Patent Publication Number: US-6666496-B2

Title: Device for fixing an insert in an opening of a carrier in vehicles, especially a door handle in the opening of the outer panel pertaining to a door

Description:
The invention pertains to a device of the type indicated in the introductory clause of claim  1 . With this device, motor vehicle components with flat surfaces are to be fastened quickly and easily in openings in flat carrier components in such a way that, after the introduction of the insert, the fastening is not visible from the outside of the carrier and also so that the insert is fastened to the carrier with the least possible amount of play. 
     In the known device of this type (DE 195 33 655 C2), two different fastening means are required to fasten the insert in the carrier opening, one to press the first edge area of the insert against the first edge of the carrier and the other to press the second edge area against the second edge of the carrier in the fastened state. In addition to the pivoting lever, which presses the second, strip-like edge area of the insert against the second edge of the carrier, it was necessary to provide an additional pressing means in the opposite edge area of the insert. This additional pressing means had the job of fastening the carrier edge forming the boundary of the opening there to the insert. This pressing means consisted of elastic plates, which had to be produced separately and installed on a projection of the housing, the projection comprising a pivoting lever mechanism. In this known device, a dead-center spring is guided along a radial cam of a control piece seated on the shoulder and thus carries along with it the slotted arm of the pivotably supported lever. Upon completion of the fastening operation, the dead-center spring grips behind a projection of the radial cam and exerts a compressive force on the edge of the carrier present there. Removal of the insert from the carrier requires that the elastic plates in the area of the first carrier edge be removed first and that the dead-center spring then be lifted off the projection of the control piece in the second insert edge area. This is tedious and cumbersome. 
     A handle fastening in a motor vehicle door is also known from British Patent GB 1,508,858. Here the handle can be installed and removed quickly and easily. For this purpose, the handle, which is part of an insert, is inserted through the opening in the exterior door panel, after which shoulders on the rear of the insert are guided in succession through the opening. On the rear side of the opening, the two arms of a U-shaped clamp are slid in a direction parallel to the opening so that each arm arrives behind one of the previously mentioned shoulders, the insert part thus being held in position on the exterior door panel. This position is then made permanent by means of bolts. The disadvantage of this state of the art is that rattling noises can occur if the two shoulders are different distances away from the door panel or if the two clamping arms are of slightly different shape. 
     The invention is based on the task of developing a reliable device of the type indicated in the introductory clause of claim  1  which facilitates the fastening of the insert in, and, if necessary, the removal of the insert from, the opening in the carrier. This is accomplished according to the invention by the measures indicated in the characterizing clause of claim  1 , to which the following special meaning belongs: 
     The invention makes use of a tensioning device to fasten the two edge area of the insert to the two edges forming the boundaries of the opening in the carrier in a manner which is essentially free of play. The tensioning device consists of two clamping strips, preferably connected to each other, which surround the waist of the shell-like housing. As the clamping strips approach each other, they are pressed into recesses provided in both sides of the housing and thus held in place. The final fastened state is made permanent by means of, for example, the fastening means which connect the clamping strips together. As a result of this fixation, pressure is applied between the two edge areas of the insert and the edges of the carrier forming the boundaries of the carrier opening, and this pressure can be maintained for as long as desired. 
     It is just as easy to remove the insert from the opening in the carrier as it is to install it. 
     To fasten the insert there is no need for separate fastening means between the two edge areas of the insert and the corresponding edges of the carrier. 
    
    
     Additional measures and advantages of the invention can be derived from the subclaims, from the following description, and from the drawings. The invention is illustrated on the basis of an exemplary embodiment in FIGS. 1-6 of the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the shell-like housing; 
     FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the clamping strips; 
     FIGS. 3-5 show the successive phases of the fastening of a door handle in an opening in an exterior door panel with the use of a device according to the invention; 
     FIG. 6 shows a cross section through the device according to the invention at the level of the switch; and 
     FIG. 7 shows a front view of a device according to the invention after the an insert, designed as a door handle, has been fastened in an opening of an exterior door panel. 
    
