Door edge protection device

Abstract

The application provides a vehicle door edge protection device, when the vehicle door is slightly opened, the operation cannot make the protection sheet move, thereby reducing abrasion, abnormal sound and the like, and significantly prolonging the service life; in addition, the application also has the advantages of significantly reducing the number of parts, shortening the transmission chain, high energy transmission efficiency, small space occupation, and adapting to the thin door design trend. The structure comprises: a driver assembly, the driver assembly comprising a cable; an actuator assembly, the actuator assembly comprising an elastic reset member, a turnover swing arm and a protection sheet; a connecting assembly between the driver assembly and the actuator assembly, the connecting assembly comprising a flexible sleeve, a spring rod and a compression spring, when the cable is released, the compression spring can first push the spring rod to move to make the flexible sleeve and the cable inside the flexible sleeve bend until the spring rod is limited to move, and then the release of the cable can make the turnover swing arm turn over.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive door technology, specifically to a door edge protection device. Background Technology

[0002] With increasingly scarce urban parking spaces, coupled with the trend of ever-growing car dimensions, the risk of car door edges colliding with adjacent vehicles, walls, pillars, and other obstacles when opening a vehicle has significantly increased. Such "door-opening collisions" can not only cause scratches on the paint and dents on the edges, but in severe cases, can even affect the door's sealing and overall appearance.

[0003] To address the aforementioned issues, existing technologies conceal flexible protective panels inside the car door. The opening action of the car door is used to drive the protective panel to automatically extend and cover the edge of the car door for protection via a mechanical transmission mechanism. Furthermore, when the car door is closed, the protective panel can be driven to retract into the car door via the mechanical transmission mechanism, achieving a balance between automatic protection and a clean appearance.

[0004] Specifically, existing door edge protection devices generally include a drive and an actuator. The drive includes a cable (usually a steel wire rope with limited elasticity) and is connected to the actuator. The drive can be linked with the door. When the door is opened, the cable in the drive is released, and when the door is closed, the cable in the drive is pulled. The actuator includes an elastic reset element (e.g., a torsion spring) and a tilting arm. A protective plate is mounted on the tilting arm. The elastic reset element can provide the force to rotate the tilting arm and extend the protective plate. When the door is closed, the cable can hold the tilting arm to prevent it from being driven to rotate by the elastic reset element, thus keeping the protective plate inside the door. When the door is opened, the cable is released, and the tilting arm is driven to rotate by the elastic reset element, causing the protective plate to gradually extend out of the door and cover the edge of the door for protection.

[0005] However, in actual use, it has been found that in many cases, the car door only needs to be opened slightly, such as to pick up an item, or to open and close the door slightly if it is not closed properly. In these cases, there is no need to trigger the protective plate. If the actuator is frequently triggered due to these situations, it will affect the service life of the component and accelerate the fatigue of the elastic reset component, causing the protective plate to fail to extend. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned issues, this invention provides a door edge protection device. When the door is slightly opened, this operation prevents the protective plate from moving, thereby reducing wear, abnormal noise, and significantly extending its service life.

[0007] The technical solution is as follows: a door edge protection device, comprising: a drive assembly, wherein the drive assembly includes a cable;

[0008] An actuator assembly, comprising a resilient reset member, a tilting arm, and a protective plate, wherein the resilient reset member is capable of driving the tilting arm to extend the protective plate out of the door for protection during the opening of the vehicle door;

[0009] During the opening of the vehicle door, the cable can be released by the drive assembly and pulled toward the actuator assembly to cause the tilting arm to tilt; during the closing of the vehicle door, the cable can be pulled by the drive assembly and cause the tilting arm to tilt in the opposite direction, causing the protective plate to retract into the vehicle door.

