Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to motor vehicle door handle assemblies and, more particularly, to a simplified assembly providing both inside and outside door handle assembly functions. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Motor vehicle door assemblies typically include an outside door handle assembly, an outside door handle linkage for connecting the outside door handle to the door latch, an inside door handle, and an inside door handle linkage for connecting the inside door handle to the door latch. Whereas this basic arrangement is satisfactory in providing opening of the door from either inside or outside of the door, the total door handle assembly tends to be rather complex and rather expensive both from a materials standpoint and a labor/assembly standpoint. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is directed to the provision of improved motor vehicle door handle assembly. 
     More particularly, this invention is directed to the provision of a motor vehicle door handle assembly wherein the outside door handle assembly and the inside door handle assembly share common elements to simplify the construction and operation of the overall assembly and reduce the overall materials and labor cost of the assembly. 
     The invention is directed to a motor vehicle door handle assembly comprising an outside door handle, an outside door handle linkage for connecting the outside door handle to a door latch, an inside door handle, and an inside door handle linkage for connecting the inside door handle to the door latch. 
     According to the invention, the outside and inside door handle linkages share a common spring element which is interposed in each linkage and acts to yieldably resist opening movement of the inside and outside door handles and provide a spring biased return movement of the inside and outside door handles upon release of the handles. This arrangement simplifies the overall construction of the total door handle assembly without any sacrifice in the performance of either the inside or the outside door handle assembly. 
     According to a further feature of the invention, the outside and inside door handle linkages further share a common damper mechanism which is interposed in each linkage and acts to cushion the spring biased return movement of the door handles. With this arrangement, a single damper mechanism acts to provide a soft, cushioned return of either the outside or the inside door handle to its rest position upon release of the handle. 
     According to a further feature of the invention, the assembly further includes a lost motion means allowing movement of either door handle to an open position without corresponding opening movement of the other door handle. This arrangement allows the utilization of shared componentry as between the inside and outside door handle assemblies without causing interference between the operation of the inside and outside door handles. 
     According to a further feature of the invention, the outside door handle linkage and the inside door handle linkage further share a common latch actuator element positioned at a location remote from the latch and a common linkage element for interconnecting the latch actuator element and the latch; and the common latch actuator element is moved to actuate the common linkage element and thereby actuate the latch in response to opening movement of either the outside door handle or the inside door handle. This arrangement further simplifies the overall construction of the total door handle assembly without sacrifice of handle performance. 
     According to a further feature of the invention, the common spring element resiliently resists movement of the common latch actuator element in an unlatching direction in response to opening movement of the outside door handle or the inside door handle and returns the common latch actuator to a rest position upon release of the actuated handle. This common spring arrangement further simplifies and reduces the cost of the total door handle assembly. 
     According to a further feature of the invention, the common latch actuator element comprises a latch lever mounted for pivotal movement about a fixed axis; the common spring element comprises a coil spring centered on the axis and resisting movement of the latch lever in an unlatching direction; and the assembly further includes a common damper mechanism including a housing containing a viscous fluid and a vane movable in the housing against the resistance of the viscous fluid in response to pivotal movement of the latch lever. This arrangement allows the common latch lever to actuate the latch, mount the spring, and drive the damper mechanism. 
     According to a further feature of the invention, the common damper mechanism further includes a gear driving the vane and the latch lever includes gear teeth formed on the lever concentric with the axis and driving the gear. This arrangement provides a simple means of actuating the damper utilizing the pivotal movement of the latch lever. 
     According to a further feature of the invention, the outside door handle linkage includes an outside linkage lever pivotally mounted at one end thereof proximate the remote location for pivotal movement about a fixed axis and operatively connected proximate a free end thereof to the outside door handle; the latch lever is pivotally mounted at one end thereof on the axis and is operatively connected to the inside door handle and to the shared common linkage element; and the lost motion means includes a first lost motion connection between the one ends of the levers operative to allow relative pivotal movement between the levers. This arrangement provides a simple means of driving the latch lever either from the outside door handle or from the inside door handle. 
