MAGNETIC OBJECT DETECTION FOR VEHICLE DOOR ASSIST SYSTEM

• US 20170030128A1
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Elie, Larry, Potter, Timothy J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,570,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/047 characterised by the opening or closing movement
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/40 Safety devices, e.g. detection of obstructions or end positions
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/42 Detection using safety edges
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/611 for swinging wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/71 responsive to temperature changes, rain, wind or noise
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/75 responsive to the weight or other physical contact of a person or object
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/30 of motors
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/32 Position control, detection or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/20 by varying inductance, e.g. by a movable armature
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/10 using induction coils
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A door assist system for a vehicle is disclosed. The system comprises an actuator configured to control a position of the door about a hinge assembly and an interference sensor. The interference sensor is configured to generate an electromagnetic field in an interference zone between the door and a body of the vehicle. Based on changes or fluctuations in the electromagnetic field, the interference sensor is configured to scan the interference zone for an obstruction and generate a detection signal. The system further comprises a controller configured to control the actuator in response to the detection signal.

Claims

1. A door assist system for a vehicle comprising:

an actuator configured to control a position of the door about a hinge assembly;

an interference sensor configured to;

generate an electromagnetic field in an interference zone between the door and a body of the vehicle;

scan the interference zone for an obstruction in the electromagnetic field; and

generate a detection signal; and

a controller configured to control the actuator in response to the detection signal.

2. The door assist system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the actuator to adjust the position of the door between an open position and a closed position.

3. The door assist system according to claim 1, wherein the interference sensor corresponds to a plurality magnetic sensors.

4. The door assist system according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of magnetic sensors are configured to:

detect changes in the electromagnetic field in a plurality of detection regions corresponding to each of the magnetic sensors.

5. The door assist system according to claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to identify an approximate location of the obstruction in the plurality of detection regions in response to the detection signal.

6. The door assist system according to claim 5, wherein the approximate location is identified by the controller based on a location of at least one of the plurality of magnetic sensors on the door.

7. The door assist system according to claim 6, wherein the approximate location is determined by the controller in response to the detection signal corresponding to a detection region of at least one of the magnetic sensor extending radially along the door relative the hinge assembly.

8. The door assist system according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to control motion of the door independently in response to a detection of the obstruction in each of the detection regions based on the detection signal.

9. An interference sensor for a vehicle door comprising:

an induction coil configured to generate a magnetic field between the door and a body of the vehicle;

an array of magnetic sensors disposed along a door opening of the vehicle, each of the magnetic sensors of the array configured to detect an obstruction in a sensory region; and

a processor in communication with the magnetic sensors and configured to detect an obstruction to a rotational movement of the door, wherein the processor is configured to output a control response to prevent a collision of the door with the obstruction.

10. The interference sensor according to claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to detect the obstruction in response to changes in the magnetic field proximate at least one of the magnetic sensors.

11. The interference sensor according to claim 9, wherein each of the magnetic sensors is configured to output a detection signal and the processor is configured to identify the obstruction in a particular sensory region based on the detection signal.

12. The interference sensor according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to identify a radial extent of the obstruction based on the particular sensory region corresponding to a position of at least one the magnetic sensors on the vehicle door.

13. The interference sensor according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to compare the detection signal from at least one of the magnetic sensors to previously measured characteristics of the detection signal from the at least one magnetic sensors to identify a presence of the obstruction proximate each of the magnetic sensors.

14. The interference sensor according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to detect the obstruction proximate each of the magnetic sensors based on a predetermined detection threshold to control a sensitivity of the detection in each of the sensory regions.

15. A door assist system for a vehicle comprising:

an actuator configured to control a position of the door about a hinge assembly;

an interference sensor configured to generate a detection signal in response to detecting an obstruction in an electromagnetic field substantially between the door and a body of the vehicle;

an angular position sensor configured to identify an angular position of the door; and

a controller configured to control the actuator based on the angular position of the door and the detection signal.

16. The door assist system according to claim 15, wherein the interference sensor comprises a plurality of magnetic sensors disposed along a door opening of the vehicle.

17. The door assist system according to claim 16, wherein the door is rotatably connected to the vehicle via the hinge assembly.

18. The door assist system according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of magnetic sensors is configured to detect the obstruction in a plurality of sensory regions extending radially along the door opening from the hinge assembly.

19. The door assist system according to claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to detect the obstruction at a particular sensitivity for each of the sensory regions based on the detection signal from each of the plurality of magnetic sensors.

20. The door assist system according to claim 19, wherein the controller is configured to change the particular sensitivity for at least one of the sensory regions based the angular position of the door.