Flush Vehicle Door Handle with Manual Emergency Protrusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle door handles, particularly hidden-type flush door handles, fail to protrude during power drain or emergency situations, making it difficult to open the door in such conditions, and they impose design constraints due to the need for hand insertion spaces.
Innovation Solution
A door handle system with a handle unit and an opening/closing unit that allows manual exposure to the exterior in emergencies, featuring a link part, rack gears, and a pinion gear mechanism to switch between open and storage modes using a biasing part and mode setting unit, enabling manual operation without a separate housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a hidden-type flush door handle is used to maintain design aesthetics and avoid air infiltration, then the appearance is improved and air infiltration is reduced, but the handle cannot protrude in emergency situations when power is drained
Solution Approach 1:
The door handle system incorporates a dynamic mechanism that allows the handle to transition between a retracted flush state (for aesthetics) and a protruding operational state (for emergency use). The link part and rack gear enable the handle to change its position dynamically based on operational needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The door handle system uses a spring-based biasing mechanism that automatically provides the necessary force for handle operation without requiring external power sources. The spring accumulates and releases energy to enable the handle to protrude and retract autonomously.
2Ease of operation
If a separate housing part is added to create a hand insertion space for the door handle, then the handle can be operated, but the design flexibility is reduced and air infiltration occurs during high-speed driving
Solution Approach 1:
The door handle unit is integrated directly into the door panel without requiring a separate housing structure. The handle unit combines the operating mechanism and mounting structure into a single integrated component that maintains a flush appearance when retracted.
Solution Approach 2:
The door handle system is divided into distinct functional modules: the handle unit, the opening/closing unit with link part, and the biasing part. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while maintaining overall system compactness.
3Device complexity
If a compact mechanism is used to enable manual handle protrusion without separate housing, then the device complexity is reduced, but the mechanism must avoid interference with the driving part during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The link part serves as an intermediary mechanism that translates the user's manual pressing action into the rotational motion of the rack gear, which then moves the handle unit. This intermediary mechanism ensures smooth operation while maintaining compact dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanism utilizes rotational motion of the rack gear perpendicular to the linear movement of the handle unit. This dimensional change allows the compact mechanism to achieve the necessary handle displacement without interfering with the driving part's linear 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
Enables door opening in emergencies by manual protrusion, maintains design aesthetics, and avoids interference with the driving part during manual operation, facilitating compact and lightweight integration into vehicle doors.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing part, which provides a biasing force or torque to cause the first rack gear and the second rack gear to move away from each other
Data Source
AI summary
A door handle for a door of a vehicle includes a handle unit; and an opening/closing unit that pushes the handle unit to an exterior of a door panel or pull the handle unit to an interior of the door panel. In response to the handle unit being pressed toward the interior of the door panel while being laid flush with the door panel, the handle unit protrudes to the exterior of the door panel and switches to an open mode. In response to the handle unit being pressed while in the open mode, the handle unit retracts to the interior of the door panel and switches to a storage mode.