JP2009074325A - Power window device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power window device which is operable in a system that permits operation of the power window device after turning-off a vehicular power source if a passenger is present in a vehicle by using a smart key system, wherein the power window device is improved in accuracy of detection of the presence of the passenger in the vehicle by combining detection by the other device. <P>SOLUTION: The power window device 1 for driving a window 10 is composed of the smart key system 20 and a passenger detection section 40. The smart key system 20 carries out in-cabin checking of a portable machine 30, and detects whether or not the portable machine 30 is present in a cabin. Further the passenger detection section 40 detects whether or not an adult passenger is present in the cabin by a seating sensor 41, a seat belt buckle switch 42, an in-cabin camera 44, and an image analyzing section 43. If two detection results are transferred to a control section 12, and both the detection results are affirmative, the operation of the window 10 is permitted even after turning-off the ignition power source. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power window device.

  As is well known, many automobiles today are equipped with power window devices. In the conventional power window device, the power window cannot be operated after a predetermined time has elapsed after the ignition power is turned off, and after the ignition power is turned off and after the driver's seat door is opened. The limitation of such operating conditions is mainly aimed at avoiding the danger that a child in the car accidentally operates the power window and pinches the neck after the adult leaves the car.

  However, this limitation has reduced the convenience of the power window device for the user. For example, if you turn off the vehicle's ignition power and notice that the window is open after opening the driver's seat door, the user turns on the power just to activate the window, and then turns off the power again after closing the window. It takes time to do.

  In the following Patent Document 1, when it is determined that the occupant is in the passenger compartment by receiving a radio signal from a portable device possessed by the occupant using the smart key system for the purpose of solving such a problem. A system for energizing a power window device even when the ignition power of the vehicle is off is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-120631

  However, the technique of Patent Document 1 cannot distinguish between a case where only the portable device is in the vehicle interior and a case where an occupant carrying the portable device is in the vehicle interior. Therefore, when a user forgets to leave the portable device in the vehicle and gets out of the vehicle, the state in which the window can be operated is continued, which causes a security problem. Furthermore, when the user forgets to leave the portable device in the vehicle and gets off and there is a child in the vehicle, there is a risk that the child will accidentally pinch the neck by operating the power window.

  Patent Document 1 describes a misplacement alarm function for a case where a portable device is left behind in the vehicle. When the portable device is left behind, the power window is not energized. And the conditions which detect misplacement illustrated by the literature are only the conditions where a portable machine is in a vehicle and all the doors are locked. However, even if all the doors are locked, there is a possibility that there is a person in the vehicle. Under this detection condition, conversely, there is a problem that the power window cannot be operated in a situation where it should be operated.

  Therefore, as in Patent Document 1, by using the smart key system, if there is an occupant in the vehicle, the detection of the presence of the occupant in the vehicle can be performed even when the operation of the power window device is permitted after the vehicle is turned off. It is necessary to improve the accuracy.

  Therefore, in view of the above problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to use a smart key system in a system that permits the operation of the power window device after turning off the vehicle power if there are passengers in the vehicle. An object of the present invention is to provide a power window device in which the accuracy of detection of the presence of an occupant in a vehicle is improved by combining detection by the device.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  In order to achieve the above object, a power window device according to the present invention is a power window device that opens and closes a window provided in a vehicle, and includes a portable device having a wireless function and a communication device mounted on the vehicle. A smart key system for determining whether the portable device is in the vehicle interior and the portable device is a portable device for the vehicle by wireless communication in the vehicle interior from the communication device, and ignition of the vehicle Power supply information acquisition means for acquiring information indicating that the power is turned off, occupant detection means for determining that there is an adult occupant in the vehicle interior of the vehicle, and information that the ignition power is turned off by the power supply information acquisition means And the smart key system determines that the portable device is in a passenger compartment and is a portable device for the vehicle, and the occupant If it is determined that there are occupants of adult in the passenger compartment by known means, characterized in that a operation permission means for enabling the operation of the power window.

  Thus, in the power window device of the present invention, when the ignition power is turned off, the smart key system uses a combination of vehicle interior verification of the portable device by the smart key system and detection of the presence of an adult passenger by the passenger detection means. The detection accuracy of adult occupants is improved compared to detection alone. Therefore, it is possible to configure a power window device that accurately detects that an adult occupant is in the boarding state even after the ignition power is turned off and permits the operation of the power window during the adult boarding. Therefore, it becomes a highly convenient power window device that can be used even after the ignition power is turned off.

  The occupant detection means includes a seating sensor mounted on a seat of the vehicle. When the seating sensor detects that there is an adult occupant seated on the seat, the occupant detection means It may be determined that there is a passenger.

