Vehicle door opening-closing apparatus

• US 8,098,037 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugiura, Takehiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Benson, Walter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luo, David
• Application Number:
  US12/266,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20090120001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 318/451, 318/449, 318/445, 318/469, 318/266, 318/286, 318/434
• US Class Current: 318/451
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/70 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/44 Sensors therefore E05Y2400/322, E05Y2400/33, E05Y2400/55, E05Y2400/56, E05Y2400/852 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/852 Sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/86 by hand
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

A vehicle door opening-closing apparatus is provided, which includes a vibration detector and a controller. The controller acquires an envelope formed by connecting crests or troughs of a waveform of vibration detected by the vibration detection sensor. The controller determines whether or not a shape of the envelope meets a condition. A vehicle door is controlled based on a result of determination by the controller.

Claims

1. A vehicle door opening-closing apparatus comprising:

a vibration detection sensor which detects vibration given to a vehicle door;

a control circuit which acquires an envelope formed by connecting crests or troughs of a waveform of the vibration detected by the vibration detection sensor, and which determines whether or not a shape of the envelope meets a condition; and

a door control section which controls opening or closing of the vehicle door based on a result of determination by the control circuit,

wherein the control circuit determines whether or not the shape of the envelope meets the condition based on similarity determined by a feature of the shape of the envelope.

2. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control circuit determines whether or not the shape of the envelop meets the condition based on:

an increase time until the envelope reaches a peak value from a threshold value; and

an attenuation time until the envelope attenuates to the threshold value from the peak value.

3. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the vibration is given to the vehicle door by successively striking the vehicle door or an opening/closing operation section on the vehicle door, and wherein

the control circuit acquires the envelopes successively and determines whether or not the shape of the envelop meets the condition based on a peak value of the envelope acquired at a first time and the shape of the envelope acquired at a second time or later.

4. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein when the peak value of the envelope acquired at the first time exceeds a lower limit threshold value, the control circuit determines whether or not the shape of the envelope meets the condition based on the shape of the envelope acquired at the second time or later.

5. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein when the peak value of the envelope acquired at the first time exceeds an upper limit value larger than the lower limit threshold value, the control circuit determines that the shape of the envelop does not meet the condition regardless of the shape of the envelope acquired at the second time or later.

6. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control circuit includes an amplification section, and wherein:

when the peak value of the envelope acquired at the first time exceeds the lower limit threshold value, the amplification section amplifies the vibration waveform at an amplification factor at which the peak value of the envelope formed from the amplified vibration waveform reaches a predetermined target peak value, and

the control circuit determines whether or not the shape of the envelope formed from the amplified vibration waveform and acquired at the second time or later meets the condition.

7. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vibration is given to the vehicle door by successively striking the vehicle door or an opening/closing operation section on the vehicle door, and wherein

the control circuit acquires the envelopes successively and determines whether or not the shape of the envelop meets the condition based on a peak value of the envelope acquired at a first time and the shape of the envelope acquired at a second time or later.

8. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein when the peak value of the envelope acquired at the first time exceeds a lower limit threshold value, the control circuit determines whether or not the shape of the envelope meets the condition based on the shape of the envelope acquired at the second time or later.

9. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein when the peak value of the envelope acquired at the first time exceeds an upper limit value larger than the lower limit threshold value, the control circuit determines that the shape of the envelop does not meet the condition regardless of the shape of the envelope acquired at the second time or later.

10. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the control circuit includes an amplification section, and wherein:

when the peak value of the envelope acquired at the first time exceeds the lower limit threshold value, the amplification section amplifies the vibration waveform at an amplification factor at which the peak value of the envelope formed from the amplified vibration waveform reaches a predetermined target peak value, and

the control circuit determines whether or not the shape of the envelope formed from the amplified vibration waveform and acquired at the second time or later meets the condition.

11. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control circuit determines whether or not the shape of the envelope meets the condition based on signal strength determined by a duration lasting from a time point, at which the envelope increasing toward a peak exceeds a first threshold value, to a time point, at which the envelope attenuating from the peak returns to the first threshold value.

12. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein a second threshold value is set to be upper than the first threshold value, and wherein

the control circuit determines the similarity based on

a difference between the first and second threshold values;

and

an attenuation time lasting from a time point, at which the envelope attenuating from the peak reaches the second threshold value, to a time point, at which the envelope attenuating from the peak reaches the first threshold value.

13. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein a third threshold value is set to be upper than the first threshold value, and wherein

when the peak of the envelope reaches the third threshold value and the duration is within a reference time, the control circuit determines that the signal strength is within an allowable range.

14. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

the control circuit counts a number of the envelopes, each having the shape meeting the condition, and determines whether or not the counted number of the envelopes during a first operation time is more than a predetermined number, and

a door control section controls opening or closing of the vehicle door based on a result of determination by the control circuit.

15. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein when the control circuit determines that the counted number is more than 1, the door control section controls opening or closing of the vehicle door.

16. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein when the control circuit determines that the counted number of the envelopes during a second operation time period shorter than the first operation time period is more than 3, the door control section does not control opening of closing of the vehicle door.

17. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the control circuit counts a number of the envelopes, each having the shape meeting the condition, and determines whether or not the counted number of the envelopes during a first operation time is more than a predetermined number, and

a door control section controls opening or closing of the vehicle door based on a result of determination by the control circuit.

18. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein when the control circuit determines that the counted number is more than 1, the door control section controls opening or closing of the vehicle door.

19. The vehicle door opening-closing apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein when the control circuit determines that the counted number of the envelopes during a second operation time period shorter than the first operation time period is more than 3, the door control section does not control opening of closing of the vehicle door.