Automobile electric rear cover opening and closing device

Abstract

An opening and closing device for an electric rear cover of an automobile relates to the technical field of accessories and solves the problem that a mechanism for triggering opening and closing of the electric rear cover by stepping on a physical pedal does not exist in the existing market. The device is used for triggering the electric rear cover to be opened and closed through a foot treading action; according to the device, a physical mechanism is arranged in a suitable area of the rear bumper of the vehicle, the physical mechanism comprises but is not limited to a pedal form, and detection can be carried out through any available sensing technology as long as pedal type foot treading actions are carried out. For example, a pedal of a groove structure suitable for a car type, an exposed independent pedal suitable for an SUV type or an electric rotary pedal can be designed; each pedal detects the distance change after a foot steps on the pedal through a sensor, and finally opening and closing of the electric rear cover are achieved. The pedal of the device is simple in structural design and low in cost; the foot treading action of the user is more standardized, operation is comfortable, and the action is simple.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of accessories, and in particular to an electric rear cover opening and closing device for an automobile. Background Art

[0002] At present, the opening and closing of the electric rear cover of passenger cars is generally triggered by the movement of legs or feet, because it frees people's hands, making it more convenient for people to take and put items from the trunk, avoiding the need to open and close the rear cover while holding things in their hands. In the existing technology, there are two mainstream technologies for detecting leg / foot movements: the first solution: dual capacitor lines arranged in the rear bumper of the vehicle; the second solution: light and shadow superimposed on the ground infrared ranging technology. Although both are widely used, they each have problems that are difficult to solve.

[0003] In the first solution, the user triggers it by kicking the back to protect the bottom, such as Figure 1 As shown in the figure (Y-axis section of the vehicle), the rear cover is equipped with two capacitor lines that are staggered up and down and front and back to sense the kicking action. Users often complain that they cannot kick open the rear cover due to the following reasons:

[0004] 1. Capacitors are sensitive to ice / snow / water. When there is ice / snow / water on the rear bumper surface, it will greatly interfere with the capacitor line detecting the kicking action.

[0005] Second, to avoid false triggering, the action detection principle is generally designed as follows: the red and green capacitive lines in the figure below detect the approach and distance of the legs / feet respectively before they are recognized as valid kicking actions. However, it is difficult for different people to have standard kicking actions. When the backrest surface is dirty, users will subconsciously avoid kicking too close, and the threshold of the detection signal may not be reached;

[0006] 3. The vehicle manual usually says to kick the middle part of the rear bumper, but the middle part of the rear bumper is a vague term and not a clear operation object, which will also lead to inconsistent and non-standard kicking actions by the user.

[0007] In the second solution, light projection is combined with an infrared ranging system, such as Figure 2 As shown. A positioning light and shadow will be projected onto the ground below the rear guard. When a person steps on this light and shadow, the infrared rangefinder detects that the distance between it and the ground becomes smaller (reducing the thickness of the person's foot), and the system uses this to identify the person's triggering action. The system has a certain sense of technology, but the light and shadow projected onto the ground is difficult to see clearly in daylight and does not serve as a guide for users. In addition, the cost of the projection lamp module and infrared rangefinder module in the system is not low, resulting in a high overall cost of the system.

[0008] In summary, the above two solutions have the following problems: the capacitive or radar sensing system lacks operating instructions, the sensing is not sensitive when the kicking action is irregular or there are interference factors in the environment, and it is easy to trigger by mistake. The indicator light projection in the light projection infrared ranging system is difficult to see under strong light, so the indication is not strong; in addition, the system cost is relatively high.

[0009] Since there is currently no way on the market to trigger the opening and closing of the electric rear cover by stepping on a physical pedal, in order to avoid the problems existing in the above-mentioned mainstream systems, it is very meaningful for the present invention to provide a rear cover opening and closing trigger system that is simple to operate, has reliable signal detection and is low in cost. Summary of the invention

[0010] The present invention aims to solve the problems existing in the prior art and provides an electric rear cover opening and closing device and an opening and closing method for an automobile.

