Opening and closing body control device

Abstract

The door control device (90) includes a drive control section (94) that controls the door drive section (50) based on an opening operation request of a user for causing the rear door (30) to perform an opening operation, thereby causing the rear door (30) to perform the opening operation, and a position acquisition section (92) that acquires a request position at which the user has issued the opening operation request. When the opening operation request is present, the drive control section (94) causes the rear door (30) to perform the opening operation in a case where the request position is outside an operation region (Ad) of the rear door (30), and changes a manner of the opening operation of the rear door (30) in a case where the request position is inside the operation region (Ad) of the rear door (30) as compared to the case where the request position is outside the operation region (Ad).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an opening and closing control device. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle that includes an opening and closing mechanism such as a luggage compartment, a drive unit for driving the opening and closing mechanism, and an ECU for controlling the drive unit. When a user operates a switch installed on a portable device, the ECU causes the opening and closing mechanism to open or close. In other words, the user can request the opening and closing of the mechanism by operating a switch installed on the portable device.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-82900.

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] In vehicles like the one described above, if a user requests to open or close the device from a position far from the closed device, the likelihood of the device causing harm to the user is low. On the other hand, if a user requests to open or close the device from a position close to it, the device may cause harm to the user. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Technical means for solving problems

[0009] One aspect of this disclosure relates to an opening / closing control device applied to a vehicle, the vehicle comprising: a body, an opening / closing body, and an opening / closing body drive unit, the body having an opening portion, the opening / closing body opening and closing the opening portion, and the opening / closing body drive unit driving the opening / closing body. The opening / closing control device comprises: a drive control unit that controls the opening / closing body drive unit based on an opening action request from a user for opening the opening / closing body, thereby causing the opening / closing body to open; and a position acquisition unit that acquires a requested position, the requested position being the position where the user issued the opening action request. When the opening action request is received, if the requested position is outside the operating area of ​​the opening / closing body, the drive control unit causes the opening / closing body to open; if the requested position is within the operating area, the drive control unit changes the opening / closing body's opening / closing method compared to if the requested position is outside the operating area.

[0010] The effects of the invention

[0011] The opening and closing control device can suppress situations that cause harm to the user when the opening and closing body is operated. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle equipped with door control devices.

[0013] Figure 2 It means Figure 1 A flowchart of the processing flow implemented by the door control device.

[0014] Figure 3 Yes Figure 1 A diagram illustrating the operation of the rear door of a vehicle. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The following describes one embodiment of a vehicle equipped with a door control device. The door control device is equivalent to an "opening and closing control device". In the following description, the vehicle's forward / backward direction, width direction, and vertical direction will be referred to simply as the forward / backward direction, width direction, and vertical direction.

[0016] <Structure of this embodiment>

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle 10 includes a body 20, a rear door 30, a door lock device 40, a door drive unit 50, a door lock drive unit 60, an object detection unit 70, a wireless communication device 80, and a door control device 90.

[0018] <Body 20>

[0019] The vehicle body 20 has a rearward-opening door opening 21. For example, the door opening 21 is rectangular. In this embodiment, the long side of the door opening 21 is in the width direction, and the short side of the door opening 21 is in the vertical direction. The door opening 21 is the part through which luggage passes when loading and unloading luggage into the luggage compartment. The vehicle body 20 has a latch 22 provided at the lower end of the door opening 21. The latch 22 is made of a highly rigid material such as metal. The latch 22 is a connection part that connects to the rear door 30.

[0020] <Backdoor 30>

[0021] The rear door 30 has a shape corresponding to the door opening 21. The base of the rear door 30 is supported on the upper part of the door opening 21 via a door hinge or the like. Thus, the rear door 30 rotates about an axis passing through its base in the width direction, thereby shifting between a fully closed position (where the door opening 21 is fully closed) and a fully open position (where the door opening 21 is fully open). When viewed from the side in the width direction, the top of the rear door 30 traces an arc-shaped trajectory as it opens and closes the door opening 21. Because the rear door 30 rotates between the fully closed and fully open positions, the operating area Ad of the rear door 30 is a three-dimensional region. In this embodiment, for ease of explanation, the area where the three-dimensional operating area Ad of the rear door 30 is projected onto the ground is taken as the operating area Ad of the rear door 30.

