System and method for preventing vehicle door impact

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for preventing a vehicle door impact. A first vehicle is disclosed that includes a detection unit, a transceiver, and a processor. The detection unit may be configured to detect a first distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle located near the first vehicle; the transceiver may be configured to receive a second vehicle door size. The processor may be configured to compare the distance to the second vehicle door size and determine that the second vehicle door size may be greater than the distance. The processor may control operation of the first vehicle component in response to determining that the second vehicle door size may be greater than the distance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for preventing door slam in a parked vehicle using vehicle running boards. Background Art

[0002] Door dents or impacts are known to occur when the doors of adjacent vehicles contact the body of the parked vehicle. Repairing door impacts is particularly challenging when the operator of an adjacent vehicle forcefully opens their vehicle door, causing a significant dent in the parked vehicle's body. Such situations can cause inconvenience to the operator or user associated with the parked vehicle. Currently, there are limited means to prevent door impacts when vehicles are located in parking lots where multiple vehicles may be parked adjacent to one another. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present disclosure describes a vehicle (e.g., a first vehicle) configured to prevent door impacts / dents by using a running board of the vehicle to protect the vehicle's door / body. The running board can be configured to move between a retracted position and an extended position. When the running board is positioned in the extended position, the running board can protect the vehicle's door / body from being affected by the opening of a door of another vehicle (e.g., a second vehicle) parked near the first vehicle. In some aspects, when a door associated with the second vehicle may be opened, the opened door can contact the running board of the first vehicle instead of contacting the door / body of the first vehicle, thereby preventing the first vehicle from being dented.

[0004] In some aspects, when a second vehicle may be parked near the first vehicle, the first vehicle may be configured to determine the distance between the first vehicle and the adjacent side of the second vehicle. The first vehicle may determine the distance using input obtained from one or more sensors installed in the first vehicle. The first vehicle may further obtain the size / length of a door associated with the second vehicle (or "second vehicle door") from the second vehicle. In some embodiments, the size of the second vehicle's door may be further determined through a process including, but not limited to, using images captured by a camera or other imaging system. In response to determining the distance and obtaining the second vehicle door length, the first vehicle may compare the distance to the second vehicle door length.

[0005] When the length of the second vehicle's door is likely to be greater than the distance between the adjacent sides of the first and second vehicles, the first vehicle can move the running boards on the side of the first vehicle facing the second vehicle to the extended position. In other words, when the probability of the second vehicle's door contacting the first vehicle's body / door is likely to be high (e.g., during a second vehicle door opening operation), the first vehicle can move the running boards to the extended position. In this way, the first vehicle prevents its body from being dented by the opening of the second vehicle's door.

[0006] On the other hand, the first vehicle may maintain the running boards in the retracted position when the second vehicle door length may be less than the distance between adjacent sides of the first and second vehicles.

[0007] The first vehicle may be further configured to adjust the height of the first vehicle relative to the height of the second vehicle so that when the first vehicle and the second vehicle are parked adjacent to each other, the first vehicle and the second vehicle are at the same height. If the first vehicle is not configured to adjust the height of the first vehicle to be equal to the height of the second vehicle, the first vehicle may transmit a height adjustment notification to the second vehicle, thereby causing the second vehicle to adjust the height of the second vehicle to be equal to the height of the first vehicle.

[0008] When the second vehicle door is likely to be opened, the first vehicle may increase the first vehicle height to be greater than the second vehicle height, thereby enabling the running boards associated with the first vehicle to effectively protect the first vehicle body from the opening of the second vehicle door. Similarly, when the first vehicle door is likely to be opened, the second vehicle may increase the second vehicle height, thereby enabling the running boards associated with the second vehicle to effectively protect the second vehicle body from the opening of the first vehicle door.

[0009] The present disclosure discloses a vehicle that uses running boards to protect its body from dents caused by the open doors of adjacent vehicles. The vehicle does not use external devices or structures, but rather uses internal vehicle components to protect its body from dents. Furthermore, the vehicle moves the running boards to an extended position (either fully or partially) only when an adjacent vehicle is parked adjacent to the vehicle, and not otherwise, thereby ensuring that the running boards do not unnecessarily obstruct passage between parked vehicles.

[0010] These and other advantages of the present disclosure are provided in detail herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Detailed description of the invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numerals may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and / or components other than those illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and some elements and / or components may not be present in various embodiments. The elements and / or components in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Throughout this disclosure, singular and plural terms may be used interchangeably, depending on the context.

[0012] Figure 1 Depicted is an example environment in which techniques and structures for providing the systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented.

[0013] Figure 2 Depicted is a block diagram of an example system for preventing vehicle door slam according to the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 3 Depicted is an example snapshot of a vehicle's right running board in an extended position in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 4 Depicted is an example snapshot of a vehicle's left running board in an extended position in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 5 Depicted are example snapshots of two vehicles having different heights in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 6 A flow chart depicts an example method for preventing vehicle door slam according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of the disclosure are shown and which are not intended to be limiting.

