Device for controlling opening and closing of vehicle door

Abstract

The present invention provides a device for controlling the opening and closing of a vehicle door, the device comprising: an interface that communicates with an antenna module capable of wireless communication with an electronic key; and a controller that controls an operation of automatically closing a rear door provided in a rear surface of the vehicle body. The controller, upon receiving a user-issued reservation operation command for the operation of automatically closing the rear door, sets a reservation for the operation of automatically closing the rear door. The controller implements the operation of automatically closing the rear door if a first prescribed condition is met in the wireless communication between the antenna module and the electronic key while the reservation is set. If a second prescribed condition is met by a prescribed operation performed by the user before the first prescribed condition is met, the controller cancels the reservation.

Description

Vehicle door opening / closing control device

[0001] The present invention relates to a door opening / closing control device for a vehicle.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle door opening / closing control device in which, when an automatic door closing command is stored in a reservation setting means and the portable device carried by the driver moves away from the door, causing communication between the door opening / closing control unit and the portable device to be interrupted, the door opening / closing control unit automatically closes the door.

[0003] JP 2016-160589 A

[0004] However, after reserving an automatic closing command for the back door, the user may perform a certain operation before the automatic closing operation of the back door is actually performed, which may result in a situation where it is not desirable to perform the reserved automatic closing operation of the back door.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a door opening / closing control device that can cancel a reservation in a vehicle in which the automatic closing operation of the back door can be reserved, if a condition arises in which it is not desirable to perform the reserved automatic closing operation of the back door due to a specified operation by the user before the automatic closing operation of the back door is performed.

[0006] A vehicle door opening / closing control device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an interface that communicates with an antenna module capable of wireless communication with an electronic key, and a controller that controls the automatic closing operation of a back door provided on the rear of the vehicle body. When the controller receives a reservation operation command for the automatic closing operation of the back door from a user, it sets a reservation for the automatic closing operation of the back door. When a first predetermined condition is met in the wireless communication between the antenna module and the electronic key while the reservation is set, the controller performs the automatic closing operation of the back door. When a second predetermined condition is met by a predetermined operation by the user before the first predetermined condition is met, the controller cancels the reservation.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, in a vehicle in which an automatic closing operation of the rear door can be reserved, if a condition arises in which it is not desirable to perform the reserved automatic closing operation of the rear door due to a specified operation by the user before the automatic closing operation of the rear door is performed, the reservation can be canceled.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle having a door opening / closing control device according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the door opening / closing control device for the vehicle according to the embodiment. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing processing steps executed by the door opening / closing control device for the vehicle according to the embodiment in chronological order. Fig. 4A is a flowchart showing processing steps executed by the door opening / closing control device for the vehicle according to the embodiment in chronological order. Fig. 4B is a flowchart showing processing steps executed by the door opening / closing control device for the vehicle according to the embodiment in chronological order. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing processing steps executed by the door opening / closing control device for the vehicle according to the embodiment in chronological order.

[0009] Hereinafter, a door opening / closing control device S according to an embodiment and its modifications, as well as specific examples to which the embodiment or its modifications are applied, will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, components having the same functions as those already described will be assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0010] A vehicle 1 having a door opening / closing control device S according to the embodiment includes a back door 11 provided on the rear surface of the vehicle body, left and right front doors 12, 12 provided in the front portion of the vehicle body, left and right rear doors 13, 13 provided in the rear portion of the vehicle body, and an antenna A provided in the rear portion of the vehicle body. Each door 12, 12, 13, 13 can be locked and unlocked individually by an actuator. The back door 11 is also called a power back door because it can automatically open and close by an actuator.

