Vehicle Door Opening/Closing Control Apparatus

• US 20070266635A1
• Filed: 05/11/2007
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Masayoshi, Sugiura, Takehiko
• Application Number:
  US11/747,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20070266635A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 49/27
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/42 Detection using safety edges
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/43 responsive to disruption of energy beams, e.g. light or sound
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/44 responsive to changes in electrical conductivity
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/632 for horizontally-sliding wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/70 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/30 of motors
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/3015 Power assistance
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/36 Speed control, detection or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/45 Control modes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/53 Wing impact prevention or reduction
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/54 Obstruction or resistance detection
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/454 in or on the motor
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/22 of not identical elements of the same category, e.g. combinations of not identical springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/67 Materials; Strength alteration thereof
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

A vehicle door opening/closing control apparatus includes an actuator for executing a door opening action and a door closing action by applying a driving force to a vehicle door, non-contact type object detecting means for detecting an object at an apertural area, contact type object detecting means for detecting a contact of the object to the vehicle door and control means for: controlling the actuator to execute the door closing action for the vehicle door with changing a speed of the door closing action for the vehicle, on the basis of a detection result from the non-contact type object detecting means, during the door closing action; and controlling the actuator to stop the door closing action after a stop operation or a reverse operation for the actuator is executed, on the basis of a detection result from the contact type object detecting means, during the door closing action.

Claims

1. A vehicle door opening/closing control apparatus comprising:

an actuator for executing a door opening action and a door closing action for a vehicle door in order to open and close an apertural area formed at a vehicle body by applying a driving force to the vehicle door;

non-contact type object detecting means for detecting an existence of an object at the apertural area of the vehicle body while the door closing action is executed for the vehicle door;

contact type object detecting means for detecting a contact of the object to the vehicle door, the contact interrupting the door closing action; and

control means for controlling the actuator to execute the door opening action and the door closing action for the vehicle door at a predetermined speed, for controlling the actuator to execute the door closing action for the vehicle door with changing a speed of the door closing action for the vehicle on the basis of a detection result from the non-contact type object detecting means during the actuator is controlled to execute the door closing action for the vehicle door, and for controlling the actuator to stop the door closing action after one of a stop operation and a reverse operation for the actuator is executed on the basis of a detection result from the contact type object detecting means during the actuator is controlled to execute the door closing action for the vehicle door.

2. The vehicle door opening/closing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control means controls the actuator in a manner where the speed of the door closing action for the vehicle door is slower than the predetermined speed when the control means determines that the object exists at the apertural area on the basis of the detection result from the non-contact type object detecting means

3. The vehicle door opening/closing control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the control means control the actuator in a manner where the speed of the door closing action for the vehicle door is equal to the predetermined speed when the control means determines that the existence of the object at the apertural area is eliminated on the basis of the detection result from the non-contact type object detecting means.

4. The vehicle door opening/closing control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the control means controls the actuator in a manner where the speed of the door closing action for the vehicle door is slower than the predetermined speed until the contact of the object to the vehicle door is detected on the basis of the detection result from the contact type object detecting means.

5. The vehicle door opening/closing control apparatus according to claim 1 further including

a position detecting means for detecting a position of the vehicle door, wherein, while the control means controls the actuator to execute the reverse operation for the vehicle door for a predetermined time period on the basis of the detection result from the contact type object detecting means, wherein

the control means controls the actuator to stop the reverse operation for the vehicle door after the predetermined time period passes regardless of whether or not the position of the vehicle door detected on the basis of a signal from the position detecting means reaches a fully opened position.

6. The vehicle door opening/closing control apparatus according to claim 1 further including

moving direction determining means for detecting a moving direction of the vehicle door instructed by a passenger, wherein

the control means controls the actuator so as to execute one of the door opening action and the door closing action for the vehicle door on the basis of the determination result from the moving direction determining mean after the door closing action for the vehicle door is stopped on the basis of the detection result from the contact type object detecting means.

7. The vehicle door opening/closing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the contact type object detecting means includes a cable-shaped sensor attached to an end portion of the vehicle door.

8. The vehicle door opening/closing control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the cable-shaped sensor is a piezoelectric sensor and functions as a non-contact type object detecting means.