JP6800719B2 - Door handle device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a door handle device.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle door handle device having a light emitting function.

International Publication No. 2013/022027

The door handle device of Patent Document 1 has a light emitting function, but does not display a state related to the vehicle on the door handle.

An object of the present invention is to provide a door handle device capable of displaying a state regarding an object to which a door handle is attached.

Means for Solving Problems and Effects of Invention

The door handle device of the present invention
A door handle device that is attached to an object having a door to operate the door.
A handle located outside the door for operating the door,
A display unit located on the handle and visible from the outside of the handle to display a state related to the object.
Equipped with a,
The display unit
A film that is visibly located from the outside of the handle and has a colored first region and a second region colored in a color different from the first region.
A light guide located along the back surface of the film to guide light to the film,
A light source that is located adjacent to the outer edge of the light guide and irradiates light toward the light guide.
With
The light source irradiates light of the first color corresponding to the coloring of the first region when the object is in the first state, and the second state when the object is in a second state different from the first state. Irradiate the second color light corresponding to the coloring of the area,
The light of the first color or the light of the second color emitted from the light source is irradiated to both the first region and the second region through the light guide unit.
The first region allows light of the first color to pass through.
The second region transmits the light of the second color.
It is characterized by that.

The door handle device of the present invention includes a display unit. Therefore, the display unit can display the state of the object to which the door handle device is attached. Further, it is possible to selectively display the two display contents, and it is also possible to change the displayed color for each display content.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the display is visible from the outside of the handle and has an opening formed on the surface of the handle, and the display is at least partially located inside the handle and is visible through the opening. ..

According to this, it is possible to grasp the state of the object through the opening of the handle.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the display unit at least displays whether or not the door is locked as a state relating to the object.

According to this, it is displayed whether or not the door is locked on the handle, which is easy for the line of sight to face when operating the handle. Therefore, for example, when operating the handle, it is possible to let the user know whether or not the door is locked.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the handle or the peripheral portion of the handle is provided with an operation unit for operating at least one of locking and unlocking the door.

According to this, it is possible to let the user know whether or not the door is locked when operating the operation unit in the same manner as described above.

In embodiments of the present invention
A control unit that controls the light source and
A detection unit for detecting the above state is provided.
The control unit controls the light source so as to irradiate the light of the first color when the state detected by the detection unit is the first state, and when the state is the second state, the second color. The light source is controlled so as to irradiate the light of .
In this case, the light source has a first light source that irradiates the light of the first color and a second light source that irradiates the light of the second color.
The control unit turns on the first light source and turns off the second light source when the state detected by the detection unit is the first state, and turns off the second light source when the state is the second state. The light source is turned off and the second light source is turned on.

According to this, the state related to the object can be displayed based on the state related to the object.

In embodiments of the present invention
The first region has a plurality of third regions independent of each other, and each third region represents each character constituting the character string in the first state.
The second region has a plurality of fourth regions independent of each other, and each fourth region represents each character constituting the character string in the second state.
The third region and the fourth region are alternately located in the same row.

According to this, the third region and the fourth region are located in the same place as a whole. Therefore, the display content of the third area and the display content of the fourth area can be displayed in the same place.

In the embodiment of the present invention, at least one of a character string, a symbol or a color indicating that the door is locked is displayed in the first area, and the door is unlocked in the second area. At least one of a string, symbol or color indicating that is displayed.

According to this, it is possible to display a character string or the like corresponding to locking and unlocking.

In an embodiment of the invention, the object is a moving object.

According to this, the user can confirm the state of the moving body (for example, whether or not the door is locked) by the display unit.

The block diagram which shows the outline of the system which used the door handle device which is an example (Example 1) of this invention. The schematic which shows the outline of the vehicle of FIG. The schematic front view which shows the door handle of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. The schematic front view which shows the film of FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing of a communication program or the like stored in the ROM of the communication ECU of FIG. The flowchart which shows the process of the control program and the like stored in the ROM of the door ECU of FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing of a control program or the like stored in the ROM of the handle ECU of FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a display unit of the door handle device of the second embodiment which is an example of the present invention (however, the light source is omitted). The schematic perspective view which shows the display body, a light guide plate and a light source in a display part. The schematic perspective view which disassembled the display body and a light guide plate of FIG. The schematic front view of the display body of FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of XIII-XIII of FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of XIV-XIV of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view in which a light guide plate is attached to the hollow portion of FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view in which a light guide plate and a light source are attached to the display pair of FIG. A schematic front view in which a light guide plate and a light source are attached to the display body of FIG. 12 and a part of the display body is transmitted through the display body. The schematic front view which shows the modification of the door handle of FIG.

