Door opening and closing device

• US 9,834,175 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2016
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: U-Shin Limited (Minebea Mitsumi, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: U-Shin Limited (Minebea Mitsumi, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tokudome, Tetuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia, Santiago
• Application Number:
  US15/297,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20170113652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 340 561
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2036 by using the door logic and door and engine unlock means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2054 by foot gestures
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/241 whereby access privileges are related to the identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/74 using photoelectric cells
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/40 Control units therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/54 Obstruction or resistance detection
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/58 Sensitivity setting or adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards

Abstract

A door opening and closing device includes: a door opening and closing drive unit capable of opening and closing a door with respect to a vehicle body; detection units configured to detect a detection object; and a control unit configured to perform an opening and closing control of the door based on detection results of the detection units. One operation zone is set by making a portion of a first detection range of the first detection unit and a portion of a second detection range of the second detection unit overlap with each other. The control unit is configured to perform the opening and closing control of the door only when set movement of the detection object is detected within the operation zone, based on at least one of the detection result of the first detection unit and the detection result of the second detection unit.

Claims

1. A door opening and closing device comprising:

a door opening and closing drive unit capable of opening and closing a door with respect to a vehicle body;

a first detection unit and a second detection unit configured to detect a detection object around the door; and

a control unit configured to perform an opening and closing control of the door by way of the door opening and closing drive unit based on a detection result of the first detection unit and a detection result of the second detection unit, wherein

the first detection unit has a first detection range where the detection object is detectable, the second detection unit has a second detection range where the detection object is detectable, and one operation zone is set by making a portion of the first detection range and a portion of the second detection range overlap with each other,

the control unit is configured to perform the opening and closing control of the door only when set movement of the detection object is detected within the operation zone based on at least one of the detection result of the first detection unit and the detection result of the second detection unit,

wherein each of the first detection unit and the second detection unit has a transmission part configured to transmit a radio signal and a reception part configured to receive a reflection signal formed by the reflection of the radio signal on the detection object,

the operation zone has two or more operation detection sub zones, and

the control unit includes a determination part configured to determine the operation detection sub zone in which the detection object is present among the two or more operation detection sub zones, based on the reflection signal which the reception part receives.

2. The door opening and closing device according to claim 1, further comprising a collation unit which performs a key authentication of an electronic key by radio communication, and

a whole region of the first detection range and the second detection range including the operation zone is an approach region where key authentication is started by way of the collation unit upon the detection of the detection object in the approach region through the first detection unit or the second detection unit.

3. The door opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the operation detection sub zone is set depending on distances from the first detection unit and the second detection unit.

4. The door opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein a trigger sub zone where a predetermined control is started upon the detection of an approach of the detection object to the vehicle body by way of the first detection unit or the second detection unit is set as the operation detection sub zone, and

the door opening and closing device further comprises:

an optical display unit configured to perform an optical display so as to guide a user to the trigger sub zone; and

a display control unit configured to control the optical display unit upon the detection of the existence of the detection object within the operation zone by the first detection unit or the second detection unit.

5. The door opening and closing device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit includes a transmission/reception mode switching part configured to change over a transmission/reception function between a first transmission/reception mode where the transmission part and the reception part are driven in both the first detection unit and the second detection unit, and a second transmission/reception mode where only the transmission part is driven in one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit and only the reception part is driven in the other of the first detection unit and the second detection unit.

6. The door opening and closing device according to claim 5, wherein the transmission/reception mode switching part is configured to alternately change over the transmission/reception function of the first detection unit and the transmission/reception function of the second detection unit in the second transmission/reception mode, and

the determination part is configured to determine that the detection object exists within the operation zone when the reception part of the first detection unit and the reception part of the second detection unit each detect the reflection signal.

7. The door opening and closing device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit is configured to change over the transmission/reception mode into the second transmission/reception mode by the transmission/reception mode switching part at the time of detecting the detection object within the trigger sub zone.

8. The door opening and closing device according to claim 3, wherein a start sub zone is set at a position away from the trigger sub zone with respect to the vehicle body as the operation detection sub zone, and

the control unit is configured to perform an open/close control of the door by way of the door opening and closing drive unit when the detection object is detected within the start sub zone and the trigger sub zone in predetermined order.

9. The door opening and closing device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to perform an open control of the door by way of the door opening and closing drive unit when the movement of the detection object from the trigger sub zone to the start sub zone is detected after the detection object moves from the start sub zone to the trigger sub zone in a state where the door is closed.

10. The door opening and closing device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to perform a close control of the door by way of the door opening and closing drive unit when the movement of the detection object from the trigger sub zone to the start sub zone is detected after the detection object moves from the start sub zone to the trigger sub zone and the movement of the detection object in a direction away from the start sub zone is further detected within the start sub zone in a state where the door is opened.

11. The door opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the first detection unit and the second detection unit are arranged such that a first detection center axis of the first detection unit and a second detection center axis of the second detection unit intersect with each other.

12. The door opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the first detection unit and the second detection unit are arranged such that a first detection center axis of the first detection unit and a second detection center axis of the second detection unit do not intersect with each other.

13. A door opening and closing device comprising:

a door opening and closing drive unit capable of opening and closing a door with respect to a vehicle body;

a detection part disposed on the vehicle body and configured to detect a detection object around the door;

an optical display unit configured to perform an optical display so as to guide a user to a set position, and

a control unit configured to control the optical display unit and to perform an open/close control of the door by way of the door opening and closing drive unit, based on a detection result of the detection part, wherein

the detection part includes a transmission part configured to transmit a radio signal such that the radio signal expands radially, and a reception part configured to receive a reflection signal formed by the reflection of the radio signal on the detection object, wherein

the transmission part is disposed such that an output center of the radio signal is outputted in a horizontal direction from the vehicle body,

the detection part includes at least a first detection unit and the second detection unit,

the first detection unit has a first detection range formed by the radio signal, the second detection unit has a second detection range formed by the radio signal, and one operation zone is set by making a portion of the first detection range and a portion of the second detection range overlap with each other,

the control unit is configured to perform an open/close control of the door only when set movement of the detection object is detected within the operation zone, based on at least one of a detection result of the first detection unit and a detection result of the second detection unit, and

the operation zone has two or more operation detection sub zones depending on a distance from the detection part, and the optical display unit is configured to perform an optical display on a vehicle body side with respect to the first operation detection zone so as to guide a user to the first operation detection sub zone closest to the vehicle body.