JP2023106775A - Door pinching detection sensor and door pinching prevention device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a door pinching detection sensor capable of quickly detecting pinching even when a pinching avoidance object approaches or comes into contact with not only a door side but also a body side.SOLUTION: A door pinching detection sensor includes a first detection electrode disposed on at least a part of a peripheral edge portion of an openable/closable door closing an opening part of a vehicle body to detect a change in electrostatic capacity, a second detection electrode disposed on at least a part of the peripheral edge portion of the opening part to detect a change in electrostatic capacity, and an electrostatic capacity detection circuit unit in which the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are electrically connected to have the same potential.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a door entrapment detection sensor and a door entrapment prevention device.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, automatic swing doors, automatic slide doors, power back doors, and the like have been put to practical use as automatic doors that automatically open and close doors using a driving source such as a motor in vehicles. Automatic doors are designed to automatically open and close doors designated by users (crews, etc.), for example, by operating individual door opening/closing switches, such as the driver's door, front passenger's door, rear seat door, and back door. there is Automatic doors continue to open or close once the door open/close switch is operated. requires a configuration to detect it and stop the closing operation of the door. Therefore, based on a comparison between a capacitance value output from, for example, a capacitance sensor installed on the door or the like and a predetermined threshold value, it is possible to determine whether or not there is an object to avoid being pinched between the door and the vehicle body. A technique has been proposed for determining whether the door is closed and controlling the stop of the door closing operation. In the technology using such a capacitive sensor, the SN ratio is improved by providing a shield electrode, and the door position detection electrode is added to the body side to bring the body and the electrode of the capacitive sensor closer to each other. Techniques have been proposed to improve the detection accuracy by making it less susceptible to the effects of the body.

JP 2005-227242 A JP 2017-136736 A

As described above, in the conventional technology, when an object to avoid pinching, such as a finger or palm, approaches or touches the door side (moving part side), the pinching detection is quickly performed, and the door is stopped. will be However, when an object to avoid pinching approaches or contacts the body side (non-movable side), the object to avoid pinching may not be detected until the approaching door contacts (approaches) the object to avoid pinching. In other words, there is a problem that entrapment detection cannot be performed until the body and the door approach each other and a substantial entrapment occurs.

Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a door pinch detection sensor and a door pinch prevention device capable of quickly detecting pinching even when objects (obstacles) to avoid pinching approach or come into contact with not only the door side but also the body side. It is to provide a device.

The door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention is arranged, for example, at least part of the periphery of an openable and closable door that closes the opening of the vehicle body, and detects a change in capacitance. an electrode, a second sensing electrode arranged on at least a part of the peripheral edge of the opening and sensing a change in capacitance, and the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode being electrically the same. and a capacitive sensing circuit connected to a potential. According to this configuration, for example, when an object to avoid pinching, such as a finger or palm, approaches or touches either the door side or the body side, it is possible to quickly detect a change in capacitance.

The first detection electrode and the second detection electrode of the door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention are opposed to each other from one end to the other end when the door closes the opening, for example. It is good also as an elongated shape which carries out. According to this configuration, for example, it is possible to quickly detect that an object to avoid entrapment has approached or touched a portion where there is a risk of entrapment, over a wide range, and detection performance has been improved. can contribute to

A shield electrode, for example, is interposed between at least one of the first detection electrode and the door and the second detection electrode and the body of the door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention. You may According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the influence of the approach of the door or the body on the change in capacitance. It becomes possible to more accurately detect a pinch avoidance object that comes in contact with the object.

A door jamming prevention device according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged, for example, at least in part on the periphery of an openable and closable door that closes the opening of a vehicle body, and detects a change in capacitance. an electrode, a second sensing electrode arranged on at least a part of the peripheral edge of the opening and sensing a change in capacitance, and the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode being electrically the same. It includes a capacitance detection circuit unit connected to a potential, and a control unit that executes pinch avoidance processing based on a detection result of the capacitance detection circuit unit. According to this configuration, for example, when an object to avoid pinching, such as a finger or palm, approaches or touches either the door side or the body side, the change in capacitance is quickly detected, and the pinching avoidance process is quickly executed. can be done.

