Method, system and device for controlling the front hood of a vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method, a system and a device for controlling a vehicle hood. More specifically, the present invention relates to a way of opening or closing a vehicle hood via a vehicle door handle. The system comprises a control unit (4) of the vehicle, a front compartment with an electrically controlled locking and / or opening mechanism (2) with a lid (1), at least one door handle (6) and a logic block (5), the logic block (5) being configured to: - monitor the state of the door handle (6) by means of a sensor (7) that senses the position of the door handle between the open position and the closed position; - monitor the locking state of the locking and / or opening mechanism (2); - generate a control signal for the locking and / or opening mechanism (2) of the hood (1) when the sensor data of the door handle match a preset threshold and based on the current locking state of the hood.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method, system and device for controlling the front hood of a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a way of opening or closing the front hood of a vehicle via a door handle of the vehicle. The present invention is applicable to the automotive industry. Background Art

[0002] There are various methods for opening the front hood of a car from the outside. For this purpose, a signal needs to be sent to the central control unit of the car, which activates the mechanism for holding the hood in the closed position. Usually, this can be achieved by pressing a special button on a remote control (key fob) to unlock the car, as described in US 20140088826 A1. Another option is to use a special button on the outer surface of the car to open it. It is known to open using a photoelectric tube located at the bottom of the vehicle body, which detects the movement of, for example, a person's foot and sends a signal to the central control unit. It is also known to use a capacitive proximity sensor to open the hood by sliding / waving a hand over the surface of the hood. The inconvenience of the known methods and systems for opening the front hood is that the use of additional devices or the installation of special buttons and sensors in the car is required for this purpose. This complicates the known systems and makes them more expensive. Summary of the Invention

[0003] An object of the present invention is to provide an alternative method and system for opening the front compartment (front trunk) of a car, which does not require a person to be inside the car and does not require the use of additional devices, such as a wireless remote control, key fob or smartphone, and does not require the installation of special buttons or sensors for this purpose in many modern cars.

[0004] The above object is achieved by a method for controlling the front hood of a vehicle according to the present invention. The vehicle includes a control unit, a front compartment with a hood, an electronically controlled locking and / or opening mechanism for the front hood, and at least one door handle. The method includes the following steps:

[0005] - Monitoring the state of the at least one door handle by receiving data from a position sensor for sensing the position of the door handle between an open position and a closed position in the control unit;

[0006] - Monitoring at least the locking state of the locking and / or opening mechanism of the front hood;

[0007] - Comparing the data from the door handle sensor with a preset threshold of the position of the door handle;

[0008] - When the door handle sensor data matches the preset threshold, a control signal is generated for the locking and / or opening mechanism of the front hood, and the control signal is further generated at least according to the current locking state of the locking and / or opening mechanism for the front hood.

[0009] Preferably, the sensor for the door handle is an angular position sensor for the door handle.

[0010] Preferably, the control signal is generated when the door handle moves towards the open position and the position of the door handle reaches the threshold, and the threshold is set between 45% and 75% of the position required to open the corresponding door.

[0011] More preferably, the control signal is generated after the door handle moves back to a partially or fully closed position.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the method further includes monitoring one or more of the following:

[0013] - The current speed of the vehicle;

[0014] - The current safety state of the vehicle;

[0015] - The current position of the gear selector of the vehicle;

[0016] Wherein, the control signal for the locking and / or opening mechanism of the front hood is further generated according to the current state of the locking and / or opening mechanism of the front hood, the current speed of the vehicle, the safety state of the vehicle, and / or the current position of the gear selector.

[0017] The generated control signal can be any of the following: opening or closing the front hood, locking or unlocking the front hood, or any combination or merger thereof.

