Abstract
A vehicle door handle having a grip for sensor-controlled triggering of a vehicle function, the grip being coupled to a handle housing which can be mounted on a vehicle. A coupling device and a motor are provided. The grip can be moved between a rest position and an extended actuation position by being driven by the motor via the coupling device. The grip has sensor components which sense an actuation force or communication device which sense a mobile communications device brought closer to the grip. The sensor components or the communication device are coupled to an interface via which actuation signals can be output. In both the actuation position and the rest position, the grip is coupled to the handle housing in a positionally fixed and travel-free manner over its entire extension and locked against deflection relative to the handle housing.
Claims
1. A vehicle door handle, comprising: a grip for sensor-controlled triggering of a vehicle function, the grip being coupled to a handle housing that can be mounted on a vehicle; a coupling means and a motor being provided, the motor being arranged on the handle housing or on the vehicle, and the coupling means coupling the grip and the motor in such a way that the grip can be moved between a rest position and an extended actuation position relative to the handle housing (20a, 20b) by being driven by the motor; the vehicle door handle configured for mounting in a body recess of a vehicle such that a top surface of the grip is flush with a top surface of an adjoining body portion in the rest position; the grip having sensor components which sense an actuation force acting on the grip and provide derived actuation signals, and/or having communication means which sense a mobile communication device approaching the grip and provide actuation signals derived from a communication established between the communication means and the communication device; and the sensor components and/or the communication means being coupled to a wired interface which is assigned to the handle housing and via which the actuation signals can be output to a control system in the vehicle; wherein, in both the actuation position and the rest position, the grip is coupled over the entire extension thereof to the handle housing in a positionally fixed and travel-free manner and is locked against deflection with respect to the handle housing.
2. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein the grip has a central portion along the longitudinal extension thereof that can be grasped from behind, and the grip also has a connection attachment on both sides thereof by means of which the coupling means are connected, such that the grip, on both sides of the central portion that can be grasped from behind, is coupled to the handle housing via the coupling means and can be locked in both the actuation position and the rest position.
3. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein activatable locking means are provided which lock the grip in the rest position and/or the actuation position and hold it in a positionally fixed manner.
4. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein the coupling means and the motor are designed in such a way that the grip is held in the rest position and/or the actuation position by frictional forces and the braking force of the motor in a positionally fixed manner.
5. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein the grip is fixedly connected to a carrier plate and the coupling means engaging with the carrier plate such that the carrier plate, together with the grip, can be moved between the rest position and the actuation position.
6. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein the sensor components have an inductive sensor and/or a capacitive sensor and/or a mechanical switch.
7. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein the communication means are designed for near-field communication, in particular communication according to the NFC standard.
8. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein the coupling means are coupled to actuatable emergency unlocking means which, when force is exerted on the emergency unlocking means, move the grip from the rest position into the actuation position independently of the motor.
Description
[0027] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0028] FIG. 1 schematically shows the placement of vehicle door handles according to the invention on a vehicle;
[0029] FIG. 2a schematically shows a vehicle door handle according to the invention with a grip in the rest position;
[0030] FIG. 2b is a schematic illustration of the vehicle door handle from FIG. 2a with the grip in the actuation position;
[0031] FIG. 3a is a semi-transparent view of the vehicle door handle from FIG. 2a;
[0032] FIG. 3b is a semi-transparent view of the vehicle door handle from FIG. 3b;
[0033] FIG. 4 shows the arrangement of a vehicle door handle according to the invention next to the lock cylinder of a motor vehicle;
[0034] FIG. 5a shows an embodiment of the invention in a perspective frontal view;
[0035] FIG. 5b shows the arrangement from FIG. 5a, with the outwardly oriented cover side of the grip being removed;
[0036] FIG. 5c is a perspective rear view of the arrangement from FIGS. 5a and 5b;
[0037] FIG. 6a shows essential components of the embodiments with the housing removed;
[0038] FIG. 6b is a plan view of the arrangement from FIG. 6a;
[0039] FIG. 6c is a plan view of the arrangement from FIGS. 6a and 6b;
[0040] FIG. 7a is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of communication means in the grip;
[0041] FIG. 7b is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of a first mechanical switch in a grip;
[0042] FIG. 7c is a schematic diagram of the design of the grip of a vehicle door handle according to the invention with pistol-grip actuation.
[0043] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 1 comprising doors 2 on which vehicle door handles 3 are arranged. These vehicle door handles 3 are each equipped with grips 4 which are guided through corresponding recesses in the skins of the doors 2.
[0044] FIG. 2a shows a portion of the doors 2 in which the vehicle door handle 3 is arranged. In FIG. 2a, the door panel 6 forms the skin of the door 2 and the grip 4 is in the rest position. In this rest position, the surface of the grip 4 is designed to be aerodynamically flush with the surrounding door panel 6. On the back of the door panel 6, i.e. on the inside of the door, a housing 8 is arranged which is fixed to the door panel 6 and accommodates coupling means and a motor for driving the grip 4.
[0045] The arrangement from FIG. 2a is shown in FIG. 2b with the grip 4 in the actuation position, i.e. in an extended position with respect to the door panel 6. The grip 4 is designed as a bail, i.e. with a central portion that can be grasped from behind and bail end pieces arranged on both sides thereof, so that a user can grasp behind the grip. With such a connection on both sides of the central engageable portion of the grip, the risk of anything being caught behind free ends of the grip is reduced compared to cantilever engageable portions.
