KR20140040755A - Safety device for vehicle door handle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a safety device for a vehicle door handle, in particular a safety device to avoid undesired opening of the door during side impact scenarios. The vehicle door handle movement preventing device is a damping inertia system 17, in which a locking means in which the mechanical means 29 of the damping inertia system 17 interferes with the opening mechanism 9 to prevent operation of the door handle 1. The damping inertia system 17, and the damping inertia in the absence of acceleration, which are rotatable about the axis of rotation A between the domain β and the rest position domain α in which the door handle 1 can be freely operated. Resilient means 21 configured to return the system 17 back to the rest position domain α of the damping inertia system 17, wherein the damping inertial system 17 is hinged on the axis of rotation A. FIG. A cylindrical body 23, an arm 25 fixed to the cylindrical body 23 and extending radially from the rotation axis A, and an inertial mass 27 supported at the free end of the arm 25, Due to the acceleration caused by the side impact of the vehicle The inertial mass 27, which is configured to move the inertial system 17 to the locked position when a force is applied to the inertial mass 27, wherein the damping inertial system 17 has a cylindrical body around the axis of rotation A; It further comprises a rotary damper 37 integrated in 23, which is configured to delay the return of the inertial system 17 from the locking position domain β to the resting position domain α.

Description

Safety device for vehicle door handle {SAFETY DEVICE FOR VEHICLE DOOR HANDLE}

The present invention relates to a safety device for a vehicle door handle, in particular a safety device to avoid undesired opening of the door during side impact scenarios.

When the vehicle experiences a lateral crash, the inertia of the handle part can lead to the operation of the door latch. The main danger in that case is the opening of the door, which means that passengers are directly exposed to the outside, while unfixed objects can be thrown out of the vehicle.

It is known to use an anti-movement device, often operated by a significant acceleration of several tens of grams, which locks the handle to avoid opening the vehicle door. Most commonly, the movement preventing device uses an inertial mass that is moved by the change of inertia to enter the blocking position. In the blocking position, the mechanical means engages the latch or the handle mechanism in a manner that prevents the door from opening.

Known anti-moving devices can be classified into two main categories: temporary block and permanent block. Temporary shutoff devices use spring-like return means to return the inertial mass to the non-blocking position as soon as the acceleration is reduced beyond a reasonable value. Permanent blocking devices do not have a means to return the inertial mass to a non-blocking position, and often further include means for keeping the mechanical means in engagement with the latch or handle mechanism even after the collision following acceleration has disappeared.

The temporary blocking device ensures that once the vehicle itself has stabilized, the passenger of the vehicle can open the door, or the rescuer can open the door to pull the passenger out. The problem with the temporary blocking device is that vibrations and inertia changes due to bounce or secondary collision of the vehicle may free the movement blocking device from the handle mechanism.

Permanent shutoff devices are more effective in keeping the door closed during a crash, but the latch or handle remains locked even when the door can be safely opened again.

The damping inertia system uses a temporary blocking configuration, in which a rotary damper selectively delays the return of the anti-movement device to the non-blocking position. An anti-movement device using a damped inertial system combines the advantages of both a permanent block and a temporary block. During a collision, the anti-movement device is kept in the shut off position during the dangerous time period and later returns to the non-blocked position, allowing for easy evacuation of the vehicle.

However, known damping inertia systems are space consuming because the damping means often comprise a gear shift mechanism or piston which absorbs kinetic energy during the return to the non-blocking position.

In order to at least partially overcome the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has a vehicle door handle movement preventing device for the purpose, which vehicle door handle movement preventing device,

A damping inertial system, a locking position domain in which the mechanical means of the damping inertial system interferes with the opening mechanism to prevent the operation of the door handle and a rest position in which the door handle can be freely operated. the damping inertial system, which is rotatable about an axis of rotation between the domains, and

Elastic means configured to return the damping inertia system back to the rest position domain in the absence of acceleration,

The damping inertia system,

A cylindrical body hinged on the axis of rotation,

An arm fixed to the cylindrical body and extending radially from the axis of rotation, and

An inertial mass supported at the free end of the arm, the inertial mass configured to move the inertial system to the locked position when an inertial force due to acceleration caused by a side impact of a vehicle is applied to the inertial mass,

The damping inertia system further includes a rotary damper integrated in the cylindrical body about the axis of rotation, the rotary damper being configured to delay the return of the inertial system from the locking position domain to the rest position domain.

This vehicle door handle movement preventing device forms a compact and easily handled device. This device can be implemented in multiple vehicle doors because it is not dependent on door handle characteristics such as weight and element length.

The apparatus may also have one or more of the following features, taken independently or in combination.

The rotary damper is configured to slow the rotation of the inertial system in the direction of rotation from the locking position domain to the rest position domain.

