A system and method for controlling the transparency of vehicle windows

Abstract

The present invention provides a system for controlling the transparency of a vehicle window, comprising: a Bluetooth control module, an EC film controller, a vehicle window and a mobile terminal. The present invention also discloses a method for controlling the transparency of a vehicle window. After adopting the technical solution of the present invention, when the owner approaches the vehicle to get in, the transparency of the vehicle window glass is high enough to see the situation inside the vehicle, and when the owner leaves the vehicle, the transparency of the vehicle window glass is low enough to see the situation inside the vehicle, so as to protect the privacy of the owner and prevent theft.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of automobiles, and in particular to a system for automatically adjusting the transparency of a vehicle window according to the distance between a position of a Bluetooth digital key and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] With the development of the automobile industry, people have higher requirements for safety, functionality, and convenience in automobiles and automobile accessories. The automobile key system has evolved from traditional mechanical keys to physical keys with keyless start and entry functions, and now to the mobile phone Bluetooth digital key system, which has greatly increased the experience and functions that automobile keys can provide to car owners.

[0003] On the other hand, as a mobile private space, more and more car owners hope that the interior space of the car is not visible to the outside when the car is parked, so as to maintain a certain degree of privacy. In the prior art, the transparency of the car window can be controlled by attaching an EC film on the outer surface of the glass and connecting a controller to discharge the EC film. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned technical defects, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a system for controlling the transparency of a vehicle window, comprising: a Bluetooth control module, a mobile terminal, an EC membrane controller, and a vehicle window; the Bluetooth control module is located at the vehicle end and connected to a CAN bus, the EC membrane controller is connected to the Bluetooth control module via the CAN bus, an EC module is installed in the vehicle window, the EC membrane is connected to the EC membrane controller, the Bluetooth control module establishes a Bluetooth connection with the mobile terminal, and sends a voltage regulation request signal to the EC membrane controller via the CAN bus; the EC membrane controller is used to adjust the voltage of the EC membrane in the vehicle window to thereby adjust the transparency of the vehicle window.

[0005] The present invention discloses a method for controlling the transparency of a vehicle window, the control method comprising:

[0006] The Bluetooth control module establishes a Bluetooth connection with the mobile terminal and calculates the distance from the mobile terminal to the vehicle;

[0007] The Bluetooth control module sends control instructions to the EC membrane controller according to the distance information from the mobile terminal to the vehicle;

[0008] The EC membrane controller controls the output voltage of the EC membrane according to the received control instructions.

[0009] Preferably, the mobile terminal is a mobile phone, a Bluetooth digital key or other mobile device that establishes a Bluetooth connection with a Bluetooth control module on the vehicle side.

[0010] Preferably, the distance from the mobile terminal to the vehicle is calculated based on channel sounding (CS).

[0011] Preferably, the control instruction includes a first voltage regulation signal and a second voltage regulation signal, the first voltage regulation signal is for positively regulating the output voltage; the second voltage regulation signal is for negatively regulating the output voltage.

[0012] Preferably, the first voltage regulation signal is used to adjust the output voltage from 0V to 1.5V; and the second voltage regulation signal is used to adjust the output voltage from 0V to -1.5V.

[0013] Preferably, the Bluetooth control module sends a control instruction to the EC membrane controller according to the distance information from the mobile terminal to the vehicle, further comprising:

[0014] When the Bluetooth control module identifies that the distance between the mobile terminal and the vehicle is within a first threshold range within the fuzzy area, the Bluetooth control module sends a first voltage regulation request signal to the EC membrane controller via the CAN network;

[0015] When the Bluetooth control module recognizes that the distance between the mobile terminal and the vehicle is within a second threshold range within the visible area, the Bluetooth control module sends a second voltage regulation request signal to the EC membrane controller via the CAN network.

[0016] Preferably, the first threshold range in the blurred area is an area with the vehicle as the origin and a diameter of 5-50 meters from the vehicle; the second threshold range in the visible area is an area with the vehicle as the origin and a diameter of 0-5 meters from the vehicle.

[0017] Preferably, the EC membrane controller monitors the feedback current of the membrane load while outputting the forward voltage, and calculates the percentage of the membrane transparency. When the EC membrane controller detects that the membrane load transparency of the EC membrane reaches 100%, the feedback current is minimum and the forward voltage output stops. At this time, the window is completely transparent.

