System for detecting obstacle to motor vehicle

Abstract

To provide a system for detecting an obstacle to a motor vehicle.SOLUTION: A system (10) comprises: sensors (40, 50) supported by a motor vehicle, and configured to send first signals (42, 52) corresponding to an obstacle in the vicinity of a door; an electronic control unit (60) configured to receive the first signals from the sensors, and to send a second signal (62) capable of controlling a motion of the door, based on the first signals; and an energy source (100) configured to supply electrical power to the sensors and the electronic control unit regardless of whether the motor vehicle is in an ON state or an OFF state. When the sensors detect the obstacle in the vicinity of the door, the sensors send the first signals, and the electronic control unit sends the second signal for controlling the motion of the door.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of motor vehicles, and more particularly to a system for detecting an obstacle within the vicinity of a door of a motor vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] A powered tailgate function for a motor vehicle provides convenience and ease of use. With a powered tailgate function, a user does not need to expend energy to open or close the tailgate, or for some motor vehicles, even touch the tailgate to open or close the tailgate. However, many of the currently available powered tailgate functions do not take into account obstacles that may be present in the vicinity of the tailgate. For many of the currently available powered tailgate functions, when the tailgate touches an obstacle, the powered tailgate function senses a change in the speed of the tailgate (using the tailgate's speed in normal operation as a reference) and subsequently stops the movement of the tailgate. However, by the time the tailgate touches an obstacle and the powered tailgate function can sense a change in the tailgate's speed, the tailgate may already have struck a person and injured them, or the tailgate may already have been damaged due to striking an obstacle.

[0003] It would be desirable to provide an improved system for powered tailgate functions of a motor vehicle that is configured to detect obstacles within the vicinity of the motor vehicle tailgate to prevent injury to persons and damage to the tailgate when opening or closing the motor vehicle tailgate. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to an aspect of the disclosure, a system for detecting an obstacle within a vicinity of a door of a motor vehicle includes one or more sensors supported by the motor vehicle and configured to send a first signal corresponding to an obstacle within the vicinity of the door, an electronic control unit (hereinafter, "ECU") configured to receive the first signals from the one or more sensors and configured to send a second signal capable of controlling operation of the door based on the first signals from the one or more sensors, and an energy source configured to provide power to the one or more sensors and the ECU regardless of whether the motor vehicle is in an on or off state, where when the one or more sensors detect an obstacle within the vicinity of the door, the one or more sensors send the first signal and the ECU send the second signal to control operation of the door.

[0005] According to aspects of the disclosure, the one or more sensors also function as parking sensors to assist a user in parking the motor vehicle.

[0006] According to an aspect of the disclosure, one or more sensors are supported in a door of a motor vehicle.

[0007] According to an aspect of the disclosure, the door is a powered tailgate configured such that opening and closing thereof is triggered by a user.

[0008] According to an aspect of the disclosure, the energy source is also configured to provide power to a powered back door.

[0009] According to aspects of the disclosure, the one or more sensors are configured to detect an obstruction when the door is stationary or when the door is in the process of opening or closing.

[0010] According to an aspect of the disclosure, the one or more sensors include a plurality of sensors contained within the door.

[0011] According to an aspect of the disclosure, the one or more sensors include a plurality of sensors contained within a bumper of the motor vehicle.

[0012] According to an aspect of the disclosure, the ECU sends a second signal to stop the opening or closing of the door based on receiving the first signal.

[0013] According to an aspect of the disclosure, the one or more sensors include a camera.

[0014] According to an aspect of the disclosure, the energy source is a battery.

[0015] In a method according to an embodiment described and illustrated herein, a system is configured to detect an obstacle within a vicinity of a door of a motor vehicle to prevent injury to persons and damage to the door when the door is opened or closed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] Aspects of the embodiment will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which like numbers refer to like elements.

