Patent Publication Number: US-2019169892-A1

Title: Inside handle with integrated grip

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0164218, filed on Dec. 1, 2017, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an inside handle with integrated grip and, more particularly, to an inside handle with integrated grip, in which a grip and an inside handle are integrated to thereby improve ease of use, freedom of design, and aesthetic appearance. 
     Description of Related Art 
     In general, a vehicle has a vehicle door designed to move between an opening position and a closed position to open or close an opening of a vehicle body, and the vehicle door is provided with a latch mechanism. Locking or unlocking the latch mechanism may fix the vehicle door to the closed position or release the vehicle door therefrom. 
     The vehicle door may be provided with an inside handle and a grip that are individually disposed on a door trim. The inside handle may lock or unlock the latch mechanism, and the grip may allow a user to grip for pushing or pulling. 
     As the user rotates the inside handle in one direction thereof, the latch mechanism may be unlocked, and then the user may grip and push the grip to thereby open the vehicle door. As the user rotates the inside handle in the other direction thereof, the latch mechanism may be locked, and then the user may grip and pull the grip to thereby close the vehicle door. 
     As the inside handle and the grip are individually disposed, freedom of design with respect to the door trim of the vehicle door may be restricted, and it would be difficult to provide a luxury image of the vehicle and meet consumer needs. 
     The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and may not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing an inside handle with integrated grip, in which a grip and an inside handle are integrated to improve ease of use, freedom of design, aesthetic appearance, and the like. 
     According to various aspects of the present invention, an inside handle with integrated grip may include a grip handle rotatably mounted on a door trim of a vehicle door and configured for being gripped, and a cable connector assembly having a lever which is pivotable by a rotation of the grip handle, wherein the lever moves a cable assembly connected to a latch mechanism of the vehicle door to lock or unlock the latch mechanism of the vehicle door. 
     The grip handle may include a first grip member having a shaft, and a second grip member having an operation portion abutting the lever. 
     A torsion spring may be disposed around the shaft, and the grip handle may return to its original position by the torsion spring. 
     The cable assembly may include a sheath, and a cable wire disposed to be movable in the sheath, and an end portion of the cable wire may be connected to the lever. 
     The end portion of the cable wire may be fixed to a cable guide member, and the cable guide member may be detachably coupled to the lever. 
     The cable connector assembly may include a first cage in which the lever is pivotally mounted, and a second cage to which the cable assembly is connected. 
     The lever may be pivotally mounted in the first cage through a pivot pin, a torsion spring may be disposed around the pivot pin, and the lever may return to its original position by the torsion spring. 
     The second cage may be detachably coupled to the first cage. 
     The second cage may have a guide slot for guiding movement of the cable guide member. 
     The sheath of the cable assembly may be coupled to the second cage through a snap-fit fastener. 
     The grip handle may be rotatably mounted on the door trim of the vehicle door through at least one mounting trim. 
     The cable connector assembly may be mounted on the mounting trim. 
     The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a structure in which an inside handle with integrated grip according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle door, 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of an inside handle with integrated grip according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a view in the direction of arrow A in  FIG. 2 , 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a view in the direction of arrow B in  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an exploded perspective view of a grip handle of an inside handle with integrated grip according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a structure in which a grip handle of an inside handle with integrated grip according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is mounted on an upper mounting trim, 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a structure in which a grip handle and a cable connector assembly of an inside handle with integrated grip according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are mounted on an upper mounting trim, 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a structure in which a lever and a first cage of a cable connector assembly are connected to a grip handle of an inside handle with integrated grip according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of a structure in which a lever and a first cage of an inside handle with integrated grip according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are coupled, 
         FIG. 10  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the lever and the first cage in  FIG. 9 , 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a view in the direction of arrow C in  FIG. 9 , 
         FIG. 12  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the lever and the first cage in  FIG. 11 , 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a structure in which a first cage and a second cage in a cable connector assembly of an inside handle with integrated grip according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are detached, 
         FIG. 14  illustrates a structure in which a cable assembly is connected to a second cage of an inside handle with integrated grip according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, 
         FIG. 15  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the second cage and the cable assembly in  FIG. 14 , and 
         FIG. 16  illustrates a view in the direction of arrow D in  FIG. 7 , a structure in which an operation portion of a grip handle, a lever, and a cable assembly are connected. 
