Handle device for a vehicle with integrated lighting

Abstract

The invention relates to a handle device (1) for a vehicle with integrated lighting, with said handle device (1) having an electronics module (10) with a light source (11) and having a housing (20) with a receiving space (21) in which the electronics module (10) is arranged, wherein the housing (20) is transparent and / or translucent at least in portions and integrally forms a light-guiding element (22) adjacent to the light source (11), wherein the light-guiding element (22) is designed to guide a light emitted by the light source (11) out of the receiving space (21) for illumination purposes.

Description

[0001] Handle device for a vehicle with integrated lighting

[0002] Description:

[0003] The invention relates to a handle device for a vehicle, which has integrated lighting, a door handle with such a handle device, a system for providing a plurality of different door handles and a method for producing a handle device according to the invention.

[0004] In the state of the art, and particularly in connection with vehicles, many different handle devices and door handles with integrated lighting are known.

[0005] To provide such handles, a light-guiding element is provided on a mostly multi-part and mostly opaque housing, allowing a light source inside the housing to emit light outward via the light-guiding element. However, the disadvantage of this approach is that the multitude of housing components and the additional light-guiding element result in a comparatively expensive and error-prone assembly.

[0006] In addition, such handles are often used in outdoor areas, meaning the electronics located inside the handle must be protected against environmental influences. To achieve such protection, for example, with protection class IP 6K7, the housing or its individual components, as well as the light-guiding element, must be extensively sealed, which also creates additional assembly effort and costs.

[0007] The invention is therefore based on the object of overcoming the aforementioned disadvantages and providing a handle device which is easy to assemble and with which a corresponding IP protection class can be realized despite simple assembly.

[0008] This problem is solved by the combination of features according to patent claim 1.

[0009] According to the invention, a handle device for a vehicle is therefore proposed, wherein the handle device is provided with integrated lighting. The handle device has an electronics module with a lighting means and a housing with a receiving space. The electronics module is arranged in and preferably completely in the receiving space of the housing. It is essential for the invention that the housing is at least partially and preferably completely transparent and / or translucent and integrally forms a light-guiding element adjacent to the lighting means. Since the housing itself forms the light-guiding element, the arrangement of the light-guiding element on the housing and the sealing can be omitted during assembly. Furthermore, the light-guiding element is designed to guide light emitted by the lighting means out of the receiving space for illumination, i.e. for the integrated lighting. As a result, an environment oran area outside the housing can be illuminated.

[0010] An advantageous further development provides that the receiving space and / or an entire interior of the housing is filled at least in sections and preferably completely with an opaque, in particular black, and / or non-translucent potting compound, which encloses or wraps the electronic module at least in sections and also preferably completely and which is, for example, a resin, in particular casting or synthetic resin.

[0011] Both with regard to a complete filling of the receiving space or the interior of the housing with the potting compound and with regard to a complete enclosing of the electronic module, the light source itself and / or an intermediate space which is formed or delimited by a sealing element explained below are not covered by the potting compound or filled with it.

[0012] Because the electronic module is essentially completely enclosed by the potting compound, it is fixed in the receiving space or housing and at the same time shielded against environmental influences, so that a high protection class, in particular IP 6K7, can be easily achieved.

[0013] Preferably, the housing is also one-piece and / or manufactured in one piece and in particular by injection molding or from a single casting. Additionally or alternatively, the receiving space can in particular be open exclusively on a first side, such that the electronics module can be inserted into the receiving space from the first side and / or can be contacted with a connecting cable for electrically contacting the electronics module. Furthermore, additionally or alternatively, the receiving space can be open on a second side, such that the electronics module can be contacted with the electronics module from the second side using a connecting cable for electrically contacting the electronics module. Furthermore, the receiving space can be filled with the potting compound through the open first and / or second side. It is particularly advantageous for the receiving space to be open exclusively on the first and second sides.

[0014] An advantageous variant of the handle device also features the aforementioned sealing element, wherein the sealing element is arranged in the receiving space on the lamp between the light-guiding element or the housing and the electronic module, and seals off the gap between the lamp and the light-guiding element from the surrounding or remaining receiving space. The sealing element can thus prevent the lamp from being covered by the casting compound or reduce the penetration of light from the lamp into the light-guiding element. Accordingly, the lamp can emit light through the gap into the light-guiding element.

[0015] Further preferably, the sealing element can be formed from a flexible material, for example from silicone or TPE.

