Exterior door handle for attachment to a side door or a motor vehicle
Patent Information
- Application Number
- EP2023730520
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-06-27
- Filing Date
- 2023-06-05
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-30
AI Technical Summary
Existing side door systems in motor vehicles require mechanical force and separate button pressing to unlock and open, making the process less ergonomic and more difficult, with maintenance complexities due to sensor placement on the vehicle's outer skin.
An outside door handle equipped with a sensor, such as a capacitive sensor, that detects a hand's presence to electronically unlock the side door, allowing for easier and ergonomic opening without mechanical force, and featuring a lighting system for user feedback and improved design for air resistance and water drainage.
Enhances the ease and ergonomics of opening side doors by eliminating the need for mechanical force and separate button pressing, simplifies maintenance by allowing for easier replacement of the outside door handle, and provides improved user interaction and design features.
Smart Images
Figure 1.1
Abstract
Description
[0001] Outside door handle for mounting on a side door of a motor vehicle
[0002] The present disclosure relates to an outside door handle for attachment to a side door of a motor vehicle, and to a side door of a motor vehicle having the outside door handle. Furthermore, a motor vehicle, e.g., a passenger car or a commercial vehicle, such as a truck, having the side door can be provided.
[0003] Side doors of motor vehicles can be equipped with flush door handles, integrated door handles or even with electrical systems that do not require mechanical action by the driver by pulling on a door handle to operate a door locking mechanism.
[0004] It is known from the state of the art in electrical systems with electronically locked side doors of motor vehicles that by pressing a button on the side door, e.g. in the area of a B-pillar or C-pillar, a locking mechanism of the side door is unlocked and the side door opens.
[0005] In one specific embodiment, a driver's key or a driver's phone that can be used as a key is conventionally recognized through wireless communication with the side door, and the button on the side door lights up when the key or phone is within a certain range of the side door. When the driver presses the button, the side door is unlocked and opens slightly.
[0006] An outside door handle located below the button on the side door then allows the driver to fully open the already unlocked and slightly open side door by pulling on the outside door handle.
[0007] Electrical systems can therefore be controlled with the help of a so-called winglet or
[0008] The winglet can be used to support the door opening process.
[0009] However, touching the button on the side door means that the driver has to exert force on the one hand, and on the other hand he has to press the button in a first step and can only open the door after the unlocking process has been completed.
[0010] Against the background of this prior art, the object of the present disclosure is to provide an improved device which is suitable for enriching the prior art described above.
[0011] The problem is solved by the features of the independent claim. The subordinate claims and the dependent claims each contain further developments of the disclosure.
[0012] According to this, the object is achieved by a side door of a motor vehicle having the features of claim 1. That is, a side door for a motor vehicle, such as an automobile, is provided.
[0013] The side door includes an outside door handle extending outward in a vehicle width direction and upward in a vehicle height direction from the side door in a state where the side door is attached to the vehicle.
[0014] A side door can be understood as a door that can be attached to an entry area of the motor vehicle, e.g. in an area of a driver's seat, a passenger seat and / or a rear seat bench, which can be moved in particular by pivoting or sliding from a closed position in which the side door closes the entry opening to an open position in which the side door releases the entry opening, and vice versa.
[0015] In the state in which the side door is attached to the motor vehicle, a pivot axis for opening and closing the side door can run parallel to the vehicle height direction or a vehicle longitudinal direction, in which case it is a so-called wing door.
[0016] If the side door is a sliding door, the direction of movement when opening and closing the side door can be along or parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
[0017] If the side door has a window, a window strip can run along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
[0018] This means that, depending on the type of side door, the side door itself can be used to determine how it is to be attached or can be attached to the motor vehicle, so that the position of the motor vehicle's longitudinal direction, width direction and height direction can be identified and determined based on the side door itself.
[0019] This means that generic side doors clearly define the position of the vehicle's longitudinal direction, vehicle width direction and vehicle height direction for the state in which the side door is attached to the vehicle, without the side doors already being installed or attached to the vehicle.
[0020] The outside door handle may include a sensor arranged and configured to detect a hand located at a predetermined distance from and / or on the outside door handle.
