Camera based anti-pinch system
First Claim
1. An anti-pinch control system for a powered vehicle member having a pinching area comprising:
- a camera;
at least one indicium mounted to a vehicle structure in view of said camera such that an object may not pass into the pinching area without passing between said camera and at least a portion of said at least one indicium, said at least one indicium including at least one predefined zone for actuating a component operational function; and
a controller that identifies an obstruction when any portion of said at least one indicium is obscured.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An anti-pinch control system is used to identify obstructions in a path of movement for a powered vehicle member, such as a vehicle window for example. A pinching area is identified for the vehicle window and at least one indicium or indicator is mounted to a vehicle structure to be in view of a camera. The indicium is positioned such that no object may pass into the pinching area without also passing between the camera and at least a portion of the indicium. The camera identifies an obstruction when any portion of the indicium is obscured. This indicium includes a plurality of predefined zones, with each zone being associated with an operational function, such as upward window movement, downward window movement, door locking, side mirror movement, etc. This eliminates the need for separate switches to perform each of these functions thereby reducing overall cost for a vehicle door system.
11 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An anti-pinch control system for a powered vehicle member having a pinching area comprising:
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a camera; at least one indicium mounted to a vehicle structure in view of said camera such that an object may not pass into the pinching area without passing between said camera and at least a portion of said at least one indicium, said at least one indicium including at least one predefined zone for actuating a component operational function; and a controller that identifies an obstruction when any portion of said at least one indicium is obscured. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of controlling movement of a powered member relative to a vehicle structure comprising the steps of:
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(a) identifying a pinching area on the vehicle structure; (b) mounting at least one indicium at least partially along at least one edge of the vehicle structure wherein the at least one indicium includes at least one predefined zone that is associated with a component operational function; (c) using a camera to identify an obstruction when any portion of the at least one indicium is obscured; and (d) controlling movement of the powered member in response to an anti-pinch command issued by a controller once an obstruction is identified in step (c). - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification