Vehicle door control device

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle door control device. The plurality of detection areas are arranged within a range in the cabin including a doorway and a portion adjacent to the doorway. When the detection unit detects that an occupant is present in a specific detection area closest to the doorway among the plurality of detection areas, the control unit performs contact prevention control to prevent contact between the occupant and the door. The opening and closing speed of the door is lower than the opening and closing speed when the detection unit does not detect the presence of the occupant in any one of the plurality of detection areas.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle door control device. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a so-called electric door device has been put into practical use as a vehicle door control device, which drives the opening and closing operation of the vehicle door by controlling the actuation of a driving source such as a motor. In addition, in the vehicle door control device, it has been proposed to forcibly stop the driving operation of closing the door when an occupant's getting off the vehicle is detected during the driving operation of closing the door (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-202977 (JP 2018-202977A)). In this device, unnecessary contact between the occupant and the door is prevented by forcibly stopping the driving of the door's closing operation when the occupant gets off the vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In the vehicle door control device, it is conceivable that the stop condition for forcibly stopping the closing operation of the drive door can be relaxed to ensure that the closing operation of the drive door is stopped when the occupant gets off the vehicle to prevent unnecessary contact between the occupant and the door.

[0004] However, if the stop condition is relaxed, the door closing operation may be forcibly stopped even when it is not necessary to stop the door closing operation, for example, when an occupant's exiting action is mistakenly detected, which may reduce user convenience.

[0005] Various schemes of the device for solving the above-mentioned problems will be described. A door control device according to the first scheme is a door control device to be applied to a vehicle, the vehicle including a doorway, a door and a seat, the doorway allowing communication between the inside and outside of a vehicle compartment, the door opening and closing the doorway, the seat being arranged at a portion of the vehicle compartment adjacent to the doorway, the door control device being configured to drive the opening and closing operation of the door by controlling the actuation of a driving source, the door control device including: a detection unit configured to detect whether an occupant exists in each of a plurality of detection areas; and a control unit configured to perform contact prevention control for preventing contact between the occupant and the door when the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant in one of the plurality of detection areas, the plurality of detection areas being arranged to include the doorway and a portion adjacent to the doorway in the vehicle compartment. The control unit is arranged in the direction of the doorway and the seat arrangement within a range of minutes, and the control unit is configured to perform the contact prevention control when the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant in a specific detection area closest to the doorway among the multiple detection areas, so that the opening and closing speeds of the door become lower than the opening and closing speeds when the occupant is not detected in any of the multiple detection areas, and is configured to perform the contact prevention control when the detection unit does not detect the presence of an occupant in the specific detection area and the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant in a detection area other than the specific detection area among the multiple detection areas, so that the opening and closing speeds of the door become higher than the opening and closing speeds when the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant in the specific detection area.

[0006] According to the above configuration, when an occupant is present in a specific detection area closest to the doorway among the multiple detection areas (i.e., in a specific detection area where the occupant is more likely to come into contact with the door), the door opening and closing speed can be reduced by executing contact prevention control. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary contact between the door and the occupant.

[0007] Furthermore, when an occupant is present in a detection area other than the specific detection area (i.e., in a detection area where the occupant is unlikely to come into contact with the door), unnecessary contact between the door and the occupant can be prevented by executing contact prevention control. Furthermore, in this case, while executing contact prevention control, the door opening and closing speed can be kept relatively high. Thus, a reduction in user convenience due to a reduction in the door opening and closing speed can be prevented.

[0008] In the vehicle door control device according to the first aspect, the control unit may be configured to execute the contact prevention control of stopping the door when the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant in the specific detection area.

[0009] According to the above configuration, when an occupant is present in a specific detection area where they are more likely to come into contact with the door, the door can be stopped, thereby preventing unnecessary contact between the door and the occupant. Furthermore, when an occupant is present in a detection area other than the specific detection area, the door can be driven to open and close while contact prevention control is being executed. This prevents a reduction in user convenience due to unnecessary stopping of the door opening and closing operation.

[0010] In the vehicle door control device according to the first scheme, the multiple detection areas may include more than three detection areas, and the control unit may be configured to perform the contact prevention control so that when the detection unit detects that there is an occupant, the detection area is farther away from the door door, the opening and closing speed of the door becomes higher.

[0011] According to the above configuration, in an apparatus including three or more detection zones, the farther the detection zone where the presence of an occupant is detected is from the doorway, that is, when the occupant is less likely to come into contact with the door, the door opening and closing speed can be increased when contact prevention control is executed. This prevents a reduction in user convenience due to a reduction in the door opening and closing speed, while preventing unnecessary contact between the door and the occupant based on the detection zone where the presence of an occupant is detected by the detection unit.

[0012] In the vehicle door control device according to the first scheme, the detection area may include the specific detection area where the door door is arranged, an intermediate detection area adjacent to the specific detection area and arranged between the door door and the end of the seat, and a seat detection area adjacent to the intermediate detection area and including the sitting portion of the seat; the control unit may be configured to, when the presence of an occupant is detected in the specific detection area, execute the contact prevention control that stops the opening and closing operation of the door; and may be configured to, when the presence of an occupant is detected in the intermediate detection area without detecting the presence of an occupant in the specific detection area, execute the contact prevention control so that the opening and closing speed of the door becomes lower than when the presence of an occupant is not detected in the multiple detection areas. The opening and closing speeds when an occupant is present in any one of the plurality of detection areas; and can be configured to perform notification control and delay extension control as the contact prevention control when an occupant is detected in the seat detection area without detecting an occupant in the specific detection area and the intermediate detection area, the notification control can be an actuation control of an actuation notification device, the notification device is configured to notify the presence of an occupant in the seat detection area, and the delay extension control can be a control for extending the period of temporarily stopping the closing operation of the door when delay control is performed compared to when an occupant is not detected in any one of the plurality of detection areas, the delay control being a control for temporarily stopping the closing operation of the door just before locking the door in the fully closed position.