  As a result, since the occupant detection means is detected using the seating sensor, the presence of the adult occupant can be detected with high accuracy by the seating sensor. Therefore, it is possible to configure a power window device that accurately detects that an adult occupant is in the boarding state even after the ignition power is turned off and permits the operation of the power window during the adult boarding. Therefore, it becomes a highly convenient power window device that can be used even after the ignition power is turned off.

  The occupant detection means includes a seat belt buckle switch attached to a seat belt of the vehicle seat, and when the seat belt buckle switch is detected to be in an on state, the occupant detection means It may be determined that there is a passenger.

  As a result, the occupant detection means is detected using a seat belt buckle switch, so that the presence of an adult occupant can be detected with high accuracy. Therefore, it is possible to configure a power window device that accurately detects that an adult occupant is in the boarding state even after the ignition power is turned off and permits the operation of the power window during the adult boarding. Therefore, it becomes a highly convenient power window device that can be used even after the ignition power is turned off.

  The occupant detection means includes a vehicle interior camera installed in the vehicle interior, and an image detection means for detecting the presence of an adult occupant in the vehicle interior from an image taken by the vehicle interior camera. If the detection means detects that there is an adult occupant in the vehicle interior, the occupant detection means may determine that there is an adult occupant in the vehicle interior.

  As a result, the occupant detection means uses detection in the vehicle interior camera and analysis of the image, so that the presence of an adult occupant can be detected with high accuracy. Therefore, it is possible to configure a power window device that accurately detects that an adult occupant is in the boarding state even after the ignition power is turned off and permits the operation of the power window during the adult boarding. Therefore, it becomes a highly convenient power window device that can be used even after the ignition power is turned off.

  The occupant detection means includes a seating sensor mounted on a seat of the vehicle, a seat belt buckle switch mounted on a seat belt of the vehicle seat, a vehicle interior camera mounted in the vehicle interior, and the vehicle interior Image detection means for detecting the presence of an adult occupant in the passenger compartment from an image taken by a camera, the detection result of whether there is an occupant seated on the seat by the seating sensor, and the seat belt buckle The occupant detection means has an adult occupant in the passenger compartment by a predetermined combination of the detection result of whether the switch is in the on state or the detection result that the image detection means has an adult occupant in the passenger compartment. May be determined.

  As a result, the occupant detection means is a combination of a seating sensor, a seat belt buckle switch, a vehicle interior camera and a detection result using an analysis of the image (for example, a majority of three detection results or a case where all three detection results are positive) Therefore, it is possible to detect the presence of an adult occupant with higher accuracy than single detection. Therefore, it is possible to configure a power window device that accurately detects that an adult occupant is in the boarding state even after the ignition power is turned off and permits the operation of the power window during the adult boarding. Therefore, it becomes a highly convenient power window device that can be used even after the ignition power is turned off.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an entire power window device 1 according to the present invention. The power window device 1 mainly includes a window 10, a portion that drives the window 10, a smart key system 20, and an occupant detection unit 40. Further, an ignition power switch 50 for turning on / off the ignition power of the vehicle is provided.

  The window 10 is opened and closed by being driven by the window driving unit 11. The window drive unit 11 may be configured by a motor. The control unit 12 controls the opening / closing operation of the window, and issues a window opening / closing command to the window driving unit 11 in accordance with a command input from the user through the switch 13.

  The control unit 12 may have a configuration in which a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM are incorporated. The CPU performs various calculations and performs information processing for issuing commands, and the RAM is used as a work area for that purpose, and is necessary for the ROM. Programs are stored. Although there are generally a plurality of vehicle windows 10, only one window may be shown in FIG. The control unit 12 is connected to an input / output unit 25 and an occupant detection unit 40 of the smart key system 20 to be described later, and an occupant detection result is sent from each of them. When both detect the presence of an occupant in the vehicle, the operation of the window 10 is permitted even when the ignition power switch 50 is turned off.

  The smart key system 20 mainly includes a verification ECU 21, a transmission antenna 27, a reception antenna 28, and a portable device 30. The verification ECU 21 includes a CPU 22, a RAM 23, a ROM 24, an input / output unit 25, and a transmission / reception circuit 26.

  The CPU 22 processes various commands and information for collation, and the RAM 23 becomes a work area for that purpose. The ROM 24 stores programs and information necessary for collation work, for example, an identification code of the portable device 30 is stored. The input / output unit 25 exchanges information with an external device. In this apparatus, the input / output unit 25 is connected to the window control unit 12 to input / output information.

  The transmission / reception circuit 26 is connected to the transmission antenna 27 and the reception antenna 28, and a signal transmitted from the portable device 30 and received by the reception antenna 28 is sent to the CPU 22 and RAM 23 through the transmission / reception circuit 26, and from the CPU 22 and RAM 23. Various signals are transmitted to the portable device 30 through the transmission / reception circuit 26 and the transmission antenna 27.

