Vehicle door control system

Abstract

To provide a control system for in-vehicle doors that can more reliably prevent door closure failures.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle door control system 14 includes a courtesy switch 18 for detecting open / close states of a side door 10, a latch actuator 20 for performing an unlatch operation for releasing a latch for maintaining the side door 10 in the closing state, an unlatch switch 16 provided in a cabin and operated by a user when releasing the latch, and a controller 26 for causing the latch actuator 20 to perform the unlatch operation when the unlatch switch 16 is operated. The controller 26 does not cause the unlatching operation to be performed even if the unlatch switch 16 is operated during the period when the side door 10 is in the open state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Disclosed herein is a vehicle door control system for controlling the state of a vehicle door latch. [Background technology]

[0002] Typically, a door installed in a vehicle is provided with a latch mechanism to reliably maintain the door in a closed state. The latch mechanism includes, for example, a latch body provided on the door and a striker provided on the vehicle with which the latch body can be engaged. When the door reaches a closed position, the latch body engages with the striker, thereby reliably maintaining the door in a closed state.

[0003] In recent years, electric latches that electrically release such latches have become known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which an actuator drives a latch mechanism to release the door latch when an unlatch switch provided in the vehicle is operated. In Patent Document 1, when closing of the door is detected, the actuator is prohibited from being driven for a predetermined time regardless of the operation of the unlatch switch. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the latch from being released against one's will, even if the unlatch switch is mistakenly touched immediately after the door is closed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-032139 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, depending on the position of the unlatch switch, a user may mistakenly operate the unlatch switch while pulling an open door in the closing direction, i.e., before the door is completely closed. In this case, the latch actuator is activated while the door is closing, so the door may not latch even if it reaches the closed position. The technology of Patent Document 1 prohibits the latch from being released for a certain period of time after the door is latched, so it cannot solve the closing failure where the door does not latch even if it reaches the closed position.

[0006] Therefore, this specification discloses a vehicle door control system that can more reliably prevent the door from failing to close. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vehicle door control system of this specification comprises a door sensor that detects the open / closed state of the door, a latch actuator that performs an unlatch operation to release a latch that maintains the door in a closed state, an unlatch switch that is provided inside the vehicle cabin and operated by a user when releasing the latch, and a controller that causes the latch actuator to perform the unlatch operation when the unlatch switch is operated, and is characterized in that the controller does not cause the unlatch operation to be performed even if the unlatch switch is operated while the door is in an open state.

[0008] With this configuration, even if the unlatch switch is operated by mistake when pulling the door in the closing direction from inside the vehicle, the door can be properly latched. As a result, improper closing of the door can be more reliably prevented.

[0009] In this case, the controller causes the latch actuator to perform an unlatch operation when the unlatch switch is operated a specified reference number of times while the door is in an open state, and the reference number of times may be two or more.

[0010] With this configuration, even if the door is open, if you want to release the latch, you can do so by operating the unlatch switch a specified number of times or more. In particular, to resolve a door ajar, it is necessary to release the latch, but with the above configuration, this can be resolved with a simple operation.

[0011] In addition, the controller may cause the latch actuator to perform an unlatch operation when the unlatch switch is operated a specified reference number of times within a predetermined time limit even when the door is in an open state, and the reference number of times may be two or more.

[0012] With this configuration, even if the door is open, if you want to release the latch, for example, to release the latch to open the door ajar, you can release the latch by operating the unlatch switch a reference number of times or more within the time limit. Furthermore, since the action of repeatedly operating the switch within the time limit is unlikely to occur unless you are clearly aware of it, with this configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the latch from being released against the user's will.

[0013] Furthermore, the controller may cause the latch actuator to perform an unlatch operation when the unlatch switch is pressed for a long period of time even when the door is in an open state.

[0014] With this configuration, even if the door is open, if you want to release the latch, for example, to release the latch to open the half-open door, you can release the latch by pressing and holding the unlatch switch. In addition, since a long press is an action that is unlikely to occur unless you are clearly aware of it, with this configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the latch from being released against the user's will.

[0015] The door sensor may detect, as the open state, a half-open door state in which a latch body provided on the door is not fully engaged with a striker provided on the vehicle.

[0016] Such a door sensor can be obtained with a relatively simple configuration, which reduces costs.

