Abstract
A door handle assembly for a motor vehicle includes an operating handle, a coupling device, and a locking device which is moveably retained on a handle mounting. An acceleration force can move the assembly from a resting position in which an actuation of the operating handle is possible, in a first blocking direction in which an actuation of the assembly by the operating handle and/or the coupling device is blocked. The locking device can move from the resting position in a second blocking direction when acted on by an acceleration force, in which an actuation of the assembly via the operating handle and/or the coupling device is blocked, wherein the second blocking direction is in the opposite direction from the first blocking direction. Movement of the assembly is blocked by the operating handle, or the coupling device, even with alternating acceleration forces resulting from a crash.
Claims
1. A door handle assembly for a motor vehicle, comprising: a handle mounting, a manually actuatable operating handle, which is moveably supported on the handle mounting for the opening of a door or a hatch on motor vehicle by a user, a coupling device pivotally mounted on the handle mounting, by means of which a movement of the operating handle can be transferred to a vehicle-side closing assembly, and a locking device serving as a mass locking device, which is moveably retained on the handle mounting and is designed such that, with the effects of an acceleration force which is acting in a first direction, due to the inertia of its mass, it can be moved from a resting position, in which an actuation of the operating handle is possible, in a first blocking direction, in which an actuation of the closing assembly by the coupling device is blocked, wherein the locking device is designed such that, with the effects of an acceleration force which is acting in a second direction, it can be moved from a resting position in a second blocking direction, due to the inertia of its mass, in which an actuation of the closing assembly by the coupling device is blocked, wherein the second blocking direction is in the opposite direction of the first blocking direction wherein the locking device includes a disk-shaped body and is rotatably supported on the handle mounting such that it rotates around a rotational axis, and wherein the movement of the locking device in the first and second blocking directions is a rotational movement.
2. The door handle assembly according to claim 1, wherein the locking device, can be rotated from the resting position, when acted on by an acceleration force, over a maximum possible angle of 270 about the rotational axis.
3. The door handle assembly according to claim 1, wherein a pivotal movement of the coupling device resulting from a manual actuation of the operating handle causes a movement of the locking device in one of the two blocking directions, without blocking the coupling device.
4. The door handle assembly according to claim 1, wherein the coupling device has a lever element, the lever element being adapted to pivot together with the coupling device about a pivotal axis, the lever element having an angled projection, which is inserted in a slit-shaped cavity in the locking device when the coupling device is pivoted as a result of a manual actuation of the operating handle, wherein the angled projection pushes against the walls of the slit-shaped cavity, when the operating handle is actuated and displaced to a further extent, and pushes the locking device in one of the two blocking directions thereby.
5. The door handle assembly according to claim 4, wherein the slit-shaped cavity is designed in the disk-shaped blocking body in the form of a cut running radially outward, into which the angled projection of the coupling device can pivot.
6. The door handle assembly according to claim 1, wherein the coupling device is supported on the handle mounting such that it can pivot about a pivotal axis, wherein the rotational axis of the locking device is oriented substantially parallel to the pivotal axis of the coupling device.
7. The door handle assembly according to claim 1, wherein a mechanical return element is provided, which exerts a force pushing the locking element into the resting position.
8. The door handle assembly according to claim 7, wherein the mechanical return element comprises an elastic spring element, which is supported on both a stationary projection on the handle mounting as well as on a supporting element that moves together with the locking element, wherein, when the locking element moves in the first or second blocking direction, the supporting element moves in relation to the projection against the force of the elastic spring element.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) Further details, features and advantages of the subject matter of the invention can be derived from the following description in conjunction with the drawings, in which, by way of example, a preferred embodiment example of the invention is depicted. Shown in the drawings are:
(2) FIG. 1: a side view of a motor vehicle having numerous door handle assemblies according to the invention,
(3) FIG. 2: a perspective view of a door handle assembly according to the invention,
(4) FIG. 3: a perspective top view of a locking device for the door handle assembly,
(5) FIG. 4: a perspective view from below of the locking device according to FIG. 3,
(6) FIG. 5: a schematic side view of a coupling device and a locking device in the resting position,
(7) FIG. 6: a schematic side view of the coupling device and the locking device, with the operating handle actuated halfway,
(8) FIG. 7: a schematic side view of the coupling device and the locking device, with the operating handle fully actuated,
(9) FIG. 8: a schematic side view of the locking device moved in one blocking direction, and the blocked coupling device,
(10) FIG. 9: a schematic side view of the locking device, moved in a blocking direction opposite that shown in FIG. 8, and the blocked coupling device, and
(11) FIG. 10: a perspective view of a mechanical return element for the door handle assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(12) In FIG. 1, a vehicle, or motor vehicle 1, respectively, in the form of a passenger car is shown by way of example, having four doors 2 in the example, which can be opened by means of a door handle assembly 3, and in particular by means of a door handle, or an operating handle 4. The doors 2 are securely closed by means of respective closing assemblies 5, and can only be opened from the outside by means of a respective movement of the operating handle 4. This movement of the operating handle 4 can consist of a pulling and/or lifting movement, wherein the corresponding movement of the operating handle 4 is transferred mechanically to the corresponding closing assembly 5 by at least one coupling device. The corresponding closing assembly 5, and thus the associated door 2, can then be opened by means of the movement of the operating handle 4.