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a system for detecting an obstacle within a vicinity of a door of a motor vehicle (hereinafter "system"), showing a first sensor, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the system of FIG. 1 showing a second sensor. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the system of FIG. 1 showing a first sensor and a second sensor. [Figure 4A] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a powered tailgate of a motor vehicle illustrating actuation of the powered tailgate via a handle, in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 4B] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a remote control for a keyless entry system of a motor vehicle, illustrating activation of a power back door of the motor vehicle via the remote control, in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 4C]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a console for a motor vehicle illustrating activation of a power back door of the motor vehicle via the console, in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 4D] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a kick sensor of a motor vehicle illustrating activation of a powered back door of the motor vehicle via the kick sensor, in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the system according to FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] An embodiment of a system according to aspects of the disclosure will now be described with reference to Figures 1 through 5, where like numbers represent like parts, and the system is generally designated by the reference numeral 10. Although the system 10 has been described with reference to specific examples, it should be understood that modifications and changes can be made to these examples without departing from the overall scope as defined by the claims. In particular, individual features of the various embodiments shown and / or referred to herein can be combined in additional embodiments. Thus, the description and drawings should be considered in an illustrative, rather than restrictive, sense. The figures, which are not necessarily to scale, depict example embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. The example embodiments shown are intended to be exemplary embodiments only.

[0019] The term "exemplary" is used in the sense of "example" rather than "ideal." While the disclosed aspects are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, details thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It is to be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosed aspects to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intent of this disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.

[0020] Various materials, methods of construction, and methods of fastening are contemplated in the context of the disclosed embodiments, and those skilled in the art will recognize known substitutions to the materials, methods of construction, and methods of fastening, all of which are contemplated as compatible with the disclosed embodiments and are intended to be included within the scope of the accompanying claims.

[0021] As used in this disclosure and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include the plural unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this disclosure and the appended claims, the term "or" is generally employed in its sense including "and / or" unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

[0022] Throughout the description, including the claims, the terms "comprising a", "including a", and "having a" should be understood as "comprising one or more", "including one or more", and "having one or more", unless expressly stated otherwise. Additionally, any ranges described in the description, including the claims, should be understood to include the values ​​at their ends, unless expressly stated otherwise. Specific values ​​for described elements should be understood to be within accepted manufacturing or industrial tolerances known to those skilled in the art, and any use of the terms "substantially", "approximately", and "generally" should be understood to mean within such accepted tolerances.

[0023] As used herein, when an element or feature is referred to as being "on," "engaged with," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or feature, it may be "on," "engaged with," "connected to," or "coupled to" the other element or feature directly, or there may be intervening elements or features. In contrast, when an element or feature is referred to as being "directly on," "directly engaged with," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or feature, there may not be intervening elements or features. Other words used to describe relationships between elements or features should be interpreted similarly (e.g., "between" and "directly between," "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to," etc.).

[0024] Spatially relative terms such as "top," "bottom," "middle," "inner," "outer," "just below," "below," "below," "above," "above," and the like may be used herein to facilitate description to describe the relationship of one element or feature to other elements or features as illustrated in the drawings. Spatially relative terms may be intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation shown in the drawings. For example, if the device in the drawings is turned over, elements described as "below" or "just below" other elements or features would now be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the example term "below" can include both an orientation of above and below. The device may be oriented differently (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors (phrases) used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0025] Terms such as "first," "second," and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, sections, and / or parameters, but these elements, components, regions, layers, sections, and / or parameters should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another region, layer, or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed herein could be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0026] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the system 10 includes sensors 40, 50 supported on a motor vehicle and configured to detect obstacles within the vicinity of the motor vehicle. In particular, the system 10 is configured for use on a motor vehicle door 20, preferably a motor vehicle tailgate 20, and most preferably a motor vehicle power tailgate 20. The term "power tailgate" as used herein should be understood to mean a door that can be triggered by a user to open and close without substantial application of force by the user against the door. The system 10 is contemplated to operate in combination with and / or in addition to existing features in the motor vehicle. As such, the system 10 is configured to operate in combination with and / or in addition to the features of the power tailgate 20. The functions of the powered back door 20 that the system is configured to operate in combination with and / or in addition to the functions of the powered back door 20 include an electronic control unit (hereinafter, "ECU") 60 of the powered back door 20, an opening / closing mechanism 70 of the powered back door 20, and an energy source 100 of the powered back door 20. In the disclosed embodiment, the opening / closing mechanism 70 may be any mechanism capable of opening and closing the powered back door 20, such as an electric motor, a pneumatic cylinder, or a hydraulic cylinder. In the disclosed embodiment, the energy source 100 may be a battery that provides power to the powered back door 20 regardless of whether the motor vehicle is in an on state (the motor vehicle engine is running) or an off state (the motor vehicle engine is not running). Additionally, the system 10 is configured to operate in combination with and / or in addition to a system for detecting the presence of an obstacle in the vicinity of the motor vehicle to assist the user in navigating a parking operation. Additionally or alternatively, system 10 may be configured to function independently of any existing functionality within the motor vehicle.