[0018] The object of the present invention is also achieved by providing an electronic device having a communication port for connecting to the CAN bus of the vehicle and a logic block for operating the electric locking and / or opening mechanism of the front hood of the vehicle. The logic block is configured to compare the data on the door handle position received from the sensor with a preset threshold, and generate a control signal for the locking and / or opening mechanism of the front hood of the vehicle when the sensor data matches the preset threshold. The control signal also depends on the current locking state of the front hood and / or the current state of the vehicle provided by the data received by one or more of the following sensors: a sensor for sensing the locking state of the front hood of the vehicle, a sensor for sensing the current speed of the vehicle, a sensor for sensing the current safety state of the vehicle, and / or a sensor for sensing the current position of the gear selector of the vehicle.

[0019] Preferably, the communication port is an OBD port.

[0020] According to the present invention, there is also provided a control system for a vehicle hood, the control system comprising:

[0021] - a control unit,

[0022] - a front compartment of the vehicle, which has a lid and an electronically controlled locking and / or opening mechanism for the hood, the locking and / or opening mechanism being connected to the control unit to receive control signals;

[0023] - a sensor for sensing the locked state of the hood, the sensor being connected to the control unit for sending data, and

[0024] - at least one door handle, which has a position sensor for sensing the position of the door handle between an open position and a closed position, the position sensor being connected to the control unit for sending data.

[0025] According to the present invention, the control system further comprises a logic block connected to the control unit for operating the locking and / or opening mechanism of the vehicle hood, the logic block being configured to compare data on the position of the door handle from the sensor with a preset threshold, and to generate a control signal for the locking and / or opening mechanism of the vehicle hood in the case where the sensor data matches the preset threshold, wherein the generation of the control signal further depends on the current locked state of the vehicle hood.

[0026] Preferably, the position sensor for the door handle is an angular position sensor for the door handle.

[0027] Preferably, the at least one door handle is movable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the logic block is configured to generate the control signal when the position of the door handle reaches a threshold position set between 45% and 75% of the position required to open the corresponding door.

[0028] More preferably, the logic block is configured to generate the control signal after the door handle has been moved back to a partially or fully closed position.

[0029] According to an embodiment of the control system, it further comprises a sensor for sensing the current speed of the vehicle, a sensor for sensing the current safety state of the vehicle and / or a sensor for sensing the current position of the gear selector of the vehicle, each of these sensors being connected to the control unit for sending data, wherein the logic block is configured to generate a control signal for the locking and / or opening mechanism of the hood, the control signal also depending on the current state of the vehicle provided by data on the current speed of the vehicle, the current safety state of the vehicle and / or the current position of the vehicle gear selector received by at least one of the sensors.

[0030] The control signal is selected from the following: opening or closing the front hood, locking or unlocking the locking mechanism of the front hood, or any combination or merger thereof.

[0031] Preferably, the logic block is part of an external electronic device connected to the vehicle's control unit, which provides access to the vehicle's CAN bus. The communication port for connecting the external electronic device to the CAN bus can be an OBD port.

[0032] Preferably, the at least one door handle is the front door handle of the vehicle.

[0033] For the driver / passenger, the advantage of using the door handle to initiate the opening of the front hood is that the front hood can be opened without entering the car, and no additional device such as a remote control key is required. Moreover, for most modern cars, in order to implement the method and system of the present invention, there is no need to change the existing car structure or install additional sensors, actuators, buttons or connectors. The only modification is to install the logic block of the present invention in the car's control unit or connect an external electronic device with the logic block to the car's CAN bus. Another advantage is that the driver / passenger does not need to free up both hands - for example, he / she can open the front hood with bags in hand after shopping. Description of the Drawings

[0034] Hereinafter, the subject matter of the method, system and device of the present invention will be illustrated by preferred embodiments given as non-exhaustive examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0035] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing in detail an embodiment of the claimed control system for door handle operation.

[0036] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the claimed control system with a logic block built into the control unit.

[0037] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the claimed control system with an external device with a logic block.

[0038] Figure 4 is a block diagram of the algorithm according to the claimed method. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0039] The method and system of the present invention are applicable to a vehicle, particularly an automobile, which has at least two front doors each with a door opening handle and a front hood having a cover 1 with a locking and / or opening mechanism 2, such as a front luggage compartment. The locking and / or opening mechanism 2 is electrically controlled by the vehicle's central control unit 4.

