JP2006027483A - Assist system of door operation for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an assist system of door operation for an automobile capable of operating an active door opening by an occupant while effectively avoiding the interference with an obstacle under the state where the obstacle exists outside the door. <P>SOLUTION: The manual operation for door opening is power-assisted by an actuator 10 in a swing type door of the automobile. When an obstacle detection means 50 does not detect the obstacle, it becomes usual assist mode where a positive assist force in the door opening direction is generated by the actuator 10 in door opening operation. When the obstacle detection means detects the obstacle, the opening operation of the door 101 is made possible before at least halfway position of the door turning section from a closing position closing a getting on/off area by the door 101 to the collision position colliding with the obstacle, and the door assist is controlled by the actuator 10 so that the collision 101 of the obstacle with the door becomes a suppressed collision suppression mode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an automobile door operation assist system that is mounted on an automobile and that power-operates a door opening operation of a swing type door of the automobile by an actuator.

JP-A-6-328940 JP-A-9-109677

  As for doors attached to entrances and exits of automobiles, adoption of automatic doors is progressing in large automobiles such as buses, but the doors of passenger cars are usually manually operated. The door of a passenger car can be broadly divided into a swing type in which the door is fixed to one edge of the entrance / exit with a turning shaft (door hinge shaft), and the swinging operation is performed between a closed position that closes the closed entrance / exit and an open position, There are two types of sliding door type sliding doors that are often used for the back seats of wagon cars. Slide doors such as wagon cars require considerable force when sliding while pulling the door from the mount position that closes the entrance to the door to the slide position that is separated by a distance equivalent to the door thickness. A weak person such as an elderly person (hereinafter collectively referred to as a weak person) may have difficulty in operation. In order to solve this problem, wagon cars equipped with electric sliding doors are becoming widespread.

  On the other hand, a swing type door requires a certain operating force to open and close, and a weak person may have difficulty opening and closing as well. However, the automation of swing-type doors has basically hardly progressed. The reason for this is that, unlike sliding doors, swing-type doors open in a way that springs outward, so if you inadvertently automatically open the doors, obstacles that exist near the doors (people and others) This is because it is likely to cause a problem that interferes with other automobiles. In the case of manual operation, even if there is an obstacle outside the door, the operator carefully opens the door while confirming it, so that the above-described interference is not likely to occur.

  Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a door opening / closing mechanism that assists the necessary opening operation force with an actuator while manually opening the door. According to this configuration, the swing-type door opening operation can be easily performed by the power assist mechanism using the actuator while taking advantage of the manual door operation that can easily avoid the interference with the obstacle.

  However, when a power assist mechanism is provided on a swing-type door, the swing of the door is lightened by the assist force, so if there are obstacles outside the door, it will be overpowered even if you are careful. Tends to hit the obstacle. For example, in a narrow parking lot, everyone will experience, but when the distance to the next car is delicate, hold the door firmly with your hand and gradually widen the gap between the door and the entrance / exit, Try to get out of the car by rubbing your body. However, because the door is only held by the passenger's own hands that can not rely on mechanic movement, and there is a subconscious that `` I want to go out sooner '', and its holding power tends to loosen, If the amount of the gap is small relative to the width of the body, the door will gain momentum when the gap is pushed out by the body, eventually falling into the next car. Also, if you are in a hurry and you open the door carelessly, you may hit a passerby or a follower that is far away. At this time, if the door swing is lightened by the power assist mechanism, it can be said that these problems are more likely to occur.

  In patent document 1, in the situation where obstacles exist outside the door, on the premise that the passenger can open the door to the last, how to effectively use the door power assist mechanism, There has not been much investigation. In consideration of the contents of Patent Document 1 in further detail, according to the description in paragraph 0027 and FIG. 4, the assist motor transmits the assist force to the door via the screw shaft mechanism. When the motor stops, it is mechanically impossible to turn the screw shaft and thus the motor with the door turning torque, so the door is locked. In paragraph 0044, it is described that “the operation of the motor 6 is prohibited when the clearance sonar 78 detects an obstacle.” When read in conjunction with the paragraph 0027, the door is displayed when the obstacle is detected. Is clearly locked. However, in this system, when another car or the like is parked next to the parking lot or the like, if the clearance sonar operates, the passenger does not leave the door and goes out of the car. Therefore, it is conceivable to avoid the problem by setting the detection limit of the obstacle by clearance sonar to a close distance to the door, but this can not handle the obstacle present in a delicate position slightly away from the door, There is a problem that all the defects described in the previous paragraph surface.

  Moreover, although it is not an invention related to the door assist mechanism, Patent Document 2 describes that the door lock is operated when an obstacle existing outside the door is detected. A technique has been disclosed that enables a door to be opened regardless of the presence of an obstacle by strongly pushing the door open. Specifically, when an obstacle is detected, the ratchet stop provided on the door shaft is energized to lock the door, but the ratchet gear is axially coupled with a disc spring and the disc spring slides when the door is pushed open. With the ratchet gear, the door can be rotated and opened. However, this door opening mechanism does not consider any interference avoidance with an obstacle when the door is actually opened. This is because the door is locked by static friction due to the disc spring tension, and when the door opening operation force that overcomes this is added and the disc spring starts to slide, the tension force that locked the door suddenly becomes a dynamic friction state To decrease. As a result, the door is suddenly unlocked with a strong door opening operation force applied, and the door may crash into the obstacles. Originally, the door opening mechanism of Patent Document 2 is only provided for emergency escape in the event of an emergency such as a disaster or accident, and the basic operation when an obstacle is detected in normal times is a door lock. In this respect, the situation is not different from that of Patent Document 1.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an automobile door that enables an occupant to actively open the door while effectively avoiding interference with the obstacle in a situation where an obstacle exists outside the door. It is to provide an operation assist system.

Means and actions / effects for solving the problems

The present invention relates to a manually operated door of a swing type door that is attached to one edge of an entrance / exit of an automobile via a door turning shaft and can be opened from a closed position that closes the entrance / exit by a manual operation to an arbitrary angle position. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to an automotive door operation assist system in which an opening operation is power-assisted by an actuator.
Obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle outside the vehicle that interferes with the door when the door is opened;
When the obstacle detection means has not detected an obstacle, it becomes a normal assist mode in which a positive assist force in the door opening direction is generated by the actuator during the door opening operation, and the obstacle detection means detects the obstacle. During the door opening operation, the door can be opened from the closed position where the door closes the entrance to the collision position where the door collides with the obstacle, while the door can be opened, while the obstacle collides with the door. Comprises a door assist control means for controlling door assist by the actuator so as to be in a collision suppression mode to be suppressed.

  According to the present invention, when an obstacle outside the vehicle is detected, the door can be opened at least halfway through the door turning section that reaches the collision position with the obstacle, while the collision between the obstacle and the door is The door assist by the actuator is controlled so that the collision suppression mode is suppressed, so it is possible to actively open the door while paying attention to obstacles, and open the door carelessly. Problems that collide with obstacles can be effectively suppressed.

