Vehicle Door Handle Assembly Clipping Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

The assembly of vehicle door handles is cumbersome due to tolerances in the glued support plate and spacers required for flush positioning with the door panel, leading to increased complexity and cost.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle door handle assembly featuring a bracket with levers and sleeves that clip together, utilizing a deformable parallelogram mechanism and rotational axes for easy assembly and correct positioning, with an electrical actuator for transitioning between retracted and deployed positions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a glued support plate is used to fix the handle assembly to the door panel, then the handle can be positioned within the central opening, but the assembly becomes cumbersome due to tolerances and requires additional spacers for flush positioning

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of assemblyVSAvoidassembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention divides the assembly into two main segments: a bracket fixed to the inner side of the door panel skin and a handle assembly mounted on the outer side. This segmentation eliminates the need for a glued support plate and allows independent positioning of each component, simplifying the overall assembly process and reducing tolerance accumulation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the positioning function from the glued support plate and implements it through the bracket-lever-sleeve-clip mechanism. The bracket is directly fixed to the door panel skin, and the handle positioning is achieved through the levers protruding through openings and the clips engaging with the sleeves, eliminating the need for spacers and external removable parts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Manufacturing precision

If spacers and external removable parts are used to ensure correct positioning, then the handle can be centered and flushed with the door panel, but the number of parts and assembly steps increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning precisionVSAvoidnumber of parts
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges multiple functions into the bracket and handle assembly structure. The bracket provides both mounting and positioning functions, the levers provide both structural support and positioning references, and the clips provide both fastening and alignment functions. This integration eliminates the need for separate spacers and external removable parts, reducing the total number of components while maintaining precise positioning.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The handle assembly is designed to be self-positioning through the interaction between the levers and sleeves. The levers protrude through openings in the door panel skin and engage with the sleeves on the handle, creating automatic alignment and centering without requiring external removable parts or spacers. The clipping mechanism inherently ensures correct positioning when the handle is installed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP4261373A1Vehicle door handle assembly
Publication Date: 2023.10.18 MINEBEA ACCESSSOLUTIONS ITALIA SPA
  • EP4261373A1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1b
  • EP4261373A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4261373A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The present invention refers to a vehicle door handle assembly comprising: - a bracket (3) fixed on a inner side of a door panel skin (4) and, - a movable handle (5) configured for moving between a retracted position wherein the handle (5) flushes with an outer side of the door panel skin (4) and a deployed position, wherein the bracket (3) comprises a first (13a) and a second (13b) levers configured for protruding through at least one opening (4a, 4b) of the door panel skin (4) towards the outer side of the door panel skin (4) and wherein the handle (5) comprises a first (5a) and a second (5b) sleeves configured to be arranged respectively around the first (13a) and the second (13b) levers, the handle (5) being fastened to the bracket (3) by clipping.