Method for controlling an adjusting movement of a vehicle closing element with collision avoidance for a lock region and anti-trap system

• US 9,476,243 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2013
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, Hallstadt
• Original Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, Hallstadt
• Inventors: Wuerstlein, Holger, Herrmann, Christian, Pohl, Florian
• Primary Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US14/418,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20150267454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 701/49, 163/37, 324/687, 324/681, 296/146.7, 296/146.4, 493/40, 340/657
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0315 using multiplexing techniques multiplexing for transmission of signals G08C15/00; multiplexing for electrical communication in general H04J
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/46 responsive to changes in electrical capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/60 using electrical actuators
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/22 Locks
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/244 arranged in serial relationship
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling an adjusting movement of a vehicle closing element of a vehicle to be closed in a manner actuated by an external force, such as a tailgate lid, wherein an obstacle in the path of adjustment of the vehicle closing element can be detected by means of a capacitive anti-trap system in order to prevent this obstacle from being trapped, and the vehicle closing element has a locking part, via which the vehicle closing element can be locked in a closed position. An obstacle in a monitoring region around the locking part provided on the vehicle closing element can also be detected via the capacitive anti-trap system in order to prevent a collision of this locking part with an obstacle at least as the vehicle closing element closes.

Claims

1. A method for controlling movement of a vehicle closing element of a vehicle, the vehicle closing element configured to be moved into a closed position by an external force to close a body opening of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle closing element has a locking part for locking the vehicle closing element in the closed position, the method comprising:

detecting an obstacle in an adjustment path of the vehicle closing element moving to the closed position by using a capacitive anti-trap system;

controlling the movement of the vehicle closing element using the capacitive anti-trap system such that an obstacle is prevented from being trapped between the vehicle closing element and a vehicle body defining body opening, and

detecting an obstacle in a monitoring region around the locking part using the capacitive anti-trap system in order to prevent a collision of the locking part with the obstacle at least as the vehicle closing element moves towards the closed position,

wherein the vehicle closing element comprises two different closing edges on the vehicle body on which each vehicle closing element rests in the closed position and wherein the locking part is located on one of the closing edges; and

wherein at least two electrode pairs of the capacitive anti-trap system each comprise a transmitter electrode and a receiver electrode which each extend over at least a part of the two different closing edges such that an obstacle at least at one of the closing edges and an imminent collision of the locking part with the obstacle can be detected due to an electric capacitance of the electrode pair changing on account of the obstacle.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein detecting an obstacle in the monitoring region comprises evaluating a change of an electric capacitance.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein both the detecting of an obstacle in the adjustment path of the vehicle closing element and the detecting of an obstacle in the monitoring region around the locking part are performed by means of an electronic evaluator of the capacitive anti-trap system, the electronic evaluator having an evaluation logic suitable for evaluating received measurement signals.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one transmitter electrode and an associated receiver electrode of the capacitive anti-trap system each extend over at least a part of the two closing edges such that an obstacle in the adjustment path of the vehicle closing element at least at one of the closing edges and an imminent collision of the locking part with an obstacle in the monitoring region around the locking part can be detected by an electric capacitance changing on account of the obstacle.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one transmitter electrode or the at least one receiver electrode is arranged on the vehicle closing element within a housing or a cover of the locking part.

5. A method for controlling movement of a vehicle closing element of a vehicle, the vehicle closing element configured to be moved into a closed position by an external force to close a body opening of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle closing element has a locking part for locking the vehicle closing element in the closed position, the method comprising:

detecting an obstacle in an adjustment path of the vehicle closing element moving to the closed position by using a capacitive anti-trap system;

controlling the movement of the vehicle closing element using the capacitive anti-trap system such that an obstacle is prevented from being trapped between the vehicle closing element and a vehicle body defining the body opening, and

detecting an obstacle in a monitoring region around the locking part using the capacitive anti-trap system in order to prevent a collision of the locking part with the obstacle at least as the vehicle closing element moves towards the closed position, wherein the capacitive anti-trap system has a first and a second electrode pair, wherein

the first electrode pair comprises a first transmitter electrode and a first receiver electrode to produce a first electric field in a first monitoring region,

the second electrode pair comprises a second transmitter electrode and a second receiver electrode to produce a second electric field in a second monitoring region, and

the two electrode pairs are arranged and interconnected such that, via the electrode pairs, a capacitance change on account of an obstacle can be detected in a third monitoring region, which is different from the first and second monitoring regions and in which the locking part is located.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the two electrode pairs are spaced from one another on different sides of the locking part and wherein the third monitoring region extends substantially between the two electrode pairs.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first transmitter electrode and the second receiver electrode and/or the second transmitter electrode and the first receiver electrode are interconnected in order to be able to detect an obstacle in the third monitoring region.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first transmitter electrode and the second receiver electrode and the second transmitter electrode and the first receiver electrode are interconnected in succession in order to be able to detect an obstacle in the third monitoring region.

9. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one signal representative of the first monitoring region, at least one signal representative of the second monitoring region and at least one signal representative of the third monitoring region are evaluated in succession in a predefined order via an electronic evaluator of the capacitive anti-trap system.

10. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the interconnection of the electrode pairs is controlled by a time multiplexer.

14. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the two electrode pairs are arranged at a distance from one another on different sides of the locking part and the third monitoring region extends substantially between two ends of the electrodes of the electrode pairs.

11. A capacitive anti-trap system for a vehicle, the capacitive anti-trap system being configured to detect an obstacle in an adjustment path of a vehicle closing element moving to a closed position by an external force and to prevent the obstacle from being trapped between the closing vehicle closing element and a vehicle body defining a body opening that is configured to be closed by the vehicle closing element in the closed position and being configured to detect an object in a monitoring region around a locking part on the vehicle closing element in order to prevent a collision of the locking part with the object at least as the vehicle closing element closes, wherein the vehicle closing element has at least two different closing edges, via each of which the vehicle closing element rests in the closed position thereof on the vehicle structure, and the locking part is provided on one of the closing edges, each of the electrode pairs extending over at least a part of the two different closing edges such that both an obstacle in the adjustment path of the vehicle closing element and an imminent collision of the locking part with an obstacle can be detected by each electrode pair based on a changed electrical capacitance caused by the obstacle, the capacitive anti-trap system comprising:

at least two electrode pairs each comprising a transmitter electrode and a receiver electrode, wherein the at least one electrode pair is configured to produce an electric field by activating the transmitter electrode with electric alternating current and is configured to be influenced by an obstacle in such a way that an electric capacitance is measurably changed; and

an electronic evaluator having an evaluation logic by which a signal received via a receiver electrode can be evaluated to determine whether the electric capacitance has changed on account of the obstacle in an adjustment path of the vehicle closing element.

12. A capacitive anti-trap system for a vehicle, the capacitive anti-trap system being configured to detect an obstacle in an adjustment path of a vehicle closing element moving to a closed position by an external force and to prevent the obstacle from being trapped between the closing vehicle closing element and a vehicle body defining a body opening that is configured to be closed by the vehicle closing element in the closed position and being configured to detect an object in a monitoring region around a locking part on the vehicle closing element in order to prevent a collision of the locking part with the object at least as the vehicle closing element closes, wherein the vehicle closing element has at least two different closing edges, via each of which the vehicle closing element rests in the closed position thereof on the vehicle structure, and the locking part is provided on one of the closing edges, each of the electrode pairs extending over at least a part of the two different closing edges such that both an obstacle in the adjustment path of the vehicle closing element and an imminent collision of the locking part with an obstacle can be detected by each electrode pair based on a changed electrical capacitance caused by the obstacle, the capacitive anti-trap system comprising:

at least two electrode pairs each comprising a transmitter electrode and a receiver electrode, wherein the at least one electrode pair is configured to produce an electric field by activating the transmitter electrode with electric alternating current and is configured to be influenced by an obstacle in such a way that an electric capacitance is measurably changed; and

an electronic evaluator having an evaluation logic by which a signal received via a receiver electrode can be evaluated to determine whether the electric capacitance has changed on account of the obstacle in an adjustment path of the vehicle closing element,

wherein the at least two electrode pairs comprise a first and a second electrode pair, wherein

the first electrode pair comprises a first transmitter electrode and a first receiver electrode configured to produce a first electric field in a first monitoring region,

the second electrode pair comprises a second transmitter electrode and a second receiver electrode configured to produce an electric field in a second monitoring region, and

the at least two electrode pairs are arranged and interconnected such that, via the electrode pairs, a capacitance change on account of an obstacle can be detected in a third monitoring region, which is different from the first and second monitoring regions and in which the locking part is located.