[0010] The feature is that it further includes a connecting component located between the driver assembly and the actuator assembly. The connecting component includes a flexible sleeve, a spring rod, and a compression spring. The cable extends from the starting end of the driver assembly and passes sequentially through the flexible sleeve, the spring rod, and the compression spring before connecting to the ending end of the actuator assembly. One end of the flexible sleeve facing the starting end of the cable is restricted from moving towards the starting end, and the other end is connected to one end of the spring rod. The other end of the spring rod is connected to one end of the compression spring, and the other end of the compression spring is restricted from moving towards the ending end. The spring rod is movable and is restricted from moving towards the starting end when it reaches a first limit point. When the cable is released, the compression spring can first push the spring rod to move, causing the flexible sleeve and the cable inside it to bend until the spring rod is restricted from moving. Only after the cable is released can the tilting arm tilt.

[0011] Furthermore, the actuator assembly also includes a rotating shaft connected to the tilting arm. Forward rotation of the rotating shaft can cause the tilting arm to tilt and extend the protective plate out of the door. Reverse rotation of the rotating shaft can cause the tilting arm to tilt in the opposite direction and retract the protective plate into the door.

[0012] The elastic reset member and the cable are respectively connected to the rotating shaft. The tension of the cable can provide a force to make the rotating shaft rotate in the opposite direction and allow the elastic reset member to accumulate elastic force. The elastic force of the elastic reset member can provide a force to make the rotating shaft rotate in the forward direction.

[0013] Furthermore, the elastic reset element is a torsion spring.

[0014] Furthermore, the connecting assembly also includes a first housing, within which a mounting cavity is provided. Through holes are formed at both ends of the mounting cavity for the cable to pass through. The spring rod and the compression spring are mounted within the mounting cavity. One end of the spring rod can extend out of the mounting cavity through the cable hole, and the other end of the compression spring abuts against the inner wall of the mounting cavity facing the end point. The first limiting point is the inner wall of the mounting cavity facing the starting end. A flange is provided in the middle of the spring rod, which cannot pass through the through holes. The flange abuts against the inner wall of the mounting cavity, restricting the spring rod from moving towards the starting end.

[0015] Furthermore, the actuator assembly also includes a push rod, a cable swing arm, an actuator spring, and a second housing. The push rod is slidably mounted in the second housing, with one end in contact with the vehicle body side panel. The cable swing arm is rotatably connected in the second housing. The actuator spring is used to make the push rod contact the vehicle body side panel and to move the push rod as the door is opened or closed. The cable is fixed to the cable swing arm and forms the starting end. The movement of the push rod can cause the cable swing arm to swing and pull the cable or cause the cable to be released.

[0016] Furthermore, the push rod includes a hollow slide rail located in the middle, and a trigger rod is provided in the hollow slide rail. The trigger rod can move with the push rod. The trigger end of the cable swing arm is located in the hollow slide rail. The trigger end has an arc-shaped guide surface. The tension at the end of the cable can keep the trigger rod in contact with the arc-shaped guide surface, and the cable swing arm swings through the concave and convex changes of the arc-shaped guide surface.

[0017] Beneficial effects: 1. For the first time, on-demand triggering is achieved, significantly extending service life and increasing versatility; This invention uses a connecting component to ensure that the tilting arm will not tilt even when the cable is released. Only when the cable is continuously released to a certain length can the tilting arm tilt. Thus, when the car door is slightly opened, the protective plate cannot pop out, thereby reducing wear, abnormal noise, etc., and significantly extending service life.

[0018] 2. Significantly reduced number of parts and high system integration: The present invention adopts a three-module architecture of "driver assembly + connection assembly + actuator assembly", and the total number of parts of the whole mechanism is controlled within 24, thereby giving the device the advantages of simplified assembly, improved reliability, convenient maintenance and controllable manufacturing.

[0019] 3. Shortened transmission chain and high energy transmission efficiency: This invention adopts a transmission path in which the cable is directly connected to the rotating shaft through the spring rod. When the cable is released, the empty stroke of the small opening of the car door only involves the movement of the spring rod (first-level transmission), and the working stroke of the large opening of the car door only involves the movement of the elastic reset element and the rotating shaft (second-level transmission). The number of transmission stages is 2, and the fit clearance and friction loss of each transmission link are reduced accordingly. The energy transmission efficiency is significantly improved, the response time is significantly shortened, and the performance degradation caused by wear after long-term use is lower.

