Cable connection and arrangement for vehicle door

Abstract

Rope connector (10), comprising: a hollow cylinder (12) dimensioned to accommodate a section of a casing (16); and exactly one lever comprising: exactly one leaf (22) which is supported by the hollow cylinder (12); a pivoting surface (34) around which the blade (22) pivots; an engagement element that is attached to the sheet (22) and is spaced apart from the pivot surface (34) in a first direction; exactly one tab (26) which is attached to the sheet (22) and comprises a surface which is spaced from the pivoting surface (34) in a second direction opposite to the first direction, wherein a force can be exerted on the tab (26) to pivot the engagement element away from the engagement position; and a tab stop (28) which is attached to an inner side surface of the hollow cylinder (12) to limit the pivoting of the tab (26) around the pivoting surface (34) when the tab (26) is pressed down.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a mechanism for actuating a vehicle door handle, and more particularly to a cable connector or cable abutment for engaging and disengaging an inside door handle located outside a door panel upholstery.

[0002] A vehicle technician typically requires practice to learn how to attach a cable to a door handle located on the door outside a door panel pad. During service, technicians may encounter the problem of not knowing exactly how to properly remove the door abutment of the operating cable from its attachment to the door handle. Occasionally, the cable is pulled in an attempt to release the cable assembly, or the technician may inadvertently use a screwdriver to remove the abutment connection. In both cases, the abutment is sometimes broken.

[0003] Currently, door handles use tree-like counterweights attached to the inside surface of the handle. These counterweights can only be removed with a tool.

[0004] DE 197 07 812 A1 discloses an interior locking device for a vehicle door lock. The interior locking device comprises a locking button that can be moved between an unlocking and a locking position and is connected to a locking lever via a Bowden cable serving as a transmission means. The locking button is molded integrally onto one end of the Bowden cable. The Bowden cable is guided in a Bowden cable sleeve. This sleeve has a connecting piece at its end facing the locking button. The locking button is mounted for linear movement in a guide housing, which is locked in an opening in a trim panel via a molded-on stop collar and molded-on locking tabs. The Bowden cable sleeve is secured to the guide housing by means of locking hooks that engage in recesses in the guide housing. The locking hooks are formed integrally with the connecting piece. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The object of the invention is to provide an improved cable connector and an improved arrangement for a vehicle door.

[0006] To achieve this object, a cable connector having the features of claim 1 and an arrangement having the features of claim 6 are provided. Advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the subclaims, the description, and the drawings.

[0007] A cable connector comprises: a hollow cylinder sized to receive a portion of a sheath therein; and one lever comprising one blade carried by the cylinder; a pivoting surface about which the blade pivots; an engagement member attached to the blade and spaced from the pivoting surface in a first direction; one tab attached to the blade and comprising a surface spaced from the pivoting surface in a second direction opposite the first direction and upon which a force can be exerted to resiliently pivot the engagement member away from the engaged position; and a tab stop attached to an inboard side surface of the hollow cylinder to limit pivoting of the tab about the pivoting surface upon depression of the tab.

[0008] The elastic operation of the lever is achieved by an elastic bending, which does not require any spring.

[0009] The design of the abutment allows technicians, operators, and service mechanics to connect and disconnect the rope from the inside handle without the use of tools. A lever on the abutment can be alternately depressed manually and without the use of tools to disengage the rope assembly and released manually and without tools to engage the rope assembly, allowing pivoting of the lever within the ergonomic limits of a thumb-applied load of 45 Newtons.

[0010] The design of the abutment allows for intuitive connection and release, and the likelihood of breakage due to improper use of a tool or incorrect connection or release procedures is reduced. The lever can be a

[0011] Allow attachment and detachment of the cable assembly so that when the lever is depressed, the front end of the abutment is resiliently bent upwards, thereby allowing the abutment to engage or disengage from engagement with the inside door handle.

[0012] The scope of applicability of the preferred embodiment will become apparent from the following detailed description, claims, and drawings. It should be understood that the description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are for illustrative purposes only. Various changes and modifications to the described embodiments and examples will be apparent to those skilled in the art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a cable connector for a vehicle door; Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the cable connector; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the cable connector attached to a door bracket. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] In Fig. 1 and Fig. Referring now to Figure 2, the cable connector 10 comprises a sleeve member, preferably in the form of a hollow cylinder 12 sized to receive a portion of the cable assembly 14 therein. The cable assembly 14 comprises a hollow cylindrical sheath 16 and a cable or rod 18 extending along the length of the sheath. The hollow cylinder 12 allows the rod 18 to extend through the sheath 16 and protrude from one end of the hollow cylinder 12 of the cable connector. A ball 20 is attached to one end of the rod 18. The ball and rod function as an actuating element due to their slidability along, and relative to, the sheath 16 and the cable connector 10.

[0014] The cable connector 10, which is preferably formed from a molded plastic material, includes a blade 22 supported by the outer surface of the hollow cylinder 12; teeth 24 extending from an underside of the blade 22; a tab 26 supported by the blade 22 and serving to actuate the teeth 24; a tab stop 28 attached to an inner side surface of the hollow cylinder 12; and a projection 30 extending from an end of the hollow cylinder opposite the location of the teeth 24. When the tab 26 is depressed, contact between the tab 26 and the tab stop 28 limits the pivoting range of the tab 26.

