Inside Handle
The inside handle design with a recess and protective walls, along with a lock knob for tactile feedback, addresses finger-trapping issues and enhances safety and usability in vehicle door handles.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2022119580
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-07-27
- Publication Date
- 2025-09-09
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-07-27
AI Technical Summary
Existing vehicle door inside handles can trap a user's fingers between the handle body and the door opening when the handle is returned to its normal position from the operating position.
The inside handle design includes a recess with protective walls on both sides, allowing the user's fingers to be placed safely within the recess, and a lock knob with varying friction regions for tactile recognition, preventing finger pinching and enhancing operational safety.
Prevents finger pinching by ensuring a gap-free transition of the handle body, and provides tactile feedback for lock position recognition, improving user safety and convenience.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to an inside handle provided on a vehicle door. [Background technology]
[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an inside handle provided on a vehicle door. In the inside handle, a handle body operated by a user is supported by a handle base so as to be swingable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-132950 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] The above-mentioned inside handles are sometimes placed in openings formed in the interior surface of a door. Such inside handles are operated by a user from a normal position, in which the handle body is housed inside the opening, to an operating position, in which the handle body is displaced toward the outside of the opening. In such cases, when the handle body is displaced from the operating position back to the normal position, the user's fingers operating the handle body may be pinched between the handle body and the opening. This specification provides technology that can solve the above-mentioned problem. [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] The technology disclosed in this specification is embodied in an inside handle provided on a vehicle door. In a first aspect, the inside handle may include a handle body disposed in an opening formed in an interior surface of the door and operated by a user, and a handle base supporting the handle body so that it can swing about a rotation axis parallel to the opening between a normal position within the opening and an operating position displaced toward the outside of the opening. The handle body may have a design surface disposed along the opening when the handle body is in the normal position, an operating surface extending from a distal end of the design surface with respect to the rotation axis into the opening and forming a recess in which a user's fingers are placed to operate the handle body, and a pair of protective walls located on both sides of the recess formed by the operating surface and extending from the design surface into the opening.
[0006] In the inside handle described above, when a user operates the handle body, the user's fingers are placed in a recess formed in the handle body. A pair of protective walls are provided on both sides of the recess, extending from the design surface of the handle body into the opening. With this configuration, even when the handle body is operated to the operating position and the recess of the handle body is displaced outward from the opening, it is possible to prevent a gap from being formed between the handle body and the opening that could trap the user's fingers.
[0007] In a second aspect, in the first aspect, the distal end of the protective wall relative to the rotation axis may have an arc shape centered on the rotation axis. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent a gap from being formed between the handle body and the opening, regardless of the position to which the handle body swings.
[0008] In a third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the interior surface of the door may have a first region and a second region protruding from the first region, and the opening in the interior surface may be formed across the first region and the second region. In this case, the handle body may be a first region of the opening. 2 The recess formed by the operating surface of the handle body is located in the first area of the opening. 1The recess may be open toward the portion located in the area. With this configuration, the user can easily insert their fingers into the recess when operating the handle body.
[0009] In a fourth aspect, the opening formed in the interior surface of the first aspect may be open upward, and the rotation axis may be parallel to the left-right direction of the vehicle. In this case, the inside handle may be disposed in, for example, an armrest portion provided on the door.
[0010] In a fifth aspect, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the inside handle may further include a lock knob supported rotatably between a locked position and an unlocked position. In this case, the surface of the lock knob may have a first region and a second region having different coefficients of friction. Additionally, when the lock knob is in the locked position, the first region and the second region may be exposed so that the first region is located on one side of the second region, and when the lock knob is in the unlocked position, the first region and the second region may be exposed so that the first region is located on the other side of the second region. With this configuration, the distribution of the coefficient of friction on the exposed surface of the lock knob changes depending on the position of the lock knob. This allows the user to recognize the position of the lock knob by touch without visually recognizing the lock knob. Furthermore, regardless of the position of the lock knob, the region with a high coefficient of friction is always exposed, making it less likely for a finger to slip during operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a side door 2. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the inside handle 10 when the handle body 12 is in the operating position. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the inside handle 10 when the handle body 12 is in the operating position. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing the inside handle 10 when the handle body 12 is in the normal position and the lock knob 24 is in the unlocked position. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the inside handle 10 when the handle body 12 is in the normal position and the lock knob 24 is in the unlocked position. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing the inside handle 10 when the handle body 12 is in the normal position and the lock knob 24 is in the locked position. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0012] An inside handle 10 of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The inside handle 10 of the embodiment is provided on a side door 2 of a vehicle. FIG. 1 shows the side door 2 of the vehicle as viewed from the passenger compartment side. A user in the vehicle can open the side door 2 and exit the vehicle by operating the inside handle 10. Here, the directions of the inside handle 10 in the drawings correspond to the directions when the inside handle 10 is attached to the vehicle, i.e., the directions of the vehicle. In the drawings, the direction FR indicates the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the direction RR indicates the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, the direction LH indicates the left in the lateral direction of the vehicle, and the direction RH indicates the right in the lateral direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, the direction UP indicates the upward direction in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the direction DW indicates the downward direction in the vertical direction of the vehicle.