[0013] According to the above configuration, when an occupant is present in a specific detection area (i.e., at the doorway), the door can be stopped, thereby preventing unnecessary contact between the door and the occupant. In addition, when an occupant is present in the intermediate detection area between the doorway and the end of the seat, unnecessary contact between the door and the occupant can be prevented by reducing the opening and closing speed of the door, while preventing a reduction in the occupant's convenience by maintaining the door's opening and closing operation.

[0014] Furthermore, when an occupant is present in the seat detection area, which includes the seat's seating portion, the notification device can be activated to draw the occupant's attention. Furthermore, in this case, by extending the period during which the door closing operation is temporarily suspended when delay control is executed, the period during which foreign objects can be removed from the gap between the door and the door opening can be extended, thereby preventing foreign objects from becoming lodged between the door and the door opening. Furthermore, in this case, while contact prevention control is executed, the door's opening and closing speed is not reduced except immediately before the door is locked in the fully closed position, preventing a reduction in user convenience due to a reduction in the door's opening or closing speed.

[0015] In the vehicle door control device according to the first scheme, the detection area may include the specific detection area where the door door is arranged, an intermediate detection area adjacent to the specific detection area and arranged between the door door and the end of the seat, and a seat detection area adjacent to the intermediate detection area and including the seating portion of the seat; the control unit may be configured to, when the presence of an occupant is detected in the specific detection area, perform the contact prevention control for reducing the opening and closing speed of the door; it may be configured to, when the presence of an occupant is detected in the intermediate detection area without detecting the presence of an occupant in the specific detection area, perform the contact prevention control so that the opening and closing speed of the door becomes lower than the opening and closing speed when the presence of an occupant is not detected in any of the multiple detection areas, and The opening and closing speed of the door becomes higher than the opening and closing speed when the presence of an occupant is detected in the specific detection area; it can be configured to perform notification control and delay extension control as the contact prevention control when the presence of an occupant is detected in the seat detection area without detecting the presence of an occupant in the specific detection area and the intermediate detection area, the notification control can be an actuation control of an actuation notification device, the notification device is configured to notify the presence of an occupant in the seat detection area, and the delay extension control can be a control of extending the period of temporarily stopping the closing operation of the door when delay control is performed compared to when the presence of an occupant is not detected in any of the multiple detection areas, the delay control is a control of temporarily stopping the closing operation of the door just before locking the door in the fully closed position.

[0016] According to the present invention, unnecessary contact between the door and the occupant can be better prevented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like elements, and wherein:

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle to which a door control device according to one embodiment is applied;

[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electric sliding door device;

[0020] Figure 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the moving position and the moving speed of the sliding door during the closing operation;

[0021] Figure 4A timing chart showing the control contents of normal delay control as the closing delay control (closer delay control) and a timing chart showing the control contents of delay extension control as the closing delay control;

[0022] Figure 5 is a plan view schematically showing a state of a rear seat and its surroundings viewed from an upper side of a vehicle;

[0023] Figure 6 is a front view schematically showing a state of the rear seat and its surroundings viewed from the front; and

[0024] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the execution procedure of the opening and closing control processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] An embodiment of a vehicle door control device will be described below. Hereinafter, the description will be provided while simply referring to the front-rear direction of the vehicle as the "front-rear direction" and the width direction of the vehicle as the "vehicle width direction." Furthermore, the description will be provided while simply referring to the front and rear sides in the front-rear direction as the "front side" and the "rear side," respectively, and referring to the right and left sides in the vehicle width direction as the "right side" and the "left side," respectively.

[0026] vehicle

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle 10 includes a vehicle cabin 11 forming a living space. In the vehicle cabin 11, front seats 12 and rear seats 13 are provided so as to be aligned in the front-rear direction.

[0028] The front seats 12 are arranged in the front portion of the vehicle compartment 11. The front seats 12 include a driver's seat 12D and a front passenger seat 12S provided on the left side of the driver's seat 12D. The driver's seat 12D and the front passenger seat 12S are arranged to be aligned at intervals in the vehicle width direction.

[0029] The rear seat 13 is provided behind the front seat 12 in the vehicle compartment 11. The rear seat 13 includes a right seat 13R and a left seat 13L provided on the left side of the right seat 13R. The right seat 13R and the left seat 13L are arranged to be aligned at a certain interval in the vehicle width direction.

[0030] Door 15

[0031] The vehicle 10 includes a doorway 15 that allows communication between the interior and exterior of the vehicle cabin 11 on the rear seat 13 side of the vehicle body 14. The doorway 15 includes a doorway 15R that allows communication between the interior and exterior of the vehicle cabin 11 to the right of the right seat 13R, and a doorway 15L that allows communication between the interior and exterior of the vehicle cabin 11 to the left of the left seat 13L. In the present embodiment, the right seat 13R is arranged at a portion of the vehicle cabin 11 adjacent to the right doorway 15R, and the left seat 13L is arranged at a portion of the vehicle cabin 11 adjacent to the left doorway 15L.

[0032] Overview of Sliding Door 16

[0033] The vehicle 10 includes sliding doors 16 that open / close the door openings 15. The sliding doors 16 include a sliding door 16R that opens / closes the right door opening 15R and a sliding door 16L that opens / closes the left door opening 15L.

