The present invention concerns an opening control mechanism of a motor vehicle. In addition, the invention concerns a door leaf of a motor vehicle, for example a door, comprising such an opening control.
In the related art, there are known few opening control devices with ejection and retraction of the handle between a leveling position with the external surface of the body of the car and an ejecting position. These opening controls are called «flush or leveled» opening controls.
The document FR 3023865 filed by the applicant describes a handle mechanism which levels with the body of a door provided with an electric actuator which actuates the ejection and the retraction of the handle. The actuator can be remote-controlled by the key of the user or by a calculator of the vehicle. This system is very ergonomic but does not operate in the event of an electrical failure.
The document FR 3024173 also filed by the applicant describes a handle mechanism, which levels with the body of a door. The handle is ejected from the door by action when the user presses on the handle. The return to the leveling position with the body is also done mechanically by the action of this user when the latter pulls the handle. This system does not depend on an electrical actuation but is less ergonomic than the previous one.
The document GB 2492231 filed by Jaguar Cars Limited describes an opening control device with an electric actuator. During an electrical failure, the user can tilt the handle in order to open the door. However, the device does not provide any member for blocking the handle of the vehicle in the parking position, or, in the event of an accident, in order to avoid an unintentional triggering of the latch by the handle. In addition, the mechanical actuation of the device is not ergonomic, the preferred operation being the electrical mode.
The document EP 2 730 730 A2 filed by Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha describes a leveled opening control, whose handle operates in a motorized manner with a rotary displacement of the handle, and having a means for blocking the handle in the protruding position. However, in the same manner as the previous device, the device does not provide any member for blocking the handle of the vehicle in the parking position, or, in the event of an accident, in order to avoid an unintentional triggering of the latch by the handle. In addition, the mechanical actuation of the device is not ergonomic, the preferred operation being the electrical mode.
The document US 2016/281397 describes a retractable handle system and a mechanism intended to control a displacement of the handle from a leveling position to an ejection position. The displacement of the handle is achieved by means of an electric drive.
The document US 2016/0222705 A1 describes a handle assembly configured to be leveled when in the closing position and to protrude when in the operating position. The assembly comprises electrically controlled arms for displacing the handle between the two positions.
The present invention aims at solving all or part of the aforementioned problems.
For this purpose, the object of the invention is a leveled door opening control, which may be ejected or retracted electrically or by a manual action, indifferently. The ejection or retraction according to the invention, whether manual or electrical, is always done in an ergonomic manner for the user. The piloting of the electrical actuation may be achieved by a remote control (key of the vehicle, mobile phone . . . ).
The invention further enables the opening of the door in the event of an electrical failure in the car, and has a means for blocking the handle in position thereby avoiding the ejection of the handle in the event of an impact or a brutal closure of the door. In the blocked handle position, when the vehicle is at stop in a parking, a malicious person cannot make the handle come out.
Another object of the invention is a function, which blocks the ejection of the handle when the car is running at a speed higher than a predetermined value, for example seven kilometers per hour.
To this end, an object of the invention is an opening control for a door leaf of a motor vehicle, such as a door, of the type comprising a casing intended to be fastened to the door leaf and a handle configured for gripping by a user, movable in rotation relative to the casing at least between:
Thanks to the invention, the ejection of the handle may be achieved manually by direct action on the handle or electrically in a remote manner, for example by means of a remote control. This is done thanks to pivot means, which can be controlled electrically to unblock the ejection lever and cause the ejection of the handle or by a direct mechanical action on the handle, which will result in displacing the lever in rotation in order to disengage it from the blocking means. Then, the lever is automatically returned back into the ejection position of the handle.
In a preferred embodiment, the lever and the pivot means are capable of mechanically cooperating to displace the lever in the ejection direction or in the direction opposite to the ejection by electrical actuation of the pivot means by the electric actuator from any position of the lever.
In a preferred embodiment, the lever comprises a member for driving the blocking means arranged to cooperate with the pivot means by a releasable mechanical connect and to drive the blocking means into a disengagement position of the lever.
In a preferred embodiment, the drive member comprises a toggle rotatably attached to a head connected to the ejection lever and arranged to drive the blocking means by a tipping over likely to be caused by the mechanical cooperation with the pivot means.
In a preferred embodiment, the pivot means comprise an ejection cam movable in rotation relative to the casing about a cam axis which has a guide surface configured to cooperate releasably with the lever by guiding the drive member against the ejection cam.
