JP2003525370A - High speed ascent system and method for vehicle windows - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: A system and method for automatically closing a movable panel such as a vehicle window. The power drive mechanism is controlled by the control device. The controller determines whether the user has issued a "fast climb" command. The panel is driven to the fully closed position under normal circumstances if it is beyond a predetermined proximity point from the fully closed position when the "fast ascend" command is issued. However, if the panel is within a predetermined close distance, exceptional processing is performed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002]

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system and method for controlling the manner in which a powered drive mechanism raises a vehicle window.

[0003]

[Background technology]

Published PCT application No. W owned by Siemens AG dated February 26, 1998
O98 / 08286 discloses a window motor gear drive that monitors the motor current to protect the sliding sunroof and power window of the vehicle from pinching. US Pat. No. 5, effective September 1, 1998
No. 801,501 discloses a window drive motor controller that monitors the motor speed and slows the motor speed depending on the position of the window. January 13, 2000
Published PCT application No. WO 00/01911 discloses a drive mechanism that mechanically limits motor torque. Systems such as US Pat. No. 5,801,501 can use this type of mechanism.

[0004]

[Outline of the Invention]

There are many systems in the prior art that detect situations in which the closing action of a closing window must be stopped due to the presence of an obstacle. In fact, according to US vehicle safety standards, a vehicle's power window must automatically sense certain obstacles and automatically open the closed window if such obstacles are present. These standards are specified in 49 CFR §571.118, which is the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard,
That is, it is part of most rules called FMVSS.

There are often two modes of vehicle window closure. The first mode is usually
This is called "rise" or "normal rise" mode. All power window systems have this mode. Pressing the "rise" button drives the window upwards.
When you release the button, the window will stop. Thus, in normal climb mode, the operator makes the final decision as to when to close the window or stop the closing operation.

However, many vehicles have a mode called the "fast climb" mode. Pressing this "fast lift" button will drive the window to the closed position without having to hold this button down. The user does not need to do anything further. As long as the user does not press the opposite button, eg "window down", conventional window controls
Interpret the "fast rise" command to drive the window to the fully closed position.

Generally, a power window system detects an obstacle based on the function of a motor that drives a window. This sensing method may include monitoring the motor current (or torque current), or monitoring the motor speed as shown in the two prior art documents mentioned above.

In most of these systems, the motor sensing algorithm samples motor characteristics (current or speed) during window closure and compares the characteristics obtained by sampling with previous sampled values. If the most recent sampled value is clearly different from the previous sampled value, or if the rate of change of these sampled characteristic values is unusual, then the motor is likely to have encountered an unexpected obstacle. In that case, the system reverses the motor and opens the window.

When the starting position of the window movement is very close to the frame, it is difficult for the detection algorithm to reliably identify the required change in motor characteristics. This is because the motor has not been running for long enough to reach its full speed. In this situation, the motor is still in an accelerating state, so the sampled values of the motor characteristics are often unreliable. Therefore, it is often difficult to effectively compare the current and previous characteristic sampling values. However, these comparisons are often required to analyze trends in motor characteristics to identify possible obstacles.

Similarly, the physical constraints of the window guides and channels make the constraint on the window stronger as the window approaches its final closed position. For this reason, all sampled values of the characteristic in that region may show a tendency as if they exist, although there are actually no obstacles.

All of these factors make it increasingly difficult to tell whether an obstacle is actually present. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a system and method that improves the sampling of motor characteristics during the "fast rise" mode when the starting position of the window is very close to its final closed position. The present invention performs this improvement by determining the position of the window before the start of the closing operation. If the window position is within a certain close distance from the final closed position, the "fast rise" command is not respected as usual. Instead, exceptional processing is performed. This exceptional process takes the form of ignoring the "fast rise" instruction. The user can still close the window with the normal "rise" mode, but to do this he must press and hold the "rise" button.
In a different exceptional handling scenario, the window opens to the neutral position as it proceeds in the "fast rise" mode towards the closed position. In a third exceptional process, a "fast rise" command causes the window to move from the point it received it towards the closed position, but the window control system increases its obstacle detection sensitivity.

