Vehicle door control apparatus

Abstract

To provide a vehicle door control apparatus configured to prevent unnecessary contact between a door and a child passenger.SOLUTION: A vehicle door control apparatus is applied to a vehicle 10 equipped with a platform 15, a slide door 16 for opening / closing the platform 15, and a rear seat 13 arranged in a portion adjacent to the platform 15. The vehicle door control apparatus drives to open / close the slide door 16 by controlling the operation of a drive source. The vehicle door control apparatus includes a determination unit and a control unit. The determination unit determines whether there is a child passenger in a passenger compartment 11. The control unit executes moving time extension control when the determination unit determines the presence of the child passenger. The moving time extension control is to increase the moving time required for moving the slide door 16 from one of full-open and full-closed positions to the other position compared to the case where the absence of child passenger is determined.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle door control device. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART In recent years, so-called power door devices have been put to practical use as vehicle door control devices, which drive vehicle doors to open and close by controlling the operation of a drive source such as a motor (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-8792 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned vehicle door control device, in order to prevent unnecessary contact between the door and the occupant, it is conceivable to determine various control parameters (e.g., the door opening / closing speed) related to the door opening / closing drive control based on the expected behavior of the occupant.

[0005] Here, vehicle occupants include adults and children. Children, especially small children such as preschoolers, may behave (e.g., sit) in a manner significantly different from that of adults when using a vehicle door control device. Therefore, even if various control parameters related to door opening / closing drive control are determined based on the expected user behavior as described above, the behavior of the child occupant may result in unwanted contact between the door and the occupant. In this regard, the vehicle door control device described above still has problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Various aspects of the device for solving the above problems will be described. [Aspect 1] A vehicle door control device applied to a vehicle equipped with an entrance / exit opening that connects the inside and outside of the vehicle compartment, a door that opens and closes the entrance / exit opening, and a seat located adjacent to the entrance / exit opening in the vehicle compartment, and which drives the door to open and close by controlling the operation of a drive source, and which includes: a determination unit that determines whether or not a child occupant is present in the vehicle compartment; and a control unit that executes movement time extension control when the determination unit determines that the child occupant is present, and the movement time extension control is control that lengthens the time it takes for the door to move from one of the fully open position and the fully closed position to the other compared to when it is determined that the child occupant is not present.

[0007] According to the above configuration, when a child occupant is present in the vehicle compartment, the time it takes for the door to move (hereinafter referred to as the movement time) can be made longer compared to when there is no child occupant in the vehicle compartment. The longer the movement time, the more time there is to take action to avoid contact between the child occupant and the door. This makes it easier to take action to avoid unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the door, thereby reducing unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the door.

[0008] Furthermore, when there is no child occupant in the vehicle compartment, i.e., when there is no need to consider unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the door, the travel time can be shortened compared to when there is a child occupant in the vehicle compartment, thereby preventing a decrease in convenience for the occupant due to a longer travel time.

[0009] [Aspect 2] The vehicle door control device according to [Aspect 1], wherein the determination unit determines whether or not a child occupant is present in the seat. In the above configuration, the area in the vehicle cabin where the seats are located is close to the entrance and exit doors and the doors that open and close the entrance, making it an area in the vehicle cabin where unwanted contact between the occupant and the door is likely to occur. According to the above configuration, when a child occupant is present in such a seat, the travel time can be extended compared to when there is no child occupant in the same seat, thereby reducing unwanted contact between the child occupant and the door. Furthermore, when there is no child occupant in a seat that is an area in the vehicle cabin where unwanted contact between the occupant and the door is likely to occur, the travel time can be shortened compared to when there is a child occupant in the same seat. This reduces the reduction in convenience for the occupant due to longer travel time.

[0010] [Aspect 3] The control unit executes speed reduction control and delay extension control as the travel time extension control, and the speed reduction control is a control that reduces the opening and closing speed of the door compared to when it is determined that the child occupant is not present, and the delay extension control is a control that extends the period during which the closing operation of the door is temporarily stopped when executing closer delay control that temporarily stops the closing drive of the door just before locking the door in the fully closed position compared to when it is determined that the child occupant is not present.A vehicle door control device as described in [Aspect 1] or [Aspect 2].

[0011] According to the above configuration, by executing the speed reduction control, the door opening / closing speed can be reduced compared to when there is no child occupant, which allows more time to take action to avoid contact between the child occupant and the door. This makes it easier to take action to avoid unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the door, thereby reducing unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the door.