[0040] According to the method of the present invention, the locking and / or opening mechanism 2 of the front hood 1 is controlled by the door handle 6. In order to open the door in most automobiles, the door handle 6 should be moved by the user from one (closed) end position to another (open) end position ( Figure 1 ). During this movement, the position of the parts of the door handle 6 changes. Many automobiles have built-in sensors that detect the movement of the door handle 6 and can record the current angular position of the door handle. Such a sensor can be, for example, an angle sensor operating according to the Hall principle, or a rotary potentiometer (as described in US20080307711A1), or a magnetic position sensor (as described in US20210003395A1, US20210018336A1), or a rotary sensor (as described in US20170275930A1), or a position sensor with a magnetic field detector (US2018094463A1), or a throttle position sensor (WO2016092564A2). This information in digital data form is sent to the control unit 4 of the automobile. This method uses this data on the movement of the door handle 6 to determine the user's intention to open the door or issue another command to the automobile - to open or close the front hood 1. For this purpose, this method monitors the movement of the door handle 6 between the closed position and the open position and its current position.

[0041] If the position of the handle matches the open position of the handle 100%, the control unit 4 opens the door by means of a compromise command - generating a control signal for the electrically controlled door opening mechanism. Alternatively, in the case where the door is not electrically controlled, the control unit 4 does not generate any signal and the door is opened mechanically.

[0042] In the presence of an angle sensor (as in the embodiments shown in Figure 1 , 2 and 3), if the angular position of the door handle 6 has different values that match a preset threshold, for example, less than 45%, 50%, 60%, 70% or 75% of the angular position required to open the corresponding door, the control unit 4 can generate a control signal for the electrically controlled locking and / or opening mechanism 2 of the front hood 1. Whether a signal is generated and what signal is generated depends on the current state data of the locking and / or opening mechanism 2 of the front hood 1. For this purpose, the control unit 4 detects the current state of the locking and / or opening mechanism. For example, if the front hood 1 is closed and locked, the control unit 4 can generate a control signal to unlock the locking and / or opening mechanism 2. Any suitable electrical, mechanical or electromechanical sensor 3 known from the prior art can be used to monitor the current state of the locking and / or opening mechanism 2.

[0043] In the case where the front hood 1 is equipped with an automatic opening and closing mechanism, the control unit 4 can generate control signals for unlocking and opening the hood. In this variant, if the front hood 1 is opened, the control unit 4 can generate control signals for closing and / or locking the hood 1 for the locking and / or opening mechanism 2. In the case where the hood 1 does not have an automatic opening and closing mechanism, if the hood 1 is unlocked or opened, the control unit 4 will not generate control signals for the locking mechanism 2 of the hood 1.

[0044] According to the equipment of the vehicle and the current locking state of the locking and / or opening mechanism 2, the control signals can: unlock the hood; open the hood; unlock and open the hood; close the hood; lock the hood, or close and lock the hood.

[0045] In one variant of the method, the control unit 4 is configured to generate control signals for the locking and / or opening mechanism 2 only when the user moves the door handle 6 all the way (pull or push) to the threshold position and then returns the door handle 6 to a partially or fully closed position.

[0046] In another variant of the method, the control unit 4 is configured to generate control signals when the user moves the door handle 6 all the way (pull or push) to the threshold position and holds the handle in that position for a preset time (e.g., a few seconds).

[0047] In another variant of the method, the control unit 4 is configured to generate control signals when the user moves the door handle 6 from the closed position to the open position (pull) and holds the handle in that position for at least 2 seconds or longer.

[0048] In another variant, the method further includes monitoring other parameters and states of the vehicle so that the control unit 4 decides whether to generate control signals and what kind of control signals to generate. Before opening the front hood 1, it should be checked whether this is safe. For this purpose, the control unit 4 can additionally monitor one or all of the following:

[0049] - The current speed of the vehicle;

[0050] - The current safety state of the vehicle;

[0051] - The current position of the gear selector of the vehicle.

[0052] Since it is not recommended to open the front hood 1 when the vehicle is moving, if the current vehicle speed is not 0, the control unit 4 will not generate control signals for the hood.