[0021] In this case, an outside door handle can be understood to mean the component initially referred to as a winglet. In this case, the side door of the motor vehicle can be a side door with an electronic locking system (so-called E-lock), i.e. operating, in particular pulling, the outside door handle does not result in any mechanical force being transmitted to the locking system in order to unlock it. Instead, the sensor can send an electrical signal to the side door, in particular to its locking system, so that the side door can be opened by touching and / or approaching the hand. The hand is a human hand. It is conceivable that a so-called “door presenter” is provided. This can be designed to push the side door from the closed state either into a pre-notch or to open it completely. The “door presenter” can therefore push the side door into the pre-notch so that it is held there.
[0022] This design, in which the sensor is installed in or on the outside door handle itself, offers a number of advantages compared to the prior art described above, in which the sensor is located on the outer skin of the vehicle, in particular in the B or C pillar.
[0023] Among other things, opening the side door becomes easier and more ergonomic. In particular, touching a mechanical button external to the exterior door handle, a flap, or a sensor on the vehicle's exterior body is no longer necessary, meaning the user not only doesn't have to exert any force, but also no longer has to press the button in a separate step before opening the side door and can only open the door after the unlocking process has been completed.
[0024] In addition, maintenance and repair are made easier because if the sensor is defective, only an attachment, ie the outside door handle, needs to be replaced and not a part of the vehicle's outer skin.
[0025] Possible further developments of the side door and in particular the outside door handle are described in detail below.
[0026] The sensor can be a proximity sensor, in particular a capacitive sensor, or a mechanical or electromechanical, optionally inductive, button. It is also conceivable, additionally or alternatively, for the sensor to be designed to detect a movement of the hand. In this case, the side door can be opened by means of gesture control. It is also conceivable, additionally or alternatively, for the sensor to have a button, i.e. for the sensor to be designed to detect a deformation, e.g. caused by the hand. A grip recess or grip surface formed by the outside door handle, in particular in the vehicle width direction, between the outside door handle and the side door can, in the state in which the side door is attached to the vehicle, be open upwards in the vehicle height direction and forwards and backwards in a vehicle longitudinal direction.Alternatively, it is conceivable that the recess or gripping surface formed between the exterior door handle and the side door by the exterior door handle, when the side door is attached to the motor vehicle, can be opened downwards in the vehicle's vertical direction and forwards and backwards in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. This shape offers advantages in terms of air resistance, but also in terms of water drainage and potential contamination of the motor vehicle.
[0027] The sensor can be arranged and designed to detect the hand when it is in the handle recess. This means that it is conceivable that the side door can be opened by reaching into the handle recess. This is advantageous, particularly in comparison to the prior art described above, as it makes opening the side door more ergonomic and easier. The side door can then be opened or unlocked in one step with one hand and then opened by pulling on the outside door handle. However, the sensor can also, additionally or alternatively, function towards the outside, i.e. detect when the hand comes close to the outside door handle from the outside.
[0028] The outside door handle may include an illumination device arranged and configured to emit light visible to a human eye to an area surrounding the outside door handle.
[0029] Light visible to the human eye can be understood as a visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum that includes or consists of a wavelength range from 400 nm to 780 nm.
[0030] The lighting device may comprise a light source, e.g. comprising one or more LEDs (light-emitting diodes) with a light guide, which are arranged such that, in the state in which the side door is attached to the motor vehicle, the light emitted by the light source via the light guide to the surroundings of the outside door handle is emitted upwards in the motor vehicle height direction.
[0031] The light source may be arranged laterally of an elongated recess in the outside door handle, wherein a longitudinal direction of the recess may extend along the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle in the state in which the side door is attached to the motor vehicle.
[0032] The light guide may be arranged below, ie in the state in which the side door is attached to the motor vehicle, below the recess in the motor vehicle height direction.
[0033] The outside door handle can have a partition wall which is arranged in the recess between the surroundings of the outside door handle and the light guide, in particular above the light guide in the motor vehicle height direction, and divides the recess into partial areas.
[0034] The recess can be closed with a transparent or frosted surface.