[0027] In the disclosed embodiment, the sensors 40, 50 are contemplated to be proximity sensors such as ultrasonic proximity sensors, electromagnetic parking sensors, optical sensors, and / or any gauge capable of detecting the presence of an obstacle within the vicinity of the powered back door 20 of the motor vehicle. It is contemplated that the term "proximity" as used herein may be understood to mean a distance of up to 10 meters of the described sensors 40, 50. In combination with or independent of existing functionality of the motor vehicle, the sensors 40, 50 described herein are configured to detect an obstacle within the vicinity of the powered back door 20 of the motor vehicle to prevent damage to the powered back door 20 and injury to humans when opening or closing the powered back door 20 of the motor vehicle.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the system 10 includes one or more first sensors 40. In the disclosed embodiment, the system 10 includes a plurality of first sensors 40. The first sensors 40 are configured to be supported by and / or included within the powered tailgate 20 of the motor vehicle. The first sensors 40 can function to detect obstacles in the vicinity of the powered tailgate 20 of the motor vehicle when the powered tailgate 20 of the motor vehicle is opened or closed, and can function as a parking sensor. To this end, the first sensors 40 are powered by an energy source 100, which provides power to the first sensors 40 regardless of whether the motor vehicle is in an on or off state. Thus, the first sensors 40 are configured to function when the motor vehicle is in an on state and when the motor vehicle is in an off state. Additionally, the first sensor 40 can function when the powered tailgate 20 of the motor vehicle is stationary (fully closed or fully open) and when the powered tailgate 20 is in the process of opening or closing. As shown in FIG. 5, the first sensor 40 is configured to send a first signal 42 to the ECU 60 of the motor vehicle. In the disclosed embodiment, the ECU 60 is powered by an energy source 100, which provides power to the ECU 60 and thus to the powered tailgate 20 regardless of whether the motor vehicle is in an on or off state. The first signal 42 of the first sensor 40 corresponds to detecting an obstacle within the vicinity of the powered tailgate 20 of the motor vehicle. The first signal 42 is sent to the ECU 60 of the motor vehicle to prevent and / or stop the powered tailgate 20 from moving to protect the powered tailgate 20 from damage and / or to protect the obstacle, which may be a human, located within the vicinity of the motor vehicle.

[0029] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the system 10 may additionally or alternatively include one or more second sensors 50. In the disclosed embodiment, the system 10 includes a plurality of second sensors 50. The second sensors 50 are configured to be supported by and / or included within the bumper 30 of the motor vehicle. The second sensors 50 may function to detect an obstacle in the vicinity of the powered tailgate 20 of the motor vehicle when the powered tailgate 20 of the motor vehicle is opened or closed, and may function as a parking sensor. To this end, the second sensors 50 are powered by an energy source 100, which provides power to the second sensors 50 regardless of whether the motor vehicle is in an on or off state. Thus, the second sensors 50 are configured to function when the motor vehicle is in an on state and when the motor vehicle is in an off state. Additionally, the second sensor 50 can function when the powered tailgate 20 of the motor vehicle is stationary (fully closed or fully open) and when the powered tailgate 20 is in the process of opening or closing. As shown in FIG. 5, the second sensor 50 is configured to send a first signal 52 to the ECU 60 of the motor vehicle. The first signal 52 of the second sensor 50 corresponds to detecting an obstacle in the vicinity of the bumper 30 of the motor vehicle and thus the powered tailgate 20 of the motor vehicle. The first signal 52 is sent to the ECU 60 of the motor vehicle to prevent and / or stop the powered tailgate 20 from moving to protect the powered tailgate 20 from damage and / or to protect the obstacle, which may be a person, located in the vicinity of the motor vehicle.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3, it is contemplated that the first sensor 40 and / or the second sensor 50 may be supported by the motor vehicle and / or may be incorporated within the motor vehicle as part of the system 10. The system 10 may include the first sensor 40 and the second sensor 50 in combination (see Figure 3), or may include the first sensor 40 without the second sensor 50 (see Figure 1), or may include the second sensor 50 without the first sensor 40 (see Figure 2). In either configuration, the first sensor 40 and / or the second sensor 50 send a first signal 42, 52 to the motor vehicle ECU 60 based on detecting an obstacle within the vicinity of the powered back door 20 of the motor vehicle.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 5, the system 10 is configured to receive the first signal 42, 52 from the first sensor 40 and / or the second sensor 50. The ECU 60 can be configured to control the powered back door 20. Thus, the ECU 60 is configured to control the automatic opening and closing of the powered back door 20 of the motor vehicle by sending a door-opening signal 64 and a door-closing signal 66 to the electric motor 70 of the powered back door 20. The ECU 60 and thus the powered back door 20 are powered by an energy source 100, which provides power to the ECU regardless of whether the motor vehicle is in an on or off state. Thus, the ECU 60 can function when the motor vehicle is in an on state and when the motor vehicle is in an off state. The ECU 60 can function when the powered back door 20 of the motor vehicle is in a stationary state (fully closed or fully open) and when the powered back door 20 is in the process of opening or closing. The ECU 60 can also be configured to function with the first sensor 40 and / or the second sensor 50 to detect obstacles in the vicinity of the motor vehicle powered back door 20 when opening or closing the motor vehicle powered back door 20 and to function as a parking assistant. As described above, the ECU 60 is configured to receive the first signal 42, 52 from the first sensor 40 and / or the second sensor 50. The ECU is configured to send the second signal 62 based on the first signal 42, 52 from the first sensor 40 and / or the second sensor 50. The second signal 62 can control the operation of the motor vehicle powered back door 20. It is envisioned that the second signal 62 is sent to the opening / closing mechanism 70 of the motor vehicle powered back door 20 to stop the movement of the motor vehicle powered back door 20. The second signal 62 stops movement of the powered tailgate 20 of the motor vehicle to protect the powered tailgate 20 from damage and / or to protect obstructions, possibly people, located within the vicinity of the motor vehicle.