[0053] In addition, it is not recommended to open the front hood 1 when the doors are locked. Therefore, the control unit 4 can be configured to generate control signals for unlocking and / or opening the front hood 1 only when the doors are unlocked.

[0054] In a motor vehicle with an automatic transmission, the control unit 4 may be configured to generate a control signal for unlocking and / or opening the front hood 1 only when the gear selector is in the "Park" position.

[0055] According to the present invention, a system for implementing the method of controlling the front hood 1 of a vehicle as described above at least includes ( Figure 2 ):

[0056] - A control unit 4, which may be the central control unit (central computer) of the vehicle or a separate built-in electronic device;

[0057] - A front compartment, which has a hood 1 and an electrically controlled locking and / or opening mechanism 2 for the front hood connected to the control unit 4 to receive a control signal;

[0058] - A sensor 3 for sensing the locked state of the front hood 1, the sensor being connected to the control unit 4 to send data;

[0059] - At least one door handle 6, which has a sensor 7 for sensing the position of the door handle 6 between the open position and the closed position, the sensor being connected to the control unit 4 to send data,

[0060] - A logic block 5 connected to the control unit 4 for operating the locking and / or opening mechanism 2 of the front hood 1. The logic block 5 is configured to process data from the above sensors (3, 7) and generate or not generate a control signal for the locking and / or opening mechanism 2 of the front hood 1.

[0061] The locking and / or opening mechanism 2 may be any known such electrically controlled mechanism, such as an electromechanical locking member that rotates to hold the hood in the locked position and releases it by rotating in the opposite direction when a signal is sent to it (such a mechanism is described in US Patent US4667990). The opening mechanism may be an electro-hydraulic pump or a shock absorber that extends when a signal is sent to it.

[0062] The sensor 3 for sensing the locked state of the front hood 1 may be a simple button mechanism located in the locking member itself. When the locking mechanism is in a specific state that does not allow the hood to be opened, the sensor emits a signal of the "locked" state.

[0063] The control system may include, for example, one or two front door handles.

[0064] The sensor 7 for sensing the position of the door handle 6 can be, for example, an angle sensor operating according to the Hall principle, or a rotary potentiometer (as described in US20080307711A1), or a magnetic position sensor (as described in US20210003395A1, US20210018336A1), or a rotary sensor (as described in US20170275930A1), or a position sensor with a magnetic field detector (US2018094463A1), or a throttle position sensor (WO2016092564A2). In this way, the sensor output signal of the door handle is a variable signal corresponding to the exact angle at which the door handle 6 is pressed or pulled.

[0065] The logic block 5 is dedicated software logic configured to monitor different states of the vehicle system and take action when a predetermined condition is met. The position threshold of the door handle 6 is set in the logic block 5. It is configured to monitor the data from the position sensor 7 of the door handle 6 and compare it with the preset threshold. In the case where the sensor data rises to the preset threshold and then drops, the logic block 5 is configured to generate a control signal for the locking and / or opening mechanism 2 of the front hood 1. The threshold can be less than the angular position of the handle 6 required to open the door and can be, for example, 45%, 50%, 60%, 70% or 75% of the open position or any value in between. In the case where the sensor data rises to the preset threshold and then rises further, the logic block 5 is configured to ignore the action and not generate a control signal.

[0066] In addition, other conditions of the door handle 6 can be preset in the logic block 5 to generate the control signal. For example, the logic block 5 can be configured to generate a control signal only after the door handle 6 has been moved back to the fully closed position.

[0067] The generation of the control signal by the logic block 5 also depends on the current locked state of the front hood 1 monitored by the logic block 5. It is also configured to generate a control signal in a specific locked state (e.g., when the hood is locked) or not generate a control signal in other locked states (when the hood is unlocked).

[0068] In the case where the front hood 1 is equipped with an automatic opening and closing mechanism 2, the logic block 5 is configured to generate different control signals according to the state of the hood: unlock the hood, open the hood, unlock and open the hood, close the hood, lock the hood, or close and lock the hood.

