Door Assistance System for a Vehicle

• US 20170314318A1
• Filed: 11/10/2015
• Published: 11/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: HASSENPFLUG, Christoph
• Application Number:
  US15/519,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20170314318A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/40 Safety devices, e.g. detection of obstructions or end positions
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/765 using optical sensors using photoelectric cells E05F15/74
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/767 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/536 Hoods
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailgates
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/548 Trunk lids
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

The invention relates to a door assistance system (1) for a vehicle (F) for preventing damage to vehicle doors (T1-T4) and/or vehicle opening panels (T5) caused by external objects when vehicle doors (T1-T4) and/or vehicle opening panels (T5) are opened. Said system comprises: a calculation unit (7), which evaluates an environmental data model, detected by sensors, of the surroundings of the vehicle (F), in order to determine a space around the vehicle (F) that is free of external objects (H1, H2, O), and which calculates maximum possible open positions of the various vehicle doors (T1-T4) and/or vehicle opening panels (T5) of the vehicle (F) within the free space that has been determined; and a locking unit (8), which locks a vehicle door (T1-T4) and/or vehicle opening panel (T5) of the vehicle (F) when same is opened to the correspondingly calculated maximum permissible open position of the respective vehicle door (T1-T4) and/or vehicle opening panel (T5) in order to prevent contact with an external object and/or to provide entry or exit assistance.

Claims

1. A door assistance system (1) for a vehicle (F) for preventing door damage to vehicle doors (T1-T4) and/or vehicle opening panels (T5) caused by external objects when vehicle doors (T1-T4) and/or vehicle opening panels (T5) are opened, having:

a calculation unit (7), which evaluates an environmental data model, detected by sensors, of the surroundings of the vehicle (F), in order to determine a space around the vehicle (F) that is free from external objects (H1, H2, O) and which calculates maximum permissible open positions of the various vehicle doors (Tl-T4) and/or vehicle opening panels (T5) of the vehicle (F) within the free space that has been determined

and having

a locking unit (8), which locks a vehicle door (T1-T4) and/or vehicle opening panel (T5) of the vehicle (F) when same is opened to the correspondingly calculated maximum permissible open position of the respective vehicle door (T1-T4) and/or vehicle opening panel (T5) in order to prevent contact with an external object and/or to provide entry or exit assistance.

2. The door assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the environmental data model comprises a rasterized map of the vehicle environment and/or a height profile of the vehicle environment.

3. The door assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the environmental data model is calculated based on sensor data, generated by vehicle sensors (2, 3, 4) of the vehicle (F) or by external sensors.

4. The door assistance system according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle sensors (2, 3, 4) comprise laser scanners, radar sensors and/or vehicle cameras.

5. The door assistance system according to claim 1, wherein a current environmental data model of the vehicle environment of the vehicle (F) is temporarily stored in a data memory (6), to which the calculation unit (7) of the door assistance system (1) has access.

6. The door assistance system according to claim 5, wherein the calculation unit (7) has access to a second data memory (9), in which the vehicle data of the vehicle (F), particularly vehicle dimensions of the vehicle body and/or dimensions of vehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panels of the vehicle (F), are stored.

7. The door assistance system according to claim 6, wherein the vehicle data of the vehicle (F) stored in the second data memory (9) are configurable for various vehicle types and/or vehicle variants of the vehicle (F).

8. The door assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit (7) calculates the maximum permissible open positions of the vehicle doors (T1-T4) and/or vehicle opening panels (T5) of the vehicle (F) as a function of an instantaneous loading state of the vehicle (F) detected by sensors.

9. The door assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the door assistance system (1) is activated automatically upon entering a parking space or once the vehicle (F) has stopped.

10. The door assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the door assistance system (1) is automatically deactivated once the vehicle (F) starts up or upon leaving a parking facility or parking space.

11. The door assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle doors (T1-T4) comprise several side doors of the vehicle (F) and the vehicle opening panels (T5) comprise a tailgate, a trunk panel, or an engine compartment lid of the vehicle (F).

12. A road vehicle, having a door assistance system (1) according to claim 1.

13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the vehicle (F) is an automobile or a truck.

14. A parking facility with a central control system, which communicates via wireless interfaces with a door assistance system of a vehicle according to claim 1, and also transmits sensor data generated by sensors of the parking facility for updating the environmental data model to the door assistance system (1) of the vehicle (F) located in the parking facility, wherein the door assistance system (1) of the vehicle (F) located in the parking facility takes into consideration the received sensor data of the parking facility when updating the environmental data model of the vehicle (F).

15. A method for preventing door damage to vehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panels caused by external objects in a vehicle (F) having the following steps:

(a) determining (S1) a space around the vehicle (F) that is free of external objects on the basis of a detected environmental data model and stored vehicle data of the vehicle;

(b) calculating (S2) maximum permissible open positions of the various vehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panels of the vehicle (F) within the free space that has been determined; and

(c) locking (S3) a vehicle door and/or vehicle opening panel of the vehicle when same is opened to the calculated maximum permissible open position of the respective vehicle door and/or vehicle opening panel in order to prevent contact with an external object and exit assistance.

16. A driver assistance system for a vehicle with a control unit for performing the method according to claim 15.