Ford Motor Company Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

John F Kennedy

Yao H Kuo

Scott O Campbell

Robert D Plowdrey

Edmund Joe Tillo

Robert Donald Plowdrey

Lawrence P Kirk

Paul Simmons

David P Laude

Andrew Adrian

Michael A Thomas

James Alfred Wargnier

Ralph S Hashoian

Milan Cvetkovic

Luke Aaron Perkins

Vincent Colarossi

Matthew David Gerard

Timothy S Klepaczyk

Christopher Stanley Nicholas

Paul A Zoito

David A Diebel

David R Mannisto

Alan J Minsterman

Matt David Gerard

Howard Graeme Roberts

Gregory A Marek

The present invention provides a system and a method to prevent undesired sounds during FM modulator turn on. The system includes an RF attenuator circuit, a delay switch circuit, an RF ramp up circuit, and audio ramp up circuit. The RF attenuator circuit significantly reduces the RF signal from the FM modulator when the FM modulator is initially turned on, which significantly reduce whistle caused by the RF signal from the modulator beating with the local oscillator in the radio receiver. After allowing time for the PLL to lock onto the RF signal, the time delay switch circuit becomes active and charges the RF ramp up circuit. The RF ramp up circuit gradually increases the RF signal by gradually deactivating the RF attenuator circuit. The gradual increase of the RF signal is slower than the response time of the radio AGC, thereby preventing any pop as the RF signal is provided to the radio receiver.

FM modulator output control during turn on

An RF modulator/switch selectably couples a locally generated and conducted RF signal or an antenna RF signal to a broadcast radio receiver. A local RF input receives the conducted RF signal. An antenna RF input receives the antenna RF signal in response to a radiated RF broadcast in a broadcast band. A resonant network has a first node coupled to the antenna RF input and has a resonant frequency corresponding to the broadcast band. A first relay has a first output selectably coupled to either the antenna RF input or a second node of the resonant network. A second relay has a second output selectably coupled to either the local RF input or the first output of the first relay. When the second relay selects the local RF input then the first relay selects the second node of the resonant network and when the second relay selects the first output of the first relay then the first relay selects the antenna RF input.

RF modulator and switch having high antenna isolation

A method and apparatus for alerting a vehicle driver of a primary operating condition in a vehicle, includes detecting the primary operating condition. A primary warning indicator is then activated when the primary operating condition is detected. When a secondary operating condition is detected while the primary warning indicator is activated a secondary indicator is activated. The primary and secondary warning indicators are deactivated when the primary operating condition ceases to exist.

Method and apparatus for alerting a vehicle driver of an operating

A space diversity, multiple-tuner radio receiver obtains substantially noise free reception under most signal conditions. The tuner outputs are mixed in proportion with the signal quality as determined by detecting noise in each tuner output signal. Long-time-delay multipath distortion, adjacent channel interference, and co-channel interference are reduced by selecting predetermined antenna pattern combinations in response to high noise levels being present from both tuners.

Proportional diversity radio receiver system with dynamic

A radio frequency amplifier includes a first amplifier stage having a first transistor, and a second amplifier stage having a second transistor. The first transistor has a base input for receiving an input voltage, a collector output, and an emitter coupled to a common. The second transistor has a base input coupled to the first transistor collector output, a collector output, and an emitter coupled to the common by a resistance element. The second transistor emitter is DC coupled to the first transistor base. The DC coupling of the first transistor base to the second transistor emitter provides stable DC biasing of the first and second transistors based on base-emitter voltages of the first and second transistors. The radio frequency amplifier may be employed in a variety of receiver/amplifier applications, such as vehicular driver integrity check systems.

Low power RF amplifier

A radio receiver avoids overshoot or undershoot of its audio output caused by inadequate AGC loop response when driving under an underpass and then back into an unobstructed environment. The AGC loop response time is changed upon detection of the sudden decrease in signal level when entering the underpass. The state of the AGC loop prior to entry into the underpass is stored. Upon exiting the underpass, the stored values are restored so that a proper reception level is immediately obtained.

Radio receiver with underpass detector

An anti-theft system for a removable accessory has a transponder with a transponder security code located in the removable accessory. A remote sensing coil is operatively coupled to the transponder. A memory stores a security code corresponding to the transponder. A control module coupled to the remote sensing coil and the memory generates an interrogate signal and receives a response signal through the remote sensing coil. The transponder generating a response signal in the form of a transponder security code in response to the interrogate signal. The control module compares the transponder security code to the stored security code. If the transponder security code is not equal to the stored security code, a predetermined function is disabled. An output means is coupled to the control module for providing an indication to a vehicle operator of the disabled predetermined function.