FIG. 1 shows a system 2 using the door handle device 1 which is an example of the present invention. The system 2 includes a vehicle 3 and a mobile terminal 4 owned by the occupants of the vehicle 3. In the system 2, the vehicle door 5 is locked and unlocked by using the communication between the vehicle 3 and the mobile terminal 4.

The vehicle 3 includes a door handle device 1. The door handle device 1 controls based on the communication result with the mobile terminal 4. The door handle device 1 includes a plurality of ECUs (Electronic Control Units) which are electronic control units for performing such control. Specifically, the door handle device 1 includes a communication ECU 6 for communication with the mobile terminal 4, a door ECU 7 for the vehicle door 5, and a handle ECU 8 for the door handle 16, which will be described later. In addition to these ECUs, the door handle device 1 includes a door handle 16, a lock mechanism 9, a detection unit 10, a courtesy switch 11, and a transmitter / receiver 12. These equipments are connected by an I / O port 13 (input / output interface), and data can be transmitted and received by communication within the vehicle 3 (for example, CAN communication).

The lock mechanism 9 is, for example, a mechanism for locking or unlocking the vehicle door 5 based on a signal from the door ECU 7.

The detection unit 10 detects, for example, whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked (locked or unlocked) based on a signal from the door ECU 7. The detection result is transmitted from the detection unit 10 to the door ECU 7, for example.

The courtesy switch 11 detects the opening and closing of the vehicle door 5. For example, when the vehicle door 5 is opened, the courtesy switch 11 transmits a detection result indicating that the vehicle door 5 is opened to the door ECU 7.

The transmitter / receiver 12 wirelessly communicates with the mobile terminal 4. The transmitter / receiver 12 includes a transmitter 12a and a receiver 12b. The transmitter 12a includes a plurality of antennas in each part of the vehicle 3 corresponding to a transmission area for transmitting radio waves (a transmission area for the outside of the vehicle and a transmission area for the inside of the vehicle). The receiver 12b is provided with a plurality of antennas in each part of the vehicle 3 corresponding to a reception area for receiving radio waves (a reception area for the outside of the vehicle and a reception area for the inside of the vehicle). The transmitter 12a transmits a long wave (LF signal) to the mobile terminal 4. The receiver 12b receives the radio signal (RF signal) from the mobile terminal 4. The transmission of the long wave (LF signal) in the transmitter 12a and the reception of the radio signal (RF signal) in the receiver 12b are controlled by the communication ECU 6.

The mobile terminal 4 that communicates with the vehicle 3 side by the transmitter / receiver 12 is a transmitter / receiver 14 (transmission) that wirelessly communicates with the operation unit 13 that operates the locking and unlocking of the vehicle door 5 and the transmitter / receiver 12 on the vehicle 3 side. A unit 14a and a receiving unit 14b), and a control unit 15 connected to the operating unit 13 and the transmitter / receiver 14 are provided. The control unit 15 is configured as a microcomputer in which the CPU 15a, the RAM 15b, and the ROM 15c are connected to the I / O port 13'(input / output interface) by the bus 15d. The CPU 15a controls all information processing including locking and unlocking the vehicle door 5, starting the engine of the vehicle 3, data communication, and the like. The RAM 15b is a volatile storage unit that functions as a work area of the CPU 15a. The ROM 15c is a non-volatile storage unit that stores data and software (programs) necessary for information processing in the mobile terminal 4, and stores a communication program 15c1 and the like that communicate with the vehicle 3.

Next, the details of the vehicle 3 will be described. The vehicle 3 has a door handle device 1. The door handle device 1 controls based on the communication result with the mobile terminal 4. Hereinafter, the door handle 16 which is the main part of the door handle device 1 will be described first, and then various ECUs (communication ECU 6, door ECU 7, handle ECU 8) in the door handle device 1 will be described.

The door handle device 1 includes a door handle 16 attached to the vehicle door 5 as shown in FIG. The door handle 16 is operated when the occupant of the vehicle 3 opens or closes the vehicle door 5.

