Claims
- 1. A method for protecting a vehicle system from a load dump, comprising:
sensing an input voltage pulse exceeding a first value; determining whether the voltage pulse is a load dump; disconnecting the system from power if the voltage pulse is a load dump; and absorbing the voltage pulse if the voltage pulse is not a load dump.
- 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising reconnecting the system with power when the voltage pulse concludes.
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the voltage pulse is a load dump comprises measuring a time duration of the voltage pulse.
- 4. The method of claim 3, wherein disconnecting the system from power if the voltage pulse is a load dump comprises disconnecting the system from power if the time duration of the pulse exceeds a second value.
- 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second value comprises approximately seventeen milliseconds.
- 6. The method of claim 1, wherein disconnecting the system from power if the voltage pulse is a load dump comprises disconnecting a display unit of an auxiliary vision system from power if the voltage pulse is a load dump.
- 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the display unit is coupled to an auxiliary vision system of a vehicle.
- 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the display unit is coupled to a global positioning satellite (GPS) system of a vehicle.
- 9. A method for displaying an image at a display unit, comprising:
receiving an image from a video source coupled to the display unit; projecting the image onto a fold mirror of the display unit; reflecting the image onto an imaging mirror of the display unit for viewing by a user; sensing an input voltage pulse exceeding a first value; determining whether the voltage pulse is a load dump; and disconnecting the display unit from power if the voltage pulse is a load dump.
- 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising reconnecting the display unit with power when the voltage pulse concludes.
- 11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether the voltage pulse is a load dump comprises measuring the time duration of the voltage pulse.
- 12. The method of claim 9, wherein disconnecting the display unit from power if the voltage pulse is a load dump comprises disconnecting the display unit from power if the time duration of the pulse exceeds a second value.
- 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second value comprises approximately seventeen milliseconds.
- 14. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving an image from a video source comprises receiving an image from a camera unit of an auxiliary vision system of a vehicle.
- 15. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving an image from a video source comprises:
directing energy from a scene towards a detector; receiving energy from a portion of the scene at each of a plurality of detector elements; converting the energy received at each detector element into information representative of the received energy; and forming a visible image using the information representative of the received energy.
- 16. A protection circuitry system for protecting a vehicle system from a load dump, comprising:
a pulse detector operable to: sense an input voltage pulse exceeding a first value; and determine whether the voltage pulse is a load dump; a series switch coupled to the pulse detector, the series switch operable to disconnect the system from power if the voltage pulse is a load dump; and a load spike protector coupled to the pulse detector, the load spike protector operable to absorb the voltage pulse if the voltage pulse is not a load dump.
- 17. The circuitry system of claim 16, wherein the series switch is further operable to reconnect the system with power when the voltage pulse concludes.
- 18. The circuitry system of claim 16, wherein a pulse detector operable to determine whether the voltage pulse is a load dump comprises a pulse detector operable to measure a time duration of the voltage pulse.
- 19. The circuitry system of claim 18, wherein disconnecting the system from power if the voltage pulse is a load dump comprises disconnecting the system from power if the time duration of the pulse exceeds a second value.
- 20. The circuitry system of claim 19, wherein the second value comprises approximately seventeen milliseconds.
- 21. The circuitry system of claim 16, wherein disconnecting the system from power if the voltage pulse is a load dump comprises disconnecting a display unit of an auxiliary vision system from power if the voltage pulse is a load dump.
- 22. The circuitry system of claim 21, wherein the display unit is coupled to an auxiliary vision system of a vehicle.
- 23. The circuitry system of claim 21, wherein the display unit is coupled to a global positioning satellite (GPS) system of a vehicle.
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Serial No. 60/399,632, filed Jul. 29, 2002, entitled Method and System for Protecting a Display Unit from a Load Dump.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60399632 |
Jul 2002 |
US |