Managing the opening and closing of moving parts of a motor vehicle based on the location of a portable communication device

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for managing the opening and closing of a moving element (4) of a motor vehicle (1). The invention also relates to a computer device (100) implementing such a method, as well as a motor vehicle (1) comprising such a device. Figure for the abstract: 1

Description

Title of the invention: Management of the opening and closing of mobile elements of a motor vehicle according to the location of a portable communication device Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of control systems for openings and other moving elements of the bodywork of motor vehicles. The invention relates in particular to a method for managing, by a computer device on board a motor vehicle, the opening and closing of a moving element of the vehicle. The invention also relates to a device implementing such a method, as well as a motor vehicle comprising such a device. The invention applies to motor vehicles such as land motor vehicles, in particular cars. State of the prior art

[0002] Some modern motor vehicles are equipped with access management means that allow a user to access the passenger compartment of the vehicle without having to carry out a conventional locking or unlocking procedure. To do this, sensors are generally installed at the handles of the openings, but this contributes to an increase in the manufacturing cost of the vehicles, even though the use of portable communication devices or other connected objects is nowadays widespread. Furthermore, despite these means, it remains the case that it is still the user's responsibility to manage the movements of the openings or other moving elements themselves, which can represent an uncomfortable constraint for certain users (e.g. elderly people, people with reduced mobility, etc.). Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention aims to overcome these drawbacks. Its purpose is to provide a method and a device that make it possible to manage the opening and closing of a movable element of a motor vehicle in a less uncomfortable and less expensive manner than known solutions. The invention aims in particular to free a user of a motor vehicle from having to manage the movements of the openings or other movable elements of the vehicle themselves. Another objective of the invention is to eliminate the need to integrate sensors near the movable elements. In this way, the invention aims to contribute to improving the comfort and ergonomics of motor vehicles while reducing their manufacturing cost.

[0004] In order to achieve these objectives, the invention relates, according to a first aspect, to a method for managing, by a computer device on board a motor vehicle, the opening and closing of a mobile element of the vehicle, said method comprising the steps of: i. determining whether a portable communication device is within a control zone of said mobile element for a duration greater than a first predefined value, said zone having a volume less than or equal to a second predefined value; and ii. cause the opening or closing of said movable element depending on the subsequent position of said apparatus with respect to said area.

[0005] According to a variant, step ii) may comprise a step consisting of causing the opening or closing of said movable element while said device is in said zone.

[0006] According to another variant, step ii) may comprise a step consisting of causing the opening or closing of said mobile element as soon as said device leaves said zone and as long as it does not return there.

[0007] According to yet another variant, the movable element may be a door, a sunroof, a window, an access hatch to a fuel tank cap or a charging socket, a trunk lid, a rearview mirror, a motorized spoiler, a retractable roof, a hood or an engine hood.

[0008] According to yet another variant, the first value may be equal to 1s.

[0009] According to yet another variant, the second value may be equal to 3 dm3.

[0010] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a device for managing the opening and closing of a mobile element of a motor vehicle, the device comprising an information processing unit, with one or more processors, and a data storage medium, which are configured to implement a method as described above.

[0011] According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a computer program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of a method as described above when said program is executed by at least one processor.

[0012] According to a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a computer-readable medium on which a program as described above is recorded.

[0013] According to a fifth aspect, the invention relates to a motor vehicle which has a device as described above. Brief description of the drawings

[0014] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on examining the des- detailed description below, and the attached drawings, in which:

[0015] [Fig.l] is a schematic illustration of a motor vehicle according to the invention;

[0016] [Fig.2] is a functional diagram of a device according to the invention; and

[0017] [Fig.3] is a flowchart of the steps of a method according to the invention. Detailed description of the invention

[0018] [Fig.l] shows a schematic illustration of a motor vehicle 1 according to the invention. This comprises a detection system 2 allowing the fine localization of connected objects, for example by means of Bluetooth Low Energy technology or an ultra wideband receiver, and an actuator 3 which advantageously controls the movements, opening and closing, of a mobile element 4 of the vehicle 1, for example a door, a sunroof, a window, an access hatch to a fuel tank cap or a charging socket, a trunk lid, a rearview mirror, a motorized spoiler, a retractable roof, a hood or an engine hood. Thanks to the actuator 3, a user therefore does not have to manage the movements of the mobile element 4 himself.

