Method for operating sensor device of first door of vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a sensor device (7) of a first door (2) of a vehicle (1). The first door (2) is positioned adjacent to the second door (3). Each door (2, 3) is movable between a closed position (4) and an open position (5). The method comprises determining (S1, S2) first opening information (20) of the first door (2) and second opening information (21) of the second door (3). The method further comprises prohibiting (S4) the sensor device (7) from emitting pulses (24) and / or signals into the environment of the first vehicle door (2) if the respective opening information (20, 21) is within the respective opening information range (22, 23).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for operating a sensor device of a first vehicle door. The present invention also relates to a vehicle, a control unit, and a computer program product for performing the method. Background Art

[0002] A vehicle may provide an automatic door opening and / or automatic door closing function for at least one door. To provide such an automatic function, a sensor device is installed on at least one door. During the movement of the door from the closed position to the open position, the sensor device captures the environment of the moving door and determines whether there is an obstacle hindering the movement of the door. For example, if two adjacent doors are opened simultaneously, the sensor device installed on the rear door of the vehicle may detect a part of the front door as an obstacle to the movement of the rear door. Therefore, the rear door may stop moving when its opening angle is less than the maximum opening angle of the rear door to avoid collision with the detected front door.

[0003] US 2017 / 0321468 A1 discloses a method for detecting an object in the opening area of a motor vehicle door using at least one first distance sensor. At least one first distance sensor is installed on or inside the first door and has a detection area. The detection area is adjusted according to a determined state variable. The state variable describes the position and / or operating setting of at least one component different from the first door in the vehicle.

[0004] However, it is quite complicated to adjust the detection area of the sensor device to prevent the sensor device of the first door from detecting the second door as an obstacle. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a simpler method for operating a sensor device of a vehicle door.

[0006] The independent claims solve this problem.

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a method for operating a sensor device of a first vehicle door. For example, the first door is the rear door of the vehicle. The first door is positioned adjacent to a second door. For example, the second door is the front door of the vehicle. When viewed in the lateral direction of the vehicle, the first door and the second door are thus located on the same side of the vehicle.

[0008] Each door can move between a closed position and an open position. The corresponding closed position is the position where the corresponding door is fully closed. The corresponding open position is preferably the position where the corresponding door is opened farthest. The opening angle of the corresponding door in the open position may correspond to the maximum opening angle of the corresponding door. There may be reachable intermediate positions between the closed position and the open position. Preferably, the first door and / or the second door can move automatically between the closed position and the open position.

[0009] At least if both vehicle doors are in their respective open positions, the second vehicle door is within the coverage area of the sensor device of the first vehicle door. This means that if both vehicle doors are open, the sensor device of the first vehicle door captures data describing at least a part of the second vehicle door. The second vehicle door is thus an object or obstacle in the environment of the first vehicle door. The environment of the first vehicle door is at least a part of the environment of the vehicle. The coverage area may be referred to as the detection area. The vehicle doors may both be in an intermediate position, where the second vehicle door is already within the coverage area of the sensor device of the first vehicle door. The sensor device of the first vehicle door is, for example, an ultrasonic sensor device configured to determine distance information. This distance information may describe the distance between the sensor device and an object or obstacle in the environment of the first vehicle door.

[0010] The method includes determining first opening information and second opening information. The first opening information describes the position of the first vehicle door relative to the closed position of the first vehicle door. The second opening information describes the position of the second vehicle door relative to the closed position of the second vehicle door. The control unit of the respective vehicle door may determine and / or receive the first opening information and / or the second opening information. For example, the stepping motor of the respective vehicle door may capture the number of steps and / or the angle between the starting position and the current position to determine the current position of the respective vehicle door. The stepping motor may then provide the determined opening information to the control unit. The control unit may be configured to provide a control command for at least the first vehicle door.

