Abstract:
A dead front actuating assembly actuates a device in standard ambient light conditions. The dead front actuating assembly includes a housing defining a periphery and an interior volume. A cover plate is fixedly secured to the housing at the periphery. The cover plate defines an inboard surface facing the interior volume and an outboard surface opposite the inboard surface. The outboard surface is opaque in standard ambient light conditions. The dead front actuating assembly also includes a switch that is operatively connected to the inboard surface of the cover plate at a defined location for toggling the device between on and off conditions. Also included is a presence sensor identifying when an operator is disposed adjacent the cover plate. A back light inside the housing illuminates the cover plate such that light passes through the cover plate and out the outboard surface to illuminate the switch.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part application of International Application No. PCT/US2005/043824 filed Dec. 5, 2005, entitled Non-Contact Dead Front Actuation System, which claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 60/633,049 filed on Dec. 3, 2004. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a dead front actuating assembly for a motor vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to a contact/non-contact dead front actuating assembly that is not visible in its deactivated state. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A feature in a motor vehicle that is desired and often times designed therein is the ability to quickly and effortlessly gain access to the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle. In addition to the standard metal key, many passenger compartments can be unlocked using a key fob coded for that specific motor vehicle. In an effort to gain further freedom from a physical item which must be carried to the motor vehicle, some motor vehicles are manufactured with outside key pads. The key pads are typically digital combination locks that provide access to the passenger compartment if the correct combination is input through the key pad. 
     While the key pad adds to the freedom of an operator&#39;s ability to access the motor vehicle, it interrupts the design of the motor vehicle. More specifically, it is difficult to provide a key pad of much substance without detracting from the overall design of the motor vehicle. Therefore, key pads are kept to a minimum size and functionality due to the limited size. Thus, the key pad remains an inferior option in a motor vehicle because, even with the limited size and functionality, it still disrupts the overall appearance of the motor vehicle. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A dead front actuating assembly actuates a device in standard ambient light conditions. The dead front actuating assembly includes a housing defining a periphery and an interior volume. A cover plate is fixedly secured to the housing at the periphery. The cover plate defines an inboard surface facing the interior volume and an outboard surface opposite the inboard surface. The outboard surface is opaque in standard ambient light conditions. The dead front actuating assembly also includes a switch that is operatively connected to the inboard surface of the cover plate at a defined location for toggling the device between on and off conditions. The dead front actuating assembly also includes a presence sensor identifying when an operator is disposed adjacent the cover plate. A back light inside the housing illuminates the cover plate such that light passes through the cover plate and out the outboard surface to illuminate the switch for the operator. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of a motor vehicle incorporating one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the invention in a deactivated state; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the invention in an activated state; 
         FIG. 4  is a top, cross-sectional view of the invention taken along lines  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a side, cross-sectional view of the invention taken along lines  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of a motor vehicle incorporating the invention that provides additional functionality. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a side view of a motor vehicle  10  is shown partially cut away. The motor vehicle has a side door  12  that provides access to a passenger compartment  14  of the motor vehicle  10 . This side door  12  includes a door handle  16  and a key hole  18  for standard locking and unlocking using a key (not shown). 
     The motor vehicle  10  also includes an A pillar  20  and a B pillar  22  extending up from a main body  24  of the motor vehicle to a roof  26 . 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the B pillar  22  is covered by a cover plate  28 . The cover plate  28  is a tinted black or dark color polycarbonate, lexan, lucite, ABS, nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylic or copolymers thereof. These materials are treated to appear dark or black in standard ambient light conditions but allow transparency during back lighting. For purposes of this disclosure, standard ambient light conditions include any type of outdoor lighting or the lack thereof. Therefore, the cover plate  28  appears opaque in sunlight, darkness, and artificial, non-coherent light sources, which are typically used to provide lighting in darkness. The cover plate  28  covers the B pillar  22  and adds to the overall aesthetic design of the motor vehicle  10 . More specifically, the cover plate  28  is used as a part of the overall design of the exterior of the motor vehicle  10 . 
