Vehicle door control system

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle door control system. The vehicle door control system (14) comprises: a door control switch (18) for detecting the open / closed state of a side door (10); a latch actuator (20) for performing an unlocking action to release the latch of the side door (10) maintained in a closed state; an unlocking switch (16) disposed in a vehicle compartment and operated by a user when releasing the latch; and a controller (26) for causing the latch actuator (20) to perform an unlocking action when the unlocking switch (16) is operated, wherein the controller (26) does not perform the unlocking action even if the unlocking switch (16) is operated while the side door (10) is in an open state.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-099610 filed on June 15, 2021, the entire contents of which including specification, claims, drawings, and abstract are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This specification discloses a vehicle door control system that controls the state of a latch of the vehicle door. Background Art

[0004] Generally, a latch mechanism is provided on a door mounted on a vehicle in order to reliably maintain a closed state. The latch mechanism includes, for example, a latch body provided on the door and a striker provided on the vehicle and capable of engaging with the latch body. When the door reaches a locked position, the latch body engages with the striker, thereby reliably maintaining the closed state of the door.

[0005] In recent years, electric latches that electrically release such latches are known. For example, in Patent Document 1, a technology is disclosed in which an actuator drives a latch mechanism to release the latch of a vehicle door when an unlock switch provided in the vehicle is operated. In Patent Document 1, when the locking of the vehicle door is detected, the actuator is prohibited from being driven for a predetermined time regardless of the operation of the unlock switch. By adopting the structure involved, even if the unlock switch is mistakenly touched just after the vehicle door is locked, it is possible to prevent the latch from being released against the intention. However, depending on the position of the unlock switch, there is a situation where the user mistakenly operates the unlock switch while pulling the open vehicle door in the locking direction, that is, before the vehicle door is completely locked. In this case, since the latch actuator is driven in the middle of the locking of the vehicle door, there is a possibility that the latch cannot be locked even if the vehicle door reaches the locked position. Since the technology of Patent Document 1 prohibits latch release within a fixed time after the latch is locked, it cannot solve the latch failure that the latch cannot be locked even when the door reaches the locked position.

[0006] Therefore, this specification discloses a vehicle door control system that can more reliably prevent a vehicle door from being improperly locked.

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-032139 Summary of the invention

[0008] The control system of the vehicle door of the present specification is characterized in that it comprises: a door sensor, which detects the open and closed state of the door; a latch actuator, which performs an unlocking action to release the latch of the door maintained in a closed state; an unlocking switch, which is arranged in the vehicle compartment and is operated by the user when the latch is released; and a controller, which causes the latch actuator to perform an unlocking action when the unlocking switch is operated, and the controller does not perform the unlocking action while the door is in an open state even if the unlocking switch is operated.

[0009] By adopting the structure, even if the unlock switch is operated by mistake when the door is pulled in the locking direction from the inside of the vehicle, the latch can be properly locked. As a result, the locking failure of the door can be more reliably prevented.

[0010] In this case, the controller may cause the latch actuator to perform an unlocking operation when the unlock switch is operated a predetermined reference number of times while the door is in an open state, the reference number of times being two or more.

[0011] By adopting the structure involved, even if the door is in an open state, if the latch is to be released, the latch can be released as long as the unlock switch is operated more than a reference number of times. In particular, in order to eliminate the door being loose, it is necessary to release the latch, and by adopting the structure described above, the door being loose can be eliminated by a simple operation.

[0012] In addition, the following method can also be adopted, that is, for the controller, even if the vehicle door is in an open state, when the unlock switch is operated a specified reference number of times within a predetermined limit time, the latch actuator is caused to perform an unlocking action, and the reference number of times is more than two times.

[0013] By adopting the structure, even if the door is in an open state, when the user wants to release the latch, for example, when the user wants to release the latch in order to release the door from being tightly closed, the latch can be released as long as the unlock switch is operated more than a reference number of times within the time limit. In addition, since such an action of repeatedly operating within the time limit is difficult to occur without clear awareness, the structure can more reliably prevent the latch from being released against the user's intention.

