JP2008025187A - Vehicular switchgear - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely determine pinching in a vehicular switchgear using a piezoelectric sensor for detecting the pinching. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicular switchgear is formed by arranging a pinching detecting sensor composed of the piezoelectric sensor on the closing side edge of a vehicular sliding door, and is driven to the closing side after being driven to the opening side once by a predetermined quantity when driving to the closing side. Since the sliding door operates in the direction for keeping away the piezoelectric sensor from foreign matter, for example, when the foreign matter contacts with the piezoelectric sensor, a reference level of the piezoelectric sensor is reset in a no-load state. Thus, since a pinching load can be detected by the piezoelectric sensor with the no-load state as a new reference level, the pinching can be accurately determined by detecting the pinching load as design. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle opening / closing device that automatically controls an opening / closing body that can open and close an opening of a vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a vehicle opening / closing device that automatically opens and closes a sliding door of an automobile, for example. When such a sliding door is fully closed automatically, there is a possibility that some foreign matter may be caught between the edge of the opening of the vehicle and the sliding door. Is detected (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-4714 A

  In the pinching detection means, a piezoelectric sensor is used as the sensor. Some sensors have a contact type with a pair of parallel strip conductors, but when they are installed along a curved shape like a sliding door, the contact type has a uniform contact interval over the entire length. It is difficult to extend to have. On the other hand, in the case of a piezoelectric sensor such as a piezo sensor, even if it is attached along the curved shape of the attachment part, it is not affected by the bending, and therefore it is suitable as a pressure-sensitive sensor attached to a part having a bending.

  However, in the piezo sensor, since the change in pressure is detected and the magnitude of the pressure is calculated, for example, when a foreign object comes in contact at time T1 shown in FIG. 5, the output of the piezo sensor (piezoelectric sensor) at that time. Is generated in a magnitude corresponding to the magnitude of the load P1, but when the contact continues with the same load P1, the state where the load P1 is applied becomes the reference level. For example, if the threshold value Vd for judging the pinching is set as shown in the figure, when the fully closed operation is started in the state where the load P1 is generated (foreign object contact), As indicated by the dotted line, the load P2 is increased by further adding the load P1 that has already been generated, and pinching is detected. Therefore, there has been a problem that accurate pinching determination cannot be performed.

  In order to solve such a problem and to realize reliable pinching determination in a vehicle opening / closing device using a piezoelectric sensor for pinching detection, in the present invention, an opening provided in a vehicle is provided. An opening / closing device for a vehicle that automatically controls opening / closing of an opening / closing body that is opened / closed, and a driving means that opens / closes the opening / closing body; A piezoelectric sensor provided at an end of the body, and a control unit that performs drive control on the driving unit according to an open / close input signal and performs foreign matter detection processing control according to a detection signal of the piezoelectric sensor, When the automatic opening / closing command signal is input, the control means outputs a control signal for driving the opening / closing body in a direction opposite to the direction of the opening / closing signal once commanded to the driving means, and is driven in that direction. The presence / absence of a foreign matter is determined based on the detection signal of the piezoelectric sensor, and the foreign matter detection process control is performed when it is determined that there is a foreign matter, and the drive according to the opening / closing command signal when it is determined that there is no foreign matter Drive control for the means was performed.

  In particular, when the opening / closing body is driven in a direction opposite to the direction of the commanded opening / closing signal, it is preferable to drive the opening / closing body by a predetermined amount near the driving start position, and the control means further includes an alarm device. The alarm device may be driven during the foreign object detection processing control. Furthermore, the piezoelectric sensor may be provided at the closing end of the opening / closing body, and foreign matter detection processing control may be performed when an automatic close command signal is input. The control means may perform foreign object detection processing control only when the open / close body is in the vicinity of full closure.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when the closed side drive is performed, the slide door is temporarily moved to the open side. Therefore, for example, when a foreign object is in contact with the piezoelectric sensor, the slide door moves in a direction away from the foreign object. The reference level of the piezoelectric sensor is reset to the no-load state. As a result, it is possible to detect the load with foreign matter (pinching) by the piezoelectric sensor using the no-load state as a new reference level, so accurate foreign matter by detecting the load with foreign matter (pinching) as designed. Existence (pinching) can be determined.