[0022] The rear door 30 has a door switch 31 operated by the user. The door switch 31 is operated when the user wants to open the rear door 30. The door switch 31 is preferably positioned in a location easily accessible to the user. For example, the door switch 31 is located on the outer side of the rear door 30 facing the vehicle 10. The user operates the door switch 31 of the rear door 30 while standing in front of the rear door 30 in its fully closed position. In this position, the user's operation of the door switch 31 corresponds to the "request position" as the position where the user requests the opening or closing of the rear door 30.

[0023] In the following description, the opening state of the rear door 30 will be referred to as the opening degree of the rear door 30. The opening degree of the rear door 30 is minimal when the rear door 30 is in the fully closed position and maximum when the rear door 30 is in the fully open position. Furthermore, the direction of the rear door 30 from the fully closed position to the fully open position is called the opening direction, and the direction of the rear door 30 from the fully open position to the fully closed position is called the closing direction. The rear door 30 is equivalent to an "opening and closing body".

[0024] <Door Locking Device 40>

[0025] A door locking device 40 is housed at the top of the rear door 30. The door locking device 40 has a latch 41 that is displaceable between a fully locked position capable of engaging with the latch 22 and an unlocked position where it cannot engage with the latch 22. The latch 41 is claw-shaped. The door locking device 40 restrains the rear door 30, when in the fully closed position, to the vehicle body 20 by engaging the latch 41 with the latch 22.

[0026] <Door drive section 50>

[0027] The door drive unit 50 is rod-shaped. The door drive unit 50 can be, for example, an electric cylinder driven by an electric motor. The first end of the door drive unit 50 in the long side direction is connected to a mechanism capable of rotating relative to the vehicle body 20. The second end of the door drive unit 50 in the long side direction is connected to a mechanism capable of rotating relative to the rear door 30. Furthermore, the door drive unit 50 extends to open the rear door 30. On the other hand, the door drive unit 50 retracts to close the rear door 30. The door drive unit 50 is equivalent to an "opening / closing drive unit".

[0028] <Door lock drive unit 60>

[0029] The door lock drive unit 60 drives the door lock device 40. When the rear door 30 begins to open, the door lock drive unit 60 rotates the latch 41 from the fully locked position toward the unlocked position. This releases the rear door 30 from the vehicle body 20 during the opening action. Conversely, when the rear door 30 is in the vicinity of the fully closed position during the closing action, the door lock drive unit 60 rotates the latch 41 from the unlocked position toward the fully locked position. This restrains the rear door 30 to the vehicle body 20 during the closing action. In the following description, the rotation of the latch 41 of the door lock device 40 toward the unlocked position is referred to as the unlocking action, and the rotation of the latch 41 of the door lock device 40 toward the fully locked position is referred to as the locking action.

[0030] <Object Detection Department 70>

[0031] The object detection unit 70 is a sensor used to detect objects present around the door opening 21. The object detection unit 70 can be any sensor capable of determining the position, direction of movement, and speed of an object within its detection area As using transmitted and received waves. For example, the object detection unit 70 could be a millimeter-wave sensor. The object detection unit 70 is positioned below the lower end of the door opening 21 on the vehicle body 20. For example, the object detection unit 70 could be located on the rear bumper, etc.

[0032] The object detection unit 70 uses the area behind it as the object detection area As. The detection area As expands in both the width and vertical directions as it moves backward. The detection area As is a three-dimensional area. Figure 1 In the diagram, the 3D detection area As is represented as the area projected onto the ground. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the detection area As is the region that overlaps with the motion area Ad of the rear door 30, and is larger than the motion area Ad of the rear door 30. Alternatively, the object detection unit 70 may also be provided on the rear door 30. In this case, the detection area As of the object detection unit 70 varies depending on the opening degree of the rear door 30.

[0033] <Wireless communication device 80 and portable device 100>

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication device 80 determines whether a portable device 100 is associated with the vehicle 10 by communicating wirelessly with a portable device 100 located around the vehicle 10. The portable device 100 can be an electronic key, a smartphone, or other communication terminal. In this respect, the wireless communication device 80 can determine whether a user holding the portable device 100 exists within a communication area Ac set around the vehicle 10. The wireless communication device 80 can also conduct UWB (Ultra Wide Band) based communication with the portable device 100 to obtain its location. The communication area Ac is an area extending around the vehicle 10. Therefore, the communication area Ac is larger than the detection area As.

