FR2817581A1 - VEHICLE OPENING HANDLE COMPRISING AN APPROACH SENSOR AND A TOUCH SENSOR COOPERATING WITH A HANDS-FREE ACCESS SYSTEM - Google Patents

Abstract

The opening handle for a motor vehicle comprises an approach sensor (CA) operating with a hands-free access system of the vehicle to trigger the unlocking of an opening. It also includes a touch sensor (CT) which also works with the hands-free access system to trigger the locking of the door. With such a construction, a user carrying an identification member can trigger the locking and unlocking of his vehicle without having to handle a key or remote control, while being close to his vehicle.

Description

The invention relates to a door handle for a motor vehicle,

  comprising an approach sensor intended to operate with a system

  hands-free access to the vehicle.

  In general, a vehicle equipped with a hands-free access system allows an authorized user of the vehicle to enter it without having to handle a key or remote control. The device for recognizing the hands-free access system triggers a procedure for authenticating an identification device worn by the user in response to the detection by the approach sensor of the presence of the user. After authentication of the identification unit, the recognition device triggers the unlocking of one or more opening elements

of the vehicle.

  To trigger the locking of the openings of such a vehicle, it is generally necessary for the user to actuate a push button of the portable identification member, which then plays a role of remote control, or to leave a communication area. between the recognition device and the identification device so that the recognition device

  implicitly controls the locking of the vehicle.

  The disadvantage of these two modes of operation of the hands-free access system is that they do not allow the user to trigger the locking of the vehicle by remaining close to it to verify that the locking has taken place. place, or without having to manipulate the organ

portable identification.

  The object of the invention is to remedy this drawback.

  To this end, the invention relates to a door handle for a motor vehicle, comprising an approach sensor intended to operate with a hands-free access system fitted to the vehicle, characterized in that it comprises in addition to a touch sensor also operating with the hands-free access system, the approach sensor used for unlocking the doors of the vehicle by the hands-free access system, and the touch sensor used for locking the doors of the vehicle by the

hands-free access system.

  Such a construction means that an authorized user carrying an identification member can trigger, from the handle equipped with the two sensors, the locking and unlocking of the opening elements of the vehicle without having to manipulate the identification member of the access system. hands free and

being near the vehicle.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the approach sensor and the touch sensor are capacitive sensors, and said sensors operate with the hands-free access system through an electronic circuit which activates each of said sensors. after another, so that these sensors do not disturb each other. With this type of sensor, the cost of manufacturing such a handle is reduced while avoiding

  disadvantages of optical sensors.

  According to yet another particular embodiment of the invention, the electronic circuit and said sensors are integrated into a housing mounted at

inside the handle.

  According to yet another particular embodiment of the invention, the electronic circuit is arranged to alternate first periods of time during which it activates the approach sensor and deactivates the touch sensor, with second periods during which the approach sensor is inactive, and to activate the touch sensor during some of said second periods. In this way, we reduce consumption

  electrical circuits in the handle.

  According to yet another particular embodiment of the invention, the electronic circuit is arranged to activate the touch sensor for at least one second period out of five, and a satisfactory compromise is thus obtained between

  consumption and reaction time of the touch sensor.

  According to yet another particular embodiment of the invention, in response to the detection of a hand contact applied to the touch sensor during one of said second periods, the electronic circuit activates the touch sensor for a predetermined number of second successive periods so that the detection corresponds to several successive detections' of a contact applied to said touch sensor. With this arrangement, the electronic circuit ensures that the stress on the touch sensor corresponds to voluntary contact of the user on the sensor and

  not to the furtive passage of his hand on this sensor.

  The invention will now be described in more detail, and with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate an exemplary embodiment thereof.

not limiting.

  Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the elements that comprise the handle according to the invention; Figure 2 is a very schematic representation of the handle according to the invention; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the management of the sensors by the

electric circuit.

  The handle according to the invention comprises an electronic circuit CE shown in FIG. 1, which is connected to an approach sensor CA and to a touch sensor CT. This electronic circuit is directly powered by a vehicle battery to which it is connected by cables marked + and -, and it includes a microcontroller clocked by an internal clock so that it is able to control the two AC sensors independently. and CT. This circuit has two outputs SA and ST connected to a device for recognizing the hands-free access system of the vehicle (not shown) to operate with the latter. The cables are joined at a CN connector intended for example to be placed on the side

  inside of the PE skin of the opening, as shown in FIG. 2.

