Door handle assembly and rotational damper

Abstract: The door handle assembly includes a door handle which pivots about a pivot axis. A molded-in gear rack is formed on the door handle. The gears of the molded-in gear rack mesh with gears of a rotational damper so that the door handle pivots in concert with the rotation of the gears of the rotational damper. Furthermore, the rotational damper is generally cylindrical and further includes two pairs of radially outwardly extending wings. The rotational damper passes through an aperture in a damper support plate and the first pair of radially outwardly extending wings engage a first side of the damper support plate and engage or abut detent elements. The second pair of radially outwardly extending wings engage a second side of the damper support plate and limit the insertion of the damper through the damper support plate.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This invention pertains to a door handle assembly according to the preamble of claim 1 and a rotational damper assembly according to the preamble of claim 11. More particularly, the present invention provides a molded-in gear rack on the pivoting component of the door handle and a fluid gear damper snapped into a boss on the housing of the door handle. Furthermore, the gear damper includes a rib configuration which allows the gear damper to be rotated one-quarter turn to engage the door handle housing. Description of the Prior Art The use of cylindrical dampers mounted on the hinges of automotive door handles and similar applications is known in the prior art. However, such a damper is typically relatively large in order to provide the surface area needed to dampen the strong spring force in the door handle because it is mounted on the hinge and experiences the maximum torque from the spring. These prior art dampers have similarly been bulky to package. Moreover, it has been somewhat difficult to calculate the expected closing time of the handle and any variation of this closing time typically was achieved by changing the surface area of the damper, which further affects the size of the damper and can require a substantial redesign of the damper. Finally, the dampers have typically required several steps for installation which is of concern during assembly-line or automated manufacture. A door handle assembly and a rotational damper assembly as described in the preamble of the independent claims are known from JP-A-1-250571. OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a door handle assembly which is relatively compact. It is therefore a further object of this invention to provide a door handle assembly which is simple to package. It is therefore a still further object of this invention to provide a door handle assembly for which the expected closing time is relatively simple to calculate. It is therefore a still further object of this invention to provide a door handle assembly wherein the required redesign to vary the expected closing time of the door is minimized. It is therefore a still further object of this invention to provide a door handle assembly wherein the damper can be simply assembled and installed. These and other objects are attained by providing an or a rotational damper assembly according to the characterizing features of claim 11. The door handle assembly door handle assembly according to the characterizing features of claim 1 includes a molded-in gear rack on the pivoting mechanism of the door handle and a fluid gear damper which is snapped into a boss on the housing of the door handle. The gear on the damper is of the same pitch as the molded-in gear rack and the pitch circles are tangent. The gear damper is a one-quarter turn viscous door handle gear damper. During assembly, the damper is placed through the molded opening in the door handle housing and turned one-quarter turn. Lower ribs on the damper housing contact the back side of the door handle housing and top ramped ribs on the damper housing are forced over bumps molded on the top surface of the door handle housing. The damper locks into position by the top ramped ribs being forced over the bumps. After installation, the damper gear meshes with a gear rack molded to the back of the pivoting handle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective drawing of the door handle assembly of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the damper assembly housing of the present invention. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the planar damper support plate which engages the damper assembly housing of the present invention. