide means may comprise a first guide slot and second guide slot in the linkage, the second guide slot being spaced from and oriented substantially parallel to or concentric with the first guide slot, and which said first and second guide slots constrain movement of the handle relative to the linkage. The handle may include first and second guide rods received within the respective first and second guide slots In another embodiment the guide means may include a telescopic mechanism defined in part by the handle and in part by the linkage. The guide means may comprise the linkage being provided with one or more guide rods with which the handle cooperates for guiding movement thereof between the deployed and operative states and the handle may be provided with one or more guide rod receivers for cooperating with a respective rod of the linkage. Alternatively the guide means may comprise the handle being provided with one or more guide rods with which the linkage cooperates for guiding movement of the handle between the deployed and operative states and the linkage may be provided with one or more guide rod receivers for cooperating with a respective guide rod of the handle.

The handle may be spring biased from the operative state to the deployed state.

In another embodiment the handle may be mounted to the linkage at a pivot. The pivot may include a torsion spring for biasing the handle from the operative state to the deployed state. In one arrangement the handle has first and second ends, and the first end of the handle is pivotably mounted to the linkage and the second end of the handle is configured to operate a door unlatch mechanism In another aspect, the invention resides in a body component for a vehicle comprising an outer surface defining an aperture for receiving the handle of the retractable handle arrangement of any one of the aspects referred to above. The aperture receives the handle as a close fit, i.e. it may substantially fill the aperture, and may lie substantially flush with the outer surface of the body component when the handle is in a stowed state.

In a further aspect, the invention resides in a vehicle including the body component or handle arrangement referred to above.

Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. Features described in connection with one embodiment are applicable to all embodiments, unless such features are incompatible. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle door panel equipped with a retractable handle arrangement that is shown in a stowed state; Figures 2a, 2b and 2c are a sequence of top sectional views of one embodiment of the door and handle arrangement of Figure 1, with the door handle being shown respectively in stowed, deployed and operative states; Figures 3a, 3b and 3c are a sequence of top sectional views of an alternative embodiment of the door and handle arrangement of Figure 1, with the door handle again being shown respectively in stowed, deployed and operative states; and Figure 4a, 4b and 4c are a sequence of top sectional views of a further alternative embodiment of the door and handle arrangement of Figure 1, with the door handle again being shown respectively in stowed, deployed and operative states.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described in which numerous features will be discussed in detail in order to provide a thorough understanding of the inventive concept as defined in the claims. However, it will be apparent to the skilled person that the invention may be put into effect without the specific details or that variations may be made to those specific features in question. In some instances, well-known method, techniques and structures have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the invention unnecessarily.

Referring to Figure 1, a door handle arrangement 2 of an embodiment of the invention is retractable with respect to a door of a vehicle. An outer surface or 'door skin' 4 is shown here as representIng the door, which can be considered to be a body component of the vehicle, although it may not be an openable panel of the vehicle. The door handle arrangement 2 includes a handle 6 that is substantially flush-mounted with respect to the door skin 4 when the handle 6 is in a stowed state, as shown here. The handle 6 is operable to transition from the stowed state to a deployed state in which it protrudes from the door skin 4 so that it can be grasped by a user, as will be described.

The door skin 4 is penetrated by a horizontally-extending aperture 8, hereinafter 'slot', that receives the handle Sin a close fit. The outer surface 10 of the handle 6 is shaped to match that of the slot 8 and lies flush with the surrounding surface of the door skin 4 when the handle 6 is stowed as in Figure 1. The shape of the slot 8 and the outer surface 10 of the handle 6 is chosen largely for aesthetic reasons.

Although in Figure 1 only the outer surface 10 of the handle 6 can be seen, the remaining Figures show the handle arrangement 2 in more detail.