    
     Although FIG. 7 shows a door handle as the insert  10  to be fastened, which is attached in a cut-out opening  25 , any desired type of insert  10  other than a door handle can be installed in the opening  25  of any type of carrier  20  in the manner according to the invention. The design and function of the device according to the invention described below can be transferred as appropriate to alternative applications. To illustrate this, the door handle and the exterior door panel  20  in this exemplary embodiment are also called the “insert” and the “carrier” in the following functional description of the fastening operation. 
     The insert  10  comprises a preassembled unit, which, as shown in FIGS. 3-6, has a shell-like housing  13 , in which a push-flap  14  is supported with freedom to rotate around an axis  15 , which extends in, for example, the horizontal direction. The fastened state is shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. The push-flap  14  is held by a restoring spring, not shown, in a defined home position against rotational stops and can be moved against this restoring force. As a result, as is especially clear in FIGS. 1 and 6, a switching lever  70 , which is formed on the back of the push-flap  14  and passes through an opening  72  in the shell-like housing  13 , is pressed against a contact  71  of a switch  65 , mounted on the outside surface of the housing  13 . FIG. 6 shows the inactive position of the switching lever  70  in solid line, whereas the broken line shows the switching lever  70  in the active position, that is, the position in which it touches the contact  71 . The switch  65  moves the lock on the door (not shown) to one of the desired “working positions” by mechanical or electrical means. 
     A difference of minor importance consists in that a membrane  50  of elastomeric material forms part of the assembly of the insert  10 ; this membrane closes off the opening of the shell of the housing  13  and rests against the push button  14  on the visible side. The housing  13  of the insert  10  is provided on its external surface with opposite lateral recesses  51 , which allow edge flanges  52  to be created toward the visible side. It is advisable for the edge areas of the membrane  50  to wrap around these edge flanges  52  to produce a seal  54  on the side of the edge flanges  52  facing the recesses  51 . This seal is similar in function to the seal  24  of the first exemplary embodiment. 
     FIGS. 3-5 show cross sections of the three different phases of t he insertion movement of the insert  10  into the opening  25  in the carrier. As can be seen, the carrier opening  25  is bounded by an upper, first edge  21  and by a second, lower edge  22 . 
     As an assembly, the insert  10  comprises the shell-like housing  13 , the push button  14 , and the membrane  50 . Its two edge areas  11 ,  12  can be of essentially the same design. The introduction of the insert  10  into the carrier opening  25  begins with a setting movement to introduce, one after the other, the similarly designed upper and lower beads  53  on the housing profile  13  through the free space of the carrier opening  25 , which is designed to be smaller than the distance between the beads. The n the insertion movement  55  of the insert  10  is continued until the edge zones  11  and  12  at the areas  54  of the edge flanges  52  come to rest against the two edges  21 ,  22  of the carrier on the visible side  29 . The insertion movement itself is now complete, but the fastening has not yet been performed. 
     The first phase of the fastening operation is illustrated in FIG.  3 . Two clamping strips  60 , which can have a n outline approximately complementary to the recesses  51 , are components of a tensioning device, shown in its entirety in FIG. 2, which executes a two-phase tensioning movement. Initially, the two clamping strips  60  are separated from each other by a lateral distance  57 , which is greater than the maximum width  56  of the housing in the area of the beads  53 . First, the two clamping strips  60  are subjected to a slip-on movement  58 . 
     The slip-on movement  58  has been completed in FIG.  4 . Then the forward sidepieces  61  of the two clamping strips  60  are in contact with the two edges  21 ,  22  of the carrier. Now the approach movement  59  of the two strips  60  illustrated by the arrow  59  in FIG. 5 takes place. The strips enter the recesses  51  in the housing  13 , where the convexly shaped, possibly overdimensioned, clamping strips  60  are firmly held in the concave shape of the recesses  51 . It is advisable for the approach movement  59  of the clamping strips  60  to be handled automatically by the above-mentioned tensioning device. 
     The final fastened state is shown in FIG.  5 . The clamping strips  60  are lowered almost completely into the recesses  51  and assume a final position in which they are separated by the distance  63 . Whereas the forward sidepieces  61  of the V-shape clamping strip  60  end up essentially parallel to the associated carrier edges  21 ,  22 , their rear sidepieces  62  point backward at an angle. The rear flanks  64  of the recesses  51  in the housing  13  facing the visible side can also be slanted and angle toward the base of the recess  51 . After the two clamping strips  60  have been brought together in the direction  59  according to FIG. 5, it is therefore now possible for pressure to be exerted between the housing edge areas  11 ,  12  and the associated carrier edges  21 ,  22 , respectively, as a result of the difference between the angle of  62  on the one side and that of  64  on the other. Alternatively or additionally, it is also possible for the tensioning device which controls the clamping strips  60  to provide this pressure. In the fastened condition shown in FIG. 5, the clamping strips  60  surround the housing  13  as though encircling its waist, and their forward sidepieces  61  hold the insert  10  reliably on the carrier  20 . 
     The final fastened condition is kept permanent in this example by the connecting means of the assembled clamping strips  60 . As can be seen in FIG. 2, angles  69  are formed at the ends of the two clamping strips  60  so that one sidepiece of the angle  69  on the clamping strip  60  is parallel to a sidepiece of the angle  69  on the other clamping strip  60 . Each of these parallel sidepieces of the angles has an opening for a connecting means. In FIG. 2, the two clamping strips are joined together at the two ends by means of a bolt  66  and a nut  67 . To make it easier to remove the clamping strips  60  from the insert  10 , a spring  68  is also provided between the angles  69  of the two clamping strips. 
     FIG. 1 shows the shell-like housing  13  from the rear. It is evident that the beads  53  do not have to extend over the entire length of the housing  13 . In this example, three beads  53  and thus also three recesses  51  are provided along each side of the housing. The arrangement of the beads  53  corresponds to the arrangement of the rear sidepieces  62  of the clamping strips  60 . FIG. 2 shows a suitable tensioning device, where three specially designed rear sidepieces  62  are provided on each of the clamping strips  60 , these sidepieces being able to fit into the three recesses  51  in the housing shown in FIG.  1 . The number of beads  53 , recesses  51 , and sidepieces  62  is arbitrary. 
     List of Reference Numbers 
       10  door handle, insert 
       11  first, upper edge area of  10   
       12  second, lower edge area of  10   
       13  shell-like housing 
       14  press-flap, push button 
       15  axis of  14   
       20  carrier, exterior door panel 
       21  first, upper edge of the carrier at  25   
       22  second, lower edge of the carrier at  25   
       25  opening in  20 , carrier opening 
       29  front side of  22 , visible side of carrier  20   
       50  membrane 
       51  recesses 
       52  edge flange on  13   
       53  lateral bead on  13   
       54  sealing area of  50   
       55  insertion movement of  10  in  25   
       56  housing width at  53   
       57  original distance between  60   
       58  slip-on movement of  60   
       59  arrow of the approach movement of  60   
       60  clamping strip 
       61  forward sidepiece of  60   
       62  rear sidepiece of  60   
       63  final distance between  60  in the fastened state 
       64  rear flank of  51   
       65  switch 
       66  bolt 
       67  nut 
       68  spring 
       69  angle 
       70  switching lever 
       71  contact 
       72  opening in  13