The door handle 16 includes a horizontally long handle 17 shown in FIG. 3, which is gripped by an occupant of the vehicle 3 when operating the vehicle door 5, and a display unit 18 and an operation unit 19 attached to the handle 17.

The handle 17 is formed as a hollow housing as shown in FIG. An opening 17a leading to the inside of the hollow is formed on the surface of the handle 17. As shown in FIG. 3, the opening 17a is formed in a horizontally long shape corresponding to the handle 17, and the opening 17a can be visually recognized from the outside of the handle 17.

As shown in FIG. 4, the display unit 18 includes a film 18a that can be seen from the outside of the handle 17, a light guide plate 18b that guides light to the film 18a, and a light source 18c that irradiates the light guide plate 18b with light.

The film 18a is formed in a horizontally elongated shape so as to fit in the opening 17a. As shown in FIG. 5, the film 18a has a first region R1 in which a character string of OPEN is displayed, a second region R2 in which a character string of CLOSE is displayed, and a plain region R (with the first region R1). A region excluding the second region R2) is provided. Although not shown, the first region R1 is red, the second region R2 is blue, and the region R is black. In this way, the film 18a is color-coded into a plurality of regions. The first region R1 has four third regions R3 (four alphabetic characters О, P, E, and N) corresponding to each character of OPEN. The four third regions R3 are arranged in an island shape with a gap between them. The second region R2 has five fourth regions R4 (five of English letters C, L, O, S, and E) corresponding to each character of CLOSE. The five fourth regions R4 are arranged in an island shape with a gap between them. The third region R3 and the fourth region R4 are alternately arranged in the same row as a whole. The film 18a is attached to the surface of the light guide plate 18b as shown in FIG.

The light guide plate 18b is a member located on the back surface of the film 18a to diffuse the light from the light source 18c and guide the light to the entire film 18a. The light guide plate 18b is formed in a horizontally long shape corresponding to the film 18a. In FIG. 4, the light guide plate 18b is formed of a thick, for example, acrylic member.

The light source 18c is located adjacent to the outer edge (one side in the lateral direction) of the light guide plate 18b. FIG. 4 shows a red light source 18c1 adjacent to the light guide plate 18b. Although not shown, the blue light source 18c2 is located adjacent to the light guide plate 18b so as to be symmetrical with the red light source 18c1 with respect to the cut surface in the cross-sectional view of FIG. The red light source 18c1 irradiates the light guide plate 18b with light corresponding to the red color of the first region R1 (FIG. 5) of the film 18a. The blue light source 18c2 irradiates the light guide plate 18b with light corresponding to the blue color of the second region R2 (FIG. 5) of the film 18a. The light from the red light source 18c1 is transmitted from the light guide plate 18b through the first region R1 (FIG. 5) of the film 18a to display the red character string of OPEN. Similarly, the light from the blue light source 18c2 passes through the second region R2 (FIG. 5) to display the blue character string of CLOSE.

Returning to FIG. 3, the operation unit 19 is a portion operated when the occupant of the vehicle 3 operates the locking and unlocking of the vehicle door 5. The operation unit 19 is configured as a touch sensor that can be operated when operating the handle 17. For example, when an occupant of the vehicle 3 possessing the mobile terminal 4 touches the operation unit 19, a signal for locking or unlocking the vehicle door 5 is transmitted from the operation unit 19 to the door ECU 7 (FIG. 1). The door ECU 7 controls the lock mechanism 9 based on the transmitted signal to lock or unlock the vehicle door 5. Therefore, the operation unit 19 has a function of operating the locking or unlocking of the vehicle door 5 and a function of detecting the operation of the operation unit 19 by the occupant of the vehicle 4. The operation unit 19 is not limited to the touch sensor, but may be configured as a locking button, and may be a portion capable of operating at least one of locking and unlocking of the vehicle door 5.

Next, each ECU (communication ECU 6, door ECU 7 and handle ECU 8) in the door handle device 1 will be described. Each ECU includes a CPU, RAM and ROM, which are connected by a bus. Specifically, the communication ECU 6 includes a CPU 6a, a RAM 6b, a ROM 6c, and a bus 6d. Similarly, the door ECU 7 includes a CPU 7a, a RAM 7b, a ROM 7c, and a bus 7d. The handle ECU 8 includes a CPU 8a, a RAM 8b, a ROM 8c, and a bus 8d.