The control unit of the door entrapment prevention device according to the embodiment of the present invention executes, for example, a door control process of stopping the closing operation of the door or switching the closing operation of the door to an opening operation as the entrapment avoidance processing. You may do so. According to this configuration, for example, the closing operation of the door is stopped or the operation of switching the closing operation of the door to the opening operation is executed before an actual entrapment occurs. it becomes possible to

FIG. 1 is an exemplary and schematic top view of a vehicle on which a door entrapment detection sensor and a door entrapment prevention device according to an embodiment can be mounted. FIG. 2 is an exemplary and schematic side view of a door showing the placement position of the first detection electrode of the door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exemplary and schematic side view of the body showing the arrangement position of the second detection electrode of the door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an exemplary and schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of the door entrapment prevention device including the door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is an exemplary and schematic waveform diagram showing potentials of the first detection electrode, the second detection electrode, and the shield electrode of the door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment when the object to avoid entrapment is not detected. . FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram showing the relationship between the opening degree of the door and the capacitance value when there is no pinch avoidance object (finger, palm, etc.) between the door and the body in the door pinch detection sensor according to the embodiment; and is a schematic diagram. FIG. 7 is an exemplary and schematic representation of an existence pattern when an object to avoid being pinched (for example, a finger) exists between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode in the door pinch detection sensor according to the embodiment; It is a typical figure. FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram showing the relationship between the opening degree of the door and the capacitance value when there is an object to avoid being pinched (a finger, palm, etc.) between the door and the body in the door pinch detection sensor according to the embodiment; and is a schematic diagram. FIG. 9 is an exemplary flowchart showing the flow of anti-trapping processing of the door anti-trapping device according to the embodiment.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are disclosed below. The configurations of the embodiments shown below and the actions, results, and effects brought about by the configurations are examples. The present invention can be realized by configurations other than those disclosed in the following embodiments, and at least one of various effects based on the basic configuration and derivative effects can be obtained. .

The door entrapment detection sensor of this embodiment includes a first detection electrode, a second detection electrode, and a capacitance detection circuit. The first detection electrode is arranged on at least a part of the periphery of the openable and closable door that closes the opening of the vehicle body, and detects a change in capacitance. A second sensing electrode is disposed on at least a portion of the periphery of the opening and senses a change in capacitance. The capacitance detection circuit section is connected so that the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are electrically at the same potential. In this case, changes in capacitance can be detected by both the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode, and it is possible to quickly detect the approach or contact of an object such as a finger or palm to avoid being pinched on either the door side or the body. be able to.

In the embodiments described below, the door entrapment detection sensor is used as part of a door entrapment prevention device applied to a so-called auto-swing door that automatically opens and closes under the control of a drive source such as a motor as a vehicle door. As an example, the case where The door pinch prevention device detects that an object to avoid pinching, such as a finger or palm, is pinched between the door, which is a movable body, and the body, which is a non-movable part. By executing door control processing for switching from the operation to the opening operation, the pinch avoidance object is prevented from being pinched.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic of a vehicle 12 that can be equipped with an ECU (electronic control unit) 10 that includes a door pinch prevention device that performs detection control using a door pinch detection sensor of the present embodiment and opening/closing control of the vehicle door. 1 is a typical top view. FIG. As described above, the vehicle 12 is equipped with the auto-swing type door 14 that is automatically opened and closed by an opening/closing mechanism (actuator) including an electric motor or the like. In FIG. 1, an example of applying the door pinch detection process to the driver's seat door 14a of the front seat of the vehicle 12 will be described. (Trunk door) 14e is similarly applicable. Since the pinch detection processing in each door 14 is basically the same, the driver's seat door 14a will be described as a representative, and the description of the other doors 14 will be omitted. In the following description, the doors will be referred to as doors 14 when there is no particular need to distinguish the doors.

