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DE-102025145751-A1 - DOOR HANDLE ARRANGEMENT FOR A VEHICLE DOOR AND PROCEDURES FOR INSTALLING THESE

DE102025145751A1DE 102025145751 A1DE102025145751 A1DE 102025145751A1DE-102025145751-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a door handle assembly for a vehicle door. The vehicle door has a door surface, and the door handle assembly comprises a handle receptacle, a handle, a drive device, a handle shaft, and a transmission device. The handle has a recessed position and a deployed position. The handle is flush with the door surface when it is in the recessed position. The handle projects from the door surface when it is in the deployed position. The handle shaft is designed to rotate when driven by the drive device. The transmission device connects the handle shaft to the handle and the handle receptacle, enabling the handle to be driven by the handle shaft to move translationally between the recessed position and the deployed position relative to the handle receptacle. When the handle is in the retracted or deployed position, the drive device is activated in response to the rotation of the handle shaft by a predetermined angle when the handle is pressed by an operator to deploy or retract the handle or to trigger the unlocking of the vehicle door.

Inventors

  • Penghui Yi

Assignees

  • ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251106
Priority Date
20241108

Claims (10)

  1. Door handle assembly for a vehicle door (101), wherein the vehicle door (101) has a door surface (102) comprising the door handle assembly: a handle receptacle (112); a handle (111) with a recessed position and a deployed position, wherein the handle (111) is flush with the door surface (102) when the handle (111) is in the recessed position, and the handle (111) projects outwards with respect to the door surface (102) when the handle (111) is in the deployed position; a drive device (113); a handle shaft (118) designed to rotate when driven by the drive device (113); and a transmission device (126, 129), whereby the transmission device (126, 129) connects the handle (111) to the handle shaft (118) and the handle receptacle (112) so that the handle (111) can be driven by the handle shaft (118) to move between the retracted position and the deployed position with respect to the handle receptacle (112), and the transmission device (126, 129) moves to rotate the handle shaft (118) when an operator operates the handle (111); and the drive device (113) is designed such that, when the handle (111) is in the retracted position or in the deployed position, the drive device (113) is activated in response to the rotation of the handle shaft (118) when the operator operates the handle (111) in order to deploy or retract the handle (111).
  2. Door handle arrangement according to Claim 1 , wherein the handle shaft (118) is rigidly connected to an output end (119) of the drive device (113).
  3. Door handle arrangement according to Claim 1 , wherein the transmission device (126, 129) comprises: an X-shaped joint structure (129) connected to the handle (111) and the handle receptacle (112) and designed to rotate about its axis of rotation (130) so that the handle (111) can move in relation to the handle receptacle (112) to be deployed or retracted; and a transmission element (126) that connects the handle shaft (118) to the X-shaped joint structure (129) so that the X-shaped joint structure (129) can be driven to rotate by the handle shaft (118) under the drive of the drive device (113), and the X-shaped joint structure (129) rotates to drive the handle shaft (118) to rotate when the operator operates the handle (111), and optionally, wherein the X-shaped joint structure (129) comprises: a first push rod (139) having a first end (131) and a second end (132), wherein the first end (131) is slidably connected to the handle receptacle (112) and the second end (132) is pivotably connected to the handle (111); and a second push rod (140) having a third end (133) and a fourth end (134), wherein the third end (133) is slidably connected to the handle (111) and the fourth end (134) is pivotably connected to the handle receptacle (112), wherein the first push rod (139) and the second push rod (140) rotate about the axis of rotation (130) at an intersection point, wherein one end (128) of the transmission element (126) is slidably connected to the second push rod (140) and the other end (127) of the transmission element (126) is fixedly connected to the handle shaft (118), and optionally, wherein the handle receptacle (112) has a first connecting groove (152) and the first push rod (139) is provided at its first end (131) with a first connecting pin (135), wherein the first connecting pin (135) is for a is designed to slide within the first connecting groove (152); wherein the handle (111) has a second connecting groove (141) and the second push rod (140) is provided at its third end (133) with a second connecting pin (137), wherein the second connecting pin (137) is designed to slide within the second connecting groove (141); and wherein the second push rod (140) has a third connecting groove (148) and the transmission element (126) is provided with a third connecting pin (153), wherein the third connecting pin (153) is designed to slide within the third connecting groove (148).
  4. Door handle arrangement according to Claim 1 , wherein the door handle assembly further comprises a release structure (125) designed to be driven to rotate by the X-shaped joint structure (129) in order to unlock the vehicle door (101); wherein the door handle assembly further comprises a push-push structure (120) connecting the handle (111) to the handle receptacle (112) so that the handle (111) can be moved from the recessed position to an intermediate position between the recessed position and the provided position by the operator pushing on it, or the handle (111) can be moved from the intermediate position to the recessed position; or wherein the handle (111) has a removable handle cover (114) and a lock cylinder (116) of the vehicle door (101) is received in the handle (111), the handle cover (114) being designed to expose the lock cylinder (116) when it is removed.