  Thus, for example, a request signal for requesting transmission of the identification code is transmitted to the portable device 30 through the transmission antenna 27 at predetermined intervals. In response to the request signal, the portable device 30 transmits an identification code to the receiving antenna 28. The CPU 22 verifies whether or not the identification code transmitted from the portable device 30 and received by the receiving antenna 28 matches the identification code stored in the ROM 24. If they match, the portable device 30 is determined to be a portable device for the vehicle. A plurality of transmission antennas 27 may be arranged in such a manner that a range to be covered by each vehicle is determined.

  The occupant detection unit 40 includes a seating sensor 41, a seat belt buckle switch 42, a vehicle interior camera 44, and an image analysis unit 43. The seating sensor 41 is installed in each seat of the vehicle and detects whether or not an occupant is seated in the seat. The seat belt buckle switch 42 detects whether the tongue provided on the seat belt is inserted and engaged with the buckle provided on the seat side, so that the seat belt of each seat is attached or not attached. Is detected.

  The vehicle interior camera 44 is installed at a position where the seating situation of each seat in the vehicle interior can be visually recognized, and an image captured thereby is sent to the image analysis unit 43. The image analysis unit 43 includes an image analysis program, and uses the image analysis program to analyze an image captured by the vehicle interior camera 44 to detect whether there is an adult in the vehicle interior. The image analysis unit 43 may include a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like, store an image analysis program in the ROM, and perform image analysis with the CPU. Further, the CPU, ROM, and RAM of the control unit 12 may be combined with the CPU, ROM, and RAM of the image analysis unit. Thereby, cost reduction can be achieved.

  As an image analysis method, for example, an image of a passenger compartment without an occupant is stored in advance, and a difference between the image and the current image is obtained to obtain an image area of an occupant (an object that can be regarded as an object) in the passenger compartment, There is a method of determining whether the area is an adult or not based on the size of the area. At that time, for example, a place where the size is equal to or larger than a certain threshold value may be an adult, and a less than that may be a non-adult.

  According to the present invention, the above-described configuration performs the operation permission process that is more convenient than the conventional power window after the ignition power of the automobile vehicle is turned off. FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the power window operation permission process after power-off in the present invention. The control unit 12 may sequentially process the flowchart of FIG.

  In this processing procedure, first, in S10, it is determined whether or not the power of the vehicle is off (off state). Here, the power source may be an ignition power source. If the power is off (S10: YES), the process proceeds to S20. If the power is on (S10: NO), the series of processes is terminated.

  Next, in S <b> 20, the smart key system 20 determines whether the portable device 30 is in the vehicle compartment and whether the portable device 30 is the portable device 30 of the vehicle. That is, it is determined whether or not the identification code transmitted from the portable device 30 matches the identification code stored on the side of the verification ECU 21, for example, the ROM 24 (S20: YES), the process proceeds to S30. If not, or if the identification code is not received by the verification ECU 21 (S20: NO), the process proceeds to S80.

  In S30, the seat sensor 41 detects whether an adult is seated. Here, the seating sensor 41 may have a function of discriminating between the weight of an adult and the weight of a child. As a result, only adult seating can be detected, which is suitable for the present invention. The process of S30 may be performed for all seats.

  In S40, the seat belt buckle switch 42 detects whether there is a seated passenger. The process of S40 may be performed for all seats. In S50, using the image taken by the vehicle interior camera 44, the image analysis unit 43 detects whether an adult is in the vehicle interior as described above.

  In S60, based on the detection results obtained in the above steps S30, S40, and S50, it is determined whether or not the operation of the power window is permitted. If the operation of the power window is permitted (S60: YES), the process proceeds to S70, and if not permitted (S60: NO), the process proceeds to S80.

  There are the following six determination routines in S60. First, the first determination routine is a routine that permits the operation of the power window when the detection results of S30, S40, and S50 are all positive results. The second determination routine is a routine that permits the operation of the power window when two or more of the detection results of S30, S40, and S50 are positive results. The third determination routine is a routine that permits the operation of the power window when one or more of the detection results of S30, S40, and S50 are positive results.

  In the case of the first determination routine, the conditions for determining that an adult is on board are strict, so this is suitable when it is desired to reduce the possibility of erroneous determination that an adult is on board even though the adult is not on board. It is. In the case of the third determination routine, it is suitable when the condition for determining that an adult is on board is relaxed, and the power window is allowed under mild conditions even after the power is turned off to improve convenience. It is. In the case of the second judgment routine, it is intermediate between the first judgment routine and the third judgment routine, and since a moderate judgment criterion of majority decision is used, it is possible to suppress erroneous judgment that an adult is on board. It is suitable when considering the balance with convenience.