  When the approach of the user is detected by the circuit CE at the level of the sensor CA, this circuit emits a signal on the channel SA, and when a press of the user on the touch sensor CT is detected, the circuit emits a signal on the ST channel. The recognition device is programmed to trigger an authentication attempt as soon as a user is approached on the SA channel, and to command the unlocking of the opening if the authentication attempt is successful. Similarly, the recognition device comprises means for controlling the locking of the door when the user presses on the touch sensor CT.

  signaled on the ST channel by the CE circuit.

  The handle PO according to the invention, as shown in FIG. 2 may include the sensors and the circuit assembled in a box BO of substantially parallelepipedal shape integrated for example at

inside the handle.

  The approach sensor and / or the touch sensor of the circuit according to the invention may advantageously be capacitive sensors, consisting of an electrode also called an antenna which is energized relative to the mass of the vehicle. In such sensors, the approach of the user's hand varies the dielectric characteristics of the environment of the sensor, which modifies the impedance of the dipole constituted by the electrode and its environment. Such sensors are known from the prior art and are, for example, of a simpler implementation than the sensors associating a photoelectric cell with a light beam. The handle approach sensor according to the invention is a capacitive sensor having a more sensitive

important than the touch sensor.

  In such a variant, the electronic circuit CE is arranged to activate (energize) the sensors one after the other so as to prevent the operation of one of the sensors from disturbing the operation of the other. For example, the CE circuit may activate the touch sensor and the approach sensor successively, with an activation period of the order of five milliseconds per sensor. With such a time base, the two sensors have an operation which can be approximated as being

  continuous for both, without mutual disturbance.

  As a variant, and with a view to reducing the electrical consumption of the handle according to the invention, the circuit CE will be arranged to alternate first periods P1 of time during which it activates the approach sensor CA and deactivates the touch sensor CT, with second periods P2 during which the approach sensor is inactive. In this variant, the touch sensor is activated only during some of the second periods P2, which gives a shorter reaction time to the approach sensor CA which is intended for unlocking the door, and a longer response time to the touch sensor, for locking the vehicle. It is indeed important to favor a rapid reaction time for unlocking the opening, so that the user does not have to wait between the moment when he puts his hand on the handle and the moment when he can pull above to open the sash and get into his vehicle. For example, the touch sensor can be activated every five second periods, which satisfies a satisfactory compromise between reducing consumption and

  reaction time of the touch sensor.

  To refine the sensitivity of the touch sensor, upon detection of a contact of the user's hand on the touch sensor during one of said second periods, the electronic circuit activates the touch sensor for a predetermined number of second successive periods. In this way, the detection corresponds to several successive detections of said contact on said sensor, which makes it possible to ensure that it is a voluntary support of the user on the touch sensor, and not of the stealth passage of his finger

on this sensor.

  As can be seen, the handle according to the invention makes it possible to implement two capacitive sensors to improve the ergonomics of the access systems

hands free.

Claims (5)

  1 / Opening handle for a motor vehicle, comprising an approach sensor (CA) intended to operate with a hands-free access system fitted to the vehicle, characterized in that it also comprises a touch sensor (CT) operating also with the hands-free access system, the approach sensor (CA) used to unlock the vehicle sashes by the hands-free access system, and the touch sensor (CT) used to lock the vehicle sashes by the access system hands free.   2 / sash handle according to claim 1, in which the approach sensor (CA) and the touch sensor (CT) are capacitive sensors, and in which said sensors operate with the hands-free access system through a electronic circuit (CE) which activates each of said sensors one after the other, so that said sensors (CA, CT) do not not disturb each other.   3 / sash handle according to claim 2, wherein said electronic circuit (CE) and said sensors (CA, CT) are integrated into a housing (BO) mounted in the handle (PO).   4 / Opening handle according to one of claims 1, 2, or 3, in   wherein said electronic circuit (CE) is arranged to alternate first periods of time (P1) during which it activates the approach sensor (CA) and deactivates the touch sensor (CT), with second periods (P2) during which the approach sensor (CA) is inactive, and to activate the touch sensor (CT) during some of said seconds periods (P2).   / Door handle according to claim 4, in which the electronic circuit (CE) is arranged to activate the touch sensor (CT) at least a second period (P2) out of five.   6 / Opening handle according to one of claims 4 or 5, in which   upon detection of a contact applied to the touch sensor (CT) during one of said second periods (P2), the electronic circuit (CE) activates the touch sensor (CT) for a predetermined number of successive second periods (P2) so that detection corresponds to several detections   of a contact applied to said touch sensor.