EP3521537B1 - Handle - Google Patents

Description

• einen Motor, der mit dem Kopplungselement in Verbindung steht, um dieses rotierend anzutreiben,
• eine Sensoreinrichtung, die in der Lage ist, eine manuelle Betätigung des Griffs zu erkennen, und
• eine Steuereinrichtung, die mit der Sensoreinrichtung und dem Motor in Verbindung steht und dazu ausgebildet ist, den Motor bei einer erkannten manuellen Betätigung des Griffs zu aktivieren, um die manuelle Betätigung des Griffs zu unterstützen.

The present invention relates to a handle for a window, a door or the like, with a base part which is designed to attach the handle to the window, the door or the like, a coupling element which can be rotated about an axis of rotation relative to the base part and which is connected to a control element of the Window, the door or the like can be coupled, a handle connected to the coupling element for manually actuating the handle and an actuating aid which comprises:

• a motor connected to the coupling element to drive it in rotation,
• a sensor device capable of detecting manual operation of the handle, and
• a control device which is connected to the sensor device and the motor and is designed to activate the motor when manual actuation of the handle is detected in order to support the manual actuation of the handle.

Such handles are used in particular to adjust window and door fittings such as turn-tilt fittings between different functional states and to open, close and/or tilt a movable window or door leaf. The base part can be designed as a rosette and intended for attachment to the sash of the window, door or the like. For manual actuation of a generic handle, the handle is usually to be twisted, for example from a vertically downward locking position into a horizontal open position. When the handle is rotated, the coupling element is also rotated. For example, the coupling element can be designed as a square, which engages in a corresponding square opening of a fitting mechanism, via which locking elements, which are usually connected to a connecting rod, can be displaced for unlocking and locking the window or door.

Operating window and door handles manually can be cumbersome, especially in the case of large sashes with correspondingly stiff hardware arrangements or when there are many locks. Especially older people and people with disabilities may even find themselves unable to open and close certain windows and doors.

The EP 2 642 050 A2 discloses a window fastener with an auxiliary drive housed in the window frame, which drives a locking pin via a spindle drive.

In the WO 92/12317 A1 discloses an actuator for a window or door fitting, in which an electric motor, a hand crank and the square are coupled with different components of a planetary gear.

There is therefore a need to improve the usability of window and door handles.

The problem is solved by a handle with the features of claim 1.

According to the invention, the handle is connected to the coupling element via a flexible coupling device, which allows the handle to be rotated relative to the coupling element by an angular offset, the sensor device having a rotation angle sensor for detecting the angular offset.

When a user grasps the handle and twists to operate the handle, the motor applies an assisting torque to the coupler transferred and thus reduces the effort to be applied manually. The handle operation is therefore facilitated. Elderly people and people with disabilities can also operate a handle according to the invention without difficulty. It is of particular advantage here that the supported actuation process does not differ in terms of movement from purely manual actuation, so the user does not have to familiarize himself with special operating instructions.

A handle according to the invention is suitable for a large number of different door and window types, in particular for revolving doors, turn windows, turn-tilt doors, turn-tilt windows and lift-and-slide doors.

The control device can be designed as an electronic control device and can include at least one integrated circuit. Furthermore, the control device can be programmable. The motor can preferably be operated in both directions in order, for example, in the case of turn-tilt fittings, to optionally support a rotation or a tilting of the fitting. The motor is preferably an electric motor, for example a rod motor.

The controller may be configured to deactivate the motor when manual operation of the handle ceases. In a similar way to an e-bike or power steering, a certain amount of manual effort is therefore preferably always required to actuate the handle, which is merely reinforced by the motor. In particular, the actuation aid of a handle according to the invention can be designed for a latent support of which the user is hardly or not at all aware.

In principle, the motor can be activated and deactivated using a simple switch with an even supply of energy.

However, the control device is preferably designed to carry out a control or regulation to support the manual actuation, for example a regulation of the torque to be output by the motor or the current intensity to be supplied to the motor.

In order to detect a manual actuation of the handle, the sensor device could in principle detect a touch on the handle. However, the sensor device is preferably designed to determine an actuation torque, which is exerted on the handle by a user when the handle is manually actuated, the control device also being designed to control the motor to support the manual actuation as a function of the ascertained actuation torque. As a result, a desired responsiveness can be imparted to the grip. The dependence of the support torque on the actuation torque can be specified by a linear or non-linear functional relationship that is stored in a memory of the control device.