The CPU 6a controls all information processing such as data communication in the communication ECU 6, and the RAM 6b is a volatile storage unit that functions as a work area of the CPU 6a. The ROM 6c is a non-volatile storage unit that stores data and software (programs) for performing necessary processing in the communication ECU 6. The same applies to the CPU 7a, RAM 7b and ROM 7c of the door ECU 7 and the CPU 8a, RAM 8b and ROM 8c of the handle ECU 8. Hereinafter, the communication EUC 6, the door ECU 7, and the handle ECU 8 will be specifically described.

The communication ECU 6 is a main body that collates whether or not the mobile terminal 4 is a legitimate terminal corresponding to the vehicle 3. The ROM 6c stores the communication program 6c1, the collation program 6c2, the unique identification data 6c3 of the mobile terminal 4, and the like. The communication program 6c1 is a program used for wireless communication with the mobile terminal 4 through a transmitter / receiver 12 provided inside and outside the vehicle 3. The collation program 6c2 is a program that collates the information transmitted from the mobile terminal 4 with the identification data 6c3 in the communication between the vehicle 3 and the mobile terminal 4.

The door ECU 7 is a main body that controls locking and unlocking of the vehicle door 5. The ROM 7c stores a control program 7c1 that controls locking and unlocking of the vehicle door 5, a locking detection program 7c2 that detects the presence or absence of locking in the vehicle door 5, and an opening / closing detection program 7c3 that detects the opening / closing of the vehicle door 5. .. The control program 7c1 performs the following control on the condition that the collation between the vehicle 3 and the mobile terminal 4 is established. The control program 7c1 controls the lock mechanism 9 based on the signal transmitted from the operation unit 19 (FIG. 3) of the door handle 16 to lock or unlock the vehicle door 5. Further, the lock detection program 7c2 detects the presence or absence of lock at the vehicle door 5 based on the detection result by the detection unit 10. Then, the open / close detection program 7c3 detects the open / close (open or closed) of the vehicle door 5 based on the detection result by the courtesy switch 11.

The handle ECU 8 is a main body that displays whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked on the display unit 18 (FIG. 3) of the door handle 16. The control program 8c1 is stored in the ROM 8c. The control program 8c1 switches the light source 18c (FIG. 4) on and off based on the detection result (whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked) by the detection program 7c2. When the vehicle door 5 is locked, the control program 8c1 turns off the red light source 18c1 and turns on the blue light source 18c2 (not shown). On the other hand, when the vehicle door 5 is unlocked, the red light source 18c1 is turned on and the blue light source 18c2 is turned off.

Next, the contents of the above-mentioned various programs will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 to 8.

The process of FIG. 6 is a process in the communication ECU 6. The CPU 6a of FIG. 1 executes the communication program 6c1 and the collation program 6c2 using the work memory of the RAM 6b as a work area. In the communication ECU 6, in order to collate the mobile terminal 4, the CPU 6a periodically transmits a polling signal from the transmitter 12a (S1). When the mobile terminal 4 receives the polling signal, an RF signal in response to the polling signal is transmitted from the mobile terminal 4. When this RF signal is received on the vehicle 3 side through the receiver 12b, the RF signal received by the CPU 6a is stored in the RAM 6b as response data. The CPU 6a compares the response data with the identification data 6c3 of the mobile terminal 4 stored in the ROM 6c and collates whether the mobile terminal 4 is the mobile terminal 4 corresponding to the vehicle 3 (S2). Then, the CPU 6a writes the collation result (data d1) into the RAM 6b. After that, the CPU 6a reads the data d1 from the RAM 6b and transmits it to the door ECU 7 (S3). This series of processes is periodically and repeatedly executed.

