Method for indicating a target movement of a body part of a person for contactlessly opening or closing a vehicle hinged closure element of a vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for indicating a predefined target movement of a body part of a person (20) approaching a vehicle (10), for contactlessly opening or closing a vehicle hinged closure element (12) of the vehicle (10). The method according to the invention comprises: determining that a person (20) has carried out an actual movement of the body part for contactlessly opening or closing the vehicle hinged closure element (12) of the vehicle (10), said actual movement deviating from a predefined target movement of the body part for contactlessly opening or closing the vehicle hinged closure element (12) of the vehicle (10) by more than a predefined threshold value; determining an action of the person (20) for successfully opening or closing the vehicle hinged closure element (12); and transmitting information to the person (20). The information is representative of the target movement of the body part to be carried out for contactlessly opening or closing the vehicle hinged closure element (12) of the vehicle (10).

Description

[0001] 202400986

[0002] 1

[0003] Description

[0004] Method for indicating a desired movement of a person's body part for the contactless opening or closing of a vehicle hatch.

[0005] The present invention relates to a method for indicating a desired movement of a person's body part for the contactless opening or closing of a vehicle hatch.

[0006] It is known to provide devices on vehicles that allow an authorized person to open or close a vehicle hatch by touching the device with their hand or finger. The vehicle hatch is essentially a vehicle door or a tailgate / trunk lid. Furthermore, devices have become established in the past that enable contactless opening or closing of the vehicle hatch. Such devices are particularly advantageous in situations where the authorized person does not have a free hand and therefore cannot open the vehicle hatch by means of a predefined movement of another body part, such as their foot.

[0007] For example, it is known to involve moving one's foot under the tailgate to activate sensors mounted at a specific location on the vehicle, thus opening the tailgate. These sensors can include, for example, electro-optical sensors, capacitive sensors, radar sensors, or cameras.

[0008] State of the art includes, for example, US 2023 / 0 322 186 A1 , WO 2024 / 0416 30 A1 , US 2009 / 0 195 370 A1 , US 2019 / 0 213 022 A1 and US 2017 / 0 166 164 A1.

[0009] The present invention is essentially based on the objective of providing the operator of the vehicle with a method for indicating a desired movement of a body part of the operator for the contactless opening or closing of a 202400986

[0010] 2

[0011] To provide the vehicle hatch of the vehicle after the operator has performed at least one incorrect actual movement with the body part, whereby the instruction is intended to show the operator of the vehicle which predetermined target movement is to be performed to open or close a vehicle hatch without contact.

[0012] This problem is solved by a method according to claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0013] The present invention is essentially based on the idea of ​​transmitting information to a person or operator of the vehicle that is representative of the required body movement for contactless opening or closing of the vehicle's hatch, after it has been determined that the person has unsuccessfully attempted to perform such a gesture at least once. In particular, this can simplify the process for the person to quickly obtain the required movement without having to find it themselves, for example, by consulting the vehicle's manual.

[0014] Consequently, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for indicating a desired movement of a person's body part for the contactless opening or closing of a vehicle's hatch is disclosed. The method according to the invention comprises determining that the person has performed an actual movement of the body part for the contactless opening or closing of the vehicle's hatch that deviates from the desired movement of the body part for the contactless opening or closing of the vehicle's hatch by more than a predetermined threshold, determining an action by the person for the successful opening or closing of the vehicle's hatch, and transmitting information to the person. The transmitted information is representative of the desired movement of the body part to be performed for the contactless opening or closing of the vehicle's hatch. 202400986

[0015] 3

[0016] Thus, an unsuccessful attempt to open or close a vehicle hatch without contact is initially detected by identifying a subsequent action by the person to successfully open or close the hatch, such as the tailgate, hood, side door, charging port cover, fuel filler flap, or any other hatch. The necessary information can then be sent to the person or vehicle operator, informing them which body part to move and how to perform it.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, determining the action of the person to successfully open or close the vehicle hatch comprises determining that the person has performed a further actual movement of the body part to open or close the vehicle hatch of the vehicle without contact, which does not deviate from the predetermined target movement of the body part to open or close the vehicle hatch of the vehicle without contact by more than the predetermined threshold value, and / or determining that the person has performed a contacting action to open or close the vehicle hatch of the vehicle, and / or determining that the person has transmitted a radio signal to the vehicle to open or close the vehicle hatch.

[0018] If, after determining that a person has made an unsuccessful attempt to open or close the vehicle hatch, a successful attempt to open or close the vehicle hatch is subsequently determined, the previously made incorrect gesture can be interpreted as an attempt to open or close the vehicle hatch, and the person will then be notified accordingly.

[0019] In an advantageous embodiment, the method according to the invention further includes the identification of the person as an authorized access recipient. This ensures that only an authorized person receives the transmitted information. 202400986

[0020] 4

[0021] Preferably, identifying the person as an authorized access user involves locating a mobile device belonging to that person and / or a vehicle key in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. For this purpose, the person's mobile device and / or the vehicle key may contain a digital security code that can be exchanged with the vehicle for identification.