In particular, the control device can be designed to instruct the greater the determined actuation torque, the greater the output torque of the motor in order to support the manual actuation. In this configuration, the support provided by the actuation aid is as required. In particular, for example, both smooth-running and stiff window gears can be actuated. A suitably designed actuation aid works regardless of the type and condition of the associated window gear.

According to the invention, the handle is connected to the coupling element via a flexible coupling device, which allows the handle to be rotated relative to the coupling element by an angular offset, the sensor device having a rotation angle sensor for detecting the angular offset. This can be designed as a Hall sensor, for example. Alternatively, the angle of rotation sensor could also be a potentiometric sensor. This enables easy recognition of a manual actuation process. In addition, due to the flexible coupling device, the motorized assistance intervention is delayed compared to the start of the manual actuation, which is advantageous in terms of user acceptance. Namely, it turned out that an immediate engine start at the beginning of the manual Actuating movement is perceived by the user as unusual or unnatural.

Preferably the flexible coupling means is located on the input side of the handle, ie in the vicinity of the handle. The maximum angular offset can be defined by mechanical stops. The response behavior of the grip depends on the maximum angular offset, so it can be adjusted in a desired manner by specifying a maximum angular offset.

The coupling device can comprise a damping device which offers a resistance to twisting of the handle relative to the coupling element. This makes it easier to determine an actuation torque based on a detected angular offset. In particular, a suitable operating point can be defined by specifying the resistance. Furthermore, the response behavior of the grip can be adjusted by designing the damping device. Depending on the design of the damping device, a rather hard or a rather soft response can be provided, for example.

The damping device can comprise at least one spring element. The spring element ensures that the clutch components return to their initial positions when no more force is exerted on the handle. Spring elements are reliable and robust. In principle, the damping device could also be based on an element made of rubber. However, rubber has a relatively low resistance, which is particularly unfavorable given the high durability requirements for door and window handles.

A special embodiment of the invention provides that the coupling device has an outer, ring-like or sleeve-like coupling component and one of these radially wrapped inner clutch component, wherein the outer clutch component is connected to the second clutch component via an arrangement of spring elements. This configuration is particularly space-saving. In particular, metal brackets can be provided as spring elements. The spring elements are preferably distributed uniformly along the circumference of the outer clutch component. According to a special embodiment, only two spring elements are provided, which are arranged opposite one another.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the motor is connected to the coupling element via a first gear and to the handle via a second gear. The handle is thus mechanically connected to the coupling element via the two gears and the motor. This makes it possible to operate the handle purely manually, ie without motor support from the operating aid - with a correspondingly increased effort. This is important in order to be able to operate the handle even if the power supply fails. In order to save installation space, the gears can be designed as planetary gears.

Preferably, the gear ratio of the first gear is the reciprocal of the gear ratio of the second gear. The total transmission ratio of the two gear stages connected via the motor is then one, so that the coupling element always turns just as far as the handle. So although the motor is provided with a gearbox that allows the provision of a sufficiently high assist torque and the operation of the motor in a favorable speed range, the handle can be operated in the usual way and is compatible with standard fittings. A particularly simple design provides that the first gear and the second gear are identical gears, which are arranged opposite one another in the power transmission path.

Preferably, respective input elements and output elements of the first gear and the second gear and a rotor of the motor are arranged coaxially with each other. This results in a particularly small size. In particular, with a coaxial arrangement of the transmission and the motor, it is possible to accommodate these three components completely in a hollow-cylindrical connecting section that extends between the base part and the handle.

A further embodiment of the invention provides that the motor has a motor shaft with two free shaft ends, one of the shaft ends being drivingly connected to an input element of the first gear and the other shaft end being drivingly connected to an output element of the second gear. This results in a continuous mechanical connection from the handle to the coupling element. If the handle is actuated purely manually, for example as a result of a failure of the energy supply to the motor, the rotational movement of the handle is translated by the second gear, in particular rapidly, and the motor shaft is driven accordingly. This in turn drives the first gear, which causes an inverse translation. In this way, in the case of purely manual actuation, the coupling element rotates just as far as the handle, despite the presence of a gear ratio between the motor and the coupling element. Preferably, the shaft ends of the motor shaft are connected directly to the input element of the first gear and the output element of the second gear.

The motor can have a stator which is fastened in particular non-rotatably to the base part. During motor operation, the stator is supported by the base part on the door or window sash.

