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US 10,769,874 B2Granted
Variable height exterior keypad
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsStuart Salter, Kristopher Brown, David Brian Glickman, Paul Kenneth Dellock, Pietro Buttolo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle access control system is disclosed and includes a touch sensitive display for generating an input image and controller configured to control the input image generated on the touch sensitive display responsive to information regarding a height of an operator. The system controls a lock actuatable responsive a signal from the controller.
Claims12
An external keypad for a vehicle comprising:
- a display accessible from an external surface of the vehicle;
- and
- a controller receiving information indicative of a characteristic of an operator, wherein the controller governs operation of an input image generated on the display in response to the received information indicative of a characteristic of the operator and generates an access signal responsive to a predefined code input onto the input image, wherein the controller determines a height of the operator by determining an area of high contact on the display and an area of low contact and a hand shadow ratio between the areas of high contact and the area of low contact and uses the determined height information to govern operation of the input image.
A method of authorizing access to a vehicle comprising:
- mounting a touch sensitive display in a location accessible from an exterior of the vehicle;
- determining an area of high contact on the display and an area of low contact and determining the height of the operator based on a hand shadow ratio between the area of high contact and the area of low contact;
- generating an input image on the touch sensitive display with a controller responsive to information regarding a height of an operator;
- and
- enabling access to the vehicle responsive to inputting a proper code into the input image.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.