Soft-Covered Vehicle Actuating Handle for Head Impact Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle interior handles and control devices face design limitations due to safety regulations, particularly in preventing head injuries during accidents, while requiring compliance with standards like ECE-R-21, which restricts design freedom.
Innovation Solution
A handle design featuring a base unit made from a harder material with a fastening element and a soft, elastic covering element, where the base unit has rounded edges and corners with a radius of at least 3.2 mm to reduce injury risk, allowing for both safety compliance and design flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If safety regulations like ECE-R-21 are strictly followed to prevent head injuries, then safety is improved, but design freedom is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is designed with different properties in different regions: the outer shell uses hard material for structural integrity and aesthetic design freedom, while the inner core uses soft material with Shore A hardness less than 50 for safety. This local differentiation allows the handle to simultaneously satisfy both design freedom requirements and safety regulations by applying appropriate material properties where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle employs a composite structure combining two materials with different hardness characteristics. The outer shell is made of a harder material providing design flexibility and structural support, while the inner core uses a softer material (Shore A hardness < 50) that deforms under impact to prevent head injuries. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by integrating both hard and soft material benefits in a single component.
2Reliability
If a soft material is used for the handle to reduce injury risk, then safety is improved, but structural integrity and fastening capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is segmented into two distinct functional parts: an outer shell and an inner core. The outer shell maintains structural integrity and provides mounting surfaces for fastening elements, while the inner core provides shock absorption and safety. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different material properties are applied to different regions of the handle. The outer shell uses hard material for structural strength and fastening capability, while the inner core uses soft material for safety. This local quality differentiation ensures that structural integrity is maintained where needed while safety is enhanced where it matters most.
3Strength
If a hard material is used for the handle to ensure structural integrity, then strength is improved, but the risk of head injury increases
Solution Approach 1:
The soft inner core material is designed to deform and absorb impact energy during head impact events, converting the harmful impact force into beneficial energy absorption. This allows the handle to maintain structural integrity through the hard outer shell while the soft core actively reduces injury risk by dissipating impact energy through controlled deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure combines hard outer shell material for structural integrity with soft inner core material (Shore A hardness < 50) for injury prevention. The hard material provides the necessary strength and mounting capability, while the soft material creates a safety zone that deforms under impact to prevent head injuries.
4Reliability
If rounded edges with radius RT > 3.2 mm are applied to the base unit, then safety is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety-related rounded edges are integrated into the base unit structure itself rather than being added as separate components. This merging of the rounding feature into the primary structural element simplifies manufacturing by eliminating additional processing steps while still achieving the required safety geometry for head impact protection.
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
The handle design effectively minimizes the risk of head injuries during accidents while providing extensive design freedom and aesthetic appeal, ensuring both safety and functional efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The handle element is made of a second material with a second hardness, wherein the first hardness is greater than the second hardness and the Shore A hardness of the second material is less than 50
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to an actuating handle, a cover device, a stowage compartment, and also a motor vehicle. The actuating handle (10) for arrangement on a manually-operated actuation device (90) in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle comprises a base unit (50). This is made from a first material with a first hardness and forms a connection side (41) designed, at least in part, for mounting on an actuation device (90). The actuating handle (10) further comprises a grip element (20), which is made from a second material with a second hardness, the first hardness being greater than the second hardness and the Shore A hardness of the second material being less than 50. Said grip element is mechanically connected to the base unit (50) on the side opposite the connection side (41) and, at least in portions, forms the outside of the actuating handle (10). A radius RT, where RT > 3.2 mm, is formed for rounding off the base unit (50), at least in part, between outer faces of the base unit (50) which are arranged adjacently to one another in different planes.