JP6532108B2 - Vehicle door opening and closing control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle door opening / closing control device capable of opening a door of a vehicle contactlessly.

  There is known a door opening and closing system that detects the movement of a foot and automatically opens the door of a vehicle even when the user of the vehicle holds luggage in both hands (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2) See).

  The door opening and closing system of Patent Document 1 includes first and second sensors for detecting the movement of a foot at different places in the rear of the vehicle. The first sensor is provided on the rear bumper, and the second sensor is provided on the lower rear side of the vehicle body. In this door opening and closing system, the time difference between the output signal of the first sensor and the output signal of the second sensor is detected. Then, when this time difference satisfies a predetermined standard, it is determined that the kicking operation has been performed so that the toe enters between the vehicle body and the ground, and the motion of the foot is regarded as a door open command, Open the back door.

  In the door opening and closing system of Patent Document 2, a sensor for detecting the motion of the foot is provided on the lower surface of the vehicle. Moreover, LED for irradiating the detection range of a sensor is provided. When the user approaches the vehicle, the LED turns on and illuminates the foot. The user visually recognizes the irradiation area (detection range), and puts the foot under the vehicle while using the area as a guide. Then, a foot is detected by a sensor, and a door of a vehicle opens based on this detection signal.

  In such a door opening and closing system, a plurality of sensors may be provided in order to widen the detection area of the foot for the convenience of the user. In this case, if some of the plurality of sensors fail, detection of the motion of the foot by the sensors becomes impossible, but with regard to notifying the user whether each sensor is functioning effectively, Under the current situation where no consideration has been taken, the user has no way of knowing whether or not there is a sensor failure. For this reason, if the door does not open even if the user performs an action on the foot, the user will repeat useless actions many times, resulting in dissatisfaction without knowing the cause.

  In addition, even if the sensor itself is not broken, there may be signs or shopping carts near the sensor depending on the parking condition of the vehicle, and these affect the detection operation of the sensor. It may not be possible to detect foot movement properly. Also in this case, the user is dissatisfied as in the above case because the user does not know the cause of the door not opening.

  Furthermore, if some of the plurality of sensors can not detect the motion of the foot due to the cause as described above, the user no longer operates the foot when the detection function of the entire sensor is stopped. It is inconvenient because the door can not be opened automatically.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-500414 JP, 2005-133529, A

  An object of the present invention is to allow the user to easily determine which sensor among a plurality of sensors is effective, and to make the other sensors detect the operation even when some of the sensors can not be detected. Vehicle door opening and closing control device.

  The vehicle door opening and closing control device according to the present invention is based on a plurality of sensors provided near the door of the vehicle and detecting a user's gesture in a predetermined detection area, and based on output signals of at least two of the plurality of sensors. A control unit that determines whether or not a gesture has been performed and that opens and closes a door of the vehicle when the gesture is performed; and a plurality of displays provided corresponding to each of the plurality of sensors. There is. The control unit determines whether or not a gesture can be detected for each of the plurality of sensors. The display corresponding to the sensor determined to be capable of gesture detection performs display in the first display mode. The display corresponding to the sensor determined to be incapable of gesture detection performs display in a second display form different from the first display form.

  According to this vehicle door opening / closing control device, when a part of the plurality of sensors can not normally detect the gesture, the display according to the first display form is performed on the display corresponding to the sensor capable of gesture detection, and the gesture detection In the display corresponding to the sensor which can not be displayed, the display in the second display form is performed. For this reason, the user does not make a gesture at the position of the sensor corresponding to the display of the second display form, and avoids an unnecessary gesture by performing the gesture at the position of the sensor corresponding to the display of the first display form You can do it, and your complaints about the door not opening even if you make a gesture are resolved. Moreover, although display of the detection possibility of a sensor is performed by a sensor unit, since the detection of a gesture is performed based on the output signal of several sensors, a correct gesture and the gesture which is not so can be distinguished correctly, and the detection accuracy of a gesture is raised. be able to.

  In the present invention, the control unit verifies the correctness of the identification information of the electronic key based on the communication with the electronic key possessed by the user, and when the identification information is correct, based on the determination result of the gesture detection availability. Each display may display in the first display mode or the second display mode.

  In the present invention, the first display mode may include lighting or blinking of the indicator, and the second display mode may include turning off, blinking of the indicator, or lighting with a color different from the first display mode.

  In the present invention, when the level of the output signal of the sensor exceeds the predetermined upper limit value or falls below the predetermined lower limit value, the control unit determines that the sensor can not detect the gesture. You may judge.

  In the present invention, when the vehicle is provided with a plurality of welcome lights that light or blink when the user approaches the vehicle, the welcome lights may also be used as the display of the present invention.

