Abstract
A vehicle door handle with a handle housing, wherein the handle housing is formed of at least two shell elements. At least one circuit board with electronic components is accommodated in the handle housing and coupled to an electrical connector, which is arranged outside the housing so as to make contact with the circuit board. The electrical connector has a plurality of contacts, which are connected to the circuit board via electrical cables. The circuit board is situated on a support in the handle housing and the support is formed integrally with the electrical connector as an injection-molded part. The electrical cables are overmolded as metallic conductors in the support and at least some of the metallic conductors protrude out of the injection-molded part in the region of the electrical connector and the circuit board for the purpose of making contact.
Claims
1. A vehicle door handle with comprising: a handle housing formed from at least two shell components; a circuit board equipped with electronic components and accommodated in the handle housing; and an electrical connector, arranged outside the housing for making contact with the circuit board, the electrical connector having a plurality of contacts coupled to electrical lines extending into the housing and to the circuit board, wherein the circuit board is arranged and fixed on a carrier in the handle housing, the carrier and the electrical connector being formed integrally as an injection-molded part, and wherein the electrical lines in the carrier are overmolded as metallic conductors and at least some of the metallic conductors protrude from the injection molded part in the region of the electrical connector and the circuit board for making contact.
2. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein the electrical lines are formed as a punched and bent metal structure with at least two spaced apart conductor paths.
3. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein the carrier includes a receptacle for accommodating the circuit board, the receptacle holding the circuit board with a clip or latching on the carrier.
4. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board includes a plurality of continuous openings which accommodate and contact the metallic conductors protruding from the carrier.
5. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein the carrier has support attachments which are supported on the inside of at least one of the shell components and fix the carrier with the circuit board in the shell component.
6. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the metallic conductors protrudes from the carrier in a section between the electrical connector and the circuit board and makes contact with an interior of one of the shell components.
7. The vehicle door handle according to claim 6, wherein a conductive leaf spring is galvanically coupled to the metallic conductor for making contact with the interior of one of the shell components.
8. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein the carrier has an angled section in a section between the electrical connector and the circuit board, and wherein the carrier with the angled section overlaps a wall of a shell component and becomes immersed into the shell component from one side of the wall.
9. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein one of the shell components includes a receptacle for the electrical connector, the electrical connector being latched or clipped into the electrical connector receptacle when the carrier is inserted into the housing.
10. The vehicle door handle according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connector extends in a housing attachment for mechanically coupling the vehicle door handle to a handle carrier in a vehicle.
Description
DRAWINGS
[0027] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected configurations and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
[0028] FIG. 1a shows an assembled handle according to a first embodiment of the invention in a first view;
[0029] FIG. 1b shows the handle from FIG. 1a in a second view;
[0030] FIG. 2a shows a partially assembled handle according to the first embodiment with a casted circuit board;
[0031] FIG. 2b shows a partially assembled handle according to the first embodiment without casting compound;
[0032] FIG. 3a shows the assembled handle according to the first embodiment in plan view;
[0033] FIG. 3b shows the partially assembled handle according to the first embodiment in plan view with a casted circuit board;
[0034] FIG. 3c shows the partially assembled handle according to the first embodiment in plan view without casting compound;
[0035] FIG. 4a shows a carrier arranged in a handle according to the first embodiment with a circuit board arranged thereon;
[0036] FIG. 4b shows the carrier from FIG. 4a with the circuit board removed;
[0037] FIG. 4c shows the carrier from FIGS. 4a and 4b with detached circuit board and separately shown punched and bent electrical lines;
[0038] FIG. 5a shows the carrier with the circuit board arranged thereon in plan view from above;
[0039] FIG. 5b shows the carrier without a circuit board arranged thereon in plan view;
[0040] FIG. 5c shows the carrier in plan view and in a partially transparent illustration to illustrate the course of the electrical lines in the carrier;