[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, the side door 2 includes a door body 4 having a window opening 4a, an interior panel 6 (also called a trim) attached to the door body 4, and window glass 8. The interior panel 6 is disposed below the window opening 4a. The window glass 8 is attached to the window opening 4a.
[0014] The interior panel 6 is provided with an armrest portion 7. The armrest portion 7 is formed so as to protrude from the main surface 6a of the interior panel 6 toward the inside of the vehicle. The armrest portion 7 has a shape that is long in the front-to-rear direction. The armrest portion 7 has a support surface 7a. When a user sits in a chair in the vehicle compartment, the user can rest their forearm from above along the longitudinal direction of the support surface 7a of the armrest portion 7. The armrest portion 7 may be formed as a separate member from the interior panel 6, or may be formed integrally with the interior panel 6. The support surface 7a of the armrest portion 7 has a first region R1, a second region R2, and a step region Rs. The second region R2 protrudes upward relative to the first region R1. The step region Rs is located between the first region R1 and the second region R2 and is inclined in the vertical direction.
[0015] The side door 2 has an interior surface 3. An opening 3a is formed in the interior surface 3. The opening 3a opens upward. The inside handle 10 is arranged so as to be exposed through the opening 3a. Here, the interior surface 3 described in this specification refers to the surface visible to the user on the passenger compartment side of the side door 2. That is, the interior surface 3 includes the entire passenger compartment-side surface of the interior panel 6, including the main surface 6a of the interior panel 6 and the support surface 7a of the armrest portion 7. In this embodiment, the opening 3a in which the inside handle 10 is arranged is formed across the first region R1 and the second region R2 of the support surface 7a. That is, in this embodiment, the inside handle 10 is arranged on the support surface 7a of the armrest portion 7. However, the inside handle 10 is not limited to being arranged on the support surface 7a of the armrest portion 7, and may be arranged on another interior surface 3 of the side door 2. Note that, although not particularly limited, a second opening 3b is provided in the first region R1 of the interior surface 3. The second opening 3b is open upward. A power window switch 26 is provided in the second opening 3b. The power window switch 26 is a switch that operates to open and close the window glass 8 of the side door 2.
[0016] Here, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6, the configuration of the inside handle 10 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 (mainly FIGS. 2 and 3), the inside handle 10 includes a handle main body 12, a handle base 22, and a lock knob 24. The handle main body 12 is placed in the opening 3a of the support surface 7a of the armrest 7. The handle main body 12 is operated by a user. The handle base 22 supports the handle main body 12 so that it can swing about a rotation axis X between a normal position and an operating position. The normal position is a position where the handle main body 12 is housed in the opening 3a (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The operating position is a position where the handle main body 12 is displaced from the normal position toward the outside of the opening 3a (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The rotation axis X is arranged parallel to the opening 3a. In this embodiment, the rotation axis X extends parallel to the left-right direction (i.e., the vehicle width direction). Therefore, the handle main body 12 is operated by the user to swing up and down. The handle body 12 is connected via a control cable (not shown) to the locking mechanism of the side door 2. When the handle body 12 is displaced from the normal position to the operating position, the latch of the locking mechanism is released and the side door 2 can be opened.
[0017] The handle body 12 has a design surface 14, an operating surface 16, and a pair of protective walls 18. When the handle body 12 is in the normal position, the design surface 14 is arranged along the opening 3a of the mounting surface 7a of the armrest portion 7. At this time, the design surface 14 is arranged parallel to the mounting surface 7a (see FIG. 5). In this position, the operating surface 16 extends from a distal end 14e of the design surface 14 with respect to the rotation axis X into the opening 3a. The operating surface 16 also forms a recess 20 on which the fingers of the user operating the handle body 12 are placed. In this embodiment, the handle body 12 is arranged along the first end 14e of the opening 3a. 2 area R 2 The handle body 12 is disposed in a portion where the recess 20 formed by the operation surface 16 is located at the first position of the opening 3a. 1 area R 1The recess 20 is open toward the portion located at the center of the handle body 12. With this configuration, the user can easily insert their fingers into the recess 20 when operating the handle body 12. The pair of protective walls 18 are located on both the left and right sides of the recess 20 formed by the operation surface 16. The pair of protective walls 18 extend from the design surface 14 to the opening 3a. The distal end 18e of the protective wall 18 relative to the rotation axis X has, for example, an arc shape centered on the rotation axis X.
