System for control of actuators and switches by a remotely located microcontroller using a two buss system
First Claim
1. A vehicular actuator interface circuit for coupling at least one electromechanical actuator and at least one switching mechanism to a controller of the type which controls application of operating power to the actuator in response to changes in state of said switching mechanism, comprising:
- a periodic signal having a cycle including a low and a high condition, said periodic signal generated by said controller and communicated to said switching mechanism by said interface circuit;
said switching mechanism including means for loading said interface circuit in response to changes in state of said switching mechanism; and
said controller including means to detect a coincidence of said high condition of said periodic signal and loading of said interface circuit to thereby determine the state of said switching mechanism and supplying power to said actuator in response to changes in state of said switching mechanism.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A two buss system to accomplish; 1) communication from contact pairs located at vehicle access points such as a vehicle door or trunk to a central controller; and 2) transmitting current for energization of actuators to implement respective commands such as normal lock or super lock. The contact pairs function to provide entry ports for commands as well as providing status signals of various points of interest. The contact pairs are connected to individual output ports of a counter. Each contact pair is sequentially pulsed by a single pulse of a pulse train provided by the central controller. If a contact pair is engaged or closed when pulsed, the pulse will cause a coincident buss loading to occur. The central controller monitors buss loading and is appraised of the contact status by the coincidence (or lack thereof) of a pulse and a respectively loaded buss. Upon determination of the contact statuses, the central controller accesses a look-up table and then implements the respective commands by energizing one of several relays that define path for flow of current to respective actuators.
8 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A vehicular actuator interface circuit for coupling at least one electromechanical actuator and at least one switching mechanism to a controller of the type which controls application of operating power to the actuator in response to changes in state of said switching mechanism, comprising:
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a periodic signal having a cycle including a low and a high condition, said periodic signal generated by said controller and communicated to said switching mechanism by said interface circuit; said switching mechanism including means for loading said interface circuit in response to changes in state of said switching mechanism; and said controller including means to detect a coincidence of said high condition of said periodic signal and loading of said interface circuit to thereby determine the state of said switching mechanism and supplying power to said actuator in response to changes in state of said switching mechanism. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 18)
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13. A vehicular actuator interface circuit for coupling at least one electromechanical actuator and at least one switching mechanism to a controller of the type which controls application of operating power to the actuator in response to changes in state of said switching mechanism, comprising:
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a periodic signal having a cycle including a low and a high condition, said periodic signal generated by said controller and communicated to said switching mechanism by said interface circuit; said switching mechanism comprises a counter having a plurality of outputs and each of said outputs is connected to a switch; said counter distributes a cycle of said periodic signal to each switch; each said switch including means for loading said interface circuit; and said controller including means to detect a coincidence of said high condition of said periodic signal and loading of said interface circuit to thereby determine the state of said switching mechanism and supplying power to said actuator in response to changes in state of said switching mechanism. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A two-bus system for controlling an electromagnetic vehicular actuator, the system comprising:
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means for generating a periodic signal on a first bus, the periodic signal having a high condition and a low condition; means for receiving the periodic signal and generating a status signal indicating the state of a switching mechanism; means for receiving the status signal and loading a second bus in response thereto; and means for detecting the coincidence of the high condition of the periodic signal and the loading of the second bus and generating an actuator control signal in response thereto, wherein the actuator control signal generated depends on the state of the switching mechanism as indicated by the status signal.
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Specification