Patent Grant
11713601
The present disclosure relates generally to an entry system for motor vehicles and, more particularly to a capacitive touch pad with mechanical emergency switch assembly for an electronic vehicle entry system. The present disclosure also relates to a method of operating the vehicle entry system.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
It is known that electrical latches (e-latch) are provided in motor vehicles, for example, for controlling the opening and closing of various closure panels such as passenger doors and lift gates. One of the defining characteristics of an e-latch is that it does not include a mechanical linkage to an outside or inside door handle. Instead, the door is released by a power-operated actuator in response to an electrical signal coming from one of the handles. The e-latch generally includes a latching mechanism having a ratchet that is selectively rotatable with respect to a striker fixed to a door post in order to latch and unlatch the door. The latching mechanism also generally includes a pawl that selectively engages the ratchet to prevent the ratchet from rotating. The e-latch also typically includes a power-operated actuator, such as an electric motor, which is electrically connected to a main power supply of the vehicle (e.g., the 12V battery of the vehicle) in order to directly or indirectly drive the pawl.
Because a common problem related to e-latches is that of controlling opening and closing of the doors or closure members in the case of a failure of the main power supply, a backup power source for the e-latch can be provided to supply electrical energy to the electric motor of the latch. EP 0 694 664 A1 discloses a backup energy source for an electrical door latch designed to supply power to the latch during emergency situations and which includes an auxiliary battery arranged within the door in order to power the release of the striker from the ratchet to facilitate opening of the door by the vehicle occupant. WO2014/102282 discloses a backup energy source for an electrical door latch that is designed to supply power to the electric motor during emergency situations and which includes a super capacitor group configured to store energy during normal operating conditions and supply a backup supply voltage to the electric motor during failure operating conditions.
Additionally, door opening/closing systems are moving towards the elimination of traditional mechanical handles/unlock switches by replacing such door handles/unlock switches with electronic sensors i.e. touch pad entry/touchless sensors. For example, a capacitive touch pad may be provided to replace an external handle or unlock switch which is in communication with the electronic latch to command the unlatching/opening of the latch. As part of such an electronic entry system, a door unlatch may be commanded with a “soft touch” on the capacitive touch pad/sensor (i.e. the capacitive touch pad requests a door unlatch to the e-latch through a hardwire connection or via the communication bus between the capacitive touch pad and the e-latch).
Capacitive sensors require power to operate, and thus due to the possibility of power failures or failure of the touch pad/sensor, the physical handle cannot fully be replaced by the touch pad since the door or closure member must still be able to be opened in the case of a failure in the operation of the entry sensor/system. For example, in the event of a lack of power (i.e. battery disconnect, dead battery, broken wire, or even a broken sensor) the door cannot be opened from the outside since the sensor and sensor microcontroller cannot be powered. In the case where a backup power system is provided, the entry sensors still may draw significant power to deplete the back-up energy source.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved touch pads for entry systems used on motor vehicles and methods of operation thereof that allow a user to directly command the operation of the electronic latch in the case of an operational failure of the electronic entry sensor.
This section provides a general summary of the present disclosure and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features and advantages.
It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an entry system and a touch pad for the entry system for use in a motor vehicle that addresses and overcomes the above-noted shortcomings.
Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a touch pad for operating an e-latch assembly of a motor vehicle entry system including a control circuit having a backup energy source. The touch pad includes a touch pad controller in communication with the control circuit of the e-latch assembly. The touch pad also includes at least one entry input sensor coupled to the touch pad controller for outputting a signal indicative of a command to operate the e-latch assembly. Finally, the touch pad includes a mechanical emergency switch assembly adjacent the at least one entry input sensor and including a plurality of pins electrically coupled to the control circuit of the e-latch assembly for operating the e-latch assembly when the at least one entry input sensor is not operable due to one of a power loss and malfunction of the at least one entry input sensor.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, an entry system for a closure member of a motor vehicle is also provided. The entry system includes an e-latch assembly that has a control circuit including a control unit normally powered by a main power source of the motor vehicle. The control circuit is configured to operate an actuation group operable to control actuation of the closure member. The control circuit of the e-latch assembly includes a backup energy source to provide power to the control unit and the actuation group in the event of a loss of power from the main power source. The entry system also includes a touch pad that has a touch pad controller in communication with the control circuit. The touch pad also includes at least one entry input sensor coupled to the touch pad controller for outputting a signal indicative of a touch to operate the e-latch assembly. The touch pad includes a mechanical emergency switch assembly adjacent the at least one entry input sensor. The mechanical emergency switch assembly includes a plurality of pins electrically coupled to the control circuit of the e-latch assembly for operating the e-latch assembly when the at least one entry input sensor is not operable due to one of a malfunction of the at least one entry input sensor and the loss of power from the main power source.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a method of operating an entry system of a motor vehicle including an e-latch assembly, is also provided. The method begins with the step of monitoring a battery voltage and the entry system continuously using a control circuit of the e-latch assembly in a non-emergency mode. The next step of the method is providing power to the control circuit in the event of a loss of power from a main power source using a backup energy source of the control circuit. The method proceeds by determining one of the loss of power from the main power source and a failure of a component of the entry system using the control circuit. The method continues with the step of transitioning to an emergency mode in response to determining one of the loss of battery power and the component failure of the entry system. The method also includes the step of polling a plurality of pins of a mechanical emergency switch assembly of a touch pad associated with a closure member of the vehicle using the control circuit for the actuation of the mechanical emergency switch assembly in the emergency mode. The next step is determining whether the actuation from the plurality pins of the mechanical emergency switch assembly indicate a command from a user to unlatch the closure member using the control circuit in the emergency mode. The method concludes with the step of operating an actuation group associated with the e-latch assembly with the control circuit using power from the backup energy source of the control circuit in response to determining that the actuation from the plurality pins of the mechanical emergency switch assembly indicate the command from the user to unlatch the closure member in the emergency mode.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
In the following description, details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present disclosure. In some instances, certain circuits, structures and techniques have not been described or shown in detail in order not to obscure the disclosure.
In general, the present disclosure relates to an entry system of the type well-suited for use in many vehicular closure applications. The entry system and associated methods of operation of this disclosure will be described in conjunction with one or more example embodiments. However, the specific example embodiments disclosed are merely provided to describe the inventive concepts, features, advantages and objectives with sufficient clarity to permit those skilled in this art to understand and practice the disclosure. Specifically, the example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, an entry system including a touch pad for a motor vehicle and a method of operating the entry system are disclosed.
Number 20 in
The e-latch assembly 20 is electrically connected to a main power source 26 of the motor vehicle 24, for example a main battery providing a battery voltage Vbatt of 12 Volts, through an electrical connection element 28, for example a power cable. The main power source 26 may also include a different source of electrical energy within the motor vehicle 24, such as an alternator, for example.
The e-latch assembly 20 is configured to include an actuation group 30 having one or more electric motor(s) 32 operable to control actuation of the front door 22 (or in general control actuation of the vehicle closure device). In one possible embodiment, the actuation group 30 includes a latching mechanism 34, 36 having a ratchet 34 and a pawl 36. Ratchet 34 is rotatably mounted to a latch housing 38 and is selectively rotatable to engage a striker 40 (fixed to a vehicle body 42 of the motor vehicle 24, for example to the so called A-pillar or B-pillar 44, in a manner not shown in detail). Ratchet 34 is rotatable between an unlatched (striker release) position, a secondary latched/closed (secondary striker capture) position and a primary latched/closed (primary striker capture) position and is normally biased toward the unlatched position. When the ratchet 34 is rotated into one of the latched positions with respect to the striker 40, the front door 22 is in a closed state, as either latched and cinched or latched and uncinched. Pawl 36 is also rotatably mounted to latch housing 38 and is moveable between a ratchet release position and one or more ratchet holding positions. Movement of pawl 36 to its ratchet release position permits ratchet 34 to move to its unlatched position. In contrast, movement of pawl 36 to its ratchet holding positions functions to hold ratchet 34 in one of its latched/closed positions. The pawl 36 is directly or indirectly driven by the electric motor 32 associated with a power actuator mechanism so as to move between its ratchet holding positions (e.g., a primary ratchet holding position for holding the ratchet 34 in its primary closed position and a secondary ratchet holding position for holding the ratchet 34 in its secondary closed position) and its ratchet release position. The pawl 36 is normally biased to continuously engage the ratchet 34.
