Handle device for vehicle with integrated lighting

Abstract

The invention relates to a handle device (1) for a vehicle with integrated lighting, the handle device (1) having an electronics module (10) with a lighting means (11) and a housing (20) with a receiving space (21) in which the electronics module (10) is arranged, the housing (20) being transparent and / or translucent at least in some sections and forming a light guide element (22) adjacent to the lighting means (11) as a whole. Wherein the light guide element (22) is configured to guide light emitted by the illumination means (11) out of the accommodating space (21) for illumination.

Description

[0001] manual:

[0002] The invention relates to a vehicle handle arrangement with integrated lighting, a door handle with such a handle arrangement, a system for providing a plurality of different door handles, and a method for producing the handle arrangement according to the invention.

[0003] In the prior art, in particular in connection with vehicles, many different handle arrangements and door handles with integrated lighting are known.

[0004] To provide such a handle device, a light-guiding element is provided on the housing. The housing is usually multi-part and opaque, so that the lighting device inside the housing can emit light outward through the light-guiding element. However, this has the disadvantage that the installation cost is relatively high due to the large number of housing parts and the additional light-guiding element, and it is prone to errors.

[0005] Furthermore, such handle devices are often used outdoors or in the open air, so the electronic components arranged in the interior of the handle device must be protected from environmental influences. To achieve this protection, for example, to achieve IP6K7 protection, the housing or its individual components as well as the light guide elements must be carefully sealed, which also results in additional installation work and costs.

[0006] The object of the present invention is therefore to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages and to provide a handle device which is easy to install and which, despite its simple installation, can achieve the corresponding IP protection degree.

[0007] This object is achieved by the combination of features described in patent claim 1 .

[0008] Therefore, the present invention proposes a handle device for a vehicle, wherein the handle device has integrated lighting. The handle device has an electronic module with a lighting mechanism and a housing with a storage space. The electronic module is arranged and preferably completely arranged in the storage space of the housing. For the present invention, the housing is constructed to be transparent and / or translucent in at least sections and preferably completely, and to form a light-guiding element integrally adjacent to the lighting mechanism. Since the housing itself forms the light-guiding element, the light-guiding element does not need to be arranged on the housing during installation, nor does it need to be sealed. In addition, the light-guiding element is constructed to guide the light emitted by the lighting mechanism from the storage space for lighting, that is, for integrated lighting. This means that the lighting mechanism can be used to illuminate the environment or area outside the housing.

[0009] An advantageous further embodiment provides that the entire interior space of the accommodation space and / or the housing is filled at least in sections and preferably completely with an opaque, in particular black and / or translucent potting compound, which surrounds or encases the electronic module at least in sections and preferably also completely, the potting compound being, for example, a resin, in particular a casting resin or a synthetic resin.

[0010] Regardless of whether the receiving space or the housing interior is completely filled with potting compound or the electronic module is completely enclosed, the lighting device itself and / or the gap formed or defined by the sealing element explained below cannot be covered or filled with potting compound.

[0011] Since the electronic module is essentially completely enclosed by the potting compound, it is fixed in the receiving space or housing and is also protected from environmental influences, making it easy to achieve high protection classes, in particular IP 6K7.

[0012] Preferably, the housing is also integral and / or one-piece, in particular manufactured by die-casting or cast in one piece. Additionally or alternatively, the housing space may be open only toward the first side, so that the electronic module can be inserted into the housing space from the first side and / or contacted with a connecting cable for electrically contacting the electronic module. Furthermore, additionally or alternatively, the housing space may also be open toward the second side, so that the electronic module can contact a connecting cable for electrically contacting the electronic module from the second side. Furthermore, the housing space may be filled with potting compound through the open first and / or second side. It is particularly advantageous to provide that the housing space is open only toward the first and second sides.

[0013] Advantageous variations of the handle device further include the aforementioned sealing element, wherein the sealing element is arranged at the lighting mechanism between the light guide element or the housing and the electronics module and is located within the accommodation space, thereby sealing the gap between the lighting mechanism and the light guide element relative to the surrounding area or the remaining accommodation space. The sealing element thus prevents the lighting mechanism from being covered by the potting compound or reduces the light input from the lighting mechanism into the light guide element. Consequently, the lighting mechanism can emit light into the light guide element through the gap.

[0014] Furthermore, the sealing element is preferably formed from a flexible material, for example from silicone or TPE.

[0015] According to an advantageous further development, the handle device further comprises a connecting cable for electrical contact with the electronics module and a cable bushing, which can also be referred to as a cable seal. The connecting cable extends into the housing as far as the electronics module and makes electrical contact with the electronics module, either fixedly or via a plug-in connection. The cable bushing is designed to seal the receiving space, in particular along the connecting cable, relative to the exterior of the housing, so that potting compound, in particular, cannot escape from the receiving space along the connecting cable.