[0014] Furthermore, the controller may cause the latch actuator to perform an unlocking operation when the unlock switch is long pressed even when the door is in an open state.

[0015] By adopting the structure, even if the door is in an open state, when the user wants to release the latch, for example, when the user wants to release the latch in order to release the door from being tightly closed, the user can release the latch by long pressing the unlock switch. In addition, since long pressing is an action that is difficult to perform without clear awareness, the structure can more reliably prevent the latch from being released against the user's intention.

[0016] Furthermore, the door sensor may detect, as the open state, a door not-closed state in which a latch body provided on the door and a striker provided on the vehicle are not sufficiently engaged with each other.

[0017] Since the door sensor involved can be obtained with a relatively easy structure, the cost can be reduced.

[0018] In addition, the following method can also be adopted, that is, the door sensor distinguishes and detects the unclosed state of the door in which the latch body provided on the door is not fully engaged with the striker provided on the vehicle and the open state, and the controller causes the latch actuator to perform an unlocking action when the unlock switch is operated during the unclosed state of the door.

[0019] By adopting the structure, it is possible to more reliably prevent the latch from being released against the user's intention in the open state. On the other hand, the door unclosed state can be easily eliminated.

[0020] Furthermore, the unlock switch may be provided on an inner end surface in the vehicle width direction of a door handle gripped by a user when the vehicle door is opened or closed.

[0021] By adopting the structure, when locking the door from the inside of the vehicle, the direction of the force applied to the door handle is opposite to the direction of pressing the unlock switch. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the unlock switch from being mistakenly operated during the locking operation.

[0022] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, it is possible to more reliably prevent the locking failure of the vehicle door. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 A block diagram showing the structure of a control system for a vehicle door.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the side door of the vehicle as viewed from the vehicle cabin side.

[0025] Figure 3A A diagram showing the latch mechanism in the released state.

[0026] Figure 3B A diagram showing a latch mechanism in a half-latched state.

[0027] Figure 3C A diagram showing the latch mechanism in a fully latched state.

[0028] Figure 4 A diagram showing the latch mechanism when an unlocking operation is being performed.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a flowchart showing the flow of processing by the controller.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a timing chart showing an example of the operation of the control system.

[0031] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing another example of the flow of the processing of the controller.

[0032] Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing another example of the flow of the processing of the controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Hereinafter, the vehicle door control system 14 will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 , is a block diagram showing the structure of the vehicle door control system 14. In addition, Figure 2 1 is a perspective view of the side door 10 of the vehicle as viewed from the vehicle compartment side.

[0034] In this example, the door to be controlled is Figure 2 The side door 10 is shown. The side door 10 is provided on the side of the automobile and covers the door opening on the side of the vehicle in a freely openable and closable manner. The front end of the side door 10 is connected to the vehicle body via a hinge (not shown), so that the side door 10 can swing around the hinge. Hereinafter, the state in which the side door 10 is completely locked is referred to as the "CL state", and the state in which the side door 10 is opened is referred to as the "OP state".

[0035] The vehicle is provided with a latch mechanism 24 for maintaining the side door 10 in the CL state. As described in detail later, the latch mechanism 24 includes a striker 40 fixed to the vehicle body, a latch body 32 that can engage with the striker 40, and a ratchet 42 that interferes with the latch body 32 to restrict the swing of the latch body 32 (see Figure 1 , Figure 3, in Figure 2(not shown in the figure). The latch body 32 and the ratchet 42 are arranged inside the side door 10, and the latch body 32 and the striker 40 are fully engaged, so that the side door 10 is maintained in a locked state. As the state of the latch mechanism 24, that is, the latch state, there are a "release state" in which the engagement between the latch body 32 and the striker 40 is completely released, a "completely latched state" in which the latch body 32 and the striker 40 are fully engaged, and a "half-latched state" in which the latch body 32 and the striker 40 are not fully engaged. Among them, the so-called half-latched state refers to a state generally referred to as "the door is not tightly closed", and is a state in which the side door 10 is not completely closed.

