An automatic folding method and system for an automobile outside mirror

Abstract

The application provides an automatic folding method and system for an automobile outside rearview mirror, which installs a rearview mirror detection radar on the outside rearview mirror, uses the rearview mirror detection radar and front and rear detection radars on front and rear bumpers of the automobile to detect obstacles in front and rear of the outside rearview mirror and front and rear of the automobile respectively, and then automatically folds the outside rearview mirror according to the detection results, so that the automatic folding of the rearview mirror is more intelligent, and the slow response and misjudgment caused by human operation are reduced. Meanwhile, the scratches caused by the outside rearview mirror or pedestrians are reduced, unnecessary losses of the owner are reduced, and the safety of driving is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of automobiles, and in particular to an automatic folding rearview mirror system for automobiles. Background Art

[0002] Existing vehicle exterior mirror folding is usually initiated manually or after the vehicle is locked. When driving on narrow roads or in crowded areas, the driver may experience a discrepancy between the actual distance between the left and right exterior mirrors and their own field of vision, resulting in the vehicle's exterior mirrors being scratched or even hitting pedestrians. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a method and system for automatically folding automobile rearview mirrors, which can enable the automobile exterior rearview mirrors to automatically identify obstacles in front and behind the exterior rearview mirrors after the vehicle is started, and fold and avoid them in time. This not only solves the problems of manual operation requiring parking and response time, but also solves the situation where manual judgment may make mistakes.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] The present invention first provides a method for automatically folding an automobile exterior rearview mirror, comprising:

[0006] A method for automatically folding an automobile exterior rearview mirror, characterized by comprising:

[0007] 1) Use the rearview mirror detection radar installed on the car's exterior rearview mirror to detect whether there are obstacles within a certain distance in front of and behind the car's exterior rearview mirror; at the same time, use the front and rear detection radars installed on the front and rear bumpers of the car to detect whether there are obstacles within a certain distance in front of and behind the car;

[0008] 2) Based on the results of the rearview mirror detection radar and the front and rear radar detection, as well as the relationship between the distance changes between the detection radar and the obstacle, it makes a judgment on whether to fold or keep the exterior rearview mirror stationary, and controls the exterior rearview mirror to perform related actions.

[0009] The logic for determining whether the exterior rearview mirrors are folded or kept stationary is as follows:

[0010] 2.1) When the rearview mirror detection radar detects an obstacle, but the front and rear detection radars do not, and if the distance between the rearview mirror detection radar and the obstacle decreases rapidly, the vehicle's exterior rearview mirror will be folded forward or backward;

[0011] 2.2) When the rearview mirror detection radar detects an obstacle and the front and rear detection radars also detect an obstacle, if the distance between the rearview mirror detection radar and the obstacle decreases rapidly, while the distance between the front and rear detection radars and the obstacle does not decrease significantly, the vehicle's exterior rearview mirrors are determined to be folded forward or backward. If the distance between the rearview mirror detection radar and the obstacle does not decrease significantly, and the distance between the front and rear detection radars and the obstacle does not decrease significantly, the vehicle's exterior rearview mirrors are determined not to need to be folded.

[0012] 2.3) When the rearview mirror detection radar does not detect an obstacle, but the front and rear detection radars detect an obstacle, it is determined that the vehicle's exterior rearview mirrors do not need to be folded.

[0013] The exterior rearview mirrors are folded forward or backward according to the direction of the car's movement and the position of the obstacle: when the car is moving forward and the obstacle is in front, the exterior rearview mirrors are folded backward; when the car is moving backward and the obstacle is behind, the exterior rearview mirrors are folded forward.

[0014] After passing an obstacle with the rearview mirror folded, the system continues to detect whether there are any obstacles within a certain distance in front of and behind the vehicle's exterior rearview mirror. When it is detected that the vehicle's exterior rearview mirror is far away from the obstacle, the system controls the vehicle's exterior rearview mirror to return to its normal unfolded state.

[0015] The forward or backward folding of the exterior rearview mirror is achieved by a forward and reverse folding motor arranged below the exterior rearview mirror of the car.

[0016] The rearview mirror detection radar detects obstacles within a distance of 2m in front of and behind the vehicle's exterior rearview mirror, and the front and rear detection radars detect obstacles within a distance of 1m in front of and behind the vehicle.

