Motor Vehicle Handle Assembly Mechanical Decoupling Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle handle arrangements face challenges with complex sensor systems that increase costs and space requirements to prevent hand pinching during retraction, and they struggle with blockages like icing, which can lead to safety issues and reduced functionality.
Innovation Solution
A handle arrangement with a mechanical restoring element and a drive element that decouples from the handle during retraction, using guide means to ensure the handle moves into a safety position, preventing pinching and allowing manual operation in emergencies, while maintaining functionality through a compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensors are incorporated to detect objects in the handle's extension path, then pinch protection is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the safety function from complex sensor systems and implements it through a simple mechanical decoupling mechanism. The drive element is designed to automatically disengage from the handle during retraction, eliminating the need for sensors while providing pinch protection through pure mechanical means.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive element performs self-regulation during the retraction process by automatically detecting when the handle reaches a certain position and decoupling itself from the handle lever. This self-service mechanism provides safety without requiring external sensors or complex control systems.
2Extent of automation
If the handle is motion-coupled with the drive element during retraction, then automation is improved, but the risk of hand pinching increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamic coupling where the connection between the drive element and handle is not fixed but changes during operation. The drive element is coupled to the handle during extension for automated operation, but automatically decouples during retraction to eliminate pinching risk, allowing the system to adapt its coupling state based on the operational phase.
3Reliability
If the handle is decoupled from the drive element during retraction, then pinch protection is improved, but automation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The retraction process is segmented into two distinct phases: a guided movement phase where the drive element actively controls the handle's motion along a predetermined path to a safety position, and a free retraction phase where the handle returns to its retracted position without drive element control. This segmentation allows automation during the critical extension phase while ensuring safety during retraction through mechanical decoupling.
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 solution provides anti-trap protection without complex sensors, ensures safe retraction by preventing hand pinching, and allows for manual operation in emergencies, enhancing the handle's functionality and reducing the risk of blockages like icing.
Implementation Method 1
a mechanical restoring element which exerts a restoring force that pushes the handle towards the retracted position or holds the handle in the retracted position
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a handle assembly (3) of a motor vehicle (2), said assembly comprising: a support housing (8); a handle (4) which is mounted on the support housing (8) and can be moved between a retracted position and an extended position; a return element (19); and a drive element (6) which can be moved between a base position, a deployed position, and a coupling position lying between the base position and the deployed position, is mounted on the support housing (8), and can perform a drive movement divided into a first drive path (35) and a second drive path (36). The drive element (6), during its drive movement from the deployed position into the coupling position along the second drive path (36), is coupled in terms of movement to the handle (4) and said movement is designed to guide the handle (4), wherein the handle (4) can be moved into a safety position which is between the retracted position and the extended position and in which the handle portion (4a) is arranged at a predefined safety distance (38) from the carrier housing (8). The drive element (6), during its drive movement from the deployed position into the coupling position, guides the handle (4) into the safety position, wherein the drive element (6) and the handle (4) can be decoupled from one another in terms of movement at least in the base position of the drive element (6) and in the retracted position of the handle (4).