[0036] The control system 14 is a system that mainly manages the latch state. Figure 1 As shown, the control system 14 of this example includes a latch mechanism 24 , a latch lever 22 , an unlock switch 16 , a courtesy switch 18 , a latch actuator 20 , and a controller 26 .

[0037] First, the structure of the latch mechanism 24 will be described with reference to FIG3. FIG3 is a diagram showing an example of the latch mechanism 24. Figure 3A Indicates the release state, Figure 3B Indicates half-latch state, Figure 3C Indicates a fully latched state. As described above, the latch mechanism 24 has a striker 40 fixed to the vehicle body, and a latch body 32 and a ratchet 42 provided inside the side door 10. The latch body 32 is a plate that can swing around a predetermined rotation axis 32a. When the latch body 32 changes from the released state to the fully latched state, it swings in the counterclockwise direction of the paper, that is, the engagement direction A+, and when the latch body 32 changes from the fully latched state to the released state, it swings in the clockwise direction of the paper, that is, the release direction A-. The latch body 32 is urged in the release direction A- by a latch spring not shown.

[0038] In addition, the latch body 32 is formed with an engagement groove 34 into which the striker 40 can enter. The engagement groove 34 opens in a downward oblique direction toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction in the released state, and opens in a downward oblique direction toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction in the fully latched state. Both sides of the engagement groove 34 function as a fully latched pawl 36 and a half latched pawl 38 that interfere with the ratchet 42. The fully latched pawl 36 is located on the release direction A-side relative to the engagement groove 34, and the half latched pawl 38 is located on the engagement direction A+side relative to the engagement groove 34.

[0039] The ratchet 42 is a plate that can swing around a predetermined rotation axis 42a. The ratchet 42 can be switched to a restricted state in which it interferes with a part of the latch body 32 to restrict the swing of the latch body 32, and a permitted state in which it is separated from the latch body 32 to allow the swing of the latch body 32. When the permitted state is switched to the restricted state, the ratchet 42 swings in the counterclockwise direction of the paper, that is, the restricted direction B+, and when the restricted state is switched to the permitted state, the ratchet 42 swings in the clockwise direction of the paper, that is, the permitted direction B-. In addition, the ratchet 42 is biased in the restricted direction B+ by a ratchet spring (not shown).

[0040] The striker 40 is, for example, a substantially U-shaped rod, and is provided at a position in the vehicle body where it can enter the engagement groove 34 when the side door 10 is locked. Figure 2 As shown, an entry and exit groove 44 for allowing the striker 40 to enter is formed at the rear end edge of the side door 10 .

[0041] When the side door 10 in the OP state is moved in the locking direction, the latch body 32 approaches the striker 40 and causes the striker 40 to relatively enter the engagement groove 34. Then, by advancing the locking action, the striker 40 presses the latch body 32 in the engagement direction A+. As a result, the latch body 32 overcomes the forces of the latch spring and the ratchet spring and rotates in the engagement direction A+. When the ratchet 42 passes over the half latch claw 38 with this rotation, it becomes Figure 3B In the semi-latched state, the ratchet 42 interferes with the semi-latched pawl 38. Therefore, the swing of the latch body 32 in the release direction A- is restricted. However, in this state, the side door 10 is not completely locked.

[0042] When the side door 10 is completely locked, the latch body 32 further swings from the semi-latch state, so that the ratchet 42 passes over the full latch pawl 36. This state is, Figure 3C In the fully latched state, the ratchet 42 interferes with the fully latched pawl 36, so that the latch body 32 is restricted from swinging in the release direction A-. In addition, the side door 10 is maintained in the CL state.

