The present invention relates to a vehicle door handle.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a handle of the type comprising a fastening structure for connection to the vehicle door; a lever connected to the fastening structure and which is gripped by a user; and a sensor or detecting antenna.
In most applications, the lever has an inner cavity communicating with the outside through an opening, and into which the antenna or sensor is inserted through the opening, which is then closed by a plug.
Such a handle is known from document
To insert the antenna or sensor easily inside the cavity, the inside of the cavity is normally larger than the antenna or sensor, so that, during normal operation, the antenna or sensor vibrates inside the lever, thus resulting in annoying, undesired acoustic emissions and, in many cases, in rapid failure.
Besides failing to provide an effective solution to the problem, reducing the clearance between the lever and the antenna or sensor also makes it more difficult to insert and position the antenna or sensor correctly.
Moreover, being normally flexible, the lever, when gripped to open or pushed to close the door, flexes and transfers the external pressure to the antenna or sensor, which, as is known, is sensitive to mechanical stress. As a result, the antenna or sensor soon breaks down and must be replaced at far from negligible cost.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle door handle designed to provide a straightforward solution to the above problems, and which, in particular, provides for a high degree of efficiency and reliability at all times, while at the same time being relatively cheap.
According to the present invention, there is provided a handle for a vehicle door, as claimed in claim 1.
In the handle defined above, said elastic forcing means conveniently act on a surface of said detecting means facing said fastening means, to push the detecting means outwards of the grip member.
A non-limiting embodiment of the invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Number 1 in Figure 1 indicates as a whole a handle for a vehicle door not shown.
Handle 1 comprises a fastening structure 2, which is connected integrally in known manner, not described in detail, to the door (not shown); and a lever 3 for controlling a lock (not shown) on the door.
Lever 3 comprises an end portion 4 hinged to structure 2, in known manner not described in detail, to move, with respect to structure 2, to and from an extracted position to activate the lock (not shown). Lever 3 also comprises a hollow, elongated, intermediate portion 5, which is gripped manually, in use, by a user; and an end portion 6, opposite portion 4, which extends through structure 2 and is connected to the door lock (not shown).
Intermediate portion 5 comprises a longitudinal front wall 7 facing, in use, the user and defined internally by an inner surface 7a; and a rear wall 8 facing front wall 7 and adjacent, in use, to the body of the door. Together with the rest of lever 3, walls 7 and 8 define an elongated cavity 9 communicating with the outside through two facing end openings 11 and 12. Opening 11 extends through end portion 6; opening 12 comes out inside a further cavity 13 formed in portion 4; and cavity 13 is closed partly by a cover 14 to define a chamber 15, and a conduit or passage 16 connecting chamber 15 to the outside.
A known detecting device 18 is housed radially loosely inside elongated cavity 9, and, in the particular example described, comprises a hollow outer casing 19 formed in one piece or by two connected half-shells, and an antenna or sensor 20 locked inside casing 19 and connected to wiring 21. Wiring 21 comes out of an end portion 23, adjacent to chamber 15, of casing 19, and extends outside through chamber 15 and passage 16 (Figure 1).
As shown in Figure 1 and particularly in Figure 2, end portion 23 of casing 19 is connected to intermediate portion 5 by an anchoring device 24 comprising an annular, conveniently elastic body 25 partly surrounding end portion 23 and which is forced inside cavity 9 to form a hinge enabling casing 19 to rotate to and from wall 7.
As shown in Figure 1, casing 19 is pushed against surface 7a of wall 7 by an elastic device 28 interposed between wall 8 and an end portion 26, opposite portion 23, of casing 19.
In the example described and shown in particular in Figures 1 and 3, device 28 comprises a supporting plate 29 resting on a portion of wall 8 adjacent to end portion 6 and end opening 11; and an elastically deformed lever 30, which is integral with plate 29, forms an acute angle A with plate 29, and terminates with a fastening portion 31 resting against an inner surface of portion 26 facing structure 2. Portion 31 has two adjacent holes 32, each engaged by a respective pin 33 integral with casing 19 and projecting from casing 19 parallel to the other pin 33. The portion of plate 29 opposite the portion integral with lever 30 is connected integrally to a cover 35 for closing end opening 11. In the particular example described, cover 35, supporting plate 29, and lever 30 form part of a single body 36 formed in one piece and connected releasably to portion 6 by a removable retaining pin 37.
In the Figure 4 variation, plate 29 is separate from cover 35; lever 30 is connected directly and integrally to casing 19; and elastic device 28 and casing 19 - or at least part of casing 19, if this comprises a number of parts - preferably form part of a single body 38 formed in one piece.
In actual use, annular body 25 provides for easily hinging one end of detecting device 18 and allowing the rest of device 18 to oscillate, inside cavity 9, to and from wall 7. And, in parallel, elastic device 28 forces portion 26 of casing 19 elastically against wall 7, so that the efficiency of detecting device 18 is in no way impaired by any external force transmitted to intermediate grip portion 5 by the user, or simply by the door being closed sharply, and such as to deform intermediate portion 5. In fact, when such external force is applied, device 18 is free to move, inside cavity 9, with respect to portion 5, upon the external force exceeding the elastic load imparted by device 28. In handle 1 described, elastic device 28 therefore makes detecting device 18 functionally unaffected by any deformation of intermediate portion 5, which may therefore be made of any, even flexible or easily deformable material.
In the absence of external force, device 18 is maintained by elastic device 28 in a stable condition, thus preventing any relative movement resulting in vibration or undesired acoustic emissions.
Forming elastic device 28 in one piece with cover 35 closing end opening 11 of insertion of detecting device 18 reduces the number of component parts, makes assembly faster, and improves the stability of the handle, by the component parts being interconnected so that each maintains its original position.
Cavity 13 and the particular cover 14, on the one hand, permit direct access to detecting device 18 to connect device 18 electrically to wiring 21, if necessary, once detecting device 18 is inserted inside intermediate portion 5 of lever 3, and, on the other, define the wiring conduit while greatly simplifying formation of the lever and assembly of the handle.
Clearly, changes may be made to handle 1 as described herein without, however, departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. In particular, a different elastic forcing device may be provided and located in a different position from the one shown by way of example.
End portion 23 of device 18 may be connected differently to lever 3, even by means of a further elastic retaining device identical with or differing from the one described.
Moreover, detecting device 18 may have no outer casing 19, and elastic device 28 and the anchoring device may act directly on the sensor or detecting antenna 20.
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.