[0019] Figure 1 An example environment 100 is depicted in which techniques and structures for providing the systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented. The environment 100 may include a vehicle 102 (or "first vehicle"), which may be located in a parking lot or geographic area where multiple vehicles may be parked / located in close proximity to each other. Figure 1 In the exemplary aspect depicted in FIG, vehicle 102 is parked between vehicle 104 (or “second vehicle”) and vehicle 106 (or third vehicle). Vehicle 104 may be located / parked adjacent to and to the right of vehicle 102, and vehicle 106 may be located / parked adjacent to and to the left of vehicle 102.

[0020] Each vehicle 102 , 104 , 106 may take the form of any passenger or commercial vehicle, such as, for example, a car, a work vehicle, a crossover vehicle, a truck, a van, a taxi, a bus, etc. Additionally, each vehicle 102 , 104 , 106 may be a manually driven vehicle and / or may be configured to operate in a fully autonomous (e.g., driverless) mode or a partially autonomous mode, and may include any powertrain, such as, for example, a gasoline engine, one or more electric actuation motors, a hybrid powertrain, etc.

[0021] In some aspects, the vehicle 102 (and one or both of the vehicles 104 and 106) may include a right running board 108a and a left running board 108b (collectively, running boards 108) that may be located on the right and left sides of the vehicle 102 near the vehicle floor / cargo bed. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the running boards 108 are typically located on both the left and right sides of the vehicle 102 to facilitate entry / egress to / from the vehicle interior through corresponding vehicle doors (e.g., front and rear vehicle doors). Each running board 108 may include a generally flat upper surface configured to accommodate the vehicle operator's or passenger's feet as they enter or exit the vehicle interior, thereby enabling the vehicle operator's or passenger's convenient entry / egress to / from the vehicle 102.

[0022] According to the present disclosure, each running board 108 can be configured to move between a retracted position and an extended position. In the extended position, the running boards 108 can be extended away from the vehicle body so that the flat upper surface of the running boards 108 can be perpendicular to the vehicle height, thereby allowing the vehicle operator and / or passenger to conveniently place their feet on the flat upper surface (to enter / exit the vehicle 102). On the other hand, in the retracted position, the running boards 108 may not be extended away from the vehicle body, but instead may be tucked away in or under the vehicle floor / cargo bed.

[0023] In some aspects, the vehicle 102 can be configured to use the running boards 108 to prevent door strikes / dents on the vehicle doors / body associated with the vehicle 102 (or "the body of the vehicle 102"). Specifically, when the vehicle 102 may be parked between one or more adjacent vehicles (e.g., vehicles 104, 106), the vehicle 102 can move the running boards 108 to a fully extended position or a partially extended position to prevent the doors associated with the adjacent vehicles from contacting the body of the vehicle 102 when the doors of the adjacent vehicles may be open. In this case, the doors of the adjacent vehicles may contact the running boards 108 in the fully or partially extended position and not contact the body of the vehicle 102, thereby preventing door strikes on the vehicle 102.

[0024] In an exemplary aspect, the vehicle 102 may include a detection unit (or vehicle sensing system, in Figure 2 The detection unit may be configured to determine a first distance "dR" between the vehicle 102 and the vehicle 104. Specifically, the detection unit may determine a first distance "dR" between the right side of the vehicle 102 and the left side of the vehicle 104. The vehicle 102 may further receive a signal from the server (in the example of FIG. Figure 2The size or length "R" of the left vehicle door 110 associated with the vehicle 104 is obtained by a server (shown as server 204 in FIG. 1 ) or directly from the vehicle 104. In some embodiments, the size or length "R" of the door of the second vehicle may be further determined by a process including, but not limited to, using images captured by a camera or other imaging system associated with the vehicle 102. In some aspects, the length "R" may be the length of the vehicle door from the vehicle body when the left vehicle door 110 may be in a fully open state.

[0025] In response to obtaining the length "R" and determining the first distance "dR", the vehicle 102 may compare "R" with "dR". When "R" is likely to be greater than "dR", the vehicle 102 may move the right running board 108a to a fully or partially extended position. In other words, when the distance between the vehicles 102 and 104 is likely to be less than the length of the left vehicle door 110, the vehicle 102 may move the right running board 108a to a fully or partially extended position. In the fully or partially extended position, the right running board 108a may shield the right vehicle door / body and / or right side mirror 112 associated with the vehicle 102 from contact with the left vehicle door 110 when the left vehicle door 110 is likely to be opened. In this case, the left vehicle door 110 may contact the right running board 108a (rather than contacting the right vehicle door / body and / or right side mirror 112 of the vehicle 102), thereby potentially preventing any dents to the vehicle 102. In other words, the right running board 108 a may act as a physical barrier to a potential door strike on the vehicle 102 caused by the left vehicle door 110 .

[0026] On the other hand, when the vehicle 102 determines that "R" may be less than "dR" based on the above comparison, the vehicle 102 may not move the right running board 108a to the fully or partially extended position, but may instead maintain the right running board 108a in the retracted position. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, in this case, even if the left vehicle door 110 can be fully opened, the left vehicle door 110 may not contact the right door / body of the vehicle 102 and / or the right side mirror 112. Therefore, in this case, the vehicle 102 may maintain the right running board 108a in the retracted position to ensure that the right running board 108a does not unnecessarily obstruct the passage between the vehicles 102 and 104.

