Door entrapment detection sensor and door entrapment prevention device

Abstract

To provide a door pinching detection sensor capable of quickly detecting pinching even when a pinching avoidance object approaches or comes into contact with not only a door side but also a body side.SOLUTION: A door pinching detection sensor includes a first detection electrode disposed on at least a part of a peripheral edge portion of an openable / closable door closing an opening part of a vehicle body to detect a change in electrostatic capacity, a second detection electrode disposed on at least a part of the peripheral edge portion of the opening part to detect a change in electrostatic capacity, and an electrostatic capacity detection circuit unit in which the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are electrically connected to have the same potential.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a door entrapment detection sensor and a door entrapment prevention device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, automatic doors, such as automatic swing doors, automatic sliding doors, and power tailgates, have been put into practical use in vehicles as automatic doors that automatically open and close using a drive source such as a motor. Automatic doors are configured to automatically open or close designated doors, such as the driver's door, passenger door, rear door, and tailgate, by a user (such as a passenger) operating an individual door switch. Since automatic doors continue to open or close once the door switch is operated, a configuration is required to detect the presence of an object to be pinched (e.g., a finger or a palm) between the door and the vehicle body and stop the door's closing operation. Therefore, a technology has been proposed that determines whether an object to be pinched (e.g., a finger or a palm) exists between the door and the vehicle body based on a comparison between a capacitance value output from a capacitance sensor installed in the door and a predetermined threshold value, and then stops the door's closing operation. In technologies using such capacitance sensors, there have been proposed techniques to improve the signal-to-noise ratio by providing a shield electrode, or to improve detection accuracy by adding a door position detection electrode to the body side to reduce the influence of the body when the body and the capacitance sensor electrode come close to each other. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-227242 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-136736 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described above, in the conventional technology, when an object to be avoided from being pinched, such as a finger or a palm, approaches or comes into contact with the door side (moving part side), pinch detection is performed quickly and the door is stopped, etc. However, when an object to be avoided from being pinched approaches or comes into contact with the body side (non-moving side), the object to be avoided from being pinched may not be detected until the approaching door comes into contact with (approaches) the object to be avoided from being pinched. In other words, there has been a problem in that pinch detection cannot be performed until the body and door approach each other and actual pinching occurs.

[0005] Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a door entrapment detection sensor and a door entrapment prevention device that can quickly detect entrapment not only on the door side but also when an object to be avoided (obstacle) approaches or comes into contact with the body side. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A door entrapment detection sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes, for example, a first detection electrode disposed on at least a portion of the periphery of an openable door that closes an opening in a vehicle body and detects a change in capacitance, a second detection electrode disposed on at least a portion of the periphery of the opening and detects a change in capacitance, and a capacitance detection circuit unit connected so that the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are at the same electrical potential. With this configuration, it is possible to quickly detect a change in capacitance when, for example, an object to be prevented from being entrapped, such as a finger or a palm, approaches or comes into contact with either the door side or the body side.

[0007] The first and second detection electrodes of the door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention may have an elongated shape such that, for example, when the door closes the opening, one end of the detection electrode faces the other end of the electrode. This configuration makes it possible to quickly detect, for example, that an object to be prevented from being entrapped approaches or comes into contact with a portion where there is a risk of entrapment over a wide area, thereby contributing to improving detection performance.

[0008] In the door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention, for example, a shield electrode may be interposed between the first detection electrode and the door or between the second detection electrode and the body. This configuration makes it possible to suppress the influence of the approach of the door or the body on the change in capacitance, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, for example, and more accurately detecting an object to be avoided that is approaching or coming into contact with a part where there is a risk of entrapment.

[0009] A door entrapment prevention device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes, for example, a first detection electrode that is disposed on at least a portion of the periphery of an openable door that closes an opening in a vehicle body and detects a change in capacitance, a second detection electrode that is disposed on at least a portion of the periphery of the opening and detects a change in capacitance, a capacitance detection circuit unit that connects the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode so that they are electrically at the same potential, and a control unit that executes entrapment avoidance processing based on the detection result of the capacitance detection circuit unit. With this configuration, for example, when an object to be entrapped, such as a finger or a palm, approaches or comes into contact with either the door side or the body side, the change in capacitance can be quickly detected and the entrapment avoidance processing can be quickly executed.

