Door handle assembly for a motor vehicle

A door handle assembly for a motor vehicle door having a latch controllable between a latched condition in which the door is prevented from opening and an unlatched condition in which the door is not prevented from opening, the door handle assembly comprising:

• a handle base configured to be secured to the motor vehicle door and configured to operatively couple to the latch for controlling the latch, the handle base having a first surface spaced apart from and generally facing the door and a second surface opposite the first surface thereof, wherein the handle base comprises two mounting members with the first surface of the handle base extending therebetween, the handle base configured to be secured to the door with the mounting members abutting a door panel of the door and defining a grip space between the door panel and the first surface of the handle base,
• a drip cover having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface of the drip cover, the drip cover coupled to the handle base with the first surface of the grip cover facing the second surface of the handle base such that the first surface of the handle base and the second surface of the grip cover cooperatively define a door handle grip,
• a first sensor configured to produce a first sensor signal, the first sensor positioned relative to the handle base to define a first detection surface of the handle base along at least a portion of the first surface of the handle base, the first sensor being a capacitive sensor and producing a detectable change in an electric field produced by the capacitive proximity sensor upon detection of an object extending into the grip space within the detection proximity of the first detection surface, and
• a second sensor configured to produce a second sensor signal, the second sensor positioned relative to the drip cover to define a second detection surface of the grip cover along at least a portion of the second surface of the grip cover, the second sensor producing a detectable change in the second sensor signal upon detection of one of the object within a detection proximity of the second detection surface and deflection of the portion of the second surface of the grip cover defining the second detection surface to within a detection proximity of a sensing surface of the second sensor, the detectable change in the second sensor signal enabling the latch to lock or latch, wherein the capacitive proximity sensor comprises a first plate positioned between the first surface of the grip cover and the second surface of the handle base with the portion of the handle base defining the first detection surface thereof defining at least a portion of a dielectric aligned with the first plate,
• and wherein the object extending into the grip space is an object which dynamically defines a second plate of the capacitive proximity sensor as the object moves toward the first detection surface such that the capacitive proximity sensor produces the detectable change in capacitance when the object is within a detection proximity of the first detection surface.

A door handle assembly for a motor vehicle door having a latch controllable between a latched condition in which the door is prevented from opening and an unlatched condition in which the door is not prevented from opening, the door handle assembly comprising:

• a handle base configured to be secured to the motor vehicle door and configured to operatively couple to the latch for controlling the latch, the handle base having a first surface spaced apart from and generally facing the door and a second surface opposite the first surface thereof,
• a grip cover having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface of the grip cover, the grip cover coupled to the handle base with the first surface of the grip cover facing the second surface of the handle base such that the first surface of the handle base and the second surface of the grip cover cooperatively define a door handle grip,
• a first sensor configured to produce a first sensor signal, the first sensor positioned relative to the handle base to define a first detection surface of the handle base along at least a portion of the first surface of the handle base, the first sensor producing a detectable change in the first sensor signal upon detection of one of an object within a detection proximity of the first detection surface and deflection of the portion of the handle base defining the first detection surface to within a detection proximity of a sensing surface of the first sensor, the detectable change in the first sensor signal enabling the latch to unlock or unlatch, and
• a second sensor configured to produce a second sensor signal, the second sensor positioned relative to the grip cover to define a second detection surface of the grip cover along at least a portion of the second surface of the grip cover, wherein the second sensor is an inductive proximity sensor,
• and wherein the second sensor produces a detectable change in the second sensor signal in the form of a detectable change in an electromagnetic field produced by the inductive proximity sensor upon detection of deflection of the portion of the second surface of the grip cover defining the second detection surface to within the detection proximity of the sensing surface of the inductive proximity sensor, the detectable change in the second sensor signal enabling the latch to lock or latch.