[0020] 4. Small footprint, adaptable to the trend of thin door design; the tilting arm in the actuator assembly is directly sleeved on the pivot, without the need for additional support structure; a small compression spring is used, resulting in a smaller overall space and lighter weight; under the current trend of vehicle lightweighting and thin door design (the interior of the door needs to accommodate window regulators, speakers, side impact beams, wiring harnesses, door locks, etc.), this invention can well adapt to the interior space constraints of compact cars and new energy vehicles, providing greater flexibility for the overall vehicle layout. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the installation structure of the connecting components and the actuator components (flexible sleeve omitted).

[0022] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the exploded structure;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of this solution;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the driver assembly;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the push rod and the cable swing arm;

[0026] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A cross-sectional view. Detailed Implementation

[0027] like Figures 1-4 The door edge protection device shown includes: a drive assembly, which includes a cable 1 (which may be a steel wire rope) with limited elasticity; and an actuator assembly, which includes an elastic reset member 6 (e.g., a torsion spring), a tilting arm 8, and a protective plate 5. The elastic reset member 6 can drive the tilting arm 8 to extend the protective plate 5 out of the door for protection during the door opening process. During the door opening process, the cable 1 can be released by the drive assembly and pulled towards the actuator assembly to tilt the arm 8. During the door closing process, the cable 1 can be pulled by the drive assembly and tilt the arm 8 in the opposite direction to retract the protective plate 5 into the door.

[0028] It also includes a connecting assembly located between the driver assembly and the actuator assembly. The connecting assembly includes a flexible sleeve 9, a spring rod 2, and a compression spring 3. The cable 1 extends from the starting end of the driver assembly and passes through the flexible sleeve 9, the spring rod 2, and the compression spring 3 in sequence before connecting to the ending end of the actuator assembly. One end of the flexible sleeve 9 facing the starting end of the cable 1 is restricted from moving towards the starting end, and the other end is connected to one end of the spring rod 2. The other end of the spring rod 2 is connected to one end of the compression spring 3, and the other end of the compression spring 3 is restricted from moving towards the ending end. The spring rod 2 can move and is restricted from moving towards the starting end when it moves to the first limit point. When the cable 1 is released, the compression spring 3 can first push the spring rod 2 to move, causing the flexible sleeve 9 and the cable 1 inside it to bend until the spring rod 2 is restricted from moving. Only after the cable 1 is released can the tilting arm 8 tilt.

[0029] To better understand how to achieve a small door opening without triggering the tilting arm 8 (i.e., the abuse protection phase described below) through the connection components, combined with Figure 3 The a and d ends of the cable 1 are the starting and ending ends of the cable, respectively. The b end of the flexible sleeve 9 is restricted from moving towards the a end. One end of the compression spring 3 abuts against the c end of the spring rod 2, and the other end abuts against the first housing 4. The spring rod 2 can move laterally until the flange 2-1 on it abuts against the first housing 4 at e, thereby being restricted from moving towards the a end.

[0030] The device goes through three stages when the car door is opened:

[0031] (1) Abuse protection stage (angle ≤ α°);

[0032] When the car door is opened from the closed state to a small angle (such as when picking up items, abusing the door, or closing the door improperly the first time and then closing it again), the opening angle is too small, making it impossible for people to get out of the car. The gap between the door and the car body increases slightly. At this time, the cable 1 is slightly released. When the cable 1 is released, the compression spring 3 can push the spring rod 2 to the starting end a (left end) first (by making the torque of the compression spring 3 greater than the torque of the elastic reset member 6, the compression spring 3 is triggered before the elastic reset member 6). The spring rod 2 can apply a leftward thrust to the flexible sleeve 9. Since the b end of the flexible sleeve 9 is limited, the flexible sleeve 9 can only meet the reduced gap between the spring rod 2 and the b end by bending. The bent flexible sleeve 9 will force the released cable 1 to bend downward together, so that the increased length of the cable 1 due to the release is not transmitted to the d end to cause the tilting arm 8 to tilt, thus achieving the purpose of slightly opening the door without triggering the tilting arm 8.

