METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A MOTORIZED CLOSURE ELEMENT ARRANGEMENT OF A MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20170328116A1
• Filed: 04/28/2017
• Published: 11/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, Bamberg (Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, Bamberg (Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Herthan, Bernd
• Application Number:
  US15/581,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20170328116A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/767 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/858 by body parts
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailgates

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for activating a motorized closure element assembly of a vehicle, wherein the closure element assembly comprises a closure element, a control assembly, and a sensor assembly. The measured values of the sensor assembly are monitored by the control assembly to determine whether a triggering operating situation, defined by an operating-situation condition, is present, and an activation of the closure element assembly is triggered by the control assembly upon detection of the triggering operating situation. It is proposed that an operating-situation condition of the triggering operating situation is defined by the orientation of at least one body part of the operator about the vertical axis lying within a predetermined permitted orientation range, and whether the orientation of the body part lies within the permitted orientation range is detected by the sensor assembly and, depending thereon, the activation of the closure element assembly is triggered.

Claims

1. A method for activating a motorized closure element assembly of a motor vehicle, wherein the closure element assembly comprises a closure element, a control assembly, and a sensor assembly, the method comprising monitoring measured sensor values of the sensor assembly with the control assembly to determine whether a triggering operating situation, which is defined by at least one operating-situation condition, is present;

wherein an activation of the closure element assembly is triggered by the control assembly upon detection of the triggering operating situation;

wherein an operating-situation condition of the triggering operating situation is defined by the orientation of at least one body part of the operator about the vertical axis lying within a predetermined permitted orientation range; and

wherein the sensor assembly detects whether the orientation of the at least one body part of the operator about the vertical axis lies within the permitted orientation range and, depending thereon, triggers the activation of the closure element assembly.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein an operating-situation condition of the triggering operating situation is defined by the front side of at least one body part of the operator facing the closure element by way of the front side of the relevant body part of the operator deviating from its orientation with respect to a predetermined reference point on the closure element only within the permitted orientation range.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein an operating-situation condition of the triggering operating situation is defined by the front side of the upper body of the operator facing the closure element within the scope of the permitted orientation range.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein an operating-situation condition of the triggering operating situation is defined by the front side of the head of the operator facing the closure element within the scope of the permitted orientation range.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein an operating-situation condition of the triggering operating situation is defined by an eye of the operator facing the closure element with the viewing direction of said operator within the scope of the permitted orientation range.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the triggering operating situation includes a logical conjunction.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly comprises one first sensor element which is directed to the detection of a first operating-situation condition of the triggering operating situation, and the sensor assembly comprises at least one second sensor element which is directed to the detection of at least one second operating-situation condition of the triggering operating situation.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein an operating-situation condition of the triggering operating situation is defined by the position of the operator not changing within a predetermined time window.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein an operating-situation condition of the triggering operating situation is defined by the operator moving out of a predetermined close range, which is assigned to the closure element and/or the motor vehicle, and subsequently moving back into the close range.

11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the logical conjunction includes at least one of an AND conjunction and an OR conjunction of two operating-situation conditions.

12. The method according to claim 6, wherein the triggering operating situation includes the logical conjunction of the orientation of the upper body of the operator facing the closure element and the orientation of the head of the operator facing the closure element.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein an operating-situation condition of the triggering operating situation is defined by the position of the operator changing only within a predetermined position range.

10. A control system for a motorized closure element assembly of a motor vehicle, comprising a control assembly and a sensor assembly, wherein the measured sensor values of the sensor assembly are monitored with the control assembly to determine whether a triggering operating situation, which is defined by at least one operating-situation condition, is present;

wherein the control assembly triggers an activation of the closure element assembly upon detection of the triggering operating situation;

wherein an operating-situation condition of the triggering operating situation is defined by the orientation of at least one body part of the operator about the vertical axis lying within a predetermined permitted orientation range; and

wherein the sensor assembly detects whether the orientation of the at least one body part of the operator about the vertical axis lies within the permitted orientation range and, depending thereon, triggers the activation of the closure element assembly.