Opening / closing body control device

Abstract

To provide an opening / closing body control device that can restrain causing harmful feeling to a user when the opening operation of an opening / closing body is started.SOLUTION: A door control device 90 comprises a drive control part 94 that starts the opening operation of a back door 30 by controlling a door drive part 50 based on an opening operation request from a user for starting the opening operation of the back door 30, and a position acquisition part 92 that acquires a requesting position which is the position where the user made the opening operation request. The drive control part 94, upon receiving an opening operation request, makes the back door 30 perform the opening operation when the requesting position is outside an operation area Ad of the back door 30, while, when the requesting position is inside the operation area Ad of the back door 30, the drive control part makes the behavior of the opening operation of the back door 30 different from that in the case of the requesting position being outside the operation area Ad.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an opening / closing control device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle including an opening / closing body such as a trunk, a drive unit that drives the opening / closing body, and an ECU that controls the drive unit. When a user operates a switch provided on a portable device, the ECU causes the opening / closing body to perform an opening / closing operation. That is, the user can issue a request for an opening / closing operation of the opening / closing body by operating the switch provided on the portable device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a vehicle as described above, when the user issues a request for an opening operation of the opening / closing body from a position away from the opening / closing body, the possibility that the opening / closing body performing the opening operation gives a sense of danger to the user is low. On the other hand, when the user issues a request for an opening operation of the opening / closing body from a position close to the opening / closing body, there is a risk that the opening / closing body performing the opening operation gives a sense of danger to the user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The opening / closing control device that solves the above problems is an opening / closing control device applied to a vehicle including a vehicle body having an opening, an opening / closing body that opens and closes the opening, and an opening / closing body drive unit that drives the opening / closing body. The opening / closing control device includes a drive control unit that controls the opening / closing body drive unit based on a user's opening operation request to cause the opening / closing body to perform an opening operation, and a position acquisition unit that acquires a request position that is the position where the user issued the opening operation request. When there is an opening operation request, if the request position is outside the operation area of the opening / closing body, the drive control unit causes the opening / closing body to perform an opening operation. If the request position is within the operation area, the drive control unit changes the mode of the opening operation of the opening / closing body compared to the case where the request position is outside the operation area.

Effect of the Invention

[0006] The opening / closing control device can suppress giving a sense of danger to the user when the opening / closing body performs an opening operation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle including a door control device as an opening / closing control device will be described. In the following description, the front-rear direction, width direction, and up-down direction of the vehicle are simply referred to as the front-rear direction, width direction, and up-down direction.

[0009] <Configuration of the Present Embodiment> As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 20, a back 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.

[0010] <Vehicle body 20> The vehicle body 20 has a door opening 21 that opens to the rear. For example, the door opening 21 has a rectangular shape with the width direction as the longitudinal direction and the up-down direction as the short side direction. The door opening 21 is a portion through which luggage passes when luggage is loaded and unloaded from the luggage compartment. The vehicle body 20 has a striker 22 installed at the lower end of the door opening 21. The striker 22 is made of a highly rigid material such as metal. The striker 22 is a connecting portion with the back door 30.

[0011] <Backdoor 30> The backdoor 30 has a shape corresponding to the door opening 21. The base end of the backdoor 30 is supported on the upper part of the door opening 21 via a door hinge or the like. Thus, the backdoor 30 moves 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 opened by rotating around an axis passing through the base end of the backdoor 30 in the width direction. When the backdoor 30 opens and closes the door opening 21 in a side view in the width direction, the tip of the backdoor 30 draws an arc-shaped trajectory. Since the backdoor 30 rotates between the fully closed position and the fully open position, the operating area Ad of the backdoor 30 is a three-dimensional area. In this embodiment, the area obtained by projecting the three-dimensional operation area Ad of the back door 30 onto the ground is defined as the operation area Ad of the back door 30.

