Vehicle Door Handle Damping Unit for Collision Safety and Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle door handles face challenges in preventing door opening during side collisions and minimizing the noise caused by the handle's return to the closed position due to varying balance weights and the spring force-induced striking against the door panel.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle door handle design featuring a rotatable base lever with a damping unit filled with viscous fluid, which includes a vane member and grooves, to dampen the rotation speed and prevent door opening during collisions and reduce noise upon return.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional balance weight is used in the base lever, then the door can be prevented from opening during side collision, but it is difficult to create a common balance weight due to different vehicle types requiring different weights and sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of the damping unit by adjusting the viscosity of the viscous fluid to provide different damping forces. This allows a single base lever structure to be adapted to different vehicle types and collision conditions by simply changing the fluid viscosity, eliminating the need for different balance weights for different vehicles.
2Ease of operation
If the handle grip returns to the original position using spring force, then the door handle mechanism can reset automatically, but the handle grip strikes the panel creating an unpleasant sound
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a damping unit as an intermediary between the base lever and the handle grip return mechanism. The viscous fluid in the damping unit acts as a mediator that absorbs the impact energy and reduces the striking noise, while still allowing the spring force to reset the handle grip to its original position.
3Speed
If the base lever rotates quickly during collision, then the door locking mechanism can be actuated rapidly, but the door may open unintentionally due to excessive rotation speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a damping unit that provides dynamic resistance to the base lever rotation. The viscous fluid creates a damping force that is proportional to the rotation speed, allowing rapid rotation when needed while preventing excessive rotation that could cause unintentional door opening. The damping force automatically adjusts based on the rotation speed.
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
Effectively prevents the vehicle door from opening during side collisions and minimizes the unpleasant sound when the handle returns to its closed position by utilizing the damping force generated by the viscous fluid resistance.
Implementation Method 1
a damping unit attached to the shaft, and wherein the damping unit is configured to dampen the rotation speed of the shaft. The damping unit includes a housing filled with a viscous fluid
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a vehicle door handle that prevents the door from opening in the event of a collision, and in particular, a side collision. The door handle also minimizes the sound attendant with the return of the door handle to a closed position. The handle for the vehicle door includes: a handle base having a rotatable base lever; and a handle grip connected to the handle base, wherein the base lever includes a shaft and a damping unit installed in the shaft, and wherein the damping unit is configured to buffer the rotation speed of the shaft.