[0011] The method includes prohibiting the sensor device from emitting pulses and / or signals into the environment of the first vehicle door if it is determined that the first opening information is within the first opening information range and the second opening information is within the second opening information range. This means that it is verified that the first opening information is within the first opening information range and that the second opening information is also within a specific second opening information range, which is the second opening information range. Only when the verification shows that both information ranges match the respective opening information ranges does the sensor device not emit pulses and / or signals into the environment. In other words, the method includes deactivating the emission function of the sensor device. Prohibiting the emission of pulses and / or signals may also be referred to as muting the sensor device. The first opening information range and the second opening information range may be different from each other or identical. For example, the pulse may be an ultrasonic pulse emitted by an ultrasonic sensor of the sensor device. Optionally or additionally, the sensor device may emit a signal towards the environment. If the emission of the pulse and / or signal is permitted and thus activated, the sensor device generally captures the echo of the emitted pulse or the reflected signal of the emitted signal. By prohibiting the emission of the pulse and / or signal, the sensor device cannot determine the sensor information describing the second vehicle door. Thus, the method prevents the second vehicle door from being detected as a possible obstacle for the first vehicle door.

[0012] The advantage of the method is that it is possible to prevent the second vehicle door from being detected as an obstacle to the first vehicle door without complex calculations, even though the second vehicle door has moved into the coverage area of the sensor device. Therefore, there is no need to adjust the coverage area or perform other complex calculations. In addition, the sensor device is not completely deactivated, but only the pulse and / or signal emission is muted. Therefore, no deactivation information that could be misinterpreted as a malfunction of the sensor device is determined and provided in the vehicle. Thus, the method provides a less complex way of operating the sensor device of the vehicle doors.

[0013] A preferred embodiment includes corresponding opening information that describes the opening angle of the corresponding vehicle door. Thus, the first opening information describes the opening angle of the first vehicle door and / or the second opening information describes the opening angle of the second vehicle door. The stepper motor can determine the opening angle and / or provide data for determining the opening angle. Considering the opening angle, the opening information range can be defined according to the attributes of the vehicle door, such as the maximum opening angle of the vehicle door. Therefore, the opening information is particularly easy to determine.

[0014] Another embodiment includes that the corresponding opening information range depends on the maximum opening angle of the corresponding vehicle door. The corresponding opening information range is particularly between half of the maximum opening angle of the corresponding vehicle door and the maximum opening angle. This means that the first opening information range depends on the maximum opening angle of the first vehicle door and / or the second opening information range depends on the maximum opening angle of the second vehicle door. Preferably, the two vehicle doors have the same maximum opening angle. The maximum opening angle can be 60 degrees, 70 degrees, 80 degrees or especially 90 degrees. The maximum opening angle can be any angle between the listed angles.

[0015] For example, if the maximum opening angle is 70 degrees, the opening information range can be between 35 degrees and 70 degrees. If the first opening information and the second opening information indicate that both vehicle doors are opened at least 35 degrees, the deactivation of the above-mentioned emission function occurs. However, for example, if at least one opening information indicates that the corresponding vehicle door is opened at an angle lower than half of the maximum opening angle, the emission function remains active. For example, if the first opening information describes an opening angle of 20 degrees and the second opening information indicates an opening angle of 70 degrees, the emission function remains active. The emission function is only deactivated when both opening information are within the corresponding opening information range.

[0016] The lower limit of the opening information range can be changed. The lower limit can be less than or more than half of the maximum opening angle, for example, one quarter or three quarters of the maximum opening angle. By selecting the opening information that depends on the maximum opening angle, a particularly simple method of selecting the corresponding opening information range is provided.

[0017] According to another embodiment, the sensor device includes a plurality of sensor units. The plurality of sensor units are spatially separated from each other in the first vehicle door. For example, the sensor device may include two, three or even more individual sensor units. For each sensor unit, there is a sensor unit-specific opening information range. Thus, it is determined for the respective sensor unit whether the first opening information is within the sensor unit-specific first opening information range and whether the second opening information is within the sensor unit-specific second opening signal range. If this is the case, the respective sensor unit is prohibited from emitting pulses and / or signals. This means that there may not be a common first and second opening information range, but rather sensor-specific first and second opening information ranges are set for each sensor unit of the sensor device. Therefore, the total number of sensor unit-specific first and second opening information ranges depends on the number of sensor units included in the sensor device. The opening information ranges of different sensor units may be different because the sensor units are spatially separated from each other in the first vehicle door. Thus, it is possible to deactivate the emission function of only one or some of the sensor units of the sensor device, while the remaining sensor units can still emit pulses and / or signals into the environment of the first vehicle door. This means that only one or some of the sensor units can be muted. Thus, it is possible to consider only the sensor units that may detect the second vehicle door as an obstacle, rather than the entire sensor device. This allows for differential control of the sensor device.

