Anti-pinch skylight and related methods

Abstract

A motor vehicle according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, inter alia, a sunroof, a roof rail, a wire adjacent to the roof rail, and a roof rack selectively attachable to the roof rail. The roof rack includes a magnet. In addition, the vehicle includes a controller configured to deactivate the sunroof when current flowing through the wire is disturbed by the magnet. A method is also disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a motor vehicle having an anti-pinch sunroof and associated methods. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to a motor vehicle having an anti-pinch control scheme that prevents undesirable contact between the sunroof and a roof rack. Background Art

[0002] Motor vehicles are known to include a sunroof, which is a transparent portion in the roof of a motor vehicle. Typically, the transparent portion is provided by one or more transparent panels, which are fixed or movable. In some examples, the panels are movable to expose an opening in the roof, which allows light and fresh air to enter the passenger compartment.

[0003] Some motor vehicles also include roof racks that are attached to the roof rails on the roof of the motor vehicle. For example, when cabin space is limited, users can store luggage on the roof of the vehicle by attaching the luggage to the roof racks. Summary of the invention

[0004] A motor vehicle according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, inter alia, a sunroof, a roof rail, a wire adjacent to the roof rail, and a roof rack selectively attachable to the roof rail. The roof rack includes a magnet. In addition, the vehicle includes a controller configured to deactivate the sunroof when current flowing through the wire is disturbed by the magnet.

[0005] In further non-limiting embodiments of the foregoing vehicle, the controller is configured to direct a baseline current through the conductor, and the controller is configured to detect a disturbance when the current flowing through the conductor deviates from the baseline current by a predetermined amount.

[0006] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing vehicles, when the roof rack is attached to the roof rails, a magnetic field of the magnet disrupts current flowing through the wire.

[0007] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing vehicles, the roof rack includes a clamp and a cross bar, wherein the clamp is configured to be selectively attached to the roof rail.

[0008] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing vehicles, the clamp includes the magnet.

[0009] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing vehicles, the wire spans substantially the entire length of the roof rail and the roof rack is infinitely adjustable such that the clamp can be selectively attached to the roof rail at any point along the length of the roof rail.

[0010] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing vehicles, the magnets are rare earth magnets.

[0011] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing vehicles, the sunroof includes a plurality of panels.

[0012] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing vehicles, at least one panel of the plurality of panels is selectively movable by a motor, and the controller deactivates the motor when current flowing through the wire is disturbed by the magnet.

[0013] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing vehicles, the wires are located beneath at least one of the panels.

[0014] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing vehicles, the wires are located below a roof surface adjacent to the roof rack and adjacent to a panel of the sunroof.

[0015] A method according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, deactivating a sunroof when a disturbance is detected in a current flowing through a wire. The disturbance is generated by a magnet of a roof rack.

[0016] In further non-limiting embodiments of the foregoing method, the current flowing through the conductor is a baseline current, and the controller detects a disturbance when the current flowing through the conductor deviates from the baseline current by a predetermined amount.

[0017] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing methods, the wire is adjacent to a roof rail, and the wire spans substantially an entire length of the roof rail.

[0018] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing methods, the roof rack clamp includes the magnet.

[0019] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing methods, the roof rack is infinitely adjustable such that the clamp can be selectively attached to the roof rail at any point along the length of the roof rail, and the deactivating step can be performed when the roof rail is attached at any point along the length of the roof rail.

[0020] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing methods, the magnet is a rare earth magnet.

[0021] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing methods, the skylight includes a plurality of panels.

[0022] In a further non-limiting embodiment of any of the foregoing methods, at least one panel of the plurality of panels is selectively movable by a motor, and wherein the controller deactivates the motor upon detecting the interference. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 is a side view of a motor vehicle having a sunroof and a roof rack.

[0024] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Close-up cross-section of the circled area.

[0025] Figure 3 is a flow chart representing a method according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present disclosure relates to a motor vehicle having an anti-pinch sunroof and associated methods. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to a motor vehicle having an anti-pinch control scheme that prevents undesirable contact between the sunroof and a roof rack.

[0027] An exemplary motor vehicle according to the present disclosure includes a sunroof and a roof rail. The vehicle also includes a wire adjacent to the roof rail. The vehicle includes a roof rack that is selectively attachable to the roof rail and includes a magnet. When positioned adjacent to the wire, the magnet interferes with current flowing through the wire. The vehicle includes a controller configured to deactivate the sunroof when the interference is detected. In this way, the sunroof function is disabled when the roof rack is present.

