Door lock control device and door lock control method

Abstract

To enable smooth evacuation of an occupant when an accident occurs, while ensuring safety by automatic door locking when a vehicle starts to move.SOLUTION: A door lock control device (2) that controls an operation of a vehicle door lock mechanism (7) comprises: a detection unit (10) that detects a vehicle speed and a vehicle acceleration and / or an acceleration operation amount carried out by a vehicle driver; a lock control unit (11) that carries out automatic locking operation that locks a door by operating the locking mechanism when the vehicle speed becomes a first predetermined speed or greater; and an automatic locking restriction unit (12) that prohibits the lock control unit from carrying out the automatic locking operation, provided that an automatic locking prohibition condition has been satisfied based on the vehicle acceleration and / or the acceleration operation amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a door lock control device and a door lock control method for controlling the operation of a door lock mechanism of a vehicle door. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses that in a door lock control device equipped with an automatic door lock function that locks all vehicle doors when the driver's door is locked, the operation of the automatic door lock is prohibited if an occupant is detected inside the vehicle cabin. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-217913 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Another known function in vehicles is the automatic door lock, which automatically locks all vehicle doors when the vehicle starts moving. In the case of such an automatic door lock function that is activated when the driver accidentally starts moving by accidentally stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake, for example, if a collision occurs after the automatic door lock function is activated, the occupants may need to frantically unlock the vehicle doors, which may require time to escape from the vehicle.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to ensure safety by automatically locking the doors when the vehicle starts to move, while also enabling smooth evacuation of occupants in the event of an accident. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a door lock control device for controlling the operation of a lock mechanism of a vehicle door, the door lock control device comprising: And, before The vehicle acceleration of the vehicle And, before a detection unit that detects an amount of acceleration operation performed by a driver of the vehicle; a lock control unit that performs an automatic locking operation to operate the lock mechanism and lock the door when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or higher than a first predetermined speed; Automatic lock prohibition conditions based on Or the automatic lock prohibition condition based on the acceleration operation amount is 、 and an automatic lock restriction unit that prohibits the lock control unit from performing the automatic locking operation if the condition is met. According to another aspect of the present invention, the detection unit detects the amount of steering operation performed by the driver on the steering device of the vehicle, and when the amount of steering operation becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the automatic lock restriction unit does not prohibit the lock control unit from performing the automatic lock operation even if the automatic lock prohibition condition is subsequently satisfied. According to another aspect of the present invention, the automatic lock restriction unit instructs the lock control unit to operate the lock mechanism and unlock the door when the vehicle decelerates due to the vehicle acceleration equal to or greater than a second predetermined acceleration and the vehicle speed becomes zero, or when the vehicle speed becomes zero within a predetermined time after the automatic lock prohibition condition is met. According to another aspect of the present invention, the detection unit detects a steering operation amount performed by the driver on a steering device of the vehicle, and the automatic locking restriction unit restricts the lock control unit from performing the automatic locking operation and then restricts the vehicle speed. Conditions for lifting the ban based on Or the prohibition release condition based on the steering operation amount is 、 If the condition is met, the prohibition on the lock control unit to execute the automatic locking operation is lifted. Another aspect of the present invention is a door lock control method executed by a computer of a door lock control device that controls the operation of a lock mechanism of a vehicle door, the method comprising: And, before The vehicle acceleration of the vehicle And, before The amount of acceleration performed by the driver of the vehicle and,a step of detecting the vehicle speed, and when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or greater than a first predetermined speed, performing an automatic locking operation of operating the locking mechanism to lock the door; Automatic lock prohibition conditions based on Or the automatic lock prohibition condition based on the acceleration operation amount is 、 and a step of prohibiting execution of the automatic locking operation on condition that the condition is met. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to ensure safety by automatically locking the doors when the vehicle starts to move, while also enabling smooth evacuation of occupants in the event of an accident. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a door lock control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the operation of the door lock control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a door lock control device 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the door lock control device 2 is mounted on a four-door vehicle 1 and controls the operation of door lock mechanisms 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d for the driver's seat, passenger seat, rear left, and rear right doors of the vehicle 1 based on information from a vehicle speed sensor 3, an acceleration sensor 4, an accelerator sensor 5, and a steering angle sensor 6. Hereinafter, the door lock mechanisms 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d will be collectively referred to as door lock mechanisms 7.

