Opening device for a door or window with an adaptive safety mechanism.

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for opening a door or window, comprising a handle mounted on a bracket and operable from the outside. The device includes an internal element, movable between a locked position and an unlocked position for locking and unlocking the door or window, respectively. The internal element is linked to the handle such that actuating the handle causes the internal element to move. The device further comprises a safety element (5) movable for rotation on the bracket and designed to pivot by inertia in the event of a lateral impact from a rest position, allowing rotation of the internal element, to a blocking position, in which the safety element (5) prevents rotation of the internal element. The safety element (5) has a recess (8) shaped to allow attachment of an additional mass (9) to the safety element (5). (Figure 3)

Description

Title of the invention: Opening device for a door with adaptive safety mechanism.

[0001] The technical field relates to opening devices for an opening, openings comprising such a device and vehicles equipped with at least one such opening.

[0002] In the area of ​​road safety, car manufacturers must take into account numerous concerns and regulations when developing new vehicles. For example, car manufacturers must ensure the safety of vehicle occupants in the event of a collision. To guarantee passenger safety, vehicles are subjected to various standardized procedures simulating impacts against a rigid obstacle affecting the vehicle.

[0003] Standard procedures are, for example, described by the international body Euro NCAP.

[0004] The behavior of motor vehicles in these situations is regulated and tested, and the requirements for test results are constantly increasing, becoming more difficult to meet, and forcing car manufacturers to innovate continuously. In this context, standardized procedures require that doors and windows remain closed to prevent the driver or passengers from being ejected from the vehicle. However, during a side impact, the exterior handle of a door or window tends to move due to inertia and is therefore likely to trigger the door or window to open. To prevent this, it is known to use door or window opening systems with safety locks consisting of a weight that moves due to inertia before the handle in the event of an impact, thus preventing the handle from moving and the door or window from unlocking.

[0005] Such systems, however, have drawbacks. In particular, these opening systems exhibit unrobust behavior due to vibrations of the locking mechanism caused by resonance. Thus, if the locking mechanism is subjected to vibration during the impact, causing it to resonate, there is a significant risk that the rotation of the locking mechanism will be disrupted, thereby preventing it from performing its locking function.

[0006] Thus, there is a need for a solution to make existing opening systems more reliable, and in particular less sensitive to resonance phenomena.

[0007] The present invention aims to overcome the problems described above. In this technical context, one objective of the present invention is to provide an opening device whose behavior, in the event of a lateral impact, is not likely to be disrupted. through resonance.

[0008] To this end, the present invention relates to a device for opening a motor vehicle door, comprising an external handle, movably mounted on a support bracket fixed to the door, the handle being manually operable from outside the door between a closed position and an open position, the device comprising an internal member, movably mounted between a locking position and an unlocking position to lock, respectively unlock the door, the internal member being linked to the handle so that an actuation of the handle towards its open position causes a displacement of the internal member towards its unlocking position, the opening device further comprising a safety member movably mounted for rotation on the bracket about a first axis of rotation and designed to, in the event of a lateral impact suffered by the door, pivot by inertia about the first axis from a rest position,in which rotation of the internal component is possible, to a prohibiting position, in which the safety device prohibits rotation of the internal component, the safety device having at least one location shaped to allow the attachment of an additional mass to the safety device to modify its mass.

[0009] The invention also relates to a motor vehicle opening comprising at least one opening device according to the invention.

[0010] The invention finally relates to a motor vehicle comprising at least one vehicle opening according to the invention.

[0011] Thus, the opening device according to the invention makes it possible to meet the requirements of standardized procedures thanks to the safety element capable of pivoting into its blocking position to prevent movement of the internal element and therefore prevent the unlocking of the opening according to the invention. Thanks to its location, it is possible to attach an additional mass to the safety element in order to modify its resonant frequencies. Thus, the opening device can easily be adapted to the opening on which it is intended to be installed, to provide greater operational robustness.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, each location is formed by a recess made in the safety device.

[0013] Advantageously, the safety device extends between two opposite faces, each having a recess, arranged opposite each other.

[0014] Advantageously still, two recesses arranged opposite each other form an orifice through the safety device.

[0015] According to one possibility, the internal organ is mounted to rotate freely around a second axis of rotation between the locking and unlocking positions.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the opening device further comprises a blade elastic fixed on the stirrup and shaped to bear against the safety device in the rest position and to block the rotation of the safety device towards its rest position, when the latter has pivoted into the prohibition position.

[0017] According to one possibility, an additional mass is attached to the safety device using at least one location.

[0018] According to one possibility, when each location is formed by a recess made in the safety device, the additional mass is formed of a weight from which protrude at least two elastically deformable arms designed to fix the weight on the safety device by clipping when they are inserted into a recess.

[0019] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0020] [Fig-1] [Fig.1] represents a side cross-sectional view of an opening device of an opening according to the invention, showing the internal and safety components;

[0021] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] represents a detailed view of the implemented safety device in the device of [Fig.1];

[0022] [Fig.3] [Fig.3] represents a detailed view of the safety device of [Fig.2] on which an additional mass is fixed;

[0023] [Fig.4] [Fig.4] represents a cross-sectional view along axis CC of [Fig.3] showing the fixing of the additional mass.

[0024] In these figures, the same references are used to designate the same elements.

[0025] A device 1 for opening an opening according to the invention, illustrated in the figures, is designed to equip an opening according to the invention and a motor vehicle according to the invention, not illustrated.

[0026] The device 1 comprises an external handle 2, movably mounted on a bracket 3 fixed to the opening. The handle 2 is manually actuated from outside the opening, between a closed position, illustrated in [Fig. 1], and an open position, not illustrated.