[0035] The portable device 100 includes an open switch, an close switch, and a stop switch that operate when the rear door 30 is opened, closed, or stopped. When these switches are operated, the wireless communication device 80 outputs an open operation command signal, a close operation command signal, and a stop command signal based on the operated switch. The open operation command signal corresponds to the open switch and is used to open the rear door 30. The close operation command signal corresponds to the close switch and is used to close the rear door 30. The stop command signal corresponds to the stop switch and is used to stop the rear door 30 from opening or closing. Furthermore, when the portable device 100 is present in the communication area Ac, the wireless communication device 80 outputs a signal indicating this intention. The position of the user operating these switches on the portable device 100 corresponds to a "request position" as the position where the user requests the opening or closing of the rear door 30. Specifically, the request position in this case is the position of the portable device 100 when the user operates the aforementioned switches.

[0036] <Door control device 90>

[0037] The door control device 90 is an electronic control device equipped with a CPU and a memory. The door control device 90 functions as a posture determination unit 91, a position acquisition unit 92, an obstacle determination unit 93, and a drive control unit 94 by executing a program stored in the memory through the CPU.

[0038] <Posture Judgment Section 91>

[0039] The posture determination unit 91 determines whether the user has performed a pre-set posture. A posture refers to the movement of a part of the user's body to open or close the rear door 30. In other words, the user can open or close the rear door 30 by performing a posture instead of operating the power switch of the portable device 100. In this respect, the user's posture is a request made by the user to open or close the rear door 30. The posture used to open the rear door 30 and the posture used to close the rear door 30 can be the same or different. In the following description, the posture used to open the rear door 30 will simply be referred to as a posture.

[0040] In this embodiment, the posture is the foot posture of the user swinging their toes. For example, the posture determination unit 91 can determine whether the user has performed a posture by comparing the change in the movement direction of an object within the detection area As with a posture pattern. Here, the posture pattern specifies the sequence of changes in the movement direction of the object when the user performs a posture. Furthermore, the posture determination unit 91 determines that the user has performed a posture within the detection area As based on the detection results of the object detection unit 70, provided that the object moves within the detection area As in the same manner as the posture pattern.

[0041] In the following description, the position of the user when the posture determination unit 91 determines that the user has performed a posture will be referred to as the posture implementation position. The posture implementation position is equivalent to a "requested position". In detail, the requested position in this case is the position of an object that moves in the same posture pattern as when the user is determined to have performed a posture. Specifically, the requested position is the position of the user's toes when the user is determined to have performed a posture. In other embodiments, if the posture is a hand gesture of waving the user's hand, the requested position is the position of the user's hand when the user is determined to have performed a posture.

[0042] <Location Acquisition Department 92>

[0043] The position acquisition unit 92 acquires a requested position, which is the position when the user requests the opening of the rear door 30. Specifically, when the user requests the opening of the rear door 30 by operating the door switch 31, the position acquisition unit 92 acquires the position of the front of the rear door 30, i.e., the position within the action area Ad, as the requested position. This is because, when the user operates the door switch 31, there is a very high probability that the user is standing within the action area Ad of the rear door 30. When the user requests the opening of the rear door 30 by operating the power switch of the portable device 100, the position acquisition unit 92 acquires the position of the portable device 100 as the requested position. When the user requests the opening of the rear door 30 by making a gesture, the position acquisition unit 92 acquires the gesture execution position as the requested position.

[0044] <Obstacle Detection Unit 93>

[0045] The obstacle determination unit 93 determines whether an obstacle exists within the detection area As based on the detection results of the object detection unit 70. Furthermore, if an obstacle exists within the detection area As, the obstacle determination unit 93 obtains the distance from the object detection unit 70 to the obstacle.

[0046] <Drive Control Unit 94>

[0047] The drive control unit 94 controls the door drive unit 50 and the door lock drive unit 60 to open and close the rear door 30. When the drive control unit 94 opens the rear door 30 from the fully closed position based on the user's request, it causes the door lock drive unit 60 to unlock the door lock device 40, and then causes the door drive unit 50 to open the rear door 30.

[0048] When the rear door 30 begins to open, the drive control unit 94 sets a target opening degree to which the rear door 30 will open. Then, the drive control unit 94 continues to open the rear door 30 until the opening degree of the rear door 30 reaches the target opening degree. If the obstacle detection unit 93 determines that there is no obstacle within the detection area As, the drive control unit 94 sets the target opening degree to the opening degree corresponding to the fully open position. On the other hand, if the obstacle detection unit 93 determines that there is an obstacle within the detection area As, the drive control unit 94 sets the target opening degree to an opening degree that does not contact the obstacle.