[0017] In addition, the door sensor may detect a half-open state in which a latch body provided on the door is not fully engaged with a striker provided on the vehicle, distinguishing this from the open state, and the controller may cause the latch actuator to perform an unlatch operation if the unlatch switch is operated during the half-open state.

[0018] With this configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the latch from being released against the user's will in the open state, while also easily resolving the door being left half-open.

[0019] The unlatch switch may be disposed on an inner end surface in a vehicle width direction of a door handle that is gripped by a user when opening or closing the door.

[0020] With this configuration, when closing the door from inside the vehicle, the direction of the force applied to the door handle and the direction of pressing the unlatch switch are opposite, which makes it possible to more reliably prevent the unlatch switch from being operated erroneously during the closing operation. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, improper closing of the door can be prevented more reliably. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system for a vehicle door. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a side door of the vehicle as viewed from the passenger compartment side. [Figure 3A] FIG. 13 illustrates the latch mechanism in a released state. [Figure 3B] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the latch mechanism in a half-latched state. [Figure 3C] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the latch mechanism in a fully latched state. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 illustrates the latch mechanism when an unlatch operation is being performed. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing a process flow of a controller. [Figure 6] 4 is a timing chart showing an example of an operation of the control system. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing flow of the controller. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing flow of the controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] The vehicle door control system 14 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle door control system 14. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a vehicle side door 10 as viewed from the passenger compartment side.

[0024] In this example, the door to be controlled is the side door 10 shown in Fig. 2. The side door 10 is provided on the side of the automobile and covers the door opening on the side of the vehicle so as to be freely opened and closed. The front end of the side door 10 is connected to the vehicle body via a hinge (not shown), and the side door 10 is capable of swinging about the hinge. In the following, the state in which the side door 10 is completely closed is referred to as the "CL state," and the state in which the side door 10 is open is referred to as the "OP state."

[0025] The vehicle is provided with a latch mechanism 24 that maintains the side door 10 in the CL state. As described later in detail, the latch mechanism 24 has a striker 40 fixed to the vehicle body, a latch body 32 that can engage with the striker 40, and a ratchet 42 that interferes with the latch body 32 to regulate the swing of the latch body 32 (see Figs. 1 and 3, not shown in Fig. 2). The latch body 32 and the ratchet 42 are provided inside the side door 10, and the latch body 32 fully engages with the striker 40 to maintain the side door 10 in the closed state. The state of the latch mechanism 24, i.e., the latch state, includes a "release state" in which the engagement between the latch body 32 and the striker 40 is completely released, a "full latch state" in which the latch body 32 fully engages with the striker 40, and a "half latch state" in which the latch body 32 is insufficiently engaged with the striker 40. Among these, the half-latched state is a state generally called a "half-closed door" state, in which the side door 10 is incompletely closed.

[0026] The control system 14 mainly manages this latch state. The control system 14 in this embodiment includes a latch mechanism 24, a latch lever 22, an unlatch switch 16, a courtesy switch 18, a latch actuator 20, and a controller 26, as shown in FIG.

[0027] First, the configuration of the latch mechanism 24 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the latch mechanism 24, with FIG. 3A showing the release state, FIG. 3B showing the half-latched state, and FIG. 3C showing the full-latched state. As described above, the latch mechanism 24 has a striker 40 fixed to the vehicle body, and a latch body 32 and a ratchet 42 installed inside the side door 10. The latch body 32 is a plate that can swing around a predetermined rotation shaft 32a. When transitioning from the release state to the full-latched state, the latch body 32 swings in an engagement direction A+, which is a counterclockwise direction on the page, and when transitioning from the full-latched state to the release state, the latch body 32 swings in a release direction A-, which is a clockwise direction on the page. The latch body 32 is biased in the release direction A- by a latch spring (not shown).

[0028] Further, the latch body 32 is formed with an engagement groove 34 into which the striker 40 can enter. The engagement groove 34 opens diagonally downward toward the inside in the vehicle width direction in the released state, and opens diagonally downward toward the outside in the vehicle width direction in the fully latched state. Both sides of the engagement groove 34 function as a full latch pawl 36 and a half latch pawl 38 that interfere with the ratchet 42. The full latch pawl 36 is located on the release direction A- side of the engagement groove 34, and the half latch pawl 38 is located on the engagement direction A+ side of the engagement groove 34.