The retractable handle arrangement 2 comprises a drive means/arrangement 12 which is operable to move the handle 6 between the stowed state and a deployed state as will be described in detail. The drive arrangement 12 is electrically operated and is shown here largely in schematic form as comprising an electrical drive unit 14, such as a motor or solenoid, that is operable to drive a spindle 16 on which the handle 6 is mounted via a primary linkage or swing arm 27. It is envisaged that the drive unit 14 may act on the spindle 16 through a suitable worm gear or rack and pinion (not shown) in order to provide fine positioning control of the spindle 16 and, thus, of the handle 6. It should be noted that the drive arrangement 12 depicted here represents one way in which the handle 6 may be moved angularly between its stowed and deployed states and that other ways would be apparent to the skilled person.

In more detail, the handle 6 is an elongate member having first and second ends 20, 22. A pivot 24 is disposed at the first end 22 of the handle 6 by which the handle 6 is coupled or mounted to a handle support structure 25 and cooperates with the drive arrangement 12 in order to allow the handle 6 to move angularly with respect to the slot 8 between stowed and deployed states. A strap-type handle loop 26 defined at the second end 20 of the handle op. The loop provides a handgrip 28 that defines the outer surface 10 of the handle 6, with end pieces 30, 32 at opposed ends spacing the handgrip 28 from an inner member 34 that is shaped like the handgrip 28 so as to substantially fill the slot 8 when the handle is deployed, as shown in Figure 2.

The end pieces 30,32 are generally parallel to each other and are slightly curved in plan view. Together, the handgrip 28, end pieces 30, 32 and the inner member 34 form an approximate truncated wedge shape, such a shape again being determined mainly for aesthetic reasons.

The swing arm 27 couples the handle 6 to a support structure 25 at a pivot 24 and cooperates with the drive arrangement 12 in order to allow the handle 6 to move angularly with respect to the slot 8 between stowed and deployed states. The spindle 16 thus defines a primary pivot axis.

Whereas Figure 2a shows the handle 6 in the stowed state, such that the handle surface is substantially flush with the door skin 4, Figure 2b shows the handle as deployed, in which the handgrip 28 has popped out of the slot 8 so as to stand proud of the surrounding door skin 4. This reveals the handle 6 so that the user can grasp the handgrip 28 and move the handle 6 angularly against a spring bias (not shown) to pull the handle arrangement 2 into an operative state so as to unlatch the door, as will be described.

When grasping the handgrip 28 to pull the handle 6, the user's fingers and possibly also the thumb can extend between the handgrip 28 and the inner member 34. Since the handle 6 is open from the top and bottom, this allows the user to approach the handle 6 with an overhand or an underhand grip, whichever is more comfortable.

The handle 6 may be driven by the drive arrangement 12 from its stowed state to its deployed state in response to various events. For example, this movement may be in response to an unlocking signal from a key authorised to unlock the vehicle or from a proximity sensor that detects the presence of an authorised key in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. Conversely, the handle 6 may be driven from the deployed to the stowed state in response to a locking signal from a key authorised to lock the vehicle or from a proximity sensor that determines that the authorised key has left the immediate vicinity of the vehicle, or in response to the vehicle moving off. Alternatively, the handle 6 may toggle between the stowed and deployed states in response to different user actions, for example the user may press and lock/unlock switch (not shown) somewhere in the vehicle door.

Once in the deployed state, the handle 6 can then be pulled to open the door, which involves the user moving the handle 6 such that it moves linearly with respect to the swing arm 27 against a spring bias (not shown) into an 'actuated' or 'operative' state, as shown in Figure 2c.

In moving from the deployed to the operative state, the handle 6 may unlatch the door mechanically or electrically. For example, to unlatch the door mechanically, the handle 6 may be provided with a suitable latching mechanism 36 that is cooperable with a link in the form of a Bowden cable 38 that acts on the door latch (not shown) in a manner that is generally known in the art and so is not disclosed here in detail. Alternatively, the door handle 6 may be configured to cooperate with a limit switch such that in the operative state the limit switch is triggered so as to send a door opening signal to a body control module (BCM) of the vehicle which then commands the relevant door to be unlatched. Such a mechanism is also known to the skilled person and so is not described in detail here.