[0027] In a similar manner, the detection unit may determine a second distance "dL" between the vehicles 102 and 106 (specifically, between the left side of the vehicle 102 and the right side of the vehicle 106), and the vehicle 102 may obtain the size or length "L" of the right vehicle door 114 associated with the vehicle 106 from the server or directly from the vehicle 106. The vehicle 102 may then compare "L" with "dL" and may move the left running board 108b to a fully or partially extended position to protect the left door / body of the vehicle 102 and / or the left side mirror 116 in a manner similar to that described above when "L" is likely to be greater than "dL." On the other hand, when "L" is likely to be less than "dL," the vehicle 102 may not move the left running board 108b to a fully or partially extended position.

[0028] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art from the above description, the vehicle 102 can independently move the right running board 108 a and the left running board 108 b based on “R,” “dR,” “L,” and “dL.” In other words, the vehicle 102 can extend both the running boards 108 a and 108 b simultaneously, or extend only one running board at a given time, based on “R,” “dR,” “L,” and “dL.”

[0029] In some aspects, vehicles 104 and 106 may have running boards similar to running boards 108, and vehicles 104 and 106 may control the movement of their respective running boards in a manner similar to that described above. In other aspects, each vehicle 102, 104, 106 may be configured to adjust its vehicle height so that its running boards in a partially / fully extended position effectively protect the vehicle's body / doors from dents. The process of adjusting vehicle height and additional vehicle details are described below in conjunction with Figures 2 to 5 Provide a description.

[0030] The vehicles 102, 104, 106 implement and / or perform operations as described herein in the present disclosure in accordance with the vehicle owner's manual and safety guidelines. Additionally, any actions taken by the vehicle operator based on recommendations or notifications provided by the vehicle 102, 104, 106 should comply with all regulations specific to the location (e.g., federal, state, country, city, etc.) and operation of the vehicle 102, 104, 106. Recommendations or notifications as provided by the vehicle 102, 104, 106 should be considered suggestions and followed only in accordance with any regulations specific to the location and operation of the vehicle 102, 104, 106.

[0031] Figure 2 A block diagram of an example system 200 for preventing vehicle door impact according to the present disclosure is depicted. Figure 2 When referring to Figure 3 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 .

[0032] The system 200 may include a vehicle 102 (or a first vehicle), a vehicle 104 (or a second vehicle), a vehicle 106 (or a third vehicle), a user device 202, and one or more servers 204 (or servers 204) communicatively coupled to one another via one or more networks 206 (or networks 206). The user device 202 may be associated with a vehicle operator / user of the vehicle 102 and may be, for example, a mobile phone, a laptop, a computer, a tablet, a smartwatch, a wearable device, or any other device with communication capabilities.

[0033] The server 204 may be part of a cloud-based computing infrastructure and may be associated with and / or include a telematics service delivery network (SDN) that provides digital data services to the vehicles 102, 104, 106, and other vehicles (not shown) that may be part of a vehicle fleet. In another aspect, the server 204 may be configured to store vehicle dimensions associated with a plurality of vehicles, including the vehicles 102, 104, and 106. The vehicle dimensions may include, for example, vehicle door length / dimensions, vehicle height, vehicle length, etc. When the respective vehicle transmits a request to the server 204 to obtain vehicle dimensions for a particular vehicle, the server 204 may be configured to transmit the vehicle dimensions to the vehicle 102, 104, or 106.

[0034] The network 206 illustrates an example communication infrastructure in which the connected devices discussed in various embodiments of the present disclosure may communicate. The network 206 may be and / or include the Internet, a private network, a public network, or other configurations operating using any one or more known communication protocols, such as, for example, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Low energy (BLE), Wi-Fi based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard 802.11, ultra-wideband (UWB), and cellular technologies such as time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPDA), long-term evolution (LTE), global system for mobile communications (GSM) and fifth generation (5G), to name a few.

[0035] The vehicle 102 may include a plurality of units including, but not limited to, a vehicle computer 208, a vehicle control unit (VCU) 210, and a dent prevention unit 212 (or unit 212). The VCU 210 may include a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) 214 configured to communicate with the vehicle computer 208.

[0036] In some aspects, the user device 202 can be configured to connect to the vehicle computer 208 and / or unit 212 via the network 206, which can communicate via one or more wireless connections, and / or the user device can communicate using a near field communication (NFC) protocol, Protocol, Wi-Fi, Ultra Wideband (UWB), and other possible data connection and sharing technologies to connect directly with the vehicle 102.

[0037] According to the present disclosure, the vehicle computer 208 and / or the unit 212 may be installed anywhere in the vehicle 102. In addition, the vehicle computer 208 may operate as a functional part of the unit 212. The vehicle computer 208 may be or include an electronic vehicle controller having one or more processors 216 and a memory 218. In addition, the unit 212 may be separate from the vehicle computer 208 (e.g., Figure 2 ), or may be integrated as part of the vehicle computer 208.

