JP3899912B2 - Door opener - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes a first resonance circuit that emits a signal to the outside by resonance, and a second resonance circuit in which the resonance state changes due to a change in capacitance between the person and the door when the person approaches the vicinity of the door. The present invention relates to a door opening / closing device that detects the approach of a person to the vicinity of a door and locks or unlocks the state of the door when a door opening operation is performed.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a user (usually a driver) carries a portable device called a remote controller that opens and closes a vehicle door in a vehicle, and automatically detects a state in which the driver approaches or leaves the vehicle door. Lock or unlock the vehicle door. Such a locking system (smart entry system) aims to improve convenience and safety, and is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-160897.
[0003]
In the system disclosed in this publication, an antenna outside the vehicle compartment is provided in the door handle of the vehicle door, and a request signal is transmitted from the antenna outside the vehicle compartment to a portable device carried by the user by an oscillation circuit. After the request signal is transmitted, when the portable device receives the request signal from the vehicle, the portable device transmits a signal including ID information to the vehicle side. On the vehicle side, a comparison is made with the unique ID sent from the portable device, and the door lock device provided in the vehicle is controlled to be locked or unlocked depending on whether or not it matches the unique ID.
[0004]
In JP-A-10-308149, a sensor electrode for detecting the approach of a person is disposed in a door handle. The sensor electrode detects an action of the person trying to open the door due to a change in capacitance between the person and the door handle due to the approach of the person.
[0005]
Assume that a request signal resonance circuit for transmitting a request signal and a sensor circuit (sensor resonance circuit) for detecting the approach of a person based on the capacitance are provided in the door handle. In this case, since the door handle is also a part constituting the design of the door, its size is limited. Therefore, in order to increase the degree of freedom of the type of door handle to be provided, it is desired to arrange the two circuits (request signal resonance circuit and sensor resonance circuit) with a reduced size and space saving.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has a configuration that can cope with space saving when a request signal resonance circuit for transmitting a request signal and a sensor resonance circuit that detects the approach of a person based on capacitance are provided in a door handle. Doing this is a technical issue.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The first technical means taken in order to solve the above-described problem is that an antenna unit including a resonance circuit including a coil and a resonance capacitor, and generating a magnetic field component by resonance of the resonance circuit, and the coil and the resonance capacitor. And a sensor unit for detecting the approach of a person based on a change in the resonance state of the resonance circuit in accordance with a change in the capacitance of the coil, disposed in a door handle for opening and closing the door, the antenna portion and the front Symbol sensor unit is to have a configuration which is adapted to share one resonant circuits.
[0008]
In this structure, the conductor part which comprises a sensor part consists of a resonance circuit which comprises an antenna part. In other words, since the antenna unit and the sensor unit share one resonance circuit, there is no need to arrange the conductor constituting the sensor unit separately from the antenna unit. Therefore, the number of parts is small as compared with the case where they are separately provided. Therefore, the overall structure of the door opening / closing device can be reduced in space.
[0009]
Preferably, the coil is configured to be wound in parallel with the surface of the door.
[0010]
In this configuration, the winding plane of the coil faces inward and outward in the vehicle width direction. When a person brings his / her hand close to the door handle, it is easy to approach the door handle inward and outward in the vehicle width direction. Accordingly, the approach of the person to the door handle becomes easier to detect.
The antenna unit includes a first antenna having a first coil wound around a ferrite core in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction thereof, and a second coil wound around a bobbin disposed outside the ferrite core. And a second antenna having one end of the second coil and a link coil wound around the ferrite core by a predetermined number of turns, and the sensor unit is an electrostatic device based on the approach of a person to the second coil. It is preferable to detect the approach of the person to the door handle by utilizing the fact that the resonance state of the second antenna changes due to a change in capacitance.
More preferably, the resonant capacitor is connected between the second coil and the link coil of the second antenna unit, and the sensor unit is connected by the second coil, the link coil, and the resonant capacitor. It should be configured.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system block diagram on the vehicle side when the door opening / closing device of the present invention is applied to a vehicle keyless entry system (also referred to as a smart entry system) 1 (door opening / closing device). The system 1 first determines whether a user (mainly a driver here) carrying a portable device 60 (shown in FIG. 2) called a remote controller is approaching or moving away from the vehicle. As a result, when it is determined that the vehicle is approaching, the user can switch between locking / unlocking (unlocking) the door by a door lock device (door lock unit 44) attached in the vicinity of the vehicle door. It is what. This switching does not require operation of vehicle keys.
