A door handle can be described as a means to operate a door. In vehicles, a door handle is used to open, close or lock a door with respect to the surrounding structure. A door handle assembly consists of a movable handle which is usually pulled to operate the mechanism.
A typical door handle consists of a handle, a lever, a latch, a lock, a spring and a cam. The handle is the part which is manipulated by an operator/driver in order to open the door. It is mounted on the door and facilitates the entry or exit of the driver from the cabin. Handle can be provided on both, the outside face of the door and an inside face of the door to facilitate entry as well as exit from a cabin of the vehicle. A mechanism with a linking member is used to transfer the movement of the handle to the lever via the linking member which is pivotally connected at one end to the handle and at the other end to the lever. The lever in turn transfers its motion to a latch assembly, which after a certain degree of rotation, opens the door latch, enabling to door to swing open.
The linking member is also attached to a torsion spring which is installed at the central mounting position of the linking member with the fixed casing. Therefore, the action of the door handle is an auto-returning operation which brings the entire mechanism back to its original position once the door has been opened.
There are various mechanisms and lever designs that can achieve the required movement of the latch. Generally, the lever is in form of a strip of sheet metal curved at and end that engages the latch, as shown in the Figure 1. However, when the lever is designed as a strip of sheet metal curved at one end, there are certain disadvantages. For example, the resting position of the curved surface of lever on

the latch is close to the pivoting point of the latch lever . Accordingly, a high initial torque if required at initial stage. Further, during operation of the handle, the surface of the curved end of the lever rubs against the surface of the latch lever as the curved end travels on the latch lever surface. Further, the friction between the curved lever surface and the latch results in a feeling of rough operation of the door handle. Also, in such an arrangement, for opening the door the handle is required to be moved for a greater distance. Moreover, over a period of time, the sliding contact between the lever and the latch lever can cause excessive wear and tear of the parts resulting in failure.
The present disclosure is directed to address the problems as discussed above and other associated problems.
Summary
A door handle assembly is provided. The handle assembly has a casing configured for mounting on an outer surface of a door, a linking member having a first end, a second end opposite to the first end, and a pivot point positioned between the first end and the second end. The linking member is pivotally mounted on the casing at the pivot point. A handle having a pivot end is pivotally mounted on the casing and a link end of the handle is pivotally coupled with the first end of the linking member. The handle is configured for actuation by a user for opening the door. A roller is rotatably mounted on the second end of the linking member. The roller is configured to engage a latch lever configured for opening the door.
In an aspect, the pivotal plane of the linking member is parallel to the pivotal plane of the door handle.
In an aspect, the door handle assembly has a cylinder lock for locking actuation of the linking member.

In an aspect, the pivotal plane of the linking member is parallel to the pivotal plane of the latch.
In an aspect, the pivotal plane of the linking member is same as the pivotal plane of the latch lever .
In an aspect, the linking member is movable between an open position to engage the latch for opening the door and a closed position, the door handle assembly comprising a biasing means to bias the linking member towards the closed position.
In an aspect, in the closed position, the linking member is oriented substantially parallel to the latch lever .
In an aspect, radius of roller is equal to distance between the parallel planes in which the linking member and the latch are positioned.
Brief Description of Drawings
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional vehicle door handle assembly.
FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a vehicle door handle assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 illustrates a cut-away side view of a vehicle door handle assembly in an open position in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 illustrates the linking member and the latch in a closed position.
FIG. 5 illustrate the roller and latch positions at 165, 2(T& 24° of latch angle.
Detailed Description

Present disclosure provides for a vehicle door handle assembly, hereinafter referred to as the handle assembly (10). Referring to FIGs. 2-4, the handle assembly (10) may have a casing (12), a handle, a linking member (16), a spring (18), a lock barrel (20), a roller (22), a cam (24) and a latch (26).
The casing (12) is configured for installation on an outer surface of a vehicle door (not shown), for example on an outer door panel of the vehicle. The casing (12) may be designed as required to facilitate mounting of the casing (12) on the outer surface of the vehicle. The casing (12) is further configured for supporting other components of the assembly such as the handle, the lock barrel (20) and the linking member (16). The casing (12) is provided with a recess (28) proximate to the handle to facilitate gripping of the handle by a user. The casing (12) may be made of any suitable material such as metal or polymer.
The handle is pivotally mounted on the casing (12) by a pivot end (30) of the handle with the casing (12). In the embodiment as shown, the pivotal mounting of the handle at the pivot end (30) allows movement of the other end, hereinafter referred to as a link end (32), of the handle along a plane substantially perpendicular to a hinge axis (34) of the handle. The direction of movement of the handle is generally in a plane perpendicular to the outer surface of the door panel. The link end (32) of the handle is pivotally connected to a first end (36) of the linking member (16) as described later herein. The handle may be made of any suitable material known in the art. The handle and the casing (12) may be designed such that a portion of the handle that is required for holding and operating by a user is exposed to the user for an easy access. Accordingly, the handle is configured for actuation by a user for opening the door. Whereas the portion of a second end (37) of the linking member (16) at which the link end (32) is connected remains substantially invisible to the user.
Further, the linking member (16) is mounted pivotally on the door such that it keeps a constant distance relationship with the casing (12). In the embodiment as shown,

