VEHICULAR DOOR HANDLE ASSEMBLY WITH ILLUMINATION MODULE

• US 20190248332A1
• Filed: 04/22/2019
• Published: 08/15/2019
• 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 10,632,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 vehicular door handle assembly includes a base portion configured to mount at a handle region of a vehicle door of a vehicle, a handle portion movable relative to the base portion, and an illumination module disposed in the handle portion. The illumination module includes a housing and an electronic circuit assembly having a light emitting diode (LED) and a circuit board with a user actuatable input disposed at a side thereof. The illumination module includes a light pipe in the housing and at least partially along the handle portion and having a light receiving end at the LED. The LED is actuated responsive at least in part to actuation by the user of the user actuatable input. Light emitted by the LED, when actuated, is received at the light receiving end of the light pipe, whereby the light pipe provides illumination at least partially along the handle portion.

Claims

1. A vehicular door handle assembly, said vehicular door handle assembly comprising:

a base portion configured to mount at a handle region of a vehicle door of a vehicle;

a handle portion movable relative to said base portion, wherein said handle portion, with said base portion mounted at the handle region of the vehicle door of the vehicle, is movable by a user to open the vehicle door of the vehicle;

an illumination module disposed in said handle portion;

wherein said illumination module comprises a housing and an electronic circuit assembly disposed in said housing;

wherein said electronic circuit assembly comprises a circuit board having a user actuatable input disposed at a side thereof, and wherein said user actuatable input is actuated by a user of said vehicular door handle assembly when said base portion is mounted at the handle region of the vehicle door of the vehicle;

wherein said electronic circuit assembly comprises a light emitting diode;

wherein said light emitting diode, when actuated, emits light in a direction parallel to said side of said circuit board and away from said user actuatable input;

wherein said illumination module comprises a light pipe disposed in said housing and at least partially along said handle portion and having a light receiving end at said light emitting diode;

wherein said light emitting diode is actuated responsive at least in part to actuation by the user of said user actuatable input; and

wherein light emitted by said light emitting diode, when actuated, is received at said light receiving end of said light pipe, whereby said light pipe provides illumination at least partially along said handle portion.

2. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 1, wherein said electronic circuit assembly comprises a secondary circuit board that is transverse to said circuit board, and wherein said secondary circuit board has a first side that faces said user actuatable input and a second side opposite said first side, and wherein said light emitting diode is disposed at said secondary circuit board.

3. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 2, wherein circuitry of said secondary circuit board is electrically connected to circuitry of said circuit board.

4. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 2, wherein said light emitting diode is mounted at said secondary circuit board such that part of said light emitting diode is at said first side of said secondary circuit board and part of said light emitting diode is at said second side of said secondary circuit board.

5. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 2, wherein said secondary circuit board is normal to said circuit board.

6. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 1, wherein said illumination module comprises a transparent cover disposed along said housing, and wherein light emitted by said light emitting diode, when actuated, is received at said light receiving end of said light pipe and emanates from said light pipe and passes through said transparent cover.

7. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 1, wherein said housing is received in a channel along said handle portion.

8. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 7, comprising an outer cover of said handle portion that is disposed over said housing.

9. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 1, wherein said electronic circuit assembly comprises two light emitting diodes, and wherein said light pipe comprises two light pipes, with said light receiving end of each of said two light pipes disposed at a respective one of said two light emitting diodes.

10. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 1, wherein said electronic circuit assembly is disposed at an end of said handle portion.

11. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 1, comprising a locking mechanism operable to lock and unlock the vehicle door when said base portion is mounted at the handle region of the vehicle door of the vehicle.

12. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 11, wherein said locking mechanism operates responsive to actuation by the user of said user actuatable input.

13. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 1, comprising a near field communication device, and wherein a vehicular system of the vehicle authenticates a near field communication-enabled smartphone as an authorized device for communicating with said near field communication device, and wherein said near field communication device is operable to receive signals from the near field communication-enabled smartphone when the near field communication-enabled smartphone is within a threshold distance from said near field communication device, and wherein, responsive to the near field communication-enabled smartphone that is communicating with said near field communication device being an authorized device, the vehicular system actuates a locking mechanism of said vehicular door handle assembly to unlock the vehicle door at which said base portion is mounted.

14. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 13, wherein said light emitting diode of said illumination module is actuated at least in part responsive to a communication from the authorized device to said near field communication device of said vehicular door handle assembly of the vehicle when said vehicular door handle assembly is disposed at the vehicle door.

