CN216709159U

CN216709159U - Selector handle

Info

Publication number: CN216709159U
Application number: CN202220425026.0U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王丹; 于杨青; 黄艳玲; 殷杰; 陈静
Original assignee: Kongsberg Automotive Wuxi Ltd
Current assignee: Kongsberg Automotive Wuxi Ltd
Priority date: 2022-03-01
Filing date: 2022-03-01
Publication date: 2022-06-10
Anticipated expiration: 2032-03-01

Abstract

A shifter handle comprising: a handle housing comprising a light transmissive portion; and an atmosphere lamp module, the atmosphere lamp module comprising: a base plate secured to the handle housing; a light source disposed on the substrate, the light source including a light emitting portion capable of emitting light; and the light guide strip extends along a light guide path to guide light emitted from the light emitting part of the light source, is embedded in the handle shell, and can transmit light guided by the light guide strip out of the handle shell through the light transmitting part in the handle shell when the light source works. The utility model provides a shifter handle which allows illumination by lights carried by the shifter handle to adjust the ambient atmosphere in a vehicle.

Description

Selector handle

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the field of design and manufacture of vehicle parts, in particular to a gear shifter handle for an automobile.

Background

Shifters are a common component in automotive transmissions. The shifter handle is a type of shifter control common in the art.

In existing conventional shifter handles, the color effect of the shifter handle is generally determined only by the constituent materials of the shifter itself. In this case, the color style of the shifter and its influence on the in-vehicle environment atmosphere are determined, and particularly in an environment with poor light, the color tends to be hardly noticeable, easily resulting in a monotonous in-vehicle environment.

In addition, in the case of guiding light by using the light guide bar, a light shielding box is generally adopted in the prior art to seal a plurality of light sources and the corresponding light guide bar in a common accommodating cavity. The shading box has larger space volume and higher production and manufacturing cost, and cannot be widely applied to the shifter handle with limited installation space.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

Based on the above problems in the prior art, the present invention is directed to: a shifter handle is provided that allows illumination by lights carried by the shifter handle itself to adjust the ambient atmosphere within a vehicle.

To this end, the utility model provides a selector lever,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the shifter handle includes:

a handle housing comprising a light transmissive portion; and

an atmosphere lamp module, the atmosphere lamp module comprising:

a base plate secured to the handle housing;

a light source disposed on the substrate, the light source including a light emitting portion capable of emitting light; and

a light guide bar extending along a light guide path to guide light emitted from the light emitting portion of the light source,

wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the light guide strip is embedded in the handle shell, and light energy guided by the light guide strip passes through the light transmission part in the handle shell when the light source works.

According to a preferred embodiment of the shifter handle of the present invention, the light source is an LED light source that can be switched between a plurality of colors in a gradual manner.

According to a preferred embodiment of the shifter handle of the present invention, the light guiding strip is flexible.

According to a preferred embodiment of the shifter handle of the present invention, the handle housing is annular and comprises:

an outer shell portion defining an outer shell surface facing radially outward; and

an inner shell portion disposed radially inward of the outer shell portion and defining a radially inwardly facing inner shell surface,

wherein a housing interior is defined between the outer housing portion and the inner housing portion, and the light guide bar extends within the housing interior; and is

Wherein the light-transmitting portion is provided on the inner housing portion.

According to a preferred embodiment of the shifter handle of the present invention, the light-transmissive portion comprises at least two light-transmissive regions separated from each other.

According to a preferred embodiment of the shifter handle of the present invention, one or more of the light-transmitting regions are elongated strips, and each of the light-transmitting regions extends along the light-guiding path of the corresponding light-guiding strip.

According to a preferred embodiment of the shifter handle of the present invention, a first end of each of the light guide strips is mounted at a respective light source, a second end of each of the light guide strips extends away from the light source,

wherein a shielding receptacle is provided at the first end of each of the light guide bars, the shielding receptacle being closely attached on the substrate around a light emitting portion of a single corresponding light source and provided with a light transmitting portion through which light passes, and the shielding receptacle including an open cylindrical portion into which the first end of the light guide bar is inserted and which is fitted to an outer circumferential shape of the light guide bar on a side opposite to the substrate, to condense the emitted light into the light guide bar and to avoid light leakage.

According to a preferred embodiment of the shifter handle of the present invention, the base plate includes a socket, the shield receptacle further including a prong that is inserted into the socket of the base plate to secure the shield receptacle to the base plate.

According to a preferred embodiment of the selector lever according to the utility model, a light-tight shielding cap is arranged at the second end of the light guide bar, which shielding cap is arranged over the head of the second end of the respective light guide bar.

According to a preferred embodiment of the shifter handle of the present invention, different light guiding strips guide light emitted from the light emitting portions of different light sources.