[0043] After the fully latched state (i.e., CL state) or the half-latched state is reached, when the ratchet 42 is swung in the permissive direction B- by overcoming the force of the ratchet spring, the latch body 32 is swung in the release direction A- by the force of the latch spring. Thus, the engagement between the latch body 32 and the striker 40 is released, thereby allowing the side door 10 to be opened. In addition, the structure described here is an example, and the latch mechanism 24 can be appropriately changed as long as it can maintain the side door 10 in the CL state.

[0044] Next, refer to Figure 1 The structure of the control system 14 will be described below. The latch lever 22 is a lever mechanically connected to the ratchet 42 via a wire or the like. The latch lever 22 is, for example, Figure 2 As shown in the figure, it is mounted on the inner side of the side door 10 in the vehicle width direction. When the latch lever 22 is pulled in a predetermined direction, its action is mechanically transmitted to the ratchet 42 as an action in the permission direction B-. Then, the ratchet 42 swings in the permission direction B-, so that the latch body 32 swings in the release direction A-, and the latch is released.

[0045] The unlock switch 16 is a switch that is pressed by the user when the user wants to release the latch. When the unlock switch 16 is operated, a release signal is output. Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the unlocking switch 16 is provided on the door handle 12. The door handle 12 is a handle for the user to hold when opening and closing the side door 10 from the inside of the vehicle. In this example, the unlocking switch 16 is arranged on the inner side of the door handle 12 in the vehicle width direction and near the thumb of the hand holding the door handle 12. By adopting the above arrangement, the user can simultaneously perform the pressing operation of the unlocking switch 16 and the action of pushing the side door 10 in the opening direction. And, as a result, the side door 10 can be easily opened.

[0046] The latch actuator 20 is an actuator that performs an unlocking action to release the latch implemented by the latch mechanism 24 according to a driving signal from the controller 26. Although the structure of the latch actuator 20 involved is not particularly limited, for example, the latch actuator 20 may also have a wire connected to the ratchet 42, a coil frame for winding the wire, and a driving source for rotating the coil frame. As the driving source, for example, a motor, a solenoid valve, a hydraulic cylinder, etc. can be used. The latch actuator 20 is driven to swing the ratchet 42 in the permissible direction B-, thereby releasing the latch.

[0047] The door control switch 18 is a door sensor that detects the open / closed state of the side door 10. The door control switch 18 is, for example, mounted on the periphery of the door opening, and is a switch that is turned on when pressed by the side door 10 in the CL state, and is turned off when the pressing by the side door 10 is released. The detection result generated by the door control switch 18, that is, the on / off state of the door control switch 18, is input to the controller 26. In addition, when the door is not tightly closed (i.e., in the half-latch state), the door control switch 18 is turned on. Therefore, the controller 26 determines the door is not tightly closed as the OP state in which the side door 10 is opened.

[0048] The controller 26 is a component that controls the driving of the latch actuator 20, and is physically a computer having a processor 28 and a memory 30. The "computer" also includes a microcontroller in which a computer system is assembled into an integrated circuit. In addition, a plurality of processors 28 and a plurality of memories 30 may be provided.

[0049] The controller 26 controls the driving of the latch actuator 20 based on the signals from the unlock switch 16 and the door control switch 18. Specifically, when the door control switch 18 is in the OFF state (i.e., the side door 10 is in the CL state), when a release signal is input from the unlock switch 16 (i.e., when the unlock switch 16 is operated), the controller 26 drives the latch actuator 20 to release the latch. On the other hand, when the door control switch 18 is in the ON state (i.e., the side door 10 is in the OP state), even if a release signal is input from the unlock switch 16 (i.e., even if the unlock switch 16 is operated), the controller 26 does not drive the latch actuator 20 to release the latch. In other words, in this example, when the side door 10 is in the OP state, the unlock switch 16 is invalidated.

