JP3451661B2 - Automotive door lock control device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lock mechanism for locking a door in a closed state, and a lock control means for controlling the lock mechanism in a locked or unlocked state. The present invention relates to a door lock control device for an automobile or the like provided. 2. Description of the Related Art A conventional door lock control device is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 58-123168. This door lock control device is configured such that a switch position dedicated to automatic door lock is provided in the ignition switch, and when the ignition key is removed at this position and the driver gets off the vehicle, the door lock is automatically performed. Usually, in a vehicle equipped with such a door lock control device, the door is often locked while the vehicle is running, and the door is opened due to strong vibrations or accidents that occur during the traveling. Is prevented. When an accident occurs while the vehicle is running with the door locked by such a door lock control device, a door locking mechanism is provided by an impact force at the time of the accident. In some cases, it takes time to release the lock due to deformation of the lock or failure of the electric system controlling the lock mechanism. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a vehicle door lock control device capable of minimizing the difficulty in releasing a door lock mechanism due to an accident or the like. It is an object. Means for Solving the Problems The invention according to claim 1 is:
In a door lock control device provided with a lock mechanism for locking a door of an automobile or the like in a closed state and lock control means for controlling the lock mechanism in a locked or unlocked state, an obstacle to travel may be obstructed. Distance detecting means for detecting the distance, and the distance detected by the distance detecting means
And contact prediction means for outputting a control signal for releasing the lock state to the lock control means at the time when it is confirmed that the vehicle is in a state immediately before contact with the obstacle based on the inter-vehicle distance reference value , This contact prediction means
When the friction coefficient is small, the friction coefficient between
In this case, the inter-vehicle distance reference value
Value as well as detect driver fatigue.
When the degree of leverage is large, it is higher than when it is small.
The vehicle distance reference value is configured to be set to a large value.
It is a thing. According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the distance detecting means detects the distance to the obstacle, the detected distance
The contact prediction means determines the possibility of contact with an obstacle by comparing the distance with the inter-vehicle distance reference value, and transmits a control signal to the lock control means when it is determined that it is impossible to avoid the collision immediately before the contact. As a result, the locked state of the lock mechanism is released. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle door lock control device according to the present invention. The door lock control device includes a control unit 1 that performs processing determination based on input signals from various detection units, a vehicle speed detection unit 2, a keyless entry signal detection unit 3, and an inter-vehicle distance detection that detects an inter-vehicle distance. A section 4 (distance detecting means), a road surface μ detecting section 5 for detecting a coefficient of friction between a tire and a road surface, a lock mechanism 7 for locking or unlocking a door, and a brake (not shown) are operated. And a brake actuator 8 to be operated. The vehicle speed detecting section 2 detects the running speed of the vehicle.
Detects a signal from a keyless entry mechanism that releases a lock mechanism such as a door without using a key. The inter-vehicle distance detecting unit 4 sequentially detects the inter-vehicle distance from another vehicle using, for example, a laser or the like.
The road surface μ detecting section 5 detects the coefficient of friction between the tire and the road surface. The detection signals of the detection units 2 to 5 are input to the control unit 1. On the other hand, the lock mechanism 7 is provided with a lock device (not shown) for locking the closed door to the vehicle body and a door lock actuator (not shown) for locking or unlocking the lock device. Have been. Then, a signal from the control unit 1 is input to the door lock actuator, and the door lock actuator is electrically driven. The brake actuator 8 is interlocked with a brake device provided in the vehicle, and operates the brake device in response to a signal from the control unit 1 to change the vehicle speed and adjust the inter-vehicle distance. I have. And
The control section 1 is provided with lock control means 11 for controlling the lock mechanism 7 and contact prediction means 12 for predicting the possibility of contact with an obstacle. The lock control means 11 receives a detection signal from the vehicle speed detection section 2 and the keyless entry signal detection section 3 and a release signal from a contact prediction means 12 described later, and based on these signals. This lock control means 1
1 controls the lock mechanism 7 to be locked or unlocked by transmitting a control signal. Signals from the vehicle speed detecting section 2, the inter-vehicle distance detecting section 4, the road surface μ detecting section 5 and the like are input to the contact predicting section 12, and the contact predicting section 12 compares the tire and road surface with respect to the vehicle speed at that time. friction when the coefficient is large, conventional inter-vehicle distance based on the
A reference value is set, and when the friction coefficient is small, an inter-vehicle distance reference value larger than usual is set. Then, based on the set inter-vehicle distance reference value , the contact prediction unit 12 transmits a control signal to the brake actuator 8 to secure an appropriate inter-vehicle distance and determine the possibility of contact with an obstacle. It has become. As a result, when the contact prediction unit 12 determines that contact avoidance is not possible, a release signal for releasing the lock of the door is transmitted to the lock control unit 11. Next, the operation of the door lock control device will be described. The control operation of the lock control means 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, in step S1, signals such as a vehicle speed, a keyless entry signal, and a release signal are read from each of the detection units 2 to 5, and the process proceeds to step 2. In this step S2, it is determined whether or not a lock condition for locking the door is satisfied based on each of the detected values. If the result of this determination is YES, a control signal is sent to the lock mechanism 7 in step S3. Is output, the door is locked, and the process proceeds to step S4. In this step S4, it is determined whether or not the lock release condition is satisfied based on each of the detected values. As a result, if the determination is NO since the release condition is not satisfied, the process returns. Here, if the release condition is satisfied by the release signal or the keyless entry signal, NO is determined in step S2, and Y is determined in step S4.
