Device for actuating a motor vehicle door

Abstract

The invention relates to an actuating device (1) for a motor vehicle door, the actuating device (1) comprising a gripping handle rotatably mounted relative to a support (11), an actuating lever (10) coupled to the gripping handle and making it possible to actuate a locking mechanism of the door, a counterweight (13) movable in rotation and coupled to the actuating lever (10), a rotation stop member (14) of the counterweight (13), the rotation stop member (14) being rotatably mounted and making it possible, through its rotational movement, to stop the rotation of the counterweight (13) in a predetermined angular configuration, and a rotation stop stop (16) for the rotation stop member (14) secured to the support (11) and stopping the rotation of the rotation stop member (14) in a predetermined angular configuration in which said rotation stop member (14) stops the rotation of said counterweight (13).Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig. 3.

Description

Title of the invention: Device for actuating a motor vehicle door

[0001] The technical context of the present invention is that of passive safety of motor vehicles, and in particular the protection of occupants in the event of a side impact. Generally speaking, the technical context of the present invention is that of doors for motor vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to a device for actuating a door of a motor vehicle.

[0002] During side impacts, particularly those carried out during automobile qualification tests, involving a barrier impact against a side door of a motor vehicle, or during a side impact between two motor vehicles, it is imperative that the side doors do not open. Indeed, in the event that a side door were to open spontaneously during or following such a side impact, there would then be a major risk of ejection of the occupants from the passenger compartment, or a risk of intrusion of elements into the passenger compartment. These situations are not desired and lead to penalties on the marks obtained during these qualifying tests.

[0003] For this purpose, the use of systems is known which aim to prevent accidental opening, i.e. not resulting from human intervention but solely from a force or acceleration experienced by the door handle during the side impact. In particular, external opening controls are known which are equipped with systems called "anti-G systems", which make it possible to block the door handle during the side impact and thus prevent the handle from moving simply by inertial effect due to the side impact itself.

[0004] Generally speaking, known door operating devices comprise:

[0005] - a grip handle mounted to rotate around an axis and relative to a support of the actuating device;

[0006] - an actuating lever coupled to one end of the grip handle opposite the axis, the actuating lever being configured to actuate a door locking mechanism;

[0007] - a counterweight coupled to a portion of the distal actuating lever of the handle of gripping - called coupling part, the counterweight being movable in rotation relative to the coupling part;

[0008] - a rotation stop member of the counterweight, the rotation stop member being rotatably mounted relative to the support and being configured, through its rotational movement, to stop the rotation of the counterweight in a predetermined angular configuration.

[0009] The counterweight rotation stop member is often associated with a blocking blade taking the form of a flexible blade which is pre-stressed in the locked position of the actuating devices, corresponding to the situation of a closed door.

[0010] In the event of a side impact against a motor vehicle door equipped with such a known actuating device, the support of the actuating device follows a lateral movement induced by the side impact itself. Due to inertial resistance, the actuating device does not directly follow the movement of the support, ultimately leading to an "inertial pull" of the actuating lever and ultimately causing the door handle to be actuated.

[0011] Indeed, during a side impact, that is to say at the start of the sequence following the side impact, the rotation stop member of the counterweight pivots around its rotation axis. Due to the dimensioning of the rotation stop member and that of the counterweight, as well as due to their balancing, the rotation stop member pivots before the rotation of the counterweight, thus allowing said rotation stop member to play its role with respect to said counterweight and to block its rotation: the known actuating device is therefore, for the moment blocked and the door handle is not pulled.

[0012] However, during this rotation movement, the rotation stop member of the counterweight has released the locking blade which, having been previously deformed because it was prestressed against said rotation stop member, can now move freely since it is released from the constraint imposed by the initial position of the rotation stop member. It then moves downwards and again abuts against the rotation stop member. The drawback of this new configuration then lies in the low rigidity of the locking blade which is no longer constrained: it does not allow the rotation stop member to be retained in case of high acceleration.However, in a side impact situation, there is a significant lateral acceleration at the actuating device, and the locking blade of known actuating devices can no longer properly perform its retaining role: the rotating stop member, under the effect of the lateral acceleration, can pivot and become detached from the counterweight, which can, in turn, pivot again. This situation is not desired because it ultimately allows the actuating lever to be released and therefore the inertial pulling of the door handle.