[0012]
In this system 1, the vehicle has two outside / in-vehicle antennas, an antenna 10 (antenna unit) that communicates with the outside of the vehicle and an antenna 33. The antenna 10 is disposed in the door handle 2 provided on the vehicle door 3, and the antenna 33 is provided in an instrument panel in the vehicle interior. The antenna 10 is connected to the first transmission unit 34, and the antenna 33 is connected to the second transmission unit 36. Further, both transmitters 34 and 36 are connected to the controller 20 that controls the control. The controller 20 is connected to a sensor electrode 19 (sensor unit) that detects the approach of a person to the vehicle door 3 and a sensor detection unit 18 that detects a person based on information from the sensor electrode 19. . The sensor detection unit 18 and the first transmission unit 34 may be separate or integrated, and are provided in the oscillator 31 that transmits a request signal to the outside of the vehicle. The oscillator 31 is provided inside the door panel of the vehicle door 3.
[0013]
The controller 20 transmits a first request signal (external request signal) and a second request signal (in-vehicle request signal) to the first transmitter 34 and the second transmitter 36, respectively. In the present embodiment, a request signal of 134 KHz is transmitted from the antenna 10 and the antenna 33 to the portable device 60 as an external request signal and an indoor request signal.
[0014]
The vehicle is provided with a receiving antenna 35, and an ID information signal output from the portable device 60 is received by the receiving antenna 35. In the present embodiment, the ID information signal has a frequency of 300 MHz. This signal is received by the receiving unit 24 on the vehicle side, demodulated, and input to the controller 20. The controller 20 has a function of storing a first code for locking the door, a second code for starting the engine, and an ID code for the transponder in the memory 26 even when the power is cut off.
[0015]
An operation detection unit 28 connected to the controller 20 detects a switch operation such as an ignition. A door opening / closing detection unit 30 typified by courtesy SW detects the opening / closing of the door. The sensor group 32 detects vehicle speed and window opening / closing by various sensors.
[0016]
Further, a steering lock unit 40, an immobilizer unit 42, and a door lock unit 44 are connected to the controller 20. The steering lock unit 40 has a function of mechanically locking and prohibiting a steering operation. The immobilizer unit 42 has a function of prohibiting fuel supply to the engine or prohibiting an ignition operation when used improperly. The door lock unit 44 is a door lock device that locks or unlocks all doors. An engine control unit 48 is connected to the controller 20, and the engine control unit 48 controls the engine 50 of the vehicle.
[0017]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the portable device 60 used in the system 1. The portable device 60 has a transmission antenna 62 and a reception antenna 64. The transmission antenna 62 transmits a signal to the vehicle at 300 MHz. The receiving antenna 64 receives the 134 KHz ID request signal transmitted from the vehicle. The transmission antenna 62 and the reception antenna 64 are connected to a transmission / reception circuit 66 connected to the controller 68.
[0018]
The request signal (external request signal) received from the vehicle-mounted device of the vehicle received by the receiving antenna 64 is demodulated by the transmission / reception circuit 66 and input to the controller 68. The controller 68 transmits the first code and the second code stored in the memory 70 to the transmission / reception circuit 66. The first code and the second code include ID information. The first code and the second code are modulated by the transmission / reception circuit 66 and transmitted from the transmission antenna 62 to the in-vehicle device of the vehicle as a 300 MHz signal.
[0019]
Next, reception of the first code and the second code on the vehicle side will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the first code and the second code are received by the receiving antenna 35. The received signal is demodulated by the receiving circuit 24 and input to the controller. Here, the receiving antenna 35 is attached to, for example, an inner mirror in the vehicle.
[0020]
Next, the door handle 2 attached to the vehicle door 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The door handle 2 enables the vehicle door 3 to be opened by holding the center grip portion GP with a hand and operating it in the y direction (shown in FIG. 3). FIG. 3 shows an outline in which an antenna 10 called a biaxial loop antenna is disposed in the door handle 2. In the present embodiment, the door handle 2 is described as a grip-type handle, but the present invention is not limited to this.
