Door measurement system and method

• US 20080106397A1
• Filed: 10/05/2007
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tom Van Esch
• Original Assignee: Tom Van Esch
• Inventors: Van Esch, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 7,747,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/501
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/008 by doing functionality tests

Abstract

A measurement system and method to determine the operating characteristics of a door closure sensor technology and others. The objective of the device is to obtain in a simple manipulation, accurate, high speed data. Among the identified metrics are elements such as speed, three dimensional position, hinge orientation, cabin pressure, sound quality, inertia, work, input energy and others. Another part elaborates the methodology for data acquisition and analysis to obtain reliable results reducing user dependency.

Claims

1. A measurement system adapted to determine key metrics of a closure during a closing event, comprising:

a data acquisition device controlling data sampling and analog to digital conversion of data generated by a plurality of sensors included in said system sensing a plurality of parameters and generating corresponding data;

a control enabling interaction between a user and said data acquisition device;

data processing analyzing said data generated by said sensors;

a memory device storing data generated by said sensors before and after processing by said data processing;

at least a part of said system able to be temporarily attached to said closure;

said plurality of sensors including at least one displacement sensor sensing displacement of said closure along at least one axis and generating corresponding data, a load cell sensing the force applied by the user to the closure and generating corresponding data; and

an accelerometer sensing accelerations of said closure and generating corresponding data.

2. A measurement system according to claim 1 wherein said the displacement sensor comprises a high speed linear cameras;

said camera having a light sensitive surface extending along said axis line light mounted to said line light projecting a line of light perpendicular to a said light sensing surface of said camera;

movement of said line of light along said light sensitive surface produced by movement of said closure.

3. A measuring system as set forth in claim 2 wherein three line cameras and linear lights are included to determine displacement of said closure along three axes.

4. A measurement system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plurality of sensors further includes a thermometer sensing the temperature of the environment in which said closure is disposed and generating corresponding data.

5. A measurement system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plurality of sensors further includes an air pressure gage sensing air pressure variations in a confined space closed off by said closure and generating corresponding data.

6. A measurement system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plurality of sensors further includes one or more microphones sensing the quality of the sound produced by said closure during a closing event and generating corresponding data.

7. A measurement system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plurality of sensors further includes a tilt sensor sensing the angle of a part of the system with respect to the vertical.

8. A measurement system as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one part of said system is able to be removably mounted to said closure by a vacuum cup of a vacuum system, three supporting points forming a rigid engagement out between said closure and said part.

9. A measurement system as set forth in claim 8 wherein a vacuum is applied to said vacuum cup by said vacuum system which is electronically controlled by said control to ensure development of a vacuum in said vacuum providing a sufficient force to support said part of said system.

10. A measurement system according to claim 1 wherein at least two accelerometers are included and said closure is pivoted and the distance from a point of rotation of said pivoted closure to each of said accelerometer is determined by said data processing from the difference between acceleration readings of said two accelerometers placed at different distances from said point of rotation.

11. A measurement system according to claim 10 in which the inertia of said pivoted closure is determined by said data processing from data from said accelerometers, said load cell and said determined distances of said accelerometers from said point of rotation of said pivoted closure.

12. A measurement system according to claim 10 in which a displacement sensor senses the speed of said closure during closing and data generated thereby is compared to a speed determination from data generated by said accelerometers by said data processing to calibrate said accelerometers said displacement sensor having a greater accuracy in sensing speed than said accelerometers. The trajectory in space of said pivoted closure being determined from said acceleration readings of said two accelerometers by said data processing.

13. A measurement system according to claim 12 wherein the orientation of closure hinges pivotally mounting said closure is determined by said data processing from data from said accelerometers and said determined trajectory of said pivoted closure.

14. A measurement system according to claim 12 in which the total input energy applied by the user of said closure in closing or opening said closure is determined by said data processing by the sensed trajectory and data from said load cell.

15. A measurement system according to claim 12 wherein from said determination of said closure trajectory, the maximum distance the closure travels past a closed position before returning to its final closed position is determined as well as the displacement of said pivoted closure perpendicular to the direction of the main pivoting motion of said closure.

16. A measurement system according to claim 1 which the closing force and work done in closing said closure is determined by said data processing based on data generated by a position sensor in combination with data from said load cell.

17. A measurement system according to claim 1 wherein the functional relationship between two or more sensed parameters are determined by said data processing from a limited number of data samples generated by said plurality of sensors.

18. A measurement system according to claim 1 wherein said data processing determines an energy balance comprising the relative share of the total energy expended in closing said closure absorbed by individual components of a closure assembly including said closure, in a closing event, whereby distinguishing dynamic effects from static effects can be achieved.

19. A method of measuring relative displacement between first and second bodies along an axis comprising a high speed linear camera mounted to one body with a light sensitive surface of said camera extending along said axis, mounting a line light to the other body so as project a line of light extending across said camera light sensitive surface so that relative movement of said bodies along said axis causes movement of said light line along said camera sensitive surface to thereby measure relative displacement of said bodies along said axis by the corresponding extent of movement of said light line along said light sensitive surface.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19 wherein three linear cameras are included, each having a light sensitive surface extending along a respective one of three orthogonal axes and three line lights mounted to said other body each projecting a line of light extending across a respective camera light sensitive surface to determine relative displacement of said bodies along said three orthogonal axes.

21. A method of measuring closing characteristics of a pivoted door of an automotive vehicle comprising measuring motion of said closure along a trajectory in at least two dimensions and analyzing said motion to determine said door closing characteristic.