Vehicle Handle Unit With Movable Counterforce for Emergency Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle door opening mechanisms with both electrical and mechanical backup options suffer from high restoring forces requiring significant user effort, leading to discomfort and potential failure to close due to high spring forces, especially in emergency situations.
Innovation Solution
A handle unit with a rotation element and counterforce element that allows for a pivoting movement, featuring a contact pair with a deformable contact area to ease the resetting process, reducing the counterforce needed when transitioning from the actuation to the emergency opening position, and a movable bearing to minimize counterforce during return.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mechanical opening mechanism with a spring is provided to enable manual opening in case of electrical defect, then the vehicle can be accessed in emergency situations, but high restoring force is required to reset the handle which leads to user discomfort and potential failure to close
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the counterforce element movable rather than fixed. The counterforce element can move in the restoring direction when the handle is pulled back, allowing the spring force to be dynamically adjusted. This reduces the peak counterforce experienced by the user during handle resetting, improving ease of operation while maintaining emergency opening capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of counterforce magnitude by introducing a movable counterforce element that can shift position. This allows the spring force parameter to be modulated during operation, reducing the peak force requirement for handle resetting while maintaining sufficient restoring force for emergency opening functionality.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a counterforce element is used to provide restoring force for the handle, then the handle returns to its initial position, but high spring force may cause the handle to remain in operating position and prevent door closing
Solution Approach 1:
The movable counterforce element allows the restoring force to be dynamically adjusted during handle operation. When the handle is pulled back, the counterforce element moves to reduce peak counterforce, preventing the handle from getting stuck in the operating position and enabling smooth door closing while maintaining position stability during normal operation.
3Ease of operation
If the contact area is made deformable to ease handle resetting, then user discomfort is reduced, but the structural complexity of the contact pair increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact area is made deformable to change its physical state during operation. This allows the contact area to adapt its shape and compliance based on the operational phase, providing smooth resetting force while maintaining a relatively simple contact pair structure without requiring complex mechanical mechanisms.
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 a smoother force curve for handle operation, reducing user discomfort and ensuring the handle returns to its original position, enhancing safety and ease of use during mechanical opening.
Implementation Method 1
a counterforce element (30) for exerting a counterforce (201) on the rotation element (20) when moving the handle (11) from the actuation position (11.2) to the emergency opening position (11.3)
Implementation Method 2
a contact pair (40) with a deformable contact area (41) to ease the resetting process, reducing the counterforce needed
Implementation Method 3
a movable bearing (31) to minimize counterforce during return
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a handle unit for a vehicle, having a handle for opening an opening part of the vehicle, which is movable at least between an actuation position for activating an electrical opening function for opening the opening part and an emergency opening position for mechanically opening the opening part, a rotation element which is designed for rotation about a preferably axis of rotation or pivot path when the handle is moved from the actuation position into the emergency opening position, and a counterforce element for exerting a counterforce on the rotation element when the handle is moved from the actuation position into the emergency opening position. The invention also relates to an opening part and to a method for operating a handle unit.