[0016] According to an advantageous development, the handle device further comprises a connecting cable for electrically contacting the electronic module and a cable bushing, which can also be referred to as a cable seal. The connecting cable extends into the housing to the electronic module and is electrically contacted with the electronic module either permanently or via a plug connection. The cable bushing is designed to seal the receiving space, in particular from an exterior space of the housing along the connecting cable, so that in particular the potting compound along the connecting cable cannot escape from the receiving space. The cable bushing orAlternatively, the cable seal can also be designed as a plug-in connector, so that a first part of the connecting cable can be plugged into the plug-in connector from outside the housing using a corresponding mating connector, and a second part of the connecting cable leads inside the housing to the electronic module and is connected to it permanently or via a further plug-in connection.

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

[0018] If the housing is temporarily sealed in the area of ​​the connecting cable using an appropriate tool when filling the receiving space, a separate cable entry can be dispensed with, as this can then be formed integrally by the casting compound.

[0019] Furthermore, the housing can form a receptacle for the cable entry, which encompasses at least part of the cable entry and secures it in a predetermined position. This seals the receiving space while simultaneously providing strain relief for the connecting cable.

[0020] The light-guiding element is preferably not just any part of the housing, but, for example, a projection that protrudes from directly adjacent sections of the housing into the receiving space and / or into an external space around the housing. Furthermore, the light-guiding element can be additionally machined. For example, to improve the coupling and / or decoupling of light into the light-guiding element, an end face of the light-guiding element facing the illuminant and / or an end face of the light-guiding element facing away from the illuminant can be ground or polished.

[0021] To integrate additional functions into the handle device, the electronic module can also include a capacitive proximity sensor for detecting proximity and / or contact. The proximity sensor has a sensor electrode, particularly designed as a metal plate, whose dimensions at least partially determine the alternating electric field, the capacitance, and / or the sensitivity of the proximity sensor. The sensor electrode is replaceable, for example, via a plug connection on the proximity sensor and is designed to set a predetermined capacitance on 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 device or the proximity sensor and / or modules, such as a radio module, in particular an NFC module, can be arranged.

[0023] A further aspect of the invention relates to a door handle for a vehicle with a handle device according to the invention. The door handle has a cover plate, which can also be integrated into an outer housing or referred to as such. The housing of the handle device is arranged on the rear side of the cover plate, which housing can accordingly be referred to as the inner housing. The light-guiding element extends from the rear side and preferably through the cover plate to a visible side of the cover plate, so that a design visible to a viewer on the visible side is determined by the cover plate, but the handle device can provide the illumination from the rear side of the cover plate.

[0024] It can further be provided that a visible end face of the light-guiding element is in particular part of a surface of the cover plate which determines the visible side or is integrated into it.

[0025] Furthermore, one aspect of the invention relates to a system for providing a plurality of different door handles with different capacitive properties. The door handles can themselves be divided into groups of door handles with the same capacitive properties according to their capacitive properties. Traditionally, one problem is that different door handles or door handle designs have different capacitive properties, so that identical proximity sensors do not have to be used, since similar proximity sensors on the different door handles would lead to different sensitivities or different behavior. According to the invention, however, it is provided that one or moreEach of the door handles comprises a handle device according to the invention with a capacitive proximity sensor, which has a sensor electrode whose dimensions determine the alternating electric field, the capacitance, and / or the sensitivity of the proximity sensor. Furthermore, the sensor electrode is replaceable and designed to set a predetermined capacitance at the proximity sensor. According to the system, the sensor electrode can be selected from a group of sensor electrodes with different capacitances, so that the capacitance of the proximity sensor can be adjusted depending on the capacitive properties of a respective door handle by selecting a respective sensor electrode.Accordingly, the sensor electrode can be selected depending on the design of the door handle and the resulting capacitive properties, so that a uniform sensitivity of the proximity sensor and correspondingly a uniform behavior are achieved for all door handles despite their different capacitive properties. In a method for producing a handle device according to the invention, according to a further aspect of the invention, the electronic module and the sealing element are arranged in the receiving space of the housing, so that the sealing element is arranged in the receiving space on the illuminant between the light-guiding element and the electronic module and seals off an intermediate space between the illuminant and the light-guiding element from the receiving space.The receiving space is then filled, at least in sections, with a potting compound so that the electronic module is fixed in the receiving space and shielded against environmental influences.

[0026] Furthermore, before arranging the electronic module, a sensor electrode selected depending on the capacitive properties of a door handle to be manufactured can be arranged on the electronic module.

