Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Other

Ken Mizuta

Shiro Kondo

Ken Shibazaki

Yukio Miura

Toshihiko Kawata

Toshiyuki Hoshi

Hironori Kato

Yoshio Sanpei

Katsuya Mitsuzuka

Satoshi Terashita

Mikio Onodera

Hidetaka Numata

Takuya Maeda

Michitada Akazawa

Isao Takagi

Masaaki Tanaka

Kazuaki Fukuda

Kazunori Fujioka

Toshimichi Saito

Ken Shibata

The switch input processing module has: a control unit; a first external connection terminal to which either an analog signal of an analog signal system or a serial signal of a serial signal system is supplied; an analog signal transmission and serial signal transmission line which is disposed between the first external connection terminal and the control unit; and a second external connection terminal to which a determination signal indicating that either the analog signal system or the serial signal system is connected to the first external connection terminal is supplied. When the control unit determines that the determination signal indicates connection of the serial signal system, the control unit makes the serial signal transmission line conductive. When the control unit determines that the determination signal indicates connection of the analog signal system, the control unit makes the serial signal transmission line nonconductive.

Switch input processing module for switching signal transmission lines to transmit different types of signals

A low power consumption type automobile-mounted controller capable of switching so as not to continue power consumption of the automobile-mounted power source when the automobile has not been used over a long term. The low power consumption type automobile-mounted controller comprises: a microcontroller unit having a power supply port, a voltage detection port, a control port, a communication port, and an input port; a first power supply path connected to the automobile-mounted power source through a change-over switch for turning ON/OFF the power supply port; a second power supply path for connecting the power supply port to the automobile-mounted power source through a controllable switch; and power open/close command means for turning ON/OFF the controllable switch in response to a power close command signal or a power open command signal, and operates in such a manner that on receipt of the power open command signal while the first power supply path is intercepted by turning OFF the change-over switch, the power open/close command means turns OFF the controllable switch to intercept the second power supply path.

Low power consumption type automobile-mounted controller

It is an object to provide structure for mounting stoke switches, easy to be assembled, capable of exchangeably mounting stoke switches having the same function or different functions to a steering column to enable them to be exchanged. The first and second stoke switches have proximal portions capable of being mounted to a steering column by extracting and inserting, and operating levers extending from the proximal portions respectively, and there are provided connector units, which are made connectable to connector units provided on the lateral sides of the steering column in such a manner that when the first and second stoke switches are extracted from and inserted into the steering column, the connector units on the steering column side discriminate between the first and second stoke switches.

Structure for mounting stoke switches

The motor driving apparatus comprises a plurality of motors for displacing the position of the control object member, semiconductor switch pairs, a plurality of motor driving units for connecting the motors to the power supply and a control unit for ON/OFF controlling the semiconductor switch pairs. The motors form two sets of motors with each set being formed of two motors. One end of the motors and forming each set is connected to the common motor driving unit having the semiconductor switch pair and the other end of the motors and forming each set is connected to the motor driving units having the semiconductor switch pairs in each set. When the motors of each set are driven simultaneously, the control unit turns ON and OFF two semiconductor switch pairs and drives the motors of each set on the time division basis to provide inverse output polarities of the two semiconductor switch pairs connected to the motors of each set. Thereby there is provided a low price motor driving apparatus that has reduced the total number of motor driving units using the motor driving units having the semiconductor switch pairs.

Motor driving apparatus for controlling plurality of motors with less motor driving units than motors

A steering angle detecting mechanism of this invention comprises: a plurality of photocouplers for detecting a steering angle of a steering wheel; a timer circuit for setting time; a first power source control unit which is controlled by the set time of the timer circuit and intermittently drives one of the plurality of photocouplers; a second power source control unit for driving the rest of the plurality of photocouplers; a wake-up circuit for generating a wake-up signal when a detection value of the single photocoupler is different from the immediately preceding detection value of the single photocoupler; and a micro control unit which is switched between a sleep mode and a wake-up mode. The micro control unit is switched to the sleep mode when an ignition switch is turned off, and to the wake-up mode for predetermined time when the wake-up signal is supplied, in the sleep mode, the micro control unit intermittently drives the single photocoupler at predetermined intervals and allows the wake-up circuit to generate the wake-up signal on the basis of the detection value of the single photocoupler, and in the wake-up mode, the micro control unit drives the plurality of photocouplers, detects a steering angle on the basis of detection values of the plurality of photocouplers, and stores the detection result.

Steering angle detecting mechanism

Disclosed is a power window switch device capable of informing the driver of the occurrence of a malfunction in the opening and closing of power windows. A power window switch device includes a plurality of pairs of power window switches individually connected to a plurality of power window motors, a detecting section for detecting a malfunction in the opening and closing of the power windows and outputting a malfunction signal, a control section for detecting the malfunction signal output from the detecting section and outputting an actuator drive signal, and a vibrating device driven by the drive signal output from the control section. The vibration of the vibrating device is transmitted to the finger operating the power window switches to thereby inform the driver of the occurrence of a malfunction.