In a preferred embodiment, the ejection lever and the handle are connected by a handle return spring capable of exerting a force for returning the handle towards the ejection lever.
In a preferred embodiment, the blocking means of the lever comprise an ejection lever pawl subjected to an elastic return, which urges it into an engagement position of the lever.
In a preferred embodiment, the opening control comprises a lever for retaining the lever pawl configured to retain the lever pawl in the releasing position of the lever against the return force of the lever pawl.
In a preferred embodiment, the opening control comprises a pawl for blocking the handle subjected to an elastic return, which urges it into an engagement position of the handle.
In a preferred embodiment, the pawls are arranged on a common axis so that the lever pawl is capable of blocking the lever while the blocking pawl is not in engagement with the handle.
In a preferred embodiment, the lever and the pivot means are capable of adopting a configuration corresponding to the blocked-leveled handle, a configuration corresponding to the unblocked-leveled handle and an ejected configuration corresponding to the ejected handle, the switch from one configuration to another being achievable by electrical and/or mechanical actuation.
In a preferred embodiment, the opening control comprises means for detecting information relating to a configuration of the pivot means of the lever and means for transmitting the information to the electric actuator.
In a preferred embodiment, the lever and the pivot means comprise declutching mechanical coupling means operating so that in the blocked-leveled handle configuration, the mechanical coupling is declutched and in the unblocked-leveled handle configuration, the mechanical coupling is clutched.
In a preferred embodiment, the coupling means comprising the drive member of the lever and the ejection cam, in the blocked-leveled handle configuration, and the member and the cam are sufficiently spaced apart from each other to prevent the disengagement of the lever by pushing the handle and in the unblocked-leveled configuration, the member and the cam are sufficiently close to each other to enable the disengagement of the lever by pushing the handle.
In a preferred embodiment, the opening control comprises receiving means for receiving a representative data of the speed of the motor vehicle so that when the data is higher than a predetermined value, the opening control is in the blocked-leveled handle configuration.
In a preferred embodiment, the pivot means comprise a retraction cam, movable about a cam axis, in which the retraction cam has a guide surface configured to make the lever pivot from the ejection position to the blocking position in the electrical operating mode.
In a preferred embodiment, the guide surface of the retraction cam is configured to forcibly guide, against an impediment to the automatic return of the lever back into the ejection position, the ejection of the handle by electrical actuation of the retraction cam in the reverse direction of the retraction direction.
In a preferred embodiment, the lever comprises an internal profile and a cam configured to cooperate with the retraction cam.
In a preferred embodiment, the pivot means comprise a clutch cam, movable about a cam axis and connected to the actuator, in which the clutch cam has a guide surface shaped so as to cooperate with an internal profile of the lever in order to position it in the unblocked-leveled configuration starting from the blocked-leveled configuration.
In a preferred embodiment, the internal profile of the lever is shaped so that the clutch cam cooperates with this internal profile in order to control the return movement of the lever from the blocking position back into the ejection position.
In a preferred embodiment, the lever comprises two lateral cheeks connected to each other by upper and lower transverse branches intended to bear respectively on upper and lower surfaces of an internal portion of the handle, the cheeks comprising openings for the passage of the pivot means.
In a preferred embodiment, the opening control comprises mechanical means, such as a tool or a key, allowing unlocking the opening control, when it is latched and in the absence of electrical energy, by one or several mechanical actuation(s) from the outside on the pivot means or on the blocking means.
Another object of the invention is a door leaf for a motor vehicle, including an opening control according to the invention.
Other features and advantages of the invention will appear in the light of the following description, made with reference to the appended drawings in which:
There is schematically shown in
The opening control 10 comprises a mechanical portion 20 and an electrical portion 30. In
Conventionally, the opening control 10 comprises a handle 60 configured for gripping by a user. This handle 60 is movable in rotation relative to the casing 50 between several positions described hereinafter with reference to
In this leveling position, the handle 60 of the opening control 10 may be:
Moreover, different operating configurations of the opening control 10 are schematically illustrated in
The arrows illustrate the different actions (retraction-ejection, blocking-unblocking) to carry out in order to switch from one configuration to another, which will be detailed hereinafter.