One object of the present invention is that when in the "fast rise" mode, the power window controller may be able to easily identify obstacles if the starting position of the window is very close to the final closing position. To provide a system and method for increasing

Another object of the invention is to reduce the possibility of pinching small objects in the "fast lift" mode if the window is close to the closed position at the time the "fast lift" command is issued.

Yet another object of the present invention is to reduce the need for additional components by achieving these objectives with the sensor and control components already present in the power window system.

[0015]

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

FIG. 1 shows a vehicle door 10 with a window 12. The windows are constrained in the guide channels 14, 16, 18 of the door frame when opened and closed. Window 1 at the fully closed position
2 contacts the edge of the top inner channel of the door frame 20 and stops. The window is moved between a closed position and various open positions by a window lift mechanism (not shown). The mechanism can be any type of mechanism such as a drum and cable, an arm and sector or any other type of window raising mechanism, all of which are well known to those skilled in the art. Since the present invention is suitable for use with any type of lifting mechanism, a description of any one of them may not be necessary for a proper understanding of the present invention.

The motor 22 drives the window raising mechanism. A typical example of this motor is a fractional horsepower 12 volt or 42 volt direct current motor, but it need not be. The motor is an AC or DC motor of any voltage suitable for the operating environment. The motor may be a linear piezoelectric device in which the winder moves in the same repetitive motion as the gears in a watch regulator. Similarly, pneumatic or hydraulic drives can be used. One of ordinary skill in the art can open and close the window by selecting these or other powered drives to drive the lifting mechanism. Since the present invention is suitable for use in any type of power drive, a fuller understanding of the invention may not require a more detailed description of the particular device.

The motor 22 is controlled by a motor controller 24, which communicates with the motor 22 via wires 26, 28. However, the motor 2
2 and the controller 24 do not necessarily have to be physically connected by the wires 26 and 28. A person skilled in the art will easily be able to realize wireless communication between the two devices by radiation signals in the light and electromagnetic spectrum. However, the wires 26, 28 are the usual way of connecting the controller to a motor that normally uses them.

These wires 26, 28 carry one or more signals 30, 32 between the motor 22 and the controller 24. The signal 30 sent from the motor 22 to the controller 24 generally indicates one or more characteristics of the motor. Those of ordinary skill in the art will typically want the controller 24 to receive signals indicative of motor current, motor torque, or motor speed.

The controller 24 also includes one or more input devices 3 which are in communication in this example by wires 36, but by radio signals in the optical or electromagnetic spectrum.
Have 4. Wire 36 carries signal 38 from input device 34 to controller 24. For example, the input device 34 in this embodiment is a rocker switch that indicates whether to open or close the window. Pushing one side of the rocker switch “opens” to signal 38
A command is sent, but pressing the other side sends a "close" command. This is known as a two pole rocker switch. Rocker switches are also available with two overtravel positions on each side. This type of switch is commonly referred to as a 4-pole rocker switch. If the switch is pushed open to the first pole, the window will be commanded to rise as long as it is held in that position. In such a device, the first
When you release the switch in the open pole position of the, the window stops moving. Actuating the rocker switch to the open side past the first pole to the overtravel pole position causes the window to receive a command to raise and continue to raise whether or not the switch is depressed. This is commonly referred to as the "fast climb" mode.

Fast rise and fast fall modes are well known in the art. As described above, this can be done by actuating a switch, but one of ordinary skill in the art may use any other switch or combination of switches or input device. For example, the switch may be a two pole rocker switch. A "fast rise" command is obtained by momentarily placing the switch in the raised position, and a normal "rise" command is obtained by holding the switch in the raised position for a longer period of time. It is possible to provide separate switches for "up" and "down", or use a joystick or other input device that allows the user to indicate when or in what manner the door should be opened or closed. it can. Again, the type of input device 34 is not critical to the understanding of the present invention, and thus a detailed description of the particular switch is omitted.