[0034] The right sliding door 16R is attached to the vehicle body 14 via a sliding mechanism (not shown). The sliding door 16R opens and closes the doorway 15R by sliding in the front-to-back direction. More specifically, the sliding door 16R moves to the front side (hereinafter, "closing operation") and is installed within the doorway 15R, thereby entering a fully closed position in which the doorway 15R is sealed. On the other hand, the sliding door 16R moves to the rear side (hereinafter, "opening operation") and enters a fully open position in which the doorway 15R is opened. The sliding door 16R is a vehicle door that opens and closes when a user gets on or off the right seat 13R.

[0035] The left sliding door 16L is attached to the vehicle body 14 via a sliding mechanism (not shown). The sliding door 16L opens and closes the doorway 15L by sliding in the front-to-back direction. More specifically, the sliding door 16L moves to the front (hereinafter referred to as the "closing operation") and is installed within the doorway 15L, thereby entering a fully closed position in which the doorway 15L is sealed. On the other hand, the sliding door 16L moves to the rear (hereinafter referred to as the "opening operation") and enters a fully open position in which the doorway 15L is opened. The sliding door 16L is a door that opens and closes when a user gets on or off the left seat 13L.

[0036] Detail of sliding door 16

[0037] The details of the sliding door 16 will be described below. In this embodiment, the structure and control content of the opening and closing control between the right sliding door 16R and the left sliding door 16L are the same. Therefore, the details of the right sliding door 16R will be described below, and the details of the left sliding door 16L will be omitted.

[0038] like Figure 2As shown, the sliding door 16R includes a door actuator 20 that causes the sliding door 16R to perform an opening and closing operation. The door actuator 20 includes a motor 21 as a drive source and an opening and closing drive unit 22 that drives the sliding door 16R to open and close via a drive cable (not shown). The sliding door 16R of this embodiment is configured as an electric sliding door device that performs an opening and closing operation based on the driving force of the motor 21.

[0039] The vehicle 10 includes an electronic control device 17, which mainly includes a microcomputer, for example. In addition, the vehicle 10 includes various sensors for detecting the driving state of the vehicle 10 and the operating state of the sliding door 16R. For example, the various sensors include a rotation sensor for detecting the moving position and moving speed of the sliding door 16R (specifically, the rotation phase and rotation speed of the motor 21), and an opening and closing operation switch provided in the vehicle compartment 11 or at the moving device for causing the sliding door 16R to perform an opening and closing operation. In addition, the various sensors include, for example, a brake sensor for detecting the operating state of the brake of the vehicle 10, a shift position sensor for detecting the shift position of the vehicle 10, a vehicle speed sensor for measuring the driving speed of the vehicle 10, and the like.

[0040] The electronic control device 17 captures detection signals from various sensors. Based on these signals, the electronic control device 17 performs various calculations and, based on the calculation results, executes various controls related to the opening and closing of the sliding door 16R. For example, these controls include "door drive control" for driving the opening and closing of the sliding door 16R and "closing delay control" for controlling the activation of the locking device 30, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the electronic control device 17 corresponds to a control unit.

[0041] Door drive control

[0042] As the door drive control, three types of control are determined: “normal drive control,” “deceleration control,” and “stop control.” When the door drive control is executed, one of the three types of control is selectively executed.

[0043] Normal drive control

[0044] In the normal drive control, when the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 16R is driven, the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled as follows by the actuation control of the electric motor 21 .

[0045] like Figure 3As shown by the solid line in FIG, during normal drive control, when the closing operation of the sliding door 16R is driven, the movement speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled as follows. First, during the period from the start of the closing operation of the sliding door 16R to the final stage of the closing operation (from time T11 to T12), the movement speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R performs the closing operation at a predetermined speed V1. Then, during the final stage of the closing operation of the sliding door 16R (from time T12 to T13), the movement speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R performs the closing operation at a predetermined speed V2 that is lower than the predetermined speed V1.

[0046] On the other hand, during normal drive control, when driving the opening operation of the sliding door 16R, the movement speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled in a manner similar to that of the aforementioned closing operation. In other words, first, from the start of the driving of the opening operation of the sliding door 16R until the driving of the opening operation reaches the final stage, the movement speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R performs the opening operation at a predetermined speed V1. Then, in the final stage of the driving of the opening operation of the sliding door 16R, the movement speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R performs the opening operation at a predetermined speed V2.

[0047] Deceleration control

[0048] In the deceleration control, through the actuation control of the motor 21 , the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16R becomes lower than when the normal drive control is performed.

[0049] like Figure 3 As shown by the dashed line in FIG, during deceleration control, when the closing operation of the sliding door 16R is driven, the movement speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled as follows. First, during the period from the start of the closing operation of the sliding door 16R to the final stage of the closing operation (from time T11 to T12), the movement speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R is closed at a predetermined speed V3 that is lower than the predetermined speed V1. Then, during the final stage of the closing operation of the sliding door 16R (from time T12 to T13), the movement speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R is closed at a predetermined speed V4 that is lower than the predetermined speed V2.

[0050] On the other hand, during deceleration control, when driving the opening operation of the sliding door 16R, the movement speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled in a manner similar to that when driving the closing operation. In other words, first, from the start of the driving of the opening operation of the sliding door 16R to the final stage of the driving of the opening operation, the movement speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R performs the opening operation at a predetermined speed V3. Then, in the final stage of the driving of the opening operation of the sliding door 16R, the movement speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R performs the opening operation at a predetermined speed V4.

[0051] Stop Control

[0052] In the stop control, the closing operation or the opening operation of the sliding door 16R is forcibly stopped. More specifically, the driving of the closing operation or the opening operation by the motor 21 is stopped.

