Multizone capacitive anti-pinch system
First Claim
1. An anti-pinch assembly for a closure panel of a motor vehicle having a closure frame and said closure panel is movable between open and closed positions along a path using a closure motor, said anti-pinch assembly comprising:
- a controller;
a position sensor operably connected to said controller, said position sensor generating a position signal indicative of a position of the closure panel as the closure panel moves; and
a capacitive sensor mounted on the motor vehicle and positioned to sense a capacitive field and operably connected to said controller to provide an output signal to said controller, said capacitive sensor operative to sense changes in the capacitive field resulting from an object extending between the closure frame and the closure panel and thereafter stops the closure panel from moving towards the closed position, wherein said controller operates said capacitive sensor at a plurality of threshold levels providing multiple sensitivity levels.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An anti-pinch assembly is used for a closure panel supported by the motor vehicle. The closure panel is movable between an open position and a closed position. A controller is operably connected to the closure panel for controlling the operation of the closure panel. A position sensor is connected to the controller for indicating the position of the closure panel as the closure panel moves between the open and closed positions. A capacitive sensor is mounted on the frame of the vehicle and connected to the controller for providing an output signal to the controller indicative of the presence of a foreign object in the path of the closure panel. The controller varies the function of the capacitive sensor through a plurality of threshold levels as a function of the position of the closure panel as indicated by the position indicator. In a critical zone of travel, namely, travel of the closure panel nearing the closed position, the capacitive sensor can be utilized in either a contact mode or a non-contact mode or a combination of both.
-
Citations
29 Claims
-
1. An anti-pinch assembly for a closure panel of a motor vehicle having a closure frame and said closure panel is movable between open and closed positions along a path using a closure motor, said anti-pinch assembly comprising:
-
a controller;
a position sensor operably connected to said controller, said position sensor generating a position signal indicative of a position of the closure panel as the closure panel moves; and
a capacitive sensor mounted on the motor vehicle and positioned to sense a capacitive field and operably connected to said controller to provide an output signal to said controller, said capacitive sensor operative to sense changes in the capacitive field resulting from an object extending between the closure frame and the closure panel and thereafter stops the closure panel from moving towards the closed position, wherein said controller operates said capacitive sensor at a plurality of threshold levels providing multiple sensitivity levels. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. An anti-pinch assembly for a closure panel of a motor vehicle having a closure frame and said closure panel is movable between open and closed positions with respect to the closure frame using a closure motor, said anti-pinch assembly comprising:
-
a controller;
a position sensor disposed adjacent the closure motor and operably connected to said controller, said position sensor generating a position signal indicative of a position of the closure panel as the closure panel moves; and
a capacitive sensor mounted on the motor vehicle and operably connected to said controller to provide an output signal to said controller, wherein said controller operates said capacitive sensor at a plurality of sensitivity levels allowing said capacitive sensor to identify a foreign object extending through the closure frame and stops the closure panel from moving toward the closed position when said capacitive sensor identifies the foreign object extending through the closure frame. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A method for detecting the presence of an obstacle in a path of a closure panel movable by a motor between an open position and a closed position using a capacitive sensor, a threshold capacitor and a pulse generator, the method comprising the steps of:
-
generating a threshold signal;
measuring the dielectric in a field extending in the path of the closure panel to generate a measured signal;
comparing the measured signal with the threshold signal; and
stopping the closure panel from moving towards the closed position when the measured signal exceeds the threshold signal. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
-
Specification