[0018] Determining whether the first opening information is within the first opening information range and whether the second opening information is within the second opening information range may include, for each sensor unit of the sensor device, determining whether the first opening information is within the respective sensor unit-specific first opening information range and whether the second opening information is within the respective sensor unit-specific second opening information range.

[0019] Furthermore, an embodiment includes that the sensor unit-specific first opening information range and the sensor unit-specific second opening information range depend on the sensor unit position of the sensor unit in the first vehicle door and / or the distance from at least one other sensor unit in the first vehicle door. This means that the sensor unit-specific opening information range may depend on the position of the respective sensor unit in the first vehicle door. The sensor unit position is the position of the sensor unit in the first vehicle door. A sensor unit located close to the second vehicle door may detect the second vehicle door in a certain situation, while another sensor unit located far from the second vehicle door may not have detected the second vehicle door yet. The reason for this is that the sensor unit position affects the coverage area of the sensor unit. The distance between two other sensor units may also affect the coverage areas of the two sensor units. Therefore, it is reasonable to consider the position of the respective sensor unit in the vehicle door and then select the sensor unit-specific opening information range based on the position and / or distance.

[0020] According to another embodiment, the method includes that the measurement sequences of the sensor device of the first vehicle door and the sensor device of the second vehicle door each include at least one emission step of each sensor device. During the emission step, at least one sensor unit of the corresponding sensor device emits pulses and / or signals. When the emission of pulses and / or signals is prohibited, at least one emission step of the sensor device of the first vehicle door is regarded as a waiting period and / or skipped. Since there is no active emission of pulses and / or signals in the corresponding step, the two sensor devices cannot capture any echoes and / or reflected signals because no pulses and / or signals are sent into the environment. This means that in these steps, the sensor devices wait until the sensor device of the second vehicle door emits pulses and / or signals in the corresponding next step, so that echoes and / or reflected signals may be generated and captured. However, instead of waiting or in addition to waiting, the number of steps is reduced by deleting the emission steps of the sensor device of the first vehicle door from the measurement sequence. In this case, the measurement sequence only includes the emission steps of the sensor device of the second vehicle door. Therefore, it is easy to include the described method in the typical measurement sequences of the sensor devices of the two vehicle doors.

[0021] Furthermore, an embodiment includes that when the emission of pulses and / or signals is prohibited, the receiving function of the sensor device remains activated. This means that the sensor device is allowed to receive echoes and / or reflected signals. Therefore, the sensor device is not completely disabled. The reflected signal can be referred to as a feedback signal. For example, when the sensor device in the second vehicle door emits pulses and / or signals, the pulses and / or signals may hit an object, thus generating echoes and / or reflected signals. The echoes and / or reflected signals may then hit the sensor device of the first vehicle door. The sensor device of the first vehicle door can thus capture echoes and / or reflected signals without emitting pulses and / or signals into the environment. It is possible to analyze the environment considering the received echoes and / or reflected signals and thus not be restricted by the deactivated emission function.

[0022] According to a further embodiment, the method includes that when the emission of pulses and / or signals is prohibited, the sensor device continues to provide sensor device diagnostic information to the diagnostic system of the vehicle. It is possible that the sensor device diagnostic information can be generated by the control unit of the first vehicle door and then provided to the diagnostic system of the vehicle. The diagnostic system is, for example, an on-board diagnostic system (OBD). From the perspective of the diagnostic system, the sensor device remains fully functional although it does not emit any pulses and / or signals. This means that in the case of a fault and / or malfunction of the sensor device, the fault and / or malfunction can still be detected because it is described by the sensor device diagnostic information. Therefore, the diagnostic system of the vehicle does not warn the control unit and / or other components of the vehicle only due to the deactivation of the emission function. Therefore, implementing this method does not result in false fault and / or malfunction detection.