[0016] Here, the cable bushing or cable seal can also be designed as a plug-in connector as an alternative, so that the first part of the connecting cable can be inserted into the plug-in connector from outside the housing by means of a corresponding matching plug-in connector, while the second part of the connecting cable leads to the electronic module inside the housing and contacts it fixedly or via another plug-in link.

[0017] For example, if the receiving space is open towards a first side and towards a second side, the cable gland can close the receiving space towards the second side, so that after inserting the electronic module with the connecting cable and / or inserting the connecting cable with the cable gland, the receiving space is only open towards the first side, through which the receiving space can be filled with potting compound.

[0018] If, when filling the receiving space, the housing is temporarily sealed in the region of the connecting cable by means of a suitable tool, a separate cable gland can also be omitted, since it can be formed integrally from the potting compound.

[0019] The housing can also form a receiving portion for the cable bushing, which surrounds the cable bushing at least in sections and fixes it in a predetermined position, thereby sealing the receiving space and providing cable strain relief for the connecting cable.

[0020] The light guide element is preferably not just any part of the housing, but rather, for example, a protrusion that projects into the receiving space and / or the space outside the housing relative to an immediately adjacent section of the housing. Furthermore, the light guide element may be processed. For example, to improve light coupling into and / or out of the light guide element, the end surface of the light guide element facing the lighting mechanism and / or the end surface facing away from the lighting mechanism may be ground or polished.

[0021] To integrate more functions into the handle device, the electronics module can also include a capacitive proximity sensor for detecting proximity and / or touch. The proximity sensor has an electrode, typically a metal plate, whose dimensions at least partially determine the alternating electric field, capacitance, and / or sensitivity of the proximity sensor. The sensor electrode is replaceable, for example, via a plug-in connection at the proximity sensor, and is designed to set a predetermined capacitance for the proximity sensor.

[0022] The electronic module can be at least one flexible and / or rigid printed circuit board, on which further components for operating the lighting means or the proximity sensor and / or components can also be arranged, such as a radio module, in particular an NFC module.

[0023] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a door handle for a vehicle with a large handle assembly according to the present invention. The door handle has a cover plate, which can also be integrated into a housing or referred to as an outer shell. The housing of the handle assembly is arranged on the rear side of the cover plate and can therefore be referred to as an inner housing. A light-conducting element extends from the rear side, preferably through the cover plate, to the visible side of the cover plate. Thus, the design visible to an observer on the visible side is determined by the cover plate, while the handle assembly can be illuminated from the rear side of the cover plate.

[0024] It can also be provided that the visible-side end face of the light-conducting element is, in particular, a part of the surface of the cover plate which determines the visible side, or is integrated therein.

[0025] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a system for providing a plurality of different door handles with different capacitive characteristics. The door handles themselves can be divided into groups of door handles with the same capacitive characteristics based on their capacitive characteristics. Conventionally, different door handles or door handle designs have different capacitive characteristics, making it unnecessary to use identical proximity sensors, as similar proximity sensors on different door handles can result in different sensitivities or behaviors. However, according to the present invention, one or each door handle includes a handle arrangement according to the present invention with a capacitive proximity sensor. The proximity sensor includes sensor electrodes whose dimensions determine the alternating electric field, capacitance, and / or sensitivity of the proximity sensor. Furthermore, the sensor electrodes are replaceable and configured to set a predetermined capacitance for the proximity sensor. According to this system, the sensor electrodes can be selected from a group of sensor electrodes with different capacitances. Thus, by selecting the corresponding sensor electrodes, the capacitance of the proximity sensor can be adjusted to the capacitive characteristics of the corresponding door handle. Thus, the sensor electrodes can be selected based on the door handle design and the resulting capacitive characteristics, resulting in consistent sensitivity and corresponding behavior of the proximity sensor across all door handles, despite the varying capacitive characteristics.

[0026] In a method for manufacturing a handle device according to the present invention, according to another aspect of the present invention, the electronic module and the sealing element are arranged in a receiving space of the housing. The sealing element is thus arranged on the lighting device between the light guide element and the electronic module and located in the receiving space, thereby sealing the gap between the lighting device and the light guide element relative to the receiving space. The receiving space is then filled at least sectionally with potting compound, thereby securing the electronic module within the receiving space and protecting it from environmental influences.

[0027] Furthermore, before arranging the electronic module, sensor electrodes selected according to the capacitive characteristics of the door handle to be manufactured may be arranged on the electronic module.