[0027] Furthermore, the electronic module can be contacted with a connecting cable before the receiving space is filled with the potting compound and the receiving space can be closed on one side by a cable gland for the connecting cable.

[0028] It should be noted that the term "visible side" does not mean that this is actually what a user sees. The back and visible side can also be referred to as the first side and second side.

[0029] The features disclosed above can be combined as desired, as long as this is technically possible and they do not contradict each other.

[0030] Other advantageous developments of the invention are characterized in the subclaims or are presented in more detail below, together with the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the figures. They show: Fig. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a handle device;

[0031] Fig. 2 is a sectional view through a handle device;

[0032] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the handle device;

[0033] Fig. 4 is an exploded view of a door handle with the handle device;

[0034] Fig. 5 a sectional view through the door handle.

[0035] The figures are schematic examples. Identical reference numerals in the figures indicate identical functional and / or structural features.

[0036] The schematic sectional view of Figure 1 shows a handle device 1 and a cover plate 50 of a door handle 2, on the rear side R of which the handle device 1 is arranged.

[0037] It is advantageous that the handle device 1 has an electronic module 10 with a lighting means 11 and a completely transparent housing 20, wherein the housing 20 is in this case made in one piece and by injection molding.

[0038] The housing 20 has a receiving space 21 in which the electronic module 10 is completely accommodated. In the illustrated variant, the receiving space 21 is open to a first side located in the viewing plane and to a second side located to the left in the viewing plane.

[0039] An important aspect of the invention is that the housing 20 integrally forms a light-guiding element 22, which can guide light L emitted by the illuminant 11 from the receiving space 21 through the cover plate 50 to the visible side S of the cover plate 50. For electrical contact, a connecting line 30 runs on the second side through the housing 20 into the receiving space 21 and is contacted there with the electronic module 10. The receiving space 21 is closed on the second side by a cable feedthrough 31 or a cable seal 31.

[0040] The receiving space 21 is closed by the cable feedthrough 31 to the second side and thus open exclusively to the first side, through which a potting compound 23 can be arranged in the receiving space 21, which essentially completely fills it, envelops the electronic module 10 and protects it from environmental influences, so that a correspondingly high IP protection class can be realized.

[0041] However, in order to prevent the potting compound 23 from covering the illuminant 11 or the light-guiding element 22 and reducing the entry of light from the illuminant 11 into the light-guiding element 22, a sealing element 24 is provided on the electronic module 10 or on the illuminant 11, which seals the intermediate space 25 around the illuminant 11 and between the electronic module 10 and the light-guiding element 22 and prevents the potting compound 23 from penetrating into the intermediate space 25.

[0042] Furthermore, a proximity sensor 40 is provided on the electronic module 10, which is also arranged completely in the receiving space and which essentially has a sensor electronics 42 and a sensor electrode 41, wherein the sensor electrode 41 is replaceably connected to the sensor electronics 42 via a plug connection.

[0043] Depending on the capacitive properties resulting, in particular, from the handle element 1 and the cover plate 50, a sensor electrode 41 can be provided, which results in a predetermined sensitivity or a predetermined sensor behavior on the proximity sensor 40. If the handle element 1 is used on differently shaped cover plates 50 or on different door handles with correspondingly different capacitive properties, the proximity sensor 50 can be easily adjusted to the predetermined sensitivity or the predetermined sensor behavior by appropriately selecting a sensor electrode 41 from a group of sensor electrodes 41.

[0044] In Figures 2 and 3, a handle device 1 according to Figure 1 is shown less schematically, ie according to a concrete embodiment variant, wherein the sectional view of Figure 2 analogously contains the features according to the sectional view of Figure 1, so that all described features of the handle device 1 are present in both Figure 1 and Figure 2 and the corresponding description for Figure 1 also applies to Figures 2 and 3.

[0045] The sensor electronics 42 is integrated directly onto the circuit board or into the electronic module 10.

[0046] Furthermore, it is visible in both Figure 2 and Figure 3 that the housing 20 forms a plurality of support elements 26 for aligning the electronic module in the receiving space 21 or relative to the housing 20.

[0047] On the outside and rear side of the housing 20 in the area of ​​the sensor electrode 41, there is also an elastic element, in particular a plate-shaped foam insert or intermediate layer 27, which, as can be seen in particular in Figures 4 and 5, is designed to fill a space between the housing 20 as the inner housing and a housing of the door handle 2 as the outer housing.

