Glovebox controller systems and methods

• US 10,544,608 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2017
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Inventors: Stoia, Jonathon, Nairyani, Veer, Small, Evan, Simonson, Luke
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greene, Daniel L
• Application Number:
  US15/640,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20190003215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 7/06 mounted on or below dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 2063/0091 Lock actuation dependent on temperature
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/54 Automatic securing or unlocking of bolts triggered by certain vehicle parameters, e.g. exceeding a speed threshold triggered by vehicle collision E05B77/12
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/18 to effect movement of a bolt or bolts E05B81/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/56 Control of actuators
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/80 characterised by the power supply; Emergency power operation
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/30 for glove compartments
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 9/043 with crank pins and connecting rods

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to control a vehicle accessory actuator for an actuated vehicle accessory, such as an actuated glovebox in the cockpit of a vehicle. A vehicle accessory control system includes a vehicle accessory actuator and a logic device configured to control operation of the vehicle accessory actuator. The vehicle accessory actuator is configured to unlatch or otherwise control operation of a vehicle accessory. The logic device is configured to receive an unlatch or other control command associated with the vehicle accessory, determine an operating temperature, other environmental condition, or operational status associated with the vehicle, vehicle accessory, or vehicle accessory actuator, and to provide an actuator control signal to the vehicle accessory actuator to unlatch or otherwise control operation of the vehicle accessory, where electrical characteristics of the actuator control signal are based on the determined operating temperature, other environmental condition, or operational status.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle accessory actuator configured to unlatch a vehicle accessory for a vehicle;

a logic device coupled within the vehicle and configured to control operation of the vehicle accessory actuator, wherein the logic device is configured to;

receive an unlatch command associated with the vehicle accessory;

determine an operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator; and

provide an actuator control signal to the vehicle accessory actuator to unlatch the vehicle accessory, wherein at least one electrical characteristic of the actuator control signal is based, at least in part, on the determined operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator; and

a temperature sensor configured to monitor a measured temperature of a cockpit of the vehicle, of the vehicle accessory, and/or of the vehicle accessory actuator, and to provide the measured temperature to the logic device, wherein;

the determining the operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator comprises receiving the measured temperature from the temperature sensor; and

the operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator comprises the measured temperature of the cockpit of the vehicle, of the vehicle accessory, and/or of the vehicle accessory actuator.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface including a touchscreen display disposed within a cockpit of the vehicle, wherein:

the logic device is configured to render an unlatch selector on the touchscreen display; and

the receiving the unlatch command associated with the vehicle accessory comprises receiving a user selection of the unlatch selector rendered on the touchscreen display.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a communication module configured to establish a communication link with a user device and/or a remote server over a local area network and/or a wide area network, wherein:

the receiving the unlatch command associated with the vehicle accessory comprises receiving a remote unlatch command from the user device and/or the remote server over the local area network and/or the wide area network.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sound-monitoring subsystem configured to monitor spoken commands within a cockpit of the vehicle and provide the spoken commands to the logic device, wherein:

the receiving the unlatch command associated with the vehicle accessory comprises detecting a spoken unlatch command within the spoken commands received from the sound-monitoring subsystem.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sound-monitoring subsystem configured to monitor sounds within a cockpit of the vehicle associated with actuation of the vehicle accessory actuator and to provide the sounds to the logic device, wherein:

the logic device is configured to receive the sounds associated with actuation of the vehicle accessory actuator from the sound-monitoring subsystem; and

the at least one electrical characteristic of the actuator control signal is based on the determined operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator and the received sounds associated with actuation of the vehicle accessory actuator.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electrical sensor configured to monitor a resistance and/or a current draw of the vehicle accessory actuator, and to provide the measured resistance and/or current draw to the logic device, wherein the determining the operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator further comprises:

receiving the measured resistance and/or current draw from the electrical sensor; and

estimating the operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator based, at least in part, on the measured resistance and/or current draw of the vehicle accessory actuator.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an environmental sensor configured to monitor an environmental condition associated with operation of the vehicle accessory actuator and to provide measured environmental data corresponding to the environmental condition to the logic device, wherein:

the logic device is configured to receive the measured environmental data from the environmental sensor; and

the at least one electrical characteristic of the actuator control signal is based on the determined operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator and the received measured environmental data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one electrical characteristic of the actuator control signal comprises a duration, duty cycle, supply voltage, supply current, and/or supply power of the actuator control signal that is configured to adjust a force exerted by the vehicle accessory actuator, an actuator travel performed by the vehicle accessory actuator, a work performed by the vehicle accessory actuator, and/or a power output by the vehicle accessory actuator; and