Wire 36 carries signal 38 from input device 34 to controller 24. Wire 28 carries signal 30 from motor 22 to controller 24. Using these two signals 30, 28, the controller 24 performs an analysis to determine which command signal 32 to send to the motor via wire 26.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 1, the window 12 has an unspecified number of positions between the fully closed position (ie, the window is in contact with the inner channel along the top of the door frame 20) and the fully open position. Have a position. Due to the glass and the physical size of the door 10 and due to the mounting constraints of the hollow area of the door where the window 12 retracts, the fully open position is somewhat above or somewhat below the beltline door channel 18. This is entirely due to the aesthetic styling of the vehicle and does not materially affect the invention. In fact, the present invention is suitable for use in all types of movable panels and is not limited to just vehicle door windows. Therefore, this is the sunroof or reversible convertible top of the vehicle, the light window at the rear of the vehicle, sliding power doors, power lift gates, power trunks, power hood covers, power folding seats, power steering columns, power running boards, It is easily applicable to power convertible top mechanism or any garage or entrance door opening and closing mechanism. The invention is also readily applicable to mechanisms not included in the field of motor vehicles, such as machine tools or robots.

As mentioned in the summary of the invention, there are many different criteria for the manner in which the movable panel is closed. Some standards are those enacted by the Government under US Rule 49 CFR §571.118, but there are also formal or unofficial industry or company standards. For purposes of this description, 49 CFR § 571.118
(Ie, FMVSS 118) is used for illustrative purposes. According to this FMVSS standard, if the window 12 is within the minimum proximity of the door frame 20 and the opening 40 is too small to place a semi-rigid cylindrical rod with a diameter of 4 mm, the window 12 will "fast rise".
If closed in mode, the system is not required to determine if there is an obstacle between window 12 and door frame 20. If the windows 12 are further apart, this criterion will require detection of obstacles in most situations.

Proximity distance 42 represents the situation where window 12 is very close to door frame 20 but still does not exceed proximity distance 40. By this distance, by reference, when the window closes to an obstacle, the controller 24 will generally cause the window 12 and the door frame 2 to be closed.
It must be able to detect a semi-rigid obstacle located between 0 and. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that such close proximity to the door frame 20 makes detection of obstacles much more difficult. This is because most obstacle detection algorithms (whether they use motor current or torque or motor speed) require a certain amount of historical data. If the control variable encounters an obstacle too early in the sampling period, the historical data will be distorted and identified as an obstacle because the data when the obstacle was encountered is too similar to the previous data. Sometimes you can't.

Prior art systems address this situation in a wide variety of ways, all of which have relative strengths and weaknesses in terms of system cost, complexity, robustness, and the like. The present invention does not treat the "fast rise" command as usual if the window start position is between the proximity distances 40 and 42 at the time the "fast rise" command is requested. In the following, three different preferred aspects will be described in which exceptional processing is performed if the window start position is very close to its final closed position at the time the "fast rise" command is issued.

In the first embodiment, the window 12 opens to the neutral position 44 and, after reaching this neutral position, moves in the “fast rise” mode towards the closed position. The neutral position 44 may be a predetermined position, or may depend on temperature, vehicle speed, the presence or absence of key insertion into the igniter, or any other factor that would be relevant to one of ordinary skill in the art. In this first preferred embodiment, the neutral position 44 is predetermined.

Moving the window 12 to the neutral position 44 prior to the start of the closing operation has several advantages. First of all, the control device 24 has the advantage of increasing the amount of history data. The large number of historical sampling values increases the likelihood that the controller 24 will more easily recognize differences in the motor characteristic signal 30 due to encountering an obstacle. Second, if the obstacle is an organism, opening it to the neutral position 44 before closing the window 12 increases the time it takes for the organism to disengage from between the windows. Thirdly, increasing the difference between the proximity distance 42 and the distance to the neutral position 44 gives the window 12, motor 22 and window lift mechanism a greater opportunity to increase the moment before reaching the fully closed position. To be The high moment is advantageous when a very high seal between the window 12 and the door frame 20 in the fully closed position is desired. Similarly, the horsepower rating of the motor 12 and the mass of the window adjuster are adjusted to produce a greater effective force while producing the same effective force.
Therefore, it can be reduced in the presence of larger moments.

