VEHICLE ACCESSORY CONTROL ARRANGEMENT

• US 20170072835A1
• Filed: 11/28/2016
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uusi LLC (Nartron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Uusi LLC (Nartron Corporation)
• Inventors: Shank, David W., Washeleski, John M., Cox, Edward J. II
• Granted Patent: US 9,840,185 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0088 Details of electrical connections B60Q1/305 takes precedence; electrical connection of the light source itself F21S41/192, F21S43/195
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/62 connecting to rigid printed circuits or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/325 Pulse-width modulation [PWM]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/117 Pads along the edge of rigid circuit boards, e.g. for pluggable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/14 Structural association of two or more printed circuits providing electric connection to or between printed circuits H05K1/11, H01R12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/142 Arrangements of planar printed circuit boards in the same plane, e.g. auxiliary printed circuit insert mounted in a main printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/16 incorporating printed electric components, e.g. printed resistor, capacitor, inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/04 Assemblies of printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09027 Non-rectangular flat PCB, e.g. circular
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09045 Locally raised area or protrusion of insulating substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09081 Tongue or tail integrated in planar structure, e.g. obtained by cutting from the planar structure
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09154 Bevelled, chamferred or tapered edge
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09163 Slotted edge
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/097 Alternating conductors, e.g. alternating different shaped pads, twisted pairs; Alternating components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09709 Staggered pads, lands or terminals; Parallel conductors in different planes
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0979 Redundant conductors or connections, i.e. more than one current path between two points
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0999 : Circuit printed on or in housing, e.g. housing as PCB; Circuit printed on the case of a component; PCB affixed to housing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10053 : Switch
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10151 : Sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10356 : Cables

Abstract

An illustrative inventory of vehicle accessory control components includes a plurality of first circuit boards and a plurality of second circuit boards. The first circuit boards each have a substrate with a plurality of circuit elements supported on the substrate. The first circuit board substrates have an overall perimeter shape including an outer edge profile and a plurality of first deviations from the outer edge profile. The second circuit boards each have a substrate with a plurality of circuit elements supported on them. The second circuit board substrates have the overall perimeter shape including the same outer edge profile as the first circuit board substrates. The second circuit board substrates include a plurality of second deviations from the outer edge profile. At least one portion of the second deviations is different than the first deviations of the first circuit boards.

Claims

1. An inventory of vehicle accessory control components, comprising:

a substrate having an overall perimeter shape including a first circuit board substrate and a second circuit board substrate;

a plurality of first circuit boards that each have the first circuit board substrate with a plurality of circuit elements supported on the first circuitry board substrate, the first circuit board substrate including an outer edge profile and a plurality of first deviations from the outer edge profile;

a plurality of second circuit boards that each have the second circuit board substrate with a plurality of circuit elements supported on the second circuit board substrate, the second circuit board substrate including the outer edge profile and a plurality of second deviations from the outer edge profile, at least one portion of the second deviations being different than the first deviations;

wherein each first circuit board substrate and each second circuit board substrate are arranged in a plane and selectively movable relative to each other to form the overall perimeter shape of the substrate;

wherein the outer edge profile is configured to facilitate one of the first and second circuit boards being received in a housing having a correspondingly shaped perimeter that generally conforms to the outer edge profile;

the first deviations are configured to cooperate with first features on a housing to allow one of the first circuit boards to be received into a housing having the first features but not to be received into another housing that does not have the first features; and

the second deviations are configured to cooperate with second features on a housing to allow one of the second circuit boards to be received into a housing having the second features but not to be received into another housing that does not have the second features;

wherein the plurality of circuit elements of at least the plurality of first circuit boards comprise a plurality of switches; and

a single pad area made of circuit board conductor on the first circuit board substrate in a location for each of the plurality of switches.

2. The inventory of claim 1, wherein the pad area is a capacitive sensor touch input.

3. The inventory of claim 1, including a plurality of representative occupant status parameters.

4. The inventory of claim 3, the representative occupant status parameters include at least one of where an occupant is seated, whether a seatbelt is latched, and stored preference selector.

5. The inventory of claim 3, includes at least one of the plurality of representative occupant status parameters includes at least one of an occupant position detection and an occupant presence detection including a conductor disposed within a vehicle seat with an electrical signal applied to the conductor to act as a carrier signal that is detected by a signal present at the pad area located on first circuit board substrate that is located behind a user interface during one of proximity to and surface contact with the user interface to determine which occupant is manipulating the user interface.

6. The inventory of claim 1, wherein first deviations comprise at least one of recesses, notches, radii, chamfers, tabs, or protrusions situated at least partially along the outer edge profile;

and the second deviations comprise at least one of recesses, notches, radii, chamfers, tabs, or protrusions situated at least partially along the outer edge profile.