[0013] Additionally, during such a sequence following the lateral impact, it is also possible to observe an oscillation phenomenon of the blocking blade which leads to the fact that, when the rotational stop member of the counterweight returns to its angular blocking configuration - by a rebound phenomenon for example, due to the resulting energy of the lateral impact - the blocking blade is not located in its configuration allowing said rotational stop member to be blocked. This situation appears by example when, due to the side impact, the blocking blade starts to oscillate: the oscillations of the blocking blade prevent its coupling with the rotation stop member and, ultimately, prevent the rotation of the rotation stop member of the counterweight from being blocked. As a result, the counterweight is therefore not blocked in rotation either by the rotation stop member, and the known actuating device is therefore not blocked: the door can therefore open during the side impact.

[0014] The object of the present invention is to propose a new device for actuating a door, in order to respond at least to a large extent to the preceding problems and to further lead to other advantages.

[0015] Another aim of the invention is to improve the performance of such a device for actuating a motor vehicle door, in particular during a side impact.

[0016] Another aim of the invention is to reduce the internal mobility of the actuating device, in order to prevent the door handle from being actuated by simple inertial effect.

[0017] According to a first aspect of the invention, at least one of the aforementioned objectives is achieved with a device for actuating a motor vehicle door, the actuating device comprising:

[0018] - a gripping handle mounted rotatably around an axis and relative to a support of the actuating device;

[0019] - an actuating lever coupled to one end of the grip handle opposite the axis, the actuating lever being configured to actuate a door locking mechanism;

[0020] - a counterweight coupled to a portion of the distal actuating lever of the handle of gripping - called coupling part, the counterweight being movable in rotation relative to the coupling part;

[0021] - a rotation stop member of the counterweight, the rotation stop member being rotatably mounted relative to the support and being configured, through its rotational movement, to stop the rotation of the counterweight in a predetermined angular configuration.

[0022] In the actuating device according to the first aspect of the invention, the actuating device comprises a rotation stop of the rotation stop member, so as to limit a rotation amplitude of said rotation stop member.

[0023] In the context of the present invention, the rotation stop is configured to prevent the rotation stop member from pivoting beyond a predetermined angular configuration. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rotation stop is configured to perform a simple stop of the rotation stop member, and in particular of its rotation about its axis of rotation. In other words, the rotation stop takes the form of a support stop against which the member rotation stop comes into support during its rotational movement, preventing it from going beyond and allowing it to "rebound" more quickly and remain within an angular range of rotation in which it can continue to stop the counterweight in rotation, in order to block the internal mobility of the actuating device.

[0024] Thus, the actuating device according to the first aspect of the invention solves the aforementioned technical problem.

[0025] The actuating device according to the first aspect of the invention advantageously comprises at least one of the improvements below, the technical characteristics forming these improvements being able to be taken alone or in combination:

[0026] - according to a first embodiment, the rotation stop comes from material with the support of the actuating device. In the context of the present invention, by “made of material”, it is understood that the rotation stop and the support of the actuating device are made from the same manufacturing process and that they cannot be detached from each other without one and / or the other being entirely or partially damaged or destroyed;

[0027] - according to a second embodiment, the rotation stop is attached to the support of the actuating device and fixed securely to said support by any means, and in particular by gluing, welding or screwing;

[0028] - the stop takes the form of a bearing surface which projects from the support of the actuating device, parallel or substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotating stop member. The bearing surface forming the stop takes, for example, the form of a prismatic bearing surface, of rectilinear or curvilinear elongation depending on the space available at the support of the actuating device according to the invention;

[0029] - the stop is located in an intermediate position between the stop member in rotation and the counterweight. More generally, the stop is located in an intermediate position between the rotation stop member and the actuating lever.

[0030] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a motor vehicle comprising at least one side door actuated by an actuating device according to the first aspect of the invention or according to any of its improvements.

