ILLUMINATION MODULE FOR VEHICLE

• US 20130130674A1
• Filed: 11/12/2012
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Mirrors of America Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Mirrors of America Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: De Wind, Darryl P., Sobecki, Justin E., Deuel, Eric S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,801,245 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0011 with light guides for distributing the light between several lighting or signalling devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2619 built in the vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2665 on rear-view mirrors lighting devices for vehicle interior on or for rear-view mirrors B60Q3/258
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2669 on door or boot handles lighting devices for vehicle interior on door handles B60Q3/267
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2696 Mounting of devices using LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/32 for indicating vehicle sides , e.g. clearance lights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/40 Welcome lights, i.e. specific or existing exterior lamps to assist leaving or approaching the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/50 Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/01 operating on vehicle systems or fittings, e.g. on doors, seats or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/209 Remote starting of engine
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/241 whereby access privileges are related to the identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/54 Electrical circuits for locking several wings simultaneously E05B77/48
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/10 Handles
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00325 and the lock having only one limited data transmission range
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]

Abstract

A door handle assembly for a door of a vehicle includes a handle portion and an illumination module. The handle portion is disposed at the vehicle door and movable to actuate a locking mechanism of the vehicle door to open the vehicle door. The illumination module includes at least one illumination source and an icon element and a cover element. The illumination source, when operated, backlights the icon element so that an icon of the icon element is viewable through the cover element at an exterior surface of the handle portion. The icon element includes a security icon and the illumination module is operable to backlight the security icon when a security system of the vehicle is operational.

Claims

1. A door handle assembly for a door of a vehicle, said door handle assembly configured to mount at a handle region of a vehicle door, said door handle assembly comprising:

a handle portion disposed at the vehicle door and movable to actuate a locking mechanism of the vehicle door to open the vehicle door;

an illumination module, said illumination module comprising at least one illumination source and an icon element and a cover element, wherein said at least one illumination source, when operated, backlights said icon element so that an icon of said icon element is viewable through said cover element at an exterior surface of said handle portion; and

wherein said icon element comprises a security icon and wherein said illumination module is operable to backlight said security icon when a security system of the vehicle is operational.

2. The door handle assembly of claim 1, wherein said illumination source comprises a light emitting diode.

3. The door handle assembly of claim 1, wherein said illumination module is disposed at an end region of said handle portion.

4. The door handle assembly of claim 1, wherein said illumination module comprises a substantially sealed module.

5. The door handle assembly of claim 1, comprising a control and a near field communication device, wherein said control and said near field communication device are operable to communicate with a smartphone that is proximate to said door handle assembly, and wherein, responsive to said communication, said control is operable to (i) identify the smartphone as an authorized device and (ii) control at least one accessory or system of the vehicle.

6. The door handle assembly of claim 1, comprising a light strip that extends along said handle portion and is operable to provide substantially uniform illumination along said handle portion when said light strip is actuated.

7. The door handle assembly of claim 6, wherein said light strip comprises at least one light emitting diode disposed at or near an end of a light guiding element disposed along said handle portion and wherein said light guiding element receives light emitted by said at least one light emitting diode and emanates light along said light guiding element and said handle portion.

8. The door handle assembly of claim 1, wherein said illumination source comprises a single light emitting diode.

9. The door handle assembly of claim 8, wherein said illumination module is operable to provide ground illumination and a projection light through said security icon via actuation of said single light emitting diode of said illumination module.

11. An illumination module for a vehicle, said illumination module comprising:

a housing disposed at a vehicle equipped with said illumination module;

a circuit element disposed in said housing and having a single illumination source established thereat;

an optic element disposed in said housing and generally at said illumination source, wherein said optic element comprises a condensing optic and a diffusing optic at least partially around said condensing optic;

a lens element disposed at said housing, wherein said lens element comprises a projecting portion disposed generally in line with said condensing optic and an illumination portion at least partially around said projecting portion and generally in line with said diffusing optic; and

wherein, when said illumination source is activated, light emanating from said illumination source (a) passes through said diffusing optic and through said illumination portion of said lens element to provide lower intensity light at a target area, and (b) passes through said condensing optic and is intensified by said condensing optic so that light passing through said projecting portion of said lens element is projected as higher intensity light onto a portion of said target area.

12. The illumination module of claim 11, comprising an icon element disposed along the optic path between said condensing optic and said projecting portion of said lens element, wherein an image of an icon of said icon element is projected onto said portion of said target area.

13. The illumination module of claim 12, wherein said illumination module is disposed at an exterior portion of the equipped vehicle and wherein said lower intensity light provides a ground illumination function and said higher intensity light provides a projected image of the icon at a portion of the ground area illuminated by said lower intensity light.

14. The illumination module of claim 13, wherein said illumination module is disposed at an exterior rearview mirror of the equipped vehicle.

15. The illumination module of claim 11, comprising an icon element disposed along the optic path between said condensing optic and said projecting portion of said lens element, wherein an image of an icon of said icon element is projected onto said portion of said target area.

16. The illumination module of claim 15, comprising at least one projecting optic disposed between said condensing optic and said projecting portion of said lens element, wherein said at least one projecting optic condenses light passing through said icon element.

17. The illumination module of claim 11, comprising an electrical connector for electrically connecting circuitry of said circuit element to a power source of the equipped vehicle.

18. A door handle assembly for a door of a vehicle, said door handle assembly configured for mounting at a handle region of a vehicle door, said door handle assembly comprising:

a handle portion disposed at the vehicle door and movable to actuate a locking mechanism of the vehicle door to open the vehicle door;

an illumination module, said illumination module comprising an illumination source and a light guiding element and a cover element;

wherein said illumination source is disposed at an end of said light guiding element and wherein said light guiding element extends substantially along said handle portion;

wherein said cover element is disposed over said light guiding element and along an outer region of said handle portion;

wherein, when said illumination source is activated, light emanating from said illumination source is guided along said light guiding element and is viewable through said cover element; and

wherein said illumination module comprises a door locking switch that is actuatable by a user touching or approaching said handle portion to unlock or open the vehicle door.

19. The door handle assembly of claim 18, wherein said illumination module comprises a common circuit element having circuitry associated with said illumination source and circuitry associated with said door locking switch.

20. The door handle assembly of claim 19, wherein said common circuit comprises a printed circuit board that is disposed at an end region of said handle portion and wherein said illumination source comprises a light emitting diode that is disposed at said printed circuit board so as to emit light in a direction generally parallel to said printed circuit board.

21. The door handle assembly of claim 18, wherein said illumination source is actuatable responsive to a passive entry system of the vehicle.