Automatic opening/closing device of vehicular opening/closing body and controlling method

• US 6,594,567 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2002
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation (Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Ohi Seisakusho Co., Ltd. (Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhou, Zhenjia, Koshikawa, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/197,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20030018419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/42, 701/45, 701/49, 492/80, 493/60, 492/14, 307/10.1, 318/282, 318/283
• US Class Current: 701/36
• 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: E05F 15/611 for swinging wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/216 Clutches
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/246 by auxiliary motors, magnets, springs or weights
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/462 Electromagnets
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/514 of speed
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/54 Obstruction or resistance detection
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/564 sensing motor speed
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/40 Physical or chemical protection
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2628 Door, window
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2637 Vehicle, car, auto, wheelchair

Abstract

An automatic opening/closing device of a vehicular opening/closing body, which gradually increases a duty until a rotary pulse cycle is definitely decided at a stage before a jamming determining time comes, thus making it possible to move a backdoor even if a resistance due to self-weight of the backdoor is generated and to prevent a malfunction in which the backdoor is halted or an operation thereof is inverted even under a state where the backdoor does not jam any foreign object.

Claims

1. An automatic opening/closing device of a vehicular opening/closing body, comprising:

a motor driven to open/close the opening/closing body, the motor halting a closing operation of the opening/closing body or inverting the closing operation to an opening operation when it is decided that a foreign object is jammed; and

a controller for performing feedback control for a rotary pulse cycle of the motor to increase/decrease a duty in order to open/close the opening/closing body at a target speed and for determining, as jamming, a state where the rotary pulse cycle is not definitely decided before a jamming determining time comes, the jamming determining time being lowered much more than a standard pulse time corresponding to a target speed,

wherein the duty is increased step by step until the rotary pulse cycle is definitely decided at a stage before the jamming determining time comes.

2. The automatic opening/closing device of a vehicular opening/closing body according to claim 1, wherein, as timing of gradually increasing the duty, a pulse lowering determining time is provided, the pulse lowering determining time being sufficiently longer than the standard pulse time and shorter than the jamming determining time, and after the pulse lowering determining time elapses, the duty is increased step by step for each specified duty increasing interval.

3. The automatic opening/closing device of a vehicular opening/closing body according to claim 1, wherein, when the rotary pulse cycle is definitely decided at the stage before the jamming determining time comes, the duty is not increased by the feedback control.

4. A controlling method for a closing operation of a vehicular opening/closing body, the closing operation being performed by an automatic opening/closing device provided with a motor for driving the opening/closing body, the controlling method comprising:

detecting a rotary pulse cycle from the motor;

judging whether the rotary pulse cycle is definitely decided;

comparing the rotary pulse cycle with a specified jamming determining time when the rotary pulse cycle is not definitely decided;

comparing a specified pulse lowering determining time with the rotary pulse cycle when the rotary pulse cycle is less than the jamming determining time; and

increasing a duty step by step until the rotary pulse cycle is definitely decided when the rotary pulse cycle is less than the pulse lowering determining time.