[0050] In this way, the unlock switch 16 is disabled in the OP state in order to prevent the side door 10 from being improperly locked. That is, as described above, in this example, the unlock switch 16 is set at a position where the hand that grasps the door handle 12 can easily enter and exit. Therefore, when the door handle 12 is pulled inward in the vehicle width direction in order to lock the side door 10 in the OP state, the unlock switch 16 may be pressed by mistake. Here, if the unlock switch 16 is enabled even in the OP state, the unlock switch 16 may be pressed in the middle of the locking action of the side door 10 to drive the latch actuator 20. In this case, even if the side door 10 reaches the locked position, the latch will not lock. That is, when the latch actuator 20 is driven, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the ratchet 42 is pulled in the permissive direction B-. Therefore, if there is no force pushing the side door 10 in the locking direction, the latch body 32 will immediately move in the releasing direction A- due to the force of the latch spring. Then, as a result, the latch is not locked and the side door 10 is not maintained in the CL state. On the other hand, as long as the side door 10 reaches the locked position, the user will think that the side door 10 is properly locked, and may not notice that the latch is still released.

[0051] In order to avoid such a problem, in this example, the unlock switch 16 is disabled in the OP state. By adopting the structure involved, even if the unlock switch 16 is operated by mistake in the middle of the locking action, the latch actuator 20 will not be driven. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent a locking failure in which the latch is not locked when the side door 10 reaches the locking position.

[0052] However, in this example, even in the OP state, the latch actuator 20 is driven when the unlock switch 16 is operated twice to release the latch. This is to eliminate the half-latch state (i.e., the door is not tightly closed). That is, as described above, and as Figure 3B As shown, in the half-latch state, the latch body 32 is not completely engaged with the striker 40. In order to eliminate the half-latch state, it is necessary to open the side door 10 more widely after releasing the latch once, and then pull the side door 10 hard in the locking direction again. That is, in order to eliminate the half-latch state, it is necessary to perform an unlocking action to swing the ratchet 42 in the permissible direction B-. On the other hand, in this example, the half-latch state is detected as the OP state. Therefore, when the unlock switch 16 is completely disabled in the OP state, in order to eliminate the half-latch state, it is necessary to operate the latch rod 22 separately, which makes the operation complicated.

[0053] Therefore, in this example, even in the OP state, when the unlocking switch 16 is operated a predetermined reference number of times, the latch actuator 20 is driven to release the latch mechanism 24. Therefore, when switching from the CL state to the OP state, the controller 26 counts the number of operations i of the unlocking switch 16, that is, the number of times the release signal is received. Then, when the number of operations i reaches the reference number of times, the controller 26 drives the latch actuator 20 to release the latch mechanism 24. By adopting the structure involved, when the state becomes half-latch, by operating the unlocking switch 16 for the reference number of times, the latch can be released, and the half-latch state can be released. In addition, although the reference number of times is not particularly limited as long as it is a value greater than 2, in the following description, the reference number is set to "2".

[0054] Here, in general, when a person does not get a predetermined response even though he / she has operated the switch once, he / she often suspects that an accidental error has occurred (for example, insufficient amount of the switch pressed, noise, poor contact, etc.), and thus performs the switch operation again. Even in the case of this example, when the user has a half-latch state, it is natural that the user will operate the unlock switch 16 again if the latch cannot be released even if the unlock switch 16 is operated once. Therefore, as described above, if a structure is adopted in which the unlocking action is exceptionally performed when the unlock switch 16 is operated twice even in the OP state, the user can easily eliminate the half-latch state without being aware of the special operation steps.

[0055] Next, refer to Figure 5 The processing flow of the controller 26 is described below. If the vehicle is started, the controller 26 will initialize the number of operations i and set it to i=0 (S10). In addition, the controller 26 will also periodically monitor the state of the door switch 18 thereafter. If the state is switched from the CL state to the OP state, that is, if the door switch 18 is switched from the off state to the on state, the number of operations i will be initialized again and set to i=0 (S12, S14).

