Controller apparatus and sensors for a vehicle door handle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9080352-B2
Application number	US-201213627972-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2012
Priority date	Sep 26, 2011
Publication date	Jul 14, 2015
Grant date	Jul 14, 2015

Abstract

A door handle assembly for a vehicle door includes a door handle operated using a controller and sensors. In the door interior, an upper portion of a swing arm connects to a first post and a second post portion of the door handle. The lower portion of the swing arm, rotably attached to a shaft on the inner door, pivots between an extended and retracted position. When an extension force sensor contacts the upper portion of the arm, the extension force sensor on the inner door surface generates an extension force response signal. A retraction force sensor on the lower portion of the arm generates a retraction force response signal when the retraction force sensor on the lower portion of the arm contacts a flush adjuster rod. Both extension and retraction force response signals are used by the controller to operate the door handle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A door handle assembly used in a vehicle handle, the door handle assembly comprising:
a door handle formed from a planar handle member having a first post portion and a second post portion;
a swing arm having an upper portion and a lower portion wherein the upper portion of the swing arm is coupled near a distal portion of the first post portion of the door handle and a distal portion of the second post portion of the door handle and the lower portion is rotably attached to a shaft configured to be mounted to an inner door surface of the vehicle door;
an extension force sensor configured to be fixedly attached to the inner door surface of the vehicle door that generates an extension force response signal when the extension force sensor comes into contact with the upper portion of the swing arm;
a retraction force sensor fixedly attached to the lower portion of the swing arm that generates a retraction force response signal when the retraction force sensor on the lower portion of the swing arm comes into contact with a flush adjuster rod; and
a handle controller that controls the operation of the door handle assembly, the controlling of the operation of the door handle assembly by the handle controller including moving the door handle assembly between retracted and extended positions and by processing the extension force response signal received from the extension force sensor and the retraction force response signal received from the retraction force sensor.

2. The door handle assembly of claim 1 wherein a handle grip pocket is formed between the first post portion and the second post portion extending from the planar handle member of the door handle.

3. The door handle assembly of claim 2 wherein the upper portion of the swing arm has an upper dual fork portion and the lower portion of the swing arm has a lower dual fork portion.

4. The door handle assembly of claim 1 wherein the swing arm is extended when the door handle is in an extended position from an outer door surface of the vehicle door.

5. The door handle assembly of claim 1 wherein the extension force response signal corresponds to a force between the extension force sensor and the upper portion of the swing arm.

6. The door handle assembly of claim 3 wherein the retraction force sensor is fixedly attached to a sensor flange located on the lower portion of the swing arm.

7. The door handle assembly of claim 2 wherein the retraction force response signal corresponds to a force between the retraction force sensor on the lower portion of the swing arm coming into contact with the flush adjuster rod.

8. The door handle assembly of claim 1 wherein the swing arm is retracted when the planar handle member in an extended position passes through a handle aperture of the vehicle door and is flush to the outer door surface of the vehicle door.

9. The door handle assembly of claim 1 wherein a extension sensor puck is fixedly attached to a surface of the extension force sensor and provides a uniform area for the upper portion of the swing arm to contact with the extension force sensor.

10. The door handle assembly of claim 1 wherein both the extension force sensor and retraction force sensor are incorporated into an integrated sensor unit and constructed from a flexible material having at least one conductor to carry signals from the extension force sensor and the retraction force sensor to the handle controller.

11. The door handle assembly of claim 1 wherein the extension force sensor comes into contact with the swing arm and generates the extension force response signal when the swing arm is extended pivotally about the shaft.

12. The door handle assembly of claim 1 wherein the extension force sensor comes into contact with the swing arm and generates the extension force response signal when a user pulls on a door handle and an extended swing arm.

13. The door handle assembly of claim 1 wherein the retraction force sensor comes into contact with the flush adjuster rod and generates the retraction force response signal when the swing arm is retracted pivotally about the shaft.

14. The door handle assembly of claim 1 wherein the retraction force sensor comes into contact with the flush adjuster rod and generates the retraction force response signal when a user pushes on a door handle and an retracted swing arm.

Assignees

• Aerts Joris
• Kilgore Adam S
• Cucci Brenda
• Craven Ian
• Wheeler David
• Tesla Motors Inc

Inventors

• Aerts Joris
• Kilgore Adam S
• Cucci Brenda
• Craven Ian
• Wheeler David

Classifications

• E05B81/54

  Electrical circuits (for locking several wings simultaneously E05B77/48) · CPC title

• G07C9/00944

  Details of construction or manufacture · CPC title

• E05B85/107

  Pop-out handles, e.g. sliding outwardly before rotation · CPC title

• E05B85/103 Primary

  creating a completely closed wing surface · CPC title

• E05B85/18

  a longitudinal grip part being pivoted about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the grip part · CPC title