Inertia-Locking Door Handle for Impact-Triggered Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle door handles lack an effective mechanism to prevent unintentional unlocking during and after an accident, particularly due to sudden impacts.
Innovation Solution
A door handle with a locking mechanism incorporating a mass lock and a blocking device that engages via mass inertia to irreversibly lock the door handle during an accident, using a spring-loaded leaf spring to maintain the locked position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mass lock is used to prevent unintentional unlocking during accidents, then the door lock security is improved, but the door handle may become locked irreversibly after an accident, preventing normal operation
Solution Approach 1:
The mass lock is designed to be dynamically responsive to accident conditions, automatically transitioning from a non-locking state during normal operation to a locking state during accidents. The blocking device dynamically engages to maintain the locked position, while the reset mechanism dynamically restores normal operation after the accident condition has passed.
Solution Approach 2:
The mass lock system is self-activating during accidents without requiring external intervention. The blocking device automatically engages when the mass lock moves to the locking position, and the reset mechanism automatically disengages the blocking device after the accident condition has passed, allowing the system to serve itself without continuous human intervention.
2Reliability
If the mass lock is designed to automatically engage during accidents, then the locking reliability is improved, but the complexity of the locking mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mass lock utilizes the vehicle's acceleration forces during accidents as a driving mechanism. The mass element responds to inertial forces generated during deceleration or impact, automatically moving to the locking position without requiring additional actuators or complex control systems. This counterintuitive use of accident forces simplifies the overall mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking device acts as an intermediary element between the mass lock and the deflection element. It receives the motion signal from the mass lock and translates it into an irreversible blocking action, simplifying the interaction between components while ensuring reliable locking.
3Reliability
If the mass lock remains locked after an accident, then the prevention of unauthorized opening is improved, but the ease of resetting the door handle deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The reset mechanism is pre-configured to automatically disengage the blocking device after a predetermined time interval or when specific conditions are met. This preliminary setup ensures that the system transitions from locked to operable state without requiring manual intervention, while still maintaining security during the accident condition.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking device is temporarily engaged during the accident condition to prevent unauthorized opening, then automatically discarded (disengaged) after the accident has passed. The mass lock is recovered to its normal non-locking position, allowing the door handle to function normally again. This temporary engagement and subsequent release maintains both security and ease of 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 the door from being opened during and after an accident by ensuring the mass lock remains locked, allowing post-accident manual resetting.
Implementation Method 1
the mass lock, which, due to an accident, in particular in the event of an accident or an impact, can be displaced into a locking position on the deflection element due to mass inertia
Implementation Method 2
the blocking device, in particular a spring-loaded leaf spring, moves into a blocking position so that the mass lock is blocked in its locking position
Data Source
AI summary
A door handle may have at least a handle element, a deflection element, a transmission element, a locking mechanism for locking a lock, and a handle support, to which the handle element and the deflection element are articulated. The transmission element may be coupled to the deflection element, so that upon actuation of the handle element, the deflection element can be actuated, and the lock can be unlocked thereby via the transmission element. The locking mechanism may have at least one mass lock, which, due to an accident, can be displaced into a locking position on the deflection element due to mass inertia. The locking mechanism may have a blocking device which irreversibly blocks the mass lock in the locking position.