[0012] The back door 30 has a door switch 31 operated by a user. The door switch 31 is a switch that is operated when the user wants to open the back door 30. The door switch 31 is preferably arranged at a position that is easy for the user to operate. For example, the door switch 31 is arranged on the surface of the back door 30 facing the outside of the vehicle 10. The user operates the door switch 31 of the back door 30 while standing in front of the back door 30 located in the fully closed position. In this regard, the position where the user operates the door switch 31 corresponds to the "required position" which is the position where the user requests the opening and closing operation of the back door 30.

[0013] In the following description, the degree of opening of the back door 30 is referred to as the opening degree of the back door 30. The opening degree of the back door 30 is minimized when the back door 30 is in the fully closed position and maximized when the back door 30 is in the fully open position. Also, the direction in which the back door 30 moves from the fully closed position to the fully open position is called the opening direction, and the direction in which the back door 30 moves from the fully open position to the fully closed position is called the closing direction. The back door 30 corresponds to an "opening and closing body".

[0014] <Door locking device 40> The door locking device 40 is housed at the tip of the back door 30. The door locking device 40 has a latch 41 that displaces between a full latch position where it can be locked to the striker 22 and an unlatched position where it cannot be locked to the striker 22. The latch 41 is claw-shaped. The door locking device 40 restrains the back door 30 located in the fully closed position to the vehicle body 20 by locking the latch 41 to the striker 22.

[0015] <Door drive unit 50> The door drive unit 50 is rod-shaped. The door drive unit 50 may be, for example, an electric cylinder having an electric motor as a drive source. The first end in the longitudinal direction of the door drive unit 50 is connected to the vehicle body 20 so as to be relatively rotatable. The second end in the longitudinal direction of the door drive unit 50 is connected to the back door 30 so as to be relatively rotatable. Then, the door drive unit 50 opens the back door 30 by extending. On the other hand, the door drive unit 50 closes the back door 30 by contracting. The door drive unit 50 corresponds to the "opening / closing body drive unit".

[0016] <Door lock drive unit 60> The door lock drive unit 60 drives the door lock device 40. When starting the opening operation of the back door 30, the door lock drive unit 60 rotates the latch 41 from the full latch position toward the un-latch position. Thus, the door lock drive unit 60 releases the restraint of the back door 30 with respect to the vehicle body 20 during the opening operation of the back door 30. Also, when the back door 30 is closed to near the fully closed position, the door lock drive unit 60 rotates the latch 41 from the un-latch position toward the full latch position. Thus, the door lock drive unit 60 restrains the back door 30 to the vehicle body 20 during the closing operation of the back door 30. In the following description, the rotation of the latch 41 of the door lock device 40 toward the un-latch position is referred to as an un-latch operation, and the rotation of the latch 41 of the door lock device 40 toward the full latch position is referred to as a full latch operation.

[0017] <Object detection unit 70> The object detection unit 70 is a sensor for detecting an object existing around the door opening 21. The object detection unit 70 may be any sensor that can identify the position, moving direction, moving speed, etc. of an object existing within the detection area As of the object detection unit 70 using transmitted waves and received waves. For example, the object detection unit 70 may be a millimeter wave sensor. The object detection unit 70 is provided below the lower end of the door opening 21 in the vehicle body 20. For example, the object detection unit 70 is provided on a rear bumper or the like.

[0018] The object detection unit 70 sets an area behind the object detection unit 70 as the object detection area As. The detection area As expands in the width direction and the vertical direction as it goes backward. The detection area As is a three-dimensional area. In FIG. 1, it is illustrated as the area when the three-dimensional detection area As is projected onto the ground. As shown in FIG. 1, the detection area As is an area that overlaps with the operation area Ad of the back door 30 and is larger than the operation area Ad of the back door 30. Note that the object detection unit 70 may be provided on the back door 30. In this case, the detection area As of the object detection unit 70 changes according to the opening degree of the back door 30.

[0019] <Wireless communication device 80 and mobile device 100> As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication device 80 determines whether the mobile device 100 located around the vehicle 10 is a mobile device 100 associated with the vehicle 10 by performing wireless communication with the mobile device 100. The mobile device 100 may be a so-called electronic key, a smartphone, or other communication terminals. In this regard, the wireless communication device 80 can determine whether there is a user who holds the mobile device 100 within the communication area Ac set around the vehicle 10. The wireless communication device 80 may perform communication with the mobile device 100 by UWB (Ultra Wide Band) to acquire the position of the mobile device 100. The communication area Ac is an area that spreads around the vehicle 10. Therefore, the communication area Ac is larger than the detection area As.