[0056] In addition, the controller 26 also monitors the operation status of the unlock switch 16 (S16). As a result of the monitoring, if the unlock switch 16 is still disconnected, the standby state continues. On the other hand, if the unlock switch 16 becomes conductive (Yes in S16), the controller 26 confirms the current opening and closing state of the side door 10 (S18). Then, in the case of the CL state (No in S18), the controller 26 instructs the latch actuator 20 to perform an unlocking action (S26). On the other hand, in the case of the OP state (Yes in S18), the controller 26 increments the number of operations i (S20). Next, the controller 26 confirms the current number of operations i (S22). If the number of operations i is more than 2 (Yes in S22), the controller 26 instructs the latch actuator 20 to perform an unlocking action (S26). On the other hand, if the number of operations i is less than 2 (No in S22), as long as the vehicle is not turned off, the controller 26 returns to step S12 and repeats the same process.

[0057] Next, refer to Figure 6 , an operation example of the control system 14 is described. Figure 6 , is a timing diagram showing an example of the operation of the control system 14. Figure 6In the example of , the first level indicates the state of the door switch 18, the second level indicates the state of the unlock switch 16, the third level indicates the state of the latch actuator 20, and the fourth level indicates the state of the latch mechanism 24. Figure 6 In FIG. 1 , an arrow mark TC indicates the execution timing of the locking operation when the user pulls the side door 10 inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0058] exist Figure 6 In the example of , at time t0, the side door 10 is in the CL state, and then at time t1, the unlock switch 16 is operated. In this case, the controller 26 immediately drives the latch actuator 20 to release the latch. As a result, after time t1, the latch mechanism 24 changes to the release state, and the side door 10 becomes the OP state.

[0059] Next, at time t2, it is assumed that the user performs the locking action, but at the same time, the unlocking switch 16 is also pressed by mistake. Since the unlocking switch 16 is pressed in the OP state, the controller 26 does not drive the latch actuator 20. As a result, after time t2, the latch mechanism 24 is in the fully latched state, and the door control switch 18 is in the CL state. That is, even if the unlocking switch 16 is operated in parallel with the locking action of pulling the side door 10 inward, the side door 10 can be properly locked.

[0060] Next, at time t3, it is assumed that the unlock switch 16 is operated again. At this time, since the door control switch 18 is in the CL state, the controller 26 immediately drives the latch actuator 20 to release the latch.

[0061] Next, at time t4, it is assumed that the user performs a locking action. However, in the locking action at time t4, the force pulling the side door 10 in the locking direction is insufficient, resulting in a semi-latched state, that is, the so-called door not tightly closed state. In this case, if the latch mechanism 24 is not returned to the released state once, the semi-latched state cannot be eliminated. Therefore, the user operates the unlock switch 16 at time t5 to open the side door 10. However, at this time point, since the door control switch 18 is in the OP state, the controller 26 does not drive the latch actuator 20. In this case, the user will think that an accidental error has occurred, and thus perform the operation of the unlock switch 16 again at time t6. As a result, since the number of operations i during the OP state becomes "2", the controller 26 causes the latch actuator 20 to perform a latching action. As a result, the latch mechanism 24 becomes a released state, so that the user can swing the side door 10 in the opening direction. At time t7, if the side door 10 can be opened widely, the user will again perform a locking operation of pulling the side door 10 in the locking direction. Then, the latch mechanism 24 is brought into a fully latched state, and the side door 10 is properly locked.

[0062] As is clear from the above description, according to this example, even if the unlock switch 16 is operated by mistake during the locking action, the operation is invalidated, so the side door 10 can be properly locked. On the other hand, if the unlock switch 16 is operated twice in the OP state, the unlocking action is performed, so the door unclosed state can be properly and easily eliminated.

