Position-adjusted window lift speed in the vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a window lift system for a vehicle, comprising an actuator (1) for raising or optionally lowering a window (3), a control unit (5) for controlling the actuator (1), and an input device (7), wherein the input device (7) has only one input option for a command to raise the window (3) and only one input option for a command to lower the window (3), wherein the input device (7) is connected to the control unit (5) in order to transmit the respective command from the input device (7) to the control unit (5), wherein the control unit (5) is designed to adapt a speed of the window (3) during lowering and / or raising depending on the relative position of the window (3) to a stationary starting point of the window (3) or depending on an absolute position of the window (3) relative to the vehicle.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a window lift system for a vehicle, as well as a vehicle with such a window lift system.

[0002] Electric window regulators in vehicles that only have a single speed for moving the window up or down are typically quite fast when moving the window from the very top to the very bottom and vice versa, but using the electric window regulator to move a window only short distances can be difficult. However, particularly at higher speeds, it is desirable to set the gap between the window and the frame within fairly narrow limits. If the gap is too large, for example, the noise pollution from incoming air would be too great at high speeds, and if the gap is too small, the airflow would be too slow. Adjusting such a gap to an accuracy of a few millimeters, and sometimes even centimeters, can be difficult.However, if the intended travel speed of the window were to be significantly reduced, the fine adjustment to the desired positions of the window's opening state would be significantly simplified, but the time required to fully open or close the window would become undesirably long.

[0003] In the prior art, it is known to use differently designed control elements to solve this problem in order to give the user the option of setting the desired speed.

[0004] In this context, DE 103 47 318 A1 relates to a device for controlling an actuator for a motor vehicle with a control unit which can be controlled by means of a first actuating means and a second actuating means, wherein the first actuating means is designed to transmit a first control signal, which is dependent on an actuation time, to the control unit and the second actuating means is designed to transmit a second control signal, which is dependent on an adjustment, to the control unit.

[0005] DE 10 2016 007 357 A1 also relates to a motor vehicle device with a movable window pane which can be moved into a first end position, and an actuating means which has a touch-sensitive surface and by means of which a sliding movement of a finger of an operator on the surface can be detected, wherein the actuating means interacts with a drive of the window pane in such a way that the window pane is moved into the first end position upon detection of a sliding movement which takes place at least partially in a predetermined first direction of movement.

[0006] DE 10 2017 213 580 A1 further relates to an operating device for a sliding and / or tilting roof of a motor vehicle comprising a touch-sensitive touch panel, wherein the touch-sensitive touch panel is integrated into a mechanical rocker lever.

[0007] However, these solutions provide the user with appropriate options. This provides additional adjustment options by providing the user with an additional degree of freedom. In general, however, it is desirable to reduce the complexity of functions for a user in a vehicle.

[0008] The object of the invention is therefore to provide a simplified operation for an electric window in a vehicle so that, in particular, the window can travel its full possible travel path sufficiently quickly, while nevertheless precise positioning of the window height is possible.

[0009] The invention is based on the features of the independent claims. Advantageous developments and refinements are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0010] A first aspect of the invention relates to a window lift system for a vehicle, comprising an actuator for raising or optionally lowering a window, a control unit for controlling the actuator and an input device, wherein the input device has only one input option for a command to raise the window and only one input option for a command to lower the window, wherein the input device is connected to the control unit in order to transmit the respective command from the input device to the control unit, wherein the control unit is designed to adapt a speed of the window when lowering and / or raising depending on the relative position of the window to a stationary starting point of the window or depending on an absolute position of the window relative to the vehicle.

[0011] Instead of providing individual operating options for the user and thus additional degrees of freedom in operation, an automated system is provided that determines the speed for lowering and / or raising the window depending on the position. For this purpose, the control unit determines the position of the window in relation to its opening state. If the window is fully closed, no air exchange can take place between the vehicle's interior and the outside environment. If the window is fully open, the maximum possible air exchange typically occurs; objects can be passed through the open window, etc.

[0012] Since the control unit adjusts the actuator for variable speeds, it is not necessary for the user to explicitly specify the speed themselves, nor is it necessary for the input device to have more than two degrees of freedom. A first degree of freedom must be provided to specify a command to raise the window, and a second degree of freedom to specify a command to lower the window. The input device does not have more than these degrees of freedom. This advantageously eliminates additional degrees of freedom and the associated input options on the input device.