[0069] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control system further comprises at least one of the following sensors: a current speed sensor of the vehicle, a current safety status sensor of the vehicle, and / or a current position sensor of the gear selector of the vehicle, and each of the sensors is connected to the control unit 4 to send data. In this embodiment, the logic block 5 is configured to monitor the current state of the vehicle through the data received from these sensors and generate a control signal for locking and / or unlocking the mechanism 2 under preset conditions of the current state of the vehicle.

[0070] For example, the logic block 5 can be configured not to generate a control signal in the following cases:

[0071] - The vehicle speed detected by the current speed sensor of the vehicle is not 0;

[0072] - The current safety status sensor detects that the vehicle is locked;

[0073] - The corresponding sensor detects that the gear selector is not in the "Park" position.

[0074] In all embodiments of the control system, the logic block 5 can be built into the control unit 4.

[0075] In addition, in all embodiments of the control system, the logic block 5 can be a part of an external electronic device 8 connected to the control unit 4 through a standard connector 10 or any other means of accessing the vehicle's CAN bus ( Figure 3 ). This external electronic device can be a processing unit composed of a microcontroller for logic, a connector 9 for the vehicle, an LED indicator for status, and a plastic housing for protection and shielding. This processing unit can have CAN network capabilities to communicate with the main control unit 4 in the vehicle. The connectors 9, 10 for the vehicle can be OBD ports or any other suitable connector type that allows for quick and reliable insertion and release.

[0076] Operating example of the control system

[0077] In this exemplary control system, the position sensor 7 of the door handle 6 is an angular position sensor, and the logic block 5 is configured to have a door handle angular position threshold of 50% of the angular position required to open the door and only send a signal when the door handle 6 is fully released to 0%. The configured door handle 6 is the left front door handle of the vehicle.

[0078] The logic block 5 of the system monitors the state of the left front door handle every 20 milliseconds. The logic block is set to execute the following algorithm ( Figure 4 )

[0079] - If the door handle 6 is pressed / pulled and the angle changes from 0% to no more than 50%, then continue to execute this logic;

[0080] - If the door handle 6 is pressed / pulled more than 50%, stop the algorithm and wait until the door handle 6 returns to 0% to start monitoring again;

[0081] - If the door handle angle returns to 0%, check the preconditions for opening the front hood 1: whether the vehicle is stationary (speed is 0 km / h), whether the vehicle is unlocked, and whether the front hood 1 is not already open;

[0082] - Then, send a signal to the vehicle to open the front hood 1 and reset the logic to start monitoring again;

[0083] - If the preconditions are not met, simply start monitoring again from the beginning.

[0084] The reference signs included in the claims that contain technical features are only for enhancing the understandability of the claims. Therefore, these reference signs have no limiting effect on the interpretation of the elements represented by these reference signs.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a front hood (1) of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a control unit (4), a front compartment having the front hood (1), an electronically controlled locking and / or opening mechanism (2) for the front hood, and at least one door handle (6), characterized in that, the method comprises the following steps: - monitoring the state of the at least one door handle (6) by receiving, in the control unit (4), sensor data from a position sensor (7) for sensing the position of the door handle (6) between an open position and a closed position; - monitoring at least the locking state of the locking and / or opening mechanism (2) of the front hood (1); - comparing the sensor data from the position sensor (7) of the door handle with a preset threshold value of the position of the door handle (6); - generating, in the case where the sensor data of the door handle matches the preset threshold value, a control signal for the locking and / or opening mechanism (2) of the front hood (1), the generation of the control signal further depending at least on the current locking state of the locking and / or opening mechanism (2) of the front hood (1).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the position sensor (7) of the door handle (6) is an angular position sensor of the door handle (6).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the control signal is generated when the door handle (6) moves towards the open position and the position of the door handle (6) reaches the preset threshold value, the preset threshold value being set between 45% and 75% of the position required to open the corresponding door.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the control signal is generated after the door handle (6) has been moved back to a partially or fully closed position.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the method further comprises monitoring one or more of the following: - the current speed of the vehicle; - the current safety state of the vehicle; - the current position of the gear selector of the vehicle; wherein the generation of the control signal for the locking and / or opening mechanism (2) of the front hood (1) further depends on the current state of the locking and / or opening mechanism (2) of the front compartment, the current speed of the vehicle, the safety state of the vehicle, and / or the current position of the gear selector.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the control signal is any one of the following: opening or closing the front hood (1), locking or unlocking the front hood (1), or any combination or merger thereof.

