Vehicle Door Handle Inertia Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing apparatuses for preventing vehicle doors from opening during side collisions are inefficient, particularly when the outside handle is pulled by an inertia force, and can be inconvenient for users due to increased operational force and are not effective when the door panel is deformed, leading to security issues and user discomfort.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus that includes a pulling lever, a handle-associated lever with a rotary shaft and locking lever, a release cable protector case with a second return spring providing less resilient force, and a cable-operating lever to prevent the release cable from being pulled during side collisions without the need for a release cable, ensuring the door remains closed even when the outside handle is offset from its normal path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a balance weight is added to prevent door opening during side collision, then door security is improved, but the device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the balance weight component from the door handle assembly. Instead of adding a balance weight to counteract inertia forces, the invention extracts this component entirely and uses the return spring alone to provide both the closing force and the inertia response, thereby simplifying the device structure while maintaining door security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of the balance weight and return spring into a single return spring system. The return spring simultaneously provides the door closing force and responds to inertia forces during side collisions, eliminating the need for a separate balance weight component and reducing overall device complexity.
2Reliability
If a blocking lever with stopper is added to prevent door opening, then door security is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the blocking lever with stopper component from the door handle assembly. The invention achieves door security through the return spring's inertia response alone, eliminating the need for this additional blocking mechanism and thereby improving ease of manufacture.
3Reliability
If the return spring resilient force is increased to improve door closing force, then door closing reliability is improved, but the operational force required by user increases making it inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by allowing the return spring's force characteristics to vary with the door's motion state. The spring provides moderate force during normal operation for ease of use, but generates higher force automatically during side collisions when inertia forces act on it, thus achieving both ease of operation and door closing reliability through dynamic force adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the force parameter of the return spring dynamically based on operating conditions. During normal door operation, the spring force remains moderate for user comfort, but during side collisions, the inertia forces cause the spring to generate higher opposing force, automatically adjusting the parameter to meet different operational requirements.
4Reliability
If a blocking lever is added to prevent door opening during side collision, then door security is improved, but the device weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the blocking lever component from the door handle assembly. The invention achieves door security during side collisions through the return spring's inertia response alone, eliminating the need for this additional blocking mechanism and thereby reducing the overall device weight.
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 effectively prevents door opening during side collisions by a simple structure, reduces costs and weight by eliminating the balance weight and blocking lever, improves user convenience, and maintains door closure even when the door panel is deformed, ensuring passenger safety.
Implementation Method 1
a first return spring surrounding a rotary shaft of the handle-associated lever to provide a resilient force
Implementation Method 2
a second return spring surrounding a hinge shaft of the release cable protector case to provide a resilient force
Implementation Method 3
an inertia force applied to the outside handle may lift the outside handle in the opening direction
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for preventing a vehicle door from opening includes an outside handle having a pulling lever which extends from the outside handle into a housing. A release cable protector case is hingedly connected to an upper side of the housing to pivot. A release cable is connected to a lower side of the release cable protector case to be pulled. A handle associated lever includes a rotary shaft which is pivotally attached to a lower side of the housing, a locking lever which extends from the rotary shaft and is in contact with an outer surface of the pulling lever, and a cable-operating lever which is connected to an edge of the locking lever and pulls the release cable. A first return spring surrounds the rotary shaft of the handle-associated lever and has one end fixed to the rotary shaft and another end fixed to the housing.