Obstacle detection device, in particular a frame for a motorised opening panel of a motor vehicle, and resulting opening panel

• US 8,175,769 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2008
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SFC Solutions Automotive France
• Original Assignee: Sealynx Automotive Transieres
• Inventors: Malnoë, Michel, Perrin, Thierry
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): GREENE, DANIEL LAWSON
• Application Number:
  US12/666,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 701/34, 701/45, 701/49, 367/189, 340/3.44
• US Class Current: 701/34
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/43 responsive to disruption of energy beams, e.g. light or sound
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/431 specially adapted for vehicle windows or roofs
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/432 with acoustical sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/12 Sealing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/55 Windows

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for the detection of an obstacle (43) in relation to a controlled-movement panel (3), including: deformable tubular means or a flexible tube (31) for the propagation of low-frequency dynamic pressure waves; means for transmitting (40a) and receiving (40b) the low-frequency dynamic pressure waves; and means for processing (9) said dynamic pressure waves, which, upon detection of an obstacle, are designed to allow the panel (3) to be moved in relation to the obstacle (43), the panel being stopped, lowered or re-opened.

Claims

1. A device for detecting an obstacle in relation to a movement-controlled panel and/or for controlling the movement of the panel in relation to the obstacle, characterized in that it comprises:

deformable tubular means or a flexible tube for the propagation of dynamic pressure waves of low frequency, less than 500 Hz, these deformable tubular means or flexible tube also being able to create and propagate a dynamic pressure pulsed wave of very low frequency, less than 100 Hz, emitted in response to the docking impact of the moving panel on the obstacle,

means for emitting and receiving said low-frequency dynamic pressure waves, and receiving said very low frequency dynamic pressure pulsed wave, these emitting and receiving means being adapted notably in dynamic pressure impedance to said deformable tubular means or flexible tube,

means of processing said dynamic pressure waves and dynamic pressure pulsed wave adapted to;

check firstly the correct operation of the detection of an obstacle and of the movement control by the device,

determining the detection of the obstacle by the moving panel, docking impact or deformation of said deformable tubular means or flexible tube, and

enabling, according to this detection, a suitable control of the movement of the panel in relation to the obstacle, the panel being stopped, lowered or re-opened,

these processing means being able to detect, according to a secure procedure, firstly the docking impact of the panel on the obstacle, thus avoiding and anticipating the deformation of said deformable tubular means or flexible tube, then the deformation of the deformable tubular means or flexible tube, at least partially, if the docking impact is not detected.

2. The device for detecting an obstacle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deformable tubular means or flexible tube comprise a reserve of compressibility, for example, a deformable thickness of the tubular sensor, able to be easily crushed, a crushing margin of the obstacle being obtained by said reserve of compressibility of the deformable tubular means or flexible tube.

3. The device for detecting an obstacle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flexible tube is made of a synthetic elastomer material, which, on the external contact or docking impact with the flexible tube creates within itself a pulsed wave with sonic or infrasonic spectrum, of very low frequency (less than 100 Hz).

4. The device for detecting an obstacle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dynamic pressure wave signal is within the sonic or infrasonic spectrum, being of a frequency less than 250 Hz.

5. The device for detecting an obstacle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pulsed wave is within the sonic or infrasonic spectrum, being of a frequency of between 10 and 100 Hz.

6. The device for detecting an obstacle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said emitting and receiving means each comprise a transducer of small dimensions, a piezo-electric transducer for example, open to the atmosphere through at least one hole through their chamber and/or rear part opposite to their link with the end of the flexible tube.

7. The device for detecting an obstacle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said emitting and receiving means each comprise a transducer of small dimensions, a piezo-electric transducer for example, open to the atmosphere through at least one hole through their chamber and/or rear part opposite to their link with the end of the flexible tube and wherein the transducers are each incorporated in a chamber matched in dynamic pressure impedance (ratio of the dynamic pressure of the medium of the signal to the volume flow rate of the medium of the flexible tube) to the signal to be emitted or to be received and to the flexible tube, and linked to the end of the latter, which chamber amplifies the emission and the transmission of the signal emitted or received respectively, and reduces the influence of the external noise.

8. The device for detecting an obstacle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the emitting means are linked to several flexible tubes mounted in series or in parallel with one or more receiving means forming a feeler preventing the pinching of moving parts to be secured of one and the same vehicle.

9. The device for detecting an obstacle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said dynamic pressure wave signal emitted by the emitting means comprises at least one regular alternative component of a single frequency, for example two components of close frequencies (frequency-modulated signal) thus specifying the signal and its recognition by the receiving means.

10. The device for detecting an obstacle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible tube also comprises a more rigid internal wall surface, able to better conduct the dynamic pressure wave signal and the dynamic pressure pulsed wave and amplify the deformation of the tube (in length), and a flexible external wall insulating from the external noise.