  When a part of the welcome light doubles as a display, the welcome light doubles as a display performs the display in the first display mode or the second display mode, and the welcome light not double as a display is a first display mode The display may be performed in a third display form different from the second display form.

  In the present invention, the control unit detects the area in which the electronic key is present based on communication with the electronic key possessed by the user, and is provided at a position corresponding to the detected area among the plurality of sensors. The sensor may be enabled to enable gesture detection, and a sensor provided at a position not corresponding to the detected area among the plurality of sensors may be disabled to disable gesture detection.

  In the present invention, the control unit detects an area where the electronic key is present based on communication with an electronic key carried by the user, and is provided at a position corresponding to the detected area among the plurality of displays. Only the display may be operated.

  According to the vehicle door opening / closing control device of the present invention, since the user can easily determine which sensor among the plurality of sensors is effective, even if some of the sensors can not be detected, the operation is detected by the other sensors. By doing this, the door can be opened and closed, and the convenience of the user is improved.

FIG. 1 is a rear view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle door opening and closing control device of the present invention. It is a figure explaining detection of motion of a leg. It is a block diagram of a vehicle door opening and closing control device. It is the figure which showed the lighting condition of LED at the time of normal. It is the figure which showed the output signal of the sensor at the time of normal. It is the figure which showed the lighting condition of LED in case the label | marker is near. It is the figure which showed the other example of the lighting state in the case of FIG. It is the figure which showed the output signal of the sensor in the case of FIG. It is the figure which showed the lighting condition of LED at the time of sensor failure. It is the figure which showed the other example of the lighting state in the case of FIG. It is the figure which showed the output signal of the sensor at the time of sensor failure. It is the flowchart which showed an example of the timing of lighting and extinguishing of LED. It is the flowchart which showed the procedure in the case of opening a door by kick operation. It is a top view of the vehicle in other embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a view for explaining the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 14; FIG. 15 is a view for explaining the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 14; It is a top view of the vehicle in further another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 illustrates the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 17; FIG. 18 illustrates the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 17;

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same parts or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  First, the configuration of the vehicle door opening and closing control device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a view of the vehicle 100 as viewed from the rear, and FIG. 2 is a view of the vehicle 100 as viewed from the side. The vehicle 100 is a passenger car, and includes a vehicle body 1, a back door 2, a rear bumper 3, a rear window 4, and a tire 5. The rear bumper 3 is provided with a plurality of sensors 11 to 14 for detecting a user's gesture, and a plurality of LEDs 21 to 24 corresponding to the respective sensors 11 to 14.

  Here, the LEDs 21 to 24 are examples of the “display” in the present invention.

  The sensors 11 to 14 are, for example, capacitive proximity sensors, and are arranged at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction (direction parallel to the ground G). The sensors 11 and 12 are provided on the left side, and the sensors 13 and 14 are provided on the right side. The LEDs 21 to 24 are provided on the sensors 11 to 14 respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor 11 has a predetermined detection area R. The detection region R also extends in the horizontal direction in FIG. The same applies to the sensors 12-14. As shown by the broken line, when an operation of kicking the foot K (hereinafter referred to as a "kicking operation") is performed so that the tip of the foot K enters between the vehicle body 1 and the ground G, the foot K detects a detection area R The sensors 11 to 14 detect a kicking motion, and the back door 2 is automatically opened. This will be described in detail later. In addition, since the detection area R of the sensors 11 to 14 is overlapped between a plurality of sensors (for example, two adjacent sensors), the kicking motion of the foot K is detected by the plurality of sensors. The LEDs 21 to 24 are provided to display, for each sensor, whether or not the kicking operation of each of the sensors 11 to 14 can be detected. This will also be described in detail later.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the vehicle door opening / closing control device. The vehicle door opening / closing control device 200 is mounted on the vehicle 100 of FIG. 1 and includes the sensors 11 to 14 and the LEDs 21 to 24 described above, a detection circuit 32 to which output signals of the sensors 11 to 14 are input, and the LEDs 21 to 24 An LED output circuit 33 for driving the vehicle, a control unit 30 configuring an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), an on-vehicle battery 40 for supplying power to each unit, and a back door opening / closing unit 50 for opening and closing the back door 2 There is.

  The sensors 11 to 14 and the detection circuit 32 constitute a detection unit 10. The LEDs 21 to 24 constitute a display unit 20. The detection circuit 32 is configured of a circuit or the like that converts output signals of the sensors 11 to 14 into binary signals to be described later. The LED output circuit 33 is configured of a circuit that supplies a current to the LEDs 21 to 24 to drive each LED.

  The control unit 30 includes a communication circuit 31, a power supply circuit 34, and a CPU 35. The communication circuit 31 communicates with the electronic key 60 possessed by the user by LF (Low Frequency) or UHF (Ultra High Frequency). The power supply circuit 34 is a circuit for supplying the power of the in-vehicle battery 40 to each block of the control unit 30, and is constituted by a DC-DC converter or the like.

