Vehicle door opening angle control system

• US 8,280,593 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2010
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nakakura, Yohei, Konishi, Toshiyuki, Hioki, Hideki, Okada, Yoshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, SHARDUL D
• Application Number:
  US12/660,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20100228448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 701/49, 701/36, 701/45, 701/300, 340/435
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/43 responsive to disruption of energy beams, e.g. light or sound
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/434 with cameras or optical sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/483 for detection during opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

A laser sensor projects laser light in the downward direction. If the laser sensor does not receive any laser light reflected by an obstacle or the ground, it is determined that the obstacle is present in the direction of projection of the laser light. It is thus possible to detect the presence of the obstacle, which will at least affect the opening of the vehicle door.

Claims

1. A vehicle door opening angle control system comprising:

a laser sensor mounted on a vehicle door near a pivot axis of the vehicle door to project a laser light to scan a plane oriented in an opening direction of the vehicle door and receive a reflected light reflected by an obstacle;

a check section that checks whether the obstacle, which the vehicle door is likely to touch, is present in the door opening direction based on the projection and reception of the laser light by the laser sensor; and

an opening angle limit section that limits an opening angle of the vehicle door when the check section determines that the obstacle is present;

wherein

the check section determines that the obstacle is present when the laser sensor receives no laser light in excess of a predetermined intensity in response to projection of the laser light in a downward direction relative to a mounting position of the laser sensor;

the laser sensor projects the laser light of an intensity so that the reflected laser light reflected directly by a ground exceeds a threshold value provided for checking reception of the reflected laser light and the reflected laser light reflected indirectly by the ground by way of the obstacle does not exceed the threshold value; and

the laser sensor projects the laser light of the intensity, which is predetermined to a fixed value.

2. A vehicle door opening angle control system comprising:

a laser sensor mounted on a vehicle door near a pivot axis of the vehicle door to project a laser light to scan a plane oriented in an opening direction of the vehicle door and receive a reflected light reflected by an obstacle;

a check section that checks whether the obstacle, which the vehicle door is likely to touch, is present in the door opening direction based on the projection and reception of the laser light by the laser sensor; and

an opening angle limit section that limits an opening angle of the vehicle door when the check section determines that the obstacle is present;

wherein

the check section determines that the obstacle is present when the laser sensor receives no laser light in excess of a predetermined intensity in response to projection of the laser light in a downward direction relative to a mounting position of the laser sensor;

the laser sensor projects the laser light of an intensity so that the reflected laser light reflected directly by a ground exceeds a threshold value provided for checking reception of the reflected laser light and the reflected laser light reflected indirectly by the ground by way of the obstacle does not exceed the threshold value; and

the laser sensor projects the laser light toward the ground each time the vehicle stops with the vehicle door being closed, and variably adjusts the intensity of the laser light to be projected based on an intensity of the received laser light received in response to projection of the laser light under a vehicle stop condition.

3. The vehicle door opening angle control system according to claim 2, wherein:

the check section checks whether the obstacle is present when the laser light is projected in a predetermined angle range narrower than an entire angle range of projection of the laser light in the downward direction relative to the mounting position of the laser sensor.

4. The vehicle door opening angle control system according to claim 2, wherein:

the opening angle limitation section limits the opening angle of the vehicle door, when the vehicle door is opened from an opening angle, at which the check section determines that the obstacle is present, by an angle corresponding to a distance between a surface of the vehicle door and the scan plane of the laser light.

5. The vehicle door opening angle control system according to claim 2, wherein:

the laser sensor scans, by the laser light, only an area corresponding to a vehicle door part, which is lower than a glass window provided at an upper part of the vehicle door.

6. The vehicle door opening angle control system according to claim 2, wherein the laser light scans only the plane oriented in the door opening direction.

7. The vehicle door opening angle control system according to claim 2, wherein the plane scanned by the laser moves with the vehicle door.

8. A vehicle door opening angle control system comprising:

a laser sensor mounted on a vehicle door near a pivot axis of the vehicle door to project a laser light to scan a plane oriented in an opening direction of the vehicle door and receive a reflected light reflected by an obstacle;

a check section that checks whether the obstacle, which the vehicle door is likely to touch, is present in the door opening direction based on the projection and reception of the laser light by the laser sensor; and

an opening angle limit section that limits an opening angle of the vehicle door when the check section determines that the obstacle is present;

wherein

the check section determines that the obstacle is present when the laser sensor receives no laser light in excess of a predetermined intensity in response to projection of the laser light in a downward direction relative to a mounting position of the laser sensor;

the check section determines that the obstacle is present, if a result of projection and reception of the laser light by the laser sensor indicates reflection of the laser light by the ground but an intensity of the received laser light is lower than that of the reflected laser light reflected by the ground previously; and

the check section compares the intensities of the received laser lights reflected by the ground at a same scan angle in comparing the intensity of the received laser light with that of the reflected laser light directly reflected by the ground previously.

9. A vehicle door opening angle control system comprising:

a laser sensor mounted on a vehicle door near a pivot axis of the vehicle door to project a laser light to scan a plane oriented in an opening direction of the vehicle door and receive a reflected light reflected by an obstacle;

a check section that checks whether the obstacle, which the vehicle door is likely to touch, is present in the door opening direction based on the projection and reception of the laser light by the laser sensor; and

an opening angle limit section that limits an opening angle of the vehicle door when the check section determines that the obstacle is present;

wherein

the check section determines that the obstacle is present when the laser sensor receives no laser light in excess of a predetermined intensity in response to projection of the laser light in a downward direction relative to a mounting position of the laser sensor;

the check section pre-stores distances from the mounting position of the laser sensor to an end of the vehicle door with respect to each scan direction of the laser sensor, calculates the distance to the obstacle based on a result of projection and reception of the laser light by the laser sensor, and determines that the obstacle is present at a position, at which the vehicle door is likely to touch the obstacle, if the calculated distance to the obstacle is shorter than the pre-stored distance to the end of the vehicle door.

10. A vehicle door opening angle control system comprising:

a laser sensor mounted on a vehicle door near a pivot axis of the vehicle door to project a laser light to scan a plane oriented in an opening direction of the vehicle door and receive a reflected light reflected by an obstacle;

a check section that checks whether the obstacle, which the vehicle door is likely to touch, is present in the door opening direction based on the projection and reception of the laser light by the laser sensor; and

an opening angle limit section that limits an opening angle of the vehicle door when the check section determines that the obstacle is present;

wherein

the check section determines that the obstacle is present when the laser sensor receives no laser light in excess of a predetermined intensity in response to projection of the laser light in a downward direction relative to a mounting position of the laser sensor;

the laser sensor is mounted directly on the vehicle to move with the vehicle door; and

the plane scanned by the laser sensor is deviated from a surface of the vehicle door by a predetermined angle.

11. The vehicle door opening angle control system according to claim 10, wherein the laser light scans only the plane oriented in the door opening direction.