[0011] A back door operation operator 12A and a reservation back door operation operator 12B are provided on the vehicle interior side of the lower end 11A of the back door 11. When the back door 11 is open, a user can operate the back door operation operator 12A to perform an automatic closing operation of the back door 11. Furthermore, when the back door 11 is open, a user can operate the reservation back door operation operator 12B to reserve an automatic closing operation of the back door 11. When the reservation is permitted and set normally and it is determined that a first predetermined condition, described below, is met, the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 is performed. The back door operation operator 12A and the reservation back door operation operator 12B are, for example, push buttons. When the push button is pressed, the push button moves in the thickness direction, enabling a switch located on the back side of the push button to be pressed.

[0012] Antenna A is provided on the rear bumper of the vehicle body and is capable of wireless communication with the electronic key 21. The communication range of antenna A is, for example, approximately 1.6 meters. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , an area outside vehicle 1 around the rear tailgate of the vehicle body is defined as a first predetermined area A1, and an area inside vehicle 1 is defined as a second predetermined area A2. The first predetermined area A1 is defined, for example, as an area where a user would stay when carrying luggage out of the vehicle with the tailgate 11 open. The second predetermined area A2 is defined, for example, as an area where the electronic key 21 is located in the passenger compartment or trunk of vehicle 1. Furthermore, a third predetermined area A3 wider than the first predetermined area A1 may be defined outside vehicle 1.

[0013] The door opening / closing control device S of the vehicle 1 according to the embodiment includes an antenna module 31 capable of wireless communication with the electronic key 21, a vehicle body control module 41, and a back door control module 51 (see FIG. 2). The antenna module 31, the vehicle body control module 41, and the back door control module 51 are configured to be able to communicate data with each other via a network such as a Controller Area Network (CAN).

[0014] The electronic key 21, which is an electronic key terminal, includes a door locking operator 22A, a door unlocking operator 22B, and a tailgate operating operator 22C. When a user operates the door locking operator 22A, the antenna module 31 receives a lock command. The vehicle body control module 41 receives the lock command from the antenna module 31 and can lock all of the doors 11, 12, 12, 13, and 13. When a user operates the door unlocking operator 22B, the antenna module 31 receives an unlock command. The vehicle body control module 41 receives the unlock command from the antenna module 31 and can unlock all of the doors 11, 12, 12, 13, and 13. The vehicle body control module 41 can also lock and unlock all of the doors 12, 12, 13, and 13 except for the tailgate 11. When a user operates the tailgate operating operator 22C, the antenna module 31 receives a tailgate operating command. The back door control module 51 receives the operation command from the antenna module 31 and controls the back door 11 to perform an automatic door closing operation or an automatic door opening operation.

[0015] The antenna module 31 can receive commands from a door locking operator 33A and a door unlocking operator 33B on the door handle 32. It can also receive information on whether the ignition switch 34 is in an on or off state. The ignition switch 34 may also be called a power switch depending on the configuration of the vehicle 1.

[0016] The antenna module 31 has an antenna A and can wirelessly communicate with the electronic key 21 to determine whether the electronic key 21 is located in the first predetermined area A1 or the second predetermined area A2. The antenna module 31 first determines whether the electronic key 21 is located in the first predetermined area A1. If it determines that the electronic key 21 is not located in the first predetermined area A1, it determines whether the electronic key 21 is located in the second predetermined area A2. Thus, the antenna module 31 can detect the location of the electronic key 21 in the first predetermined area A1, in the second predetermined area A2 but not in the first predetermined area A1, or in neither the first predetermined area A1 nor the second predetermined area A2. Furthermore, the above detection may be performed using the third predetermined area A3 instead of the second predetermined area A2. Note that the locations and number of antennas A, the communication ranges, and the settings of each predetermined area are not limited to those described above.

[0017] The vehicle body control module 41 can acquire information on whether a powertrain module having at least an engine or a drive motor is in a running state or a state where it can be driven (hereinafter referred to as a run state), or whether it is in a non-running state or a state where it cannot be driven (hereinafter referred to as a stop state).The vehicle body control module 41 can also acquire information on the open / closed state of the doors and information on the position of the shift lever in the shift control module.