  The CPU 35 includes an ID collating unit 35a, a key position detecting unit 35b, and a determining unit 35c. The function of each of these blocks is actually realized by software. The CPU 35 includes other blocks for performing various processes, but only blocks related to the present invention are illustrated here.

  The ID collating unit 35a verifies whether the ID (identification information) of the electronic key 60 received by the communication circuit 31 from the electronic key 60 is correct. The key position detection unit 35 b detects the location of the electronic key 60 based on the signal transmitted from the electronic key 60. The determination unit 35 c determines whether each sensor can detect a kicking operation based on the output signals of the sensors 11 to 14. The determination unit 35c performs various determinations necessary for control other than the above.

  In addition to the control unit 30 described above, various control units (ECUs) are mounted on the vehicle, and the control unit 30 is connected to these control units via a CAN (Controller Area Network). Although not shown in FIG.

  The back door opening / closing unit 50 includes a motor for opening and closing the back door 2, an actuator for locking and unlocking the back door 2, and a drive circuit for driving these.

  Next, a procedure for opening the back door in the vehicle door opening / closing control device 200 having the above configuration will be described.

  The electronic key 60 (FIG. 3) possessed by the user is based on the user's operation or on receipt of the response request signal transmitted from the communication circuit 31 of the vehicle door opening / closing control device 200. ID is transmitted to the vehicle 100. The ID is received by the communication circuit 31. The ID collating unit 35a of the CPU 35 collates the received ID with the ID stored in the internal memory of the CPU 35. If the both match, the collation is determined as OK. If the both do not coincide, the collation as NG. Verification OK is a prerequisite for opening the back door 2.

  If the verification result is OK, the determination unit 35c of the CPU 35 determines whether or not the kicking operation can be detected for each of the sensors 11 to 14 based on the output signals of the sensors 11 to 14 input from the detection circuit 32. Determine As a result of the determination, when any of the sensors 11 to 14 can normally detect the kick operation, the determination unit 35 c sends the LED output circuit 33 a command to light all the LEDs 21 to 24 of the display unit 20. The LED output circuit 33 supplies a current to the LEDs 21 to 24 based on the command to light each LED.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, all the LEDs 21 to 24 provided at the rear of the vehicle 100 are turned on. The lighting of each LED indicates that the sensor corresponding to the LED is in a state capable of detecting a kicking operation. For this reason, in the case of FIG. 4, the user recognizes that all the sensors 11 to 14 can detect the kick operation after visually recognizing that all the LEDs 21 to 24 are on.

  Next, the user performs the kick operation shown in FIG. In this case, since all the sensors 11 to 14 can detect the kicking action, the user may perform the kicking action at any sensor position in FIG. 4. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the kicking operation is performed at a position where the sensor 11 and the foot K face each other, the foot K approaches the sensor 11 when the foot K is kicked forward, so the level of the output signal of the sensor 11 Will grow. Thereafter, when the foot K is pulled backward, the foot K is moved away from the sensor 11, so the level of the output signal of the sensor 11 becomes smaller. Therefore, the output signal of the sensor 11 has a waveform as indicated by P1 in FIG. 5 (a).

  Further, since the detection area of the sensor 12 adjacent to the sensor 11 overlaps the detection area of the sensor 11, the kicking operation performed at the position of the sensor 11 is also detected by the sensor 12. However, since the sensor 12 is farther from the foot K than the sensor 11, the output signal of the sensor 12 has a waveform with a level lower than that of P1, as shown at P2 in FIG. 5A.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (b), a predetermined threshold Th is set for these output signals P1 and P2. The detection circuit 32 binarizes the output signals P1 and P2 using the threshold value Th. Q1 is a binarized signal of the output signal P1, and Q2 is a binarized signal of the output signal P2. When the output period W2 of the binarized signal Q2 falls within the output period W1 of the binarized signal Q1 as shown in FIG. It is determined that the motion of the foot is a kicking motion.

  If it judges in this way, next, it will be judged whether judgment part 35c based on the information acquired from backdoor opening and closing part 50 whether backdoor 2 is in a locked state. When the back door 2 is in the locked state, the unlocking command is sent from the determination unit 35 c to the back door opening and closing unit 50. When the back door opening / closing unit 50 receives this command, it drives the actuator to unlock the back door 2 and subsequently drives the motor to open the back door 2. In this manner, the back door 2 can be automatically opened contactlessly by the kicking operation.

  On the other hand, when the user passes behind the vehicle 100 in the arrangement direction of the sensors 11 to 14, the output signals P1 and P2 of the sensors 11 and 12 have the same level as shown in FIG. And the waveform is out of phase. In this case, the output period W2 of the binarized signal Q2 does not fall within the output period W1 of the binarized signal Q1. Therefore, the determination unit 35c of the CPU 35 determines that the motion of the foot detected by the sensors 11 and 12 is not the kick motion. In this case, the unlocking command is not sent from the determination unit 35c to the back door opening and closing unit 50, and the back door 2 is not opened.

