JP2013028220A - Method and device for controlling vehicular retractable getting-on-and-off step - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and device for controlling a vehicular retractable getting-on-and-off step that can prevent the step from being repeatedly expanded and stored each time the vehicle is stopped and started in a half-closed state and avoid a feeling of discomfort brought to an occupant by operation noises of an actuator and a decrease in useful life of a drive mechanism of the step, associated with an increase in the number of operations of the step.SOLUTION: When a vehicle speed V is not a set value or above (e.g. V≥8 [km/h]), that is, when the vehicle speed V is less than the set value (e.g. V<8 [km/h]), a change of a door state from a door-opened state to a door-closed state or from the door-closed state to the door-opened state is detected. When the door state is not changed, the step is not expanded.

Description

  The present invention relates to a control method and apparatus for a retractable boarding / exiting step for a vehicle.

  In general, as shown in FIG. 4, in a vehicle 1 having a high vehicle height such as an SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) or a pickup truck, step 2 is provided to assist passengers to get on and off.

  Since Step 2 is mounted at a low position on both the left and right sides of the vehicle 1, it has problems that the rough road running performance is deteriorated and the appearance design is impaired.

  In order to solve such a problem, a so-called retractable boarding / alighting step has been developed in which the step 2 can be stored from the developed position during traveling.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a conventional control device for a vehicle retractable boarding / alighting step opens / closes the front / rear and left / right doors in the case of a vehicle speed sensor 3 for detecting a vehicle speed V and a four-door vehicle 1. A door switch 4 such as a courtesy switch or a door latch lock switch for detecting the above, an actuator 5 such as a left and right motor for deploying and storing the step 2, and a deployment amount of the step 2 based on the drive amount of the actuator 5 The position sensor 6, the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3, the door open / close state detected by the door switch 4, and the unfolded amount of step 2 detected by the position sensor 6 are input and these information. And a controller 7 for outputting a drive signal for causing the actuator 5 to develop or store step 2 based on the above.

  In the vehicle retractable boarding / alighting step control apparatus, as shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3 is not equal to or higher than a set value (for example, V ≧ 8 [km / h]). That is, when the door speed is detected by the door switch 4 when the vehicle speed V is less than a set value (for example, V <8 [km / h]), a drive signal for expanding the step 2 from the controller 7 to the actuator 5 is generated. When the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3 is equal to or higher than a set value, the controller 7 outputs a drive signal for storing the step 2 to the actuator 5. Is stored, and the same operation is repeated thereafter.

  For example, Patent Document 1 shows a general technical level related to the control device for a retractable boarding / exiting step for a vehicle as described above.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-24448

  However, in the conventional vehicle retractable boarding / alighting step control device as described above, when the vehicle is stopped and the door is opened and the step 2 is deployed, the door is completely closed when the door is closed. When the vehicle speed V exceeds the set value when the vehicle travels without being noticed in a so-called half-door state that is not closed, step 2 is stored, but as shown in the flowchart of FIG. When the vehicle speed V is less than the set value due to a signal or the like, the door is detected to be open because it is a half-door, and a drive signal for developing step 2 from the controller 7 to the actuator 5 is output. There was a problem that Step 2 developed.

  When the vehicle 1 stops and starts in this way, the step 2 is repeatedly expanded and retracted every time the vehicle 1 stops or starts. This is because the operating sound of the actuator 5 makes the passenger feel uncomfortable or the number of times the step 2 is operated. Has increased, leading to a decrease in the service life of the drive mechanism in Step 2, and improvement has been desired. Further, when a two-wheeled vehicle is running along with the vehicle 1 or when a pedestrian is in the vicinity of the vehicle 1, the deployment of step 2 may surprise the pedestrian.

  In view of such a situation, the present invention can prevent repeated deployment and storage of steps each time a vehicle is stopped and started at a half-door, imparting discomfort to the occupant of the operating sound of the actuator, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a control method and an apparatus for a retractable boarding / alighting step for a vehicle that can avoid a decrease in the service life of the drive mechanism of the step accompanying an increase in the number of operation times of the step.

