Abstract
The invention relates to a door handle for a car, wherein the door handle has a handle section to be gripped manually and a pivoting bearing section, by way of which the door handle can be mounted on a car door such that it can be pivoted about a pivot axis between a closed position and an open position which unlocks the car door, wherein a metal ball, in particular a steel ball, or a metal cylinder, in particular a steel cylinder, is fastened to the door handle, wherein, if a predefined transverse acceleration which acts on the door handle occurs, the metal ball or the metal cylinder counteracts, as a counterweight, an opening force which acts on the handle section on account of the transverse acceleration. Moreover, the invention relates to a corresponding method for producing a door handle.
Claims
1. A door handle for a car, the door handle comprising: a handle section having a free end and defining a longitudinal handle axis; a counterweight section connected to an extending from the handle section opposite the free end; and a pivoting bearing section connected to and extending from the handle section and defining a pivot axis, wherein the longitudinal handle axis intersects the pivot axis.
2. The door handle of claim 1, wherein a centroid of the door handle lies along the pivot axis.
3. The door handle of claim 1, wherein the pivot bearing section is configured to be mounted directly on a car door to pivot about the pivot axis between a closed position and an open position which unlocks the car door, and wherein the door handle is unitary.
4. The door handle of claim 1, wherein the counterweight section includes a counterweight partially enclosed within a plastic section, and wherein the plastic section is transversely offset from the handle section to form a spacing between the plastic section and the handle section.
5. The door handle of claim 4, wherein the counterweight section includes a holding bracket that extends from a first side of the plastic section to a second side of the plastic section to partially cover the counterweight.
6. The door handle of claim 5, wherein the holding bracket extends in a direction parallel to the longitudinal handle axis.
7. The door handle of claim 4, wherein the plastic section includes a first elastic latching arm, a second elastic latching arm, and a third elastic latching arm to secure the counterweight within the counterweight section.
8. An interior door handle for a car, the door handle comprising: a handle section defining a free end and a visible surface of the car door handle; a counterweight section extending from the handle opposite the free end; a pivoting bearing section disposed between the free end and the counterweight section, the pivot bearing section defining a pivot axis; and an unlocking section configured to be coupled to a door lock of a car door, the unlocking section extending transversely from the pivoting bearing section and secured to the pivoting bearing section via first and second ribs integrally formed with the door handle.
9. The interior door handle of claim 8, wherein the first and second ribs form an interior cavity proximate the counterweight section and opposite the visible surface.
10. The interior door handle of claim 9, wherein the pivoting bearing section defines a passageway that extends along the pivot axis, through the interior cavity, and is configured to pivotably mount the door handle directly to the car door.
11. The interior door handle of claim 8, wherein the first rib is skewed relative to the pivot axis.
12. The interior door handle of claim 8, wherein the handle section defines a longitudinal axis that extends between the free end and the pivoting bearing section, and wherein the longitudinal axis intersects the pivot axis.
13. The interior door handle of claim 8, wherein the counterweight section includes a latching receptacle that is configured to receive and secure a counterweight via a force fit.
14. The interior door handle of claim 13, wherein the latching receptacle includes a first wall that extends parallel to a second wall, and a third wall that extends perpendicular to each of the first wall and the second wall.
15. The interior door handle of claim 14, wherein each of the first, second, and third walls define a first height, and the counterweight defines a second height, and wherein the second height is greater than the first height so that the counterweight extends above the first, second, and third walls.
16. The interior door handle of claim 13, wherein the latching receptacle is offset from an opposing side of the visible surface.
17. A door handle for a car, the door handle comprising: a handle section having a free end and continuous visible surface configured so that only the visible surface is visible when the door handle is in a locked orientation on an interior side of a car door; a counterweight section opposite the free end, the counterweight section connected to and extending transversely from the handle section opposite the visible surface; and a latching receptacle extending from the counterweight section and offset transversely from an opposite side of the visible surface to define a spacing configured to absorb shrinkage to thereby preserve a smoothness of the continuous visible surface.
18. The door handle of claim 17, wherein the latching receptacle is configured to receive a counterweight via a force fit.
