Ford Motor Company Limited

Texas Instruments Corporation

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

Roger J Cook

David M Gonzalez

Christopher J Kemp

Patrick William Gibson

Stephen R Tomassetti

Kevin Douglas Macfarlane

Daniel R Parks

Raymond Jack Mohr

Mark A Streeter

Clifford David Altemare, Jr

Hassan Arghavani-Badrabadi

Alan Kline Jeffery

Joseph Paul DeVoe

The low-frequency, low power switching voltage switching pre-regulator is operable to propagate The pre-regulator is comprised of a chopping circuit, a pre-driver switching circuit and a feed back circuit. The output of the chopping circuit defines the output of the voltage pre-regulator and an input voltage is received at the input of the chopping circuit. The feedback circuit senses the magnitude of the voltage at the chopping circuit and derives a feedback signal in response thereto. The PWM interface circuit receives the feedback signals and a PWM signal of the type generally derived from a microprocessor. The PWM interface circuit switches the chopping circuit in response to the feedback and the PWM signals.

Low frequency switching voltage pre-regulator

A low side line driver (10) includes a slew rate limiter (12) providing current to a pre-charge reference circuit (16). The pre-charge reference circuit (16) generates a constant voltage at the input of a pre-drive circuit (18). Upon a transition to the active state, the pre-charge reference circuit (16) is disabled and current from the slew rate limiter (12) flows to pre-drive circuit (18) which becomes enabled without undue propagation delay or high instantaneous slew rate due to the pre-charge voltage generated by the pre-charge reference circuit (16) before turn on. The pre-drive circuit (18) provides base current to an output driver (22) from a negative voltage created in a charge pump (28). At turn off, an active turn off circuit (26) produces a short output pulse causing rapid discharge of base capacitance of the output driver (22) in order to minimize turn off propagation delay.

Low side line driver

A system and method for controlling a vehicle sliding door driven by an electric motor. The method includes generating a periodic signal representing a door position, measuring first and second pluralities of signal periods such that errors in the periodic signal are minimized, comparing the first and second pluralities of signal periods, and generating a motor control signal operative to deactivate the motor when the second plurality of signal periods exceed a selected percentage of the first plurality of signal periods. A system for carrying out the method is also disclosed.

System and method for controlling vehicle sliding door

In one embodiment of the present invention, a 'one-touch-up' power window system is provided for a motor vehicle. The system includes a controller which controls the power window motor. One function of the controller is to determine whether an obstruction impedes travel of the power window. The controller takes a plurality of samples of the electrical current drawn by the power window motor. If the last sample varies by more than a predetermined amount from any of the past samples taken over a predetermined distance of travel of the window, the controller concludes that an obstruction impedes the travel of the window. The controller then stops or reverses the power window motor to stop or reverse travel of the power window. In this embodiment of the present invention, distance of travel of the window can be inferred from rotations of the power window motor.

Obstruction-sensing system for a movable member

A method and apparatus is used in a motor vehicle to serially communicate data between two or more communication nodes coupled to a data bus. Each communication node receives and transmits information on the data bus. Signals representative of operation of the vehicle are received directly by nodes and encoded for transmission to one or more other nodes via the data bus. The signals, which may for example originally be in parallel format, are encoded into serial digital data for data bus transmission. Each bit of the serial digital data is formatted into subbits of unequal duration. A designated module then receives and decodes the serial digital data for information or control purposes. Preferably the subbits progressively increase in duration with one working embodiment having three subbits of seven (7), eight (8) and nine (9) microseconds, respectively, to define a bit time of twenty four (24) microseconds.

Multiplex wiring system using varying duration pulse width modulation

A bus driver circuit for a multiplex communications system is configured from a limited number of components to withstand short circuiting of a connected bus circuit to voltage levels from ground potential to double conventional voltage levels encountered within a motor vehicle, i.e. twenty four (24) volts. The bus driver circuit does not interfere with bus operation if local power or ground is lost by one or more system node including the circuit, and can operate at relatively high frequencies, for example of approximately 83.3 to 166.7 kilobits per second (KBPS). Each line of a two-line bus is driven by a transistor whose current flow is limited by emitter degeneration and, in the case of the transistor which sinks current from the bus, a separate current control transistor which monitors current flow through its associated bus driver transistor and reduces its base drive at high temperatures to limit current flow therethrough and compensate the circuit for temperature variations. The turn-on and turn-off edges of bus driver signals are rounded by capacitors connected across the collector-base junctions of the bus driver transistors.

Driver for bus circuit of motor vehicle multiplex communications system

A method for specifying characteristics of an integrated circuit wherein complementary output signals of the integrated circuit are required to cross or equal one another within a signal transition box during transitions of the complementary output signals. The signal transition box is defined by a maximum output signal level as a high side, a minimum output signal level as a low side, a minimum delay time as a leading side and a maximum delay time as a trailing side. A maximum allowable slew rate preferably is also defined.

Method for specifying operating characteristics of integrated circuits

A switching module having a plurality of switching channels responsive to a microcontroller for coupling electrical power to a load, and decoupling electrical power in the event an undesired operating condition is sensed. Each switching channel includes a switching transistor and transistor driver. Monitoring circuitry senses the actual voltage drop across the load to provide the controller with an indication of undesired operation. A limiting resistor limits the transistor drive such that the transistor is forced out of satuaration during a high power condition, thereby avoiding undesired power dissipation which would otherwise occur if operation in the saturated condition continued.

Growing community of inventors

Livonia, MI, United States of America

Roger J Cook