  In the collision suppression mode, the door assist control means prohibits the door assist or sets the limit angle position when the door is opened beyond the limit angle position determined in the middle of the door turning section. It can be configured to control the door assist by the actuator so that the door assist effect is weaker than in the section until it reaches. Thereby, it is prevented that the door is operated beyond the limit angle position, and the collision between the obstacle and the door can be effectively suppressed.

  Further, the door assist control means can be configured to have an obstacle door turning lock mechanism that prevents the door from turning afterward when the door reaches the limit angle position in the collision suppression mode. When the door reaches the limit angle position, the door turning lock is locked at the angle by the obstacle door turning lock mechanism, so that the problem that the door collides with the obstacle can be effectively suppressed.

  The door assist control means can be configured to perform control to weaken the door assist effect as the door opening angle increases when the obstacle detection means detects the obstacle. As the door gets closer to the obstacle, the door assist effect is weakened and the door operation becomes heavier, so that the operator's attention to the obstacle can be further urged.

  Further, the door assist control means includes reverse assist force generating means for generating a reverse assist force that acts in a direction opposite to the manual operation force applied to the door when the door exceeds the limit angle position in the collision suppression mode. It can also be configured as a thing. According to this, the door assist effect does not simply weaken, but the reverse assist force acts as a door pushing back force that actively prevents the opening operation, and can prevent the collision between the door and the obstacle more effectively. . Note that the reverse assist force generating means may be used also as the above-described door assist (forward assist) actuator, or the reverse assist force generating means may be constituted by an actuator or a spring other than this.

  Note that the door assist control means may variably determine the limit angle position according to the position of the obstacle. Thereby, the limit angle position is relatively determined according to the position of the obstacle, and the opening operation of the door can be performed more flexibly.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of an automobile to which the present invention is applied from the rear side.
A swing-type door 101 (hereinafter also simply referred to as “door”) 101 for getting on and off is attached to the automobile 100 via a door turning shaft 103 at one edge of the entrance 102. The door 101 can be opened from a closed position where the doorway 102 is closed by manual operation to an arbitrary angle position. The manual door opening operation is power-assisted by the actuator 10 to realize an automobile door operation assist system (hereinafter also simply referred to as “assist system”). In this embodiment, the actuator 10 is a motor that can rotate in both forward and reverse directions (hereinafter, when the actuator 10 is referred to as a subordinate concept motor, it is also referred to as “motor 10” by the same reference numeral). Other types such as air cylinders and air cylinders may be used. Although FIG. 1 shows an assist system provided on the passenger seat side door 101 side, the same assist system is separately provided on other doors (for example, a driver seat side door).

  Various mechanisms for converting the driving force of the actuator 10 into the opening / closing assist force of the door 101 and transmitting the same can be used. However, in this embodiment, the rotational output of the motor 10 with respect to the door turning shaft 103 that rotates together with the door 101. Is transmitted directly to the turning shaft 103 as a rotational driving force of the door opening / closing assist while torque is increased via the reduction gear mechanism RG (however, the present invention is not limited to this). Note that the reduction gear mechanism RG is configured to be able to reversely transmit a door opening / closing operation torque applied to the door 101 from the outside to the motor 10. For example, even when the motor 10 is stopped or a drive current is flowing, if the door opening / closing operation torque is applied so as to overcome the rotation torque, the motor 10 can be driven to rotate by the door opening / closing operation torque. It is. In this embodiment, the reduction gear mechanism 103g uses a known spur gear type reduction transmission mechanism in order to achieve this object. In FIG. 1, for the sake of simplicity, the reduction gear mechanism RG depicts only the gear 10g on the motor output shaft side and the gear 103g on the swivel shaft side that meshes with the gear 10g. Of course, it is also possible to arrange one or more intermediate gears between the two gears in order to change the direction.

  FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a first embodiment of the assist system of the present invention. The assist system SYS1 has obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle outside the vehicle that interferes with the door during the opening operation of the door, and the actuator control means, when no obstacle is detected, When the door is opened, the actuator enters a normal assist mode in which a positive assist force in the door opening direction is generated by the actuator. When the obstacle detection means detects an obstacle, the door is closed when the door is closed. The door by the actuator is in a collision suppression mode in which the door can be opened at least halfway in the door turning section that reaches the collision position where it collides with the obstacle, while the collision between the obstacle and the door is suppressed. It is configured to control the assist. Hereinafter, the hardware configuration that realizes the function will be described in detail.

  The actuator 10 is a motor 10 that can rotate in both forward and reverse directions as described above, and is configured by a DC motor in this embodiment (of course, other types of motors such as an induction motor, a brushless motor, and a stepping motor are used. May be) The actuator control means rotates the motor in the forward direction in the positive assist mode and rotates the motor 10 in the reverse direction in the reverse assist mode. In this embodiment, the actuator control means is a bidirectional linear control type using a push-pull transistor circuit. The motor driver 7 constitutes an actuator control means.

Specifically, the motor driver 7 includes a forward direction driving transistor 73 connected to a positive power source (voltage Vcc) and a reverse direction driving transistor 74 connected to a negative power source (voltage −Vcc). is configured as, each base terminals of the transistors 73 and 74, drive instruction voltage V _D is input is the voltage adjusted by the resistor 71. The resistor 72 is a feedback resistor for amplification, and a part of the collector / emitter current of both transistors 73 and 74 is converted into a voltage and returned to the base of each transistor. Thus, when V _D is positive, the forward direction driving transistor 73 causes the reverse direction driving transistor 74 to flow a current proportional to V _D to the motor 10 when V _D is negative. Therefore, V _D is the motor 10 when the positive is a positive assist mode to rotate in the forward direction, the reverse assist mode in which the motor 10 when V _D is negative is rotated in the reverse direction. The assist force becomes the determined by a motor current corresponding to V _D.

  The driving transistors 73 and 74 are provided with overcurrent protection transistors 73t and 74t, respectively. Reference numerals 73R and 74R are overcurrent detection resistors, and reference numerals 73D and 74D are flyback diodes.

  The basic operation of the door assist system SYS1 during normal operation is as follows. That is, the operation force detection means 2 for detecting the operation force of the door 101 is provided, and the operation force detection means 2 is operated in the positive assist mode by the actuator control means as shown in the state (A) and the state (B) in FIG. The operation of the actuator 10 is controlled so that the positive assist force is increased as the door operation force detected by is increased. That is, when a person with weak power tries to open the door 101, the positive assist force by the motor 10 acts strongly and the door 101 can be opened easily. On the other hand, when a strong person tries to open the door strongly, the positive assist force works relatively weakly. For example, if the control is performed so that the sum of the door opening torque generated by the external operating force and the door opening torque generated by the positive assist force is substantially constant, the door 101 can be opened at a substantially constant standard torque by anyone operating. it can.