[0010] The control unit of the door entrapment prevention device according to the embodiment of the present invention may execute, as the entrapment avoidance process, a door control process of stopping the closing operation of the door or switching the closing operation of the door to an opening operation. With this configuration, for example, the closing operation of the door is stopped or the closing operation of the door is switched to an opening operation before actual entrapment occurs, thereby making it possible to reliably avoid entrapment of an object to be entrapped. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic top view of a vehicle in which a door entrapment detection sensor and a door entrapment prevention device according to an embodiment can be installed. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is an exemplary schematic side view showing a door illustrating the arrangement position of a first detection electrode of the door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exemplary schematic side view showing a body illustrating the arrangement position of a second detection electrode of the door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a door entrapment prevention device including a door entrapment detection sensor according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exemplary schematic waveform diagram showing potentials of the first detection electrode, the second detection electrode, and the shield electrode of the door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment when an object to be prevented from being entrapped is not detected. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing the relationship between the door opening degree and the capacitance value when there is no object to be prevented from being pinched (such as a finger or a palm) between the door and the body in the door pinch detection sensor according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing a presence pattern when an object to be avoided from being pinched (for example, a finger) is present between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode of the door pinch detection sensor according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing the relationship between the door opening degree and the capacitance value when an object to be prevented from being pinched (such as a finger or a palm) is present between the door and the body in the door pinch detection sensor according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an exemplary flowchart showing the flow of the anti-entrapment process of the door anti-entrapment device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are disclosed below. The configurations of the embodiments described below, as well as the actions, results, and advantages brought about by the configurations, are merely examples. The present invention can be realized by configurations other than those disclosed in the following embodiments, and it is possible to obtain at least one of the various advantages based on the basic configurations and derivative advantages.

[0013] The door entrapment detection sensor of this embodiment includes a first detection electrode, a second detection electrode, and a capacitance detection circuit. The first detection electrode is disposed on at least a portion of the periphery of an openable door that closes an opening in a vehicle body and detects changes in capacitance. The second detection electrode is disposed on at least a portion of the periphery of the opening and detects changes in capacitance. The capacitance detection circuit is connected so that the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are electrically at the same potential. In this case, both the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode can detect changes in capacitance, and the door entrapment detection sensor can quickly detect the approach or contact of an object to be avoided, such as a finger or palm, on either the door or the body.

[0014] In the following embodiments, the door entrapment detection sensor will be described as an example of a case where it is used as part of a door entrapment prevention device applied to a so-called auto-swing door, which is a vehicle door that opens and closes automatically under the control of a drive source such as a motor. When the door entrapment prevention device detects that an object to be prevented from being entrapped, such as a finger or palm, is entrapped between the door, which is a movable body, and the body, which is a non-movable part, the door entrapment prevention device executes a door control process to stop the door closing operation or to switch from the closing operation to the opening operation, thereby preventing the object from being entrapped.

[0015] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic top view of a vehicle 12 that can be equipped with an ECU (electronic control unit) 10 including a door entrapment prevention device that performs detection control using a door entrapment detection sensor and controls the opening and closing of the vehicle doors according to the present embodiment. As described above, the vehicle 12 is equipped with an auto-swing type door 14 that automatically opens and closes using an opening and closing mechanism (actuator) including an electric motor or the like. While FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the door entrapment detection process is applied to, for example, the driver's door 14a in the front seat of the vehicle 12, the process can also be applied to the passenger door 14b, the rear seat right door 14c, the rear seat left door 14d, and the back door (trunk door) 14e. Because the entrapment detection process for each door 14 is basically the same, the driver's door 14a will be described as a representative door, and descriptions of the other doors 14 will be omitted. In the following description, unless there is a need to distinguish between doors, the door will be referred to as the door 14.