In the second preferred embodiment, if the window start position is between the proximity distances 40 and 42 at the time of requesting the “fast rise” instruction, then the fast rise instruction is simply not executed. In this case, the window can be closed, but the operator must either hold the normal "raise" button down or otherwise give a continuous "raise" command to the controller. In this embodiment, it is not necessary to try to detect the presence of an obstacle, since the window drive to the closed position is stopped at the moment the operator releases the "up" button.

In the third preferred embodiment, if the window start position is between the proximity distances 40 and 44 at the time of requesting the “fast rise” command, the window will go directly to the “fast rise” mode, The sensitivity of the obstacle detecting means is increased.

2 and 3 are flow charts illustrating the logical steps of these preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these flowcharts are for illustrative purposes and do not represent the instructions in the actual computer programming language.
Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that any number of programming languages can be selected in creating the algorithms for performing these logic steps. Those skilled in the art will also be able to use analog circuits as easily. Those of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that the present invention, as shown in these preferred embodiments, is optional in order to identify the window opening and closing instructions and to supplement whatever algorithm already exists to execute the instructions, if any. It will be appreciated that it is suitable for incorporation into any of the window lift motor control systems.

Referring to FIG. 2, the entrance 100 of the flow chart proceeds to step 102 where a first determination is made, ie, a determination of whether a “fast climb” command is desired. As mentioned above, such commands may be issued using a two-pole or four-pole rocker switch, two or more switches or some other input device. The controller inquires of the signal from the input device whether the signal is a "fast rise" command (102).
. If there is no command signal, or if the command signal is a signal other than a "fast rise" command, then the present invention does nothing (104). This, of course, does not mean that the entire system implementing the invention does nothing. Rather, this merely means that the operation of the invention is unnecessary.

When a "fast climb" command is sent to the controller (102, 106), the next step is to determine if the window start positions are too close (108).
As mentioned in connection with FIG. 1, "too close" means relative to a constant value, such as the proximity distance 42 in this embodiment, or a variable value depending on the design of the control system. is there. For the purposes of this example, a window is not "too close" if it is not between the close distances 40 and 42 (108, 110). The "fast rise" command is executed normally, the window is continuously driven upwards as usual (112), and the window controller detects any obstacles in the normal manner (114). Again, driving the window up and down and detecting obstacles, as described in connection with FIG. 1, will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and certain means for understanding the invention. Is unnecessary.

If a “fast rise” signal is present and the window is actually in the “too close” position at the time the command is issued (108, 120), the window is otherwise in a normal continuous fashion. Driven backwards (122) to neutral position before being driven upwards (112)
. Thereafter, the control device determines whether or not the obstacle is present in the normal manner (114
).

The step of checking the position of the window as to whether the window is “too close” can be performed in a number of different ways. One of ordinary skill in the art can use one or more limit switches along the travel path of the window. Alternatively, a resistive element may be provided in the channel of the window, and the window running in the channel may act as a rheostat to change the effective resistance of the circuit according to the position of the window in the channel. Alternatively, one of ordinary skill in the art may use an optical or radar sensor focused on the window to determine the position of the window with respect to the door frame. As a further alternative, the output shaft of the motor itself can be provided with an optical or conductive mark and the rotation of the shaft can be counted to indirectly determine the position of the window. Again, the method for determining or approximating the position of the window is not critical to a complete understanding of the invention.

In fact, one object of the invention is to provide a control device as described above, which does not necessarily require new and separate parts. If an existing window controller utilizes motor axis counting to measure window position as part of an existing control scheme, those skilled in the art will also utilize window position based on motor axis counting. And will be able to detect if the window is "too close". This, of course, does not preclude the use of further components if desired. For example, a motor position can be counted to determine the position to determine if an obstacle was hit before the window was completely closed, while whether the window was too close to the door. An optical sensor pointing at the window could be used to measure the position of the window to determine

In the second and third embodiments shown in FIG. 3, the first step after entering the control algorithm 200 is again to determine whether a “fast rise” command has been issued. (202). If there is no "fast rise" command (204), then the present invention does not take any special action, as in the first embodiment. Whatever the command is (ie, open the window, close the window in modes other than "fast climb") or, in fact,
Even if there are no instructions, they are executed normally, regardless of the principles of the invention.

