JP2006256362A - Vehicular automatic opening/closing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular automatic opening/closing device capable of automatically opening/closing an opening/closing body according to an operator's intention, even when many obstacles exist. <P>SOLUTION: This device for automatically opening/closing a door provided to be openable/closable in the vehicle is provided with an electric motor for driving the door to open/close and a control device for controlling an operation of the electric motor. The door is automatically opened/closed by an operation of an opening/closing switch provided at a portable terminal. The vehicle is provided with an obstacle sensor for detecting an obstacle relatively approaching to the door. When the obstacle is detected by the obstacle sensor, the automatic opening/closing operation of the door is inhibited. A cancel switch is provided at the portable terminal. In a state in which an invalid signal is inputted from the cancel switch, the door is automatically opened/closed according to the operation of the opening/closing switch, regardless of a detection signal of the obstacle sensor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle that automatically opens and closes an opening / closing body mounted on a vehicle via a hinge via a hinge.

  A vehicle door such as an automobile is provided with a door for opening and closing that can be freely opened and closed on the side of the vehicle body. In addition, many vehicles have an open back door (tailgate) that can be opened and closed at the rear end of the vehicle body, so that it can be opened and closed. Done. These doors are normally manually opened and closed by an operator such as a driver, but it is difficult to open and close the door when the operator is holding a load. Therefore, in order to easily open and close the door, a technique has been developed in which the door is automatically opened and closed by an automatic opening and closing device having a drive source such as an electric motor.

  Such an automatic opening and closing device has a drive unit having a drive source for opening and closing a door and a portable terminal as command means carried by an operator, and serves as an opening and closing command unit provided in the portable terminal. When the opening / closing switch is operated by the operator, the drive unit is activated and the door is automatically opened / closed. Further, as the open / close switch, a one-touch type switch that operates the door to the fully open position or the fully closed position with a single operation by the operator is often used, thereby improving the open / close operability of the door.

On the other hand, the door protrudes outward with respect to the vehicle body as the opening degree thereof increases. Therefore, when the door is automatically opened and closed, for example, a pedestrian or a bicycle approaches the door relatively. It is necessary to take measures to prevent the door from contacting the obstacle. For example, in the automatic opening / closing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a non-contact distance sensor using a laser, radio waves, or the like is provided on the vehicle body, and the distance sensor detects the distance to an obstacle relatively approaching the door of the host vehicle. When it is judged that the obstacle reaches the door movement range until the door is fully opened, further opening of the door is prohibited to prevent contact between the door and the obstacle. Yes.
JP 2004-284410 A

  However, as shown in Patent Document 1, when an obstacle is detected by a non-contact type distance sensor and the automatic opening / closing operation of the door is prohibited based on the detection result, the door that is automatically opened is obstructed. While it is possible to prevent contact with objects, the distance sensor always detects obstacles in places where many obstacles come and go around the door, such as in crowds. There was a problem that it could not be opened automatically.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle that can automatically open and close an opening / closing body according to the will of an operator even when there are many obstacles.

  An automatic opening / closing apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention is an automatic opening / closing apparatus for a vehicle that automatically opens / closes an opening / closing body that is mounted on a vehicle body, and is operated by an operator. Command means having an opening / closing command section, obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle relatively approaching the opening / closing body, and controlling the operation of the drive source based on an opening / closing command signal from the opening / closing command section. And an automatic opening / closing operation of the opening / closing body, and a control means for prohibiting the automatic opening / closing operation of the opening / closing body when an obstacle relative to the opening / closing body is detected by the obstacle detection means, An invalid signal transmission unit operated by the command means is provided in the command means, and an open / close command signal from the open / close command unit is input under a state where the invalid signal from the invalid signal transmission unit is input to the control means. Sometimes Characterized in that for automatic opening and closing operation of the closing body irrespective of the detection signal from the obstacle detection unit.

  The automatic opening / closing apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention is provided with a mode setting unit for setting an opening / closing mode of the opening / closing body in the command means, and is set by the mode setting unit when an opening / closing command signal is input from the opening / closing command unit. The opening / closing body is automatically opened / closed in the opened / closed mode.

  The automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a first operation unit that automatically opens and closes the opening / closing body to a fully closed position or a fully opened position by one operation by the operator, and while being operated by the operator. A second operation unit that automatically opens and closes the opening / closing body is provided in the open / close command unit, and when an invalid signal from the invalid signal transmission unit is input to the control means, an input from the first operation unit is received. The opening / closing body is automatically opened / closed only by operation of the second operation section.