[0022] In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, transmitting the information to the person comprises sending an internet link to the person's email address and / or to a vehicle application installed on the person's mobile device and / or displaying a video on an operator display in the vehicle, and / or playing an audio message that instructs the person on how to correctly execute the desired movement of the body part, and / or projecting a sequence of images onto the ground, wherein the sequence of images shows the person how to correctly execute the desired movement of the body part. The transmitted internet link leads the person to an instructional video that demonstrates the desired movement for executing the desired movement of the person's body part.Additionally or alternatively, sending the information to the person includes sending a digital video to the person's email address and / or to a vehicle application on their mobile device and / or to the operator display in the vehicle. The video then shows the person how to perform the required movement of their body part.

[0023] Preferably, the detection of movement of the person's body part is carried out using at least one electro-optical sensor and / or at least one capacitive sensor and / or at least one radar sensor and / or at least one camera.

[0024] In a further advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention, the information is transmitted wirelessly to the person via mobile communication and / or near-field communication and / or via an audio announcement and / or via a light projection onto the ground. For example, the information can be transmitted via 202400986

[0025] 5

[0026] will be sent via email, short message service (SMS), push notification and / or vehicle application.

[0027] Further features and functions of the present invention will become apparent to the person skilled in the art by carrying out the present teaching and by looking at the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0028] Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a vehicle with an opening vehicle hatch, and

[0029] Fig. 2 shows an exemplary flowchart of a method according to the invention for indicating a desired movement of a body part of a person approaching a vehicle for the contactless opening or closing of a vehicle flap of the vehicle.

[0030] Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a vehicle 10 with an opening and closing vehicle flap 12, which in the example of Figure 1 is a tailgate. However, it is equally possible that the opening and closing vehicle flap 12 is a front flap of the vehicle 10, a side door of the vehicle 10, a charging port flap of the vehicle 10, a fuel filler flap of the vehicle 10, or any other flap of the vehicle 10.

[0031] The vehicle 10 includes at least one sensor 14 designed to detect the movement of a body part for the contactless opening or closing of the vehicle's tailgate 12. For example, the sensor 14 may be an electro-optical sensor, a capacitive sensor, a radar sensor, or a camera. If the sensor 14 detects an actual movement of the body part that deviates from a predetermined target movement of the body part, such as a predetermined kicking motion of the foot under the rear bumper of the vehicle, an opening process of the tailgate 12 can be triggered or initiated. 202400986

[0032] 6

[0033] The vehicle 10 also has a control device 16 which - in addition to many other functions - is designed to communicate with mobile devices 40 located in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle 10 and to send information to them, which will be discussed in more detail below.

[0034] Figure 1 also shows a person 20 approaching the vehicle 10, carrying a key 30 and a mobile device 40. It should be noted that the key 30 could also be a digital key stored on the mobile device 30 to gain access to the vehicle 10.

[0035] Fig. 2 shows an exemplary flowchart of a method according to the invention for indicating a desired movement of a body part of the person 20 approaching the vehicle 10 of Fig. 1 for the contactless opening or closing of the vehicle flap 12 of the vehicle 10.

[0036] The procedure starts at step 200 and then proceeds to step 210, where it is checked whether a person 20 is approaching or has approached the vehicle 10. This can be done, for example, by the control device 16, preferably a dedicated device (not explicitly shown) with appropriate sensors and evaluation electronics, monitoring the immediate vicinity of the vehicle 10 to determine whether the key 30 and / or the mobile device 40 are within the monitored area. The procedure remains at step 210 until a person 20 approaching the vehicle 10 is detected. Check 210 is optional.

[0037] Simultaneously or subsequently following step 210, it is checked whether the identified person 20 is authorized to access the system. For this purpose, the recognized key 30 and / or the recognized mobile device 40 can be wirelessly queried using the control device 16 to determine whether an authorized access device is present near the vehicle 10, for example, by exchanging an electronic key or by performing a known authentication procedure with 202400986.

[0038] 7

[0039] Inquiry and response. If the person is unauthorized and therefore not entitled to access, access to vehicle 10 can be completely denied.

[0040] If step 210 determines that a person 20 has approached the vehicle 10, the procedure proceeds to step 220, which checks whether the person 20 performed an actual movement of the body part used to open or close the tailgate 12 without contact that deviates from the predetermined target movement by more than a predetermined threshold. In other words, step 220 determines whether the person 20 performed an actual movement that does not correspond to the target movement, or whether the person performed an incorrect target movement. If step 220 determines that the person 20 performed a correct target movement, the procedure proceeds to step 225, in which the vehicle tailgate is opened or closed, before the procedure ends at step 250.

[0041] However, if step 220 determines that the recorded actual movement of the body part of person 20 deviates from the predetermined target movement for contactless opening or closing of the tailgate 12 of the vehicle 10 by more than the predetermined threshold, i.e., that the recorded actual movement does not substantially correspond to the predetermined target movement, the procedure proceeds to step 230, in which it is queried whether person 20 subsequently performs a successful action to open or close the vehicle tailgate 12.Determining a successful action to open or close the vehicle flap 12 can be determined by determining that the person 20 has performed a further actual movement of the body part to open or close the vehicle flap 12 of the vehicle 10 without contact, which does not deviate from the predetermined target movement of the body part to open or close the vehicle flap 12 of the vehicle 10 without contact by more than the predetermined threshold value, and / or determining that the person 20 has performed a contact action, for example, actuating the electric opening or closing switch of the vehicle flap 12, to open or close the vehicle flap 12 of the vehicle 10, and / or determining 202400986.