As best shown in
The electronic control circuit 46 is also electrically coupled to a vehicle management unit 48, such as for example a Body Control Module (BCM) commonly known in the art, which is configured to control general operation of the motor vehicle 24 via an electrical connection bus 50 (e.g., a data bus), so as to exchange signals, data, commands and/or information Vd indicative of a state of the vehicle. Such information and/or signals Vd may include, for example, positioning of the individual components of the actuation group 30, state of the main power source 26, and/or circuit integrity of the main power source 26 connection to the electronic control circuit 46, and/or vehicle management unit 48.
The vehicle management unit 48 is additionally coupled to electrical system sensors 52 (
Conveniently, the electronic control circuit 46 receives feedback information about the latch actuation status from position sensors 54, such as Hall sensors, configured to detect the operating position of the actuation group 30 (e.g. latched state, unlatched state locked state, unlocked state, opened state, closed state, cinched state, uncinched state, etc.), for example of the ratchet 34 and/or pawl 36 and/or cinching lever (not shown) and/or striker 40; and also receives (directly and/or indirectly via the vehicle management unit 48) information Vd about user commands to open/unlock/unlatch or lock the front door 22 of the motor vehicle 24.
The electronic control circuit 46 can also be coupled to the main power source 26 of the motor vehicle 24, so as to receive the battery voltage Vbatt whereby the electronic control circuit 46 is able to check if the value of the battery voltage Vbatt decreases below a predetermined threshold value.
The electronic control circuit 46 also includes a control unit 56, for example provided with a microcontroller, processor or analogous computing module 58, that is coupled to a backup energy source 60 and the actuation group 30 of the e-latch assembly 20 (providing thereto the driving signal Sd), to control their operation. The power to generate the driving signals Sd as well as operational power for the electric motor 32 can be provided by the main power source 26, and in the event of a fault condition of the main power source 26, the power is provided by the backup energy source 60. While the backup energy source 60 is illustratively shown as embedded within the e-latch assembly 20, other placements, such as external and in electrical communication with the e-latch assembly 20 as provided within an interior chamber 96 of front door 22 for example are possible.
The control unit 56 also has an embedded memory 62, for example a non-volatile random access memory, coupled to the computing module 58, storing suitable programs and computer instructions (for example in the form of a firmware). It is recognized that the control unit 56 could alternatively comprise a logical circuit of discrete components to carry out the functions of the computing module 58 and embedded memory 62, including acting upon the vehicle state signals Vd, touch pad signals Vd, position sensor signals Vd, and/or detected or otherwise recognized fault condition(s) of the main power source 26 from the electrical system sensors 52, as further described below.
The control unit 56 is configured to control the e-latch assembly 20 for controlling actuation of the front door 22 based on signals Vd detected by a touch pad 64 and/or a key pad 66 which are indicative, for example, of the user intention or command to open the front door 22 of the motor vehicle 24, and optionally based on signals Vd received from the vehicle management unit 48 which are indicative, for example, of a correct authentication of the user carrying suitable authentication means (such as in a fob carried by the user) and/or as indication of the state of the motor vehicle 24 (one or more detected or otherwise recognized fault conditions of the main power source 26). It is also recognized that the touch pad 64 and/or key pad 66 can include signals Vd generated due to operation of detection zones, such as via touch of or proximity to the touch pad 64 and/or key pad 66, of other release controls by the vehicle occupant (e.g., hatch or trunk release lever or button located inside of the vehicle).
Of note, while reference to a capacitive based touch pad 64 and a capacitive key pad 66 are made for purposes of illustration of an exemplary embodiment involving a user physically contacting the touch pad 64 or key pad 66, either may also be configured as a touchless (or contactless) type interface whereby physical contact of the touch pad 64 or key pad 66 is not necessarily required for signals Vd to be generated. For example, the touch pad 64 may be capacitive based whereby a swipe or hover of a hand or finger 69 above the touch pad 64 disrupts an electromagnetic field 71 generated by the touch pad 64 there above is sufficient to register an indication to activate a vehicle function associated with the touch pad 64, such as an door unlatch command. As another example, other types of proximity sensors may be employed, such as radar based sensors.