[0017] The present invention also provides an automatic folding system for automobile exterior rearview mirrors, comprising exterior rearview mirrors arranged on the left and right sides of the automobile, and further comprising:

[0018] A rearview mirror detection radar is installed on the vehicle's exterior rearview mirror to detect obstacles within a certain distance in front of and behind the exterior rearview mirror;

[0019] Front and rear detection radars are installed on the front and rear bumpers of the car to detect whether there are obstacles within a certain distance in front and behind the car;

[0020] Folding motor for folding the exterior mirrors forward or backward;

[0021] The controller controls the forward and reverse folding motors to fold the exterior rearview mirrors forward or backward based on obstacle signals detected by the rearview mirror detection radar, front and rear detection radars, and changes in the distance between the detection radars and obstacles. After leaving the obstacle, the controller controls the forward and reverse folding motors to restore the exterior rearview mirrors to the unfolded state.

[0022] The control switch is used to control the automatic folding system to be automatically opened when the vehicle is started or manually opened by a user.

[0023] The automobile outside rearview mirror folding system has an automatic folding mode and a reminding mode, in the automatic folding mode, when the controller makes a judgment that the outside rearview mirror needs to be folded, the outside rearview mirror is directly folded; in the reminding mode, when the controller makes a judgment that the outside rearview mirror needs to be folded, the driver is reminded to select whether to fold the outside rearview mirror.

[0024] The automobile outside rearview mirror folding system also has a warning mode, in the warning mode, when the controller makes a judgment that the outside rearview mirror needs to be folded, only the driver is warned through sound and light and an instrument.

[0025] The automobile outside rearview mirror folding system also has a warning mode, in the warning mode, when the controller makes a judgment that the outside rearview mirror needs to be folded, only the driver is warned through sound and light and an instrument. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] The application will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 The automobile outside rearview mirror folding system also has a warning mode, in the warning mode, when the controller makes a judgment that the outside rearview mirror needs to be folded, only the driver is warned through sound and light and an instrument.

[0028] Wherein: 1- outside rearview mirror; 2- rearview mirror detection radar; 3- positive and negative folding motor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present application more clear, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the present application.

[0030] Figure 1 The structure of the automobile outside rearview mirror is shown in the figure, the automobile outside rearview mirror 1 is arranged on the left and right sides of the automobile, and is used to observe the situation behind the vehicle. The existing automobile outside rearview mirror is manually folded or automatically folded after the vehicle is turned off, when the vehicle is driving in a narrow road section or a densely populated area, the vehicle outside rearview mirror may be scratched or the pedestrian may be scratched due to misjudgment. Therefore, the outside rearview mirror needs to be improved automatically, so that it can be automatically folded in this case.

[0031] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention first provides a method for automatically folding a vehicle's exterior rearview mirror, which determines whether to fold the exterior rearview mirror by determining whether there is an obstacle within a certain distance in front of and behind the exterior rearview mirror. Specifically, the method includes:

[0032] 1) Use the rearview mirror detection radar installed on the car's exterior rearview mirror to detect whether there are obstacles within a certain distance in front of and behind the car's exterior rearview mirror; at the same time, use the front and rear detection radars installed on the front and rear bumpers of the car to detect obstacles at a certain distance in front of and behind the car;

[0033] 2) Based on the detection results of the rearview mirror detection radar and the front and rear detection radars, as well as the relationship between the detection radar and the obstacle, it determines whether to fold or keep the rearview mirror stationary, and controls the rearview mirror to perform the relevant actions;

[0034] 3) After passing an obstacle with the rearview mirror folded, the system continues to detect whether there are any obstacles within a certain distance in front of and behind the exterior rearview mirror. When the distance between the exterior rearview mirror and the obstacle is detected to gradually increase, the exterior rearview mirror is controlled to return to its normal unfolded state.

[0035] The logic for determining whether the exterior rearview mirrors are folded or kept stationary is as follows:

[0036] 2.1) The rearview mirror detection radar is used to detect whether there are any obstacles within a certain distance, such as 2 meters, in front and behind the vehicle's exterior rearview mirror. The detection results of the front and rear detection radars are then combined to make a judgment. If the current detection radar does not find an obstacle within 1 meter, but the rearview mirror detection radar detects an obstacle and the distance to the obstacle is rapidly decreasing, it can be judged that the obstacle in front may affect the rearview mirror and there is a possibility of scratching. At this time, the outside rearview mirror is judged to be folded and an instruction to fold the outside rearview mirror backward is issued. If the rear detection radar does not find an obstacle within 1 meter, but the rearview mirror detection radar detects an obstacle and the distance to the obstacle is rapidly decreasing, it can be judged that the obstacle in the back may affect the rearview mirror and there is a possibility of scratching. At this time, the outside rearview mirror is judged to be folded and an instruction to fold the outside rearview mirror forward is issued.