In the embodiment shown in detail in FIG. 2, as described in the embodiment of FIG.
The window is not driven back to the neutral position before transitioning to the "fast rise" mode. Instead, two different exceptional events occur. The first exceptional event is that if the window is "too close" the "fast rise" mode is prohibited and the window is closed only if the operator continues to issue a standard "close" command. The second exceptional event is
Again, this happens if the window is "too close", but this time the window operates in "fast rise" mode with increased obstacle detection sensitivity. The exceptional events of one or the other of these will soon prove to be sufficient in their own right. However, they are described here to show that they can be combined to provide further advantages. Here, "too close" for the purpose of prohibiting the "fast climb" mode is one proximity distance, which is actually defined as "too close" for the purpose of increasing the obstacle detection sensitivity. It is different from the other proximity distance.

To further explain these exceptional events, a “too close” or not ”step is shown at 208 for the purpose of inhibiting the“ fast ascent ”mode. Due to the exceptional case of the second embodiment, "too close" means that the position of the window is closer than the proximity distance 42, and still exceeds the proximity distance 40, so that the window is in the "fast rise" mode. When closed, it is defined by government regulations to be in an area where obstacle detection is required.
If there is a "fast climb" command (202, 206) and the window is between the proximity distances 40 and 42 (step 208 is true at 220), then the "fast climb" mode is disabled. The window can still be closed, but the operator must use the normal "rise" command to hold the "rise" button in order to continue driving the window upwards. When you release the up button, the window stops moving. On the other hand, if the window is not between the proximity distances 40 and 42 (at 210, step 208 is not true), then 2
The "fast climb" step continues, as is usually the case at 12. This includes the normal obstacle detection step 214. Again, the manner of performing fast climb and obstacle detection in any given situation, as described in connection with FIG. 1, is well within the scope of design choices that will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. It will not be necessary to describe one particular implementation of these features here for a full understanding of the invention.

In the third embodiment also shown in FIG. 2, it is determined whether or not a high speed rising instruction is issued (
204, 224), and if so, again determine the position of the window with respect to its final closed position at the time the command was issued. Here, if the window is between the close distances 40 and 44 (at step 228, step 225 is true), the window is in the "too close" position in the normal "fast rise" mode. Instead, at 230, a fast ascending high sensitivity mode is performed. During this mode, at 214, special attention is paid to the motor characteristics that are normally tracked to determine if there are obstacles.

For example, when the characteristic used to determine whether or not an obstacle is encountered is the motor speed, the degree of change in the motor speed required to indicate the obstacle is reduced during the high sensitivity mode. Thus, if a 50% reduction in motor speed indicates that an obstacle was encountered during normal obstacle detection sensitivity, increasing the sensitivity requires 10
Use lower thresholds such as% reduction. On the other hand, when observing the motor current characteristics, if the increase rate of the motor current is low, this is lower than the increase rate required in the normal obstacle detection sensitivity mode, Indicates that you have encountered an obstacle. The motor characteristics observed to determine the presence of an obstacle or the possible presence of an obstacle are not critical to the understanding of the invention.

Further, if obstacle detection is done in some other way, such as by using an optical or capacitive sensor directed to the area that meets the frame of the window, to increase the sensitivity, otherwise. Filter out a small number of proximity signals that may be due to noise or scattered interference. The purpose of increasing the sensitivity in this "too close" region is that the window is very close to its final closed position, and even so close that it makes obstacle detection more difficult. , To increase the likelihood of being able to easily detect small obstacles.

Having finished the description of the third embodiment, if the window is not in the “too close” position when the fast climb command is issued (226), it operates in the normal fast climb mode at 212 and is at the normal level. It is checked whether there is an obstacle according to the sensitivity of (214).

