Foreign object detection system, control device, and computer program

Abstract

This prevents foreign objects from becoming trapped in the opening and closing mechanism while it is in the closing operation. [Solution] The detection device 11 acquires information about a detection area 30 that is set to be inside or outside the moving object's path relative to the window 21's movement path. The control device 12 determines, based on the information, that an object 40 is located within the detection area 30, and restricts the movement of the window 21 in the closing direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a foreign object detection system mounted on a moving body having an opening / closing body. The present disclosure also relates to a control device that may be included in the system and a computer program executable by a processor mounted on the control device.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​One embodiment provided herein is a control device mounted on a mobile body having an opening / closing mechanism, An interface that receives signals corresponding to information of a detection area set on at least one of the inside and outside of the moving body, relative to the movement path of the opening / closing body, A processor that, when it is determined based on the signal that an object is located within the detection area, restricts the movement of the opening / closing body in the closing direction, It is equipped with.

[0007] One embodiment provided herein is a computer program executable by the processor of a control device mounted on a mobile body having an opening / closing mechanism, By being executed, the control device will The system receives a signal corresponding to information of a detection area set on at least one of the inside and outside of the moving body, relative to the movement path of the opening / closing body. If it is determined that an object is located within the detection area based on the aforementioned signal, the movement of the opening / closing body in the closing direction is restricted.

[0008] According to the configurations described in each of the above examples, since the detection area is located on at least one side of the moving path of the opening / closing body, it is possible to distinguish between the displacement of the opening / closing body itself and the entry of an object into the detection area, and to restrict the movement of the opening / closing body in the closing direction when such entry occurs. This makes it possible to prevent foreign objects from getting caught in the opening / closing body during closing operation. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This illustrates the functional configuration of a detection system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 illustrates a vehicle equipped with the detection system shown. [Figure 3] Figure 1 illustrates the positional relationship between the detection area and the window. [Figure 4] Figure 1 illustrates the positional relationship between the detection area and the window. [Figure 5]Figure 1 shows an example of the processing performed by the control device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] An example of an embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, the scale has been appropriately changed to make each element recognizable.

[0011] Figure 1 illustrates the functional configuration of a detection system 10 according to one embodiment. The detection system 10 is mounted on a vehicle 20 as illustrated in Figure 2. The detection system 10 is a system for preventing foreign objects from getting caught in the window 21 of the vehicle 20 as illustrated in Figure 3. Examples of foreign objects include parts of the body of the occupants of the vehicle 20. The vehicle 20 is an example of a moving object. The window 21 is an example of an opening and closing object.

[0012] As illustrated in Figure 1, the window 21 is opened and closed by a drive unit 22 mounted on the vehicle 20. Specifically, the drive unit 22 is configured to open and close the window 21 when a switch located inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle 20 is operated by the occupant.

[0013] The detection system 10 includes a detection device 11. The detection device 11 is configured to acquire information from a predetermined detection area 30.

[0014] As illustrated in Figure 3, the detection area 30 is set inside the window 21 in the vehicle 20. In other words, the detection area 30 is set inside the vehicle 20 beyond the movement path of the window 21 by the drive unit 22. The detection area 30 has a three-dimensional extent.

[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates the positional relationship between window 21 and detection area 30 as viewed from above. Detection area 30 is located inside vehicle 20 relative to window 21. In other words, window 21 itself is located outside detection area 30. The distance G between detection area 30 and window 21 is, for example, from 1 cm to 5 cm. The dimension D1 of detection area 30 corresponding to the left-right direction of vehicle 20 is, for example, from 15 cm to 30 cm.

[0016] The dimension D2 of detection area 30 corresponding to the front-rear direction of vehicle 20 is determined so as not to be less than the length dimension of window 21 in the same direction. In addition, the position of the front end of detection area 30 is determined so as not to be located behind the front end of window 21. Similarly, the position of the rear end of detection area 30 is determined so as not to be located in front of the rear end of window 21.

[0017] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the dimension D3 of detection area 30 corresponding to the up-down direction of vehicle 20 is, for example, from 10 cm to 40 cm from the upper end of window 21 in the closed state. The maximum value of dimension D3 is determined to be about half of the dimension of window 21 in the same direction in the closed state.

[0018] As illustrated in FIG. 1, detection device 11 includes a transmitter 111. Transmitter 111 is configured to transmit radio wave W. Transmitter 111 is installed at an appropriate position in the passenger compartment of vehicle 20 so that radio wave W can reach detection area 30.

[0019] In this exemplary embodiment, transmitter 111 can be configured to transmit radio wave W in a frequency band used for the Ultra Wide Band (UWB) wireless communication standard. Radio wave W is an example of an electromagnetic wave.

