Motor Vehicle Door Handle Inertia Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional door handle arrangements with mass locks fail to reliably block the handle or coupling device during alternating acceleration forces in vehicle accidents, leading to potential unintentional actuation and reduced service life due to exposure to weather and corrosion.
Innovation Solution
A door handle arrangement featuring a locking device with two lever-shaped mass elements that move out of their basic positions in the same deflection direction due to inertia, interacting with a disk-shaped blocking body to ensure consistent blocking direction regardless of acceleration force direction, and a coupling device that moves the blocking body in one direction during manual actuation to prevent jamming or corrosion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single mass lock is used in conventional door handle arrangements, then the structure is simple, but the locking device cannot reliably block the handle during alternating acceleration forces in vehicle accidents
Solution Approach 1:
The locking device is segmented into two separate mass elements (first mass element and second mass element) that can move independently in response to acceleration forces from different directions. This segmentation allows each mass element to respond to specific directional forces, ensuring reliable blocking during alternating acceleration forces in vehicle accidents, while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
2Reliability
If a mass lock moves back to rest position after activation, then the device can be reset automatically, but the handle may not be blocked during fluttering or swinging movements
Solution Approach 1:
The mass elements are designed to move dynamically in response to acceleration forces and remain in the blocked position during the entire duration of force application, including during fluttering or swinging movements. The first mass element responds to acceleration forces in a first direction, while the second mass element responds to forces in a second direction, ensuring continuous blocking reliability without requiring the handle to be completely inoperable.
3Reliability
If the blocking body engages in a blocking position, then the handle is securely blocked, but the device cannot be deactivated without targeted intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The locking device is designed to automatically reset after the acceleration force ceases. The mass elements return to their initial positions when the external force is removed, allowing the handle to become operational again without requiring targeted intervention or repair. This self-service mechanism maintains blocking security during accidents while ensuring ease of repair through automatic recovery.
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 and secure blocking of the handle and coupling device during crashes, maintains operability over long service life, and ensures the locking device functions correctly even after years of exposure to weather, preventing unintentional actuation and ensuring occupant safety.
Implementation Method 1
a first lever-shaped mass element which, due to the inertia of its mass, can be moved out of a basic position in a deflection direction when an acceleration force acts in the first direction, and a second lever-shaped mass element which, due to the inertia of its mass, can be moved out of a basic position in the same deflection direction as the first mass element when an acceleration force acts in the second direction
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
Figure 7~8
AI summary
In a door handle arrangement for a motor vehicle comprising a handle carrier (6), a handle (4), a coupling device (7), a locking device (8) with a locking element (9), wherein the locking element (9) is designed to move from a rest position, in which actuation of the handle (4) is possible, to a blocking direction (22), in which actuation of the locking arrangement (5) by the handle (4) and/or the coupling device (7) is blocked, when subjected to an acceleration force acting in a first direction (24) as a result of a motor vehicle accident, a solution is to be created which provides a door handle arrangement in a structurally simple and cost-effective manner in which the locking device reliably and safely blocks the handle or the coupling device in the event of a crash.This is achieved by the fact that the locking element (9) is designed to move from the rest position into one blocking direction (22) when subjected to an acceleration force acting in a second direction (26) opposite to one of the first directions (24) as a result of a motor vehicle accident.