  5. Door handle arrangement according to Claim 2 , furthermore showing: a detection device (402) designed to detect an angle of rotation and a direction of rotation of the output end (119) of the drive device (113) for activating the drive device (113) or unlocking the vehicle door (101), and optionally further comprising: a control device (401) communicatively connected to the detection device (402) and the drive device (113), wherein the control device (401) is designed to control the rotation of the drive device (113) in a first direction of rotation for making the handle (111) available or in a second direction of rotation, which is opposite to the first direction of rotation, for retracting the handle (111), or to control the unlocking of the vehicle door (101) based on the detected angle of rotation and direction of rotation of the drive device (113).
  6. Method (500) for operating a door handle assembly mounted in a vehicle door (101), the method (500) comprising the following steps: S1: Detect whether a handle (111) of the door handle assembly is in a retracted position or a deployed position; S2: Detect an angle and direction of rotation of an output end (119) of a drive device (113) when an operator operates the handle (111); S3.1: Activate the drive device (113) to control the movement of the handle (111) into the deployed position when it is detected that the handle (111) is in the retracted position and the output end (119) of the drive device (113) is rotating by a first predetermined angle in a first direction of rotation; S3.2: Activating the drive device (113) to control the movement of the handle (111) into the retracted position when it is detected that the handle (111) is in the provided position and the output end (119) of the drive device (113) rotates by a second predetermined angle in the first direction of rotation; and S3.3: Controlling the unlocking of the vehicle door (101) and activating the drive device (113) to control the return of the handle (111) to the provided position when it is detected that the handle (111) is in the provided position and the output end (119) of the drive device (113) rotates by a third predetermined angle in a second direction of rotation opposite to the first direction of rotation.
  7. Procedure (500) according to Claim 6 , wherein in step S3.1, when a pull-in signal of the drive device (113) is detected, the drive device (113) controls the return of the handle (111) to the retracted position; and wherein in step S3.2, when the pull-in signal of the drive device (113) is detected, the drive device (113) controls the return of the handle (111) to the provided position and optionally, wherein the drive device (113) rotates in the first direction of rotation to retract the handle (111) and rotates in the second direction of rotation to provide the handle (111).
  8. Door handle assembly for a vehicle door (101), wherein the vehicle door (101) has a door surface (102) comprising the door handle assembly: a handle receptacle (112); a handle (111) with a recessed position and a deployed position, wherein the handle (111) is flush with the door surface (102) when the handle (111) is in the recessed position, and the handle (111) projects outwards with respect to the door surface (102) when the handle (111) is in the deployed position; a handle shaft (118) designed to rotate under the drive of the drive device (113); an X-shaped joint structure (129) connected to the handle (111) and the handle receptacle (112) and designed to rotate about its axis of rotation (130) so that the handle (111) can move relative to the handle receptacle (112) to be extended or retracted; and a transmission element (126) connecting the handle shaft (118) to the X-shaped joint structure (129) so that the X-shaped joint structure (129) can be driven to rotate by the handle shaft (118) under the drive of the drive device (113), and the X-shaped joint structure (129) rotates to drive the handle shaft (118) to rotate when the operator operates the handle (111).
  9. Door handle arrangement according to Claim 8 , wherein the X-shaped joint structure (129) comprises: a first push rod (139) having a first end (131) and a second end (132), wherein the first end (131) is slidably connected to the handle receptacle (112) and the second end (132) is pivotably connected to the handle (111); and a second push rod (140) having a third end (133) and a fourth end (134), wherein the third end (133) is slidably connected to the handle (111) and the fourth end (134) is pivotably connected to the handle receptacle (112), wherein the first push rod (139) and the second push rod (140) rotate about the axis of rotation (130) at an intersection point, wherein one end (128) of the transmission element (126) is slidably connected to the second push rod (140) and the other end (127) of the transmission element (126) is fixedly connected to the handle shaft (118), and optionally, wherein the handle receptacle (112) has a first connecting groove (152) and the first push rod (139) is provided at its first end (131) with a first connecting pin (135), wherein the first connecting pin (135) is designed to slide within the first connecting groove (152); wherein the handle (111) has a second connecting groove (141) and the second push rod (140) is provided at its third end (133) with a second connecting pin (137), wherein the second connecting pin (137) is designed to slide within the second connecting groove (141); and wherein the second push rod (140) has a third connecting groove (148) and the transmission element (126) is provided with a third connecting pin (153), wherein the third connecting pin (153) is designed to slide within the third connecting groove (148).
  10. Door handle arrangement according to Claim 8 , wherein the door handle assembly further comprises a release structure (125) designed to be driven to rotate by the X-shaped joint structure (129) in order to unlock the vehicle door (101); wherein the door handle assembly further comprises a push-push structure (120) connecting the handle (111) to the handle receptacle (112) so that the handle (111) can be moved from the retracted position to an intermediate position between the retracted position and the extended position by the operator pushing on it, or the handle (111) can be moved from the intermediate position to the retracted position; wherein the handle (111) has a removable handle cover (114) and a lock cylinder (116) of the vehicle door (101) is received in the handle (111), wherein the handle cover (114) is designed to release the lock cylinder (116) when it is removed; or wherein the handle shaft (118) is rigidly connected to an output end (119) of the drive device (113).