The driver's seat door 14a is connected to a body 16 of the vehicle 12 via a hinge portion 18 so as to be openable and closable. Similarly, the passenger seat door 14b to the back door 14e are also connected to the body 16 via hinges so that they can be opened and closed. In the vehicle 12, when the user operates a door open/close switch (not shown) installed around an inner door handle (not shown) of the driver's seat door 14a to the rear seat left door 14d or on an armrest or the like, the ECU 10 responds. A door opening/closing mechanism 20 (shown only for the driver's door 14a) built in the door 14 to be operated is operated to automatically open/close the door 14 to be operated. Further, when the user operates the outer door handle (not shown) of the driver's door 14a to 14e or the inner door handle (not shown) inside the passenger compartment to disengage the door latch (not shown), the door 14 A door switch (not shown) built in is turned on, and the door opening/closing mechanism 20 is operated by the ECU 10 to automatically open/close the door 14 to be operated. In addition, without using a physical switch, the completion of boarding by a user or the like is detected by, for example, a sensor (for example, a camera), the door opening/closing mechanism 20 is operated, and the door 14 is automatically opened/closed ( closing operation).

The door opening/closing mechanism 20 is built in, for example, the driver's seat door 14a to the rear seat left door 14d and the back door 14e. The door opening/closing mechanism 20 includes a motor (DC motor) as a drive source, a rotation sensor that detects the rotational position of the rotor of the motor, and a current detection unit (current detection sensor) that detects the current value when the motor is driven. , a transmission mechanism such as a speed reducer, and a spindle unit. The spindle unit has a housing that is supported by the corresponding door 14 and is rotationally driven by a motor through a transmission mechanism, and a tip that is connected to the corresponding door 14 and pivots relative to the housing as the housing rotates. and a threaded spindle that moves back and forth in a direction. The door opening/closing mechanism 20 operates under the control of the ECU 10 which performs various calculations based on the operation of a door opening/closing switch, an outer door handle, an inner door handle, and the like. That is, under the control of the ECU 10, the motor rotates the housing of the spindle unit, so that the door 14 to be operated can be opened and closed to a desired degree of opening (door opening). In addition, the pitch of the screw in the spindle unit is such that when the user manually opens and closes the door 14, the door 14 rotates smoothly and a good door check function (the function of positioning the door 14 at a predetermined angle) is ensured. is defined as The door opening/closing mechanism 20 may be provided with, for example, an electromagnetic friction type brake that decelerates and stops the rotation of the rotor of the motor. As for the door opening/closing mechanism 20, other configurations may be used as long as the door 14 can be opened/closed and stopped, and a known door opening/closing mechanism can be used.

The ECU 10 is provided corresponding to each door 14 (driver's door 14a to 14e). The ECU 10 is configured by a computer or the like, and performs pinch avoidance (prevention) processing through the cooperation of hardware and software. Specifically, the ECU 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10a, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage section, and the like. The CPU 10a, ROM, and RAM may be provided on the same circuit board.