[0032] As illustrated by Figures 4A-4D, the powered back door 20 can be actuated to open or close via a handle 80a (see Figure 4A) of the powered back door 20, a remote control 80b (see Figure 4B), a console 80c of the motor vehicle (see Figure 4C), and / or a kick sensor 80d (see Figure 4D) of the powered back door 20. Additionally, it is contemplated that the remote control 80b can be configured to communicate with the first sensor 40 and / or the second sensor 50 such that the presence of a user within the vicinity of the powered back door 20 is detected.

[0033] Although the present disclosure has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present disclosure.

[0034] It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

[0035] Additionally, all of the disclosed features of the apparatus, either alone or in any combination, can be substituted for the method, and vice versa.

Claims

1. A system (10) for detecting an obstacle in the vicinity of a door (20) of a motor vehicle, comprising: one or more sensors (40, 50) supported by the motor vehicle and configured to send a first signal (42, 52) corresponding to an obstacle within a vicinity of the door; an electronic control unit (60) configured to receive the first signal from the one or more sensors and configured to send a second signal (62) capable of controlling an operation of the door based on the first signal from the one or more sensors; an energy source (100) configured to provide power to the one or more sensors and the electronic control unit regardless of whether the motor vehicle is in an on or off state; When the one or more sensors detect an obstacle within the vicinity of the door, the one or more sensors send the first signal and the electronic control unit sends the second signal to control operation of the door.

2. 10. The system (10) of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors (40, 50) also function as a parking sensor to assist a user in parking a motor vehicle.

3. The system (10) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the one or more sensors (40) are supported in a door (20) of a motor vehicle.

4. 4. The system (10) of claim 3, wherein the door (20) is a powered back door (20) configured such that opening and closing thereof is triggered by a user.

5. The system (10) of claim 4, wherein the energy source (100) is also configured to power the powered tailgate (20).

6. 6. The system (10) of claim 2, wherein the one or more sensors (40, 50) are configured to detect the obstruction when the door (20) is stationary or when the door is in the process of opening or closing.

7. The system (10) of any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the one or more sensors (40) comprise a plurality of sensors contained within the door (20).

8. The system (10) of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the one or more sensors (50) comprise a plurality of sensors contained within a bumper (30) of a motor vehicle.

9. 9. The system (10) of claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit (60) sends the second signal (62) to stop the opening or closing of the door (20) based on receipt of the first signal (42, 52).

10. The system (10) of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the one or more sensors (40, 50) include a camera.

11. The system (10) of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the energy source (100) is a battery.

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