Optical: systems and elements – Protection from moisture or foreign particle – Humidity or temperature control
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-29
2001-11-13
Spyrou, Cassandra (Department: 2872)
Optical: systems and elements
Protection from moisture or foreign particle
Humidity or temperature control
C296S146100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315418
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a device for commanding the heating of a motor vehicle exterior rear-view mirror.
It is an already known practice for a resistive element to be placed inside a motor vehicle window and for this window to be de-iced by passing a current through this resistive element. This technique is commonly employed for de-icing the rear window of a vehicle.
Certain vehicles are also equipped with means for de-icing the exterior rear-view mirrors, operating on the same principle.
Thus, in the most highly sophisticated vehicles, there are now, in each door, a device for commanding the de-icing of the rear-view mirrors, an electronic device for commanding the remote opening of the doors, an electrical device for commanding the movement of the windows, etc. Of course, the proliferation of such devices makes the electronic modules that need to be incorporated into the doors more complicated to produce, and increases their cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to command the de-icing of the rear-view mirrors without increasing the number of electronic modules fitted in the door, and therefore making best use of the modules which already exist.
To this end, the present invention relates to a method of commanding the heating of a motor vehicle rear-view mirror, said vehicle being, in particular, equipped with an electrical device for commanding the movement of the windows, said method being characterized in that it consists in using the device for lifting and lowering one and the same window to control the heating of the rear-view mirror.
By virtue of such arrangements, the command to de-ice the rear-view mirror is effected by the “window lifter” module, without increasing the number of modules that have to be fitted in each door. This allows this new de-icing function to be provided practically “for free”.
The present invention also relates to a rear-view mirror heating device employing the abovementioned method.
Advantageously, it is an already existing central calculation unit which simultaneously commands the window drive motor in the lowering and the lifting directions. The invention thus consists in connecting the de-icing resistive element to an appropriate point of the window movement command circuit.
Further objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will in any case emerge from the description which follows by way of non-limiting example, and with reference to the appended FIG.
1
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REFERENCES:
patent: 4882842 (1989-11-01), Basson et al.
patent: 4967114 (1990-10-01), Komurasakai et al.
patent: 5125263 (1992-06-01), Komurasaki et al.
patent: 5412166 (1995-05-01), Krupp et al.
patent: 5744698 (1998-04-01), Genot
Greenberg Laurence A.
Lerner Herbert L.
Siemens Automotive S.A.
Spyrou Cassandra
Stemer Werner H.
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