[0049] Furthermore, if a new obstacle is detected in the opening direction of the rear door 30 during its opening operation, the drive control unit 94 will stop the rear door 30 even if the opening degree of the rear door 30 is less than the target opening degree. In this case, the drive control unit 94 can either stop the rear door 30 upon detecting a new obstacle, or continue the opening operation of the rear door 30 until it reaches a position close to the new obstacle. In the latter case, the target opening degree is reset to the opening degree corresponding to the position close to the new obstacle.

[0050] In this embodiment, the user can request the opening of the rear door 30 by operating the door switch 31 of the rear door 30, operating the switch of the portable device 100, or making a gesture within the detection area As. Here, when the requested position, which is the location where the user requests the opening, is far from the rear door 30, the likelihood of the opening of the rear door 30 posing a danger to the user is low. However, when the requested position is close to the rear door 30, the opening of the rear door 30 may pose a danger to the user. Therefore, the drive control unit 94 changes the method of opening the rear door 30 according to the requested position. A detailed explanation will follow.

[0051] First, the drive control unit 94 determines whether the requested position is within the action area Ad. Here, the drive control unit 94 determines whether the coordinates of the requested position in the width and front-back directions are within the action area Ad. This is because if the coordinates of the requested position in the width and front-back directions are within the action area Ad, then regardless of the magnitude of the coordinates in the vertical direction, the probability that the user is standing within the action area Ad is high. In other words, the likelihood of the back door 30 being opened posing a threat to the user is high.

[0052] When the requested position is outside the operation zone Ad, the drive control unit 94 opens the rear door 30. Conversely, when the requested position is inside the operation zone Ad, the drive control unit 94 changes the opening mechanism of the rear door 30 compared to when the requested position is outside the operation zone Ad. Specifically, when the requested position is inside the operation zone Ad, the drive control unit 94 opens the rear door 30 at a third speed, which is lower than the first and second speeds described later. Furthermore, the drive control unit 94 temporarily stops the rear door 30 when its opening degree is a set opening degree smaller than the target opening degree. The set opening degree is simply an opening degree to which the user notices the rear door 30 has slightly opened. For example, the set opening degree is simply the opening degree when the top of the rear door 30 has moved approximately 10 cm in the opening direction from the fully closed position. In this respect, when the requested position is inside the operation zone Ad, the opening mechanism of the rear door 30 becomes a safer method compared to when the requested position is outside the operation zone Ad.

[0053] Furthermore, when the drive control unit 94 initiates the opening action of the rear door 30 from the fully closed position, it sequentially controls the door lock drive unit 60 and the door drive unit 50. As a result, after the door lock drive unit 60 unlocks the door lock device 40, the door drive unit 50 drives the rear door 30. Therefore, the speed at which the rear door 30 is opened refers to the speed of the rear door 30 after the door lock drive unit 60 has unlocked.

[0054] When the requested position is outside the operation area Ad, and the rear door 30 is opened from the fully closed position, the drive control unit 94 opens the rear door 30 toward the target position. Similarly, when the requested position is within the operation area Ad, and the opening of the rear door 30, which was temporarily stopped, is restarted, the drive control unit 94 opens the rear door 30 toward the target opening degree. Here, the target opening degree is set differently depending on whether there is an obstacle in the direction of the rear door 30's movement. Obstacles include structures such as walls or utility poles, as well as users.

[0055] In detail, when the rear door 30 begins to open, if the obstacle detection unit 93 determines that there is no obstacle within the operation area Ad, the target opening degree is set to the opening degree corresponding to the fully open position. Furthermore, the drive control unit 94 sets the operating speed of the rear door 30 to a first speed, which is higher than the third speed. On the other hand, if the obstacle detection unit 93 determines that there is an obstacle within the operation area Ad, the drive control unit 94 sets the target opening degree to an opening degree that does not contact the obstacle. Furthermore, the drive control unit 94 sets the operating speed of the rear door 30 to a second speed, which is lower than the first speed.

[0056] When a closing command signal is sent from the portable device 100 and it is determined that the user has made a gesture to close the rear door 30, the drive control unit 94 closes the rear door 30 to the fully closed position. In this case, the drive control unit 94 sequentially controls the door drive unit 50 and the door lock drive unit 60. As a result, after the door drive unit 50 drives the rear door 30 to near the fully closed position, the door lock drive unit 60 fully locks the door lock device 40. Furthermore, when a stop command signal is sent from the portable device 100, the drive control unit 94 stops the rear door 30. Moreover, the drive control unit 94 preferably stops the rear door 30 quickly or reverses the direction of operation if the rear door 30 comes into contact with an object during the opening or closing process.