     The cover plate  28  may cover a portion of the B pillar  22  or it may cover the entire B pillar  22 . The composition of the cover plate  28  allows the cover plate  28  to act as a “dead front” in that it is opaque with respect to electromagnetic radiation in the visible portion of the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, but transparent with respect to the radio frequency portion of the spectrum. In addition, the dead front cover plate  28  is transparent to magnetic radiation as will be discussed in greater detail subsequently. While tinted black or dark color transparent polymers are disclosed above, any type of material which at least partially or fully hides a key pad in ambient light but renders a key pad visible through back lighting or other methods is useable in the present invention. For instance, mirrored or metallized films or materials, frosted or tinted glass, electrochromic materials or other changeable films or surfaces which are, or can be rendered, opaque under ambient light but allow viewing of the key pad when desired are also useful as cover plate  28  in the subject invention. 
     The cover plate  28  covers a dead front actuating assembly, generally indicated at  30 , and shown in phantom in  FIG. 1 . The dead front actuating assembly  30  is an assembly that allows for the side door  12  to be unlatched and opened without utilizing a key fob entry or a manual key, which is inserted into the key hole  18 . Like the key fob actuation, the dead front actuating assembly  30  is commonly referred to as a type of keyless entry. While the dead front actuating assembly  30  is described herein as a keyless entry system, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the dead front actuating assembly  30  may be utilized for any type of system that requires actuation. Such systems may include, but are not limited to, the unlocking of tailgates and liftgates, the activation of appropriate illuminating switches, and the activation or deactivation of any other electronic component incorporated into the motor vehicle  10 . 
     Because the cover plate  28  covers the dead front actuating assembly  30 , the cover plate  28  provides the dead front feature thereof. More specifically, the cover plate  28  can look like nothing is behind it when the dead front actuating assembly  30  is deactivated. 
     Further to the location diversity, the dead front actuating assembly  30  may be placed includes any pillar, driver or passenger side, or any surface that is capable of having a polycarbonate, acrylic or similar construction with the little space therebehind for the dead front actuating assembly  30  to be mounted. The location may be on the exterior of the motor vehicle  10 , the inside of the passenger compartment  14 , or inside an engine storage compartment. The dead front actuation assembly  30  described herein could also be used in a number of vehicle interior applications where a completely sealed surface is advantageous or desired, such as door switches (to avoid penetration of the switch box by rain or other external moisture), and center consoles next to cup holders. Another type of use would be to use the non-contact dead front actuating assembly  30  to activate and make itself visible when it is detected that a passenger has occupied a seat. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the cover plate  28  is shown with the dead front actuating assembly  30  deactivated and activated, respectively. In the deactivated state, the dead front actuating assembly  30  is invisible due to the opaque nature of the cover plate  28  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ). In the activated state ( FIG. 3 ), a key pad  32  is illuminated and visible through the cover plate  28 . In the embodiment shown, the key pad  32  includes a plurality of switches  34  that are used in a random combination to unlock the latch of the side door  12 . It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the key pad  32  and the dead front actuating assembly  30  may also be used to lock the side door  12  preventing access to the passenger compartment  14 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a top view of the dead front actuating assembly  30  is shown with the cover plate  28  in cross section. The dead front actuating assembly  30  includes a housing  36  that defines a periphery  38  (best shown in  FIG. 1 ) and an interior volume  40 . The housing  36  is fixedly secured to the cover plate  28  at the periphery  38 . The housing includes a reflective surface  42  designed to reflect as much light generated by the non-contact dead front actuating assembly  30  away therefrom and toward the cover plate  28 . 
     The cover plate  28  defines an inboard surface  44  and an outboard surface  46 . The inboard surface  44  is fixedly secured to the motor vehicle  10 , whereas the outboard surface  46  is visible to those outside the motor vehicle  10 . Therefore, the inboard surface  44  faces the interior volume  40  and the outboard surface  46  is opposite the inboard surface  44  and it is the outboard surface  46  that appears to be opaque to those standing outside the motor vehicle  10  in standard ambient light conditions. The switches  34  are operatively connected to the cover plate  28 . The switches  34  are mounted to a plate  48  and are touch sensitive. More specifically, each of the plurality of switches  34  are activated by touching the cover plate  28  in direct proximity to the specific switch  34  being “pressed” or activated. The switches  34  are sensors that detect a change in the capacitance of the cover plate  28  in direct proximity to the location of the particular switch  34 . 