The vehicle door handle movement preventing device further includes a shaft fixed to the handle and forming a rotation axis, the rotation damper surrounding the shaft to transmit the damped reaction force from the shaft to the inertial system.

The rotary damper is a rotary oil damper.

The mechanical means includes a pin that cooperates with the shoulder of the door opening mechanism lever to at least partially prevent movement of the door opening mechanism lever when the damping inertia system is within the locking position domain of the damping inertia system. The shoulder is configured to push the damping inertial system to the extreme locking position during operation of the door handle while the damping inertial system is within the locking position domain of the damping inertial system.

The elastic means comprises a coil spring, the coil spring surrounding the axis of rotation.

The coil spring surrounds a portion of the rotary damper.

The coil spring is enclosed in a cylindrical body.

The resilient means comprises a coil spring, which is attached to the arm.

The inertial mass includes a socket for receiving a pin for adjusting the weight of the inertial mass.

The locking position domain and the resting position domain have angular apertures of about 12 ° and 10 °, respectively.

The damper is configured to move the inertial system from the locking position domain to the rest position domain between 0.5 and 1.5 seconds.

Another object of the present invention is a related vehicle door handle, the vehicle door handle,

An opening mechanism configured to allow opening of the door in operation,

A lever configured to actuate the opening mechanism when moved;

The vehicle door handle also includes a vehicle door handle movement preventing device,

The vehicle door handle movement prevention device,

A damping inertial system, wherein the mechanical means of the damping inertial system is rotatable around the axis of rotation between a locking position domain in which the mechanical means of the damping inertial system interferes with the opening mechanism and prevents the operation of the door handle and a rest position domain in which the door handle can be freely operated. The damping inertial system, and

Elastic means configured to return the damping inertia system back to the rest position domain in the absence of acceleration,

The damping inertia system,

A cylindrical body hinged on the axis of rotation,

An arm fixed to the cylindrical body and extending radially from the axis of rotation, and

An inertial mass supported at the free end of the arm, the inertial mass configured to move the inertial system to the locked position when an inertial force due to acceleration caused by a side impact of a vehicle is applied to the inertial mass,

The damping inertia system further includes a rotary damper integrated in the cylindrical body about the axis of rotation, the rotary damper being configured to delay the return of the inertial system from the locking position domain to the rest position domain.

Other features and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description of the accompanying drawings.

1 is an exploded view of a door handle including a system according to the invention,
2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an inertial system,
3 is a perspective view of a movement preventing device using the inertial system of FIG. 2 shown at different angles;
4 and 5 show another embodiment of the inertial system according to the present invention;
6 is a schematic representation of an inertial system operating with some of the door handle elements,
7 is a diagram showing the position of an inertial system over time in a side impact scenario.

In all drawings, the same reference numerals relate to the same elements.

1 shows several elements of a vehicle door handle 1 comprising a movement preventing device 3 according to the invention.

The handle 1 comprises a lever 5 movably mounted in a bracket 7. The lever 5 is arranged on the outside of the vehicle door and is operated by the user by, for example, rotation of the lever 5 about the articulation of the lever swan neck 51 to handle the handle 1. To open.

The handle 1 comprises an opening mechanism 9, which in this embodiment is the main lever 11, in this case a coil spring, a lever spring 13, a bowden cable 15. And a movement preventing device 3.

The opening mechanism 9 is contained in the bracket 7. When the user operates the lever 5, a lever column 3 disposed on the side of the lever 5 opposite to the lever swan neck portion 51 causes the main lever 11 to move. The main lever 11 eventually activates all the cables 15. All cables 15 then transfer this operation to a latch located in the door. The lever spring 13 ensures that the main lever 11 later returns to its initial position.

The movement preventing device 3 comprises a damping inertia system 17, an inertial system shaft 19, and an inertial system spring 21. The shaft 19 is rigidly fixed to the bracket 7 and also to a rotating damper, not shown, which is inside the damping inertia system 17.

The damping inertia system is shown in more detail in FIG. 2.

The damping inertial system 17 has a cylindrical body 23, an arm 25 extending radially from the cylindrical body 23, and an integrated inertial mass 27 at the farther end of the arm 25. And a pin 29, which extends radially from the cylindrical body 23, which is not visible in FIG. 2 because it is on the other side of the cylindrical body 23.