11. A chassis for motorized opening panel comprising a device for detecting an obstacle, notably for a motor vehicle, comprising a chassis frame and a mobile panel driven in relation to said chassis frame by a motor means, for example closing or opening the chassis frame, and comprising a closure safety device able to stop, retract or open the mobile panel immediately upon detection of an obstacle between the chassis frame and the mobile panel in the driving of the mobile panel, in which the closure safety device comprises:

deformable tubular means in flexible tube form arranged at least along an area to be secured in relation to a possible obstacle between the chassis frame and the mobile panel, for example along at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the mobile panel or the peripheral edge of the frame of said chassis, and forming a projection toward said area to be secured,

a means of emitting dynamic pressure waves arranged at one end of said flexible tube and able to emit a dynamic pressure wave signal running along said flexible tube,

a means of receiving dynamic pressure waves and said dynamic pressure pulsed wave, linked to said flexible tube at another end of the latter and able to detect at least a pressure variation of said wave signal and pulsed wave, of dynamic pressure transmitted from the emitting means and generated by an obstacle docking on or deforming said flexible tube respectively, and,

a device for regulating and controlling the motor means linked to said emitting and receiving means and to the motor means, able to control the operation to stop, retract or open the mobile panel in relation to the chassis frame immediately upon the successive detection of said impact pulsed wave and/or of a so-called pressure variation of dynamic pressure waves by the receiving means and corresponding to an obstacle in contact with and/or deforming said flexible tube respectively.

12. The chassis as claimed in claim 11, wherein said flexible tube can be glued, for example by an insulating flexible adhesive tape, to the mobile panel or the chassis frame.

13. The chassis as claimed in claim 11, wherein said flexible tube can comprise a wall that is seal-tight or not and easily deformable and include a small hole to open it to the atmosphere.

14. The chassis as claimed in claim 11, wherein it comprises means of checking the correct operation of the detection and of the movement control of processing means, comprising a self-checking device checking for the absence of an obstacle on the flexible tube, started up immediately upon the control of the mobile panel or immediately upon the starting up of the vehicle and checking that the transmission of the dynamic pressure wave signal from the emitting means to the receiving means is carried out normally and without obstacle before activating the device for regulating and controlling the motor means.

15. The chassis as claimed in claim 11, wherein said obstacle detection device comprises means of analyzing the dynamic pressure variation of the dynamic pressure wave signal and of the dynamic pressure pulsed wave transmitted, able to process this information and to determine the presence firstly of an impact on the flexible tube and secondly a partial or total pinching of the latter, and of adapting a command to stop or retract the mobile panel immediately it is detected.

16. The chassis as claimed in claim 11, wherein said flexible tube comprises two adjacent channels, deriving from co-extrusion for example, and each able to route, one of them the forward signal and the other the return signal, the continuity of the signal from forward to return being achieved by an appropriate strap at the end of the tube.

17. The chassis as claimed in one of claim 11, wherein said mobile panel is a sliding window of a motor vehicle door or an opening roof of a vehicle or a mobile curtain, operated by a motorized driving device (electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic) or a sliding door of a private or public transport vehicle, operated by a driving device with electrical or other motor, or a vehicle trunk lid operated by an electrical or hydraulic or pneumatic driving device or a motorized doorway, or a roller blind.

18. A device for detecting obstacles comprising deformable tubular means or flexible tube, characterized by

means of detecting the docking impact of the obstacle against the deformable tubular means or flexible tube, for example by measuring the sonic or infrasonic pulse and/or the pressure wave, emitted in the deformable tubular means or flexible tube on the docking impact of the obstacle against the deformable tubular means or flexible tube,

means of detecting the pinching or the crushing of the obstacle on the deformable tubular means or flexible tube, for example by measuring the variation of the pressure of the air generated by the pinching or crushing and/or of a sonic or infrasonic signal (reference signal) transmitted within the deformable tubular means or flexible tube,

analysis means incorporating, in their processing, compensations for the wear of the components and of the sensors by a loop for automatically regulating the gains and/or impact and pinching thresholds, making the device almost or completely insensitive to the climatic variations (temperature, humidity, pressure) and to any changes in attenuation of the channel of the flexible tube,

and a self-checking device for checking for the absence of an obstacle on the flexible tube, placed in operation immediately upon the control of the mobile panel or immediately upon the starting up of the vehicle and checking that the transmission of the dynamic pressure wave signal from the emitting means to the receiving means is carried out normally and without obstacle before activating the obstacle detection device.

19. The device for detecting obstacles as claimed in claim 18, wherein, for the detection of the impacts, the analysis means include means able to filter, by low-pass analog filtering, the output of the transmitted sonic signal, to amplify it, to digitize it, to average it over a sliding period of time that is a multiple of the emission frequency (in order to cancel the average value of the reference signal) and to compare the results of this calculation to maximum threshold values allowed on the drift and the absolute value of this impact average, established proportionally to the average amplitude of the received reference signal.

20. The device for detecting obstacles as claimed in claim 18, wherein, for the detection of pinching, the analysis means include means able to carry out a digital processing of the signal in order for this processing to be made robust with respect to the possible vibratory and acoustic disturbances external to the device, the frequency of this signal is frequency-modulated so that the results of the average convolution are stable even if the external disturbances are strong, this necessitating an integration of the calculations in relation to the frequency modulation that may be, for example, linear, triangular, sinusoidal or other, and said integration becomes less reactive in relation to a pinching but robust in relation to dreaded events that are failure to trigger in case of pinching in a disturbed environment and unwanted triggering in case of disturbances.