According to a particular aspect, the control unit 56 is also configured to manage open/unlatch or unlock signals Vd received from the touch pad 64 and to implement a suitable control algorithm to control the same e-latch assembly 20 to facilitate release of the striker 40 from the ratchet 34 (e.g., when opening/unlatching) and/or engagement of the striker 40 from the ratchet 34 of actuation group 30 of the e-latch assembly 20 (e.g., when latching).
Further, the signals Vd can be interpreted by the vehicle management unit 48 and/or the control unit 56 to represent one or more of a variety of state conditions experienced by the vehicle and/or the e-latch assembly 20. For example, the state conditions can be fault condition(s) of the main power source 26 (including connection circuit failure between the main power source 26 and the e-latch assembly 20), operational position of components in the actuation group 30, and/or emergency conditions of the motor vehicle 24 itself (e.g., a crash condition). It is also recognized that fault condition(s) of the main power source 26 can include failure of the battery and/or alternator considered as part of the main power source 26.
In particular, the control unit 56 can, in view of receiving from the vehicle management unit 48 the vehicle state information signal Vd (e.g. indicative of one or more fault conditions of the main power source 26), position sensor 54 signals (e.g., indicative of latched state of the e-latch assembly 20), and/or door actuation signals Vd received from the touch pad 64 and/or key pad 66 (e.g., indicative of desire of vehicle occupant to open the front door 22), start, or otherwise operate the e-latch assembly 20, internally to the e-latch assembly 20, in order to provide for opening or unlatching of the front door 22 of the motor vehicle 24 in the event of fault(s) being experienced by the main power source 26 at the beginning of and/or in the midst of operation of actuation group 30.
The integrated backup energy source 60 can be a “passive” device accessed by the e-latch assembly 20, such that the backup energy source 60 is available to backup power the e-latch assembly 20 in the event that the main power source 26 is not available. For example, the current demanded by the e-latch assembly 20 (e.g., electric motor 32 and associated actuators) will draw from whichever source has the highest voltage potential at the time of current draw using an additional control circuit (not shown), for example, comprised of diodes, resistors and other similar solid state devices well known in the art of electric circuit design. In the passive mode for the backup energy source 60, signals from the electrical system sensors 52 can be optionally reported to the control unit 56.
The backup energy source 60 can include a group of low voltage supercapacitors (hereinafter supercap group), as an energy supply unit (or energy tank) to provide power backup to the e-latch assembly 20 even in case of power failures of the main power source 26. Supercapacitors may include electrolytic double layer capacitors, pseudocapacitors or a combination thereof. Supercapacitors advantageously provide high energy density, high output current capability and have no memory effects; moreover, supercapacitors have small size and are easy to integrate, have extended temperature range, long lifetime and may withstand a very high number of charging cycles. Supercapacitors are not toxic and do not entail explosive or fire risks, thus being suited for hazardous conditions, such as for automotive applications.
Accordingly, the electronic control circuit 46 and actuation group 30 are normally powered by the main power source 26 of the motor vehicle 24 and any failure affecting the vehicle management unit 48 and/or the main power source 26 of the motor vehicle 24 does not affect the proper management of the vehicle closure devices (for example the unlocking and/or unlatching front door 22), even during emergency situations.