[0010] The door lock control device 2 includes a processor 8 and a memory 9. The memory 9 is, for example, a volatile and / or non-volatile semiconductor memory. The processor 8 is, for example, a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like. The processor 8 may include a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a program is written, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for temporary data storage, and the like. The processor 8 includes, as functional elements or units, a detection unit 10, a lock control unit 11, and an automatic lock restriction unit 12.

[0011] These functional elements of the processor 8 are realized, for example, by the processor 8 being a computer executing a control program 13. The control program 13 can be stored in any computer-readable storage medium. Alternatively, all or part of the functional elements of the processor 8 may be configured by hardware including one or more electronic circuit components.

[0012] The detection unit 10 detects the vehicle speed and acceleration of the vehicle 1 using the vehicle speed sensor 3 and the acceleration sensor 4, respectively. The detection unit 10 also detects the amount of acceleration operation and the amount of steering operation performed by the driver of the vehicle 1, using the accelerator sensor 5 and the steering angle sensor 6, respectively. The amount of acceleration operation and the amount of steering operation may be, for example, the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal and the rotation angle of the steering wheel.

[0013] When the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 detected by the detection unit 10 using the vehicle speed sensor 3 reaches or exceeds a first predetermined speed (for example, 6 km / h or more), the lock control unit 11 operates the door lock mechanism 7 to perform an automatic locking operation that locks all doors of the vehicle 1 (i.e., the driver's seat, passenger seat, rear left, and rear right doors).

[0014] In particular, the door lock control device 2 of this embodiment includes an automatic lock restriction unit 12 that prohibits the lock control unit 11 from performing an automatic locking operation. When the automatic lock restriction unit 12 prohibits the execution of the automatic locking operation, the lock control unit 11 does not perform the automatic locking operation. Furthermore, when the lock control unit 11 receives an instruction from the automatic lock restriction unit 12 to release the door locks, it operates the door lock mechanism 7 to release (i.e., unlock) the door locks of all the doors of the vehicle 1.

[0015] The automatic lock restriction unit 12 prohibits the lock control unit 11 from performing the automatic lock operation, provided that the automatic lock prohibition condition based on the vehicle acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 4 and / or the acceleration operation amount detected by the accelerator sensor 5 is met.

[0016] As a result, the door lock control device 2 prohibits the automatic door lock operation from being performed if sudden acceleration occurs due to, for example, accidentally stepping on the accelerator pedal, so that passengers in the vehicle 1 can immediately evacuate from the vehicle even if an emergency such as a collision occurs thereafter.

[0017] Here, the acceleration operation is, for example, the operation of depressing the accelerator pedal detected by the accelerator sensor 5, and the acceleration operation amount can be, for example, the amount expressed as a percentage, which is the ratio of the current accelerator depression amount to the state when the accelerator pedal is depressed to the limit (100%).

[0018] The automatic lock prohibition condition can be determined to be met, for example, when the vehicle 1 is in one of the following states. A1: When the vehicle speed is within a predetermined second vehicle speed range (for example, 2 km / h or more and less than 6 km / h) that is less than the first predetermined speed, the vehicle acceleration is equal to or greater than the first predetermined acceleration (for example, 0.5 G or more). A2: When the vehicle speed is within a predetermined third vehicle speed range (e.g., 0 km / h or more and 5 km / h or less) that is less than the first predetermined speed, the acceleration operation amount changed from 0% to 100% within a predetermined time (e.g., within 1 second).