[0018] As shown primarily in FIGS. 4 and 6 , a knob opening 14a is formed in the design surface 14 of the handle body 12. The lock knob 24 is disposed inside the knob opening 14a. The lock knob 24 is, for example, a cylindrical member. The lock knob 24 is supported by the handle body 12 so as to be rotatable between a locked position and an unlocked position. The lock knob 24 is rotated by a user, for example, when the side door 2 is closed and the handle body 12 is in a normal position. The lock knob 24 is connected to the lock mechanism of the side door 2 via a control cable (not shown). When the lock knob 24 is in the unlocked position, the lock mechanism of the side door 2 is unlocked, and operation of the lock mechanism by the handle body 12 is enabled. On the other hand, when the lock knob 24 is in the locked position, the lock mechanism is locked, and operation of the lock mechanism by the handle body 12 is disabled.
[0019] The outer surface 24a of the lock knob 24 has a first region S1 and a second region S2 that have different coefficients of friction. The first region S1 is a non-flat surface on which serrations are formed, and the second region S2 is a flat surface. When the lock knob 24 is in the locked position, the first region S1 and the second region S2 are exposed from the knob opening 14a so that the first region S1 is located forward of the second region S2 (see FIG. 6). When the lock knob 24 is in the unlocked position, the first region S1 and the second region S2 are exposed from the knob opening 14a so that the first region S1 is located rearward of the second region S2 (see FIG. 4). As an example, the second region S2 that is exposed from the knob opening 14a when the lock knob 24 is in the unlocked position is provided with a mark 25 that visually indicates that the lock knob 24 is in the unlocked position.
[0020] The lock knob 24 rotates around the rotation axis X, which is common to the handle body 12. This configuration reduces the number of parts and prevents the handle body 12 from becoming larger. Without being limited to this configuration, the lock knob 24 may rotate around a rotation axis that is arranged parallel to the rotation axis X of the handle body 12. With this configuration, the user can easily move their finger from the lock knob 24 to the operating surface 16 of the handle body 12 without moving their arm significantly. However, without being limited to the above configuration, the rotation axis of the handle body 12 and the rotation axis of the lock knob 24 may be provided separately, or the orientations of the rotation axes of the two may be different from each other.
[0021] The top of the lock knob 24 may be positioned in the same plane as the portion that forms the knob opening 14a, i.e., the decorative surface 14 of the handle body 12. This enhances the decorativeness of the inside handle 10. Also, since the lock knob 24 does not protrude from the decorative surface 14, accidental operation of the lock knob 24 can be prevented.
[0022] As described above, the inside handle 10 may be disposed in the opening 3a formed in the interior surface 3 of the side door 2. Such an inside handle 10 is operated by a user from a normal position in which the handle body 12 is housed inside the opening 3a to an operating position in which the handle body 12 is displaced toward the outside of the opening 3a. In this case, when the handle body 12 is displaced from the operating position back to the normal position, the fingers of the user operating the handle body 12 may be pinched between the handle body 12 and the opening 3a.
[0023] To solve the above-mentioned problems, in the inside handle 10 of this embodiment, when a user operates the handle body 12, the user's fingers are placed in a recess 20 formed in the handle body 12. A pair of protective walls 18 extending from the decorative surface 14 of the handle body 12 to the inside of the opening 3a are provided on both sides of the recess 20. With this configuration, even when the handle body 12 is operated to the operating position and the recess 20 of the handle body 12 is displaced outward from the opening 3a, it is possible to prevent a gap from being formed between the handle body 12 and the opening 3a that could pinch the user's fingers.
[0024] In the inside handle 10 of this embodiment, the distal end 18e of the protective wall 18 relative to the rotation axis X has an arc shape centered on the rotation axis X. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent a gap from being formed between the handle body 12 and the opening 3a, regardless of the position to which the handle body 12 swings. However, in other embodiments, the distal end 18e of the protective wall 18 may have a straight or curved line shape that approximates an arc centered on the rotation axis X.