[0038] The processor 216 may be configured to communicate with one or more memory devices (e.g., memory 218 and / or memory 219) configured to communicate with a corresponding computing system. Figure 2 The processor 216 may utilize the memory 218 to store programs and / or data in the form of code to perform operations according to the present disclosure. The memory 218 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or memory that stores dent prevention program code. The memory 218 may include any one or a combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), etc.), and may include any one or more non-volatile memory elements (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), etc.).

[0039] According to some aspects, the VCU 210 can share a power bus with the vehicle computer 208 and can be configured and / or programmed to coordinate data between vehicle systems, connected servers (e.g., server 204), user devices 202, vehicles 104, 106, etc. The VCU 210 can include or communicate with any combination of ECUs 214, such as, for example, a body control module (BCM) 220, an engine control module (ECM) 222, a transmission control module (TCM) 224, a telematics control unit (TCU) 226, a driver assistance technology (DAT) controller 228, etc. The VCU 210 can also include and / or communicate with a vehicle perception system (VPS) 230, which has connectivity with and / or controls one or more vehicle sensing systems 232 (or detection units). The vehicle sensing system 232 may include one or more vehicle sensors, including, but not limited to, a radio detection and ranging (RADAR or “radar”) sensor configured to detect and locate objects inside and outside the vehicle 102 using radio waves, a seating area latch sensor, a sonar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a seating area sensor, a light detection and ranging (“lidar”) sensor, a door sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a wheel sensor, one or more ambient weather or temperature sensors, a vehicle interior camera and an exterior camera, a steering wheel sensor, etc. In some aspects, the vehicle sensing system 232 may be configured to determine a first distance “dR” between the vehicles 102 and 104 and a second distance “dL” between the vehicles 102 and 106, as described above in conjunction with the present disclosure. Figure 1 described.

[0040] In some aspects, the VCU 210 may control aspects of vehicle operation and implement one or more instruction sets received from the server 204 , the user device 202 , the vehicles 104 , 106 , one or more instruction sets stored in the memory 218 , including instructions operating as part of the unit 212 .

[0041] The TCU 226 may be configured and / or programmed to provide vehicle connectivity to wireless computing systems on and off the vehicle 102 and may include a navigation (NAV) receiver 234 for receiving and processing GPS signals, module (BLEM) 236, Wi-Fi transceiver, UWB transceiver and / or may be configured to communicate between the vehicle 102 and other systems (e.g., vehicle key fob ( Figure 2 ), server 204, user device 202, vehicle 104, 106, etc.), computer and other wireless transceivers (including cellular communications) for wireless communication between modules Figure 22. The TCU 226 may be configured to communicate with the ECU 214 via a bus. In some aspects, the TCU 226 may be configured to determine real-time vehicle geographic location, such as via the NAV receiver 234.

[0042] The ECU 214 may control various aspects of vehicle operation and communication using input from a human driver, input from the vehicle computer 208, unit 212, and / or input via wireless signals received over a wireless connection from other connected devices (such as a server 204, vehicles 104, 106, user devices 202, etc.).

[0043] The BCM 220 typically includes an integration of sensors, vehicle performance indicators, and variable reactors associated with vehicle systems, and may include processor-based power distribution circuits that can control functions associated with the vehicle body, such as lights, windows, security devices, cameras, audio systems, speakers, wipers, door locks and entry controls, various comfort controls, the right running board 108a and the left running board 108b, etc. In some aspects, the BCM 220 can be configured to move the right running board 108a and the left running board 108b between a retracted position and an extended position (fully or partially extended position) based on command signals received from the processor 216 and / or the unit 212. The BCM 220 can command the solenoids or stepper motors associated with the running boards 108 to move them from a retracted position to an extended position, or from an extended position to a retracted position. The BCM 220 can also operate as a gateway for buses and network interfaces to communicate with remote ECUs ( Figure 2 (not shown) to interact.

[0044] As above combined Figure 1 As described, the right running board 108a and the left running board 108b can be configured to move between a retracted position and an extended position (e.g., a fully extended or partially extended position). In some aspects, when the right running board 108a is in the extended position (partially or fully), the right running board 108a can be extended away from the right side of the vehicle 102, thereby protecting the right side of the vehicle body / door and / or the right side mirror 112 from door dents / impacts or preventing the left vehicle door 110 from contacting the vehicle body 102. In this case (i.e., in the extended position), when the left vehicle door 110 is likely to be opened, the left vehicle door 110 can contact the right running board 108a (rather than contacting the vehicle body 102 and / or the right side mirror 112), thereby preventing the vehicle 102 from being dented. On the other hand, when the right running board 108a is in the retracted position, the right running board 108a can not be extended away from the right side of the vehicle body 102.

[0045] In a similar manner, when the left running board 108b may be in the extended position (partially or fully), the left running board 108b may be extended away from the left side of the vehicle 102, thereby protecting the left side of the vehicle body / door and / or the left side mirror 116 from door dents / impacts or preventing the right vehicle door 114 from contacting the body of the vehicle 102. In this case (i.e., in the extended position), when the right vehicle door 114 may be opened, the right vehicle door 114 may contact the left running board 108b (rather than contacting the body of the vehicle 102 and / or the left side mirror 116), thereby preventing dents on the vehicle 102. On the other hand, when the left running board 108b may be in the retracted position, the left running board 108b may not be extended away from the left side of the vehicle body 102.

