JP4358024B2 - Power window safety device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a safety device for a power window of a vehicle door.

  In a power window that raises and lowers the window glass of a vehicle with the driving force of a lifting motor, if the window glass is closed by continuing to turn on the operation switch in the closing direction, foreign objects can be sandwiched between the window glass and the window frame. There is sex.

Therefore, a detection device that detects that a foreign object has been sandwiched between the window glass and the window frame has already been provided, and when the sandwich is detected, the motor is reversed to drive the window glass down regardless of the state of the operation switch. Safety devices have been proposed. As one of the pinching detection devices of this safety device, an electrostatic sensor for detecting a change in electrostatic capacitance is provided on the upper edge of the window glass, and when the capacitance (voltage) falls below a predetermined threshold value, the window glass An apparatus has been proposed for lowering a window glass when it is determined that a part of a human body has come into contact with the upper edge.
JP 2002-46468 A

  However, the capacitance between the window glass upper edge electrode and the window frame fluctuates during the raising operation of the window glass. For this reason, in the conventional apparatus in which the electrostatic capacity for reversing the rising window glass is set as a constant threshold, there is a possibility that an erroneous determination of foreign object pinching (window glass lowering malfunction) may occur. In addition, the capacitance varies not only during the window glass ascending operation, but also varies depending on the usage conditions (weather, aging, etc.). There is a risk of erroneous determination (malfunction). Furthermore, the electrostatic capacity has a property that it rapidly changes (increases) when the window glass reaches the vicinity of the fully closed position (top dead center). Conventionally, a special sensor has been provided on the window frame side to prevent this sudden change in electrostatic capacitance from being caught in a foreign object, and when the sensor detects the approach of the window glass, control is performed to ignore the electrostatic sensor output. It was.

  An object of the present invention is to obtain a safety device for a power window with a low possibility of malfunction considering fluctuations in electrostatic capacity when a window glass is raised and fluctuations due to usage conditions of electrostatic capacity based on the above problem awareness. And It is another object of the present invention to provide a power window safety device that can ignore a change in capacitance near the top dead center of a window glass without requiring a special sensor.

A safety device for a power window according to the present invention includes a lift motor that lifts and lowers a window glass of a vehicle; an operation switch that gives a forward / reverse rotation command to the lift motor; and repeatedly generates pulses according to the amount of rotation of the lift motor. pulse generator; capacitance detector according provided at the upper edge of the window glass electrode; this pulse generator window position counter to obtain opening information of the window glass by counting the pulses generated specific window glass raising operation sometimes, the change in capacitance detected by the electrostatic capacitance detector storage unit for storing in relation to the window opening information according to the window position counter; static associated with and stored window opening information in the memory unit A reversal threshold is set for each window opening information based on a change in capacitance, and the capacitance detected by the capacitance detector is detected by the window position counter during window glass ascent operation. Resulting monitors whether exceeds the inversion threshold corresponding to the window opening information, lower the window glass by reversing the lifting motor regardless of the state of the operation switch when the electrostatic capacitance exceeds the inversion threshold And a controller for controlling.

  In this aspect, after detecting that the window glass has reached a specific position near the top dead center when the window glass is lifted by using the fact that the window position information is obtained by the window position counter, the electrostatic capacity detector is detected by the controller. It is possible to perform control that ignores the electrostatic change due to. That is, a sensor that has been conventionally required can be omitted.

  The storage of the capacitance change related to the window opening information for the storage device can be executed at least at the time of vehicle manufacture by the controller. Alternatively, it can be performed periodically or when the change switch is operated.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the safety device for power windows with few possibility of malfunctioning which considered the fluctuation | variation of the electrostatic capacitance at the time of a window glass rise, and also the fluctuation | variation by the use condition of an electrostatic capacitance can be obtained. Further, it is possible to obtain a power window safety device capable of continuing the closing operation of the window glass while ignoring the capacitance change near the top dead center of the window glass without requiring a special sensor.

  FIG. 1 shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a vehicle door 10 having an X arm type power window (regulator) 20. The vehicle door 10 includes a sash portion 12 having an upper window opening 11 and a lower panel portion 13, and the window opening 11 is opened and closed by a window glass 14. An electrode 15 made of a metal material (such as foil or wire) such as aluminum or a conductive coating material is attached to the upper edge of the window glass 14.