  In FIG. 5 (a), X represents a range of signal levels at which the kicking action can be normally detected, Va is its upper limit, and Vb is its lower limit (the same applies to FIGS. 8 and 11). ). The upper limit value Va and the lower limit value Vb are set to predetermined values in consideration of the characteristics of the sensors 11 to 14 and the like.

  Next, a case where a part of the sensors 11 to 14 can not detect the kicking operation will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the vehicle 6 is parked in close proximity to the sign 70, since the support 70a of the sign 70 exists in the immediate vicinity of the sensor 13, the output signal of the sensor 13 is It becomes a signal with a large level as shown in FIG. Since the level exceeds the upper limit value Va, even if the kicking operation is performed at the position of the sensor 13, the determination unit 35c can not detect the kicking operation. Such a situation may also occur when a shopping cart or the like is present near the sensor.

  Therefore, when the level of the output signal of the sensors 11 to 14 exceeds the upper limit value Va, the determination unit 35 c determines that the sensor can not detect the kicking operation. Then, the determination unit 35 c causes the LED output circuit 33 to turn on the LEDs 21, 22, 24 in order to turn off the LED (here, the LED 23) corresponding to the sensor (here, the sensor 13) that is determined to be incapable of kicking detection. Send a command to light only. The LED output circuit 33 supplies current to the LEDs 21, 22, 24 based on this command, but does not supply current to the LED 23.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the LED 23 corresponding to the sensor 13 which can not detect the kicking action is turned off, and the LEDs 21, 22 and 24 corresponding to the other sensors 11, 12 and 14 are turned on. . Therefore, the user recognizes that the kicking operation can not be performed at the position facing the sensor 13 because the LED 23 is turned off, and performs the kicking operation at the position facing the other sensor 11, 12 or 14 . The subsequent procedure is as described above.

  In the state of FIG. 6, when the kicking operation is performed at the position of the sensor 14, the output signal of the sensor 14 is a signal as shown by P1 in FIG. 5A, but the output signal of the sensor 13 is Since the signal is as shown in FIG. 8, the kicking action can not be detected by the method of FIG. 5 (b). For this, for example, when the output signal of a certain sensor (here, sensor 13) becomes a signal as shown in FIG. 8, the kick operation is detected only by the sensor (here, sensor 14) adjacent to the relevant sensor As long as it is possible, the detection algorithm should be switched.

  FIG. 7 shows another display example of the LED. Although LED23 was made into the light extinction state in FIG. 6, in FIG. 7 (a), LED23 is made to light with a different color from another LED. For example, the LEDs 21, 22, 24 are lit in green, and the LED 23 is lit in red. Moreover, in FIG.7 (b), LED23 is blinked. The color of the LED 23 in this case may be the same as that of the other LEDs, or may be a different color.

  Here, lighting of the LEDs 21, 22, 24 in the case of FIG. 6 is an example of the "first display mode" in the present invention, and extinguishing of the LED 23 is an example of the "second display mode" in the present invention. Moreover, lighting of LED21,22,24 in the case of Fig.7 (a) is an example of the "1st display mode" in this invention, and lighting by the color difference of LED23 is "2nd display mode" in this invention. An example of Furthermore, lighting of LED21,22,24 in the case of FIG.7 (b) is an example of the "1st display form" in this invention, and blink of LED23 is an example of the "2nd display form" in this invention. is there.

  The above has described the case where the kicking operation can not be detected due to the presence of a sign or the like despite the fact that the sensor itself is not abnormal, but it is natural that the kicking operation can not be detected even when the sensor is broken. Become.

  If a sensor fails, its output signal will be a signal with a minimum level (e.g., zero volts) as shown in FIG. Since the level is lower than the lower limit value Vb, the determination unit 35c can not detect the kicking operation even if the kicking operation is performed at the position of the failed sensor.

  Therefore, when the level of the output signal of the sensors 11 to 14 is lower than the lower limit value Vb, the determination unit 35c determines that the sensor can not detect the kicking operation. Here, it is assumed that the sensor 12 is broken. The determination unit 35 c sends a command to turn on only the LEDs 21, 23 and 24 to the LED output circuit 33 in order to turn off the LED 22 corresponding to the sensor 12 that has been determined to be incapable of kicking detection. The LED output circuit 33 supplies current to the LEDs 21, 23, 24 based on this command, but does not supply current to the LED 22.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the LED 22 corresponding to the sensor 12 incapable of detecting the kicking motion is turned off, and the LEDs 21 23 24 corresponding to the other sensors 11, 13 and 14 are turned on. . Therefore, the user recognizes that the kick operation can not be performed at the position facing the sensor 12 since the LED 22 is turned off, and performs the kick operation at the position facing any of the other sensors 11, 13 and 14. . The subsequent procedure is as described above.