[0018] The back door control module 51 is implemented by a controller. The controller is configured by a computer having a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. The memory is connected to the hardware processor via a bus. The hardware processor executes programs stored in the memory, thereby enabling the controller to realize various functions. The back door controller module 51 also includes an interface 61 for communicating with various modules installed in the vehicle 1 and receiving signals from various controls provided on the back door 11.

[0019] The back door control module 51 (hereinafter referred to as the controller 51) can receive commands from the back door operation operator 12A and the reserved back door operation operator 12B provided on the back door 11. Based on information from the antenna module 31 and information from the vehicle body control module 41, the controller 51 can execute the processing steps described below to control the reserved automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11 (hereinafter referred to as the reserved automatic door-closing operation).

[0020] The controller 51 can acquire commands from a back door operation prohibition operator 52. The back door operation prohibition operator 52 is a button provided inside the vehicle and can switch between enabling and disabling the automatic closing operation of the back door 11. That is, a state in which the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 is enabled means that the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 is not prohibited. A state in which the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 is disabled means that the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 is prohibited. When a reservation for the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 has been set, the controller 51 can cancel the reservation if the back door operation prohibition operator 52 is switched from enabled to disabled. Furthermore, the controller 51 can acquire information about a kick sensor back door operation operator 53. The kick sensor back door operation operator 53 is provided, for example, below the bumper at the rear of the vehicle body, and the user can open or close the back door 11 by holding their leg over the sensor. The controller 51 acquires information from the kick sensor back door operating operator 53, and when it determines that a predetermined condition is met, it can perform an automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11.

[0021] The scheduled automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11 will now be described. When a reservation for the automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11 has been set, if it is determined that a first predetermined condition has been met, the automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11 is performed. For example, when a user opens the back door 11 to retrieve luggage, the user may have difficulty operating the electronic key 21 because they are holding the luggage in both hands. In such a case, performing the scheduled automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11 allows the user to avoid having to temporarily put down the luggage or take one hand off the luggage in order to operate the electronic key 21, thereby improving convenience. The user can schedule the automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11 by operating the scheduled back door operating operator 12B provided at the lower end 11A of the back door 11 (see step S11 in FIG. 3 ).

[0022] Next, the reservation permission determination will be described. When the controller 51 receives a reservation operation command resulting from the operation of the reservation back door activation operator 12B of the back door 11 (see step S11 in FIG. 3), it determines whether the reservation is possible (step S12). This determination is made by a reservation permission determination that determines whether to permit a reservation for the automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11 (see FIGS. 4A and 4B). When a reservation operation command for the automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11 is received, there may be a situation in which it is not appropriate to perform the automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11. For example, the powertrain module may be in a running state due to the engine or motor of the vehicle 1 being running. In this case, there is a possibility that the user will leave the vehicle 1 while the powertrain module is in a running state. Also, there may be a situation in which some doors of the vehicle 1 are in an open state. In this case, it is considered undesirable for the user to leave the vehicle 1 while the doors are in an open state. In such a case, the controller 51 performs control to not permit a reservation for the automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11 in order to prevent the automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11 from being performed.

[0023] The reservation permission determination flow is shown below (see FIGS. 4A and 4B ). First, in step S31, the controller 51 determines whether the engine or a powertrain module having at least a drive motor of the vehicle 1 is stopped based on information from the vehicle body control module 41. If the determination is affirmative, the controller 51 determines in step S32 whether all doors 12, 12, 13, 13 except the back door 11 are closed (step S32). Here, a closed door state refers to a state in which the doors are properly closed and does not include a state in which the doors are incompletely closed, such as ajar. If the determination is negative, it is considered undesirable for the user to leave the vehicle 1, and the reservation is not permitted (step S35). If the determination is affirmative, the controller 51 determines in step S33 whether the electronic key 21 is located within a first predetermined area A1 around the back door 11. Note that if there are multiple electronic keys 21, the determination is affirmative if at least one electronic key 21 is located within the first predetermined area A1. If the above determinations are not true, the reservation is not permitted (step S35).If all the reservation permission determinations are true in the above steps, the reservation is permitted and set (step S34).