Power window switch device

Disclosed is a vehicle equipment control device capable of effecting discrimination between a plurality of switch functions without involving any change in the circuit configuration. A plurality of detection switches 2 each of which has three driving pins 4a through 4c are mounted on a printed circuit board 1, and a plurality of key tops 6a through 6g are slidably supported by a housing 3 in correspondence with the detection switches 2. Provided on the lower surfaces of the key tops 6a through 6g are driving sections 9a through 9g each capable of simultaneously depressing arbitrary one or a plurality of driving pins 4a through 4c of the corresponding detection switch 2. When the driving pins 4a through 4c are selectively depressed by these driving sections 9a through 9g, each detection switch 2 outputs a switch signal peculiar to it, and discrimination between the control functions set for the key tops 6a through 6g is effected on the control circuit unit side by using this switch signal as a recognition signal.

Vehicle equipment control device

A multiple communication system used in an automobile includes miniaturized multi-function electric units. Each electric unit is composed of a CPU and a bus driver, and the CPU is connected to a bus line through the bus driver. The CPU of each of the electric units includes a communication processing program, and communication can be carried out among the electric units through the bus line using the communication processing program. Each CPU can be connected to its associated bus driver through only two data I/O ports. Thus, the number of I/O data ports is reduced as compared with the case in which conventional communication ICs are used. Further, since the bus drivers of small size are used, the electric units can be miniaturized. Further, the communication processing program of each CPU can be rewritten through the bus line.

Multiple communication system and apparatus

A multiplex communication system in which operational data is transmitted to a bus line at different frequencies according to the necessity of transmission. Further, transmitting and receiving nodes are identified without having to include address data with the transmitted message data, thereby avoiding a time lag in control processing of vehicle-mounted equipment. In accordance with a first embodiment, a plurality of data signals which are transmitted via a bus line from a plurality of node devices, to at least one of a plurality of end node devices to be controlled, are divided into a plurality of degrees according to the necessity of transmission. Operational date signals falling into the greatest degree of transmission necessity are transmitted once in every cycle, while data signals falling into the lesser degrees of transmission necessity are transmitted once in every few cycles according to the degree of necessity. In a second embodiment, one of a plurality of node devices connected to a bus line serves as a master node device and sets the transmission cycle of message data transmitted onto the bus line. This cycle is set so as not to cause a time lag in data processing executed by the respective node devices. Each time interval between the start pulses is divided into a plurality of time slots. The time slots have been allocated to the individual node devices so that message data can be transmitted from the respective devices in the associated time slots.

Communication system using time division multiplex signal transmission

An on-car motor driving apparatus is equipped with a motor for moving a moving unit such as a window of a motor car, a motor driving controller which controls the revolution, stop, and rotational direction of the motor, and a current measuring and comparing device which measures the variation in current per unit time of the motor and compares the measured variation in current with a preset value. The on-car motor driving apparatus stops the revolution of the motor and/or reverses the rotational direction of the motor through the motor driving controller. The apparatus is further equipped with a voltage measuring device for measuring motor driving voltage and a voltage-based time setting device which changes the length of the unit time in accordance with the driving voltage value measured by the voltage measuring device. Line voltage is supplied to a differential amplifier only when the line voltage is supplied to the motor.

On-car motor driving apparatus and self-diagnosing and selective driving

An apparatus for detecting and controlling the rotational position of a motor without using a high-priced component and without requiring special software processing. The apparatus includes a motor rotation control section for selectively connecting a power source to the motor to rotate the motor into a predetermined position, a potentiometer mechanically linked to a shaft of the motor to read the absolute rotational position of the motor, an astable multivibrator for generating output pulses having a duty ratio corresponding to the position read by the potentiometer, and a control signal generation section for supplying a control signal corresponding to the duty ratio of the output pulses to the motor rotation control section to control the rotational position of the motor.

Apparatus for detecting and controlling the rotational position of a

A vehicle-mounted motor drive apparatus which stops the rotation of a motor immediately after an object obstructs a movable part driven by the motor. The drive apparatus includes a motor drive device for selectively driving and stopping a motor, an electric current measuring device for measuring a value of electric current flowing through the motor, a change-in-current-value detecting device for detecting an incremental change in the motor current, and a motor control device for supplying a first control signal or a second control signal to the motor drive device. The motor drive device continuously drives the motor according to the polarity of the detected increment of the current value in response to the first control signal, and immediately stops driving the motor in response to the second control signal.

Vehicle-mounted motor drive apparatus

A seesaw switch including a rigid member bridging first and second elastic click members, each elastic click member carrying a moveable contact positioned over a fixed contact. A lever is pivotably positioned over the rigid member and includes a first projection contacting the rigid member near the first elastic click member, and a second projection contacting the rigid member near the second elastic click member. When the lever is pivoted a first angular amount in a clockwise direction, the first projection presses against the rigid member, causing the rigid member to rotate with respect to the second elastic member to buckle the first elastic click member. Further pivoting of the lever in the clockwise direction causes the rigid member to rotate with respect to the buckled first elastic click member, thereby buckling the second elastic click member. Similarly, when the lever is pivoted a first amount in the counterclockwise direction, the second elastic click member is buckled, and further pivoting of the lever subsequently causes the first elastic click member to buckle.

Growing community of inventors

Miyagi-ken, Japan

Ken Mizuta