The mechanical portion 20 will now be described in more detail with reference to
In
In accordance with the invention, the opening control 10 further comprises a lever 100 for ejecting the handle 60. As illustrated in
The ejection lever 100 is an ejection mechanism and constitutes an essential part of the invention. The ejection lever 100 allows separating the handle 60 from the mechanisms, which control it, which allows selecting between a mechanical and electrical operation depending on the situation, or depending on the preference of the user, and always in an ergonomic manner for the user, except the casing of an electrical failure, which will be described later on. This possibility to indifferently use a mechanical or electrical operating mode, while preserving the easiness of controlling and using the opening con troll constitutes one of the major advantages of the invention. The mechanisms, which control the movement of the ejection lever, will be described later on.
The ejection lever 100 will now be described with reference to
In the example illustrated in
Preferably, the ejection lever 100 also has two openings 112a and 112b disposed in the cheeks 110a and 110b. These openings 112a and 112b are intended to enable the passage of a set of cams 450 of the electrical portion 30 of the opening control 10, which will be described later on as well as the cooperation of the ejection lever 100 with this set of cams 450.
This configuration of the ejection lever 100 allows implementing either a manual or an electrical ejection control, in the unblocked handle position, as well as the blocking of an ejection control, in the blocked handle position, as will be described later on. This particular configuration of the ejection lever 100 is not restrictive and those skilled in the art will be able to imagine a different mechanism achieving an equivalent function.
Preferably, the lower transverse branch 130 of the ejection lever 100 is provided with two noise-insulating stops 132 made of an elastomeric material, whose function is to dampen the noises of contact between the ejection lever 100 and the lower bearing wall 64 of the internal lever 60b. The dampening of the noise takes place during the return of the internal lever 60b towards the ejection lever 100, in particular during the return from the opening position to the ejected handle position.
The handle return spring 160 has two legs and a central portion. The function of the handle return spring 160 is to maintain a contact between the internal lever 60b and the ejection lever 100, or a return force, that is to say to compensate a clearance between these two elements 60b and 100.
The handle return spring 160 is used in two cases:
Furthermore, the opening control 10 further comprises a biasing member 40 connected to the lever 100. The biasing member 40 is configured to return the lever 100 into a position called ejection position of the handle 60.
This biasing member 40 comprises preferably an ejection lever spring 40 illustrated in
According to the invention, the opening control 10 further comprises means 450 for pivoting the lever 100 about the common axis of rotation 80 and means 300 for blocking the lever 100 in a blocking position against the return force exerted by the biasing member 40.
According to the invention, the biasing member 40 is configured to automatically return the lever 100 from its blocking position towards its ejection position according to an ejection direction of rotation when the lever 100 is released from the blocking means 300.
The ejection lever 100 further comprises preferably a member 150 for driving the blocking means 300 and is provided for example with a toggle 150 represented in particular in
In the illustrated example, the toggle 150 is formed by a rotary lever including a first arm and a second arm. The toggle 150 is rotatably attached to the head 152 connected to the ejection lever 100, in the proximity of the lower branch 130 and of the first cheek 110a. The head 152 constitutes the axis of rotation of the toggle 150. For example, the toggle 150 can turn by 15° to 45° about its axis of rotation.
At the side of the second cheek 110b, the ejection lever 100 is provided with an upper profile 160 reference in
In
The ejection lever 100 is also provided, in this example, with an internal profile 180, which is connected to the lower transverse branch 130, and is transversal to the latter, represented in detail in
As represented in detail in
The pawl mechanism 300 is shown in detail in
The first pawl 320, called ejection lever pawl, is provided with a first torsion spring 322. The function of the ejection lever pawl 320 is to block the rotation of the ejection lever 100, and therefore block the ejection of the handle 60. Indeed, as shown in
The mechanism 300 further comprises a second pawl 330, called handle blocking pawl, which is for example provided with a second torsion spring 332. This handle-blocking pawl 330 is subjected to an elastic return, which urges it into an engagement position of the handle 60.
As shown in
Preferably, the pawls 320 and 330 are arranged on a common axis so that the lever pawl 320 is capable of blocking the lever while the blocking pawl 330 is not in engagement with the handle 60.
To this end, the handle blocking pawl 330 is further provided with a transverse branch 334 (
The opening control 10 further comprises preferably a pawl retaining lever 340 which is positioned facing the ejection lever pawl 320 and is provided with a return spring called retaining lever spring 342 (
As shown in
The reason behind the separation of the rotation blockings with two distinct elements 320 and 330 will be exposed hereinafter.
