Jaguar Cars Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Pilkington Group Limited

Land Rover

Pilkington Automotive Limited

Jaguars Cars Limited

Carl Pickering

Peter Robert Thomas

Richard Dean Parkinson

Ian Richard Thorp

Rob Jerger

Colin John Wilson

Alister Whelan

Peter Thomas

Peter Hudson

Mike Richardson

Ashley Carl Torr

Neil Barton

Richard Powell

Ian Thorpe

Julian Styles

Steve Day

Joe Boote

Ashley Torr

Robert Jerger

Ian Nicholls

Peter Stares

A method is disclosed in which a configuration code identifying the type and specification of a vehicle () is stored in a memory device () during manufacture of the vehicle (). Information relating to one or more types of vehicle is uploaded into a mass storage device () located on the vehicle from an external data source (). The stored configuration code is then used to select from the information stored on the mass storage device () only the information relating to the particular vehicle () so that only relevant information can be accessed by a user of the vehicle (). The method may also include restricting the information provided if the vehicle speed is above a predetermined vehicle speed.

Method for providing information to a user of a motor vehicle

A laminated vehicle glazing comprising: at least two glazing panes laminated together by at least one interlayer therebetween; at least one sensor which is manually operable by the presence of a user's hand contacting or proximal to at least one of the panes; at least one shield associated with the at least one sensor whereby the at least one sensor is manually operable by the presence of a user's hand from only one side of the vehicle glazing; and at least one connector electrically connected to the at least one sensor connectable to an external device for control of the external device by manual operation of the at least one sensor.

Interactive vehicle glazing

A control system for a vehicle subsystem () comprises a controller () arranged to control operation of the subsystem (), a user input () connected to the system controller () and arranged to be operated by a user, and a sensor comprising a transmitter () associated with user input () and a receiver () associated with a first user, whereby the controller uses detection of a signal from the transmitter () by the receiver () to distinguish between operation of the user input () by said first user and operation of the user input by a second user.

Control systems

A touch screen control system comprising a touch screen having first and second conductive layers arranged to be brought together by touching of the screen. A detection system is arranged to detect a contact position at which the screen is touched by monitoring electrical signals from at least one of the layers. The system further comprises an antenna, and the detection system includes a proximity sensing signal generator arranged to generate a proximity sensing signal to be transmitted between the antenna and the first layer via a user of the system. The detection system is further arranged to receive the transmitted proximity sensing signal and determine therefrom the distance between a part of the user and the touch screen.

Touch screens

A rotatable selector mechanism for a motor vehicle transmission has a selector knob rotatable in a housing to select an operating mode of the transmission among a number of selector positions indicated by a label (P, R, N, D, M). The selector mechanism further includes a detent plate which cooperates with a detent pin for maintaining the selector knob in each of positions. The detent plate is connected to position sensors for generating selector signals to a transmission control unit which supplies control signals to an actuator for operate the transmission according to the operating mode selected. The detent plate is also associated to the selector knob and to a drive correction means by means of clutch devices respectively to engage the detent plate to one of the selector knob and the drive correction means. The clutch devices and the drive corrections means are controlled by the transmission control unit to move the detent plate from a selector position selected by the driver to another selector position representative of the operating mode of the transmission by means of the drive correction means without moving the selector knob. The selector knob further includes an illuminated pointer constituted by one of several LEDs controlled by the transmission control unit so as to change the LED illuminated in front of the label according to the position of the detent plate when the latter has been moved by the drive correction means in order to indicate the operating mode of the transmission.

Selector mechanism for a motor vehicle transmission

A touch screen control system comprising a touch screen () having first () and second conductive layers () arranged to be brought together by touching of the screen (). A detection system () is arranged to detect a contact position at which the screen () is touched by monitoring electrical signals from at least one of the layers (). The system further comprises an antenna (), and the detection system includes a proximity sensing signal generator arranged to generate a proximity sensing signal to be transmitted between the antenna () and the first layer () via a user () of the system. The detection system is further arranged to receive the transmitted proximity sensing signal and determine therefrom the distance between a part () of the user and the touch screen ().

A security system for remotely locking and unlocking closure members of a motor vehicleis disclosed in which a hand gesture recognition device is associated with a keyless entry system having a security deviceand a portable unitThe hand gesture recognition device includes at least one sensitised areafor detecting a hand gesture, an input/output device positioned in the passenger compartment for selecting or creating at least one pattern gesture which can be recognised by the sensitised areaand a gesture recognition module for transmitting an authorized code signal to the security deviceupon recognition of the selected or created gesture over the sensitized area. Such a gesture pattern can easily be modified from the I/O device by the user and ensure an improved security to a conventional keyless entry system.

Security system for a motor vehicle

A rotatable selector mechanism for a motor vehicle transmission has a selector knob rotatable in a housing to select an operating mode of the transmission among a number of selector positions indicated by a label (P,R,N,D,M). The selector mechanism further includes a detent plate which cooperates with a detent pin for maintaining the selector knob in each of positions. The detent plate is connected to position sensors for generating selector signals to a transmission control unit which supplies control signals to an actuator for operate the transmission according to the operating mode selected. The detent plate is also associated to the selector knob and to a drive correction means by means of clutch devices respectively to engage the detent plate to one of the selector knob and the drive correction means. The clutch devices and the drive corrections means are controlled by the transmission control unit to move the detent plate from a selector position selected by the driver to another selector position representative of the operating mode of the transmission by means of the drive correction means without moving the selector knob. The selector knob further includes an illuminated pointer constituted by one of several LEDs controlled by the transmission control unit so as to change the LED illuminated in front of the label according to the position of the detent plate when the latter has been moved by the drive correction means in order to indicate the operating mode of the transmission.

A sensing system for sensing the proximity of a part of a user to a control input, such as a control panel (), for a vehicle subsystem (), includes a transmitter () for transmitting a signal, a primary receivers () for receiving the signal via the user as a primary signal and a reference receiver () for receiving the signal via the user as a reference signal. One of the transmitter and primary receiver is associated with the user and the other with the control input (). The reference receiver () is associated with the user and a controller () is provided to receive and process the primary and reference signals to provide a measure of the proximity between the part of the user and the control input ().

Capacitive proximity sensor with user

A vehicle is equipped with a transmitter/receiver user recognition device and a control system for allowing a user to act remotely on one or more sub-systems of a vehicle, e.g., opening a panel such as a boot. In use, the system operates in association with a user identification device so as to activate an illumination block when the identification device has been recognized by the user recognition device and the identified user's hand is approaching, and to control the operation of one of the sub-systems when the identified user s hand is touching the illumination legend.

Growing community of inventors

Kenilworth, United Kingdom

Carl Pickering