Power door actuation system 82 is shown schematically to include the e-latch assembly 20 and a presenter assembly 84. E-latch assembly 20 is mounted to the rear of front door 22 and in addition to the latching mechanism 34, 36 described above includes (in this non-limiting configuration) a power-operated lock mechanism (not shown). As mentioned above, the e-latch assembly 20 is defined to be operating in a locked-latched mode when the latch mechanism is latched and the lock mechanism is locked for holding front door 22 in a locked-closed position. E-latch assembly 20 is also defined to be operating in an unlocked-latched mode when the latching mechanism 34, 36 (
Power door actuation system 82 is diagrammatically shown in
Although not expressly illustrated, actuator motor 88 can include Hall-effect sensors for monitoring a position and speed of front door 22 during movement between its open and closed positions. For example, one or more Hall-effect sensors may be provided and positioned to send signals to electronic control module 106 that are indicative of rotational movement of actuator motor 88 (e.g., a motor shaft) and indicative of the rotational speed of actuator motor 88, e.g., based on counting signals from the Hall-effect sensor detecting a target on a motor output shaft. In situations where the sensed motor speed is greater than a threshold speed and where the current being supplied to the actuator motor 88 (e.g., as detected by a current sensor or sensing circuitry) registers a significant change in the current draw, electronic control module 106 may determine that the user is manually moving front door 22 while actuator motor 88 is also operating, thus moving front door 22. Electronic control module 106 may then send a signal to actuator motor 88 to stop actuator motor 88 and may even disengage slip clutch 92 (if provided) to facilitate manual override movement. Conversely, when electronic control module 106 is in a power open or power close mode and the Hall-effect sensors indicate that a speed of actuator motor 88 is less than a threshold speed (e.g., zero) and a current spike is registered either directly or indirectly by microprocessor 108 and/or any current sensing circuity, electronic control module 106 may determine that an obstacle is in the way of front door 22, in which case the electronic control system may take any suitable action, such as sending a signal to turn off actuator motor 88. As such, electronic control module 106 receives feedback from the Hall-effect sensors to ensure that a contact obstacle has not occurred during movement of front door 22 from the closed position to the partially-open position, or vice versa. Other position sensing techniques to determine that the front door 22 is being moved, either by the actuator motor 88 and/or a manual user control are also possible.
As is also schematically shown in
Electronic control module 106 can also receive an additional input from proximity sensors, such as an ultrasonic sensor 118 positioned on a portion of front door 22, such as on a door mirror 120 or the like. Ultrasonic sensor 118 detects if an obstacle, such as another car, tree, or post, is near or in close proximity to front door 22. If such an obstacle is present, ultrasonic sensor 118 will send a signal to electronic control module 106 and electronic control module 106 will proceed to turn off actuator motor 88 to stop movement of front door 22, thereby preventing front door 22 from hitting the obstacle. This provides a non-contact obstacle avoidance system. In addition, or optionally, a contact obstacle avoidance system, such as a pinch detection system, can be placed in motor vehicle 24 which includes a contact sensor 122 mounted to front door 22, such as in association with molding component 124, and which is operable to send a signal to electronic control module 106 that an obstacle is detected, such as a user's finger detected in a gap between the vehicle body 42 and the front door 22.
Power door actuation system 82 is also shown schematically in
As best shown in
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As seen in
Because door opening/closing or entry systems are moving towards the elimination of traditional mechanical handles/unlock switches by replacing such door handles/unlock switches with electronic touch pads 64 or sensors for entry, difficulties can arise in the case of a failure in the operation of the entry system. While one solution could be to provide power to the touch pad 64 and/or at least one entry input sensor 154 using the backup energy source 60 of the e-latch assembly 20, an example entry input sensor 154 which is capacitive operating at 13V can consume between 100 and 300 microamps, thereby resulting in an increased rate of depletion of backup power source 60. Such power consumption may be too high to guarantee 12-24 hours of functionality when the entry system is relying on energy from the backup energy source 60. If entry input sensor 154 is not supplied by a backup energy source, such as backup energy source 60, entry input sensor 154 will not be operable in a failure scenario, such as loss of main power source 26.
Therefore, the touch pad 64 disclosed herein also includes a mechanical emergency switch assembly 170 as shown in
Also shown in
As best shown in
According to an aspect and shown in
Now referring to
The mechanical emergency switch assembly 170 may be configured to be diagnosed by the electronic control circuit 46 and/or the touch pad controller 177 as illustrated in
According to another aspect of the disclosure, and best shown in
In operation, the electronic control circuit 46 can be configured to monitor the battery voltage Vbatt and the entry system continuously in a non-emergency mode. Accordingly, the electronic control circuit 46 can be configured to determine one of the loss of power from the main power source 26 and a failure of a component of the entry system and transition to an emergency mode in response to determining one of the loss of battery power and the component failure of the entry system. The electronic control circuit 46 can also be configured to poll the plurality of pins 176 of the mechanical emergency switch assembly 170 for an actuation of the mechanical emergency switch assembly 170 in the emergency mode. The electronic control circuit 46 can then determine whether the actuation from the plurality pins 176 of the mechanical emergency switch assembly 170 indicate a command from a user to unlatch the closure member in the emergency mode. Then, the electronic control circuit 46 can operate the actuation group 30 using power from the backup energy source 60 of the electronic control circuit 46 in response to determining that the actuation from the plurality pins 176 of the mechanical emergency switch assembly 170 indicates the command from the user to unlatch the closure member. Consequently, the mechanical emergency switch assembly 170 allows a user to directly command the operation of the e-latch assembly 20 in the case of an operational failure of the touch pad 64 and/or main power source 26.