19. The door handle of claim 17, further comprising a pivoting bearing section that extends vertically proximate to the opposite side of the visible surface and defines a pivot axis.
20. The door handle of claim 19, wherein the pivoting bearing section is configured to pivotably secure the door handle directly to a car door.
Description
[0026] In the following text, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained in greater detail using figures, in which, diagrammatically:
[0027] FIG. 1 shows a door handle according to the invention according to a first exemplary embodiment in a first perspective view,
[0028] FIG. 2 shows the door handle from FIG. 1 in a second perspective view,
[0029] FIG. 3 shows a door handle according to the invention according to a second exemplary embodiment in a perspective view,
[0030] FIG. 4 shows a door handle according to the invention according to a third exemplary embodiment in a perspective view,
[0031] FIG. 5 shows part of a plastic injection mold for producing a door handle according to the invention in a first operating position in a sectional view,
[0032] FIG. 6 shows the illustration from FIG. 5 in a second operating position,
[0033] FIG. 7 shows the illustration from FIG. 5 in a third operating position,
[0034] FIG. 8 shows the illustration from FIG. 5 in a fourth operating position,
[0035] FIG. 9 shows a further sectional view of the plastic injection mold in the operating position which is shown in FIG. 6,
[0036] FIG. 10 shows the illustration from FIG. 9 in the operating position which is shown in FIG. 7, and
[0037] FIG. 11 shows the illustration from FIG. 9 in the operating position which is shown in FIG. 8.
[0038] Insofar as nothing else is specified, identical designations denote identical objects in the figures. The door handle according to the invention which is shown in FIG. 1 is an internal door handle of a car. It has a handle section 10 (elongate in the example which is shown) which can be gripped manually and has a free end 12. At its opposite end, the door handle has a pivoting bearing section 14, by way of which the door handle can be mounted pivotably on a car door (not shown), in the present case about a vertical pivot axis 24. By way of an unlocking section 16 of the door handle, said door handle can be coupled to the door lock of the car door, for example via a Bowden cable (not shown), in such a way that the door lock is unlocked into an open position by way of pivoting of the door handle. The door handle is prestressed in a suitable way into its closed position. This is known per se. A metal ball 18 is incorporated into the door handle on that side of the pivoting section 14 which lies opposite the handle section 10. Although a metal ball 18 which is incorporated into the door handle is shown in the figures, it might also be a metal cylinder which is incorporated into the door handle. In the example which is shown, the door handle is composed in one piece of a plastic and was produced in a plastic injection molding process. In the context of this plastic injection molding process, the metal ball 18 was molded into the door handle, in particular into a plastic section 20 which partially encloses the metal ball 18. Furthermore, the plastic section 20 has a holding bracket 22 which partially covers the metal ball 18 and is likewise produced during the plastic injection molding process. It can be seen, in particular, in FIG. 2 that there is a spacing 23 between the plastic section 20 which holds the metal ball 18 and the handle section 10 which forms a visible surface of the door handle. This spacing 23 ensures that shrinkages which possibly occur during the molding of the metal ball 18 do not lead to visual impairments, for example sunk points, on the handle section 10 and the visible surface. As a result of the metal ball 18, the center of mass of the door handle is moved substantially into the pivot axis 24 which is defined by the pivoting bearing section 14. The metal ball 18 therefore acts as a counterweight, with the result that a high transverse acceleration which is produced as a result of a side impact on the vehicle cannot lead to undesired pivoting of the door handle into the open position and therefore opening of the car door.
[0039] The door handle which is shown in FIG. 3 corresponds as far as possible to the door handle which is shown in FIG. 1. It differs merely with regard to the fastening of the metal ball 18 to the door handle. Unlike in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the metal ball 18 in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3 is held on the door handle by way of a latching connection. In particular, a latching receptacle is formed by in this case three elastic latching arms 28 which hold the metal ball 18 in a latching manner. The function of the metal ball 18 is as was explained with respect to FIG. 1.