[0012] Furthermore, by executing the delay extension control, the period during which the closing operation of the door is temporarily stopped just before the door is locked in the fully closed position (hereinafter referred to as the delay period) can be made longer compared to when there is no child occupant. This allows more time for the driver to take action to resolve a situation in which a foreign object (e.g., the clothing of a child occupant) is caught between the door and the entrance / exit. This makes it easier to take action to resolve a situation in which a foreign object is caught between the door and the entrance / exit, thereby preventing the foreign object from becoming trapped.

[0013] [Aspect 4] A vehicle door control device as described in any one of [Aspect 1] to [Aspect 3], which is provided with an alarm device installed in the vehicle compartment that alerts the driver that a child is present, and the control unit executes alarm control to activate the alarm device when the determination unit determines that a child is present.

[0014] According to the above configuration, by executing the notification control, it is possible to notify the passenger compartment of the presence of a child occupant, thereby alerting the child occupant and accompanying adult occupants, thereby reducing unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the door.

[0015] [Aspect 5] A vehicle door control device that is applied to a vehicle that has an entrance / exit opening that connects the inside and outside of the vehicle compartment, a door that opens and closes the entrance / exit opening, and a seat that is located adjacent to the entrance / exit opening in the vehicle compartment, and that drives the door to open and close by controlling the operation of a drive source, and that includes: a judgment unit that determines whether or not a child occupant is present in the vehicle compartment; an alarm device that is provided in the vehicle compartment and that alerts the driver that the child occupant is present; and a control unit that performs alarm control to activate the alarm device when the judgment unit determines that the child occupant is present.

[0016] According to the above configuration, when a child occupant is present in the vehicle compartment, the notification control is executed to notify the passenger in the vehicle of the presence of a child occupant, thereby alerting the child occupant and any accompanying adult occupants, thereby reducing unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the door. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, unnecessary contact between a child occupant and a door can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle to which a vehicle door control device according to an embodiment is applied; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a power sliding door device. [Figure 3] 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the moving position and the moving speed of the sliding door during a closing operation. [Figure 4] 10A is a timing chart showing the control content of normal delay control as closer delay control, and FIG. 10B is a timing chart showing the control content of delay extension control as closer delay control. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the rear seat and its surroundings as viewed from the front. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing human skeletal points. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure for executing an opening / closing control process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle door control device will be described. Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle will be referred to simply as the "longitudinal direction," and the width direction of the vehicle will be referred to simply as the "vehicle width direction." Furthermore, the front and rear sides in the longitudinal direction will be referred to simply as the "front side" and the "rear side," respectively, and the right and left sides in the vehicle width direction will be referred to simply as the "right side" and the "left side," respectively.

[0020] <Vehicle> 1, a vehicle 10 has a cabin 11 that forms a living space. A front seat 12 and a rear seat 13 are provided in the cabin 11 and are aligned in the front-to-rear direction.

[0021] The front seats 12 are arranged at the front of the vehicle interior 11. The front seats 12 include a driver's seat 12D and a passenger seat 12S provided on the left side of the driver's seat 12D. The driver's seat 12D and the passenger seat 12S are arranged side by side with a gap in between in the vehicle width direction.

[0022] The rear seats 13 are arranged further rearward than the front seats 12 in the vehicle interior 11. The rear seats 13 include a right seat 13R and a left seat 13L provided on the left side of the right seat 13R. The right seat 13R and the left seat 13L are arranged side by side with a gap in the vehicle width direction.

[0023] <Gate 15> The vehicle 10 has an entrance / exit opening 15 that connects the inside and outside of the vehicle compartment 11 on the side of the rear seat 13 in the vehicle body 14. The entrance / exit opening 15 has an entrance / exit opening 15R that connects the inside and outside of the vehicle compartment 11 on the right side of the right seat 13R, and an entrance / exit opening 15L that connects the inside and outside of the vehicle compartment 11 on the left side of the left seat 13L. In this embodiment, the right seat 13R is located in a portion of the vehicle compartment 11 adjacent to the entrance / exit opening 15R on the right side, and the left seat 13L is located in a portion of the vehicle compartment 11 adjacent to the entrance / exit opening 15L on the left side.

[0024] <Overview of Sliding Door 16> The vehicle 10 has sliding doors 16 that open and close the entrance / exit opening 15. The sliding doors 16 include a sliding door 16R that opens and closes the right entrance / exit opening 15R, and a sliding door 16L that opens and closes the left entrance / exit opening 15L.

