Assist handle spring design for constant return velocity

Abstract

The invention relates to assist handle spring design for constant return velocity. An assist handle assembly for a vehicle includes a body and at least a first hinge assembly rotatably coupled to the body. A primary spring interconnects the body and the first hinge assembly and biases the body from an open position into a stowed position. A secondary spring interconnects the body and the first hinge assembly, and biases against the primary spring when the body is between the open position and an intermediate position to resist rotation of the body into the stowed position, and biases with theprimary spring when the body is between the intermediate position and the stowed position to assist rotation of the body into the stowed position.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention generally relates to an armrest assembly for assisting a passenger in entering and / or exiting the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle. Background technique [0002] Some automobiles have armrests arranged inside the passenger compartment of the automobile. Passengers can grasp the armrest to assist in entering and / or exiting from the vehicle cabin. [0003] Some armrest assemblies include spring powered retractable handles. The handle automatically retracts out of the way to the stowed position when not in use. In use, a passenger grabs the handle and pulls the handle to the open position, at which point the passenger can leverage on the armrest to aid entry and / or exit. A spring automatically biases the handle back to the stowed position immediately after the handle is released. The armrest may include a damper to slow the return of the handle to the stowed position, thereby preventing the handle from "snapping" back to ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, torsion springs do not exhibit a uniform torque curve

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