Patent ID: 8576047

Claim:
Outer motor vehicle door handle with a wall surrounding an inner space, a first capacitive sensor electrode of a first capacitive sensor to trigger an unlocking process when detecting the approach of a part of the operator's body to a space formed between the outer door handle and a door wall, a second sensor electrode of a second capacitive sensor to trigger a locking process when detecting the approach of a body part of the operator to a specified location on an outer surface of the outer door handle that faces away from the wall of the door, and an evaluation circuit that is connected to the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode and arrayed within the inner space, wherein the first sensor electrode, the second sensor electrode and the evaluation circuit are housed within a single sensor module which can be placed within the inner space, the sensor module possesses a flat plastic tub which has a bottom wall and is open on one side, wherein a conductor plate that is provided with connection cables is laid into the plastic tub and the plastic tub is filled with a pourable plastic mass, the first sensor electrode is formed by metallization layers on a first side of the conductor plate, the second sensor electrode is formed by a metal body mounted on a side opposite the first side of the conductor plate and includes a metal surface which is arranged to form a gap between said metal surface and said opposite side of the conductor plate, wherein said evaluation circuit is disposed within said gap, and the sensor module is arrayed in the inner space of the outer door handle so that a wall segment of the bottom wall of the plastic tub of the sensor module which protrudes to the outside passes through an opening in the wall of the outer door handle, said wall segment defining the specified location for triggering the locking process.