U.S. patent number 3,908,149 [Application Number 05/515,183] was granted by the patent office on 1975-09-23 for push button type door handle assembly for energizing an auxiliary lighting circuit of a vehicle.
This patent grant is currently assigned to General Motors Corporation. Invention is credited to Bela Gergoe, Paul F. Pelchat.
United States Patent |
3,908,149 |
Gergoe , et al. |
September 23, 1975 |
Push button type door handle assembly for energizing an auxiliary
lighting circuit of a vehicle
Abstract
A door handle assembly adapted for use with a vehicle having an
auxiliary lighting circuit so that depression of a push button of
the handle assembly grounds the circuit to an associated door lock
to thereby energize the auxiliary lighting. A handle of the
assembly defines a housing with an opening that receives the push
button and an electrically conductive push rod of the assembly has
an elongated configuration with one end thereof mounted to the push
button. A plastic insert supports an electrically conductive
terminal of an annular configuration which slidably receives the
push rod in a guiding manner. A helical spring encircles the push
rod and has one end thereof seated by the push button and the other
end thereof seated by the insert so as to bias the push button to
an extended position and to also engage a slot and projection
arrangement on the handle housing and insert in a manner that
securely locates the insert. An insulator on the push rod normally
engages the terminal when the push button is in the extended
position to electrically isolate the terminal and the push rod. The
depression of the push button moves the insulator out of engagement
with the terminal so that the push rod electrically contacts the
terminal and upon engagement of the free end of the push rod with
an associated electrically grounded door lock, the terminal is
grounded through the push rod. The handle assembly is then capable
of electrically grounding the auxiliary lighting circuit to cause
energization of the circuit. The housing of the handle also
supports a lens which transmits light from an elongated fiber optic
arrangement that is adapted to receive the light from the auxiliary
lighting circuit and the lens is adapted to illuminate an outside
key cylinder associated with the door lock.
Inventors: |
Gergoe; Bela (Birmingham,
MI), Pelchat; Paul F. (Plymouth, MI) |
Assignee: |
General Motors Corporation
(Detroit, MI)
|
Family
ID: |
24050287 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/515,183 |
Filed: |
October 16, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
315/84;
200/61.64; 200/61.81; 292/DIG.23; 362/100; 200/61.74;
292/DIG.37 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05B
17/10 (20130101); G02B 6/0005 (20130101); H01H
13/08 (20130101); Y10S 292/23 (20130101); Y10S
292/37 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F21V
8/00 (20060101); H01H 13/08 (20060101); H01H
13/04 (20060101); E05B 17/10 (20060101); E05B
17/00 (20060101); B60Q 003/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;315/84 ;240/2.13
;200/61.64,61.67,61.68,61.74,61.81 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Mullins; James B.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kushman; James A.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A push button type door handle assembly adapted for use with a
vehicle door having a door lock including an electrically
conductive and grounded unlatching member, the door handle assembly
comprising:
a handle defining a housing;
a push button mounted by the housing for movement from an extended
position to a depressed position upon manual depression
thereof;
a spring for biasing the push button to the extended position;
an electrically conductive push rod of an elongated configuration
with one end thereof mounted to the push button;
an electrically conductive terminal mounted on the housing and
defining an aperture that slidably receives the push rod in a
guiding manner; and
an insulator on the push rod that engages the terminal to
electrically isolate the push rod and terminal when the push button
is in the extended position, the push rod sliding through the
terminal upon manual depression of the push button so that the
insulator moves out of engagement with the terminal as the push rod
moves into electrical engagement therewith, and the manual
depression of the push button moving the other end of the push rod
into electrical contact with the electrically grounded unlatching
member of the door lock so that the push rod electrically grounds
the terminal upon such depression and thereby permits the handle
assembly to be used to energize an auxiliary lighting circuit of
the vehicle.
2. A push button type door handle assembly adapted for use with a
vehicle door having a door lock including an electrically
conductive and grounded unlatching member, the handle assembly
comprising:
a handle including a housing defining a push button opening which
opens laterally outwardly with respect to a vehicle on which the
door handle is used, the housing also including a pair of spaced
flanges located inwardly with respect to the vehicle from the push
button opening on opposite sides thereof;
a push button received by the opening of the housing for movement
from an extended position to a depressed position upon manual
depression thereof;
an electrically conductive push rod of an elongated configuration
with one end thereof mounted to the push button;
an electrically insulated insert received by the housing between
the push button opening and the flanges and having an electrically
conductive terminal with an annular configuration supported
thereon, the terminal slidably receiving the push rod in a guiding
manner;
a helical spring encircling the push rod with one end thereof
seated against the push button and the other end thereof seated
against the insert so as to bias the push button to the extended
position and to also bias the insert into engagement with the
spaced flanges of the housing in a manner that locates the insert;
and
an insulator on the push rod that engages the terminal to
electrically isolate the push rod and terminal when the push button
is in the extended position, the push rod sliding through the
terminal upon manual depression of the push button so that the
insulator moves out of engagement with the terminal as the push rod
moves into electrical engagement therewith, and manual depression
of the push button moving the other end of the push rod into
electrical engagement with the electrically grounded unlatching
member of the door lock so that the push rod electrically grounds
the terminal upon such depression and thereby permits the handle
assembly to be used to energize an auxiliary lighting circuit of
the vehicle.
