Patent Application
20140176300
For a more complete understanding of the disclosure, reference should be made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings wherein:
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the size dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various aspects of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.
Power windows are now commonly offered in many motor vehicles such as automobiles and trucks. The vehicle power windows are typically operated by vehicle occupants via controls, such as for example, pushbutton- or rocker-actuated open/close switches. The controls are typically provided in control panels commonly mounted on the insides of the doors or in proximity to center line of the vehicle, enabling the vehicle operator or passengers to selectively actuate the opening or closing of individual windows.
In addition to the individual window open/close switches for each window, many vehicles equipped with power windows often feature a lock-out switch that enables and disables the closing or opening of all of the windows in the vehicle except for the vehicle operator's window. The lock-out switch is typically provided in a centralized location, such as the vehicle operator's control panel. Thus, if for safety reasons or otherwise, the vehicle operator disables a rear window via the lock-out switch, the vehicle operator will also at the same time disable the other rear windows and the passenger side window. Conversely, if a passenger wants to open or close the passenger side window and the vehicle operator grants that passenger control via the lock-out switch, any other passengers, for example infants or common household pets, will also gain the ability to control their windows at the same time, which may not be desirable due to the other passengers' potential lack of discretion.
However, in some vehicular power window applications, the window controls are typically communicatively coupled to a controller rather than directly to the window actuators. The controller is in turn communicatively coupled to the window actuators. Thus, the controller receives and interprets requests from the window controls and in response commands the window actuators accordingly. Because the controller is interposed between the window controls and the window actuators, it is possible to define a request sequence to instruct the controller to enable or disable windows in the vehicle using only open/close switches, thus reducing the need for a window lock-out switch. Moreover, it is possible and desirable to enable and disable individual windows. Furthermore, while certain design consideration may call for such functionality to be accessible only at a centralized location, for example through the vehicle operator's window control panel, it may also be desirable to permit the windows to be enabled or disabled from other locations, for example from window control panels near the windows' respective individual locations and more specifically through individual door window control panels.
With reference to
Conversely, with continued reference to
With reference to
In an aspect, the predetermined period of time is at most about 0.5 seconds, but in other aspects it may be at most about 1 second, and in yet other aspects it may be at most about 3 seconds.
Using a more elaborate request sequence permits window enablement and disablement in positions other than closed or fully open, reduces unintended window enablements and disablements, and better facilitates window enablement and disablement from controls other than those in the centralized location, for example individual door window control panels near the respective windows.
A person skilled in the art will appreciate that suitable sequences other than a double pull and double push may also be used, including user configurable sequences. In one aspect, the enablement and disablement sequences are chosen so that vehicle occupants of suitable discretion, for example adult or teenage humans, may enable or disable the windows with relative ease, while the task is too difficult for other occupants, for example infants or common household pets. In some aspects, a potentially counterintuitive sequence, such as a quick double pull as a toggle between enabled and disabled may be sufficiently difficult.
Accordingly, in some examples, the enablement or disablement sequences may be used from controls near the windows' individual locations, for example individual door window control panels, to enable or disable the respective individual windows.
However, since disabling the vehicle operator window is often not desirable, in some examples the sequences used on the vehicle operator's window control disable and enable all or some subset of the remaining windows or to override the ability to enable or disable windows from individual control panels, to provide the functionality thus far provided by a separate lock-out switch.
Furthermore with reference to
In an example, the enabled and disabled status of each movable structure is indicated by a respective visual indicator 106, for example a bi-color or lit/unlit LED, located in the proximity of the respective control 104, in the respective control 104 itself, or otherwise. In an aspect green or unlit visual indicator 104 indicates that the window is enabled and red or lit indicator 104 indicates that the window is disabled. However, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that a number of other notification schemes are possible, including different colors and different light/dark patterns.
Also, with reference to
In an example, at least one control 102 or 104 is communicatively coupled to a controller. In an aspect, the controller is configured to receive a sequence containing a request to at least one of open and close the aperture from at least one control 102 or 104, interpret the received sequence as a request to one of enable and disable the actuation of the moveable structure, and in response to the interpretation, one of enable or disable the actuation of the moveable structure. In an aspect the controller is configured to communicate the enabled and disabled status of each moveable structure to the respective visual indicator.
In an aspect the controller comprises at least one processor and a computer storage medium. In an aspect the computer storage medium is configured to store instructions executable by one or more processors to receive a sequence containing a request to at least one of open and close the aperture from at least one control, interpret the received sequence as a request to one of enable and disable the actuation of the moveable structure, and in response to the interpretation, one of enable or disable the actuation of the moveable structure. In an aspect the computer storage medium is configured to store instructions executable by one or more processors to communicate the enabled and disabled status of each moveable structure to the respective visual indicator.
In an aspect the controller is communicatively coupled to a body control module. In another aspect the controller is comprised in a body control module. In an aspect the controller is communicatively coupled to the moveable structure actuator.
In an example the controller is disposed within a vehicle. In an aspect the controller is configured to control the actuation of a movable structure used to open and close an aperture in the vehicle.
Although the above examples have been described with respect to an exemplary window, in an aspect, analogous modes of operation are available for every movable structure used to open and close an aperture in a vehicle for which the enable/disable feature may be desirable and for which controls analogous to power window controls are available, for example the rear windows, the passenger window, the moon roof, all or some subset of vehicle windows, power locks, and power doors.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the scope of the invention. Further, those skilled in the art will recognize that the approaches described herein may also be used to control components and devices other than movable structures used to open and close apertures in a vehicle.
