POWERED LATCH SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE DOORS AND CONTROL SYSTEM THEREFOR

• US 20150330114A1
• Filed: 05/16/2014
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Bejune, Daniel Carl, Van Wiemeersch, John Robert, Kleve, Robert Bruce, Papanikolaou, Kosta, Mass, Noah Barlow, Boran, Lisa Therese, Brombach, Ronald Patrick, Weinfurther, Jim Michael, Linden, H. Paul Tsvi, Ricks, John Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 10,119,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/30 allowing opening by means of an inner door handle, even if the door is locked
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/48 by electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/54 Automatic securing or unlocking of bolts triggered by certain vehicle parameters, e.g. exceeding a speed threshold triggered by vehicle collision E05B77/12
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/00 Power-actuated vehicle locks
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/14 operating on bolt detents, e.g. for unlatching the bolt
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/64 Monitoring or sensing, e.g. by using switches or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/76 Detection of handle operation; Detection of a user approaching a handle; Electrical switching actions performed by door handles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1043 Swinging

Abstract

A latch system for vehicle doors includes a powered latch including a powered actuator that is configured to unlatch the powered latch. An interior unlatch input feature such as an unlatch switch can be actuated by a user to provide an unlatch request. The system may include a controller that is operably connected to the powered actuator of the powered latch. The controller is configured such that it does not unlatch the powered latch if a vehicle speed is greater than a predefined value unless the interior latch feature is actuated at least two times according to predefined criteria.

Claims

1. A latch system for vehicle doors, the latch system comprising:

a powered latch including a powered actuator that is configured to unlatch the powered latch;

an interior unlatch input feature that can be actuated by a user to provide an unlatch request;

a controller operably connected to the powered latch, wherein the controller is configured such that it does not unlatch the powered latch if a vehicle speed is greater than a predefined value unless the interior unlatch feature is actuated at least two times according to predefined criteria.

2. The latch system of claim 1, wherein:

the predefined criteria comprises actuating the interior unlatch input feature at least two times within a predefined time interval.

3. The latch system of claim 1, wherein

the predefined value of the vehicle speed is about three kilometers per hour.

4. The latch system of claim 1, including:

an exterior unlatch input feature; and

wherein;

the predefined value comprises a first predefined value, and wherein actuation of the exterior unlatch input feature does not unlatch the powered latch unless the vehicle speed is less than a second predefined value.

5. The latch system of claim 4, wherein;

the first predefined value is equal to the second predefined value.

6. The latch system of claim 1, wherein:

the interior unlatch input feature comprises a switch that is debounced at a first frequency if the interior unlatch switch is actuated at a vehicle speed that is less than the predefined value, and the unlatch switch is debounced at a second frequency that is significantly lower than the first frequency if the vehicle speed is above the predefined value.

19. The latch system of claim 1, wherein:

the powered latch system includes at least four powered latches including a pair of front latches that are configured to selectively retain a pair of front doors in closed positions and a pair of rear latches that are configured to selectively retain a pair of rear doors in closed positions, and wherein each powered latch includes a programmable latch controller that can be programmed to unlatch the powered latches according to selected predefined criteria, and wherein the four programmable latch controllers define locked and unlocked states, and wherein the programmable latch controllers of the rear latches are configured to provide a child lock feature such that the programmable controllers of the rear doors require the interior input feature to be actuated at least two times within a predefined time interval if the rear latches are in a locked state.

7. A latch system for vehicle doors, the latch system comprising:

a powered latch including a powered actuator that is configured to unlatch the powered latch;

an interior unlatch input feature that can be actuated by a user to provide an unlatch request;

an unlock input feature that can be actuated by a user to provide an unlock request; and

a controller in communication with the interior unlatch input feature and the unlock input feature, wherein the controller causes the powered latch to unlatch if a total of at least three discrete inputs in any combination are received from the interior unlatch input feature and/or the unlock input feature within a predefined time interval, wherein the at least three discrete inputs are selected from the group consisting of an unlatch request and an unlock request.

8. The latch system of claim 7, wherein:

the predefined time interval is five seconds.

9. The latch system of claim 7, wherein:

the at least three inputs comprises three unlatch requests or three unlock requests.