In FIG. 2, the above functions are realized as follows. As shown in FIG. 1, the operating force detection means 2 is a torque sensor 2 (a non-contact type is desirable and a commercially available product can be used) provided on the door turning shaft 103, and the door opening operating force acts strongly. As a result, the torsional torque generated in the door turning shaft 103 appears larger and the output voltage of the torque sensor 2 increases. Since the output voltage of the torque sensor 2 is positive when the door is opened and negative when the door is closed, the direction of torque can be detected by the sign of the voltage. In this embodiment, the output voltage of the torque sensor 2 is amplified by the non-inverting amplifier 3 and output as the torque detection voltage Vst via the voltage follower 4. Incidentally, the operational amplifier used for the non-inverting amplifier 3 and the voltage follower 4 is, in this embodiment, a single power supply type, the bipolar input voltage from the torque sensor 2, after the level shifting the zero point by the bias voltage + V _B The signal is input to the non-inverting amplifier 3.

The torque detection voltage Vst is input to the differential amplifier circuit 5. The differential amplifier circuit 5 compares the torque detection voltage Vst with the reference voltage Vref1 and sets the difference ΔV (= Vref1−Vst) to a constant gain (as is well known, determined by the four peripheral resistors 5R1 to 5R4 of the operational amplifier). And output as a drive instruction voltage V _D for the motor 10. When the opening operation of the door 101 is started, since the torque detection voltage Vst is initially small, ΔV becomes large, the output current of the motor 10 also becomes large, and a large positive assist force works. Since the torque due to the positive assist force is superimposed on the door turning shaft 103 together with the torque due to the external operation force, the torque detection voltage Vst increases by the contribution due to the positive assist force. Then, ΔV decreases and ΔV decreases. That is, when the torque by the positive assist force is returned to the door turning shaft 103, the total torque of the external operation force and the positive assist force is reflected in the torque detection voltage Vst, and the door assist by the motor 10 is made to approach Vref1. The drive is feedback controlled. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, in the case of a person with weak force ((A)), the assist motor current (that is, assist torque AT) is kept large by the amount that the contribution by the external operation force is reduced. In the case of a strong person ((B)), the assist motor current is kept small.

  When it is desired to always control the total torque applied to the door turning shaft 103 during the door opening operation, the reference voltage Vref1 for the torque detection voltage Vst may be set to be constant. In this embodiment, the signal power supply voltage Vcc 'is stepped down by the resistance voltage dividing circuit 6 to generate a constant reference voltage Vref1. However, in order to perform more fluid control, the reference voltage Vref1 can be variably set according to the situation. In any case, the set level of the total torque is, for example, the door 101 so that the door 101 does not open freely by the positive assist force of the motor 10 in a state where the door operating force is not applied from the outside on a flat ground. It is desirable to set the reference voltage Vref1 so as to be approximately equal to or smaller than the moment of inertia when the motor is opened. In this case, the door 101 can be opened more lightly as the total torque level to be set (that is, the reference voltage Vref1) increases.

As is well known, the door 101 can be opened and closed by either the vehicle outer operation knob 104E or the vehicle inner operation knob 104. When the lock button 104 is tilted, the door 101 is operated by a known door lock mechanism 320 shown in FIG. The door opening / closing operation by the knobs 104E, 104 becomes impossible. The door lock mechanism 320 is provided as a separate mechanism from the assist system SYS1. When the door lock mechanism 320 is locked, a door lock signal DRS is output, which is used for stop control of the motor 10 of the assist system SYS1. It has come to be used. As a result, it is possible to prevent a problem that the assist system SYS1 operates wastefully in a locked state where the door 101 should not be opened and closed. In the present embodiment, the switch 21 that has received the door lock signal DRS disconnects the reference voltage Vref1 from the differential amplifier circuit 5, shorts the inverting input terminal and the non-inverting input terminal of the differential amplifier circuit 5, The input ΔV and thus the drive instruction voltage V _D to the motor 10 is forcibly set to zero to stop the driving of the motor 10, but there is a method of cutting off the power connection state to the motor 10. Further, the door lock mechanism 320 acquires a travel detection signal from an ECU or the like and automatically outputs a door lock signal DRS while the vehicle is traveling.

  Next, in the de-assist system SYS1 of FIG. 2, when the door 101 is closed, the sign of the torque detection voltage Vst is reversed and ΔV becomes larger, which prevents the door from being closed. A contradiction occurs in which the positive assist force in the opening direction acts strongly. In the present embodiment, a comparator 20 is provided that outputs an assist control signal SK1 when the sign of the torque detection voltage Vst becomes negative. A logical sum of the door lock signal DRS and the assist prohibition signal SK1 is input to the control terminal of the switch 21 via the gate 21a, and the motor 10 of the assist system SYS1 is controlled to stop even when the assist control signal SK1 is detected. It has come to be. On the other hand, when the sign of the torque detection voltage Vst becomes negative, the circuit may be switched to actively assist the door closing direction.

  Further, in the first embodiment, when the door operating force detected by the operating force detecting means 2 becomes greater than the limit value, the positive assist mode for assisting the door opening operation is the reverse assist mode for preventing the door opening operation. It is comprised as what switches to. In this way, when the door 101 swings lightly in the normal assist mode during normal times, but the door is inadvertently opened with a strong operating force, for example, in a hurry, the reverse assist is used. By switching to the mode, as shown in the state (C) of FIG. As a result, it is possible to effectively avoid such a problem that the door hits a passerby or a follower vehicle at a distance.

This function can be realized as follows, for example. That is, the torque detection voltage (Vst) max corresponding to the maximum operating force that can be generated by a sudden door opening operation or the like is determined in advance through experiments or the like. In FIG. 2, the reference voltage Vref1 (representing standard torque) input to the differential amplifier circuit 5 is set smaller than (Vst) max. Then, when the door is opened carelessly, as shown in FIG. 6, a situation in which the torque detection voltage Vst exceeds Vref1 occurs. At this time, ΔV is a negative value, and the drive instruction voltage V _D by the differential amplifier circuit 5 is also negative. As a result, the direction of the assist motor current reverses and switches to the reverse assist mode.

  In this case, as is apparent from FIG. 6, under a situation where ΔV is negative, the absolute value of ΔV increases as the torque detection voltage Vst increases. That is, the actuator control means (differential amplifier circuit 5) is configured so that the reverse assist force increases as the door operation force detected by the operation force detection means (torque sensor 2) increases in the reverse assist mode. ) Will be controlled. As a result, when an excessive operation force exceeding the standard torque is applied, the reverse assist force increases as the operation force increases, and the braking effect on the door 101 is enhanced. This braking effect can be adjusted by both the set value of Vref1 and the gain of the differential amplifier circuit 5.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the door assist system SYS1 of the present embodiment is provided with obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle outside the vehicle that interferes with the door 101 when the door 101 is opened. As the obstacle detection means, as shown in FIG. 5A, a means for detecting an obstacle that faces the side surface of the door 101 can be adopted. If it does in this way, the obstacle which exists in the direction which the door 101 opens can be detected appropriately. As such an obstacle detection means, for example, a well-known proximity switch, a reflection optical sensor (including an infrared type), or an obstacle sensor 50 such as an ultrasonic sensor can be employed. Many of these types of obstacle detection sensors have directivity in detection sensitivity, and when fixed to the side surface of the door 101, the sensitivity of obstacle detection may be reduced depending on the angle of the door 101. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5A, the obstacle sensor 50 is positioned relative to the door 101 with respect to the plane including the turning axis of the door 101 and along the vehicle side surface. ) Is always constant, or it is desirable to be attached so as to fall within a certain angle range with respect to the normal of the plane. In FIG. 5A, the mechanism is realized by mounting the obstacle sensor 50 on the parallel link 50R incorporated in the door 10. A plurality of obstacle sensors 50 may be provided at different positions on the side surface of the door 10.