[0040] FIG. 4 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a door handle according to the invention which once again corresponds as far as possible to the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1. In contrast to the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4 the metal ball 18 is held by way of a force fit in a force-fit receptacle 30 of the door handle. The function of the metal ball 18 is once again as was explained above with respect to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1.
[0041] In all of the exemplary embodiments which are shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, it is possible that the door handle with the metal ball 18 which is inserted into it is subjected to a galvanic coating, for example chrome-plating. This leads to an increased retaining force precisely in the case of the metal ball being fastened in a latching receptacle or in a force-fit receptacle according to FIGS. 3 and 4.
[0042] In relation to the production of the door handle according to the invention which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic feeding of a metal ball 18 into a predefined position in a plastic injection mold and the automatic holding of the metal ball 18 in said predefined position for the plastic injection molding process are to be explained using FIGS. 5 to 8. FIGS. 5 to 8 show details of a plastic injection mold at the designation 32. In the example which is shown, a cavity 34 is formed in the plastic injection mold 32, in which cavity 34 a slide 36 is guided such that it can be moved in the longitudinal direction, from left to right and vice versa in FIGS. 5 to 8. For this purpose, a suitable drive can be provided, for example a hydraulic drive. A feed channel 38 is formed in the plastic injection mold 32, in which feed channel 38 metal balls 18 are fed in from a metal ball reservoir (not shown in greater detail). In the operating position which is shown in FIG. 5, the slide 36 closes the access for the metal balls 18 from the feed channel 38 into the cavity 34 on account of the longitudinal position of said slide 36. The cavity 34 opens into a mold cavity 40 for producing a door handle according to the invention. Here, by way of its end side 42, the slide 36 forms part of the boundary of the mold cavity. The cavity 34 also in sections forms a boundary of the mold cavity.
[0043] Moreover, FIGS. 5 to 8 show a second slide 44 which is likewise guided such that it can be moved in the longitudinal direction, in the present case transversely with respect to the movement direction of the slide 36, and likewise delimits the mold cavity. If the first slide 36 is withdrawn out of the cavity 34 from the position which is shown in FIG. 5, that is to say moved to the right in FIG. 5, into the position which is shown in FIG. 6, a metal ball 18 can fall from the feed channel 38 into the cavity 34. In the example which is shown, the metal ball 18 falls into the cavity 34 solely as a result of gravity. A blocking pin 46 protrudes in sections into the conveying path of the metal ball 18, which conveying path is formed by the cavity 34. The blocking pin 46 prevents it being possible for the metal ball 18 to roll into the mold cavity 40 in the operating position which is shown in FIG. 6. If the slide 36 is then displaced from the operating position which is shown in FIG. 6 in the direction of the mold cavity 40, that is to say to the left in FIG. 6, the metal ball 18 which is conveyed by the slide 36 along the cavity 34 presses the blocking pin 46 inward counter to a spring prestress, with the result that the metal ball 18 can be pushed past the blocking pin 46. This can be seen, in particular, in FIGS. 9 to 11, in which a cross section in this regard is shown. The spring which prestresses the blocking pin 46 into its blocking position which protrudes into the cavity 34 is shown at the designation 48. It can also be seen here that the tip of the blocking pin 46 which protrudes into the cavity 34 is rounded.
[0044] In the further course, the metal ball 18 is moved by the slide 36 into the predefined position which is shown in FIG. 8. Parallel to this, the second slide 44 is moved in the longitudinal direction, downward in FIG. 7 into the position which is shown in FIG. 8 and in which the second slide 44 forms a stop for the metal ball 18, with the result that the latter is held in the predefined position by the slides 36 and 44. A further part 50 of the plastic injection mold closes the mold cavity 40. In the position which is shown in FIG. 8, plasticized plastic can be introduced into the mold cavity 40, which plastic partially flows around the metal ball 18, with the result that, in the cured state, the metal ball 18 is molded at least in sections into the door handle which is displayed in the mold cavity 40, as is shown in FIG. 1, for example. After a sufficient dimensional stability is achieved, the door handle together with the molded metal ball 18 is removed from the injection mold 32. The door handle can then be subjected together with the metal ball 18 to a galvanic coating, for example chrome-plating.