  The fourth determination routine is a routine that uses only the detection result of S30, and is a routine that permits the operation of the power window when the detection result of S30 is a positive result. In this case, the seat belt buckle switch 42, the image analysis unit 43, and the vehicle interior camera 44 may be deleted in the configuration of FIG. 1, and the steps S40 and S50 may be deleted in the flowchart of FIG. Therefore, the configuration can be simplified.

  The fifth determination routine is a routine that uses only the detection result of S40, and is a routine that permits the operation of the power window when the detection result of S40 is a positive result. In this case, the seating sensor 41, the image analysis unit 43, and the vehicle interior camera 44 may be deleted in the configuration of FIG. 1, and the procedures of S30 and S50 may be deleted in the flowchart of FIG. Therefore, the configuration can be simplified.

  The sixth determination routine is a routine that uses only the detection result of S50, and permits the operation of the power window when the detection result of S50 is a positive result. In this case, the seating sensor 41 and the seat belt buckle switch 42 may be deleted in the configuration of FIG. 1, and the procedures of S30 and S40 may be deleted in the flowchart of FIG. Therefore, the configuration can be simplified. In S60, any one of the above six determination routines may be used. Further, all of the above six determination routines may be stored in the control unit 12 so that the driver can select one of them by an input means such as a switch. Thereby, it is possible to provide a system with a high degree of freedom and convenience for selecting an appropriate determination routine according to the situation.

  In S70, the operation of the power window is permitted by the control unit 12, and in S80, the operation of the power window is prohibited by the control unit 12. The above is the flowchart of FIG. Note that the detection in S20, S30, S40, and S50 may be detection limited to the driver's seat, not the entire vehicle interior. In this case, since only the presence of the driver is detected, the operation permission condition for the power window becomes more severe. Since there is a high possibility that there is an adult in the driver's seat and there is a higher possibility that there is a child in the other seat, the possibility of erroneously detecting an adult in the other seat can be reduced.

  In the above embodiment, the verification ECU 21, the transmission antenna 27, and the reception antenna 28 constitute a communication device. The procedure of S10 constitutes power supply information acquisition means. The procedure of S30, S40, and S50 constitutes an occupant detection means. The procedure of S70 constitutes an operation permission means. The image analysis unit 43 constitutes an image detection unit.

The block diagram of the power window apparatus in the Example of this invention. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the power window operation | movement permission process after a power-off in a present Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power window apparatus 10 Window 12 Control part 20 Smart key system 21 Verification ECU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 Portable machine 40 Crew detection part 41 Seating sensor 42 Seat belt buckle switch 43 Image analysis part 44 Car interior camera 50 Ignition power switch

Claims (5)

A power window device that opens and closes a window provided in a vehicle,
A portable device having a wireless function and a communication device mounted on the vehicle, and the portable device is in the vehicle interior by wireless communication in the vehicle interior from the communication device, and the portable device is a portable device for the vehicle. A smart key system that determines whether or not
Power information acquisition means for acquiring information indicating that the ignition power of the vehicle is off;
Occupant detection means for determining that there is an adult occupant in the vehicle cabin;
Information that the ignition power is off is acquired by the power information acquisition means, and it is determined by the smart key system that the portable device is in a vehicle interior and is a portable device for the vehicle, and the occupant detection means A power window device comprising: an operation permission means that enables the operation of the power window when it is determined that there is an adult passenger in the vehicle interior. The occupant detection means includes a seating sensor mounted on a seat of the vehicle,
The power window device according to claim 1, wherein when the seating sensor detects that there is an adult occupant seated on the seat, the occupant detection means determines that there is an adult occupant in the passenger compartment. The occupant detection means includes a seat belt buckle switch attached to a seat belt of the seat of the vehicle,
2. The power window device according to claim 1, wherein when the seat belt buckle switch is detected to be in an on state, the occupant detection means determines that an adult occupant is present in the passenger compartment. The occupant detection means
A vehicle interior camera installed in the vehicle interior;
Image detection means for detecting that there is an adult occupant in the vehicle interior from an image taken by the vehicle interior camera,
The power window device according to claim 1, wherein when the image detection means detects that there is an adult occupant in the vehicle interior, the occupant detection means determines that there is an adult occupant in the vehicle interior. The occupant detection means
A seating sensor mounted on a seat of the vehicle;
A seat belt buckle switch mounted on a seat belt of the vehicle seat;
A vehicle interior camera installed in the vehicle interior;
Image detection means for detecting that there is an adult occupant in the vehicle interior from an image taken by the vehicle interior camera,
Detection result of whether there is an adult occupant seated on the seat by the seating sensor, detection result of whether the seat belt buckle switch is in the on state, and an adult occupant in the passenger compartment by the image detection means The power window device according to claim 1, wherein the occupant detection means determines that there is an adult occupant in the vehicle interior based on a predetermined combination with a detection result of being present.

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