PINCH DETECTION DEVICE AT OPENING/CLOSING SECTION, VEHICLE HAVING THE DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR DETECTING PINCH AT THE OPENING/CLOSING SECTION

• US 20130106435A1
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company), RIB Laboratory, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company), RIB Laboratory, Inc.
• Inventors: Eguchi, Tsuyoshi, Yamazaki, Takanori, Karube, Toshikazu, Mori, Setsuro
• Granted Patent: US 9,121,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/612
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/40 Safety devices, e.g. detection of obstructions or end positions
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/41 Detection by monitoring transmitted force or torque E05F15/48 takes precedence; Safety couplings with activation dependent upon torque or force, e.g. slip couplings
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/334 by using pulse generators
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/336 of the angular type
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/34 Pulse count limit setting
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/36 Speed control, detection or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/54 Obstruction or resistance detection
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/56 by using speed sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/564 sensing motor speed
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/50 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/53 Type of wing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/55 Windows
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B7/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 7/04 where the frequency control is accomplished by varying the electrical characteristics of a non-mechanically adjustable element or where the nature of the frequency controlling element is not significant
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 7/08 using varactors, i.e. voltage variable reactive diodes H03J7/06 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention provides a pinch detection device at an opening/closing section having a very simple structure that can surely detect pinch without a faulty operation also in a vehicle whose power supply voltage greatly fluctuates, a vehicle having this device, and a method for detecting pinch at an opening/closing section.

This invention is a pinch detection device at an opening/closing section includes a sensor for detecting displacement of a opening/closing section of a vehicle to be opened/closed by a motor, a time counter for counting a relative time adjusted according to a fluctuation in a power supply voltage, and a pinch detector for detecting pinch of a foreign matter at the opening/closing section according to a change in a relative speed obtained based on a change in the displacement on a basis of the relative time.

Claims

1. A pinch detection device at an opening/closing section, comprising:

a sensor for detecting displacement of the opening/closing section of a vehicle, the opening/closing section being opened/closed by a motor;

a time counter for counting a relative time adjusted according to a fluctuation in a power supply voltage; and

a pinch detector for detecting pinch of a foreign matter at the opening/closing section based on a change in the relative speed obtained from the change in the displacement on a basis of the relative time.

2. The pinch detection device at the opening/closing section according to claim 1, wherein the time counter is a voltage controlled oscillator for transmitting a reference pulse with a frequency reduced according to a reduction in the power supply voltage, and the pinch detector detects pinch when an inverse number of a counted value of the reference pulse counted while a sensor is detecting a minute displacement of the opening/closing section as the relative speed of the opening/closing section changes into a threshold or more.

3. The pinch detection device at the opening/closing section according to claim 1, wherein the pinch detector has a conditioning circuit for measuring a level of an electric current flowing in the motor so as to finely adjust the relative time according to a level of the electric current.

4. The pinch detection device at the opening/closing section according to claim 1, wherein the sensor that is a pulse generator for generating one-phase pulse based on the rotation of the motor has a closed position detecting switch to detect a closed state and its vicinity of the opening/closing section, and the pinch detector detects pinch when the current position of the opening/closing section is not near a reference position.

5. The pinch detection device at the opening/closing section according to claim 4, wherein the pulse generator is a signal processing circuit for extracting a ripple generated in a voltage or an electric current fed to the motor so as to generate a pulse equivalent to a pulse encoder according to the rotation angle of the motor.

6. The pinch detection device at the opening/closing section according to claim 1, wherein the pinch detector is a unit including a power source connecting section which measures a voltage of a circuit power supply and a motor connecting section, and the unit is interposed between an opening/closing operation switch of the opening/closing section and the motor.

7. A vehicle having an opening/closing section control device mounted with the pinch detection device at the opening/closing section according to claim 1, the control device detecting pinch at a time of closing the opening/closing section, and when detecting pinch, slightly opening the opening/closing section.

8. A pinch detecting method for detecting pinch at an opening/closing section of a vehicle opened/closed by rotation of a motor, the method comprising:

detecting a displacement according to movement of the opening/closing section;

obtaining a change in a relative speed based on the displacement using a relative time adjusted so as to be long according to a power supply voltage through a calculator as a measure; and

comparing the change in the relative speed with an acceleration threshold so as to detect pinch of a foreign matter.

9. The pinch detecting method for the opening/closing section according to claim 8, wherein an oscillation signal with low frequency is generated according to a reduction in the power supply voltage by a voltage controlled oscillator, a relative time is counted at a period of the oscillation signal, and the relative acceleration is obtained based on an inverse number of the number of the oscillation signal counted while the opening/closing section is shifting due to a predetermined minute displacement.

10. The pinch detecting method for the opening/closing section according to claim 8, wherein the relative time is finely adjusted so as to be long according to an increase in an electric current flowing in a motor.

11. the pinch detecting method for the opening/closing section according to claim 8, wherein a closed state of the opening/closing section is detected by a gray code of a closed position detecting switch, the position of the opening/closing section is adjusted to a reference position by the detection of the closed position, a current position of the opening/closing section is calculated by a direction determination based on the polarity of the voltage fed to the motor and the count number of pulses generated according to rotation of a decoder provided to the motor, and only when the current position is not in a vicinity of the reference position, the pinch detection is made.