[0019] However, when the steering operation amount detected by the steering angle sensor 6 becomes equal to or greater than the first predetermined operation amount, the automatic lock restriction unit 12 does not prohibit the lock control unit 11 from performing the automatic locking operation even if the automatic lock prohibition condition is subsequently established. If the driver of the vehicle 1 is operating the steering wheel, there is a high possibility that the driver is intentionally making a sudden start. As described above, the door lock control device 2 does not prohibit the automatic door locking operation when the steering operation amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, thereby improving the safety and convenience of the vehicle 1.

[0020] For example, if the steering operation amount is the steering angle of the steering wheel and the first predetermined operation amount is 10 degrees, when the steering angle of the steering wheel is operated to 10 degrees or more, the automatic lock restriction unit 12 will not prohibit the lock control unit 11 from performing the automatic lock operation even if the automatic lock prohibition condition is subsequently established.

[0021] Furthermore, after the automatic locking prohibition condition is satisfied and the lock control unit 11 is prohibited from performing the automatic locking operation, the automatic locking restriction unit 12 instructs the lock control unit 11 to unlock the doors when the unlocking condition is satisfied, that is, the vehicle speed becomes zero under predetermined conditions. As a result, in the case where sudden acceleration occurs due to the accelerator pedal being accidentally depressed, and the vehicle is subsequently stopped due to a collision, etc., the door lock control device 2 can immediately unlock the doors if they are locked, allowing the occupants to quickly escape from the vehicle.

[0022] The lock-unlocking condition can be determined to be met when the vehicle 1 is in one of the following states, for example. B1: The vehicle speed becomes 0 km / h after the vehicle acceleration in the deceleration direction becomes equal to or greater than a second predetermined acceleration (for example, 0.5 G). B2: After the automatic lock prohibition condition is met, the vehicle speed becomes 0 km / h within a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds).

[0023] Furthermore, after the automatic lock restriction unit 12 has prohibited the lock control unit 11 from performing the automatic locking operation due to the establishment of the automatic locking prohibition condition, if the prohibition cancellation condition based on the vehicle speed or the steering operation amount is established, the automatic lock restriction unit 12 will cancel the prohibition of the automatic locking operation. As a result, even if there is a sudden acceleration that would establish the automatic locking prohibition condition, the door lock control device 2 will perform the automatic door locking operation as long as the vehicle continues to travel normally thereafter, thereby improving the safety and convenience of the vehicle 1.

[0024] The prohibition cancellation condition can be determined to be met, for example, when the vehicle 1 is in one of the following states. C1: The vehicle has been traveling at a speed equal to or greater than a first predetermined vehicle speed for a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds). C2: The steering angle of the steering wheel is operated by a second predetermined amount (for example, 10 degrees) or more as the steering operation amount.

[0025] Next, we will explain the procedure of the operation of the door lock control device 2. Figure 2 is a flow diagram showing the procedure of the processing in the automatic lock restriction unit 12 of the door lock control device 2. This processing starts when the detection unit 10 detects that the vehicle 1 has started to travel (i.e., the vehicle speed is not 0 km / h).

[0026] When the process starts, the automatic lock limiting unit 12 starts acquiring driving state information, including vehicle speed, vehicle acceleration, acceleration operation amount, and steering operation amount, from the detection unit 10 (S100). Thereafter, the automatic lock limiting unit 12 repeatedly acquires the driving state information at predetermined time intervals. Next, the automatic lock limiting unit 12 determines whether the automatic lock prohibition condition is satisfied (S102). If the automatic lock prohibition condition is satisfied (YES in S102), the automatic lock limiting unit 12 determines whether the steering operation amount was equal to or greater than a first predetermined operation amount before the automatic lock prohibition condition was satisfied (e.g., within one minute before the condition was satisfied) (S104). If the steering operation amount before the automatic lock prohibition condition was satisfied was less than the first predetermined operation amount (NO in S104), the automatic lock limiting unit 12 prohibits the lock control unit 11 from performing the automatic lock operation (S106).