[0029] The ratchet 42 is a plate that can swing around a predetermined rotation axis 42a. The ratchet 42 can transition between a restricted state in which it interferes with a part of the latch body 32 to restrict the swing of the latch body 32, and an allowed state in which it moves away from the latch body 32 to allow the swing of the latch body 32. When transitioning from the allowed state to the restricted state, the ratchet 42 swings in a restricted direction B+, which is a counterclockwise direction on the page, and when transitioning from the restricted state to the allowed state, the ratchet 42 swings in an allowed direction B-, which is a clockwise direction on the page. The ratchet 42 is biased in the restricted direction B+ by a ratchet spring (not shown).

[0030] The striker 40 is, for example, a substantially U-shaped bar, and is provided in a position on the vehicle body where it can enter the engagement groove 34 when the side door 10 is closed. As shown in Fig. 2, an access groove 44 that allows the striker 40 to enter is formed in the rear edge of the side door 10.

[0031] When the side door 10 in the OP state is moved in the closing direction, the latch body 32 approaches the striker 40, and the striker 40 relatively enters the engagement groove 34. Then, as the closing operation proceeds, the striker 40 presses the latch body 32 in the engagement direction A+. As a result, the latch body 32 rotates in the engagement direction A+ against the biasing forces of the latch spring and the ratchet spring. When the ratchet 42 overcomes the half latch claw 38 in accordance with this rotation, the half latch state shown in FIG. 3B is reached. In the half latch state, the ratchet 42 interferes with the half latch claw 38. Therefore, the swing of the latch body 32 in the release direction A- is restricted. However, in this state, the side door 10 is not completely closed.

[0032] When the side door 10 is completely closed, the latch body 32 further swings from the half-latch state, and the ratchet 42 passes over the full-latch claw 36. This state is the full-latch state shown in Fig. 3C. In the full-latch state, the ratchet 42 interferes with the full-latch claw 36, so that the swing of the latch body 32 in the release direction A- is restricted. Thus, the side door 10 is maintained in the CL state.

[0033] After the fully latched state (i.e., the CL state) or the half latched state is reached, when the ratchet 42 is swung in the allowable direction B- against the biasing force of the ratchet spring, the latch body 32 is swung in the release direction A- by the biasing force of the latch spring. This releases the engagement between the latch body 32 and the striker 40, allowing the side door 10 to be opened. Note that the configuration described here is an example, and the latch mechanism 24 may be modified as appropriate as long as it can maintain the side door 10 in the CL state.

[0034] Next, the configuration of the control system 14 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The latch lever 22 is a lever mechanically connected to the ratchet 42 via a wire or the like. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, this latch lever 22 is attached to the inside surface of the side door 10 in the vehicle width direction. When the latch lever 22 is pulled in a predetermined direction, the movement is mechanically transmitted to the ratchet 42 as a movement in the allowable direction B-. Then, as the ratchet 42 swings in the allowable direction B-, the latch body 32 swings in the release direction A-, and the latch is released.

[0035] The unlatch switch 16 is a switch that is pressed by a user when the user wishes to release the latch. When the unlatch switch 16 is operated, it outputs a release signal. The unlatch switch 16 is provided on the door handle 12, for example, as shown in FIG. 2. The door handle 12 is a handle that the user holds when opening and closing the side door 10 from inside the vehicle. In this example, the unlatch switch 16 is disposed on the inner surface of the door handle 12 in the vehicle width direction, near the thumb of the hand holding the door handle 12. With this arrangement, the user can simultaneously press the unlatch switch 16 and push the side door 10 in the opening direction. As a result, the side door 10 can be easily opened.

[0036] The latch actuator 20 is an actuator that performs an unlatch operation to release the latch by the latch mechanism 24 in response to a drive signal from the controller 26. The configuration of the latch actuator 20 is not particularly limited, but for example, the latch actuator 20 may have a wire connected to a ratchet 42, a bobbin that winds up the wire, and a drive source that rotates and drives the bobbin. For example, a motor, a solenoid, a hydraulic cylinder, or the like can be used as the drive source. When the latch actuator 20 is driven, the ratchet 42 swings in the allowable direction B-, and the latch is released.

[0037] The courtesy switch 18 is a door sensor that detects the open / closed state of the side door 10. The courtesy switch 18 is attached, for example, to the periphery of the door opening, and is a switch that is ON when pressed by the side door 10 in the CL state, and is OFF when the pressure by the side door 10 is released. The detection result by this courtesy switch 18, i.e., the ON / OFF state of the courtesy switch 18, is input to the controller 26. Note that in a half-open door state (i.e., half-latched state), the courtesy switch 18 is ON. Therefore, the controller 26 judges the half-open door state to be an OP state in which the side door 10 is open.

