Patent Application
20210355721
The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle door handle assemblies.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.
Some vehicles, such as automobiles, include door handles that are substantially flush with an outer surface of the vehicle body, e.g., a door panel. In such applications, the door handle may be moved to an extended or ready position relative to the vehicle body, such that a user may grasp the handle and open the door. In certain circumstances, such as when moisture accumulates on the vehicle body and the temperature is below freezing, a layer of ice may form on the vehicle body, including over the door handle. In such situations, it may be difficult for the door handle to be moved to the extended position due to the ice freezing over the door handle and the vehicle body.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
One aspect of the disclosure provides a door handle assembly for a vehicle. The door handle assembly may include a housing, a handle, and a compression mechanism. The handle may be rotatably attached to the housing and rotatable between a resting position and a depressed position. The compression mechanism may be configured to allow rotation of the handle between the resting position and the depressed position. The compression mechanism may include a plunger and a biasing member. The plunger may be coupled to one of the housing or the handle and translatable between a first position when the handle is in the resting position and a second position when the handle is in the depressed position. The biasing member may be coupled to one of the housing or the handle and configured to bias the plunger between the first position and the second position.
Implementations of this aspect of the disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some implementations, the handle extends from a proximal end to a distal end. The handle may be rotatably attached to the housing at a location closer to the proximal end than the distal end. When the handle is in the depressed position, the handle at or near the distal end may urge the plunger to the second position and the biasing member to a compressed position. The handle may be configured to rotate from the resting position to the depressed position by a user exerting a force upon the handle at or near the distal end. The handle may be configured to rotate to an extended position where the handle is spaced from the plunger by a user exerting a force upon the handle at or near the proximal end.
In some implementations, when the handle is in the resting position, an outer surface of the handle is substantially parallel to an outer surface of the housing.
In some implementations, the compression mechanism further includes a damper secured to the plunger and configured to engage the handle. The plunger may include a central bore. The damper may be disposed in the central bore.
In some implementations, the compression mechanism further includes a plunger housing coupled to the housing and configured to receive the plunger and the biasing member. The plunger housing may include at least one tab. The housing may include at least one slot configured to receive the at least one tab to secure the plunger housing to the housing.
In some implementations, the handle is rotatable about a first axis and the biasing member is compressible along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis.
Another aspect of the disclosure provides a compression mechanism for allowing rotation of a handle between a resting position and a depressed position. The compression mechanism may include a plunger and a biasing member. The plunger may be disposed adjacent the handle and translatable between a first position when the handle is in the resting position and a second position when the handle is in the depressed position. The biasing member may be disposed adjacent the plunger and compressible between a third position when the handle is in the resting position and a fourth position when the handle is in the depressed position.
This aspect may include one or more of the following optional features. In some implementations, a damper is secured to the plunger and engaged with the handle. The plunger may include a central bore. The damper may be disposed in the central bore. The biasing member may define a central cavity. The damper and the plunger may extend into the central cavity.
In some implementations, the compression mechanism includes a plunger housing configured to receive the plunger and the biasing member.
In some implementations, the biasing member compresses from the third position to the fourth position by the plunger exerting a force upon the biasing member.
Yet another aspect of the disclosure provides a method for operating a door handle assembly for a vehicle. The method may include exerting a first force upon a distal end of a handle to move the distal end toward the vehicle. The method may also include removing the first force upon the distal end of the handle to allow the handle to return to a resting position.
Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some implementations, the method includes exerting a second force upon a proximal end of the handle to move the handle toward an extended position.
In some implementations, the method includes applying a second force upon the distal end while moving the distal end toward the vehicle, the second force being opposite the first force.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected configurations and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
Example configurations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example configurations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. Specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of configurations of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example configurations may be embodied in many different forms, and that the specific details and the example configurations should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.
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With continued reference to
The handle 104 may include an outer surface 124 that is substantially parallel to the outer surface 108 of the outer rim 106 of the housing 102 when the handle 104 is in the resting position. The handle 104 may include an inner surface 126 opposite the outer surface 124. The inner surface 126 may face the recess 110 defined by the outer rim 106. As shown in the figures, the handle 104 may include a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners; however, it should be understood that other shapes are contemplated, including rectangular, elliptical, L-shaped, circular, or any other suitable shape.
Referring to
The first compression mechanism 200 includes a plunger 202, a damper 204, and a biasing member 206. In some implementations, as shown in
The body 208 of the plunger 202 may include a contact surface 214 facing the inner surface 126 of the handle 104 and an inner surface 216 opposite the contact surface 214, as shown in
The damper 204 includes a body 222 defining a contact surface 224 facing the inner surface 126 of the handle 104 and an inner surface 226 opposite the contact surface 224. In some implementation, the contact surface 224 of the damper 204 may be substantially flush with the contact surface 214 of the plunger 202. In other implementations, the contact surface 224 of the damper 204 may be offset from the contact surface 214 of the plunger 202. The inner surface 226 of the body 222 may be configured to engage the lip 220 in the central bore 218 of the body 208 of the plunger 202. The damper 204 may include a stem 228 extending from the body 222, the stem 228 including a lip 230 configured to engage the inner surface 216 of the body 208 of the plunger 202, as shown in
Referring to
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The second compression mechanism 300 includes a plunger 302, a damper 304, a plunger housing 306, and a biasing member 308. In some implementations, the plunger 302 may be coupled to the housing 102. In other implementations, the plunger 302 may be coupled to the handle 104, e.g., the inner surface 126 of the handle 104. The plunger 302 includes a body 310 including a rim 312 extending from the body 310. The rim 312 may extend through the aperture 130, and an outer diameter of the rim 312 may be substantially equal to an inner diameter of the aperture 130. The rim 312 may include an outer surface 314 facing the inner surface 126 of the handle 104, and the rim 312 may define a central bore 316 configured to receive the damper 304. The body 310 includes a stepped outer surface 318 adjacent the rim 312 and an inner surface 320 opposite the stepped outer surface 318. The stepped outer surface 318 may engage a portion of the bracket 128, and the inner surface 320 may engage the biasing member 308.
The plunger 302 includes a radial flange 322 extending from the body 310, and the radial flange may define a catch 324 that is configured to engage a portion of the plunger housing 306. The plunger 302 is translatable between a first position when the handle 104 is in the resting position (
The damper 304 includes a body 326 defining a contact surface 328 facing the inner surface 126 of the handle 104 and an inner surface 330 opposite the contact surface 328. In some implementation, the contact surface 224 of the damper 204 may include a plurality of protrusions or ridges 332 configured to engage with the inner surface 126 of the handle 104. The inner surface 330 of the body 326 may be configured to engage the outer surface 314 of the rim 312. The damper 304 may include a stem 334 extending from the body 326, the stem 334 including a lip 336 configured to engage the first portion 352 of the rim 312, as shown in
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The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” “attached to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected, attached, or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” “directly attached to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections. These elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed above could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example configurations.
The foregoing description has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not limited to that particular configuration, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected configuration, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