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the damper assembly housing engaged within the planar damper support plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views, one sees that Figure 1 is a perspective view of the door handle assembly 10 of the present invention, as viewed outwardly from the interior of the automotive door panel (not shown). Door handle assembly 10 includes exterior plate 12 which is typically nearly flush with the exterior or exposed surface of the automotive door. The remaining elements of Figure .1 are within the interior of the automotive door. A handle recess is formed on the exterior of the automotive door by inwardly extending wall 16 which meets upper and lower oblique walls 18, 20 and upper support wall 22. Slot 24 is formed on upper oblique wall 18 and upper support wall 22 inwardly adjacent from inwardly extending wall 16. Likewise, slot 26 is formed parallel to slot 24 at an end of walls 18, 20, 22. Pivot support 28 extends upwardly inwardly extending wall 16. Likewise, pivot support 30 extends upwardly from an unillustrated wall which bounds the handle recess. Pivot supports 28, 30 provide pivots 32, 34 which form a pivot axis therebetween upon which arms 36, 38 of door handle 40 are journalled for rotation. Handle grip (not shown, but would be visible by viewing Figure 1 from the opposite direction) is integrally formed with arms 36, 38 and spans between arms 36, 38 within the handle recess formed by walls 16, 18, 20, 22. Gear rack 42 is molded into distal surface 44 of arm 38. The extent of gear rack 42 is formed equidistantly from pivot 34. That is, the extent of gear rack 42 is a portion of a circle. Gear rack 42 engages circular gear 46 of circular damper 48. Circular damper 48 is engaged within aperture 50 formed within planar damper support plate 52. The circular gear 46 of circular damper 48 is of the same pitch as the gears of gear rack 42, and the pitch circles of circular gear 46 and the gears of gear rack 42 are tangent. Arm 38 therefore pivots in concert with the rotation of circular gear 46 by the meshing of gear rack 42 with circular gear 46. Further, the molded-in gear rack 42 provides a radius from the pivot 34 that decreases the tangential force on the circular damper 48. The closing time of the door handle 40 can be easily calculated and modified by changing the pitch diameter of the molded-in gear rack 42 rather than changing the surface area of the circular damper 48 which would affect the size of circular damper 48. Housing 51 of circular damper 48 is shown in Figure 2 while planar damper support plate 52 is shown in Figure 3 and the assembled circular damper 48 on planar damper support plate 52 is shown in Figure 4. Housing 51 of circular damper 48 includes a cylindrical portion 56 of a first diameter, and a cylindrical mouth 58 of an increased second diameter. Toroidal wall 57 joins cylindrical portion 56 to cylindrical mouth 58 and cylindrical wall 59 extends upwardly from toroidal wall 57 forming inner circular lip 61. Upper ramped ribs 60, 62 extend radially outward from the top of cylindrical mouth 58 and lower ramped rib 64 (along with an unillustrated lower ramped rib spaced 180° about the periphery of cylindrical mouth 58 from lower ramped rib 64). The distance between the lower surface of upper ramped ribs 60, 62 and the upper surface of lower ramped ribs 64 as measured parallel to the longitudinal axis of circular damper 48 is equal to the thickness of planar damper support plate 52 so that ribs 60, 62, 64 serve to longitudinally position circular damper within aperture 50 as shown in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 3, planar damper support plate 52 includes aperture 50 of the second diameter (that is, to allow cylindrical mouth 58 of damper housing 51 to pass therethrough) which further includes diametrically opposed radially outwardly extending wing openings 54, 56 which are shaped to allow upper ramped ribs 60, 62 to pass therethrough. Hemispherical detent bump 66 and cylindrical stop 68 are formed on a planar surface of planar damper support plate 52 immediately outwardly adjacent from aperture 50. To assemble circular damper 48 with planar damper support plate 52, cylindrical mouth 58 of damper housing 51 is passed through aperture 52 with upper ramped ribs 60, 62 passing through diametrically opposed radially outwardly extending wing openings 54, 56. Lower ramped ribs 64 limit the insertion of circular damper 48 through aperture 50 so that the lower surface of upper ramped ribs 60, 62 engage or urge against the upper surface of planar damper support plate 52. The installer then rotates circular damper 48 approximately one-quarter turn so that one of upper ramped ribs 60, 62 passes over hemispherical detent bump 66 and locks in position, and another of upper ramped ribs 60, 62 abuts cylindrical stop 68. Upper ramped ribs 60, 62 are ramped on their lower surface such that the upper ramped ribs 60, 62 can pass over hemispherical detent bump 66 to enter the locked position, but cannot easily pass back over hemispherical detent bump 66 to move out of the locked position. Circular damper 48 is thereby locked into the position illustrated in Figure 4. Thus the several aforementioned objects and advantages are most effectively attained. Although a single preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed and described in detail herein, it should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims.