  The detection output of the obstacle sensor 50 is compared with a threshold value by the comparator 51, and a signal indicating the presence / absence of detection of the obstacle is output in a binary manner. When the door 101 is opened from the inside and this is detected by the obstacle sensor 50, the angular position of the door 101 when the obstacle is detected becomes the limit angle position, and the detection signal SI ′ signifies that there is an obstacle. Is outputted, and the door assist control means that receives this performs control to prevent the subsequent door opening operation. In this embodiment, when the door 101 reaches the limit angle position, an obstacle door turning lock mechanism 300 that prevents the door from turning thereafter is provided as part of the door assist control means. .

  FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the lock portion of the lock mechanism 300. The main part of the lock part is a door side engaging part (male spline in this embodiment) 312 provided on the turning shaft 103 of the door 101 and a vehicle body side fixed to the door side engaging part 312 with respect to the turning axis. A vehicle body side engaging portion (female spline in this embodiment) 313 that is detachably engaged at an arbitrary angle phase corresponding to the turning angle 103 and locks the turning of the turning shaft 103 at the angle phase of the engaged state. And have. The vehicle body side engaging portion 313 is provided so as to be able to approach and separate from the door side engaging portion 312 in the axial direction of the turning shaft 103. When approaching, the vehicle body side engaging portion 313 is locked with the vehicle body side engaging portion 313. It becomes. In this embodiment, this approach / separation mechanism is configured by a known solenoid mechanism (cylinder mechanism or the like). The vehicle body side engaging portion 313 is attached to the tip of a drive shaft 314 having a spring receiving portion 314, and the drive shaft 31 moves a solenoid 301 that is driven back and forth in the axial direction by a solenoid 301 housed in the case 300C. When energized, the drive shaft 31 pops out, and the vehicle body side engaging portion 313 engages with the door side engaging portion 312. On the other hand, when the energization of the solenoid is released, the bias spring 310 engaged with the spring receiving portion 314 is elastically restored, the drive shaft 31 is retracted, and the vehicle body side engaging portion 313 and the door side engaging portion 312 are disengaged. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the obstacle detection signal SI ′ is output, the drive switch (transistor: reference numeral 302 is a protective flyback diode) 303 is turned on, and the solenoid 301 is energized, and FIG. The vehicle body side engaging portion 313 and the door side engaging portion 312 are engaged. At this time, the door 101 is approaching to an obstacle at an indeterminate position outside the vehicle, and the vehicle body side engaging portion 313 and the door side engaging portion 312 are splined at an angular phase when the obstacle is detected. If it is, it will be locked at that angle. That is, the limit angle position is variably determined according to the door angle position when the obstacle detection unit detects the obstacle (that is, according to the position of the obstacle). Thereby, regardless of the relative distance of the obstacle with respect to the automobile, if the door is approached by the opening operation, the door opening operation is prevented so as not to hit the obstacle. At this time, since the opening operation of the door 101 is hindered even if a positive assist force is generated by the motor 10, it is clear that the door assist by the actuator is controlled so that the collision suppression mode is set.

  In the door assist system SYS1 of the present embodiment, the collision suppression mode is allowed when the door is opened from the inside of the vehicle, and the collision suppression mode is prohibited when the door is opened from the outside of the vehicle. It has become. This is to prevent an operator standing by the door from being detected as an obstacle when the door is opened from the outside, such as when entering a car, and preventing the door opening operation from being hindered by the operation of the collision suppression mode. For the purpose. There are various methods for realizing this function. In FIG. 4, an external door operation signal EDS for changing the signal state between when the door is operated from the outside of the vehicle and when the door is operated from the inside of the vehicle is shown. When the external door operation signal EDS indicates a state in which the door is operated from the outside of the vehicle, the door assist suppression control mechanism (here, for the obstacle) is used regardless of the detection output of the obstacle sensor 50. The operation of the door turning lock mechanism 300) is restricted. Specifically, the detection signal SI ′ of the obstacle sensor 50 binarized by the comparator 51 and the binary external door operation signal EDS (when the door is operated from the outside, the reverse sign of the detection signal SI) This function is realized by using the logical product output SI by the gate 51a as the drive signal for the analog switch 53 described above.

  In addition, switching is prohibited while the outside operation knob 104E (provided on the side surface of the door 101) shown in FIG. 20 is opened, and switching is performed when the outside operation knob 104E is released. It is supposed to be acceptable. In most ordinary automobiles, the operation from the outside of the swing type door is performed by the vehicle outside operation knob 104E, so that the above configuration can reliably prevent the malfunction of the reverse assist force when the door is operated from the outside of the vehicle. In FIG. 20, the sensor 104PT detects whether or not the vehicle outer side operation knob 104E is pulled by a certain angle or more, and the output of the sensor 104PT is used as the aforementioned external door operation signal EDS, thereby realizing the above function. ing. In the present embodiment, the obstacle plate provided on the vehicle outer side operation knob 104E is detected by a photo interrupter that forms the sensor 104PT, and the output of the photo transistor included in the photo interrupter is used as the external door operation signal EDS.

Hereinafter, various other embodiments of the assist system of the present invention will be described. However, there are many common parts with FIG. 2 on the circuit, and these common parts are given the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.
(Embodiment 2)
In the collision suppression mode, the door assist system SYS2 of FIG. 7 is more effective than the section until the door reaches the limit angle position when the door is opened beyond the limit angle position determined in the middle of the door turning section. The door assist by the actuator is controlled so that the door assist effect is weakened. Specifically, detection of an obstacle by the obstacle detection means 50 is one of the switching conditions, and the normal assist mode for assisting the door opening operation is switched to the reverse assist mode for preventing the door opening operation. According to this configuration, when an obstacle outside the vehicle is detected, the door assist operation is switched to the reverse assist mode in which the door opening operation is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress the problem of inadvertently opening the door and colliding with the obstacle. be able to. Further, if a force that overcomes the reverse assist force of the motor 10 is applied, the door 101 can be actively opened while paying attention to the obstacle. In this case, since the pushing back force by the reverse assisting force is an appropriate brake, the problem that the door 101 is momentarily collided with the obstacle by the operating force is less likely to occur.

