Electricity: motive power systems – Automatic and/or with time-delay means – Movement – position – or limit-of-travel
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-02
2003-06-03
Donels, Jeffrey (Department: 2837)
Electricity: motive power systems
Automatic and/or with time-delay means
Movement, position, or limit-of-travel
C307S010100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06573678
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and method for controlling the manner of raising a vehicle window using a power drive mechanism.
2. Background Information and Description of the Related Art (Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR §§1.97 and 1.98)
Published PCT application WO 98/08286, published Feb. 26, 1998, owned by Siemens A G, discloses a window motor gear drive which monitors motor current to protect against possible pinch situations in vehicle sliding roofs and windows. U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,501, issued Sep. 1, 1998, discloses a window drive motor control that monitors motor speed and slows the motor depending on window position. Published PCT application WO 00/01911, published Jan. 13, 2000, discloses a drive mechanism which mechanically limits motor torque. A system such as of U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,501 may use this type of mechanism.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There are numerous systems in the prior art for detecting situations in which a closing window should cease closing, because an obstacle may be in the way. In fact, U.S. vehicle safety standards require that vehicle power windows automatically sense certain types of obstacles, and that the closing window must automatically reopen if any of those obstacles are present. These standards are at 49 CFR §571.118, and are part of the larger body of rules commonly referred to as the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, or FMVSS.
Often, there are two modes for closing a vehicle window. The first mode is commonly referred to as “up” or “conventional up.” All power window systems have this mode. While an “up” button is pressed, the window is driven up. When the button is released, the window stops. Thus, in conventional “up” mode, the operator ultimately decides when to start and stop closing the window.
Many vehicles, however, include a second mode commonly referred to as “express up.” When the “express up” button is pressed, the window is driven closed even if the user is no longer pressing the “express up” button. The user need not do anything more. Rather, so long as the user doesn't press a contrary button, such as “window down”, window controls common in the art interpret an “express up” command to mean that the window should be driven all the way to its fully closed position.
Typically, a power window system will detect an obstacle based upon the function of the motor driving the window. There are many ways of doing this, such as monitoring motor current (or torque) or by monitoring motor speed, as disclosed respectively in the two prior art items referenced above.
In most of these systems, the motor detection algorithm relies upon sampling the motor attribute (current or speed) while the window is closing, and comparing that sampled attribute to a previously sampled value. If the most recent sample is noticeably different from previous samples, or if there is an unusual rate of change in these attribute sample values, then the motor may have perhaps encountered an unexpected obstacle. As such, the system reverses the motor to reopen the window.
If the starting position of the window is very close to the frame, it may be difficult for the detection algorithm to reliably discern the required changes in motor attributes. This may be because the motor will not be operating long enough to have yet come up to its full rotational speed. In this situation, the motor is still accelerating, and as such the motor attribute samples are often less reliable because of this acceleration. Thus, drawing effective comparisons between current and historical attribute samples is often difficult. These comparisons, however, are often necessary in order to perform a motor attribute trend analysis, to thereby discern the possible presence of an obstacle.
Likewise, the physical constraints of the window guides and channel may bind the window more as it approaches its final closed position. This situation may cause all attribute samples in that region to trend as if an obstacle is in the way, when in fact there may not actually be any obstacle.
All of these factors may make discerning the actual presence of an obstacle more difficult. It is therefore beneficial to have a system and method for improving the environment in which to sample the motor attributes during “express up” mode, when the starting position of the window is quite close to its final closed position. The present invention accomplishes this by determining the position of the window before beginning to close it. If the position of the window is within a predetermined proximity of its final closed position, then the “express up” command is not honored in its normal course. Instead, exception processing occurs. This exception processing may take the form of ignoring the “express up” command. The user may still close the window using the conventional “up” command, but he must continue pressing and holding the “up” button to do that. Under a different exception processing scenario, the window will be opened up to a neutral position before proceeding toward close in “express up” mode. Under a third exception process, the “express up” command will proceed to close the window from the point at which the command was received, but the window control system will heighten the sensitivity of its obstacle detection scheme.
One object of the present invention is to provide a system and method whereby a power window control can improve the likelihood that it can more readily discern an obstacle when in “express up” mode, when the starting position of that window is quite close to its final closed position. Another object is to decrease the likelihood of pinching a small object during an “express up” operation, when the window is near its closed position when the express up command is issued. A further object is to effect these objects using the sensors and controls already present in a power window system, thus alleviating the need for extra components.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5572101 (1996-11-01), Rutkowski et al.
patent: 5616997 (1997-04-01), Jackson et al.
patent: 5698907 (1997-12-01), Weber
patent: 5857061 (1999-01-01), Chang et al.
patent: 5949207 (1999-09-01), Luebke et al.
patent: 6002224 (1999-12-01), Stern
patent: 2013428 (1979-08-01), None
patent: WO 98/08286 (1998-02-01), None
patent: WO 00/01911 (2000-01-01), None
49 CFR Ch. V (Oct. 1, 1999 Edition) 571.118; 571.119.
Losey Allan
O'Connor Steve
Donels Jeffrey
Siemens VDO Automotive Corporation
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