[0063] The configuration described above is an example, and any configuration may be used as long as the unlocking operation is not performed in principle even if the unlocking switch 16 is operated at least during the OP state, and other configurations may be changed as appropriate.

[0064] For example, during the OP state, the condition for exceptionally performing the unlocking action may be appropriately changed. That is, in the above example, if the total number of operations of the unlocking switch 16 during the OP state reaches 2, the unlocking action is exceptionally performed. However, the total number of operations for exceptionally performing the unlocking action is not limited to 2, and may be a larger number.

[0065] Furthermore, instead of the total number of operations, the unlocking operation may be exceptionally performed when the unlocking switch 16 is repeatedly pressed within a predetermined time. Figure 7 A flowchart showing the flow of processing in this case is shown.

[0066] like Figure 7As shown in FIG. 1 , in this case, the controller 26 manages parameters such as the elapsed time te in addition to the number of operations i. Immediately after the vehicle is started, the controller 26 initializes the two parameters i and te respectively, and sets i=0 and te=0 (S30, S32). In addition, if the elapsed time te becomes longer than the predetermined limit time tlim (Yes in S34), the parameters i and te are also initialized. In addition, the controller 26 monitors the operation status of the unlock switch 16 (S36). As a result of the monitoring, if the unlock switch 16 is operated (Yes in S36), the controller 26 confirms the open and closed state of the side door 10 (S38). Then, in the case of the CL state (No in S38), the controller 26 immediately causes the latch actuator 20 to perform the unlocking action (S50). On the other hand, in the case of the OP state (Yes in S38), the controller 26 increments the number of operations i (S40). Then, if the incremented operation number i is "1" (Yes in S42), the controller 26 starts counting the elapsed time te (S44). In addition, if the incremented operation number i is "2" (Yes in S46), the controller 26 causes the latch actuator 20 to perform an unlocking operation (S50). When the operation number i is less than 2, the process returns to step S36 and the same process is repeated.

[0067] As mentioned above, in Figure 7 In the case of , the number of operations i is initialized at the time point when the limit time tlim has passed. Figure 7 In the case of OP state, if the pressing operation is not performed twice within the time limit tlim, the latch will not be released. It is difficult to accidentally perform the pressing operation twice within the time limit tlim, and the user needs to act with clear awareness. Therefore, by adopting the structure involved, it is possible to more reliably prevent the unlocking action from being performed against the user's intention in the OP state. In addition, although the value of the time limit tlim is not particularly limited, the time limit tlim is usually set to a value of less than 3 seconds.

[0068] In addition, as another embodiment, in the OP state, the unlocking operation may be performed only when the unlocking switch 16 is long pressed. Figure 8As shown, the controller 26 can also confirm whether the operation content is a long press (S64) when the unlock switch 16 is turned on in the OP state (Yes in S60 and Yes in S62). Then, the following structure can also be adopted, that is, as a result of the confirmation, only in the case of a long press (Yes in S64), the latch actuator 20 performs the unlocking action (S68), and in the case of not a long press, regardless of the number of operations i, the unlocking action is not performed. Here, for the long press action, it is difficult to occur accidentally unless the user acts with clear consciousness. Therefore, by adopting the structure involved, it is possible to more reliably prevent the unlocking action from being performed against the user's intention in the OP state.

[0069] In addition, in the description so far, the door control switch 18 is used as a door sensor. Therefore, the door unclosed state in which the latch mechanism 24 is in a semi-latched state is also detected as an OP state. However, as a door sensor, a sensor that can distinguish between a semi-latched state and a released state can also be used. For example, in addition to the door control switch 18, the door sensor can also have a latch state switch that detects the latch state. Although the structure of the latch state switch is not particularly limited, for example, the latch state switch can use a rotary switch that outputs different signals according to the swing amount of the latch body 32. In this case, the rotary switch has an operating knob that is mechanically connected to the latch body 32 and swings together with the latch body 32. The controller 26 can detect the semi-latched state based on the detection result of the latch state switch and the detection result of the door control switch 18. In addition, in this case, the controller 26 can also completely invalidate the unlock switch 16 in the released state and validate the unlock switch 16 in the semi-latched state. By adopting the above structure, in the OP state, it is possible to reliably prevent the unlocking action against the user's intention and easily eliminate the door being loosely closed.

