Control device for an electrically operable open-roof construction for a vehicle

Abstract: A control device (1) for an electrically operable open-roof construction (2) for a vehicle is provided with a central control unit (6), an electric motor (7), connected to one output thereof, for driving a closing element (3) of the open-roof construction, and a control element (10), connected to an input of the control unit (6), for operating the electric motor. The control unit (6) has a further input to which a vehicle switch for operating a vehicle function can be connected. The control unit (6) is set up such that, on specific operation of the vehicle switch, said unit automatically actuates the electric motor so as to move the closing element (3) into the closed position. According to the invention, the control unit is provided with a circuit which provides for a time delay between operation of the vehicle switch (11) and actuation of the electric motor (7) so as to move the closing element (3) into the closed position. A circuit breaker is incorporated in the circuit, such that the automatic closing movement of the closing element is prevented or stopped once only by operating the control element (10) for the electric motor (7).

Description: The present invention relates to a control device for an electrically operable open-roof construction for a vehicle, provided with a central control unit, an electric motor, connected to one output thereof, for driving a closing element of the open-roof construction, and a control element, connected to an input of the control unit, for operating the electric motor, the control unit having a further input to which a vehicle switch for operating a vehicle function can be connected, the control unit being set up such that, on specific operation of the vehicle switch, said unit automatically actuates the electric motor so as to move the closing element into the closed position. In the case of an embodiment of a control device of this type, for an electrically operable sliding roof, which is known in practice, a so-called override switch is fitted. This additional switch serves to set the automatic closing function of the control device to non-active for an indefinite period when the ignition is switched off or the door is closed with the aid of the vehicle switch. To restore the automatic closing function the override switch has to be operated again (see for instance US-A-5 334 876). It will be clear that the said override switch is not practical, whilst the addition of the switch has the effect of raising the cost price of the control device. The aim of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a control device of the type mentioned in the preamble of claim 1 with which the said drawbacks are effectively eliminated. To this end, the control device according to the invention is defined by the features of claim 1. By means of the invention it is possible, without an additional override switch, nevertheless to switch off the automatic closing function once only during the integral delay time, which needs to be only a few seconds, using the control element already present, and to give the user of the vehicle the opportunity to decide whether he or she wishes to allow the closing element to remain in the open position or wants to let it close automatically. With this arrangement, the circuit can be such that even after the closing movement of the closing element has already started, the control element can be operated to stop the closing movement. If a user of the vehicle does not wish to keep the closing element open, the delay has no adverse effect whatsoever on the ease of use, because closing proceeds further automatically without the user having to wait for anything at all. In the majority of countries an automatic closing movement of the closing element when the ignition in the vehicle is off is legally permitted only if the control device for the open-roof construction is provided with an anti-trapping safety device complying with the regulations. A facility of this type is usually realised by a measurement and control system based on a microprocessor. In this case all the hardware which is needed for the automatic closing movement of the closing element on the basis of a time delay is already present, so that the addition of the proposed control does not have to lead to a rise in the cost price. The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, which shows an illustrative embodiment of the control device according to the invention. Fig. 1 is a highly diagrammatic perspective view of a control device for a sliding roof of a vehicle according to the prior art, the control device being shown on a very large scale compared with the sliding roof. Fig. 2 is a view, corresponding to that in Fig. 1, of an illustrative embodiment of the control device according to the invention. Fig. 1 shows a control device 1 which is intended for controlling the movements of the moving part of an open-roof construction 2, which in this case consists of a sliding roof with a movable panel 3 but, of course, can also consist of all sorts of other roof constructions, such as spoiler roofs, tilt/slide roofs, folding roofs, cabriolet roofs and the like. In Fig. 1 the sliding roof 2 is shown in a position in which the panel 3 is exposing an opening 4 in the sliding roof frame 5 and in the vehicle roof, which is not shown. In this case the heart of the control device 1 is a central control unit 6 with a microprocessor. An electric motor 7 is connected to said control unit 6, which electric motor is, in this embodiment, drivably connected via a delay drive gear 8 to a drive cable 9, which is connected to the panel 3. The control device 1 can be actuated with the aid of a control element which is constructed, for example, as a control switch 10 and the operation of which determines the opening and closing movement. The central control unit 6 is further provided with a control function by means of which, after the vehicle ignition connected to the control unit 6 has been switched off, the panel 3 of the sliding roof 2, if the latter is in an open position, is automatically moved into the closed position by means of the control unit 1. For situations where the user of the vehicle wishes to keep the panel 3 open after switching off the vehicle ignition 11, it is necessary, with the aid of an override switch 12, inserted between the ignition 11 and the control unit 6, for a reversal to take place into a switched-off position in which the automatic closing function is rendered inoperative. In order to restore the automatic closing function, the override switch must be switched back to the other position again. Fig. 2 shows an illustrative embodiment of the control device according to the invention, in which it can be seen that the override switch 12 has been dispensed with, whilst the other components are the same as those in the embodiment according to Fig. 1. According to the invention, therefore, in principle no additional components are required for switching off the automatic closing movement, if desired, after switching off the ignition 11. This is realised by programming the software in the microprocessor of the central control unit 6 in such a way that there is a time delay or rest period after the ignition 11 is switched off. If said delay or rest period of, for example, a few seconds has elapsed without interruption, the panel 3 of the open-roof construction 2 will, if it was in an open position, automatically be moved into the closed position with the aid of the electric motor 7. If, however, the control switch 10 of the open-roof construction is actuated during the delay or rest period, a circuit breaker in the central control unit 6 comes into effect and the automatic closing movement is not activated. Said circuit breaker is a once only circuit breaker, so that at a subsequent opportunity the default setting in the control unit 6 once again leads to automatic closing of the panel 3 after the delay or rest period has elapsed. Incidentally, the circuit breaker can also be activated by means of the control switch 10 if the control unit 6 has already given a pulse to the electric motor 7 and the panel 3 is therefore already being moved into the closed position by the electric motor 7. In this case the panel 3 will stop in an intermediate position. The microprocessor of the control unit 6 also controls an anti-trapping safety device in the open-roof construction 2, which safety device can be seen by feedback loops in the drawing. The invention is not restricted to the illustrative embodiment shown in the drawing and described above, which can be varied in various ways within the scope of the invention. For instance, the vehicle switch could also consist of a remote control for the door locks instead of the ignition switch 11, in which case, of course, the control switch for the open-roof construction would then also have to be incorporated in the remote control.