[0016] The driver's door 14a is connected to the body 16 of the vehicle 12 via a hinge 18 so as to be able to open and close. Similarly, the passenger door 14b through the back door 14e are also connected to the body 16 via their respective hinges so as to be able to open and close. In the vehicle 12, when a user operates a door opening / closing switch (not shown) installed around the inner door handle (not shown) of the driver's door 14a through the left rear door 14d, or on the armrest, the ECU 10 activates a door opening / closing mechanism 20 (only the driver's door 14a is shown) built into the corresponding door 14, automatically opening or closing the door 14 to be operated. In addition, when a user operates the outer door handle (not shown) or the inner door handle (not shown) inside the vehicle compartment of one of the driver's doors 14a through 14e to disengage the door latch (not shown), a door switch (not shown) built into the door 14 is turned on, and the ECU 10 activates the door opening / closing mechanism 20, automatically opening or closing the door 14 to be operated. In addition, without using a physical switch, the completion of boarding by a user or other occupant may be detected, for example, by a sensor (e.g., a camera), and the door opening / closing mechanism 20 may be operated to automatically open and close (close) the door 14.

[0017] The door opening / closing mechanism 20 is built into, for example, the driver's door 14a to the rear left door 14d and the back door 14e. The door opening / closing mechanism 20 includes a motor (DC motor) as a drive source, a rotation sensor that detects the rotational position of the motor's rotor, a current detection unit (current detection sensor) that detects the current value when the motor is running, a transmission mechanism such as a reducer, and a spindle unit. The spindle unit includes a housing that is supported by the corresponding door 14 and is rotationally driven by the motor via the transmission mechanism, and a threaded spindle whose tip is connected to the corresponding door 14 and moves axially forward and backward relative to the housing as the housing rotates. The door opening / closing mechanism 20 operates under the control of an ECU 10 that performs various calculations based on the operation of a door opening / closing switch, outer door handle, inner door handle, etc. That is, under the control of the ECU 10, the motor rotates the housing of the spindle unit, thereby opening and closing the target door 14 to a desired opening angle (door opening degree). The pitch of the threads in the spindle unit is determined so that the door 14 rotates smoothly when the user manually opens or closes the door 14, and a good door check function (the function of positioning the door 14 at a predetermined angle) is ensured. The door opening / closing mechanism 20 may be provided with, for example, an electromagnetic friction brake that slows or stops the rotation of the motor rotor. The door opening / closing mechanism 20 may have any other configuration as long as it is capable of opening, closing, and stopping the door 14, and any well-known door opening / closing mechanism can be used.

[0018] An ECU 10 is provided for each door 14 (driver's door 14a to 14e). The ECU 10 is configured with a computer or the like, and executes a pinch avoidance (prevention) process through cooperation between hardware and software. Specifically, the ECU 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10a, as well as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage unit, and the like. The CPU 10a, ROM, and RAM may be provided on the same circuit board.

[0019] The CPU 10a can read a program installed and stored in a nonvolatile storage device such as a ROM and execute arithmetic processing in accordance with the program. The program is software that realizes various functions for executing a door entrapment avoidance (prevention) process and controls a motor drive plan (e.g., the position, angular velocity, and angular acceleration over time when closing the door 14) from the open state to the fully closed state of the door 14. The CPU 10a detects whether an object to be entrapped is present between the driver's door 14a (door 14) and the edge of the opening 16a of the body 16, for example, based on a capacitance waveform output from a first detection electrode 22 provided on the driver's door 14a (door 14) side or a second detection electrode 24 provided on the body 16 side. If an object to be entrapped is detected, the CPU 10a performs an entrapment avoidance process (door control process) that stops the closing operation of the driver's door 14a or switches from the closing operation to the opening operation. Note that the ECU 10 (CPU 10a) may collectively manage each door 14. In this case, the ECU 10 may collect the capacitance values (capacitance waveforms) output by the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 of each door 14 and perform a pinch state determination for each door 14.