In the blocking position of the handle 60, the handle blocking pawl 330 abuts against the internal lever 60b and blocks the rotation of the handle 60 in the clockwise direction according to
The function of the handle-blocking pawl 330 is to prevent the ejection of the handle 60 by the inertial action of a violent impact, or of an accident, or, for example, by a rebound of the handle during a strong door slam. Thus, an unintentional triggering of the door latch because of the ejection of the handle is impossible, in particular during an accident, which considerably contributes to the safety brought by the device according to the invention.
A specific function and the purpose of the handle blocking pawl 330, which is a part separate from the ejection lever pawl 320, and which has a capability of rotation relative to the ejection lever 320, is that, if the user manually keeps the handle 60 in the ejection position while the vehicle should be locked, then this independent rotational movement of the ejection lever pawl 320 still allows the locking of the door lock. Thus, the ejection lever pawl 320 can block the rotation of the ejection lever 100, independently of the pawl 330, and the opening of the door is blocked, even though the handle 60 has remained in an ejection position, retained by the hand of the user. Thus, the user can no longer open the door by exerting a rotation of the handle, the door opening is blocked independently of the protruding position of the handle.
In
The tip of the cable is generally attached to the transmission and the sheath of the cable is fastened to the casing 50. When the lever 60a and the ejection lever 100, which have a common axis 80, are in the ejection position, an interaction is possible between the internal lever 60b and the cam 220 on the transmission axis 212, which turns integrally with the transmission lever 210.
During the pulling of the lever 60a by the user up to the door opening position, the action on the cam 220 makes the transmission lever 210 turn. The rotation of the transmission lever 210 results in the pulling of the Bowden cable and therefore the opening of the latch of the door. It should be noted that pulling on the Bowden cable is possible, according to the invention, only if the ejection lever 100 is in the ejection position.
The electrical portion 30 of the opening control 10 according to the invention will now be described with reference to
The electrical portion 30 comprises a casing 402 and the control mechanism 400 is housed within the casing 402. The casing 402 is connected to a cap 404 by screws 406, but other mechanical assembly means may be used. Preferably, the casing 402 and the cap 404 delimit a tight internal volume.
In this example, the electric mechanism 400 comprises a command wheel 410, a toothed wheel 412, a control wheel 414, a worm screw 416 as well as a transmission wheel 418. The command wheel 410 is intended to be driven by the transmission wheel, in turn driven by the worm screw 416, which is rotatably driven by an actuation motor 420 as shown in
The actuation motor 420 is connected to an electronic board 430 by overmolded electrical connection tracks 432 or other electrical connection means. The electronic board 430 is a component of the opening control 10 and is connected in turn to a calculator of the vehicle, which is not represented. The actuation motor 420 is controlled by the electronic board 430.
The command wheel 410 has three operating positions corresponding to the illustrated configurations M0, S and M1 of
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the actuation motor 420 is connected to the command wheel 410 by the worm screw 416 and the transmission wheel 418. The actuation motor 420 controls the command wheel 410 which in turn positions the ejection lever 100 via a set of cams 450 described hereinafter (
Those skilled in the art understand that the transmission between the motor and the ejection lever 100 may be achieved in several manners (bevel gears, planetary gears, helical gears, hinged levers, etc.). Moreover, the invention may include any type of linear or rotary electrical drive (brushed motors, brushless motors, stepper motors, solenoid, piezo motors, cylinders, etc.)
Depending on the request of the calculator of the vehicle, the actuation motor 420 can position the command wheel 410 in three positions corresponding to the three configurations S, M1 or M0 in order to achieve the ejection, the retraction or the blocking of the handle electrically.
In order to obtain this operation type, the actuation motor 420 is preferably piloted by pulse width modulation (PWM) in order to obtain a suitable rotational speed to obtain a controlled positioning and which confers a pleasant acoustic and visual sensation to the user.
Preferably, the command wheel 410 is capable of turning integrally with the control wheel 414, rotatably connected by a flattened portion 416 or any other rotational drive system. The external surface of the control wheel 414 has over its circumference surfaces more or less radially away from the axis of the wheel and which enable an indexation of the three positions corresponding to the operating configurations S, M0 and M1.