the actuator control signal is configured to actuate the vehicle accessory actuator so as to produce an actuation sound level approaching, at, or below a threshold actuation sound level.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle accessory status sensor configured to monitor a vehicle accessory status of the vehicle accessory, wherein the vehicle accessory status comprises an open, a closed, or an indeterminate status corresponding to an open state of the vehicle accessory, the actuator control signal comprises a first actuator control signal, and the logic device is configured to receive the vehicle accessory status from the vehicle accessory status sensor and to perform one or more of:

report an open status to a user of the vehicle if the received accessory status is the open status or the indeterminate status after the first actuator control signal is provided to the vehicle accessory actuator;

or

provide a longer duration, higher duty cycle, higher supply voltage, higher supply current, and/or higher supply power second actuator control signal to the vehicle accessory actuator if the received accessory status is the closed status or the indeterminate status after the first actuator control signal is provided to the vehicle accessory actuator.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle accessory status sensor configured to monitor a vehicle accessory status of the vehicle accessory, wherein the vehicle accessory status comprises an open, a closed, or an indeterminate status corresponding to an open state of the vehicle accessory, and wherein the logic device is configured to:

receive a vehicle accessory status comprising the open status or the indeterminate status prior to receiving the unlatch command; and

report an open status to a user of the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein a force applied by the vehicle accessory actuator to unlatch the vehicle accessory is based on the determined operating temperature.

12. A method comprising:

receiving an unlatch command associated with a vehicle accessory for a vehicle;

determining an operating temperature associated with a vehicle accessory actuator configured to unlatch the vehicle accessory; and

providing an actuator control signal to the vehicle accessory actuator to unlatch the vehicle accessory, wherein at least one electrical characteristic of the actuator control signal is based, at least in part, on the determined operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator,

wherein determining the operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator comprises receiving a measured temperature of a cockpit of the vehicle, of the vehicle accessory, and/or of the vehicle accessory actuator from a temperature sensor,

and wherein the operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator comprises the measured temperature of the cockpit of the vehicle, of the vehicle accessory, and/or of the vehicle accessory actuator.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising rendering an unlatch selector on a touchscreen display, wherein:

the receiving the unlatch command associated with the vehicle accessory comprises receiving a user selection of the unlatch selector rendered on the touchscreen display.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the receiving the unlatch command associated with the vehicle accessory comprises receiving a remote unlatch command from a user device and/or a remote server over a local area network and/or a wide area network.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the receiving the unlatch command associated with the vehicle accessory comprises detecting a spoken unlatch command within spoken commands received from a sound-monitoring subsystem.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving sounds associated with actuation of the vehicle accessory actuator from a sound-monitoring subsystem, wherein the at least one electrical characteristic of the actuator control signal is based on the determined operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator and the received sounds associated with actuation of the vehicle accessory actuator.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining the operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator further comprises:

receiving a measured resistance and/or current draw from an electrical sensor configured to monitor a resistance and/or a current draw of the vehicle accessory actuator; and

estimating the operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator based, at least in part, on the measured resistance and/or current draw of the vehicle accessory actuator.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving measured environmental data from an environmental sensor configured to monitor an environmental condition associated with operation of the vehicle accessory actuator, wherein the at least one electrical characteristic of the actuator control signal is based on the determined operating temperature associated with the vehicle accessory actuator and the received measured environmental data.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the at least one electrical characteristic of the actuator control signal comprises a duration, duty cycle, supply voltage, supply current, and/or supply power of the actuator control signal that is configured to adjust a force exerted by the vehicle accessory actuator, an actuator travel performed by the vehicle accessory actuator, a work performed by the vehicle accessory actuator, and/or a power output by the vehicle accessory actuator; and

the actuator control signal is configured to actuate the vehicle accessory actuator so as to produce an actuation sound level approaching, at, or below a threshold actuation sound level.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the actuator control signal comprises a first actuator control signal, the method further comprising:

receiving a vehicle accessory status from a vehicle accessory status sensor, wherein the vehicle accessory status comprises an open, a closed, or an indeterminate status corresponding to an open state of the vehicle accessory; and

;

reporting an open status to a user of the vehicle if the received accessory status is the open status or the indeterminate status after the first actuator control signal is provided to the vehicle accessory actuator;

or

providing a longer duration, higher duty cycle, higher supply voltage, higher supply current, and/or higher supply power second actuator control signal to the vehicle accessory actuator if the received accessory status is the closed status or the indeterminate status after the first actuator control signal is provided to the vehicle accessory actuator.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a vehicle accessory status from a vehicle accessory status sensor prior to receiving the unlatch command, wherein the vehicle accessory status comprises an open status or an indeterminate status corresponding to an open state of the vehicle accessory; and

reporting an open status to a user of the vehicle.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein a force applied by the vehicle accessory actuator to unlatch the vehicle accessory is based on the determined operating temperature.