[0011] The invention discloses an electric rear cover opening and closing device for automobiles, which is used to trigger the opening and closing of the electric rear cover by stepping on the foot; the device comprises at least one groove pedal arranged on the rear guard, and a sensing device is arranged on the top of the groove pedal.

[0012] The present invention also provides an automobile electric rear cover opening and closing device, which is used to trigger the opening and closing of the electric rear cover by stepping on the foot; the device is designed as an independent normal exposed pedal, and the pedal is composed of a pedal base, a pedal arm, a pedal base and a sensing device arranged on the pedal base; the pedal base, pedal arm and pedal base are designed as an integral part or are fixedly installed separately; the pedal base is fixed on the rear bumper or installed on the rear metal anti-collision beam of the white body.

[0013] The present invention also provides another electric rear cover opening and closing device for automobiles, which is used to trigger the opening and closing of the electric rear cover by stepping on the pedal; the device is designed as an electric rotary pedal; the electric rotary pedal includes a motor, a rotating shaft, a pedal base, a pedal arm, a pedal base and a sensing device arranged on the pedal base;

[0014] The motor output shaft is connected to the rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is rigidly connected to the pedal arm; the pedal base, the pedal arm and the pedal mounting base are an independent pedal composed of an integrated design or a split fixed installation, and are fixed on the rear bumper or the rear metal anti-collision beam of the white body through the pedal base.

[0015] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0016] The automobile electric rear cover opening and closing device of the present invention is comfortable to operate by stepping on the physical structure (pedal): when stepping on the pedal, the operation object is clear and direct, the operation action is simple, and the psychological experience is better.

[0017] The automobile electric rear cover opening and closing device described in the present invention has a higher detection success rate of the sensor than the current mainstream solutions, because the triggering action is highly standardized, the sensor is easier to detect, the radar probe is not affected by environmental factors, and the reliability of signal sensing is higher; the detection success rate of the sensor is greatly improved.

[0018] The electric rear cover opening and closing device for automobiles disclosed by the present invention has a simple pedal structure design, lower system cost, and is more economical. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a Y-direction cross-sectional view of a kick-back protection (dual capacitor antenna) in the prior art;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a rear cover opening and closing system triggered by foot-operated light and shadow infrared ranging in the prior art;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the grooved pedals for the foot on both sides of the rear guard (depressed when viewed from the outside of the vehicle);

[0022] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the grooved pedals for feet on both sides of the rear guard (protruding when viewed from inside the vehicle);

[0023] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the groove pedal in the middle of the rear guard;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the outer side view of the radar probe on the top of the groove pedal;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the inner side view of the radar probe on the top of the groove pedal;

[0026] Figure 8 The circuit principle diagram of the electric rear cover opening and closing device for an automobile described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment;

[0027] Fig. 9 The schematic diagram of the normal exposed independent pedal structure arranged at the lower part of the rear fender for a jeep;

[0028] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of a separate normal exposed independent pedal structure;

[0029] Fig.11 The schematic diagram of the structure of the electric rotary pedal arranged at the lower part of the rear bumper for a jeep;

[0030] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram of an electric rotary pedal as viewed from the side of a vehicle;

[0031] Fig.13 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a separate electric rotary pedal;

[0032] Fig.14 The circuit diagram of the electric rear cover opening and closing device for an automobile described in the third specific implementation mode is shown in FIG.

[0033] In the figure: 1. groove pedal, 2. non-painted bottom plate, 3. induction device, 4. back structure of groove pedal, 5. motor, 6. shaft, 7. pedal base, 8. pedal arm, 9. pedal base. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Specific implementation method 1. Combination Figures 3 to 8 In this embodiment, the electric rear cover opening and closing device for automobiles includes a physical mechanism arranged in a suitable area behind the vehicle, and the physical mechanism includes but is not limited to a pedal. As long as the pedal-like foot-stepping action is performed, it can be detected by any available sensing technology. The device standardizes the user's foot-stepping action, and the signal sensing can only be triggered when the foot is stepped on this pedal.

