ILLUMINATION MODULE FOR A VEHICLE
First Claim
1. A door handle assembly for a door of a vehicle, said door handle assembly being mounted to a handle region of a vehicle door, said door handle assembly comprising:
- a cap portion mountable to a vehicle door;
a handle portion movably mountable to the vehicle door and movable relative to said cap portion to actuate a locking mechanism of the door to open the door; and
an illumination module, said illumination module comprising at least one illumination source and being operable to illuminate the handle region of the vehicle door and to illuminate a ground region adjacent to the vehicle and generally below said door handle assembly.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An illumination module for a vehicle includes at least one illumination source for illuminating a target area at the vehicle. The illumination module may be mounted at a handle of a vehicle door and may be operable to illuminate the handle region and/or pocket region of the vehicle door and to illuminate a ground region adjacent to the vehicle and generally below the door handle assembly. The illumination module may include an icon established thereat and the at least one illumination source may back light the icon so that the icon, when the illumination module is activated, is viewable by a person viewing the vehicle. The illumination module may project or direct the illumination toward a targeted area so that the icon is discernible at the targeted area.
167 Citations
15 Claims
-
1. A door handle assembly for a door of a vehicle, said door handle assembly being mounted to a handle region of a vehicle door, said door handle assembly comprising:
-
a cap portion mountable to a vehicle door; a handle portion movably mountable to the vehicle door and movable relative to said cap portion to actuate a locking mechanism of the door to open the door; and an illumination module, said illumination module comprising at least one illumination source and being operable to illuminate the handle region of the vehicle door and to illuminate a ground region adjacent to the vehicle and generally below said door handle assembly. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. An illumination module for a door handle assembly of a vehicle door, said illumination module comprising:
-
at least one illumination source and circuitry; a housing overmolded at least partially around said circuitry and said at least one illumination source; a pocket illumination portion and a ground illumination portion at said housing, illumination from said at least one illumination source being directed through said pocket illumination portion and said ground illumination portion; and said housing being configured to mount to a vehicle door handle assembly, whereby said pocket illumination portion and said ground illumination portion are substantially flush with respective exterior surfaces of the door handle assembly, said illumination source being operable to illuminate the handle region of the vehicle door and to illuminate a ground region adjacent to the vehicle and generally below said door handle assembly when said illumination module is mounted to the vehicle door handle. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
-
-
15-22. -22. (canceled)
Specification