The integrated inertial mass 27 at the end of the arm 25 includes a socket 31. It is envisaged to insert additional weights (not shown) into the socket 31 in order to increase and / or adjust the total mass of inertia appropriately according to the required engagement time of the movement preventing device 3. Adjusting the inertial mass weight value allows to implement a unique embodiment of the inertial system 17 in much more handles, just changing the weight pin inserted in the socket 31.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the inertial spring 21 is integrated in the cylindrical body 23 under the cover 33 in such a way that only the end 35 of the spring 21 is visible. The spring 21 surrounds the rotary damper 37. In FIG. 2, the rotary damper 37 is tubular and contacts the shaft 19 when mounted. The rotary damper 37 is disposed between the shaft 19 and the rotary damper cylindrical body 23, which are not shown in FIG. 2. The rotary damper transfers the reaction force from the shaft 19 to the inertial system 17 through a damping mechanism, such as an oil damping mechanism, in which oil circulating between the chambers dissipates kinetic energy. This allows to delay the return from the locked position of the inertial system 17 to the non-locked or rest position.

In FIG. 3, the shaft 19 is shown in its final position, in the center of the cylindrical body, along the central axis of rotation A of the cylindrical body 23. The pin 29 is also not visible in FIG. 2 because it is arranged on the other side of the cylindrical body 23. 3 shows a complete movement preventing device 3. As can be seen, this device 3 is compact and is realized by only attaching the shaft 19 end to the bracket 7 of the handle 1.

The shaft 19 cooperates with the bracket 7 to hold the inertial system 17 in place about the axis of rotation A. FIG.

4 and 5 show another embodiment of the inertial system 17 where the positions of the inertial system springs 21 are different from each other.

In FIG. 4, the spring 21 surrounds the protruding portion of the rotary damper 37 and is thus not part of the cylindrical body 23. Alternatively, the spring 21 may surround only the shaft 19. In addition, the pin 29 can be seen in FIG.

In FIG. 5, the spring 21 is attached to the arm 25. In this embodiment, the spring 21 acts in axial compression, in contrast to the previous embodiment in which the spring 21 acts in radial compression.

Other embodiments using other elastic means may also be contemplated.

6 and 7 illustrate the operation of the inertial system as described.

In FIG. 6, the inertial system 17, the lever 5 and the main lever 11 are shown schematically along the axis of rotation A. FIG. Inertial systems are shown in three different angular positions. Three angular positions define two position domains in the form of angular apertures (α, β).

The two extreme positions correspond to the rest or default position R and the maximum engagement or locking position L. The resting position R is a position assumed in the absence of inertial displacement. The locking position L is assumed when the force due to the lateral acceleration has overcome the resistive force of the inertial system spring 21.

While the inertial system 17 is within the opening angle β, the main lever 11 can be freely operated to open the vehicle door. While the inertial system 17 is within the opening angle α, the pin 29 is on the path of the shoulder 39 of the main lever 11. Therefore, if the inertial system is within the opening angle α, whenever the operation of the door lever 5 occurs, the shoulder 39 comes into contact with the pin 29, and the force applied to the door lever 5 is inertial. The system is brought into contact with the pin 29 to the shoulder 39 in the extreme locking position L, where the inertial system 17 moves the main lever 11, and thus the door handle 1. ) To open.

In selected embodiments, the value for α is about 10 ° and the value for β is about 12 °. The position shown in FIG. 6, which indicates the transition from α to β, is called the intermediate position I. FIG.

Once the actuation force on the door lever 5 is reduced, the rotary damper 37 in the cylindrical body 23 delays the return of the inertial system 17 to the rest position R. This delay keeps the inertial system 17 within the aperture angle α for a predetermined amount of time. By adjusting the rotary damper mechanism 37 compared to the inertial system spring 21, it is possible to maintain the inertial system within the opening angle α for any predetermined amount of time. By selecting the predetermined amount of time from 0.5 seconds to 1 second, the risk of door opening due to a bounce or vibration effect is avoided, while the door can still open once the vehicle is stabilized.

In Fig. 7, the rotation angle of the inertial system as a function of time in the side impact scenario is shown. The rotation angle is measured based on the rest position R. So 0 ° indicates the rest position R, 0 ° to 12 ° indicates that the inertial system 17 is within the opening angle β, and 12 ° to 22 ° indicates that the inertial system 17 has an opening angle ( in α). 22 ° corresponds to the locking position L. FIG.

At the instant t = 0, a collision occurs. Immediately, the inertial system is moved to the extreme locking position L, after 0.5 seconds, the acceleration is reduced, and the inertial system is returned to the rest position R again by the inertial system spring 21: the rotation angle is rotated damper It decreases at the predetermined speed determined by 37. At t = 1.5 s after 1 second, the inertial system 17 reaches the intermediate position I, and the door lever is again free. The inertial system 17 then slowly returns to the rest position R. FIG. The preferred value for return to the rest position is 1.5 seconds, but values of 1 second to 5 seconds are also suitable.

During the first 1.5 seconds, the door is subsequently shut off and free later, which prevents the movement prevention device 3 from opening the door during a short time period after the collision, in which a bounce or vibration effect may cause the door to open. Means. Immediately after the time interval the door is again free and the vehicle can be introduced or take care of the passenger.