As described above, the second and third embodiments can be combined as shown in FIG. 3, and in that case, “too close” for prohibiting high speed ascent means a short distance 40. 42 (208), and “too close” (225, 228) due to the need to be more sensitive to obstacle detection is between the proximity distances 40 and 44. . These two embodiments are equally easily separable and only one or the other can be used. Similarly, the exceptional handling of the first embodiment is combined with the exceptional handling of the third embodiment, or they are utilized separately. Selection of such designs is well within the skill of those in the art.

Therefore, understanding the description of these three embodiments, it can be seen that it is desirable to handle the "fast rise" instruction exceptionally when the window start position is very close to its final closed position. . Throughout the description of these preferred embodiments, the "fast rise" mode of the vehicle power window control system has been described. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that it is readily applicable to any situation where it is desired to move the moveable element in a continuous fashion similar to a "fast rise" command of a vehicle window.

For example, closing a garage door is one in which the principles of the present invention are readily applicable. Momentary pressing of the garage door close button will continue to drive the doors of most conventional garage door systems until the fully closed position is reached. If an obstacle is detected in the path during closing, the same garage door will need to be reopened. Like the vehicle window, if the garage door is very close to the fully closed position when you press the close button,
Obstacles are more difficult to detect. Similarly, vehicle hood covers, trunk lids, or lift gates can be driven to a closed position in continuous or "fast" mode, which also requires the door to be reversed at the same time an obstacle is detected. is there. Obviously, it is also readily available for machine tools and robots, where special care must be taken in the final stage of moving the tool in order to avoid damage to the work piece.
Therefore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the principles of the present invention may be applied to any application with moving elements that must either stop moving or move in the opposite direction when an obstacle is detected in the path of travel, and moving sensing methods. It could easily be used without special experimentation in situations where it is less effective in any part of the pathway.

Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention provides systems and methods that fully provide the objects, features and advantages described above. Furthermore, while the preferred embodiment has been illustrated and described, it will be readily apparent that there are numerous variations and design modifications that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle window and its associated drive unit and a control unit for the drive unit.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a first embodiment of the drive control device for the window system of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a second embodiment of the drive control device for the window system of FIG.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE, TR), JP (72) Inventor O'Connor, Steve             United States Michigan 48324 C             Est Bloomfield Lynnwood               4691 F-term (reference) 2E052 AA09 BA02 BA04 CA06 EA14                       EB01 EC01 GA06 GA08 GA10                       GB06 GB12 GC06 GD09 HA01                       KA15 LA04 LA07 LA08                 3D127 AA02 BB01 CB05 CC05 DF03                       DF36 FF03

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A drive mechanism continuously drives a movable panel from an open position to a closed position in response to a first closing command sent from a controller that controls a mode of driving a movable panel to a closed position from an input device, and then closes the movable panel. A method of automatically opening a movable panel when the movable panel encounters an obstacle that is not smaller than a first dimension but not larger than a second dimension when driven to a position, wherein a first closing command is sent to a controller. At the time when the movable panel is closed, it is determined whether the distance from the closed position of the movable panel is larger than the first predetermined proximity distance. If the distance from the closed position of the movable panel is larger than the first predetermined proximity distance, As long as the movable panel is continuously driven to the closed position, the first predetermined proximity distance being at least as large as the second dimension. 2. If the movable panel is within the first predetermined proximity distance at the time the first command is sent to the controller, it is determined whether or not to send the second signal from the input device to the controller. The method of claim 1 including the step of driving the movable panel to the closed position only when the second signal is sent from the input device to the controller. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the movable panel is driven to the closed position only while the second signal is being sent from the input device to the controller. 4. If the movable panel is within the first predetermined proximity distance at the time the first command is sent to the controller, the movable panel is driven from the closed position to the second proximity distance and then moved. The method of claim 1 including the step of continuously driving the panel from the second proximity distance to the closed position, the second proximity distance being at least as large as the first predetermined proximity distance.