Continental Automotive Systems Us, Inc.

Continental Automotive Systems Corporation

Siemens Vdo Automotive Corporation

Scott James Lucy

Gerald L Ostrander

Thomas Schaffer

Tejas Bhupendra Desai

Frank Buccinna

Patricia Kachouh

John R Costello

Brian Keith Morrison

James Poirier

Douglas J King

Joseph E Ploucha

Randolph W Scott

Torsten Frerichs

Matthew McLeod

Joseph R Thompson, Jr

A trailer brake module includes a brake output driver configured to be connected to a power supply, a flyback diode, and a MOSFET arranged between the power supply and the flyback diode. The MOSFET is in series with the flyback diode.

Trailer battery reverse connection protection

Electrical devices in a vehicle engine compartment are controlled from the vehicle passenger compartment over a serial data bus that extends between a relay controller located in the engine compartment and a body control module located in the passenger compartment and which receives commands from various passenger compartment devices. A serial data link passing through the firewall couples the body control module to the relay controller.

Relay control between power distribution center and body control module

A disclosed example receiver for receiving transmissions and data for both a remote keyless entry (RKE) system and a tire pressure monitoring (TPM) system tailors the data slice level to the characteristics unique to each of the RKE transmissions and the TPM transmissions.

Adaptive switching receiver slice level

An ambient light control module and method of operating an ambient light control module selectively actuates light modules to provide a desired light color and intensity. The disclosed ambient light control module selectively actuates light modules that are controllable to provide desired colors. The light control module produces uniform signals across the several light modules such that each separate light module will emit the same color. The disclosed example light control module includes a microcontroller with a plurality of output channels including output compare channels and pulse width modulated channels. The output channels are matched to a common clock so that a uniform signal is emitted from any channel to provide the desired uniformity between lighting modules.

Ambient lighting module

A method of monitoring a battery energy management system includes discharging a detector circuit to a minimum battery voltage, measuring an elapsed time that the minimum battery voltage is detected, resetting a timer circuit, and sampling the minimum battery voltage and the elapsed time of the minimum battery voltage in response to a predefined prompt. The discharge of the detector circuit, the measurement of the minimum battery voltage, the elapsed time of the minimum battery voltage, and the reset of the timer circuit are performed in response to an input voltage being less than the voltage stored within the detector circuit.

Battery energy management system for measuring a minimum battery voltage

A remote keyless entry (RKE) circuit () and method reduces the amount of current draw by duty cycling the RKE circuit () to ensure that a microcontroller () in the RKE circuit () is awakened only when needed to evaluate RF data. A total operating period for the RKE circuit () includes a transient period, a data monitoring period, and a sleep period. The RKE circuit () includes a pulse blocking circuit () that prevents a receiver stabilization pulse from waking up the microcontroller (). If no data is received during the data monitoring period, the microcontroller () remains in a sleep mode for the remainder of the operating period.

Remote keyless entry circuit having transient pulse suppression

A remote memory preference system for a passenger vehicle is disclosed. The remote memory preference system utilizes existing passive or active remote entry devices. Memory preference settings include driver's seat position, mirror positions and radio station presets. Once these settings are adjusted by a primary vehicle user, they are stored in a memory location in the vehicle either automatically or when a memory button on the remote entry device is depressed by the user. Settings may then be later recalled either automatically by activating the remote entry device or when a recall button on the remote entry device is depressed by the user. The system may also employ a shift register system, which would automatically store current and previous memory preference settings.

Growing community of inventors

Lake Orion, MI, United States of America

Scott James Lucy