[0020] Fig. 2 is an exemplary schematic side view of the driver's door 14a (door 14) showing the arrangement position of the first detection electrode 22 of the door pinch detection sensor. Fig. 3 is an exemplary schematic side view of the body 16 showing the arrangement position of the second detection electrode 24 of the door pinch detection sensor.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are formed in an elongated shape such that their ends face each other when the driver's door 14a closes the opening 16a. In other words, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are arranged so as to cover the period from the initial stage of the closing operation when the driver's door 14a approaches the body 16 during the closing operation until the stage when the door approaches the hinge portion 18, where the phenomenon of the opposing distance shortening becomes relatively noticeable. In this case, when the door 14 closes, the gap between the door 14 and the body 16 narrows more quickly on the hinge connection side (the side closer to the door pivot axis) than on the non-hinge connection side, and greater pressure is applied to an object to be pinched in the event of pinch. Therefore, by preferentially arranging the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 on the hinge portion 18 side, an object to be pinched can be detected more quickly in an area where pinch prevention is desired. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are arranged to correspond to the inclined portions corresponding to the side edges of the front window of the vehicle 12. This partial arrangement can shorten the overall length of the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24, thereby contributing to cost reduction and making it easier to detect changes in capacitance value more significantly. As a result, this can contribute to improved detection accuracy. In other embodiments, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 may be arranged to correspond to the entire circumference of the opening 16a.

[0022] FIG. 4 is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a door entrapment prevention device T including a door entrapment detection sensor Ts. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the driver's door 14a in FIG. 1 is closing, and the first detection electrode 22 installed on the driver's door 14a, which is made of, for example, a steel plate, approaches the second detection electrode 24 installed on the body 16, which is also made of a steel plate. In FIG. 4, a shield electrode 26a (26) is interposed between the first detection electrode 22 and the driver's door 14a. Similarly, a shield electrode 26b (26) is interposed between the second detection electrode 24 and the body 16. In FIG. 4, although the illustration is simplified, a resin film is interposed between the first detection electrode 22 and the shield electrode 26a, which are made of copper foil or the like, and further, the surfaces of the first detection electrode 22 and the shield electrode 26a are covered with a resin film. Therefore, the first detection electrode 22 and the shield electrode 26a are configured as a so-called film sensor unit having a laminated structure of, for example, five layers. The second detection electrode 24 and the shield electrode 26b also configure a film sensor unit having a similar laminated structure. Such a film sensor unit has excellent flexibility and can be easily arranged along the edge of the driver's door 14a or the edge of the opening 16a of the body 16. However, the configuration of the sensor unit is not limited to this, and may be configured, for example, by arranging an electrode such as a copper wire inside a mold.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 4, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are arranged to face each other and be substantially parallel when the driver's door 14a is fully closed or when the distance between the electrodes is such that a thin object to be pinched, such as a human finger, can be pinched. The first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are connected to a capacitance detection circuit 28 that includes a transmission circuit that applies a voltage to the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 to generate a charge for capacitance detection. In other words, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are configured to be at the same electrical potential. The shield electrode 26 (26a, 26b) is connected to the capacitance detection circuit 28 via a buffer 30. The first detection electrode 22, the second detection electrode 24, and the shield electrode 26 (26a, 26b) have the same potential (voltage). The shield electrode 26a has a function of suppressing an increase in capacitance due to the influence of the driver's door 14a, and similarly, the shield electrode 26b has a function of suppressing an increase in capacitance due to the influence of the body 16. As described above, the door entrapment detection sensor Ts is composed of the first detection electrode 22, the second detection electrode 24, the shield electrode 26 (26a, 26b), the buffer 30, and the capacitance detection circuit unit 28. Note that the shield electrode 26 is a component provided mainly to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the door entrapment detection sensor Ts and may be omitted. The position and range of the shield electrode 26 may be determined depending on the degree of influence of the driver's door 14a and the body 16 on the capacitance value, and the shield electrode 26 may be disposed in a portion of the first detection electrode 22 or the second detection electrode 24.

