US 10,308,167 B2Granted

Control of display for vehicle window

AssigneeMagna Closures Inc.

InventorStephen James Caron

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Abstract

A vehicle defining an opening with a closure panel adapted to cover the opening generally includes a window in the closure panel. Furthermore, a rear window defrosting wire is often mounted to the window. A user interface system is disclosed to include a capacitive switch wire having a portion mounted to the window proximate to, and overlapping with, the rear window defrosting wire, and a capacitive switch control unit connected to the capacitive switch wire and adapted to interpret a change a capacitance near the terminus of the capacitive switch wire as a command request. The system includes a projector and a controller adapted to control the projector to project an image onto the window proximate to the terminus of the capacitive switch wire, receive an indication of receipt of the command request and transmit a command to cause a state change in an element of the vehicle.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A user interface system comprising:

a user interface including:
an image display mechanism that, responsive to instructions, causes a plurality of images to appear on an otherwise transparent portion of a closure for an opening in a body of a vehicle;
and
a sensor control unit that, in operation:
detects selection, by a user, of a particular image among the plurality of images;
and
transmits, to a user interface control hardware module, an indication of the selection of the particular image;
the user interface control hardware module in communication with the user interface and a vehicle body control module, the vehicle body control module in communication with a plurality of control modules wherein, in operation, the user interface control hardware module:
controls the image display mechanism;
receives, from the sensor control unit, the indication of the selection of the particular image, the particular image corresponding to a particular control module among the plurality of images;
and
responsive to receipt of the selection of the particular image, transmits an instruction to the vehicle body control module to, thereby, cause an instruction to be transmitted, by the vehicle body control module, to the particular control module.

9 more elements

A method of controlling elements of a vehicle, the method comprising:

controlling, at a user interface control hardware module, an image display mechanism to cause a plurality of images to appear on an otherwise transparent a portion of a closure for an opening in a body of a vehicle;
detecting, at a sensor associated with a sensor control unit, selection, by a user, of a particular image among the plurality of images;
transmitting, from the sensor control unit to the user interface control hardware module, an indication of the selection of the particular image;
receiving, at the user interface control hardware module, the indication of the selection of the particular image, the particular image corresponding to a particular control module among a plurality of control modules;
and
responsive to the receiving, transmitting an instruction to a vehicle body control module to, thereby, cause an instruction to be transmitted, by the vehicle body control module, to the particular control module.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/027,980Filed 9 Oct 2014 · us provisional application
Priority: 9 Oct 2013
Published: US 2016/0236612 A118 Aug 2016
Granted: 4 Jun 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification27 codes

B60Q 1/268
Mounted on parts having other functions: on windscreens or windows
B60K 35/10
Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles: input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle,…
B60K 35/22
Using visual output, e.g. blinking lights or matrix displays: display screens
B60K 35/28
Output arrangements, i.e. from vehicle to user, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor: characterised by the type of the…

Family

Application61/888,751Us provisional application · filed 9 Oct 2013
Application61/970,351Us provisional application · filed 25 Mar 2014
US 2016/0236612 A1Pre-grant publication · published 18 Aug 2016
US 10,308,167 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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