The process of FIG. 7 is a process in the door ECU 7. The CPU 7a of FIG. 1 executes the control program 7c1, the lock detection program 7c2, and the open / close detection program 7c3 using the work memory of the RAM 7b as a work area. The collation result (data d1) between the vehicle 3 and the mobile terminal 4 is appropriately transmitted from the communication ECU 6 to the door ECU 7. If the collation is established (S11: Yes), the process proceeds to S12. If the collation is unsuccessful (S11: No), the process ends. In S12, it is determined whether the operation unit 19 is operated by the occupant of the vehicle 3 (whether a signal is transmitted from the operation unit 19 to the door ECU 7). When the operation unit 19 is operated (S12: Yes), the process proceeds to S13. If the operation unit 19 is not operated, the process proceeds to S14. In S13, the CPU 7a detects whether the vehicle door 5 is in the locked state or the unlocked state by the detection unit 10, and proceeds to S15. In S15, the CPU 7a controls the lock mechanism 9. For example, when the vehicle door 5 is locked, the CPU 7a unlocks the vehicle door 5 by the lock mechanism 9. On the other hand, when the vehicle door 5 is in the unlocked state, the CPU 7a locks the vehicle door 5 by the lock mechanism 9. Then, after the CPU 7a detects that the vehicle door 5 has been locked or unlocked through the detection unit 10, the process proceeds to S16. Here, in S14, which proceeds when the operation unit 19 is not operated in S12, the CPU 7a determines whether the vehicle door 5 is opened by the courtesy switch 11. When the vehicle door 5 is open (S14: Yes), the CPU 7a detects the unlocking of the vehicle door 5 through the detection unit 10, and then proceeds to S16. On the other hand, if the vehicle door 5 is not open (S14: No), the process proceeds to S17. In S17, the CPU 7a detects the state of the vehicle door 5 (locked state or unlocked state) by the detection unit 10 and proceeds to S16. In S16, the presence or absence of locking of the vehicle door 5 is transmitted to the handle ECU 8 as data d2. For example, in the case of the process of S13 → S15 → S16, the data d2 indicating the state (locked state or unlocked state) of the vehicle door 5 detected in the process of S15 is transmitted to the handle ECU 8. Further, in the case of the processing of S14 → S17 → S16, the data d2 indicating the state of the vehicle door 5 detected in the processing of S17 is transmitted to the handle ECU 8. On the other hand, in the case of the processing of S14 → S16, the data d2 indicating the opening (unlocking state) of the vehicle door 5 is transmitted to the handle ECU 8. This series of processes is repeatedly executed, for example, as long as communication is performed between the vehicle 3 and the mobile terminal 4.

The process of FIG. 8 is the process of the handle ECU 8. The CPU 8a of FIG. 1 executes the control program 8c1 using the work memory of the RAM 8b as a work area. The state (data d2) of the vehicle door 5 is appropriately transmitted from the door ECU 7 to the handle ECU 8. If the vehicle door 5 is open (S21: Yes), the process proceeds to S22. If the vehicle door 5 is not open (S21: No), the process proceeds to S23. In S22, the CPU 8a turns on the red light source 18c1 of FIG. 4 and turns off the blue light source 18c2 (not shown) to finish the process. As a result, only the OPEN character string shown in FIG. 5 is displayed in red. On the other hand, in S23, which proceeds when the vehicle door 5 is not opened in S21, it is determined whether the vehicle door 5 is in the locked state. If the vehicle door 5 is unlocked according to the data d2 transmitted from the door ECU 7 (S23: No), the process proceeds to S22. On the other hand, if the vehicle door 5 is locked (S23: Yes), the process proceeds to S24. In S24, the CPU 8a turns off the red light source 18c1 of FIG. 4 and turns on the blue light source 18c2 (not shown) to finish the process. As a result, only the CLOSE character string shown in FIG. 5 is displayed in blue. This series of processes is repeatedly executed, for example, as long as the vehicle 3 and the mobile terminal 4 existing outside the vehicle 3 communicate with each other, or until the engine of the vehicle 3 starts.

In the processing after S23 in FIG. 8, the character string ОPEN or CLOSE is displayed on the display unit 18 in FIG. 3 based on the state of the vehicle door 5 (whether or not it is locked). Therefore, the occupant of the vehicle 3 can grasp whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked. Further, the display unit 18 is formed on the handle 17 so that the line of sight can easily face when operating the door handle 16. Therefore, when the handle 17 is operated, the occupant of the vehicle 3 can know whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked. Here, in the process of S12 → S13 → S15 of FIG. 7, the vehicle door 5 is locked or unlocked only by the occupant of the vehicle 3 touching the operation unit 19 (touch sensor). Therefore, the occupant who is familiar with the vehicle 3 may unknowingly lock or unlock the vehicle door 5. However, even in that case, whether the vehicle door 5 is locked (character string of OPEN or CLOSE) is displayed on the display unit 18. Therefore, it is possible to save the occupant of the vehicle 3 from having to perform operations such as locking or unlocking the vehicle door 5 again.