[0024] If the determination in step S31 is negative, in step S36, the controller 51 determines, based on information provided by the vehicle body control module 41, whether the ignition switch 34 is on and whether the shift lever position is set to park or neutral in the shift control module. If the determination is negative, it is considered undesirable for the user to be in a state where he or she can leave the vehicle 1, and therefore the reservation is not permitted (step S40). If the determination in step S36 is positive, the controller 51 makes a determination in step S37 similar to that in step S32. If the determination in step S37 is negative, the reservation is not permitted (step S40). If the determination in step S37 is positive, the controller 51 makes a determination in step S38 similar to that in step S33. If the determination in step S38 is negative, the reservation is not permitted (step S40). If the determination in step S38 is positive, the reservation is permitted and set (step S39).

[0025] If the determination that the reservation is possible is true (step S12), the controller 51 permits the reservation of the automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11 and performs an operation to lock all doors 12, 12, 13, 13 other than the back door 11 (step S13). If the determination that the reservation is possible is not true in step S12, the reserved automatic door-closing operation control for the back door 11 ends. Following step S13, in step S14, the controller 51 determines whether there is a malfunction when performing the automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11. For example, if a component of the back door 11 is malfunctioning, the back door 11 cannot be closed. In this case, wireless communication between the antenna module 31 and the electronic key 21 continues without the back door 11 being closed, resulting in increased electricity consumption. Therefore, if the controller 51 detects a malfunctioning component, the controller 51 cancels the reservation (step S23), and the reserved automatic door-closing operation control for the back door 11 ends. The components of the tailgate 11 include, for example, a tailgate operation operator 12A, a reservation tailgate operation operator 12B, a tailgate operation prohibition operator 52, a kick sensor tailgate operation operator 53, a door locking operator 33A of the tailgate 11, and a door unlocking operator 33B, but are not limited to the above.

[0026] Next, a description will be given of the determination of whether a first predetermined condition is met in the scheduled automatic door-closing operation control for the back door 11. The determination of whether the first predetermined condition is met is performed by determining the conditions in the wireless communication between the antenna module 31 and the electronic key 21. This allows the automatic door-closing operation of the back door 11 to be performed at an appropriate timing.

[0027] The determination flow for determining whether the first predetermined condition is met is shown below. The processing steps of the determination flow for determining whether the first predetermined condition is met are realized by the controller 51 communicating with the antenna module 31 and cooperating with the antenna module 31. First, the controller 51 starts searching for the electronic key 21 via the antenna module 31 (step S15).

[0028] After the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 is reserved, the user may unlock the vehicle if, for example, they realize that they have left something behind inside the vehicle. The controller 51 determines whether or not an unlocking operation has been performed (step S16). When a command for an unlocking operation from the user is received, the controller 51 unlocks all doors 12, 12, 13, and 13 other than the back door 11 (step S22) and cancels the reservation (step S23). This allows the user to retrieve their luggage from inside the vehicle.

[0029] Furthermore, after the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 is scheduled, a predetermined user operation may be performed. The controller 51 determines whether or not a user operation has been performed (step S17). The controller 51 may cancel the reservation when it receives a command for a predetermined user operation as a second predetermined condition (step S23). Examples of predetermined user operations include an operation to close the back door 11, an operation to open the back door 11, an operation to turn on the ignition switch, or a case where the back door operation prohibition operator 52 is pressed to prohibit the automatic closing operation of the back door 11. Furthermore, a predetermined time may elapse after the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 is scheduled. In this case, the controller 51 determines whether or not the timer is still running in step S18, and if the determination is not satisfied, cancels the reservation (step S23). Note that the determination of whether or not there is a malfunction in the components of the back door 11 in step S14 may also be included in the second predetermined condition.