[0035] This offers the advantage that illumination can be provided along an upper part of the outside door handle without a user looking at the motor vehicle from a certain distance and / or at a certain angle looking directly at the light guide.
[0036] The side door may have a locking mechanism and be configured to unlock the locking mechanism when the hand is detected by the sensor. The locking mechanism may be the electronic locking mechanism described above.
[0037] The side door can be configured to control the lighting device depending on the state of the locking mechanism. The various states can be displayed in color, for example, using at least one RGB LED.
[0038] An embodiment is described below with reference to Figures 1 to 4.
[0039] Fig. 1 shows schematically in a perspective view a side door of a motor vehicle with an outside door handle arranged thereon with a view from the outside relative to the motor vehicle,
[0040] Fig. 2 shows schematically an arrangement of electronic components of the outside door handle from Figure 1 ,
[0041] Fig. 3 shows schematically in a perspective view the outside door handle with a view from above in relation to the motor vehicle, and
[0042] Fig. 4 shows schematically in a perspective view a part of the outside door handle with a view from above in relation to the motor vehicle.
[0043] In the following description of the figures, the same reference numerals are used for the same components or objects shown in Figures 1 to 4.
[0044] Figures 1 to 4 each depict a Cartesian coordinate system whose X-axis points in a vehicle longitudinal direction, whose Y-axis points in a vehicle width direction, and whose Z-axis points in a vehicle height direction. The vehicle longitudinal direction X runs from a front to a rear of the vehicle (not shown in more detail), and the vehicle width direction Y runs from an interior or passenger compartment of the vehicle to an exterior of the vehicle.
[0045] Furthermore, Figures 1 to 4 illustrate a state in which the side door 1 is attached to the motor vehicle. The side door 1 comprises an outside door handle 2, which extends from the side door 1 outward in the vehicle width direction Y and upward in a vehicle height direction Z, ie, from the inside outward and from the bottom upward, so that a handle recess 4 is formed between the outside door handle 2 and the side door 1.
[0046] The handle recess 4 formed between the outside door handle 2 and the side door 1 by the outside door handle 2 is open upwards in the vehicle height direction Z and forwards and backwards in a vehicle longitudinal direction X. It would also be conceivable to rotate the outside door handle 2 by 180° around the vehicle width direction Y, so that the handle recess 4 is open downwards.
[0047] This recessed handle 4 can be used to open the side door 1, as described in detail below. In addition, an air stream flowing along the side door 1 can pass through the recessed handle 4.
[0048] Furthermore, the side door 1 comprises a shaft strip 11, which is shown in Figure 1 only as an example and the outside door handle 2 or the winglet can also be used for systems without a shaft strip.
[0049] A circuit board 10 is arranged in the outside door handle 2, on which a sensor 3 and a lighting device comprising a light source 5 and a light guide 6 are arranged.
[0050] The light source 5 and the light guide 6 of the lighting device arranged laterally thereto are arranged such that the light emitted by the light source 5 via the light guide 6 to the area surrounding the outside door handle 2 is emitted upwards in the vehicle height direction Z. This light is visible to the human eye.
[0051] For this purpose, the light source 5 is arranged laterally and the light guide 6 is arranged below an elongated recess 7 in the outside door handle 2, wherein a longitudinal direction of the recess 7 extends along the motor vehicle longitudinal direction X. In the recess 7, above the light guide 6, i.e. between the area surrounding the outside door handle 2 and the light guide 6, one or more partition walls 8 can be arranged, which divide the recess 7 into a plurality of sub-regions 9 along its longitudinal direction. This arrangement can prevent the light source 5 from being viewed directly from the outside. The transparent regions or the transparent region of the recess 7 through which the light penetrates can be structured or have a high-gloss finish on the inner and / or outer surface.
[0052] The elongated recess 7 can have a length of 1 mm to 70 mm, in particular 45 mm, in the vehicle longitudinal direction X. The elongated recess 7 can have a width of 1 mm to 7 mm, in particular 4.5 mm, in the vehicle width direction Y. The elongated recess 7 can have a depth of between 1 mm and 5 mm, in particular 3.5 mm, in the vehicle height direction Z. The partition walls 8 can end 0.5 mm to 50 mm, in particular 1 mm, below a transparent or frosted surface 12 (not shown in Figure 4 for explanatory purposes) closing the recess 7. The partition walls 8 can have a distance of 5 mm to 20 mm, in particular 10 mm, in the vehicle longitudinal direction X. These aforementioned dimensions are merely a non-exhaustive list of examples that do not limit the disclosure in any way.
