JP2008248582A - Door opening/closing control unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a door opening/closing control unit equipped with a sensor capable of accurately detecting an occupant's operation of trying to open the door, and which can also be applied to an automatic door operation unit of a vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: The operation detecting sensor 57, which detects the occupant's operation of opening/closing the door of the vehicle 10, is composed of a combination of at least any two of a capacitance sensor 38 for detecting a change in the capacitance of a door handle 30 provided in the vehicle 10, a vibration sensor 35 for detecting the vibration of the door handle 30 provided in the vehicle 10, and a proximity sensor 41 which is provided in the vehicle 10 so as to detect the occupant outside the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a door opening / closing control device for a vehicle.

  Conventionally, an electrostatic capacity sensor or a vibration sensor is attached to the door handle of a vehicle to detect an operation of the occupant opening the door, and the occupant communicates between the transmission / reception device carried by the occupant and the in-vehicle control device. And a device that controls to unlock the door lock device.

  For example, in a device that uses a capacitance sensor, the occupant approaches the door handle of the occupant's hand, detects the capacitance that changes with continued operation when the occupant grips the door handle, and the occupant opens the door. It is determined that the door handle is being operated to open. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

In addition, in a device using a vibration sensor, it is an operation that the occupant tries to open the door by detecting a specific vibration generated in the door handle when the occupant hits or pulls the door handle. I try to distinguish. (For example, see Patent Document 2).
JP 2002-295064 A JP-A-2005-98016

  However, when using a capacitance sensor, the capacitance is likely to change depending on the environment around the vehicle such as rain or snow. Therefore, there is a possibility that the capacitance sensor may erroneously determine that the passenger has operated the door handle by detecting the changed capacitance due to these factors.

  Further, when using a vibration sensor, when a large vibration generated in the vehicle body is transmitted to the door handle, it cannot be distinguished from the vibration when the occupant operates the door handle, and there is a possibility of erroneous determination.

  After an occupant is recognized through communication between the portable transceiver device and the in-vehicle control device, if the door lock device is unlocked due to an erroneous determination in the presence or absence of door handle operation by the occupant, a predetermined time after unlocking If there is no operation to open the door by the occupant, lock it again. If locking is performed again in a short time, no substantial problem will occur.

  However, an operation for opening and closing the door of the passenger is detected, and after opening the door lock device, the door is automatically opened by an electric drive device. If you do, it will be a problem. That is, when the detection accuracy of the occupant's operation is poor as described above, the door may open even when the occupant does not intend.

  For this reason, the problem to be solved by the present invention is that door opening / closing control that enables an occupant to detect an operation to open the door with high accuracy and realizes a device that can automatically open and close the door of the vehicle. Is to provide a device.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 is based on a portable transceiver, an in-vehicle controller attached to a vehicle and capable of communicating with the portable transceiver, and communication between the portable transceiver and the in-vehicle controller. A door that includes an operation detection sensor for recognizing an occupant and detecting an opening / closing operation of the occupant's vehicle door, detects an operation to open the vehicle door by the operation detection sensor, and controls the opening / closing of the door In the opening / closing control apparatus, the operation detection sensor is attached to a capacitance sensor that detects a change in capacitance of an operation unit provided in the vehicle, a vibration sensor that detects vibration of the operation unit provided in the vehicle, or the vehicle. A combination of at least two of the occupant detection sensors for detecting an occupant outside the vehicle and detecting the opening / closing operation of the vehicle door of the occupant.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the occupant detection sensor is configured such that the occupant speed and distance approaching the vehicle using at least one of microwaves, infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, capacitance, or images, and the occupant It is a proximity sensor that can detect the movement of.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the operation detection sensor includes the vibration sensor and the capacitance sensor, and at the same time the vibration sensor detects a large vibration equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the capacitance sensor is predetermined. Control is performed so that the door is opened when a change in the capacitance exceeding the value is detected.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the operation detection sensor includes the vibration sensor and the capacitance sensor, the vibration sensor is fixed to an electrode plate of the capacitance sensor. It is.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when the occupant detection sensor detects that an occupant has reached a predetermined distance from the vehicle, the capacitance sensor and the vibration sensor of the operation unit are detected. To make it possible to wait. In addition, it is determined whether the person is a person based on the arrival speed of the occupant.

  The invention according to claim 6 is that the operation detection sensor is provided in a door of the vehicle or the operation unit.