3. A push button type door handle assembly adapted for use with a
vehicle door having an outside key cylinder for controlling the
locked or unlocked condition of an associated door lock carried by
the door and including an electrically conductive and grounded
unlatching member, the handle assembly comprising:
a handle including a housing defining a push button opening which
opens laterally outward with respect to a vehicle on which the door
handle assembly is used, the housing including a pair of spaced
positioning flanges located inwardly with respect to the vehicle
from the push button opening on opposite sides thereof and defining
respective positioning slots in alignment with each other, the
lower side of the housing having positioning means for receiving a
lens;
a light transmitting lens received by the housing so as to transmit
light onto the outside key cylinder;
an elongated fiber optic arrangement with one end thereof connected
to the lens to transmit light thereto and with the other end
thereof adapted to receive light from an auxiliary lighting circuit
of the vehicle;
a push button received by the opening of the housing for movement
from an extended position to a depressed position upon manual
depression thereof;
an electrically conductive push rod of an elongated configuration
having a circular cross section, one end of the push rod being
mounted on the push button;
a plastic insert received by the housing between the push button
opening and the positioning flanges of the housing, the insert
having a pair of positioning flanges with projections thereon
pointing toward the slots in the positioning flanges of the
housing, and the insert also having an electrically conductive
terminal with an annular configuration supported thereon and
slidably receiving the push rod in a guiding manner;
a helical spring encircling the push rod with one end thereof
seated against the push button and the other end thereof seated
against the insert so as to bias the push button to the extended
position and to also bias the insert so the flanges thereof engage
the flanges of the housing with the projections of the insert
flanges received by the slots of the housing flanges to thereby
locate the insert; and
an insulator on the push rod that engages the terminal to
electrically isolate the push rod and terminal when the push button
is in the extended position, the push rod sliding through the
terminal upon manual depression of the push button so that the
insulator moves out of engagement with the terminal as the push rod
moves into electrical contact therewith, and the manual depression
of the push button moving the other end of the push rod into
electrical contact with the electrically grounded unlatching member
of the door lock so that the push rod electrically grounds the
terminal and thereby permits the handle assembly to be used with
the auxiliary lighting circuit to energize the circuit and thus
shine light onto the outside key cylinder.
Description
THE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a push button type door handle
assembly adapted for use with a vehicle to energize an auxiliary
lighting circuit of a vehicle upon depression of a push button of
the handle assembly.
The prior art shows many vehicle door handle assemblies of the push
button type in which manual depression of a push button of the
handle assembly is adapted to energize an auxiliary lighting
circuit of the vehicle to provide an auxiliary lighting functin.
For example, the patent of Marchant U.S. Pat. No. 3,214,214, which
is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses
such a door handle assembly in which the auxiliary lighting
illuminates an outside key cylinder associated with the door lock
on which the door handle assembly operates. The patent of Massoll
U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,927, which is also assigned to the assignee of
the present invention, discloses a door handle assembly that is
adapted to energize an auxiliary lighting circuit including the
dome light or another interior light upon depression of the push
button of the handle assembly.
Conventional push button type door handles include an elongated
push rod which engages and moves the outside operating or
unlatching member of the associated door lock in a manner that
unlatches the lock to permit opening door movement. This type of
door lock is well known in the prior art and the unlatching member
thereof is generally electrically grounded to the vehicle and
composed of an electrically conductive metal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an improved push button type door
handle assembly adapted to energize an auxiliary lighting circuit
upon depression of a push button of the handle assembly.