[0038] The controller 26 controls the driving of the latch actuator 20, and is physically a computer having a processor 28 and a memory 30. This "computer" also includes a microcontroller in which a computer system is incorporated into a single integrated circuit. Also, multiple processors 28 and memories 30 may be provided.

[0039] The controller 26 controls the driving of the latch actuator 20 in response to signals from the unlatch switch 16 and the courtesy switch 18. Specifically, when the courtesy switch 18 is in the OFF state (i.e., the side door 10 is in the CL state) and a release signal is input from the unlatch switch 16 (i.e., the unlatch switch 16 is operated), the controller 26 drives the latch actuator 20 to release the latch. On the other hand, when the courtesy switch 18 is in the ON state (i.e., the side door 10 is in the OP state), the controller 26 does not drive the latch actuator 20 and does not release the latch even if a release signal is input from the unlatch switch 16 (i.e., the unlatch switch 16 is operated). In other words, in this example, when the side door 10 is in the OP state, the unlatch switch 16 is disabled.

[0040] The unlatch switch 16 is disabled in the OP state in this way in order to prevent the side door 10 from failing to close. That is, as described above, in this example, the unlatch switch 16 is provided at a position that is easily accessible by the hand that grasps the door handle 12. Therefore, when the door handle 12 is pulled inward in the vehicle width direction to close the side door 10 in the OP state, the unlatch switch 16 may be pressed by mistake. Here, if the unlatch switch 16 is enabled even in the OP state, the unlatch switch 16 may be pressed during the closing operation of the side door 10, and the latch actuator 20 may be driven. In this case, even if the side door 10 reaches the closed position, the latch will not be applied. That is, when the latch actuator 20 is driven, the ratchet 42 is pulled in the allowable direction B- as shown in FIG. 4. Therefore, when the force pushing the side door 10 in the closing direction is no longer present, the latch body 32 immediately moves in the release direction A- due to the biasing force of the latch spring. As a result, the latch is not engaged and the side door 10 is not maintained in the CL state. On the other hand, the user may think that the side door 10 is properly closed once the side door 10 reaches the closed position, and may not notice that the latch remains released.

[0041] To avoid such problems, in this embodiment, the unlatch switch 16 is disabled in the OP state. With this configuration, even if the unlatch switch 16 is mistakenly operated during the closing operation, the latch actuator 20 is not driven. As a result, when the side door 10 reaches the closed position, a closing failure in which the latch is not engaged can be effectively prevented.

[0042] However, in this example, even in the OP state, when the unlatch switch 16 is operated twice, the latch actuator 20 is driven to release the latch. This is to enable the cancellation of the half-latched state (i.e., the door is half-closed state). That is, as described above and as shown in FIG. 3B, in the half-latched state, the latch body 32 is engaged with the striker 40, albeit incompletely. In order to cancel this half-latched state, it is necessary to release the latch once, open the side door 10 widely, and then pull the side door 10 in the closing direction again with force. That is, in order to cancel the half-latched state, an unlatch operation is required to swing the ratchet 42 in the allowable direction B-. Meanwhile, in this example, the half-latched state is detected as the OP state. Therefore, if the unlatch switch 16 is completely disabled in the OP state, a separate operation of the latch lever 22 is required to cancel the half-latched state, which makes the operation complicated.

[0043] Therefore, in this example, even in the OP state, if the unlatch switch 16 is operated a predetermined reference number of times, the latch actuator 20 is driven to release the latch mechanism 24. Therefore, when the state is switched from the CL state to the OP state, the controller 26 counts the number of times the unlatch switch 16 is operated, that is, the number of times the release signal is received. Then, the controller 26 drives the latch actuator 20 to release the latch mechanism 24 at the timing when the number of times the unlatch switch 16 is operated reaches the reference number. With this configuration, when the state is in the half-latch state, the latch can be released by operating the unlatch switch 16 the reference number of times, and thus the half-latch state can be released. The reference number is not particularly limited as long as it is a value equal to or greater than 2, but the following description will be given assuming that the reference number is "2."

