Device for automatically controlling opening and closing of a vehicle slide door

• US 7,073,291 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2004
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation (Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Ohi Seisakusho Co., Ltd. (Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited)
• Inventors: Kawanobe, Osamu, Shigematsu, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Strimbu, Gregory J.
• Application Number:
  US10/812,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20040189046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 49/26, 49/27, 49/28, 493/60, 318/280, 318/281, 318/283, 318/265, 318/266, 318/469, 296/155
• US Class Current: 49/26
• 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 15/646 allowing or involving a secondary movement of the wing, e.g. rotational or transversal
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/22 Locks
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/246 by auxiliary motors, magnets, springs or weights
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/41 for closing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/422 for opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/434 Electromotors; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/462 Electromagnets
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/3013 during manual wing operation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/3015 Power assistance
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/36 Speed control, detection or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/44 Sensors not directly associated with the wing movement
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/554 sensing motor load
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/00 Details, accessories and auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

A device for automatically controlling a slide door for a vehicle, wherein the slide door is adapted to open and close along a guide track installed in a vehicle body, the device having a door drive device, a motor load detection device, a door position detection device adapted to detect a position of the slide door guided by the guide track within a range from a position where the slide door is fully opened to a position where the slide door is fully closed, a door speed detection device, a memory device adapted to store the motor load at each position of the slide door of the vehicle standing at a horizontal level, and a motor control device adapted to automatically control power supplied to the motor for moving the slide door based on a difference between a detected motor load and a stored motor load at a corresponding position

Claims

1. A device for automatically controlling an opening and closing of a slide door for a vehicle, wherein the slide door is adapted to open and close along a guide track installed in a body of the vehicle, the device comprising:

a drive device having a reversible motor and adapted to drive the slide door,

a motor load detection means for detecting a motor load value of the drive device,

a position detection means for detecting a position of the slide door guided by the guide track within a range from a position where the slide door is fully opened to a position where the slide door is fully closed,

a memory means for storing sampling region motor load values detected by the motor load detection means at various positions of the slide door in respective sampling regions along the guide track in which the door enters as the door moves alone the guide track,

a correspondence data study means for correcting, when the motor load detection means detects a new motor load value at a present position of the door, the stored sampling region motor load value stored in the memory means for the sampling region corresponding to the present door position based on said new motor load value by storing the new motor load value as a correction result in the memory means for the sampling region corresponding to the present door position, and

a pinch judgment means for reading the stored sampling region motor load value of a sampling region corresponding to a predetermined door position in advance of the sampling region corresponding to the present door position in a door movement direction for calculating a forecast motor load value based on the stored sampling region motor load value of the sampling region corresponding to the predetermined door position and a present motor load value of the present door position, and for judging whether a pinch exists based on a deviation between the forecast motor load value and the present motor load value of the present door position.

2. A device for automatically controlling the opening and closing of the slide door for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the motor load values correspond to motor current values detected intermittently.

3. A device for automatically controlling the opening and closing of the slide door for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the motor load values for each of said sampling regions correspond to average motor current values intermittently detected in the sampling region.

4. A device for automatically controlling the opening and closing of the slide door for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the motor load values stored in the memory means correspond to a rate of change of motor current values detected in each said sampling region arranged along the movement direction.

5. A device for automatically controlling the opening and closing of the slide door for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the pinch judgment means judges whether the pinch exists based on an increase in a rate of change motor current load in addition to the deviation between the forcast motor load value and the present motor load value of the present door position.

6. A device for automatically controlling the opening and closing of the slide door for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the stored sampling region motor load values stored in the memory means are based on a rate of change of an average motor current value detected in each said sampling region.