     According to a further feature of the invention, the first lost motion connection provides a driving connection between the levers in response to opening movement of the outside door handle and allows relative movement between the levers in response to opening movement of the inside door handle so as not to disturb the outside door handle. 
     According to a further feature of the invention, the lost motion means further includes a second lost motion connection between the latch lever and the inside door handle whereby pivoting of the latch lever in response to opening movement of the outside door handle does not disturb the inside door handle. 
     According to a further feature of the invention, the inside door handle linkage includes a linkage element; the second lost motion connection comprises a mounting structure on the latch lever remote from the pivot axis slidably receiving one end of the inside door handle linkage element; and the one end of the inside door handle linkage element is headed so as to allow unlatching movement of the latch lever in response to opening movement of the inside door handle while not disturbing the inside door handle in response to unlatching movement of the latch lever in response to opening movement of the outside door handle. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a motor vehicle including a door embodying the door handle assembly of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective, somewhat schematic view of the motor vehicle door seen in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the door handle assembly of the invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an outside door handle assembly employed in the door handle assembly of the invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an outside door handle employed in the outside door handle assembly; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective, fragmentary view of a common latch actuator mechanism employed in the invention door handle assembly; 
     FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views taken respectively on lines  7 — 7  and  8 — 8  of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of the common latch actuator mechanism; and 
     FIGS. 10 and 11 are detail perspective views of elements employed in the common latch actuator mechanism. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The invention door handle assembly  10  is seen in FIG. 1 in association with a fragmentarily shown motor vehicle  12  including a windshield  14 , a front quarter panel  16 , a hood  18 , an A pillar  20 , a sill  22 , a B pillar  24 , and a door  26  positioned in the door opening defined by the A pillar  20 , front quarter panel  16 , sill  22 , and B pillar  24 . 
     Door  26  (FIG. 2) includes an inner skin  26   a , an outer skin  26   b , and a latch  28  mounted on a shut face  26   c  of the door and arranged for coaction in known manner with a bolt or striker  30  mounted on the B pillar  24 . 
     Motor vehicle door handle assembly  10  (see also FIG. 3) includes an outside door handle assembly  32 , an outside door handle linkage  34 , an inside door handle assembly  36 , an inside door handle linkage  38 , and a common latch actuator assembly  40 . 
     Outside door handle assembly  32  (FIGS. 3,  4  and  5 ) includes a handle  42  and a housing or escutcheon  44 . 
     Housing  44  is mounted in a suitable opening in the outer skin  26   b  of the door and has a generally oval configuration. Housing  44  includes a peripheral rim portion  44   a  surrounding a central recessed bowl portion  44   b . The inner face  44   c  of the housing defines an inwardly projecting hollow guide portion  44   d  and spaced pillar portions  44   e  and  44   f.    
     Handle  42  has an elongated configuration and includes a main body grip portion  42   a  and an arm portion  42   b  extending inwardly from a rear end  42   c  of the handle. Front end  42   d  of the handle includes a pivot portion  42   e  for pivotally mounting the handle in known manner to the front end  44   g  of the housing, and the arm  42   b  extends inwardly and slidably through guide portion  44   d  of the housing to dispose an opening  42   f  at the free end of arm portion  42   b  within the interior of the door. 
     Outside door handle linkage  34  (FIGS. 6,  7 ,  9  and  10 ) comprises a lever  46  and a pin  48 . 
     Lever  46  is pivotally mounted at one end  46   a  thereof on a pivot pin  47  extending between the inner ends of housing pillars  44   e  and  44   f . The end  46   a  of lever  46  is configured to define a through bore  46   b  receiving pivot pin  47 , a hub or journal portion  46   c  centered on bore  46   b , and an arcuate driver portion  46   d  centered on bore  46   b  outwardly of hub  46   e . Arcuate driver portion  46   f  may have an arcuate extent of, for example, 110° and has an axial extent exceeding the axial extent of hub portion  46   b  so that arcuate driver portion  46   d  overhangs hub portion  46   c.    