Claims: Control device (1) for an electrically operable open-roof construction (2) for a vehicle, provided with a central control unit (6), an electric motor (7), connected to one output thereof, driving a closing element (3) of the open-roof construction, and a control element (10), connected to an input of the control unit (6), operating the electric motor, the control unit having a further input to which a vehicle switch for operating a vehicle function is connected, the control unit (6) being set up such that, on specific operation of the vehicle switch, said unit automatically actuates the electric motor so as to move the closing element (3) into the closed position, characterised in that the control unit is provided with a circuit which provides for a time delay between operation of the vehicle switch (11) and actuation of the electric motor (7) so as to move the closing element (3) into the closed position, whilst a circuit breaker is incorporated in the circuit, such that the automatic closing movement of the closing element is prevented or stopped once only by operating the control element (10) for the electric motor (7). Control device according to Claim 1, wherein the control unit is equipped with a microprocessor. Control device according to Claim 2, wherein the microprocessor also controls an anti-trapping safety device for the closing element (3). Control device according to one of Claims 1-3, wherein the vehicle switch comprises the ignition for starting and stopping the vehicle drive. Control device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the time delay is set for a few seconds. Open-roof construction provided with a control device according to one of the preceding claims. Open-roof construction according to Claim 6, constructed as a sliding roof with a panel as closing element.

Inventors: HUYER JOHANNES N, HUYER, JOHANNES N.
Applicants: VERMEULEN HOLLANDIA OCTROOIEN, VERMEULEN HOLLANDIA OCTROOIEN II B.V.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B60J7
IPC codes: B60J7