Abstract: A wiper apparatus using a three brush, permanent magnet motor in which a zener diode has a cathode connected to the low speed brush and an anode connected to the high speed brush. The zener breakdown voltage of the zener diode is chosen so that it reverse conducts during at least some portion of each wipe cycle during operation with the high speed brush on a wet window to limit peak wiper speeds and reduce strain on the wiper mechanism. Variations including a transistor, relay or additional zener diode controlled by the zener diode and connected in parallel therewith provide for reduced current and therefore power dissipation in the zener diode at the expense of somewhat limited speed limiting.

Abstract: A sensing device for monitoring engine coolant temperature comprises a two leaded thermistor, a single lead thermistor and a single lead bimetal switch in a compact shell. The switch and one thermistor are electrically grounded to the shell. A bimetal leaf is welded to the end of the shell and its free end extends to an adjustable central contact. A spring assembly biases the grounded thermistor against a shelf near the end of the shell. The leaf and the spring assembly are canted at an angle to conserve space. The other thermistor is supported by an insulated closure in one end of the shell.

Abstract: A crash sensing and occupant restraint activating apparatus is disclosed for a vehicle having a welded unit body structure including a side rail extending back from the front of the vehicle on each side. An acoustic sensor near the front of each side rail generates a signal in response to acoustic vibrations due to metal deformation in a frontal crash. The signals from the sensors are processed through a bandpass filter and an envelope detector. A comparator/timer generates a crash signal to activate an occupant restraint only when the envelope of the filtered sensor signal exceeds a predetermined amplitude reference for a predetermined time period of substantially 5 milliseconds. The envelope detector has a time constant of substantially 2 milliseconds; and the bandpass filter passes 200 to 300 KHz.

Abstract: A valve actuating device for an internal combustion engine is operated with partial valve lift. The valve is spring biased toward a neutral central position but held in full open or closed positions by permanent magnets having associated coils. Normal activation of the valve between full open and closed positions is by activation of a coil to fully cancel the field of the associated magnet with a spring moving the valve to the other position. Partial lift operation comprises providing, with the valve in its closed position, a valve opening current to the valve opening coil to reduce the closing magnetic field but stopping the current before the valve reaches its full open position and providing a valve closing current to one of the coils to cause the return of the valve to its closed position.

Abstract: A vehicle suspension system has at least one leveling device with a leveling sensor on each side of the vehicle. Leveling action is initiated when a sensor indicates height out of a dead band around the calibrated level for the sensor. Once initiated, leveling action occurs independently for all devices in closed loop to target levels, different for intake and exhaust, which allow overshoot to a common intermediate level, the intermediate level allowing settling to the calibrated level. Order of leveling is rear first with intake before exhaust and then front with exhaust before intake to prevent the rear from falling below the front. Leveling is prevented when the vehicle is not moving but has moved since the last opening of one or more selected vehicle doors.

Abstract: A pair of outer conducting members on the outside of a windshield are separated by a long common insulating border defining a border resistance in parallel with a first capacitance. Each of the outer conducting members is capacitively coupled through a layer of the windshield to an inner conducting member to form coupling capacitances in series with the combination of the border resistance and first capacitance. The preceding elements form a timing circuit for an oscillator, the timing circuit having an equivalent capacitance varying with the border resistance. When water droplets bridge the border of the outer conducting members, the border resistance decreases from infinity to change the equivalent capacitance of the timing circuit and thus the frequency of the oscillator circuit; and this change is detected to modify wiper operation.

Abstract: A vehicle windshield wiper control circuit in which the first wipe cycle is initiated with closure of the wiper activation switch in intermittent operation. The control circuit uses a voltage comparison arrangement in which a voltage divider, with an instant wipe capacitor connected across the output, has a normal output voltage ineffective to produce motor drive for wiper actuation but produces a different output voltage through electric current diversion from one of its series resistors with the wiper activation switch open which is effective, immediately upon closure of the wiper activating switch, to initiate a wipe cycle, the instant wipe capacitor thereafter charging to the normal output voltage before another wipe cycle can be initiated.