[0025] The right sliding door 16R is attached to the vehicle body 14 via a sliding mechanism (not shown). The sliding door 16R opens and closes the entrance 15R by sliding in the front-to-rear direction. More specifically, the sliding door 16R moves forward (hereinafter referred to as the closing operation) to fit inside the entrance 15R and assumes a fully closed position that blocks the entrance 15R. On the other hand, the sliding door 16R moves rearward (hereinafter referred to as the opening operation) to assume a fully open position that opens the entrance 15R. The sliding door 16R is a vehicle door that is opened and closed when a user gets in and out of the right seat 13R.

[0026] The left sliding door 16L is attached to the vehicle body 14 via a sliding mechanism (not shown). The sliding door 16L opens and closes the boarding / alighting opening 15L by sliding in the front-to-rear direction. More specifically, the sliding door 16L moves forward (hereinafter referred to as the closing operation) to fit inside the boarding / alighting opening 15L and assumes a fully closed position that blocks the boarding / alighting opening 15L. On the other hand, the sliding door 16L moves rearward (hereinafter referred to as the opening operation) to assume a fully open position that opens the boarding / alighting opening 15L. The sliding door 16L is a door that is opened and closed when a passenger gets in and out of the left seat 13L.

[0027] <Details of Sliding Door 16> The sliding door 16 will be described in detail below. In this embodiment, the right sliding door 16R and the left sliding door 16L have the same structure and are controlled to open and close, so the following will describe the right sliding door 16R in detail, and will omit a detailed description of the left sliding door 16L.

[0028] 2, the sliding door 16R has a door actuator 20 for opening and closing the sliding door 16R. The door actuator 20 has an electric motor 21 as a drive source and an opening / closing drive unit 22 that drives the sliding door 16R to open and close via a drive cable (not shown). The sliding door 16R of this embodiment is configured as a power sliding door device that opens and closes based on the drive force of the electric motor 21.

[0029] The vehicle 10 has an electronic control device 17 configured mainly with, for example, a microcomputer. The vehicle 10 also has various sensors for detecting the driving state of the vehicle 10 and the operation state of the sliding door 16R. The various sensors include, for example, a rotation sensor for detecting the movement position and movement speed of the sliding door 16R (specifically, the rotation phase and rotation speed of the electric motor 21), and an opening / closing operation switch provided in the passenger compartment 11 or a portable device for opening and closing the sliding door 16R. In addition, the various sensors include, for example, a brake sensor for detecting the operation state of the brakes of the vehicle 10, a shift position sensor for detecting the shift position of the vehicle 10, and a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the traveling speed of the vehicle 10.

[0030] The electronic control unit 17 receives detection signals from various sensors. The electronic control unit 17 performs various calculations based on the detection signals from the various sensors, and executes various controls related to the opening and closing control of the sliding door 16R based on the calculation results. The various controls include, for example, a "door drive control" that drives the sliding door 16R to open and close, and a "closer delay control" that controls the operation of a locking device 30 (described later). In this embodiment, the electronic control unit 17 corresponds to a control unit.

[0031] <Door drive control> The door drive control is defined as "normal drive control" and "speed reduction control." When the door drive control is executed, one of the normal drive control and the speed reduction control is selectively executed.

[0032] <Normal drive control> In the normal drive control, when the sliding door 16R is driven to open or close, the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled as follows through the operation control of the electric motor 21.

[0033] 3, in the normal drive control, when the sliding door 16R is driven to close, the moving speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled as follows. First, during the period from when the closing drive of the sliding door 16R is started to when the closing drive of the sliding door 16R is completed (times T11 to T12), the moving speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R closes at a predetermined speed V1. Then, during the final period of the closing drive of the sliding door 16R (times T12 to T13), the moving speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R closes at a predetermined speed V2 that is lower than the predetermined speed V1.

[0034] On the other hand, in the normal drive control, when the sliding door 16R is driven to open, the moving speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled in the same manner as in the closing drive described above. That is, first, during the period from the start of the opening drive of the sliding door 16R to the end of the opening drive, the moving speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R performs the opening operation at the predetermined speed V1. Then, during the end of the opening drive of the sliding door 16R, the moving speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R performs the opening operation at the predetermined speed V2.

[0035] <Speed ​​reduction control> In the speed reduction control, the opening / closing speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled as follows through the operation control of the electric motor 21 so as to reduce the opening / closing speed of the sliding door 16R compared to when the normal drive control is executed.

[0036] 3, in the speed reduction control, when the sliding door 16R is driven to close, the moving speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled as follows. First, during the period from when the closing drive of the sliding door 16R starts until the end of the closing drive (times T11 to T12), the moving speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R closes at a predetermined speed V3 that is lower than the predetermined speed V1. Then, during the end of the closing drive of the sliding door 16R (times T12 to T13), the moving speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R closes at a predetermined speed V4 that is lower than the predetermined speed V2.