One feature of the invention is that an electrically conductive
push rod of the assembly is mounted by the push button and has an
elongated configuration slidably received in a guiding manner
within an aperture of an electrically conductive terminal that is
adapted to be connected to the auxiliary lighting circuit, and an
insulator normally electrically isolates the push rod from the
terminal when the push button is in an extended position thereof,
but depression of the push button electrically engages the terminal
with the push rod so that the terminal is grounded through the push
rod when the push rod electrically engages the grounded unlatching
member of a door lock on which the handle assembly is adapted to
operate. Another feature of the invention is that the terminal has
an annular configuration and is supported on a handle housing of
the assembly by an insulated insert, and a helical spring
encircling the push rod has one end thereof seated against the push
button and the other end thereof seated against the insulated
insert so as to bias the push button to an extended position and to
also bias the insert into engagement with the housing in a manner
that locates the insert on the housing. Another feature of the
invention is that the housing of the handle assembly and the insert
are provided with a slot and projection arrangement that is
interengaged by the bias of the spring to ensure the positioning of
the insert on the housing, and the housing also mounts a lens with
an elongated fiber optic arrangement that is adapted to receive
light from the auxiliary lighting circuit so as to illuminate the
conventional outside key cylinder for controlling the locked or
unlocked condition of the door lock.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above specified features and other features, objects and
advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the
following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the
drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a vehicle including a door
handle assembly constructed in a manner according to the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the door handle assembly
taken generally along line 2--2 of FIG. 1 and shows the handle
assembly with a push button thereof in an extended position;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but shows the push button of the
handle assembly in a manually depressed position wherein this
handle assembly is adapted to energize an auxiliary lighting
circuit of the vehicle;
FIG. 4 is a back view of a portion of the handle assembly taken
generally along line 4--4 of FIG. 2; and
FIG. 5 is a schematic view which shows an auxiliary lighting
circuit of the type with which the handle assembly of this
invention is adapted to be utilized.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring generally to FIG. 1, a vehicle generally indicated by 10
includes a door 12 whose forward end is mounted by unshown hinge
arrangements for conventional swinging movement about a generally
vertical axis between open and closed positions. A conventional
door lock shown by hidden lines in FIG. 1 is indicated by numeral
14 and latches the door 12 in closed position in the usual manner.
The door 12 also supports a door handle assembly according to the
present invention which is generally indicated by numeral 16. This
handle assembly includes a handle 18 that can be manually grasped
to pull the door open subsequent to unlatching of door lock 14 as
well as a push button 20 that is manually depressed to unlatch the
door lock 14 in a manner that will be described. Below the door
handle assembly 16, the door 12 supports an outside key cylinder 22
that is connected to door lock 14 to control the locked or unlocked
condition thereof in a conventional manner.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the handle 18 of the handle assembly
defines a housing 24 which opens laterally with respect to the
vehicle at an opening 26 for push button 20. The push button 20
shown has a rectangular cross section as can be seen by additional
reference to FIG. 4. The push button 20 may also, of course, have a
generally circular cross section as push buttons have had in the
past. A seal 27 encircles the push button 20 and in the FIG. 2
condition where the push button is in an extended position, this
seal engages a rectangular seat 28 on the housing as well as a
peripheral flange 29 on the inner end of the push button. This
engagement seals the interior of housing 24 from the environment. A
seal 30 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is located between the handle 18 and
the door 12 to likewise seal the interior of the door from the
environment. A number of screw holes like the one indicated by 31
in FIG. 4 permit conventional screws to attach the door handle
assembly 16 to door 12 in the usual manner.
An electrically conductive push rod of the handle assembly is
indicated by 32 and has an elongated configuration with a generally
circular cross section that can be seen in FIG. 4. FIGS. 2 and 3
show that one end 33 of the push rod is secured within an
embossment 34 on the inside of the hollow construction of push
button 20. An annular electrically conductive terminal 36 defines
an aperture that slidably receives the push rod 32 in a guiding
manner. This terminal 36 is mounted on a plastic insert 38 which
has a somewhat rectangular configuration with rounded ends when
viewed as in FIG. 4. Positioning flanges 40 at the ends of the
insert define these rounded ends and include respective projections
42 that are aligned with each other extending inwardly with respect
to the vehicle. Between the projections 42 as seen in FIG. 4, the
plastic insert 38 includes an annular rib 44 that encloses the
terminal 36. A pair of grooves 45 are provided in rib 44 at four
and eight o'clock positions as viewed in FIG. 4. The eight o'clock
groove 45 receives a wire 46 that is attached to terminal 36. The
four o'clock groove 45 receives the wire 46 when the insert 38 is
used with a door handle assembly of the opposite hand to the one
disclosed. This is necessary since wire 46 must extend in opposite
directions with respect to the insert 38 on left and right-hand
door assemblies.
The housing 24 of handle 18 also includes a pair of positioning
flanges 48 that are spaced above and below the upper and lower
sides of the push button opening 26 located inwardly from this
opening. These positioning flanges 48 of the housing, as best seen
in FIG. 4, define respective slots 50 which are aligned with each
other. Upon assembly of the door handle assembly, a helical spring
52 is placed over the push rod 32 so that one of its ends seats
against the push button 20 encircling the embossment 34 that mounts
the adjacent end 33 of the push rod. The other end of the spring 52
is seated about an annular rib 54 on the opposite side of plastic
insert 38 from rib 44. The push button 20 is first inserted
outwardly through the push button opening 26 and the plastic insert
38 then is inserted to within the housing 24. This insertion of the
plastic insert 38 takes place with the elongated configuration of
the insert extending at 90.degree. to the orientation shown in FIG.