[0035] The electric rear cover opening and closing device for automobiles described in this embodiment includes at least one groove pedal 1 arranged on the rear bumper, and a non-painted bottom plate 2 is installed at the bottom of the groove pedal 1, and the width of the groove bottom surface together with the bottom plate is 12 cm, and the depth is more than 10 cm. The material of the non-painted bottom plate 2 can be PP-EPDM-T10; a sensing device 3 is arranged on the top of the groove pedal 1, and the distance between the surface of the sensing device 3 and the non-painted bottom plate 2 installed at the bottom of the groove pedal 1 is at least 17 cm, so that the sensing device 3 can detect the distance change after stepping on it.

[0036] The electric rear cover opening and closing device for automobiles described in this embodiment takes into account the different chassis heights of vehicles, and the pedals for sedans and jeeps need to be designed differently; since the chassis of sedans is low, the height of the rear bumper is correspondingly low, and such a pedal can be directly designed on the rear bumper, so that the pedal becomes a part of the rear bumper. In this way, the height of the pedal will not be too high, which is easy for users to step on, and on the other hand, the pedal is directly placed inside the rear bumper to save costs, and the engineering design is also simple, eliminating the need for a separate pedal fixing structure.

[0037] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, two groove pedals 1 are on both sides of the rear guard, just enough for an average person to put his foot in. Because the rear guard is drafted from front to back, the technology is feasible from the perspective of ejection. A pedal is set on each side for the convenience of the user. When the user takes or places items from the trunk, the user may stand on one side of the rear guard, so there is a pedal on each side for the user to step on.

[0038] In this embodiment, considering that the rear guard is a painted part, the groove pedal footrest surface is prone to wear due to long-term footstepping, so a separate non-painted bottom plate 2 can be installed on the footrest surface. For the sake of beauty and eye-catchingness, the surface of the non-painted bottom plate 2 can be electroplated with high brightness, such as chrome plating. The top of the groove pedal 1 is arranged with a sensing device 3 ( Figure 3 The user can trigger the opening and closing of the electric rear cover by stepping on the non-painted bottom plate 2. Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 This is the back structure of the rear fender groove pedal viewed from inside the car; the groove pedals on both sides of the rear fender are raised for stepping on.

[0039] like Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, considering the manufacturing cost, the groove pedal 1 can be designed with only one in the middle of the rear cover, and the user can trigger the opening and closing of the electric rear cover by stepping on the middle groove pedal; it is convenient for the user to step on it.

[0040] The electric rear cover opening and closing device for automobiles described in this embodiment is one of the solutions for implementing the foot pedal for opening and closing the rear cover of a car. Considering the low chassis of the car, the groove pedal 1 should be preferably arranged on the rear bumper, which is simple and direct.

[0041] In this embodiment, the sensing device 3 preferably selects a relatively low-cost ultrasonic radar sensor (ultrasonic radar probe). The ultrasonic radar sensor is arranged downward at the top of the groove pedal. The radar probe can be fixed on the rear guard by a bracket using 3M glue or plastic hot melt. The probe is downward to detect the distance to the bottom of the groove pedal (the non-painted bottom plate 2 on the black surface). Once a person steps on it, the detection distance will become smaller. The axis of the radar probe should be aligned with the center of the black surface. Taking into account that ultrasonic radar probes of different specifications have different minimum detection distances, the distance between the top and bottom of the corresponding groove pedal should also be designed accordingly after considering the thickness of the human foot after wearing shoes, to ensure that the ultrasonic radar probe can detect the remaining distance after the foot is inserted.

[0042] In this embodiment, according to the internal height difference of the rear groove pedal, an AK1 ultrasonic radar probe can be selected. After electronic drive control, its minimum detection distance can be close to 10cm. Its cost in the industry is only about 15rmb. According to its performance parameters, the AK1 radar meets the signal detection requirements of the groove pedal. As shown in Table 1, Table 1 shows the basic performance parameters of the AK1 radar.