Abstract: An electric motor inlcudes a slotted collar on the rotor and a temperature sensitive actuator with an attached pin effective when cold to move into an inserted position in which the pin engages the slotted collar to prevent rotor rotation, and when hot to move to a retracted position in which the pin is withdrawn from the collar to allow rotor rotation. The actuator comprises first and second springs having ends connected together and exerting opposing forces on each other, the second spring being made of a temperature sensitive memory metal so as to shorten and lengthen the actuator with changing temperature. The acutator is electrically conducting and inserted in series with the motor commutator, whereby armature current heats the actuator to move to the retracted position, and cessation of armature current allows it to cool and move to its inserted position.

Abstract: A vehicle window wiper control activates an electric motor to drive the wiper through repeating cycles of a wipe pattern on a vehicle window. In the pause mode, a first wiper position responsive switch provides a pause at both inner and outer wipe positions, one at each end of the wipe pattern. In the off mode, however, the final wipe cycle is completed through a second wiper position responsive switch which is open only in the inner wipe position and is connected in parallel with the first wiper position responsive switch to shunt it at the outer wipe position, so that the wiper is parked only in the inner wipe position. The wiper position responsive switches are multiple stationary contacts tracing circular paths of differing radii on a conducting plate with non-conducting portions which rotates with wiper movement. The division of total pause time into two pauses per wipe cycle allows a halving of the RC time constant in the pause timer, with cost and/or reliability benefits.

Abstract: An electric, variable damping suspension for a motor vehicle comprises a three phase rotary electric alternator, a ball screw and nut apparatus connecting the sprung and unsprung masses and driving the alternator in alternating rotary directions as the sprung and unsprung masses oscillate relative to each other, a rectifier bridge for converting the three phase alternator output to a single DC current, an electric load, and a switch for controlling the application of the DC current to the electrical load. Circuits determine the times of consecutive zero crossings of each phase and update therefrom a signal indicative of the magnitude of rattle space velocity. The circuits further determine, from the identities of the alternator phases of successive zero crossings of any phase compared with stored expected consecutive phase identities, the direction of the rattle space velocity.

Abstract: A centralized door-locking system in a motor vehicle in which all of the doors of the vehicle and a tailgate of the vehicle have lockable latches which can be locked/unlocked electrically using key-operable switches asociated with the lockable latches in the driver's door, front passenger's door and the tailgate of the vehicle. In the system, it is possible to selectively lock/unlock the driver's door and/or the tailgate independently of the remaining doors of the vehicle, thus improving the overall security against unauthorized entry to the vehicle by third persons during usage of the vehicle. This selective locking/unlocking of the driver's door and tailgate may be achieved by using, for example, a key-operable switch in the driver's door having a rotatable key barrel 32 with key slot 160 which is rotatable clockwise or anticlockwise from a central position N to sequential switching positions A and B, or C and D, against an increasing spring bias 162, 164.

Abstract: A printed circuit board includes a pair of mounting openings for a connector member comprising a strip of electrically conducting material having a pair of oppositely oriented concave legs joined in a convex head. Each of the legs has an end abutting the circuit board and a narrower foot extending through one of the openings and soldered to the printed circuit on the opposite side of the board in a wave soldering process. The spacing of the mounting openings is less than that of the ends of the legs of the unbiased connector member so that the latter must be pinched closed to be mounted on the board and is positively retained thereon until soldered. The spacing also maintains the concave legs of the mounted connector member in contact with each other at their point of closest approach for controlled retention of a mating connecting member shaft but separated at the ends so that no molten solder wicks therebetween by capillary action in the wave soldering process.

Abstract: A CMOS binary equals comparator circuit suitable for chaining into an n-bit equals comparator has carry in and carry out terminals with three MOSFETs and an inverter connected to pass through a high carry in voltage to the carry out terminal but to allow the comparison of the first and second bits in additional circuitry to determine the carry out voltage with a low carry in voltage. Further MOSFETs, in one P channel and one N channel pair, are interconnected and provided with the first bit, second bit and complement of the second bit to detect equality of the first and second bits. The circuit uses a small number of transistors per bit for the comparison.

