Donnelly Corporation

Magna Mirrors of America, Inc.

Brett A Gorby

Keith D Foote

David A Dingman

James A Ruse

James E Niemiec

A vehicular slider door handle assembly includes a base portion configured for mounting at a vehicular slider door, a handle pivotally mounted at the base portion and pivotable between a neutral position and a door opening position, and a detent mechanism. The detent mechanism releasably retains the handle relative to the base portion at the neutral position. With the base portion mounted at the vehicular slider door, the handle is pivotable about a pivot axis of the detent mechanism, and as the handle pivots about the pivot axis via actuation by a person at the vehicular slider door, the detent mechanism allows the handle to pivot from the neutral position toward the door opening position without axially moving the handle away from the base portion.

Vehicular slider door handle with internal detent mechanism

A vehicular exterior door handle assembly includes a handle portion and an illumination module having an illumination source that emits light when electrically powered. With the exterior door handle assembly mounted at a door handle region of a vehicle door and when the illumination source is electrically powered to emit light, light emitted by the illumination source illuminates the door handle region of the vehicle door. The illumination module is located and oriented at the vehicular exterior door handle assembly such that, when the illumination source is electrically powered to emit light, a hand grasping the handle portion to open the vehicle door does not block light emitted by the illumination source so that illumination is maintained at the door handle region of the vehicle door.

Vehicular exterior door handle assembly with illumination module

A vehicular exterior door handle assembly includes a bracket, a handle, and a clip. The handle, with the bracket mounted at an exterior door handle region of a vehicular door, is movable relative to the bracket by a user to actuate a latch mechanism for opening the door. The clip is attached at the bracket and engages a pivot end of the handle when the pivot end is inserted into the bracket, and retains the pivot end of the handle at the bracket when the pivot end of the handle is engaged with a pivot element of the bracket. The clip (i) limits movement of the handle relative to the bracket in a direction along a longitudinal axis of the bracket or handle, (ii) allows pivotal movement of the handle about the pivot element of the bracket, and (iii) allows for removal of the handle from the bracket.

Vehicle door handle assembly with retaining clip

A vehicular exterior door handle assembly includes a handle portion, a light transmitting cover element disposed at least partially along a length dimension of the handle portion, and an illumination module having an illumination source. When the illumination source is electrically powered, light emitted by the illumination source passes at least partially along the length dimension of the handle portion. With the exterior door handle assembly mounted at a door handle region of a vehicle door and when the illumination source is electrically powered, light that passes at least partially along the length dimension of the handle portion is viewable by a person viewing the handle portion of the exterior door handle assembly. When the illumination source is not electrically powered, the illumination source is covert to the person viewing the handle portion of the exterior door handle assembly.

A vehicular exterior door handle assembly includes a handle portion movable to open a vehicle door and an illumination module having an illumination source and a light guide that extends at least partially along the length of the handle portion. When the exterior door handle assembly is normally mounted at the door handle region of the vehicle door and when the illumination source is powered, the light guide is illuminated and the illumination is viewable by a person viewing the handle portion from outside the vehicle. The exterior door handle assembly may include an emblem or icon that is back lit by light emitted by a back-lighting illumination source of the exterior door handle assembly. The emblem or icon is visible to the person viewing from outside the vehicle when back lit by light emitted by the back-lighting illumination source but is covert when not back lit by such emitted light.

Vehicle exterior door handle with lighting module

An exterior door handle assembly includes a strap-handle portion pivotally movable to open a vehicle door, a circuit element, a light emitting diode, a light pipe, and an elongated light-transmitting cover. The light emitting diode is disposed proximate an end region of the strap-handle portion and proximate an end region of the light pipe. The strap-handle portion includes structure configured to receive the light emitting diode and the circuit element thereat. The light-transmitting cover is attached to the strap-handle portion and covers the light pipe. The strap-handle portion includes a user input that is actuatable by a person to lock or unlock the vehicle door. When the light emitting diode is electrically powered, light emitted by the light emitting diode passes along the light pipe and passes through the light-transmitting cover so as to be viewable by a person viewing the door handle assembly from outside of the vehicle door.

An exterior door handle assembly for a vehicle door includes a strap-handle portion pivotally movable to open the vehicle door. A self-contained elongated module includes (i) an elongated housing, (ii) an elongated light-transmitting cover and (iii) a light pipe. The strap-handle portion receives the self-contained elongated module. At least one light emitting diode is disposed proximate an end region of the strap-handle portion. With the door handle assembly mounted at a vehicle door and when the light emitting diode is electrically powered, light emitted by the light emitting diode passes along the light pipe and through the elongated light-transmitting cover so as to be viewable by a person viewing the exterior door handle assembly from outside of the vehicle door.

An exterior door handle assembly suitable for mounting at a door handle region of a vehicle door includes a strap-handle portion and a sealed self-contained elongated lighting module having (i) at least one illumination source that, when electrically powered, emits light, (ii) an elongated housing and (iii) an elongated light-transmitting cover. The module may include an antenna and/or a light pipe. The strap-handle portion receives the sealed self-contained elongated lighting module. With the sealed self-contained elongated light module received in the strap-handle portion, the contour of the sealed self-contained elongated lighting module generally matches the contour of the strap-handle portion. With the door handle assembly mounted at a vehicle door and when the illumination source is electrically powered, light emitted by the illumination source passes through the elongated light-transmitting cover so as to be viewable by a person viewing the exterior door handle assembly from outside of the vehicle door.

An exterior door handle assembly includes an illumination device and a handle portion movable to open a vehicle door. The illumination device includes at least one illumination source that, when actuated, emits light. The illumination device includes a lighting strip that is disposed at the handle portion, and the lighting strip extends at least partially along a length dimension of the handle portion. When the illumination source is actuated, the lighting strip is illuminated and the illumination is viewable at least partially along the length dimension of the handle portion by a person viewing the handle portion of the exterior door handle assembly from outside of the vehicle door. When the illumination source is not actuated, the lighting strip may not be readily viewable by and discernible to a person viewing the handle portion of the exterior door handle assembly from outside of the vehicle door.

Vehicle exterior door handle with illumination device

An illumination module for a vehicle includes at least one illumination source for illuminating a target area at the vehicle. The illumination module may be mounted at a handle of a vehicle door and may be operable to illuminate the handle region and/or pocket region of the vehicle door and to illuminate a ground region adjacent to the vehicle and generally below the door handle assembly. The illumination module may include an icon established thereat and the at least one illumination source may back light the icon so that the icon, when the illumination module is activated, is viewable by a person viewing the vehicle. The illumination module may project or direct the illumination toward a targeted area so that the icon is discernible at the targeted area.

Growing community of inventors

Grand Rapids, MI, United States of America

Brett A Gorby