[0013] Nevertheless, the user can utilize the variable speed of the window for their own purposes. There are two ways to define the position dependency of the speed when moving the window to lower it toward an open position and / or to raise it toward a closed position: On the one hand, a position sensor can be used to determine the absolute opening position of the window relative to the rest of the vehicle, in particular a door frame. If the window is close to a fully closed position, the speed is selected to be lower than if the window is in a lower position, which is adjacent to a fully open position. This corresponds to a relationship between the speed and the absolute position of the window. In this variant, subvariants can be selected, for example, a constant and continuous relationship between speed and position, so that no jump in speed is commanded by the control unit to the actuator.However, such a speed jump can also be explicitly specified by the control unit, so that depending on the position the window pane assumes a higher or lower specified speed, but no third speed is provided.

[0014] Alternatively, a relative change in the window's position relative to a stationary starting point can be determined. The window's stationary starting point is not only defined by an arbitrarily varying initial position; the relativity also has a temporal dimension. Once the window has come to a standstill, regardless of its opening state and thus its position between fully open and fully closed, this stationary position of the window is defined as the stationary starting point and stored at least temporarily.Starting from this stationary starting point as the relative zero position, a relative position change of the window when raising and / or lowering the window is then detected upon a corresponding user command. Based on this, the control unit determines the target speed, which then controls the actuators accordingly. Here, too, there are subvariants, so that the speed change with changing relative position is described by a nonlinear relationship, a linear one, and in particular, one with a speed jump above a specified limit at a distance from the stationary starting point.

[0015] Advantageously, the user can therefore very precisely adjust the position of the window in its open state in certain positions, as the window moves at a relatively slow speed there. However, in other positions, the window moves relatively faster in response to a corresponding command from the user to raise and / or lower, allowing the window to be moved over long distances in a still reasonable amount of time, especially from a fully closed position to a fully open position and vice versa.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment, the control unit is designed to set the speed of the window when raising and / or lowering the vehicle in a further open state of the window to be higher than the speed in a further closed state of the window.

[0017] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the control unit is designed to continuously and steadily adapt the speed of the window to the opening position depending on the opening state of the window.

[0018] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the control unit is designed to move the window at a first speed when the window is in a wider open area, and to move the window at a second speed, greater than the first, when the window is in a wider closed area, and to command a speed jump on the actuator at the transition from the wider open area to the wider closed area.

[0019] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the control unit is designed to adjust the speed of the window when raising and / or lowering from the relative position of the window starting from a stationary starting point of the window such that the speed of the window at a second distance from the starting point is greater than a speed of the window at a first distance from the starting point, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance.

[0020] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the control unit is designed to increase the speed of the window continuously and steadily with increasing distance from the stationary starting point of the window.

[0021] According to a further advantageous embodiment, a maximum speed of the window is provided by using saturation.

[0022] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the control unit is designed to control the actuator to switch from a first constant speed to a second constant speed when a predetermined limit distance from the starting point of the window is exceeded.

[0023] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the input device is a unit with two switches or two buttons. The first switch or button is used to specify the command to lower the window, while the second switch or button is used to specify the command to raise the window. No additional switches or buttons are required. This keeps the device simple for the user.

[0024] Another aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle with a window regulator system as described above and below.

[0025] Advantages and preferred developments of the proposed vehicle result from an analogous and analogous transfer of the statements made above in connection with the proposed window lift system.

[0026] Further advantages, features, and details will become apparent from the following description, which – where appropriate with reference to the drawings – describes at least one embodiment in detail. Identical, similar, and / or functionally equivalent parts are provided with the same reference numerals.

[0027] They show: Fig. 1: A window lift system in a vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2: A speed-position curve according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 3: A speed-position curve according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0028] Fig. 1 shows a window lift system installed in a vehicle. The term "window 3" is used throughout to represent the exemplary window pane on the driver's side of a passenger car. An electric actuator 1 serves to selectively raise or lower the window 3. The actuator 1 is controlled by a control unit 5, so that a desired speed is set when raising or lowering the window 3. A user commands the control unit 5 using an input device 7 with two buttons. Exactly one button is used to command the raising of the control unit 5, and exactly one further button is used to command the lowering of the window 3 on the control unit 5. The control unit 5 also detects the current position of the window 3 with respect to a raised state.Thus, the control unit 5 not only knows when the window 3 is fully open or fully closed, but also which position the window 3 may have between these extreme states. While the speed of the window 3 when raising and lowering cannot be directly adjusted by the user, this task is taken over by the control unit 5. The control unit 5 specifies the speed depending on the position and controls the actuator 1 accordingly. While various options for position dependency exist, one will be described in more detail below as an example. Here, the control unit 5 determines the absolute position of the window 3 relative to the frame of the driver's door and sets the speed depending on the position of the window 3.Here, a non-linear relationship is applied between the position of window 3 and its speed when raising and lowering: In the lower positions, which follow a fully open position of window 3, window 3 moves at a relatively high speed. This speed slows down increasingly as window 3 becomes increasingly closed, but never reaches zero. For the user, the slowing down of the speed is therefore mainly noticeable in the upper quarter of window 3; in the upper 20% of the position of window 3 adjacent to a fully closed state, the speed of window 3 becomes significantly slower, since experience has shown that this is exactly the area in which precise window position settings are desirable. A curve like the one in . Fig. 3 can be used as a non-linear relationship, where the horizontal axis with 'o' indicates the opening position, with increasing values ​​on the horizontal axis indicating a larger opening position up to the fully open window 3, while the vertical axis indicates the speed 'v' of window 3. As an alternative to the absolute position of window 3 for determining the speed of window 3, a relative position can be determined, which is determined by the stationary starting point of window 3. Once window 3 is at rest, this position of window 3 defines the stationary starting point. A movement from this starting point is carried out slowly in the first few millimeters, and faster relative to it with increasing distance from the starting point.