  According to the first aspect of the invention, the operation detection sensor is a capacitance sensor that detects a change in capacitance of the operation unit provided in the vehicle or a vibration that detects vibration of the operation unit provided in the vehicle. A combination of at least any two of sensors or an occupant detection sensor that detects an occupant outside the vehicle and detects the opening / closing operation of the occupant's vehicle door is less affected by the environment around the vehicle, Judgment can be made with high accuracy. Therefore, application to a device that automatically opens and closes the door is also possible.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the occupant detection sensor uses at least one of microwaves, infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, capacitance, and images, and the speed and distance of the occupant approaching the vehicle, Since it is a proximity sensor which can detect a motion, since the sensor by a known technique can each be utilized, it can manufacture at low cost.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, the operation detection sensor includes a vibration sensor and a capacitance sensor, and at the same time the vibration sensor detects a large vibration of a predetermined value or more, the capacitance sensor is a predetermined value or more. Because it detects changes in the electrostatic capacity of the vehicle, the impact on the vehicle environment, such as rain, snow, or vibration when other doors are strongly closed, is reduced. Can be detected.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, the vibration sensor and the electrostatic capacity sensor operation sensor can be installed in a limited space such as a door handle as an operation portion by sharing and combining the component parts. It becomes possible and can be made at a low cost.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the electrostatic capacity sensor and the vibration sensor are set in a standby state where they can be detected, an operation with a quick response is possible.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the operation detection sensor is provided on the door of the vehicle or the operation unit, the detection accuracy can be improved and the assembly of the door opening / closing device can be simplified.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a vehicle 10 including a door opening / closing control device 1 (hereinafter referred to as a control device 1, see FIG. 3) according to an embodiment.

  The vehicle 10 includes a slide door 3 on a side surface of the vehicle 10, and a door lock device 90 for locking is attached to the slide door 3. Further, a door drive device 8 is attached to the vehicle body 11 side so that the slide door 3 can be opened and closed electrically. A door handle (operation unit) 30 that is operated when an occupant opens and closes the slide door 3 is attached to the outer surface of the slide door 3.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a partial cross section of the door handle 30. The door handle 30 includes a hollow handle portion 37 that extends horizontally in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In the hollow portion 37a of the handle portion 37, a vibration sensor 35 for detecting vibration generated when an occupant hits or touches the handle portion 37 is housed.

  Further, in the hollow portion 37a, there is provided an electrode plate 38a for detecting a change in capacitance between the slide door 3 and the periphery when an occupant approaches the handle portion 37 or grips the handle portion 37. The electrostatic capacitance sensor 38 provided is accommodated.

  The electrode plate 38a is made of metal, and can be manufactured at low cost if it is configured to share parts with the capacitance sensor 38 as a mounting member for the vibration sensor 35. The wire harness 39 connects a controller 55 (FIG. 3), a vibration sensor 35, and a capacitance sensor 38, which will be described later, and transmits detection data and supplies power.

  A proximity sensor 41 is attached at a position slightly above the door handle 30 of the slide door 3. The proximity sensor 41 may be provided on the door handle 30. As the proximity sensor 41, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-134236, it is possible to measure a distance to an object at a short distance and a moving speed of the object using a microwave of 300 MHz to 300 GHz. Is used. The proximity sensor 41 using such a microwave has an advantage that the measurement performance is less affected by nighttime or rainy weather. The proximity sensor 41 may detect the speed and distance of an occupant approaching the vehicle and the movement of the occupant using at least one of infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, capacitance, or images.

  When using an image, an imaging device 45 may be attached to the side mirror 12 of the vehicle 10 so that the door handle 30 is placed in the field of view and can be photographed toward the rear of the vehicle 10. The presence of an occupant near the door handle 30 or the operation of the door handle 30 by the occupant can be detected from the image captured by the imaging device 45 by a predetermined image processing method. Note that the imaging device 45 may be used in combination with infrared irradiation (not shown) for facilitating imaging at night.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 1. The control device 1 includes a portable transmission / reception device 51 carried by an occupant and an in-vehicle control device 52 attached to the vehicle. The in-vehicle control device 52 includes a controller 55 having the same function as a so-called known keyless entry device that wirelessly transmits and receives a recognition signal to and from the portable transmission / reception device 51 to recognize an occupant.