[0020] The detection device 11 includes a receiver 112. The receiver 112 is configured to receive radio waves W reflected by an object 40 located within the detection area 30 and to output a detection signal DT corresponding to the reception state. In other words, the detection device 11 is configured to detect an object 40 located within the detection area 30 based on the radar principle. The detection signal DT may be an analog signal or a digital signal, depending on the specifications of the receiver 112.

[0021] The detection system 10 includes a control device 12. The control device 12 is equipped with an input interface 121. The input interface 121 is configured as a hardware interface capable of receiving a detection signal DT. If the detection signal DT is an analog signal, the input interface 121 is equipped with an appropriate conversion circuit including an A / D converter.

[0022] The control device 12 includes a processor 122 and an output interface 123. The processor 122 is configured to output a transmission control signal TC from the output interface 123, which causes the transmitter 111 to transmit radio waves W at a predetermined timing. The transmission control signal TC may be an analog signal or a digital signal, depending on the specifications of the transmitter 111.

[0023] In other words, the output interface 123 is configured as a hardware interface capable of outputting a transmit control signal TC. When the transmit control signal TC is an analog signal, the output interface 123 includes an appropriate conversion circuit, including a D / A converter. This description also applies to other signals that the output interface 123 can output, as described later.

[0024] The positioning of object 40 is made possible based on the time elapsed between the transmission of radio waves W from transmitter 111 and their reception by receiver 112, and the changes in the state of radio waves W. As used herein, the term "positioning" means determining both the distance to the object and the direction of the object.

[0025] The processor 122 is configured to determine the position of the object 40 based on the detection signal DT received by the input interface 121 and to determine whether the object 40 is located within the detection area 30.

[0026] The processor 122 is configured to output a stop control signal SC from the output interface 123 to stop the operation of the drive unit 22 when it determines that an object 40 is located within the detection area 30. When the operation of the drive unit 22 is stopped by the stop control signal SC, the displacement of the window 21 is also stopped. Stopping displacement is one example of limiting movement.

[0027] As an example, consider a case where a detection area 30 is set inside a window 21 located on the side of the rear seat of a vehicle 20, and the drive unit 22 is closing the window 21 by operating a switch by the driver. If any part of the rear seat occupant's body enters the detection area 30, the control device 12 outputs a stop control signal SC that stops the operation of the drive unit 22. As a result, the displacement of the window 21 to the closed position is stopped.

[0028] According to the configuration of this embodiment, since the detection area 30 is located inside the vehicle 20 beyond the movement path of the window 21, it is possible to distinguish between the displacement of the window 21 itself and the entry of an object 40 into the detection area 30, and to stop the movement of the window 21 in the closing direction when such entry occurs. This prevents foreign objects, such as a part of an occupant's body, from becoming trapped in the window 21 during the closing operation.

[0029] In particular, in this embodiment, since radio waves W are used to detect objects 40 located within the detection area 30 based on the radar principle, it is possible to widely transmit radio waves W into the interior of the vehicle 20 and extract and acquire information on the position and direction corresponding to the detection area 30. This can alleviate constraints on the installation location of the transmitter 111.

[0030] For example, as shown in Figure 2, the position of the transmitter 111 can be determined so that the transmitted radio waves W pass through the rear seat 23 and reach the detection area 30. With this configuration, the presence or absence of an occupant seated in the rear seat 23 can also be detected using the radio waves W transmitted from the same transmitter 111. In other words, the radio waves W used to prevent children from being left unattended in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 20 can be used in conjunction with the radio waves used to prevent foreign objects from getting caught in the window 21. Radio waves used to detect the presence or absence of occupants seated in other seats, not just the rear seat 23, may also be used in conjunction.

[0031] Although not shown in the diagram, another transmitter 111 may be installed so that the transmitted radio waves W pass through the rear seat 24 and reach a detection area set near the window 25 on the opposite side.

[0032] In addition, in this embodiment, since radio waves W in the frequency band used for the UWB wireless communication standard are used, high positioning performance can be obtained while suppressing power consumption and interference with other communications.

[0033] Furthermore, from the perspective of detecting an object 40 located within the detection area 30 based on the radar principle, the transmitter 111 may be configured to transmit radio waves in the millimeter-wave frequency band. An example of such a frequency band is the 60 GHz band.

[0034] The detection area may be switched on and off depending on the position of the seat where the occupant's seating is detected. For example, only the detection area set for the window closest to the seat where the occupant's seating is detected may be enabled. By enabling the detection area for windows where the possibility of foreign object entrapment is relatively high, it is possible to suppress situations where the window displacement is stopped more than necessary due to disturbances or other reasons.

[0035] If there are no occupants other than the driver, the detection area set for each window can be disabled by the driver. A signal corresponding to the instruction to disable can be input to the input interface 121 of the control device 12 through an appropriate user interface. When the processor 122 receives the signal via the input interface 121, it may be configured to ignore the detection signal DT. This configuration also helps to suppress situations in which the displacement of the windows is stopped more than necessary due to disturbances or other reasons.