10. A latch system for vehicle doors, the latch system comprising:

a powered latch including a powered actuator that is configured to unlatch the powered latch;

an interior unlatch input feature that can be actuated by a user to provide an unlatch request;

a control module configured to detect a crash event; and

a controller that is configured to communicate with the control module by only a selected one of a digital data communication network and one or more electrical conductors extending between the controller and the control module, wherein the controller is configured to operate in a first operating mode wherein a single actuation of the interior unlatch input feature may be sufficient to unlatch the powered latch, and a second operating mode in which the controller requires at least two discrete actuations of the interior unlatch input feature within a predefined time interval to unlatch the powered latch, and wherein the controller utilizes the second operating mode if communication with the control module is interrupted.

11. The latch system of claim 10, wherein:

the controller utilizes the second operating mode if communication with the control module is lost for more than a predefined second time interval.

12. The latch system of claim 11, wherein:

the predefined second time interval is significantly less than 1.0 seconds.

13. The latch system of claim 10, wherein:

The interior unlatch input feature comprises a switch that can be manually actuated by a user.

14. A latch system for vehicle doors, the latch system comprising:

a powered latch including a powered actuator that is configured to unlatch the powered latch;

an interior unlatch input feature that can be actuated by a user to provide an unlatch request;

a control module configured to detect a crash event;

a controller that is configured to communicate with the control module utilizing a digital data communications network and one or more electrical conductors extending between the controller and the control module, and

wherein the controller is configured to operate in a first operating mode wherein a single actuation of the interior unlatch input feature may be sufficient to unlatch the powered latch, and a second operating mode in which the controller requires at least two discrete actuations of the interior unlatch input feature within a predefined time interval to unlatch the powered latch, and wherein the controller utilizes the first operating mode if the controller is able to communicate with the control module utilizing at least one of the data communications network and the electrical conductors, and wherein the controller utilizes the second operating mode if the controller is unable to communicate with the control module utilizing either the data communications network or the electrical conductors.

15. The latch system of claim 14, wherein:

the controller is configured to determine that a loss of communications has occurred if communication does not occur for at least a predefined period of time.

16. A latch system for vehicle doors, the latch system comprising:

a powered latch including a powered actuator that is configured to unlatch the powered latch and wherein the powered latch is configured to be connected to a main vehicle electrical power supply, the powered latch including a secondary electrical power supply capable of providing sufficient electrical power to actuate the powered actuator if the main vehicle electrical power supply is interrupted;

an interior unlatch input feature that can be actuated by a user to provide an unlatch request; and

wherein;

a controller that is operably connected to the powered actuator, wherein the controller is configured to operate in a first operating mode wherein a single actuation of the interior unlatch input feature may be sufficient to unlatch the powered latch, and a second operating mode in which the controller requires at least two discrete actuations of the interior unlatch input feature within a predefined time interval to unlatch the powered latch, and wherein the controller utilizes the second operating mode if a supply of electrical power from the main vehicle electrical power supply is interrupted.

17. The latch system of claim 16, including:

a control module configured to detect a crash event; and

wherein;

the controller is configured to communicate with the control module, and wherein the controller is configured to utilize the second operating mode if the control module detects a crash event.

18. A latch system for vehicle doors, the latch system comprising:

a powered latch including a powered actuator that is configured to unlatch the powered latch;

an interior unlatch input feature that can be actuated by a user to provide an unlatch request;

a control module configured to detect a crash event; and

a controller that is configured to communicate with the control module utilizing a digital data communication network and one or more electrical conductors extending between the controller and the control module, wherein the controller is configured to operate in a first operating mode wherein a single actuation of the interior unlatch input feature may be sufficient to unlatch the powered latch, and a second operating mode in which the controller requires at least two discrete actuations of the interior unlatch input feature within a predefined time interval to unlatch the powered latch, and wherein the controller utilizes the second operating mode if communication with the control module utilizing the digital data communication network is interrupted even if the controller maintains communication with the control module utilizing the one or more electrical conductors.

20. A latch system for vehicle doors, the latch system comprising:

a powered latch including a powered actuator that is configured to unlatch the powered latch and wherein the powered latch is configured to be connected to a main vehicle electrical power supply, the powered latch including a secondary electrical power supply capable of providing sufficient electrical power to actuate the powered actuator if the main vehicle electrical power supply is interrupted;

an interior unlatch input feature that can be actuated by a user to provide an unlatch request; and

wherein;

a control module configured to detect a crash event;

a controller that is operably connected to the control module and to the powered actuator, wherein the controller is configured to operate in a first operating mode wherein a single actuation of the interior unlatch input feature may be sufficient to unlatch the powered latch, and a second operating mode in which the controller requires at least two discrete actuations of the interior unlatch input feature within a predefined time interval to unlatch the powered latch, and wherein the controller utilizes the second operating mode if a crash event has occurred.