Motor Vehicle Door Handle with Emergency Pivot Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing door handle arrangements for motor vehicles often fail to allow manual operation in case of drive element failure or ice-induced jamming, leading to accessibility issues during emergencies, and they compromise vehicle aerodynamics due to protruding designs.
Innovation Solution
A door handle arrangement with a retaining bracket attached to the vehicle's door, featuring a motor-driven drive element that moves the handle from a flush position to an operational position, and a manual emergency mode where the handle can be pivoted about a second axis to facilitate manual operation, ensuring the handle can be moved into an operating position even when the drive element fails.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the handle is designed to protrude from the door to allow manual operation, then accessibility for opening the door is improved, but vehicle aerodynamics deteriorate due to increased air resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is designed to be movable between a retracted position (flush with door contour) and an extended operating position. During normal driving, the handle remains retracted to minimize air resistance. When opening is required, the handle extends to allow manual operation, thus dynamically adapting its position to balance aerodynamics and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle is divided into a first longitudinal section and a second longitudinal section that can pivot relative to each other about a first axis. This segmentation allows the first section to be pressed inwards while the second section protrudes, enabling manual operation without requiring the entire handle to extend, thereby reducing aerodynamic impact.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a motorized drive element is used to move the handle from flush position to operating position, then aerodynamic efficiency is maintained during normal operation, but reliability deteriorates when the drive element fails
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates a mechanical backup mechanism that allows manual operation of the handle independent of the motorized drive element. This backup capability is prepared in advance, ensuring that if the drive element fails, the handle can still be manually moved from the flush position to the operating position through emergency access features.
Solution Approach 2:
A coupling mechanism with a movement lever mediates between the handle and the drive element. The movement lever can be actuated manually to move the handle even when the drive element is non-functional, serving as an intermediary that provides both motorized and manual operation pathways.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the handle is made flush with the door contour to reduce air resistance, then aerodynamic performance is improved, but ease of operation worsens in emergency situations when manual access is needed
Solution Approach 1:
The handle transitions from a static flush design to a dynamic design where it can be extended upon demand. The coupling mechanism allows the handle to be moved from its retracted position to an extended position through manual actuation of the movement lever, providing ease of operation only when needed while maintaining aerodynamics during normal operation.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~11
Figure 12~13
AI summary
The invention relates to a door handle arrangement (3) of a motor vehicle (1) with a support (12), a handle (4) which can be operated in order to open a door (2) and can take up a basic position and an operating position, and a drive element (7) which, during normal operation, moves the handle (4) out of the basic position into the operating position, wherein the handle (4) in its operating position is arranged so as to be able to be grasped by an operator in order to open the door. In an emergency operation in the event of failure of the drive element (7), the handle (4) is designed so as to be movable manually into an emergency operating position, wherein the handle (4) in the emergency operating position is arranged pivoted about a first axis (15), which is designed so as to run transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction (34) of the support (12), in such a manner that a first longitudinal portion (10) of the handle (4) is arranged pivoted in the direction of the support (12) and a second longitudinal portion (11) of the handle (4) is arranged protruding out of the door (2) or flap and so as to be able to be grasped by an operator.