[0019] Advantageously, the vehicle 1 according to the invention also carries a device 100 for managing the opening and closing of a mobile element of a motor vehicle within the meaning of the present invention, as described below, which implements a method for managing the opening and closing of a mobile element of a motor vehicle within the meaning of the present invention, as briefly summarized below and described in detail below.

[0020] When implementing the method, the device 100 according to the invention interacts with the detection system 2 to determine the location of a portable communication device 5, for example a smartphone with which it has been previously paired or, more simply, a traditional electronic key, in particular to determine whether it is located in a zone Z covering a very small volume of space (2-3 dm3) which has been previously assigned to controlling the opening or closing of the mobile element 4, and this, for a relatively long duration, of the order of one second. And when it establishes that this is the case, the device 100 according to the invention then controls the actuator 3 to carry out either the opening or the closing of the mobile element 4, depending on the operation which has been assigned to the zone Z, and this, depending on the subsequent location of the portable communication device 5.As will be seen, this is how the device 100 according to the invention facilitates the opening or closing of the mobile element 4, thus offering more comfort, and therefore ergonomics. Furthermore, without using any dedicated sensor integrated near the mobile element 4, the device 100 according to the invention also allows a minimization of the manufacturing cost of the vehicle 1 according to the invention. Furthermore, the . The small volume of the control zone Z in combination with the relatively long duration for which the portable communication device 5 must be located there jointly minimizes the risk that the opening or closing of the movable element 4 can be triggered involuntarily.

[0021] In [Fig. 2] is illustrated in more detail the device 100 for managing the opening and closing of a mobile element of a motor vehicle according to the invention. It is essentially a computer device, which comprises at least one information processing unit 101, comprising one or more processors, a data storage medium 102, on which is recorded in particular a program which comprises program code instructions for the execution of the steps of the method according to the invention described below, and an input and output interface 103 allowing the reception and transmission of data.

[0022] Preferably, the device 100 according to the invention is integrated into an independent computer and it interacts via its input and output interface 103 and by means of a wired communication network of the vehicle (e.g. CAN, Ethernet, MOST) - shown in [Fig.l] by the two-way arrows - with the detection system 2 and with the actuator 3. Alternatively, the device 100 according to the invention is partially or fully part of the detection system 2. Thus, whatever the embodiment of the invention, the device 100 according to the invention can, in particular, determine whether the portable communication device 5 is located in a particular area of ​​space and it can control the opening and closing of the mobile element 4.

[0023] According to the invention, all the elements described above contribute to enabling the implementation, on board a motor vehicle, of a method for managing the opening and closing of a mobile element of the vehicle, as described below in connection with Figures 1 and 3.

[0024] [Fig. 3] illustrates by means of a flowchart the steps of the method according to the invention. According to a first step 201 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines whether the portable communication device 5 is located in a control zone Z of said mobile element 4 for a duration greater than a first predefined value, said zone having a volume less than or equal to a second predefined value, for example 3 dm3. In other words, the device 100 according to the invention focuses during this first step of the method on determining whether a user has positioned the portable communication device 5 within a control zone Z assigned to the mobile element 4 for a relatively long duration, of the order of one second. To carry out this first step 201, the device 100 according to the invention interacts with the detection system 2.Indeed, as already indicated above, it is advantageously configured to be able to geo-locate connected objects in detail. The device 100 according to the invention draws . therefore take advantage at this stage of this capacity of the detection system 2 to locate the portable communication device 5, in particular in relation to one or more pre-established zones which are assigned to the control of the opening and closing of the mobile element 4.

[0025] Thus, as understood, when the mobile element 4 concerned is, for example, a mobile glazing of a driver's door, it is possible to pre-establish a first zone located at the upper part of the glazing and assign it to a command for closing the mobile glazing, while it is possible to pre-establish a second zone located at the lower part of the glazing and assign it to a command for opening the glazing. Similarly, when the mobile element 4 concerned is a fuel flap or one that provides access to a charging socket, it is possible to pre-establish a first zone located to the right of the flap and assign it to a command for opening the flap, while it is possible to pre-establish a second zone located to the left of the flap and assign it to a command for closing the latter.Similarly, if the mobile element 4 concerned is a sunroof, an engine hood, a trunk flap, a rearview mirror, a motorized spoiler, a retractable roof, a hood or a door of the vehicle 1, it is possible to define in each case appropriate zones for the opening and closing of the mobile element 4 so that these appear intuitive to a user.

