Control system for a motorized closure element arrangement of a motor vehicle

• US 9,574,388 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2014
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Company KG Hallstadt (Brose)
• Original Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Company KG Hallstadt (Brose)
• Inventors: Ebert, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US14/581,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20150176324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/60 using electrical actuators
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/548 Trunk lids

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a control system for driving a motorized closure element arrangement of a vehicle, wherein at least one linear distance sensor, is provided in order to detect operator control events in the form of operator movement cycles, wherein, as part of an operator control event monitoring process, a control arrangement monitors the at least one distance sensor in order to check whether a predetermined operator control event is present, wherein a longitudinal movement of a body part of an operator in the longitudinal direction can additionally be detected by means of the at least one distance sensor. It is proposed that the control arrangement detects a predetermined longitudinal movement cycle, which runs in the longitudinal direction, of a body part of an operator as an operator control event as part of the operator control event monitoring process and drives the closure element arrangement in response.

Claims

1. A control system configured for driving a motorized closure element arrangement of a motor vehicle, comprising:

at least one linear distance sensor, which measures distances transverse to its local extent and passes over an elongate sensor region in a longitudinal direction, wherein the at least one linear distance sensor is configured to detect operator control events in the form of operator movement cycles; and

a control arrangement configured to monitor the at least one distance sensor, as part of an operator control event monitoring process, in order to check whether a predetermined operator control event is present, wherein a longitudinal movement of a body part of an operator in the longitudinal direction can additionally be detected by the at least one distance sensor,

wherein the control arrangement detects a predetermined longitudinal movement cycle, which runs in the longitudinal direction of a body part of an operator as an operator control event as part of the operator control event monitoring process, and drives the closure element arrangement in response,

wherein the at least one distance sensor, for the purpose of longitudinal movement detection, has a sensor configuration which changes periodically along the longitudinal direction with a period length, so that the body part of the operator which moves in the longitudinal direction generates changing sensor measurement values of the distance sensor, and

wherein the period length corresponds at least to the extent of the longitudinal movement cycle in the longitudinal direction.

2. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the control arrangement detects a predetermined transverse movement cycle, which runs in a transverse direction, of a body part of an operator as an operator control event as part of the operator control event monitoring process and drives the closure element arrangement in response.

3. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the closure element arrangement has a closure element and a drive arrangement which is associated with the closure element, and wherein the control arrangement performs driving of the drive arrangement depending on the result of the operator control event monitoring process.

4. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the transverse movement cycle and/or the longitudinal movement cycle comprises a forward and backward movement of the body part of the operator.

5. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one distance sensor runs along the longitudinal direction in an alternating manner around a centerline as part of the changing sensor configuration.

6. A control system according to claim 5, wherein, in the installed state, the position of the distance sensor alternates substantially vertically along the longitudinal direction.

7. A control system according to claim 1, further comprising two distance sensors which run parallel to one another.

8. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal movement cycle in each case generates a measurement value pulse in the sensor measurement values of the two distance sensors, and wherein, as part of the operator control event identification process, a necessary condition for the detection of the longitudinal movement cycle as an operator control event is a minimum time offset between these measurement value pulses.

9. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one distance sensor is designed as a capacitive distance sensor and has a linear measurement electrode by which a capacitive measurement area can be generated.

10. A control system according to claim 9, wherein the measurement electrode is designed as a round conductor and is bent into the alternating shape, and/or wherein the measurement electrode is designed as a flat conductor and is pre-shaped into the alternating shape.

11. A control system according to claim 9, wherein a shielding arrangement for shielding sections of the capacitive measurement area is provided in order to generate the sensor configuration, which changes along the longitudinal direction, at least of one distance sensor.

12. A control system according to claim 11, wherein the shielding arrangement has at least one metal shielding plate.

13. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal movement cycle and the transverse movement cycle generate sensor measurement value profiles of a distance sensor with substantially the same signal shapes.

16. A control system according to claim 3, wherein the control arrangement performs driving of the drive arrangement in response to the detection of the operator control event which is based on the transverse movement cycle as such and also in response to the detection of the operator control event which is based on the longitudinal movement cycle as such.

17. A control system according to claim 5, wherein the at least one distance sensor runs along the longitudinal direction with a wave shape, or wherein the at least one distance sensor runs along the longitudinal direction with a zigzag shape, or wherein the at least one distance sensor runs along the longitudinal direction with a rectangular shape.

18. A control system according to claim 7, wherein the two distance sensors are interlaced in one another.

19. A control system according to claim 9, wherein the measurement electrode is designed as a round conductor or as a flat conductor.

20. A control system according to claim 12, wherein the metal shielding plate surrounds the respective distance sensor in sections.

14. A distance sensor arrangement for a control system configured for driving a motorized closure element arrangement of a motor vehicle, comprising two linear distance sensors, which are configured to measure distances transverse to their local extent and each pass over an elongate sensor region in a longitudinal direction, wherein the two linear distance sensors are configured to detect operator control events in the form of operator movement cycles, wherein a longitudinal movement of a body part of an operator in the longitudinal direction can additionally be detected by the distance sensors, wherein the distance sensors, for the purpose of longitudinal movement detection, each have a sensor configuration which changes periodically along the longitudinal direction with a period length, so that a body part of the operator which moves in the longitudinal direction generates changing sensor measurement values of the distance sensors, and wherein the two distance sensors run parallel to one another.

15. The distance sensor arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the distance sensors each run along the longitudinal direction in an alternating manner around a centerline as part of the changing sensor configuration.