Vehicle door switch actuating apparatus with a large actuating surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12573569-B2
Application number	US-202318230944-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2023
Priority date	Aug 19, 2022
Publication date	Mar 10, 2026
Grant date	Mar 10, 2026

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle door switch actuating apparatus ( 100 ). The apparatus includes an actuating element ( 104 ) having an actuating surface ( 110 ), a mechanical switch ( 112 ), and a mechanism for transferring a compressive force applied by a user to the actuating surface ( 110 ) onto the mechanical switch ( 112 ) in order to flip the mechanical switch ( 112 ). The mechanism includes: a first component ( 102 ) on which the mechanical switch ( 112 ) is fixed at least in the switching direction; and a lever ( 120 ) pivotally supported about a pivot axis ( 124 ) relative to the first component ( 102 ) or the first component group and connected to the actuating element ( 104 ) via a first bearing on a first side ( 111 ) of the actuating surface ( 110 ). The actuating element ( 104 ) is supported on the first component ( 102 ) or the first component group via a second bearing on a second side ( 113 ) of the actuating surface ( 110 ). The actuating element ( 104 ) is flexibly configured such that, when manual pressure is applied to the actuating surface ( 110 ), it flexibly bends, thereby causing a change in the distance between the first bearing and the second bearing, in particular a shortening or lengthening of the distance, and thus causes the lever to pivot about the pivot axis ( 124 ). The mechanical switch ( 112 ) is arranged such that, by pivoting the lever, the mechanical switch ( 112 ) is flipped. The lever ( 120 ) extends substantially parallel to the first side ( 111 ) of the actuating surface ( 110 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle door switch actuating apparatus, wherein the apparatus comprises an actuating element having an actuating surface, a mechanical switch, and a mechanism for transferring a compressive force applied by a user to the actuating surface onto the mechanical switch in order to actuate the mechanical switch, wherein the mechanism comprises:
a first component on which the mechanical switch is fixed at least in a switching direction; and a lever pivotally supported about a pivot axis relative to the first component and connected to the actuating element via a first bearing on a first side of the actuating surface,
wherein the actuating element is supported on the first component via a second bearing on a second side of the actuating surface, wherein the actuating element is flexibly configured such that, when manual pressure is applied to the actuating surface, it bends, thereby causing a change in a distance between the first bearing and the second bearing, and thus causes the lever to pivot about the pivot axis, and wherein the mechanical switch is arranged such that, by pivoting the lever, the mechanical switch is actuated, and
wherein the lever extends substantially parallel to the first side of the actuating surface.

2 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the distance between the first and second bearing is shorter than the first and second side.

3 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first side and the second side of the actuating element lie opposite one another and extend substantially parallel to one another, wherein the actuating element has a third side that extends approximately transverse to the first side and the second side, wherein the third side is shorter than the first side and the second side, respectively.

4 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the change in the distance between the first bearing and the second bearing, is a shortening or lengthening of the distance.

5 . A door handle module, wherein the door handle module comprises a vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 1 .

6 . A vehicle door, wherein the vehicle door comprises a door handle module according to claim 5 .

7 . A vehicle door, wherein the vehicle door comprises a vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 1 .

8 . The vehicle door according to claim 7 , wherein the vehicle door form a handle region having a longitudinal direction for coming into contact with a plurality of fingers of a user along the longitudinal direction, wherein expansion of the handle region is at least 2 cm in the longitudinal direction, wherein the actuating surface forms a face of the handle region and is arranged over at least 50% of the handle region in the longitudinal direction.

9 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the lever comprises a first region configured so as to contact the mechanical switch and a second region, wherein the second region is connected to the first side of the actuating element and is arranged between the first region and the pivot axis.

10 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the second region comprises a first hook.

11 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the second region has a closer distance to the pivot axis than the first region.

12 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the lever comprises a third region, wherein the third region is connected to the first side of the actuating element, and wherein the third region is arranged between the first region and the second region.

13 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the third region comprises a second hook.

14 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the actuating surface on its first side comprises at least one opening for connection to the lever.

15 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the second region or the third region comprises a hook configured so as to engage with the at least one opening of the actuating surface.

16 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the lever has a resting position in which the mechanical switch is not switched, and wherein the lever is biased into its resting position.

17 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the vehicle door switch actuating apparatus comprises a spring, which biases the lever into its resting position and is connected to a fourth region of the lever, and wherein the pivot axis is arranged between the first region and the fourth region.

18 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the spring is a wire spring.

19 . The vehicle door switch actuating apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the spring is oriented substantially parallel to the lever.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Rudolf Andreas
• Wilke Zsolt

Classifications

• B60R16/005 Primary

  Electro-mechanical devices, e.g. switched (electric switches in general H01H) · CPC title

• H01H2021/225

  with push-pull operation, e.g. which can be pivoted in both directions by pushing or pulling on the same extremity of the operating member · CPC title

• H01H21/24

  biased to return to normal position upon removal of operating force · CPC title

• H01H2221/064

  Limitation of actuating pressure · CPC title

• H01H15/107

  actuating conventional selfcontained microswitches (H01H15/105 takes precedence) · CPC title