Electricity: motive power systems – Plural diverse motor controls – Motor-reversing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-09
2001-08-28
Nappi, Robert E. (Department: 2837)
Electricity: motive power systems
Plural diverse motor controls
Motor-reversing
C318S265000, C318S280000, C318S283000, C318S281000, C318S483000, C180S010000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06281647
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a power window apparatus and, more particularly, to a power window apparatus for opening the windows of an automobile by a manual operation when the automobile has been submerged in water by for some reason.
2. Description of the Related Art
In generally known power window apparatuses for use in automobiles, the window operating unit is arranged in the door pocket of the driver's side door, each of the door pockets of the passenger side door, or driver's side door and the door pockets of the driver's side door, passenger side door, and the rear seat door.
Each of these operating units in each of the known power window apparatuses comprises a window open switch, a window close switch, a motor for window opening/closing at the time of rotation, and a motor driver circuit for driving the motor by switching between the motor rotational directions according to the operations of the window open switch and the window close switch.
If an automobile equipped with such a power window apparatus has been submerged in water for some reason and the water gets inside the automobile, the water also gets in the door pocket in which the window operating unit is located, eventually submerging the window open switch and the window close switch. If the window open switch and the window close switch are submerged, it becomes difficult for the contacts used in these switches to maintain electrical isolation. If this happens, although each contact is in the break state, the water between the contacts forms a comparatively small resistance which causes the motor driver circuit to operate erroneously, opening or closing the window out of control. In addition, in such a state, because the motor driver circuit block including the window open switch does not operate correctly, operating the window open switch does not make the window open, making it difficult for those trapped inside the submerged automobile to escape.
Recently, for the purpose of eliminating the above-mentioned problem, a power window apparatus has been proposed by the applicant hereof in which a window operating unit arranged in the door pocket on the driver's seat is connected to a submersion detector and a drive control circuit for anti-flooding measures.
The above-mentioned proposed power window apparatus, if an automobile equipped therewith has been submerged in water for some reason and the water gets in the door pocket on the door on the driver's seat, the submersion detector arranged in the window operating unit on the driver's seat side detects the submersion, generates a submersion detection signal, and sends the signal to the drive control circuit. In response, the drive control circuit takes anti-flooding measures. Then, if the window open switch of the window operating unit on the driver's seat side is in the submerged state, the drive control circuit drives the motor to open the window of the driver's seat if the window open switch of the window operating unit on the driver's seat is manually operated within a certain period of time after the submersion took place, allowing the window on the driver's seat to open, and thus allow those trapped inside the submerged automobile to escape through this opened window.
The above-mentioned proposed power window apparatus allows the window on the driver's seat to open within a certain period of time by manually operating the window open switch of the window operating unit positioned near the driver's seat after the automobile has been submerged in water, even when water is getting in the door pocket of the door on the driver's seat.
If water gets inside the automobile, submerging the door pockets located near the driver's seat, the passenger seat, and the rear seats, the above-mentioned power window apparatus can take an anti-flooding measure only for the operating unit located near the driver's seat. Because the submersion detector and drive control circuit are connected only to the window operating unit located near the driver's seat, anti-flooding measures are not provided to the other window operating units. Therefore, if the water penetrates the window open switch of the window operating unit located near the passenger seat, and the rear seats, the manual operation of the window open switch on the side of these seats will not function, making it difficult for passengers to escape from the passenger and rear seats.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a power window apparatus having a high operational reliability capable of surely opening the window on the side of each seat in an automobile by operating the window open switch of the window operating unit on the side of each seat when the automobile has been submerged and flooded with water.
In carrying out the invention and according to one aspect thereof, there is provided a power window apparatus comprising a driver's seat side window operating unit and a passenger's seat side window operating unit, each of these units comprising a manually operated window open switch, a manually operated window close switch, a motor driving means for driving a motor for executing window opening and closing operations, and a motor drive control means for drivably controlling the motor driving means according to the operations of the window open switch and the window close switch, at least one of the driver's seat side window operating unit and the passenger's seat side window operating unit having a submersion detecting means for generating a submersion detection signal upon detection of submersion, the driver's seat side window operating unit and the passenger's seat side window operating unit each having a means to which a signal transmission terminal capable of transmitting and/or receiving the submersion detection signal is arranged.
According to the above-mentioned means, when the inside of a submerged automobile has been flooded, the submersion detecting means arranged in any one of the driver's seat side window operating unit and the passenger's seat side window operating unit detects the submersion and outputs the submersion detection signal. This signal is supplied to the drive control means of the window operating unit of the window and, at the same time, to the drive control means of the other window operating units through the signal transmission terminal and the signal transmission path. Consequently, anti-flooding measures can be taken on any window operating unit. Operating the window open switch of the window operating unit concerned allows each person trapped in the submerged automobile to open their own window for escape.
In the present invention, all of the driver's seat side window operating unit and the passenger's seat side window operating unit of the power window apparatus have each the submersion detecting means.
Thus, according to the embodiments of the present invention, the motor drive means of the driver's seat side window operating unit and the passenger's seat side window operating units are all supplied with a submersion detection signal, so that anti-flooding measure can be taken on each seat side. Manually operating the window open switch of the window operating unit on the side of one seat opens the window of the door on the side of the seat, allowing occupants who are trapped in the submerged automobile to escape through the opened window or windows.
In the present invention, if any one of the submersion detecting means in the driver's seat side window operating unit and the passenger's seat side window operating unit has generated a submersion detection signal, the power window apparatus receives by the motor drive control means the submersion detection signal through the signal transmission terminal.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the submersion detecting means is arranged in each of the driv
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Nappi Robert E.
Smith Tyrone
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