Exterior door handle for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11486169-B2
Application number	US-201615745108-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 4, 2016
Priority date	Jul 13, 2015
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

An exterior door handle for a vehicle particularly for an activation of an electric lock of the vehicle comprising:
a door handle body with a wall, wherein the door handle body is configured such that an activation action is performable by a user at the door handle body in the deformation area, at least one inductive activation means which is arranged in the deformation area, at least one sensor device arranged within the door handle body for inductivity measurements at the activation means,

wherein the door handle body is at least configured elastically deformable in the deformation area and

the sensor device for the detection of the activation action is arranged spaced apart to the activation means such that the deformation of the door handle body is detectable by the inductivity measurement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An exterior door handle for a vehicle comprising:
a first portion and a second portion,
a door handle body with a wall extending at least between the first portion and the second portion,
wherein the wall is configured elastically deformable at least in at least one deformation area of the door handle body, thereby enabling a user to perform an activation action at the door handle body in the at least one deformation area,

at least one activation means which is arranged in the at least one deformation area at the wall
and configured as at least one electrically conducting element being galvanically separated from at least one sensor device,

the at least one sensor device arranged within the door handle body for inductivity measurements at the at least one activation means and spaced apart from the at least one activation means,
the at least one sensor device comprising at least one LDC-sensor,

a supporting device having
a first supporting element attached to the first portion and supporting the at least one sensor device at a first sensor bearing point, and
a second supporting element attached to the second portion and supporting the at least one sensor device at a second sensor bearing point opposite to the first sensor bearing point;
the supporting device thereby bearing the at least one sensor device independently from the at least one deformation area and enabling deformation of the door handle body caused by the activation action to be detected by an inductivity measurement of the at least one sensor device, whereby an alteration of a position, displacement or deformation of the wall and the at least one activation means in the at least one deformation area does not in a same manner affect a position of the at least one sensor device within the door handle body.

2. The exterior door handle according to claim 1 , wherein at least a bearing point of the exterior door handle is provided at which the door handle body is supported at the vehicle and the bearing of the at least one sensor device occurs at the bearing point.

3. The exterior door handle according to claim 1 , wherein at least the first sensor bearing point or the second sensor bearing point of the at least one sensor device or a bearing point of the exterior door handle is configured as a fixed bearing.

4. The exterior door handle according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor device is supported independently from the wall of the door handle body in the exterior door handle, in an inner space configured by the wall.

5. The exterior door handle according to claim 1 , wherein the exterior door handle is configured as a fixed exterior door handle.

6. The exterior door handle according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one activation means is configured at least as an electrically conducting film and/or an electrically conducting coating, being galvanically separated from the at least one sensor device.

7. The exterior door handle according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one deformation area comprises a first deformation area and a second deformation area, and the at least one activation means comprises a first activation means and a second activation means;
the first deformation area is provided with at least the first activation means on a side at the door handle body facing to the vehicle and the second deformation area is provided with at least the second activation means.

8. The exterior door handle according to claim 1 , wherein a first sensor device and a second sensor device are provided within the door handle body.

9. The exterior door handle according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one deformation area comprises a first deformation area and a second deformation area, wherein the first sensor device is configured for an inductivity measurement at the first deformation area and the second sensor device for an inductivity measurement at the second deformation area.

10. The exterior door handle according to claim 1 , wherein the wall in the at least one deformation area of the door handle body comprises a structural adjustment, wherein at least the wall or the door handle body in the area of the structural adjustment comprises a sufficiently elastic deformability for the detection with the at least one sensor device.

11. The exterior door handle according to claim 1 , wherein a structural adjustment is configured at an outer side of the door handle body.

12. A method for a detection of an activation action at an exterior door handle of a vehicle, wherein the activation action is performed by a user at a door handle body of the exterior door handle in a deformation area and a sensor device performs an inductivity measurement within the door handle body in order to detect the activation action, wherein at least an inductive activation means is arranged in the deformation area, spaced apart from the sensor device, and the sensor device is supported independently from the deformation area at at least one sensor bearing point for the detection of the activation action such that by the inductivity measurement a deformation of the door handle body is detected;
wherein the door handle body comprises a wall extending between a first portion of the exterior door handle and a second portion of the exterior door handle, the wall configured elastically deformable at least in the deformation area;
wherein the sensor device comprises at least one LDC-sensor, wherein the inductive activation means arranged in the deformation area at the wall is configured as at least one electrically conducting element being galvanically separated from the sensor device;
wherein the sensor device is supported by a supporting device that bears the sensor device independent from the deformation area, the supporting device having
a first supporting element attached to the first portion and supporting the sensor device at a first sensor bearing point, and
a second supporting element attached to the second portion and supporting the sensor device at a second sensor bearing point opposite to the first sensor bearing point;

wherein the independent bearing of the sensor device occurs in that an alteration of a position, displacement or deformation of the wall of the door handle body and the inductive activation means in the deformation area does not in a same manner affect a position of the sensor device within the door handle body.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein
the door handle body is configured elastically deformable in the deformation area, wherein the sensor device for the detection of the activation action is arranged spaced apart to the inductive activation means such that the deformation of the door handle body is detected by the inductivity measurement.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein
the sensor device transmits an opening signal during the detection of the activation action.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein
the sensor device transmits the opening signal during the detection of the activation action to an electric lock of the vehicle, wherein the detection occurs during the detection of a deformation of approximately 0.05 mm to 0.2 mm, or 0.1 mm.

16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein
a sensoric element is provided, wherein the sensoric element detects an approaching of the user.

17. The method according to claim 12 , wherein
an exterior door handle is used according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Huf Huelsbeck & Fuerst Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Beck Andreas
• Bitirim Serdal
• MüLLER DIRK
• Witte Martin

Classifications

• E05B85/10

  Handles · CPC title

• E05B81/77

  comprising sensors detecting the presence of the hand of a user · CPC title

• E05B1/0015

  Knobs or handles which do not operate the bolt or lock, e.g. non-movable; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• E05B81/76 Primary

  Detection of handle operation; Detection of a user approaching a handle; Electrical switching actions performed by door handles · CPC title