[0028] Furthermore, before the receiving space is filled with potting compound, the electronic module can be in contact with the connecting cable, and the receiving space can be closed on one side by a cable gland for the connecting cable.

[0029] It should be noted that, in principle, the visible side does not mean that it can be actually seen by the user. The back side and the visible side can also be referred to as the first side and the second side alternately.

[0030] The features disclosed above can be combined as needed as long as it is technically feasible and not contradictory to each other.

[0031] Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims or are explained in more detail below together with the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view showing a handle arrangement;

[0033] Figure 2 showing a cross-sectional view through the handle arrangement;

[0034] Figure 3 showing a perspective view of the handle arrangement;

[0035] Figure 4 An exploded view of a door handle with a handle assembly is shown;

[0036] Figure 5 Shown is a cross-section through a door handle.

[0037] The accompanying drawings are schematic examples. The same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings represent the same functions and / or structural features.

[0038] Figure 1 The schematic sectional view of FIG. 1 shows the handle arrangement 1 and the cover 50 of the door handle 2 , the handle arrangement 1 being mounted on the rear side R of the door handle.

[0039] Advantageously, the handle device 1 comprises an electronic module 10 with an illumination device 11 and a completely transparent housing 20 , wherein the housing 20 is formed in one piece here by an injection molding process.

[0040] The housing 20 has a receiving space 21 in which the electronic module 10 is completely received. In the variant shown, the receiving space 21 is open towards a first side situated in the viewing plane and towards a second side situated to the left of the display plane.

[0041] An important aspect of the present invention is that the housing 20 is integrally formed with a light guide element 22 , which can guide the light L emitted by the lighting device 11 from the receiving space 21 through the cover plate 50 to the visible side S of the cover plate 50 .

[0042] To achieve electrical contact, the connecting cable 30 extends on the second side through the housing 20 into the receiving space 21 and there contacts the electronic module 10. The receiving space 21 is closed on the second side by a cable bushing 31 or a cable seal 31.

[0043] The accommodating space 21 is closed to the second side by the cable bushing 31 and is therefore only open to the first side. The potting compound 23 can be arranged in the accommodating space 21 through the cable bushing to basically completely fill it, thereby enclosing the electronic module 10 and protecting it from environmental influences, thereby achieving a corresponding high IP protection level.

[0044] However, in order to prevent the potting material 23 from covering the lighting mechanism 11 or the light-guiding element 22 and reduce the light input from the lighting mechanism 11 into the light-guiding element 22, a sealing element 24 is provided on the electronic module 10 or the lighting mechanism 11 to seal the gap 25 around the lighting mechanism 11 and between the electronic module 10 and the light-guiding element 22 to prevent the potting material 23 from penetrating into the gap 25.

[0045] Furthermore, the electronic module 10 is provided with a proximity sensor 40 which is also completely arranged in the receiving space and mainly comprises sensor electronics 42 and sensor electrodes 41 , wherein the sensor electrodes 41 are replaceably connected to the sensor electronics 42 via a plug-in connection.

[0046] The sensor electrodes 41 can be arranged based on the capacitive characteristics determined, in particular, by the handle element 1 and the cover plate 50 so that the proximity sensor 40 has a predetermined sensitivity or a predetermined sensor behavior. If the handle element 1 is used on cover plates 50 of different shapes or on different door handles with correspondingly different capacitive characteristics, the proximity sensor 50 can be easily set to a predetermined sensitivity or predetermined sensor behavior by selecting the corresponding sensor electrode 41 from a group of sensor electrodes 41.

[0047] exist Figure 2 and Figure 3 In Figure 1 The handle device 1 is shown in a less schematic manner, ie according to a specific embodiment variant, wherein Figure 2 The cross-sectional view of Figure 1 Therefore, all the described features of the handle device 1 are shown in FIG. Figure 1 and Figure 2 exists in Figure 1 The corresponding description also applies to Figure 2 and Figure 3 .

[0048] In this case, the sensor electronics 42 are integrated directly on the printed circuit board or in the electronics module 10 .

[0049] In addition, from Figure 2 and Figure 3 As can be seen in FIG, the housing 20 is configured with a plurality of support elements 26 for aligning the electronic module in the receiving space 21 or relative to the housing 20 .

[0050] In the region of the sensor electrode 41 , an elastic element, in particular a sheet-like foam attachment or intermediate layer 27 , is further arranged on the outside and rear side of the housing 20 , in particular as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, it is configured to fill a gap between the housing 20 as the inner housing and the housing of the door handle 2 as the outer housing.

[0051] Figure 4 and Figure 5 The door handle 2 is shown with the Figure 2 and Figure 3 The handle device 1 is shown. Figures 1 to 3 The features of the described handle device 1 are also shown accordingly, wherein for the sake of clarity most reference numerals are not shown again.