If it is determined that the state is ES and it is confirmed that the lock of the lock mechanism 7 is to be released, the lock is released by outputting a control signal to the lock mechanism 7 in step S5. Thus, the lock control means 11 switches the lock mechanism 7 between the locked state and the unlocked state in accordance with the input signal. On the other hand, the control operation of the contact prediction means 12 is shown in FIG.
This will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. Step S
In step S11, the detected values of the following distance, vehicle speed, and road surface μ are read from the detection units 2 to 5, and in step S12, the following distance reference value to be secured is set based on these detected values.
In step 13, the brake operation is performed by transmitting a control signal to the brake actuator 8 in accordance with the set inter-vehicle distance reference value, thereby securing the inter-vehicle distance.
This inter-vehicle distance is ensured, and in step S14,
It is determined whether or not contact avoidance is impossible based on a change state of the vehicle speed or the inter-vehicle distance. If YES is determined, a release signal is output to the lock control means 11 in step S15, so that the lock mechanism 7 To release the locked state. Note that as a result of the determination in step S14, N
When it is determined as O and it is confirmed that contact avoidance is possible, the process returns. As described above, when it is determined that the contact cannot be avoided immediately before the contact, a release signal is transmitted to the lock control means 11 in step S15, and the lock mechanism 7 unlocks the door. Thus, it is possible to prevent the lock from being unlocked due to the deformation of the lock device or the failure of the electric system due to the impact at the time of contact. The contact prediction means 12 is configured to execute control in consideration of the driver's fatigue state . That is, in the flowchart shown in FIG.
As shown, first, in step S31, detected values such as the following distance, vehicle speed, road surface μ, and relative speed are read.
Then, a reference value of the following distance is set based on these detected values, and the process proceeds to step S33. Here, the relative speed is the speed between the vehicle in front and the host vehicle, and the relative speed is detected from a change state of the inter-vehicle distance with respect to time, or is detected by providing a dedicated sensor. is there. In step S33, the fatigue state of the driver is read, and the process proceeds to step S34. This fatigue state is detected from the palm of the driver's palm by attaching a sweat component sensor to the steering wheel, utilizing the fact that the sweat component changes depending on the degree of fatigue. Further, instead of this detection method, the fatigue state may be detected by estimating the degree of fatigue of the driver based on the driving time or the traveling distance. In step S34, the inter-vehicle distance reference value set in step S32 is corrected based on the fatigue state detection value read in step S33, and the flow advances to step S35. That is, in this step S34, when the fatigue state is large, the correction is performed so as to increase the set inter-vehicle distance reference value . And
In step S35, the brake is operated by outputting a control signal to the brake actuator 8 based on the corrected inter-vehicle distance, and the corrected inter-vehicle distance reference value is secured. Next, in step S36, it is determined whether or not it is impossible to avoid contact with an obstacle such as another vehicle based on the detected value of the following distance, etc., immediately before the contact. If the result of this determination is YES In step S37, the lock state of the lock mechanism 7 is released by transmitting a release signal to the lock control means 11. When the contact predicting means 12 is configured in this manner, a larger inter-vehicle distance is ensured when the fatigue state is large, so that a sense of security can be given to the driver. On the other hand, in the above embodiment, the lock by the lock mechanism 7 is released before the contact with the obstacle. However, after the contact with the obstacle is confirmed to deal with the unpredictable contact. To release the lock, the configuration is as shown in FIG. This configuration will be described with reference to the drawing. A protection device control unit 13 is provided in place of the contact prediction unit 12, a G detection unit 6 (contact detection unit) for detecting an impact at the time of contact, An air bag mechanism 9 for protecting a human body and a power supply 10 for supplying required power to each part such as the lock mechanism 7 and the air bag mechanism 9 are provided. The G detector is a sensor for detecting an impact of the vehicle, and a detection signal is transmitted to the protection device controller 13. The airbag mechanism 9 is composed of an airbag (not shown) and an airbag actuator (not shown). The airbag actuator operates a detonator in the airbag according to a control signal from the control unit 1. By doing so, the airbag is inflated to protect the human body from the impact at the time of contact. The power supply 10 supplies power to the control unit 1, the lock mechanism 7, the air bag mechanism 9, various detection units, and the like. The protection device control means 13 includes a G detector 6
The protection device control means 13 transmits a control signal to the air bag actuator of the air bag mechanism 9 based on this signal to activate the air bag and unlock the door after a predetermined time. A release signal to be transmitted is transmitted to the lock control means 11. Next, the control operation of the protection device control means 13 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In step S21, the detection signal of the G detection unit 6 is read, and the process proceeds to step S22. In step S22, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has contacted an obstacle based on the read signal.