  In the state of FIG. 9, when the kicking operation is performed at the position of the sensor 11, the output signal of the sensor 11 is a signal as P1 in FIG. 5A, but the output signal of the sensor 12 is Since the signal is as shown in FIG. 11, the method of FIG. 5 (b) can not detect the kick operation. For this, for example, when the output signal of a certain sensor (here, sensor 12) becomes a signal as shown in FIG. 11, the kick operation is detected only with the sensor (here, sensor 11) adjacent to the relevant sensor As long as it is possible, the detection algorithm should be switched.

  FIG. 10 shows another display example of the LED. Although the LED 22 is turned off in FIG. 9, the LED 22 is turned on in a color different from that of the other LEDs in FIG. For example, the LEDs 21, 23, 24 are lit in green, and the LED 22 is lit in red. Moreover, in FIG.10 (b), LED22 is blinked. The color of the LED 22 in this case may be the same as that of the other LEDs, or may be a different color.

  Here, lighting of the LEDs 21, 23, 24 in the case of FIG. 9 is an example of the "first display mode" in the present invention, and extinguishing of the LED 22 is an example of the "second display mode" in the present invention. Moreover, lighting of LED21,23,24 in the case of Fig.10 (a) is an example of the "1st display mode" in this invention, and lighting by the color difference of LED22 is "2nd display mode" in this invention. An example of Furthermore, lighting of LED21,23,24 in the case of FIG.10 (b) is an example of the "1st display form" in this invention, and blink of LED22 is an example of the "2nd display form" in this invention. is there.

  By the way, various patterns can be considered about the timing which makes LED21-24 (all or one part) light in each case mentioned above, and the timing which makes LED which is turning off light-extinguish. FIG. 12 shows an example, and shows the on / off timings of the LEDs in a series of vehicle driving sequences.

  In FIG. 12, when the user approaches the vehicle 100 (step S1), the ID of the electronic key 60 is collated based on the communication between the electronic key 60 and the vehicle 100. If the collation is OK (step S2) And lights all or part of the LEDs 21 to 24 in accordance with the state of the sensors 11 to 14 (step S3). The user performs a kicking operation if necessary, opens the back door 2 and stores the luggage, and then opens the door (front or rear row door) of the vehicle 100 to get on (steps S4, S5). Then, after the door is closed (step S6), the engine is started (step S7), and then the shift lever is moved from the P position (parking position) (step S8). At this time, the LED which has been turned on is turned off (step S9). Thereafter, the vehicle 100 starts moving and shifts to the traveling state (step S10).

  When the shift lever is moved to the P position (step S12) after the traveling vehicle 100 stops (step S11), the LED is turned on again at this time (step S13). Then, after stopping the engine (step S14), the user opens the door and gets off the vehicle (steps S15 and S16). After getting off, the door is closed (step S17), and when the door is subsequently locked (step S18), the lighted LED is turned off (step S19).

  The on / off timing of FIG. 12 is an example, and other timing may be adopted. For example, the LED extinguishing in step S9 may be performed after step S7 (engine start) or step S6 (door closed), or may be performed when a kicking action of the user is detected. Moreover, you may perform LED lighting of step S13 after step S14 (engine stop) or step S15 (door opening).

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the procedure for opening the back door 2 by the kicking operation. This procedure is executed by the CPU 35.

  First, the CPU 35 collates the ID of the electronic key 60 by the ID collating unit 35a (step S101). If the comparison result is OK (step S101; YES), the determination unit 35c then checks the output signals of the respective sensors 11 to 14 (step S102), and whether all the sensors can detect the kick operation It is confirmed whether or not it is (step S103). As a result, if all the sensors 11 to 14 can detect a kicking action (step S103; YES), all the LEDs 21 to 24 are displayed (for example, lit) in the first display mode. On the other hand, if a part of the sensors 11 to 14 can not detect the kicking action (step S103; NO), the LED corresponding to the detectable sensor is displayed (for example, lit) in the first display mode and undetectable The LED corresponding to the sensor is displayed (for example, turned off) in the second display mode (step S107).

  After step S104 or step S107 is performed, it is determined whether or not there is a kicking operation based on the output signals of the sensors 11 to 14 (step S105). When it is determined that the kicking operation has been performed (step S105; YES), the CPU 35 drives the back door opening / closing unit 50 to open the back door 2 (step S106). In addition, if a collation result is NG in step S101 (step S101; NO), a process will be complete | finished, without performing step S102-S107.