In summary, the technical advantages of the shifter handle of the present invention are at least:

1) allowing installation of the atmosphere light in the shifter handle;

2) the atmosphere lamp has more flexibility in installation so as to meet the actual requirements of users;

3) a shading box is not required to be arranged;

4) the shading member is easy to manufacture and install and has excellent cost effectiveness.

Drawings

This document includes the accompanying drawings to provide a further understanding of various embodiments. The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments described herein, and together with the description serve to explain the principles and operations of the claimed subject matter.

Technical features of the present invention are hereinafter clearly described with reference to the above objects, and advantages thereof are apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example preferred embodiments of the present invention, without limiting the scope of the utility model.

In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a preferred but non-limiting embodiment of a shifter handle according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of another preferred but non-limiting embodiment of the shifter handle according to the present invention, wherein only one light guiding strip is provided and the outer housing portion of the shifter handle is deleted for clarity.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of an assembly of a light guide strip and a base plate in the embodiment of the shifter handle according to the utility model shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows an exploded perspective view of another light guide bar and base plate assembly in the embodiment of the shifter handle according to the present invention shown in fig. 1.

List of reference numerals

10 selector handle

110 outer casing part

120 inner housing part

130 light-transmitting part

140 base plate

150 light guide strip

151 first end of light guide strip

152 second end of the light guide strip

160 shroud receptacle

161 opening cylindrical part

162 base pin

170 shielding cap

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below.

While the utility model will be described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that this description is not intended to limit the utility model to those embodiments illustrated. On the contrary, the utility model is intended to cover not only these exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the utility model.

For convenience in explanation and accurate definition of the technical solutions of the present invention, the terms "upper", "lower", "inner" and "outer" are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of these features as shown in the drawings.

A preferred embodiment of a shifter handle 10 according to the present invention is shown in fig. 1. As seen in fig. 1, the shifter handle 10 includes: a handle housing and an atmosphere light module.

In the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, the handle housing may be annular in shape. Here, the ring shape refers to the overall contour of the handle housing. Specifically, a ring shape may refer to a closed ring shape as shown in the drawings, but may also refer to a ring shape that is not closed but is open at one or more places. Further, according to the concept of the present invention, the ring shape may include a ring shape of a substantially closed polygon optionally rounded at corners as shown in the drawings, but the ring shape may also be formed only by a curved enclosure, such as a circle, an ellipse, or the like. Of course, the skilled person can also arrange the handle housing to be non-circular according to actual requirements, such as a sphere, etc., without affecting the implementation of the present invention.

As in the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, the ring-shaped handle housing of the present invention may comprise: an outer housing section 110 and an inner housing section 120. Here, the inner and outer are with respect to the radial direction of the annulus. Generally, the casing section that is mostly radially outward may be referred to as the outer casing section 110, while the casing section that is mostly radially inward of the outer casing section 110 may be referred to as the inner casing section 120.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 1, the outer housing portion 110 may define a radially outwardly facing outer housing surface. In fig. 1, the outer housing surface is located approximately at the top surface and the left lower side surface of the shifter handle 10. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the outer shell surface may cover more or less of the surface area of the handle shell than the preferred embodiment shown in fig. 1, and may be a discontinuous surface in addition to a continuous surface as shown in fig. 1, and will not be described in detail herein.

Further, the inner shell portion 120 defines a radially inwardly facing inner shell surface. It is noted here that the inner housing surface refers to the exposed surface of the inner housing part 120, i.e. the surface that can be observed during use of the shifter handle 10. Similar to the outer shell surface, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the inner shell surface may cover more or less of the surface area of the handle shell than the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and may be a non-continuous surface in addition to a continuous surface as shown in FIG. 1, and will not be described in further detail herein.

Preferably, the outer housing surface and the inner housing surface may also be arranged radially offset in parallel with respect to each other, as shown in fig. 1.

In addition to the outer housing part 110 and the inner housing part 120 described above, the handle housing may preferably further include side covers and a rear cover. For clarity, the side and rear covers of the handle housing are not shown in FIG. 1.

The mood light module of the shifter handle 10 is described below based on fig. 1 to 4. Referring to fig. 1 to 4, the ambience lamp module includes: a substrate 140, a light source (not shown), and a light guide strip 150.

The base plate 140 is fixed to the handle housing. In a preferred embodiment, the substrate 140 may be, for example, a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) or other board with or without traces. More preferably, the base plate 140 may be fixed to the handle housing by screws, for example two screws (not shown in the figures).