[0030] The controller 51 determines whether the electronic key 21 is not located in the first predetermined area A1 (step S19). If the determination in step S19 is affirmative, the controller 51 determines whether the electronic key 21 is not located in a second predetermined area A2, which is located inside the vehicle 1 (step S20). If the determination in step S20 is affirmative, the user who owns the electronic key 21 is away from the vehicle 1, and the situation is considered appropriate for performing the automatic closing operation of the back door 11. Therefore, the controller 51 performs the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 (step S21), and the control of the scheduled automatic closing operation of the back door 11 ends. If the above determination is negative, the search for the electronic key 21 continues (step S15). At this time, if it is determined that the electronic key 21 is located in the second predetermined area A2, which is located inside the vehicle 1 (step S20), the controller 51 maintains the reservation setting state and the state of not performing the automatic closing operation of the back door 11. For example, if the electronic key 21 held by the user is determined to be in the second predetermined area A2 during the luggage removal operation, the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 may result in the user being trapped in the back door 11. Furthermore, if the first predetermined condition is subsequently met, the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 is performed, so the reservation setting state continues.

[0031] If it is determined that the electronic key 21 is located in the second predetermined area A2, which is inside the vehicle 1, before the determinations of steps S19 and S20 under the first predetermined condition are satisfied (step S20), the determination flow shown in FIG. 5 may be performed instead of steps S19 and S20. First, in step S41, the controller 51 determines whether the electronic key 21 is located in the first predetermined area A1 within a predetermined time. If the determination is satisfied, it is considered that the user who owns the electronic key 21 has moved from the second predetermined area A2, which is inside the vehicle, to the first predetermined area A1 within the predetermined time. Next, in step S42, the controller 51 determines whether the electronic key 21 is located in neither the first predetermined area A1 nor the second predetermined area A2 within the predetermined time. If the determination is satisfied, it is considered that the user has left the first predetermined area A1. Therefore, the controller 51 performs the automatic door closing operation of the back door 11 in step S21. If at least one of steps S41 and S42 is not true, the controller 51 may have lost track of the electronic key 21 or may be in an unexpected situation. In such a case, the controller 51 cancels the reservation to prevent the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 from being performed (step S44). The predetermined times for steps S41 and S42 can be set arbitrarily.

[0032] (1) A door opening / closing control device S for a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment includes an interface 61 that communicates with an antenna module 31 capable of wireless communication with an electronic key 21, and a controller 51 that controls the automatic closing operation of a tailgate 11 provided on the rear of the vehicle body. When the controller 51 receives a reservation operation command for the automatic closing operation of the tailgate 11 from a user, the controller 51 sets a reservation for the automatic closing operation of the tailgate 11. When a first predetermined condition is met in the wireless communication between the antenna module 31 and the electronic key 21 while the reservation is set, the controller 51 performs the automatic closing operation of the tailgate 11. When a second predetermined condition is met by a predetermined operation by the user before the first predetermined condition is met, the controller 51 cancels the reservation.

[0033] According to the above configuration, when a user performs a reservation operation for the automatic closing operation of the back door 11, the user can cancel the reservation for the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 by performing a predetermined operation.

[0034] (2) In the embodiment, the second predetermined condition is met if the user closes the back door 11 between the time the reservation operation is made and the time the first predetermined condition is met. Therefore, if the user stops the closing operation of the back door 11 midway to prevent pinching, and the user carrying the electronic key 21 leaves the first predetermined area A1, the back door 11 may be automatically closed, preventing pinching from being resolved. The above configuration can avoid such a situation.

[0035] (3) Furthermore, in the embodiment, the second predetermined condition is satisfied when the user opens the back door 11 between the reservation operation and the first predetermined condition. If the reservation for the automatic door closing operation is maintained, the automatic door closing operation is performed when the user leaves the vehicle to retrieve luggage. Therefore, the user may have to open the back door 11 again before loading luggage, which can be inconvenient. The above configuration can avoid such a situation.