[0020] The mobile device 100 has an open switch, a close switch, and a stop switch that are operated when opening, closing, or stopping the back door 30. In the mobile device 100, when the above switch is operated, the wireless communication device 80 outputs an open operation command signal, a close operation command signal, and a stop command signal according to the operated switch. The open operation command signal is a signal corresponding to the open switch and is a command signal for causing the back door 30 to perform an open operation. The close operation command signal is a signal corresponding to the close switch and is a command signal for causing the back door 30 to perform a close operation. The stop command signal is a signal corresponding to the stop switch and is a command signal for stopping the back door 30 during the opening and closing operation. Also, when the mobile device 100 exists within the communication area Ac, the wireless communication device 80 outputs a signal indicating that fact. The position where the user operates the above switch of the mobile device 100 corresponds to the "request position" which is the position where the user requests the opening and closing operation of the back door 30. Specifically, the request position in this case is the position of the mobile device 100 when the user operates the above switch of the mobile device 100.

[0021] <Door control device 90> The door control device 90 is an electronic control device including a CPU and a memory. The door control device 90 functions as a gesture determination unit 91, a position acquisition unit 92, an obstacle determination unit 93, and a drive control unit 94 by the CPU executing a program stored in the memory.

[0022] <Gesture determination unit 91> The gesture determination unit 91 determines whether the user has performed a gesture defined in advance. A gesture refers to the user moving a body part in order to open and close the back door 30. That is, instead of operating the switch of the mobile device 100, the user can open and close the back door 30 by performing a gesture. In this regard, the user's gesture is a request for the user to open or close the back door 30. The gesture for opening the back door 30 and the gesture for closing the back door 30 may be the same or different. In the following description, the gesture for opening the back door 30 is simply referred to as a gesture.

[0023] In this embodiment, the gesture is a foot gesture in which the user wiggles their toes. For example, the gesture determination unit 91 may determine whether the user has performed a gesture by comparing the change in the moving direction of an object within the detection area As with a gesture pattern. Here, the gesture pattern defines the order of change in the moving direction of an object when the user performs a gesture. Then, based on the detection result of the object detection unit 70, when an object moves within the detection area As in the same manner as the gesture pattern, the gesture determination unit 91 determines that the user has performed a gesture within the detection area As.

[0024] In the following description, the position of the user when it is determined by the gesture determination unit 91 that the user has performed a gesture is referred to as the gesture execution position. The gesture execution position corresponds to the "request position". Specifically, in this case, the request position is the position of an object that moves in the same manner as the gesture pattern when it is determined that the user has performed a gesture. Specifically, the request position is the position of the user's toes when it is determined that the user has performed a gesture. In other embodiments, if the gesture is a hand gesture in which the user waves their hand, the request position is the position of the user's hand when it is determined that the user has performed a gesture.

[0025] <Position acquisition unit 92> The position acquisition unit 92 acquires a requested position, which is the position when the user requests the opening operation of the back door 30. Specifically, when the user requests the opening operation of the back door 30 by operating the door switch 31 of the back door 30, the position acquisition unit 92 acquires, as the requested position, the position in front of the back door 30, that is, the position within the operation area Ad. This is because when the user operates the door switch 31 of the back door 30, it is very likely that the user is standing within the operation area Ad of the back door 30. When the user requests the opening operation of the back door 30 by operating the opening 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 operation of the back door 30 by performing a gesture, the position acquisition unit 92 acquires the implementation position of the gesture as the requested position.

[0026] <Obstacle determination unit 93> Based on the detection result of the object detection unit 70, the obstacle determination unit 93 determines whether there is an obstacle within the detection area As. Further, when there is an obstacle within the detection area As, the obstacle determination unit 93 acquires the distance from the object detection unit 70 to the obstacle.