15. A vehicular door handle assembly, said vehicular door handle assembly comprising:

a base portion configured to mount at a handle region of a vehicle door of a vehicle;

a handle portion movable relative to said base portion, wherein said handle portion, with said base portion mounted at the handle region of the vehicle door of the vehicle, is movable by a user to open the vehicle door of the vehicle;

an illumination module disposed in said handle portion;

wherein said illumination module comprises a housing and an electronic circuit assembly disposed in said housing;

wherein said electronic circuit assembly is disposed at an end of said handle portion;

wherein said electronic circuit assembly comprises a circuit board having a user actuatable input disposed at a side thereof, and wherein said user actuatable input is actuated by a user of said vehicular door handle assembly when said base portion is mounted at the handle region of the vehicle door of the vehicle;

wherein said electronic circuit assembly comprises a secondary circuit board that is transverse to said circuit board, and wherein said secondary circuit board has a first side that faces said user actuatable input and a second side opposite said first side;

wherein said secondary circuit board is normal to said circuit board;

wherein circuitry of said secondary circuit board is electrically connected to circuitry of said circuit board;

wherein said electronic circuit assembly comprises a light emitting diode disposed at said secondary circuit board;

wherein said light emitting diode, when actuated, emits light in a direction parallel to said side of said circuit board and away from said user actuatable input;

wherein said illumination module comprises a light pipe disposed in said housing and at least partially along said handle portion and having a light receiving end at said light emitting diode;

wherein said light emitting diode is actuated responsive at least in part to actuation by the user of said user actuatable input; and

wherein light emitted by said light emitting diode, when actuated, is received at said light receiving end of said light pipe, whereby said light pipe provides illumination at least partially along said handle portion.

16. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 15, wherein said light emitting diode is mounted at said secondary circuit board such that part of said light emitting diode is at said first side of said secondary circuit board and part of said light emitting diode is at said second side of said secondary circuit board.

17. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 15, wherein said illumination module comprises a transparent cover disposed along said housing, and wherein light emitted by said light emitting diode, when actuated, is received at said light receiving end of said light pipe and emanates from said light pipe and passes through said transparent cover.

18. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 15, comprising a locking mechanism operable to lock and unlock the vehicle door when said base portion is mounted at the handle region of the vehicle door of the vehicle, and wherein said locking mechanism operates responsive to actuation by the user of said user actuatable input.

19. A vehicular door handle assembly, said vehicular door handle assembly comprising:

a base portion configured to mount at a handle region of a vehicle door of a vehicle;

a handle portion movable relative to said base portion, wherein said handle portion, with said base portion mounted at the handle region of the vehicle door of the vehicle, is movable by a user to open the vehicle door of the vehicle;

an illumination module disposed in said handle portion;

wherein said illumination module comprises a housing and an electronic circuit assembly disposed in said housing;

wherein said electronic circuit assembly is disposed at an end of said handle portion;

wherein said housing is received in a channel along said handle portion;

a transparent cover disposed along said housing;

wherein said electronic circuit assembly comprises a circuit board having a user actuatable input disposed at a side thereof, and wherein said user actuatable input is actuated by a user of said vehicular door handle assembly when said base portion is mounted at the handle region of the vehicle door of the vehicle;

wherein said electronic circuit assembly comprises a light emitting diode;

wherein said light emitting diode, when actuated, emits light in a direction parallel to said side of said circuit board and away from said user actuatable input;

wherein said illumination module comprises a light pipe disposed in said housing and at least partially along said handle portion and having a light receiving end at said light emitting diode;

wherein said light emitting diode is actuated responsive at least in part to actuation by the user of said user actuatable input; and

wherein light emitted by said light emitting diode, when actuated, is received at said light receiving end of said light pipe and emanates from said light pipe and passes through said transparent cover.

20. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 19, wherein said electronic circuit assembly comprises two light emitting diodes, and wherein said light pipe comprises two light pipes, with said light receiving end of each of said two light pipes disposed at a respective one of said two light emitting diodes.

21. The vehicular door handle assembly of claim 19, comprising a locking mechanism operable to lock and unlock the vehicle door when said base portion is mounted at the handle region of the vehicle door of the vehicle, and wherein said locking mechanism operates responsive to actuation by the user of said user actuatable input.