Structure that prevents doors from opening during a vehicle collision

Abstract

The present invention relates to a structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening during a vehicle collision, the structure comprising a handle housing, a door handle and a blocking rod assembly, the handle housing comprising a housing stopper, the door handle being rotatably mounted on the handle housing around a door handle rotation axis, a rotating contact end being formed at one end of the door handle, the blocking rod assembly comprising a blocking rod and an auxiliary rod, the blocking rod being rotatably connected to the handle housing and having an inertia portion formed on the end of the blocking rod, the auxiliary rod selectively protruding from the blocking rod, wherein, when the blocking rod assembly is rotated by an external impact applied to the blocking rod assembly, the auxiliary rod protrudes from the blocking rod so as to be captured by the housing stopper and positioned in a moving path of the rotating contact end.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0113303 filed on Sep. 4, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening during a vehicle collision. More particularly, the present invention relates to a structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening during a vehicle collision, wherein the door opening function can be maintained after preventing the door from opening during a vehicle collision. Background Art

[0004] Generally, a vehicle has a compartment in which a driver or accompanying passengers can board, and a compartment opening door is provided to open or close the compartment.

[0005] The inside door handle is installed on the inside of the door facing the inside of the vehicle so that the cabin door can be easily opened or closed by the occupant, and the outside door handle is installed on the outer surface facing the outside of the cabin.

[0006] Each door handle is connected to interlock with a door latch that secures the door to the vehicle body, so that the door can be opened by releasing the door latch according to the operation of each door handle.

[0007] The outside door handle is generally mounted to be pivotally movable on an outer panel of the door, and is provided to protrude outwardly in the width direction of the vehicle on the outer panel of the door so that an occupant can easily grasp it.

[0008] If the outer door handle is arranged to protrude outward in the width direction of the vehicle as described above, the operator's convenience of operation is improved, but the appearance of the vehicle may be deteriorated due to the protruding outer door handle. In addition, it may cause driving noise when the vehicle is running and deteriorate the driving performance due to driving resistance.

[0009] Recently, in order to solve this problem, in some cases, the outside door handle protrudes outward from the door outer panel in the width direction of the vehicle by driving an actuator (motor), or is accommodated in a receiving hole formed on the door outer panel. Therefore, a retractable outside door handle that does not protrude outside the door outer panel is being developed.

[0010] In a conventional retractable exterior door handle assembly, the exterior door handle is protruded from the exterior door panel by a linkage mechanism through an actuator, or is stored in a receiving hole of the exterior door panel, and the door is locked to the vehicle body. Alternatively, it is connected to a door lock mechanism, which includes a cylinder with a key that can be operated to release the cylinder, so that the door lock mechanism directly locks the door to or releases it from the vehicle body.

[0011] However, in the structure of the conventional retractable exterior door handle assembly as described above, in the event of a vehicle collision, the flat door handle may not undesirably protrude, so that the door may not be opened. It is necessary to restore the door to normal operation and develop a device or structure for this purpose.

[0012] The information disclosed in this background technology section is only intended to deepen the understanding of the general background technology of the present invention, and shall not be regarded as an admission or any form of suggestion that the information constitutes the prior art already known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0013] Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a structure for preventing a door from opening at the time of a vehicle collision, wherein a door opening function can be maintained after the door is prevented from opening during the vehicle collision.

[0014] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening during a vehicle collision may include a handle housing, a door handle and a blocking rod assembly, the handle housing including a housing stopper, the door handle being rotatably mounted on the handle housing around a door handle rotation axis, wherein a rotating contact end is formed at one end of the door handle; the blocking rod assembly includes a blocking rod and an auxiliary rod, the blocking rod being rotatably connected to the handle housing and having an inertia portion formed on the end of the blocking rod, the auxiliary rod selectively protruding from the blocking rod, wherein, when the blocking rod assembly is rotated by an external impact applied to the blocking rod assembly, the auxiliary rod protrudes from the blocking rod so as to be captured by the housing stopper and positioned in a moving path of the rotating contact end.

[0015] The blocking lever assembly may further include a lever spring which rotates the blocking lever assembly when the rotation contact end portion presses the auxiliary lever to move the blocking lever assembly out of a movement path of the rotation contact end portion.

[0016] The blocking lever assembly may further include an auxiliary lever spring for elastically supporting the auxiliary lever in a predetermined direction.

[0017] The blocking rod assembly may have a rod insertion portion formed to enable the auxiliary rod to move.