As best shown in
However, once a loss of battery power or operational failure event has occurred, the at least one entry input sensor 154 will no longer be operational. So, the method continues by 210 providing power to the electronic control circuit 46 in the event of a loss of power from a main power source 26 using a backup energy source 60 of the electronic control circuit 46. The e-latch assembly 20 may be aware of its state (or the state of the battery or main power source 26) and transition to a mode where it polls the pins 176 of the mechanical emergency switch assembly 170, rather than polling the at least one entry input sensor 154, to look for a closure of mechanical emergency switch assembly 170 indicative of a command from a user to unlatch the front door or other closure member. Thus, the method proceeds with the step of 212 determining one of the loss of power from the main power source 26 and a failure of a component of the vehicle entry system 127 using the electronic control circuit 46. Next, 214 transitioning to an emergency mode in response to determining one of the loss of battery power and the component failure of the vehicle entry system 127. So, when the user soft touches the touch pad 64 (
So, the e-latch assembly 20 continuously monitors both interfaces (the at least one entry input sensor 154 and mechanical emergency switch assembly 170) and the battery voltage Vbatt level. When a failure is detected, the at least one entry input sensor 154 or touch pad 64 may be turned off to save energy in the case a backup energy source 60 is supplying power to the electronic entry sensor or touch pad 64. Since the at least one entry input sensor 154 is off, it will not consume power, and polling the mechanical emergency switch assembly 170 requires insignificant power consumption, thereby extending the power of the backup power source 60 available during an emergency mode. Therefore, the method may also include the step of 222 deactivating the at least one entry input sensor 154 to save energy using the touch pad controller 177 in the emergency mode. Since the at least one entry input sensor 154 (i.e., capacitive pad) does not have to be powered from the backup energy source 60, energy is conserved. The activation of mechanical emergency switch assembly 170 will trigger the backup energy source 60 embedded in e-latch assembly 20 that will be then used to power a door unlatch operation. There is no connection between the at least one entry input sensor 154 and backup energy source 60 inside the e-latch assembly 20, thus avoiding any leakage from the backup energy source 60 due to the at least one entry input sensor 154.
The touch pad 64 with mechanical emergency switch assembly 170 and vehicle entry system 127 as disclosed herein advantageously provide a back-up system to the electronic touch pad 64 functionality (i.e., provides the user with the ability to command the operation of the e-latch assembly 20 in the case of an operational failure of the touch pad 64 and/or main power source 26, when the at least one entry input sensor 154 is unavailable to operate the e-latch assembly 20). The mechanical emergency switch assembly 170 does not consume any power while awaiting a command. Because such a back-up system is coupled to an e-latch assembly 20 with a backup energy source 60, the touch pad 64 with mechanical emergency switch assembly 170 and vehicle entry system 127 disclosed can allow for a physical lock/handle to be eliminated since the vehicle door can still be opened in case of a battery failure.
Clearly, changes may be made to what is described and illustrated herein without, however, departing from the scope defined in the accompanying claims. The e-latch assembly 20 may operate any kind of different closure devices within the motor vehicle 24, for example.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize that concepts disclosed in association with the example entry system can likewise be implemented into many other systems to control one or more operations and/or functions.
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” “top”, “bottom”, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element's or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptions used herein interpreted accordingly.
This utility application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/125,846, filed Sep. 10, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,371,270, and claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/559,908, filed Sep. 18, 2017. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220325565 A1 | Oct 2022 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62559908 | Sep 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16125846 | Sep 2018 | US |
| Child | 17809051 | US |