[0042] 8 show that the person 20 has sent a radio signal to the vehicle 10 to open or close the vehicle hatch 12, for example by means of the key of the vehicle 10.

[0043] Consequently, if, after an unsuccessful gesture for opening or closing the vehicle hatch 12 is detected, a successful action for opening or closing the vehicle hatch 12 is subsequently detected, the unsuccessful gesture can be recognized as an incorrect gesture for opening or closing the vehicle hatch. From this, it can then be deduced that the person does not know exactly which predetermined target movement is to be performed to open or close the vehicle hatch 12.

[0044] If step 230 determines that no successful action for opening or closing the vehicle hatch has been detected, the procedure proceeds to step 250 and is terminated.

[0045] However, if step 230 determines that a successful action to open or close the vehicle hatch was performed, the procedure proceeds to step 240, where information is transmitted to person 20, before the procedure concludes again at step 250. A finding that the recorded actual movement does not substantially correspond to the predetermined target movement can thus be interpreted as an indication that person 20 does not know exactly which target movement must be performed to open or close the tailgate 12 of vehicle 10 without contact. Therefore, such a check can lead to the conclusion that an attempt to open or close the tailgate 12 of vehicle 10 without contact has failed.

[0046] The information transmitted to person 20 in step 240 is representative of the required movement of person 20's body part to open or close the vehicle hatch 12 of vehicle 10 without contact. For example, person 20 may receive a link to a video and / or even a video directly, for example to their email address and / or via an application or app on their mobile device 40.

[0047] 9

[0048] The video can be sent to the vehicle manufacturer and / or a suitable messenger application. The video can show person 20 how and where to perform the predetermined movement on vehicle 20 to open or close the vehicle's hatch 12 without contact. Additionally or alternatively, an audio message can be provided, describing the required movement via voice instructions. Additionally or alternatively, a sequence of images can be projected onto the ground, for example, using a laser. This sequence can then show person 20 where and which movement to perform to open or close vehicle hatch 12.

[0049] The method according to the invention thus makes it possible to explain the operation of the contactless access system of the vehicle 10 to the operator of the vehicle 10 in a simple and reliable way, without him having to actively search for it himself.

Claims

202400986 10 Patent claims 1. Method for indicating a predetermined target movement of a body part of a person (20) for the contactless opening or closing of a vehicle flap (12) of the vehicle (10), wherein the method comprises: Determine that a person (20) has performed an actual movement of the body part for contactless opening or closing of the vehicle flap (12) of the vehicle (10) which deviates from a predetermined target movement of the body part for contactless opening or closing of the vehicle flap (12) of the vehicle (10) by more than a predetermined threshold value, Determining an action by the person to successfully open or close the vehicle hat (12), and Sending information to the person (20), the information being representative of the required movement of the body part to be performed for contactless opening or closing of the vehicle hatch (12) of the vehicle (10).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the action of the person to successfully open or close the vehicle hatch (12) comprises: Determine that the person (20) has performed a further actual movement of the body part for contactless opening or closing of the vehicle flap (12) of the vehicle (10), which does not deviate from the predetermined target movement of the body part for contactless opening or closing of the vehicle flap (12) of the vehicle (10) by more than the predetermined threshold value, and / or Determine that the person (20) has performed a contacting action to open or close the vehicle hatch (12) of the vehicle (10), and / or Determine that the person (20) has sent a radio signal to the vehicle (10) to open or close the vehicle hatch (12).

3. Method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising: 202400986 11 Identifying the person (20) as the person authorized to access.

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein identifying the person (20) as the authorized person comprises identifying a mobile device (40) of the person (20) and / or a key (30) of the vehicle (10) in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle (10).

5. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the transmission of the information to the person (20) comprises: Sending an internet link to an email address of person (20) and / or to a vehicle application on a mobile device (40) of person (20), wherein the internet link directs the person to an operating video for performing the desired movement of the body part of person (20), and / or Sending a digital video to the email address of Person (20), wherein the video shows the correct execution of the intended movement of the body part of person (20), and / or Displaying a video on an operator display in the vehicle, the video showing the correct execution of the intended movement of the person's body part (20), and / or Playing an audio message that tells the person how to correctly perform the required movement of the body part, and / or Projecting a sequence of images onto the floor, where the sequence of images of the person indicates correct execution of the intended movement of the body part.

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the detection of a movement of the body part of the person (20) is carried out with at least one electro-optical sensor and / or at least one capacitive sensor and / or at least one radar sensor and / or at least one camera.

7. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the transmission of the information to the mobile device (40) of the person (20) is wireless via 202400986 12 This is done via mobile communications and / or near field communication and / or via an audio announcement and / or via a light projection onto the ground.

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