  The automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle according to the present invention is characterized in that the command means is a portable terminal carried by the operator.

  According to the present invention, since the detection of the obstacle detection means can be invalidated by operating the invalid signal transmission unit provided in the command means, this is the case where an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection means. However, the opening / closing body can be automatically opened and closed according to the will of the operator. Therefore, even when there are many obstacles around the opening / closing body, such as in a crowded area, the opening / closing body can be automatically opened and closed if the operator intends.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the first operation unit that automatically opens and closes the opening / closing body to the fully closed position or the fully opened position by one operation by the operator, and the opening / closing body is automatically opened / closed only while being operated. Since the second operation unit is provided in the opening / closing command unit of the command means, and the opening / closing body is automatically opened / closed only by the operation of the second operation unit when the invalid signal transmission unit is operated, the operation of the invalid signal transmission unit Thus, even if the detection signal of the obstacle detection means is invalidated, the automatic opening / closing operation of the opening / closing body is performed only by the manual operation of the operator, and the safety of the automatic opening / closing device for vehicles can be improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a door of a driver's seat of a vehicle provided with a vehicle automatic opening / closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the door shown in FIG. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a four-door type vehicle 11 is provided with a door 13 serving as an opening / closing body on the side of a vehicle body 12 through two hinges 14 so as to be opened and closed. In the case shown in the figure, the hinge 14 is arranged side by side with its hinge axis facing the vertical direction of the vehicle body 12, whereby the door 13 becomes a laterally open door that opens in the vehicle width direction with respect to the vehicle body 12. Yes. As shown in FIG. 2, the door 13 is provided with a latch mechanism 16 that meshes with a striker 15 fixed to the vehicle body 12 to hold the door 13 in a fully closed state. A door knob 17 is operated by an operator such as a driver. When operated, the latch mechanism 16 is switched to an unlatched state, and the door 13 can be manually opened and closed. Then, the door 13 is opened and closed to get on and off the vehicle 11 such as a driver.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 11 is provided with a vehicle automatic opening / closing device 21 (hereinafter referred to as an opening / closing device 21), and the door 13 can be automatically opened and closed by the opening / closing device 21. When the door 13 is automatically opened and closed by the opening / closing device 21, the latch mechanism 16 is automatically switched between the latched state and the unlatched state in accordance with the operation of the opening / closing device 21.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing details of the automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle shown in FIG. 2. The opening / closing device 21 has a drive unit 22 fixed inside the door 13, and the drive unit 22 serves as a drive source. An electric motor 23 and a power conversion mechanism 24 are provided. In the illustrated case, a DC motor with a brush that can freely rotate forward and backward is used as the electric motor 23, a rack and pinion mechanism is used as the power conversion mechanism 24, and the rotational motion of the electric motor 23 is the power conversion mechanism 24. Is converted into a substantially linear reciprocating motion and output from the drive rod 25. The front end of the drive rod 25 is displaced to the vehicle interior side with respect to the hinge axis of the hinge 14 and is swingably connected to the vehicle body 12, whereby the drive rod 25 uses the output of the drive unit 22 as the opening / closing driving force of the door 13. A link to convert to is configured. Therefore, when the electric motor 23 rotates forward or backward and the drive rod 25 operates substantially in the axial direction, the door 13 is driven to open and close by the electric motor 23 via the drive rod 25, and the fully closed position indicated by the solid line in FIG. And an automatic opening / closing operation between the fully open position indicated by a two-dot chain line.

  In this embodiment, a DC motor with a brush is used as a drive source. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and another electric motor such as a brushless motor, a pneumatic or hydraulic actuator, or the like may be used. As the power conversion mechanism 24, a ball screw mechanism, a sector gear mechanism, or the like may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a control device 26 as a control means is connected to the electric motor 23, and this control device 26 stores a microprocessor (CPU) (not shown) for calculating a control signal and a control program. It has a function as a so-called microcomputer provided with a memory such as a ROM and a RAM. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle body 12 is provided with a closed position limit sensor 27 that detects that the door 13 is in the fully closed position and an open position limit sensor 28 that detects that the door 13 is in the fully open position. The detection signals from these limit sensors 27 and 28 are input to the control device 26.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in order to command the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13, the opening / closing device 21 is provided with a portable terminal 31 as command means carried by an operator such as a driver. 31 is provided with an open / close switch 32 as an open / close command unit. When the open / close switch 32 is operated by an operator, an open / close command signal is output from the open / close switch 32.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a reception sensor 33 for receiving a signal from the portable terminal 31 is attached to the sash portion of the door 13, and this reception sensor 33 is connected to the control device 26. When an open / close command signal is output from the open / close switch 32, the open / close command signal is input to the control device 26 via the reception sensor 33. When the opening / closing command signal from the portable terminal 31 is input to the control device 26, the control device 26 controls the operation of the electric motor 23 based on the input opening / closing command signal, whereby the door 13 is controlled from the portable terminal 31. An automatic opening / closing operation is performed based on the opening / closing command signal.