The CPU 10a can read a program installed and stored in a non-volatile storage device such as a ROM, and execute arithmetic processing according to the program. The program realizes various functions for executing door pinch avoidance (prevention) processing, and also implements a motor drive plan (position, angular velocity , angular acceleration, etc.). The CPU 10a detects, for example, the driver's door 14a (door 14) based on the electrostatic capacitance waveform output by the first detection electrode 22 provided on the driver's door 14a (door 14) side and the second detection electrode 24 provided on the body 16 side. and the edge of the opening 16 a of the body 16 . When an object to avoid entrapment is detected, entrapment avoidance processing (door control processing) for stopping the closing operation of the driver's seat door 14a or switching from the closing operation to the opening operation is realized. The ECU 10 (CPU 10a) may collectively manage each door 14 . In this case, the ECU 10 collects the capacitance values (capacitance waveforms) output by the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 of each door 14, and determines the entrapment state for each door 14. may be executed.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary and schematic side view showing the driver's seat door 14a (door 14) showing the arrangement position of the first detection electrode 22 of the door entrapment detection sensor. Also, FIG. 3 is an exemplary and schematic side view showing the body 16 showing the arrangement position of the second detection electrode 24 of the door entrapment detection sensor.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 face each other from one end side to the other end side when the driver's door 14a closes the opening 16a. It is formed in an elongated shape. In other words, when the driver's door 14a approaches the body 16 due to the closing operation, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are relatively conspicuously shortened from the initial stage of the closing operation. It is arranged so as to be able to cover up to the stage approaching the hinge portion 18 . In this case, when the door 14 was closed, the gap between the door 14 and the body 16 narrowed faster on the hinged side (closer to the pivot axis of the door) than on the non-hinged side, and pinching occurred. In this case, the pressure applied to the object to avoid being pinched is large. Therefore, by preferentially arranging the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 on the hinge portion 18 side, it is possible to more quickly detect an object to be pinched in the region where the pinching is to be reliably avoided. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are arranged so as to correspond to the inclined portions corresponding to the side edges of the windshield of the vehicle 12. is. In addition, since such a partial arrangement can shorten the overall length of the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24, it can contribute to cost reduction, and changes in the capacitance value become more pronounced. Easier to detect. As a result, it can contribute to the improvement of detection accuracy. Note that in other embodiments, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 may be arranged so as to correspond to the entire circumference of the opening 16a.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary and schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of the door pinch prevention device T including the door pinch detection sensor Ts. FIG. 4 shows that the driver's door 14a in FIG. 1 closes, and the first detection electrode 22 installed on the driver's door 14a made of, for example, an iron plate is installed on the body 16 made of an iron plate as well. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the second detection electrode 24 is approached. In the case of FIG. 4, a shield electrode 26a (26) is interposed between the first detection electrode 22 and the driver's door 14a. Similarly, between the second detection electrode 24 and the body 16, a shield electrode 26b (26) is interposed. In the case of FIG. 4, although the illustration is simplified, a resin film is interposed between the first detection electrode 22 and the shield electrode 26a made of copper foil or the like. The surface side with the shield electrode 26a is covered with a resin film. Therefore, the first detection electrode 22 and the shield electrode 26a are configured as, for example, a so-called film sensor section having a five-layer laminated structure. The second detection electrode 24 and the shield electrode 26b also form a film sensor portion having a laminated structure. Such a film sensor section has excellent flexibility, and can realize a structure that can be easily arranged along the edge of the driver's seat door 14 a and the edge of the opening 16 a of the body 16 . The configuration of the sensor section is not limited to this, and for example, it may be configured by arranging electrodes such as copper wires inside the mold.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are connected when the driver's seat door 14a performs the closing operation and is fully closed, or at least when the finger is pinched. They are arranged so as to be substantially parallel to each other when the distance between them is such that an object can be caught between them. In addition, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 form an oscillator circuit that applies a voltage for forming charges for capacitance detection to the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24. It is connected to a capacitance sensing circuit portion 28 which includes a That is, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are configured to have the same electrical potential. Also, the shield electrodes 26 (26a, 26b) are connected to the capacitance detection circuit section 28 via the buffer 30. As shown in FIG. That is, the potentials (voltages) of the first detection electrode 22, the second detection electrode 24, and the shield electrode 26 (26a, 26b) are the same. The shield electrode 26a has a function of suppressing an increase in capacitance due to the influence of the driver's door 14a. Similarly, the shield electrode 26b has a function of suppressing an increase in capacitance due to the influence of the body 16. Thus, the door entrapment detection sensor Ts is composed of the first detection electrode 22, the second detection electrode 24, the shield electrodes 26 (26a, 26b), the buffer 30, and the capacitance detection circuit section . The shield electrode 26 is a member provided mainly to improve the SN ratio of the door entrapment detection sensor Ts, and may be omitted. In addition, the shield electrode 26 may determine the placement position and placement range according to the degree of influence of the capacitance value by the driver's seat door 14a and the body 16, and the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection You may make it arrange|position to a part of electrode 24. FIG.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary and schematic waveform showing potentials of the first detection electrode 22, the second detection electrode 24, and the shield electrode 26 of the door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment when the object to avoid entrapment is not detected. It is a diagram. As described above, the first sensing electrode 22 and the second sensing electrode 24 are electrically connected to the same capacitance sensing circuit section 28 . The shield electrodes 26 ( 26 a, 26 b ) are connected to the capacitance detection circuit section 28 via the buffer 30 . Therefore, the potentials of the first detection electrode 22, the second detection electrode 24 and the shield electrode 26 (26a, 26b) are substantially the same.

