VEHICLE GRILLE SHUTTER
First Claim
1. A method of acknowledging a presence of an individual relative to a vehicle having a grille opening, the method comprising:
- detecting that the vehicle is stationary;
sensing the presence of the individual relative to the vehicle; and
setting an adjustable shutter in motion in response to the sensed presence of the individual when the vehicle is stationary;
wherein the shutter is arranged relative to the grille opening and is operable to selectively open and close the grille opening to present an appearance of a “
wink”
.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of acknowledging a presence of an individual relative to a vehicle having a grille opening includes detecting that the vehicle is stationary. The method also includes sensing the presence of the individual relative to the vehicle. The method additionally includes setting an adjustable shutter in motion in response to the sensed presence of the individual when the vehicle is stationary. The shutter is arranged relative to the grille opening and is operable to selectively open and close the grille opening to present an appearance of a “wink”. A system using a controller configured to regulate the shutter and perform such a method is also provided.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of acknowledging a presence of an individual relative to a vehicle having a grille opening, the method comprising:
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detecting that the vehicle is stationary; sensing the presence of the individual relative to the vehicle; and setting an adjustable shutter in motion in response to the sensed presence of the individual when the vehicle is stationary; wherein the shutter is arranged relative to the grille opening and is operable to selectively open and close the grille opening to present an appearance of a “
wink”
. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for acknowledging a presence of an individual relative to a vehicle having a grille opening, the system comprising:
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an adjustable shutter arranged relative to the grille opening and operable to selectively open and close the grille opening; and a controller configured to; detect that the vehicle is stationary; sense the presence of the individual relative to the vehicle; and set the shutter in motion in response to the sensed presence of the individual when the vehicle is stationary to thereby present an appearance of a “
wink”
. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for acknowledging a presence of an individual relative to a vehicle having a grille opening, the system comprising:
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an adjustable shutter arranged relative to the grille opening and operable to selectively open and close the grille opening; a device configured to transmit a signal; and a controller configured to; detect that the vehicle is stationary; sense the presence of the individual relative to the vehicle; receive the signal such that the presence of the individual is sensed when the device is present on the individual; set the shutter in motion in response to the sensed presence of the individual when the vehicle is stationary to thereby present an appearance of a “
wink”
;detect whether the shutter is being obstructed; and regulate the mechanism to cease setting the shutter in motion if the shutter is being obstructed.
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Specification