[0043] Table 1

[0044]

[0045] The above-mentioned foot-stepping action detection can be realized by infrared ranging (TOF) technology, and its realization principle is similar to ultrasonic radar probe detection. It can also be a capacitive wire / coil based on capacitive sensing, or any other type of sensor, or even a physical contact switch, as long as it can reliably detect / respond to the action of a person's foot stepping on the above-mentioned pedal.

[0046] like Figure 8 As shown, the circuit principle adopted in this embodiment is: the control ECU is electrically connected to the sensor, the anti-theft system controller and the electric rear cover drive motor at the same time;

[0047] When the pedal is pressed, the sensor detects the foot movement and sends a corresponding signal to the control ECU. The ECU detects whether the anti-theft system controller is authorized to open the rear cover (if the rear cover is closed, this detection is not required). Once authorization exists, the rear cover motor is driven to open the rear cover or close the rear cover directly without authorization detection.

[0048] Specific implementation method 2: Combination Figure 8 and Fig.10 The present embodiment is described as an electric rear cover opening and closing device for automobiles. The device is designed for the pedal of a jeep. The chassis of a jeep is high, and the height of the rear bumper is correspondingly high. If the pedal is placed inside the rear bumper, it will be uncomfortable for the user to step on it. Therefore, a separate physical pedal independent of the rear bumper is designed directly below the rear bumper. The height of the pedal should be lower than the lower edge of the rear bumper to facilitate the user's stepping; but its height should not be lower than the lowest point of the chassis of the entire vehicle to avoid reducing the vehicle's passability.

[0049] The automobile electric rear cover opening and closing device described in this embodiment is designed as a normal exposed pedal, and the pedal is composed of a pedal base 9, a pedal arm 8, a pedal mounting base 7 and a sensing device 3 arranged on the pedal base 7; the pedal is an independent pedal composed of an integral design or a split fixed installation; the pedal can be fixed on the rear bumper or on the metal anti-collision beam at the rear of the white body.

[0050] The independent pedal described in this embodiment, considering the length of the pedal arm 8, the whole pedal can be made of plastic material to reduce the weight of the component and avoid mechanical loss of the component caused by vibration during movement. The specific plastic material can be PP+EPDM-TD20. The design of the pedal arm length should take into account the assembly position and the pedal extending far enough backward to the bottom of the rear guard. To facilitate the user's footsteps, the pedal base 9 should maintain a size of at least 20cm long and 5cm wide. The pedal can be set under the rear guard, and the user can trigger the electric rear cover opening and closing by stepping on the pedal base 9; the sensing device 3 is arranged on the pedal base 7 to detect the human footstepping action.

[0051] The sensing device 3 described in this embodiment is the same as the sensing device described in the first embodiment, and the circuit principle is the same as the circuit principle in the first embodiment.

[0052] Specific implementation method 3: Combination Figures 11 to 14 The present embodiment is described, the electric rear cover opening and closing device for automobiles, which is another electric rotary pedal designed for jeeps; the rotary pedal comprises a motor 5, a rotating shaft 6, a pedal base 7, a pedal arm 8, a pedal base 9 and a sensing device 3 arranged on the pedal base;

[0053] The pedal is an independent pedal composed of a pedal base 9, a pedal arm 8 and a pedal mounting base 7 which are designed as one piece or fixedly mounted separately; the pedal base 7 (which does not move itself) is assembled with the vehicle, the output shaft of the motor 5 is connected to the rotating shaft 6, and when the motor 5 rotates, the rotating shaft 6 will rotate in the positive and negative directions along its own axis; the pedal arm 8 is rigidly connected to the rotating shaft 6, and is driven by the rotating shaft 6 to make a fan-shaped (or pendulum) motion. Fig.12 As shown, from the side view of the pedal, it can be seen that the pedal base 7 is closer to the front of the vehicle and the pedal seat 9 is closer to the rear of the vehicle, so the entire pedal arm 8 is tilted up and down rather than straight up and down.

