Patent ID: 9731580
Date: 2017-08-15
CPC Classifications: B60J,E05F,E05Y,G01R,G01V

Claim:
1. A slider window assembly for a vehicle, said slider window assembly comprising: a frame portion having an upper rail and a lower rail; at least one fixed window panel, said at least one fixed window panel at least partially defining an opening, wherein said upper and lower rails are fixedly attached to an interior surface of said at least one fixed window panel; a movable window panel that is movable along and between said upper rail and said lower rail, wherein said movable window panel is movable between a closed position, where said movable window panel closes said opening, and an opened position, where said movable window panel is located at least partially away from said opening; a carrier that receives a lower perimeter edge region of said movable window panel therein, wherein said carrier is received in a channel portion of said lower rail and moves along said channel portion of said lower rail with said movable window panel as said movable window panel is moved between said opened position and said closed position; wherein said lower rail has an end stop at an end of said channel portion, and wherein said end stop is configured to limit movement of said carrier along said channel portion when said movable window panel is moved to said closed position; a sensing system operable to determine when the movable window panel is in said closed position and when the movable window panel is not in said closed position, wherein said sensing system comprises (i) a non-contacting magneto-responsive sensor adjacent said end stop at said end of said channel portion of said lower rail and (ii) a magnetic element on an end portion of said carrier, wherein said magnetic element approaches said non-contacting magneto-responsive sensor adjacent said end stop at said end of said channel portion of said lower rail when said movable window panel moves from said open position towards said closed position; wherein, when said movable window panel is in said closed position, said magneto-responsive sensor detects said magnetic element; wherein, when said movable window panel is not in said closed position, said magneto-responsive sensor does not detect said magnetic element; and wherein, when said magneto-responsive sensor does not detect said magnetic element, said sensing system determines that said movable window panel is not in said closed position and generates an indicator activating output signal that causes activation of an indicator in a cabin of the vehicle to alert a driver in the vehicle that the movable window panel is not in said closed position, and wherein the indicator in the cabin of the vehicle is viewable by the driver in the vehicle.