Vehicle Door Handle Lever Return Damping via Motor Braking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle door handle structures experience erroneous operation and deteriorated visual/auditory quality due to hard returning action of the door handle lever, which can cause the lever to project again and hit the switch, resulting in noise and vibration.
Innovation Solution
A door handle structure with a hinge arm and rotational axis that allows the lever to be rotated between storage, gripping, and open positions, utilizing a motor-driven output axis to transmit force and generate an electrical brake against the biasing mechanism, reducing the returning speed of the lever and minimizing load on the switch.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the door handle lever is biased in the storage direction by a spring, then the lever automatically returns to the storage position, but the returning action becomes too hard and may cause the lever to project again improperly
Solution Approach 1:
A buffer member is introduced as an intermediary between the door handle lever and the switch. When the lever returns to the storage position, the buffer member absorbs the excessive force and prevents direct impact on the switch, thereby preventing erroneous operation while maintaining the spring's automatic return function
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer member is positioned in advance to cushion the returning lever before it can improperly project again or hit the switch. This beforehand cushioning prevents the hard returning action from causing malfunction by absorbing the excess energy before it reaches critical components
2Productivity
If the door handle lever returns quickly to the storage position, then the operation is efficient, but hitting noise occurs and visual/auditory quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer member provides beforehand cushioning to the returning lever, absorbing impact energy before the lever can hit the switch or surrounding components. This eliminates hitting noise and vibration while allowing the lever to maintain its returning speed for efficient operation
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
Prevents erroneous operation of the driving unit and improves the visual/auditory quality by reducing the returning speed of the lever and minimizing impact on the switch, resulting in smooth movement without noise or vibration.
Implementation Method 1
a rotational torque is applied to the motor and the motor is rotated, thereby generating an electrical brake force
Data Source
AI summary
There are provided a hinge arm having a lever and a rotational axis to rotate the lever so as to be projected from the door panel, and a driving unit to transmit a drive force to the hinge arm so as to project the lever from the door panel. The driving unit comprises a motor and an output axis connected to the motor and the hinge arm so as to transmit a motor output to the hinge arm in a region from a storage position to an open position, wherein the drive force is transmitted from the motor to the hinge arm via the output axis when the lever is moved from the storage position to a gripping position and the drive force is transmitted from the hinge arm to the motor via the output axis when the lever is moved from the open position to the gripping position.