According to the invention, the lever 100 and the pivot means 450 are capable of mechanically cooperating so as to disengage the lever 100 from the blocking means 300 and to cause the automatic return of the lever 100 back into its ejection position, both in a manual operating mode by pushing the handle 60 from its leveled position so as to drive the ejection lever 100 in rotation in the reverse direction of the ejection direction of rotation and in an electrical mode by electrically rotating the pivot means 450 by the electric actuator 30.
Preferably, the pivot means 450 comprise a set of cams 450 comprising at least one cam.
This set of cams 450 comprises a cams pin 452 on which are preferably mounted, in a secured manner, the command wheel 410, the toothed wheel 412 and the control wheel 414. In this example, the set of cams 450 includes three cams:
These three cams 450a, 450b, 450c are axially separated and have different shapes and radial dimensions. The rotation of the cam axis 452 simultaneously displaces the three cams, which will act on the ejection lever 100 as described later on. The cams set 450 is intended to be inserted inside the ejection lever 100 throughout the openings of the ejection lever 100 as well as throughout the internal lever 60b.
The first cam 450a lies substantially at an end of the cam axis 450 and has a radius smaller than or equal to the radius of the cam axis 452. We see in particular in
Preferably, the lever 100 and the pivot means 450 comprise declutching mechanical coupling means. In the described example, these declutching mechanical coupling means comprise the drive member 150 and the ejection cam 450a. Thanks to these declutching means, the opening control 10 can adopt a blocked-leveled handle configuration M0 in which the mechanical coupling is declutched, an unblocked-leveled handle configuration S in which the mechanical coupling is clutched and an ejected handle configuration M1. Preferably, the switch from one configuration to another is achieved in the electrical mode and/or in the manual mode. In the declutched state, a manual push action on the handle 60 cannot result in the ejection of the handle. Thus, the ejection of the handle is blocked. However, in the clutched state, the handle can be ejected by a simple manual push.
Thus, preferably, in the configuration M0, the member 150 and the cam 450a are sufficiently spaced apart from each other to prevent the disengagement of the lever 100 by pushing the handle 60 and in the unblocked-leveled configuration, the member 150 and the cam 450a are sufficiently close to each other to enable the disengagement of the lever 100 by pushing the handle 60.
In this example, the second cam 450b, called retraction cam, is movable about the cam axis 452 and has a guide surface configured to make the lever 100 pivot from the ejection position to the blocking position in the electrical operating mode.
Moreover, the guide surface of the retraction cam 450b is also configured to forcibly guide, against an impediment to the automatic return of the lever 100 back into the ejection position, for example because of icing, the ejection of the handle 60 by electrical actuation of the cam 450b in the reverse direction of the retraction direction.
Furthermore, in the described example, the clutch cam 450c is also movable about the cam axis 452. The cam 450c is connected to the actuator 30 and has a guide surface shaped so as to cooperate with the internal profile 160 of the lever 100 in order to position it in the configuration S for example from the configuration M0.
Furthermore, the internal profile 160 is shaped so that the clutch cam cooperates with this profile 160 in order to control the automatic return movement of the lever 100 back into its ejection position.
In addition, the electric mechanism 400 comprises two micro-switches 460a and 460b in mechanical contact with the control wheel 414 which are adapted to detect the rotational position of the cam axis 452 and consequently the position of the cams 450a, 450b and 450c. The two micro-switches 460a and 460b, away from each other, are in contact with the control wheel 414 and electrically connected to the electronic board 430 (
The micro-switches 460a and 460b transmit the information on their actuation state to the electronic board 430, which, if an order is given by the calculator, gives an instruction to the motor, which, depending on the received order, then stops the movement of the command wheel 410 when the cams 450a, 450b and 450c are in predefined positions.
Another opening order detection micro-switch 460c, fastened on the cap 404 (
In the described example, the two micro-switches 460a and 460b operate in the following manner:
In the configuration M0, the command wheel 410 is in a first position, the two micro-switches 460a, 460b are inactivated and the electronic board 430 is informed that the handle levels with the body and that is blocked. The configuration M0 corresponds to a handle leveled with the body and blocked for an unauthorized person, when the car is parked, or is running, or in order to avoid an unintentional opening of the door. If the command wheel 410 is in this first position and the user presses on the external lever 60a, the external lever 60a remains immobile.