[0054] The working principle of the electric rotating pedal described in this embodiment is:

[0055] When the vehicle is running, the motor 5 starts to rotate, and drives the pedal arm 8 and the pedal base 9 to rotate upward through the rotating shaft 6, so that the pedal is retracted upward to the rear of the rear bumper; when the vehicle stops running, the motor 5 rotates in the opposite direction, driving the pedal to rotate downward, so that the pedal base is transferred to the bottom of the rear bumper to be exposed to the user. The rotation direction is as follows: Fig.13 As shown; when the user steps on the pedal base 9 at this time, the sensing device 3 on the pedal base 7 will be triggered to detect the changed distance, and then sense the human foot movement, so as to trigger the electric rear cover to open and close by stepping on the pedal base 9.

[0056] The electric rotating pedal described in this embodiment is another implementation form of the split pedal for Jeep. If the OEM does not like to expose the pedal under the rear bumper normally, it can be designed as an electric rotating type. Fig.13 As shown, the pedal arm 8 can be turned up and down around the rotating shaft 6. When the vehicle has speed, the pedal rotates along the upward arrow and is stored under the rear guard (not visible from the rear). When the vehicle speed is zero, the pedal rotates along the downward arrow to the bottom of the rear guard for the user to step on. The electric rotation of the pedal belongs to the conventional motor drive control design in engineering, and the motion control, boundary control, stall control involved, and the assembly layout of the entire mechanism in the rear guard area are all conventional engineering designs.

[0057] The sensing device 3 described in this embodiment is the same as the sensing device described in the first embodiment. The circuit principle is shown in FIG. Fig.14 The circuit principle adopted in this embodiment is: the control ECU is electrically connected to the sensor, the anti-theft system controller, the electric rear cover drive motor and the electric rotary pedal motor at the same time;

[0058] When the vehicle is running, the ECU controls the pedal motor to drive the pedal to rotate upward and retract behind the rear guard; when the vehicle stops, the ECU controls the pedal motor to drive the pedal to rotate downward and stop under the rear guard, which is convenient for the user to step on. When the user steps on the pedal, the signal detection and related control are the same as those in the first and second embodiments.

[0059] The electric rotary pedal in the opening and closing device described in this embodiment, the groove pedal in the specific embodiment 1, and the normal exposed pedal in the specific embodiment 2 are all immobile when the foot steps on the pedal, that is, when the foot steps on the pedal, it does not rotate like the accelerator or brake pedal. It is only used as a trigger for signal sensing, so the foot does not need to step hard, just put the foot on the pedal to trigger the signal sensing.

[0060] Specific implementation method 4: This implementation method is an example of actual operation detection of the pedal in the opening and closing device described in specific implementation method 1, specific implementation method 2 or specific implementation method 3:

[0061] In this implementation, the operation experience, detection success rate, false trigger rate and cost are compared with the prior art, as shown in Table 2.

[0062] Operation experience: The evaluation dimensions include whether the operation object is clear and whether the triggering action is comfortable. If the object is unclear or the operation is difficult, the score will be lowered;

[0063] Detection success rate: If the system cannot detect the human triggering action normally under some working conditions, the score will be lowered;

[0064] False trigger rate: False trigger concept: The system gives a trigger signal even though no one is operating subjectively. If this happens under certain working conditions, the false trigger rate score should be improved;

[0065] Cost: refers only to the material cost for the trigger action detection function;

[0066] Three evaluation results are set for each of the above dimensions: high, medium and low.

[0067] Table 2

[0068]

[0069] The explanations for some of the evaluation results in Table 2 are as follows:

[0070] (1) The prior art uses two capacitive antennas that are staggered up and down / front and back. When kicking, the calf and the instep need to trigger two capacitive wires respectively to be effective. If the action is not standard, it will not be collected. In addition, the ice, snow and rain on the surface of the rear guard also affect the detection sensitivity of the capacitive wire, which affects the detection success rate of the scheme.

[0071] (2) The existing technology uses a projection lamp module to project light and shadow, which is then superimposed with an infrared detector module. This greatly increases the system cost, and the mainstream price in the industry is more than RMB 200.

