Patent Publication Number: US-6709033-B2

Title: Door grip arrangement for a vehicle door

Description:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This application claims the priority of German Patent Document 100 57 019.4, filed Nov. 17, 2000, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
     The present invention relates to a door grip arrangement for the door of a power vehicle, particularly a passenger vehicle. 
     This kind of door grip arrangement is known from, e.g., German publication DE 36 28 376 C2, and exhibits a door grip positioned on the outside of the vehicle door, as well as a support element positioned on the inside of the door. The door grip is mounted on this support element in swivel fashion through the door&#39;s outer shell. The door grip has a catch, which—upon the opening movement of the door grip, specifically upon manual actuation of the grip—actuates a release lever belonging to a door lock positioned in the door, in order to open the lock. Inside of the door, furthermore, a return lever is swivel-mounted on the support element; the return lever is preloaded with spring means acting in the return direction and forces the door grip to execute a return movement in a direction opposite that of the opening movement. In the process, the return lever driving the door grip engages with the catch; here the return lever overlaps with the catch in form-fitting fashion, both on a side facing the door grip and on a side facing away from the door grip. Thus, in the opening movement of the door grip, this compulsory coupling results in the return lever swiveling against its return direction. 
     However, if an outwardly directed force is exerted on the door grip in an undesired fashion, for example, in the case of a crash, the result could be that the door grip executes the opening movement and opens the door lock at a critical moment. Precisely in the case of crash, however, it is decisively important that the doors of the vehicle remained closed. To guarantee this, return levers in current door grip arrangements are equipped with balance weights which, relative to the swivel axes of the return levers, are positioned opposite couplings with the catches. As a result, outwardly directed accelerating forces, such as those arising during a crash, will be exerted both on the door grip in the opening direction, as well as on the return lever in the return direction, thereby preventing an undesired opening of the door grip, and thus of the door lock, due to the compulsory coupling of the return lever and the catch. 
     However, in certain crash situations, accelerations are exerted on the return lever, or on its balance weight, thereby driving the return lever against its return direction, that is, in the opening direction. A swivel movement of the return lever is usually prevented, however, by the compulsory coupling with the door grip when corresponding forces are also exerted on the door grip in the closing direction of the door grip. In certain situations, however, the opening forces on the return lever can be greater than the closing forces on the door grip, with the result that, due to the compulsory coupling between the return lever and the catch, the door grip is made to swivel and open the door lock. Situations of this kind may arise in the case of crashes, e.g., when severe accelerations spread in wave-like fashion inside the vehicle and are thus exerted at different moments on the door grip and on the balance weight for the return lever. However, for these situations, there is also a need to avoid the undesired opening of the door lock and the danger of the vehicle door opening during a crash with measures that would increase the safety of the vehicle. 
     For a door grip arrangement of the initially described type the present invention is concerned with the problem of providing an embodiment that increases the vehicle safety. 
     This problem is solved by the invention with a particular door grip arrangement for a door of a power vehicle including a door grip positioned on an outside of the door and a support element positioned on an inside of the door. The door grip is swivel-mounted on the support element through the outer shell of the door, and a catch is exhibited by the door grip. Upon opening movement of the door grip, the catch actuates a release lever inside the door in order to open a door lock. The release lever is a part of the door lock positioned within the door, and a return lever is swivel-mounted on the support element. The return lever is loaded by a spring device working in a return direction and impelling the door grip to perform return movement in a direction opposite that of the opening movement. 
     The present invention is based on the general concept of directly or indirectly coupling the return lever with the door grip in such a way that the return lever can swivel against its return direction independent of a movement of the door grip. This measure assures that the compulsory coupling of the door grip and the return lever only applies when the opening forces operate on the door grip. In this case, due to the compulsory coupling, the opening movement of the door grip brings about a swivel movement of the return lever counter to its return direction. In a different case—that is, when the opening forces operate on the return lever—the latter may swivel against its return direction without moving the door grip in the opening direction. Thus, an undesired opening of the door, particularly in the case of a crash, can also be avoided in cases where the opening forces on the return lever are larger than the closing forces on the door grip. The inventive measure thus allows the vehicle safety to be increased. 
     According to one advantageous embodiment, the return lever for moving the door grip can engage with the catch, in the process of which the return lever overlaps with the catch, or with a component part of the catch, only on a side facing the door grip. Consequently, at the end of the return lever that is coupled with the catch, the side facing away from the door grip is free or open for the catch or a corresponding coupling element belonging to the catch, with the result that the return lever can move away from the catch without interacting with the catch when the return lever swivels against its return direction. An embodiment of this kind can be realized very simply and therefore inexpensively. 