(13) In FIG. 2, a perspective view of the door handle assembly 3 is depicted in greater detail. The door handle assembly 3 has a frame-like handle mounting 6, wherein, for reasons of clarity, there is no depiction of the operating handle 4 in FIGS. 2-10. The handle mounting 6 serves, in the known manner, for the attachment of the operating handle 4, and is attached to the door panel on the inside of the door by means of threaded fasteners, not shown in greater detail, wherein the operating handle 4 is disposed on the outer surface of the door. The handle mounting 6 is formed substantially by a frame structure, in order to save on material, having a variety of accommodating and supporting spaces, in order to be able to also accommodate, aside from the operating handle 4, which is moveably and/or pivotally supported on the handle mounting 6 such that a corresponding door 2 of the motor vehicle can be opened by a user, a mechanical coupling device 7 and a locking device 8.
(14) A movement of the operating handle 4 can be transferred to the corresponding vehicle-side closing assembly 5 by means of the mechanical coupling device 7, in order to open the corresponding door 2 by this means. The locking device 8, serving as a mass locking device, can change its position from a resting position to a blocking position when acted on by an acceleration force, wherein, in the resting position it is possible to actuate the operating handle 4, while, in contrast, in the blocking position, the locking device 8, moveably retained on the handle mounting 6, blocks an actuation of the closing assembly 5 by means of the operating handle 4 and/or a movement of the coupling device 7 by means of an actuation of the operating handle 4. The locking device 8 can move into the blocking position thereby by means of a movement in either a first blocking direction or in a second blocking direction. The second blocking direction is in the opposite direction of the first blocking direction, as shall be explained in greater detail below.
(15) As can be seen, for example, in FIGS. 5-9, the coupling device 8 comprises an axis, or pivotal axis 9, by means of which the coupling device 7 is rotatably, or pivotally, supported on the handle mounting 6, and a displacement lever 10, extending outward (see FIG. 2, by way of example), by means of which a movement of the operating handle 4 is transferred to the coupling device 7. The coupling device 7 is pivotally or rotatably supported in an accommodating space in the handle mounting 6 by means of pivotal axis 9, wherein the movement of the coupling device 7 initiated by the operating handle 4 is transferred to the closing assembly 5 by said coupling device, by means of a transferring element that is not shown (e.g. a Bowden cable).
(16) As can further be derived from FIGS. 2 and 5-9, the coupling device 7 furthermore has a lever element 11. The lever element 11 pivots, together with the coupling device 7, about the pivotal axis 9. At its free end, the lever element 11 has an angled projection 12, which pivots toward the locking device 8 in the clockwise direction, when the coupling device 7 pivots as the result of a manual actuation of the operating handle 4, and acts together therewith.
(17) The locking device 8 is depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 from different perspectives. The locking device 8 has a disk-shaped blocking body 13, in which a slit-shaped cavity 14 is formed. The slit-shaped cavity 14 is formed as a cut 15 running radially outward in the disk-shaped blocking body 13, such that the angled projection 12 on the coupling device 7 can pivot into the cut 15. The locking device 8 is rotatably supported on the handle mounting 6 at its midpoint by means of a rotational axis 16, such that a movement of the locking device 8, in a first or second blocking direction for example, is a rotational movement. The locking device 8 has a mass weight 17, which is disposed such that it is offset to the rotational axis 16 on the locking device 8. As a result of this configuration of the mass weight 17, the locking device is moved out of its resting position by the effects of an acceleration force (e.g. resulting from a lateral collision directed toward the interior of the vehicle).
