Adjustment device for a movable body part of a motor vehicle and method for adjusting the movable body part

• US 8,297,682 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Oirsouw, Harrie, Fox, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Morrow, Jason S
• Application Number:
  US12/305,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20100037523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 296/146.4, 296/146.8
• US Class Current: 296/146.4
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/603 using rotary electromotors
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/70 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/302 during electromotoric braking
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/334 by using pulse generators
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/44 Sensors therefore E05Y2400/322, E05Y2400/33, E05Y2400/55, E05Y2400/56, E05Y2400/852 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/452 for saving energy
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/113 Power assistance
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailgates

Abstract

An adjustment device and a corresponding method for a movable body part of a vehicle, has an actuator for adjusting the movable body part and has a control device for activating the actuator in an operating state. The control device switches from the operating state to an idle state if no adjustment of the movable body part occurs within a defined period of time. A manual adjustment of the movable body part switches the control device back to the operating state from the idle state.

Claims

1. An adjustment device for a movable body part of a motor vehicle, comprising:

an actuator adjusting the movable body part; and

a control device activating the actuator during an operating state, the control device transitioning from the operating state to an idle state if no adjustment of the movable body part occurs within a defined period of time, wherein a manual adjustment of the movable body part switches the control device from the idle state back to the operating state, wherein the control device includes a correction system for correcting the position of the adjustable body part when the position has changed during a wakeup phase from the idle state to the operating state.

2. The adjustment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the manual adjustment of the movable body part generates at least one of a voltage and a current pulse in the actuator, the at least one of the voltage and the current pulse being used as a wakeup signal for the control device.

3. The adjustment device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a wakeup system operationally linked to the movable body part, for causing at least one of a voltage change and a current change, the at least one of the voltage change and the current change being used as a wakeup signal for the control device as a result of the manual adjustment of the movable body part.

4. The adjustment device as recited in claim 3 wherein the wakeup system includes at least one of a slide potentiometer and a Hall sensor integrated into the actuator.

5. The adjustment device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a position detector detecting an instantaneous position of the movable body part during the operating state of the control device.

6. The adjustment device as recited in claim 1, wherein an instantaneous position of the movable body part is detected without a detector in that a waviness of a commutation signal activating a commutation device of the actuator is analyzed in the scope of a ripple count method by the control device to detect the position of the movable body part.

7. The adjustment device as recited in claim 5, wherein the control device stores the detected instantaneous position in a memory before the transition from the operating state to the idle state and reads out the detected instantaneous position from the memory after being switched back to the operating state.

8. The adjustment device as recited in claim 7, wherein the control device reactivates the position detector to detect the position of the movable body part after the control device is switched back to the operating state.

9. The adjustment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the wakeup phase includes a time span from the manual adjustment of the movable body part until a readout of a stored position from a memory.

10. The adjustment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the control device performs a calibration procedure to calibrate a stored final position of the movable body part, the calibration procedure being performed at defined points in time.

11. The adjustment device as recited in claim 10, wherein a frequency of the calibration procedures is a function of a required precision of wakeup and adjustment procedures used in the adjustment device.

12. The adjustment device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an electrical system for preventing a leakage current from causing an undesired wakeup of the control device.

13. The adjustment device as recited in claim 12, wherein the electrical system includes at least one switching system for decoupling a diagnostic branch of the actuator from an electrical ground potential during the idle state of the control device.

14. The adjustment device as recited in claim 12, wherein the electrical system includes at least one resistor network connected to the diagnostic branch of the actuator, the at least one resistor network dimensioned in such a way that a voltage drop caused by a leakage current does not exceed a defined limiting value for the wakeup of the control device.

15. The adjustment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the movable body part of the motor vehicle is one of a hatchback, a vehicle door, a convertible top, an engine hood and a fuel tank cap.

16. The adjustment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the actuator is an electric motor, which operates as a generator to generate the wakeup signal.

17. The adjustment device as recited in claim 5, wherein the position detector is one of a Hall sensor integrated into the actuator and a wakeup system operationally linked to the movable body part for causing at least one of a voltage change and a current change, the at least one of the voltage change and the current change being used as a wakeup signal for the control device as a result of the manual adjustment of the movable body part.

18. A motor vehicle including an adjustment device, the adjustment device comprising:

an actuator adjusting a movable body part; and

a control device activating the actuator during an operating state, the control device transitioning from the operating state to an idle state if no adjustment of the movable body part occurs within a defined period of time, wherein a manual adjustment of the movable body part switches the control device from the idle state back to the operating state, wherein the control device includes a correction system for correcting the position of the adjustable body part when the position has changed during a wakeup phase from the idle state to the operating state.

19. A method for adjusting a movable body part of a motor vehicle using an actuator, comprising:

activating the actuator using a control device during an operating state;

switching the control device from the operating state to an idle state if no adjustment of the movable body part occurs within a defined period of time;

switching the control device from the idle state back to the operating state in response to a manual adjustment of the movable body part, and

correcting the position of the adjustable body part, using a correction system of the control device, when the position has changed during a wakeup phase of the control device from the idle state to the operating state.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

responsive to the manual adjustment of the movable body part, generating at least one of a voltage and a current pulse, in the actuator, the at least one of the voltage and the current pulse being used as a wakeup signal for the control device.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the at least one of the voltage and the current pulse is generated by a wakeup system for generating the wakeup signal in response to the manual adjustment of the movable body part.

22. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

detecting an instantaneous position of the movable body part during the operating state of the control device using a position detector;

storing the detected instantaneous position in a memory of the control device before the transition of the control device from the operating state to the idle state; and

reading the stored detected instantaneous position out from the memory after the control device is switched back to the operating state.

23. The method as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

activating the position detector using the control device, to detect the position of the movable body part after the control device is switched back to the operating state.

24. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

detecting an instantaneous position of the movable body part without using a detector in that a waviness of a commutation signal activating a commutation device of the actuator is analyzed in the scope of a ripple count method by the control device to detect the position of the movable body part.

25. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the wakeup phase of the control device includes a time span from the manual adjustment of the movable body part until a readout of a stored position from a memory.

26. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

performing a calibration procedure at defined points in time to calibrate a stored final position of the movable body part.

27. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein a frequency of the calibration procedures is a function of a required precision of wakeup and adjustment procedures used in the control device.

28. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

preventing, using an electrical system, a leakage current from causing an undesired wakeup of the control device.

29. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the electrical system includes at least one switching system for decoupling a diagnostic branch of the actuator from an electrical ground potential in the idle state of the control device.

30. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the electrical system includes at least one resistor network in a diagnostic branch of the actuator, the at least one resistor network dimensioned in such a way that a defined limiting value for the wakeup of the control device is not exceeded by a voltage drop caused by the leakage current.

31. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the movable body part of the motor vehicle is one of a hatchback, a vehicle door, a convertible top, an engine hood and a fuel tank cap.

32. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the actuator is an electric motor, which operates as a generator to generate the wakeup signal.

33. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the position detector is one of a Hall sensor integrated into the actuator and a potentiometer operationally linked to the movable body part.