[0031] Various embodiments of the invention are provided, integrating according to all of their possible combinations the different optional characteristics set out here.

[0032] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description on the one hand, and from several exemplary embodiments given for informational and non-limiting purposes with reference to the attached schematic drawings on the other hand, on which:

[0033] [Fig.l] illustrates a three-dimensional view of an actuating device known from the prior art;

[0034] [Fig.2] illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the actuating device known illustrated in [Fig.l];

[0035] [Fig.3] illustrates a schematic view in cross-section and partial of the device actuation according to the first aspect of the invention;

[0036] [Fig.4] illustrates a partial three-dimensional view of an exemplary embodiment of the actuating device according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0037] Of course, the features, variants and different embodiments of the invention may be combined with each other, in various combinations, provided that they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, variants of the invention may be imagined comprising only a selection of features described below in isolation from the other features described, if this selection of features is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from the prior art.

[0038] In particular, all the variants and all the embodiments described can be combined with each other if nothing prevents this combination from a technical point of view.

[0039] In the figures, the elements common to several figures retain the same reference.

[0040] In the FIGURES illustrated and described below, FIGURES 1 and 2 illustrate actuating devices 1 as known in the art prior to the present invention, while FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate the technical contribution of the present invention, illustrated schematically from the known actuating devices 1 as described in FIGURES 1 and 2.

[0041] With reference to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is known an actuating device 1 for a motor vehicle door, the actuating device 1 comprising:

[0042] - a gripping handle 12 rotatably mounted around an axis and relative to a support 11 of the actuating device 1;

[0043] - an actuating lever 10 coupled to one end of the gripping handle 12 opposite the axis, the actuating lever 10 being configured to actuate a door locking mechanism;

[0044] - a counterweight 13 coupled to a part of the actuating lever 10 distal to the gripping handle 12 - called coupling part, the counterweight 13 being movable in rotation relative to the coupling part;

[0045] - a rotation stop member 14 of the counterweight 13, the rotation stop member 14 being rotatably mounted relative to the support 11 and being configured, through its rotational movement, to stop the rotation of the counterweight 13 in a predetermined angular configuration.

[0046] Such a rotation stop member 14 is associated with a blocking blade 15 taking the form of a flexible blade and configured to block the rotation stop member 14 in an angular blocking configuration through a mechanical coupling between a free end of the blocking blade 15 and the rotation stop member 14. In this blocked configuration, the rotation stop member 14 in turn blocks the counterweight 13 in an angular configuration such that it prevents the rotation of the gripping handle 12.

[0047] However, in the known actuating devices 1, the rigidity of the blocking blade 15 being insufficient, and the masses and balances of the counterweight 13, of the rotation stop member 14 and of the blocking blade 15 are made in such a way that it happens that the rotation stop member 14 rebounds; or that the movement of the free end of the blocking blade 15 and said rotation stop member 14 are not synchronized, leading to the rotation stop member 14 not being or no longer being blocked in rotation in the aforementioned angular configuration.

[0048] To prevent such internal mobility and reduce the risks of a lack of synchronism between the blocking blade 15 and the rotation stop member 14, the invention cleverly proposes to reduce the amplitude of rotation achievable by the rotation stop member 14 by incorporating into the known actuating devices 1 a rotation stop 16 for the rotation stop member 14.

[0049] Such an actuating device 1 according to the invention is illustrated schematically in FIGURES 3 and 4.

[0050] Such an actuating device 1 according to the invention comprises:

[0051] - the gripping handle 12 mounted to rotate around an axis and relative to a support 11 of the actuating device 1;

[0052] - the actuating lever 10 coupled to one end of the gripping handle 12 opposite the axis, the actuating lever 10 being configured to actuate a door locking mechanism;

[0053] - the counterweight 13 coupled to a part of the actuating lever 10 distal to the gripping handle 12 - called coupling part, the counterweight 13 being movable in rotation around a first axis of rotation 130;

[0054] - the rotation stop member 14 of the counterweight 13, the rotation stop member 14 being rotatably mounted relative to the support 11 and being configured, through its rotational movement around a second rotation axis 140, to stop the rotation of the counterweight 13 in a predetermined angular configuration;

[0055] - the rotation stop 16 of the rotation stop member 14, so as to limit an amplitude of rotation of said rotation stop member 14.