Claims: A door handle assembly comprising a body including pivot points (32, 34); a door handle (40) pivoting on said pivot points (32, 34), said door handle (40) further including a gear rack (42) ; a damper (48) engaged to said body, including a rotational gear (46) engaging said gear rack (42) whereby said rotational gear (46) is rotatable by pivoting of said door handle 40; characterized by a damper support plate (52) engaging said body, said damper support plate (52) further including an aperture (50) for engaging said rotational damper (48); wherein said aperture (50) is generally circular and includes radially outwardly extending openings (54, 56); and wherein said rotational damper (48) includes a cylindrical portion (56) with a first pair of radially extending ribs (60, 62) which pass through said radially extending openings (54, 56) and a second pair of radially extending ribs (64) which limit the insertion of said rotational damper (48) through said damper support plate (52). The door handle assembly of Claim 1 wherein said gear rack (42) is formed equidistantly from one of said pivot points (32, 34). The door handle assembly of Claim 1 or 2 wherein said gear rack (42) is formed integrally with said door handle (40). The door handle assembly of at least one of the claims 1 to 3 wherein a pitch of said gear rack (42) is equal to a pitch of said rotational gear (46). The door handle assembly of at least one of the preceding claims wherein said second pair of radially extending ribs (64) is longitudinally and rotationally offset from said first pair of radially extending ribs (60, 62). The door handle assembly of at least one of the preceding claims wherein detent elements (66, 68) are formed on a surface of said damper support plate (52) outwardly adjacent from said aperture (50) for engaging said first pair of radially extending ribs (60, 62). The door handle assembly of Claim 6 wherein said detent elements include a hemispherical protrusion (66) and a cylindrical stop (68). The door handle assembly of Claim 7 wherein a face of said first pair of radially extending ribs (60, 62) facing said second pair of radially extending ribs (64) is ramped whereby at least one of said first pair of radially extending ribs (60, 62) can pass relatively freely over said hemispherical protrusion (66) in a first direction of rotation but cannot pass relatively freely over said hemispherical protrusion (66) in a second direction of rotation opposite from said first direction of rotation. The door handle assembly of at least one of the preceding claims wherein a longitudinally measured distance between said first pair of radially extending ribs (60, 62) and said second pair of radially extending ribs (64) is equal to a thickness of said damper support plate (52). The door handle assembly of at least one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said body has a handle recess (16, 18, 20, 22) and a pair of said pivot points (32, 34); said door handle (40) has a pair of arms (36, 38) pivotally connected to said pivot points (32, 34), a handle grip integrally formed with said arms (36, 38), said handle grip spanning between said arms (36, 38) and within said handle recess, and said integrally formed gear rack (42) formed at a distal end of one of said arms and equidistantly from one of said pivot points (32, 34), said gear rack (42) having an arc formed at a radius from said one pivot point; said rotational gear (46) engaging said gear rack (42) such that said rotational gear (46) rotates along said arc in concert with pivoting of said door handle (40), said rotational gear (46) and said gear rack (42) including equal pitches. A rotational damper assembly including a rotational damper (48) with a cylindrical body (51) of a first diameter; a damper support plate (52); characterised in that said damper support plate (52) including an aperture (50) of said first diameter further including radially outwardly extending openings (54, 56); and wherein said cylindrical body (51) of said rotational damper further includes a first pair of radially extending ribs (60, 62) which pass through said radially extending openings (54, 56) and a second pair of radially extending ribs (64) which limit the insertion of said rotational damper (48) through said damper support plate (52). The rotational damper assembly of Claim 11 wherein said second pair of radially extending ribs (64) is longitudinally and rotationally offset from said first pair of radially extending ribs (60, 62). The rotational damper assembly of Claim 11 or 12 wherein detent elements (66, 68) are formed on a surface of said damper support plate (52) outwardly adjacent from said aperture (50) for engaging said first pair of radially extending ribs (60, 62). The rotational damper assembly of Claim 13 wherein said detent elements include a hemispherical protrusion (66) and a cylindrical stop (68). The rotational damper assembly of Claim 14 wherein a face of said first pair of radially extending ribs (60, 62) facing said second pair of radially extending ribs (64) is ramped whereby at least one of said first pair of radially extending ribs (60, 62) can pass relatively freely over said hemispherical protrusion (66) in a first direction of rotation but cannot pass relatively freely over said hemispherical protrusion (66) in a second direction of rotation opposite from said first direction of rotation. The rotational damper assembly of at least one of claims 11 to 15 wherein a longitudinally measured distance between said first pair of radially extending ribs (60, 62) and said second pair of radially extending ribs (64) is equal to a thickness of said damper support plate (52).

Inventors: BELLA JOSEPH J, BIVENS STEVEN L, BELLA, JOSEPH J., BIVENS, STEVEN L.
Applicants: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS, ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: E05B17
IPC codes: E05B17, E05B65, E05B1