It is to be noted that the mounting positions of the substrate 140 shown in fig. 1 and 2 are merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art can select a desired position to mount the substrate 140 according to actual needs. For aesthetic and functional requirements, a substrate 140 may also be generally disposed between the outer housing portion 110 and the inner housing portion 120 to provide a covering and protection for the substrate 140. Further, when the substrate 140 is a printed circuit board, it may be coupled to a main circuit board assembly (not shown) by a flexible wiring connector.

A light source is mounted on the substrate 140, and the light source includes a light emitting portion capable of emitting light. The light source may be a commercially available light source of various types. According to a preferred embodiment, the light source may be, for example, an LED light source that can be switched between a plurality of colors in a gradual manner. More preferably, the light source may be further configured to be illuminated and emit light of a set default color upon activation of the vehicle. It is noted that a default color light may refer to a particular color light, or to a color light that varies in a desired manner.

The light guide bar 150 extends along a light guide path to guide light emitted from a light emitting portion of the light source. In a preferred embodiment, the light guide strip 150 may be flexible. Those skilled in the art can select the material and the specific type of the light guide strip 150 according to actual requirements so as to meet specific light guide requirements, for example, the light guide strip 150 can also be made into a hard extruded light guide.

It is noted that although fig. 1 and 2 only show an embodiment including two (fig. 1) and one (fig. 2) light guide bars 150, those skilled in the art may also arrange more light guide bars 150 according to actual needs.

It is further noted that although in the embodiments shown in the figures, different light guide bars 150 generally only guide light emitted from light emitting portions of different light sources. However, the light guide bars 150 may be arranged to guide light emitted from the light emitting portion of the common light source according to actual requirements.

In a preferred embodiment, the light guide strip 150 may be embedded within the handle housing and light energy guided by the light guide strip 150 when the light source is in operation can exit the handle housing through the light-transmissive portion 130 therein. In a more preferred embodiment shown in the figures, a housing interior may be defined between the outer housing portion 110 and the inner housing portion 120, and the light guide strip 150 extends within the housing interior. In other words, in this preferred case, the light guide strip 150 is accommodated between the outer housing part 110 and the inner housing part 120.

In addition, in order to avoid the mutual influence between different light guide bars 150, a corresponding isolation device, such as a rib in the inner cavity of the housing, may be further disposed between the light guide bars 150, so as to separately define the different light guide bars 150 in the corresponding chambers thereof in terms of light transmission.

More preferably, the light intensity emitted over the entire extended length of the light guide strip 150 may be arranged to be substantially uniform.

The light guide paths of the light guide strips 150 can be arranged by those skilled in the art according to actual needs, and in the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, the first end 151 of each light guide strip 150 is mounted at a corresponding light source, and the second end 152 of each light guide strip 150 extends away from the light source. In addition, the second end 152 of each light guide strip 150 may be extended away from the light source and then extended back toward the light source, so as to cover more of the annular handle housing, etc., and will not be described herein.

In such a preferred embodiment, a shielded receptacle 160 may be provided at the first end 151 of each light guide strip 150. More specifically, the shielding receptacle 160 may preferably be provided to be closely attached around the light emitting portion of the single corresponding light source on the substrate 140, and provided with a light-transmitting portion through which light passes. Also, the shielding receptacle 160 may include an open cylindrical portion 161 on the opposite side of the substrate 140 into which the first end 151 of the light guide bar 150 is inserted and which is adapted to the outer circumferential shape of the light guide bar 150, to condense emitted light into the light guide bar 150 and to prevent light leakage. For example, in the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, the open cylindrical portion 161 may be open cylindrical, but the specific shape of the open cylindrical portion 161 is not limited thereto, but may be prismatic, pyramidal, or even conical, as long as it can be directionally matched with the first end 151 of the respective light guide bar 150. For another example, the shielding receptacle 160 may include a flat base portion as shown in the drawing to ensure close contact with the substrate 140, but the base portion of the shielding receptacle 160 may also have a curved surface as long as light leakage can be prevented by the portion thereof in close contact with the substrate 140. Furthermore, it is to be noted here that the light-permeable part of the shielding receptacle can be a hollow hole or a part made of a light-permeable material. Preferably, the light-transmitting portion may be provided, for example, in a bottom surface of the open cylindrical portion 161 opposite to the opening.

Additionally or alternatively, a light-tight shielding cap 170 may be provided at the second end 152 of the light guide strip 150, the shielding cap 170 fitting over the end of the second end 152 of the respective light guide strip 150. In fact, two different types of shielding caps 170 are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively, where in FIG. 3 the tip of the second end 152 of the light guide bar 150 can protrude through the aperture of the shielding cap 170, and in FIG. 4 the tip of the second end 152 of the light guide bar 150 is completely covered by the shielding cap 170.