[0015] The projection 30 assists in manually grasping the cable connector 10 during installation and removal and helps prevent the cable connector 10 from becoming entangled in other cables in the vehicle door assembly. Ribs 32 on the outside of the tab 26 intuitively indicate to an operator where to apply pressure to depress the tab 26.

[0016] The blade 22 is connected to the outer surface of the hollow cylinder 12 at a relatively narrow pivot surface 34 that extends transversely across the outer surface of the cylinder. The attachment points of the serrations 32, at which force is exerted on the tab 26, are spaced along the hollow cylinder 12 from the pivot surface 34 in a first direction. The teeth 24 are spaced along the hollow cylinder 12 from the pivot surface 34 in a second direction opposite the first direction. This arrangement forms a lever that actuates the teeth 24 to engage and disengage them.

[0017] When the tab 26 is pressed down, the blade 22, together with the teeth 24, pivots upward due to the elastic bending that occurs at the pivoting surface 34. When the tab 26 is released, the blade 22, together with the teeth 24, pivots downward due to the elastic bending that occurs at the pivoting surface 34.

[0018] In Fig.3, the cable connector 10 is shown attached to a bracket 36 that is connected to a door handle 44 of a vehicle door. In the attached state, the teeth 24 engage a surface 38 of the bracket 36, thereby securing the cable connector 10 and cable assembly 14 to the bracket. During installation, the rod 18 is passed through a gap between the upper and lower flanges 40, 42 of the bracket 36. The ball 20 engages a cylindrical channel 46 formed in the front region of the door handle 44, enabling the door handle to pivot about the axis of the ball.

[0019] The cable connector 10, together with the cable assembly 14, is attached to the bracket 36 without the aid of a tool by attaching the ball 20 to the cylindrical channel 46 and sliding the teeth 24 transversely over the surface of the upper flange 40, preferably while the tab 26 is manually depressed, and then releasing the tab 26, thus allowing the teeth 24 to pivot downward and engage the surface 38 of the upper flange 40 of the bracket 36.

[0020] The cable connector 10, together with the cable assembly 14, is released from engagement with the bracket 36 without the aid of a tool by manually depressing the tab 26, thereby causing the teeth 24 to pivot upward and disengage from the surface 38 of the upper flange 40 of the bracket 36. The ball 20 is then removed from the cylindrical channel 46, and the rod 18 is pushed aside into the space between the upper and lower flanges 40, 42 of the bracket 36.

[0021] While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail herein, those skilled in the art to which this invention belongs will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

[1] Rope connector (10), comprising: a hollow cylinder (12) dimensioned to receive a portion of a casing (16); and precisely one lever comprising: exactly one sheet (22) carried by the hollow cylinder (12); a pivoting surface (34) around which the blade (22) pivots; an engagement member secured to the blade (22) and spaced from the pivot surface (34) in a first direction; exactly one tab (26) attached to the blade (22) and comprising a surface spaced from the pivot surface (34) in a second direction opposite the first direction, wherein a force can be exerted on the tab (26) to pivot the engagement element away from the engagement position; and a tab stop (28) which is attached to an inner side surface of the hollow cylinder (12) in order to limit the pivoting of the tab (26) around the pivoting surface (34) when the tab (26) is pressed down. [2] The cable connector (10) of claim 1, wherein the engagement member further comprises at least one tooth (24) projecting from the blade (22). [3] A cable connector (10) according to claim 1, further comprising a projection (30) extending radially from an end of the hollow cylinder (12) opposite the location of the engagement element. [4] The cable connector (10) of claim 1, wherein the blade (22) is pivoted to raise a height of the engagement member due to elastic flexion at the pivot surface (34) when a force is applied to the tab (26). [5] The cable connector (10) of claim 1, wherein the blade (22) pivots to lower a height of the engagement member due to elastic flexion at the pivot surface (34) when a force is released from the tab (26). [6] Arrangement comprising: a cable assembly (14) comprising a sheath (16) and an actuating element; an angle (36) connected to a door handle (44) of a vehicle door; a hollow cylinder (12) dimensioned to receive a portion of the actuating element and the casing (16); and exactly one lever, comprising: exactly one blade (22) carried on the hollow cylinder (12); a pivoting surface (34) around which the blade (22) pivots; an engagement element secured to the blade (22), spaced from the pivot surface (34) in a first direction, and engageable with the bracket (36); exactly one tab (26) attached to the blade (22) and comprising a surface spaced from the pivot surface (34) in a second direction opposite the first direction and onto which a force can be exerted to pivot the engagement element away from engagement with the bracket (36); and a tab stop (28) which is attached to an inner side surface of the hollow cylinder (12) in order to limit the pivoting of the tab (26) around the pivoting surface (34) when the tab (26) is pressed down. [7] The assembly of claim 6, wherein the engagement member further comprises at least one tooth (24) projecting from the blade (22).

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