The present invention relates to a control method for a retractable boarding / exiting step for a vehicle that is deployed when the vehicle speed is lower than a set value and is stored when the door is closed and stored when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a set value.
When the vehicle speed is less than a set value, a door state change from door opening to door closing or door closing to door opening is detected, and if there is no door state change, the step is not expanded. This relates to the step control method.

The present invention also includes a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a vehicle speed,
A door switch that detects opening and closing of the door;
An actuator for deploying and storing steps;
When the door speed is detected by the door switch when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor is less than a set value, a drive signal for outputting a step to the actuator is output, and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor is a set value. In a vehicle retractable boarding / exiting step control device, comprising: a controller that outputs a drive signal for storing the step to the actuator at the above time;
When the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor is less than a set value, the door switch detects a door state change from door open to door closed or door closed to door open, and if there is no door state change, the control The present invention relates to a control device for a retractable boarding / alighting step for a vehicle, characterized in that it is configured not to output a drive signal for expanding a step from a vessel to an actuator.

  According to the above means, the following operation can be obtained.

  When the vehicle is stopped, the door is opened, and the step is deployed, when the door is closed, the door is not fully closed, so it runs without being noticed in the so-called half-door state, and the vehicle speed is set. If the value exceeds the value, the step is stored, but if the vehicle stops temporarily due to a signal at an intersection and the vehicle speed falls below the set value, even if it is a half-door, the controller will remain as long as there is no door state change. Since the drive signal for expanding the step from the actuator to the actuator is not output, the step is not expanded.

  In this way, when the vehicle is a half-door, it is prevented that the step repeatedly expands and retracts every time the vehicle stops and starts, so the operating sound of the actuator makes the passenger uncomfortable and the number of times the step is operated It is also possible to avoid a decrease in the service life of the drive mechanism of the step due to an increase in.

  According to the control method and apparatus for a retractable boarding / exiting step for a vehicle according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the step from being repeatedly deployed and retracted every time the vehicle is stopped / started at a half-door. It is possible to achieve an excellent effect that it is possible to avoid giving a feeling of discomfort to the occupant and reducing the service life of the drive mechanism of the step accompanying an increase in the number of times the step is operated.

It is a block diagram which shows the Example of the control method and apparatus of the retractable boarding / alighting step for vehicles of this invention. It is an electric circuit diagram showing an embodiment of a control method and apparatus for a retractable boarding / exiting step for a vehicle of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the Example of the control method and apparatus of the retractable boarding / alighting step for vehicles of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the boarding / alighting step provided in a vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the control method and apparatus of the conventional retractable boarding / alighting step for vehicles. It is an electric circuit diagram which shows an example of the control method and apparatus of the conventional retractable boarding / alighting step for vehicles. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the control method and apparatus of the conventional retractable boarding / alighting step for vehicles.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 3 show an embodiment of a control method and apparatus for a retractable boarding / exiting step for a vehicle according to the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 4 to 7 denote the same parts. The basic configuration is the same as that of the conventional one shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, but the feature of this embodiment is that the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3 as shown in FIGS. Is not greater than the set value (for example, V ≧ 8 [km / h]), that is, when the vehicle speed V is less than the set value (for example, V <8 [km / h]), the door is opened or the door is closed or the door is closed. The door state change is detected by the door switch 4, and when there is no door state change, the controller 7 does not output a drive signal for expanding the step 2 to the actuator 5.

  In the case of the present embodiment, foreign matter such as stepping stones bites into the drive mechanism of Step 2, mud water adheres, or freezes, and the Step 2 remains stored when it should be deployed. When a malfunction occurs such that the sensor is unfolded or held when it should be stored, the malfunction is judged by the controller 7 based on the detection value of the position sensor 6, and an instrument panel (not shown) The indicator lamp 8 provided on is turned on.

  Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

  When the vehicle 1 is stopped, the door is opened, and the step 2 is deployed, when the door is closed, the door is not completely closed. When V becomes equal to or higher than the set value, step 2 is stored as is apparent from the flowchart of FIG. 1, but when the vehicle 1 temporarily stops due to a signal or the like at the intersection and the vehicle speed V becomes less than the set value, Even if it is a half door, unless the door state changes, the controller 7 does not output a drive signal for deploying step 2 to the actuator 5, so that the step 2 is not unfolded.

  In this way, when the vehicle 1 is a half-door, step 2 is prevented from repeatedly expanding and retracting each time the vehicle 1 stops and starts, so that the operating sound of the actuator 5 may cause discomfort to the occupant, It is also possible to avoid the increase in the number of operations 2 and the decrease in the service life of the drive mechanism in Step 2.

  When there is a door state change from door open to door close or door close to door open, if the door switch 4 detects that the door is open, the controller 7 sends the actuator 5 to the actuator 5. A drive signal for expanding step 2 is output. When the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 3 is equal to or higher than a set value, the drive for storing the step 2 from the controller 7 to the actuator 5 is output. A signal is output, step 2 is stored, and thereafter the same operation is repeated.

  Incidentally, as described above, the vehicle travels without being noticed in the state of a half-door and the vehicle speed V exceeds the set value, and after step 2 is stored, the vehicle 1 arrives at the destination and the vehicle speed V is less than the set value. In this case, when the door is opened from the half-door state, there is no change in the door state, so that the drive signal for deploying step 2 from the controller 7 to the actuator 5 is not output, and step 2 is not deployed. However, such a case is very rare. Once the door is closed, the door state is changed, and the process proceeds to the determination of whether the door is open or closed, and returns to the original control. It only happens once and doesn't become a problem.

  On the other hand, in the case of the present embodiment, foreign matter such as stepping stones bites into the drive mechanism of Step 2, mud water adheres, or freezes, so that it is stored when Step 2 is to be deployed. When a malfunction that occurs when it is to be stored or held unfolded occurs, the malfunction is determined by the controller 7 based on the detection value of the position sensor 6 and is not shown. Since the indicator lamp 8 provided on the instrument panel is lit, the driver can grasp that some trouble has occurred in step 2.

  In this way, it is possible to prevent the deployment and storage of step 2 from being repeated every time the vehicle is stopped and started at the half door, giving an unpleasant feeling to the occupant of the operation sound of the actuator 5, and increasing the number of operations of step 2. Accordingly, a decrease in the service life of the drive mechanism in Step 2 can be avoided. Further, the malfunction of step 2 can be recognized by the driver by turning on the indicator lamp 8.

  It should be noted that the control method and device for the retractable boarding / exiting step for a vehicle according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and is not limited to the steps disposed on the left and right sides of the vehicle, but is disposed below the rear door. Needless to say, various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention, such as being applicable to the provided steps.

1 Vehicle 2 Step 3 Vehicle speed sensor 4 Door switch 5 Actuator 7 Controller V Vehicle speed

Claims (2)

In the vehicle retractable boarding / exiting step control method stored when the vehicle speed is less than the set value, the door is unfolded and stored when the door is closed, and the vehicle speed is greater than the set value.
When the vehicle speed is less than a set value, a door state change from door opening to door closing or door closing to door opening is detected, and if there is no door state change, the step is not expanded. Step control method. A vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed;
A door switch that detects opening and closing of the door;
An actuator for deploying and storing steps;
When the door speed is detected by the door switch when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor is less than a set value, a drive signal for outputting a step to the actuator is output, and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor is a set value. In a vehicle retractable boarding / exiting step control device, comprising: a controller that outputs a drive signal for storing the step to the actuator at the above time;
When the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor is less than a set value, the door switch detects a door state change from door open to door closed or door closed to door open, and if there is no door state change, the control A retractable boarding / alighting step control device for a vehicle, characterized in that it is configured not to output a drive signal for expanding the step from the vessel to the actuator.

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