[0046] FIG. 3a is a semi-transparent view of the arrangement from FIG. 2a. The grip 4 is located in the rest position here, i.e. in a position in which the outwardly facing cover side of the grip is in alignment with the surrounding door panel 6. As can be seen in this view, the grip 4 is arranged on a carrier plate 7 which serves as a mounting plate for the grip 4 and also follows the movement of the grip 4 from the rest position into the actuation position. Coupling means (not shown here) are arranged on the carrier plate 7 which couple the carrier plate to a motorized drive (not shown here) in order to transfer the carrier plate 7 from the rest position (in FIG. 3a) to the actuation position (in FIG. 3b).
[0047] As shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the grip 4, further functional components can also be arranged in the vicinity of the vehicle door handle, e.g. a lock cylinder 10. This can be accommodated in the same housing that accommodates the coupling means and the motor for the grip 4, but the lock cylinder 10 is spaced apart from the movable grip itself so that no complex mechanical functional chains pass through the grip 4.
[0048] FIG. 5a is a first view of a more specific embodiment of a vehicle door handle according to the invention. Here, the housing 20a, 20b has an upper housing part 20a and a lower housing part 20b. Mounting points 21a, 21b, and 21c are provided to fix the housing 20a, 20b to an inside of the vehicle door. A grip 4 is shown in its rest position, retracted into the housing 20a, 20b. A wired interface 25 that can be coupled to the vehicle control system forwards control signals to the vehicle door handle and forwards detected sensor signals and communication signals to the vehicle system via the interface.
[0049] The grip, the cover of which is removed in FIG. 5b, contains sensor components 27a which are arranged on a printed circuit board located in the grip. In addition, communication means 27b for near-field communication are arranged on the printed circuit board. The sensor components 27a and the communication means 27b are accommodated in the grip 4 in such a way that they are moved together with the grip, i.e. moved from the rest position to the actuation position.
[0050] FIG. 5c shows the embodiment of the vehicle door handle in an oblique view from behind. The two housing parts 20a and 20b of the housing are also shown here, together with the mounting points 21a and 21b.
[0051] In FIG. 6a, essential components of the vehicle door handle are shown from the same perspective as in FIG. 5c, but the housing parts 20a and 20b are hidden to allow a view of the inner components of the vehicle door handle. The grip 4 is fixedly connected to a carrier plate 35. The carrier plate 35 is coupled to a motorized drive 32 via coupling means 30a, 30b, 31. By being driven by the motor 32, the coupling means 30a, 30b, 31 can be moved in such a way that the grip 4, together with the carrier plate 35, is brought from the rest position into the actuation position. For this reason, the coupling means 30a, 30b, 31, as shown in FIG. 5c, are coupled to the recess in the housing for pivoting the grip, so that the grip 4 is moved relative to the housing 20a, 20b. For this purpose, the coupling means 30a, 30b, 31 have lever arms 30a and 30b on one side of the grip 4 which are coupled to the housing 20a, 20b. On the other longitudinal end of the grip, the carrier plate 35 is coupled to a drivable lever arm 31. The introduction of force by the motor 32 into the lever arm 31 and pivoting of the lever arm 31 causes the grip 4 to be extended from its rest position into the actuation position, the lever arms 30a, 30b being entrained by mechanical coupling and specifying the movement path of the grip 4. By being articulated to the coupling means, the grip 4 moves out of its rest position into the extended position, the lever arms 30a, 30b being pivoted in their respective bearings in the housing while the lever arm 31 converts the introduction of force from the motor 22 into a pivoting movement.
[0052] FIG. 6b shows the arrangement from FIG. 6a in a frontal view. In this view, the coupling means, which contain the lever arms 30a, 30b, and 31, can be seen more clearly.
[0053] In FIG. 6c shows the same arrangement as in FIGS. 6a and 6b, but in a plan view.
[0054] It is clear from each of FIGS. 6a, 6b and 6c that the coupling means 30a, 30b, and 31 engage with the carrier plate 35, said plate being fixedly connected to the grip 4 or formed integrally therewith.
[0055] These views also show that the mechanical design outlay for the vehicle door handle according to the invention is significantly lower than for comparable retractable vehicle door handles since no travel paths need to be provided for actuation by a user. The grip 4 is not pivoted or deflected in a translatory manner relative to the housing in any way for actuation either in the rest position or in the actuation position of the grip 4. Only the movement from the rest position to the actuation position is ensured by the mechanical components, which allow an extremely simple structural design. In addition, all actuation signals are to be received by the electronic components in the grip 4 and output to a control system in the vehicle via the interface 25.
[0056] FIGS. 7a, 7b, and 7c show different designs of a grip with electronic components accommodated therein.
[0057] FIG. 7a shows a sectional view of a grip to aid the visualization the position of a near-field communication device in the grip. An NFC communication apparatus allows communication to be carried out between this apparatus and a mobile communication device, for example a user's smartphone. This device can thus transmit control signals to the vehicle, for example to trigger actions such as unlocking the vehicle or locking the vehicle.
[0058] FIG. 7b is a sectional view of a grip having an operating surface that faces the vehicle on the inside of the grip, which is designed as a mechanical rocker switch. A rocker of this kind transmits a manual actuation to a microswitch and generates corresponding switching signals without the grip being moved with respect to its actuation position; only the switch components are adjusted with respect to the grip.
[0059] FIG. 7c shows a further alternative design of a grip according to the invention, in which the central, actuatable portion of the grip is equipped with a pistol grip that is also coupled to a microswitch or another switch sensor. Here, too, the grip is stationary in its actuation position, and the switching components are drawn into the vehicle interior together with the grip, provided that the grip passes from the actuation position to the rest position.