A further embodiment of the invention provides that between the base part and the handle an elongate extending along the axis of rotation Sleeve element is arranged, in which the motor is housed.

This results in an attractive appearance of the handle. Depending on the embodiment, the sleeve element can be fixed non-rotatably on the base part or non-rotatably on the handle. If, as described above, a first and a second gear is provided, these can also be accommodated at least partially in the sleeve element. Such a sleeve element is already present in certain conventional handles. With a corresponding design adjustment, this can be used at least partially to accommodate an actuation aid.

A housing for accommodating the control device and/or an electrical energy store can be arranged on the base part. A battery accommodated in or on the housing or an accumulator accommodated in or on the housing is preferably provided for supplying energy to the motor. The electrical energy store is preferably replaceable. For example, part of the housing together with the energy store can be removed from the rest of the housing.

A further embodiment of the invention provides that the control device or a further control device has a remote control module which enables remote-controlled operation of the motor independent of manual actuation of the handle. With a correspondingly powerful design of the motor, the handle can also be operated without manual operation, i.e. purely motorized. The remote control module is preferably designed for wireless remote control. In principle, a handle-side or external switch can also be provided in order to enable purely motorized actuation.

Further developments of the invention can also be found in the dependent claims, the description and the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1

ist eine Seitenansicht eines erfindungsgemäßen Griffs für ein Fenster, eine Tür oder dergleichen.

Fig. 2

zeigt den Griff gemäß Fig. 1 mit entfernten Gehäusekomponenten.

Fig. 3

zeigt die Anordnung gemäß Fig. 2 in einer Perspektivdarstellung schräg von hinten.

Fig. 4

zeigt eine Kupplung des in Fig. 1 dargestellten Griffs.

Fig. 5

ist eine schematische Darstellung, die das Zusammenwirken von Antriebskomponenten eines erfindungsgemäßen Griffs zeigen.

The invention is described below by way of example with reference to the drawings.

1

Figure 12 is a side view of a handle for a window, door or the like according to the invention.

2

shows the handle according to 1 with removed housing components.

3

shows the arrangement according to 2 in a perspective view diagonally from behind.

4

shows a clutch of the in 1 illustrated handle.

figure 5

is a schematic representation showing the interaction of drive components of a handle according to the invention.

1 shows a handle 11 which is designed for attachment to the wing of a window, a door or the like and is provided for this purpose with a base part 13 which can be screwed to the wing by means of screws 15 in a basically known manner. The base part 13, which in 2 can be seen more precisely, can be designed as a standardized rosette.

An elongate coupling element 17 is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation R on the base part 13 . The coupling element 17 is designed here as a square 19 and is used to drive a fitting mechanism such as a turn-tilt fitting in a controlled manner. The coupling element 17 can be rotated via a handle 20 in order to actuate the handle 11 manually. Furthermore, the handle 11 comprises a housing 21 arranged on the base part 13 and a sleeve element 23 which extends along the axis of rotation R from the housing 21 to the handle 20 . The handle 20 and the sleeve element 23 are preferably made of stainless steel.

The handle 11 has an actuating aid 25, with additional reference to the Figures 3 to 5 is described in more detail below. In the representations the 2 and 3 the housing 21, sleeve member 23 and handle 20 are omitted so that the internal components of the handle 11 can be seen. The actuation aid 25 includes a motor 27 which is connected to the coupling element 17 via a first gear 29 . The motor 27 is also connected to the handle 20 ( 1 ) tied together. The first gear 29 and the second gear 30 are preferably designed as planetary gears.

The motor 27 is an electric motor. To supply the motor 27 with electrical power, an in 1 recognizable battery module 39 is provided, which is arranged on the housing 21 in an exchangeable manner. A rechargeable accumulator is housed in the battery module 39 , the charging status of which is indicated by an indicator light 40 on the outside of the battery module 39 .

Also housed within the housing 21 is an electronic controller (not shown) in signal communication with the motor 27 for selectively activating and deactivating the same and for controlling the electrical current supplied to the motor 27 when activated.

In the 4 The flexible coupling device 33 shown in more detail comprises an outer, sleeve-like coupling component 43 and an inner coupling component 45 radially surrounded by this. The outer coupling component 43 cannot be rotated on the handle 20 ( 1 ) is screwed tight and is connected to the inner clutch component 45 via an arrangement of laterally resilient metal brackets 46 . The inner clutch component 45 is non-rotatably attached to an input component of the second transmission 30 that is not visible.