[0052] but, Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the door handle 2 has a separate housing or shell 50, 51, with the cover plate 50 being part of this shell. Specifically, the cover plate 50 forms the lower portion 50 of the shell, which is coupled to, and, for example, locked to, the upper portion 51 of the shell. The handle device 1 is housed in the interior space 52 thus formed, and the visual appearance of the door handle 2 is therefore determined by the shells 50, 51. Here, the light guide element 22 penetrates the cover plate 50 or the lower portion 50 of the shell, thereby providing illumination.

[0053] As mentioned above, a plate-like foam intermediate layer 27 is provided between the shell 20 or inner shell 20 of the handle device 1 and the upper part 51 of the outer shell of the door handle 2, so that the inner shell 20 can directly contact the upper part 51 of the outer shell through the foam intermediate layer 27, and the sensor electrode 41 located in the inner shell 20 maintains a predetermined distance from the adjacent outer surface of the upper part 51.

[0054] This ensures that the sensor behavior of the sensor region 52 on the outer surface corresponds to a predetermined behavior, ie, the sensor electrode 41 generates an expected reaction when it approaches or contacts the sensor region 52 .

Claims

1. A handle device (1) for a vehicle with integrated lighting, in, The handle device (1) comprises an electronic module (10) with an illumination device (11) and a housing (20) with a receiving space (21), wherein the electronic module (10) is arranged in the receiving space (21). The invention is characterized in that the housing (20) is constructed to be transparent and / or translucent at least in sections, and integrally forms a light guide element (22) adjacent to the lighting device (11). The light guide element (22) is configured to guide the light emitted by the lighting mechanism (11) out of the accommodating space (21) for illumination.

2. The handle device according to claim 1, in, The receiving space (21) and / or the entire interior space of the housing (20) is filled at least in sections with an opaque and / or translucent potting compound (23), which surrounds the electronic module (10) at least in sections.

3. The handle device according to claim 1 or 2, in, The housing (20) is integral and / or one-piece, and / or wherein the accommodation space (21) is open toward the first side so that the electronic module (10) can be inserted into the accommodation space (21) from the first side and / or can be brought into contact with a connection cable (30) for electrically contacting the electronic module (10), And / or wherein the accommodating space (21) is open toward the second side so that the electronic module (10) can be in contact with a connecting cable (30) for electrical contact between the electronic modules (10) from the second side.

4. Handle arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, A sealing element (24) is provided, which is arranged at the lighting mechanism (11) between the light guide element (22) and the electronic module (10) and is located in the accommodating space (21), and seals a gap (25) between the lighting mechanism (11) and the light guide element (22) relative to the accommodating space (21).

5. Handle arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, It also has a connecting cable (30) and a cable bushing (31) for making electrical contact with the electronic module (10). in, The connecting cable (30) extends into the housing (20) up to the electronic module (10) and is in electrical contact with the electronic module (10) either fixedly or via a plug-in connection. And wherein the cable sleeve (31) is configured to seal the accommodation space (21) along the connecting cable (30).

6. Handle arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, in, The light guide element (22) is a protrusion extending from an adjacent section of the housing (20).

7. Handle arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, in, The electronic module (10) has a capacitive proximity sensor (40), The proximity sensor (40) has a sensor electrode (41), the size of which determines the alternating electric field, the capacitance and / or the sensitivity of the proximity sensor (40), The sensor electrode (41) is replaceable and is configured to set a predetermined capacitance for the proximity sensor (40).

8. A door handle (2) for a vehicle, comprising a handle device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in, The door handle (2) has a cover plate (50), on the rear side (R) of which the housing (20) is arranged. The light-guiding element (22) extends from the rear side (R) to the visible side (S) of the cover plate (50).

9. A system for providing various door handles having different capacitance characteristics, in, Each of the door handles has a handle device (1) according to claim 7, and The sensor electrode (41) can be selected from a group of sensor electrodes (41) with different capacitances, so that by selecting each sensor electrode (41), the capacitance of the proximity sensor (40) can be adjusted to a predetermined value according to the capacitance characteristics of each door handle.

10. A method for producing a handle device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 7, in, The electronic module (10) and the sealing element (24) according to claim 4 are arranged in the accommodating space (21) of the housing (20), so that the sealing element (24) is arranged at the lighting mechanism (11) between the light guide element (22) and the electronic module (10) and is located in the accommodating space (21), and seals a gap (25) between the lighting mechanism (11) and the light guide element (22) relative to the accommodating space (21), Wherein, the accommodating space (21) is filled at least in sections The potting compound (23) according to claim 3 fixes the electronic module (10) in the accommodating space (21) and protects it from environmental influences.

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