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:
Sep. 18, 2001
Filed:
Jul. 08, 1999
John P. Drummond, Glenageary, IE;
Hassel J. Savard, Grand Rapids, MI (US);
Kenneth Schofield, Holland, MI (US);
Sean J. Fletcher, Ballinteer, IE;
Kenneth L. Schierbeek, Zeeland, MI (US);
Donnelly Mirrors Limited, , IE;
Abstract
A vehicle control system comprises an industry standard CAN network with a number of nodes distributed around the vehicle for controlling corresponding parts of the vehicle. One such node is located in the housing of the vehicle interior rearview mirror and directly controls the reflectivity of an electro-optic mirror unit, in accordance with the state of at least one ambient light sensor and a remote keyless entry device. The node also communicates via an ISO9141 interface with a number of slave controllers such as a sun-roof control module mounted adjacent a sun-roof and a roof control module mounted in a roof housing. By this means the UCM exercises indirect control of the sun-roof in accordance with the state of a switch, and exercises indirect control of various lamps GEN,GEN,FLL and FRL in the roof housing in accordance with the state of switches Gen, FL and FR mounted in the roof housing or, in the case of the lamps GEN,and GEN,when a vehicle door is opened.