System and method for registering the drive mechanism position of a latch apparatus after power loss
First Claim
1. A system for registering drive mechanism position of a latching system after loss of power, comprising a latch including a claw and sill knob, said claw and sill knob including targets integrated thereon;
- at least one sensor, said sensor for detecting the presence of a target associated with either of said claw and/or sill knob;
a registration gear driven by an electric motor;
an index gear manipulated in position by the registration gear; and
an electronic control system for matching position of the index gear with at least one of the claw or the sill knob based on the location of said target with respect to said at least one sensor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved electric latch including latch position registration at power loss. A small motor affects a number of independent electrical actuations using an index gear, actuations of: Central Locking, Super Locking, Selective Locking, Power/electrical door opening (Passive Opening), and Power/electrical door closing (Soft Closing). The improved latch uses at least one sensor and several targets positioned on latch hardware to register drive mechanism positions of a latching system after loss of power. The improved system uses a sensor and target specifically for registered function. The present invention avoids the complexity of prior Latch designs by providing for latch position registration.
101 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A system for registering drive mechanism position of a latching system after loss of power, comprising
a latch including a claw and sill knob, said claw and sill knob including targets integrated thereon; -
at least one sensor, said sensor for detecting the presence of a target associated with either of said claw and/or sill knob;
a registration gear driven by an electric motor;
an index gear manipulated in position by the registration gear; and
an electronic control system for matching position of the index gear with at least one of the claw or the sill knob based on the location of said target with respect to said at least one sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for registering drive mechanism position of an electric latch after loss of electrical power, the method comprising the steps of:
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applying electrical power to an electric latch, said electric latch including a claw and a sill knob, said claw and sill knob including targets integrated thereon and at least one sensor for detecting the presence of a target associated with at least one of the claw and/or the sill knob, a registration gear driven by an electric motor, an index gear manipulated in position by the registration gear, and an electronic control system for matching position of the index gear with at least one of the claw or the sill knob based on the location of said target with respect to said at least one sensor;
determining the drive mechanism position of the electric latch using the electronic control system; and
electronically driving the electric latch to states including at least one of;
power close, open and ready to close, closed and ready to open, locked, and superlocked. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for registering drive mechanism position of an electric latch after loss of electrical power, the method comprising the steps of:
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applying electrical power to an electric latch, said electric latch including a claw and a sill knob, said claw and sill knob including targets integrated thereon and at least one sensor for detecting the presence of a target associated with at least one of the claw and/or the sill knob, a registration gear driven by an electric motor, an index gear manipulated in position by the registration gear, and an electronic control system for matching position of the index gear with at least one of the claw or the sill knob based on the location of said target with respect to said at least one sensor;
determining the drive mechanism position of the electric latch using the electronic control system; and
electromechanically driving at least one of the claw and/or sill knob to match a remembered state as indicated by the position of the index gear. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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Specification