  In the circuit of FIG. 7, when the obstacle sensor 50 detects an obstacle (for example, a car parked next to the parking lot or the like) (the angle of the door 101 at this time is the limit angle position), the obstacle The motor driver 7 is controlled so that a constant reverse assist torque is added to the positive assist torque when no object is detected regardless of the door angle. Specifically, the differential voltage ΔV between the torque detection voltage Vst and the reference voltage Vref1 from the torque sensor 2 is reduced by a constant suppression bias voltage VSQ at the time of obstacle detection, corresponding to the voltage corresponding to VSQ, The output of the differential amplifier circuit 5 is shifted in the direction in which the positive assist force is suppressed (that is, the reverse assist direction). The detection output of the obstacle sensor 50 is compared with a threshold value by the comparator 51, and the output 51 of the suppression bias voltage VSQ (the signal power supply voltage Vcc ′ is divided and adjusted by using the output SI ′ of the comparator 51 as a switch drive signal. The analog switch 53 controls connection to the differential amplifier circuit 5 (which outputs a constant VSQ). In this embodiment, the analog switch 53 is turned on when the output of the comparator 51 is at a high level. Further, the suppression bias voltage VSQ is added to the input side of the torque detection voltage Vst with respect to the differential amplifier circuit 5, but may be a differential input with Vref1.

  In FIG. 7, when the obstacle sensor 50 detects an obstacle (that is, when the output SI ′ of the comparator 51 becomes active), an alarm 50A that outputs an alarm sound is provided. Is encouraged to pay more attention to obstacles.

  In the configuration of FIG. 7, when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection means, the mode is immediately switched to the reverse assist mode. In other words, when the output of the obstacle sensor 50 becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value, the output SI ′ of the comparator 51 becomes active (that is, the obstacle is detected), and the door operation is performed from the outside of the vehicle. The analog switch 53 is immediately turned on, and the suppression bias voltage VSQ is input to the differential amplifier circuit 5, and the positive assist force is suppressed. As described above, when the operation of the differential amplifier circuit 5 is controlled by the constant suppression bias voltage VSQ, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 6, when an obstacle is detected, the change in the assist motor current with respect to Vst is positive assist. It shifts a certain amount in the suppression direction. Then, the assist motor current is reversed in the reverse assist direction at Vst (that is, detected torque value: specifically Vref1-VSQ) smaller than when no obstacle is detected. In this case, it is clear that the reverse assist force indicated by the assist motor current is small when the operation torque is small, and there is no fear that excessive reverse assist force is applied to a person with weak force.

  In the case of an extremely weak operator (for example, an infant, the elderly, or a sick person), the operation may be continued in a state where Vst does not exceed Vref1-VSQ. In this case, the forward assist force is simply reduced, and no reverse assist force is generated. Therefore, the obstacle detection by the obstacle detection means is certainly one of the conditions for switching the normal assist mode to the reverse assist mode, but there is a case where the detection does not always immediately switch to the reverse assist mode. Yes. FIG. 8A is a graph showing a change of the assist motor current with respect to the door opening angle θ when the door is opened with a constant operation torque such that Vst exceeds Vref1-VSQ in the above configuration. Immediately after opening the door, a constant motor current flows in the reverse assist direction regardless of the door opening angle θ.

  On the other hand, if the reverse assist force is activated as soon as the door is opened, if the passenger does not notice the presence of the obstacle, it feels like the door has become heavy unnaturally and misunderstands that the door is locked It can happen. Also, when parking, etc., unless you are an expert, the width adjustment, etc., is limited to the remaining 5 cm, so in anticipation of this, the assist force in the positive direction is applied from the door closed position to a certain angle range θc. It is advantageous to form a neutral section where the control to be reduced does not operate. In this case, the assist mode switching means is configured such that only the normal assist mode is set until the door opening angle θ reaches a certain angle θc, and the reverse assist mode can be set when the door angle exceeds the certain angle θc. be able to. For example, in the case of the circuit configuration of FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 5B, the detection piece 103S is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the door turning shaft 103, and the detection piece 103S biases the limit switch 112 from the door closed position to the angle θc. Keep it like that. The analog switch 53 should not be turned on while the limit switch 112 is energized. In this embodiment, in order to realize this function, the gate 51a is a three-input AND type, and when the limit switch 112 is de-energized, a high-level limit switch input is input.

  FIG. 8B is a graph showing a change of the assist motor current with respect to the door opening angle θ when the door is opened with a constant operation torque such that Vst exceeds Vref1-VSQ in the above configuration. Since the switch 53 does not operate in FIG. 4 until the door opening angle is θc, a constant assist motor current in the positive assist direction flows, and when it exceeds θc, the switch 53 is turned ON, and the input of the suppression bias voltage VSQ becomes effective. Thus, a constant assist motor current in the reverse assist direction flows.

  In the above configuration, the motor 10 that generates the positive assist force is also used as the reverse assist force generating means. However, another motor (actuator) may be provided for generating the reverse assist force, or the door may be provided. It is also possible to provide a spring that extends between the vehicle body and the vehicle body, and when the door is opened, the spring is elastically deformed and a reverse assist force is generated by the return force. In this case, one end of the spring is configured so that one end of the spring can be attached to and detached from the door or the vehicle body so that a reverse assist force does not work in the normal assist mode, and when the normal assist mode is switched, One end may be separated from the door or the vehicle body so that the reverse assist force does not work.

(Embodiment 3)
The configuration of the door assist system SYS4 of FIG. 9 is substantially the same as the door assist system SYS2 of FIG. 7, but differs in the following two points. That is, when an obstacle is detected, the collision suppression mode is set.
(1) As the door opening angle θ is increased, the positive assist force is controlled to decrease in the positive assist mode;
(2) As the door opening angle θ increases, control is performed to increase the reverse assist force in the reverse assist mode.
As a result, when the obstacle exists outside the vehicle, the greater the door opening angle and the greater the risk of collision, the smaller the positive assist force in the former and the reverse assist force in the latter. In addition, the opening of the door is more strongly suppressed, and the operator can be more effectively alerted.

  In order to realize this function, the circuit configuration of FIG. 9 uses a suppression bias voltage VSθ whose output level changes uniquely according to the door opening angle θ, instead of the constant suppression bias voltage VSQ of FIG. The rest of the configuration is almost the same as in FIG. The output source 52 ′ of VSθ is an angle sensor, in this embodiment, an angle sensor whose output voltage changes according to the angle position, and in this embodiment, a potentiometer 110 (optical or magnetic non-contact type). Desirably, both are commercially available). The output of the potentiometer 110 is adjusted in gain by the amplifier circuit 54 to become the suppression bias voltage VSθ (monotonically (for example, linearly increases as the angle θ increases)), and is input to the differential amplifier circuit 5 as in FIG. The As a result, when the door opening angle θ increases, VSθ superimposed on Vst also increases, and the motor current is controlled so that the assist force in the reverse direction is increased even with the same operating torque. Depending on the gain of the amplifier circuit 54, the level of the assist force to be applied can be variously adjusted.