The discussion above has focussed on the movement of the handle 6 as it transitions from its stowed state in which it lies substantially flush with the door skin 4, to the deployed state in which it is driven by the drive unit 14 to protrude from the door. During this movement, the handle pivots about the primary pivot 24 to as to move angularly. However, in moving from the deployed to the operative position so as to unlatch the door, the handle arrangement is configured such that the handle 6 performs a substantially translational movement, such that it follows a more linear or substantially linear path between the deployed and operative states. This Improves the ergonomics of the handle arrangement for the user during door opening. It also provides a space efficient arrangement for being housed within the interior volume of the door.

To enable the translational movement between the deployed and operative states, the handle arrangement is provided with suitable guide means defined partly by the swing arm 27 and partly by the handle 6, those two components configured to cooperate so that the handle 6 translates or follows a more linear path with respect to the swing arm 27 instead of an angular path.

In the illustrated embodiment of Figures 2a-2c, the guide means 39 takes the form of a cooperating pair of guide slots 40 and guide pins 42.

Here, the guide slots 40 are formed in respective elongate guide arms 44 that extend from the inner member 34 at each end 30,32 of the handle 6 in a direction away from the door skin 4. Each of the guide arms 44 defines a respective one of the slots 42.

The guide pins 42 are provided by the swing arm 27 in a linear extension portion 27a thereof which extends generally parallel with the inner member 34 of the handle 6. Here, two guide pins 42 are provided and are spaced apart corresponding to the spacing of the guide slots 40. The precise structure of the guide pins 42 may take various forms, for example the pins may be rivets fastened to suitable apertures in the swing arm or they may be welded onto the swing arm. Other configurations would also be apparent to the skilled person.

As can be seen by comparing Figures 2a and 2b, in moving from the stowed to the deployed position, the guide slots 40 do not slide relative to the guide pins 42 such that the handle 6 stays in a fixed position relative to the swing arm 27. Though not shown here, it will be appreciated that suitable biasing means may be provided to bias the handle 6 towards an inner position with respect to the swing arm 27 so that it does not move unintentionally. It is envisaged that the biasing means may be provided by spring acting in tension between the handle 6 and the swing arm 27. Alternatively, the latching mechanism 36 could be configured to provide the biasing means such that a spring loaded portion of the latching mechanism 36 is coupled to the handle 6 so as to move with the handle during movement between the stowed and deployed states but provides a reverse bias force on the handle 6.

The operative state of the handle arrangement 2 is shown in Figure 2c and, by comparing this with the previous two figures it can be seen that the handle 6 has moved further outwards beyond the door skin 4 and has moved along a substantially linear path, as determined by the linear shape of the guide slots 40, which are generally parallel in this embodiment. In this position of the handle 6, the guide pins 42 are shifted to the inner end of the slots 40 and this limits the range of movement of the handle 6. It will be noted at this point that the latching mechanism 36 has been rotated by movement of the handle 6 between a latched state, as illustrated in Figures 2a and 2b, to an unlatched state, the rotation of the latching mechanism 36 pulling on the Bowden cable 38 to trigger unlatching of the door. Not shown here is how the handle 6 cooperates with the latching mechanism 36, although the skilled person would understand that there are various ways in which this could be achieved, for example the handle may be provided with a lug or hook that cooperates with an eye on the latching mechanism so that it can be rotated by movement of the handle 6. Other methods of translating linear motion of the handle into rotational motion of the latching mechanism will be well understood by the skilled person.

An alternative embodiment of handle arrangement will now be described with reference to Figures 3a, 3b and 3c. This embodiment shares several features with the previous embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to common features for clarity. Also, only the differences will be described here for brevity. Note that in this embodiment, the handle arrangement 2 is configured to move angularly between stowed and deployed states, but to substantially move in a translation, which is substantially linear in this embodiment, from the deployed to the operative state, in the same way as the previous embodiment. However, the way in which it achieves the linear movement is different, as will now be explained in more detail.

