Electrical control system for vehicle options

• US 5,661,455 A
• Filed: 01/31/1995
• Issued: 08/26/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Prince (Wellman Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zeinstra, Mark L., Van Lente, Paul S., Suman, Michael J., DeVree, William S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US08/381,551
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 340/525, 340/461, 340/462, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 362/83.1, 362/80.1, 250/201.1, 250/214 AL, 359/265, 359/267, 359/275, 359/601, 359/602-604, 359/608
• US Class Current: 340/525
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/088 using a cell of electrically changeable optical characteristic, e.g. liquid-crystal or electrochromic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/1207 with lamps; with turn indicators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1215 with information displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1223 with sensors or transducers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/123 with thermometers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1284 with communication systems other than radio-receivers, e.g. keyless entry systems, navigation systems; with anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00261 the keyless data carrier having more than one function
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00928 for garage doors
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00817 where the code of the lock can be programmed
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices

Abstract

A vehicle structural accessory includes one or more electronic accessories. One electrical accessory which may be provided is an electronically trainable transmitter which is trainable to generate a control signal which will actuate a garage door opening mechanism. Another electronic accessory which may be included is an electronic compass. Yet another device is an electronically adjustable mirror having parameters set for each driver of a vehicle. The electronically adjustable rearview mirror and the electronically trainable garage door opener may be advantageously provided with a keyless entry system.

Claims

1. A mirror control system for a vehicle comprising:

a receiver for receiving a user identification code from at least one remote transmitter;

a mirror having a reflectivity that is electronically adjustable; and

a control circuit coupled to said receiver and to said mirror for adjusting the reflectivity of said mirror in response to the receipt of a user identification code.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein said receiver receives a vehicle command with the user identification code from said at least one remote transmitter, and said control circuit controls a vehicle function corresponding to the vehicle command in response to the receipt of the vehicle command.

3. The system as defined in claim 2, wherein said vehicle function is locking or unlocking the door.

4. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein said mirror is a rearview mirror.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, further including a switch which a vehicle operator can activate when said mirror has a desired degree of reflectivity, and wherein said control circuit stores reflectivity control information indicated by the vehicle operator at the time of actuation of said switch as parameter information for subsequently adjusting said mirror.

6. The system as defined in claim 1, and further including an ambient light level detector coupled to said control circuit, wherein said control circuit controls the reflectivity of said mirror as a function of the detected ambient light level.

7. The system as defined in claim 6, wherein a plurality of different ambient light levels are set for said mirror, and a reflectivity level for each ambient light level may be set according to each vehicle operator'"'"'s preference for each ambient light level.

8. The system as defined in claim 7, wherein default levels are initially set for each ambient light level.

9. The system as defined in claim 6, wherein said ambient light level detector includes a front photocell and a rear photocell and said ambient light level is an average light level detected by each of said front and rear photocells.

10. The system as defined in claim 9, and further including a switch which a vehicle operator can activate when said mirror has a desired degree of reflectivity, and wherein said control circuit computes a glare tolerance threshold by determining a difference between the average light levels detected by said front and rear photocells at a time when the vehicle operator actuates said switch, said control circuit subsequently adjusts the reflectivity of said mirror to prevent a computed glare level from exceeding the glare tolerance threshold.

11. The mirror control system as defined in claim 1, wherein said control circuit adjusts the reflectivity of said mirror without moving said mirror.

12. The mirror control system as defined in claim 1, wherein said control circuit adjusts the reflectivity of said mirror by adjusting the percentage of incident light representing an image that is reflected to a driver'"'"'s eyes without changing the image that is viewed by the driver.

13. The mirror control system as defined in claim 1, wherein said mirror is an electrochromic mirror.

14. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein said receiver further receives a remote control signal from a remote control for an electronic garage door mechanism;

and

said control circuit detects and stores information of said remote control signal and selectively reproduces and transmits said remote control signal to control said electronic garage door mechanism.

15. The system as defined in claim 1, and further including a display, wherein said control circuit controls said display temperature and vehicle heading information.

16. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein said receiver receives control signals from a plurality of remote transmitters each of which have different identification codes for identifying different drivers.

17. The system as defined in claim 14, and further including a memory for storing mirror reflectivity preference information for each identification code associated with each of said plurality of remote transmitters, wherein said control circuit controls the reflectivity of said mirror according to the stored mirror reflectivity preference information associated with a received one of the identification codes.

18. The system as defined in claim 17, and further including input means for providing a train command to said control circuit, said control circuit storing current light and reflectivity parameters in said memory in response to said train command.

19. A vehicle control system for controlling a vehicle function comprising:

a mirror having a reflectivity that is electronically adjustable;

a radio frequency receiver for receiving a vehicle command from a remote radio frequency transmitter;

input means for providing temperature data;

a display; and

a control circuit, coupled to said radio frequency receiver, to said display, and to said input means, for controlling, in response to the receipt of the vehicle command, a vehicle function according to the vehicle command, and for displaying the temperature data on said display, wherein said control circuit is coupled to said mirror for adjusting the reflectivity of said mirror without moving said mirror.

20. The vehicle control system as defined in claim 19, wherein said vehicle command is a command to control the locking of at least one of a door and a trunk of the vehicle.

21. The vehicle control system as defined in claim 19, and further including:

a housing for supporting said radio frequency receiver, said input means, and said control circuit,

wherein said display includes a display source and a reflector supported by said housing for reflecting information presented by said display source such that said information is visible to the vehicle operator.

22. The vehicle control system as defined in claim 21, and further including a flux-gate magnetic field sensor, coupled to said display, for sensing vehicle heading information.

23. The vehicle control system as defined in claim 21, wherein said display source is a vacuum fluorescent display.

24. The vehicle control system as defined in claim 20, wherein said information is alpha-numeric and the information presented by said display source is reversed such that upon reflection it is readable by the vehicle operator.

25. The system as defined in claim 21, and further including a mirror supported in said housing.

26. The system as defined in claim 25, wherein said mirror is a rearview mirror.

27. A vehicle accessory comprising:

a radio frequency receiver for receiving a user identification code and a vehicle command from at least one radio frequency remote transmitter;

a mirror having a reflectivity that is electronically adjustable and

a control circuit coupled to said radio frequency receiver and to said mirror for adjusting the reflectivity of said mirror and for controlling a vehicle function in response to the vehicle command.

28. The vehicle accessory as defined in claim 27, and further including:

a housing; and

a display supported by said housing for displaying information to a vehicle operator, said display including a display source and a reflector supported by said housing for reflecting information presented by said display source such that said information is visible to the vehicle operator.

29. The vehicle accessory as defined in claim 28, further including a parameter sensor coupled to said control circuit, wherein said control circuit receives parameter information from said parameter sensor and transmits the parameter information to said display source in order to display the parameter information sensed by said parameter sensor on said display.

30. The vehicle accessory as defined in claim 29, wherein said parameter sensor is a flux-gate magnetic field sensor for sensing a vehicle heading.

31. The vehicle accessory as defined in claim 28, wherein said display source is a vacuum fluorescent display.

32. The vehicle accessory as defined in claim 28, and further including:

a flux-gate magnetic sensor; and

a temperature sensor coupled to said control circuit, wherein said control circuit receives compass bearing information from said flux-gate magnetic sensor and temperature information from said temperature sensor and provides the compass bearing and temperature information to said display source in order to display the compass bearing and temperature information to the vehicle operator on said display.

33. The system as defined in claim 27, wherein said mirror is a rearview mirror.

34. The vehicle accessory as defined in claim 27, wherein said control circuit adjusts the reflectivity of said mirror without moving said mirror.

35. The vehicle accessory as defined in claim 27, wherein said control circuit adjusts the reflectivity of said mirror by adjusting the percentage of incident light representing an image that is reflected to a driver'"'"'s eyes without changing the image that is viewed by the driver.

36. The vehicle accessory as defined in claim 27, wherein said mirror is an electrochromic mirror.