Description

TECHNICAL AREA The present disclosure relates to a door handle arrangement and in particular a door handle arrangement for a vehicle door and a method for operating the door handle arrangement. STATE OF THE ART A vehicle's door handle assembly, for example, an exterior door handle assembly, is designed for a user to grasp and open a vehicle door, unlock the vehicle door, etc. For this purpose, a handle of the vehicle's door handle assembly may extend beyond the door surface, allowing the user to grasp the handle for the above operations. SUMMARY OF THE REVELATION According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides a door handle assembly for a vehicle door with a door surface. The door handle assembly comprises a handle receptacle, a handle, a drive device, a handle shaft, and a transmission device. The handle has a recessed position and a deployed position, wherein the handle is flush with the door surface when the handle is in the recessed position, and the handle projects outward with respect to the door surface when the handle is in the deployed position. The handle shaft is designed to rotate when driven by the drive device. The transmission device connects the handle shaft to the handle and the handle receptacle, so that the handle can be driven by the handle shaft to move between the recessed position and the deployed position with respect to the handle receptacle. The transmission device moves to rotate the handle shaft when an operator operates the handle. The drive device is designed so that, when the handle is in the retracted or deployed position, the drive device will be activated in response to the rotation of the handle shaft when the operator operates the handle to deploy or retract it. In some embodiments, the handle shaft is rigidly connected to an output end of the drive device. In some embodiments, the transmission device comprises an X-shaped joint structure and a transmission element. The X-shaped joint structure is connected to the handle and the handle receptacle and is designed to rotate about its axis of rotation to allow the handle to move relative to the handle receptacle to be extended or retracted. A transmission element connects the handle shaft to the X-shaped joint structure so that, driven by the drive device, the X-shaped joint structure can be caused to rotate by the handle shaft, and the X-shaped joint structure rotates to cause the handle shaft to rotate when the operator operates the handle. In some embodiments, the X-shaped joint structure comprises a first pushrod and a second pushrod. The first pushrod comprises a first end and a second end, the first end being slidably connected to the handle receptacle and the second end being pivotably connected to the handle. The second pushrod comprises a third end and a fourth end, the third end being slidably connected to the handle and the fourth end being pivotably connected to the handle receptacle, with the first pushrod and the second pushrod rotating about the axis of rotation at an intersection point. One end of the transmission element is slidably connected to the second pushrod, and the other end of the transmission element is fixedly connected to the handle shaft. In a preferred embodiment, the handle receptacle comprises a first connecting groove, and the first push rod is provided at its first end with a first connecting pin, the first connecting pin being designed to slide within the first connecting groove. The handle comprises a second connecting groove, and the second push rod is provided at its third end with a second connecting pin, the second connecting pin being designed to slide within the second connecting groove. The second push rod comprises a third connecting groove, and the transmission element is provided with a third connecting pin, the third connecting pin being designed to slide within the third connecting groove. In some embodiments, the door handle assembly further comprises a release structure designed to be driven to rotate by the X-shaped joint structure in order to unlock the vehicle door. In some embodiments, the door handle arrangement further comprises a push-push structure that connects the handle to the handle receptacle, so that the handle can be moved from the recessed position to an intermediate position between the recessed position and the provided position by pushing on it by the operator, or from the intermediate position to the recessed position. In some embodiments, the handle includes a removable handle cover and a lock cylinder of the vehicle door is incorporated into the handle, with the handle cover being designed to expose the lock cylinder when removed. In some embodiments, the door handle arrangement further comprises a detection device designed to detect an angle and direction of rotation of the output end of the drive device for activating the drive device or unlocking the vehicle door. In some embodiments, the door handle assembly fu