[0027] Next, the automatic locking restriction unit 12 determines whether the locking release condition is met (S108). If the locking release condition is not met (S108, NO), the automatic locking restriction unit 12 next determines whether the prohibition release condition is met (S110). If the prohibition release condition is met (S110, YES), the automatic locking restriction unit 12 causes the lock control unit 11 to release the prohibition of the automatic locking operation (S112), and ends the process.

[0028] On the other hand, if the prohibition cancellation condition is not met in step S110 (S110, NO), the automatic lock restriction unit 12 returns to step S108 and repeats the process. On the other hand, if the unlocking condition is met in step S108 (YES in S108), the automatic lock restriction unit 12 instructs the lock control unit 11 to release (unlock) the door locks of all vehicle doors (S114), and ends the processing.

[0029] On the other hand, if the automatic locking prohibition condition is not met in step S102 (S102, NO), the automatic locking restriction unit 12 determines whether the lock release condition is met (S116). If the lock release condition is not met (S116, NO), the automatic locking restriction unit 12 determines whether the prohibition release condition is met (S118). If the prohibition release condition is met (S118, YES), the processing ends. On the other hand, if the prohibition release condition is not met in step S118 (S118, NO), the automatic locking restriction unit 12 returns to step S102 and repeats the processing.

[0030] On the other hand, if the unlocking condition is met in step S116 (S116, YES), the automatic lock restriction unit 12 moves the process to step S114.

[0031] On the other hand, if the steering operation amount is equal to or greater than the first predetermined operation amount before the automatic lock prohibition condition is met in step S104 (S104, YES), the automatic lock limiting unit 12 proceeds to step S116.

[0032] The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0033] The above-described embodiment supports the following configurations. (Configuration 1) A door lock control device that controls the operation of a locking mechanism of a vehicle door, comprising: a detection unit that detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle, and the vehicle acceleration of the vehicle and / or the amount of acceleration operation performed by the driver of the vehicle; a lock control unit that performs an automatic locking operation to operate the locking mechanism and lock the door when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or greater than a first predetermined speed; and an automatic lock restriction unit that prohibits the lock control unit from performing the automatic locking operation, on the condition that an automatic lock prohibition condition based on the vehicle acceleration and / or the amount of acceleration operation is established. According to the door lock control device of configuration 1, the automatic door locking operation is prohibited in the event of sudden acceleration due to, for example, accidentally stepping on the accelerator pedal. Therefore, while the automatic door locking operation ensures safety under normal circumstances, in the unlikely event of a collision or other emergency, the vehicle occupants can immediately evacuate from the vehicle.

[0034] (Configuration 2) The door lock control device according to Configuration 1, wherein the detection unit detects the amount of steering operation performed by the driver on the steering device of the vehicle, and the automatic lock restriction unit does not prohibit the lock control unit from performing the automatic locking operation when the amount of steering operation becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, even if the automatic lock prohibition condition is subsequently established. According to the door lock control device of configuration 2, the automatic door lock operation is not prohibited when the driver of vehicle 1 is operating the steering wheel and there is a high possibility that the driver is intentionally making a sudden start, thereby ensuring safety in accordance with the driver's intentions and maintaining convenience, and enabling the vehicle occupants to smoothly evacuate in the unlikely event of a collision or other emergency.

[0035] (Configuration 3) The door lock control device according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the automatic lock restriction unit instructs the lock control unit to operate the lock mechanism to unlock the door when the vehicle decelerates due to the vehicle acceleration equal to or greater than a second predetermined acceleration and the vehicle speed becomes zero, or when the vehicle speed becomes zero within a predetermined time after the automatic lock prohibition condition is satisfied. According to the door lock control device of configuration 3, if the vehicle stops due to a collision or the like after sudden acceleration occurs due to the accelerator pedal being accidentally depressed, the doors are immediately unlocked even if they are locked, allowing the occupants to quickly escape from the vehicle.