[0028] This arrangement provides a number of benefits, including allowing for a low profile roof rack, which improves the aerodynamics of the vehicle, while also providing a reliable anti-pinch control scheme that detects the roof rack regardless of the position of the roof rack relative to the roof rails.

[0029] Refer to the diagram, Figure 1 1 is a side view of a motor vehicle 10. The motor vehicle 10 includes a roof 12 having a first roof rail 14 and a second roof rail 16 extending along a side of the vehicle 10, and a sunroof 18 between the first roof rail 14 and the second roof rail 16. Figure 1 In the present disclosure, motor vehicle 10 is a sport utility vehicle (SUV), but it should be understood that the present disclosure extends to other types of vehicles.

[0030] The skylight 18 includes a plurality of panels. Specifically, the skylight 18 includes a first panel 20 and a second panel 22. The panels 20, 22 are made of a transparent material, which in one example is glass. However, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular material type of the panels 20, 22.

[0031] exist Figure 1 , the sunroof 18 is closed. When closed, the upper surfaces of the panels 20, 22 are substantially flush with the upper surface of the roof 12. Furthermore, when closed, the panels 20, 22 are arranged such that the first panel 20 is in front of the second panel 22. The panels 20, 22 together cover the opening in the roof 12 when closed, which protects the vehicle cabin and its occupants from the external environment.

[0032] The sunroof 18 includes a movable panel configured to selectively expose at least a portion of the opening in the roof 12. Opening the sunroof 18 exposes the vehicle cabin and its occupants to the outside environment. During good weather, exposing the opening in the roof 12 can increase the pleasure of the vehicle occupants and enhance the riding experience.

[0033] In this example, the sunroof 18 includes a motor 24 that is configured to move one or more of the panels 20, 22 to open and close the sunroof 18. The motor 24 is responsive to commands from a controller 26. Figure 1 Schematically shown in the figure are a motor 24 and a controller 26. It should be understood that the controller 26 can be part of an overall vehicle control module such as a vehicle system controller (VSC), or alternatively a stand-alone controller separate from the VSC. In addition, the controller 26 can be programmed with executable instructions for cooperating with and operating various components of the vehicle 10. The controller 26 further includes a processing unit and non-volatile memory for executing various control strategies and modes of the vehicle system. Although the motor 24 and the controller 26 are shown separately, in some examples, the motor 24 and the controller 26 may be integrated into a combined unit.

[0034] In addition to the sunroof 18, the roof 12 of the vehicle 10 also includes a first roof rack 28 and a second roof rack 30. The first roof rack 28 and the second roof rack 30 are selectively attached to the roof rails 14, 16 and extend across the vehicle 10. The roof racks 28, 30 are configured to support luggage or other items above the roof 12 of the vehicle 10 for transportation.

[0035] When the sunroof 18 is open, one or more of the panels 20, 22 may be raised and / or tilted relative to the roof 12. When a roof rack 28, 30 is present, opening the sunroof 18 may cause the panels 20, 22 to contact or "pinch" one or more of the roof racks 28, 30. Such contact is undesirable and may result in damage to the sunroof 18 or the roof racks 28, 30. As such, the present disclosure includes an anti-pinch control scheme that deactivates the sunroof when a roof rack is present.

[0036] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A close-up cross-sectional view of the circled area. Specifically, Figure 2 An exemplary arrangement of the roof 12, roof rails 16, sunroof 18 and roof rack 28 is shown. Figure 2 The roof rails 14 and the roof rack 30 are not shown, but it should be understood that they are arranged substantially similarly to the roof rails 16 and the roof rack 28 .

[0037] In the present disclosure, the roof rack 28 can be attached to the roof rail 16 at any point along the length of the roof rail 16. In this way, the roof rack 28 can be infinitely adjusted. The roof rack 28 includes a cross bar 32 and a clamp 34 at each end of the cross bar 32. Although Figure 2 Only the clamp 34 is shown in FIG. 1 , but it should be understood that another clamp is disposed adjacent to the roof rail 14 . The clamp 34 is configured to be selectively attached to the roof rail 16 to maintain the position of the roof rack 28 relative to the roof 12 of the vehicle 10 . Figure 2 A particular clamp 34 is shown in FIG. 3 , but it should be understood that the present disclosure extends to other types of clamps.