As described above, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are at the same potential. Therefore, when there is no pinch avoidance object such as a human finger or palm between the driver's door 14a and the body 16, the driver's door 14a is fully opened with respect to the body 16 as shown in FIG. Even when the state is changed to the state where the door is fully closed (when the driver's seat door 14a and the body 16 approach each other), the capacitance of the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 does not change. A shield electrode 26a is arranged between the first detection electrode 22 and the driver's door 14a, and a shield electrode 26b is arranged between the second detection electrode 24 and the body 16. The influence of the driver's door 14 a on the one detection electrode 22 is suppressed, and the influence of the body 16 on the second detection electrode 24 is suppressed. Therefore, the base value B0 of the capacitance value can be kept low to a substantially negligible level, as shown in FIG. By keeping the base value B0 low, when an object to avoid being pinched actually exists between the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 and the capacitance value changes, the slight change The amount can be easily detected, and the detection accuracy (SN ratio) of the pinch avoidance object can be improved.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary existence pattern R (Ra, Rb, Rc) when a human finger F exists as an object to avoid being pinched between the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24. FIG. and is a schematic diagram. 7, the shield electrode 26a and the driver's door 14a existing behind the first detection electrode 22 and the shield electrode 26b existing behind the second detection electrode 24 and the body 16 as shown in FIG. are omitted from the drawing. In addition, a resin film and the like are also omitted from the drawing.

Existence pattern Ra and existence pattern Rb correspond to a state in which the relative distance between the driver's door 14a and the body 16 is relatively large (for example, in the first half of the closing operation of the driver's door 14a), and the finger F is positioned between the driver's door 14a and the body 16. It is a pattern that exists between In other words, this is the case where the degree of opening of the driver's seat door 14a is still large. The existence pattern Ra is a state in which the finger F is in contact with the second detection electrode 24 installed on the body 16 side of the vehicle 12 . That is, this is the case where the user puts the finger F on the opening 16 a of the body 16 . In this case, since the second detection electrode 24 and the person (finger F) are capacitively coupled, in the capacitance detection circuit section 28, as shown in FIG. A capacitance value P(P1) is sensed. When the electrostatic capacitance detection circuit unit 28 detects an electrostatic capacitance value P (P1) that exceeds a threshold value P0 that takes into account disturbance, noise, etc., the object to be avoided is pinched by the body 16 or the driver's door 14a, for example, a finger F. is in contact or approaching. In addition, since the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 facing each other have the same potential, even when the door is closed, the capacitance does not increase between the electrodes having the same potential, and the first detection electrode 24 A slight change in the capacitance value generated in the electrode 22 or the second detection electrode 24 can be easily detected, and the detection accuracy of an object to avoid being pinched can be improved.

The presence pattern Rb is a state in which the finger F is in contact with the first detection electrode 22 installed on the driver's seat door 14a side of the vehicle 12 . That is, this is the case where the user puts the finger F on the edge of the driver's door 14a. In this case, the first detection electrode 22 and the human (finger F) are capacitively coupled. Also in this case, the electrostatic capacitance detection circuit section 28 detects an electrostatic capacitance value P (P1) that significantly increases with respect to the base value B, as shown in FIG. When the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 detects the capacitance value P (P1) exceeding the threshold value P0, the body 16 or the driver's seat door 14a is pinched by the body 16 or the driver's seat door 14a as an object to be avoided. I judge.