[0048] Figures 4 and 5 show a door handle 2 with a handle device 1 according to Figures 2 and 3 accommodated therein. The features of the handle device 1, as described for Figures 1 to 3, are present accordingly, although for the sake of clarity, most of the reference numerals have not been shown again. Figures 4 and 5 illustrate, however, that the door handle 2 has a separate housing or outer housing 50, 51, wherein the cover plate 50 is part of this outer housing. Specifically, the cover plate 50 forms a lower part 50 of the outer housing, which is combined with an upper part 51 of the outer housing and, for example, reinforced. The handle device 1 is accommodated in an interior space 52 formed thereby, such that the optical appearance is determined by the outer housing 50, 51 of the door handle 2. The light-guiding element 22 penetrates the cover plate 50 orthe lower part 50 of the outer housing so that lighting can be provided.

[0049] As already described, a plate-shaped foam intermediate layer 27 is provided between the housing 20 of the handle device 1 or the inner housing 20 and the upper part 51 of the outer housing of the door handle 2, so that the inner housing 20 lies directly against the upper part 51 of the outer housing via the foam intermediate layer 27 and the sensor electrode 41 located in the inner housing 20 is at a predetermined distance from the adjacent outer surface of the upper part 51.

[0050] This makes it possible to ensure that the sensor behavior at a sensor area 52 located on the outer surface corresponds to a predetermined behavior, i.e. the sensor electrode 41 reacts as desired to approaches to or touches of the sensor area 52.

[0051] * * * * *

Claims

Patent claims 1. Handle device (1) for a vehicle with integrated lighting, wherein the handle device (1) has an electronic module (10) with a lighting means (11) and a housing (20) with a receiving space (21) in which the electronic module (10) is arranged, characterized in that the housing (20) is transparent and / or translucent at least in sections and integrally forms a light-guiding element (22) adjacent to the lighting means (11), wherein the light-guiding element (22) is designed to guide light emitted by the lighting means (11) out of the receiving space (21) for illumination.

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

3. Handle device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing (20) is one-piece and / or one-part and / or wherein the receiving space (21) is open towards a first side, so that the electronic module (10) can be inserted from the first side into the receiving space (21) and / or contacted with a connecting line (30) for electrically contacting the electronic module (10) and / or wherein the receiving space (21) is open towards a second side, so that the electronic module (10) can be inserted from the second side can be contacted with a connecting cable (30) for electrically contacting the electronic module (10) with the electronic module (10).

4. Handle device according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a sealing element (24) which is arranged in the receiving space (21) on the lighting means (11) between the light-guiding element (22) and the electronic module (10) and seals an intermediate space (25) between the lighting means (11) and the light-guiding element (22) with respect to the receiving space (21).

5. Handle device according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a connecting line (30) for electrically contacting the electronic module (10) and a cable feedthrough (31), wherein the connecting line (30) extends into the housing (20) to the electronic module (10) and is electrically contacted with the electronic module (10) either firmly or via a plug connection, and wherein the cable feedthrough (31) is designed to seal the receiving space (21) along the connecting line (30).

6. Handle device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the light-guiding element (22) is a projection projecting from immediately adjacent sections of the housing (20).

7. Handle device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the electronic module (10) has a capacitive proximity sensor (40), wherein the proximity sensor (40) has a sensor electrode (41), the dimensions of which determine the alternating electric field, the capacitance and / or the sensitivity of the proximity sensor (40), wherein the sensor electrode (41) is replaceable and designed is to set a predetermined capacitance on the proximity sensor (40).

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

9. A system for providing a plurality of different door handles with different capacitive properties, wherein each of the door handles has a handle device (1 ) according to claim 7 and wherein the sensor electrode (41 ) is selectable from a group of sensor electrodes (41 ) with different capacitances, so that the capacitance of the proximity sensor (40) can be adjusted to a predetermined value depending on the capacitive properties of a respective door handle by selecting a respective sensor electrode (41 ).

10. Method for producing a handle device (1) according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 7, wherein the electronic module (10) and the sealing element (24) according to claim 4 are arranged in the receiving space (21) of the housing (20), so that the sealing element (24) is arranged in the receiving space (21) on the illuminant (11) between the light-guiding element (22) and the electronic module (10) and seals an intermediate space (25) between the illuminant (11) and the light-guiding element (22) with respect to the receiving space (21), wherein the receiving space (21) is at least partially provided with a potting compound (23) according to claim 3, so that the electronic module (10) is fixed in the receiving space (21) and shielded against environmental influences.

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