Further, in FIG. 7, in the case of proceeding in the order of S11 (collation is established with the mobile terminal 4 outside the vehicle 3) → S12 → S14 → S17 → S16, the occupant possessing the mobile terminal 4 is in the vicinity of the vehicle 3. This is the process when you are in (around the outside of the vehicle 3). In this case, the presence or absence of the lock of the vehicle door 5 is detected in S17, and the state (locked state or unlocked state) of the vehicle door 5 is displayed by S22 or S24 of FIG. That is, it is displayed whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked only by the presence of the occupant possessing the mobile terminal 4 around the vehicle 3, and the occupant can grasp the state of the vehicle door 5.

In S21 of FIG. 8, the state of the vehicle door 5 (whether or not it is open) is determined. When the vehicle door 5 is open, the character string OPEN indicating the unlocking of the vehicle door 5 is displayed on the display unit 18 of the door handle 16 in S22. Therefore, when the occupant gets off the vehicle 3 and closes the vehicle door 5, a character string indicating the unlocking of the vehicle door 5 is displayed on the display unit 18. Therefore, it is possible to urge the occupants of the vehicle 3 to lock the vehicle door 5.

The display unit 18 shown in FIG. 3, which is controlled by the door handle device 1, is arranged on a handle 17 operated by an occupant of the vehicle 3 when opening or closing the vehicle door 5. Therefore, when the occupant of the vehicle 3 operates the handle 17, it becomes easy to recognize whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked. Further, the operation unit 19 is arranged adjacent to the display unit 18. Therefore, it becomes easy for the occupant of the vehicle 3 to recognize whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked by the display unit 18 before operating the operation unit 19.

Further, in the door handle 16, the film 18a is arranged at a position visible from the outside of the handle 17 as shown in FIG. Then, the light from the light source 18c is transmitted through the film 18a to indicate whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked. Further, the film 18a has a first region R1 (red region) and a second region R2 (blue region) as shown in FIG. Therefore, by individually controlling the on and off of the red light source 18c1 and the blue light source 18c2 (not shown) shown in FIG. 4 by the handle ECU 8 (FIG. 1), the character strings of OPEN and CLOSE can be selected on the film 18a. In addition to being able to display in, two character strings can be displayed in different colors. Further, since the OPEN characters (third region R3) and the CLOSE characters (fourth region R4) shown in FIG. 5 are alternately located in the same row, the OPEN character string and the CLOSE character string are formed on the film 18a. It can be displayed in a similar location above.

In the above description, an example of displaying whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked by the display unit 18 having the film 18a shown in FIG. 4 has been described. The display unit 118 shown in FIG. 9 may be used instead of the display unit 18 to indicate whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked. Hereinafter, the same configurations as in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

The display unit 118 has a cover body C. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the display unit 118 includes a display body 118a that indicates whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked, a light guide plate 118b that guides light to the display body 118a, and a plurality of light guide plates 118b that irradiate light. A light source 118c is provided.

Returning to FIG. 9, the cover body C is a plate-shaped member that is formed in the shape of a transparent plate and is partially fitted into the opening 17a (FIG. 4). The display body 118a shown in FIG. 10 is attached to the back surface side of the cover body C (the back surface side of the cover body C shown in FIG. 9).

The display body 118a is an opaque plate-shaped member (opaque body) formed in a horizontally long plate shape and indicating whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked. The display body 118a has a horizontally long front surface S1 visible from the outside of the handle 17, a back surface S2 facing the front surface S1, and a frame-shaped side surface S3 connecting the front surface S1 and the back surface S2. As shown in FIG. 11, a plurality (six) cavities H are formed inside the display body 118a formed by the front surface S1, the back surface S2, and the side surface S3.

