Door handle and locking system

• US 8,269,615 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2009
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Ieda, Kiyokazu, Mushiake, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/410,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20090284358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 340/5.72, 340/428, 340/426.16, 340/426.17, 340/426.2, 340/426.21, 340/426.23, 340/426.28, 340438-439, 340/447
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 17/10 Illuminating devices on or for locks or keys; Transparent or translucent lock parts; Indicator lights
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 41/00 Locks with visible indication as to whether the lock is locked or unlocked indicator lights E05B17/10
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/78 as part of a hands-free locking or unlocking operation
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/62 Comprising means for indicating the status of the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/65 using means for sensing the user's hand
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00944 Details of construction or manufacture

Abstract

A door handle, for opening and closing a door such as a vehicular door, includes: a transmitting antenna, transmitting a communication signal to a portable device carried by a user; an indicating portion, optically indicating a state of the door, including locked and unlocked states of the door, to the user with a visible light; and a first power supply portion, electromagnetically coupled to the transmitting antenna and supplying electric power to the indicating portion in response to a transmission of the communication signal.

Claims

1. A door handle for opening and closing a door, comprising:

a handle body;

a transmitting antenna located inside the door handle and transmitting a communication signal to a portable device carried by a user;

an indicating portion located inside the door handle and optically indicating a state of the door, including locked and unlocked states of the door, to the user with a visible light; and

a first power supply portion located inside the door handle and electromagnetically coupled to the transmitting antenna and supplying electric power to the indicating portion according to a transmission of the communication signal from the transmission antenna.

2. The door handle according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operation detecting portion detecting an operation of the user relative to the door handle; and

a second power supply portion electromagnetically coupled to the operation detecting portion, which is driven by alternating current, and supplying the electric power to the indicating portion according to a driving of the operation detecting portion.

3. The door handle according to claim 2, wherein

the indicating portion includes a first indicating portion supplied with the electric power from the first power supply portion and a second indicating portion supplied with the electric power from the second power supply portion.

4. The door handle according to claim 3, wherein

the transmitting antenna includes a bar antenna formed by winding a linear-shaped conductor around a bar-shaped soft ferrite core,

the operation detecting portion includes an electrostatic capacitance sensor having a sensor electrode, which is provided at the door handle and which is driven by the alternating current,

the first power supply portion includes a first power supply circuit having a first connecting coil electromagnetically coupled to the transmitting antenna,

the second power supply portion includes a second power supply circuit having a second connecting coil electromagnetically coupled to the sensor electrode,

the indicating portion includes a light emitting module having a light emitting element emitting a light by being supplied with the electric power from the first power supply portion and the second power supply portion, an antenna insertion portion receiving and holding the core at an end portion of the bar antenna, an electrode insertion portion receiving and holding the sensor electrode at an end portion of the sensor electrode, the first connecting coil helically wound around the core inserted into the antenna insertion portion, the second connecting coil an end of which faces the sensor electrode inserted into the electrode insertion portion and a substrate on which the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit are mounted, and wherein

the light emitting element, the antenna insertion portion, the electrode insertion portion, the first connecting coil, the second connecting coil and the substrate are integrally formed by a resin mold.

5. The door handle according to claim 2, wherein

the operation detecting portion includes an electrostatic capacitance sensor having a sensor electrode, which is provided at the door handle and which is driven by the alternating current.

6. The door handle according to claim 1, wherein the door is a vehicular door.

7. A door handle for opening and closing a door, comprising:

a handle body;

an operation detecting portion located inside the door handle and electrically detecting an operation of a user relative to the door handle;

an indicating portion located inside the door handle and optically indicating a state of the door, including locked and unlocked states of the door, to the user with a visible light; and

a power supply portion located inside the door handle and electromagnetically coupled to the operation detecting portion, which is driven by alternating current, and supplying electric power to the indicating portion according to a driving of the operation detecting portion.

8. The door handle according to claim 7, wherein

the operation detecting portion includes an electrostatic capacitance sensor having a sensor electrode, which is provided at the door handle and which is driven by the alternating current.

9. The door handle according to claim 8, wherein

the transmitting antenna includes a bar antenna formed by winding a linear-shaped conductor around a bar-shaped soft ferrite core,

the operation detecting portion includes the electrostatic capacitance sensor having the sensor electrode, which is provided at the door handle and which is driven by the alternating current,

the first power supply portion includes a first power supply circuit having a first connecting coil electromagnetically coupled to the transmitting antenna,

the second power supply portion includes a second power supply circuit having a second connecting coil electromagnetically coupled to the sensor electrode,

the indicating portion includes a light emitting module having a light emitting element emitting a light by being supplied with the electric power from the first power supply portion and the second power supply portion, an antenna insertion portion receiving and holding the core at an end portion of the bar antenna, an electrode insertion portion receiving and holding the sensor electrode at an end portion of the sensor electrode, the first connecting coil helically wound around the core inserted into the antenna insertion portion, the second connecting coil an end of which faces the sensor electrode inserted into the electrode insertion portion and a substrate on which the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit are mounted, and wherein

the light emitting element, the antenna insertion portion, the electrode insertion portion, the first connecting coil, the second connecting coil and the substrate are integrally formed by a resin mold.

10. A locking system transmitting a communication signal to a portable device carried by a user, receiving a receiving signal from the portable device, identifying the portable device on the basis of identification data included in the receiving signal, unlocking a door on which is mounted a door handle based on an operation of the user relative to the door after an identification of the portable device and locking the door on the basis of a predetermined condition when the user having the portable device is outside the vehicle, the locking system comprising:

a handle body;

a transmitting antenna located inside the door handle and transmitting the communication signal to the portable device;

an indicating portion located inside the door handle and optically indicating a state of the door, including locked and unlocked states of the door, to the user with a visible light;

a power supply portion located inside the door handle and electromagnetically coupled to the transmitting antenna and supplying electric power to the indicating portion according to an operation of the communication signal; and

a system control portion transmitting the communication signal via the transmitting antenna and indicating the state of the door via the indicating portion by changing a time duration of a carrier wave of the communication signal according to the state of the door.

11. The locking system according to claim 10, wherein the door is a vehicular door.