[0024] 5 is an exemplary schematic waveform diagram showing the potentials of the first detection electrode 22, the second detection electrode 24, and the shield electrode 26 of the door entrapment detection sensor according to the embodiment when an object to be avoided is not detected. As described above, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are electrically connected to the same capacitance detection circuit unit 28. The shield electrode 26 (26a, 26b) is connected to the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 via the buffer 30. Therefore, the potentials of the first detection electrode 22, the second detection electrode 24, and the shield electrode 26 (26a, 26b) are substantially the same.

[0025] As described above, the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are at the same potential. Therefore, when there is no object to be prevented from being trapped, such as a human finger or palm, between the driver's door 14a and the body 16, as shown in FIG. 6 , even when the driver's door 14a transitions from a fully open state to a fully closed state relative to the body 16 (when the driver's door 14a and the body 16 approach each other), no change in capacitance occurs in the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24. Note that, because the shield electrode 26a is disposed between the first detection electrode 22 and the driver's door 14a and the shield electrode 26b is disposed between the second detection electrode 24 and the body 16, the influence of the driver's door 14a on the first detection electrode 22 is suppressed, and the influence of the body 16 on the second detection electrode 24 is suppressed. Therefore, the base value B0 of the capacitance value can be kept low enough to be practically negligible, as shown in FIG. 6 . By keeping the base value B0 low, when an object to be prevented from being pinched is actually present between the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 and the capacitance value changes, the slight change can be easily detected, and the detection accuracy (SN ratio) of the object to be prevented from being pinched can be improved.

[0026] 7 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing a presence pattern R (Ra, Rb, Rc) when a human finger F is present as an object to be avoided from being pinched between the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24. Note that FIG. 7 does not show the shield electrode 26a and the driver's door 14a located on the rear surface of the first detection electrode 22, the shield electrode 26b and the body 16 located on the rear surface of the second detection electrode 24, as shown in FIG. 4. Resin films and the like are also not shown.

[0027] The presence patterns Ra and Rb are patterns in which the finger F is present between the driver's door 14a and the body 16 when the relative distance between them is relatively large (for example, in the first half of the closing operation of the driver's door 14a). In other words, this is a case in which the driver's door 14a is still largely open. The presence pattern Ra is a state in which the finger F is in contact with the second detection electrode 24 installed on the body 16 side of the vehicle 12. In other words, this is a case in which the user places the finger F on the opening 16a of the body 16. In this case, the second detection electrode 24 and the person (finger F) are capacitively coupled, and the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 detects a capacitance value P (P1) that significantly increases with respect to the base value B, as shown in FIG. 8. When the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 detects a capacitance value P (P1) that exceeds a threshold value P0 that takes into consideration disturbances, noise, and the like, it determines that an object to be avoided from being pinched, such as a finger F, is in contact with or approaching the body 16 or the driver's door 14a. Note that because the opposing first detection electrode 22 and second detection electrode 24 are at the same potential, even when the door is closed, the capacitance between electrodes at the same potential does not increase, making it easier to detect slight changes in capacitance value that occur in the first detection electrode 22 or the second detection electrode 24, thereby improving the accuracy of detecting an object to be avoided from being pinched.

[0028] The presence pattern Rb is a state in which a finger F is in contact with the first detection electrode 22 installed on the driver's door 14a side of the vehicle 12. That is, this is a case in which a user places the finger F on the edge of the driver's door 14a. In this case, the first detection electrode 22 and the person (finger F) are capacitively coupled. In this case, the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 also detects a capacitance value P (P1) that significantly increases with respect to the base value B, as shown in FIG. 8. When the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 detects a capacitance value P (P1) that exceeds the threshold value P0, it determines that, for example, a finger F is in contact with or approaching the body 16 or the driver's door 14a as an object to be avoided from being pinched.