[0046] The DAT controller 228 may provide Level 1 to Level 3 automated driving and driver assistance functions, which may include features such as active parking assist, vehicle reverse assist, and / or adaptive cruise control. The DAT controller 228 may also provide various aspects of user and environmental input that may be used for user authentication.

[0047] In some aspects, the vehicle computer 208 can be connected to an infotainment system or vehicle human-machine interface (HMI) 238. The HMI 238 can include a touch screen interface portion and can include voice recognition features, biometric recognition capabilities that can identify a user based on facial recognition, voice recognition, fingerprint recognition, or other biometric means. In other aspects, the HMI 238 can be further configured to receive user commands via the touch screen interface portion and / or output or display notifications, suggestions, navigation maps, etc. on the touch screen interface portion.

[0048] The computing system architecture of the vehicle computer 208, VCU 210 and / or unit 212 may omit certain computing modules. Figure 2 The computing environment depicted in FIG. 5 is an example of possible implementations according to the present disclosure and, therefore, should not be considered limiting or exclusive.

[0049] According to some aspects, unit 212 may be integrated with and / or implemented as part of ECU 214. Unit 212, whether integrated with vehicle computer 208 or ECU 214, or operating as a standalone computing system within vehicle 102, may include a transceiver 240, a processor 242, and a computer-readable memory 244.

[0050] The transceiver 240 can be configured to receive information / input from one or more external devices or systems (e.g., user device 202, server 204, vehicles 104, 106, etc.) via the network 206, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication. Furthermore, the transceiver 240 can transmit notifications, requests, signals, etc. to the external devices or systems. Furthermore, the transceiver 240 can be configured to receive information / input from vehicle components (e.g., vehicle sensing system 232, one or more ECUs 214, etc.). Furthermore, the transceiver 240 can transmit signals (e.g., command signals) or notifications to vehicle components (e.g., BCM 220, HMI 238, etc.).

[0051] Processor 242 and memory 244 may be the same as or similar to processor 216 and memory 218, respectively. In some aspects, processor 242 may utilize memory 244 to store programs and / or data in code form for performing operations in accordance with the present disclosure. Memory 244 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or memory that stores dent prevention program code. In some aspects, memory 244 may additionally store instructions / information / data (e.g., vehicle dimensions) obtained from server 204, user device 202, vehicles 104, 106, etc. Memory 244 may further store vehicle dimensions associated with vehicle 102 (e.g., vehicle door size / length, vehicle height, etc.).

[0052] In operation, when vehicles 104 and / or 106 may be located / parked near vehicle 102, transceiver 240 may receive vehicle dimensions (vehicle door length / dimensions, vehicle height, etc.) associated with vehicles 104 and / or 106. In some aspects, transceiver 240 may receive the vehicle dimensions from server 204 via network 206. In other aspects, transceiver 240 may receive the vehicle dimensions from the respective vehicles 104 and / or 106 via network 206, V2V communication, or V2I communication. Transceiver 240 may transmit the received vehicle dimensions to processor 242 and / or memory 244 for storage purposes.

[0053] Processor 242 may obtain vehicle dimensions from transceiver 240. In response to obtaining the vehicle dimensions, processor 242 may obtain input from vehicle sensing system 232 to determine a first distance "dR" and / or a second distance "dL" based on the obtained input (depending on whether one or both of vehicles 104 and 106 are parked near vehicle 102). Processor 242 may further compare the first distance "dR" with the length "R" of left vehicle door 110 (if vehicle 104 is parked near vehicle 102) and / or the second distance "dL" with the length "L" of right vehicle door 114 (if vehicle 106 is parked near vehicle 102).

[0054] Based on the above comparison, in one exemplary aspect, the processor 242 may determine that the length "R" may be greater than the first distance "dR" and that the length "L" may be less than the second distance "dL". In response to this determination, the processor 242 may control the operation of the right running board 108a (e.g., the "first vehicle component") and the left running board 108b (e.g., the "second vehicle component"). Specifically, in this case, the processor 242 may transmit a command signal to the BCM 220 to move the right running board 108a to an extended position (either a fully or partially extended position) and to maintain the left running board 108b in a retracted position, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 shown.

[0055] In some aspects, the processor 242 may cause the right running board 108a to extend just enough (or move to a partially extended position, but not to a fully extended position) so that the right running board 108a effectively shields the right door / body of the vehicle 102 and / or the right side mirror 112 (if the right side mirror 112 is not configured to automatically fold) from the opening of the left vehicle door 110, without creating a substantial obstruction in the path between the vehicles 102 and 104. In this way, in the partially extended position, the right running board 108a allows for better access to a shopping cart and / or walker between the vehicles 102 and 104 while at the same time shielding the vehicle 102 from door impact.

[0056] In a second exemplary aspect, the processor 242 may determine that the length "L" may be greater than the second distance "dL" and that the length "R" may be less than the second distance "dR." In response to this determination, the processor 242 may control the operation of the right and left running boards 108a, 108b by moving the left running board 108b to an extended position (either fully or partially extended) and maintaining the right running board 108a in a retracted position, as shown. Figure 4 In this arrangement, the left running board 108b can protect the left door / body of the vehicle 102 and / or the left side mirror 116 from being affected by the opening of the right vehicle door 114.