[0036] (Configuration 4) A door lock control device described in any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the detection unit detects the amount of steering operation performed by the driver on the steering device of the vehicle, and the automatic lock restriction unit, after prohibiting the lock control unit from performing the automatic locking operation, releases the prohibition on the lock control unit from performing the automatic locking operation when a prohibition release condition based on the vehicle speed and / or the steering operation amount is met. According to the door lock control device of configuration 4, even if there is sudden acceleration that would establish the automatic lock prohibition condition, if the vehicle continues to drive normally after that, the automatic door lock operation will be executed, thereby improving the safety and convenience of the vehicle.

[0037] (Configuration 5) A door lock control method executed by a computer of a door lock control device that controls the operation of a lock mechanism of a vehicle door, comprising the steps of detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle, and the vehicle acceleration of the vehicle and / or the amount of acceleration operation performed by the driver of the vehicle; performing an automatic locking operation to operate the locking mechanism and lock the door when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or greater than a first predetermined speed; and prohibiting the execution of the automatic locking operation on the condition that an automatic lock prohibition condition based on the vehicle acceleration and / or the amount of acceleration operation is established. According to the door lock control method of configuration 5, the automatic door locking operation is prohibited in the event of sudden acceleration due to, for example, the accelerator pedal being accidentally depressed. Therefore, while the automatic door locking operation ensures safety under normal circumstances, in the unlikely event of a collision or other emergency, the vehicle occupants can immediately evacuate from the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1...vehicle, 2...door lock control device, 3...vehicle speed sensor, 4...acceleration sensor, 5...accelerator sensor, 6...steering angle sensor, 7, 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d...door lock mechanism, 8...processor, 9...memory, 10...detection unit, 11...lock control unit, 12...automatic lock restriction unit, 13...control program

Claims

1. A door lock control device that controls the operation of a lock mechanism of a vehicle door, a detection unit that detects a vehicle speed of the vehicle, a vehicle acceleration of the vehicle, and an acceleration operation amount performed by a driver of the vehicle; a lock control unit that performs an automatic locking operation to operate the lock mechanism and lock the door when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or greater than a first predetermined speed; an automatic lock restriction unit that prohibits the lock control unit from performing the automatic locking operation when the automatic lock prohibition condition based on the vehicle acceleration or the automatic lock prohibition condition based on the acceleration operation amount is satisfied; Equipped with Door lock control device.

2. The detection unit detects a steering operation amount performed by the driver on a steering device of the vehicle, When the steering operation amount becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined operation amount, the automatic lock limiting unit does not prohibit the lock control unit from performing the automatic locking operation even if the automatic lock prohibition condition is subsequently established. The door lock control device according to claim 1.

3. the automatic lock restriction unit instructs the lock control unit to operate the lock mechanism to unlock the door when the vehicle decelerates due to the vehicle acceleration equal to or greater than a second predetermined acceleration and the vehicle speed becomes zero, or when the vehicle speed becomes zero within a predetermined time after the automatic lock prohibition condition is established. The door lock control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The detection unit detects a steering operation amount performed by the driver on a steering device of the vehicle, the automatic locking restriction unit cancels the prohibition on the lock control unit from executing the automatic locking operation when the prohibition release condition based on the vehicle speed or the prohibition release condition based on the steering operation amount is satisfied after prohibiting the lock control unit from executing the automatic locking operation; The door lock control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A door lock control method executed by a computer of a door lock control device that controls the operation of a vehicle door lock mechanism, comprising: Detecting a vehicle speed of the vehicle, a vehicle acceleration of the vehicle, and an acceleration operation amount performed by a driver of the vehicle; performing an automatic locking operation of operating the locking mechanism to lock the door when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or greater than a first predetermined speed; prohibiting the execution of the automatic locking operation on the condition that the automatic locking prohibition condition based on the vehicle acceleration or the automatic locking prohibition condition based on the acceleration operation amount is satisfied; Including, Door lock control method.

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