[0018] Preferably, the EC membrane controller monitors the feedback current of the membrane load while outputting the reverse voltage, and calculates the percentage of the membrane transparency. When the EC membrane controller detects that the membrane load transparency of the EC membrane reaches 0%, the feedback current is maximum and the reverse voltage output stops. At this time, the window is in an invisible state.

[0019] The present invention utilizes the distance measurement function of the mobile phone Bluetooth digital key and the window transparency control function of the EC membrane controller to realize intelligent adjustment of the window transparency according to the distance between the key and the vehicle, that is, when the key is farther away from the vehicle, the window transparency is lower, and when the key is closer to the vehicle, the window transparency is higher. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 A system for controlling the transparency of a vehicle window according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the distribution of transparency areas of a vehicle window according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a method for controlling the transparency of a vehicle window according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Reference numerals:

[0024] 1. Bluetooth control module; 2. Mobile terminal; 3. EC membrane controller; 4. Car window; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The advantages of the present invention are further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0026] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments described here can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described here. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or modules is not necessarily limited to the steps or modules clearly listed, but may include other steps or modules that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices. The naming or numbering of steps in this application does not mean that the steps in the method flow must be executed in the time / logical sequence indicated by the naming or numbering. The process steps that have been named or numbered can change the execution order according to the technical purpose to be achieved, as long as the same or similar technical effects can be achieved. The division of modules in this application is a logical division. There may be other division methods when it is implemented in actual applications. For example, multiple modules can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection between modules can be electrical or other similar forms, which are not limited in this application. In addition, the modules or submodules described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, may or may not be physical modules, or may be distributed in multiple circuit modules, and some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present application.

[0027] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified and limited, it should be noted that the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection, or it can be the internal communication of two components, it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms can be understood according to specific circumstances. In the subsequent description, the use of suffixes such as "module", "component" or "unit" used to represent components is only to facilitate the description of the present invention, and it itself has no specific meaning. Therefore, "module" and "component" can be used interchangeably.

[0028] like Figure 1 The present invention provides a system for controlling the transparency of a vehicle window, comprising: a Bluetooth control module 1, a mobile terminal 2, an EC membrane controller 3, and a vehicle window 4. The Bluetooth control module 1 is located at the vehicle end and connected to a CAN bus, the EC membrane controller 3 is connected to the Bluetooth control module 1 via the CAN bus, an EC membrane is installed in the vehicle window 4, and the EC membrane is connected to the EC membrane controller 3.

[0029] EC film, EC film, that is, Electrochromic dimming film, that is, electrochromic dimming film, the electrochromic material in the film is a transition metal oxide. The ions of transition metal elements have colors, and the energy difference between the ground state and the excited state is small. Under certain conditions, the valence state undergoes a reversible change to form a mixed valence ion coexistence state. With the change of ion valence and concentration, the color will also change accordingly. By changing the voltage of the electrodes at both ends of the film to control this color change, a stable and controllable change in the overall transmittance can be achieved. Applying a forward voltage produces an oxidation-reduction reaction, and the product is a transparent substance, which makes the film transparent. If a reverse voltage is applied, a reverse reaction occurs, causing the color to gradually change from a bright state to a dark state.

[0030] The mobile terminal 2 may be a mobile phone, a Bluetooth digital key or other mobile device that can establish a Bluetooth connection with a Bluetooth controller on the vehicle side, and the present invention does not make any specific limitation thereto.

[0031] The Bluetooth control module 1 is used to send a voltage regulation request signal to the EC membrane controller 3 via the CAN bus;

[0032] The EC film controller 3 is used to adjust the voltage of the EC film in the vehicle window, thereby adjusting the transparency of the vehicle window.

[0033] The present invention also discloses a method for adjusting the transparency of a vehicle window, which specifically comprises:

[0034] S1, the Bluetooth control module 1 establishes a Bluetooth connection with the mobile terminal 2, and calculates the distance from the mobile terminal 2 to the vehicle.

[0035] In an embodiment of the present invention, the distance from the mobile phone to the vehicle is calculated using the Channel Sounding (CS) technology in the Bluetooth protocol. Existing ranging solutions mainly include Ultra Wide Band (UWB) ranging and ranging based on Bluetooth received signal strength indication (RSSI). However, UWB ranging has high accuracy, but the ecosystem is not perfect and expensive, and only a small number of mobile terminals support UWB; Bluetooth RSSI ranging has a perfect ecosystem and is generally supported by mobile terminals such as mobile phones, but Bluetooth RSSI ranging has low accuracy and poor user experience. In order to better adapt to the ranging needs, Bluetooth-based Channel Sounding (CS) technology came into being. It is a technology given by the Bluetooth Technology Alliance for measuring the characteristics of physical link channels. By measuring and analyzing the channel transmission characteristics, the path and characteristics of signal transmission can be more accurately located and identified, and can be used for distance estimation and detection.