[0037] 2.2) If the current detection radar or the rear detection radar detects an obstacle within 1 meter, but the rearview mirror detection radar does not detect an obstacle, the exterior rearview mirrors may be deemed unnecessary to fold and remain in their original position.

[0038] 2.3) If the current detection radar detects an obstacle within 1 meter and the rearview mirror detection radar also detects an obstacle ahead, further distance detection is required. If the distance between the front detection radar and the obstacle does not decrease significantly, but the distance between the rearview mirror detection radar and the obstacle decreases rapidly, the exterior mirrors are determined to be folded and folded backward. If the rear detection radar detects an obstacle within 1 meter and the rearview mirror detection radar also detects an obstacle, further distance detection is required. If the distance between the rear detection radar and the obstacle does not decrease significantly, but the distance between the rearview mirror detection radar and the obstacle decreases rapidly, the exterior mirrors are determined to be folded and folded forward.

[0039] 2.4) If the current detection radar detects an obstacle within 1 meter and the rearview mirror detection radar also detects an obstacle, further distance detection is required. If the distance between the front detection radar and the obstacle has not significantly decreased, and the rearview mirror detection radar also detects a similar decrease, then the decision is made that the rearview mirror does not need to be folded, and the rearview mirror will not respond. If the rear detection radar detects an obstacle within 1 meter and the rearview mirror detection radar also detects an obstacle, further distance detection is performed. If the distance between the front detection radar and the obstacle has not significantly decreased, and the rearview mirror detection radar does not significantly decrease, then the decision is made that the rearview mirror does not need to be folded, and the rearview mirror will not respond.

[0040] The present invention also provides an automatic folding system for automobile exterior rearview mirrors, comprising exterior rearview mirrors arranged on the left and right sides of the automobile, and further comprising:

[0041] A rearview mirror detection radar is installed on the vehicle's exterior rearview mirror to detect obstacles within a certain distance in front of and behind the exterior rearview mirror;

[0042] Front and rear detection radars are installed on the front and rear bumpers of the car to detect whether there are obstacles within a certain distance in front and behind the car;

[0043] Folding motor for folding the exterior mirrors forward or backward;

[0044] The controller controls the forward and reverse folding motors to fold the exterior rearview mirrors forward or backward based on obstacle signals detected by the rearview mirror detection radar, front and rear detection radars, and changes in the distance between the detection radars and obstacles. After leaving the obstacle, the controller controls the forward and reverse folding motors to restore the exterior rearview mirrors to the unfolded state.

[0045] The automatic folding system for vehicle exterior mirrors of the present invention also includes a control switch for controlling whether the automatic folding system automatically activates upon vehicle startup or is manually activated by the user. When the control switch is on, the automatic folding system automatically activates upon vehicle startup. When the control switch is off, the user is required to manually activate or deactivate the automatic folding system based on their usage habits.

[0046] The automatic folding system of the car's exterior rearview mirror has automatic folding mode, reminder mode and warning mode.

[0047] In the automatic folding mode, when the controller determines that the exterior rearview mirrors need to be folded, it controls the exterior rearview mirrors to fold directly;

[0048] In reminder mode, when the controller determines that the exterior mirrors need to be folded, it uses instrument panel prompts and voice notifications to inform the driver that if they continue forward, they must fold the mirrors to avoid the risk of scratches. The driver then executes the mirror folding suggestion and sends a voice command, prompting the controller to transmit the rearward folding signal to the forward and reverse folding motors. The forward and reverse folding motors receive the signal and execute the rearward folding command.

[0049] In warning mode, when the controller determines that the exterior mirrors need to be folded, it only warns the driver through sound, light and instruments.

[0050] When the detection radar detects that the vehicle is leaving the obstacle quickly after passing it, the controller makes logical control based on the transmitted signal and sends a signal to open the rearview mirror. If the rearview mirror needs to be restored and unfolded, the extension signal is transmitted to the forward and reverse folding motor to execute the rearview mirror to unfold.

[0051] The above logic is applicable to obstacles and pedestrians. At the same time, the forward and reverse folding motors have built-in mode switching. When in non-automatic folding mode, the folding starts at normal speed. When automatic folding mode is activated, the forward and reverse folding motors automatically speed up by 5 times to achieve a quick response.

