Method for processing detection signals for a motor vehicle

• US 7,233,080 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2001
• Issued: 06/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Valeo Electronique
• Original Assignee: Valeo Electronique
• Inventors: Benard, Thierry, Garnault, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Chau N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARRIES, DRU M
• Application Number:
  US10/362,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20040039511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,114 Days
• Field of Search: 307/10.2
• US Class Current: 307/10.2
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/77 comprising sensors detecting the presence of the hand of a user
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/78 as part of a hands-free locking or unlocking operation
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/65 using means for sensing the user's hand
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/215 the system having a variable access-code, e.g. varied as a function of time

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for processing a motor vehicle detection signals. It consists in taking into account data concerning the surroundings to interpret the detection signals and deliver actuating signals. The invention also concerns a device for implementing said method and an opening panel handle (1) and a vehicle comprising such a device.

Claims

1. A method for locking/unlocking at least one vehicle opening comprising control means able to lock/unlock said opening and processing means (10) provided to take into account environmental information, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a detection signal (52) from at least one detection zone (6, 7, 42) disposed on an automobile vehicle,

receiving environmental information concerning the at least one vehicle opening,

sending an activation signal to the control means when the detection signal (52) has not been ignored, said activation signal being sent by the processing means (10),

wherein the environmental information relates to the state of locking of an openable panels (41) of the vehicle,

wherein, when the environmental information fulfills predetermined conditions, the detection signal is interpreted as having to be ignored, and

wherein the signal from the detection zone is ignored by one of disabling the means of reading the signal from the detection zone, replacing the signal by a constant signal of true Boolean value, and replacing the result of any check performed on this signal in the form of checks of detection and also checks of absence of detection with a constant signal of true Boolean value.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, during the reception of the detection signal, temporal information related to the detection signal (52) received is also taken into account in addition to the environmental information.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when the environmental information fulfills predetermined conditions, the detection signal (52) is interpreted as a command for verifying the identity of a person whose action is detected.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein one of the predetermined conditions is that at least one openable panel of the vehicle is locked or unlocked.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the identity verification command is followed by an unlocking or locking command.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the temporal information is used to interpret the signal received either as a command for unlocking or for locking a single openable panel, or as a command for unlocking or for locking all the openable panels of the vehicle.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the duration of the detection signal is chosen as temporal information related to this signal, a signal of short duration corresponding to the unlocking of an openable panel associated with the detection zone while a signal of long duration corresponds to the unlocking of all the openable panels.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the delay between the start of the detection signal received and the change of position of a switch is chosen as temporal information related to the detection signal received.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the switch is linked to a handle for opening the associated openable panel, said switch changing position when the handle is operated or released.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, in which the openable panel is initially locked, wherein the openable panel is unlocked only if said delay is less than a predetermined duration, while all the openable panels are unlocked if said delay reaches the predetermined duration.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, in which the openable panel is initially unlocked, wherein the openable panel (41) is locked if the delay is greater than a predetermined duration (Δ

t).

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detection signals originate from at least two independent detection zones (6, 7) disposed on the motor vehicle, each of said detection zones being able to provide its own detection signal.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one detection zone is mounted on a handle (1) of the vehicle.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the handle (1) is mounted on an openable panel of the vehicle.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal from the detection zone is ignored by disabling the means of reading the signal from the detection zone.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal from the detection zone is ignored by replacing said signal by said constant signal of true Boolean value.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal from the detection zone is ignored by replacing the result of any check performed on this signal, in the form of checks of detection and also checks of absence of detection, with the constant signal of true Boolean value.

18. A processing device for implementing the method according to claim 1, comprising a handle with a detection area (6, 7, 42) and processing means (10) comprising at least one state module (12, 13) able to take into account environmental information, as well as at least one signal interpretation module (14, 15), said interpretation module providing an actuation signal depending on the environmental information and directly usable by the control means.

19. The device as claimed in claim 18, further comprising duration measuring means providing information related to the detection signal received.

20. The device as claimed in claim 18, further comprising means for verifying predetermined conditions.

21. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the interpretation module (14) is placed directly downstream of a sensor and consists of an OR gate (20) accepting as input on the one hand the signals from the sensor, on the other hand the result, provided by the state module (12), of the verification of the conditions.

22. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the interpretation module (15) is placed directly downstream of a sensor and consists of a NOT gate (21) at the output of the state checking module (13) and an AND gate (22) which combines the output with the signal from the sensor.

23. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the interpretation module is placed directly downstream of any detection checking module and that it consists of an OR gate combining the result of the detection check with the result of the verification of predetermined conditions.

24. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the at least one detection zone form an integral part of a vehicle handle (1), which is advantageously mounted on an openable panel of the vehicle.

25. A motor vehicle openable panel handle comprising on the one hand at least one detection zone (6, 7, 42), on the other hand, a processing device (10) according to claim 18, providing an actuation signal directly usable by control means outside the handle.

26. The handle as claimed in claim 25, wherein the detection zone (6, 7, 42) is sensitive to one of a variation in electric or electromagnetic field, and a cutting of a light beam.

27. The handle as claimed in claim 26, wherein the detection zone is disposed on the handle in such a way that the ambient electric or electromagnetic field is disturbed or that the optical beam is cut when a hand is engaged with the handle.

28. A motor vehicle comprising at least one openable panel, at least one detection zone and a processing device according to claim 18.

29. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 28, wherein the openable panel is furnished with a handle comprising at least one detection zone (6, 7, 42) that is sensitive to one of a variation in electric or electromagnetic field, and a cutting of a light beam and incorporating the processing device.