  In particular, by setting the drive amount for driving the open / close body in the direction opposite to the direction of the open / close signal once commanded to a predetermined amount close to the drive start position, the open side drive amount when the close drive command is input is small. Thus, once the control for driving to the open side is performed, it is possible to prevent a sense of incongruity from occurring. In addition, by driving the alarm device during the foreign object detection process control, which is the pinching process control, it is possible to know that it has contacted or pinched any foreign object during the closed-side drive, and the subsequent countermeasures can be performed quickly. .

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied. The vehicle body 1 is provided with an entrance 2 as an opening for getting on and off the rear seat, and a door 3 as an opening / closing body for opening and closing the entrance 2. The door 3 is provided as a sliding door that can be opened and closed via a wire 5 by an actuator using an electric motor 4 as driving means, and can be guided by a rail 6 to slide in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.

  The edge of the door 3 on the fully closed side is provided with a pinching detection sensor 7 for detecting that a foreign object has come into contact with the B pillar that forms the entrance 2 at the time of the fully closed drive (the foreign object has been pinched). ing. A piezoelectric sensor (piezo sensor) may be used as the pinching detection sensor 7.

  In addition, a control device 8 is provided as a control means for driving and controlling the motor 4, and a detection signal of the pinching detection sensor 7 is input to the control device 8. In the case of a keyless entry device, for example, in the case of a keyless entry device, the control device 8 receives an open / close operation radio wave signal output from the portable key 9 and sends an open / close signal by an operation switch (not shown) installed at a proper position in the passenger compartment. When input is made, the electric motor 4 is controlled to be forward or reverse depending on the content (open / closed). An alarm buzzer 10 is connected to the control device 8 in order to emit an alarm sound as an alarm device that is driven when pinching is detected.

  Next, a control procedure in the vehicle opening / closing device configured as described above will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in step ST1, it is determined whether any of the opening / closing operation signals is input. If an opening signal is input, the flow proceeds to a flow for performing door opening control different from this control routine, and a closing signal is input. The process proceeds to step ST2.

  In step ST2, the door 3 is not driven to be closed as it is, but is once driven to the open side by a predetermined amount a as shown in FIG. The predetermined amount “a” is set so as not to cause a sense of incongruity even in the case of a seemingly incongruent operation such as an open side drive at the time of closing operation. For example, as a pinching detection sensor 7, a flexible piezoelectric material is wound around a conductive core wire, a skin electrode is wound on the core wire, and a thick string is formed with an outer skin made of an elastic material. When used, it is preferable to set the movement amount that can restore the collapse of the outer skin by moving the door 3 to the open side from the state in which the foreign matter is in contact so that the outer skin is crushed as the predetermined amount a. Specifically, it is about several mm.

  In the next step ST3, the detection signal value Vs of the pinching detection sensor 7 is compared with the threshold values Vd and −Vd as the pinching determination value, and the detection signal value Vs is between the threshold values Vd and −Vd (Vd> Vs> −). In the case of Vd), since it can be determined that no foreign object contact (clamping) has occurred, the process proceeds to step ST4, and the control for driving the door 3 to the closed side is executed in accordance with the input signal. As shown in FIG. 3, when the fully closed position is reached, the fully closed position is detected by, for example, a displacement sensor (such as a rotation pulse sensor of the motor 4) (step ST5), and the closed side drive control is stopped as a result.

  If the fully closed position has not been reached in step ST5 (NO in step ST5), the process proceeds to step ST6 where the detection signal value Vs of the pinch detection sensor 7 is used as a threshold value Vd as a foreign matter contact (pinching) determination value. When the detection signal value Vs is between the threshold values Vd and -Vd, it can be determined that no foreign matter is in contact (no foreign matter), so that the process returns to step ST4 in accordance with the input signal. Control to drive the door 3 to the closed side is continued.

  In step ST6, for example, when it is determined that the detection signal value Vs is greater than or equal to the threshold value Vd, for example, at time T1 in FIG. 3, it can be determined that there is foreign matter due to contact with the foreign matter (pinching). Proceeding to ST9, as shown in the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, in the illustrated example, the foreign object detection process is performed by driving the motor 4 in the reverse direction in step ST9 to drive the door 3, and in the next step ST10, the alarm buzzer 10 is sounded. To alert the operator or the person in the vicinity of the door 3 and end this routine. In step ST9, the drive of the door 3 is driven to the open side, but the open side drive is not a fully open position but an appropriate amount of movement (including the predetermined amount a) set in advance. Also good.