7. An electronic device, the electronic device having a communication port (9) for connecting to the CAN bus of a vehicle and a logic block (5) for operating an electronically controlled locking and / or opening mechanism (2) of a front hood (1) of the vehicle, the logic block (5) being configured to compare sensor data received from a position sensor (7) of a door handle (6) with a preset threshold, and in the case where the sensor data matches the preset threshold, generate a control signal for the locking and / or opening mechanism (2) of the front hood (1) of the vehicle, wherein, the control signal further depends on the current locking state of the front hood (1) and / or the current state of the vehicle provided by data received from one or more of the following sensors: a sensor (3) for sensing the locking state of the front hood (1) of the vehicle, a sensor for sensing the current speed of the vehicle, a sensor for sensing the current safety state of the vehicle, and / or a sensor for sensing the current position of the gear selector of the vehicle.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, characterized in that, the communication port (9) is an OBD port.

9. A control system for a front hood of a vehicle, which comprises: - a control unit (4), - a front compartment of the vehicle, which has a front hood (1) and an electronically controlled locking and / or opening mechanism (2) for the front hood, the locking and / or opening mechanism being connected to the control unit (4) to receive a control signal; - a sensor (3) for sensing the locking state of the front hood (1), the sensor being connected to the control unit (4) to send data, and - at least one door handle (6), which has a position sensor (7) for sensing the position of the door handle (6) between an open position and a closed position, the position sensor being connected to the control unit (4) to send data, characterized in that the control system further comprises a logic block (5) connected to the control unit (4) for operating the locking and / or opening mechanism (2) of the front hood (1) of the vehicle, the logic block (5) being configured to compare sensor data from the position sensor (7) of the door handle (6) with a preset threshold, and in the case where the sensor data matches the preset threshold, generate a control signal for the locking and / or opening mechanism (2) of the front hood (1) of the vehicle, wherein the generation of the control signal further depends on the current locking state of the front hood (1) of the vehicle.

10. The control system according to claim 9, characterized in that, the position sensor (7) of the door handle (6) is an angular position sensor of the door handle (6).

11. The control system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, the at least one door handle (6) is movable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the logic block (5) is configured to generate the control signal when the position of the door handle (6) reaches a threshold position, the threshold position being set between 45% and 75% of the position required to open the corresponding door.

12. The control system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, the logic block (5) is configured to generate the control signal after the door handle (6) has been moved back to a partially or fully closed position.

13. The control system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, the control system further comprises sensors for sensing the current speed of the vehicle, sensors for sensing the current safety state of the vehicle and / or sensors for sensing the current position of the gear selector of the vehicle, each of these sensors being connected to the control unit (4) to send data, wherein the logic block (5) is configured to also generate a control signal for the locking and / or opening mechanism (2) of the front hood (1) based on the current state of the vehicle provided by the data received from at least one of the sensors for sensing the current speed of the vehicle, sensors for sensing the current safety state of the vehicle and / or sensors for sensing the current position of the gear selector of the vehicle.

14. The control system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, the control signal is selected from: opening or closing the front hood (1), locking or unlocking the locking mechanism of the front hood (1), or any combination or merger thereof.

15. The control system according to claim 9, characterized in that, the logic block (5) is part of an external electronic device (8) connected to the control unit (4) of the vehicle, and the part of the external electronic device (8) provides access to the CAN bus of the vehicle.

16. The control system according to claim 15, characterized in that, the external electronic device is the electronic device according to claim 7 or 8.

17. The control system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, the at least one door handle (6) is the front door handle of the vehicle.

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