[0057] <Processing performed by door control device 90>

[0058] The following describes the process performed by the door control device 90 to open the rear door 30.

[0059] like Figure 2 As shown, the door control device 90 determines whether the vehicle 10 is stationary (S11). For example, the door control device 90 can determine whether the vehicle 10 is stationary based on the vehicle speed obtained from the driving control device that controls the movement of the vehicle 10. If the vehicle 10 is moving (S11: No), the door control device 90 ends this process. If the vehicle 10 is stationary (S11: Yes), the door control device 90 determines whether the portable device 100 exists within the communication area Ac based on information obtained from the wireless communication device 80 (S12).

[0060] If the portable device 100 is not present in the communication area Ac (S12: No), that is, if the user holding the portable device 100 is not present in the communication area Ac, the door control device 90 terminates this process. On the other hand, if the portable device 100 is present in the communication area Ac (S12: Yes), that is, if the user holding the portable device 100 is present in the communication area Ac, the door control device 90 determines whether there is an opening request for the rear door 30 (S13). The opening request here includes an opening request caused by the user operating the door switch 31 of the rear door 30, an opening request caused by the user operating the open switch of the portable device 100, and an opening request caused by the user making a gesture. In addition, the door control device 90 can set a time limit when determining whether there is an opening request from the user.

[0061] If there is no opening request from the user (S13: No), the door control device 90 terminates this process. On the other hand, if there is an opening request from the user (S13: Yes), the door control device 90 acquires the requested position as the position where the user made the opening request (S14). Next, the door control device 90 determines whether the requested position is within the operating area Ad of the rear door 30 (S15). If the requested position is outside the operating area Ad of the rear door 30 (S15: No), the door control device 90 transfers the process to step S19, which will be described later. On the other hand, if the requested position is within the operating area Ad of the rear door 30 (S15: Yes), the door control device 90 sets the operating speed of the rear door 30 to a lower third speed (S16). Next, the door control device 90 controls the door drive unit 50 and the door lock drive unit 60 to open the rear door 30 from the fully closed position until the set opening degree is reached (S17). Then, the door control device 90 determines whether a standby time has elapsed since the processing in step S17 was completed (S18). The standby time is the time used to wait for a user believed to be in the action area Ad of the back door 30 to leave the action area Ad. As an example, the standby time can be about a few seconds.

[0062] If the standby time has not elapsed (S18: No), the door control device 90 transfers the processing to step S18. On the other hand, if the standby time has elapsed (S18: Yes), the door control device 90 determines whether there is an obstacle in the direction of movement of the rear door 30 (S19). If there is no obstacle in the direction of movement of the rear door 30 (S19: No), the door control device 90 sets the target opening degree for opening the rear door 30 to the opening degree corresponding to the fully open position (S20). Next, the door control device 90 sets the movement speed of the rear door 30 to a relatively high first speed (S21). After that, the door control device 90 transfers the processing to step S24, which will be described later.

[0063] On the other hand, in step S19, if there is an obstacle in the direction of movement of the rear door 30 (S19: Yes), the door control device 90 sets the target opening degree of the rear door 30 to the opening degree corresponding to the position of the obstacle. Specifically, the door control device 90 sets the target opening degree to the opening degree corresponding to the position where the rear door 30 does not contact the obstacle (S22). Next, the door control device 90 sets the movement speed of the rear door 30 to a lower second speed (S23). Afterwards, the door control device 90 transfers the processing to step S24.

[0064] In step S24, the door control device 90 causes the rear door 30 to open at the speed set in step S21 or step S23 until the target opening degree set in step S20 or step S22 is reached. After that, the door control device 90 ends the process.

[0065] <The function of this implementation method>

[0066] For example Figure 3 The single-dotted line in the middle illustrates the situation where a user requests to open the backdoor 30 within the action area Ad of the backdoor 30.

[0067] When a user requests the opening of the rear door 30 from within its operating area Ad, the rear door 30 opens to the set opening degree indicated by the single-dotted line. Then, the rear door 30 stops for the entire standby time. Therefore, the user can recognize that they are obstructing the opening of the rear door 30 because it can only open slightly. In other words, the door control device 90 can prompt the user to move outside the operating area Ad of the rear door 30. After the standby time has elapsed, the opening of the rear door 30 restarts. Here, if the user has moved outside the operating area Ad of the rear door 30, the rear door 30 opens to the fully open position indicated by the double-dotted line. On the other hand, if the user remains within the operating area Ad of the rear door 30, the rear door 30 opens to a position in front of the user, who is acting as an obstacle.