  In the above example, the case where foreign matter contact occurs in the middle of the closed side drive is shown, but a case where a load due to the foreign matter contact has already occurred at the start of the closed side drive will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows a case where the door 3 is driven to be closed from a state where the door 3 is in a half-open (between fully open and fully closed) position, and a case where a load is already generated due to a foreign object. Also in this case, by executing the above flow, the door 3 is driven once by a predetermined amount a on the opening side and then the closing side, so that, as shown in FIG. The load applied to the pinching detection sensor 7 is reduced to be in a no-load (= 0) state.

  At this time, the pinching detection sensor 7 outputs a negative value due to a change in load. When this output reaches the threshold value −Vd or less as the determination of pinching (existing foreign matter), the process proceeds to step ST7 in the above flow to stop the closed side drive and the alarm buzzer 10 is sounded in the next step ST8 in the above flow. Done as shown.

  Further, even when a load is generated due to the contact of a foreign object in the same way as in FIG. 4 when driving from the fully open state to the closed side, the above flow may be executed, and the drive is once performed in the same way. In the slide door mechanism as shown in the illustrated example, a tensioner (not shown) is provided in the middle of the wire 5 so that the door 3 stopped at the fully open position does not move further to the open side. When the open side driving force is applied to the wire 3, the wire 5 may vibrate under the influence of the tensioner. Thereby, since the pinching detection sensor 7 can be in a no-load state, the reference value V0 can be adjusted to the no-load state in the same manner as described above, and accurate pinching detection in the subsequent closed-side drive can be performed.

  In the above embodiment, the same value is used as the pinching determination value in step ST3 and step ST6 in FIG. 2, but the pinching determination value in step ST3 is different from the pinching determination value in step ST6. You can set it to a value.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the door opening drive by the control means at the closing operation is performed in the entire area of the door movement, but not limited to this, the door opening drive is performed only when the opening / closing body is in a predetermined position. Also good. For example, the door opening drive may be performed only when the door is in the vicinity of the fully closed position.

  In the illustrated example, the sliding door is shown as the opening / closing body. However, the opening / closing body driving control is not limited to the sliding door as long as the opening / closing body has a structure for detecting pinching during the closing side driving of the opening / closing body. For example, the present invention can also be applied to opening / closing control of sunroofs, tailgates, etc. as opening / closing bodies used in vehicles.

It is a figure of a sliding door to which the present invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the control based on this invention. It is a time chart which shows the control point based on this invention. It is a time chart which shows the case where the foreign material is contacting at the time of a close side drive. It is a wave form diagram which shows the detection procedure of the pinching load by a piezo sensor.

Explanation of symbols

2 Entrance / exit 3 Door 4 Motor 7 Clamping detection sensor 8 Control device 10 Alarm buzzer

Claims (5)

An opening and closing device for a vehicle that automatically controls opening and closing of an opening and closing body that opens and closes an opening provided in the vehicle,
Driving means for opening and closing the opening and closing body;
A piezoelectric sensor provided at an end of the opening / closing body to detect contact of a foreign object to the opening / closing body during automatic opening / closing of the opening / closing body;
Control means for performing drive control on the drive means according to an open / close input signal and performing foreign matter detection processing control according to a detection signal of the piezoelectric sensor;
After the automatic opening / closing command signal is inputted, the control means outputs a control signal for driving the opening / closing body in a direction opposite to the direction of the opening / closing signal once commanded to the driving means, and after being driven in the direction The presence / absence of a foreign object is determined based on the detection signal of the piezoelectric sensor. When the foreign object is determined to be present, the foreign object detection process control is performed. When the foreign object is determined to be absent, the driving unit is operated according to the opening / closing command signal. A vehicle opening / closing device that performs drive control on the vehicle.   The vehicle opening / closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the opening / closing body is driven in a direction opposite to the direction of the commanded opening / closing signal, the opening / closing body is driven by a predetermined amount in the vicinity of the driving start position. The control means further includes an alarm device,
The vehicle opening / closing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the alarm device is driven during the foreign object detection processing control. The piezoelectric sensor is provided at a closed end of the opening / closing body,
The vehicle opening / closing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control means performs the foreign object detection processing control when an automatic close command signal is input.   The vehicular opening / closing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control means performs foreign object detection processing control only when the opening / closing body is in the vicinity of full closure.

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