Control arrangement for a control element for opening and closing a vehicle panel

• US 20060186847A1
• Filed: 02/02/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mechaless Systems GmbH (Elmos Semiconductor SE), Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Mechaless Systems GmbH (Elmos Semiconductor SE), Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Winter, Werner, Winter, Elmar, Reime, Gerd, Langer, Peter, Rottmann, Frank, Setzer, Juergen
• Application Number:
  US11/345,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20060186847A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/446
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/00 Power-operated mechanisms for wings motor-operated accessories in locks for completing closing or initiating opening of a wing E05B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/40 Safety devices, e.g. detection of obstructions or end positions
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/431 specially adapted for vehicle windows or roofs
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/695 Control circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/45 Control modes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/86 by hand
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/00 Details, accessories and auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/424 against unintended use, e.g. protection against vandalism or sabotage
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/73 Multiple functions
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/55 Windows
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2003/0293 with an integrated touch switch
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2300/006 Application power roofs
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/008 Operating part movable both angularly and rectilinearly, the rectilinear movement being perpendicular to the axis of angular movement
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/968 using opto-electronic devices

Abstract

A control arrangement for a control element for opening and closing a hatch in a motor vehicle has a motorized vehicle panel. The control element is designed in such a way that, upon a short actuation of the control element, depending on the direction of actuation of the control element, a control unit outputs a signal to a motor in order to displace the vehicle panel, and the vehicle panel is displaced in response to the signal. A safety operating device for the arrangement has at least one light transmission section which is actuated upon actuation of the control element and which correspondingly outputs an activation confirmation signal to a control unit. The control unit will not output a signal in response to which the motor displaces the vehicle panel until the signal from the control element and the activation confirmation signal from the safety operating device are present at the same time.

Claims

1. A control arrangement comprising:

a control element for opening and closing a hatch in a motor vehicle having a motorized vehicle panel, the control element being designed so that, upon a short actuation of the control element and depending on the direction of actuation of the control element, a control unit outputs a signal to a motor in order to displace the vehicle panel and the vehicle panel is displaced in response to said signal, and

a safety operating device which includes at least one light transmission section which is actuated upon actuation of the control element and which correspondingly thereupon outputs an activation confirmation signal to the control unit,

wherein the control unit does not output the signal to the motor in order to displace the vehicle panel until both a signal from the control element and the activation confirmation signal from the safety operating device are present at the same time.

2. The control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one light transmission section is arranged so that, based on geometry of the control element, it can be actuated only upon an intentional actuation with a finger.

3. The control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one light transmission section is formed from a transmitter, a receiver, and a light transmission path arranged therebetween, and wherein actuation of the at least one light transmission section is interruption of the light transmission path.

4. The control arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the at least one light transmission section is constructed such that the transmitter and the receiver are located so that light emitted by the transmitter is guided to the receiver via a reflecting element.

5. The control arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the at least one light transmission section is one of a number of light transmission sections, and wherein a common receiver is illuminated via a light-guiding element.

6. The control arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the at least one light transmission section is one of a number of light transmission sections, and wherein a number of receivers are respectively illuminated by at least one transmitter via light-guiding elements.

7. The control arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the transmitter is one of a plurality of individual transmitters activated in at least one of temporal succession and specific combinations, and wherein it is possible to deduce how the control element has been actuated from the output signal of the receiver.

8. The control arrangement according to claim 6, wherein it is possible to deduce from output signals of the various receivers whether corresponding actuation cycles of the light transmission sections are consistent with actuation cycles prescribed by the geometry of the control element, and wherein it is possible therefrom to diagnose soiling or defects in at least one of transmitters, receivers, and light transmission sections.

9. The control arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the transmitting power of the individual transmitters can be interregulated, and wherein instances of soiling and ageing effects can be diagnosed from the received output signals of the receiver, extraneous light influences can be compensated, or instances of soiling and aging effects can be diagnosed and extraneous light influences can be compensated.

10. The control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one light transmission section is arranged in such a way that the at least one light transmission section is actuated upon a sliding, tilting, or compressive movement of the control element.

11. The control arrangement according to one of claim 1, wherein a number of latching positions of the control element in one direction are in succession covered by arranging a number of light transmission sections.

12. The control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the safety operating device has a number of light transmission sections which are arranged geometrically in relation to the control element in such a way that they can simultaneously serve to change over the actual control function.

13. The control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the activation confirmation signal of the safety operating device is used simultaneously to drive a switch illumination.

14. The control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one light transmission section is embodied with infrared light.

15. The control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one light transmission section is of fixed construction in the control arrangement.

16. The control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one light transmission section is of fixed construction in a housing of the control arrangement.

17. The control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle panel is a sliding roof.

18. The control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle panel is a side window.

19. The control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the activation confirmation signal is taken into account only when, because of an actuation direction of the control element, there is to be output to the motor in order to displace the vehicle panel a signal in response to which the vehicle panel is displaced until it is completely closed.

20. The control arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the at least one light transmission section is formed from a transmitter, a receiver, and a light transmission path arranged therebetween, and wherein actuation of the at least one light transmission section is interruption of the light transmission path.