4 so that the positioning flanges 40 of the insert may clear the
positioning flanges 48 of the housing. The insert 38 is then
rotated 90.degree. to its FIG. 4 position so that the bias of the
spring 52 will position the projections 42 of the insert within the
slots 50. The positioning flanges 40 of the plastic insert and the
positioning flanges 48 of the housing are thus engaged so as to
secure the insert in position and the projection and slot
arrangement ensures this positioning against rotation or other
movement. It is thus evident that the electrical terminal 36 is
electrically isolated from the handle housing 24 by the insert 38
and the push button 20 is also biased outwardly with respect to the
vehicle to its FIG. 2 extended position.
The push rod 32 of handle assembly 16 includes an annular insulator
56 that is mounted about the push rod 32 so as to engage the
electrical terminal 36 when the push button 20 is in its FIG. 2
extended position. Upon manual depression of the push button 20 by
a person's thumb as he grasps the handle 18, the push button 20
moves toward its FIG. 3 position so that the insulator 56 moves out
of engagement with the terminal 36 and allows the push rod to
electrically contact this terminal. A knurled portion 58 of the
push rod cleans the terminal 36 each time it passes through the
terminal to ensure this electrical contact, and the free end of the
push rod moves toward a conventional unlatching member 60 of door
lock 14. This unlatching member is electrically grounded to the
vehicle due to the mounting of the door lock to the vehicle door,
and engagement of push rod 32 with the unlatching member thus
electrically grounds the push rod as the push button 20 is
depressed. The push rod 32 thus carries a current itself to
electrically ground the terminal 36 as well as the wire 46 that is
connected to the terminal, and the terminal 36 guides the push rod
during its movement.
The electrical grounding of terminal 36 by push rod 32 is used to
energize and auxiliary lighting circuit of the vehicle such as the
circuit 62 shown by FIG. 5. Referring to FIG. 5, auxiliary lighting
circuit 62 includes a time delay relay 64 that is connected to
terminal 36 by the wire 46 previously described and functions to
maintain the circuit closed for a predetermined period of time,
such as 15-30 seconds, even after the terminal 36 is disconnected
from ground by movement of push button 20 back to its extended
position. A wire 66 connects the time delay relay to a parallel
lighting arrangement consisting of a dome light 68 for lighting the
vehicle roof and an additional light 70 whose function will be
described later. Lights 68 and 70 are connected by a wire 72 across
a source of power such as battery 74 and the battery is grounded by
a wire 76. An elongated fiber optic arrangement 78 shown by
schematic in FIG. 5 receives illumination from light 70 and
transmits this light to a lens 80. As seen in FIGS. 2 through 4,
the lens 80 is mounted by the housing 24 of handle 18 below the
push button 20. This lens transmits light received from the light
70 via the fiber optic arrangement 78 so as to shine onto the key
cylinder 22 and to thereby provide illumination when a person is
attempting to insert a key 82 within the key cylinder to unlock
door lock 14.
The operation of the door handle assembly 16 proceeds by a person
depressing the push button 20 to ground the push rod 32 to the
unlatching member 60. Through the auxiliary lighting circuit 62
shown in FIG. 5, and the time delay relay 64 thereof, this
grounding thus provides a momentary illumination of both the dome
light 68 and the light 70 that lights the lens 80 via the fiber
optic arrangement 78. A person may then use both hands to find the
key 82 that is inserted into the lock cylinder 22, as in FIG. 3, to
unlock the door lock. The door lock 14 shown is of the "uncoupling"
type where the unlatcing member 60 may be moved to its unlatching
position by push rod 32 even when the door lock 14 is locked.
However, this movement does not unlatch the door lock since the
latch mechanism thereof is then uncoupled from the unlatching
member 60. After the key unlocking, however, a subsequent
depression of the push button 20 again causes the push rod 32 to
move the unlatching member and to then unlatch the door lock. A
"blocking" type of door lock may also be used in which the
unlatching member 60 is blocked from moving to its unlatching
position when the door lock is locked. Both of these types of door
locks are well known in the prior art and are thus not described
herein in detail. The only requirement is that the unlatching
member 60 of the door lock must be electrically grounded.
It should of course be realized that the door handle assembly of
this invention may be utilized with other types of auxiliary
lighting circuits than the particular one that is herein shown so
as to provide a grounding of the circuit and subsequent
energization thereof upon depression of the push button 20.
The invention thus provides an improved vehicle door handle
assembly.
* * * * *