[0037] On the other hand, in the speed reduction control, when the sliding door 16R is driven to open, the moving speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled in the same manner as in the closing drive. That is, first, during the period from the start of the opening drive of the sliding door 16R to the end of the opening drive, the moving speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R opens at the predetermined speed V3. Then, during the end of the opening drive of the sliding door 16R, the moving speed of the sliding door 16R is controlled so that the sliding door 16R opens at the predetermined speed V4.

[0038] <Locking device> As shown in Fig. 2, the sliding door 16R has a locking device 30 for locking the sliding door 16R in a fully closed position or a fully open position. The locking device 30 is composed of a fully closed front lock 31, a fully closed rear lock 32, and a fully open lock 33. The fully closed front lock 31 and the fully closed rear lock 32 are for locking the sliding door 16R in a fully closed position. The fully open lock 33 is for locking the sliding door 16R in a fully open position.

[0039] The fully closed front lock 31, the fully closed rear lock 32, and the fully open lock 33 each include a latch mechanism 34. The latch mechanism 34 locks the sliding door 16R to the vehicle body 14 by engaging with a striker (not shown) provided on the vehicle body 14.

[0040] More specifically, when the sliding door 16R is locked to the vehicle body 14, the latch mechanism 34 operates as follows. First, when the sliding door 16R moves toward the fully closed or fully open position, the striker enters the latch mechanism 34. Then, when the sliding door 16R subsequently moves to a predetermined movement position immediately prior to the fully closed or fully open position, the latch mechanism 34 enters an operation state (hereinafter referred to as a half-latched state) in which movement of the striker in a direction away from the latch mechanism 34 is restricted. Furthermore, when the sliding door 16R subsequently moves to the fully closed or fully open position, the latch mechanism 34 enters an operation state (hereinafter referred to as a fully latched state) in which the striker is restricted from moving relative to the vehicle body 14. At this time, the sliding door 16R is locked to the vehicle body 14 at the fully closed or fully open position.

[0041] The sliding door 16R is provided with a door handle 35. The door handle 35 is connected to each latch mechanism 34 via a remote control device 36 connected by a transmission member such as a wire cable or a link. In this embodiment, by operating the door handle 35, the operation state of each latch mechanism 34 can be set to an operation state (hereinafter, referred to as an unlocked state) in which the restraint of the striker is released. In addition, each latch mechanism 34 can also be set to the unlocked state by operating the opening / closing operation switch provided in the vehicle interior 11 or a portable device.

[0042] <Closer delay control> The closer delay control for controlling the operation of the locking device 30 will be described. The closer delay control is executed so as to temporarily stop the closing or opening operation of the sliding door 16R just before the locking device 30 locks the sliding door 16R at the fully closed or fully open position.

[0043] The closer delay control is defined as "normal delay control" shown in Fig. 4(a) and "delay extension control" shown in Fig. 4(b). When closer delay control is executed, either the normal delay control or the delay extension control is selectively executed.

[0044] <Normal delay control> In this embodiment, when the sliding door 16R operates and the sliding door 16R moves to a predetermined position (hereinafter referred to as the half-latched position) immediately before the fully closed position or the fully open position, the operating state of the latch mechanism 34 transitions from the unlocked state to the half-latched state.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 4(a), in the normal delay control, when the operating state of the latch mechanism 34 transitions from the unlocked state to the half-latched state (time T21), the operation of the sliding door 16R (more specifically, the drive of the electric motor 21) is temporarily stopped. Thereafter, the operation of the sliding door 16R remains stopped for a predetermined period of time (hereinafter, referred to as the delay period D1) (time T21 to T22). When the delay period D1 has elapsed after the operation of the sliding door 16R has stopped (time T22), the closing or opening drive of the sliding door 16R is resumed. This restarts the movement of the sliding door 16R.

[0046] In this embodiment, when the sliding door 16R subsequently moves to the fully closed position or the fully open position, the operating state of the latch mechanism 34 transitions from the half-latched state to the fully-latched state, thereby locking the sliding door 16R to the vehicle body 14. Under normal delay control, the operation of the sliding door 16 (more specifically, the driving of the electric motor 21) is stopped at this time (time T23).

[0047] <Delay extension control> In this embodiment, the control content of the normal delay control shown in Fig. 4(a) and the control content of the delay extension control shown in Fig. 4(b) are the same except for delay periods D1 and D2 during which the operation of the sliding door 16R is temporarily stopped. The delay period D2 in the delay extension control (times T21 to T24 in Fig. 4(b)) is longer than the delay period D1 in the normal delay control (times T21 to T22 in Fig. 4(a)).