[0027] <Drive control unit 94> The drive control unit 94 controls the door drive unit 50 and the door lock drive unit 60 to open and close the back door 30. When the drive control unit 94 causes the back door 30 to perform an opening operation from the fully closed position based on the user's request for an opening operation, after causing the door lock drive unit 60 to unlatch the door lock device 40, the drive control unit 94 causes the door drive unit 50 to perform an opening operation on the back door 30.

[0028] When the drive control unit 94 starts the opening operation of the back door 30, it sets a target opening degree that is the target of how far to open the back door 30. Then, the drive control unit 94 continues the opening operation of the back door 30 until the opening degree of the back door 30 reaches the target opening degree. When the obstacle determination unit 93 determines that there is no obstacle in 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, when the obstacle determination unit 93 determines that there is an obstacle in the detection area As, the drive control unit 94 sets the target opening degree to an opening degree that does not contact the obstacle.

[0029] Also, when a new obstacle is found in the opening direction of the back door 30 during the opening operation of the back door 30, the drive control unit 94 stops the back door 30 even if the opening degree of the back door 30 is less than the target opening degree. At this time, the drive control unit 94 may stop the back door 30 at the timing when the new obstacle is found, or may continue the opening operation of the back door 30 to the position in front of the new obstacle. In the latter case, the target opening degree is reset to the opening degree corresponding to the position in front of the new obstacle.

[0030] In this embodiment, the user can request the opening operation of the back door 30 by operating the door switch 31 of the back door 30, operating the switch of the portable device 100, or making a gesture within the detection area As. Here, when the request position, which is the position where the user requests the opening operation, is far from the back door 30, the opening operation of the back door 30 is less likely to give the user a sense of danger. However, when the request position is close to the back door 30, the opening operation of the back door 30 may give the user a sense of danger. Therefore, the drive control unit 94 changes the mode of the opening operation of the back door 30 according to the request position. This will be described in detail below.

[0031] First, the drive control unit 94 determines whether the requested position is within the operation area Ad. Here, the drive control unit 94 may determine whether the coordinates of the requested position in the width direction and the front-rear direction are within the coordinates of the operation area Ad. This is because if the coordinates of the requested position in the width direction and the front-rear direction exist within the operation area Ad, regardless of the magnitude of the coordinates of the requested position in the vertical direction, it is highly likely that the user is standing within the operation area Ad. That is, it is because the opening back door 30 is highly likely to pose a sense of danger to the user.

[0032] When the requested position is outside the operation area Ad, the drive control unit 94 causes the back door 30 to open. On the other hand, when the requested position is within the operation area Ad, the drive control unit 94 changes the mode of the opening operation of the back door 30 from the case where the requested position is outside the operation area Ad. Specifically, when the requested position is within the operation area Ad, the drive control unit 94 causes the back door 30 to open at a third speed lower than the first speed and the second speed described later. Further, when the opening degree of the back door 30 is a set opening degree smaller than the target opening degree, the drive control unit 94 temporarily stops the back door 30. The set opening degree may be an opening degree such that the user can notice that the back door 30 has slightly opened. For example, the set opening degree may be the opening degree when the tip of the back door 30 has moved about 10 cm in the opening direction from the fully closed position. In this regard, when the requested position is within the operation area Ad, the mode of the opening operation of the back door 30 becomes a safer mode than when the requested position is outside the operation area Ad.

[0033] When the drive control unit 94 causes the back door 30 to open from the fully closed position, after the door lock drive unit 60 unlatches the door lock device 40, the door drive unit 50 drives the back door 30. Therefore, the operating speed when the back door 30 is opened means the speed of the back door 30 after the door lock drive unit 60 has unlatched.

[0034] When the required position is outside the operating area Ad and the back door 30 is to be opened from the fully closed position, the drive control unit 94 causes the back door 30 to open toward the target position. Similarly, when the required position is within the operating area Ad and the back door 30 that has been temporarily stopped is to resume opening, the drive control unit 94 causes the back door 30 to open toward the target opening degree. Here, the target opening degree is set to different opening degrees according to whether there is an obstacle in the operating direction of the back door 30. The obstacles include structures such as a wall or a utility pole and users.