7. The inventory of claim 1, wherein at least the first circuit board substrates and the second circuit board substrates can be selectively moved into a plurality of positions relative to each other;

a plurality of connectors respectively establish an electrical connection between the two first and second circuit board substrates or between circuit elements supported on the first and second circuit board substrates; and

the connectors comprise ribbon cables.

8. The inventory of claim 7, wherein ends of the ribbon cables are secured to a corresponding one of the board portions by solder.

9. The inventory of claim 1, wherein at least the first circuit boards each comprise a microcontroller supported on the substrate in a central location relative to the perimeter.

10. The inventory of claim 1, wherein each of the switches has redundant switch contacts.

11. The inventory of claim 10, wherein the redundant switch contacts comprise at least one of carbon coating, gold coating, nickel coating, and silver coating.

12. The inventory of claim 1, wherein the circuit elements of at least the first circuit boards comprise:

a plurality of lighting elements configured to provide light to a component situated in a vicinity of the circuit board;

a plurality of drivers associated with the lighting elements for providing power to the lighting elements, respectively; and

a controller that provides a power signal to each of the drivers, the controller being programmed to provide power to each driver to achieve a desired lighting characteristic of an associated one of the lighting elements.

13. The inventory of claim 12, wherein the plurality of drivers are arranged in a matrix comprising a plurality of rows;

each row has at least one associated drive resistor electrically coupled with the row such that power supplied to the row flows through the drive resistor; and

the controller is programmed to control a power signal to a selected driver based at least in part on a value of the drive resistor of the row in which the selected driver is situated.

14. The inventory of claim 13, wherein the controller provides a pulse width modulated power signal to the drivers, respectively;

and a characteristic of the pulse width modulated power signal for one of the drivers is different than the characteristic of the pulse width modulated power signal for one other one of the drivers such that the lighting elements associated with the one of the drivers and the other one of the drivers emit light differently.

15. The inventory of claim 12, wherein the lighting elements comprise light emitting diodes.

16. A vehicle accessory control interface, comprising:

a circuit board substrate;

a plurality of electronic components supported on the substrate, the plurality of electronic components including;

a plurality of lighting elements configured to provide light to a component situated in a vicinity of the circuit board substrate;

a plurality of drivers associated with the lighting elements for providing power to the lighting elements, respectively;

a controller that provides a power signal to each of the drivers, the controller being programmed to provide power to each driver to achieve a desired lighting characteristic of an associated one of the lighting elements;

a plurality of switches located on the circuit board substrate;

a single pad area made of circuit board conductor on the circuit board substrate in a location for each of the switches; and

wherein the plurality of drivers are arranged in a matrix comprising a plurality of rows;

each row has at least one associated drive resistor electrically coupled in series with the row such that power supplied to the row flows through the drive resistor; and

the controller is programmed to control a power signal to a selected driver based at least in part on a value of the drive resistor of the row in which the selected driver is situated.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the controller provides a pulse width modulated power signal to the drivers, respectively;

and a characteristic of the pulse width modulated power signal for one of the drivers is different than the characteristic of the pulse width modulated power signal for one other one of the drivers such that the lighting elements associated with the one of the drivers and the other one of the drivers, respectively, emit light differently.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein at least one of the rows includes a plurality of the drivers.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the lighting elements comprise light emitting diodes.

20. A vehicle accessory control interface, comprising:

a circuit board substrate;

a plurality of electronic components supported on the substrate, the plurality of electronic components including;

a plurality of lighting elements configured to provide light to a component situated in a vicinity of the circuit board substrate;

a plurality of drivers associated with the lighting elements for providing power to the lighting elements, respectively;

a controller that provides a power signal to each of the drivers, the controller being programmed to provide power to each driver to achieve a desired lighting characteristic of an associated one of the lighting elements;

a plurality of switches located on the circuit board substrate;

a single pad area made of circuit board conductor on the circuit board substrate in a location for each of the plurality of switches; and

wherein the plurality of drivers are arranged in a matrix comprising a plurality of rows;

each row has at least one associated drive resistor electrically coupled in series with the row such that power supplied to the row flows through the drive resistor; and

the controller is programmed to control a power signal to a selected driver based at least in part on a value of the drive resistor of the row in which the selected driver is situated; and

wherein the controller indicates at least one of an occupant position detection and an occupant presence detection using a conductor disposed within a vehicle seat with an electrical signal applied to the conductor to act as a carrier signal that is detected by a signal present at the pad area located on first circuit board substrate that is located behind the interface during one of proximity to and surface contact with the interface to determine which occupant is manipulating the interface.