     
    
    
     It may be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention as included herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particularly intended application and use environment. 
     In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals will be used throughout to designate the same or equivalent elements. In addition, a detailed description of well-known techniques associated with the present invention will be ruled out in order not to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention. 
     Terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used to describe the elements in exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element, and the intrinsic features, sequence or order, and the like of the corresponding elements are not limited by the terms. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meanings as those generally understood by those with ordinary knowledge in the field of art to which the present invention belongs. Such terms as those defined in a generally used dictionary are to be interpreted as having meanings equal to the contextual meanings in the relevant field of art, and are not to be interpreted as having ideal or excessively formal meanings unless clearly defined as having such in the present application. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , an inside handle with integrated grip, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, may include a grip handle  20 , and the grip handle  20  may be mounted on a door trim  2  of a vehicle door  1  through an upper mounting trim  5  and a lower mounting trim  6 . 
     The lower mounting trim  6  may be bent, and the lower mounting trim  6  may be coupled to a door armrest  8  of the vehicle door  1 . The upper mounting trim  5  may be bent, and the upper mounting trim  5  may be coupled to an upper portion of the door trim  2 . 
     The contour and surface of the grip handle  20  may be formed to facilitate a user&#39;s gripping. The grip handle  20  may be rotatably mounted between the upper mounting trim  5  and the lower mounting trim  6 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 4 , and  FIG. 5 , the grip handle  20  may include a first grip member  21  and a second grip member  22  detachably coupled to the first grip member  21 . A grip cover may be attached to the external surfaces of the first grip member  21  and the second grip member  22  to facilitate gripping. As the first grip member  21  and the second grip member  22  are assembled, the appearance thereof may be improved. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the first grip member  21  may be disposed to face the internal of the vehicle, and the second grip member  22  may be disposed to face the vehicle door. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the first grip member  21  may have a shaft  25 , and the shaft  25  may be coupled to the first grip member  21 . For example, the shaft  25  may be detachably coupled to the first grip member  21 . As another example, the shaft  25  may be integrated with the first grip member  21  by casting or molding. 
     One end portion of the shaft  25  may be rotatably supported with respect to the upper mounting trim  5 , and the other end portion of the shaft  25  may be rotatably supported with respect to the lower mounting trim  6 . The grip handle  20  may be rotatable about an axis X 1  of the shaft  25 . 
     A torsion spring  26  may be disposed around the shaft  25 , and the grip handle  20  may return to its original position by the torsion spring  26 . A first leg  26   a  of the torsion spring  26  may be supported with respect to the first grip member  21 , and a second leg  26   b  of the torsion spring  26  may be supported with respect to the upper mounting trim  5 . 
     The second grip member  22  may be coupled to the first grip member  21  through fasteners or the like. The second grip member  22  may have an operation portion  23 . The operation portion  23  may extend from one end portion of the second grip member  22 . The operation portion  23  may be disposed in the upper mounting trim  5 , and the operation portion  23  may be bent such that it may correspond to the bent structure of the upper mounting trim  5 . For example, the operation portion  23  may be bent at a predetermined angle with respect to the axis X 1  of the shaft  25 . 