  An X arm type power window 20 that moves the window glass 14 up and down is supported in the panel portion 13. That is, a lift arm 21 of an X arm type power window 20 is supported on the panel portion 13 so as to be swingable by a shaft 22, and the lift arm 21 has a sector gear (driven gear) 23 centered on the shaft 22. Have. The sector gear 23 meshes with a pinion 25 that is rotationally driven by a lifting motor 24.

  An intermediate portion of the equalizer arm 27 is pivotally attached to the intermediate portion in the length direction of the lift arm 21 by a shaft 26. A guide piece (roller) 28 is pivotally attached to each of the upper end portions (tip portions) of the lift arm 21 and the equalizer arm 27, and the guide piece (roller) is similarly attached to the lower end portion of the equalizer arm 27. 29 is pivotally attached.

  Each of the guide pieces 28 of the lift arm 21 and the equalizer arm 27 is movably fitted to a window glass bracket 30 fixed to the lower end of the window glass 14, and the guide piece 29 of the equalizer arm 27 is fixed in the panel portion 13. Guided to the equalizer arm bracket 31 so as to be movable.

  In this X-arm type power window 20, when the pinion 25 is driven forward and backward via the lifting motor 24, the lift arm 21 swings around the shaft 22 via the sector gear 23, and as a result, the window glass bracket 30 ( The window glass 14) moves up and down while being held in a substantially horizontal state by the equalizer arm 27, the guide pieces 28 and 29, and the equalizer arm bracket 31. This raising / lowering operation itself is an operation of the normal X arm type power window 20.

  The elevating motor 24 is driven forward and reverse by the drive circuit 32. That is, the drive circuit 32 fed from the battery 33 is given an ascending signal or a descending signal via the operation switch 34 and the controller 35, and drives the raising / lowering motor 24 forward and backward based on the signal. The elevating motor 24 is also provided with a pulse generator 36 that generates pulses according to the rotation angle (number) thereof.

  Various types of pulse generators 36 are known. For example, in a pulse generator using a Hall element, a magnet rotor magnetized NS in order in the circumferential direction is fixed to the axis of the lifting / lowering motor 24, and the Hall element arranged close to the magnet rotor rotates the motor rotation shaft ( A pulse is generated along with the angle. Further, by arranging two Hall elements in the lifting motor 24, it is possible to know the rotation direction of the lifting motor 24, that is, whether the window glass 14 is moving up (window closing operation) or moving down (window opening operation). be able to. Such means for detecting the rotational direction of the lifting motor 24 is well known. The rotation direction of the lift motor 24 can also be detected from the state of the operation switch 34.

  The pulse from the pulse generator 36 is input to the window position counter 37. The window position counter 37 obtains the opening information of the window glass 14 by counting the pulses from the pulse generator 36. The window opening degree information can be obtained according to the number of pulses generated by the pulse generator 36 between the window glass 14 from the fully open state to the fully closed state. In this embodiment, the number of pulses is 400.

  The electrode 15 at the upper edge of the window glass 14 is connected to the capacitance detector 40. The capacitance detector 40 always detects the capacitance with the electrode 15 of the window glass 14 and outputs it to the controller 35. When the setting (update) switch 41 is turned on, the controller 35 detects the static electricity during the window glass ascending operation (the ascending operation from the fully opened state to the fully closed state) detected by the capacitance detector 40. The change (variation value) of the capacity is stored in the storage unit 42 in association with the window position information by the window position counter 37. In the above example, the opening degree of the window glass 14 can be detected with a resolution from the first pulse to the 400th pulse by the window position counter 37, and the capacitance change (value) is determined for each window opening information. (Every pulse).

  FIG. 2 shows specific measurement examples of the window position information (1 to 400 pulses) on the horizontal axis and the capacitance change on the vertical axis. Zero pulse on the horizontal axis means that the window glass 14 is in a fully open state (bottom dead center), and 400 pulses means that the window glass 14 is in a fully closed state (top dead center). A curve A indicates the capacitance change (fluctuation) that occurs when the window glass 14 is actually moved up and down detected by the capacitance detector 40, and is controlled when the setting (update) switch 41 is turned on. The data is stored in the memory 42 by the device 35. A curve B indicates a variation reversal threshold for determining that a foreign object is caught in correspondence with the capacitance change curve A, and is set by the controller 35 in accordance with each window position information. That is, in this embodiment, the reversal threshold is not a fixed value (single value) but a value that changes according to the window opening information.