  The door assist system SYS4 of FIG. 9 has a mechanism in which a neutral section is set in which the control for reducing the assist force in the positive direction is not operated in a certain angle range θc from the door closed position. In this case, as in FIG. 5B, θc may be detected by a limit sensor or the like provided on the turning axis side. However, in the present embodiment, since the angle sensor 110 is used, there is a mechanism for detecting θc by its output. It is used. That is, the output of the potentiometer 110 is compared with the reference voltage Vref3 corresponding to θc by the comparator 54S, and the comparison result SI ″ is the control gate 51a of the analog switch 53 that controls the input of the VSθ to the differential amplifier 5. When the angle θ is less than θc, the output of the comparator 54S is inactive, the output of the control gate 51a is also inactive, the switch 53 is shut off, and the neutral section similar to the above is set. It becomes.

  FIG. 10 is a graph showing the change of the assist motor current with respect to the door opening angle θ when the door is opened with a constant operation torque such that Vst exceeds Vref1−VSθ in the above configuration. Since the switch 53 does not operate in FIG. 9 until the door opening angle is θc, a constant assist motor current in the positive assist direction flows, and when it exceeds θc, the switch 53 is turned ON, and the input of the suppression bias voltage VSθ becomes effective. With the angle θ, an assist motor current that decreases (in the absolute value) during the positive assist and increases (in the absolute value) during the reverse assist flows.

(Embodiment 4)
The door assist system SYS5 of FIG. 11 has a distance sensor 50D in which the obstacle detection means changes the output according to the distance between the door being opened and the obstacle, and the actuator control means follows the opening operation. In this example, control is performed such that the reverse assist force is increased as the distance between the obstacle and the door detected by the distance sensor 50D decreases. In the third embodiment (FIG. 9), regardless of the distance between the obstacle and the door, the reverse assist force is increased as the door angle θ increases, and the obstacle exists slightly far away. It is good if a problem such as a collision occurs when the value becomes large to some extent, but if there is an obstacle near the door, the angle θ is small and the collision occurs in a state where the reverse assist force does not work so much. There is a problem that the effect becomes thin. However, if the reverse assist force is increased as the distance from the obstacle detected by the distance sensor 50D is reduced, the door becomes an obstacle even if the angle θ is small, if the obstacle exists near the door. When approaching, a large reverse assist force can be generated, and collisions can be more effectively suppressed.

  In the circuit of FIG. 11, instead of the constant-voltage suppression bias voltage VSQ of FIG. 7, a suppression bias voltage VSd whose output level is uniquely changed according to the distance from the obstacle is used. 7 is the same. The output source of VSd is a distance sensor 50D and an amplifier circuit 57 that adjusts the gain of the output. As the distance sensor 50D, a known proximity switch, an ultrasonic distance sensor, or a laser reflective distance sensor as shown in FIG. 5C can be used. The laser reflection type distance sensor is composed of a pulse laser beam LP emitting unit 50a and a reflected light receiving unit 50b, and measures the distance by the time from emission to reception of the pulsed laser beam LP that is reflected back by an obstacle. To do. Similarly to FIG. 7, VSd is input to the differential amplifier circuit 5, and when the distance from the obstacle is reduced, VSd superimposed on Vst is increased, and the assist force in the reverse direction is increased even with the same operation torque. The motor current is controlled. Depending on the gain of the amplifier circuit 57, the level of the assist force to be applied can be variously adjusted.

  FIG. 12 is a graph showing the change of the assist motor current with respect to the door opening angle θ when the door is opened with a constant operation torque such that Vst exceeds Vref1-VSd in the above configuration. For example, in the case of a proximity switch, from the sensor characteristics, VSd has a non-linear output behavior that is close to zero when the distance d to the obstacle is large and rapidly increases and approaches a constant value when the distance d decreases (FIG. 12). In the middle). Therefore, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 13, if the distance d is large, the suppression bias voltage VSd is hardly generated, and the same positive assist force as that when there is no obstacle is generated. On the other hand, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 13, when the door 101 is opened and approaches an obstacle, VSd increases, the motor current value increases rapidly in the reverse assist direction, and the mode immediately shifts to the reverse assist mode. The door angle θJ for shifting to the reverse assist mode also changes according to the distance from the door closed position to the obstacle, and it can be seen that θJ decreases as the distance to the obstacle increases.

  When the output of the distance sensor is amplified as it is and used as the suppression bias voltage VSd, when the sensor approaches the obstacle and the sensor output is saturated, the suppression bias voltage VSd also reaches its peak, as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. In addition, the motor 10 also reaches its peak with a relatively small reverse assist current. Of course, if the gain of the amplification circuit 57 is increased and the level of the reverse assist current that reaches the peak is sufficiently high, a reverse assist force that can sufficiently prevent the approach to the obstacle can be generated. There is a possibility that the reverse assist force becomes excessively large from a distance, and the sensor characteristic is deteriorated and the temperature is easily affected.

  The door assist system SYS6 of FIG. 14 is configured to compensate for the disadvantage, and the actuator control means is an upper limit value that overcomes the reverse assist force from the external operation force as the distance between the door 101 and the obstacle approaches zero. The control of asymptotically approaching is performed. Specifically, a difference between the output of the distance sensor 50D and the reference value Vref3 corresponding to the saturated output value when approaching the obstacle is calculated by the differential amplifier circuit 58, and the value is input to the logarithmic circuit 59. Entered. The logarithmic circuit 59 saturates the inverting amplification output when the above input approaches zero, and on the contrary, if there is an input above a certain level, it operates substantially equivalently to a voltage follower.

  Accordingly, when the distance between the door 101 and the obstacle approaches zero, the output of the logarithmic circuit 59 approaches the saturation value, and when the distance between the door 101 and the obstacle increases and the output of the distance sensor 50D approaches zero, the difference The output of the dynamic amplification circuit 58 is equal to Vref3, and the output of the logarithmic circuit 59 is also Vref3. Therefore, this is further subjected to differential calculation with the reference voltage VB 'equal to Vref3 by the differential amplifier circuit 60 at the subsequent stage, and the output is used as the suppression bias voltage VSd. As a result, when the distance between the door 101 and the obstacle approaches zero, VSd approaches the maximum output of the differential amplifier circuit 60, and ΔV of the differential amplifier circuit 5 for motor control increases. As indicated by the broken line, the motor current in the reverse assist direction can be rapidly increased at an angle θ corresponding to the obstacle position. If the driving force of the motor 10 at this time is set sufficiently larger than, for example, the upper limit value of the door pushing force that an adult male can average, when the door 10 approaches an obstacle, the reverse assist by the motor 10 is performed. Since the force gradually approaches an upper limit value that sufficiently overcomes the operating force, as shown in FIG. 15, as the door 101 is pushed harder, the door 101 receiving the reverse assist force overcomes and pushes back. That is, no matter where the obstacle exists, if the door approaches by the opening operation, the operation force can be canceled and the obstacle can be prevented from colliding.