[0068] For example Figure 3 The double-dotted line in the middle illustrates the situation where a user outside the action area Ad of backdoor 30 makes a request to open backdoor 30.

[0069] When a user requests to open the back door 30 from outside the action area Ad of the back door 30, the back door 30 is opened to the fully open position indicated by the double-dotted line. In this case, the back door 30 does not temporarily stop, nor does its operation speed slow down. Therefore, user convenience is not reduced.

[0070] <Effects of this implementation method>

[0071] (1) When the requested position is outside the operating area Ad of the rear door 30, in other words, when the user will not obstruct the opening of the rear door 30, the door control device 90 opens the rear door 30 until it is fully open. On the other hand, when the requested position is within the operating area Ad of the rear door 30, in other words, when there is a possibility that the user will obstruct the opening of the rear door 30, the door control device 90 opens the rear door 30 in a different manner than when the requested position is outside the operating area Ad of the rear door 30. Therefore, when there is a possibility that the user will obstruct the opening of the rear door 30, the door control device 90 can prompt the user to move away from the operating area Ad of the rear door 30. In this way, the door control device 90 can suppress situations where the user feels threatened when the rear door 30 is opened.

[0072] (2) When the requested position is within the operating area Ad of the rear door 30, the door control device 90 temporarily stops the rear door 30 at a set opening degree. That is, when the requested position is within the operating area Ad of the rear door 30, the rear door 30 can only open slightly. Therefore, in cases where there is a possibility that the user may become an obstacle to the opening of the rear door 30, the door control device 90 can easily and clearly prompt the user to move away from the operating area Ad of the rear door 30.

[0073] (3) Furthermore, the door control device 90 restarts the opening action of the rear door 30 after the standby time has elapsed. Therefore, the user does not need to make another opening request in order to open the rear door 30 from the set opening degree. Therefore, the door control device 90 can prevent the user's convenience from being reduced.

[0074] (4) When the requested position is within the operating area Ad of the rear door 30, the door control device 90 slows down the operating speed of the rear door 30 compared to when the requested position is outside the operating area Ad of the rear door 30. Therefore, in cases where there is a possibility that the user may become an obstacle to the opening of the rear door 30, the door control device 90 can easily and clearly prompt the user to move away from the operating area Ad of the rear door 30.

[0075] (5) The door control device 90 determines whether a gesture has been made as a request to open the door based on the detection results of the object detection unit 70. Furthermore, when the user makes a gesture, the door control device 90 takes the position where the gesture was made as the requested position. Therefore, the door control device 90 can determine with high accuracy whether the requested position when the user makes a gesture is within the action area Ad of the back door 30.

[0076] (6) The door control device 90 determines whether the user has made a gesture based on the detection results of the object detection unit 70. In addition, the door control device 90 determines whether there is an obstacle in the direction of movement of the rear door 30 based on the detection results of the object detection unit 70. Therefore, the door control device 90 can make both gesture determination and obstacle determination based on the detection results of a single sensor.

[0077] <Example of Change>

[0078] This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical inconsistency.

[0079] Vehicle 10 may also be equipped with a notification unit to notify the user of various information. In this case, the door control device 90 may notify the user of the intention to retreat through the rear door 30 when the requested position is within the operating area Ad, and may not notify the user of the intention to retreat through the rear door 30 when the requested position is outside the operating area Ad. Here, the notification unit may be configured to notify information via sound or light. For example, the response when locking or unlocking the doors of vehicle 10 may also be used.

[0080] The door control device 90 can also determine whether the user has left the operating area Ad of the back door 30 based on the detection result of the object detection unit 70. Alternatively, the door control device 90 can also determine whether the user has left the operating area Ad of the back door 30 based on the position change of the portable device 100. Furthermore, the door control device 90 can restart the opening action of the back door 30 without waiting for the standby time to elapse, even if the user has left the operating area Ad of the back door 30. In other words, in Figure 2 In the flowchart shown, step S18 can be omitted.

[0081] The door control device 90 can also temporarily stop the rear door 30 at a set opening degree when the requested position is within the operating area Ad of the rear door 30. That is, in... Figure 2 In the flowchart shown, step S18 can be omitted. In this case, the door control device 90 sets the operating speed of the rear door 30 to a third speed until the opening degree of the rear door 30 reaches the set opening degree, and after the opening degree of the rear door 30 reaches the set opening degree, it sets the operating speed of the rear door 30 to a first speed or a second speed depending on the presence or absence of an obstacle.

