Opening/closing device for automobile door

• US 5,757,156 A
• Filed: 05/15/1997
• Issued: 05/26/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sasajima, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US08/857,060
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• Field of Search: 318/1, 318/2, 318/566, 318/626, 318/628, 318/264, 318/265, 318/266, 318/272, 318/286, 318/456, 318/461, 318/463, 318/464, 318/466, 318/467, 318/468
• US Class Current: 318/456
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/70 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/36 Speed control, detection or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/44 Sensors therefore E05Y2400/322, E05Y2400/33, E05Y2400/55, E05Y2400/56, E05Y2400/852 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/113 Power assistance
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

An opening/closing device for an automobile door comprising a speed sensor for detecting a moving speed of a door, a motor for applying an opening/closing assisting force to the door, and a control unit for controlling the driving of the motor, is provided. The control unit includes an acceleration computing unit for differentiating speed signals supplied from the speed sensor to compute accelerations and output acceleration signals and a control variable setting unit for setting control variables of the motor based on acceleration signals from the acceleration computing unit. Thereby, even if a torque sensor for detecting the operating force of a person operating the door is omitted, it is possible to generate control variables corresponding to acceleration signals which are equivalent to control variables corresponding to torque to drive the motor.

Claims

1. An opening/closing device for an automobile door comprising a speed sensor for detecting a moving speed of a door, a motor for applying an opening/closing assisting force to the door, and a control unit for controlling driving of the motor, wherein said control unit includes:

an acceleration computing unit for differentiating a speed signal supplied from said speed sensor to compute an acceleration and output an acceleration signal; and

a control variable setting unit for setting a control variable of the motor based on the acceleration signal from the acceleration computing unit.

2. The opening/closing device for an automobile door of claim 1, wherein the control variable setting unit includes a control variable memory for storing a control variable corresponding to said acceleration signal.

3. The opening/closing device for an automobile door of claim 1, wherein the control variable setting unit includes an average value computing unit for computing an average value of a predetermined time period of the acceleration signal, and a control variable memory for storing a control variable corresponding to an average acceleration signal from the average value computing unit.

4. The opening/closing device for an automobile door of claim 1, wherein the control variable setting unit includes a pattern recognition unit for recognizing a pattern in the acceleration signal, and an evaluation unit for evaluating an operating force of a person by means of a pattern from the pattern recognition unit and outputting a control variable based on an evaluation result thereof.

5. The opening/closing device for an automobile door of claim 1, wherein the control variable setting unit includes a differential computing unit for differentiating a motor current signal detected by a motor current detector and outputting a differentiated current signal, a conversion unit for causing the differentiated current signal to conform to the acceleration signal, a subtraction unit for computing a deviation between the acceleration signal and an output signal from the conversion unit, and a control variable memory for storing a control variable corresponding to a deviation from the subtraction unit.