(18) For reasons of clarity, only the locking device 8 and the coupling device 7 are shown in FIGS. 5-9, wherein these two components of the door handle assembly 3 according to the invention would appear to be sufficient for explaining the functionality according to the invention of the door handle assembly 3.
(19) FIG. 5 shows a schematic side view of the locking device 8 in its resting position, in which it is not activated. In the position shown in FIG. 5, the coupling device 7 is disposed in its resting position, because, for example, the operating handle 4 is not actuated, or because no acceleration force resulting from a vehicle accident is acting on the locking device 8. In the resting position of the locking device 8, the slit-shaped cavity 14, or the radial cut 15, respectively, is oriented toward the angled projection 12 of the coupling device 7 such that the angled projection 12 can be inserted into the slit-shaped cavity 14 of the locking device 8 when the coupling device 7 pivots about the pivotal axis 9. The slit-shaped cavity 14 in the locking device 8 is thus disposed in the movement path 21 of the angled projection 12 on the pivoted coupling device 7 when the locking device 8 is in the resting position.
(20) This latter movement has already been fully executed in FIG. 6. The locking device 8 is still in its resting position, while in contrast, the coupling device 7 has pivoted about the pivotal axis 9, which occurs as the result of a manual actuation of the operating handle 4 by a user. When the coupling device 7 is pivoted about the pivotal axis 9, the angled projection 12 of the lever element 11 in the coupling device 8 [sic: 7] is inserted into the slit-shaped cavity 14, or the cut 15, respectively, in the locking device 8, wherein the angled projection 12 of the lever element 11 rests against the wall 18 of the cut 15 in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, the operating handle is actuated halfway, such that the closing assembly 5 for opening the door has not yet been released, and the locking device 8 is still in the resting position.
(21) The operating handle 4 is fully actuated in FIG. 7, and thus fully displaced, by means of which the coupling device 7 is also fully displaced, as well as pivoted, and thus the closing assembly is released 5, such that the corresponding door 2 of the motor vehicle 1 can be opened. When the operating handle is fully actuated, the coupling device 7 is rotated to the full extent about the pivotal axis 9, such that the angled projection 12 is then no longer only inserted in the slit-shaped cavity 14, or the cut 15, respectively, but also pushes the locking device 8 in a first blocking direction 19 (direction of the arrow 20 in FIG. 7), by means of which the locking device 8 is rotated counter-clockwise about the rotational axis 16 when a normal actuation of the operating handle 4 by a user has occurred.
(22) As soon as the operating handle 4 is no longer actuated, the coupling device 7 is automatically returned to the position shown in FIG. 5, because an elastic spring element, which is not shown in detail in the figures, ensures that the coupling device 7 is returned, and exerts a corresponding force, by means of which the coupling device is pre-loaded in the starting position (see FIG. 5). For the return of the locking device 8 from the position shown in FIG. 7, a mechanical return element 22 is provided, which exerts a force pushing the locking device 8 into the resting position. The return element 22 comprises an elastic spring element 23, which is supported on both a stationary projection 24 of the handle mounting 6 as well as on a supporting element 25 that moves together with the locking element 8. When the locking device 8 moves in the first or second blocking direction, the supporting element 25 moves in relation to the projection 24, against the force of the elastic spring element 23.
