Flush Vehicle Handle Ice Removal via Mechanical Self-Service
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 'flush' type vehicle window handles face blockage issues due to ice formation, requiring complex and energy-consuming solutions for operation.
Innovation Solution
A handle device with a support forming a cavity and a mobile handle that enters the cavity under external pressure, utilizing flanges for ice retention and an elastic element for movement, allowing manual operation between retracted and extended positions without motorization, and evacuation orifices for ice removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If motorization is used to move the handle from retracted to extended position, then the handle can operate in icy conditions, but the device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The handle uses its own movement to break ice blockages. When ice forms between the handle and cavity walls, the user presses the handle inward, causing it to move within the cavity and break the ice. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for separate heating elements or motorized ice-breaking features.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the motorization from the handle mechanism itself, allowing for a purely mechanical operation. The handle can be moved manually between retracted and extended positions without requiring an integrated motor, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining operational reliability.
2Reliability
If motorization is used to move the handle, then the handle can overcome ice blockage, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The handle breaks ice through its own mechanical movement rather than requiring external energy input. The user's manual pressing action provides the force needed to move the handle within the cavity and fracture ice blockages, eliminating energy-consuming heating elements or motors.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention removes the energy-consuming motorization component entirely, replacing it with a purely mechanical system where the handle is moved manually between positions. This extraction of motorization directly reduces energy consumption while maintaining the ability to operate in icy conditions.
3Reliability
If the handle is designed to enter the cavity under pressure, then ice can be broken effectively, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The cavity and flange structure serve multiple functions: they guide the handle movement, provide structural support, and create the necessary geometry for ice breaking. The flanges extending behind the handle in the retracted position serve both as structural elements and as surfaces against which ice forms, making the handle's inward movement effective for ice fracture.
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
Simplifies ice removal and handle operation, avoiding the need for oversized electric actuators, enabling mechanical control and efficient movement between positions while effectively breaking ice to maintain functionality.
Implementation Method 1
the movement of the handle towards the outside is ensured by an elastic element, such as a spring
Implementation Method 2
the movable mounting of the handle is configured to allow at least a portion of said handle to enter the cavity under the effect of a pressure exerted on said handle from the outside towards said cavity
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a handle device (4) for an opening element of a vehicle, comprising a support (6) for mounting on the opening element and forming a cavity (10) with an opening; and a handle (8) mounted movably on the support (6), with an inserted position in which said handle (8) extends essentially into the opening and an external position in which said handle (8) extends outside the cavity (10). The movable assembly of the handle (8) is designed to allow at least a portion of said handle (8) to enter the cavity (10) under the effect of pressure exerted on said handle (8) from the outside towards said cavity (10), so as to switch from the inserted position to the external position and to brake the glass formed between the handle (8) and the support (6).