Automatic sunshade curtain with sustained state at transition

• US 6,759,643 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2001
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Exon Science, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Exon Science, Inc.
• Inventors: Hsiao, Shun-Hsiang, Chen, Kuei-Hung, Su, Wen-Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Thanh X.
• Application Number:
  US09/945,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20030042398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 250/214.AL, 250/221, 250/203.4, 359/601, 359/610, 296/97.1, 296/97.4
• US Class Current: 250/214.0AL
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 1/2011 Blinds; curtains or screens reducing heat or light intensity means against intense light blinding the driver or passengers B60J3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/052 Switching delay, i.e. the beam is not switched or changed instantaneously upon occurrence of a condition change
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/054 Variable non-standard intensity, i.e. emission of various beam intensities different from standard intensities, e.g. continuous or stepped transitions of intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/312 Adverse weather
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/337 Tunnels or bridges

Abstract

A light-responsive controlling device for automatically controlling a headlamp and/or a sunshade curtain is disclosed. The control device includes a photo-sensor mounted on a vehicle for generating a sensing signal in response to the intensity of an environmental light, a discriminating circuit electrically connected to the photo-sensor for optionally generating a triggering signal according to a comparing result of the sensing signal with a reference signal, a hold circuit electrically connected to the discriminating circuit for outputting a confirming signal in response to the triggering signal uninterrupted for a predetermined period, and a drive circuit electrically connected to the hold circuit and a headlamp or a sunshade curtain of the vehicle for providing a drive current in response to the confirming signal for the headlamp to emit a certain level of light or for the sunshade curtain to perform opening/closing operations.

Claims

1. A light-responsive control device, comprising:

a photo-sensor mounted on a vehicle for generating a sensing signal in response to the intensity of an environmental light;

a first discriminating circuit electrically connected to said photo-sensor for generating a first triggering signal in response to a first comparing result of said sensing signal with a first reference signal, and a second triggering signal in response to a second comparing result of said sensing signal with said first reference signal;

a first drive circuit electrically connected to said first discriminating circuit and a motor for opening a sunshade curtain of said vehicle in response to said first triggering signal, and closing said sunshade curtain in response to said second triggering signal;

a first hold circuit electrically connected between said first discriminating circuit and said first drive circuit for holding said second triggering signal until said second comparing result is kept unchanged for a predetermined period in minute order.

2. The light-responsive control device according to claim 1 wherein said photo-sensor is disposed at an interior rearview mirror of said vehicle.

3. The light-responsive control device according to claim 1 wherein said first drive circuit includes a relay unit electrically connected between said first discriminating circuit and said motor for changing revolving directions of said motor in response to said first and second triggering signal, respectively, so as to open/close said sunshade curtain.

4. The light-responsive control device according to claim 1 further comprising a switch electrically connected between said first discriminating circuit and said first drive circuit for switching said sunshade curtain among a manually opening, a manually dosing and an automatically opening/closing states.

5. The light-responsive control device according to claim 1 further comprising a switch electrically connected between said first drive circuit and said motor for manually suspending revolution of said motor.

6. A method for automatically switching a sunshade curtain of a vehicle between an open state and a closed state, comprising steps of

comparing the intensity of an environmental light with a first and a second threshold values;

generating an open-state triggering signal when the intensity of said environmental light is greater than said first threshold value;

generating an closed-state triggering signal when the intensity of said environmental light is less than said second threshold value;

generating a confirmed closed-state triggering signal when the intensity of said environmental light is no greater than said first threshold value but no less than said second threshold value for a predetermined period;

switching said sunshade curtain to said open state in response to said open-state triggering signal, and keeping said oven state of said sunshade curtain unchanged until either of said closed-state triggering signal and said confirmed cloned-state triggering signal is asserted; and

switching said sunshade curtain to said closed state in response to either of said cloned-state triggering signal and said confirmed closed-state triggering signal.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein said first threshold value is 4000 Lux.

8. The method according to claim 6 wherein said second threshold value is 300 Lux.

9. The method according to claim 6 wherein said predetermined period is about 5 minutes.