[0057] In a third exemplary aspect, the processor 242 may determine that the length "L" may be greater than the second distance "dL" and that the length "R" may be greater than the second distance "dR." In response to this determination, the processor 242 may cause both the right running board 108a and the left running board 108b to move to an extended position (either a fully or partially extended position) to protect both sides of the vehicle 102, such as Figure 1 shown.

[0058] In a fourth exemplary aspect (not shown), the processor 242 may determine that the length "L" may be less than the second distance "dL" and that the length "R" may also be less than the second distance "dR." In response to this determination, the processor 242 may maintain both the right and left running boards 108a, 108b in the retracted position.

[0059] In further aspects, the processor 242 may retrieve vehicle dimensions associated with the vehicle 102 from the memory 244 and may transmit the retrieved vehicle dimensions to the vehicles 104 and / or 106 (via the transceiver 240) so that the vehicles 104 and / or 106 may perform similar operations as described above (e.g., move their respective running boards to an extended position).

[0060] Processor 242 may be further configured to compare the first distance "dR" and / or the second distance "dL" with a door size / length associated with a vehicle door of vehicle 102. In response to determining, based on the comparison, that the door length associated with a door of vehicle 102 may be greater than the first distance "dR" and / or the second distance "dL," processor 242 may transmit (via transceiver 240) a warning notification to HMI 238, user device 202, and / or vehicles 104, 106 indicating that the door length of vehicle 102 may be greater than the first distance "dR" and / or the second distance "dL." In response to hearing / viewing such a warning notification, a vehicle user associated with vehicle 102 may exercise caution when opening a door of vehicle 102. Furthermore, in response to hearing / viewing such a warning notification, an operator associated with vehicles 104 and / or 106 may decide to move their vehicle to an alternative parking location, or vehicles 104, 106 may move their respective running boards to an extended position.

[0061] In an additional aspect, the processor 242 may adjust the height of the vehicle 102 based on the height of the vehicle 104 (and / or the height of the vehicle 106) to ensure that the vehicle 102 is effectively protected from a door strike caused by a door of the vehicle 104. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that if the height of the vehicle 104 is greater than the height of the vehicle 102 (e.g., Figure 5 ), the door associated with vehicle 104 may still contact the vehicle 102 body / door, causing the door to strike even though the right running board 108a may be in the extended position. Figure 5As shown, because the bottom portion of the vehicle 104 door (shown as line segment 502) is above the plane of the right running board 108a (shown as line segment 504) due to the height of the vehicle 104 being higher than the height of the vehicle 102, the door associated with the vehicle 104 may still contact the vehicle 102 body / door, thereby causing the door to strike regardless of the positional state of the right running board 108a. To mitigate this situation and ensure that the right running board 108a effectively protects the vehicle 102 from the door strike, the processor 242 may adjust the height of the vehicle 102 as described below.

[0062] In some aspects, the processor 242 may first determine / obtain the vehicle 102 altitude from the memory 244 and determine / obtain the vehicle 104 altitude from the vehicle 104 and / or the server 204. In this case, the transceiver 240 may receive the vehicle 104 altitude from the vehicle 104 and / or the server 204, and the processor 242 may obtain the vehicle 104 altitude from the transceiver 240.

[0063] In response to determining / obtaining the height of the vehicle 102 and the height of the vehicle 104, the processor 242 may compare the height of the vehicle 102 with the height of the vehicle 104 and, based on the comparison, determine that the height of the vehicle 102 may be less than the height of the vehicle 104. In response to this determination, the processor 242 may control the vehicle suspension operation of the vehicle 102 via the BCM 220 to increase the height of the vehicle 102 to be equal to the height of the vehicle 104. In this manner, the processor 242 adjusts the height of the vehicle 102 to be equal to the height of the vehicle 104, thereby enabling the right running board 108a to effectively protect the vehicle 102 from the impact of the door impact.

[0064] In the event that the processor 242 determines that the height of the vehicle 102 is not configured or capable of being equal to the height of the vehicle 104 even after raising the height of the vehicle 102 to its maximum level (or if the vehicle 102 does not have an active vehicle suspension), the processor 242 may transmit a height adjustment notification to the vehicle 104 (via the transceiver 240) to lower the height of the vehicle 104 to be equal to the height of the vehicle 102. In response to receiving the height adjustment notification from the processor 242 / transceiver 240, the vehicle 104 may adjust its height to ensure that both vehicles 102 and 104 are at equal heights. If the vehicles 102 and 104 still cannot achieve equal heights using the above-described methods, the processor 242 may transmit a request to the HMI 238 and / or the user device 202 requesting the vehicle operator to move to another parking space where an adjacent vehicle may have a height similar to the height of the vehicle 102.