[0048] In this embodiment, by executing the delay extension control as the closer delay control, the delay period D2 during which the operation of the sliding door 16R is temporarily stopped is extended compared to when the normal delay control is executed.

[0049] <Judgment part> The vehicle 10 has a camera 18 that captures images of the interior of the vehicle compartment 11. The camera 18 is located on the ceiling of the vehicle compartment 11 in a central position in the vehicle width direction and forward of the rear seats 13. The camera 18 captures images of the boarding / alighting doors 15 (specifically, the boarding / alighting doors 15R and 15L) and the rear seats 13 (specifically, the right seat 13R and the left seat 13L). The image data captured by the camera 18 is input into the electronic control unit 17. The electronic control unit 17 performs image analysis based on the image data and determines whether or not a child occupant is present in the vehicle compartment 11 based on the analysis results. Specifically, the electronic control unit 17 determines whether or not a child occupant is present in each of the right seat 13R and the left seat 13L that constitute the rear seats 13. FIG. 5 shows an example of a state in which a child occupant is present in the rear seats 13. In this embodiment, the child is assumed to be a preschool child. In this embodiment, the camera 18 and the electronic control device 17 correspond to a determination unit.

[0050] The determination unit determines whether or not a child is present in the rear seat 13, for example, as follows. First, a person (occupant H) included in the photographed data captured by the camera 18 is recognized by image recognition based on the photographed data. When the occupant H is recognized, the position of the occupant H in the vehicle interior 11 and the skeleton points P of the occupant H are detected. As shown in FIG. 6 , the skeleton points P are unique points that characterize the body of the occupant H, such as joints and points on the body surface. The skeleton points P include, for example, the head, neck, shoulders, armpits, elbows, wrists, waist, and hip joints. In this embodiment, such image recognition processing is performed using an inference model generated by machine learning, for example.

[0051] Then, the shoulder width WS of the occupant H is calculated based on the skeleton points P corresponding to both shoulders of the occupant H, and the shoulder width WS is compared with a predetermined judgment value J. If the shoulder width WS of the occupant H is equal to or smaller than the judgment value J, the occupant H is determined to be a child, whereas if the shoulder width WS of the occupant H is larger than the judgment value J, the occupant H is determined to be an adult.

[0052] Then, if the occupant H is located in the rear seat 13 (right seat 13R or left seat 13L) and it is determined that the occupant H is a child, the determination unit determines that there is a child occupant in the rear seat 13. Note that if the occupant H is not recognized by image recognition based on the photographed data, if the occupant H is not located in the rear seat 13, or if the occupant H is an adult, the determination unit determines that there is no child occupant in the rear seat 13.

[0053] In this embodiment, the area in the vehicle interior 11 where the rear seats 13 are located is close to the entrance 15 and the sliding door 16 that opens and closes the entrance 15, and is therefore an area in the vehicle interior 11 that is prone to unwanted contact between an occupant and the sliding door 16. In this embodiment, the determination unit determines whether or not there is a child occupant in the rear seats 13, specifically, in the right seat 13R or the left seat 13L.

[0054] In this embodiment, when the determination unit determines that there is a child passenger in the rear seat 13, a movement time extension control is executed. The movement time extension control is a control that lengthens the time it takes for the sliding door 16 to move from one of the fully open position and the fully closed position to the other (hereinafter referred to as movement time TM) compared to when the determination unit determines that there is no child passenger in the rear seat 13. In this embodiment, the movement time extension control is a "speed reduction control" in the door drive control and a "delay extension control" in the closer delay control.

[0055] <Alarm device> As shown in FIG. 1 , the vehicle 10 has an alarm device 19. The alarm device 19 is a buzzer that emits a warning sound. The alarm device 19 is composed of an alarm device 19R provided on the right side of the vehicle 10 and an alarm device 19L provided on the left side of the vehicle 10. The right-side alarm device 19R is provided near the right seat 13R in the passenger compartment 11, for example, in a portion of the vehicle above the boarding / alighting door 15R in the vehicle body 14. The left-side alarm device 19L is provided near the left seat 13L in the passenger compartment 11, for example, in a portion of the vehicle above the boarding / alighting door 15L in the vehicle body 14.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 2, the alarm device 19 is connected to the electronic control device 17. The electronic control device 17 controls the operation of the alarm device 19 (hereinafter, alarm control). More specifically, the electronic control device 17 controls the operation of the right alarm device 19R and the left alarm device 19L separately. In this embodiment, the right alarm device 19R is activated to emit a warning sound, thereby notifying the presence of a child occupant in the right seat 13R and alerting the child occupant and any accompanying adult occupants. In addition, the left alarm device 19L is activated to emit a warning sound, thereby notifying the presence of a child occupant in the left seat 13L and alerting the child occupant and any accompanying adult occupants. In this embodiment, the alarm control is executed on the condition that the sliding door 16 is being driven to open or close.