In this embodiment, the guide means 39 takes the form of a telescopic mechanism, formed partly by the swing arm 27 and partly by the handle 6. In the illustrated embodiment, the telescopic mechanism comprises a cooperating pair of guide rods 46 and a respective pair of rod receivers or sliders 48.

The guide rods 46 extend from the extension portion 27a of the swing arm, at positions corresponding to each end 30,32 of the handle 6, towards the door skin 4.

The rod receivers 48 are defined at each end 30,32 of the handle 6 and take the form of bores shaped so as to receive the guide rods 46 in a sliding fit.

As can be seen by comparing Figure 3a and 3b, in moving from the stowed to the deployed position, the rod receivers 48 do not slide relative to the guide rods 46 such that the handle 6 remains in a fixed position relative to the swing arm 27. A biasing means is provided to apply a suitable force to the handle to urge it into the retracted position relative to the swing arm 27. Here, the biasing means is in the form of a coil spring 50 that is located between each of the guide rods 46 and the respective rod receiver 48. The coil springs 50 act in tension so as to provide a resilient bias away against outward movement of the handle 6 away from the swing arm 27. It should be noted that although coil springs housed in the rod receivers 48 are shown in this embodiment, other biasing configurations are envisaged. For example, a return spring may be configured to act in tension between the swing arm 27 and a mid-point of the inner member 34 of the handle 6. Alternatively the latching mechanism 36 may be configured to provide the biasing force, as described for the previous embodiment.

Moving to Figure 3c, which shows the handle arrangement 2 in the operative state, by comparing this with Figures 3b and Sc it will be appreciated that the handle 6 has moved further outwards beyond the door skin 4 and has performed a translation along a substantially linear path, as is dictated by the shape of the guide rods 46 and the rod receivers 48. As in the previous embodiment, the latching mechanism 36 has been rotated by movement of the handle 6 between a latched state (Figures 3a,b) to an unlatched state thereby to trigger unlatching of the door via the Bowden cable 38.

Turning now to Figures 4a, 4b and 4c, there is shown a further alternative handle arrangement that, again, is similar to the previous embodiments so the same reference numerals will be used in the following description as appropriate.

In contrast to the other embodiments, in which the handle 6 moves between the deployed and the operative states by way of a translational movement, in this embodiment the handle 6 moves from the deployed to the operative state by way of an angular movement.

Instead of being configured to slide linearly with respect to the swing arm 27 e.g. either by way of guide slots or a telescopic mechanism of the previous embodiments, the handle 6 is pivotably attached to the swing arm 27 at a second pivot 60.

The second pivot is located at the inner end of the handle 6 and so rotatably couples that end of the handle 6 to the distal end of the swing arm 27.

The handle arrangement 2 moves between the stowed and deployed states in much the same way as the other embodiments and this movement is shown by contrasting Figures 4a and 4b. In Figure 4a, the outer surface 10 of the handle 6 is substantially flush with the door skin 4 and the swing arm 27 is angled relative to the handle support structure, whereas in Figure 4b the swing arm 27 has pivoted about the primary pivot 24 at spindle 16 so as to move the handle 6 out of the slot 8 such that the handgrip 28 stands proud of the door skin 4. In moving between these positions, the latching mechanism 36 is not actuated, as can be seen by its identical positions in Figures 4a and 4b. Suitable biasing means may be provided to maintain the handle 6 in a fixed position with respect to the swing arm 27 as it moves between the stowed and deployed states. Here, suitable biasing means is shown as provided as a torsion spring 31 at the second pivot 60.

Moving on to Figure 4c, it will be seen that the handle 6 has moved angularly about second pivot 60 into the operative position whereby the latching mechanism 36 is triggered to rotate clockwise so as to pull on the Bowden cable 38 thereby causing the door to be unlatched, in the same way as the previous embodiments.

Although differing from the previous embodiments in the manner of its movement between the deployed and operative states, the handle arrangement of this embodiment provides a particularly elegant solution for a retractable handle which has a low part count and so is relatively light in weight, as well as providing a large handle deployment travel compared to the low packaging volume of the handle within the door interior. By virtue of the low part count, the handle arrangement is also reliable since there are less moving parts to fail.