In the configuration M1 corresponding to a handle in the ejection position (
Once the external lever 60a is in the ejection position (
When the command wheel 410 is in the third position corresponding to the configuration S, the two micro-switches 460a, 460b are activated and the electronic board 430 is informed that an ejection of the handle is possible. The position S corresponds to the handle leveled with the body and in which the user can activate the ejection of the handle:
The return from the ejected configuration M1 to the unblocked-leveled configuration S, that is to say the «retraction» may take place:
Considering the possibilities of the invention, it is possible, for example, to favor the operation between the configurations M0 and M1, that is to say an electric ejection and retraction, and keep the mode S, which allows a purely mechanical ejection, when the calculator of the vehicle detects a low battery level.
The operation of the cams set 450 will now be described with reference to
Referring to
This rotational driving of the toggle 150 may be achieved in two ways starting from the configuration S illustrated in
In the configuration M0 (
When the action tending to make the toggle 150 pivot ceases, the first torsion spring 322 tends to return the ejection lever pawl 320 back into its rest position, but the pawl retaining lever 340 blocks the return of the ejection lever pawl 320, thereby enabling the free rotation of the ejection lever 100 and of the lever 60a towards an ejected handle position. Similarly, the handle blocking pawl 330 will be retained, because its transverse branch 334 is blocked in the counterclockwise direction by the ejection lever pawl 320 (
Referring now to
In the example, the second cam 450b is in an intermediate axial position between the cam 450a and the cam 450c on the cam axis 452 and its radial dimensions are larger than those of the first cam 450a.
In
The ejection lever cam 172 is a cam rotating about the axis 170, by 5° to 15°, and which is intended to cooperate with the second cam 450b of the command wheel 410.
During the rotation of the cam 450b in the clockwise direction according to
Conversely, in order to switch from the ejected configuration M1 to the configuration M0 (retraction and blocking), via the configuration S, the second cam 450b will drive the ejection lever cam 172, and displace the ejection lever 100 by making it turn in the counterclockwise direction and thus enable the blocking of the ejection lever 100 by the pawl 320, the handle 60 also turns in the counterclockwise direction until being retained by the handle blocking pawl 330 (
The function of the lower profile 180 is to pilot the switch from the configuration S (
The second cam 450b has two functions:
Referring now to
The third cam 450c is in the farthest position from the tip of the cam axis 452, close to the toothed wheel 169, and its largest radius is greater than that of the first cam 450a and than that of the second cam 450b.
In
When the command wheel 410 switches from the configuration M0 to M1, and therefore turns in the clockwise direction according to
If the vehicle suffers from an electrical failure when the command wheel 410 is in the first position of the configuration M0, the command wheel 410 cannot be displaced and the user will not have access to the motor vehicle.
In order to solve this problem, the opening control 10 according to the invention is provided with an unblocking mechanism 500 illustrated in
It is also possible to consider making the tab accessible in a space formed between the handle and the body
Referring to
The safety-opening pin 520 is connected to the safety-opening lever 510, by its axis of rotation 524. When the user actuates the safety opening lever 510 by making it pivot about its axis of rotation 514, the latter drives the safety opening pin 520 which then cooperates with the toothed wheel 412 which has the same axis 452 as the command wheel 410, and makes the command wheel 410 turn in order to make it come out from the blocking position M0. Possibly, the user should repeat the unblocking action several times until obtaining the sufficient angular rotation to be able to unblock the ejection of the ejection lever 100.
Those skilled in that art understand that the unblocking mechanism may be designed otherwise, provided that it operates during an electrical failure, and that it is arranged such that the user of the vehicle can operate it from the outside of the vehicle.
The external lever 60a according to the invention is provided with a dampening mechanism 90 connected to the casing and illustrated in
A first function of this mechanism, when running, is to prevent the lever 60a from being displaced towards the direction of activation and unblocking of the ejection lever 100, in the event of vibrations or a brutal closure of the door. A second function is the accurate angular setting of the position of the lever 60a leveling with the body, that is to say the setting of the leveling, which is achieved by screwing between the stop 94 and the stop body 92. A third function is to dampen the return of the handle at the end of retraction.
