VEHICLE MULTIPLEX SYSTEM WITH MULTIFUNCTION SWITCHES

An automotive vehicle having a control switch and at least two controlled elements includes a multiplex system having a central controller, at least one control bus coupled to the controller, and remote stations which apply a multiplexed data signal to the control bus indicative of the state of the switch and which demultiplex and store control signals from the controller for controlling activation of the first and second elements. The controller is programmed to set the control signals in accordance with the switch signal and in accordance with a status signal indicative of the state of the vehicle. The status signal can indicate whether any of the doors has been opened. By using a single control switch to perform multiple functions, depending upon the state of the vehicle, the total number of switches and therefore the cost of the system is reduced.