Method and device for the position-dependent control of a mobile element in a motor vehicle

• US 7,526,371 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, KG Hallstadt
• Original Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, KG Hallstadt
• Inventors: Abert, Carsten, Seeberger, Jurgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOUIE, WAE LENNY
• Application Number:
  US11/149,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20060009892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 701/38, 180/289, 180/287, 318264-267, 318281-286, 340/438, 340/686
• US Class Current: 701/38
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0252 with relations between different adjustments, e.g. height of headrest following longitudinal position of seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0268 using sensors or detectors for adapting the seat or seat part, e.g. to the position of an occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0272 using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/689 specially adapted for vehicle windows
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/55 Windows

Abstract

The present invention concerns a method for the position-dependent control of a mobile element in a motor vehicle, wherein the element is movable in a drive movement by an electrically powered positioning device, wherein the positioning device has several different operational modes, and characteristics of a drive signal of the positing device, in particular a waviness of a drive current, are used for the determination of the position of the element. According to the invention, a characteristic variable, which influences the drive movement of the positioning device, and/or a specific value, which characterizes the positioning device, are evaluated for the determination of an error value of the determined position of the mobile element, and that the operating modes of the positioning device are controlled in dependence of the determined error value.

Claims

1. Method for the position-dependent control of a mobile element in a motor vehicle, wherein the element is movable in a drive movement by an electrically powered positioning device, wherein the positioning device is operable in several different operational modes, and characteristics of a drive signal of the positioning device, the characteristics being at least a ripple of a drive current, are used for determination of the position of the element, comprising the steps of:

at least one of a characteristic variable which is influenced by the drive movement of the positioning device and a specific value which characterizes the positioning device are evaluated for the determination of an error value of the determined position of the mobile element, and

controlling the operating modes of the positioning device in dependence of the determined error value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of error values is determined by at least one of a plurality of characteristic variables and specific values.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein at least two of the determined error values are used to create a correlated error value by means of a mathematical correlation, and that at least one operating mode of the positioning device is controlled in dependence of the correlated error value.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one error value is determined as an absolute error value.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one error value is determined in dependence of at least one of a plurality of characteristic variables and specific values by means of a fuzzy logic.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of characteristic variable and specific value is compared with an assigned threshold value for the determination of error values.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein at least two characteristic variables and specific values are transformed so that they can be compared with one or more uniform threshold values for the determination of the error values and further comprising the step of comparing the at least two characteristic variables and specific values with the one or more uniform threshold value.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein different operating modes of the positioning device are controlled by means of a mathematical correlation of the determined error values and the mathematical correlation is a multi-dimensional matrix-like correlation of the determined error values.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the different operating modes of the positioning device at least one of the following characteristics of the positioning device is changed:

velocity of the mobile element, activity of a crush guard, activity of an automatic operation for the automatic movement of the mobile element into at least one end position and adjustment of a determined position of the mobile element in at least one of the at least one end position.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the automatic operation of the mobile element is deactivated in a first operating mode of the positioning device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein an adjustment of the position of the mobile element is made in a second operating mode of the positioning device upon reaching an end position of the mobile element.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the positioning device is placed in a basic operating mode after performing the adjustment in which the automatic operation is deactivated and no adjustment of the position of the mobile element is performed upon reaching an end position of the mobile element.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein a plurality at least one of the characteristic variables and specific values are successively compared with an assigned first decision threshold value and the positioning device is changed from the basic operating mode into the first operating mode upon exceeding the first decision threshold value.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of characteristic variables and specific values are further successively compared with an assigned second decision threshold value and the positioning device is changed from the basic operating mode into the second operating mode upon exceeding the second decision threshold value.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein a subset of the at least one of characteristic variables and specific values are compared with an assigned first threshold value and, upon exceeding the first threshold value, the value of an error value is increased by one partial error.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one of a subset of the characteristic variables and specific values are, upon under-running the first threshold value, compared with an assigned second threshold value and upon exceeding the second threshold value the value of the error indicator is increased by one partial error.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the value of the error indicator after its increase by a partial error is compared with a first decision threshold value and upon exceeding the first decision threshold value the positioning device is placed into the first operating mode.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the value of the error indicator is compared with a second decision threshold value if the first decision threshold value is under-run, and upon exceeding the second decision threshold value the positioning device is placed in the second operating mode.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein at least one of several characteristic variables and several specific values are gradually compared with an assigned first threshold value and upon exceeding the first threshold value the value of the error indicator is increased by one partial error.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the value of the error indicator is compared with a first decision threshold value and the positioning device is placed in the first operating mode upon exceeding the first decision threshold value.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the value of the error indicator is compared with a second decision threshold value if the first decision threshold value is under-run, and the positioning device is placed in the second operating mode upon exceeding the second decision threshold value.

22. The method according to one of the claims 21, wherein the error indicator is reset after an adjustment of the position of the mobile element in the end position.