Motor vehicle door arrangement

• US 8,284,022 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brose Schließsysteme Gmbh & Co. Kg
• Original Assignee: Brose Schließsysteme Gmbh & Co. Kg
• Inventors: Kachouh, Checrallah
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barakat, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US11/613,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20070146120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,120 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.72
• US Class Current: 340/5.72
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/245 where the antenna reception area plays a role
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/246 characterised by the challenge triggering
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/70 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/68 Handles, cranks
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/86 by hand
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/424 against unintended use, e.g. protection against vandalism or sabotage
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00507 keyless data carrier having more than one function
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/08 With time considerations, e.g. temporary activation, valid time window or time limitations
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/63 Comprising locating means for detecting the position of the data carrier, i.e. within the vehicle or within a certain distance from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/64 using a proximity sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A motor vehicle door arrangement with at least one motor vehicle door and a drive for motorized movement of the motor vehicle door from the closed position into the open position and from the open position into the closed position and with a control for triggering the drive, the control being assigned an optionally actuatable mobile part which the user generally carries and which interacts with the control means over a wireless transmission link when the user approaches the motor vehicle, enhanced actuation automatically carrying out opening and/or a closing as triggered by a predetermined process of use and without the necessity of actuating the mobile part. With respect to enhanced actuation, the control means, especially with the vehicle stopped, can be moved into the activated and deactivated states, and can be triggered by the predetermined usage process exclusively when the control means is in the activated state.

Claims

1. Motor vehicle door arrangement, comprising:

at least one motor vehicle door,

a drive for motorized movement of the motor vehicle door from the closed position into an open position in an opening process and from the open position into a closed position in a closing process,

control means for triggering the drive in an enhanced actuation that automatically carries out at least one of said opening process and said closing process at least in response to a predetermined user activity, the control means having a vehicle located part and a mobile part,

an electronic memory associated with the control means, the electronic memory being settable in response to activation of the control means and being located in the mobile part of the control means which a user is able to carry, and

a wireless transmission link for communicating the vehicle located part of the control means with the mobile part of the control means,

wherein the control means is movable into an activated state and into a deactivated state with respect to enhanced actuation, the control means being movable into the activated state by manually actuating said mobile part,

wherein the mobile part is activatable beforehand when the mobile part is out of the range of the vehicle located part of the control means,

wherein the vehicle located part of the control means is able to read out the electronic memory located in the mobile part of the control means via the wireless transmission link as the user with the mobile part approaches the vehicle so as to release or block enhanced actuation depending on the read out from the memory, and

wherein enhanced actuation is triggerable by the predetermined user activity without the necessity of manual actuation of the mobile part solely when the memory has been set beforehand so as to place the mobile part of the control means is in the activated state, the control means being shifted into the deactivated state after carrying out of the enhanced actuation and

wherein the control means, if not deactivated due to carrying out of the enhanced actuation, is adapted to remain in the activated state only for a predetermined time and after expiration of the predetermined time to drop back into the deactivated state.

2. Motor vehicle door arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic memory of the mobile part contains authorization data, wherein the control means is adapted to perform an authorization check interval over the wireless transmission link, and wherein the enhanced actuation is triggerable solely after a successful completion of said authorization check interval.

3. Motor vehicle door arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the activation means is also actuatable from the interior of the motor vehicle.

4. Motor vehicle door arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein the activation means comprise a switch or a button in the interior of the motor vehicle.

5. Motor vehicle door arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said least one motor vehicle door comprises a plurality of motor vehicle doors which are operable by a respective motor, and wherein each of the motor vehicle doors is individually operable by activation of the control means so that, when enhanced activation is carried out, only the motor vehicle door for which the control means was activated beforehand is moved by the respective motor.

6. Motor vehicle door arrangement as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a triggering means for initiation of enhanced actuation, the triggering means being located on the vehicle and operatively associated with the control means.

7. Motor vehicle door arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein said predetermined user activity comprises the user moving toward or away from the vehicle in a defined manner and wherein the triggering means comprises a proximity sensing means for sensing the movement of the user toward or away from the vehicle in the defined manner.

8. Motor vehicle door arrangement as claimed in claim 7, the defined manner in which the user moves toward or away from the vehicle that is sensed by the proximity sensing means is whether the user is moving into a detection region assigned to a particular motor vehicle door which is to be actuated with respect to enhanced actuation or is moving out of said detection region.

9. Motor vehicle door arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein said at least one motor vehicle door comprises a plurality of doors, each of which can be actuated by a respective motor, and wherein the proximity sensing means is adapted for determining which of the motor vehicle doors is to be actuated with respect to enhanced actuation is to be actuated with respect to enhanced actuation for movement by the respective motor in response to movement of the user with respect to at least one of several detection regions.

10. Motor vehicle door arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the triggering means comprises a proximity sensor and wherein the proximity sensor is located on a door handle of the motor vehicle door.

11. Motor vehicle door arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the triggering means comprises a speech recognition module and wherein enhanced actuation is triggerable by speech input of the user located outside the motor vehicle.

12. Motor vehicle door arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one motor vehicle door comprises at least one of a side door, a sliding door, a rear hatch, and a hood.

13. Motor vehicle door arrangement as claimed in claim 6, further comprising an interior monitoring means for preventing actuation of the triggering means when the user is in the interior of the motor vehicle, wherein said interior monitoring means is responsive to at least one of the engine and the ignition being on.