The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 21, 2000
Filed:
Mar. 21, 1997
Denso Corporation, Kariya, JP;
Anden Co., Ltd., Anjo, JP;
Abstract
A switching apparatus is provided which may be used for power window control systems of automotive vehicles. The switching apparatus includes an operating knob, a magnet, a magnetoresistive element, and a position determining circuit. The operating knob is manually shifted between a plurality of switching positions. The magnet moves according to the movement of the operating knob. The magnetoresistive element is placed in a magnetic field applied from the magnet and changes an electrical resistance thereof according to a variation in orientation of a magnetic flux applied to the magnetoresistive element resulting from the movement of the magnet. The position determining circuit monitors a change in electric resistance of the magnetoresistive element to determine the switching position of the operating member.