[0044] Here, normally, if a person does not get a predetermined response even after operating the switch once, he or she will suspect that an accidental mistake (for example, insufficient depression of the switch, noise, poor contact, etc.) has occurred and will often operate the switch again. Even in this example, if a half-latch state occurs and the latch cannot be released by operating the unlatch switch 16 once, it is natural for the user to operate the unlatch switch 16 again. Therefore, as described above, if the configuration is such that the unlatch operation is performed exceptionally when the unlatch switch 16 is operated twice even in the OP state, the user can easily resolve the half-latch state without being aware of any special operating procedures.

[0045] Next, the flow of processing by the controller 26 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. When the vehicle is started, the controller 26 initializes the number of times of operation i, setting i = 0 (S10). The controller 26 also periodically monitors the state of the courtesy switch 18 thereafter, and when the state of the courtesy switch 18 switches from the CL state to the OP state, that is, when the courtesy switch 18 switches from the OFF state to the ON state, it again initializes the number of times of operation i, setting i = 0 (S12, S14).

[0046] The controller 26 also monitors the operation status of the unlatch switch 16 (S16). If the unlatch switch 16 remains OFF as a result of the monitoring, the controller 26 continues to wait as it is. On the other hand, if the unlatch switch 16 is ON (Yes in S16), the controller 26 checks the current open / close state of the side door 10 (S18). Then, in the case of the CL state (No in S18), the controller 26 instructs the latch actuator 20 to perform an unlatch operation (S26). On the other hand, in the case of the OP state (Yes in S18), the controller 26 increments the number of operations i (S20). Next, the controller 26 checks the current number of operations i (S22). If the number of operations i is 2 or more (Yes in S22), the controller 26 instructs the latch actuator 20 to perform an unlatch operation (S26). On the other hand, if the number of operations i is less than 2 (No in S22), the controller 26 returns to step S12 and repeats the same process unless the vehicle is turned OFF.

[0047] Next, an example of the operation of the control system 14 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a timing chart showing an example of the operation of the control system 14. In the example of Fig. 6, the first row shows the state of the courtesy switch 18, the second row shows the state of the unlatch switch 16, the third row shows the state of the latch actuator 20, and the fourth row shows the state of the latch mechanism 24. Also, in Fig. 6, an arrow TC indicates the execution timing of the closing operation in which the user pulls the side door 10 inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0048] 6, at time t0, the side door 10 is in the CL state, and then, at time t1, the unlatch switch 16 is operated. In this case, the controller 26 immediately drives the latch actuator 20 to release the latch. As a result, immediately after time t1, the latch mechanism 24 transitions to the release state, and the side door 10 becomes the OP state.

[0049] Next, at time t2, the user performs a closing operation, but at this time, the unlatch switch 16 is also pressed by mistake. Since the unlatch switch 16 is pressed in the OP state, the controller 26 does not drive the latch actuator 20. As a result, immediately after time t2, the latch mechanism 24 is in the fully latched state, and the courtesy switch 18 is in the CL state. In other words, even if the unlatch switch 16 is operated in parallel with the closing operation of pulling the side door 10 inward, the side door 10 can be properly closed.

[0050] Next, assume that the unlatch switch 16 is operated again at time t3. At this time, since the courtesy switch 18 is in the CL state, the controller 26 immediately drives the latch actuator 20 to release the latch.

[0051] Next, assume that the user performs a closing operation at time t4. However, the force pulling the side door 10 in the closing direction is insufficient in the closing operation at time t4, and the side door 10 is in a half-latched state, or a so-called half-door state. In this case, the half-latched state cannot be resolved unless the latch mechanism 24 is once returned to the release state. Therefore, the user operates the unlatch switch 16 to open the side door 10 at time t5. However, at this time, the courtesy switch 18 is in the OP state, so the controller 26 does not drive the latch actuator 20. In this case, the user considers that an accidental mistake has occurred, and re-executes the operation of the unlatch switch 16 at time t6. As a result, the number of operations i during the OP state period becomes "2", so the controller 26 causes the latch actuator 20 to perform a latch operation. As a result, the latch mechanism 24 is in the release state, and the user can swing the side door 10 in the open direction. At time t7, if the side door 10 can be opened widely, the user performs a closing operation again by pulling the side door 10 in the closing direction, which causes the latch mechanism 24 to enter the fully latched state, and the side door 10 is properly closed.

[0052] As is clear from the above description, according to this embodiment, even if the unlatch switch 16 is operated by mistake during the closing operation, the operation is invalidated, so that the side door 10 can be properly closed. On the other hand, if the unlatch switch 16 is operated twice in the OP state, the unlatch operation is performed, so that the half-open door state can be properly and easily resolved.