[0029] The presence pattern Rc is a pattern in which the relative distance between the driver's door 14a and the body 16 is short, that is, a pattern in which the finger F is present between the driver's door 14a and the body 16 when the driver's door 14a is nearly fully closed. In the presence pattern Rc, the distance between the driver's door 14a and the body 16 is short, so that the finger F is in contact with both the first detection electrode 22 installed on the driver's door 14a side and the second detection electrode 24 installed on the body 16 side. In this case, both the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are capacitively coupled to the human (finger F). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8 , the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 detects a capacitance value P(P2) that significantly increases with respect to the base value B. When the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 detects a capacitance value P(P2) that exceeds the threshold value P0, it determines that, for example, a finger F is present between the driver's door 14a and the body 16 as an object to be avoided from being pinched.

[0030] In this case, the capacitance value P2 is the sum of the change on the first detection electrode 22 side and the change on the second detection electrode 24 side, and therefore becomes approximately twice the capacitance value P1 when the finger F touches either the first detection electrode 22 or the second detection electrode 24. Therefore, the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 may distinguish between the capacitance value P1 and the capacitance value P2 to determine whether the contact position of the finger F is close to or far from the hinge portion 18 of the driver's door 14a.

[0031] In this manner, the door entrapment detection sensor Ts, in which the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 are connected to the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 so as to be electrically at the same potential as in this embodiment, can quickly detect a change in capacitance value when an object to be avoided from being entrapped, such as a finger or a palm, approaches or comes into contact with either the driver's door 14a side or the body 16 side. As a result, when an object to be avoided from being entrapped approaches or comes into contact with a part where there is a risk of entrapment, control (processing) for entrapment avoidance can be quickly performed.

[0032] Returning to FIG. 4 , the capacitance detection circuit 28 is connected to a control unit 32, which constitutes a door entrapment prevention device T. The control unit 32 executes a pinch avoidance process based on the detection result of the capacitance detection circuit 28. As the pinch avoidance process, the control unit 32 controls, for example, a drive source, such as a motor 34, that opens and closes the driver's door 14a. When the capacitance detection circuit 28 detects an object to be entrapped, the control unit 32 executes the pinch avoidance process, for example, by stopping the closing operation of the driver's door 14a or switching the closing operation of the driver's door 14a to an opening operation to prevent further entrapment. By opening the driver's door 14a, it is possible to easily remove an object to be entrapped, such as a finger F, from between the driver's door 14a and the body 16.

[0033] In this way, the door entrapment prevention device T stops the closing operation of the driver's door 14a or switches the closing operation of the driver's door 14a to an opening operation before the object to be entrapped actually becomes entrapped, thereby making it possible to reliably avoid entrapment of the object to be entrapped.

[0034] An example of the flow of the entrapment prevention process performed by the door entrapment prevention device T configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0035] 9 is executed each time the driver's door 14a starts to close. When the motor 34 that closes the driver's door 14a is driven to close the door by, for example, an operation by the user of the vehicle 12, the control unit 32 provides a drive start signal to the capacitance detection circuit unit 28. When the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 receives the start signal for the closing operation of the driver's door 14a from the control unit 32, the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 applies a predetermined voltage to the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24 to generate charges in the first detection electrode 22 and the second detection electrode 24, and starts detecting a change in capacitance (S100).

[0036] During the closing operation of the driver's door 14a, the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 determines whether the detected change in capacitance is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value P0 (S102). If the detected change in capacitance is equal to or greater than the threshold value P0 (Yes in S102), the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 provides an entrapment detection signal to the control unit 32. Based on the acquired entrapment detection signal, the control unit 32 stops the motor 34, which is currently being driven for the closing operation, to stop the closing operation of the driver's door 14a (S104). Furthermore, the control unit 32 drives the motor 34 a certain amount in the door opening operation direction (the opposite direction to the closing operation) to open the driver's door 14a a certain amount (S106), and temporarily terminates the automatic door operation process for the driver's door 14a (S108). In this case, the amount of opening operation can be appropriately set by initial setting, user setting, or the like. If the driver's door 14a is a swing-type door, there is a possibility that the driver's door 14a may come into contact with surrounding objects (pedestrians, adjacent parked vehicles, structures such as walls and pillars, etc.) when the driver's door 14a is fully opened. Therefore, it is desirable that the control unit 32 sets the opening movement amount after acquiring the pinch detection signal so that the opening movement is such that an object to be pinched (such as a finger F) can be removed from between the driver's door 14a and the body 16.

