Opening/closing body drive device, vehicle door, and vehicle

• US 10,487,559 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2016
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsuba Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsuba Corporation
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Mayu, Kondo, Tsuyoshi, Kashiwagi, Hideaki, Yoshizawa, Masakane, Umehara, Sadaji, Saito, Yasuhiro, Takehara, Hideaki, Ikeda, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Rephann, Justin B
• Application Number:
  US15/775,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20190003232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 1/00 Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor B60J10/00 takes precedence; air curtains instead of windows B60J9/04 ; sealing strips for windshields B60J10/70; sealing sash guides for sliding window panes B60J10/74; glass partitions inside vehicles to protect occupants against personal attack B60R21/12
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/43 responsive to disruption of energy beams, e.g. light or sound
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/431 specially adapted for vehicle windows or roofs
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/689 specially adapted for vehicle windows
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/436 the beam being parallel to the wing edge
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/767 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/55 Windows

Abstract

An opening/closing body drive device includes a drive mechanism that moves an opening/closing body between an opening position and a closing position relative to a frame portion having an opening, a control unit for controlling the drive mechanism, a light source unit including a light emitting element emitting a non-visible light and radiating the non-visible light to a detection line formed of a retroreflective material along at least a part of the frame portion, and a camera including an incident lens into which the non-visible light radiated from the light source unit and reflected by the detection line enters. The incident lens is formed non-circular by cutting off an end of the incident lens when viewed in an optical axis direction thereof, and at least a part of the light source unit is arranged in a region where the end is cut off.

Claims

1. An opening/closing body drive device, comprising:

a drive mechanism that moves an opening/closing body between an opening position and a closing position relative to a frame portion having an opening;

a control unit for controlling the drive mechanism;

a light source unit comprising a light emitting element emitting a non-visible light and radiating the non-visible light to a detection line formed of a retroreflective material along at least a part of the frame portion; and

a camera comprising an incident lens into which the non-visible light radiated from the light source unit and reflected by the detection line enters,

wherein the control unit comprises a detection means for detecting a blocked state in which at least a part of the detection line imaged by the camera is blocked by a foreign object, and a pinching prevention means that forces the drive mechanism to perform a pinch prevention operation for preventing pinching by the opening/closing body when the blocked state is detected by the detection means while the opening/closing body is moved by the drive mechanism,

wherein the incident lens is formed non-circular by cutting off an end of the incident lens when viewed in an optical axis direction thereof, and

wherein at least a part of the light source unit is arranged in a region where the end is cut off.

2. The opening/closing body drive device according to claim 1, wherein at least one end of the incident lens is cut off in a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the detection line viewed from the camera.

3. The opening/closing body drive device according to claim 2, wherein the light source unit comprises a light diffusing member to diffuse light emitted from the light emitting element in a direction along the detection line, and

wherein the light diffusing member is arranged in the region where the end is cut off.

4. A vehicle door comprising the opening/closing body drive device according to claim 2,

wherein the opening/closing body is a window glass installed in a door of a vehicle,

wherein the frame portion is a window frame contacting an outer edge of the window glass in a fully closed state, and

wherein the drive mechanism is arranged in the door of the vehicle and moves the window glass in a vertical direction.

5. The opening/closing body drive device according to claim 1, wherein the light source unit comprises a light diffusing member to diffuse light emitted from the light emitting element in a direction along the detection line, and

wherein the light diffusing member is arranged in the region where the end is cut off.

6. The opening/closing body drive device according to claim 5, wherein the camera is fixed to a substrate on which the light emitting element is mounted, and

wherein the light source unit comprises a light guide member to guide light emitted from the light source unit to the light diffusing member.

7. A vehicle door comprising the opening/closing body drive device according to claim 6,

wherein the opening/closing body is a window glass installed in a door of a vehicle,

wherein the frame portion is a window frame contacting an outer edge of the window glass in a fully closed state, and

wherein the drive mechanism is arranged in the door of the vehicle and moves the window glass in a vertical direction.

8. A vehicle door comprising the opening/closing body drive device according to claim 5,

wherein the opening/closing body is a window glass installed in a door of a vehicle,

wherein the frame portion is a window frame contacting an outer edge of the window glass in a fully closed state, and

wherein the drive mechanism is arranged in the door of the vehicle and moves the window glass in a vertical direction.

9. A vehicle door comprising the opening/closing body drive device according to claim 1,

wherein the opening/closing body is a window glass installed in a door of a vehicle,

wherein the frame portion is a window frame contacting an outer edge of the window glass in a fully closed state, and

wherein the drive mechanism is arranged in the door of the vehicle and moves the window glass in a vertical direction.

10. A vehicle comprising the vehicle door according to claim 9.