Electrical transmission or interconnection systems – Vehicle mounted systems – Automobile
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-19
2003-02-04
Fleming, Fritz (Department: 2836)
Electrical transmission or interconnection systems
Vehicle mounted systems
Automobile
C307S009100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06515377
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a process and a circuit for control of power windows, sun roofs, or door locks in motor vehicles with an electromechanical drive arrangement.
BACKGROUND
It is well known in the art to use bus technology in motor vehicles for data transmission between various electronically controlled devices within an automobile. Thus, for example, the individual door control devices of a door, by which the respective window lifters and the respective locks are controlled, are connected to each other and to a central electronic control module of the motor vehicle. Enabling signals, on which functions of the door control devices or the adjustable devices (window lifters, locks) are dependent, are generated by the central control module.
It has turned out that already with the failure of one part of the electrical circuit (central module or decentralized control devices) connected via the bus that important functions or even all functions of the adjustable devices can be blocked because a failed electronic circuit can no longer deliver the data which are necessary for the generation of enabling signals. Consequently, a risk to the occupants of a motor vehicle may result if the adjustable devices react incorrectly or not at all to the control commands. The situation described is thus unsatisfactory, especially since the technical operability of the adjustable devices would be present again without limitation with intact decentralized electronic circuits.
The failure of parts of the bus system, caused, for example, by water infiltration, fire, or mechanical influences (especially a crash), can lead to additional dangers especially in the event of accident-related emergency situations.
As described in EP 0 869 040 A2, a master control unit and a slave unit for a window lifter, which are connected via a “multiplex communication line”, are known. With a manual power switch, an engine current for a window lifter motor can be switched to the ON position, even if an error occurs in the “multiplex communication line”. However, manual power switches are very expensive and time-consuming to produce. Also, the solution presented in EP 0 869 040 A2 has the great disadvantage that the manual power switch is used only and exclusively in an emergency situation, such that operability cannot be tested until the occurrence of an emergency, and, in the event of inoperability, the manual power switch is an additional unsafe factor in an emergency since this manual power switch represents only untested redundancy for the window lifter system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Consequently, the object of the invention is to report a circuit for the control of power window lifters, sun roofs, or door locks in motor vehicles, which improves safety in emergency operation without additional redundancy of the operating switch. Another part of the object is to report a process to improve the availability of the adjustable device through the circuit which is disrupted, for example, through a defect of a bus system communicating with the circuit or connections of the circuit, and at the same time to reduce malfunctions of the circuit.
According to the present invention, an input level of at least one connection of a power driver is defined by a logical AND-operation (a switching state) of an operating switch and a switching element. Thus, the operating switch can be used in a particularly advantageous manner both for normal operation and emergency operation without a switchover between normal operation and emergency operation being necessary. The operability and reliability of the operating switch for emergency operation is thus verifiable at all times and can already be monitored automatically by actuation in normal operation by a vehicle occupant.
The AND-operation thus only enables actuation of the power driver if the operating switch is actuated and the switching element performs the AND-operation, is specifically in the ON state. In this case, the power driver is designed such that the input level now present with the application of current to the electromechanical drive device causes an adjustment of the window lifter or the sun roof.
The switching element ensures that the actuation of the power driver can be turned on and off by a control element, for example, a door lock switch of a vehicle door. It is thus possible to prevent intentionally damaging the circuit for misuse, in particular, preventing theft of the motor vehicle by opening the window upon one actuating the operating switch.
Such disconnection of the actuation is controlled in a preferred embodiment of the invention by the circuit in that data for actuation of the switching element are verified once or a plurality of times. Thus, in an emergency situation, it is possible to effectively rule out that the AND-operation as an activated antitheft device prevents actuation of the power driver to open the window by an endangered occupant who wishes to leave the vehicle.
The power driver can be controlled in emergency operation at least by the operating switch preferably in the ON direction. Additional switches or operating switches can also permit opening the window in emergency operation in that a safety switching element, for example, or an automatic switching element is connected in parallel with the operating switch. If, for example, the operating switch fails because of a mechanical defect, the window can also be opened by another operating switch, for example, the operating switch for closing the window or the handle for opening the vehicle door.
The number of input levels is determined according to the type of power driver. For example, a coil of a relay has two connections. The AND-operation determines the potential difference of the input levels between the two connections of the coil of the relay and, thus, whether a control current is flowing through the coil. If, for example, a semiconductor bridge is used as the power controller, the individual transistors of the bridge are connected individually or in groups to a connector directly or through appropriate drivers, for example, charge pumps, and actuated with the input level.
All touch, pressure, or push switches or other switches suitable for this can be used as operating switches. Depending on the requirement of the power driver, the operating switches can be designed as low power switches or load-free potential switches, for example, capacitive switches. A semiconductor bridge is, for example, actuated at a low ohm level by a driver. If the operating switch is intended to enable the supplying of current to a relay, the inclusion of a relay current necessary to operate the relay through the operating switch, for example, a low power switch, must be guaranteed.
In one embodiment, the circuit will switch over to emergency operation adapted, for example, to the failure, based on the detection of a failure, for example, a specific error pattern. In the specification of the functions of emergency operation, i.e., which functions are still permitted, available with limits, or blocked, the risks for malfunctions according to the failure are also taken into account. This differentiated problem solving results, on the one hand, in the fact that upon the occurrence of failures in the system, a comparatively high (possibly maximized) availability of functions is provided and, on the other, in that the risk to the occupants is minimized.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a change in the control level of the switching element can be verified by running a safety routine in the circuit. An ARQ protocol (Automatic Request Protocol) is, for example, used as a safety routine. However, all other routines expedient for this, for example, a checksum, may be used. Because of the small amount of data of the control level, the control levels may be verified several times or with high redundancy without having to put up with significant losses in system performance, whereby the control levels transmitted are checked for errors in the safety routine.
In an altern
Aab Volker
Seeberger Jürgen
Übelein Jorg
Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG Coburg
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Fleming Fritz
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