  According to the embodiment described above, when all the sensors 11 to 14 can normally detect the kicking operation, all the LEDs 21 to 24 of the display unit 20 are lit, so that all the LEDs of the user are lit. By visually recognizing, it is recognized that all the sensors 11 to 14 are in a state capable of detecting a kicking operation. Therefore, the user can open the back door 2 by performing the kicking operation at an arbitrary sensor position. In addition, it may replace with lighting of LED and may blink LED.

  On the other hand, when part of the sensors 11 to 14 can not normally detect the kicking operation, the LED corresponding to the sensor capable of kicking detection is turned on, and the LED corresponding to the sensor not capable of kicking detection is turned off It will be in the state of lighting different colors, blinking and so on. Therefore, the user does not perform the kicking operation at the position of the sensor corresponding to the LED in the light off state, and opens the back door 2 by performing the kicking operation at the sensor position corresponding to the lighted LED. Can. As a result, useless kicking motion is avoided, and dissatisfaction that the back door 2 does not open even if kicking motion is resolved.

  Further, in the embodiment described above, the display of the detection availability of the sensors 11 to 14 is performed in sensor units by the LEDs 21 to 24 provided corresponding to the respective sensors, but the detection of the kicking operation is performed by using a plurality of sensors. It is performed based on the output signal (see FIG. 5). Therefore, it is possible to accurately distinguish between the kicking operation and the non-kicking operation, and to improve the detection accuracy of the kicking operation.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Some vehicles are equipped with a welcome light that lights up automatically when the user approaches. The present embodiment uses this welcome light to display the state of the sensor.

  In FIG. 14, the vehicle 100 is provided with five welcome lights consisting of LEDs 25-29. LED 25 to front row left door (passenger seat door), LED 26 to front row right door (driver's seat door), LED 27 to rear row left door (rear left seat door), LED 28 to rear row right door (rear right seat door) The LEDs 29 are provided on the back door, respectively. The rear left door and the rear right door are both slide doors.

  Further, below the rear row left door, below the rear row right door, and below the back door, sensors 17 to 19 for detecting a kicking operation are provided, respectively. The sensors 17 and 18 are sensors for the slide door, and the sensor 19 is a sensor for the back door. The LEDs 27 to 29 correspond to the sensors 17 to 19 respectively, and these LEDs serve as a welcome light and also serve as a display for displaying the state of the sensors 17 to 19 (whether or not the kicking operation can be detected) . On the other hand, the LEDs 25 and 26 do not have corresponding sensors, and are used only as a welcome light. The LEDs 25 and 26 can also be omitted, in which case all the welcome lights double as indicators.

  In the configuration of the vehicle door opening and closing control device according to the present embodiment, the sensors 11 to 14 in FIG. 3 replace the sensors 17 to 19, the LEDs 21 to 24 replace the LEDs 25 to 29, and the LED output circuit 33 is in the control unit 30. Since it is the same as that of FIG. 3 except for the point provided in FIG.

  The LEDs 25 to 29, which are welcome lights, are turned on when a user approaches the vehicle 100 and a predetermined signal is transmitted from the electronic key 60 possessed by the user to the vehicle 100. In this case, the LEDs 25 and 26 dedicated to welcome light, for example, in blue. On the other hand, the LEDs 27 to 29, which also serve as the display of the sensor state, perform the display according to the state of the sensors 17 to 19. This will be specifically described below.

  FIG. 15 shows the display form of each LED when all the sensors 17 to 19 are in the normal state (the state in which the kicking action can be detected). The LEDs 25 and 26 dedicated to welcome lights in blue as described above. Moreover, LED27-29 which is not only for welcome blinks in blue (or other color). The user recognizes that the kicking operation is possible at the positions of all the sensors 17 to 19 by the blinking of the LEDs 27 to 29. The blinking of the LEDs 27 to 29 may be lighting in a color different from that of the LEDs 25 and 26.

  FIG. 16A shows the display form of each LED when the sensor 18 is broken among the sensors 17-19. The welcome LEDs 25 and 26 light in blue regardless of the failure of the sensor 18. Moreover, among the LEDs 27 to 29 not dedicated to welcome, the LEDs 27 and 29 corresponding to the normal sensors 17 and 19 blink in blue (or other colors). On the other hand, the LED 28 corresponding to the sensor 18 that has broken down is turned off. The user recognizes that the kick operation can not be performed at the position of the sensor 18 because the LED 28 is turned off.

  FIG. 16B shows another display example when the sensor 18 fails. In FIG. 16 (a), the LED 28 corresponding to the failed sensor 18 is turned off, but in FIG. 16 (b), the LED 28 corresponding to the failed sensor 18 is colored in different colors (for example, red) from other LEDs. It is lit. The other LEDs have the same display form as in FIG. Also in this case, the user recognizes that the kick operation can not be performed at the position of the sensor 18 because the LED 28 is lit in a color different from the other colors.

