Vehicle window glass lifting device and vehicle

• US 10,519,706 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2015
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsuba Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsuba Corporation
• Inventors: Ikeda, Hiroyuki, Takehara, Hideaki, Saito, Yasuhiro, Umehara, Sadaji, Kondo, Tsuyoshi, Yoshizawa, Masakane, Kashiwagi, Hideaki, Kobayashi, Mayu
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelly, Catherine A
• Application Number:
  US15/736,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20180142510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 2015/435 by interruption of the beam
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/767 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/55 Windows

Abstract

A vehicle window glass lifting device includes a drive mechanism arranged on a vehicle door to vertically move a window glass, a control unit for controlling the drive mechanism, and a camera for capturing an image of a detection line provided on a vehicle interior side of the window glass, the detection line being along at least a part of an outer edge of the window glass in a state that the door and the window glass are closed. The control unit includes a detection means to detect a blocked state in which at least a part of the detection line is blocked by a foreign object, and a pinching prevention means that causes the drive mechanism to conduct a pinch prevention operation for preventing pinching by the window glass when the blocked state is detected by the detection means while the window glass is moved by the drive mechanism.

Claims

1. A vehicle window glass lifting device, comprising:

a drive mechanism arranged on a vehicle door to vertically move a window glass;

a controller comprising hardware configured to control the drive mechanism; and

at least one camera for capturing an image of at least one detection line provided on a vehicle interior side of the window glass, the at least one detection line being along at least a part of an outer edge of the window glass in a state that the door and the window glass are closed, wherein the at least one detection line comprises at least a first detection line and a second detection line provided closer to the window glass in a vehicle width direction than the first detection line,

wherein the controller is configured to detect a blocked state in which at least a part of the at least one detection line captured as the image by the at least one camera is blocked by a foreign object, and the controller is configured to cause the drive mechanism to conduct a pinch prevention operation for preventing pinching by the window glass when the blocked state is detected while the window glass is moved by the drive mechanism,

wherein the controller is further configured to detect at least a first blocked state in which at least a part of the first detection line is blocked by the foreign object and a second blocked state in which at least a part of the second detection line is blocked by the foreign object, and

wherein the controller is further configured to, while the window glass is moved, cause the drive mechanism to conduct a control to reduce an operational speed of the window glass if the first blocked state is detected, and cause the drive mechanism to conduct the pinch prevention operation if the second blocked state is detected.

2. The vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the drive mechanism to reduce the operational speed of the window glass by outputting an instruction to halt a movement of the window glass or lower the window glass to the drive mechanism if the first blocked state is detected while the window glass is lifted, and by outputting an instruction to halt the movement of the window glass to the drive mechanism if the first blocked state is detected while the window glass is lowered, to keep the instruction and halt the movement of the window glass or lower the window glass if the first blocked state is kept and the second blocked state is detected in a predetermined time after the first blocked state is detected, and to move the window glass slower than an operational speed in normal times, normal times being in which the first blocked state and the second blocked state are not detected, or normal times being if the first blocked state is kept without detecting the second blocked state for a predetermined time after the first blocked state is detected.

3. The vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the drive mechanism to move the window glass slower than an operational speed in normal times, normal times being in which the first blocked state and the second blocked state are not detected, or normal times being if the first blocked state is detected and the second blocked state is not detected after the movement of the window glass is instructed and before the window glass begins to be moved.

4. The vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cancel an instruction if the second blocked state is detected after the movement of the window glass is instructed and before the window glass begins to be moved.

5. The vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one camera comprises at least a first camera for capturing the first detection line and a second camera for capturing the second detection line, and

wherein the controller is further configured to detect at least the first blocked state based on an image captured by the first camera and the second blocked state based on an image captured by the second camera.

6. A vehicle, comprising the vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 1.

7. The vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to control the drive mechanism to move the window glass slower than the operational speed in the normal times, the normal times being in which the first blocked state and the second blocked state are not detected, or the normal times being if the first blocked state is detected and the second blocked state is not detected after the movement of the window glass is instructed and before the window glass begins to be moved.

8. The vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to cancel an instruction if the second blocked state is detected after the movement of the window glass is instructed and before the window glass begins to be moved.

9. The vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to cancel an instruction if the second blocked state is detected after the movement of the window glass is instructed and before the window glass begins to be moved.

10. The vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one camera comprises at least a first camera for capturing the first detection line and a second camera for capturing the second detection line, and

wherein the controller is further configured to detect at least the first blocked state based on an image captured by the first camera and the second blocked state based on an image captured by the second camera.

11. The vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 3, wherein the at least one camera comprises at least a first camera for capturing the first detection line and a second camera for capturing the second detection line, and

wherein the controller is further configured to detect at least the first blocked state based on an image captured by the first camera and the second blocked state based on an image captured by the second camera.

12. The vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one camera comprises at least a first camera for capturing the first detection line and a second camera for capturing the second detection line, and

wherein the controller is further configured to detect at least the first blocked state based on an image captured by the first camera and the second blocked state based on an image captured by the second camera.

13. A vehicle, comprising the vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 2.

14. A vehicle, comprising the vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 3.

15. A vehicle, comprising the vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 4.

16. A vehicle, comprising the vehicle window glass lifting device according to claim 5.