[0057] <Opening and closing control of sliding door 16> The opening and closing control of the sliding door 16 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the opening and closing control of the sliding door 16 is executed separately for the left and right sliding doors 16R and 16L. In this embodiment, the control contents and effects of the opening and closing control are the same for the left and right sliding doors 16R and 16L. Therefore, the following will describe in detail the right sliding door 16R, and a detailed description of the opening and closing control of the left sliding door 16L will be omitted.

[0058] Fig. 7 shows the execution procedure of processing (opening / closing control processing) related to the opening / closing control of the sliding door 16. Note that the series of processing shown in the flowchart of Fig. 7 conceptually shows the execution procedure of the opening / closing control processing, and the actual processing is executed by the electronic control unit 17 as processing at predetermined intervals.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 7, in this process, first, it is determined by the determining unit whether or not a child occupant is present in the right seat 13R (S11). <When there is a child passenger in the right seat 13R> If the determination unit determines that a child occupant is present in the right seat 13R (S11: YES), the movement time extension control and the notification control are executed (S12). In this case, more specifically, the movement time extension control is performed by executing "speed reduction control" in the door drive control and "delay extension control" in the closer delay control, and the notification control is performed by controlling the operation of the right notification device 19R.

[0060] <Actions and Effects of This Embodiment> As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the area in the vehicle interior 11 where the right seat 13R is located is close to the boarding / alighting door 15R and the sliding door 16R that opens and closes the boarding / alighting door 15R, and is therefore an area in the vehicle interior 11 that is prone to unnecessary contact between the occupant and the sliding door 16R.

[0061] In this embodiment, when a child occupant is present in the right seat 13R, the time required for the sliding door 16R to move (the movement time TM) can be made longer than when there is no child occupant in the right seat 13R.

[0062] Specifically, by executing the speed reduction control, the opening / closing speed of the sliding door 16R can be reduced compared to when there is no child occupant in the right seat 13R. This allows more time to take action to avoid contact between the child occupant and the sliding door 16R. This makes it easier to take action to avoid unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the sliding door 16R, thereby reducing unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the sliding door 16R.

[0063] Furthermore, by executing the delay extension control, the period during which the closing operation of the sliding door 16R is temporarily stopped immediately before the sliding door 16R is locked in the fully closed position (the delay period D2) can be made longer compared to when there is no child occupant in the right seat 13R. This allows more time for the driver to take action to resolve a situation in which a foreign object (e.g., the clothing of a child occupant) is caught between the sliding door 16R and the entrance / exit 15R. This makes it easier to take action to resolve a situation in which a foreign object is caught between the sliding door 16R and the entrance / exit 15R, thereby preventing the foreign object from becoming trapped.

[0064] Furthermore, by executing the notification control, information that a child occupant is present in the right seat 13R can be notified to the vehicle interior 11. This makes it possible to alert the child occupant and accompanying adult occupants, thereby reducing unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the sliding door 16R.

[0065] <When there is no child in the right seat 13R> On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 7, when the determination unit determines that there is no child occupant in the right seat 13R (S11: NO), the movement time extension control and the notification control are not executed, and "normal control" is executed (S13). Specifically, as the normal control, "normal drive control" in the door drive control and "normal delay control" in the closer delay control are executed.

[0066] <Actions and Effects of This Embodiment> When there is no child occupant in the right seat 13R, which is an area of ​​the vehicle interior 11 that is prone to unwanted contact between the occupant and the sliding door 16R, the travel time TM can be made shorter than when there is a child occupant in the right seat 13R, thereby preventing a decrease in convenience for the occupant due to a longer travel time TM.

[0067] In this case, more specifically, by executing the normal drive control, the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16R can be increased compared to when a child occupant is present in the right seat 13R, thereby preventing a decrease in convenience for the occupant due to a slower opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16R.

[0068] Furthermore, by executing the normal delay control, the period during which the closing operation of the sliding door 16R is temporarily stopped just before the sliding door 16R is locked in the fully closed position (the delay period D1) can be made shorter than when a child occupant is present in the right seat 13R, thereby preventing a decrease in convenience for the occupant due to a longer delay period D1.