[0072] (3) For the groove pedal in the first embodiment of the present invention, the independent pedal in the second embodiment and the electric rotating pedal in the third embodiment, after the foot steps on the pedal, the radar probe will detect the change in distance, with high detection reliability and a success rate of 100%.

[0073] (4) The operation signal is triggered only when the detection distance on the pedal changes, and the detection distance on the pedal is rarely changed by false triggering, so the false trigger rate is almost zero.

[0074] (5) In terms of cost, the groove pedal in the first embodiment has a cost of only about 15-20 RMB for a single radar probe, and the system cost can be controlled at around 50 RMB.

[0075] (6) is the electric rotating pedal in the specific implementation method three. Considering that its components include the components included in the specific implementation method two, it also requires a rotating motor and related structures; the evaluation here is based on 100rmb.

[0076] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0077] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. An electric rear cover opening and closing device for an automobile, characterized in that: The device is used to trigger the opening and closing of the electric rear cover by foot-stepping action; the device comprises at least one groove pedal arranged on the rear cover, and a sensing device is arranged on the top of the groove pedal.

2. The electric rear cover opening and closing device for an automobile according to claim 1, characterized in that: The groove pedal is arranged in the middle of the rear guard or on both sides of the rear guard.

3. The electric rear cover opening and closing device for an automobile according to claim 1, characterized in that: A non-painted base plate is installed at the bottom of the groove pedal, and a high-gloss electroplating treatment is performed on the surface of the non-painted base plate; the base plate width is 12 cm and the depth is more than 10 cm; the distance between the surface of the sensing device and the non-painted base plate is at least 17 cm.

4. The electric rear cover opening and closing device for an automobile according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material of the non-painted base plate can be PP-EPDM-T10.

5. The electric rear cover opening and closing device for automobile according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensing device adopts an ultrasonic radar sensor, which is arranged downward on the top of the groove pedal and fixed on the rear guard through a bracket by 3M glue or plastic hot melt. The ultrasonic radar sensor probe faces downward to detect the distance to the non-painted base plate at the bottom of the groove pedal.

6. An electric rear cover opening and closing device for an automobile, characterized in that: The device is used to trigger the opening and closing of the electric rear cover by foot-operating; the device is designed as an independent normal exposed pedal, and the pedal consists of a pedal base, a pedal arm, a pedal base and a sensing device arranged on the pedal base; the pedal base, pedal arm and pedal base are designed as an integral part or are fixedly installed separately; the pedal base is fixed on the rear bumper or installed on the rear metal anti-collision beam of the white body.

7. The electric rear cover opening and closing device for an automobile according to claim 6, characterized in that: The length of the pedal base is greater than or equal to 20 cm, and the width is greater than or equal to 5 cm.

8. The electric rear cover opening and closing device for an automobile according to claim 6, characterized in that: The pedal body is arranged directly below the rear guard and is independent of the rear guard; the height of the pedal is lower than the lower edge of the rear guard and higher than the lowest position of the chassis of the entire vehicle.

9. An electric rear cover opening and closing device for an automobile, characterized in that: The device is used to trigger the opening and closing of the electric rear cover by stepping on the foot; the device is designed as an electric rotary pedal; the electric rotary pedal includes a motor, a rotating shaft, a pedal base, a pedal arm, a pedal base and a sensing device arranged on the pedal base; The motor output shaft is connected to the rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is rigidly connected to the pedal arm; The pedal base, the pedal arm and the pedal mounting base are an independent pedal which is designed as an integral whole or fixedly installed in a split manner and is fixed on the rear bumper or on the rear metal anti-collision beam of the vehicle body in white through the pedal base.

10. The electric rear cover opening and closing device for an automobile according to claim 9, characterized in that: The motor drives the rotating shaft to rotate and then drives the pedal to work in conjunction. After the vehicle stops, the pedal flips downward and stops under the rear guard; when the vehicle is running, the pedal flips upward and is stored in the rear guard.

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