  At this time, when the door 101 approaches the obstacle, the reverse assist force causes the operation feeling as if a spring-like cushion is inserted between the door 101 and the vehicle body. You can also pry your body into the gap and go outside while prying open the door against the virtual cushioning force. By pushing back with reverse assist force, when you suddenly pry your body into the door gap to get out quickly, the momentum of the door due to widening the gap will be reduced, and the problem of hitting the next car will be greatly reduced To do. In addition, the passengers can get off the vehicle easily without worrying about hitting the next car or the like and opening the door while holding the door.

(Embodiment 5)
In the first to fourth embodiments, the obstacle detection means uses an obstacle sensor or a distance sensor that is a subordinate concept thereof. However, a camera that captures an obstacle may be used instead. The door assist system SYS7 in FIG. 16 replaces the distance sensor 50D of the door assist system SYS6 in FIG. 14 with a camera 200 for shooting an obstacle and an image processing device 201 that calculates the distance from the captured image to the obstacle. The digital distance data from the image processing apparatus 201 is converted to analog by the D / A converter 202 and input to the comparator 58. The rest of the system operation is exactly the same as that of the door assist system SYS6 in FIG. 14, so detailed description thereof will be omitted (the distance sensor 50 of each system in FIGS. 2, 7, 9, and 11 is also the same). Can be replaced).

  The camera 200 (that is, the obstacle detection means) may be provided on the side surface of the door 101. However, if the camera 200 is disposed on the back surface of the automobile 100, as shown in FIG. A moving body (for example, a succeeding vehicle) UK that approaches the automobile 100 from the rear side toward a position facing the side surface of the door 101 can also be detected as an obstacle. As a result, when parking on the road or the like, the following vehicle or the like that travels can be detected as an obstacle, and a problem of interfering with this when the door 101 is opened can be effectively prevented.

  Specifically, a coordinate system in which a space behind the host vehicle is projected is defined in the photographing field SC of the camera 200, and the moving body UK is represented on the field SC by a known image processing technique (for example, pixel comparison between moving image frames). To identify the fluctuation area by On the other hand, the projected coordinate system on the field of view can be divided by a first reference line WDL that represents the distance to the side of the host vehicle and a second reference line RLL that represents the distance to the rear of the host vehicle. Can be specified based on the position of the own vehicle (WDL is a limit line indicating the approach limit to the side of the own vehicle). Then, by comparing with the second reference line RLL, it is recognized that the moving body UK has approached the vehicle more than a certain amount, and the lateral distance of the moving body UK at this time is specified by comparing with the first reference line WDL. The expected passing position when passing the side of the vehicle. Then, the distance d at the predicted passing position is output as the distance to the obstacle. As a result, it is possible to predict the passage position of the following vehicle and perform door assist control in consideration of obstacle avoidance similar to that described above.

(Embodiment 6)
In the above five embodiments, the circuit forming the main part of the system is realized by analog hardware. However, this can realize a substantially equivalent function without problems even by a microcomputer circuit. Hereinafter, as an example, a case where the system corresponding to FIG. 16 is realized by a microcomputer will be described. The door assist system SYS8 shown in FIG. 18 includes a microcomputer 205 mainly composed of a CPU 206. The CPU 206 stores a ROM 207 storing a control program, a RAM 208 serving as an execution memory area thereof, and an input / output unit 209 and a signal line. It is connected by an eggplant bus. The motor 10 is connected to the input / output unit 209 via the driver 7 and the D / A converter 211 having the same configuration as described above, and the current instruction value given digitally from the microcomputer 205 side is converted into an analog signal. To be input to the driver 7.

  The input / output unit 209 receives digital distance data d from the image processing apparatus 201 connected to the camera 200. The analog sensor output that has passed through the amplifier circuit 3 of the torque sensor 2 is digitized by the A / D converter 210 and input. The door angle θ is detected by the rotary encoder 212, and the digital angle detection pulse is input via the Schmitt trigger buffer 212S (the angle can be recognized by the pulse count on the microcomputer 205 side). Further, the input / output unit 209 receives the above-described signals DRS and EDS and a door open signal indicating that the door is open.

  FIG. 19 shows an example of the processing flow. In S101, whether the door is opened or not is confirmed by detecting the door open signal. When the door is opened, the process proceeds to S102 and the detected torque value Vst is read. In S103, the reference value Vref1 stored in advance in the ROM 207 is read, and in S104, a difference ΔV (= Vref1−Vst) is calculated. In S105, it is determined whether or not the distance d (value in the door closed state) received from the image processing apparatus is equal to or smaller than a certain reference value d0. If it is, it is determined that there is an obstacle and the process proceeds to S105a. . If not, skip to S109.

  In S105a, it is checked whether there is an external door operation signal EDS, and if there is any, the process skips to S109. If there is no EDS, the process proceeds to S106 and reverse assist control corresponding to the obstacle is performed. Specifically, in S106, the current door angle θ is recognized by the pulse count from the rotary encoder 212, and the door is obstructed from the already acquired distance d ′ in the closed state of the door and the door angle θ. The distance d until the collision is calculated. In addition, the ROM 207 separately stores a table indicating the relationship between the control parameter VSd corresponding to the suppression bias voltage and the distance d. With reference to this, the value of VSd corresponding to the calculated distance δ is stored. Read. Then, in S108, this is updated by subtracting the value of VSd from ΔV, and the process proceeds to S109. The table showing the relationship between VSd and distance d should be defined so that VSd increases rapidly when d approaches zero, and conversely, if d increases above a certain value, VSd approaches a constant value or zero. For example, an exponential function, an inverse proportional function, or a logarithmic function as described in the figure can be used. Of course, instead of the table, a function expression may be directly stored, and VSd may be determined by calculation each time according to the function expression.

  The ROM 207 stores a table showing the relationship between ΔV and the current instruction value Id to the motor 10, reads Id corresponding to ΔV and outputs it to the driver 7 in S 109. If S106 to S108 are skipped, VSd is not incorporated into ΔV and normal assist processing is performed according to the detected torque value Vst. If not skipped, VSd is subtracted from ΔV, and positive assist is suppressed. (If Vsd increases and ΔV becomes negative, the door opening is forcibly pushed back and reverse assist is performed).

(Embodiment 7)
In the above six embodiments, the bidirectional linear control type motor driver 7 is used. However, the bidirectional linear control type driver requires a negative power source (−Vcc). The power source for automobiles is generally only a positive power source using an in-vehicle battery (lead storage battery or fuel cell), and in this case, a negative voltage power supply circuit using battery voltage as an input is separately required. However, if the motor driver 407 shown in FIG. 21 is used, the motor 10 can be driven bidirectionally only by the positive power supply voltage (+ Vcc: direct input of the battery voltage does not cause a significant problem with the door assist). The motor 10 is connected to an H bridge circuit 408 having four drive transistors Tr1 to Tr4 as main parts. Transistors Tr5 to Tr8 are for overcurrent protection for the drive transistors Tr1 to Tr4, and R1 to R4 are overcurrent detection resistors. D1 to D4 are flyback diodes. When Tr1 and Tr4 are on and Tr2 and Tr3 are off, the motor 10 rotates forward, and when Tr1 and Tr4 are off and Tr2 and Tr3 are on, the motor 10 rotates in reverse.