FIG. 12 shows a front view of the display body 118a. As shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of openings O1 leading to each cavity H (FIG. 11) are formed on the surface S1. Each opening O1 in FIG. 12 is formed in a character shape and is located in the same row on the surface S1. A character string of UNLOCK is formed by a plurality of openings O1, and a total of six openings O1 corresponding to each character of UNLOCK (openings O1 corresponding to each character of U, N, L, O, C, K). ) Is formed on the surface S1. Further, as shown in FIG. 13 which is a schematic cross-sectional view of XIII-XIII of FIG. 12 and FIG. 14 which is a schematic cross-sectional view of XIV-XIV of FIG. 12, the back surface S2 communicates with the cavity H and faces the opening O1. The opening O2 is formed. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of openings O3 are also formed on the side surface S3. Six openings O3 are formed on the upper side surface S3 shown in FIG. 11 so as to lead to each cavity H. Further, on the lower side surface S3 shown in FIG. 11, four openings O3 are formed so as to communicate with each of the four cavities H on the right side of the drawing. A plurality (six) pairs of an opening O1, an opening O2, and a cavity H are formed in the display body 118a.

The cavity H through which the openings O1, O2, and O3 communicate is a space formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape inside the display body 118a. The plurality of cavities H are arranged in the same row. Further, the plurality of cavity portions H are spaces that are independent of each other and do not directly communicate with each other. The cavity H is formed in a size capable of accommodating the light guide plate 18b, and the light guide plate 118b is attached to the cavity H.

The light guide plate 118b is formed in a shape (for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape) corresponding to the opening O2 and the cavity H. The light guide plate 118b is installed in the cavity H shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. The light guide plate 118b installed in the cavity H is a member that diffuses the light from the light source 118c (FIG. 16) and irradiates the light from the opening O1 as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. The light guide plate 118b is positioned so as to face the openings O1 and O3 in a state where the light guide plate 118b is attached to the opening O2 and the cavity H (FIGS. 13 and 14).

FIG. 17 shows a display body 118a equipped with a light guide plate 118b and a light source 118c. In FIG. 17, a part of the display body 118a is transparently shown, and the light guide plate 118b and the light source 118c are shown together with the display body 118a. As shown in FIG. 17, the light source 118c is located in the opening O3 of the display body 118a and is positioned so as to sandwich the light guide plate 118b. In FIG. 17, a plurality of light sources 118c are located above and below the light guide plate 118b with the light guide plate 118b interposed therebetween. The light source 118c has six red light sources 118c1 located on the upper side and four blue light sources 118c2 located on the lower side in FIG. Each red light source 118c1 of FIG. 17 is located in each opening O3 on the upper side of the display body 118a, and irradiates the light guide plate 118b with red light. Further, each blue light source 118c2 of FIG. 17 is located in each opening O3 on the lower side of the display body 118a, and irradiates the light guide plate 118b with blue light. The light from the red light source 118c1 is emitted from the opening O1 by the light guide plate 118b to display the red character string of UNLOCK. The light from the blue light source 118c2 also displays the blue character string of LOCK. The light sources 118c1 and 118c2 are controlled by the handle ECU 8 based on whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked, as described above.

When the light sources 118c1 and 118c2 are controlled by the handle ECU 8, light is irradiated from the light guide plate 118b to the opening O1. Then, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the cavity H to which each light guide plate 118b is attached is formed independently of each other, so that it is possible to prevent light from leaking from one cavity H to another cavity H. .. Further, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 in which the light guide plate 118b is attached to the cavity H, the cavity H, the opening O1, the light guide plate 118b, and the light source 118c (FIG. 16) are paired, so that the light source 118c is used. By controlling them individually, the opening O1 can be illuminated individually. In other words, since the light source 118c is arranged for each opening O1, only the characters (opening O1) paired with the light source 118c can be displayed. Further, the light source 118c is switched on and off by the handle ECU 8 based on the state of the vehicle door 5 (whether or not it is locked). At this time, only the specific opening O1 can be displayed by individually switching the light source 118c on and off by the handle ECU 8. As a result, the UNLOCK and LOCK character strings can be selectively displayed as described above. Since the display body 118a is opaque, the light from the light guide plate 118b is efficiently emitted from the opening O1.

Although the examples of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific description thereof, and the illustrated configurations and the like can be appropriately combined and carried out within a technically consistent range. However, it is also possible to replace certain elements and processes with well-known forms.

In the above description, an example in which the handle 17 is provided with the operation unit 19 has been described as shown in FIG. The operation unit 19 may be arranged in a peripheral portion of the handle 17 (for example, a handle cover 17'located adjacent to the handle 17 as shown in FIG. 18) in addition to the handle 17. Further, in the above description, the handle 17 is a grip type that can be gripped by the user. As the handle 17, a pull-up type handle that the user can insert and pull may be adopted. In addition to this, various types such as a flash surface type or an E-latch type can be adopted.

