Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-23
2001-12-25
Hofsass, Jeffery (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
C340S850000, C340S852000, C340S603000, C701S045000, C701S046000, C701S047000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06333685
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vehicle submergence detection apparatus for detecting submergence of a vehicle.
2. Related Art
A power window mechanism for opening/closing a pane of window glass by using a motor, or the like, has been generally set up in a vehicle such as a car in recent years. When a vehicle has such a power window mechanism, providing various submergence countermeasures to submergence in a sea, a lake, or the like, due to an unforeseen accident., or the like, has been discussed. A submergence countermeasure enables a crew member to escape out of the vehicle easily when the vehicle has been submerged, by opening a pane of window glass automatically, or securely opening the pane of window glass by a manual operation.
Such a submergence countermeasure uses a structure which has a submergence detection means for detecting a submergence state, a control circuit for controlling a movement, and a drive circuit for supplying driving electric power to a motor, or the like, to drive a pane of window glass to open/close the window. The structure enables the pane of window glass to compulsorily open or to securely open by operating an emergency backup circuit when submergence is detected.
In the above-mentioned submergence countermeasure, no technique for detecting submergence has ever been established sufficiently. In the background art, a special sensor unit having a light transmitter and a light receiver for detecting water invasion optically is used for detecting submergence. However, when using such a special sensor unit, there was a problem that the cost of the submergence countermeasure substantially increased, or that a large space was required for arranging the special sensor unit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been attained upon the aforementioned circumstances and has as its object the provision of a vehicle submergence detection apparatus which is inexpensive and simple in configuration and in which submergence can be detected.
According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for detecting submergence of a vehicle, including: a hole portion provided in a substrate carrying electronic circuits in the vehicle so that the hole portion is immersed in water in case the vehicle is submerged; first and second electrically conductive patterns disposed so as to be opposite to each other with respect to the hole portion; and a detection output means connected to either of the first and second electrically conductive patterns so that the detection output means outputs a submergence detection signal on the basis of current conduction between the first and second electrically conductive patterns.
Preferably, the detection output means includes a semiconductor switching device which gets in an ON state when current conduction is performed between the first and second electrically conductive patterns.
In the aforementioned configuration, when the vehicle has been submerged, the hole portion is filled with water so that the first and second electrically conductive patterns opposite to each other with respect to the hole portion are electrically connected to each other. By the current conduction between the first and second electrically conductive patterns, the detection output means outputs a submergence detection signal. For example, when the electrically conductive patterns are electrically connected to each other, a semiconductor switching device gets in an ON state in the detection output means so that an output of the semiconductor switching device is issued as a submergence detection signal. Hence, submergence of the vehicle can be detected by a simple and inexpensive configuration which is such that only a hole portion and electrically conductive patterns are provided in a circuit substrate.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4068221 (1978-01-01), McClintock
patent: 5408221 (1995-04-01), Carsella, Sr. et al.
patent: 5897369 (1999-04-01), Jun
patent: 20-264149 (2000-09-01), None
patent: 00-318445 (2000-11-01), None
Hofsass Jeffery
Previl Daniel
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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