[0053] Locking device

[0054] like Figure 2 As shown, the sliding door 16R includes a locking device 30 for locking the sliding door 16R in a fully closed position or a fully open position. The locking device 30 includes a fully closed front lock 31, a fully closed rear lock 32, and a fully open lock 33. The fully closed front lock 31 and the fully closed rear lock 32 are provided to lock the sliding door 16R in the fully closed position. The fully open lock 33 is provided to lock the sliding door 16R in the fully open position.

[0055] Each of the fully closed front lock 31, the fully closed rear lock 32, and the fully open lock 33 includes a latch mechanism 34. The latch mechanism 34 locks the sliding door 16R to the vehicle body 14 by engaging with a striker (not shown) provided in the vehicle body 14.

[0056] More specifically, when the sliding door 16R is locked to the vehicle body 14, the latch mechanism 34 is actuated as follows. First, if the sliding door 16R is operated to approach the fully closed position or the fully open position, the striker enters the latch mechanism 34. Then, thereafter, if the sliding door 16R is operated to enter a predetermined movement position immediately before the fully closed position or the fully open position, the actuation state of the latch mechanism 34 changes to an actuation state in which the striker is restricted from moving away from the latch mechanism 34 (hereinafter referred to as a semi-latched state). Further, thereafter, if the sliding door 16R is operated to enter the fully closed position or the fully open position, the actuation state of the latch mechanism 34 changes to an actuation state in which the striker is restrained from relative movement (hereinafter referred to as a fully latched state). In this case, the sliding door 16R is locked to the vehicle body 14 in the fully closed position or the fully open position.

[0057] A door handle 35 is provided on the sliding door 16R. For example, the door handle 35 is connected to each latch mechanism 34 via a remote control device 36, which is connected by a transmission member such as an electric wire cable and a connecting rod. In this embodiment, by operating the door handle 35, the actuation state of each latch mechanism 34 can be changed to an actuation state in which the lock catch is released (hereinafter, the "unlocked state"). In addition, each latch mechanism 34 can also be unlocked by operating an opening and closing operation switch provided in the vehicle compartment 11 or at the mobile device.

[0058] Turn off delay control

[0059] A description will be given of the closing delay control that controls actuation of the locking device 30. The closing delay control is performed to temporarily stop the closing operation or opening operation of the sliding door 16R just before the locking device 30 locks the sliding door 16R in the fully closed position or the fully open position.

[0060] As a shutdown delay control, determine Figure 4 ”Normal delay control” and “delay extension control” shown in . Furthermore, when the shutdown delay control is executed, one of the normal delay control and the delay extension control is selectively executed.

[0061] Normal delay control

[0062] In this embodiment, if the sliding door 16R is operated and the moving position of the sliding door 16R becomes a predetermined moving position (hereinafter, a semi-latch position) just before the fully closed position or the fully open position, the actuation state of the latch mechanism 34 changes from the unlocked state to the semi-latch state.

[0063] like Figure 4 As shown, in normal delay control, if the actuation state of the latch mechanism 34 changes from the unlocked state to the semi-latch state (time T21), the operation of the sliding door 16R (specifically, the drive of the motor 21) stops once. Then, thereafter, the state in which the operation of the sliding door 16 is stopped continues until a predetermined period (hereinafter, the delay period D1) determined in advance has passed (from time T21 to T22). Then, if the delay period D1 has passed after the operation of the sliding door 16R has stopped (time T22), the drive of the closing operation or the drive of the opening operation of the sliding door 16R is resumed. In this way, the movement of the sliding door 16R is resumed.

[0064] In this embodiment, if the sliding door 16R moves thereafter and the movement position of the sliding door 16R becomes the fully closed position or the fully open position, the actuation state of the latch mechanism 34 changes from the semi-latched state to the fully latched state. In this way, the sliding door 16R is locked to the vehicle body 14. In the normal delay control, the operation of the sliding door 16R (specifically, the driving of the motor 21) is stopped in this case (time T23).

[0065] Delay extension control

[0066] In this embodiment, except for the delay periods D1 and D2 during which the operation of the sliding door 16R is temporarily stopped, Figure 4 The control contents of the normal delay control shown are the same as those of the delay extension control. Figure 4 The delay period D1 (from time T21 to T24) in the normal delay control is longer than the delay period D1 ( Figure 4 from time T21 to T22).

[0067] In the present embodiment, as a result of executing the delay extension control as the closing delay control, the delay period D2 during which the operation of the sliding door 16R is temporarily stopped is extended compared to when the normal delay control is executed.

[0068] Detection unit

[0069] The vehicle 10 includes a camera 18 that captures images of the interior of the vehicle cabin 11. Camera 18 is located on the ceiling of the vehicle cabin 11, at a central position in the vehicle width direction, in front of the rear seats 13. Camera 18 captures images of the doorway 15 (specifically, the doorway 15R and the doorway 15L) and the rear seats 13 (specifically, the right seat 13R and the left seat 13L). An electronic control unit 17 captures the imaging data captured by camera 18. The electronic control unit 17 performs image analysis based on the imaging data and, based on the analysis results, detects the presence of an occupant in the vehicle cabin 11. Specifically, the electronic control unit 17 detects the presence of an occupant in each of a plurality of detection areas 40, 41, and 42 arranged within the vehicle cabin 11. In this embodiment, the presence of an occupant in a detection area 40, 41, or 42 is detected when even a portion of the occupant's finger or toe is present in the detection area 40, 41, or 42. Note that in this embodiment, the camera 18 and the electronic control unit 17 correspond to detection means.

[0070] Multiple detection areas 40, 41, 42

[0071] In the present embodiment, the detection areas 40 , 41 , 42 include a plurality of detection areas 40R, 41R, 42R corresponding to the right seat 13R and a plurality of detection areas 40L, 41L, 42L corresponding to the left seat 13L.