  The basic operation of the safety device of the present embodiment as described above is as follows. When a part of the human body (for example, a finger) shakes on the electrode 15 on the upper edge of the window glass 14, the capacitance detected by the capacitance detector 40 increases. The controller 35 detects the increase in capacitance when the window glass 14 is raised, and when the value exceeds the reversal threshold, the window glass 14 is driven via the drive circuit 32, the lifting motor 24 and the X arm type power window 20. Is reversed and lowered.

  In the present embodiment, the inversion threshold is not a single value, but is set for each window opening information based on the capacitance change curve A stored in the capacitance detector 40. That is, since the inversion threshold is set according to the curve A that fluctuates due to the actual window closing operation of the window glass 14 as indicated by the fluctuation inversion threshold curve B in FIG. 2, erroneous determination (malfunction) is further reduced. .

  The storage of the capacitance change curve A in the storage device 42 is performed at least when the vehicle is manufactured. It can be performed (updated) periodically or at an arbitrary timing. The capacitance between the electrode 15 provided on the upper edge of the window glass 14 and the window frame is likely to change due to factors such as a change in sliding resistance and deterioration of the glass run. .

  A control example for updating (learning) the capacitance change curve A will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart in FIG. 3 relates to an update process (learning process) executed by the controller 35. This update process (learning process) is started when the setting (update) switch 41 is turned on. The setting (update) switch 41 may be turned on manually or automatically (periodically).

  When the setting (update) switch 41 is turned on (S1; Yes), the controller 35 checks whether or not the UP operation has been performed by the operation switch 34 from the state of the operation switch 34 (S2), and waits until the UP operation is performed. (S2; No). When the UP operation is performed (S2; Yes), the update prohibition flag for identifying whether or not the update of the capacitance change curve A is prohibited is cleared and the update to the storage device 42 is permitted (S3). A raising signal is given to the drive circuit 32 to drive the raising / lowering motor 24, and the raising operation (window closing operation) of the window glass 14 is started (S4). When the elevating motor 24 starts to be driven, a pulse is output from the pulse generator 36 every time the elevating motor 24 rotates by a predetermined angle and is counted by the window position counter 37. The count value (window opening degree information) is the controller 35. Is output. The controller 35 associates the variation value of the capacitance input from the capacitance detector 40 with the window opening information input from the window position counter 37 to obtain the latest measurement data (capacitance change curve). Generate. Subsequently, the controller 35 detects whether or not the window glass 14 is in a fully closed state (top dead center) based on the window opening degree information input from the window position counter 37 (S5).

  If the window glass 14 is not fully closed (S5; No), it is detected whether or not there is any pinching from the variation value of the capacitance input from the capacitance detector 40 (S10), and pinching is detected. If not, it is checked from the state of the operation switch 34 whether or not there has been a DOWN operation (S10; No, S11). If pinching is detected (S10; Yes), or if there is a DOWN operation even if pinching is not detected (S11; Yes), the lift motor 24 is reversed via the drive circuit 32 (S15), After waiting for the reversal process to end, the elevating motor 24 is stopped via the drive circuit 32 (S16, S9). On the other hand, if there is no DOWN operation (S11; No), it is checked from the state of the operation switch 34 whether or not the UP operation is stopped (S12). If the UP operation is stopped, the drive circuit 32 is used. The elevator motor 24 is stopped (S12; Yes, S9). As described above, when the sandwiching is detected before the window glass 14 is fully closed (S10; Yes), when the DOWN operation is performed (S11; Yes), and when the UP operation is stopped (S12; Yes). In this case, since sufficient reliable measurement data cannot be obtained, the storage unit 42 is not updated.

  If the UP operation is not stopped (S12; No), the measurement data (the capacitance fluctuation value input from the capacitance detector 40 and the window opening information input from the window position counter 37) are abnormal values. It is checked whether or not (S13). Here, the case where the measurement data is determined to be an abnormal value is a case where the measurement data suddenly fluctuates greatly due to vibration during traveling. If the measurement data is an abnormal value (S13; Yes), an update prohibition flag is set to prohibit the update to the storage device 42 (S14), and the process returns to S5. If the measured data is not an abnormal value, the process returns to S5 as it is (S13; No).