(23) While the FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 relate to positions of the coupling device 7 and the locking device 8, which are caused by a manual actuation of the operating handle 4 by a user, and by the interaction of the coupling device 7 and the locking device 8 (these are thus illustrations that do not depict a crash), FIGS. 8 and 9 show positions of both components during a vehicle accident. As the result of the effects of an acceleration force during a vehicle accident, first the locking device 8 moves, due to the inertia of the mass, in relation to the direction in which the acceleration force acts. In FIG. 8, the acceleration force acts laterally on the door 2 on which the door handle assembly is provided, toward the interior of the vehicle (inboard acceleration), while in contrast, in FIG. 9 the acceleration force is toward the exterior (outboard acceleration) and is in the opposite direction of the fundamental acceleration force in FIG. 8. This different direction of the active acceleration force leads to a different displacement of the locking device 8. Thus, in FIG. 8 the effective acceleration force causes a rotation of the locking device 8 out of the resting position (see FIG. 5), about the rotational axis 16, wherein the rotational movement of the locking device 8 in the clockwise direction occurs in a second blocking direction 26. As a result of this rotational movement of the locking device 8, the slit-shaped cavity 14, or the cut 15, respectively, in the disk-shaped blocking body is moved out of the movement path 21 of the angled projection 12 of the coupling device 7, such that an actuation of the operating handle 4, moveably connected to the coupling device 7, is blocked. The locking device 8, with its cavity 14 rotated out of the movement path of the projection 12, prevents, at least, the possibility of fully actuating the operating handle 4, such that it is ensured that the closing assembly 5 is not released. This is because the angled projection 12 can only move as far as the circumferential edge 27 of the disk-shaped blocking body 13 of the locking device 8 when the coupling device 8 [sic: 7] is pivoted, said circumferential edge representing a stopping surface for the angled projection 12 of the lever element 11 of the coupling device 8 [sic: 7]. The description for FIG. 8 given above applies analogously to the position of the locking device 8 shown in FIG. 9, which is, however, rotated from the resting position in the first blocking direction 19 here, which is in the opposite direction of the second blocking direction 26. For this, the locking device 8 can rotate, when subjected to the effects of an acceleration force, at a maximum possible angle of rotation about the rotational axis 16, by means of which a sufficiently long displacement range for blocking the coupling device 7, and thus the operating handle 4, is available. In the depicted embodiment example, the maximum possible angle of rotation is 270. In the case of a vehicle accident as well, the locking device 8 can be returned, for whichas has already been explained abovea spring element, not shown in the figures, pushes the coupling device 7 into the starting position, and the return element 22 pushes the locking device 8 into the resting position.
(24) FIG. 10 shows a perspective, enlarged view of the mechanical return element 22 for the door handle assembly 3. The mechanical return element 22 exerts a force that pushes the locking device 8 into the resting position. There is thus no locking element that locks in place, but instead a locking device 3 [sic: 8] that returns to its starting position. The mechanical return element 22 comprises the elastic spring element 23, which is supported at its two ends on both the stationary projection 24 of the handle mounting 6 as well as on the supporting element 25 that moves together with the locking element 8, having corresponding supporting surfaces for the two ends of the spring element 23. The movement of the locking device 8 in the first or second blocking direction 19, 26 as the result of the effects of an acceleration force during a vehicle accident moves the supporting element 25, in relation to the projection 24 on the handle mounting 6, against the force of the elastic spring element 23, in that one of the two ends of the spring element 23 is displaced.
(25) In summary, with the present invention a door handle assembly 3 having a locking device 8 that does not become locked in position is provided, which is distinguished by a secure activation, and securely blocks the operating handle 4, or the coupling device 7, respectively, even in the event of oscillations, or fluttering, respectively, resulting from the effects of acceleration forces. According to the invention, this is enabled in that the locking device 8 can rotate about its rotational axis 16, such that swinging movements in both directions, i.e. rotational movement in opposing directions, are possible for the locking device 8. With the door handle assemblies known from the prior art, the path for the displacement of the locking device, in order for it to move into the movement path of the coupling device, is too short, which leads in practice to situations in which the locking device moves abruptly back after it has been displaced, due to oscillations, and the coupling device is intermittently not blocked, leading to an undesired actuation of the closing assembly, and an opening of the door. This danger no longer exists with the present invention, because the locking device 8 has a longer locking path when activated, which is provided by the rotational movement of 270 about the rotational axis 16. A longer locking path also means that there is a longer locking period in each direction. Furthermore, the locking device 8 can move in two opposing blocking directions 19, 26, such that a blocking of the operating handle 4, or the coupling device 7, respectively, is provided, even with a swinging in two directions, or a fluttering of the locking device 8. According to the embodiments shown here, the rotational axis 16 for the locking device 8 is oriented substantially parallel to the pivotal axis 9 of the coupling device 7. In order to ensure the mobility of the locking device 8, and thus prevent a jamming of the locking device, the angled projection 12 of the lever element 11 for the coupling device 7 moves into the cavity 14 in the locking device 8, and rotates the locking device 8 in the normal operating mode of the operating handle 4, in which said operating handle is manually actuated by a user. The locking device 8, designed as a swinging mass locking device can be designed as a single-piece plastic component with a steel reinforcement, or with a material accumulation.
(26) The invention described above is, as a matter of course, not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated herein. It is clear that numerous changes can be made to the embodiments depicted in the drawings, obvious to the person skilled in the art in accordance with the intended application, without abandoning the scope of the invention thereby. All that is contained in the description and/or depicted in the drawings, including that which is obvious to the person skilled in the art, deviating from the concrete embodiment examples, belongs to the invention thereby.