[0021]
In the explanatory view of FIG. 3, an elongated resin case 5 having an opening on the outer side in the vehicle width direction is disposed in the door handle 2, and the resonance capacitor C <b> 1 that resonates the antenna 10 has the resonance capacity C <b> 1. Arranged in the case 5.
[0022]
Hereinafter, a specific method of winding the coil of the antenna 10 will be described.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 3, the antenna 10 has a two-axis configuration including a first antenna 51 and a second antenna 52 (resonance circuit). The first antenna 51 is formed of a coil 54 wound around a rectangular parallelepiped ferrite core 53 in a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal direction. Both ends of the coil 54 are connected to the oscillator 31 disposed on the door panel vehicle interior side of the vehicle door 3 through the hole 21 disposed in the rear portion (right side portion in FIG. 3) of the door handle 2. It is connected to the ANT terminal. Inside the oscillator 31 of the ANT terminal, a capacitor C1 and an oscillator OS that are in parallel resonance at 134 KHz are connected.
[0024]
The second antenna 52 includes a coil 55 (coil) wound around a bobbin (not shown) disposed outside the ferrite core 53 and a link coil in which one end of the coil 55 is wound around the ferrite core 53 by a predetermined number of turns. 56. The relationship between the winding direction of the coil 55 and the vehicle door 3 will be described. The vehicle door 3 is disposed substantially perpendicular to the y direction shown in FIG. 3 (arranged substantially parallel to the zx plane shown in FIG. 3). Therefore, it can be said that the winding direction of the coil 55 is parallel to the vehicle door 3. The winding directions of the link coil 56 and the coil 54 are the same. A resonance capacitor C2 (resonance capacitor) is connected between the coil 55 and the link coil 56. The ferrite core 53 uses a material such as manganese zinc or nickel zinc in order to improve antenna efficiency. Further, the ferrite core 53 may have a cylindrical shape.
[0025]
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the antenna 10 in more detail. 4A is an explanatory diagram of how to wind the coil 54 of the first antenna 51, the coil 55 of the second antenna 52, and the link coil 56, and FIG. 4B is an equivalent circuit thereof. In FIG. 5B, L1, L21, and L22 indicate the inductances of the coil 54, the coil 55, and the link coil 56, respectively.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 4A, the resonance capacitor C1 and the oscillator OS are connected between the terminals ANT and ANT of the coil 54 of the first antenna 51 as described above. A resonance capacitor C <b> 2 is connected in series between the terminal p of the coil 55 of the second antenna 52 and the terminal q of the link coil 56. The degree of coupling between the first antenna 51 and the second antenna 52 can be freely set by the number of turns of the link coil 56.
[0027]
Next, the sensor electrode 19 that detects the approach of a person to the door handle 2 will be described. In the present embodiment, the second antenna 52 described above also serves as the sensor electrode 19. That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the terminal p of the second antenna 52 is connected to the sensor terminal SGT of the oscillator 31 through the hole 21. In the oscillator 31, the sensor terminal SGT is connected to an inductor (not shown), a capacitor (not shown), an oscillator, and the like. Therefore, the antenna 52 can also function as the sensor electrode 19. In other words, the antenna 10 and the sensor electrode 19 that transmit a request signal outside the vehicle to the portable device 60 are configured to share the resonance capacitor C2 with the same coil 55 and link coil 56. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide another conductor as the sensor electrode 19, and the space can be saved correspondingly. Moreover, since the number of parts is small, the assembling property at the time of manufacture is also good. Since the door handle 2 bears the appearance design of the vehicle door 3, the size of the door handle 2 is often limited. Therefore, it is very important that the structure of the antenna 10 and the entire sensor electrode 19 disposed in the door handle 2 can be saved in a space-saving manner. Further, the entire structure of the antenna 10 and the sensor electrode 19 is disposed in the case 5 in the door handle 2, and the case 5 is filled with resin, so that the waterproofness of the device can be improved. The oscillator connected to the SGT terminal in the oscillator 31 may be separate from or the same as the oscillator OS connected to the ANT terminal. When the same oscillator OS is used, the oscillator OS can be connected to the SGT terminal via a switch device. The switch device is a mode in which the smart entry system 1 transmits a request signal outside the vehicle using the antenna 52 (signal transmission mode) or a mode in which the person is in the vicinity of the door handle 2 using the antenna 52 ( Sensing mode) is a means for switching whether the oscillator OS is connected to GND or to the SGT terminal. For example, the controller 20 determines whether the signal transmission mode or the sensing mode is received when the reception antenna 35 receives a correct ID information signal, and the controller 20 sends a signal for switching the switching device to the oscillator 31.