If determined to be ES, in step S23, a control signal is output to the airbag actuator to activate the airbag detonator. afterwards,
In step S24, the time after the activation of the detonator is counted, and when a predetermined time has elapsed,
By transmitting a release signal to the lock control means 11 in step S25, the lock by the lock mechanism 7 is released. If the determination in step S22 is NO, the process returns and the control operation starts again. As described above, when the contact with the obstacle is detected by the G detection unit 6, the air bag detonating device is activated in step S23, and after a predetermined time has elapsed in step S24, the step 25 is locked. According to the configuration in which the lock of the mechanism 7 is released, the operation of the air bag and the release of the lock are performed after the predetermined time, so that the power of the power supply 10 is not simultaneously consumed. The voltage and the like are maintained in a stable state. Therefore, the operation of the control unit 1 and the lock mechanism 7 becomes reliable,
It is possible to prevent the lock from being released even after the contact. In addition, by operating the air bag prior to the lock release, it is possible to reliably suppress the impact on the driver due to the contact. In this embodiment, only the air bag is shown as the human body protection means. However, even in a vehicle equipped with a human body protection means such as a seat belt with a tension reducer for sensing the deceleration of the vehicle and restraining the body. The present invention can be applied and is not limited to the above embodiment. As described above, according to the present invention, a lock mechanism for locking a door of an automobile or the like in a closed state and a lock control means for controlling the lock mechanism in a locked or unlocked state are provided. In the provided door lock control device, a distance detecting means for detecting a distance to an obstacle that interferes with traveling, and an inter-vehicle distance detected by the distance detecting means
And contact prediction means for outputting a control signal for releasing the lock state to the lock control means at the time when it is confirmed that the vehicle is in a state immediately before contact with the obstacle based on the inter-vehicle distance reference value , This contact prediction means
When the friction coefficient is small
Is larger than the reference value
Value and detect the degree of driver fatigue.
When the degree of fatigue is high, the above
Configured to set the inter-vehicle distance reference value to a large value
Since the lock is released immediately before the contact, it is possible to prevent the lock from being unlocked after the contact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a vehicle door lock control device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a lock control unit in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a contact prediction unit in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control operation of another embodiment of the contact prediction means in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of the vehicle door lock control device according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a protection device control means in the second embodiment. [Description of Signs] 1 control unit 2 vehicle speed detection unit 3 keyless entry signal detection unit 4 inter-vehicle distance detection unit 5 road surface μ detection unit 6 G detection unit 7 lock mechanism 8 brake actuator 9 airbag mechanism 10 power supply 11 lock control means 12 contact Prediction unit 13 Protection device control unit

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Sendai 3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Inside Mazda Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-5-59855 (JP, A) JP-A-2-267048 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60J 5/00 B60R 21/00 E05B 65/00

Claims (1)

(1) A door provided with a lock mechanism for locking a door of an automobile or the like in a closed state and lock control means for controlling the lock mechanism in a locked or unlocked state. in the lock control device, a distance detecting means for detecting a distance to the obstacle becomes an obstacle to travel, the distance detecting means
Contact prediction means for outputting a control signal for causing the lock control means to release the locked state when it is confirmed that the vehicle is in a state immediately before the vehicle comes into contact with the obstacle based on the detected distance and the inter-vehicle distance reference value. And this contact prediction
The means detects the coefficient of friction between the tire and the road surface and
When the coefficient is small, the inter-vehicle distance is larger than when the coefficient is large.
Set the separation reference value to a large value and
If the fatigue level is detected and this fatigue level is high,
Set the inter-vehicle distance reference value to a larger value than in the case
A door lock control device for an automobile, characterized in that it is configured as described above .