[0035] Specifically, when starting the opening operation of the back door 30, if the obstacle determination unit 93 determines that there is no obstacle within the operating area Ad, the target opening degree is set to the opening degree corresponding to the fully open position. Further, the drive control unit 94 sets the operating speed of the back door 30 to the first speed, which is higher than the third speed. On the other hand, when the obstacle determination unit 93 determines that there is an obstacle within the operating area Ad, the drive control unit 94 sets the target opening degree to an opening degree that does not contact the obstacle. Further, the drive control unit 94 sets the operating speed of the back door 30 to the second speed, which is lower than the first speed.

[0036] When a closing operation command signal is transmitted from the mobile device 100 or when it is determined that the user has performed a gesture to close the back door 30, the drive control unit 94 causes the back door 30 to close to the fully closed position. When the drive control unit 94 causes the back door 30 to close to the fully closed position, after the door drive unit 50 drives the back door 30 to the vicinity of the fully closed position, the door lock drive unit 60 is fully latched by the door lock drive unit 60. Further, when a stop command signal is transmitted from the mobile device 100, the drive control unit 94 stops the back door 30. Note that when the back door 30 during the opening and closing operation contacts some object, it is preferable that the drive control unit 94 promptly stops the back door 30 or reverses the operating direction.

[0037] <Processing Contents Performed by the Door Control Device 90> Next, the process flow that the door control device 90 performs to open the back door 30 will be described.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 2, the door control device 90 determines whether the vehicle 10 is stopped (S11). For example, the door control device 90 may determine whether the vehicle 10 is stopped based on the vehicle body speed that can be obtained from a travel control device that controls the travel of the vehicle 10. When the vehicle 10 is in motion (S11: NO), the door control device 90 ends this process. When the vehicle 10 is stopped (S11: YES), the door control device 90 determines whether the mobile device 100 is present within the communication area Ac based on the information obtained from the wireless communication device 80 (S12).

[0039] When the mobile device 100 is not present within the communication area Ac (S12: NO), that is, when the user who holds the mobile device 100 is not present within the communication area Ac, the door control device 90 ends this process. On the other hand, when the mobile device 100 is present within the communication area Ac (S12: YES), that is, when the user who holds the mobile device 100 is present within the communication area Ac, the door control device 90 determines whether there is a request to open the back door 30 (S13). The opening request here includes an opening request caused by the user operating the door switch 31 of the back door 30, an opening request caused by the user operating the open switch of the mobile device 100, and an opening request caused by the user making a gesture. Note that the door control device 90 may set a limit time when determining whether there is an opening request from the user.

[0040] When there is no opening operation request from the user (S13: NO), the door control device 90 ends this process. On the other hand, when there is an opening operation request from the user (S13: YES), the door control device 90 acquires the requested position, which is the position where the user made the opening operation request (S14). Subsequently, the door control device 90 determines whether the requested position is within the operation area Ad of the back door 30 (S15). If the requested position is outside the operation area Ad of the back 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 operation area Ad of the back door 30 (S15: YES), the door control device 90 sets the operation speed of the back door 30 to the relatively low third speed (S16). Subsequently, the door control device 90 controls the door drive unit 50 and the door lock drive unit 60 to operate the back door 30 from the fully closed position to the set opening degree (S17). After that, the door control device 90 determines whether the standby time has elapsed after the process of step S17 is completed (S18). The standby time is the time to wait for a user who is considered to be present in the operation area Ad of the back door 30 to leave the operation area Ad. As an example, the standby time may be about several seconds.

[0041] If the standby time has not elapsed (S18: NO), the door control device 90 transfers the process 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 operation direction of the back door 30 (S19). If there is no obstacle in the operation direction of the back door 30 (S19: NO), the door control device 90 sets the target opening degree when operating the back door 30 to the opening degree corresponding to the fully open position (S20). Subsequently, the door control device 90 sets the operation speed of the back door 30 to the relatively high first speed (S21). After that, the door control device 90 transfers the process to step S24, which will be described later.