[0028]
In the following description, the present embodiment will be described as a configuration having such a switching device. Incidentally, the switching device is proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-241285 filed by the present applicant.
[0029]
The operation of the smart entry system 1 will be described. In the signal transmission mode, as described above, the oscillator OS in the oscillator 31 is connected to the GND. As shown in FIG. 5, when the oscillator OS is oscillated, the coil 55 of the second antenna 52 is excited via the link coil 56 of the second antenna 52. A current flows through the coil 55. As shown in FIG. 2, a magnetic field Hx (magnetic field component) in the x direction is generated by the link coil 56 and the coil 54. At the same time, when the transmitter OS transmits, a magnetic field Hy (magnetic field component) in the y direction is generated by the coil 55 of the second antenna. As described above, a 134 kHz outside-vehicle transmission request signal is transmitted from the antenna 10 to the portable device 60.
[0030]
Next, when the receiving ID 35 receives a correct ID information signal from the portable device 60, the smart entry system 1 is switched to the sensing mode as described above. The controller 20 sends a signal to the oscillator 31, and the oscillator OS in the oscillator 31 is connected to the SGT terminal by the switching device. In this case, the antenna 52 acts as the sensor electrode 19. That is, it is possible to detect that a person is in the vicinity of the door handle 2 by utilizing the fact that the resonance state of the antenna 52 changes due to the change in capacitance. Here, the portion of the antenna 52 that functions as the sensor electrode 19 is mainly the coil 55. The winding plane of the coil 55 is parallel to the surface of the vehicle door (zx plane) as described above. Therefore, the winding planes face each other in a direction in which a person can easily approach their hands, and the detection sensitivity is good.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
According to invention of Claims 1-4 , the conductor part which comprises a sensor part consists of a resonance circuit which comprises an antenna part. In other words, since the antenna unit and the sensor unit share one resonance circuit, there is no need to arrange the conductor constituting the sensor unit separately from the antenna unit. Therefore, the number of parts is small as compared with the case where they are separately provided. Therefore, the overall structure of the door opening / closing device can be reduced in space.
[0032]
According to the invention of claim 2, the winding plane of the coil faces inward and outward in the vehicle width direction. When a person brings his / her hand close to the door handle, it is easy to approach the door handle inward and outward in the vehicle width direction. Accordingly, the approach of the person to the door handle becomes easier to detect.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a system block diagram when a door opening and closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a keyless entry system (smart entry system) of a vehicle.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a portable device in the system shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram when an antenna and a sensor electrode according to an embodiment of the present invention are provided in a door handle.
4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining in more detail an antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram of how to wind a coil, and FIG. 4B is an equivalent circuit diagram thereof.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating generation of a magnetic field of an antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Keyless entry system (door opener)
2 Door handle (door handle)
3 Vehicle door (door)
10 Antenna (antenna part)
19 Sensor electrode (sensor part)
52 Second antenna (resonant circuit)
55 Coil
C2 Resonance capacity (resonance capacity)

Claims (4)

An antenna unit including a resonance circuit including a coil and a resonance capacitor, and generating a magnetic field component by resonance of the resonance circuit; and a resonance circuit including the coil and the resonance capacitor. A sensor unit that detects the approach of a person based on a change in the resonance state of the door is disposed in a door handle that opens and closes the door,
Wherein the antenna portion and the front Symbol sensor unit, a door opening and closing device being characterized in that so as to share one of the resonant circuits.   The door opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the coil is wound in parallel with a surface of the door.   The antenna unit is
  A first antenna comprising a ferrite coil and a first coil wound in a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal direction;
  A second antenna comprising a second coil wound around a bobbin disposed outside the ferrite core, and a link coil in which one end of the second coil is wound a predetermined number of turns around the ferrite core;
  The sensor unit detects the approach of the person to the door handle by using a change in the resonance state of the second antenna due to a change in capacitance based on the approach of the person to the second coil. The door opening and closing device according to claim 1 or 2.   The resonant capacitor is connected between the second coil and the link coil of the second antenna unit, and the sensor unit is configured by the second coil, the link coil, and the resonant capacitor. The door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 3.

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