[0023] Furthermore, one embodiment includes that if it is determined that the first opening information is outside the first opening information range, it is activated that the sensor device emits pulses and / or signals into the environment of the first vehicle door. Optionally or additionally, if it is determined that the second opening information is outside the second opening information range, it is activated that the sensor device emits pulses and / or signals into the environment of the first vehicle door. Optionally or additionally, if it is determined that the first vehicle door moves towards the closed position, it is activated that the sensor device emits pulses and / or signals into the environment of the first vehicle door. This means that as long as neither of the two opening information is within the respective opening information range, there is no need to prohibit the sensor device from emitting pulses and / or signals into the environment. Therefore, the emission function remains active and / or is activated. As long as one of the opening information is outside its opening information range. Furthermore, if the first vehicle door moves from the open position or the intermediate position towards the closed position, there is no longer a need to prohibit the second vehicle door from being detected as a possible obstacle, because closing the vehicle door involves moving away from the second vehicle door and thus away from the obstacle. Preferably, the first opening information and the second opening information are determined continuously, and it is continuously verified whether they are within or outside the respective opening information ranges. This means that once the first opening information and / or the second opening information change such that they are outside the respective opening information ranges, or it is determined that the first vehicle door is undergoing a closing movement, the emission function of the sensor device is immediately reactivated. Therefore, in all scenarios where the environment of the first vehicle door is reasonably captured, emitting pulses and / or signals is allowed and performed.

[0024] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the sensor device determines sensor information that describes the environment of the first vehicle door. The sensor information can be determined by analyzing echo and / or reflection signals. For example, the sensor information describes the distance of at least one object in the environment of the first vehicle door. The sensor device provides the determined sensor information to the control unit of the vehicle. The sensor information preferably includes ultrasonic data and / or radar data and / or lidar data. Preferably, the sensor information includes distance data. In principle, camera data can also be considered as sensor information. Therefore, the sensor information is typical data provided by the vehicle sensor device.

[0025] Further embodiments include that the control unit provides vehicle functions for the vehicle considering the sensor information. The vehicle functions may require the sensor information. The vehicle functions are especially the automatic door opening function for the first vehicle door. Alternatively or additionally, the vehicle functions are the automatic door closing function and / or the parking assistance function and / or any other driver assistance function of the vehicle, which can at least partially depend on the measurement data provided by the sensor device installed in the first vehicle door. Preferably, considering the sensor information, the vehicle functions prevent the vehicle, especially the first vehicle door, from colliding with objects or obstacles in the environment of the first vehicle door.

[0026] Another embodiment includes that in addition to prohibiting the emission of pulses and / or signals to the environment, the sensor device is deactivated. Thus, the sensor device of the first vehicle door can also be completely turned off or switched off. However, this may affect the diagnostic system evaluation of the vehicle's diagnostic system, which may interpret the deactivated sensor device as a malfunction and / or failure of the sensor device. However, this is another way to prevent the second vehicle door from being detected as an obstacle that may affect the opening angle of the first vehicle door.

[0027] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a vehicle. The vehicle includes a first vehicle door and a second vehicle door with sensor devices. The first vehicle door is positioned adjacent to the second vehicle door. Each vehicle door is movable between a closed position and an open position. At least when both vehicle doors are in their respective open positions, the second vehicle door is within the coverage area of the sensor device of the first vehicle door. The vehicle is configured to determine first opening information describing the position of the first vehicle door relative to the closed position of the first vehicle door, and second opening information describing the position of the second vehicle door relative to the closed position of the second vehicle door. The vehicle is also configured to determine whether the first opening information is within the first opening information range and whether the second opening information is within the second opening information range. If both opening information is the case, the vehicle is configured to prohibit the sensor device from emitting pulses and / or signals in the environment of the first vehicle door. Thus, the vehicle is configured to deactivate the emission function of the sensor device. The vehicle is configured to perform the method, in particular at least one embodiment or a combination of embodiments of the method.