[0072] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, detection areas 40R, 41R, and 42R corresponding to right seat 13R are arranged in a range within vehicle interior 11, including doorway 15R and a portion adjacent thereto, in the direction in which doorway 15R and right seat 13R are aligned. More specifically, specific detection area 40R, intermediate detection area 41R, and seat detection area 42R are defined in this order, starting from the doorway 15R side in the vehicle width direction.

[0073] On the other hand, detection areas 40L, 41L, and 42L (not shown) corresponding to left seat 13L are arranged in a manner similar to detection areas 40R, 41R, and 42R. In other words, detection areas 40L, 41L, and 42L are arranged so as to align with doorway 15L and the portion adjacent thereto within vehicle interior 11, in the direction in which doorway 15L and left seat 13L are aligned. More specifically, specific detection area 40L, intermediate detection area 41L, and seat detection area 42L are defined in this order, starting from the doorway 15L side in the vehicle width direction.

[0074] Specific detection area 40

[0075] Doorway 15R is located in specific detection area 40R corresponding to right seat 13R. In other words, specific detection area 40R and doorway 15R have the same interior space. On the other hand, doorway 15L is located in specific detection area 40L corresponding to left seat 13L. In other words, specific detection area 40L and doorway 15L have the same interior space.

[0076] Middle detection area 41

[0077] Intermediate detection area 41R corresponding to right seat 13R is arranged at a portion of vehicle interior 11 adjacent to specific detection area 40R, and is arranged between doorway 15R and the end of right seat 13R. On the other hand, intermediate detection area 41L corresponding to left seat 13L is arranged at a portion of vehicle interior 11 adjacent to specific detection area 40L, and is arranged between doorway 15L and the end of left seat 13L.

[0078] Seat detection area 42

[0079] The seat detection area 42R corresponding to the right seat 13R is arranged at a portion of the vehicle body 14 adjacent to the middle detection area 41R, and includes the right half of the seating portion of the right seat 13R. On the other hand, the seat detection area 42L corresponding to the left seat 13L is arranged at a portion of the vehicle body 14 adjacent to the middle detection area 41L, and includes the left half of the seating portion of the left seat 13L.

[0080] In this embodiment, when the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant in multiple detection areas 40, 41, and 42, priority is given to the detection results in the detection area closest to doorway 15. Specifically, when an occupant is detected in multiple detection areas 40R, 41R, and 42R corresponding to right seat 13R, priority is given to the detection results in the detection area closest to doorway 15R. Furthermore, when an occupant is detected in multiple detection areas 40L, 41L, and 42L corresponding to left seat 13L, priority is given to the detection results in the detection area closest to doorway 15L.

[0081] Specifically, when the presence of an occupant is detected in the specific detection area 40, the detection result in the specific detection area 40 is given priority, regardless of the detection results in the middle detection area 41 and the detection results in the seat detection area 42. In other words, in this case, the presence of an occupant is detected in the specific detection area 40.

[0082] When the presence of an occupant is detected in the middle detection area 41, the detection result in the middle detection area 41 is adopted only when the presence of an occupant is not detected in the specific detection area 40. In this case, the presence of an occupant is detected in the middle detection area 41 regardless of the detection result in the seat detection area 42.

[0083] When the presence of an occupant is detected in the seat detection area 42 , the detection result in the seat detection area 43 is adopted only if the presence of an occupant is not detected in the specific detection area 40 and the intermediate detection area 41 .

[0084] Notification device

[0085] like Figure 1 As shown, vehicle 10 includes notification device 19. Notification device 19 is a buzzer that emits a warning sound. Notification device 19 includes notification device 19R located on the right side of vehicle 10 and notification device 19L located on the left side of the vehicle. Right notification device 19R is located near right seat 13R in vehicle compartment 11, for example, above doorway 15R of vehicle body 14. Left notification device 19L is located near left seat 13L in vehicle compartment 11, for example, above doorway 15L of vehicle body 14.

[0086] like Figure 2As shown, the notification device 19 is connected to the electronic control device 17. The activation control of the notification device 19 (hereinafter, notification control) is performed by the electronic control device 17. Specifically, the electronic control device 17 performs activation control of the right notification device 19R and the left notification device 19L, respectively. In this embodiment, the right notification device 19R is activated and emits a warning sound, thereby notifying the user of the presence of an occupant in the seat detection area 42R in the vehicle compartment 11 and attracting the attention of users around the right seat 13R. In addition, the left notification device 19L is activated and emits a warning sound, thereby notifying the user of the presence of an occupant in the seat detection area 42L in the vehicle compartment 11 and attracting the attention of users around the left seat 13L.

[0087] Overview of door opening and closing control

[0088] Next, description will be given of the opening and closing control of the sliding door 16. In the present embodiment, the opening and closing control of the sliding door 16 is performed for each of the sliding doors 16R, 16L.

[0089] The opening and closing control of the right sliding door 16R is performed as follows. When the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant in one of the detection areas 40R, 41R, or 42R corresponding to the right seat 13R, contact prevention control is executed to prevent contact between the occupant in the right seat 13R and the right sliding door 16R. In this embodiment, the contact prevention control comprises "deceleration control" and "stop control" in the door drive control, and "delay extension control" in the closing delay control. On the other hand, when the detection unit does not detect the presence of an occupant in any of the detection areas 40R, 41R, or 42R, contact prevention control is not executed. In this case, "normal drive control" is executed as the door drive control, and "normal delay control" is executed as the closing delay control.