  Until the window glass 14 is fully closed, the processes of S10 to S14 are repeated.

  If the window glass 14 is in a fully closed state (S5; Yes), based on the window opening information, it is checked whether or not the ascending operation is started from the fully opened state of the window glass 14 (S6). Here, checking whether or not the ascending operation is started from the fully open state of the window glass 14 means checking whether or not all measurement data from the fully open state to the fully closed state is acquired. Yes. When the ascending operation is started from the fully opened state of the window glass 14 (S6; Yes), it is checked whether or not the update to the storage device 42 is permitted depending on whether or not the update prohibition flag is cleared ( S7). If the update to the storage device 42 is permitted (S7; Yes), the capacitance change curve A stored in the storage device 42 is updated to the latest measurement data (capacitance change curve) (S8). Then, the lift motor 24 is stopped via the drive circuit 32 (S9). On the other hand, when the ascending operation has not been started from the fully opened state of the window glass 14 (S6; No), only a part of the measurement data can be acquired, so that the storage device 42 is not updated and is driven as it is. The lift motor 24 is stopped via the circuit 32 (S9). Further, when the update to the storage device 42 is not permitted (S7; No), that is, when it is determined in S13 that the acquired measurement data is an abnormal value, the update to the storage device 42 is not performed. Then, the lift motor 24 is stopped via the drive circuit 32 as it is (S9).

  When the measurement data (capacitance change curve) when the window glass 14 is moved up from the fully open state to the fully closed state is properly obtained by the above update process (learning process), the storage device is stored in S8. The capacitance change curve A stored in 42 is updated to the latest measurement data.

  A specific position (top pulse position 380 in the illustrated example) C near the top dead center in FIG. 2 is set as a position where the upper edge of the window glass 14 contacts the glass run attached to the upper inside of the sash portion 12. Has been. After the upper edge of the window glass 14 reaches the specific position C when it rises, there is no possibility of foreign matter being caught, and therefore the window glass closing operation is performed ignoring the change (increase) in capacitance. Good. Conventionally, it has been detected by another sensor that the upper edge of the window glass 14 has reached this specific position, but in this embodiment, the same control is executed using the window position information of the window position counter 37. The flowchart shown in FIG. 4 relates to an embodiment of the window glass 14 closing operation process, and is executed by the controller 35.

  First, the controller 35 checks whether or not the UP operation has been performed from the state of the operation switch 34 (S21), and waits until the UP operation is performed (S21; No). When the UP operation is performed (S21; Yes), an ascending signal is given to the drive circuit 32 to drive the elevating motor 24, and the ascending operation (window closing operation) of the window glass 14 is started (S22). When the elevating motor 24 starts to be driven, a pulse is output from the pulse generator 36 every time the elevating motor 24 rotates by a predetermined angle and is counted by the window position counter 37. The count value (window opening degree information) is the controller 35. Is output.

  Subsequently, the controller 35 detects whether or not the window glass 14 is in a fully closed state (top dead center) based on the window opening degree information input from the window position counter 37 (S23). If the window glass 14 is not fully closed (S23; No), it is checked whether or not the DOWN operation is performed from the state of the operation switch 34 (S24). If the DOWN operation has been performed (S24; Yes), the lift motor 24 is reversed via the drive circuit 32 (S28), and the lift motor 24 is switched via the drive circuit 32 after waiting for the reversal process to end. Stop (S29, S30). If the DOWN operation has not been performed (S24; No), it is also checked whether the UP operation has been canceled from the state of the operation switch 34 (S25). When the UP operation is stopped, the elevating motor 24 is stopped via the drive circuit 32 (S25; Yes, S30).

  When the DOWN operation is not performed and the UP operation is not stopped (S25; No), the capacitance value input from the capacitance detector 40 corresponds to the window opening information input from the window position counter 37. It is checked whether or not the inversion threshold at the window position to be exceeded is exceeded (S26). This inversion threshold value is set based on the capacitance change curve A stored in the storage device 42. When the capacitance value exceeds the reversal threshold (S26; Yes), the upper edge of the window glass 14 is the upper part of the sash portion 12 depending on whether the window opening information of the window position counter 37 is 380 or more. It is checked whether or not the position has come into contact with the glass run attached inside (S27). If the window opening information of the window position counter 37 is 380 or more (S27; Yes), since there is no possibility of foreign object pinching, the rotation of the elevating motor 24 is continued and the process returns to S23. On the contrary, if the window opening information of the window position counter 37 is less than 380 (S27; No), there is a possibility that foreign matter is caught, so the lifting motor 24 is reversed via the drive circuit 32 (S28), The elevating motor 24 is stopped via the drive circuit 32 after waiting until the reversal process is completed (S29, S30).