[0053] It should be noted that the configuration described above is merely an example, and other configurations may be modified as appropriate as long as, in principle, the unlatch operation is not executed at least during the OP state, even if the unlatch switch 16 is operated.

[0054] For example, the condition for exceptionally executing the unlatch operation during the OP state may be changed as appropriate. That is, in the above example, if the total number of operations of the unlatch switch 16 during the OP state reaches two, the unlatch operation is exceptionally executed. However, the total number of operations for exceptionally executing the unlatch operation is not limited to two and may be more.

[0055] Also, the unlatch operation may be exceptionally performed when the unlatch switch 16 is repeatedly pressed within a predetermined time, rather than the total number of operations. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the process flow in this case.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 7, in this case, the controller 26 manages a parameter called elapsed time te in addition to the number of operations i. Immediately after starting the vehicle, the controller 26 initializes these two parameters i and te, respectively, setting i=0 and te=0 (S30, S32). Furthermore, if the elapsed time te is equal to or greater than a predetermined time limit tlim (Yes in S34), the parameters i and te are initialized. Furthermore, the controller 26 monitors the operation status of the unlatch switch 16 (S36). If the unlatch switch 16 is operated as a result of the monitoring (Yes in S36), the controller 26 checks the open / closed state of the side door 10 (S38). Then, if the state is CL (No in S38), the controller 26 immediately causes the latch actuator 20 to perform an unlatch operation (S50). On the other hand, if the state is OP (Yes in S38), the controller 26 increments the number of operations i (S40). If the incremented number of operations i is "1" (Yes in S42), the controller 26 starts counting the elapsed time te (S44). If the incremented number of operations i is "2" (Yes in S46), the controller 26 causes the latch actuator 20 to perform an unlatch operation (S50). If the number of operations i is less than 2, the process returns to step S36 and the same process is repeated.

[0057] As described above, in the case of FIG. 7, the number of operations i is initialized when the time limit tlim has elapsed. In other words, in the case of FIG. 7, if the pressing operation is not performed twice within the time limit tlim in the OP state, the latch is not released. Pressing the button twice consecutively within the time limit tlim is unlikely to occur accidentally, and the user needs to act with a clear awareness. Therefore, by adopting such a configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the unlatch operation from being performed against the user's will in the OP state. The value of the time limit tlim is not particularly limited, but the time limit tlim is usually set to a value of 3 seconds or less.

[0058] As another embodiment, in the OP state, the unlatch operation may be executed only when the unlatch switch 16 is pressed for a long time. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, when the unlatch switch 16 is turned on in the OP state (Yes in S60 and Yes in S62), the controller 26 may check whether the operation is a long press or not (S64). Then, only if the check result shows that the operation is a long press (Yes in S64), the controller 26 may cause the latch actuator 20 to execute the unlatch operation (S68), and if the operation is not a long press, the controller 26 may not execute the unlatch operation regardless of the number of operations i. Here, the long press operation is unlikely to occur accidentally unless the user acts with a clear awareness. Therefore, by adopting such a configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the unlatch operation from being executed against the user's will in the OP state.

[0059] In the above description, the courtesy switch 18 is used as a door sensor. Therefore, the half-latch state in which the latch mechanism 24 is in a half-latched state is also detected as an OP state. However, a sensor capable of distinguishing between a half-latch state and a released state may be used as the door sensor. For example, the door sensor may have a latch state switch that detects the latch state in addition to the courtesy switch 18. The configuration of the latch state switch is not particularly limited, but for example, the latch state switch may be a rotary switch that outputs a different signal depending on the amount of swing of the latch body 32. In this case, the rotary switch has an operation knob that is mechanically connected to the latch body 32 and swings together with the latch body 32. The controller 26 can detect the half-latch state based on the detection result of the latch state switch and the detection result of the courtesy switch 18. In this case, the controller 26 may completely disable the unlatch switch 16 in the released state and enable the unlatch switch 16 in the half-latch state. With this configuration, in the OP state, an unlatching operation against the user's will is reliably prevented, and a half-open door can be easily resolved.

[0060] In the explanation so far, even in the OP state, the unlatch switch 16 is exceptionally enabled when certain conditions are met. However, in the OP state, the unlatch switch 16 may always be disabled. In this case, the half-open door state is resolved by operating the latch lever 22.