  In the present embodiment, the open / close switch 32 is a one-touch type that outputs an open / close command signal for operating the door 13 to the fully open position or the fully closed position by a single operation by the operator. Can automatically open and close the door 13 to the fully open position or the fully closed position without pressing the open / close switch 32.

  In order to set the opening / closing mode of the door 13, the portable terminal 31 is provided with a mode setting switch 34 as a mode setting unit, and the operator can arbitrarily set the opening / closing mode of the door 13 by operating the mode setting switch 34. Can be set to Therefore, when the opening / closing switch 32 is operated in a state where an arbitrary opening / closing mode is set by the mode setting switch 34, the door 13 automatically opens and closes in the opening / closing mode set by the mode setting switch 34. Here, as an opening / closing mode set by the mode setting switch 34, for example, a normal mode in which the door 13 is automatically opened and closed between a fully closed position and a fully opened position as usual, or an opening degree of the door 13 is set within a predetermined range. When the vehicle 11 is provided with a door opening restriction mode to be restricted, or when a plurality of doors 13 are provided, an interlocking mode in which these doors 13 are automatically opened and closed sequentially in a predetermined pattern, or a half-door state is erroneously set. There is a half-door prevention mode for automatically closing the door 13, but other modes may be used.

  4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams showing detection ranges of obstacle sensors that detect obstacles, respectively, and the opening / closing device 21 is provided with obstacle sensors 35 to 37 as obstacle detection means. When the obstacle sensor 35 to 37 detects an obstacle that is relatively close to the door 13, the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 is prohibited.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the obstacle sensor 35 is provided near the door knob 17 outside the door 13, and as shown in FIG. 2, the obstacle sensor 36 is provided inside the door 13, as shown in FIG. In addition, the obstacle sensor 37 is provided on the outer surface of the vehicle located on the rear side of the door 13, and as shown in FIG. 4A, the obstacle sensor 35 relatively approaches the door 13 from the opening direction side. The presence / absence of an obstacle is detected, and as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the obstacle sensor 36 detects the presence / absence of an obstacle relatively approaching the door 13 from the closing direction side. As shown in b), the obstacle sensor 37 detects the presence or absence of an obstacle relatively approaching the door 13 from the rear side of the vehicle 11. That is, these obstacle sensors 35 to 37 detect the obstacle when the door 13 that automatically opens and closes relatively closes to the obstacle that is stopped, and the door 13 that is stopped is detected. If there is a relatively approaching obstacle, this is detected. As these obstacle sensors 35 to 37, clearance sonar using, for example, infrared rays or ultrasonic waves is used, and detection signals from these obstacle sensors 35 to 37 are input to the control device 26, respectively.

  In this opening / closing device 21, when an obstacle relatively close to the door 13 is detected by the obstacle sensors 35 to 37, the control device 26 automatically opens and closes the door 13 in order to prevent the door 13 from contacting the obstacle. Operation is prohibited. For example, when any one of the obstacle sensors 35 to 37 detects an obstacle while the door 13 is automatically opened by the opening / closing device 21, the control device 26 stops the automatic opening operation of the door 13. When the closed door 13 is automatically opened, if any obstacle approaching the door 13 is detected by any of the obstacle sensors 35 to 37, the automatic opening operation of the door 13 is not started. The door 13 is maintained in a stopped state.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile terminal 31 is provided with a cancel switch 41 as an invalid signal transmission unit. When the cancel switch 41 is operated by the operator, the obstacle sensors 35 to 37 detect the obstacle. Is disabled. That is, when the cancel switch 41 of the mobile terminal 31 is operated by the operator, an invalid signal is output from the cancel switch 41 and is input to the control device 26 via the reception sensor 33, and this invalid signal is input to the control device 26. When the open / close command signal from the open / close switch 32 is input under the input condition, the control device 26 outputs the open / close command signal from the open / close switch 32 regardless of the detection signals from the obstacle sensors 35 to 37. Accordingly, the door 13 is automatically opened and closed in a preset opening / closing mode. Thus, when the cancel switch 41 is operated, priority is given to the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 in the open / close mode set by the mode setting switch 34 rather than the detection signals from the obstacle sensors 35 to 37.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the vehicle automatic opening / closing device shown in FIG. 2, and the control procedure of the automatic opening / closing operation of the opening / closing device 21 will be described based on this flowchart.