[0029] Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show possible speed curves, with the opening position indicated by 'o' on the respective horizontal axis, with increasing horizontal axis indicating a larger opening position up to the fully open window 3; while the vertical axis indicates the speed 'v' of window 3. These curves can be used to determine the speed in relation to both an absolute position of the window and a relative position of window 3.

[0030] Fig. 2 shows a sudden progression in which the speed is increased abruptly when a distance in the sense of a position difference from a starting point to a current position of window 3 is exceeded.

[0031] Fig.Figure 3, on the other hand, shows a continuous and steady curve of the relationship between the position of window 3 and its speed. This relationship can be determined, for example, from the solution of a first- or second-order differential equation. For this purpose, a step input for a first- or second-order low-pass filter is advantageously specified at the control unit 5, and its output curve forms the specified speed for actuator 1.

[0032] Although the invention has been illustrated and explained in detail by preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited by the disclosed examples, and other variations may be derived therefrom by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. It is therefore clear that a multitude of variations exist. It is also clear that the embodiments mentioned by way of example are truly only examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope, possible applications, or configuration of the invention in any way.Rather, the preceding description and the description of the figures enable the person skilled in the art to implement the exemplary embodiments in concrete terms, whereby the person skilled in the art, with knowledge of the disclosed inventive concept, can make various changes, for example with regard to the function or the arrangement of individual elements mentioned in an exemplary embodiment, without departing from the scope of protection defined by the claims and their legal equivalents, such as further explanations in the description. List of reference symbols 1 actuator 3 windows 5 Control unit 7 Input device QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 103 47 318 A1

[0004] DE 10 2016 007 357 A1

[0005] DE 10 2017 213 580 A1

[0006]

Claims

[1] Window lift system for a vehicle, comprising an actuator (1) for raising or optionally lowering a window (3), a control unit (5) for controlling the actuator (1) and an input device (7), wherein the input device (7) has only one input option for a command to raise the window (3) and only one input option for a command to lower the window (3), wherein the input device (7) is connected to the control unit (5) in order to transmit the respective command from the input device (7) to the control unit (5), wherein the control unit (5) is designed to adapt a speed of the window (3) during lowering and / or raising depending on the relative position of the window (3) to a stationary starting point of the window (3) or depending on an absolute position of the window (3) relative to the vehicle. [2] Window lift system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (5) is designed to set the speed of the window (3) when raising and / or lowering the vehicle in a further opened state of the window (3) higher than the speed in a further closed state of the window (3). [3] Window lift system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit (5) is designed to continuously and steadily adapt the speed of the window (3) to the opening position depending on the opening state of the window (3). [4] Window lift system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit (5) is designed to move the window (3) at a first speed when the window (3) is in a further open area, and to move the window (3) at a second speed, greater than the first, when the window (3) is in a further closed area, and to command a speed jump on the actuator (1) at the transition from the further open area to the further closed area. [5] Window lift system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (5) is designed to adjust the speed of the window (3) when raising and / or lowering from the relative position of the window (3) starting from a stationary starting point of the window (3) such that the speed of the window (3) at a second distance from the starting point is greater than a speed of the window (3) at a first distance from the starting point, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance. [6] Window lift system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit (5) is designed to increase the speed of the window (3) continuously and steadily with increasing distance from the stationary starting point of the window (3). [7] Window lift system according to claim 6, wherein a maximum speed of the window is provided by using saturation. [8] Window lift system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit (5) is designed to control the actuator (1) to switch from a first constant speed to a second constant speed when a predetermined limit distance to the starting point of the window (3) is exceeded. [9] Window lift system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the input device (7) is a unit with two switches or two buttons. [10] Vehicle with a window lifting system according to one of the preceding claims.

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