International Business Machines Corporation

Steven Thomas Will

Eric John Nelson

Donald Paul Jakel

A sensor detects a possible attempt to open a vehicle door latch by mechanical means, and temporarily disables an electronic unlocking signal until the mechanical activation means are absent. Preferably, all functions are performed by an on-board microprocessor controller, which checks the state of the door sensor(s) upon occurrence of an unlock event. If the sensor(s) indicate that a person is or may be attempting to open the door mechanically, no unlock signal is transmitted immediately to the door latch. Preferably, the controller continues to check the state of the door sensor(s), and activates the unlock mechanism after the sensor is clear. However, if the sensor is not clear within some timeout period, the controller may simply abort the unlock operation. This is done to avoid confusing the user with an unlocking action some time after pressing the unlock switch.

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Rochester, MN, United States of America

Steven Thomas Will