[0018] The blocking lever assembly may further include an auxiliary lever guide pin, and the auxiliary lever may have a guide groove into which the auxiliary lever guide pin is inserted.

[0019] A blocking stopper may be formed on the blocking lever to limit rotation of the blocking lever assembly by contacting the handle housing.

[0020] The blocking lever assembly may further include a blocking lever protrusion that contacts the rotation contact end portion when the rotation contact end portion presses the auxiliary lever.

[0021] The rotation contact end portion may be formed obliquely.

[0022] The blocking lever assembly may further include a lever pin rotatably coupling the blocking lever assembly to the handle housing.

[0023] According to the structure of preventing a door from opening at the time of a vehicle collision according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the blocking lever assembly rotates during a vehicle collision to prevent rotation of a door handle and then the door opening function may be maintained.

[0024] In addition, the effects that can be obtained or expected by the exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be directly or implicitly included in the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. That is, the expected various effects according to the various exemplary embodiments of the present invention are included in the detailed description described later.

[0025] The methods and apparatus of the present invention have other features and advantages that will be apparent from, or will be described in detail in, the accompanying drawings and subsequent embodiments incorporated herein, which together serve to explain the specific principles of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a structure for preventing a door from opening at the time of a vehicle collision according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a blocking rod assembly of a structure for preventing a door from opening at the time of a vehicle collision according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a blocking rod assembly of a structure for preventing a door from opening at the time of a vehicle collision according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 It is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view along line IV-IV showing the setting state.

[0030] Figure 5 It is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view along line VV of FIG. 1 , which shows the setting state.

[0031] Figure 6 It is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view along line IV-IV of the vehicle, which shows the state of the vehicle after the collision.

[0032] Figure 7 It is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view along line IV-IV of the vehicle, which shows the operating state of the door handle after the vehicle collision.

[0033] Figure 8 It is along Figure 1 2 is a cross-sectional view along line VV of the vehicle, which shows the operating state of the door handle after the vehicle collision.

[0034] Fig. 9 , Fig.10 and Fig.11 It is along Figure 1 A sectional view along line IV-IV of , which shows the operation of returning to the set state according to the operation of the door handle.

[0035] It is to be understood that the accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale, but are schematically simplified to present various features to show the basic principles of the present invention. The specific design features of the present invention disclosed herein include, for example, specific dimensions, directions, positions and shapes that will be determined in part by the specific environment to be applied and used.

[0036] In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings and are described below. Although the present invention will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that this specification is not intended to limit the present invention to those exemplary embodiments. On the other hand, the present invention is intended to cover not only exemplary embodiments of the present invention, but also various alternative forms, modified forms, equivalent forms and other embodiments that may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0038] In the following detailed description, only certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, simply by way of illustration.

[0039] As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

[0040] Throughout the specification, components denoted by the same reference numerals refer to the same components.

[0041] In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc., are exaggerated for clarity.

[0042] When a part such as a layer, a film, a region or a plate is referred to as being 'on' another part, this includes not only the case of being directly on the other part but also the case of having another part therebetween.

[0043] In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" another element, there are no intervening elements present.

[0044] Throughout the specification, when a part “includes” a certain component, it means that other components may be further included rather than excluding other components, unless there is a special description to the contrary.

[0045] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0046] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a structure for preventing a door from opening at the time of a vehicle collision according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0047] refer to Figure 1 , a structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening during a vehicle collision according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention includes a handle housing 10, a door handle 20, and a blocking rod assembly 30, wherein the door handle 20 is mounted on the handle housing 10 and has a rotation contact end 24 formed at one end thereof.

[0048] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a blocking rod assembly of a structure for preventing a door from opening at the time of a vehicle collision according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a blocking rod assembly of a structure for preventing a door from opening at the time of a vehicle collision according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0049] refer to Figures 1 to 3 The blocking lever assembly 30 includes a blocking lever 50 rotatably coupled to the handle housing 10 and having the inertia portion 32 formed therein, and an auxiliary lever 34 selectively protruding from the blocking lever 50 .

[0050] The blocking lever assembly 30 may further include a lever spring 40 which rotates the blocking lever assembly 30 when the rotation contact end portion 24 presses the auxiliary lever 34 .

[0051] The blocking lever assembly 30 may further include an auxiliary lever spring 36 elastically supporting the auxiliary lever 34 .

[0052] The blocking lever assembly 30 may further include a lever pin 48 rotatably coupling the blocking lever assembly 30 to the handle housing 10 .