[0036] Figure 5 shows another example of the processing flow executed by the processor 122 of the control device 12.

[0037] As described above, the processor 122 determines whether the object 40 is located within the detection area 30 based on the detection signal DT received by the input interface 121 (STEP 11). This process is repeated until it is determined that the object 40 is located within the detection area (NO in STEP 11).

[0038] If it is determined that the object 40 is located within the detection area 30 (YES in STEP 11), the processor 122 determines whether predetermined conditions are met (STEP 12). One example of a predetermined condition is that the window 21 has been displaced to the open position.

[0039] If it is determined that the condition is satisfied (YES in STEP 12), the processor 122 invalidates the determination that the object 40 is located within the detection area 30 (STEP 13). Therefore, the operation of the drive unit 22 is not stopped.

[0040] If it is determined that the condition is not met (NO in STEP 12), the processor 122 outputs a stop control signal SC from the output interface 123 based on the determination that the object 40 is located within the detection area 30, and stops the operation of the drive unit 22.

[0041] While the window 21 is displaced toward the open position, the possibility of foreign objects getting caught in the window 21 is low. In this situation, even if an object 40 is detected within the detection area 30, the operation of the drive unit 22 is not stopped, thereby preventing the window 21 from being stopped from displacing unnecessarily.

[0042] The operation of the drive unit 22 that opens and closes the window 21 located to the side of the rear seat is generally controllable by both a switch located near the rear seat and a switch located near the driver's seat. Another example of the above predetermined conditions is that the opening and closing of the window 21 is controlled simultaneously by both switches located in multiple different locations.

[0043] If the opening and closing of the window 21 is controlled from a location other than the driver's seat, the possibility of a foreign object getting caught in the window 21 without the driver noticing is low. In such a situation, by not stopping the operation of the drive unit 22 even if an object 40 is detected within the detection area 30, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation where the displacement of the window 21 is stopped more than necessary.

[0044] The processor 122 of the control device 12 having the various functions described above can be realized by at least one general-purpose microprocessor operating in cooperation with at least one general-purpose memory. Examples of general-purpose microprocessors include CPUs, MPUs, and GPUs. Examples of general-purpose memory include ROMs and RAMs. In this case, the ROM may store a computer program for realizing the function in question. ROM is an example of a non-temporary computer-readable medium that stores computer programs. The general-purpose microprocessor selects at least a portion of the computer program stored in the ROM and loads it onto the RAM, and then works with the RAM to execute the above-described process. The computer program may be pre-installed in the general-purpose memory, or it may be downloaded from an external server via a communication network and installed in the general-purpose memory. In this case, the external server is an example of a computer-readable medium that stores computer programs.

[0045] The processor 122 may be implemented by at least one dedicated integrated circuit capable of executing the above-mentioned computer program, such as a microcontroller, ASIC, or FPGA. In this case, the above-mentioned computer program is pre-installed in at least one memory element included in the dedicated integrated circuit. The memory element is an example of a computer-readable medium that stores the computer program. The processor 122 can also be implemented by a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a dedicated integrated circuit.

[0046] The configurations described herein are merely examples to facilitate understanding of this disclosure. Each configuration example may be modified and combined with other configuration examples as appropriate, without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the movement of the window 21 in the closing direction is stopped when it is determined that an object 40 is located within the detection area 30. However, if it is possible to prevent foreign objects from getting caught in the window 21, the speed of movement of the window 21 in the closing direction may be reduced, or the direction of movement of the window 21 may be switched to the open position. Each of these actions is also an example of movement restriction. In addition, appropriate notifications may be given to the occupants without changing the movement state of the window 21.

[0048] In particular, if it is determined that an object 40 is located within the detection area 30 while the window 21 is moving in automatic closing mode, the operation in automatic closing mode may be disabled after the movement of the window 21 is restricted. With this configuration, manual operation (maintaining the switch operation state) is required to restart the closing operation of the window 21, so the occurrence of foreign objects getting caught in the window 21 can be suppressed more reliably.

[0049] The detection device 11 according to the above embodiment example performs positioning of an object 40 located within the detection area 30 based on the radar principle using radio waves W. In addition to or instead of this, the detection device 11 can also be realized using a positioning-capable TOF (Time of Flight) sensor, a stereo camera, or the like.

[0050] When the detection device 11 is implemented using a TOF sensor, light in the invisible wavelength range is emitted toward the detection area 30, and the position of the object 40 is determined based on the reflected light from the detection area 30. This light is an example of an electromagnetic wave.