[0033] (2) Protection phase before disembarking (angle α°~β°);

[0034] When the door opening angle increases further, the cable 1 is released further. The spring rod 1 is limited at point e and cannot move to the left. Therefore, the bending of the flexible sleeve 9 has a limit. At this time, the further release of the cable 1 will directly release the elastic reset piece 6, thereby causing the tilting arm 8 to tilt and the protective plate 5 to gradually extend.

[0035] (3) Full protection stage (angle ≥ β°);

[0036] When the door opening angle reaches β° or above, the cable 1 is fully released, the elastic reset component 6 is fully released and drives the tilting arm 8 to tilt into place, and the protective plate 5 completely covers the door edge, achieving the purpose of full protection.

[0037] During this stage, as long as the door opening angle is ≥β°, even with repeated door opening and closing operations, the actuator components will not generate any additional actions, further preventing the mechanism from being frequently triggered and effectively extending its service life.

[0038] When the car door is closed, the specific process is as follows: As the cable 1 continues to pull towards end a, the flip arm 8 flips in the opposite direction and eventually retracts into the car door. When the elastic reset piece 6 reaches its limit position due to the pull of the cable 1, by further pulling the cable 1, the starting end a of the cable 1 will force the bent flexible sleeve 9 to straighten in order to stretch further. The stretching amount is obtained from the cable 1 bent in the flexible sleeve 9. Since the b end of the flexible sleeve 9 is limited, it can only extend towards the spring rod 2, thereby causing the spring rod 2 to move to the right and squeeze the compression spring 3, thus preparing for the next opening of the car door.

[0039] Based on the above, the actuator assembly also includes a rotating shaft 7, which is connected to a tilting arm 8. The forward rotation of the rotating shaft 7 can cause the tilting arm 8 to tilt and extend the protective plate 5 out of the door. The reverse rotation of the rotating shaft 7 can cause the tilting arm 8 to tilt in the opposite direction and retract the protective plate 5 into the door. The elastic reset member 6 and the cable 1 are respectively connected to the rotating shaft 7. The pull of the cable 1 can provide a force to make the rotating shaft 7 rotate in the opposite direction and allow the elastic reset member 6 to accumulate elastic force. The elastic force of the elastic reset member 6 can provide a force to make the rotating shaft 7 rotate in the forward direction.

[0040] The connecting assembly also includes a first housing 4, which has a mounting cavity. The mounting cavity has through holes at both ends for the cable 1 to pass through. The spring rod 2 and the compression spring 3 are installed in the mounting cavity. One end of the spring rod 2 can extend out of the mounting cavity through the cable hole. The other end of the compression spring 3 abuts against the inner wall of the mounting cavity facing the end point. The first limiting point e is the inner wall of the mounting cavity facing the starting point. The spring rod 2 has a flange 2-1 in the middle. The flange 2-1 cannot pass through the through hole. The flange 2-1 abuts against the inner wall of the mounting cavity, thus restricting the spring rod 2 from moving towards the starting point.

[0041] In addition, combined Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 The drive assembly also includes a push rod 10, a cable swing arm 11, a drive spring 12, and a second housing 13. The push rod 10 is slidably mounted in the second housing 13, and one end of it contacts the side of the vehicle body. The cable swing arm 11 is rotatably connected in the second housing 13. The drive spring 12 is used to make the push rod 10 contact the side of the vehicle body and to move the push rod 10 as the door is opened or closed. The cable 1 is fixed to the cable swing arm 11 and forms the starting end. The movement of the push rod 10 can cause the cable swing arm 11 to swing and cause the cable 1 to be pulled or to be released.

