Assembly module for a motor vehicle with an optical sensor system for monitoring a detection region and an actuation region

• US 9,919,678 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2015
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Mnig, Stefan, Schumacher, Helmut, Heller, Norbert, Mller, Oliver, Ette, Bernd, Sticherling, Nadine, Ziegler, Alexander, Malabo Yomkil, Jean, Schindler, Mirko, Lindic, Iko, Hache, Christof
• Primary Examiner(s): RUSHING, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US15/115,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20170182975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 340 564
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/64 using a proximity sensor

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly module (20) for a motor vehicle (1), comprising an optical sensor system (30) which is suitable for: a) monitoring a detection region (150) lying outside of the motor vehicle (1) in order to determine the proximity of a user (10), b) in the event of a detection of the user (10) in the detection region (150), monitoring an activation region (160) arranged within the detection region (150) in order to determine whether the user (10) is located within the activation region (160), and c) in the event of a detection of the user (10) in the activation region (160), triggering a signal for the execution of an action at the motor vehicle (1).

Claims

1. An assembly module for a motor vehicle, with an optical sensor system that is suitable for

a) monitoring a detection region lying outside of the vehicle, so as to determine the proximity of a user,

b) in the event the user is detected in a detection region, monitoring an actuation region arranged within the detection region to determine whether the user is located within the actuation region, and

c) in the event the user is detected in the actuation region, triggering a signal for executing an action on the motor vehicle, and

wherein the optical sensor system is configured to expend less energy for monitoring the detection region than for monitoring the actuation region.

2. The assembly module according to claim 1, wherein

the optical sensor system is designed to monitor the actuation region within the detection region by sending out a laser light flash and recognizing a reflection of the laser light flash from the user.

3. The assembly module according to claim 1, wherein

the optical sensor system is designed, in the event the user is recognized in the detection region, to trigger a signal for starting an authentication check between an ID transmitter and an access control system of the motor vehicle, and that steps b) to c) are executed only given a positive authentication result.

4. The assembly module according to claim 1, wherein

the optical sensor system is designed to suppress steps b) to c) when no user has been recognized in the detection region.

5. The assembly module according to claim 1, wherein

the optical sensor system comprises a transmitting unit for sending out a laser light flash with a wavelength in the infrared range, in particular with a wavelength lying within a range of 905 nm plus/minus approx. 10 nm.

6. The assembly module according to claim 1, wherein

the optical sensor system comprises at least one optical filter, in particular an infrared filter, for optically filtering at least a transmitted laser light flash or the reflection of the laser light flash.

7. The assembly module according to claim 1, wherein

the optical sensor system comprises at least one polarizer for at least polarizing a transmitted laser light flash or the reflection of the laser light flash.

8. The assembly module according to claim 1, wherein

the optical sensor system comprises an optical system for expanding the Gaussian distribution of intensity of a transmitted laser light flash, so as to provide a sufficiently high intensity to the edges of the detection region.

9. The assembly module according to claim 1 wherein

the optical sensor system comprises a cylindrical or essentially cylindrical structural shape.

10. The assembly module according to claim 1, wherein

the optical sensor system is designed to overlap, in particular to completely overlap, at least the detection region or an actuation region with a transmitted laser light flash.

11. The assembly module according to claim 1, wherein

the optical sensor system comprises a control device with a transmitting unit for sending out a laser light flash, wherein the transmitting unit comprises an alignment with a transmitting direction acutely angled relative to the horizontal, in particular at an angle greater than approx. 30°

.

12. The assembly module according to claim 1, wherein

the optical sensor system comprises a control device for evaluating the time difference between the transmission of a laser light flash and the detection of the reflection of the laser light flash from the user based on the distance of the user from the optical sensor system.

13. The assembly module according to claim 1, wherein

the signal is triggered for executing at least one of the following actions on the motor vehicle:

at least Opening or closing the tailgate of the vehicle

at least Opening or closing a sliding door of the motor vehicle

at least Opening or closing a side door of the motor vehicle

at least Opening or closing a window of the motor vehicle

at least Opening or closing the hood of the motor vehicle

at least Opening or closing the gas cap of the motor vehicle

at least Switching on or off an auxiliary heater of the motor vehicle

at least Switching on or off a window heater of the motor vehicle

at least Switching on or off a light function of the motor vehicle

at least Folding in or out the side mirrors of the motor vehicle

at least Switching on or off an alarm system of the motor vehicle

Setting a user-specific position in the motor vehicle, in particular adjusting the driver'"'"'s seat

at least Deploying or retracting a trailer coupling.

14. The assembly module according to claim 1, wherein

the optical sensor system comprises a control device with a detection unit for executing step a), a transmitting unit for executing step b), and an evaluation unit for executing step c).

15. The assembly module according to claim 14, wherein

the transmitting unit comprises at least one laser light source for the transmission of a laser light flash, in particular for the pulsed transmission of a plurality of laser light flashes in succession, and the control device further comprises a receiving unit for detecting a reflection of the laser light flash.

16. The assembly module according to claim 15, wherein

the at least one laser light source is located next to the receiving unit.

17. The assembly module according to claim 14, wherein

the transmitting unit is designed to send out a laser light flash along at least two transmitting directions, which meet at a focal point arranged within the detection region, in particular within the actuation region.

18. The assembly module according to claim 1, wherein

a laser light flash is sent out in the actuation region, which is smaller in design than the detection region within the detection region.

22. The assembly module according to claim 15, wherein the transmitting unit comprises a plurality of laser light sources circularly and uniformly distributed around the receiving unit.

19. A method for triggering a signal for executing an action on a motor vehicle, comprising the following steps:

a) monitoring a detection region lying outside of the vehicle, so as to determine the proximity of a user,

b) in the event the user is detected in a detection region, monitoring an actuation region arranged within the detection region to determine whether the user is located within the actuation region, and

c) in the event the user is detected in the actuation region, triggering a signal for executing an action on the motor vehicle, and

wherein the method expends less energy for monitoring the detection region than for monitoring the actuation region.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the following steps are performed for monitoring the actuation region:

a) Sending out a laser light flash within the detection region, and

b) Recognizing a reflection of the laser light flash from the user.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein

the method according to claim 20 is for operation in an assembly module for a motor vehicle, with an optical sensor system that is suitable for

a) monitoring a detection region lying outside of the vehicle, so as to determine the proximity of a user,

b) in the event the user is detected in a detection region, monitoring an actuation region arranged within the detection region to determine whether the user is located within the actuation region, and

c) in the event the user is detected in the actuation region, triggering a signal for executing an action on the motor vehicle.