[0053] The sensor 3 is arranged and designed to detect a hand located at a predetermined distance from and / or on the outside door handle 2, in particular when the hand is located in the handle recess 4.
[0054] More precisely, in this case, the sensor 3 is a proximity sensor, in particular a capacitive sensor, which is arranged on an outer side or a side of the circuit board 10 facing away from the handle recess 4. However, it would also be conceivable for the sensor 3 to face the inner side, the top or bottom of the outside door handle 2. It would also be conceivable to arrange the sensor 3 on the opposite inner side of the circuit board 10 so that it faces the handle recess 4.
[0055] When the sensor 3 is used to engage the handle recess 4, a control signal can be output from the sensor 3 to a locking mechanism (not shown) of the side door 1 to open the side door 1, so that the locking mechanism is moved to a position or state in which it is unlocked. The side door 1 can then be opened by pulling the outside door handle 2.
[0056] In order to provide the user or driver, who opens the side door 1 in the manner described above, with feedback on the current state of the locking mechanism in the sense of user-guided interaction, the lighting device, i.e., in particular, the light source 5, can be controlled by the side door 1 depending on the current state of the locking mechanism. Each state can be assigned a color with which the light from the light source 5 is emitted.
[0057] List of reference symbols 1 side door
[0058] 2 outside door handle
[0059] 3 Sensor
[0060] 4 recessed grip
[0061] 5 Light source 6 Light guide
[0062] 7 elongated recess or opening
[0063] 8 partition walls
[0064] 9 sub-areas
[0065] 10 Circuit board 11 Slot strip
[0066] 12 transparent or frosted surface
Claims
Patent claims Side door (1) of a motor vehicle, wherein the side door (1) comprises: - an outside door handle (2) which extends outwardly in a vehicle width direction (Y) and upwardly in a vehicle height direction (Z) from the side door (1) in a state in which the side door (1) is attached to the motor vehicle, characterized in that - the outside door handle (2) has a sensor (3) which is arranged and designed to detect a hand located at a predetermined distance from and / or on the outside door handle (2). Side door (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor (3) is a proximity sensor, a mechanical or electromechanical button. Side door (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a handle recess (4) formed between the outside door handle (2) and the side door (1) by the outside door handle (2) is open upwards or downwards in the motor vehicle height direction (Z) and forwards and backwards in a motor vehicle longitudinal direction (X) when the side door (1) is attached to the motor vehicle. Side door (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the sensor (3) is arranged and designed to detect the hand when it is located in the handle recess (4).Side door (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the outside door handle (2) has an illumination device arranged and configured to emit a light visible to the human eye to an area surrounding the outside door handle (2). Side door (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the illumination device comprises a light source (5) with a light guide (6). which are arranged such that, in the state in which the side door (1) is attached to the motor vehicle, the light emitted by the light source (5) via the light guide (6) to the surroundings of the outside door handle (2) is emitted upwards in the motor vehicle height direction (Z). Side door (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that: - the light source (5) is arranged laterally of an elongated recess (7) in the outside door handle (2), wherein a longitudinal direction of the recess (7) extends along the motor vehicle longitudinal direction (X) in the state in which the side door (1) is attached to the motor vehicle, - the light guide (6) is arranged below the recess (7), and - the outside door handle has a partition (8) which is arranged in the recess (7) between the area surrounding the outside door handle (2) and the light guide (6) and divides the recess into partial regions (9). Side door (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the recess (7) is closed by a transparent or frosted surface (12). Side door (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the side door (1) has a locking mechanism and is designed to unlock the locking mechanism when the hand is detected by the sensor (3). Side door (1) according to claim 9, as far as dependent on one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the side door (1) is designed to control the lighting device depending on a state of the locking mechanism.