     The operation portion  23  may have an operation surface  24 , and the operation surface  24  may be formed by a support protrusion  24   a  protruding from the operation portion  23  and a support wall  24   b . An axis X 2  of the support protrusion  24   a  may intersect with the axis X 1  of the shaft  25  at a predetermined angle. The operation surface  24  of the operation portion  23  may abut a lever  31  of a cable connector assembly  30  to be described later. As the grip handle  20  rotates, the operation surface  24  may pivot the lever  31  of the cable connector assembly  30 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the grip handle  20  may be mounted on the door trim  2  of the vehicle door  1  through the upper mounting trim  5  and the lower mounting trim  6 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 7 , the cable connector assembly  30  may be connected to the grip handle  20 . As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a cable assembly  60  may be connected between the cable connector assembly  30  and a latch mechanism  80  of the vehicle door  1 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 15 , the cable assembly  60  may include a sheath  61 , and a cable wire  62  disposed to be movable in the sheath  61 . One end portion of the cable wire  62  may be fixed to a cable guide member  65 , and the cable guide member  65  may be detachably coupled to the lever  31 . Thus, the cable wire  62  may be moved by the pivoting of the lever  31 . A snap-fit fastener  63  may be fixed to an end portion of the sheath  61 . The cable wire  62  and the sheath  61  may include a flexible material. 
     The cable connector assembly  30  may move the cable assembly  60  by the operation of the grip handle  20 , locking or unlocking the latch mechanism  80  of the vehicle door. 
     The cable connector assembly  30  may be mounted on the upper mounting trim  5  as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
     The cable connector assembly  30  may include, as illustrated in  FIGS. 8 to 14 , the lever  31  abutting the operation portion  23  of the grip handle  20 , a first cage  40  in which the lever  31  is pivotally mounted, and a second cage  50  to which the cable assembly  60  is connected. 
     The lever  31  may be pivotally mounted in the first cage  40  through a pivot pin  38  as illustrated in  FIGS. 10 and 12 . 
     The lever  31  may have a lever body  32  abutting the operation portion  23  of the grip handle  20 , and two legs  33  and  34  extending from the lever body  32 . 
     The lever body  32  may abut the operation surface  24  of the operation portion  23 . 
     As the grip handle  20  rotates, the lever body  32  may pivot on the pivot pin  38 . The lever body  32  may pivot by the rotation of the grip handle  20  so that the lever  31  may move between a pulling position (see “P 1 ” in  FIGS. 4 and 16 ) by pulling the cable wire  62  of the cable assembly  60  and a return position (see “P 0 ” in  FIGS. 4 and 16 ) by returning the cable wire  62  of the cable assembly  60  to its original position. 
     When the lever  31  moves to the pulling position (see “P 1 ” in  FIGS. 4 and 16 ), the cable wire  62  may be pulled. By pulling the cable wire  62 , the latch mechanism of the vehicle door  1  may be unlocked. When the lever  31  moves to the return position (see “P 0 ” in  FIGS. 4 and 16 ), the cable wire  62  may return to its original position. By returning the cable wire  62  to its original position, the latch mechanism of the vehicle door  1  may be locked. 
     The two legs  33  and  34  may be spaced from each other, and the legs  33  and  34  may have engaging grooves  33   a  and  34   a , respectively. Both end portions of the cable guide member  65  may be press-fit into the engaging grooves  33   a  and  34   a  of the legs  33  and  34 . 
     The legs  33  and  34  may have respective pivot holes  33   b  and  34   b  through which the pivot pin  38  passes, and the pivot pin  38  may allow the lever  31  to be pivotally mounted in the first cage  40 . 
     The first cage  40  may be fixed to an internal surface of the upper mounting trim  5  through a plurality of fasteners, as illustrated in  FIG. 8 . The first cage  40  may have a cavity  41  in which the lever  31  is received, as illustrated in  FIGS. 9 to 12 . 
     The first cage  40  may have pivot holes  42  through which the pivot pin  38  passes, and the pivot holes  42  of the first cage  40  may be aligned with the pivot holes  33   b  and  34   b  of the legs  33  and  34 . As the pivot pin  38  passes through the pivot holes  42  of the first cage  40  and the pivot holes  33   b  and  34   b  of the legs  33  and  34 , the lever  31  may be pivotally mounted in the first cage  40 . 