[0025] In the inside handle 10 of this embodiment, the opening 3a formed in the interior surface 3 opens upward, and the rotation axis X of the handle main body 12 is parallel to the left-right direction of the vehicle. In this case, the inside handle 10 can be provided on the armrest portion 7 as in this embodiment. However, the inside handle 10 may be provided on another part of the interior surface 3 of the side door 2. Depending on the position where the inside handle 10 is provided, the opening direction of the opening 3a formed in the interior surface 3 and the direction in which the rotation axis X of the handle main body 12 is disposed may be changed.
[0026] In the inside handle 10 of this embodiment, the outer surface 24a of the lock knob 24 has a first region S1 and a second region S2 that have different coefficients of friction. As described above, when the lock knob 24 is in the locked position, the first region S1 and the second region S2 are exposed so that the first region S1 is located on one side of the second region S2. When the lock knob 24 is in the unlocked position, the first region S1 and the second region S2 are exposed so that the first region S1 is located on the other side of the second region S2. This allows the user to recognize the position of the lock knob 24 by touch, without having to visually recognize the lock knob 24. Furthermore, regardless of the position of the lock knob 24, the region with a high coefficient of friction (the first region S1 in this embodiment) is always exposed, making it less likely for the user's fingers to slip during operation.
[0027] In this embodiment, serrations are formed in the first region S1 of the outer surface 24a. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of recesses or protrusions may be formed scattered throughout the first region S1. This configuration also allows the coefficient of friction in the first region S1 to be higher than that in the second region S2. Alternatively, in addition to or instead of these surface shapes, the first region S1 and the second region S2 may be made of different materials. This configuration also allows the coefficient of friction in the first region S1 to be higher than that in the second region S2.
[0028] Although specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or in the drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. The technology exemplified in this specification or in the drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of these objectives itself has technical utility. [Explanation of symbols]
[0029] 2: Side door, 3: Interior surface, 3a: Opening, 7a: Placement surface, 10: Inside handle, 12: Handle body, 14: Design surface, 14e: Distal end, 16: Operation surface, 18: Protective wall, 18e: Distal end, 20: Recess, 22: Handle base, 24: Lock knob, 24a: Outer surface, R1: First region, R2: Second region, S1: First range, S2: Second range, X: Rotation axis
Claims
1. An inside handle provided on a vehicle door, a handle body disposed in an opening formed in an interior surface of the door and operated by a user; a handle base that supports the handle body so that the handle body can swing about a rotation axis parallel to the opening between a normal position in which the handle body is housed within the opening and an operating position in which the handle body is displaced from the normal position toward the outside of the opening; Equipped with The handle body is a design surface that is disposed along the opening when the handle body is in the normal position; an operation surface extending from a distal end of the design surface relative to the rotation axis toward the inside of the opening and forming a recess in which a user's fingers are placed when operating the handle body; a pair of protective walls located on both sides of the recess formed by the operation surface and extending from the design surface to the inside of the opening, The interior surface has a first region and a second region protruding from the first region, the opening is formed across the first region and the second region, the handle body is disposed in a portion of the opening that is located in the second region, and the recess formed by the operation surface is open toward a portion of the opening that is located in the first region; Inside handle.
2. The inside handle according to claim 1 , wherein a distal end of the protective wall relative to the rotation axis has an arc shape centered on the rotation axis.
3. The opening formed in the interior surface opens upward, The inside handle according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation axis is parallel to the left-right direction of the vehicle.
4. The inside handle is a lock knob supported rotatably between a locked position and an unlocked position; the surface of the lock knob has a first region and a second region having different coefficients of friction; When the lock knob is in the locked position, the first area and the second area are exposed so that the first area is located on one side of the second area, When the lock knob is in the unlock position, the first area and the second area are exposed so that the first area is located on the other side of the second area. The inside handle according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
5. An inside handle provided on a vehicle door, a handle body disposed in an opening formed in an interior surface of the door and operated by a user; a handle base that supports the handle body so that the handle body can swing about a rotation axis parallel to the opening between a normal position in which the handle body is housed within the opening and an operating position in which the handle body is displaced from the normal position toward the outside of the opening; Equipped with The handle body is a design surface that is disposed along the opening when the handle body is in the normal position; an operation surface extending from a distal end of the design surface relative to the rotation axis toward the inside of the opening and forming a recess in which a user's fingers are placed when operating the handle body; a pair of protective walls located on both sides of the recess formed by the operation surface and extending from the design surface to the inside of the opening, The inside handle is a lock knob supported rotatably between a locked position and an unlocked position; the surface of the lock knob has a first region and a second region having different coefficients of friction; When the lock knob is in the locked position, the first area and the second area are exposed so that the first area is located on one side of the second area, When the lock knob is in the unlock position, the first area and the second area are exposed so that the first area is located on the other side of the second area. Inside handle.
Citation Information
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