Bowden Cable Spring Abutment for Door Lock Force Limiting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Motor vehicle Bowden cable arrangements fail to effectively absorb force peaks, leading to potential damage to door handles, closing aids, and drives, especially in adverse weather conditions, and lack reliable solutions for preventing user injuries.
Innovation Solution
A Bowden cable arrangement with a support mounted in a cantilever or stationary manner, featuring a spring between the sheath and an abutment, which compresses to limit forces and includes a sensor to detect excessive forces, preventing damage and injuries by deactivating drives or triggering warnings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If minimum tractive forces are used to ensure reliable operation at all temperatures, then the main ratchet position is reliably assumed, but force peaks cause damage to door handles, closing aids, and drives
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a spring element positioned between the Bowden cable sheath and the abutment that acts as a cushioning mechanism. This spring is pre-configured to compress when force peaks occur, absorbing excessive forces before they can damage door handles, closing aids, or drives. The spring provides beforehand protection by being in place and ready to absorb force peaks during adverse weather conditions or jamming situations.
2Strength
If a spring is added to limit forces, then damage to elements is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The abutment in the patent serves multiple functions: it provides the mechanical stop for the Bowden cable, supports the spring element, and transmits forces during normal operation. By making the abutment multi-functional, the patent avoids adding a separate dedicated force-limiting component, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while still achieving force peak absorption through the integrated spring mechanism.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If purely electrical door latch operation is used to prevent force application, then user injuries are prevented, but production costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element acts as a mechanical intermediary between the user's manual operation and the door latch mechanism. Instead of requiring purely electrical operation, the spring mediates by absorbing excessive forces during manual door opening, allowing users to operate the door safely without applying harmful forces while maintaining the simpler and more cost-effective mechanical Bowden cable system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides reliable force limitation and injury prevention by compressing the spring when maximum forces are exceeded, allowing for flexible adaptation to various applications while reducing production and assembly costs.
Implementation Method 1
a spring between the sheath and an abutment, which compresses to limit forces
Data Source
AI summary
A motor vehicle Bowden cable arrangement, in particular for application in the event of and in conjunction with motor vehicle door locks. The Bowden cable arrangement has a core and a sheath which accommodates the core. Moreover, a spring is implemented between the sheath and an abutment. The abutment is formed on or in a support which is preferably mounted flying on the sheath.