[0053] A rod insertion portion 42 may be formed in the blocking rod 50 such that the auxiliary rod 34 may move therein.

[0054] The blocking rod assembly 30 further includes an auxiliary rod guide pin 38, and the auxiliary rod 34 may have a guide groove 35 into which the auxiliary rod guide pin 38 is inserted. A connecting hole 52 is formed on the blocking rod 50, and the auxiliary rod guide pin 38 is inserted into the connecting hole 52 and the guide groove 35. Therefore, the auxiliary rod 34 can move within the rod insertion portion 42 and pass through the auxiliary rod guide pin 38 without being separated from the blocking rod 50.

[0055] A blocking stopper 44 may be formed on the blocking lever 50 to limit rotation of the blocking lever assembly 30 by contacting the handle housing 10 .

[0056] The blocking lever assembly 30 may further include a blocking lever protrusion 46 which contacts the rotation contact end portion 24 when the rotation contact end portion 24 presses the auxiliary lever 34 .

[0057] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 5 , the rotation contact end portion 24 that contacts the auxiliary rod 34 is formed in an inclined manner so that the auxiliary rod 34 can be pressed smoothly without being stuck.

[0058] Figure 4 It is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view along line IV-IV showing the setting state, Figure 5 It is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view along line VV of FIG. 1 , which shows the setting state.

[0059] Figure 6 It is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view along line IV-IV of the vehicle, which shows the state of the vehicle after the collision.

[0060] refer to Figures 1 to 6 , a housing stopper 12 is formed on the handle housing 10 , and the door handle 20 is rotatably mounted on the handle housing 10 around a door handle rotation axis 22 .

[0061] The stopper contact portion 11 is formed in the handle housing 10, and the blocking stopper 44 contacts therewith. A state in which the stopper contact portion 11 and the blocking stopper 44 contact through the lever spring 40 is defined as a set state.

[0062] exist Figure 4 and Figure 5In the illustrated setting state, when an external impact is applied to the vehicle, the blocking lever assembly 30 rotates.

[0063] That is, Figure 6 As shown, when an external impact occurs, the blocking lever assembly 30 rotates around the lever pin 48 due to the weight of the inertia portion 32. The external impact may be, for example, a side impact of a vehicle, and the impact amount may be, for example, 30G or more, but is not limited thereto.

[0064] When the blocking lever assembly 30 is rotated by an external impact, the auxiliary lever 34 contacting the housing stopper 12 is protruded by the auxiliary lever spring 36 and caught by the housing stopper 12 , and is positioned in the moving path M of the rotating contact end portion 24 .

[0065] Figure 7 It is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1 , which shows the operating state of the door handle after the vehicle collision, Figure 8 It is along Figure 1 2 is a cross-sectional view along line VV of the vehicle, which shows the operating state of the door handle after the vehicle collision.

[0066] When the blocking lever assembly 30 is rotated and positioned in the moving path M of the rotating contact end 24, the door can be prevented from accidentally opening even if the door handle 20 rotates. For example, even if the door handle 20 rotates due to an impact, the blocking lever assembly 30 prevents the door handle 20 from fully operating.

[0067] That is, after the door handle 20 is rotated and the rotation contact end portion 24 presses the auxiliary lever 34 , the blocking lever protrusion 46 comes into contact with the rotation contact end portion 24 to prevent additional rotation of the door handle 20 .

[0068] Fig. 9 , Fig.10 and Fig.11 It is along Figure 1 A sectional view along line IV-IV of , which shows the operation of returning to the set state according to the operation of the door handle.

[0069] Thereafter, when the external force applied to the door handle 20 is removed or the door handle 20 is in its initial position by the door handle spring, the blocking lever assembly 30 is returned to the set state by the lever spring 40 .

[0070] That is, Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, when the blocking lever assembly 30 is rotated by the lever spring 40 while the rotation contact end 24 presses the auxiliary lever 34 , the blocking lever assembly 30 rotates without being interfered by the housing stopper 12 .

[0071] And, if Fig.11As shown, the stopper contact portion 11 and the blocking stopper 44 contact each other, and the blocking lever assembly 30 returns to the set state.

[0072] Thereafter, the blocking lever assembly 30 deviates from the movement path M of the rotational contact end portion 24 , and the door handle 20 is fully operable to open the door of the vehicle.

[0073] like Figure 6 As shown in the state where the blocking lever assembly 30 blocks the moving path M of the rotation contact end portion 24 , even if the door handle 20 is rotated by an external impact, the door can be prevented from being accidentally opened.