[0051] When the detection device 11 is implemented using a stereo camera, an image containing the detection area 30 is acquired. The object 40 is then positioned based on this image.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the detection area 30 is set inside the vehicle 20 beyond the movement path of the window 21. Alternatively, as illustrated in Figure 4, the detection area 30 may be set outside the vehicle 20 beyond the movement path of the window 21. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent foreign objects entering the movement path from outside the vehicle 20 from becoming trapped in the window 21.

[0053] The opening and closing parts for which the detection area 30 is set are not limited to windows 21. Examples of opening and closing parts include sliding doors, tailgates, sunroofs, and electric shades that are automatically opened and closed by a drive device mounted on the vehicle 20. In particular, to prevent foreign objects from getting caught in sliding doors or tailgates, it is preferable that the detection area 30 be set outside the vehicle 20 beyond the movement path of the door in question.

[0054] A configuration may be adopted in which, if the vehicle 20's travel speed exceeds a threshold, the detection area 30 set outside the vehicle 20 is disabled. In such a case, the possibility of foreign objects entering the detection area 30 from outside the vehicle 20 is low, thus suppressing situations in which the movement of the opening and closing mechanism is restricted more than necessary due to disturbances or other reasons.

[0055] The detection system 10 can be installed on moving objects other than the vehicle 20, provided they are equipped with an opening / closing mechanism. Examples of other moving objects include trains, ships, and aircraft. Such moving objects do not necessarily require a driver.

[0056] The configurations listed below also constitute part of this disclosure. Item 1: A foreign object detection system mounted on a mobile body having an opening / closing mechanism, A detection device that acquires information of a detection area set on at least one of the inside and outside of the moving body, relative to the movement path of the opening and closing body, A control device that restricts the movement of the opening / closing body in the closing direction when it is determined that an object is located within the detection area based on the aforementioned information, It is equipped with Foreign object detection system. Item 2: The detection device is configured to emit electromagnetic waves toward the detection area and to output a signal corresponding to the electromagnetic waves reflected by an object located within the detection area. The control device restricts the movement based on the signal. The foreign object detection system described in item 1. Item 3: The electromagnetic waves pass through the area where the seats of the occupants of the mobile body are located and reach the detection area. The foreign object detection system described in item 2. Item 4: The electromagnetic waves include frequencies used for ultra-wideband wireless communication. A foreign object detection system as described in item 2 or 3. Item 5: The control device disables the determination if the opening / closing body is moving in the opening direction. A foreign object detection system as described in any one of items 1 through 4. Item 6: The movement of the opening and closing body can be controlled from multiple different locations on the moving body. The control device invalidates the determination if the movement is controlled simultaneously from different locations. A foreign object detection system as described in any one of items 1 through 5. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0057] 10: Detection system, 11: Detection device, 12: Control device, 121: Input interface, 122: Processor, 20: Vehicle, 21: Window, 23, 24: Rear seat, 30: Detection area, 40: Object, DT: Detection signal, W: Radio wave

Claims

1. A foreign object detection system mounted on a mobile body having an opening / closing mechanism, A detection device that acquires information of a detection area set on at least one of the inside and outside of the moving body, relative to the movement path of the opening and closing body, A control device that restricts the movement of the opening / closing body in the closing direction when it is determined that an object is located within the detection area based on the aforementioned information, It is equipped with Foreign object detection system.

2. The detection device is configured to emit electromagnetic waves toward the detection area and to output a signal corresponding to the electromagnetic waves reflected by an object located within the detection area. The control device restricts the movement based on the signal. The foreign object detection system according to claim 1.

3. The electromagnetic waves pass through the area where the seats of the occupants of the mobile body are located and reach the detection area. The foreign object detection system according to claim 2.

4. The electromagnetic waves include frequencies used for ultra-wideband wireless communication. The foreign object detection system according to claim 2.

5. The control device disables the determination if the opening / closing body is moving in the opening direction. The foreign object detection system according to claim 1.

6. The movement of the opening and closing body can be controlled from multiple different locations on the moving body. The control device invalidates the determination if the movement is controlled simultaneously from different locations. The foreign object detection system according to claim 1.

7. A control device mounted on a mobile body having an opening / closing mechanism, An interface that receives signals corresponding to information of a detection area set on at least one of the inside and outside of the moving body, relative to the movement path of the opening / closing body, A processor that, when it is determined based on the signal that an object is located within the detection area, restricts the movement of the opening / closing body in the closing direction, It is equipped with Control device.

8. A computer program executable by the processor of a control device mounted on a mobile body having an opening / closing mechanism, By being executed, the control device will The system receives a signal corresponding to information of a detection area set on at least one of the inside and outside of the moving body, relative to the movement path of the opening / closing body. If it is determined that an object is located within the detection area based on the aforementioned signal, the movement of the opening / closing body in the closing direction is restricted. Computer program.

Images