[0052] The above specific embodiments describe the basic principles and main features of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited by the above embodiments. Any changes or substitutions that are not conceived through creative work should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope of protection defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A method for automatically folding a car's exterior rearview mirror, characterized in that: include: 1) Use the rearview mirror detection radar installed on the car's exterior rearview mirror to detect whether there are obstacles within a certain distance in front of and behind the car's exterior rearview mirror; At the same time, the front and rear detection radars installed on the front and rear bumpers of the car are used to detect whether there are obstacles within a certain distance in front and behind the car; 2) Based on the results of the rearview mirror detection radar and the detection results of the front and rear radars, as well as the relationship between the detection radar and the obstacle, it determines whether to fold or keep the exterior rearview mirror fixed, and controls the exterior rearview mirror to perform the relevant actions; The logic for determining whether the exterior rearview mirrors are folded or kept stationary is as follows: 2.1) When the rearview mirror detection radar detects an obstacle, but the front and rear detection radars do not, and if the distance between the rearview mirror detection radar and the obstacle decreases rapidly, the vehicle's exterior rearview mirror will be folded forward or backward; 2.2) When the rearview mirror detection radar detects an obstacle and the front and rear detection radars also detect an obstacle, if the distance between the rearview mirror detection radar and the obstacle decreases rapidly, while the distance between the front and rear detection radars and the obstacle does not decrease significantly, the vehicle's exterior rearview mirrors are determined to be folded forward or backward. If the distance between the rearview mirror detection radar and the obstacle does not decrease significantly, and the distance between the front and rear detection radars and the obstacle does not decrease significantly, the vehicle's exterior rearview mirrors are determined not to need to be folded. 2.3) When the rearview mirror detection radar does not detect an obstacle, but the front and rear detection radars detect an obstacle, it is determined that the vehicle's exterior rearview mirrors do not need to be folded.

2. The method for automatically folding an automobile exterior rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein: The exterior rearview mirrors are folded forward or backward according to the direction of the car's movement and the position of the obstacle: when the car is moving forward and the obstacle is in front, the exterior rearview mirrors are folded backward; when the car is moving backward and the obstacle is behind, the exterior rearview mirrors are folded forward.

3. The method for automatically folding an automobile exterior rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein: After passing an obstacle with the rearview mirror folded, the system continues to detect whether there are any obstacles within a certain distance in front of and behind the vehicle's exterior rearview mirror. When it is detected that the vehicle's exterior rearview mirror is away from the obstacle, the system controls the vehicle's exterior rearview mirror to return to its normal unfolded state.

4. The method for automatically folding an automobile exterior rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein: The forward or backward folding of the exterior rearview mirror is achieved by a forward and reverse folding motor arranged below the exterior rearview mirror of the car.

5. An automatic folding system for automobile exterior rearview mirrors using the method of claim 1, comprising exterior rearview mirrors arranged on the left and right sides of the automobile, characterized in that: Also includes: A rearview mirror detection radar is installed on the vehicle's exterior rearview mirror to detect obstacles within a certain distance in front of and behind the exterior rearview mirror; Front and rear detection radars are installed on the front and rear bumpers of the car to detect whether there are obstacles within a certain distance in front and behind the car; Folding motor for folding the exterior mirrors forward or backward; The controller controls the forward and reverse folding motors to fold the exterior rearview mirrors forward or backward based on obstacle signals detected by the rearview mirror detection radar, front and rear detection radars, and changes in the distance between the detection radars and obstacles. After leaving the obstacle, the controller controls the forward and reverse folding motors to restore the exterior rearview mirrors to the unfolded state.

6. The automatic folding system for automobile exterior rearview mirrors according to claim 5, characterized in that: The automatic folding system further comprises a control switch, which is used to control the entire automatic folding system to automatically open when the vehicle is started or to be opened manually by the user.

7. The automatic folding system for automobile exterior rearview mirrors according to claim 6, characterized in that: The automatic folding system for automobile exterior rearview mirrors has an automatic folding mode and a reminder mode. In the automatic folding mode, when the controller determines that the exterior rearview mirrors need to be folded, the controller controls the exterior rearview mirrors to be folded directly; in the reminder mode, when the controller determines that the exterior rearview mirrors need to be folded, the controller reminds the driver to choose whether to fold the exterior rearview mirrors.

8. The automatic folding system for automobile exterior rearview mirrors according to claim 7, characterized in that: The automatic folding system for automobile exterior rearview mirrors also has a warning mode. In the warning mode, when the controller determines that the exterior rearview mirrors need to be folded, the driver is warned only through sound, light and instruments.

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