Automated assist handle for automotive vehicle
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsJevon Xiao, Daniel Boccuccia
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Techniques and examples pertaining to an assist handle implementable to an automotive vehicle are described. The assist handle is automatically deployed to provide ingress or egress assist to a passenger to enter or exit the automotive vehicle. Furthermore, the assist handle is automatically retracted when not in use. The deployment and the retraction of the assist handle is controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle, through an actuator and a transmission mechanism, in response to a command sent from a body control module (BCM) of the vehicle, the command regarding an operation of a door of the vehicle. When retracted, the assist handle may be invisible to the passenger. The automotive vehicle may be an autonomous ride-sharing vehicle.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- receiving, by a first processor from a second processor, a command to operate at least one door of a vehicle;
- identifying one or more assist handles in a vicinity of the at least one door;
- determining whether the at least one door is in an open configuration or a closed configuration;
- determining whether the one or more assist handles are in a deployed position or a retracted position;
- and
- (i) in response to determining that the at least one door is in a closed configuration and the one or more assist handles are not in a deployed position, actuating, by the first processor in response to the command, the one or more assist handles to move from the retracted position to the deployed position;
- or
- (ii) in response to determining that the at least one door is in an open configuration and the one or more assist handles are in a deployed position, actuating, by the first processor in response to the command, the assist handle to move from the deployed position to the retracted position,
- wherein the first processor comprises an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle, wherein the second processor comprises a body control module (BCM) of the vehicle, and wherein the ECU is configured to actuate, in response to the command received from the BCM, an actuator and a transmission mechanism coupled between the actuator and the one or more assist handles to move the one or more assist handles.
An automated grab handle implementable in a vehicle, comprising:
- a handle;
- an actuator;
- a transmission mechanism coupled between the handle and the actuator;
- and
- an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to:
- receive an input to operate at least one door of the vehicle,
- identify whether the handle is in a vicinity of the at least one door,
- determine whether the at least one door is in an open configuration or a closed configuration,
- determine whether the handle is in a deployed position or a retracted position, and
- (i) in response to determining that the at least one door is in a closed configuration and the handle is in a retracted position, control the actuator to move the handle from the retracted position to the deployed position via the transmission mechanism;
- or
- (ii) in response to determining that the at least one door is in an open configuration and the handle is in a deployed position, control the actuator to move the handle from the deployed position to the retracted position via the transmission mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.