[0041] FIG. 6a shows the punched and bent electrical lines for overmolding in the carrier;
[0042] FIG. 6b shows a partial section of the carrier produced by injection molding with electrical lines arranged therein;
[0043] FIG. 6c shows the carrier from FIG. 6b in a partially transparent illustration;
[0044] FIG. 7a shows a partially assembled illustration of the handle according to the first embodiment with the carrier mounted completely in the handle;
[0045] FIG. 7b shows a sectional view of the carrier from FIG. 7a to show the electrical connector clipped onto the handle;
[0046] FIG. 8a shows the assembled handle according to the first embodiment in a view from behind (from the vehicle side);
[0047] FIG. 8b shows the carrier from the vehicle door handle of view 8a with a circuit board arranged thereon; and
[0048] FIG. 8c shows the carrier from the vehicle door handle of view 8a without a circuit board.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0049] Example configurations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example configurations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. Specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of configurations of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example configurations may be embodied in many different forms, and that the specific details and the example configurations should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. FIG. 1 shows a motor vehicle door handle 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention. Handle 1 has an upper shell component 2 and a lower shell component 3, which are connected during assembly of the handle in order to form the handle of the motor vehicle door handle 1. Mechanical coupling attachments 4 and 5 are also formed on motor vehicle door handle 1. These mechanical coupling attachments 4 and 5 protrude through recesses in a vehicle door panel when mounting vehicle door handle 1 and are coupled to a handle carrier on the inside of the vehicle door panel, so that vehicle door handle 1 is mounted on the door and is coupled for mechanical actuation of locking components on the vehicle side. An electrical connector 6 is accommodated in mechanical coupling section 5 and will be explained in detail below.
[0050] FIG. 2a shows the handle from FIGS. 1a and 1b, with shell component 2 removed. It can be clearly seen in this illustration that shell components 2 and 3 delimit a cavity in which further components are accommodated. In particular, casting compound 7 is shown in FIG. 2a, which fills the trough-shaped interior of shell component 3. This casting compound is poured into the shell component 3 in liquid form in order to protectively enclose the components therein, in particular carrier 8 and a circuit board 9 with electrical components located thereon. After curing, casting compound 7 protects the components arranged in shell component 3 against the effects of weather and mechanical damage and locks them in place. FIG. 2a also shows a section of carrier 8 which protrudes from casting compound 7. The visible section of carrier 8 overlaps a wall of shell component 3 with an angled section. In this way it is possible to make the wall for the casting in shell component 3 higher, since carrier 8 overlaps the wall through angled sections.
[0051] In FIG. 2b, casting compound 7 has been removed from the illustration in FIG. 2a, so that the components arranged in shell component 3 are visible. Carrier 8 with a circuit board 9 arranged thereon is accommodated in shell component 3. Carrier 8 is supported on the inside of shell component 3 on the walls thereof, so that carrier 8 is fixed in its position in shell component 3.
[0052] FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c show illustrations corresponding to FIGS. 1a, 2a, 2b, but in a different view. FIG. 3a shows motor vehicle door handle 1 in a closed and fully assembled form, that is to say with shell component 2 attached. In FIGS. 3b and 3c, shell component 2 is removed, so that lower shell component 3 is exposed. In FIG. 3b, in turn, the interior of shell component 3 is filled with casting compound 7, carrier 8 protruding in sections from casting compound 7 and overlapping a wall of shell component 3 and extending as far as electrical connector 6 with which it is integrally formed. FIG. 3c shows this view, but without casting compound 7.
[0053] FIG. 4a shows carrier 8 alone, which is made of an injection molding material and has an integrally molded electrical connector 6. Circuit board 9 is held by holding means 8a which are formed integrally with carrier 8. In carrier 8, electrical lines 10 extend from electrical connector 6 to circuit board 9, which protrude in the region of the circuit board with sections 10b from carrier 8 and are guided through recesses into circuit board 9. There they are galvanically connected to corresponding contacts on the feed-through for contacting circuit board 9. In the region of electrical connector 6, sections 10a protrude in the electrical connector for making contact.
[0054] In FIG. 4b, both holding means 8a in the shape of clips on carrier 8 can be seen more clearly, and thus also end sections 10b of electrical lines 10, since in this illustration circuit board 9 has been removed.