     A torsion spring  39  may be disposed around the pivot pin  38 , and the lever  31  may return to its original position by the torsion spring  39 . A first leg  39   a  of the torsion spring  39  may be supported with respect to the lever  31 , and a second leg  39   b  of the torsion spring  39  may be supported with respect to the first cage  40 . The lever  31  may have an engaging groove  37  with which the first leg  39   a  of the torsion spring  39  is engaged, and the first cage  40  may have an engaging groove  47  with which the second leg  39   b  of the torsion spring  39  is engaged. 
     The second cage  50  may have an internal space  51  in which one end portion of the cable assembly  60  and the legs  33  and  34  of the lever  31  are received. 
     The second cage  50  may have an engaging cavity  55  with which the snap-fit fastener  63  of the cable assembly  60  is engaged, and the sheath  61  of the cable assembly  60  may be supported with respect to the second cage  50  through the snap-fit fastener  63 . 
     As the cable guide member  65  of the cable assembly  60  is engaged with the engaging grooves  33   a  and  34   a  of the lever  31 , the cable wire  62  of the cable assembly  60  may be moved by the pivoting of the lever  31 . A protrusion  66  may protrude from each end portion of the cable guide member  65 . 
     A pair of guide slots  52  may be formed in respective sidewalls of the second cage  50 . The protrusions  66  of the cable guide member  65  may be guided along the guide slots  52 , respectively. Each guide slot  52  may be formed in an arc shape corresponding to a pivot trajectory of the lever  31 . 
     The second cage  50  may be detachably snap-fit with respect to the first cage  40 . The first cage  40  may have a first hook  43 , and the second cage  50  may have a second hook  53  which is snap-fit to the first hook  43  of the first cage  40 . Furthermore, the first cage  40  may have an engaging groove  44 , and the second cage  50  may have an engaging hook  54  which is detachably snap-fit to the engaging groove  44  of the first cage  40 . 
     The second cage  50  may have a plurality of protrusions  59  on an external surface thereof. As the protrusions  59  of the second cage  50  are brought in close contact with the internal surface of the first cage  40 , the second cage  50  may be securely coupled to the first cage  40 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 16 , to open the vehicle door, when the user grips and rotates the grip handle  20  in one direction (see a direction indicated by arrow T in  FIG. 4 ), the operation portion  23  of the grip handle  20  may also rotate, and the lever body  32  of the lever  31  abutting the operation surface  24  of the operation portion  23  may be pivoted on the pivot pin  38  (see a direction indicated by arrow K in  FIGS. 4 and 16 ), and thus the lever body  32  may move to the pulling position P 1  for pulling the cable wire  62  of the cable assembly  60 . As the cable wire  62  is pulled, the latch mechanism of the vehicle door  1  may be unlocked. In the present state, as the user pushes the grip handle  20  toward the outside of the vehicle, the vehicle door  1  may be opened. 
     When the user releases the grip handle  20 , the grip handle  20  may return to its original position by the torsion spring  26 , and thus the lever  31  may move to the return position P 0  by the torsion spring  39 . As the cable wire  62  returns to its original position, the latch mechanism of the vehicle door  1  may be locked. 
     As set forth above, according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, by integrating the function of a grip and the function of an inside handle into the grip handle, an installation space of the inside handle with integrated grip on the vehicle door may significantly be reduced, and thus freedom of design may be increased. 
     Furthermore, since a parting line of the handle is eliminated, the aesthetic appearance thereof may significantly be improved. By improving operability, ease of use may be improved. Furthermore, the inside handle with integrated grip may provide improved grip feeling, allowing the user to feel more comfortable when operating the handle. 
     For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “internal”, “outer”, “up”, “down”, “upper”, “lower”, “upwards”, “downwards”, “front”, “rear”, “back”, “inside”, “outside”, “inwardly”, “outwardly”, “internal”, “external”, “internal”, “outer”, “forwards”, and “backwards” are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures. 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.