the linking member (16) is mounted at its pivot point (38) on a portion of the casing (12) itself. Accordingly, the linking member (16) at its first end (36) is pivotally connected to the link end (32) of the handle and at a middle portion is pivotally mounted on the casing (12).
Further, as shown, the second end (37) of the linking member (16) is coupled with the roller (22). Suitable arrangement may be provided at the second end (37) to facilitate mounting of the roller (22) rotatably. The roller (22) is configured to rotate about an axis that is perpendicular to the plane of movement of the linking member (16). Accordingly, in this arrangement, when the handle is pulled by a user, the handle pivots about casing (12) at the pivot end (30) while the link end (32) moves in a plane perpendicular to the pivot axis of the handle. The movement of the link end (32) by the pivotal connection to the linking member (16), is transferred to the linking member (16), such that the linking member (16) pivots about the pivotal connection at its middle portion. The pivoting movement of the linking member (16) results in the movement of the roller (22).
The spring (18), shown in FIG. 2 as a torsion spring, is provided to bias the linking member (16) towards the closed position. Since, the linking member (16) is coupled to the handle, the handle is also retained in the closed position in absence of any external force applied to it. Any, alternate suitable arrangement may be provided to bias the linking member (16) towards the closed position.
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the latch lever (26) is positioned proximate to the roller (22), such that during movement between the open and closed position, the latch lever (26) maintains contact with the roller (22). The latch lever (26) is configured such that pivoting of the latch lever (26) results in unlocking and opening of the door. The latch lever (26) is shown in form of a rod adapted to pivot at one end as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.

FIG. 3 illustrates the handle assembly (10) in the open condition, wherein the latch lever (26) and the linking member (16) are moved to an open position to unlock and open the door. Whereas, FIG. 4 illustrates the latch lever (26) and the linking member (16) in the closed position. As can be seen in closed condition as well as the open condition, the roller (22) maintains contact with the latch lever (26). Due to the rolling contact of the roller (22) with the latch lever (26) the rubbing action between the linking member (16) and the latch lever (26) is eliminated.
Further, as shown, the diameter of the roller (22) is kept such that the point of contact (40) between the roller (22) and the latch lever (26) remains substantially constant. Therefore, even the friction at the pivot point (38) of the roller (22) can be kept at a minimal. In the embodiment as shown, in rest condition or in the closed position, the linking member (16) and the latch lever (26) are oriented substantially parallelly, and the radius of the roller (22) is substantially equal to the distance between parallel lines (A and B) extending along the parallelly placed linking member (16) and the latch lever (26).
Further, in accordance with the handle assembly (10) as described above, as shown in FIG. 5, the point of contact (40) between the latch lever (26) and the roller (22) is also closer to the pivoting point of the linking member (16). Therefore, lesser torque is required to be generated for operation of the door handle as compared to the conventional arrangements.
The roller (22) may be made of any suitable known material such as resin, plastic, rubber etc. When the linking member (16) moves, the roller (22) rolls upon the surface of the latch lever (26) while moving the latch lever (26) between open position and closed position.
The lock barrel (20) may be any suitable cylinder lock coupled with the cam (24) as shown. The lock barrel (20) may be configured for moving the cam (24) between a locked position and the unlocked position. In the locked position, the cam (24)

may obstruct movement of the linking member (16) from closed position to the open position. In the unlocked position, the cam (24) may move away from the linking member (16) to allow free movement of linking member under force applied by a user.
The vehicle door handle assembly (10) as disclosed herein provides for an easy to operate handle assembly (10). Further, since there is no sliding contact between the linking member (16) and the latch lever (26), the overall experience of the operation of the door handle is smoother.

List of Reference Numerals
Handle assembly (10) Casing (12) Handle (14) Linking member (16) Spring (18) Lock barrel (20) Roller (22) Cam (24) Latch lever (26) Recess(28) Pivot end (30) Link end (32) Hinge axis (34) First end (36) Second end (37) Pivot point (38) Point of contact (40)

We claim:

A door handle assembly (10) comprising:
a casing (12) configured for mounting on an outer surface of a door;
a linking member (16) having a first end (36), a second end (37) opposite to the first end (36) and a pivot point (38) positioned between the first end (36) and the second end (37), the linking member (16) pivotally mounted on the casing (12) at the pivot point (38);
a handle having a pivot end (30) pivotally mounted on the casing (12) and a link end (32) pivotally coupled with the first end (36) of the linking member (16), the handle configured for actuation by a user for opening the door;
a roller (22) rotatably mounted on the second end (37), the roller (22) configured to engage a latch lever (26) configured for opening the door.
The door handle assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pivotal plane of the linking member (16) is parallel to the pivotal plane of the door handle.
The door handle assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a cylinder lock for locking actuation of the linking member (16).
The door handle assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pivotal plane of the linking member (16) is parallel to the pivotal plane of the latch lever (26).
The door handle assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pivotal plane of the linking member (16) is same as the pivotal plane of the latch lever (26).

The door handle assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the linking member (16) is movable between an open position to push the latch lever (26) for opening the door and release the latch lever at closed position, the door handle assembly (10) comprising a biasing means to bias the linking member (16) towards the closed position.
The door handle assembly (10) as claimed in claim 6, wherein in the closed position, the linking member (16) oriented substantially in-line to the latch lever (26).