Safety circuit for vehicle electromotive window lifts

• US 4,686,598 A
• Filed: 12/03/1984
• Issued: 08/11/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Helmut HUND KG
• Original Assignee: Helmut HUND KG
• Inventors: Herr, Klaus-Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Pellinen, A. D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Howard L.
• Application Number:
  US06/677,475
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 318/280, 318/282, 318/283, 318/285, 318/286, 361/23, 361/28, 361/29, 361/31, 49/28
• US Class Current: 361/31
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/0851 for motors actuating a movable member between two end positions, e.g. detecting an end position or obstruction by overload signal
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/0854 responsive to rate of change of current, couple or speed, e.g. anti-kickback protection H02H7/0851 takes precedence

Abstract

A safety circuit for a window lift driven by an electric motor is described which causes a reversal in the direction of rotation of the drive motor when the window pane impinges on an impedance in its upward motion. The reversal criterion used is the motor current surge familiar to the state of the art. The circuit of the invention is characterized in that upon actuation of the "close" window key, the drive motor first rotates briefly in the direction of opening and thereby displaces the window pane downwardly, whereupon it is automatically reversed and only then does the pane motion toward the closed position begin. Consequently, the motor start-up peak current decays in that range of displacement of the window pane which is below its initial position, whereby an increase in current (di/dt) after resuming the initial position of the window pane at once causes motor reversal. Thereby, an already wedged hand or the like is prevented from being pressed with the full motor force briefly immediately upon the actuation of the "close" window key.

Claims

1. In a safety circuit having therein a drive motor and means reversing the direction of rotation of said drive motor when there is a sudden increase in the motor current, said drive motor actuating a window lift and a window attached to said lift, the improvement comprising:

means rotating said drive motor through a predetermined period of time in a window-open direction upon actuation of a window-close switch and generation of a start-up current, thereby displacing said window through a predetermined distance in said window-open direction;

means reversing the direction of rotation of said drive motor at the end of said predetermined period of time, thereby displacing said window in a window-close direction;

means adjusting said predetermined period of time through which said drive motor rotates first in said window-open direction and thereafter in said window-close direction to such a length that the motor current has already assumed its normal value when the window has again reached a starting position; and

means disconnecting said means rotating after switching the motor operation at the beginning of the movement of said window in said window-close direction.

2. The safety circuit of claim 1, wherein said means disconnecting is a time-delay means permitting analysis of a positive di/dt only upon the lapse of a predetermined time interval.

3. The safety circuit of claim 1, wherein said means disconnecting is a circuit element analyzing a second negative di/dt of said start-up current as a trigger slope and permitting the analysis of a positive di/dt in relation to said trigger slope.