[0036] (4) In the embodiment, the second predetermined condition is satisfied when the user switches the ignition switch from the OFF state to the ON state between the time when the reservation operation is performed and the time when the first predetermined condition is satisfied. With the above configuration, it is possible to avoid the possibility that the reservation for the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 is maintained and the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 is performed in a state where it is undesirable for the user to leave the vehicle 1.

[0037] (5) In the embodiment, the second predetermined condition is satisfied when the user performs an operation to prohibit the automatic door closing operation between the time of the reservation operation and the time of the first predetermined condition being satisfied. With the above configuration, even when the automatic door closing operation of the back door 11 is prohibited, the reservation for the automatic door closing operation of the back door 11 is maintained, and an increase in electricity consumption due to the antenna module 31 continuing to search for the electronic key 21 can be suppressed.

[0038] (6) In the embodiment, the second predetermined condition is met when a predetermined component of the back door is determined to be malfunctioning between the time the reservation operation is performed and the time the first predetermined condition is met. This configuration prevents the antenna module 31 from continuing to search for the electronic key 21 during the time the back door 11 cannot be closed due to the malfunction, thereby preventing an increase in electricity consumption.

[0039] (7) Furthermore, in the embodiment, when the reservation is canceled, a buzzer may be used to notify the user that the reservation for the automatic closing operation of the back door 11 has been canceled.

[0040] The above-described embodiments are merely examples described to facilitate understanding of the invention. The technical scope of the invention is not limited to the specific technical matters disclosed in the above-described embodiments, but also includes various modifications, changes, alternative technologies, etc. that can be easily derived therefrom.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the first predetermined area A1 is used as an example in steps S19, S33, S38, S41, and S42, but the third predetermined area A3 may be used instead of the first predetermined area A1, or a combination of the first predetermined area A1 and the third predetermined area A3 may be used. Also, the processes of steps S14, S16, and S17 may be omitted.

[0042] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle 11 back door 12, 12, 13, 13 door 21 electronic key 31 antenna module 34 ignition switch 51 back door control module (controller) 61 interface A1 first predetermined area A2 second predetermined area S door opening / closing control device

Claims

1. A vehicle door opening / closing control device comprising: an interface for communicating with an antenna module capable of wireless communication with an electronic key; and a controller for controlling the automatic closing operation of a back door provided on the rear of a vehicle body, wherein the controller, upon receiving a reservation operation command from a user for the automatic closing operation of the back door, sets a reservation for the automatic closing operation of the back door, carries out the automatic closing operation of the back door if a first specified condition is satisfied in wireless communication between the antenna module and the electronic key while the reservation is set, and cancels the reservation if a second specified condition is satisfied by a specified operation by the user before the first specified condition is satisfied.

2. A vehicle door opening / closing control device as described in claim 1, wherein the second specified condition is satisfied when the user performs a door closing operation on the back door between the time the reservation operation is performed and the time the first specified condition is satisfied.

3. A vehicle door opening / closing control device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the second specified condition is satisfied when the user performs an operation to open the back door between the time the reservation operation is performed and the time the first specified condition is satisfied.

4. A door opening / closing control device for a vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second specified condition is met when the user operates an ignition switch from an off state to an on state between the time the reservation operation is performed and the time the first specified condition is met.

5. A vehicle door opening / closing control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second specified condition is met when the user performs an operation to prohibit automatic door closing operation between the time the reservation operation is performed and the time the first specified condition is met.

6. A door opening / closing control device for a vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second specified condition is met when it is determined that a specified part constituting the back door is malfunctioning between the time the reservation operation is performed and the time the first specified condition is met.

7. The vehicle door opening / closing control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when the reservation is cancelled, a buzzer is sounded to notify the cancellation.

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