Abstract: A commutator is adapted for more consistent hot staking of the armature wire to the commutator hooks and easier armature winding with larger diameter wire by providing two commutator hooks on each of two diametrically opposed commutator bars and one hook on each of the others and spacing the commutator hooks circumferentially equally, so that there is a separate commutator hook for each armature wire needing commutator connection. The diametrically opposed commutator bars subtend the largest arcs to accommodate the two commutator hooks. The remainder of the commutator bars may subtend increasing arcs, progressing from one of the diametrically opposed bars to the other in opposite rotational directions, to spread the noise spectrum of brush noise during motor operation. Rotational orientation means for armature winding are provided in the form of indexing tabs projecting from the commutator bars having two hooks, in a direction axially opposite that of the hooks.

Abstract: An electric motor armature current control circuit includes an electric motor with an armature in series with a protective device comprising a pair of polymer PTC elements connected in electrical series with the motor armature windings and in electrical parallel and thermal contact with each other. The first polymer PTC element, a temperature compensating element, has a very low cold resistance and a trip temperature higher than the maximum expected ambient temperature to which it is to be exposed in motor operation and generates heat in motor operation to trip to a much higher resistance and become self-regulating at that trip temperature. The second polymer PTC element is maintained at least at the trip temperature of the first through thermal contact and has a lower resistance at that temperature than the cold resistance of the first. Its trip temperature is higher so as to be reached only with excessive armature current.

Abstract: A valve member is latched into open or closed positions by permanent magnetic poles against the force of compressed springs. A coil associated with each position, when activated with a current, cancels the magnetic field of the permanent magnetic pole holding the valve member and allows the compressed spring to move the member quickly through a central neutral position toward the other position, whereupon it is attracted by the other magnetic pole to compress the other spring and latch into the other position. Variations on the basic invention include different structures for single valves, the inclusion of two valves within a single pair of coils with different opening current levels, and the use of the coil opposite the activating coil as a valve member movement sensing device.

Abstract: A motor vehicle engine includes an operator controlled fuel injection enabling switch effective to disconnect electric fuel injection apparatus from an electric power source and thus initiate the cessation of engine operation when deactivated. However, the spark ignition system is still powered through an oil pressure switch so as to continue engine operation for a few extra crankshaft rotations to reduce the unburned fuel in the intake passage as the engine stops and thus reduce throttle bore coking. In a vehicle having a fuel pump relay activated by the fuel injection enabling switch with contacts connected across the oil pressure switch, the invention may be obtained by changing the power connection of the spark ignition system from the fuel injection enabling (ignition) switch to the fuel pump relay.

Abstract: A windshield washer control for a vehicle is responsive to vehicle speed to vary the speed of an electric motor driven pump so as to vary the pump pressure with vehicle speed and thus counteract the downward dislocating effect, increasing with vehicle speed, of air rushing over the windshield, whereby the cleaning fluid is applied to a predetermined target area of the windshield regardless of varying vehicle speed. In addition, the pump may be activated for a time varying inversely with vehicle speed to counteract the variation of volume flow with varying pump pressure and thus cause a substantially constant volume of cleaning fluid to be applied to the windshield for each activation of the pump.

Abstract: An FM antenna for a vehicle with a ground plane comprising a horizontal roof having supporting pillars at the front and rear corners comprises a side fed, looped, annular slot antenna in the roof of loop length substantially one wavelength in the commercial FM broadcasting band, the slot antenna being displaced from the center of the roof toward one of the front and rear of the roof.

Abstract: A motor vehicle suspension control includes a solenoid actuator having an actuating coil connected in series with a transistor across an electric power source and circuit protection apparatus for the transistor. The voltage across the transistor is monitored, after a short time delay following turn-on, as a signal indicative of excessive current therethrough. If the signal so indicates, the transistor is turned off for a period of time and then turned on again for another try. This continues for a predetermined maximum number of attempts. Specific clocked digital circuitry is disclosed for controlling the operation and producing the different required time delays or counts.