[0090] The opening and closing control of left sliding door 16L is performed as follows. When the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant in one of detection areas 40L, 41L, or 42L corresponding to left seat 13L, contact prevention control is executed to prevent the occupant in left seat 13R from coming into contact with left sliding door 16L. On the other hand, when the detection unit does not detect the presence of an occupant in any of detection areas 40L, 41L, or 42L, contact prevention control is not executed. In this case, "normal drive control" is executed as door drive control, and "normal delay control" is executed as closing delay control.

[0091] Door opening and closing control details

[0092] The following will refer to Figure 7The opening and closing control of the sliding door 16 will be described in detail. In the present embodiment, the control contents of the opening and closing control of the right sliding door 16R and the left sliding door 16L are the same. Therefore, the control contents of the opening and closing control of the right sliding door 16R will be described in detail below, and the detailed description of the control contents of the opening and closing control of the left sliding door 16L will be omitted.

[0093] Figure 7 16R represents the execution process of the processing related to the opening and closing control of the right sliding door 16R (opening and closing control processing). Figure 7 A series of processing represented in the flowchart in 2002 conceptually indicates the execution procedure of the opening and closing control processing, and the actual processing is executed by the electronic control device 17 as processing every predetermined cycle.

[0094] like Figure 7 As shown, in this process, first, it is determined whether the presence of an occupant is detected in one of the detection areas 40R, 41R, 42R ( S11 , S13 , S15 ).

[0095] Then, when it is detected that an occupant is present in the specific detection area 40R (S11: YES), "stop control" is executed as the door drive control (S12). In this case, the closing operation or opening operation of the sliding door 16R is forcibly stopped.

[0096] Specific detection area 40R is the area of ​​detection areas 40L, 41R, and 42R that is located closest to doorway 15R. Therefore, when the presence of an occupant is detected, this area is where the occupant is more likely to come into contact with sliding door 16R. According to this embodiment, when an occupant is present in specific detection area 40R, contact prevention control, specifically, stop control, is executed to forcibly stop the opening and closing operation of sliding door 16R. This prevents unnecessary contact between sliding door 16R and the occupant in right seat 13R.

[0097] Furthermore, when the presence of an occupant is detected in the intermediate detection zone 41R (S11: No, and S13: Yes), "deceleration control" is executed as the door drive control (S14). In this case, "normal delay control" is executed as the closing delay control (S14). In this case, the opening and closing speeds of the sliding door 16R are set to be lower than the speeds when the presence of an occupant is not detected in any of the detection zones 40R, 41R, and 42R.

[0098] The intermediate detection area 41R is arranged closer to the right seat 13R than the specific detection area 40R, that is, on the side farther away from the doorway 15R. Therefore, when an occupant is detected in the intermediate detection area 41R, the occupant is less likely to come into contact with the sliding door 16R than when an occupant is detected in the specific detection area 40R.

[0099] According to this embodiment, when the presence of an occupant is detected in the intermediate detection area 41R, contact prevention control, specifically deceleration control, is executed to set the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16R to a relatively low speed. This provides sufficient time to take action to prevent contact between the occupant in the right seat 13R and the sliding door 16R. This makes it easier to take action to prevent unnecessary contact between the occupant and the sliding door 16R, thereby preventing unnecessary contact between the occupant and the sliding door 16R. Furthermore, while the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16R is reduced, the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 16R is maintained, preventing a reduction in occupant convenience due to unnecessary cessation of the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 16R.

[0100] Furthermore, when the presence of an occupant is detected in the seat detection area 42R (S11, S13: No and S15: Yes), the "delay extension control" is executed as the closing delay control (S16). In this case, the "notification control" of the notification device 19R is executed, and the "normal drive control" is executed as the door drive control (S16).

[0101] In the process of S16, the contact prevention control (specifically, the delay extension control) is executed so that the delay period D2 (see Figure 4 ) becomes longer than the period when the presence of an occupant is not detected in any of the detection areas 40R, 41R, 42R. Furthermore, contact prevention control (specifically, notification control) is executed so that the notification device 19R is activated and emits a warning sound. Furthermore, door drive control is executed so that the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16R becomes the same speed as when the presence of an occupant is not detected in any of the detection areas 40R, 41R, 42R.

[0102] The seat detection area 42R is an area arranged farthest from the doorway 15R among the detection areas 40R, 41R, 42R, and therefore, when the presence of an occupant is detected, the occupant is least likely to come into contact with the sliding door 16R.

[0103] According to this embodiment, when the presence of an occupant is detected in the seat detection area 42R, the delay period D2 during which the opening and closing operations of the sliding door 16R are temporarily stopped when the closing delay control is executed is extended. This can extend the time during which foreign matter (e.g., clothing of a child occupant) located in the gap between the sliding door 16R and the doorway 15R can be removed, thereby preventing foreign matter from being placed between the sliding door 16R and the doorway 15R.

[0104] Furthermore, in this case, normal drive control is performed as the door drive control, and therefore, the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16R is not reduced except for the period immediately before the sliding door 16R is locked to the vehicle body 14 (specifically, during the delay period D2). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the convenience of the occupant from being reduced due to the reduction in the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16R.

[0105] Furthermore, in this case, the notification device 19R is activated, and therefore, the presence of an occupant in the seat detection area 42R is notified by the warning sound emitted from the notification device 19R, which can attract the attention of users located around the right seat 13R including the occupant in the right seat 13R.

[0106] like Figure 7 As shown, when the presence of an occupant is not detected in any of the detection areas 40R, 41R, and 42R (S11, S13, and S15: No), "normal drive control" is executed as the door drive control (S17). In this case, "normal delay control" is executed as the closing delay control. Therefore, in this case, the contact prevention control for preventing contact between the occupant and the sliding door 16R is not executed.

