System for detecting obstacles

• US 6,600,284 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2001
• Issued: 07/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Valmet Automotive Oy
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Lamparth, Oliver, Tschiskale, Ega, Hoetzel, Jürgen, Speigel, Achim, Weber, Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Khanh
• Application Number:
  US09/762,783
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 318/266, 318/282, 318/283, 318/286, 318/466, 318/467, 318/469, 318/478, 318/479, 49/26, 49/27, 49/28, 296/107.01, 296/117, 340/552, 340/561, 361/181, 307/10.1, 324/686
• US Class Current: 318/466
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/0573 power driven arrangements, e.g. electrical
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/46 responsive to changes in electrical capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/542 Roof panels
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/088 operating with electric fields G01V3/082 takes precedence

Abstract

In an arrangement for detecting obstacles, particularly during the automatic closing of convertible tops, motor-vehicle windows or the like, a capacitive sensor device is provided, made up of an electrically conductive transmitter area on the one side and an electrically conductive sensor wire and at least one essentially potential-free metal area on the other side of an insulator, the transmitter area and the sensor wire being linked to an evaluation circuit.

Claims

1. An arrangement for detecting obstacles, comprising:

a capacitive sensor device, including;

an insulator, the insulator having a first side and a second side;

an electrically conductive transmitter area, the transmitter area being on the first side of the insulator;

an oscillator coupled to the transmitter area;

an electrically conductive sensor wire being on the second side of the insulator;

at least one essentially potential-free metal area being on the second side of the insulator; and

an evaluation circuit coupled to the sensor wire.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the arrangement is used to detect obstacles during one of a closing of a convertible top and a closing of a motor vehicle window.

3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the transmitter area is acted upon by an AC voltage, the transmitter area is arranged opposite the at least one metal area, set apart by the insulator, the at least one metal area includes a formed cutout for accommodating the sensor wire in the insulator, and the evaluation circuit includes an output, the output providing a motor switching signal for switching a drive motor.

6. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein the sensor device for detecting obstacles during the closing of a convertible top is integrated in a crossbeam above a windshield of a motor vehicle.

7. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein the sensor device for detecting obstacles during the closing of a motor vehicle window is integrated in an upper crossbeam of a frame of the motor vehicle window.

8. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensor device is surrounded by an elastic strip seal, the seal also forming the insulator.

4. An arrangement for detecting obstacles, comprising:

a capacitive sensor device, including;

an insulator, the insulator having a first side and a second side;

an electrically conductive transmitter area, the transmitter area being on the first side of the insulator;

an oscillator coupled to the transmitter area;

an electrically conductive sensor wire being on the second side of the insulator;

at least one essentially potential-free metal area being on the second side of the insulator; and

an evaluation circuit coupled to the sensor wire;

wherein the transmitter area is acted upon by an AC voltage, the transmitter area is arranged opposite the at least one metal area, set apart by the insulator, the at least one metal area includes a formed cutout for accommodating the sensor wire in the insulator, and the evaluation circuit includes an output, the output providing a motor switching signal for switching a drive motor;

and wherein the evaluation circuit further includes;

a current-to-voltage converter for emitting a measuring signal; and

a downstream phase-dependent rectifier arrangement, the phase-dependent rectifier arrangement being supplied with the AC voltage and the measuring signal, the phase-dependent rectifier arrangement having an output at which the motor switching signal can be picked off at one of a first level and a second level, the first level enabling the drive motor, the second level switching off the drive motor in response to an appearance of obstacles in a vicinity of the sensor device.

5. The arrangement of claim 4, wherein the phase-dependent rectifier arrangement includes:

a phase shifter, the shifter further including an input to which the AC voltage is applied as a reference signal, the shifter further including an output;

first and second threshold circuits for shunting switching voltages, each threshold circuit having respective inputs connected to the output of the phase shifter, and each threshold circuit having respective outputs;

first and second analog switches, each analog switch having respective control inputs, the control input of the first analog switch connected to the output of the first threshold circuit, the control input of the second analog switch connected to the output of the second threshold circuit, the first and second analog switches further having signal inputs, the signal input of the first analog switch being directly fed the measuring signal, the signal input of the second analog switch being fed an inverted measuring signal, each of the first and second analog switches having an output; and

an adding stage, the adding stage having an input connected to the outputs of the first and second analog switches, the adding stage having an output at which the motor switching signal can be picked off via a low-pass filter.