[0061] In the above description, the unlatch switch 16 is disabled in the OP state, but the unlatch switch 16 may be disabled in other situations. For example, immediately after the side door 10 is closed, that is, immediately after the latch mechanism 24 transitions from the release state to the fully latched state, the user is still holding the door handle 12. Therefore, immediately after this closing, the user's fingers may accidentally touch the unlatch switch 16, causing the unlatch switch 16 to turn ON. In that case, the latch is released immediately after the side door 10 is closed, so the user must perform the closing operation again, which is troublesome. Therefore, when the side door 10 transitions from the release state to the fully latched state, the unlatch switch 16 may be disabled until a predetermined waiting time has elapsed. With this configuration, it is possible to effectively prevent the side door 10 from being opened against the will. In this case, the waiting time is not particularly limited, and for example, the waiting time may be set to a value less than one second. Also, the unlatch switch 16 may be disabled when the vehicle starts traveling.

[0062] In addition, in the above description, the unlatch switch 16 has been described as a switch that can be physically pressed, but the unlatch switch 16 may be a switch of another type that can detect pressing or contact. For example, the unlatch switch 16 may be a touch switch that can detect contact with a finger. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 10 side door, 12 door handle, 14 control system, 16 unlatch switch, 18 courtesy switch, 20 latch actuator, 22 latch lever, 24 latch mechanism, 26 controller, 28 processor, 30 memory, 32 latch body, 32a rotating shaft, 34 engagement groove, 36 full latch claw, 38 half latch claw, 40 striker, 42 ratchet, 42a rotating shaft, 44 access groove.

Claims

1. A door sensor that detects whether the door is open or closed; a latch actuator that performs an unlatch operation to release a latch that maintains the door in a closed state; an unlatch switch that is provided in the vehicle interior and that is operated by a user when releasing the latch; a controller that causes the latch actuator to perform the unlatch operation when the unlatch switch is operated; The controller does not execute the unlatch operation even if the unlatch switch is operated while the door is in an open state, the controller causes the latch actuator to perform the unlatch operation when the unlatch switch is operated a specified reference number of times while the door is in an open state; The reference number of times is 2 or more.

1. A vehicle door control system comprising:

2. A door sensor that detects the open / closed state of a door; a latch actuator that performs an unlatch operation to release a latch that maintains the door in a closed state; an unlatch switch that is provided in the vehicle interior and that is operated by a user when releasing the latch; a controller that causes the latch actuator to perform the unlatch operation when the unlatch switch is operated; The controller does not execute the unlatch operation even if the unlatch switch is operated while the door is in an open state, The controller causes the latch actuator to perform the unlatch operation when the unlatch switch is operated a prescribed reference number of times within a predetermined time limit even when the door is in an open state, The reference number of times is 2 or more.

1. A vehicle door control system comprising:

3. A door sensor that detects the open / closed state of a door; a latch actuator that performs an unlatch operation to release a latch that maintains the door in a closed state; an unlatch switch that is provided in the vehicle interior and that is operated by a user when releasing the latch; a controller that causes the latch actuator to perform the unlatch operation when the unlatch switch is operated; The controller does not execute the unlatch operation even if the unlatch switch is operated while the door is in an open state, The controller causes the latch actuator to perform the unlatch operation when the unlatch switch is pressed for a long time even when the door is in an open state.

1. A vehicle door control system comprising:

4. A vehicle door control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The vehicle door control system is characterized in that the door sensor detects a half-open state in which a latch body provided on the door is not fully engaged with a striker provided on the vehicle as the open state.

5. A door sensor for detecting the open / closed state of a door; a latch actuator that performs an unlatch operation to release a latch that maintains the door in a closed state; an unlatch switch that is provided in the vehicle interior and that is operated by a user when releasing the latch; a controller that causes the latch actuator to perform the unlatch operation when the unlatch switch is operated; The controller does not execute the unlatch operation even if the unlatch switch is operated while the door is in an open state, The door sensor detects a half-open state in which a latch body provided on the door is not fully engaged with a striker provided on the vehicle, by distinguishing this from the open state; the controller causes the latch actuator to perform the unlatch operation when the unlatch switch is operated during the period when the door is half-open; 1. A vehicle door control system comprising:

6. A vehicle door control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The vehicle door control system, wherein the unlatch switch is provided on an inner end surface, in a vehicle width direction, of a door handle that is gripped by a user when opening or closing the door.

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