[0107] Operation and Effects of This Embodiment

[0108] The operation and effects of this embodiment will be described below. (1) When an occupant is present in a specific detection area 40 closest to the door 15 among the detection areas 40, 41, and 42 (i.e., in a specific detection area 40 where an occupant may come into contact with the sliding door 16), a stop control is executed as contact prevention control. In this way, when an occupant is present in a specific detection area 40 where an occupant may come into contact with the sliding door 16, the sliding door 16 can be stopped, thereby preventing unnecessary contact between the sliding door 16 and the occupant.

[0109] On the other hand, when an occupant is present in intermediate detection area 41 or seat detection area 42, where the occupant is less likely to come into contact with sliding door 16 than in specific detection area 40, deceleration control, delay extension control, and notification control are executed as contact prevention control. In this case, by executing contact prevention control, specifically deceleration control, delay extension control, and notification control, unnecessary contact between sliding door 16 and the occupant can be prevented. Furthermore, in this case, while executing contact prevention control, the opening and closing operation of sliding door 16 is maintained, preventing a reduction in user convenience due to unnecessary cessation of the opening and closing operation of sliding door 16.

[0110] (2) Three detection areas 40, 41, 42 are arranged in the vehicle compartment 11. The electronic control device 17 is configured to perform contact prevention control so that the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16 becomes higher when the detection areas 40, 41, 42 in which the presence of an occupant is detected are detection areas 40, 41, 42 that are farther from the doorway 15.

[0111] According to the above configuration, since the detection areas 40, 41, and 42 where the presence of an occupant is detected are farther from the doorway 15, that is, the occupant is less likely to come into contact with the sliding door 16, the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16 when the contact prevention control is executed can be made higher. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a reduction in user convenience due to a reduction in the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16 while preventing unnecessary contact between the sliding door 16 and the occupant based on the detection areas 40, 41, and 42 where the presence of an occupant is detected.

[0112] (3) When the presence of an occupant is detected in the specific detection area 40, a stop control is executed as the contact prevention control. Furthermore, when the presence of an occupant is detected in the intermediate detection area 41, a deceleration control is executed as the contact prevention control. Furthermore, when the presence of an occupant is detected in the seat detection area 42, a notification control and a delay extension control are executed as the contact prevention control.

[0113] According to this configuration, when an occupant is present in the specific detection area 40 (ie, at the doorway 15 ), the sliding door 16 can be stopped, so that unnecessary contact between the sliding door 16 and the occupant can be prevented.

[0114] Furthermore, when an occupant is present in the intermediate detection area 41, the occupant's convenience can be prevented from being reduced by maintaining the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 16. Furthermore, in this case, by reducing the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16, unnecessary contact between the sliding door 16 and the occupant can be prevented.

[0115] Furthermore, when an occupant is present in seat detection area 42, by activating notification device 19, it is possible to draw the user's attention without slowing down the opening and closing speed of sliding door 16. In this case, by extending delay period D2, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from being placed between sliding door 16 and doorway 15. Furthermore, in this case, except for immediately before sliding door 16 is locked in the fully closed position or the fully open position, the opening and closing speed of sliding door 16 is not slowed, thereby preventing a reduction in user convenience.

[0116] Variations

[0117] Note that the above embodiment can be modified and implemented as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be implemented in combination within the scope that does not cause technical contradictions.

[0118] As notification device 19, a warning light or a display device that displays information (character information, image information) indicating the presence of an occupant in seat detection area 42 may be provided instead of a buzzer that emits a warning sound. Furthermore, with this configuration, the presence of an occupant in seat detection area 42 can be notified by lighting the warning light or displaying information on the display device, thereby drawing the occupant's attention.

[0119] If the camera 18 is installed at a position where it can capture images of the detection areas 40, 41, and 42, the position where the camera 18 is installed can be changed arbitrarily. Multiple cameras 18 can be installed in the vehicle compartment 11. For example, multiple cameras can be installed to capture images of the detection areas 40, 41, and 42 at different angles, or a camera 18 can be installed to capture images of the right detection areas 40R, 41R, and 42R and a camera 18 can be installed to capture images of the left detection areas 40L, 41L, and 42L.

[0120] A radar device such as a millimeter-wave radar device may be provided in place of the camera 18. In this case, the electronic control unit 17 only needs to capture the detection data detected by the radar device. Furthermore, it is only necessary to analyze the detection data from the electronic control unit 17 and detect the presence of an occupant in the vehicle cabin 11 based on the analysis results.

[0121] When the presence of an occupant is detected in specific detection area 40, sliding door 16 can be closed or opened at an extremely slow speed, and can be forcibly stopped. In this case, the opening and closing speeds of sliding door 16 need only be set to be lower than the opening and closing speeds of sliding door 16 when deceleration control is executed. According to this configuration, when an occupant is present in specific detection area 40, the opening and closing speeds of sliding door 16 can be reduced, making it possible to prevent unnecessary contact between sliding door 16R and the occupant.

[0122] The vehicle door control device according to the above embodiment can also be applied to a vehicle that is subject to acceleration control. Acceleration control is a control set by the vehicle manufacturer or seller based on a setting request from the vehicle user. If acceleration control is executed, the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16 during normal control (in the above embodiment, when no occupant is detected in any of the detection areas 40, 41, 42) is set to a speed higher than that when acceleration control is not executed.

[0123] In the above configuration, execution of the acceleration control can be prohibited when the presence of an occupant is detected in the intermediate detection area 41. According to this configuration, when the presence of an occupant is detected in the intermediate detection area 41R, the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16 can be made lower than when the presence of an occupant is not detected in any of the detection areas 40, 41, 42.