     The dead front actuating assembly  30  also includes a presence sensor  50 . The presence sensor  50  identifies when an operator is disposed adjacent the cover plate  28 . In the embodiment shown, the presence sensor  50  is a touch sensor that is integrated into the plate  48  in which the plurality of switches  34  are located. In an alternative embodiment, the presence sensor  50  may be mounted to a circuit board and identifies when the operator of the motor vehicle  10  approaches. Such a presence sensor  50  may be a transceiver that sends a signal to ping a key fob (not shown) to identify when the key fob enters the space in immediate proximity to the dead front actuating assembly  30 , the plurality of switches  34  are illuminated by the dead front actuating assembly  30 . 
     The presence sensor  50  and the plurality of switches  34  may, in some embodiments, be the same type of sensors. In fact, activating one of the plurality of switches  34  through a touch may act as the presence sensor  50  to activate the non-contact dead front actuating assembly  30 . In other instances, the presence sensor  50  and the plurality of switches may be designed to be capacitive sensors, touch sensitive sensors, resistive sensors, temperature sensors, optical scanners or any combination thereof. 
     Returning our attention to the preferred embodiment, when the presence sensor  50  identifies the action by the operator of touching the cover plate  28 , a back light inside the housing  36  illuminates the cover plate  28  such that light passes through the cover plate  28  and out the outboard surface  46  to illuminate the location of the plurality of switches  34  for the operator. The back light is generated by a light emitting diode  51 . As is shown in the embodiment, there are three light emitting diodes (LEDs)  51 . It should be appreciated that any number of LEDs  51  may be used to satisfy the illumination requirements to allow an operator to identify the location of the switches  34 . The LEDs  51  direct light toward the interior volume  40  of the housing  36  to be reflected by the reflective surface  42  toward the inboard surface  44  of the cover plate  28 . Eventually, the light passes through the plate  48  and the cover plate  28  to be viewed by the operator as modified by a layer of graphics  52 . The switches  34  and presence sensor  50  are fabricated from electronics that are not, by design, readily visible to the operator. Therefore, the layer of graphics  52  is used to identify the location of each of these switches  34 . The graphics  52  are not operative in and of themselves, but merely targets used to allow the operator to identify where each of the plurality of switches  34  are located to more accurately and efficiently operate the dead front actuating assembly  30 . It is the targets that are visible in  FIG. 3 . In an alternative embodiment, there are no graphics and the switches  34  are visible through the back lighting in a manner visible to the operator for selection thereby. 
     It should be appreciated that the back light source and delivery mechanism may be any type of light source  51  that will be able to be incorporated that can overcome opaque qualities of the cover plate  28 . Such examples of light source for the back light  51  include, but are not limited to, sources that generate light through fluorescent, filament, phosphorescent or laser elements. Fiber optics and/or wave guides may direct the light should the source for the back light need to be in a different location. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the dead front actuating assembly is shown in a side view. Connectors  54 , mounted to an integrated circuit board  56 , connect the dead front actuating assembly  30  to the electronics of the motor vehicle  10  through wires  58  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ) to receive power and to communicate with latching assembly associated with the side door  12  to identify when it is appropriate to unlock the side door  12 . The integrated circuit board  56  includes electronics known in the art for providing exterior combination locks that incorporate the traditional numeric keypad. In addition, the integrated circuit board  56  includes electronics suitable for providing the necessary voltage to the plurality of switches  34  so the capacitances and changes therewith may be detected. Such changes in capacitance occur when an operator places a finger on the cover plate  28  on or near the location of one of the plurality of switches  34 . When the capacitance changes, the electronics on the integrated circuit board  56  identify the capacitance change as a selection of a particular location which is identified by the graphics  52 . In this particular case, the graphics  52  typically represent letters or numbers (as is shown in  FIG. 3 ). When the selections are made in the right combination, the electronics send a signal through the connectors  54  and the wires  58  to have the side door  12  unlatched by the door latch (not shown). 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , wherein like primed numerals represent similar elements to those discussed above, another embodiment is shown. The motor vehicle  10 ′ does not include a door handle or key hole. This motor vehicle  10 ′ utilizes a dead front actuating assembly  30 ′ that can perform multiple functions, e.g. unlock and unlatch the side door  12 ′. This allows the design of the motor vehicle  10 ′ to be further unencumbered by functional features that detract from the aesthetic qualities of the motor vehicle  10 ′. 
     The invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used, is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.