[0037] In the process of S102, if the amount of change in the detected capacitance is less than the threshold value P0 (No in S102), that is, if it is determined that there is no object to be pinched between the driver's door 14a and the body 16, the control unit 32 has not acquired a pinch detection signal from the capacitance detection circuit unit 28. In this case, the control unit 32 checks whether the driver's door 14a is fully closed (S110), and if the driver's door 14a is fully closed (Yes in S110), the process proceeds to S108, and the automatic door operation process for the driver's door 14a is temporarily terminated.

[0038] At S110, if the driver's door 14a is not yet fully closed (No at S110), the process returns to S100, and the capacitance detection circuit unit 28 continues the process of detecting the amount of change in capacitance and continues to perform the subsequent anti-pinch process.

[0039] In this way, according to the door entrapment prevention device T of this embodiment, when an object to be prevented from being pinched, such as a finger or the palm of a hand, approaches or comes into contact with either the driver's door 14a side or the body 16 side, a change in capacitance is quickly detected and entrapment avoidance processing can be quickly executed, and an operation is executed to stop the closing operation of the driver's door 14a or to switch the closing operation of the driver's door 14a to an opening operation before actual entrapment occurs, thereby making it possible to reliably avoid entrapment of the object to be prevented from being pinched.

[0040] In the above-described embodiment, the driver's door 14a is described as the processing target. However, the same control can be applied to the passenger door 14b, the rear seat right door 14c, the rear seat left door 14d, the back door 14e, etc., and the same effects can be obtained. Furthermore, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, an example is shown in which, when an entrapment detection signal is acquired, the control unit 32 successively stops the driver's door 14a and switches to an opening operation. In other embodiments, the control unit 32 may only stop the driver's door 14a, and the opening operation switching process may be omitted. Furthermore, when an entrapment detection signal is acquired, the control unit 32 may instantaneously perform an opening operation on the driver's door 14a.

[0041] Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described, these embodiments and modifications are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions and their equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 10...ECU, 10a...CPU, 12...vehicle, 14...door, 14a...driver's door, 14b...passenger's door, 14c...rear seat right door, 14d...rear seat left door, 14e...tail door, 16...body, 16a...opening, 22...first detection electrode, 24...second detection electrode, 26, 26a, 26b...shield electrodes, 28...capacitance detection circuit unit, 30...buffer, 32...control unit, 34...motor, T...door entrapment prevention device, Ts...door entrapment detection sensor.

Claims

1. a first detection electrode disposed on at least a portion of a peripheral edge of an openable door that closes an opening in a vehicle body and detects a change in capacitance; a second detection electrode disposed on at least a portion of the periphery of the opening and configured to detect a change in capacitance; a capacitance detection circuit unit connected to the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode so that they are electrically at the same potential; A door entrapment detection sensor.

2. 2. The door entrapment detection sensor according to claim 1, wherein the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode have elongated shapes such that one end side and the other end side of the first detection electrode face each other when the door closes the opening.

3. 3. The door entrapment detection sensor according to claim 1, wherein a shield electrode is interposed between the first detection electrode and the door or between the second detection electrode and the body.

4. a first detection electrode disposed on at least a portion of a peripheral edge of an openable door that closes an opening in a vehicle body and detects a change in capacitance; a second detection electrode disposed on at least a portion of the periphery of the opening and configured to detect a change in capacitance; a capacitance detection circuit unit connected to the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode so that they are electrically at the same potential; a control unit that executes a pinch avoidance process based on a detection result of the capacitance detection circuit unit; A door anti-pinch device comprising:

5. The door entrapment prevention device according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit executes a door control process to stop a closing operation of the door or to switch the closing operation of the door to an opening operation as the entrapment avoidance process.

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