In the above description, the presence / absence of locking of the vehicle door 5 is shown as an example of the state relating to the vehicle 3 displayed on the display units 18 and 118. The state related to the vehicle 3 is not limited to whether or not the vehicle door 5 is locked, and various states such as the remaining amount of gasoline in the vehicle 3 and the remaining amount of the battery in the mobile terminal 4 can be displayed.

In the above description, an example of displaying characters on the display units 18 and 118 is shown. As the display units 18 and 118, symbols such as icons indicating the state of the vehicle 3, colors such as red and blue indicating the state of the vehicle 3, or a combination of these and characters may be displayed. ..

In the above description, an example of controlling the on / off of the light sources 18c and 118c by the handle ECU 8 is shown. As a method of controlling the light sources 18c and 118c, various control methods such as increasing or decreasing the output of the light sources 18c and 118c can be adopted in addition to controlling the on and off.

In the above description, an example in which the door handle device 1 is applied to the vehicle 3 as an example of the object (moving body) is shown. The door handle device 1 is not limited to the vehicle 3, and can be applied to various devices such as aircraft and ships. Further, the object can be applied not only to a moving body but also to various objects.

1 Door handle device 2 System 3 Vehicle 4 Mobile terminal 5 Vehicle door 6 Communication ECU
7 Door ECU 8 Handle ECU (control unit)
9 Lock mechanism 10 Detection unit (2nd detection unit)
11 Courtesy switch 16 Door handle 17 Handle 17a Opening (first opening)
18 Display unit 18a Film 18b Light guide plate (light guide unit) 18c Light source 18c1 Red light source 18c2 Blue light source 19 Operation unit (1st detection unit) R1 1st area R2 2nd area R3 3rd area R4 4th area 118 Display unit 118a Display 118b Light source plate (light source)
118c Light source S1 surface (outer surface)
H Cavity О1 Opening (2nd opening)

Claims (9)

A door handle device that is attached to an object having a door to operate the door.
A handle located outside the door for operating the door,
A display unit located on the handle and visible from the outside of the handle to display a state related to the object.
Equipped with a,
The display unit
A film that is visibly located from the outside of the handle and has a colored first region and a second region colored in a color different from the first region.
A light guide located along the back surface of the film to guide light to the film,
A light source that is located adjacent to the outer edge of the light guide and irradiates light toward the light guide.
With
The light source irradiates light of the first color corresponding to the coloring of the first region when the object is in the first state, and the second state when the object is in a second state different from the first state. Irradiate the second color light corresponding to the coloring of the area,
The light of the first color or the light of the second color emitted from the light source is irradiated to both the first region and the second region through the light guide unit.
The first region allows light of the first color to pass through.
The second region transmits the light of the second color.
A door handle device characterized by that. It is visible from the outside of the handle and has an opening formed on the surface of the handle.
The door handle device according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the display unit is located inside the handle and is visible through the opening. The door handle device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display unit at least displays whether or not the door is locked as the state. The door handle device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the handle or a peripheral portion of the handle is provided with an operation unit for operating at least one of locking and unlocking the door. A control unit that controls the light source and
A detection unit for detecting the above state is provided.
The control unit controls the light source so as to irradiate the light of the first color when the state detected by the detection unit is the first state, and when the state is the second state, the second color. The door handle device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light source is controlled so as to irradiate the light of the above . The light source has a first light source that irradiates the light of the first color and a second light source that irradiates the light of the second color.
The control unit turns on the first light source and turns off the second light source when the state detected by the detection unit is the first state, and turns off the second light source when the state is the second state. The door handle device according to claim 5, wherein the light source is turned off and the second light source is turned on. The first region has a plurality of third regions independent of each other, and each third region represents each character constituting the character string in the first state.
The second region has a plurality of fourth regions independent of each other, and each fourth region represents each character constituting the character string in the second state.
The door handle device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the third region and the fourth region are alternately located in the same row. At least one of a character string, a symbol or a color indicating that the door is in the locked state is displayed in the first area, and the door is in the unlocked state in the second area. The door handle device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein at least one of a character string, a symbol or a color indicating is displayed. The door handle device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the object is a moving body.

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