[0036] In this embodiment, a Bluetooth connection is established between the Bluetooth control module 1 and the mobile terminal 2. Optionally, the Bluetooth connection here can be a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) connection. The CS ranging is completed by the Bluetooth protocol stack in the Bluetooth chip of the Bluetooth control module 1. The software application layer of the Bluetooth control module 1 obtains the phase and flight time of the Bluetooth signal received from the mobile terminal 2 from the Bluetooth protocol stack, and calculates the current distance from the mobile terminal 2 to the vehicle according to the software algorithm.

[0037] S2, the Bluetooth control module 1 sends a voltage adjustment request signal to the EC membrane controller 3 according to the distance information from the mobile terminal 2 to the vehicle.

[0038] Specifically, see Figure 2 The area outside the vehicle is divided into visible area, blurred area and invisible area.

[0039] S21, when the Bluetooth control module 1 recognizes that the distance between the mobile terminal 2 and the vehicle is within a first threshold range in the fuzzy area, the Bluetooth control module 1 sends a first voltage regulation request signal to the EC membrane controller 3 via the CAN network.

[0040] In this embodiment, the first threshold range in the fuzzy area is an area with the vehicle as the origin and a diameter of 5-50 meters from the vehicle. The first threshold range can be adjusted through calibration parameters according to different Bluetooth connection performances of the mobile terminal 2, and the present invention does not make specific limitations.

[0041] S22, when the Bluetooth control module 1 recognizes that the distance between the mobile terminal 2 and the vehicle is within a second threshold range within the visible area, the Bluetooth control module 1 sends a second voltage regulation request signal to the EC membrane controller 3 via the CAN network.

[0042] In this embodiment, the second threshold range in the visible area is an area with the vehicle as the origin and a diameter of 0-5 meters from the vehicle. The second threshold range can be adjusted by calibration parameters according to different Bluetooth connection performances of the mobile terminal 2, and the present invention does not make specific limitations.

[0043] S3, the EC membrane controller 3 controls the magnitude and polarity of the output voltage to the EC membrane according to the received voltage regulation instruction.

[0044] The EC membrane controller 3 also includes a step-up and step-down circuit for adjusting the output voltage and polarity. By changing the voltage and polarity of the electrodes at both ends of the EC membrane to control this color change, a stable and controllable change in the overall light transmittance of the car window can be achieved. The transparency of the EC membrane depends on the amount of charged charge, and the charge is the integral of the current over time t. The process of charging the EC membrane can be compared to the process of charging a capacitor. The current I = C*(dV / dt), then the membrane transparency A = Int(I), dt = C*V = C*e[1-exp(-t / RC)]. We know that in the process of charging a capacitor with direct current, the current decreases with time I = C*(dV / dt). When charging is completed, the voltage reaches the maximum and the current reaches the minimum. The EC membrane controller calculates the current transparency of the membrane by monitoring the above current changes.

[0045] Specifically, when the EC membrane controller 3 receives the first voltage regulation request signal, that is, the forward voltage regulation request, it adjusts its output voltage from 0V to 1.5V.

[0046] While outputting the forward voltage, the EC membrane controller 3 monitors the feedback current of the membrane load and estimates the percentage of the membrane transparency. When the EC membrane controller 3 detects that the membrane load transparency of the EC membrane reaches 100%, the feedback current is minimum and the forward voltage output stops. At this time, the car window is in a completely transparent state, i.e., a visible state.

[0047] When the EC membrane controller 3 receives the second voltage regulation request signal, that is, the reverse voltage regulation request, it adjusts its output voltage from 0V to -1.5V.

[0048] While outputting the reverse voltage, the EC membrane controller 3 monitors the feedback current of the membrane load and estimates the percentage of the membrane transparency. When the EC membrane controller 3 detects that the membrane load transparency of the EC membrane reaches 0%, the feedback current is the maximum and the reverse voltage is stopped. At this time, the window state is invisible.