The present invention allows the creation of a simple and compact movement preventing device 3 using the damping inertia system 17 by incorporating a rotary damper 37 into the inertial system cylindrical body 23. As a result, the obtained device 3 can be easily implemented in various door handle configurations.

Claims (13)

In the vehicle door handle movement prevention device,
As a damping inertial system 17, a locking position domain β, in which the mechanical means 29 of the damping inertial system 17 interferes with the opening mechanism 9 to prevent operation of the door handle 1. And the damping inertia system 17, which is rotatable about the axis of rotation A between a rest position domain α in which the door handle 1 can be freely actuated, and
An elastic means 21 configured to return the damping inertial system 17 back to the rest position domain α in the absence of acceleration,
The damping inertial system 17 is
Cylindrical body 23 hinged to the rotation axis (A),
An arm 25 fixed to the cylindrical body 23 and extending radially from the rotation axis A, and
The inertial mass 27 supported at the free end of the arm 25, the inertial system 17 being locked when an inertial force due to the acceleration caused by the side impact of the vehicle is applied to the inertial mass 27 Comprising the inertial mass 27, configured to move
The damping inertia system 17 further comprises a rotary damper 37 integrated in the cylindrical body 23 about the axis of rotation A, which rotary damper 37 rests from the locking position domain β. And delay the return of the inertial system 17 to the location domain α.
Vehicle door handle shift prevention device. The method according to claim 1,
The rotary damper 37 is configured to slow the rotation of the inertial system 17 in the direction of rotation from the locking position domain β to the resting position domain α.
Vehicle door handle shift prevention device. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle door handle movement preventing device further comprises a shaft (19) fixed to the handle (1) and forming the rotary shaft (A), wherein the rotary damper (37) from the shaft (19) to the inertial system ( 17) surrounding the shaft 19 to transmit a damped reaction force to
Vehicle door handle shift prevention device. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The rotary damper 37 is characterized in that the rotary oil damper
Vehicle door handle shift prevention device. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The mechanical means cooperates with the shoulder 39 of the door opening mechanism lever 11 when the damping inertia system 17 is in the locking position domain β of the door opening mechanism lever 11. A pin 29 which prevents movement at least in part, the shoulder 39 being in operation of the door handle 1 while the damping inertia system 17 is in the locking position domain β. Characterized in that it is configured to push the damping inertial system 17 to an extreme locking position L.
Vehicle door handle shift prevention device. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The elastic means 21 comprises a coil spring, characterized in that the coil spring surrounds the rotation axis (A)
Vehicle door handle shift prevention device. The method according to claim 6,
The coil spring is characterized in that it surrounds a portion of the rotary damper 37
Vehicle door handle shift prevention device. 8. The method according to claim 6 or 7,
The coil spring is characterized in that it is included in the cylindrical body (23)
Vehicle door handle shift prevention device. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Said elastic means 21 comprises a coil spring, said coil spring being attached to said arm 25
Vehicle door handle shift prevention device. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The inertial mass (27) is characterized in that it comprises a socket (31) for receiving a pin for adjusting the weight of the inertial mass (27).
Vehicle door handle shift prevention device. 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The locking position domain β and the resting position domain α have an angular aperture of about 12 ° and 10 °, respectively.
Vehicle door handle shift prevention device. 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The damper is configured to move the inertial system 17 from the locking position domain β to the resting position domain α between 0.5 and 1.5 seconds.
Vehicle door handle shift prevention device. An opening mechanism 9 configured to allow opening of the door in operation, and
In a vehicle door handle comprising a lever 5 configured to actuate the opening mechanism 9 when it is moved,
Vehicle door handle movement prevention device,
The vehicle door handle movement prevention device,
A damping inertial system (17), wherein the mechanical means (29) of said damping inertial system (17) interferes with said opening mechanism (9) to prevent operation of said door handle (1); The damping inertia system 17, which is rotatable around the axis of rotation A between the idle position domains α at which the door handle 1 can be freely operated,
An elastic means 21 configured to return the damping inertial system 17 back to the rest position domain α in the absence of acceleration,
The damping inertial system 17 is
Cylindrical body 23 hinged to the rotation axis (A),
An arm 25 fixed to the cylindrical body 23 and extending radially from the rotation axis A, and
The inertial mass 27 supported at the free end of the arm 25, the inertial system 17 being locked when an inertial force due to the acceleration caused by the side impact of the vehicle is applied to the inertial mass 27 Comprising the inertial mass 27, configured to move
The damping inertia system 17 further comprises a rotary damper 37 integrated in the cylindrical body 23 about the axis of rotation A, which rotary damper 37 rests from the locking position domain β. And delay the return of the inertial system 17 to the location domain α.
Vehicle door handle.

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