[0055] FIG. 4c shows carrier 8 with integrally molded electrical connector 6, and in addition, electrical lines 10 are displaced from the inside of carrier 8 for clarification. It can be seen that lines 10 are designed as spaced-apart, punched and bent electrical sheets which match the outer shape of injection-molded carrier 8. In particular, electrical lines 10 in their punched and curved shape have the same angles, which enable carrier 8 to be lowered in sections into shell component 3 and to overlap it in the region of its wall, so that the molded electrical connector 6 can be accommodated in mechanical coupling attachment 5. In this illustration it can also be seen that one of the conductor tracks of electrical lines 10 does not run from the circuit board to electrical connector 6, but is coupled in a section between electrical connector 6 and circuit board 9 to a leaf spring 11. This leaf spring is guided to the outside on the upper side of carrier 8 and makes contact with the inside of shell component 2 there when it is placed on to close the handle. The inside of shell component 2, which can in particular be chrome-plated, is thus coupled to circuit board 9 via electrical lines 10.
[0056] In this exemplary embodiment, electrical lines 10 are formed by punching and bending as a self-supporting plurality of spaced-apart and parallel conductor paths. This arrangement of conductors can be arranged in an injection mold in which carrier 8 with electrical connector 6 is formed by overmolding, electrical lines 10 with sections 10a, 10b protruding from the tool in the region of electrical connector 6 and in the region of the circuit board and are not overmolded.
[0057] For the process of overmolding, the lines can be held in correct alignment with one another by non-conductive spacers. Alternatively, electrical lines 10 can also be connected by conductive spacers before the overmolding process, which are detached by an appropriate tool after the overmolding process.
[0058] FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c correspond to illustrations 4a and 4b, but show carrier 8 and circuit board 9 in plan view. FIG. 5c shows carrier 8 with its injection molding material in a partially transparent manner, so that the course of electrical contacts 10 through the injection molding material is shown in a traceable manner from electrical connector 6 to the side of the circuit board.
[0059] FIGS. 6a, 6b and 6c show the enlargements of the carrier section and the associated electrical lines in the region in which electrical lines 10 extend through carrier 8.
[0060] FIG. 6a shows insulated electrical lines 10 with coupled leaf spring 11, as they are designed to be accommodated in carrier 8. At the end, contact connections 10a, 10b are formed, which on the one hand are led out of the injection-molded part of carrier 8 in electrical connector 6 for making contact and on the other end protrude from carrier 8 in order to make contact with circuit board 9. FIG. 6c shows carrier 8 with cast-in electrical lines 10, with electrical lines 10 shown as dashed lines in the regions which are surrounded by the material of carrier 8. This illustration shows the course of the electrical lines in the injection molded body. In this illustration, it is not readily apparent that electrical connector 6 is designed as a hollow body with a a free interior space for accommodating s complementary plug, so that connections 10a of electrical lines 10 are exposed in a manner conducive to making contact inside electrical connector 6.
[0061] Like the sectional illustration in FIG. 7b, FIG. 7a shows the handle according to the first exemplary embodiment with shell component 2 removed, in order to illustrate the arrangement of carrier 8 and integrally designed electrical connector 6 in the handle. It can be seen that electrical connector 6 is laterally inserted into a recess of the handle, in particular in a free space of mechanical coupling part 5, and is available there for making contact with a plug. In addition, it can be seen in FIG. 7b that support attachments 8b are supported on the inside on the wall of shell component 3 in order to ensure that the carrier is securely positioned in shell component 3 until the components have been cast in shell component 3.
[0062] FIGS. 8a, 8b and 8c finally show the first embodiment according to the invention in a further view, which shows the mounted handle in FIG. 8a. FIG. 8b shows carrier 8 with an integrally molded electrical connector 6, the exposed contact sections 10a in electrical connector 6 being visible in this illustration. FIG. 8b shows the carrier with the circuit board clipped onto it. Finally, FIG. 8c shows the carrier without the circuit board clipped on.
[0063] The foregoing description has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not limited to that particular configuration, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected configuration, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