[0042] On the one hand, in step S19, when there is an obstacle in the operating direction of the back door 30 (S19: YES), the door control device 90 sets the target opening degree when opening the back door 30 to an opening degree corresponding to the position of the obstacle. Specifically, the door control device 90 sets the target opening degree to an opening degree corresponding to a position where the back door 30 does not contact the obstacle (S22). Subsequently, the door control device 90 sets the operating speed of the back door 30 to a relatively low second speed (S23). Thereafter, the door control device 90 proceeds to step S24 for processing.

[0043] In step S24, the door control device 90 opens the back door 30 at the operating speed set in step S21 or step S23 until the target opening degree set in step S20 or step S22 is reached. Thereafter, the door control device 90 ends this process.

[0044] <Operation of this embodiment> As shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 3, the case where the user makes an opening operation request for the back door 30 within the operating area Ad of the back door 30 will be described.

[0045] When the user makes an opening operation request for the back door 30 within the operating area Ad of the back door 30, the back door 30 opens until the set opening degree shown by the dashed-dotted line. Thereafter, the back door 30 stops for the waiting time. For this reason, the user can recognize that they are interfering with the opening operation of the back door 30 by the fact that the back door 30 only opens slightly. In other words, the door control device 90 can prompt the user to move outside the operating area Ad of the back door 30. When the waiting time elapses, the opening operation of the back door 30 resumes. Here, if the user has moved outside the operating area Ad of the back door 30, the back door 30 opens to the fully open position shown by the double-dashed line. On the other hand, if the user remains within the operating area Ad of the back door 30, the back door 30 opens to a position in front of the user's hand as an obstacle.

[0046] As shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 3, a case where the user makes an opening operation request for the back door 30 outside the operation area Ad of the back door 30 will be described. When the user makes an opening operation request for the back door 30 outside the operation area Ad of the back door 30, the back door 30 is opened to the fully open position shown by the dashed-dotted line. In this case, the back door 30 does not stop temporarily, nor does the operating speed of the back door 30 become slow. Therefore, the convenience of the user is not reduced.

[0047] <Effects of the present embodiment> (1) When the requested position is outside the operation area Ad of the back door 30, in other words, when the user does not obstruct the opening operation of the back door 30, the door control device 90 opens the back door 30 to the fully open position. On the other hand, when the requested position is within the operation area Ad of the back door 30, in other words, when the user may obstruct the opening operation of the back door 30, the door control device 90 opens the back door 30 in a manner different from the case where the requested position is outside the operation area Ad of the back door 30. Therefore, when the user may obstruct the opening operation of the back door 30, the door control device 90 can prompt the user to retreat outside the operation area Ad of the back door 30. Thus, the door control device 90 can suppress giving a sense of danger to the user when the back door 30 is opened.

[0048] (2) When the requested position is within the operation area Ad of the back door 30, the door control device 90 temporarily stops the back door 30 at the set opening degree. That is, when the requested position is within the operation area Ad of the back door 30, the back door 30 only opens slightly. Therefore, when the user may obstruct the opening operation of the back door 30, the door control device 90 can clearly prompt the user to retreat outside the operation area Ad of the back door 30.

[0049] (3) Further, after the waiting time has elapsed, the door control device 90 resumes the opening operation of the back door 30. For this reason, the user does not need to perform an opening operation request again to open the back door 30 from the set opening degree. Therefore, the door control device 90 can suppress the reduction of the user's convenience.

[0050] (4) When the requested position is within the operation area Ad of the back door 30, the door control device 90 slows down the operation speed of the back door 30 compared to when the requested position is outside the operation area Ad of the back door 30. For this reason, when there is a possibility that the user may obstruct the opening operation of the back door 30, the door control device 90 can clearly prompt the user to retreat outside the operation area Ad of the back door 30.