Anti-theft sysem for a removable accessory of an automotve vehicle

A method for detecting an electrical connection between an antenna system and a receiver for a motor vehicle, the receiver having an automatic gain control with a variable impedance and a PIN diode connected therebetween, includes the steps of increasing the variable impedance of the automatic gain control, measuring signal strength of a signal received from the antenna system, decreasing the variable impedance of the automatic gain control, measuring the signal strength of the signal receiving from the antenna system, correlating the signal strength to the variable impedance to generate a correlation, and determining whether the antenna system is electrically connected to the receiver based on the correlation of the signal strength to the variable impedance.

Method for detecting electrical connection between antenna and receiver

An improved tuner for a varactor-tuned local oscillator in a radio receiver includes a winding of a pair of magnetically coupled inductors, preferably constructed in the form of a transformer. Preferably, the first and second windings are magnetically coupled with reduced inter-winding capacitance by axially separating the windings on a common core. The second winding is selectively coupled by a switch to a capacitive load in order to change the inductance of the first winding. The tuning range of the resonant circuit formed by the varactor diode set and the first winding is changed when the capacitive load is coupled. The magnetic coupling between the transformer windings provides DC isolation between the oscillator and the switching circuit. Preferably, a tuning actuator has overlapping ranges of movement for selection of a signal within both the AM and FM frequency bands as the intermediate frequencies for the local oscillator are generated.

Converting capacitance to inductance in a floating resonant

A key-in-ignition lock reminder system uses a key having a transponder with an identification code. An ignition lock for receiving the key has an adjacent antenna. A door proximity switch connected to the door generates a door open signal when the door is open. A control module is connected to a door lock control, the door proximity switch and a memory storing at least one identification code. The control module energizes the antenna coil which energizes a transponder. The transponder then transmits an identification code which is received by the antenna. The control module generates a control signal if the code from the transponder is equivalent to an identification code stored in the memory and the door proximity switch indicates the door is open. An indicator connected to the control module receives the control signal and generates an indication that the key is in the ignition lock.

Key-in-ignition lock reminder system

An anti-theft sensor contact mechanism for an ignition system of an automotive vehicle has a sensor contact mechanism 24 which utilizes a non-conducting lever 46 to sense the physical presence of a lock liner 26 within a lock cylinder 28 of the ignition system and to depress a moveable contact 40 against a stationary contact 38 of the same metal for closing a path in an electrical monitoring, or sensing, circuit 32. When the lock liner 26 is removed, such as when tampered with during theft of the vehicle, the sensor contact mechanism 24 causes a break in an electrical path in the circuit 32 through movement of the moveable contact 40 to a non-contacting position with the stationary contact 38 so that a conventional alarm system may be triggered to sound an audible or visible. Electrical continuity between the contacts 38, 40 is enhanced by enclosing them within a housing 34 through which the lever 46 protrudes to prevent dirt, grease, oil, and other surface coating debris from inhibiting electrical contact therebetween. The electrical circuit 32 is not grounded through the steering column casting 30 through the lever 46 or either the stationary or moveable contacts 38, 40, but is grounded through continuous wires 64, 66 attached to the contacts.

Ignition cylinder anti-theft sensor contact mechanism

An antenna is provided on a circuit board which has an elongated stub, having an end connected through a dielectric to a ground plane. The ground plane/stub combination forms a resonant cavity. The stub has a electrically conductive sail for increasing the omnidirectionality and sensitivity of the antenna.

RF sail pumped tuned antenna

The reception quality of an AM broadcast signal is determined within a very short time of tuning to the channel frequency by modifying the intermediate frequency signal to remove the audio information modulated on the carrier but including residual noise and higher frequencies. The modified IF signal is used to regenerate a pure sine-wave carrier as a replica of the original carrier wave at the transmitter. This pure carrier is compared to the modified IF signal to identify degradation during transmission.

High-quality reception indicating circuit for scanning AM recievers

Automatic gain control in a radio receiver is provided using a pair of saturable reactors in resonant circuits for providing variable attenuation. One resonant circuit has a frequency above the desired RF signal while the other has a resonant frequency below the desired RF signal. The resonant frequencies are symmetrically shifted about the desired frequency in response to the AGC signal.

Dual-band frequency-selective attenuator for automatic gain control

A circuit and method of demodulating an FSK signal uses digital circuitry to convert the received signal into count values. For each reception an adaptive reference count value is determined by averaging the duration of received pulses during the preamble of the transmission. The adaptive reference count corresponds to a demodulated logic '1' or logic level '0'. The counts from the coded portion of the transmission are compared to the adaptive reference count. If the count is within predetermined windows from the reference count, the count value is converted to the corresponding digital signal.

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Dearborn, MI, United States of America

John F Kennedy