Secure method for automatically closing a motor vehicle tailgate

• US 8,606,467 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2008
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: U-Shin France SAS (Minebea Mitsumi, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Securite Habitacle (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Gehin, Frdric
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US12/665,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20100256875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,994 Days
• Field of Search: 701/49, 250/559.4, 250/221, 250/341.1, 340/989, 340/426.16, 340/426.29, 340/435, 340/436, 340/3.63, 340/5.72, 340/5.2, 296/76, 296/FOR.116, 296/139, 296/37.16, 493/39, 493/40
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/40 Safety devices, e.g. detection of obstructions or end positions
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/77 using wireless control
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9314 Parking operations

Abstract

The subject of the invention is a secure method for automatically closing a motor vehicle tailgate (200) fitted with at least one presence sensor (201; 202; 203; 204) of an element in a detection zone (206), the said detection zone having at least one shadow zone (207; 208; 209; 210), characterized in that it comprises the step consisting in making the automatic operation of closing the vehicle tailgate conditional upon the completion of the following various operations: —detecting (301) the presence of an element in the detection zone; —detecting (304) a departure of the said element from the detection zone.

Claims

1. A secure method of automatically closing a motor vehicle tailgate equipped with at least one sensor detecting the presence of an element in a detection zone, said detection zone having at least one shadow zone, the method comprising:

an operation for automatically closing the tailgate of the vehicle is conditioned upon;

detecting the presence of an element in the detection zone; and

detecting a departure of said element from the detection zone,

wherein the method further comprises a preliminary step of receiving a command to automatically close the trunk of the vehicle, and

wherein the method further comprises;

immediately after receiving the automatic command to automatically close the trunk of the vehicle, triggering a first countdown of a first duration; and

if no element presence is detected in the detection zone after the first countdown, canceling the operation for automatically closing the vehicle tailgate.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure command is received from an intention sensor.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the intention sensor is positioned in the trunk of the vehicle, on one of a plurality of lateral walls of said trunk.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor detecting the presence of the element in the detection zone is a sensor used for a parking aid function.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor detecting the presence of the element in the detection zone is involves at least one camera oriented towards the rear of the vehicle, said camera cooperating with image processing applications.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first duration is between 15 and 25 seconds.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

immediately after detecting the presence of an element in the detection zone, triggering a second countdown of a second duration;

if no departure of said element from the detection zone has taken place by the end of the second countdown, canceling the operation to automatically close the vehicle tailgate.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second duration is between 4 and 10 seconds.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising stopping the operation to automatically close the tailgate immediately a return of an element to the detection zone is detected.

10. The method as claimed in the claim 9, further comprising resuming the operation to automatically close the tailgate immediately a new detection of departure of said element from the detection zone is performed.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, the detection zone consists of two detection sub-zones.

12. The method as claimed claim 11, wherein the second detection sub-zone has a width that makes it possible to reliably detect an element.

13. A secure method of automatically closing a motor vehicle tailgate equipped with at least one sensor detecting the presence of an element in a detection zone, said detection zone having at least one shadow zone, the method comprising:

an operation for automatically closing the tailgate of the vehicle is conditioned upon;

detecting the presence of an element in the detection zone; and

detecting a departure of said element from the detection zone,

wherein the detection zone consists of two detection sub-zones, and

wherein the detection of the presence of an element in the detection zone comprises;

immediately after the automatic command to automatically close the trunk of the vehicle is received, triggering a third countdown of a first duration;

if no element presence has been detected in the first detection sub-zone on completion of the third countdown, canceling the operation to automatically close the vehicle tailgate.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the detection of the presence of an element in the detection zone comprises:

immediately after the presence of an element is detected in the first detection sub-zone, triggering a fourth countdown of a second duration;

if no element presence has been detected in the second detection sub-zone on completion of the fourth countdown, canceling the operation to automatically close the vehicle tailgate.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the detection of the presence of an element in the detection zone comprises:

immediately after the presence of an element is detected in the second detection sub-zone, detecting the presence of the element in the first detection sub-zone;

if no element presence has been detected in the first detection sub-zone, proceeding with the operation to automatically close the vehicle tailgate.