[0051] (5) The door control device 90 determines whether or not a gesture as an opening operation request has been performed based on the detection result of the object detection unit 70. And when the user performs a gesture, the door control device 90 sets the position where the gesture is performed as the requested position. For this reason, the door control device 90 can accurately determine whether or not the requested position when the user performs a gesture is within the operation area Ad of the back door 30.

[0052] (6) The door control device 90 determines whether or not the user has performed a gesture based on the detection result of the object detection unit 70. Also, the door control device 90 determines whether or not there is an obstacle in the operation direction of the back door 30 based on the detection result of the object detection unit 70. For this reason, the door control device 90 can perform two determinations, i.e., gesture determination and obstacle determination, based on the detection result of one sensor.

[0053] <Modified Example> This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. This embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically non - conflicting range.

[0054] · The vehicle 10 may be provided with a notification unit that notifies the user of various types of information. In this case, when the requested position is within the operation area Ad, the door control device 90 may cause the notification unit to notify the user to evacuate from the back door 30, and when the requested position is outside the operation area Ad, it may not be necessary for the door control device 90 to cause the notification unit to notify the user to evacuate from the back door 30. Here, the notification unit may be configured to notify information via sound or may be configured to notify information via light. For example, the answer back when locking or unlocking the door of the vehicle 10 may be reused.

[0055] · The door control device 90 may determine whether the user has left the operation area Ad of the back door 30 based on the detection result of the object detection unit 70. Also, the door control device 90 may determine whether the user has left the operation area Ad of the back door 30 based on the change in the position of the portable device 100. Then, when the user has left the operation area Ad of the back door 30, the door control device 90 may resume the opening operation of the back door 30 without waiting for the elapse of the standby time. That is, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, step S18 may be omitted.

[0056] · When the requested position is within the operation area Ad of the back door 30, the door control device 90 may not need to temporarily stop the back door 30 at the set opening degree. That is, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, step S18 may be omitted. In this case, the door control device 90 may set the operating speed of the back door 30 to the third speed until the opening degree of the back door 30 reaches the set opening degree, and after the opening degree of the back door 30 reaches the set opening degree, set the operating speed of the back door 30 to the first speed or the second speed according to the presence or absence of an obstacle.

[0057] · When the requested position is within the operation area Ad, the door control device 90 may not need to immediately start the opening operation of the back door 30. In this case, the door control device 90 may start the opening operation of the back door 30 when the standby time has elapsed after the opening operation request. That is, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, steps S16 and S17 may be omitted.

[0058] ·The set opening degree may be the opening degree when the door lock device 40 performs an unlatch operation by the door lock drive unit 60. ·The magnitude relationship among the first speed, the second speed, and the third speed can be appropriately changed. For example, the first speed and the second speed may be constant speeds. Also, the first speed, the second speed, and the third speed may be speeds that change over time.

[0059] ·The door switch 31 of the back door 30 may be provided around the door opening 21 in the vehicle body 20. ·The vehicle body 20 may be provided with a swing door that rotates around an axis extending in an arbitrary direction. The swing door may be, for example, a front door that rotates around an axis extending in the vertical direction. In this case, similar to the back door 30, the door control device 90 may control the opening and closing operation of the front door.

[0060] ·The vehicle body 20 may be provided with an opening and closing body that rotates around an axis extending in an arbitrary direction. In this case, the vehicle 10 may have a configuration equivalent to the above-described door control device 90 and may be provided with an opening and closing body control device that controls the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing body.

[0061] ·The door control device 90 is not limited to a processing circuit that includes a CPU and a ROM and executes software processing. For example, the door control device 90 may include a dedicated hardware circuit that executes at least a part of the various processes executed in the above-described embodiment. Examples of the dedicated hardware circuit include an ASIC. ASIC is an abbreviation for "Application Specific Integrated Circuit". That is, the door control device 90 may have any of the following configurations (a) to (c).

[0062] (a) A processing circuit that includes a processing device that executes all of the above processes according to a program and a program storage device such as a ROM that stores the program. (b) A processing circuit comprising a processing device and a program storage device that execute part of the above processing according to a program, and a dedicated hardware circuit that executes the remaining processing.