[0028] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a control unit. The control unit is configured to control at least one sensor device of the first vehicle door of the vehicle. The control unit performs the method, in particular at least one embodiment or a combination of embodiments of the method. The control unit includes a processor device. The processor device may include at least one microprocessor and / or at least one microcontroller and / or at least one field programmable gate array (FPGA) and / or at least one digital signal processor (DSP). In addition, the processor device may include program code. The program code may also be referred to as a computer program product or a computer program. The program code may be stored in the data memory of the processor device.

[0029] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a computer program product. The computer program product is a computer program. The computer program product includes instructions that, when the program is executed by a computer (such as the control unit of a vehicle), cause the computer to perform the method of the present invention.

[0030] The present invention includes combinations of the described embodiments. Description of the Drawings

[0031] Figure 1 : Schematic diagram of a vehicle with multiple vehicle doors;

[0032] Figure 2 : Schematic diagram of a method for operating a sensor device of a first vehicle door;

[0033] Figure 3 : Schematic diagram of a measurement sequence of a sensor device of a first vehicle door. Detailed implementation

[0034] Figure 1 Vehicle 1 is shown, which includes a first vehicle door 2 and a second vehicle door 3. Here, the first vehicle door 2 is the rear door of the vehicle 1. The first vehicle door 2 is positioned adjacent to the second vehicle door 3. Here, the second vehicle door 3 is the front door of the vehicle 1. There are a first vehicle door 2 and a second vehicle door 3 on both sides of the vehicle 1. Here, the two sides are respectively represented as scenario A and scenario B.

[0035] The corresponding vehicle doors 2, 3 have different possible positions 4, 5, 6. Each vehicle door 2, 3 can move between a closed position 4 and an open position 5. There can be multiple intermediate positions 6 between the closed position 4 and the open position 5. The vehicle doors 2, 3 in the open position 5 and the intermediate positions 6 are drawn as dashed lines.

[0036] The first vehicle door 2 includes a sensor device 7. The sensor device 7 can include multiple sensor units 8. Here, the second vehicle door 3 also includes a sensor device 7. At least when both vehicle doors 2, 3 are in their respective open positions 4, the second vehicle door 3 is within the coverage area 10 of the sensor device 7 of the first vehicle door 2. Here, each of the vehicle doors 2, 3 includes two sensor units 8. The sensor units 8 are spatially separated from each other in the corresponding vehicle doors 2, 3. The sensor unit 8 can be an ultrasonic sensor, a radar sensor, and / or a lidar sensor.

[0037] In scenario A, both the first vehicle doors 2, 3 are in the open position 4 at the maximum opening angle α max . In the intermediate positions 6, they are opened at an opening angle that is half of the maximum opening angle α max (i.e., α max / 2). In scenario B, two intermediate positions 6 are drawn, where the opening angle α of the corresponding vehicle doors 2, 3 is less than the maximum opening angle α max .

[0038] For each vehicle door 2, 3, its opening direction 9 of movement is also drawn. In scenario B, the first vehicle door 2 is currently closed, meaning it is moving towards the closed position 4. All other drawn vehicle doors 2, 3 are currently moving from the closed position 4 towards the open position 5 or the intermediate positions 6.

[0039] Vehicle 1 may include a control unit 11. The control unit 11 may provide vehicle functions 12 for the vehicle 1. The vehicle function 12 is, for example, an automatic door opening function and / or an automatic door closing function of the first door 2. Optionally or additionally, the vehicle function 12 may be configured to provide a parking assistance function or other driving assistance functions. The vehicle function 12 may also be provided for the second door 3.

[0040] Vehicle 1 may include a diagnostic system 13, such as an on-board diagnostic system (OBD), meaning that it may include a system with vehicle self-diagnosis and reporting capabilities.