[0069] <Effects of this embodiment> The effects of this embodiment will be described below. (1) When a child occupant is present in the rear seat 13, the travel time TM required for the sliding door 16 to move can be made longer compared to when there is no child occupant in the rear seat 13. The longer travel time TM provides more time to take action to avoid contact between the child occupant and the sliding door 16. This makes it easier to take action to avoid unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the sliding door 16, thereby reducing unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the sliding door 16.

[0070] Furthermore, when there is no child occupant in the rear seat 13, which is an area of ​​the vehicle interior 11 that is prone to unwanted contact between the occupant and the sliding door 16, the travel time TM can be made shorter than when there is a child occupant in the rear seat 13. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in convenience for the occupant due to a longer travel time TM.

[0071] (2) When a child passenger is present in the rear seat 13, the speed reduction control is executed as the door drive control, thereby making it possible to reduce the opening / closing speed of the sliding door 16 compared to when there is no child passenger in the rear seat 13. This allows more time to take action to avoid contact between the child passenger and the sliding door 16, thereby reducing unnecessary contact between the child passenger and the sliding door 16.

[0072] On the other hand, when there is no child passenger in the rear seat 13, the normal drive control is executed as the door drive control, so that the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16 can be increased compared to when there is a child passenger in the rear seat 13. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in convenience for passengers due to a decrease in the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16.

[0073] (3) When a child occupant is present in the rear seat 13, the delay extension control is executed as the closer delay control, thereby making the delay period D2 longer than when there is no child occupant in the rear seat 13. This allows more time to take action to eliminate the situation where a foreign object is caught between the sliding door 16R and the entrance / exit 15R, thereby preventing the foreign object from becoming caught.

[0074] On the other hand, when there is no child occupant in the rear seat 13, the normal delay control is executed as the closer delay control, thereby making the delay period D1 shorter than when there is a child occupant in the rear seat 13. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in convenience for the occupants due to a longer delay period D1.

[0075] (4) When a child occupant is present in the rear seat 13, the notification control is executed to notify the passenger compartment 11 of the presence of a child occupant in the rear seat 13. This alerts the child occupant and any accompanying adult occupants, thereby reducing unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the sliding door 16.

[0076] <Example of change> The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0077] Instead of providing a buzzer that emits a warning sound as the notification device 19, a warning light or a display device that displays information (text information, image information) that a child passenger is present in the rear seat 13 may be provided. Even with this configuration, by turning on the warning light or displaying information on the display device, it is possible to notify the driver that a child passenger is present in the rear seat 13 and alert the child passenger and any accompanying adult passengers.

[0078] Only one notification device 19 may be provided for both the left and right sides. The position where the camera 18 is installed can be changed arbitrarily as long as it is a position where the right seat 13R and the left seat 13L that make up the rear seat 13 can be photographed.

[0079] A plurality of cameras 18 may be provided in the vehicle interior 11. For example, a plurality of cameras may be provided to photograph the rear seats 13 from different angles, or a camera 18 may be provided to photograph the right seat 13R and a camera 18 may be provided to photograph the left seat 13L.

[0080] A radar device such as a millimeter wave radar device may be provided instead of the camera 18. In this case, the detection data detected by the radar device may be input to the electronic control unit 17. The electronic control unit 17 may then analyze the detection data and detect the presence or absence of an occupant in the passenger compartment 11 based on the analysis results.

[0081] The method for determining whether a child is present in the rear seat 13 can be changed as desired. For example, instead of determining whether a passenger is a child based on the passenger's shoulder width WS, the determination can be made based on the size of the passenger's torso. Alternatively, the presence or absence of a child in the rear seat 13 can be determined by performing AI image analysis based on photographic data.

[0082] The vehicle door control device according to the above embodiment can also be applied to a vehicle in which speed increase control is performed. The speed increase control is a control set by the vehicle manufacturer or seller based on a setting request from the vehicle user. When the speed increase control is performed, the opening and closing speed of the sliding door 16 during normal control (in the above embodiment, when it is determined that there is no child occupant in the rear seat 13) is set to a higher speed than when the speed increase control is not performed.

[0083] In the above configuration, the execution of the speed increase control may be prohibited when it is determined that a child occupant is present in the rear seat 13. According to this configuration, when it is determined that a child occupant is present in the rear seat 13, the opening / closing speed of the sliding door 16 can be made slower than when it is determined that no child occupant is present in the rear seat 13. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary contact between the sliding door 16 and the occupant.