[0065] When vehicle 102 and vehicle 104 (or any other vehicles adjacent to vehicle 102) are at equal heights, processor 242 may determine that a door associated with vehicle 104 (specifically, a door of vehicle 104 facing vehicle 102) may be opened. In some aspects, processor 242 may determine that a door of vehicle 104 may be opened based on input received from vehicle sensing system 232 and / or directly from vehicle 104 (e.g., via V2V or V2I communication). In response to this determination, processor 242 may control the operation of a vehicle suspension associated with vehicle 102 via BCM 220 to increase the height of vehicle 102 to a height greater than that of vehicle 104. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, when the height of vehicle 102 is greater than the height of vehicle 104, the door of vehicle 104 may contact the right running board 108a in the extended position rather than contacting the vehicle 102 body / door, thereby preventing a door strike on vehicle 102.

[0066] In a similar manner, when vehicle 102 and vehicle 104 (or any other vehicle adjacent to vehicle 102) may be at equal heights, processor 242 may determine, for example based on input obtained from VCU 210, that a door associated with vehicle 102 (specifically, a door of vehicle 102 facing vehicle 104) may be opened. In response to this determination, processor 242 may transmit a height increase notification to vehicle 104 via transceiver 240 to increase the height of vehicle 104 to be greater than the height of vehicle 102, thereby effectively shielding the vehicle 104 body from the opening of vehicle 102 door.

[0067] In some aspects, the above process is dynamic in nature, and processor 242 implements a similar process to that described above when vehicle 104 leaves and another vehicle is parked near vehicle 102 .

[0068] According to additional aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 242 may be configured to obtain (e.g., via the transceiver 240 and V2V communication) information associated with a count of passengers that may be present in the vehicle 102 and adjacent vehicles (e.g., the vehicle 104 and / or the vehicle 106) and an orientation of the vehicle 102 relative to the adjacent vehicles, and control operation of the running boards 108 based on the count of passengers and the orientation. For example, when only a driver may be present in the vehicle 102 and the adjacent vehicle may also only have a driver, and the vehicle 102 and the adjacent vehicle may be oriented in opposite directions (e.g., the vehicle 102 is oriented toward the east and the adjacent vehicle is oriented toward the west), the processor 242 may not move the running boards 108 to the extended position. In this case, the processor 242 may not move the running boards 108 to the extended position because the likelihood of a door impact / dent may be low.

[0069] In some aspects, the processor 242 may obtain information associated with the count of passengers from the vehicle's onboard seating area occupancy load cells or seating area sensors, vehicle interior cameras, etc. Additionally, the processor 242 may obtain vehicle orientation information from the vehicle's onboard compass.

[0070] Figure 6 A flow chart depicts an example method 600 for preventing vehicle door impact according to the present disclosure. Figure 6 The following process is exemplary and is not limited to the steps described below. Furthermore, alternative embodiments may include more or fewer steps than shown or described herein, and may include the steps in an order different from that described in the following exemplary embodiments.

[0071] The method 600 begins at step 602. At step 604, the method 600 may include comparing, by the processor 242, the first distance "dR" to the length "R." At step 606, the method 600 may include determining, by the processor 242 based on the comparison, that the length "R" is likely greater than the first distance "dR." At step 608, the method 600 may include controlling, by the processor 242, the operation of a vehicle component associated with the vehicle 102 or the right running board 108a in response to determining that the length "R" is likely greater than the first distance "dR." Specifically, as described above in conjunction with Figure 2 As described, when the length "R" may be greater than the first distance "dR", the processor 242 may cause the right footboard 108a to move to a fully or partially extended position.

[0072] Method 600 may end at step 610 .

[0073] In the above disclosure, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings which form a part of the above disclosure, which illustrate specific embodiments in which the present disclosure may be practiced. It will be understood that other implementations may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. References in this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the embodiment being described may include particular features, structures, or characteristics, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when features, structures, or characteristics are described in conjunction with an embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize such features, structures, or characteristics in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0074] In addition, where appropriate, the functions described herein may be implemented in one or more of hardware, software, firmware, digital components, or analog components. For example, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) may be programmed to implement one or more of the systems and procedures described herein. Certain terms are used throughout the specification and claims to refer to specific system components. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, components may be referred to by different names. This document is not intended to distinguish between components that have different names but the same function.

[0075] It should also be understood that the word "example" as used herein is intended to be non-exclusive and non-limiting in nature. More specifically, the word "example" used herein indicates one of several examples, and it should be understood that no undue emphasis or preference is placed on the particular example being described.

[0076] Computer-readable media (also known as processor-readable media) include any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) medium that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions) that can be read by a computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media and volatile media. A computing device may include computer-executable instructions, where the instructions may be executable by one or more computing devices (such as those listed above) and stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0077] With respect to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, and the like described herein, it should be understood that although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes can be practiced by performing the described steps in an order different from that described herein. It should further be understood that certain steps can be performed simultaneously, other steps can be added, or certain steps described herein can be omitted. In other words, the descriptions of the processes herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating various embodiments and should in no way be construed as limiting the claims.

[0078] Therefore, it should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Upon reading the above description, many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided will be apparent. The scope should not be determined with reference to the above description, but rather with reference to the appended claims and the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and expected that the technology discussed herein will develop in the future, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In short, it should be understood that the present application is capable of modification and variation.