As illustrated, the metal brackets 46 are U-shaped and are evenly spaced with respect to the circumference of the outer clutch member 43 . One end each the metal bracket 46 is bolted to the outer coupling member 43, while the other end is bolted to the inner coupling member 45. The metal brackets 46 form a total of an elastic damping device 44, which opposes a twisting of the outer clutch component 43 relative to the inner clutch component 45 and, after twisting, a return to the in 4 shown starting position causes. An in 2 and 3 recognizable, for example magnetic rotation angle sensor 49 is provided, which can be connected to the electronic control device and the battery module 39 via connections 37 . The angle of rotation sensor 49 is preferably designed as a Hall sensor.

In 2 and 3 it can be seen that the first gear 29 and the second gear 30 are arranged on opposite end faces of the motor 27 . This configuration is made possible in that the motor 27 as shown in the schematic representation figure 5 recognizable has a continuous motor shaft 34 with two free shaft ends 47, 48, the in figure 5 left shaft end 47 is drivingly connected to an input element 50 of the first gear 29 and the other shaft end 48 is drivingly connected to an output element 51 of the second gear 30 .

The motor 27 has a stator 35 which is rigidly connected to the base part 13, as shown in figure 5 is illustrated by the dashed line 55.

The flexible coupling device 33 allows the handle 20 to be rotated relative to an input element 52 of the second gear 30 by an angular offset, but such a rotation is opposed by a resistance.

The mode of operation of the actuation aid 25 is described below with reference to FIG 4 and 5 described. When a user grasps the handle 20 and rotates to manually operate the handle 11, there is a slight twisting of the outer clutch member 43 ( 4 ) relative to the inner clutch component 45. The greater the actuating torque exerted by the user on the handle 20, the greater the angular offset. The angle of rotation sensor 49 detects the angular offset and transmits a corresponding signal to the electronic control device. This determines the operating torque exerted by the user, activates the motor 27 and controls it as a function of the determined operating torque.

The control device is preferably designed to supply the motor 27 with more current, the greater the ascertained actuation torque. The rotational movement of the activated motor 27 is reduced via the first gear 29 and transmitted to the coupling element 17 . In this way it is possible to impart a motor support torque of more than 4 Nm, for example 7 Nm, to the coupling element 17 .

The manual torque exerted by the user is also transmitted to the coupling element 17 via the second gear 30 , the motor shaft 34 and the first gear 29 . The user thus actuates the handle 11 manually in the usual way, although he is supported by the actuation aid 25 in that only a relatively small amount of force is required. The flexible coupling device 33 ensures a pleasant response behavior of the handle 11. If increased resistance occurs at the coupling element 17 during the actuation of the handle 11, for example due to a sluggish window gear, the actuation torque determined by the rotation angle sensor 49 and the motor 27 increases more current is supplied. Support by the actuating aid 25 is thus reinforced, so that the user hardly notices the sluggishness or not at all.

A simplified control of the motor 27 could also provide for an angular offset of the outer clutch component 43 in relation to the inner clutch component 45 and the return to the initial state to be recognized by means of a switch. In such a simplified embodiment, the motor 27 can only be activated upon detection of the beginning of manual actuation of the handle 11 and deactivated upon termination of the manual actuation.

If the function of the operating aid 25 is not available, for example because the accumulator in the battery module 39 is empty, the handle 11 can be operated purely manually with increased effort. For this purpose, the gear ratio of the first gear 29 is the reciprocal of the gear ratio of the second gear 30, so that the overall gear ratio between the handle 20 and the coupling element 17 is one. When the handle 11 is actuated purely manually, the coupling element 17 rotates exactly as far as the handle 20 is rotated. The motor shaft 34 is also rotated here.

With a correspondingly powerful design of the motor 27, a purely electrical actuation of the handle 11 according to the invention is also possible. A corresponding embodiment of the invention provides a remote control module which is assigned to the electronic control device and is preferably housed in the housing 21 . If the motor 27 is activated by means of an appropriate remote control, the coupling element 17 and the handle 20 rotate in the same way.

The actuating aid 25 makes it easier, in particular, for older people and people with disabilities to operate a hardware mechanism. The invention is particularly suitable for windows and doors in barrier-free apartments. A particular advantage of the invention is that the operation of a handle 11 according to the invention does not have to be specially learned. Rather, a handle 11 according to the invention is operated in the same way as a known handle without an actuating aid 25.