[0063] (c) A processing circuit comprising a dedicated hardware circuit that executes all of the above processing. Here, there may be a plurality of software execution devices including a processing device and a program storage device, and dedicated hardware circuits.

[0064] <Technical idea> The technical idea grasped from the above embodiments and modification examples will be described. [Aspect 1] An opening / closing control device applied to a vehicle including a vehicle body having an opening, an opening / closing body that opens and closes the opening, and an opening / closing body driving unit that drives the opening / closing body, the opening / closing control device including: a drive control unit that controls the opening / closing body driving unit to cause the opening / closing body to perform an opening operation based on a user's opening operation request for opening the opening / closing body; and a position acquisition unit that acquires a request position that is the position where the user issued the opening operation request, wherein when there is the opening operation request, the drive control unit causes the opening / closing body to perform an opening operation when the request position is outside the operation area of the opening / closing body, and changes the opening operation mode of the opening / closing body when the request position is within the operation area compared to when the request position is outside the operation area.

[0065] [Aspect 2] The drive control unit causes the opening / closing body to perform an opening operation up to a target opening degree based on the opening operation request, and when the request position is within the operation area, temporarily stops the opening / closing body when the opening degree of the opening / closing body is a set opening degree smaller than the target opening degree. The opening / closing control device according to Aspect 1.

[0066] [Aspect 3] When the request position is within the operation area of the opening / closing body, the drive control unit slows down the speed at which the opening / closing body performs an opening operation compared to when the request position is outside the operation area of the opening / closing body. The opening / closing control device according to Aspect 1.

[0067] [Aspect 4] The vehicle includes an object detection unit that detects an object existing around the opening, and includes a gesture determination unit that determines whether or not the user has made a gesture as the opening operation request based on the detection result of the object detection unit. The requested position is the position where the user has made the gesture. The opening / closing control device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3.

[0068] [Aspect 5] Based on the detection result of the object detection unit, it includes an obstacle determination unit that determines whether or not there is an obstacle in the operating direction of the opening / closing body during the opening operation of the opening / closing body. When operating the opening / closing body to open, if there is an obstacle in the operating direction of the opening / closing body, the drive control unit stops the opening / closing body in front of the obstacle. The opening / closing control device according to Aspect 4.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0069] 10…Vehicle, 20…Vehicle body, 21…Door opening (opening), 30…Back door (opening / closing body), 50…Door drive unit (opening / closing body drive unit), 70…Object detection unit, 90…Door control device (opening / closing control device), 91…Gesture determination unit, 92…Position acquisition unit, 93…Obstacle determination unit, 94…Drive control unit, Ad…Operating area, As…Detection area

Claims

1. An opening / closing body control device that is applied to a vehicle including a vehicle body having an opening, an opening / closing body that opens and closes the opening, and an opening / closing body drive unit that drives the opening / closing body, a drive control unit that controls the opening / closing body drive unit based on a user's request to open the opening / closing body, thereby opening the opening / closing body; a position acquisition unit that acquires a requested position, which is a position at which the user issues the opening operation request, When the opening operation request is received, the drive control unit When the requested position is outside the operating area of ​​the opening / closing body, the opening / closing body is opened. When the requested position is within the operation area, the manner of the opening operation of the opening / closing body is changed from that when the requested position is outside the operation area. Opening and closing body control device.

2. The drive control unit opens the opening / closing body to a target opening degree based on the opening operation request, and when the requested position is within the operation area, the drive control unit temporarily stops the opening / closing body when the opening degree of the opening / closing body is a set opening degree smaller than the target opening degree. The opening / closing member control device according to claim 1 .

3. When the requested position is within an operating area of ​​the opening / closing body, the drive control unit opens the opening / closing body at a slower speed than when the requested position is outside the operating area of ​​the opening / closing body. The opening / closing member control device according to claim 1 .

4. the vehicle includes an object detection unit that detects an object present around the opening, a gesture determination unit that determines whether or not the user has made a gesture as the opening operation request based on a detection result of the object detection unit, The requested location is the location where the user made the gesture. The opening / closing member control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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