Vehicle door opening/closing apparatus and electrostatic sensor
AssigneeAisin Corporation
InventorTakehiko Sugiura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle door opening/closing apparatus includes: an electrode provided near a vehicle door, which is opened and closed by driving of an actuator; a detection unit configured to separately detect presence or absence of an opening/closing operation of requesting opening/closing of the vehicle door by a user and presence or absence of a proximity state where a person exists in proximity of the vehicle door based on variation in an electrostatic capacity in the electrode; and a controller configured to drive the actuator when the opening/closing operation is detected by the detection unit even when an opening/closing request of the vehicle door from a device other than the detection unit is recognized and not to drive the actuator when the detection unit detects the proximity state.
Claims15
A vehicle door opening/closing apparatus comprising:
- a sensor including a plurality of electrodes provided near a vehicle door, which is opened and closed by driving of an actuator, the sensor configured to:
- detect, based upon a detection pattern of capacitance of the plurality of electrodes, whether an object is within a movement path of the vehicle door, the detection pattern including a capacitance peak having a predetermined maximum value and predetermined rates of increase and decrease to and from the peak,
- determine that opening/closing of the vehicle door is permitted in a case that the object is not detected within the movement path of the vehicle door,
- determine that opening/closing of the vehicle door is prohibited in a case that the object is detected within the movement path of the vehicle door, and
- detect, based upon the detection pattern of capacitance of the plurality of electrodes, an opening/closing operation of requesting opening/closing of the vehicle door by a user, the opening/closing operation being detected when a variation in electrostatic capacity of the plurality of electrodes reaches a peak match for all of the plurality of electrodes and a decrease rate of the variation in the electrostatic capacity of the plurality of electrodes matches for all of the plurality of electrodes;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- drive the actuator when the sensor determines that the opening/closing operation of requesting opening/closing of the vehicle door by the user has been detected,
- drive the actuator when a request for opening/closing of the vehicle door is received from a device other than the sensor and the sensor determines that opening/closing of the vehicle door is permitted, and
- not drive the actuator when the request for opening/closing of the vehicle door is received from the device other than the sensor and the sensor determines that opening/closing of the vehicle door is prohibited.
A system comprising:
- a sensor including a plurality of electrodes provided near a vehicle door, which is opened and closed by driving of an actuator, the sensor configured to:
- detect, based upon a detection pattern of capacitance of the plurality of electrodes, whether an object is within a movement path of the vehicle door, the detection pattern including a capacitance peak having a predetermined maximum value and predetermined rates of increase and decrease to and from the peak,
- determine that opening/closing of the vehicle door is permitted in a case that the object is not detected within the movement path of the vehicle door,
- determine that opening/closing of the vehicle door is prohibited in a cast that the object is detected within the movement path of the vehicle door, and
- detect, based upon the detection pattern of capacitance of the plurality of electrodes, an opening/closing operation of requesting opening/closing of the vehicle door by a user, the opening/closing operation being detected when a variation in electrostatic capacity of the plurality of electrodes reaches a peak match for all of the plurality of electrodes and a decrease rate of the variation in the electrostatic capacity of the plurality of electrodes matches for all of the plurality of electrodes;
- a first door opening/closing switch provided in a driver's seat;
- a second door opening/closing switch provided on an electronic key;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- drive the actuator when the sensor determines that the opening/closing operation of requesting opening/closing of the vehicle door by the user has been detected,
- drive the actuator when a request for opening/closing of the vehicle door is received from one of the first and second door opening/closing switches and the sensor determines that opening/closing of the vehicle door is permitted, and
- not drive the actuator when the request for opening/closing of the vehicle door is received from one of the first and second door opening/closing switches and the sensor determines that opening/closing of the vehicle door is prohibited.
A door opening/closing apparatus comprising:
- a sensor including a plurality of electrodes provided near a door, which is opened and closed by driving of an actuator, the sensor configured to:
- detect, based upon a detection pattern of capacitance of the plurality of electrodes, whether an object is within a movement path of the door, the detection pattern including a capacitance peak having a predetermined maximum value and predetermined rates of increase and decrease to and from the peak,
- determine that opening/closing of the door is permitted in a case that the object is not detected within the movement path of the door,
- determine that opening/closing of the door is prohibited in a case that the object is detected within the movement path of the door, and
- detect, based upon the detection pattern of capacitance of the plurality of electrodes, an opening/closing operation of requesting opening/closing of the door by a user, the opening/closing operation being detected when a variation in electrostatic capacity of the plurality of electrodes reaches a peak match for all of the plurality of electrodes and a decrease rate of the variation in the electrostatic capacity of the plurality of electrodes matches for all of the plurality of electrodes;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- drive the actuator when the sensor determines that the opening/closing operation of requesting opening/closing of the door by the user has been detected,
- drive the actuator when a request for opening/closing of the door is received from a device other than the sensor and the sensor determines that opening/closing of the door is permitted, and
- not drive the actuator when the request for opening/closing of the door is received from the device other than the sensor and the sensor determines that opening/closing of the door is prohibited.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.