[0027] The device 1 also includes an internal member 4, movably mounted between a locking position (illustrated in [Fig. 1]) and an unlocking position for locking and unlocking the opening, respectively. The internal member 4 is mechanically linked to the handle 2, such that an actuation of the handle 2 towards its opening position causes the internal member 4 to move towards its unlocking position.

[0028] The opening device 1 further comprises a safety member 5 mounted for rotation on the bracket 3, about a first axis of rotation A. The safety member 5 is designed to, in the event of a side impact suffered by the vehicle on which the opening according to the invention is mounted, pivot by inertia around the first axis A from a rest position (illustrated in [Fig. 1]), in which the rotation of the internal member 4 is possible, to a prohibition position (not illustrated), in which the safety member 5 prohibits the rotation of the internal member 4.

[0029] In the example illustrated in the figures, the internal member 4 is mounted to rotate freely about a second axis B of rotation, between the locked and unlocked positions. As illustrated, the first and second axes A, B are parallel to each other. Thus, according to the illustrated embodiment, the safety member 5 has an asymmetrical shape and is configured to bear, in the locked position, in a notch 6 formed in the internal member 4 to prevent its rotation about the second axis B.

[0030] Advantageously, the opening device 1 further comprises an elastic blade 7 fixed to the bracket 3 and shaped to bear against the safety member 5 in the rest position, with a force compelling the elastic blade 7 to bear against the safety member 5. The elastic blade 7 is also shaped to prevent the rotation of the safety member 5 towards its rest position when the latter has pivoted into the locked position. The elastic blade 7 is, for example, metallic. For example, the length of the elastic blade 7 is chosen to achieve this result, depending on the shape of the safety member 5.

[0031] In the opening device 1 illustrated in the figures, the safety member 5 has at least one location 8, illustrated in Figures 2 to 4, each shaped to allow the attachment of an additional mass 9, illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, to the safety member 5, in order to modify the mass set in rotation when the safety member 5 pivots. According to the embodiment illustrated in the figures, each location 8 is formed by a recess 10 made in the safety member 5. For example, the safety member 5 extends between two opposite faces 11, and each face has a recess 10 arranged opposite each other.

[0032] As illustrated in [Fig.4], the two recesses 10 together form an orifice 12 through the safety member 5.

[0033] Advantageously, and in order to modify the resonance frequency of the safety device 5, an additional mass 9 is attached to the safety device 5 by means of at least one location 8. For example, and as illustrated in [Fig. 4], the additional mass 9 is formed of a weight 13, for example, parallelepiped in shape. Two elastically deformable arms 14 project from the weight 13 and are designed to attach the weight 13 to the safety device 5 by clipping, when the arms 14 are inserted into a recess 10, in this case into the recesses 10. In order to ensure clipping, each arm 14 has, for example, a free end 15 forming a hook designed to hook the safety device 5.

[0034] Thus, the opening device 1 according to the invention makes it possible to meet the requirements of standardized procedures thanks to the safety element 5, which is capable of pivoting into its blocking position to prevent movement of the internal element 4, thereby preventing the unlocking of the opening according to the invention. Thanks to the location 8, it is possible to attach the additional mass 9 to the safety element 5 in order to modify the natural resonance frequencies of the safety element 5. Thus, the opening device 1 can easily be adapted to the opening on which it is intended to be installed to provide greater operational robustness.

[0035] The invention is not limited to the embodiment of the opening device described above, only by way of example, but other embodiments may be designed by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope and extent of the present invention.

Claims

Claims

1. Device (1) for opening a motor vehicle opening, comprising an external handle (2), mounted movably on a support bracket (3) fixed to the opening, the handle (2) being manually operable from the outside of the opening between a closed position and an open position, the device (1) comprising an internal member (4), mounted movably between a locking position and an unlocking position for locking, respectively unlocking the opening, the internal member (4) being linked to the handle (2) so that an actuation of the handle (2) towards its open position causes a movement of the internal member (4) towards its unlocking position, the opening device (1) further comprising a safety member (5) mounted movably in rotation on the bracket (3) around a first axis (A) of rotation and designed to, in the event of a lateral impact suffered by the opening,pivot by inertia around the first axis (A) from a rest position, in which rotation of the internal member (4) is possible, to a prohibiting position, in which the safety member (5) prohibits rotation of the internal member (4), the safety member (5) comprising at least one location (8) shaped to allow the attachment of an additional mass (9) to the safety member (5) to modify its mass.,

2. Opening device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that each location (8) is formed by a recess (10) made in the safety member (5).

3. Opening device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the safety member (5) extends between two opposite faces (11), each comprising a recess (10), arranged opposite one another.

4. Opening device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that two recesses (10) arranged opposite one another form an orifice (12) passing through the safety member (5).

5. Opening device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the internal member (4) is mounted to be able to rotate about a second axis (B) of rotation between the locking and unlocking positions.

6. Opening device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it further comprises an elastic blade (7) fixed on the stirrup (3) and shaped to come to bear on the safety member (5) in the rest position and to block the rotation of the safety device towards its rest position, when the latter has pivoted into the prohibition position.

7. Opening device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that an additional mass (9) is fixed to the safety member (5) using at least one location (8).

8. Opening device (1) according to claim 7, in combination with claim 2, characterized in that the additional mass (9) is formed of a weight (13) from which at least two elastically deformable branches (14) project and are designed to fix the weight (13) on the safety member (5) by clipping when they are introduced into a recess (10).

9. Motor vehicle opening comprising at least one opening device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8.

10. Motor vehicle comprising at least one vehicle opening according to claim 9.

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