The description hereinafter explains the main aspects of operation, both mechanical and electrical, of the opening control 10 according to the invention. Reference may be made in particular to the general operation diagram of
When the lever 60a is in the configuration S (unblocked-leveled), the user can cause the ejection of the handle (configuration M1):
In the three previous case, the cam 450a is brought into contact with the toggle 150 and makes it pivot, thereby resulting in the rotation of the ejection lever retaining pawl 320 and therefore the release of the rotation of the ejection lever 100 and of the handle 60a about the axis of rotation 80 and which are driven in rotation outwardly of the door under the action of the ejection spring 40 (
Indeed, when the ejection lever 100 is released, the spring 40 of the ejection lever 100 makes it turn. The ejection lever 100 and the lever 60a then turn together about the common axis 80, while in contact with each other via the noise-insulating stops 132 placed on the lower branch 130 of the ejection lever 100.
When the external lever 60a is ejected (
When the user pulls the external lever 60a to unlock the latch and open the door, the ejection lever 100 remains immobile, because the upper branch 120 liking the two cheeks 110a and 110b is blocked by abutting against the casing 50. The lever 60a then turn about the common axis 80 against the action of the handle return spring 160 namely up to the opening position and the user can open the door (
When the user has opened the door, he releases the external lever 60a. At that moment, the handle return spring 160 makes the lever 60a turn until its lower bearing wall 64 rests again against the lower branch 130 of the ejection lever 100 and against the sound-insulating stop(s) 132, and closes the space between these two elements, thereby returning back to the ejected handle position M1.
The switch from the ejected configuration M1 to the unblocked-leveled configuration S, namely a retraction, may then be done:
When the command wheel 410 is in the configuration M0, the external lever 60a is leveled with the body and is blocked. If the user presses on the lever 60a, the latter pushes the ejection lever 100 via the sound-insulating stops 132. The ejection lever 100 turns in the counterclockwise direction (
Indeed, in this case, the toggle 150 cannot displace the ejection lever pawl 320, which holds the ejection lever 100 blocked. Therefore, the ejection lever 100 is not ejected. The configuration M0 blocking function may be used when the vehicle is parked or running at a speed higher than a predetermined value, for example seven kilometers per hour. The calculator of the car, which is connected to the gearbox and to the electronic board 430, sends a message to the electronic board 430, which gives an order to the motor to make the command wheel 320 turn to the blocked-leveled position M0. The first cam 450a connected to the command wheel 410 is then brought away from the toggle 150 and therefore the ejection lever pawl 3220 and the handle blocking pawl 330 remain in the blocking position and block the ejection lever 100 and the handle 60 which cannot be ejected.
The switch from the blocked configuration M0 to the unblocked configuration S, and vice-versa is done by the already described rotations of the control axis. The switch from M0 to S may also be done manually in the event of an electrical failure.
According to the invention, the user therefore has the possibility to emit a handle ejection order via a push manually exerted as before, but also via a remote control (via a mobile phone, a key, etc.). In this case, the ejection (or blocking) order first passes to the calculator of the car, which transmits this order to the electronic board 430 of the opening control according to the invention, and which in turn will give the activation order of the motor 420, thereby causing the ejection of the handle afterwards according to a process which will be described later on.
A possible variant of the invention is to hide the lock directly beneath the external lever 60a, without a lock-cover 911, or still have a visible lock on the leveled handle door and disposed in the proximity of the external lever 60a, finally a last possibility would be an opening control according to the invention, without a lock.
Another variant of the invention is to set up and fasten the electrical portion 30 not only on one side as represented in
A variant consists in two sets of cams 450a, 450b, 450c placed at each side of the ejection lever with a common transmission shaft in order to make the opening control symmetrical. This symmetrical arrangement aims at reducing the torsion and the bending to which the cam axis is subjected. Thus, the service life of the mechanism is increased. A similar effect may be obtained by rotatably guiding the end of the cam axis in the casing 50.
Those skilled in the art understand that the positioning detection means comprising micro-switches may be replaced with means comprising a Hall-effect sensor, a capacitive sensor, or any other detection means filling the same function.
Those skilled in the art understand that the electrical portion and the mechanical portion may be located with respect to each other in several manners.
The opening control may comprise means for making the handle come out with a mechanism connected to the lock by turning the key in the latch of the car.
Those skilled in the art understand that the main module may be made with different types of reduction motors, for example a motor with an epicyclical reduction, a motor with a worm screw reduction, a motor with a spur gears reduction, motors with bevel gears reduction.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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16/70770 | Dec 2016 | FR | national |