  When the operator operates the opening / closing switch 32 of the portable terminal 31 to automatically open / close the door 13, first, in step S <b> 1, the operator operates the mode setting switch 34 of the portable terminal 31 to open / close the door 13. The mode is set. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the open / close mode is set to a normal mode in which the door 13 is automatically opened / closed normally between the fully closed position and the fully open position. After the open / close mode is set by operating the mode setting switch 34, when the open / close switch 32 of the portable terminal 31 is operated by the operator, an open / close command signal is input to the control device 26 in step S2, and then in step S3. Whether or not an invalid signal is input from the cancel switch 41 to the control device 26 is determined.

  If it is determined in step S3 that there is no invalid signal input, it is determined in step S4 whether an obstacle is detected by the obstacle sensors 35 to 37, and if there is no obstacle in step S4. In step S5, the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 is started in the opening / closing mode set in step S1. If an obstacle is detected in step S4, the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 is prohibited, the routine is returned to step S2, and the door 13 is kept stopped until the opening / closing command signal is input again. Is done.

  When the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 is started in step S5, it is determined in step S6 whether or not the obstacle sensor 35 to 37 detects an obstacle relatively approaching the door 13, and the obstacle is detected in step S6. In step S7, the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 is prohibited, that is, stopped. When the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 is stopped in step S7, the routine is returned to step S2, and the door 13 is kept stopped until the opening / closing command signal is input again. On the other hand, if no obstacle is detected in step S6, the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 is continued until it is determined in step S8 that the door 13 is fully opened or fully closed. In step S8, the door 13 is fully opened or fully opened. If it is determined that the door is closed, the operation of the door 13 is stopped in step S9, and the automatic opening / closing operation is terminated.

  As described above, in the opening / closing device 21, the door 13 can be automatically opened and closed by operating the opening / closing switch 32 provided in the portable terminal 31. At this time, the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 is performed in advance by mode setting. This is performed based on the open / close mode selected by operating the switch 34. Further, in this opening / closing device 21, when an obstacle relatively close to the door 13 is detected by the obstacle sensors 35 to 37, the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 is prohibited, and contact between the door 13 and the obstacle is prevented. The

  On the other hand, when the cancel switch 41 of the portable terminal 31 is operated by the operator, it is determined that there is an invalid signal input from the cancel switch 41 in step S3. If it is determined that an invalid signal has been input, the routine jumps to step S10, and the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 is started in the opening / closing mode set in step S1 based on the opening / closing command signal input in step S2. Is done. At this time, whether or not the obstacle sensors 35 to 37 detect the obstacle is not determined, and the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 is continued until it is determined in step S11 that the door 13 is fully opened or fully closed. In other words, in the opening / closing device 21, the detection of the obstacle by the obstacle sensors 35 to 37 can be canceled by operating the cancel switch 41 provided in the mobile terminal 31. When the cancel switch 41 is operated, Priority is given to the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 in the opening / closing mode set by the mode setting switch 34 over the detection signals of the obstacle sensors 35 to 37, and the door 13 is related to the detection signals from the obstacle sensors 35 to 37. First, based on the open / close command signal from the open / close switch 32, the automatic open / close operation is performed in a preset open / close mode.

  In this way, in the opening / closing device 21, since the detection of the obstacle sensors 35 to 37 can be invalidated by operating the cancel switch 41 provided in the portable terminal 31, the obstacle sensors 35 to 37 can Even if an object is detected, if the operator intends to automatically open and close the door 13, the door 13 can be automatically opened and closed according to the will. Therefore, for example, when the vehicle 11 stops in a crowded state and many obstacles come and go around the door 13, there are many obstacles around the door 13, thereby causing obstacle sensors 35 to 37. Even when the vehicle is always in the state of detecting an obstacle, the obstacle sensor 35 to 37 is canceled by operating the cancel switch 41, and the door 13 is automatically opened and closed according to the will of the operator. Can do.

