Safety cutoff power window control device

Claim 1

In a safety cutoff device for controlling a motor which drives a power window in opening and closing directions and wherein a circuit value, related to operating power of the motor in effecting opening and closing strokes of the window is detected and upon said circuit value exceeding a predetermined threshold, due to presence of an obstacle in the opening and closing strokes of the window, the operation of the motor is halted, the improvement comprising: processing means for receiving a circuit value related to operating power of the motor, said processing means including integrating means for integrating at successive time intervals during the opening and closing strokes of the motor said circuit value then prevailing at each said time interval, comparing means receiving the thus integrated circuit values during said time intervals and comparing said integrated circuit values with reference values constituted by integrated circuit values in said time intervals during a preceding stroke in the same direction when said window did not encounter an obstacle, means for producing an output signal to halt said motor upon detection of an obstacle when out of said integrated values at a respective one of said predetermined time intervals exceeds, by a determined amount, said reference value at said one time interval when the window did not encounter an obstacle, and memory means for receiving said integrated circuit values in said time intervals when an obstacle is not encountered and for supplying said integrated circuit values to said comparing means as said reference values during a subsequent stroke of said window in the same direction.

Claim 5

A method of halting a motor which drives a power window in opening and closing directions when an obstacle is present to oppose the opening and closing of the window, said method comprising: measuring a circuit value related to operating power of a motor driving a power window in opening and closing strokes, integrating said circuit value in predetermined time intervals, supplying resulting integrated values to a memory when said power window undergoes opening and closing strokes and does not encounter an obstacle, said resulting integrated values producing a reference line comprised of a plurality of time portions formed by the integrated values in said predetermined time intervals, storing said integrated values representing said reference line in said memory, measuring said circuit values during a subsequent opening or closing stroke of the power window, integrating the thus measured circuit values during said predetermined time intervals in said subsequent opening or closing stroke, and comparing the integrated circuit values measured in said time intervals with the integrated values in said line portions of said reference line in the some time intervals, and signaling the presence of an obstacle, if the measured circuit values exceed the circuit values in said line portions of said reference line by a determined amount, to halt the motor.

Claim 6

A method of halting a motor which drives a power window in opening and closing directions when an obstacle is present to oppose the opening and closing of the window, said method comprising: measuring a circuit value related to operating power of a motor driving a power window in opening and closing strokes, integrating said circuit value in predetermined time intervals, supplying resulting integrated values to a memory when said power window undergoes opening and closing strokes and does not encounter an obstacle, said resulting integrated values producing a reference line comprised of a plurality of time portions formed by the integrated values in said predetermined time intervals, storing said integrated values representing said reference line in said memory, measuring said circuit values during a subsequent opening or closing stroke of the power window, integrating the thus measured circuit values during said predetermined time intervals in said subsequent opening or closing stroke, and comparing the integrated circuit values measured in said time intervals with the integrated values in said line portions of said reference line in the some time intervals, and signaling the presence of an obstacle, if the measured circuit values exceed the circuit values in said line portions of said reference line by a determined amount, to halt the motor.