CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A MOTORIZED CLOSURE ELEMENT ARRANGEMENT OF A MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20150176323A1
• Filed: 12/23/2014
• Published: 06/25/2015
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,920,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: 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

Abstract

Described is a control system for 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, such as a leg, in the longitudinal direction can be detected by means of the at least one distance sensor, wherein the control arrangement detects a predetermined transverse movement cycle, which runs in a transverse direction, of a body part of an operator, such as a leg, 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 for a motorized closure element arrangement of a motor vehicle, wherein at least one linear distance sensor, which measures distances transverse to its local extent and passes over an elongate sensor region (5a, 5b) in a longitudinal direction, 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, 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,

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.

2. The 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 in that the control arrangement performs driving of the drive arrangement depending on the result of the operator control event monitoring process.

3. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the transverse movement cycle and the longitudinal movement cycle comprise a forward and backward movement of the body part of the operator.

4. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the detection of the operator control event which is based on the transverse movement cycle is based directly on the distance measurement, and in that the detection of the operator control event which is based on the longitudinal movement cycle is based on the longitudinal movement detection.

5. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the driving of the closure element arrangement, which driving the control arrangement performs in response to the detection of the operator control event which is based on the transverse movement cycle, is identical to the driving of the closure element arrangement, which driving the control arrangement performs in response to the detection of the operator control event which is based on the longitudinal movement cycle, or in that the driving of the closure element arrangement, which driving the control arrangement performs in response to the detection of the operator control event which is based on the transverse movement cycle, is different to the driving of the closure element arrangement, which driving the control arrangement performs in response to the detection of the operator control event which is based on the longitudinal movement cycle.

6. The control system according to claim 1, wherein two distance sensors which run beside one another are provided.

7. The control system according to claim 6, wherein the longitudinal movement cycle in each case generates a measurement value pulse in the sensor measurement values of the two distance sensors, and in that, 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 of the distance sensors.

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

9. The control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one distance sensor for longitudinal movement detection has a sensor configuration which changes along the longitudinal direction, so that a body part of the operator which moves in the longitudinal direction generates changing sensor measurement values of the at least one distance sensor.

10. The control system according to claim 9, wherein, for longitudinal movement detection, at least one distance sensor has a sensor configuration which changes periodically along the longitudinal direction with a period length.

11. The control system according to claim 9, wherein the at least one distance sensor runs along the longitudinal direction in an alternating manner around a center line as part of the changing sensor configuration.

12. The control system according claim 1, wherein at least one distance sensor is designed as a capacitive distance sensor and has a linear measurement electrode by means of which a capacitive measurement area can be generated.

13. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the measurement electrode is designed as a round conductor and is bent into the alternating shape, and/or in that the at least one distance sensor is designed as a flat conductor and is pre-shaped into the alternating shape.

14. The control system according to claim 1, 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.

15. A method for driving a closure element arrangement of a motor vehicle, in particular by means of a control system according to claim 1, wherein 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, 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, the at least one distance sensor is monitored by means of a control arrangement 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, wherein a predetermined transverse movement cycle, which runs in a transverse direction, of a body part of an operator is detected by means of the control arrangement as an operator control event as part of the operator control event monitoring process and the closure element arrangement is driven in response,

wherein a predetermined longitudinal movement cycle, which runs in the longitudinal direction, of a body part of an operator is detected by means of the control arrangement as an operator control event as part of the operator control event monitoring process and the closure element arrangement is driven in response.

16. The control system according to claim 2, 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. The control system according to claim 6, wherein the two distance sensors run parallel to one another.

18. The control system according to claim 10, wherein the period length corresponds at least to the extent of the longitudinal movement cycle in the longitudinal direction.

19. The control system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one distance sensor runs in the longitudinal direction with a wave shape, or in that the at least one distance sensor runs along the longitudinal direction with a zigzag shape, or in that the at least one distance sensor runs along the longitudinal direction with a rectangular shape.

20. The control system according claim 12, wherein the measurement electrode is designed as a round conductor or as a flat conductor.