[0041] Figure 2 Method steps for displaying and operating a sensor device 7 of the first door 2 of the vehicle 1. In step S1, the method includes determining first opening information 20 that describes the position of the first door 2 relative to the closed position 4 of the first door 2. In step S2, the method includes determining second opening information 21 that describes the position of the second door 3 relative to the closed position 4 of the second door 3. At least one or preferably two opening information 20, 21 describe the opening angle α of the corresponding doors 2, 3.

[0042] Step S3 includes verifying whether the first opening information 20 is within the first opening information range 22 and whether the second opening information 21 is within the second opening information range 23. Preferably, the corresponding opening information ranges 22, 23 depend on the maximum opening angle α of the corresponding doors 2, 3 max Typically, the two doors 2, 3 have the same maximum opening angle α max and thus have the same opening information ranges 22, 23. The corresponding opening information ranges 22, 23 are preferably within half of the maximum opening angle α of the corresponding doors 2, 3 max (i.e., α max / 2) and the maximum opening angle α max This means that the described verification step S3 is successful for both doors 2, 3 in scenario A, which is drawn with a dashed line. However, in scenario B, the second door 4 is in an intermediate position 6 outside the second opening information range 23, so the verification step in step S3 is unsuccessful.

[0043] If it is determined that the first opening information 20 is within the first opening information range 22 and the second opening information 21 is within the second opening information range 23, step S4 is executed. Step S4 includes prohibiting the sensor device 7 from emitting pulses 24 and / or signals in the environment of the first vehicle door 2. Generally, in step 4, the sensor device 7 of the first vehicle door 2 is prevented from emitting any pulses 24 and / or signals. Accordingly, the emission function 30 of the sensor device 7 of the first vehicle door 2 is deactivated. However, it is still possible for the sensor device 7 of the first vehicle door 2 to receive echoes 25 and / or reflected signals. Accordingly, the reception function 31 of the sensor device 7 of the first vehicle door 2 remains activated.

[0044] In step S5, the sensor device 7 may continue to provide sensor device diagnostic information 26 to the diagnostic system 13 of the vehicle 1 while the emission of pulses 24 and / or signals is prohibited.

[0045] In step S6, the method may include verifying whether the first opening information 20 is outside the first opening information range 22 and / or whether the second opening information 21 is outside the second opening information range 23 and / or whether the first vehicle door 2 is moving towards the closed position 4. If any of these three conditions is met, step S7 is executed, in which the emission of pulses 24 and / or signals by the sensor device 7 of the first vehicle door 2 in the environment of the first vehicle door 2 is activated, or in particular reactivated. This means that both the emission function 30 and the reception function 31 are activated. For example, in Figure 1 the case of scenario B, the second opening information 21 is outside the second opening information range 23. In addition, the first vehicle door 2 is moving towards the closed position 4. Accordingly, two of the three conditions are met in scenario B. It is also possible that in another scenario, at least the first opening information 20 is outside the first opening information range 22 (not shown here).

[0046] After step S4 and / or after step S7, it is possible to execute step S8. Step S8 may include the sensor device 7 which determines sensor information 27 describing the environment of the first vehicle door 2. The sensor device 7 may provide the sensor information 27 to the control unit 11 of the vehicle 1. The sensor information 27 may be determined by analyzing the received echoes 25 and / or reflected signals. In step S9, the control unit 11 may provide the vehicle function 12 taking into account the provided sensor information 27.

[0047] In steps S3 and S6, it is generally possible to specify the opening information ranges 22, 23 for the specific sensor units 8 of the sensor device 7. Thus, in these steps, it is determined whether the first opening information 20 is within the first opening information range 22 specific to the sensor unit and whether the second opening information 21 is within the second opening information range 23 specific to the sensor unit. Then, one sensor unit 8 or multiple sensor units 8 can be specifically prohibited from emitting pulses 25 and / or signals. The first opening information range 21 specific to the sensor unit and the second opening information range 23 specific to the sensor unit can depend on the sensor unit position of the respective sensor unit 8 in the first vehicle door 2 and / or the distance to at least one other sensor unit 8 in the first vehicle door 2.