     Pin  48  is fixedly secured to the other end  46   e  of lever  46  and extends in a direction opposite to the extent of hub portion  46   c  and driver portion  46   d . Pin  48  is received in the opening  42   f  of arm portion  42   b  of handle  42  so that pivotal movement of the handle about its front end  42   d  has the effect, via the driving interconnection between pin  48  and opening  42   e , of pivoting lever  46  about the fixed axis  49  defined by pin  47 . 
     Inside door handle assembly  36  (FIGS. 2 and 3) includes a handle  50  and a housing or escutcheon  52 . 
     Housing  52  is fixedly secured in a suitable opening in the inner skin  26   a  of the door and defines a main body portion  52   a , defining a central concavity  52   b , and a cable mounting portion  52   c.    
     Handle  50  is suitably mounted in the concavity  52   b  of main body housing portion  52   a  for pivotal movement about a pivot pin  53  carried by housing  52  and includes a gripping portion  50   a  for grasping by the vehicle operator and a cable attachment end portion  50   b.    
     Inside door handle linkage  38  (FIGS. 2,  3  and  6 ) includes a cable assembly  54  and a bracket  56 . 
     Cable assembly  54  is of the Bowden type and includes a central core or cable  58 , an outer sheath  60 , and a fitting  62 . 
     Bracket  56  is fixedly secured to the inner skin  26   a  of the door at a location proximate the outside door handle assembly and fitting  62  is fixedly secured at the outboard end of the bracket and extends downwardly from the bracket. 
     Sheath  60  is fixedly secured at one end in the lower end of fitting  62  and at its other end in the mounting portion  52   c  of the inside door handle housing  52 . 
     Cable  58  is connected at one end to inside handle cable attachment portion  50   b  and extends through housing mounting portion  52   c , through sheath  60 , and through fitting  62  to define an upper cable end  58   a  extending upwardly from fitting  62  and defining a head  58   b  at its upper free end. It will be seen that pivotal opening and closing movement of inside door handle  50  has the effect of sliding cable free end  58   a  upwardly and downwardly within fitting  62 . 
     Common latch actuator assembly  40  (FIGS. 6,  7 ,  8 ,  9  and  11 ) includes a latch actuator lever  64 , a spring element  66 , and a damper mechanism  68 . 
     Latch actuator lever  64  includes an inner end  64   a  and an outer end  64   b . Outer end  64   b  includes an aperture  64   c  for receipt of the upper end  70   a  of a latch actuator rod or linkage  70 . The inner end  64   a  of the lever is configured to define a central bore  64   d  for receipt of pivot pin  47 , a hub or journal portion  64   e  centered on central bore  64   d , and an arcuate driver portion  64   e  centered on hub portion  64   d  outwardly of hub portion  64   e , and a gear segment  64   f  centered on bore  64   d  at a location circumferentially removed from driver portion  64   e . Driver portion  64   e  may have an arcuate extent, for example, of 180° and has an axial extent exceeding the axial extent of hub portion  64   e  so that the arcuate driver portion extends axially beyond the hub portion. Lever  64  further defines a spring mount hub portion  64   g  concentric with bore  64   d  and through which pivot pin  47  extends for mounting in housing pillar  44   f . Lever  64  further includes a mounting structure  64   h  positioned between inner and outer ends  64   a  and  64   b  and having a central bore sized to slidably receive the upper end  58   a  of cable  58 . The headed end  58   b  of the cable precludes separation of the cable from the mounting portion  64   h , provides a driving connection between the cable and the lever  64 , and allows lost motion between the cable and the lever  64 . 
     In the assembled relation of levers  46  and  64 , pivot pin  47  passes centrally through aligned bores  46   b  and  64   d , hub portions  46   c  and  64   e  slidably interface, and arcuate driver portion  46   d  is located circumferentially within the missing arcuate portion of arcuate driver portion  64   e . It will be seen that driver portions  46   d  and  64   e  allow driving movement of lever  46  with respect to lever  64  in one direction while allowing lost motion movement between lever  64  and  46  in the opposite direction. 