Existence pattern Rc is a state in which the relative distance between the driver's door 14a and the body 16 is short, that is, when the driver's door 14a is nearly fully closed, the finger F is positioned between the driver's door 14a and the body 16. It is a pattern that exists in In the presence pattern Rc, since the distance between the driver's door 14a and the body 16 is close, the finger F is positioned between the first detection electrode 22 installed on the driver's door 14a side and the second detection electrode 22 installed on the body 16 side. It is in contact with both of the detection electrodes 24 . In this case, both the first sensing electrode 22 and the second sensing electrode 24 capacitively couple with the human (finger F). Therefore, in the capacitance detection circuit section 28, as shown in FIG. 8, a capacitance value P (P2) that significantly increases with respect to the base value B is detected. When detecting the capacitance value P (P2) exceeding the threshold value P0, the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 determines that, for example, a finger F exists as an object to avoid being caught between the driver's door 14a and the body 16. do.

In this case, the capacitance value P2 is the sum of the change on the first detection electrode 22 side and the conversion on the second detection electrode 24 side, so that the finger F is applied to either the first detection electrode 22 or the second detection electrode 22 . The value is approximately twice the capacitance value P1 when one of the electrodes 24 is in contact. Therefore, by distinguishing between the capacitance value P1 and the capacitance value 2 in the capacitance detection circuit portion 28, it is possible to determine whether the contact position of the finger F is near or far from the hinge portion 18 of the driver's door 14a. may be identified.

Thus, as in this embodiment, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are electrically connected to the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 so as to have the same potential. Ts makes it possible to quickly detect a change in the capacitance value when an object to avoid pinching, such as a finger or palm, approaches or touches either the driver's door 14a side or the body 16 side. As a result, when an object to avoid being pinched approaches or contacts a portion where there is a risk of being pinched, control (processing) for avoiding pinching can be quickly performed.

Returning to FIG. 4, the control unit 32 is connected to the electrostatic capacitance detection circuit unit 28, and constitutes the door pinch prevention device T. As shown in FIG. The control unit 32 executes pinch avoidance processing based on the detection result of the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 . As the entrapment avoidance process, the control unit 32 controls a drive source, such as a motor 34, for opening and closing the driver's seat door 14a. The entrapment avoidance processing executed by the control unit 32 stops the closing operation of the driver's seat door 14a so that, for example, the entrapment operation does not proceed further when the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 detects an object to avoid entrapment. Also, the closing operation of the driver's seat door 14a is switched to the opening operation. By opening the driver's seat door 14 a , it is possible to easily withdraw an object to avoid being pinched, such as a finger F, from between the driver's seat door 14 a and the body 16 .

As described above, according to the door entrapment prevention device T, the closing operation of the driver's door 14a is stopped or the closing operation of the driver's door 14a is switched to the opening operation before the entrapment avoidance object is actually entrapped. is executed, it is possible to reliably avoid the pinching of the object to be pinched.

An example of the flow of entrapment prevention processing by the door entrapment prevention device T constructed as described above will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

It is assumed that the entrapment prevention processing based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 is executed each time the driver's seat door 14a starts to close. When the motor 34 for closing the driver's seat door 14a is driven to close by the operation of the user of the vehicle 12 or the like, the control unit 32 provides a driving start signal to the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 . When the electrostatic capacitance detection circuit unit 28 receives a signal to start the closing operation of the driver's door 14a from the control unit 32, the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 applies a predetermined voltage to the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 to perform the first detection. 22 and the second detection electrode 24, and start detecting the amount of change in capacitance (S100).

The capacitance detection circuit unit 28 determines whether or not the amount of change in the detected capacitance is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value P0 in the process of closing the driver's door 14a (S102). If the amount of change in the detected capacitance is greater than or equal to the threshold value P0 (Yes in S102), the capacitance detection circuit section 28 provides the control section 32 with a pinch detection signal. Based on the acquisition of the pinch detection signal, the control unit 32 stops the motor 34 that is driving the closing operation to stop the closing operation of the driver's seat door 14a (S104). Further, the control unit 32 drives the motor 34 in the door opening direction (opposite direction of the closing operation) to open the driver's door 14a by a certain amount (S106), and temporarily moves the driver's door 14a. The auto door operation process is terminated (S108). In this case, the amount of opening movement can be appropriately set by initial setting, user setting, or the like. In the case where the driver's door 14a is a swing type door, when the driver's door 14a is fully opened, it may come into contact with surrounding objects (pedestrians, adjacent parked vehicles, structures such as walls and pillars, etc.). It may get lost. Therefore, the control unit 32 adjusts the amount of opening movement after acquiring the pinch detection signal to a degree such that the pinch avoidance object (finger F or the like) can be pulled out from between the driver's door 14a and the body 16, for example. It is desirable to set it so that it opens.