     Other important features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from dependent claims, the drawings, and the corresponding description of the figures, as based on the drawings. 
     The features referred to above and explained below can be applied not only in the specified combinations, but in other combinations and alone, without departing from the overall framework of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention is depicted in the drawings and is described in greater detail below. 
     FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through an inventive door grip arrangement in unloaded condition. 
     FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but sharing the arrangement in a loaded state, which results in a swivel movement of the return lever belonging to the door grip arrangement. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIGS. 1 and 2 show an inventive door grip arrangement  1  exhibiting a door grip  2 , which is positioned on the outside of an only partially depicted door  3  belonging to a power vehicle (which is not shown), particularly a passenger vehicle. The door grip arrangement  1  also exhibits a support element  4 , which is positioned inside of the door  3 . On this support element  4  the door grip  2  is swivel-mounted around a swivel axis  5 . To this end, there is formed on the door grip  2  a mounting arm  6  which penetrates an outer shell  7  of the door  3  and interacts with a bearing pin  8  belonging to the support element  4  on the inside of the door  3 . Here the swivel axis  5  of the door grip  2  runs roughly perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. 
     Formed on a side of the door grip  2  that is opposite the mounting arm  6  is a catch  9 , which also passes through the outer shell  7  of the door  3  and penetrates into the interior of the door  3 . At its end opposite the door grip  2  the catch  9  has an angled catch hook  10 , which on a side away from the door grip  2  engages with a release lever  11  belonging to a door lock, which is not shown and which is also positioned in the door  3 . In an opening movement  12  of the door grip  2 , indicated by the arrow and directed outwards, the catch hook  10  pulls the release lever  11  along with it and thereby actuates the latter, so that the door lock is opened. 
     In addition, a closing cylinder unit  13 , which is only suggested here, can also be built in to the door grip arrangement  1 . 
     On the inside of the door  3  a return lever  14  is swivel-mounted around a swivel axis  15  on the support element  4 ; here the swivel axis  15  of the return lever  14  runs roughly perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. The return lever  14  is loaded with spring means  16  working in a return direction  17  indicated by an arrow; the spring means  16  are suggested by the broken lines. The return lever  14  carries a balance weight  18  on an end facing away from the catch  9 . At an end toward the catch  9  there is formed on the return lever  14  a return member  19 , which, relative to the swivel axis  15  of the return lever  14 , occupies a position opposite that of the balancing weight  18 . 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the return member  19  overlaps with the catch hook  10  on a side facing the door grip  2 . With the opening movement  12  of the door grip  2 , the catch  9  draws the return member  19  of the return lever  14  along with it by means of the catch hook  10  next to the release lever  11 ; the catch  9  thus causes the return lever  14  to swivel in an opening direction  20  (also indicated by an arrow), counter to its return direction  17 . Because it is spring-loaded, the return lever  14  correspondingly moves the door grip  2  in a closing or return movement  21  by means of the return member  19  and the catch  9 ; this closing or return movement  21  is indicated by an arrow and runs opposite the opening direction  12 . 
     In accordance with the invention the coupling between the return lever  14  and the door grip  2  is such that the return lever  14  can swivel independent of any movement—and thus also in the absence of movement—on the part of the door grip  2 , counter to its return direction  17  and thus in its opening direction  20 . In the exemplary embodiment depicted here this is achieved in that the return lever  14  overlaps with the catch  9 , or the catch hook  10 , with its return member  19  on the side of the catch facing the door grip  2  only, so that on its side facing away from the door grip  2  the return lever  14  is designed to be open or free for the catch  9 , or the catch hook  10 , that is, without any overlap. Consequently the return lever  14 , as shown with FIG. 2, can swivel in the opening direction  20  independent of the door grip  2 , in the process of which the return member  19  moves away from the catch hook  10 . 
     With the design according to the invention, a force which drives the return lever  14  in its opening direction  20  will have no effect on the door grip  2  via the return lever  14 . Forces of this type can occur under certain circumstances during a crash. In these cases, the return lever  14  can swivel against its return direction  17  independent of the door grip  2 , with the result that the door grip  2  remains in its closed position and thus does not actuate the release lever  11  for opening the door lock. Thus, in these special crash cases, it is also possible to guarantee that the door  3  remains locked, thereby increasing the safety of the vehicle. 
     The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.