  As described above, in order to detect the operation of the occupant, the operation detection sensor 57 is configured by combining the occupant detection sensors including the vibration sensor 35, the capacitance sensor 38, the imaging device 45, and the like. An output from each sensor constituting the operation detection sensor 57 is transmitted to the controller 55. The controller 55 determines an operation to open the slide door 3 by the occupant for boarding or loading / unloading the bag by processing the output of the operation detection sensor 57 according to a predetermined processing step. After the occupant authorization by the occupant detection sensor including the proximity sensor 41, the imaging device 45, and the like and the operation of opening the occupant's slide door 3 are determined from at least one of the vibration sensor 35 or the capacitance sensor 38, The controller 55 unlocks the door lock device 90 and activates the door drive device 8. And it becomes the structure which can be act | operated so that the slide door 3 may open automatically.

  Next, the operation of the control device 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 show the first embodiment.

  When an occupant having a portable transmission / reception device 51 corresponding to the mounted control device 1 approaches the locked vehicle 10, the portable transmission / reception device 51 is periodically transmitted from the controller 55. A reference signal is received. The portable transmission / reception device 51 returns an ID signal indicating that it is a regular occupant to the controller 55. The occupant is recognized by comparing the authentication data stored in the controller 55 with the ID signal.

  Furthermore, an occupant approaching within a predetermined distance is detected by the proximity sensor 41. From the detection data of the proximity sensor 41, the distance between the occupant and the vehicle 10 and the approaching speed are calculated. Set criteria to determine the speed at which an occupant walks and approaches in advance, and when the measured speed is within the reference range, the occupant can get on or load or unload luggage, etc. It is determined that the vehicle 10 is approaching.

  When the proximity sensor 41 detects that the occupant approaches the door handle 30 within a distance, for example, within 1 m, or the image of the imaging device 45 confirms that the occupant's hand approaches the door handle 30. At least one of the vibration sensor 35 and the capacitance sensor 38 is set in a standby state so that the detection operation can be immediately performed.

 When the operation detection sensor 57 is composed of the vibration sensor 35 and the capacitance sensor 38, the vibration sensor 35 and the capacitance sensor 38 detect vibrations exceeding the level satisfying a predetermined criterion and changes in the capacitance. It is determined that the passenger is about to open the slide door 3.

 In the case where the operation detection sensor 57 includes the vibration sensor 35 and the capacitance sensor 38, the vibration sensor 35 may be bonded and fixed to the electrode plate of the capacitance sensor 38.

  In the control device 1 that operates as described above, when the proximity sensor 41 or the imaging device 45 serving as an occupant detection sensor detects that an occupant approaches within a predetermined distance, the operation detection sensor 57 can be immediately detected. To the standby state. The operation detection sensor 57 can detect the operation of the passenger on the door handle 30 with good response.

  As described above, when an operation that the occupant tries to open cannot be detected from at least two of the vibration sensor 35, the capacitance sensor 38, or the occupant detection sensor (proximity sensor 41, imaging device 45), The side slide door 3 is maintained in a closed state. For this reason, when there is no operation to the door handle 30 of the passenger, it is possible to prevent the slide door 3 from being accidentally opened against the intention of the passenger.

  Further, the operation detection sensor 57 detects the operation that the occupant intends to open from at least any two of the vibration sensor 35, the capacitance sensor 38, and the proximity sensor 41 as the occupant detection sensor. It is difficult to be influenced by the surrounding environment, and the possibility of being overlooked and undetectable even though the occupant has operated the door handle 30 can be minimized.

  In the control device 1 that operates as described above, the operation detection sensor 57 includes the vibration sensor 35 and the capacitance sensor 38, and the detection values from the vibration sensor 35 and the capacitance sensor 38 are as shown in FIG. become. When the door handle 30 is tapped, detection values from the vibration sensor 35 and the capacitance sensor 38 simultaneously show peak values. When the peak value simultaneously exceeds a preset detection threshold (predetermined value), it is determined that an occupant has operated the door handle 30. And the side slide door 3 can be opened by tapping the door handle 30 lightly. When the occupant is holding the luggage without holding the door handle 30, it is only necessary to tap the outside of the door handle 30 with the back of the hand, so that the ride becomes very easy.

  As a second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a control device 100 is shown in which the proximity sensor 41 as an occupant detection sensor is omitted and the operation detection sensor 157 is configured by the vibration sensor 35 and the capacitance sensor 38. .

  The vibration sensor 35 and the capacitance sensor 38 detect that the occupant has struck the door handle 30 and unlock the door lock device. Thereafter, it can be controlled that the side slide door 3 is opened by detecting that the door handle 30 is grasped from the change in capacitance with time.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when a passenger hits a predetermined number of times within a preset time, a signal for instructing a specific operation, for example, unlocking a back door (not shown). It can be used as a transmission means.

