External door handle, in particular for vehicles

• US 20070182166A1
• Filed: 05/21/2004
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Schumacher, Helmut, Schindler, Mirko
• Granted Patent: US 8,248,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 292/336.300
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/77 comprising sensors detecting the presence of the hand of a user
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/78 as part of a hands-free locking or unlocking operation
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/16 a longitudinal grip part being pivoted at one end about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the grip part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/57 Operators with knobs or handles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/82 Knobs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/85 Knob-attaching devices

Abstract

The invention relates to an external door handle consisting of a support (10), which is fixed to a door (11) and on which a handle (20) is mounted. In an unlocked position the handle acts on a lock and is inactive in the locked position of said lock. A capacitive sensor is provided to trigger the control of the lock, said sensor comprising an external electrode that is equipped with a sensor surface (37) and is located in the outer region of the door handle. To provide a wide range of configuration options for the location of the sensor surfaces, at least two additional internal electrodes are provided in the inner region of the external door handle, in addition to the sensor surface (37), said electrodes having active surfaces in the form of a transmission surface (36) and an excitation surface (35). An electric switching matrix (50.1), which is connected in series to the field of the sensor surface (37) that is active in the outer region of the external door handle, is generated between the two internal electrodes.

Claims

1. External door handle, especially for motor vehicles,

with a stationary bracket (10) attached to the door (11);

with a grip (20), supported pivotably on the bracket (10);

with a lock mounted in the door (11), which lock can be switched between a locked and an unlocked position;

where an actuation (24) of the grip (20) to open the door (11) is nonfunctional in the locked position but functional in the unlocked position; and

with at least one capacitative electronic sensor circuit (28, 38), which is mounted directly or indirectly on the bracket (10) and which has a first electrode, which is located in the grip (20) and is active in the outside area of the external door handle;

where the active surface (37) of this first electrode senses the approach of or contact by an authorized person and is therefore called the sensor surface (37); and

where the authorized person carries with him an active or passive means of identification for access authorization and/or driving authorization for the vehicle;

wherein

at least one second electrode, which is connected to the electronic control circuit (28, 38), is provided on the bracket (10);

in that

the electronic sensor circuit (28, 38) builds up an electrical coupling field (50.1) at the active surface (35) of the second electrode in the interior of the external door handle, for which reason this active surface on the bracket side is called the exciter surface (35) for the coupling field (50.1);

in that

at least one third electrode, which is connected to the sensor surface (37) of the first electrode acting in the outside area of the external door handle, is mounted on the grip (20);

in that

the coupling field (50.1) acts on the active surface (36) of this third electrode, for which reason this active surface on the grip (20) is called the transfer surface (36) for the coupling field (50.1); and

in that

when the grip (20) is pivoted (24), the exciter surface (35) of the second electrode in the bracket (10) remains stationary, whereas the transfer surface (36) of the third electrode moves concomitantly with the handle (20).

2. External door handle according to claim 1, wherein the exciter surface (35) of the second electrode is electrically connected (44) to the capacitative sensor electrode (28, 38).

3. External door handle according to claim 1, wherein the transfer surface (36) of the third electrode is electrically connected (34) to the sensor surface (37) of the first electrode, which is active in the outside area of the external door handle.

4. External door handle according to claim 1, wherein a layer (52) of electrically conductive paint is applied to the exterior surfaces (53) and/or to the interior surfaces of the external door handle, at least in certain defined areas, and in that

this paint layer (52) produces the first electrode with its sensor surface (57), the second electrode with the transfer surface, and/or the third electrode with the exciter surface.

5. External door handle according to claim 1, wherein an electrically conductive layer of elastic material is applied to the exterior surfaces and/or to the interior surfaces of the external door handle, at least in certain defined areas, and in that

this layer produces the first electrode with the sensor surface (57), the second electrode with the transfer surface, and/or the third electrode with the exciter surface.

6. External door handle according to claim 1, wherein the external door handle has several separate, outward-acting sensor surfaces (67, 47) for sensing the presence of a hand and/or inward-acting transfer surfaces (56, 46) and/or exciter surfaces (59, 45) for building up the coupling field, and in that these separate sensor surfaces (67, 47), upon contact by or approach of the authorized person, trigger different functions in the lock or in other devices in the vehicle.

7. External door handle according to claim 6, wherein one of the sensor surfaces (67) serves to unlock the lock, whereas another (47) serves to lock the lock.

8. External door handle according to claim 6, wherein, upon the approach of or contact by the authorized person, at least one of the sensor surfaces triggers the movement of movable parts in the vehicle in the opening and/or in the closing direction.

9. External door handle according to claim 8, wherein the sensor surfaces cause the movable parts to move in the opening direction upon contact by or approach of the authorized person and then in the closing direction upon the next approach or contact.

10. External door handle according to claim 8, wherein the movable parts are one or more windows, a sliding roof, a rear hatch, and/or one or more doors of the vehicle.

11. External door handle according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the outward-acting sensor surfaces (37, 67) are seated on the grip (20).

12. External door handle according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the sensor surfaces (27, 47, 57) are seated on a cover part (25), which is mounted in the external door handle next to the grip (20).

13. External door handle according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the electronic components of the capacitative sensor which serve to lock and/or to unlock the lock and/or to move the movable parts in the vehicle are integrated into the grip or into the interior of the grip of the external door handle.

14. External door handle according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the electronic components (28, 38) of the capacitative sensor (electronic sensor circuit 28, 38) which serve to lock and/or to unlock the lock and/or to move the movable components in the vehicle, are mounted either directly or indirectly (30) on the bracket (11).

15. External door handle according to claim 14, wherein the electronic sensor circuits (28, 38) are located in a housing unit (30), which is seated on the bracket (11).

16. External door handle according to claim 15, wherein the housing unit (30) is prefabricated and can be attached to the inward-facing (26) of the bracket (11).

17. External door handle according to claim 15, wherein the housing unit (30) is prefabricated and is attached in the area of a barrel (17) mounted on the bracket,

where the barrel (17) is mounted in the bracket (11) next to the grip (20).

18. External door handle according to claim 15, wherein the housing unit (30) consists of a main housing (31) and a projecting housing finger (32);

and in that

the end (33) of the finger extends into the outer area (25) of the external door handle, where it has an outward-acting sensor surface (27) for triggering the locking of the lock.

19. External door handle according to claim 18, wherein the electronic sensor circuit (28, 38) is integrated into the main housing (31) of the housing unit (30),

whereas the housing finger (32) can be inserted through an opening (29) in the bracket (11) and through a hole in the outer housing skin (30) of the door.

20. External door handle according to claim 18, wherein the housing unit (30) can be installed on the inward-facing surface (26) of the bracket (11) mounted in the door and/or removed afterwards from the interior (11) of the door.

21. External door handle according to claim 1, wherein the grip consists of a pull-type grip (20), which is supported (15) at one end (21) on the bracket (11), whereas its other end (22) has an arm (23), which cooperates with the lock;

and in that

the housing finger (32) is located next to the arm (23).

22. External door handle according to claim 21, wherein the transfer surface (36) of the third electrode for the electrical coupling field (50.1) is located on the inner end of the arm (23) of the grip (20).

23. External door handle according to claim 21, wherein the exciter surface (35) of the second electrode for the electrical coupling field (50.1) is located in the housing unit (30), which is seated on the rear surface (26) of the bracket (11).