[0026] Preferably, data characterizing control zones assigned to mobile elements are thus recorded at the time of design of the vehicle 1 on the storage medium 102 of the device 100 according to the invention or on a data storage medium of the detection system 2. Alternatively, a user operates an input interface interacting with the detection system 2 and / or with the device 100 according to the invention to specify one or more control zones in connection with one or more mobile elements and corresponding data are stored on a data storage medium of the detection system 2 and / or on that 102 of the device 100 according to the invention. For this, the device 100 according to the invention can implement a preliminary step consisting of causing the capacity to carry out such an input by means of an input interface of the detection system 2.

[0027] And when it establishes that the portable communication device 5 is indeed in the control zone Z of the mobile element 4, and this, for a relatively long duration (eg > 1s), the device 100 according to the invention proceeds by carrying out the following step of the method according to the invention described below.

[0028] According to a second step 202 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention causes the opening or closing of the mobile element 4 as a function of the subsequent position of the portable communication device 5 with respect to the control zone Z of the mobile element 4. In other words, the device 100 according to the invention operates the opening or closing of the mobile element 4, according to the function assigned to the control zone Z, depending on the subsequent position of the portable communication device 5. To do this, the device 100 according to the invention interacts here again with the detection system 2 in order to determine the subsequent location of the portable communication device 5 and it interacts with the actuator 3 to control the opening or closing of the mobile element 4.

[0029] According to a first embodiment, which aims to provide more security during the movements / displacements of the mobile element 4, the device 100 according to the invention proceeds during this second step 202 by causing the opening or closing of the mobile element 4 only as long as the portable communication device 5 is in the control zone Z. In other words, the user must keep the portable communication device 5 within a restricted volume so that the command to open or close the mobile element 4 can be carried out. If he does not do so, i.e. if the portable communication device 5 leaves the control zone Z, the device 100 according to the invention terminates the execution of the command.The user's attention is therefore required to keep the portable communication device 5 almost motionless in a very small space, thereby minimizing the risk of injury to the user when maneuvering the mobile element 4.

[0030] According to a second embodiment, which aims to allow more ergonomics, in particular when the mobile element 4 concerned can be partially opened or closed, such as a window or a sunroof, the device 100 according to the invention proceeds during this second step 202 of the method by causing the opening or closing of the mobile element 4 as soon as the portable communication device 5 leaves the control zone Z and as long as it does not return there. In other words, the user can trigger the opening or closing of the mobile element 4 by positioning the portable communication device 5 in the control zone Z, then remove it so that the command execution continues and then reposition it there to end the command execution, for example when the mobile element 4 is in a desired position.

[0031] Consequently, thanks to the method and the device according to the invention described above, it is possible to manage the opening and closing of a movable element of a motor vehicle in a less uncomfortable and less expensive manner than known solutions. In particular, a user of a motor vehicle is freed from having to manage the movements of the openings and other movable elements of the vehicle himself. Furthermore, beyond a detection system, no other sensor is necessary. The invention therefore undeniably improves the comfort and ergonomics of motor vehicles while reducing their manufacturing cost.

Claims

Claims

1. Method for managing, by a computer device (100) on board a motor vehicle (1), the opening and closing of a mobile element (4) of the vehicle, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: i. determining whether a portable communication device (5) is located in a control zone (Z) of said mobile element (4) for a duration greater than a first predefined value, said zone having a volume less than or equal to a second predefined value; and ii. causing the opening or closing of said mobile element (4) depending on the subsequent position of said device (5) with respect to said zone (Z).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that step ii) comprises a step of causing the opening or closing of said movable element (4) as long as said apparatus (5) is in said zone (Z).

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that step ii) comprises a step of causing the opening or closing of said movable element (4) as soon as said device leaves said zone (Z) and as long as it does not return there.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the movable element (4) is a door, a sunroof, a window, an access hatch to a fuel tank cap or a charging socket, a trunk lid, a rearview mirror, a motorized spoiler, a retractable roof, a hood or an engine hood.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first value is equal to 1s.

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second value is equal to 3 dm3.

7. Device (100) for managing the opening and closing of a movable element (4) of a motor vehicle (1), characterized in that said device comprises an information processing unit (101), with one or more processors, and a data storage medium (102), which are configured to implement a method according to one any of the preceding claims.

8. A computer program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of a method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 when said program is executed by at least one processor.

9. Computer-readable medium, characterized in that a program according to claim 8 is recorded therein.

10. Motor vehicle (1), characterized in that said vehicle carries a device (100) according to claim 7.

Images