[0042] Specifically, the push rod 10 includes a hollow slide 10-1 located in the middle, and a trigger rod 10-2 is provided inside the hollow slide 10-1. The trigger rod 10-2 can move with the push rod 10. The trigger end of the cable swing arm 11 is located inside the hollow slide 10-1 and has an arc-shaped guide surface 11-1. The tension at the end of the cable 1 can keep the trigger rod 10-2 in contact with the arc-shaped guide surface 11-1, and the cable swing arm 11 swings through the concave and convex changes of the arc-shaped guide surface 11-1.

[0043] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. Door edge protection device, including: A drive assembly, the drive assembly including a cable; An actuator assembly, comprising a resilient reset member, a tilting arm, and a protective plate, wherein the resilient reset member is capable of driving the tilting arm to extend the protective plate out of the door for protection during the opening of the vehicle door; During the opening of the vehicle door, the cable can be released by the drive assembly and pulled toward the actuator assembly to cause the tilting arm to tilt; during the closing of the vehicle door, the cable can be pulled by the drive assembly and cause the tilting arm to tilt in the opposite direction, causing the protective plate to retract into the vehicle door. The feature is that it further includes a connecting component located between the driver assembly and the actuator assembly. The connecting component includes a flexible sleeve, a spring rod, and a compression spring. The cable extends from the starting end of the driver assembly and passes sequentially through the flexible sleeve, the spring rod, and the compression spring before connecting to the ending end of the actuator assembly. One end of the flexible sleeve facing the starting end of the cable is restricted from moving towards the starting end, and the other end is connected to one end of the spring rod. The other end of the spring rod is connected to one end of the compression spring, and the other end of the compression spring is restricted from moving towards the ending end. The spring rod is movable and is restricted from moving towards the starting end when it reaches a first limit point. When the cable is released, the compression spring can first push the spring rod to move, causing the flexible sleeve and the cable inside it to bend until the spring rod is restricted from moving. Only after the cable is released can the tilting arm tilt.

2. The door edge protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuator assembly also includes a rotating shaft connected to the tilting arm. Forward rotation of the rotating shaft can cause the tilting arm to tilt and extend the protective plate out of the door. Reverse rotation of the rotating shaft can cause the tilting arm to tilt in the opposite direction and retract the protective plate into the door. The elastic reset member and the cable are respectively connected to the rotating shaft. The tension of the cable can provide a force to make the rotating shaft rotate in the opposite direction and allow the elastic reset member to accumulate elastic force. The elastic force of the elastic reset member can provide a force to make the rotating shaft rotate in the forward direction.

3. The door edge protection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The elastic reset element is a torsion spring.

4. The door edge protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting assembly further includes a first housing with a mounting cavity. Through holes are provided at both ends of the mounting cavity for the cable to pass through. The spring rod and the compression spring are mounted within the mounting cavity. One end of the spring rod can extend out of the mounting cavity through the cable hole, and the other end of the compression spring abuts against the inner wall of the mounting cavity facing the end point. The first limiting point is the inner wall of the mounting cavity facing the starting end. A flange is provided in the middle of the spring rod, which cannot pass through the through hole. The flange abuts against the inner wall of the mounting cavity, restricting the spring rod from moving towards the starting end.

5. The door edge protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuator assembly further includes a push rod, a cable swing arm, an actuator spring, and a second housing. The push rod is slidably mounted in the second housing, with one end in contact with the side panel of the vehicle body. The cable swing arm is rotatably connected in the second housing. The actuator spring is used to make the push rod contact the side panel of the vehicle body and to move the push rod as the door is opened or closed. The cable is fixed to the cable swing arm and forms the starting end. The movement of the push rod can cause the cable swing arm to swing and pull the cable or cause the cable to be released.

6. The door edge protection device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The push rod includes a hollow slide rail located in the middle, and a trigger rod is provided in the hollow slide rail. The trigger rod can move with the push rod. The trigger end of the cable swing arm is located in the hollow slide rail. The trigger end has an arc-shaped guide surface. The tension at the end of the cable can keep the trigger rod in contact with the arc-shaped guide surface, and the cable swing arm swings through the concave and convex changes of the arc-shaped guide surface.

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