  When it is determined in step S11 that the door 13 is fully opened or fully closed, the operation of the door 13 is stopped in step S9, and the automatic opening / closing operation is ended.

  It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the opening / closing body is a laterally opening type door 13 provided on the side portion of the vehicle 11, but is not limited thereto, and for example, a back door (tail) mounted on the rear end portion of the vehicle. Gate).

  In this embodiment, an open / close command signal is output when the open / close switch 32 is operated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the open / close command signal is output when a call signal is received from the vehicle 11 side. A command signal may be transmitted.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when an obstacle is detected, the door 13 is maintained in a stopped state until an opening / closing command signal is input again. The next control may be performed by determining the presence or absence of an invalid signal. By doing so, it is possible to restart the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 again when there is no relatively close obstacle. Become.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the power of the drive unit 22 disposed inside the door 13 is converted to the opening / closing drive force of the door 13 via the drive rod 25, but the present invention is not limited to this. Any other structure may be used as long as the door 13 is automatically opened and closed by the drive source.

  Furthermore, the opening / closing switch 32 provided in the portable terminal 31 includes a first operation unit that automatically opens and closes the door 13 to the fully closed position or the fully opened position by a single operation by the operator, and the door 13 only while being operated. And a second operation unit that automatically opens and closes the door 13, and when the cancel switch 41 is operated, the door 13 may be automatically opened and closed only by operating the second operation unit. As described above, when the door 13 is automatically opened and closed only by operating the second operation unit when the cancel switch 41 is operated, the detection signals of the obstacle sensors 35 to 37 are invalidated by operating the cancel switch 41. However, the automatic opening / closing operation of the door 13 is performed only by the manual operation of the operator, and the safety of the opening / closing device 21 can be improved.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the command means is the portable terminal 31 formed by the operator, but is not limited to this, and may be one fixed to or integrated with the door 13 or the vehicle body 12. Good.

It is a perspective view showing the circumference of the door of the driver's seat of vehicles provided with the automatic opening and closing device for vehicles which is one embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the door shown in FIG. 1 from the vehicle interior side. It is sectional drawing which shows the detail of the automatic opening / closing apparatus for vehicles shown in FIG. (A), (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the detection range of the obstacle sensor which each detects an obstacle. It is a flowchart figure which shows the control procedure of the automatic opening / closing apparatus for vehicles shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Vehicle 12 Car body 13 Door 14 Hinge 15 Striker 16 Latch mechanism 17 Door knob 21 Vehicle automatic opening / closing device 22 Drive unit 23 Electric motor 24 Power conversion mechanism 25 Drive rod 26 Control device 27 Closed position limit sensor 28 Open position limit sensor 31 Portable terminal 32 Open / close switch 33 Reception sensor 34 Mode setting switch 35-37 Obstacle sensor 41 Cancel switch

Claims (4)

An automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle that automatically opens and closes an opening and closing body that is detachably attached to a vehicle body,
A drive source for opening and closing the opening and closing body;
Command means provided with an open / close command section operated by an operator;
Obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle relatively approaching the opening and closing body;
Based on an open / close command signal from the open / close command unit, the operation of the drive source is controlled to automatically open and close the open / close body, and an obstacle relatively approaching the open / close body is detected by the obstacle detecting means. And control means for prohibiting automatic opening and closing operation of the opening and closing body,
An ineffective signal transmission unit operated by an operator is provided in the command means, and an open / close command signal from the open / close command unit is input in a state where an invalid signal from the invalid signal transmission unit is input to the control means. When this is done, the automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle is configured to automatically open and close the opening and closing body regardless of a detection signal from the obstacle detecting means.   The automatic opening / closing apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a mode setting unit for setting an opening / closing mode of the opening / closing body is provided in the command means, and when the opening / closing command signal is input from the opening / closing command unit, the mode setting unit An automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle, wherein the opening / closing body is automatically opened and closed in an opening / closing mode set by   3. The automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a first operation unit that automatically opens and closes the opening / closing body to a fully-closed position or a fully-open position by a single operation by the operator, and an operation by the operator. A second operating unit that automatically opens and closes the open / close body while the switch is in operation. When the invalid signal from the invalid signal transmitting unit is input to the control means, the first operating unit An automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle that prohibits input from the vehicle and causes the opening / closing body to automatically open / close only by an operation of the second operation portion.   The automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the command means is a portable terminal carried by the operator.

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