Retractable Door Handle Modulating Force and Speed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retractable door handles with automated mechanisms face issues such as user entrapment during retraction, susceptibility to damage from abuse, and difficulty in operation, especially in icy conditions, and lack intuitive locking and unlocking functionality.
Innovation Solution
A retractable handle arrangement with a motor-driven mechanism that modulates force and speed during deployment, using a transmission device with a cam and rocker arm configuration to ensure the handle can break through ice and deploy efficiently, and includes a cover portion to prevent items from getting stuck and enhance grip security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a retractable handle with automated mechanism is used, then the handle can move between flush-mounted and deployed states, but user fingers may become trapped between the handle and door skin during retraction
Solution Approach 1:
The system detects when the handle is in the deployed state and prevents retraction automatically, counteracting the potential harmful action before it can occur. This is achieved through state detection mechanisms that block the retraction command when the handle is deployed, ensuring user safety while maintaining automated operation capability
2Object-affected harmful factors
If high force is applied to deploy the handle, then the handle can break through ice, but the mechanism may be damaged by abuse
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission device dynamically adjusts the force applied during handle deployment based on real-time conditions. The cam profile varies the mechanical advantage throughout the deployment cycle, providing maximum force only when needed to overcome resistance such as ice, while limiting force during normal operation to prevent damage from user abuse
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the force parameter during the deployment process by utilizing the cam mechanism's varying mechanical advantage. The force applied is not constant but varies according to the cam profile, allowing high force output during initial deployment to break ice, then reducing force as deployment progresses to protect the mechanism
3Shape
If a flap-type handle is used, then the handle can be flush-mounted, but the handle is awkward to use and cannot be grasped comfortably
Solution Approach 1:
The handle transitions dynamically between two states: a flush-mounted retracted state for aesthetic purposes, and a deployed state where the handgrip protrudes for comfortable grasping. This dynamic positioning allows the system to satisfy both aesthetic requirements and ergonomic needs at different times
4Shape
If a cover plate is added to the finger recess, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the handle becomes more difficult to use
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the problematic finger recess entirely by deploying the handle directly from a flush position. The handle emerges from within the door surface without requiring a recess or cover plate, eliminating the aesthetic compromise while maintaining ease of operation through the deployed handgrip
Data Source
AI summary
A retractable handle arrangement includes a handle movable between stowed and deployed states, a motor and transmission mechanism arranged to couple the motor to the handle for moving the handle from the stowed state to the deployed state when the motor is driven in a first direction, and to modulate the force exerted on the handle and the speed at which the handle is deployed as the handle travels from the stowed state to the deployed state.