In the process of S102, if the amount of change in the detected capacitance is less than the threshold value P0 (No in S102), that is, if it is determined that there is no pinch avoidance object between the driver's door 14a and the body 16. , which is a state in which the control unit 32 has not acquired the pinch detection signal from the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 . In this case, the control unit 32 confirms whether the driver's seat door 14a is fully closed (S110), and if the driver's seat door 14a is fully closed (Yes in S110), the process proceeds to S108, and the driver's seat door 14a is temporarily closed. end the auto door operation processing for .

In S110, if the driver's door 14a is not yet fully closed (No in S110), the process returns to S100, the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 continues the process of detecting the amount of change in capacitance, Subsequent entrapment prevention processing is continuously executed.

As described above, according to the door pinch prevention device T of the present embodiment, when an object to avoid pinching such as a finger or palm approaches or touches either the driver's seat door 14a side or the body 16 side, the change in the capacitance is quickly suppressed. In addition, the closing operation of the driver's door 14a can be stopped or the closing operation of the driver's door 14a can be switched to the opening operation before the actual occurrence of an entrapment. Since it is executed, it is possible to reliably avoid the pinching of the object to be pinched.

In the above-described embodiment, the driver's seat door 14a has been described as the processing target, but the passenger seat door 14b, the rear seat right door 14c, the rear seat left door 14d, the back door 14e, etc. can be similarly controlled. effect can be obtained. Further, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, when the pinch detection signal is acquired, the control unit 32 continuously stops the driver's seat door 14a and switches to the opening operation. In another embodiment, only the driver's seat door 14a is stopped, and the opening operation switching process may be omitted. Further, when the pinch detection signal is acquired, the control unit 32 may open the driver's seat door 14a momentarily.

While embodiments and variations of the invention have been described, these embodiments and variations are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... ECU, 10a... CPU, 12... Vehicle, 14... Door, 14a... Driver's seat door, 14b... Passenger seat door, 14c... Rear seat right door, 14d... Rear seat left door, 14e... Back door, 16... Body , 16a... Opening 22... First detection electrode 24... Second detection electrode 26, 26a, 26b... Shield electrode 28... Capacitance detection circuit unit 30... Buffer 32... Control unit 34 ... motor, T ... door pinch prevention device, Ts ... door pinch detection sensor.

Claims (5)

a first detection electrode arranged on at least a part of a peripheral edge of an openable/closable door that closes an opening of a vehicle body and detecting a change in capacitance;
a second sensing electrode arranged on at least a part of the periphery of the opening and sensing a change in capacitance;
a capacitance detection circuit unit connected so that the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are electrically at the same potential;
A door pinch detection sensor. 2. The door according to claim 1, wherein said first detection electrode and said second detection electrode have elongated shapes facing each other from one end side to the other end side when said door closes said opening. Entrapment detection sensor. 3. A shield electrode according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a shield electrode is interposed between at least one of said first sensing electrode and said door and between said second sensing electrode and said body. Door pinch detection sensor. a first detection electrode arranged on at least a part of a peripheral edge of an openable/closable door that closes an opening of a vehicle body and detecting a change in capacitance;
a second sensing electrode arranged on at least a part of the periphery of the opening and sensing a change in capacitance;
a capacitance detection circuit unit connected so that the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are electrically at the same potential;
a control unit that executes an entrapment avoidance process based on the detection result of the capacitance detection circuit unit;
A door anti-trap device, comprising: 5. The door pinch prevention device according to claim 4, wherein, as the pinch avoidance processing, the control unit executes door control processing for stopping the closing operation of the door or switching the closing operation to the opening operation of the door.

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