Reference List

11

Handle

13

base part

15

screw

17

coupling element

19

square

20

handle

21

Housing

23

sleeve element

25

operating aid

27

engine

29

first gearbox

30

second gearbox

33

flexible coupling device

34

motor shaft

35

stator

37

Connection

39

battery module

40

indicator light

43

outer clutch component

44

damping device

45

inner clutch component

46

metal bracket

47

free shaft end

48

free shaft end

49

angle of rotation sensor

50

Input element of the first gear

51

Output element of the second gear

52

Input element of the second gear

55

rigid connection

R

axis of rotation

Claims (12)

1. A handle (11) for a window, a door or the like, comprising a base part (13) which is configured for fastening the handle (11) to the window, to the door or the like; a coupling element (17) which is rotatable with respect to the base part (13) about an axis of rotation (R) and which is couplable to a control element of the window, the door or the like; a grip (20) in connection with the coupling element (17) for manually actuating the handle (11);
   and an actuation aid (25) which comprises:

   a motor (27) which is in connection with the coupling element (17) to drive it in a rotating manner;

   a sensor device (49) which is capable of recognizing a manual actuation of the handle (11); and

   a control device which is in connection with the sensor device (49) and the motor (27) and which is configured to activate the motor (27) in the event of a recognized manual actuation of the handle (11) to assist the manual actuation of the handle (11),

   characterized in that

   the grip (20) is in connection with the coupling element (17) via a flexible coupling device (33) which permits a rotation of the grip (20) with respect to the coupling element (17) by an angular offset, with the sensor device (49) having an angle of rotation sensor for detecting the angular offset.
2. A handle in accordance with claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the control device is configured to deactivate the motor (27) when the manual actuation of the handle (11) ends.
3. A handle in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2,
   characterized in that
   the sensor device (49) is configured to determine an actuation torque which is exerted by a user on the grip (20) during a manual actuation of the handle (11), with the control device being configured to control the motor (27) to assist the manual actuation in dependence on the determined actuation torque.
4. A handle in accordance with claim 3,
   characterized in that
   the control device is configured, for assisting the manual actuation, to assign a greater output torque of the motor (27), the greater the determined actuation torque is.
5. A handle in accordance with at least one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the coupling device (33) comprises a damping device (44) which offers resistance to a rotation of the grip (20) with respect to the coupling element (17).
6. A handle in accordance with claim 5,
   characterized in that

   the damping device (44) comprises at least one spring element (46), in particular with

   the coupling device (33) comprising an outer, ring-like or sleeve-like coupling component (43) and an inner coupling component (45) radially enveloped by said outer, ring-like or sleeve-like coupling component (43) and the outer coupling component (43) being connected to the second coupling component (45) via an arrangement of spring elements (46).
7. A handle in accordance with at least one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the motor (27) is connected to the coupling element (17) via a first gear (29) and is connected to the grip (20) via a second gear (30).
8. A handle in accordance with claim 7,
   characterized in that
   the transmission ratio of the first gear (29) is the reciprocal of the transmission ratio of the second gear (30).
9. A handle in accordance with claim 7 or claim 8,
   characterized in that
   respective input elements (50, 52) and output elements (51) of the first gear (29) and of the second gear (30) and a rotor (34) of the motor (27) are arranged coaxially to one another.
10. A handle in accordance with any one of the claims 7 to 9,
    characterized in that
    the motor (27) has a motor shaft (34) having two free shaft ends (47, 48), with one of the shaft ends (47) being drive-effectively connected to an input element (50) of the first gear (29) and the other shaft end (48) being drive-effectively connected to an output element (51) of the second gear (30).
11. A handle in accordance with at least one of the preceding claims,
    characterized in that

    the motor (27) has a stator (35) which is in particular non-rotatably fastened to the base part (13), and/or in that

    an elongate sleeve element (23), which extends along the axis of rotation (R) and in which the motor (27) is accommodated, is arranged between the base part (13) and the grip (20).
12. A handle in accordance with at least one of the preceding claims,
    characterized in that

    a housing (21) for accommodating the control device and/or an electrical energy store is arranged at the base part (13), and/or in that

    the control device or a further control device has a remote control module which enables a remote-controlled operation of the motor (27) that is independent of a manual actuation of the handle (11).

Images