  Here, the blinking of the LEDs 27 to 29 in the case of FIG. 15 is an example of the “first display mode” in the present invention, and the lighting of the LEDs 25 and 26 is an example of the “third display mode” in the present invention. Further, the blinking of the LEDs 27 and 29 in the case of FIG. 16A is an example of the “first display form” in the present invention, and the extinguishment of the LED 28 is an example of the “second display form” in the present invention The lighting of the LEDs 25 and 26 is an example of the “third display mode” in the present invention. Further, the blinking of the LEDs 27 and 29 in the case of FIG. 16B is an example of the “first display form” in the present invention, and the lighting by the color difference of the LED 28 is an example of the “second display form” in the present invention The lighting of the LEDs 25 and 26 is an example of the “third display mode” in the present invention.

  According to the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16, since the state (the kick operation detection possibility) of each of the sensors 17 to 19 is displayed using the welcome light provided in the vehicle 100, the sensor state is displayed. This eliminates the need for a dedicated LED to reduce the number of parts.

  Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19. In this embodiment, only the sensor corresponding to the area in which the user is present is activated, and only the LED corresponding to the area is driven.

  In FIG. 17, the arrangement of the LEDs 25 to 29 as the welcome light and the sensors 17 to 19 is the same as that of FIG. 14. Moreover, also in the case of this embodiment, the sensors 11 to 14 in FIG. 3 replace the sensors 17 to 14, the LEDs 21 to 24 replace the LEDs 25 to 29, and the LED output circuit 33 controls the controller This is the same as FIG. 3 except that it is provided in 30.

  Z1 to Z3 shown in FIG. 17 are welcome detection areas, and when the user enters these areas, the electronic key 60 (FIG. 3) possessed by the user is detected in the areas Z1 to Z3. The welcome light comes on. The presence of the electronic key 60 in the area Z1 can be detected by the key position detection unit 35b (FIG. 3) by LF communication between an antenna (not shown) equipped on the left side of the vehicle 100 and the electronic key 60. . Similarly, the presence of the electronic key 60 in the area Z2 means that the electronic key 60 is present in the area Z3 by LF communication between an antenna (not shown) equipped on the right side of the vehicle 100 and the electronic key 60. Can be detected by the key position detection unit 35 b by LF communication between an antenna (not shown) equipped at the rear of the vehicle 100 and the electronic key 60.

  In the present embodiment, among the sensors 17 to 19, only the sensor provided at the position corresponding to the area where the electronic key 60 is detected is validated so as to be able to detect the kicking operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, when the user A is in the area Z1, the area Z1 is detected as the area where the electronic key 60 is present, so the sensor 17 at the position corresponding to the area Z1 is activated. . That is, when the kick operation is performed, the output signal of the sensor 17 is received by the control unit 30, and the detection of the kick operation by the sensor 17 becomes possible. On the other hand, the sensors 18, 19 at positions not corresponding to the area Z1 are invalidated. That is, even if the kick operation is performed, the output signals of the sensors 18 and 19 are not received by the control unit 30, and the detection of the kick operation by these sensors becomes impossible. Furthermore, among the LEDs 25 to 29, the LEDs 25 and 27 at positions corresponding to the area Z1 are driven, the LED 25 is lit, and the LED 27 blinks. Other LEDs are off. When the sensor 17 is broken, the LED 27 turns off or lights in a color different from that of the LED 25.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 19, when the user A is in the area Z3, the area Z3 is detected as the area where the electronic key 60 is present, so the sensor 19 at the position corresponding to the area Z3 is activated. . That is, detection of the kicking operation by the sensor 19 is possible. On the other hand, the sensors 17 and 18 at positions not corresponding to the area Z3 are invalidated, and the detection of the kick operation by these sensors becomes impossible. Further, among the LEDs 25 to 29, the LED 29 at a position corresponding to the area Z3 is driven, and the LED 29 blinks. Other LEDs are off. When the sensor 19 is broken, the LED 29 is turned off or turned on in a color different from the color when the other LEDs are turned on.

  Here, the blinking of the LED 27 in the case of FIG. 18 is an example of the “first display mode” in the present invention, and the lighting of the LED 25 is an example of the “third display mode” in the present invention. The blinking of the LED 29 in the case of FIG. 19 is an example of the “first display mode” in the present invention.

  According to the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19, only the sensor and the LED at the position corresponding to the user's area operate, and the other sensors and the LED do not operate. Therefore, unnecessary power consumption is suppressed. Can. In addition, this embodiment is applicable also to the vehicle which is not equipped with the welcome light. In this case, only the LEDs 27-29 corresponding to the sensors 17-19 are provided.

  In the present invention, the following various embodiments can be adopted other than the embodiments described above.

  Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which four sensors 11 to 14 and four LEDs 21 to 24 are provided and one LED corresponds to one sensor, the number of sensors and LEDs is limited to this. It is needless to say that it is not a thing. Further, when a large number of sensors are provided at narrow intervals and the detection area in the horizontal direction is expanded, for example, one LED may be provided corresponding to two adjacent sensors. In this case, the LEDs corresponding to each sensor are one common LED.

  Although FIG. 5 gives an example of detecting the kicking operation based on the output signals of two adjacent sensors, the present invention is not limited to this, and three may be used depending on the number and arrangement of the sensors. The kick operation may be detected based on the output signal of the above sensor.

  Although the example which used LED as a display was mentioned in the said embodiment, it may replace with LED and may use a light emitting element like an organic EL element, a bulb (light bulb), etc.

  In the above embodiment, an example using a capacitive proximity sensor as the sensor has been described, but instead, other sensors such as a reflective optical sensor or an ultrasonic sensor may be used. Further, each of the sensors may be configured by a single sensor element or may be configured by a plurality of sensor elements.

  In the above-mentioned embodiment, although the case where the back door 2 was opened by kick operation was described, the present invention is applicable also when closing the back door 2. In this case, on the condition that the back door 2 is in the open state, that the collation result in the ID collating section 35 a is OK, and that the kicking operation is detected again, the back door opening / closing section 50 performs back It suffices to close the door 2.

  In the above embodiment, the back door or the slide door is exemplified as the door opened and closed by the kick operation, but the door may be a door etc. for opening and closing the trunk.

  In the above embodiment, the kicking action of kicking the foot K is taken as an example, but as the motion of the foot K, for example, the foot K is moved straight forward and carried into the detection area R of the sensor and then the detection area It may be an operation to move the foot K away from R. In addition, the foot K may be moved in the lateral direction or in the oblique direction.

  In the above embodiment, the action of the foot is taken as an example of the gesture performed by the user. However, the gesture is not limited to the action of the foot, and may be an action of a hand or an arm.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 detection part 11-14 sensor 17-19 sensor 21-24 LED (display device)
27-29 LED (display unit)
25-29 welcome light 30 control unit 35a ID collation unit 35b key position detection unit 35c determination unit 60 electronic key 100 vehicle 200 vehicle door opening / closing control device A detection area of user R sensor Z1 to Z3 welcome detection area

Claims (8)

A plurality of sensors provided near the door of the vehicle and detecting a user's gesture in a predetermined detection area;
Determining whether or not the gesture has been performed based on output signals of at least two of the plurality of sensors, and controlling the door of the vehicle when the gesture is performed; In the provided vehicle door opening and closing control device,
A plurality of displays provided corresponding to each of the plurality of sensors;
The control unit determines whether or not the gesture can be detected for each of the plurality of sensors,
The display corresponding to the sensor determined to be capable of gesture detection performs display in the first display mode,
A display corresponding to a sensor determined to be incapable of gesture detection performs display in a second display form different from the first display form. In the vehicle door opening and closing control device according to claim 1,
The control unit verifies whether the identification information of the electronic key is correct or not based on communication with the electronic key possessed by the user.
When the identification information is correct, each display performs display in the first display mode or the second display mode on the basis of the determination result of the gesture detection availability. . In the vehicle door opening and closing control device according to claim 1 or 2,
The first display mode includes lighting or blinking of the indicator.
The vehicle door opening and closing control device, wherein the second display mode includes turning off and blinking of the display or lighting in a color different from the first display mode. The vehicle door opening and closing control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The control unit
When the level of the output signal of the sensor exceeds a predetermined upper limit value or falls below a predetermined lower limit value, the sensor determines that the gesture detection is impossible. Vehicle door opening and closing control device. The vehicle door opening / closing control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
With multiple welcome lights that flash or flash when the user approaches the vehicle,
The vehicle door opening and closing control device, wherein the welcome light is also used as the display. In the vehicle door opening and closing control device according to claim 5,
A part of the welcome light doubles as the display,
The welcome light, which also serves as the display, performs display in the first display mode or the second display mode,
A vehicle door opening / closing control device, wherein a welcome light not sharing the display is used to perform display in a third display form different from the first display form and the second display form. The vehicle door opening and closing control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The control unit
Detecting an area in which the electronic key is present based on communication with the electronic key possessed by the user;
Among the plurality of sensors, a sensor provided at a position corresponding to the detected area is enabled to enable gesture detection,
A vehicle door opening / closing control device, wherein a sensor provided at a position not corresponding to the detected area among the plurality of sensors is invalidated so that gesture detection can not be performed. In the vehicle door opening and closing control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The control unit
Detecting an area in which the electronic key is present based on communication with the electronic key possessed by the user;
Among the plurality of displays, only the display provided at a position corresponding to the detected area is operated.

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