[0038] The vehicle 10, and in particular the controller 26, is configured to detect the presence of the roof rack 28 when the roof rack 28 is attached at any point along the length of the roof rail 16. In one example, the vehicle 10 includes a wire 36 adjacent to the roof rail 16. The wire 36 is electrically coupled to the controller 26, and the controller 26 is configured to direct current through the wire 36. The controller 26 is also configured to detect the level of current flowing through the wire 36. The wire 36 spans substantially the entire length of the roof rail 16. In this example, the wire 36 is located inside the roof rail 16 and is positioned between the roof rail 16 and the sunroof 18. The wire 36 may extend under the paneling of the roof 12 of the vehicle 10, under the paneling of the sunroof 18 (i.e., under one or more of the panels 20, 22), or both. The wire 36 may be disposed at other locations. In addition, it should be understood that another wire similar to the wire 36 may be disposed adjacent to the roof rail 14.

[0039] The roof rack 28 includes a magnet 38, which in one example is a rare earth magnet, configured to generate a magnetic field 40 (shown in phantom). In this example, the magnet 38 is located on the inside of the clamp 34 so that when the roof rack 28 is attached to the roof rail 16, the magnet 38 is directly above the wire 36. In other examples, the magnet 38 can be located at other locations on the roof rack 28. The wire 36 and the magnet 38 together allow the controller 26 to determine whether a roof rack is present and, if so, to deactivate the sunroof.

[0040] Figure 3 is a flow chart showing a method 42 according to the present disclosure. Specifically, Figure 3 Indicates the anti-crushing control scheme disclosed in the present invention. Figure 2 and Figure 3 , method 42 begins at 44, where controller 26 directs a baseline level of current through conductor 36. The baseline current level is a predetermined current level and is used as a reference point by controller 26 throughout method 42. The baseline current level is a relatively low current level, while being high enough that deviations from the baseline current level are easily detected.

[0041] At 46, the controller 26 determines whether there has been a disturbance in the baseline current level. In one example, a disturbance is defined as a deviation (including an increase or decrease) from the baseline current level that is greater than a predetermined amount. By setting the predetermined amount, the controller 26 will not deactivate the sunroof 18 when there are minor disturbances in the baseline current level (such as those that may be caused by snow or ice accumulation on the roof 12). To this end, the predetermined amount corresponds to the expected current disturbance that will be generated by the magnet 38.

[0042] When the roof rack 28 is attached to the roof rails 16, the magnetic field 40 causes a disturbance in the current flowing through the wires 36, and specifically, causes the current flowing through the wires 36 to deviate from a baseline level by an amount exceeding a predetermined amount. Thus, when the roof rack 28 is attached to the roof rails 16, a disturbance is detected, and the controller 26 deactivates (i.e., disables) the function of the sunroof 18 at 48. That is, the controller 26 instructs the motor 24 to stop, and prevents the panels 20, 22 of the sunroof 18 from moving. In this way, the sunroof 18 will not contact (or "pinch") the roof rack 28. On the other hand, if the roof rack 28 is not attached to the roof rails 16, no disturbance is detected, and normal sunroof function is allowed at 50.

[0043] Although specific component relationships are shown in the drawings of the present disclosure, these illustrations are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In other words, the placement and orientation of the various components of the vehicle 10 are shown schematically and may vary within the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the various drawings of the present disclosure are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show certain details of a particular component or arrangement.

[0044] It should be understood that terms such as "about," "substantially," and "substantially" are not intended to be open-ended terms and should be interpreted consistently with how those skilled in the art would interpret such terms. Additionally, directional terms such as "above," "below," "front," "rear," "inside," "outside," "vertical," "top," "bottom," and "inside" are used with reference to the normal operating attitude of a motor vehicle and are used for purposes of explanation only and should not otherwise be considered limiting.

[0045] Although the various examples show specific components in the illustrations, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to those specific combinations. Some components or features from one example may be used in combination with features or components from another example.

[0046] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments are exemplary and not restrictive. That is, modifications of the present disclosure will fall within the scope of the claims. Therefore, the following claims should be studied to determine their true scope and content.

[0047] According to the present invention, a motor vehicle is provided having: a sunroof; a roof rail; a wire adjacent to the roof rail; a roof rack selectively attachable to the roof rail, wherein the roof rack includes a magnet; and a controller configured to deactivate the sunroof when current flowing through the wire is disturbed by the magnet.