[0082] The door control device 90 can also prevent the rear door 30 from opening immediately if the requested position is within the action area Ad. In this case, the door control device 90 can open the rear door 30 after a standby time has elapsed since the opening request was made. That is, in Figure 2 In the flowchart shown, steps S16 and S17 can be omitted.

[0083] The opening degree can also be the opening degree when the door lock device 40 is unlocked by the door lock drive unit 60.

[0084] The magnitudes of the first, second, and third velocities can be appropriately altered. For example, the first and second velocities can be equal. Alternatively, the first, second, and third velocities can change over time.

[0085] The door switch 31 of the rear door 30 can also be located around the door opening 21 on the vehicle body 20.

[0086] The vehicle body 20 may also have a swing door that rotates about an axis extending in any direction. The swing door may also be, for example, a front door that rotates about an axis extending in the vertical direction. In this case, the door control device 90 may control the opening and closing of the front door in the same way as the rear door 30.

[0087] The vehicle body 20 may also have an opening and closing mechanism that can rotate about an axis extending in any direction. In this case, the vehicle 10 may also have an opening and closing mechanism control device that controls the opening and closing action of the opening and closing mechanism, which has the same configuration as the door control device 90 described above.

[0088] The gate control device 90 includes a CPU and a ROM, and is not limited to a processing circuit that performs software processing. For example, the gate control device 90 may also include dedicated hardware circuitry that performs at least a portion of the various processes executed in the above embodiments. Examples of dedicated hardware circuitry include ASICs. ASIC is short for "Application Specific Integrated Circuit". That is, the gate control device 90 can be any of the following configurations (a) to (c).

[0089] (a) A processing circuit having a processing device and a program storage device such as a ROM, wherein the processing device performs all of the above-described processing according to a program, and the program storage device stores the program.

[0090] (b) A processing circuit comprising a processing device and a program storage device, and a dedicated hardware circuit, wherein the processing device performs a portion of the processing according to a program, and the dedicated hardware circuit performs the remaining processing.

[0091] (c) A processing circuit having dedicated hardware circuitry for performing all of the above-described processes.

[0092] Here, there may be multiple software execution devices with processing devices and program storage devices, as well as dedicated hardware circuits.

[0093] <Summary of this implementation method>

[0094] The opening and closing control device according to this embodiment has at least the following configuration.

[0095] An opening / closing control device (90) is applied to a vehicle (10) comprising: a body (20), an opening / closing body (30), and an opening / closing body drive unit (50). The body has an opening (21), the opening / closing body opens and closes the opening (21), and the opening / closing body drive unit drives the opening / closing body (30). The opening / closing control device comprises: a drive control unit (94), which controls the opening / closing body drive unit (50) based on an opening action request from a user for opening the opening / closing body (30), thereby causing the opening / closing body (30) to open / close. The device includes an action unit and a location acquisition unit, which acquires a requested location, which is the location where the user issued the opening action request. When the opening action request is received, if the requested location is outside the action area (Ad) of the opening / closing body (30), the drive control unit (94) causes the opening / closing body (30) to perform an opening action. If the requested location is inside the action area (Ad), the drive control unit (94) changes the opening action mode of the opening / closing body (30) compared to the case where the requested location is outside the action area (Ad).

[0096] When the requested position is within the operating area of ​​the opening / closing mechanism, the opening / closing mechanism control device causes the opening / closing mechanism to operate in a manner different from when the requested position is outside the operating area. In other words, if there is a possibility that the user may obstruct the opening / closing mechanism's operation, the opening / closing mechanism control device causes the opening / closing mechanism to operate in a manner different from when the user will not obstruct the opening / closing mechanism's operation. Therefore, when there is a possibility that the user may obstruct the opening / closing mechanism's operation, the opening / closing mechanism control device can prompt the user to move away from the operating area of ​​the opening / closing mechanism. In this way, the opening / closing mechanism control device can suppress situations where the opening / closing mechanism's operation causes the user to feel a sense of danger.

[0097] In the opening and closing body control device (90), preferably, the drive control unit (94) causes the opening and closing body (30) to open until the target opening degree based on the opening action request. When the request position is within the action area (Ad), and the opening degree of the opening and closing body (30) is a set opening degree smaller than the target opening degree, the drive control unit (94) causes the opening and closing body (30) to temporarily stop.