[0124] In the above configuration, when the presence of an occupant is detected in one of detection areas 40, 41, 42, acceleration control can be prohibited. According to this configuration, when the presence of an occupant is detected in one of detection areas 40, 41, 42, the opening and closing speed of sliding door 16 can be set to be lower than when the presence of an occupant is not detected in any of detection areas 40, 41, 42. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary contact between sliding door 16 and the occupant.

[0125] In the delay extension control, two or more delay periods may be set at regular intervals, or only one delay period may be set during which the closing operation or the opening operation of the sliding door 16 is temporarily stopped. In this configuration as well, by setting appropriate lengths for the two or more delay periods, the total delay period in the delay extension control can be made longer than the delay period in the normal delay control.

[0126] When the presence of an occupant is detected in the seat detection area 42, only one of the "delay extension control" and the "notification control" may be executed as the contact prevention control. In this case, the other of the delay extension control and the notification control may be omitted.

[0127] The ranges of the respective detection areas 40, 41, and 42 can be arbitrarily changed. For example, the specific detection area 40 can be arranged to include the doorway 15 and the portion adjacent to the doorway 15 in the vehicle compartment 11, or the intermediate detection area 41 can be arranged to be placed between the doorway 15 and the rear seat 13.

[0128] Only two detection areas may be arranged, or four or more detection areas may be arranged as well as three detection areas 40, 41, 42. The vehicle door control device according to the above embodiment may be applied to only one of the right sliding door 16R and the left sliding door 16L.

[0129] The vehicle door control device according to the above-described embodiment may be applied to a hinged vehicle door, and may also be applied to a sliding vehicle door such as the sliding door 16 .

Claims

1. A vehicle door control device, to be applied to a vehicle including a doorway, a door, and a seat, wherein the doorway allows communication between the interior and exterior of a vehicle compartment, the door opens and closes the doorway, and the seat is arranged in a portion of the vehicle compartment adjacent to the doorway, the door control device being configured to drive the door opening and closing operation by controlling actuation of a drive source, the door control device being characterized by comprising: a detection unit configured to detect the presence of an occupant in each of a plurality of detection areas; and a control unit configured to, when the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant in one of the plurality of detection areas, perform contact prevention control for preventing contact between the occupant and the door, wherein The plurality of detection areas are arranged so as to be aligned in a direction in which the doorway and the seats are arranged within a range in the vehicle compartment including the doorway and a portion adjacent to the doorway, and The control unit is configured to when the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant in a specific detection area closest to the doorway among the plurality of detection areas, performing the contact prevention control so that the opening and closing speeds of the door become lower than the opening and closing speeds when the presence of an occupant is not detected in any of the plurality of detection areas, and When the detection unit does not detect the presence of an occupant in the specific detection area and the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant in a detection area other than the specific detection area among the multiple detection areas, the contact prevention control is performed so that the opening and closing speed of the door becomes higher than the opening and closing speed when the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant in the specific detection area.

2. The vehicle door control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit is configured to execute the contact prevention control of stopping the door when the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant in the specific detection area.

3. The door control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The plurality of detection areas include more than three detection areas, and The control unit is configured to perform the contact prevention control so that the opening and closing speed of the door becomes higher when the detection area in which the detection unit detects the presence of an occupant is the detection area farther from the doorway.

4. The vehicle door control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The plurality of detection areas include the specific detection area where the doorway is arranged, an intermediate detection area adjacent to the specific detection area and arranged between the doorway and an end portion of the seat, and a seat detection area adjacent to the intermediate detection area and including a seating portion of the seat, The control unit is configured to executing the contact prevention control of stopping the opening and closing operation of the door when the presence of an occupant is detected in the specific detection area, When the presence of an occupant is detected in the intermediate detection area in a state in which the presence of an occupant is not detected in the specific detection area, the contact prevention control is performed so that the opening and closing speed of the door becomes lower than the opening and closing speed when the presence of an occupant is not detected in any of the plurality of detection areas, and When the presence of an occupant is detected in the seat detection area while the presence of an occupant is not detected in the specific detection area and the intermediate detection area, notification control and delay extension control are executed as the contact prevention control, The notification control is an actuation control of an actuation notification device configured to notify that an occupant is present in the seat detection area, and The delay extension control is a control for extending the period of temporarily stopping the closing operation of the door compared to when no occupant is detected in any of the multiple detection areas when delay control is performed. The delay control is a control for temporarily stopping the closing operation of the door just before locking the door in the fully closed position.

5. The vehicle door control device according to claim 1, characterized in that The plurality of detection areas include the specific detection area where the doorway is arranged, an intermediate detection area adjacent to the specific detection area and arranged between the doorway and an end portion of the seat, and a seat detection area adjacent to the intermediate detection area and including a seating portion of the seat, The control unit is configured to executing the contact prevention control of reducing the opening and closing speed of the door when the presence of an occupant is detected in the specific detection area, When the presence of an occupant is detected in the intermediate detection area in a state in which the presence of an occupant is not detected in the specific detection area, the contact prevention control is performed so that the opening and closing speed of the door becomes lower than the opening and closing speed when the presence of an occupant is not detected in any of the plurality of detection areas, and the opening and closing speed of the door becomes higher than the opening and closing speed when the presence of an occupant is detected in the specific detection area, and When the presence of an occupant is detected in the seat detection area while the presence of an occupant is not detected in the specific detection area and the intermediate detection area, notification control and delay extension control are executed as the contact prevention control, The notification control is an actuation control of an actuation notification device configured to notify that an occupant is present in the seat detection area, and The delay extension control is a control for extending the period of temporarily stopping the closing operation of the door compared to when no occupant is detected in any of the multiple detection areas when delay control is performed. The delay control is a control for temporarily stopping the closing operation of the door just before locking the door in the fully closed position.

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