[0049] The time it takes for the transparency of the car window glass to change from 0% to 100% depends on the size of the car window glass and the voltage. Taking the size of ordinary car window glass and the voltage of 1.5V as an example, the present invention takes about 40 seconds for the transparency of the car window glass to become high enough to see inside the car. According to the average walking speed of 1.2m / s, a distance of about 48 meters can be walked in 40 seconds, so the outermost edge of the fuzzy zone should be 48 meters away from the car. The actual vehicle usage scenario should calibrate and adjust the distance range of the fuzzy zone according to the size of the vehicle window and the Bluetooth connection performance of the vehicle-side Bluetooth control module 1.

[0050] When the user is moving, the EC film controller maintains the output voltage until the transparency of the window film reaches the target transparency, that is, 0% or 100%.

[0051] In special scenarios, for example, when a user walks from the visible area to the blurred area and wants to turn around and go back to the car to get something, the user re-enters the visible area from the blurred area, and the Bluetooth control module 1 identifies the distance between the mobile terminal 2 and the vehicle, and sends a forward voltage regulation request signal to the EC membrane controller 3 through the CAN network. This ensures that the window transparency is high enough for the user to see the situation inside the car when approaching the vehicle.

[0052] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention have better practicability and do not impose any form of limitation on the present invention. Any technician familiar with the field may use the technical content disclosed above to change or modify it into an equivalent effective embodiment. However, any modification or equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention are still within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for controlling the transparency of a vehicle window, comprising: A Bluetooth control module, an EC membrane controller, a vehicle window and a mobile terminal, characterized in that the Bluetooth control module is located at the vehicle end and connected to the CAN bus, the EC membrane controller is connected to the Bluetooth control module via the CAN bus, an EC membrane is installed in the vehicle window, the EC membrane is connected to the EC membrane controller, the Bluetooth control module establishes a Bluetooth connection with the mobile terminal, and sends a voltage regulation request signal to the EC membrane controller via the CAN bus; the EC membrane controller is used to adjust the voltage of the EC membrane in the vehicle window, thereby adjusting the transparency of the vehicle window.

2. A method for controlling window transparency of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising the system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The control method comprises: The Bluetooth control module establishes a Bluetooth connection with the mobile terminal and calculates the distance from the mobile terminal to the vehicle; The Bluetooth control module sends control instructions to the EC membrane controller according to the distance information from the mobile terminal to the vehicle; The EC membrane controller controls the output voltage of the EC membrane according to the received control instructions.

3. The control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The mobile terminal is a mobile phone, a Bluetooth digital key or other mobile device that establishes a Bluetooth connection with a Bluetooth control module on the vehicle side.

4. The control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The distance from the mobile terminal to the vehicle is calculated based on channel sounding (CS).

5. The control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control instruction includes a first voltage regulation signal and a second voltage regulation signal, wherein the first voltage regulation signal is for positively regulating the output voltage; and the second voltage regulation signal is for negatively regulating the output voltage.

6. The control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first voltage regulation signal is used to adjust the output voltage from 0V to 1.5V; the second voltage regulation signal is used to adjust the output voltage from 0V to -1.5V.

7. The control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The Bluetooth control module sends a control instruction to the EC membrane controller according to the distance information from the mobile terminal to the vehicle, and further includes: When the Bluetooth control module identifies that the distance between the mobile terminal and the vehicle is within a first threshold range within the fuzzy area, the Bluetooth control module sends a first voltage regulation request signal to the EC membrane controller via the CAN network; When the Bluetooth control module recognizes that the distance between the mobile terminal and the vehicle is within a second threshold range within the visible area, the Bluetooth control module sends a second voltage regulation request signal to the EC membrane controller via the CAN network.

8. The control method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first threshold range in the blurred area is an area with the vehicle as the origin and a diameter of 5-50 meters from the vehicle; the second threshold range in the visible area is an area with the vehicle as the origin and a diameter of 0-5 meters from the vehicle.

9. The control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: While outputting forward voltage, the EC membrane controller monitors the feedback current of the membrane load and calculates the percentage of membrane transparency. When the EC membrane controller detects that the membrane load transparency of the EC membrane reaches 100%, the feedback current is minimum and the forward voltage output stops. At this time, the car window is completely transparent.

10. The control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: While outputting reverse voltage, the EC membrane controller monitors the feedback current of the membrane load and calculates the percentage of membrane transparency. When the EC membrane controller detects that the membrane load transparency of the EC membrane reaches 0%, the feedback current is maximum and the reverse voltage output stops. At this time, the window is invisible.

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