More preferably, as shown more clearly in FIG. 4, the base plate 140 includes a socket, and the shadow receptacle 160 further includes a prong 162, the prong 162 being inserted into the socket of the base plate 140 to secure the shadow receptacle 160 to the base plate 140.

The shield receptacle 160 and/or the shield cap 170 may be constructed of various common light shielding materials, such as rubber. In the case where the shielding receptacle 160 and/or the shielding cap 170 are formed of rubber, the elasticity of the rubber may further facilitate the assembly of the shielding receptacle 160 and/or the shielding cap 170 with the respective ends of the light guide bar 150, in addition to enabling the respective light shielding functions.

According to the concept of the present invention, the handle housing includes a light-transmissive portion 130. Of course, those skilled in the art may also envision a handle housing that includes both light-transmissive portion 130 and light-opaque portion, such as in the preferred embodiment shown in the figures.

In a preferred embodiment shown in the figures, the light-transmissive portion 130 may be provided on the inner housing portion 120. As shown in fig. 1, more preferably, the light-transmitting portion 130 may include two light-transmitting regions separated from each other. However, the light-transmitting portion 130 may include only one light-transmitting region as shown in fig. 2, or the light-transmitting portion 130 may include more than two light-transmitting regions not shown in the drawings. More specifically, in the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, one or more of the light-transmissive regions are in the form of an elongated strip, and each light-transmissive region extends along the light-guiding path of a respective light-guiding strip 150. Of course, the specific shape and layout of the light-transmitting region can be set in other forms according to actual requirements as long as the light emitted from the light guide strip 150 passes through the light-transmitting region.

Preferably, the light-transmitting portion may be a thermoplastic material, such as Polycarbonate (PC). Further, in case of including the opaque portion, the opaque portion may also be a thermoplastic material, such as Polycarbonate (PC). More specifically, a light-transmitting material such as a transparent material may be used for the light-transmitting portion, and a non-light-transmitting material such as a non-transparent material may be used for the light-non-transmitting portion.

An exemplary assembly of the shifter handle 10 according to the present invention is briefly described as follows:

1. first, the wiring harness is inserted onto the main printed circuit board assembly.

2. The wire harness is mounted to the shift lever main body.

3. The inner housing part 120 of the handle is inserted into the shift lever body.

4. A shielding receptacle 160 and a shielding cap 170 are installed at both ends of the light guide bar 150.

5. The light guide strip 150 is fixed to the substrate 140.

6. The substrate 140 and its mating circuit board, pre-connected by a flexible circuit, are mounted to the handle housing.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it should be understood that aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary, to employ aspects, features and concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above detailed description. In general, in the claims, the terms used should not be construed to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims

1. A handle of a gear shifter, which comprises a gear shifting handle,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the shifter handle includes:

a handle housing comprising a light transmissive portion; and

an atmosphere lamp module, the atmosphere lamp module comprising:

a base plate secured to the handle housing;

wherein the content of the first and second substances,

2. The shifter handle of claim 1,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the light source is an LED light source that can be switched between a plurality of colors in a gradual manner.

3. The shifter handle of claim 1,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the light guide strip is flexible.

4. The shifter handle of claim 1,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the handle housing is annular and includes:

an outer shell portion defining an outer shell surface facing radially outwardly; and

Wherein the light-transmitting portion is provided on the inner case portion.

5. The shifter handle of claim 1,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the light-transmitting portion includes at least two light-transmitting regions separated from each other.

6. The shifter handle of claim 5,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

one or more of the light-transmitting regions are in the form of an elongated strip, and each light-transmitting region extends along the light-guiding path of the corresponding light-guiding strip.

7. The shifter handle of claim 1,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

a first end of each of the light guide strips is mounted at a respective light source, a second end of each of the light guide strips extends away from the light source,

wherein a shielding receptacle is provided at the first end of each light guide bar, the shielding receptacle is closely attached around a light emitting portion of a single corresponding light source on the substrate and is provided with a light transmitting portion through which light passes, and the shielding receptacle includes an open cylindrical portion into which the first end of the light guide bar is inserted and which is fitted to an outer circumferential shape of the light guide bar on a side opposite to the substrate, so as to condense the emitted light into the light guide bar and avoid light leakage.

8. The shifter handle of claim 7,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the base plate includes a receptacle, and the shadow receptacle further includes a prong that is inserted into the receptacle of the base plate to secure the shadow receptacle to the base plate.

9. The shifter handle of claim 7,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

and the second end of the light guide strip is provided with a lightproof shielding cap which is sleeved on the end head of the second end of the corresponding light guide strip.

10. The shifter handle of claim 1,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

different light guide bars guide light emitted from the light emitting portions of different light sources.