  Until the window glass 14 is fully closed, the processes of S24 to S27 are repeated. And if the window glass 14 will be in a fully closed state (S23; Yes), the drive circuit 32 will be started and the raising / lowering motor 24 will be stopped (S30).

  In addition, as one of the pinching detection devices, there is conventionally known a device that determines pinching by repeatedly generating a pulse according to the number of rotations (angle) of the lifting motor and detecting an increase in the width of this pulse. . That is, the normal pulse width is stored, and it is determined that a foreign object is caught when the pulse width during operation increases beyond the allowable value. In this embodiment, in order to detect foreign object pinching after the upper edge of the window glass 14 reaches a position where it contacts the glass run of the sash portion 12, this conventionally known configuration for detecting a change in pulse width is used in combination. May be.

  In the above embodiment, the capacitance of the upper edge of the window glass 14 is detected via the electrode 15 provided on the upper edge of the window glass 14 and the capacitance detector 40, but the capacitance is detected. If possible, there is a degree of freedom in setting the electrodes.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the capacitance change (inversion threshold) is stored for each pulse of the window opening information, but may not necessarily be changed for each pulse. For example, according to the capacitance change curve, the window opening degree information is divided into a plurality of blocks to make the same inversion threshold in the same block, and furthermore, the value of the entire capacitance change curve is averaged to obtain a single inversion threshold. May be set.

The power window of the above embodiment is an X-arm type, but the present invention can be applied to any type of motor-driven power window regardless of the wire type or the like. Furthermore, it can be applied not only to a side door of a vehicle but also to a back door, a sunroof and the like.

1 is a system connection diagram showing an embodiment in which a power window safety device according to the present invention is applied to an X arm type power window. It is a graph which shows an example of the relationship between a window opening degree and an electrostatic capacitance change. It is a flowchart which updates a capacitance change (learning). It is a flowchart which shows the example of control when a window glass reaches | attains the specific position of the top dead center vicinity.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle door 11 Window opening 12 Sash part 13 Panel part 14 Window glass 15 Electrode 20 X arm type power window 21 Lift arm 22 Shaft 23 Sector gear (driven gear)
24 Elevator Motor 25 Pinion 26 Shaft 27 Equalizer Arm 28 Guide Piece 29 Guide Piece 30 Window Glass Bracket 31 Equalizer Arm Bracket 32 Drive Circuit 33 Battery 34 Operation Switch 35 Controller 36 Pulse Generator 37 Window Position Counter 40 Capacitance Detector 41 Setting (update) switch 42 Memory A Capacitance change curve B Fluctuation reversal threshold curve

Claims (3)

Elevating motor that raises and lowers the window glass of the vehicle;
An operation switch that gives a forward / reverse rotation command to this lift motor;
A pulse generator that repeatedly generates pulses according to the amount of rotation of the lift motor;
Window position counter to obtain opening information of the window glass by counting this pulse by the pulse generator occurs;
Capacitance detector with electrodes provided on the upper edge of the window glass;
When a specific window glass raising operation, the storage unit stores the capacitance change detected by the electrostatic capacitance detector in relation to the window opening information according to the window position counter; and
Based on the capacitance change related to the window opening information stored in the storage device, the inversion threshold is set for each window opening information, and the detection of the capacitance detector is performed during the window glass ascent operation. Whether or not the capacitance exceeds the reversal threshold value corresponding to the window opening information obtained by the window position counter, and when the capacitance exceeds the reversal threshold value, it is related to the state of the operation switch. A controller that reverses the lifting motor to lower the window glass;
A safety device for a power window, comprising: In the power window safety device according to claim 1, after the controller detects that the window glass has reached a specific position in the vicinity of the top dead center at the time of ascending by the window opening degree information obtained by the window position counter, Safety device for power windows that ignores changes in capacitance due to capacitance detectors. 3. The safety device for a power window according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller executes storage of capacitance change related to window opening information for the storage device periodically or when a change switch is operated. Power window safety device.

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