[0070] In the description so far, even in the OP state, the unlock switch 16 is exceptionally enabled when a predetermined condition is satisfied. However, the unlock switch 16 may be always disabled in the OP state. In this case, the door is not tightly closed and the latch lever 22 is operated to eliminate the state.

[0071] In addition, although the unlock switch 16 is invalidated in the OP state in the description so far, the unlock switch 16 can also be invalidated in other situations. For example, the user still holds the door handle 12 at the time point just after the side door 10 is locked, that is, just after the latch mechanism 24 is changed from the release state to the fully latched state. Therefore, there is also a situation where the user's finger mistakenly touches the unlock switch 16 just after the locking, so that the unlock switch 16 becomes the conductive state. In that case, since the latch is released just after the side door 10 is locked, the user must perform the locking action again, which is more laborious. Therefore, it is also possible to invalidate the unlock switch 16 after the transition from the release state to the fully latched state until a predetermined standby time has passed. By adopting the structure involved, it is possible to effectively prevent the opening of the side door 10 against the intention. In addition, in this case, the standby time is not particularly limited, for example, the standby time can be set to a value less than 1 second. Furthermore, the unlock switch 16 may be disabled even when the vehicle starts traveling.

[0072] In addition, although the unlock switch 16 is described above as a physically depressible switch, the unlock switch 16 may be another type of switch as long as it can detect depressing or contact. For example, the unlock switch 16 may be a touch switch that can detect contact by a finger.

[0073] Explanation of symbols

[0074] 10…side door; 12…door handle; 14…control system; 16…unlock switch; 18…door switch; 20…latch actuator; 22…lock rod; 24…latch mechanism; 26…controller; 28…processor; 30…memory; 32…latch body; 32a…rotating shaft; 34…engaging groove; 36…full latch claw; 38…half latch claw; 40…strike pin; 42…ratchet; 42a…rotating shaft; 44…entry and exit groove.

Claims

1. A vehicle door control system, characterized in that: have: A door sensor detects the open or closed state of the door; a latch actuator for performing an unlocking operation to release a latch that maintains the door in a closed state; an unlock switch, which is disposed in the vehicle compartment and is operated by a user to output a release signal when the latch is released; a controller that causes the latch actuator to perform an unlocking operation when the unlock switch is operated and the release signal is input from the unlock switch, The controller does not cause the latch actuator to perform the unlocking action even if the unlocking switch is operated and the release signal is input from the unlocking switch while the door is in the open state. On the other hand, when the unlocking switch satisfies a predetermined condition, the controller causes the latch actuator to perform the unlocking action. The door sensor distinguishes and detects a door not-closed state in which a latch body provided on the door and a striker provided on the vehicle are not fully engaged from the open state. The controller causes the latch actuator to perform an unlocking operation when the unlock switch is operated while the door is not tightly closed.

2. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The predetermined condition is that the unlock switch is operated a predetermined reference number of times while the door is in the open state. The reference number of times is two or more.

3. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The predetermined condition is that, even if the vehicle door is in an open state, the unlock switch is operated a predetermined reference number of times within a predetermined limited time. The reference number of times is two or more.

4. The vehicle door control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The predetermined condition is that the unlock switch is long pressed even when the vehicle door is in an open state.

5. The vehicle door control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The unlock switch is provided on an inner end surface in the vehicle width direction of a door handle that is gripped by a user when the vehicle door is opened or closed.

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