     Spring element  66  comprises a coil spring and is mounted on spring mount portion  64   g  of lever  64  with one end  66   a  of the spring hooked under the lower edge of lever  64  and the other end  64   b  of the spring suitably anchored with respect to outer door handle housing  44 . Spring  66  acts to resist downward pivotal movement of lever  64  about axis  49  and returns lever  64  upwardly to a rest position in the absence of forces pivoting the lever downwardly. 
     Damper mechanism  68  includes a cylindrical housing  72  fixedly secured to pillar  44   f ; a shaft  74  centrally mounted within the housing; a vane structure  76  mounted on the shaft for rotary movement with the shaft within the housing, a gear  78  mounted on a free end of shaft  74  exteriorly of the housing  72  and meshingly engaging with gear segment portion  64   f  of lever  64 , and a viscous fluid  80  positioned within the housing in surrounding relation to vane  76 . It will be seen that pivotal movement of lever  64  about axis  49  has the effect of rotating gear  78  whereby to rotate vane  76  within housing  72  against the viscous resistance of fluid  80  so as to provide a viscous damping resistance to the pivotal movement of lever  64 . 
     In the operation of the invention door handle assembly, either the outside door handle may be pivoted to unlatch the latch  28  or the inside door handle may be pivoted to unlatch the latch  28 , the opening movement of the respective handle in each case not disturbing the other handle by virtue of the lost motion connections provided at the common latch actuator assembly  40 . Specifically, as the outside door handle is pivoted outwardly to an unlatching position, handle arm  42   b  engages pin  48  to pivot lever  46  about axis  49 . As lever  46  is pivoted about axis  49 , arcuate driver portion  46   d  of lever  46  engages an end face  64   h  of arcuate driver portion  64   e  of lever  64  to pivot lever  64  downwardly and move rod  70  downwardly in a manner to unlatch latch  28 . As the lever  64  is pivoted downwardly, the upper end  58   a  of cable  58  slides in a lost motion manner in mounting structure  64   h  so as not to disturb the inside door handle assembly. 
     Conversely, when inside door handle  50  is pivoted outwardly to unlatch the latch, cable  58  pulls lever  64  downwardly by virtue of cable head end  58   b  to move rod  70  downwardly in an unlatching direction. As the lever moves downwardly the leading face  64   i  of arcuate driver  64   e  moves in an idling, lost motion manner within the gap  80  defined between the trailing face  46   f  of driver segment  46   d  and the leading face  64   i  of arcuate driver  64   e  to ensure that the opening movement of the inner door handle does not disturb the outer door handle. 
     As lever  64  is pivoted downwardly to unlatch the latch in response to either opening movement of the outside door handle or opening movement of the inside door handle, spring  66  resiliently resists the downward movement to provide a positive “feel” for the opening movement of the respective handle and the spring acts in response to release of the respective handle to positively return the handle to its rest position by exerting an upward pivotal force against lever  64 . Further, as lever  64  is pivoted downwardly or upwardly about axis  49 , damper mechanism  68  acts to provide a damping force resisting the latching or unlatching movement of the mechanism, thereby to cushion the latching and unlatching movement of the mechanism and in particular to mollify the return movement of the inside door handle and the outside door handle upon release of the handle to preclude objectionable slapping noises as the handle resumes its rest position with respect to the respective housing. 
     The invention door handle assembly, by providing many common elements in the outside door handle linkage assembly and the inside door handle linkage assembly, significantly reduces the cost of the system without any sacrifice in the performance of the system. Specifically, the use of a common latch actuator assembly allows the use of a common spring to provide spring biased movement of both the inside and outside door handles and the common latch actuator arrangement further allow the provision of a common damping mechanism to provide a damping action with respect to the closing movement of both the inside and outside door handles. The overall effect of the invention is to provide a total inside/outside door handle assembly for a motor vehicle having performance equal to or superior to prior art systems employing individual inside and outside linkages and at a price that is significantly less than the combined price of the inside and outside door handle assemblies by virtue of both reduced parts costs and reduced labor costs. 
     Whereas a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it will be apparent that the various changes may be made in the disclosed embodiment without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

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