It will be appreciated that the embodiments shown in Figures 2a-2c may be modified by changing the shape of the guide slots 40 to an arcuate shape, and the embodiment shown in Figures 3a-3c, may be modified by changing the shape of the guide rods 46 and rod receivers 48 to a curved profile so as to adapt the embodiments of Figures 2a-2c and 3a-3c so as to provide non-linear, i.e. arcuate, movement of the handle 6 between the deployed state and the operative state.

Claims

CLAIMS1 A retractable door handle arrangement comprising a strap-type handle and a linkage that is moveable angularly about a pivot and arranged to couple the handle to a door for movement between a stowed state and a deployed state, wherein the handle is mounted to the linkage and is further movable relative to said linkage between the deployed state and an operative state to unlatch the door.
2 The handle arrangement of claim 1 wherein, in the stowed state, the handle lies substantially flush with an outer surface of the door and wherein in the deployed state the handle protrudes from the outer surface of the door.
3. The handle arrangement of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said relative movement between the handle and the linkage comprises substantially translational movement.
4. The handle arrangement of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said relative movement between the handle and the linkage comprises substantially arcuate movement.
The handle arrangement of any one of the preceding claims, comprising one or more guide means configured to guide the handle as it moves between the deployed and the operative states.
6. The handle arrangement of claim 5 depending through claim 3, wherein the guide means comprises one or more linear guide.
7. The handle arrangement of claim 5 depending through claim 4, wherein the guide means comprises one or more arcuate guide.
8 The handle arrangement of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the guide means comprises a first guide slot in the the handle which constrains movement of the handle relative to the linkage.
9. The handle arrangement of claim 8, wherein the linkage comprises a guide pin received within with the first guide slot.
10. The handle arrangement of claim 8, the guide means comprises a second guide slot that is spaced from, and is oriented substantially parallel to, or concentric with, the first guide slot.
11. The handle arrangement of claim 10, wherein the linkage includes first and second guide pins received within the respective first and second guide slots.

12 The handle arrangement of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the guide means comprises a first guide slot and second guide slot in the linkage, the second guide slot being spaced from and oriented substantially parallel to or concentric with the first guide slot, and which said first and second guide slots constrain movement of the handle relative to the linkage 13. The handle arrangement of claim 13, wherein the handle includes first and second guide pins received within the respective first and second guide slots.14. The handle arrangement of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the guide means includes a telescopic mechanism defined in part by the handle and in part by the linkage.15. The handle arrangement of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein guide means comprises the linkage being provided with one or more guide rods with which the handle cooperates for guiding movement thereof between the deployed and operative states.16. The handle arrangement of claim 15, wherein the handle is provided with one or more guide rod receivers for cooperating with a respective rod of the linkage.17. The handle arrangement of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the guide means comprises the handle being provided with one or more guide rods with which the linkage cooperates for guiding movement of the handle between the deployed and operative states.18. The handle arrangement of claim 17, wherein the linkage is provided with one or more guide rod receivers for cooperating with a respective guide rod of the handle.19. The handle arrangement of any of claims 1 to 18, wherein the handle is spring biased from the operative state to the deployed state.20. The handle arrangement of claim 4, or any claim depending therethrough, wherein the handle is mounted to the linkage at a pivot.21. The handle arrangement of claim 20, wherein the pivot includes a torsion spring for biasing the handle from the operative state to the deployed state.22. The handle arrangement of claim 20 or 21, wherein the handle has first and second ends, the first end of the handle being pivotably mounted to the linkage and the second end of the handle being configured to operate a door unlatch mechanism.23 A body component for a vehicle comprising an outer surface defining an aperture for receiving the handle of the retractable handle arrangement of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the handle substantially fills the aperture and lies substantially flush with the outer surface of the body component when the handle is in the stowed state.24. A vehicle including the body component of claim 23, or the retractable handle arrangement of any one of claims 1 to 22.25. A retractable handle arrangement as hereinbefore described with reference to or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.