Anti-pinch moonroof and associated method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10161177-B1
Application number	US-201715789502-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 20, 2017
Priority date	Oct 20, 2017
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A motor vehicle according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a moonroof, a roof rail, a wire adjacent the roof rail, and a roof rack selectively attachable to the roof rail. The roof rack includes a magnet. Further, the vehicle includes a controller configured to deactivate the moonroof when a current flowing through the wire is disturbed by the magnet. A method is also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A motor vehicle, comprising:
a moonroof;
a roof rail;
a wire adjacent 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 moonroof when a current flowing through the wire is disturbed by the magnet.

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

3. The motor vehicle as recited in claim 1 , wherein, when the roof rack is attached to the roof rail, a magnetic field of the magnet disturbs the current flowing through the wire.

4. The motor vehicle as recited in claim 1 , wherein the roof rack includes a clamp and a cross bar, wherein the clamp is configured to selectively attach to the roof rail.

5. The motor vehicle as recited in claim 4 , wherein the clamp includes the magnet.

6. The motor vehicle as recited in claim 4 , wherein the wire spans substantially the entire length of the roof rail, and 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.

7. The motor vehicle as recited in claim 1 , wherein the magnet is a rare earth magnet.

8. The motor vehicle as recited in claim 1 , wherein the moonroof includes a plurality of panels.

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

10. The motor vehicle as recited in claim 9 , wherein the wire is located beneath at least one of the panels.

11. A method, comprising:
deactivating a moonroof when a disturbance is detected in a current flowing through a wire, the disturbance generated by a magnet of a roof rack.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the current flowing through the wire is a baseline current, and wherein a controller detects a disturbance when the current flowing through the wire deviates from the baseline current by a predetermined amount.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the wire is adjacent a roof rail, and the wire spans substantially an entire length of the roof rail.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 , wherein a clamp of the roof rack includes the magnet.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 , 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 when the roof rail is attached at any point along the length of the roof rail.

16. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the magnet is a rare earth magnet.

17. The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the moonroof includes a plurality of panels.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 , wherein at least one of the panels is selectively moveable by a motor, and wherein a controller deactivates the motor when the disturbance is detected.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Prochazka Bradley Mark
• Jarvis David Lee

Classifications

• E05Y2400/354

  End positions · CPC title

• E05F15/655 Primary

  specially adapted for vehicle wings · CPC title

• B60J7/043

  Sunroofs (B60J7/047 - B60J7/053 take precedence){e.g. sliding above the roof} · CPC title

• E05Y2900/542

  Roof panels · CPC title

• E05Y2201/434

  Electromotors; Details thereof · CPC title