Deformable outside handle rear hook or plunger
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorRajesh K. Patel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A handle for doors of motor vehicles includes an outer portion that can be grasped by a user, and an inwardly-extending plunger or hook that operably interconnects the handle to the door latch via a bell crank (that is part of the handle base or chassis depending on the type of handle architecture used). The plunger is made of a ductile material such as metal, and includes a crumple zone that causes the plunger to deform axially and/or bend sidewardly in the event an axial and/or a bending impact load.
Claims20
A handle assembly for a door of a motor vehicle, the handle assembly comprising:
- a bell crank configured to be rotatably mounted to a vehicle door;
- a main handle portion having a graspable portion including inward and outward sides and forward and rearward portions, and a central portion extending between the forward and rearward portions, wherein the main handle portion is configured to be movably mounted to the vehicle door for outward movement of the main handle portion between a rest position and an actuated position, and wherein at least the central portion is configured and shaped to be grasped by a user;
- an elongated portion fixed to the main handle portion and extending transversely inwardly relative to the graspable portion to define a plunger having an outer portion that is configured to move outward with the outward movement of the main handle portion so as to move away from an outer surface of the vehicle door, wherein the plunger engages and rotates the bell crank as the main handle portion is moved outwardly to thereby release a door latch upon movement of the handle from the rest position to the actuated position;
- and wherein:
- the plunger has a base portion adjacent the rearward portion of the main handle portion, and an end portion extending from the base portion and defining an end, the base portion including at least one crumple zone defining a first bending strength, the end portion defining a second bending strength that is significantly greater than the first bending strength, whereby when the main handle portion is in the rest position, a load acting on the end to bend the plunger causes the plunger to deform and absorb energy at the at least one crumple zone.
A vehicle door comprising:
- a bell crank;
- a latch;
- a movable handle operably connected to the latch;
- and
- the handle having a polymer body having front and rear ends and a transverse plunger rigidly cantilevered to the polymer body so as to move with the handle, engaging and rotating the bell crank, the plunger including corrugations that collapse upon subjecting the plunger to a load whereby the plunger bends and absorbs energy during impact.
A method of making a handle, comprising:
- forming a plunger having a base and an F-shaped distal end configured to engage a bell crank;
- forming a movable handle having forward and rearward ends;
- and
- rigidly fixing the base of the plunger to the rearward end of the handle in a cantilevered manner whereby the plunger moves with the handle, the plunger having a crumple zone with reduced bending strength adjacent the base.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.