[0056] The rotation stop 16 is made in one piece with the support 11 of the actuating device 1. The stop 16 takes the form of a bearing surface which projects from the support 11 of the actuating device 1, parallel or substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotation stop member 14. The bearing surface forming the stop 16 takes, for example, the form of a prismatic bearing surface, of rectilinear or curvilinear elongation depending on the space available at the support 11 of the actuating device 1 according to the invention.

[0057] Generally speaking, the stop 16 is located in an intermediate position between the rotation stop member 14 and the counterweight 13, or even between the rotation stop member 14 and the actuating lever 10.

[0058] Thus, thanks to the addition of the stop 16, the rotation stop member 14 sees its amplitude of rotation around its second axis of rotation 140 reduced. In [Fig.3], we have represented:

[0059] - by the angle Al the maximum angular position accessible by the stop member in rotation 14 on a known actuating device 1, i.e. in the absence of the stop 16; and

[0060] - by angle A2 the maximum angular position now accessible by the organ rotation stop 14 on an actuating device 1 according to the invention, i.e. in the presence of the stop stop 16.

[0061] The angle A2 is less than the angle Al: the angular amplitude available by the rotation stop member 14 around its second axis of rotation 140 is reduced compared to that of the known actuating devices 1.

[0062] In summary, the invention relates to an actuating device 1 for a motor vehicle door, the actuating device 1 comprising a gripping handle 12 rotatably mounted relative to a support 11, an actuating lever 10 coupled to the gripping handle 12 and making it possible to actuate a locking mechanism of the door, a counterweight 13 movable in rotation and coupled to the actuating lever 10, a rotation stop member 14 of the counterweight 13, the rotation stop member 14 being rotatably mounted and making it possible, through its rotational movement, to stop the rotation of the counterweight 13 in a predetermined angular configuration, and a rotation stop stop 16 of the rotation stop member 14 secured to the support 11 and stopping the rotation of the rotation stop member 14 in a predetermined angular configuration in which said rotation stop member 14 stops in rotation of said counterweight 13.

[0063] Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described and numerous adjustments can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the different characteristics, forms, variants and embodiments of the invention can be associated with each other according to various combinations to the extent that they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, all the variants and embodiments described above can be combined with each other.

Claims

Claims

1. A device (1) for actuating a motor vehicle door, the actuating device (1) comprising: - a gripping handle (12) rotatably mounted about an axis and relative to a support (11) of the actuating device (1); - an actuating lever (10) coupled to one end of the gripping handle (12) opposite the axis, the actuating lever (10) being configured to actuate a locking mechanism of the door; - a counterweight (13) coupled to a portion of the actuating lever (10) distal to the gripping handle (12) - called the coupling portion, the counterweight (13) being rotatable relative to the coupling portion; - a rotation stop member (14) of the counterweight (13), the rotation stop member (14) being rotatably mounted relative to the support (11) and being configured, through its rotational movement, to stop the rotation of the counterweight (13) in a predetermined angular configuration;characterized in that the actuating device (1) comprises a rotation stop (16) of the rotation stop member (14), so as to limit an amplitude of rotation of said rotation stop member (14).;

2. Actuating device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the rotation stop (16) is made in one piece with the support (11) of the actuating device (1).

3. Actuating device (1) according to claim 1, in which the rotation stop (16) is attached to the support (11) of the actuating device (1) and fixed securely to said support (11) by any means.

4. An actuating device (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the stop abutment (16) takes the form of a bearing surface which projects from the support (11) of the actuating device (1), parallel or substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotation stop member (14).

5. An actuating device (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the stopper (16) is located in an intermediate position between the rotation stop member (14) and the counterweight (13).

6. Motor vehicle comprising at least one actuated side door by an actuating device (1), according to any one of the preceding claims.

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