Vehicle door handle assembly with light sensing module

An exterior door handle assembly for a vehicular door of a vehicle, said exterior door handle assembly comprising:

• a base portion configured to mount at an exterior door handle region of a vehicular door;
• a handle portion;
• wherein said handle portion, with said base portion of said exterior door handle assembly mounted at the exterior door handle region of the vehicular door, is movable relative to said base portion by a user to actuate a latch mechanism for opening the vehicular door;
• a pocket lighting and sensing module comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes and at least one light sensor;
• wherein said plurality of light emitting diodes comprises (i) a red light-emitting light emitting diode that, when energized, emits red light and (ii) a green light-emitting light emitting diode that, when energized, emits green light;
• wherein said pocket lighting and sensing module is episodically operable to determine a presence of a person's hand at said handle portion;
• wherein, with said base portion of said exterior door handle assembly mounted at the exterior door handle region of the vehicular door, said green light-emitting light emitting diode, when energized, emits green light to illuminate a pocket surface at said base portion;
• wherein, with said base portion of said exterior door handle assembly mounted at the exterior door handle region of the vehicular door, and with said green light-emitting light emitting diode energized, said at least one light sensor senses green light emitted by said green light-emitting light emitting diode and reflected off the pocket surface at said base portion;
• wherein, responsive to light sensed by said at least one light sensor with said green light-emitting light emitting diode energized being below a threshold level, said pocket lighting and sensing module determines the presence of the person's hand at said handle portion;
• wherein, responsive to a signal indicative of the vehicular door being locked, and when said pocket lighting and sensing module is not operating to determine the presence of the person's hand at said handle portion, said red light-emitting light emitting diode is energized to emit red light to illuminate the pocket surface at said base portion;
• and
• wherein, responsive to a signal indicative of the vehicular door being unlocked, and when said pocket lighting and sensing module is not operating to determine the presence of the person's hand at said handle portion, said green light-emitting light emitting diode is energized to emit green light to illuminate the pocket surface at said base portion.

An exterior door handle assembly for a vehicular door of a vehicle, said exterior door handle assembly comprising:

• a base portion configured to mount at an exterior door handle region of a vehicular door;
• a handle portion;
• wherein said handle portion, with said base portion of said exterior door handle assembly mounted at the exterior door handle region of the vehicular door, is movable relative to said base portion by a user to actuate a latch mechanism for opening the vehicular door;
• a pocket lighting and sensing module comprising at least one light emitting diode and a plurality of light sensors;
• wherein, with said base portion of said exterior door handle assembly mounted at the exterior door handle region of the vehicular door, said at least one light emitting diode, when energized, emits light to illuminate a pocket surface at said base portion;
• wherein, with said base portion of said exterior door handle assembly mounted at the exterior door handle region of the vehicular door, and with said at least one light emitting diode energized, each sensor of said plurality of light sensors senses light emitted by said at least one light emitting diode and reflected off the pocket surface at said base portion;
• wherein, responsive to light sensed by at least one light sensor of said plurality of light sensors with said at least one light emitting diode energized being below a threshold level, said pocket lighting and sensing module determines a presence of a person's hand at said handle portion;
• and
• wherein said pocket lighting and sensing module, with said at least one light emitting diode energized, determines movement of the person's hand at the handle portion responsive to changes in light sensed by individual ones of said plurality of light sensors.