[0079] Unless otherwise expressly indicated to the contrary in this document, all terms used in the claims are intended to be given their ordinary meaning as understood by the skilled person described herein. Specifically, unless a claim states an express limitation to the contrary, the use of singular articles such as "one", "the", "said" should be interpreted as describing one or more of the indicated elements. Unless otherwise specifically stated or understood otherwise within the context when used, conditional language such as, in particular, "can", "might", "can" or "may" is generally intended to express that certain embodiments may include certain features, elements and / or steps, while other embodiments may not include certain features, elements and / or steps. Therefore, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that one or more embodiments require each feature, element and / or step in any way.

[0080] According to the present invention, a method for preventing a door strike in a first vehicle includes: comparing, by a processor, a distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle located near the first vehicle with a second vehicle door size; determining, by the processor, that the second vehicle door size is greater than the distance; and controlling, by the processor, an operation of a first vehicle component in response to determining that the second vehicle door size is greater than the distance.

[0081] In one aspect of the present invention, the first vehicle component is a first vehicle running board configured to move between a retracted position and an extended position.

[0082] In one aspect of the present invention, when the first vehicle running board is in the extended position, the first vehicle running board extends away from the first vehicle side body, thereby protecting the first vehicle side door or the first vehicle side view mirror, and wherein when the first vehicle running board is in the retracted position, the first vehicle running board does not extend away from the first vehicle side body.

[0083] In one aspect of the present invention, controlling the operation of the first vehicle running board includes moving the first vehicle running board to the extended position in response to determining that the second vehicle door size is greater than the distance.

[0084] According to the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon is provided, the instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to: compare a distance between a first vehicle and a second vehicle located proximate to the first vehicle with a second vehicle door size; determine that the second vehicle door size is greater than the distance; and control operation of a first vehicle component in response to determining that the second vehicle door size is greater than the distance.

Claims

1. A first vehicle comprising: a detection unit configured to detect a first distance between the first vehicle and a second vehicle located near the first vehicle; a transceiver configured to receive a second vehicle door dimension; as well as a processor communicatively coupled to the detection unit and the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: comparing the first distance to the second vehicle door dimension; determining that the second vehicle door dimension is greater than the first distance; and Operation of a first vehicle component is controlled in response to determining that the second vehicle door dimension is greater than the first distance. 2 . The first vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver receives the second vehicle door dimensions from the second vehicle.

3. The first vehicle of claim 1, wherein the second vehicle is located on a right side of the first vehicle. 4 . The first vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the first vehicle component is a first right vehicle pedal configured to move between a retracted position and an extended position.

5. The first vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein when the first vehicle right pedal is in the extended position, the first vehicle right pedal extends away from the right side of the first vehicle body, thereby protecting the right side door of the first vehicle or the right side mirror of the first vehicle, and wherein when the first vehicle right pedal is in the retracted position, the first vehicle right pedal does not extend away from the right side of the first vehicle body.

6. The first vehicle of claim 4, wherein the processor controls the operation of the first vehicle right pedal by moving the first vehicle right pedal to the extended position in response to determining that the second vehicle door size is greater than the first distance.

7. The first vehicle of claim 6, wherein the detection unit is further configured to detect a second distance between the first vehicle and a third vehicle located near the first vehicle and on the left side of the first vehicle, and wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive a third vehicle door size.

8. The first vehicle of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to: comparing the second distance to the third vehicle door dimension; determining that the third vehicle door dimension is greater than the second distance; and Operation of a second vehicle component is controlled in response to determining that the third vehicle door dimension is greater than the second distance.

9. The first vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the second vehicle component is a first vehicle left pedal configured to move between a retracted position and an extended position, and wherein the processor controls the operation of the first vehicle left pedal by moving the first vehicle left pedal to the extended position in response to determining that the third vehicle door size is greater than the second distance.

10. The first vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: comparing the first distance to a first vehicle door dimension; determining that the first vehicle door dimension is greater than the first distance; and In response to determining that the first vehicle door size is greater than the first distance, a warning notification is transmitted to at least one of a first vehicle human machine interface (HMI), a user device, or the second vehicle.

11. The first vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: determining a first vehicle height and a second vehicle height; determining that the first vehicle height is less than the second vehicle height; and A first vehicle suspension operation is controlled to increase the first vehicle height to be equal to the second vehicle height.

12. The first vehicle of claim 11, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive the second vehicle height from the second vehicle, and wherein the processor is further configured to obtain the second vehicle height from the transceiver.

13. The first vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to: determining that the first vehicle height is not configured to be equal to the second vehicle height; and A height adjustment notification is transmitted to the second vehicle to lower the second vehicle height to be equal to the first vehicle height.

14. The first vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to: determining that a second vehicle door is about to be opened based on input obtained from the detection unit or the second vehicle; and In response to determining that the second vehicle door is about to open, the first vehicle suspension is controlled to operate to increase the first vehicle height to be greater than the second vehicle height.

15. The first vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to: determining that the first vehicle door is about to be opened; and In response to determining that the first vehicle door is about to be opened, a height increase notification is transmitted to the second vehicle to increase the second vehicle height to be greater than the first vehicle height.

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