  Since each driving transistor Tr1 to Tr4 of the H bridge circuit 408 performs a switching operation in a saturation region, a PWM (Pulse) is provided between the differential amplifier circuit 5 and the H bridge circuit 408 for controlling the driving force of the motor 10. (Width Modulation) circuit is inserted. The differential amplifier circuit 5 shown in FIG. 21 is composed of a single power supply operational amplifier. The output is positive assist when the output is equal to or higher than the midpoint output voltage V0 (a positive non-zero constant value), and reverse assist when the output is less than V0. Therefore, the reference voltage Vref1 'is adjusted so that the midpoint output voltage V0 is generated.

  The drive instruction voltage from the differential amplifier circuit 5 is distributed and input to two comparators 409 and 410 (assist mode switching circuit) that perform switching determination between the positive assist and the reverse assist. In the comparators 409 and 410, the drive instruction voltage is compared with the reference voltage Vref5 (= V0). If the drive instruction voltage is larger than Vref5, the comparator 410 becomes active and enters the positive assist mode, and if it is opposite, the comparator 409 becomes active. It becomes reverse assist mode.

  On the other hand, the drive instruction voltage from the differential amplifier circuit 5 is distributed and input to two differential amplifier circuits 412 (for positive assist) and 411 (for reverse assist) for determining the duty ratio. In either case, a positive duty ratio reference voltage corresponding to the absolute value of the difference from the reference voltage Vref5 (= V0) is output. One of these outputs is input to the PWM signal generation comparator 415 by the three-state buffers 413 and 414 (when the comparator 410 is active (positive assist), the three-state buffer 413 is opened and the comparator 409 is opened). When active (reverse assist), the three-state buffer 414 is opened).

  In the comparator 415, the input of the duty ratio reference voltage is compared with the input from the triangular wave (or sawtooth wave) generation circuit 416, and a pulse signal (PWM signal) whose duty ratio changes according to the input value of the duty ratio reference voltage. ). These are distributed and input to AND gates 417 and 418, respectively. The logical product gates 417 and 418 output the logical product of the inputs from the comparators 410 and 409 forming the assist mode switching circuit and the PWM signal input. In the positive assist mode, Tr1 and Tr4 of the H-bridge circuit 408 are intermittently switched by the PWM pulse signal output from the AND gate 417, and the motor 10 is PWM driven in the forward direction. In the reverse assist mode, Tr2 and Tr3 are intermittently switched by the PWM pulse signal output from the AND gate 418, and the motor 10 is PWM driven in the reverse direction. The driving force (driving current) in each direction is determined according to the duty ratio of the PWM signal.

The perspective view which shows an example of the motor vehicle used as the application object of this invention with the built-in form of the motor for door assistance. The circuit diagram which shows the 1st aspect of the door assist system of this invention. The schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the door rotation lock mechanism for obstacles. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the door assist system of FIG. 2 at a normal time. The schematic diagram which illustrates the attachment form to the door of an obstacle sensor (or distance sensor). The schematic diagram which shows an example of the angle detection mechanism which concerns on a neutral area setting. The schematic diagram of a laser reflection type distance sensor. The graph which shows typically the relationship between the assist motor electric current and the torque detection voltage Vst of the system of FIG. The circuit diagram which shows the 2nd aspect of the door assist system of this invention. Action explanatory drawing of the door assist system of FIG. FIG. 8 is another operation explanatory diagram of the door assist system of FIG. 7. The circuit diagram which shows the 3rd aspect of the door assist system of this invention. Explanatory drawing of an effect | action of the door assist system of FIG. The circuit diagram which shows the 4th aspect of the door assist system of this invention. FIG. 12 is a first operation explanation diagram of the door assist system of FIG. 11. FIG. The circuit diagram which shows the 5th aspect of the door assist system of this invention. Explanatory drawing of an effect | action of the door assist system of FIG. The circuit diagram which shows the 6th aspect of the door assist system of this invention. The figure which illustrates notionally the method of detecting an obstruction with a camera. The circuit diagram which shows the 7th aspect of the door assist system of this invention. The flowchart which shows the flow of the operation program of the door assist system of FIG. The conceptual diagram which shows an example of the generation | occurrence | production mechanism of an external door operation signal with the operation | movement. The circuit diagram which shows the structural example of the motor driver using an H bridge circuit.

Explanation of symbols

SYS1, SYS2, SYS4 to SYS8 Door operation assist system for automobiles 2 Torque sensor (operation force detection means)
5 Differential amplifier circuit (door assist control means)
10 Motor (actuator, reverse assist force generating means)
50 Obstacle sensor (obstacle detection means)
50D distance sensor (obstacle detection means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Automobile 101 Door 102 Entrance / exit 103 Door swing axis 104E Car outer side operation knob 200 Camera (obstacle detection means)
300 Obstruction door rotation lock mechanism 320 Door lock mechanism

Claims (8)

Manual door opening operation of a swing type door that is attached to one edge of an automobile entrance / exit via a door turning shaft and can be opened from a closed position that closes the entrance / exit by a manual operation to an arbitrary angle position. In the door operation assist system for automobiles, which is power assisted by actuators,
Obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle outside the vehicle that interferes with the door when the door is opened;
When the obstacle detection means has not detected an obstacle, the door is in a normal assist mode in which a positive assist force in the door opening direction is generated by the actuator during the door opening operation, and the obstacle detection means When the door is opened, the door can be opened from the closed position where the door closes the entrance to the middle position of the door turning section from the collision position where the door collides with the obstacle. And, the door assist control means for controlling the door assist by the actuator so as to be in a collision suppression mode in which the collision between the obstacle and the door is suppressed,
A door operation assist system for automobiles, comprising: The door assist control means, in the collision suppression mode, when the door is about to be opened beyond a limit angle position defined in the middle of the door turning section, door assist is prohibited, or The automotive door operation assist system according to claim 1, wherein the door assist by the actuator is controlled so that the door assist effect is weaker than that in a section until the limit angle position is reached. 3. The automobile according to claim 2, wherein the door assist control unit includes an obstacle door turning lock mechanism that prevents a subsequent turn of the door when the door reaches the limit angle position in the collision suppression mode. Door operation assist system. 3. The door operation assisting system for an automobile according to claim 2, wherein when the obstacle detecting means detects the obstacle, the door assist control means performs control to weaken the door assist effect as the door opening angle increases. . The door assist control means generates a reverse assist force that generates a reverse assist force that acts in a direction opposite to a manual operation force applied to the door when the door exceeds the limit angle position in the collision suppression mode. The automobile door operation assist system according to claim 4, further comprising means. The automobile door operation assist system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the door assist control means variably determines the limit angle position according to the position of the obstacle. The automobile door operation assist system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the obstacle detection means detects an obstacle that faces the side surface of the door. 8. The obstacle detection unit according to claim 1, wherein the obstacle detection unit detects, as the obstacle, a moving body that approaches the automobile from a rear side toward a position facing a side surface of the door. The door operation assist system for automobiles described in 1.

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