  Further, in the case of the vehicle 10 having a plurality of side slide doors 3, the output of the vibration sensor 35 provided in the door handle 30 of the side slide door 3 is compared. When the sensor 35 detects the same level of vibration at the same time, the door lock device is maintained in a locked state. When either one of the vibration sensors 35 detects a large vibration, it can be determined that the operation is performed by the occupant in combination with the output of the capacitance sensor 38.

 In the case where the operation detection sensor 57 includes the vibration sensor 35 and the capacitance sensor 38, the vibration sensor 35 may be bonded and fixed to the electrode plate of the capacitance sensor 38.

  Next, in addition to the first and second embodiments, although not shown, at least two sensors of the proximity sensor 41 as the occupant detection sensor, the vibration sensor 35, and the capacitance sensor 38 are appropriately provided. It may be configured to be combined, and the operation of the door handle 30 may be detected. That is, in any of the embodiments, the operation detection sensor 57 can detect the operation of the occupant with sufficient accuracy with little influence of the environment by using at least two sensors.

  In the control device 1 described above, the door handle 30 is the operation unit, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and a part of the vehicle body can be set as the operation unit. That is, a configuration may be adopted in which a sensor such as a capacitance sensor or a vibration sensor is attached to the vehicle body 11 other than the door handle 30 to detect an occupant's operation.

  In the above embodiment, only the opening / closing control device 1 of the side slide door 3 mounted on the side surface of the vehicle 10 has been described. However, the control device 1 according to the embodiment described above is a driver's seat that rotates on a hinge shaft and opens and closes. It is obvious that it can be applied to the passenger seat and also to the back door, and is effective for automatically opening and closing them.

It is a perspective view from the side of vehicles concerning an embodiment and provided with a door opening and closing control device. It is a top view which concerns on embodiment and shows a door handle partially in a cross section. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control device according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram explaining the action | operation of a control apparatus concerning embodiment. An example of output data of a vibration sensor and a capacitance sensor according to the second embodiment is shown. It is a block diagram explaining the action | operation of a control apparatus in connection with 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Door opening / closing control apparatus 3 ... Sliding door (door)
10 ... Vehicle 30 ... Door handle (operation part)
35 ... Vibration sensor 38 ... Capacitance sensor 41 ... Proximity sensor 45 ... Imaging device 51 ... Portable transceiver 52 ... In-vehicle control device 57 ... Operation detection sensor

Claims (6)

A portable transceiver device;
An in-vehicle control device attached to a vehicle and capable of communicating with the portable transceiver device;
While recognizing an occupant by communication between the mobile transceiver and the in-vehicle controller,
In a door opening / closing control device comprising an operation detection sensor for detecting an opening / closing operation of a passenger's vehicle door, detecting an operation to open the vehicle door by the operation detection sensor, and controlling the opening / closing of the door;
The operation detection sensor is a capacitance sensor that detects a change in capacitance of an operation unit provided in the vehicle, a vibration sensor that detects vibration of the operation unit provided in the vehicle, or an occupant outside the vehicle attached to the vehicle. A door opening / closing control device comprising a combination of at least any two of the occupant detection sensors to detect, and detecting an opening / closing operation of the occupant's door of the vehicle.   The occupant detection sensor is a proximity sensor that can detect the speed and distance of an occupant approaching the vehicle and the movement of the occupant using at least one of microwaves, infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, capacitance, or images, The door opening / closing control apparatus according to claim 1.   The operation detection sensor includes the vibration sensor and the capacitance sensor, and at the same time the vibration sensor detects a large vibration of a predetermined value or more, the capacitance sensor detects a change in the capacitance of the predetermined value or more. The door opening / closing control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the door is controlled to open.   The said operation detection sensor WHEREIN: When it has the said vibration sensor and the said electrostatic capacitance sensor, the said vibration sensor was fixed to the electrode plate which is the said electrostatic capacitance sensor, It was comprised, The structure of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The door opening / closing control apparatus as described in any one of Claims.   When the occupant detection sensor detects that the occupant has arrived within a predetermined distance range from the vehicle, the capacitive sensor and the vibration sensor of the operation unit are placed in a standby state where they can be detected. The door opening / closing control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The door operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the operation detection sensor is provided in a door of the vehicle or the operation unit.

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