Door system for a motor vehicle and method for operating a door system

• US 20080030045A1
• Filed: 08/07/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen of America Inc (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen of America Inc (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Finn, Brian, Alessandrini, Philippe, Lai, Jackie
• Application Number:
  US11/500,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20080030045A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/146.1
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 17/00 Devices for holding wings open; Devices for limiting opening of wings or for holding wings open by a movable member extending between frame and wing; Braking devices, stops or buffers, combined therewith combined with hinges E05D11/00; combined with operating apparatus for wings E05F; other braking devices, stops, buffers E05F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 17/006 with means for detecting obstacles outside the doors

Abstract

A door system for a motor vehicle is provided. The door system includes a door for closing the interior space of a motor vehicle, a sensor for determining an opening angle of the door, a man-machine interface for inputting a desired maximum opening angle of the door, a brake device for arresting the door, and a door control for arresting the door through the use of the brake device if the opening angle of the door reaches the set maximum opening angle of the door or if an opening speed of the door falls below a limit value. A method for operating a door system is also provided.

Claims

1. A door system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a door configured to close a motor vehicle interior;

a sensor configured to determine an opening angle of said door;

a man-machine interface configured to accept an input for setting a desired maximum opening angle for said door;

a brake device configured to arrest said door; and

a door control operatively connected to said sensor and to said man-machine interface, said door control being configured to arrest said door with said brake device if one of the opening angle of said door reaches the maximum opening angle set for said door and an opening speed of said door falls below a given limit value.

2. The door system according to claim 1, wherein said man-machine interface is configured to accept an input for selectively activating and deactivating a function for arresting said door with said brake device if the opening speed of said door falls below the given limit value.

3. The door system according to claim 1, wherein said door control arrests said door if the opening speed of said door falls below a given limit value for a given tolerance period.

4. The door system according to claim 1, wherein:

said door has a side facing away from the motor vehicle interior; and

an operating element for releasing an arresting of said door is disposed on said side of said door facing away from the motor vehicle interior.

5. The door system according to claim 1, wherein:

said door has a side facing the motor vehicle interior; and

an operating element for releasing an arresting of said door is disposed on said side of said door facing the motor vehicle interior.

6. The door system according to claim 1, including an environment sensor operatively connected to said door control, said environment sensor being configured to detect an obstacle in a vicinity of the motor vehicle.

7. The door system according to claim 6, wherein:

said environment sensor provides an output signal to said door control; and

said door control is configured to detect an imminent collision between said door and the obstacle in dependence on the output signal from said environment sensor.

8. A door system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a door configured to close a motor vehicle interior;

a sensor configured to determine an opening angle of said door;

a brake device configured to arrest said door;

a door control operatively connected to said sensor, said door control being configured to arrest said door with said brake device if an opening speed of said door falls below a given limit value; and

an operating element configured to release an arresting of said door.

9. The door system according to claim 8, wherein:

said door has a side facing the motor vehicle interior; and

said operating element is disposed on said side of said door facing the motor vehicle interior.

10. The door system according to claim 8, wherein:

said door has a side facing away from the motor vehicle interior; and

said operating element is disposed on said side of said door facing away from the motor vehicle interior.

11. A door system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a door configured to close a motor vehicle interior;

a sensor configured to determine an opening angle of said door;

a man-machine interface configured to accept an input for setting a desired maximum opening angle for said door;

a brake device configured to arrest said door;

a door control operatively connected to said sensor and to said man-machine interface, said door control being configured to arrest said door with said brake device if an opening angle of said door reaches the maximum opening angle set for said door; and

an operating element configured to release an arresting of said door.

12. The door system according to claim 11, wherein:

said door has a side facing the motor vehicle interior; and

said operating element is disposed on said side of said door facing the motor vehicle interior.

13. The door system according to claim 11, wherein:

said door has a side facing away from the motor vehicle interior; and

said operating element is disposed on said side of said door facing away from the motor vehicle interior.

14. A method for operating a door system, the method which comprises:

providing a door for closing an interior space of a motor vehicle;

inputting a desired maximum opening angle for the door;

determining an opening angle of the door; and

arresting the door if one of the opening angle of the door reaches the maximum opening angle set for the door and an opening speed of the door falls below a given limit value.

15. The method according to claim 14, which comprises arresting the door if the opening speed of the door falls below a given limit value for a given tolerance period.

16. The method according to claim 14, which comprises releasing an arresting of the door by actuating an operating element.