[0048] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized in that the controller is configured to direct a baseline current through the conductor, and wherein the controller is configured to detect a disturbance when the current flowing through the conductor deviates from the baseline current by a predetermined amount.

[0049] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized in that the magnetic field of the magnet interferes with the current flowing through the wire when the roof rack is attached to the roof rail.

[0050] According to one embodiment, the roof rack includes a clamp and a crossbar, wherein the clamp is configured to be selectively attached to the roof rail.

[0051] According to one embodiment, the fixture comprises the magnet.

[0052] According to one embodiment, the wire spans substantially the entire length of the roof rail, and wherein the roof rack is infinitely adjustable such that the clamp may be selectively attached to the roof rail at any point along the length of the roof rail.

[0053] According to one embodiment, the magnet is a rare earth magnet.

[0054] According to one embodiment, the skylight comprises a plurality of panels.

[0055] According to one embodiment, at least one panel of the plurality of panels is selectively movable by a motor, and wherein the controller deactivates the motor when current flowing through the wire is disturbed by the magnet.

[0056] According to one embodiment, the conductive line is located below at least one of the panels.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the wires are located below the roof surface adjacent to the roof rack and adjacent to a panel of the sunroof.

[0058] According to the invention, a method is provided which comprises deactivating a sunroof when a disturbance is detected in the current flowing through the conductor, the disturbance being generated by a magnet of the roof rack.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the current flowing through the conductor is a baseline current, and wherein the controller detects a disturbance when the current flowing through the conductor deviates from the baseline current by a predetermined amount.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the wire is adjacent to the roof rail and the wire spans substantially the entire length of the roof rail.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the clamp of the roof rack comprises the magnet.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the roof rack is infinitely adjustable such that the clamp can be selectively attached to the roof rail at any point along the length of the roof rail, and wherein the deactivating step can be performed when the roof rail is attached at any point along the length of the roof rail.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the magnet is a rare earth magnet.

[0064] According to one embodiment, the skylight comprises a plurality of panels.

[0065] According to one embodiment, at least one panel of the plurality of panels is selectively movable by a motor, and wherein the controller deactivates the motor upon detecting the disturbance.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle comprising: Skylights; roof rails; a wire adjacent to the roof rail; a roof rack selectively attachable to the roof rails, wherein the roof rack includes magnets; and A controller is configured to deactivate the sunroof when current flowing through the wire is disturbed by the magnet.

2. The motor vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to direct a baseline current through the conductor, and wherein the controller is configured to detect a disturbance when the current flowing through the conductor deviates from the baseline current by a predetermined amount.

3. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein: When the roof rack is attached to the roof rails, the magnetic field of the magnet disrupts the current flowing through the wire.

4. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein the roof rack comprises a clamp and a crossbar, wherein the clamp is configured to be selectively attached to the roof rail.

5. The motor vehicle of claim 4, wherein the clamp includes the magnet.

6. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the wire spans substantially the entire length of the roof rail, and wherein the roof rack is infinitely adjustable so that the clamp can be selectively attached to the roof rail at any point along the length of the roof rail.

7. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein the magnets are rare earth magnets.

8. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein the sunroof comprises a plurality of panels.

9. The motor vehicle of claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of panels is selectively movable by a motor, and wherein the controller deactivates the motor when current flowing through the wire is disturbed by the magnet.

10. A method for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising: Skylights; roof rails; a wire adjacent to the roof rail; A roof rack selectively attachable to the roof rails, wherein the roof rack includes magnets, the method comprising: The sunroof is deactivated when a disturbance is detected in the current flowing through the wire, the disturbance being generated by the magnet of the roof rack.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the current flowing through the conductor is a baseline current, and wherein a controller detects a disturbance when the current flowing through the conductor deviates from the baseline current by a predetermined amount.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the wire is adjacent to the roof rail and the wire spans substantially the entire length of the roof rail.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the roof rack clamp includes the magnet.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the roof rack is infinitely adjustable such that the clamp can be selectively attached to the roof rail at any point along the length of the roof rail, and wherein the deactivating step can be performed while the roof rail is attached at any point along the length of the roof rail.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the sunroof comprises a plurality of panels, wherein at least one of the panels is selectively movable by a motor, and wherein a controller deactivates the motor upon detecting the disturbance.

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