Peripheral Unit Control System, Particularly to be Employed in a Motor Vehicle

• US 20080116747A1
• Filed: 09/02/2005
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sintel Italia Spa
• Original Assignee: Sintel Italia Spa
• Inventors: Polizzi, Gianfranco
• Application Number:
  US11/663,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20080116747A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0231 Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P

Abstract

The invention relates to a peripheral unit control system, (3) on board of a motor vehicle, comprised of an assembly of display, control, actuation and videoshooting instruments, contained within an element shaped as an inner rear view mirror, bigger than the standard mirrors, and providing inside the control logic unit and the display unit. On the inner side faced toward the driver it has the real rear view mirror and on the rear side it can house one or more microcameras for video shooting the scene in front of the motor vehicle. Said control and display unit projects under the housing wherein it is contained by a vertical sliding system (14), making it possible observing and usage all the controls present on its panel, and that can be observed on the liquid crystal display (9). Said actuation unit (3) can rotate with respect to its vertical axis in order to allow its best use and display bith by the driver and the passenger. When the unit is not used, it is retracted, sliding upward, within the housing containing the same. The present invention also concerns a peripheral unit control system (2), particularly to be employed in a motor vehicle, characterised in that it comprises a control unit (2), an actuation unit (3) and supply means for said control unit (2) and said actuation unit (3), said control unit (2) being connected with peripheral units (5) and with said actuation unit (3), and comprising actuation means selecting said peripheral units (5), said actuation unit (3) comprising interaction and/or visualization means (10, 11, 12) for interacting with said selective actuation means by signals to activate and/or deactivate at one of said peripheral units (5).

Claims

1. Peripheral unit control system, particularly to be employed in a motor vehicle, characterised in that it comprises a control unit, an actuation unit and supply means for said control unit and said actuation unit, said control unit being connected with peripheral units and with said actuation unit, and comprising actuation means selecting said peripheral units, said actuation unit comprising interaction and/or visualization means for interacting with said selective actuation means by signals to activate and/or deactivate at one of said peripheral units.

2. System according to claim 1, characterised in that at least some of said peripheral units are housed inside said control unit.

3. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said at least some of said peripheral units are housed outside said control unit.

4. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that control unit and said actuation unit are connected by a cable.

5. System according to claim 4, characterised in that said cable is a multi-wire cable.

6. System according to one of the preceding claims 1-3, characterised in that said control unit and said actuation unit are connected by infrared and/or radio frequency devices or by different wireless systems (blue-tooth, WiFi, etc.).

7. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said control unit and said peripheral units are connected by cables.

8. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said peripheral units are alarm sirens and/or telemetry sensors, and/or a video-recorder, and/or emergency signaller, and/or winking lights, and/or lights, and/or transmitting device, and/or navigator, and/or camera and/or GPS device, and/or microphone, and/or variable message display.

9. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said selective actuation means are comprised of at least a relays.

10. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said selective actuation means are comprised of a solid-state device.

11. System according to claim 10, characterised in that said solid-state device is a SCR and/or TRIAC.

12. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said selective actuation means comprise a control logic unit.

13. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said actuation unit comprise a programmable microprocessor for piloting said interaction and/or visualization means and for interfacing with said control unit.

14. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said interaction and/or visualization means at least a camera addressed toward the windscreen, to take outside scenes.

15. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said interaction and/or visualization means comprise a liquid crystal display, preferably active matrix liquid crystal display.

16. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said interaction and/or visualization means comprise a microphone.

17. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said interaction and/or visualization means comprise a push-button panel.

18. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said actuation unit is comprised within a housing placed in lieu provided under the rear-vision mirror, when in a use position, and behind said rear-vision mirror when in a rest position.

19. System according to one of the preceding claims 1-17, characterised in that said actuation unit is contained within a housing, which provides with a mirror on the surface faced inside the cabin of the car so as to be used as rear-vision mirror, and with at least a camera in the surface faced toward the windscreen, said camera being connected with said actuation unit, and said housing containing said actuation unit in a rest position.

20. System according to one of the preceding claims 18 or 19, characterised in that said actuation unit provides a vertical pin, along which can slide said actuation unit, in such a way that, when in a rest position, said actuation unit can positionate inside said rear-vision mirror.

21. System according to claim 20, characterised in that said pin is a rectilinear pin or a pantograph.

22. System according to one of the preceding claims 20 or 21, characterised in that said actuation unit can rotate with respect to said vertical pin.

23. System according to one of the preceding claims 20-22, characterised in that said actuation unit comprises a release pawl in order to slide on said pin.

24. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said supply means comprise reserve batteries provided inside said control and/or actuation unit.

25. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said system provides a consent device for ignition, connected with the ignition lock key.

26. System according to each one of the preceding claims, substantially as illustrated and described.