Vehicle Door Activation Lever Inertia Coupling Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
In motor vehicle crashes, high accelerations can unintentionally open door latches due to activation lever operation, compromising safety by preventing the deployment of airbags and impact protection systems.
Innovation Solution
An activation device with a coupling lever system that couples the external and internal activation levers, using a spring and inert mass to prevent coupling during excessive accelerations, ensuring the latch remains closed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the activation lever is directly connected to the door handle for easy operation, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates because the door can be unintentionally opened during a crash
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coupling lever as an intermediary component between the external door handle and the internal activation lever. This coupling lever includes a control lever with a mass inertia element that acts as a mediator to filter out crash conditions. During normal operation, the coupling lever transmits the opening command, but during a crash with high acceleration, the mass inertia element prevents the coupling lever from transmitting the force, thus blocking unintentional door opening while maintaining normal ease of operation.
2Reliability
If a mass inertia lock is added to prevent unintentional opening during crashes, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the mass inertia lock function with the existing coupling lever mechanism. The control lever is integrated into the coupling lever assembly, and the mass inertia element is combined with the coupling lever's pivot point. This integration allows the system to prevent unintentional door opening during crashes without adding a completely separate mass inertia lock mechanism, thus improving reliability while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If the coupling lever is pre-tensioned with a spring to fit closely against the control lever, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a spring to pre-tension the coupling lever against the control lever, creating a self-adjusting mechanism. The spring automatically maintains the fitted state between the coupling lever and control lever, compensating for manufacturing tolerances and wear over time. This self-service approach ensures consistent operation and precise engagement without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances, thereby achieving good manufacturing precision while avoiding the need for complex adjustment mechanisms.
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 unintentional opening of vehicle doors during crashes, maintaining safety features like airbags and impact protection by ensuring the latch remains locked under high acceleration forces.
Implementation Method 1
The fitting is caused by a technically simple design, in particular by a pre-tensioned spring which tensions the coupling lever in the direction of the control lever.
Implementation Method 2
In the case of excessive accelerations, the spring does not behave like a rigid body due to a mass inertia element directly or indirectly acting on the spring.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an activation device for a door or flap of a motor vehicle, comprising an external actuation lever (1), an actuation lever (10) for opening a lock, and a coupling lever (13) enabling the external actuation lever (1) and actuation lever (10) to be coupled together, and a control lever (10) which controls the coupling of the coupling lever (13) in accordance with the acceleration of the external actuation lever (1). An undesired opening of a door or flap can be prevented in the event of a crash, without the actuation device accepting excessive stresses.