[0084] The delay extension control is not limited to setting only one delay period for temporarily stopping the closing or opening operation of the sliding door 16, but may set two or more such delay periods spaced apart. Even in this configuration, by setting the lengths of the two or more delay periods to appropriate lengths, the total delay period in the delay extension control can be made longer than the delay period in the normal delay control.

[0085] When the determination unit determines that a child occupant is present in the rear seat 13, only two of the "speed reduction control," "delay extension control," and "alert control" may be executed. In this configuration, one of the controls that is not executed can be omitted. Also, when the determination unit determines that a child occupant is present in the rear seat 13, only one of the "speed reduction control," "delay extension control," and "alert control" may be executed. In this configuration, the two controls that are not executed can be omitted.

[0086] When it is determined that a child occupant is present in the right seat 13R or when it is determined that a child occupant is present in the left seat 13L, the movement time extension control and the notification control may be executed for both the left and right sliding doors 16R, 16L.

[0087] The determination unit, which is composed of the camera 18 and the electronic control unit 17, may be configured to determine whether or not a child occupant is present anywhere in the vehicle interior 11, including the right seat 13R and the left seat 13L. If this determination unit determines that a child occupant is present anywhere in the vehicle interior 11, the movement time extension control and the notification control may be executed for both the left and right sliding doors 16R, 16L.

[0088] According to the above configuration, when a child occupant is present somewhere in the vehicle interior 11, the travel time TM can be made longer compared to when there is no child occupant anywhere in the vehicle interior 11. The longer travel time TM provides more time to take action to avoid contact between the child occupant and the sliding door 16. This makes it easier to take action to avoid unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the sliding door 16, thereby reducing unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the door.

[0089] Furthermore, when there is no child occupant anywhere in the vehicle interior 11, that is, when there is no need to consider unnecessary contact between the child occupant and the sliding door 16, the travel time TM can be made shorter than when there is a child occupant somewhere in the vehicle interior 11. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in convenience for the occupant due to a longer travel time TM.

[0090] The vehicle door control device according to the above embodiment may be applied to only one of the right sliding door 16R and the left sliding door 16L. The vehicle door control device according to the above embodiment can be applied to a sliding vehicle door such as the sliding door 16, as well as a hinged vehicle door. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] TM...Transfer Period D1, D2...Delay period 10...Vehicle 11...Vehicle compartment 12...Front seat 12D...Driver's seat 12S…Passenger seat 13...back seat 13R...Right seat 13L…Left seat 14...Body 15, 15R, 15L...boarding / exiting door 16, 16R, 16L...Sliding door 17...Electronic control device 18...Camera 19, 19R, 19L...Alarm device 20...Door actuator 21...Electric motor 22...Opening and closing drive unit 30...Locking device 31...Fully closed front lock 32...Fully closed rear lock 33...Fully locked 34...Latch mechanism 35...Door handle 36...Remote control device

Claims

1. A vehicle door control device is applied to a vehicle including an entrance communicating the inside and outside of a vehicle compartment, a door for opening and closing the entrance, and a seat disposed in a portion of the vehicle compartment adjacent to the entrance, and drives the door to open and close by controlling the operation of a drive source, a determination unit that determines whether or not a child occupant is present in the vehicle compartment; a control unit that executes a movement time extension control when the determination unit determines that a child occupant is present; The movement time extension control is a control for lengthening the time required for the door to move from one of the fully open position and the fully closed position to the other, compared to when it is determined that there is no child occupant. Vehicle door control device.

2. The determination unit determines whether or not a child occupant is present in the seat. The vehicle door control device according to claim 1.

3. the control unit executes speed reduction control and delay extension control as the movement time extension control, the speed reduction control is a control for reducing the opening / closing speed of the door compared to when it is determined that there is no child occupant, The delay extension control is a control that, when a closer delay control that temporarily stops the closing drive of the door just before locking the door at the fully closed position is executed, extends a period during which the closing operation of the door is temporarily stopped compared to a period when it is determined that there is no child occupant. The vehicle door control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. an alarm device provided in the vehicle compartment for notifying that the child is present as an occupant; the control unit executes notification control to activate the notification device when the determination unit determines that there is a child occupant. The vehicle door control device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A vehicle door control device is applied to a vehicle including an entrance communicating the inside and outside of a vehicle compartment, a door for opening and closing the entrance, and a seat disposed in a portion of the vehicle compartment adjacent to the entrance, and drives the door to open and close by controlling the operation of a drive source, a determination unit that determines whether or not a child occupant is present in the vehicle compartment; an alarm device provided in the vehicle compartment that notifies the presence of the child occupant; a control unit that executes notification control to activate the notification device when the determination unit determines that there is a child occupant. Vehicle door control device.

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