[0048] Figure 3 Shows an example of a measurement sequence of the sensor device 7 of the first vehicle door 2 and the second vehicle door 3. In the first column, four steps a1, b1, c1, d1 of the measurement sequence are listed. The second and third columns are assigned to two sensor units 8 of the second vehicle door 3, and the fourth and fifth columns are assigned to the sensor units 8 of the first vehicle door 2. The order of the columns corresponds to the order of the sensor units 8 viewed along the x-direction according to Figure 1 This means that the second column is assigned to the sensor unit 8 closest to the front of the vehicle 1, while the last column and the fifth column are assigned to the sensor unit 8 located farthest to the rear of the vehicle 1. In each step of the measurement sequence, the sensor unit 8 with the activated transmission function 30 and the activated reception function 31 is marked as such.

[0049] In step a1, one of the sensor units 8 of the second vehicle door 3 emits both pulses 24 and / or signals and receives echoes 25 and / or reflected signals. The other sensor unit 8 of the second vehicle door 3 can also receive echoes 25 and / or reflected signals. The next step b1 of the measurement sequence is the so-called transmission step 32 of the first vehicle door 2. This means that in this step, one of the sensor units 8 of the first vehicle door 2 both transmits and receives. In this step, one of the sensor units 8 of the second vehicle door 3 and the other sensor unit 8 of the first vehicle door 2 also receive echoes 25 and / or reflected signals and thus have the activated reception function 31. In step c1, the transmitting sensor unit 8 is again one of the sensor units 8 of the second vehicle door 3, and step d1 is another transmission step 32 of the sensor device 7 of the first vehicle door 2.

[0050] In step S4, the measurement sequence can become Figure 3One of two possibilities drawn below. On the left, the emission step 32 of the sensor device 7 of the first vehicle door 2 is regarded as the waiting period 33. Thus, the time required to execute these steps b2 and d2 remains part of the measurement sequence. On the right, the emission step 32 of the sensor device 7 of the first vehicle door 2 is completely skipped, meaning the measurement sequence is reduced to steps a2 and c2. These are the two steps of this example during which the sensor unit 8 of the second vehicle door 3 emits pulses 24 and / or signals in its environment. Other measurement sequences, in particular other steps a1, b2, c1, d2, a2, b2, c2, d2 are possible.

[0051] In addition to step S4, the sensor device 7 can be deactivated completely.

[0052] The control unit 11 can be configured to control the sensor device 7 of the first vehicle door 2 individually, to control the sensor devices 7 of the two vehicle doors 2, 3 on one side of the vehicle 1 together, and / or to control the sensor devices 7 of all vehicle doors 2, 3 together. The control unit 11 can be the central control device of the vehicle 1. The control unit 11 can execute and / or at least initiate the above method steps and / or measurement sequences.

[0053] In summary, a silencing of the sensor device 7 that does not detect self-vehicle components is described. The purpose of mounting the sensor device 7 in a movable part of the vehicle 1, such as the vehicle doors 2, 3, is to detect obstacles to open the vehicle doors until a calculated distance from the obstacle to avoid a collision. The solution includes silencing the sensor device 7 of the rear vehicle door, i.e., the first vehicle door 2, when the rear vehicle door is opened by more than a certain angle and the front vehicle door, i.e., the second vehicle door 3, is also opened by a certain angle. For example, if the rear vehicle door is opened by more than 35 degrees and if the front vehicle door is opened by more than 35 degrees, all sensor units 8 of the rear vehicle door and thus of the first vehicle door 2 are silenced. If only a specific area is to be masked, it is also possible to silence only a single sensor unit 8. If the rear vehicle door is opened by less than 35 degrees or if the front vehicle door is opened by less than 35 degrees or the rear vehicle door is moving towards the closed position 4, the sensor units 8 of the rear vehicle door can send actively. The active sending or silencing must be calibrated taking into account the required use case to ensure that static and dynamic obstacles can still be detected by the vehicle doors 2, 3 so that the vehicle doors 2, 3 do not collide with obstacles.