[0074] In addition, when the blocking lever assembly 30 blocks the moving path M of the rotating contact end portion 24 and the door handle 20 does not rotate, the door cannot be opened in the first operation of the outsider opening the door handle 20. However, the blocking lever assembly 30 can be returned to the set state. Therefore, in the second operation of the outsider opening the door handle 20, the door can be opened, ensuring the safety of the vehicle occupants.

[0075] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the blocking rod 50 is “L” shaped, wherein a first end of the blocking rod 50 includes the inertia portion 32 , and wherein the auxiliary rod 34 is slidably mounted on a second end of the blocking rod 50 .

[0076] In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the rotation contact end portion 24 is formed obliquely.

[0077] In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the end portion of the auxiliary rod 34 is formed obliquely.

[0078] For convenience of explanation and precise definition of the appended claims, the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "above", "below", "upward", "downward", "front", "rear", "behind", "inside", "outside", "inward", "outward", "interior", "exterior", "inner", "exterior", "forward" and "rearward" are used to describe the features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as shown in the accompanying drawings. It will be further understood that the term "connect" or its derivatives refer to both direct and indirect connections.

[0079] The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise embodiments disclosed, and it is apparent that various modifications and variations may be made in accordance with the foregoing teachings. The exemplary embodiments are selected and described in order to explain the specific principles of the present invention and their practical applications, so that other persons skilled in the art can implement and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention and various selected forms and modified forms thereof. The scope of the present invention is intended to be limited by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening when a vehicle collides, the structure include: a handle housing including a housing stop; a door handle rotatably mounted on the handle housing about a door handle rotation axis, wherein a rotation contact end is formed at an end of the door handle; and A blocking rod assembly, the blocking rod assembly comprising: a blocking lever rotatably coupled to the handle housing and having an inertia portion formed on a first end portion of the blocking lever; and an auxiliary rod slidably mounted on the second end of the blocking rod and configured to selectively protrude from the second end of the blocking rod; Wherein, when the blocking lever assembly is rotated by an external impact applied to the blocking lever assembly, the auxiliary lever protrudes from the blocking lever to be caught by the housing stopper and positioned in a moving path of the rotating contact end.

2. The structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening when a vehicle collides according to claim 1, in, The blocking lever assembly further includes a lever spring that elastically biases the blocking lever away from a movement path of the rotating contact end.

3. The structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening when a vehicle collides according to claim 1, in, The blocking lever assembly further includes a lever spring that rotates the blocking lever assembly when the rotating contact end portion presses the auxiliary lever to move the blocking lever assembly out of a moving path of the rotating contact end portion.

4. The structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening when a vehicle collides according to claim 1, in, The blocking lever assembly further includes an auxiliary lever spring for elastically supporting the auxiliary lever in a predetermined direction.

5. The structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening when a vehicle collides according to claim 4, in, The auxiliary lever spring is mounted in the second end portion of the blocking lever.

6. The structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening when a vehicle collides according to claim 1, in, The second end of the blocking rod has a rod insertion portion, and the auxiliary rod is slidably mounted in the rod insertion portion so that the auxiliary rod can move through the rod insertion portion.

7. The structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening when a vehicle collides according to claim 1, in, The blocking rod assembly further comprises an auxiliary rod guide pin, Wherein, the auxiliary rod has a guide groove, and the auxiliary rod guide pin connected to the blocking rod is inserted into the guide groove.

8. The structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening when a vehicle collides according to claim 1, in, A blocking stopper is formed on a portion of the blocking lever to limit rotation of the blocking lever assembly by contacting the handle housing.

9. The structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening when a vehicle collides according to claim 2, in, The second end portion of the blocking lever includes a blocking lever protrusion that contacts the rotational contact end portion when the rotational contact end portion of the door handle presses the auxiliary lever.

10. The structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening when a vehicle collides according to claim 2, in, The rotation contact end portion of the door handle is formed obliquely.

11. The structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening when a vehicle collides according to claim 2, in, An end portion of the auxiliary lever protruding from the second end portion of the blocking lever is formed obliquely.

12. The structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening when a vehicle collides according to claim 1, in, The blocking lever assembly further includes a lever pin that rotatably couples the blocking lever assembly to the handle housing.

13. The structure for preventing a vehicle door from opening when a vehicle collides according to claim 1, in, The blocking rod is in an "L" shape. Wherein, the first end of the blocking rod comprises an inertia portion, Wherein, the auxiliary rod can be slidably mounted on the second end of the blocking rod.

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