[0098] When the requested position is within the operating area of ​​the opening / closing mechanism, the opening / closing mechanism control device temporarily stops the opening / closing mechanism at a set opening degree. Therefore, in situations where there is a possibility that the user may become an obstacle to the opening / closing operation of the mechanism, the opening / closing mechanism control device can prompt the user to move out of the operating area by temporarily stopping the opening / closing mechanism.

[0099] In the opening and closing body control device (90), it is preferable that when the requested position is within the operating area (Ad) of the opening and closing body (30), the drive control unit (94) slows down the speed at which the opening and closing body (30) performs the opening operation compared to when the requested position is outside the operating area (Ad) of the opening and closing body (30).

[0100] When the requested position is within the operating area of ​​the opening / closing mechanism, the opening / closing mechanism control device slows down the operating speed of the opening / closing mechanism compared to when the requested position is outside the operating area. Therefore, in situations where there is a possibility that the user may become an obstacle to the opening / closing mechanism's operation, the opening / closing mechanism control device can prompt the user to move away from the operating area by changing the operating speed of the opening / closing mechanism.

[0101] Preferably, the vehicle (10) includes an object detection unit (70) that detects objects present around the opening (21), and the opening / closing control device (90) includes a posture determination unit (91) that determines whether the user has made a posture as a request for opening based on the detection result of the object detection unit (70), wherein the request position is the position where the user made the posture.

[0102] The opening / closing control device determines whether a gesture requesting an opening action has been made based on the detection results of the object detection unit. Furthermore, when the user makes a gesture, the opening / closing control device uses the position of the gesture as the requested position. Therefore, the opening / closing control device can accurately determine whether the requested position when the user makes a gesture is within the operating area of ​​the opening / closing mechanism.

[0103] Preferably, the opening and closing body control device (90) further includes an obstacle determination unit (93), which determines whether there is an obstacle in the direction of movement of the opening and closing body (30) when the opening and closing body (30) is opened based on the detection result of the object detection unit (70). When the opening and closing body (30) is opened, if there is an obstacle in the direction of movement of the opening and closing body (30), the drive control unit (94) stops the opening and closing body (30) in front of the obstacle.

[0104] The opening / closing control device determines whether the user has made a gesture based on the detection results of the object detection unit. Additionally, it determines whether there is an obstacle in the direction of the opening / closing action based on the object detection results. Therefore, the opening / closing control device can perform both gesture determination and obstacle detection based on the detection results of a single sensor.

[0105] Symbol Explanation

[0106] 10…vehicle, 20…body, 21…door opening (opening), 30…rear door (opening / closing body), 50…door drive unit (opening / closing body drive unit), 70…object detection unit, 90…door control device (opening / closing body control device), 91…posture determination unit, 92…position acquisition unit, 93…obstacle determination unit, 94…drive control unit, Ad…action area, As…detection area.

Claims

1. An opening / closing control device applied to a vehicle, the vehicle comprising: a body, an opening / closing body, and an opening / closing body drive unit, the body having an opening, the opening / closing body opening and closing the opening, and the opening / closing body drive unit driving the opening / closing body, wherein... The opening / closing control device includes: A drive control unit controls the opening / closing body drive unit based on an opening action request from a user for opening the opening / closing body, thereby causing the opening / closing body to open. as well as The location acquisition unit acquires the requested location, which is the location where the user issued the activation request. When the aforementioned start action request is received. If the requested position is outside the operating area of ​​the opening / closing body, the drive control unit causes the opening / closing body to open. When the requested position is within the operating area, the drive control unit changes the opening and closing action of the opening / closing body compared to when the requested position is outside the operating area.

2. The opening and closing body control device according to claim 1, wherein, The drive control unit causes the opening / closing body to open until the target opening degree is reached based on the opening action request. When the requested position is within the action area, and the opening degree of the opening / closing body is a set opening degree smaller than the target opening degree, the drive control unit causes the opening / closing body to temporarily stop.

3. The opening and closing body control device according to claim 1, wherein, When the requested position is within the operating area of ​​the opening / closing body, the drive control unit slows down the opening / closing body's opening speed compared to when the requested position is outside the operating area of ​​the opening / closing body.

4. The opening and closing body control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The vehicle is equipped with an object detection unit that detects objects present around the opening. The opening / closing control device also includes a posture determination unit, which determines whether the user has made a posture that serves as a request for the opening action based on the detection result of the object detection unit. The requested location is the location where the user made the gesture.

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