[0054] Another method is to completely deactivate the sensor device 7 of the rear vehicle door. Another method is to ignore the obstacles and points detected by the rear vehicle door when it is open that were not detected when the rear vehicle door was in the closed position 4.

Claims

1. A method for operating a sensor device (7) of a first vehicle door (2) of a vehicle (1), wherein the first vehicle door (2) is positioned adjacent to a second vehicle door (3), and each vehicle door (2, 3) is movable between a closed position (4) and an open position (5), and wherein the second vehicle door (3) is located within a coverage area (10) of the sensor device (7) of the first vehicle door (2) at least if both vehicle doors (2, 3) are in their respective open positions (5), comprising: - determining (S1) a first opening information (20) that describes the position of the first vehicle door (2) relative to the closed position (4) of the first vehicle door (2); and - determining (S2) a second opening information (21) that describes the position of the second vehicle door (3) relative to the closed position (4) of the second vehicle door (3); characterized in that if it is determined (S3) that the first opening information (20) is within a first opening information range (22) and the second opening information (21) is within a second opening information range (23), then the sensor device (7) is prohibited (S4) from emitting a pulse (24) and / or a signal into the environment of the first vehicle door (2).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The corresponding opening information (20, 21) describes the opening angle of the corresponding vehicle door (2, 3).

3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The corresponding opening information ranges (22, 23) depend on the maximum opening angle of the corresponding vehicle door (2, 3), wherein the corresponding opening information ranges (22, 23) are in particular between half of the maximum opening angle and the maximum opening angle of the corresponding vehicle door (2, 3).

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The sensor device (7) comprises a plurality of sensor units (8) that are spatially separated from each other in the first vehicle door (2), and wherein if it is determined for a corresponding sensor unit (8) that the first opening information (20) is within a sensor unit-specific first opening information range (22) and the second opening information (21) is within a sensor unit-specific second opening information range (23), then the corresponding sensor unit is prohibited from emitting a pulse (24) and / or a signal.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The sensor unit-specific first opening information range (22) and / or the sensor unit-specific second opening information range (23) depend on the sensor unit position of the sensor unit (8) in the first vehicle door (2) and / or the distance from at least one other sensor unit (8) in the first vehicle door (2).

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The measurement sequence of the sensor device (7) of the first vehicle door (2) and the sensor device (7) of the second vehicle door (3) comprises at least one emission step (32) of each sensor device (7), during which at least one sensor unit (8) of the corresponding sensor device (7) emits a pulse (24) and / or a signal, wherein when the emission of the pulse (24) and / or the signal is prohibited, at least one emission step (32) of the sensor device (7) of the first vehicle door (2) is considered a waiting period (33) and / or skipped.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, When the emission of the pulse (24) and / or the signal is prohibited, the receiving function (31) of the sensor device (7) remains active.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein When the emission of pulses (24) and / or signals is prohibited, the sensor device (7) continues to provide (S5) sensor device diagnostic information (26) for the diagnostic system (13) of the vehicle (1).

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, If it is determined (S6) that the first opening information (20) is outside the first opening information range (22) and / or the second opening information (21) is outside the second opening information range (23) and / or the first vehicle door (2) moves towards the closed position (4), the emission of pulses (24) and / or signals by the sensor device (7) into the environment of the first vehicle door (2) is activated (S7).

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The sensor device (7) determines sensor information (27) that describes the environment of the first vehicle door (2) and provides (S8) the sensor information (27) to the control unit (11) of the vehicle (1).

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein Taking the sensor information (27) into consideration, the control unit (11) provides vehicle functions (12) for the vehicle (1), in particular an automatic door opening function for the first vehicle door (2).

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, In addition to prohibiting the sensor device (7) from emitting pulses (24) and / or signals, the sensor device (7) is deactivated.

13. A vehicle (1) comprising a first vehicle door (2) and a second vehicle door (3) with a sensor device (7), wherein the vehicle (1) is configured to perform the method according to any one of the preceding claims.

14. A control unit (11) configured to control at least one sensor device (7) of a first vehicle door (2) of a vehicle (1), wherein the control unit (11) is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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