Back Door Gravity Descent Detection and Braking Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicular opening/closing body control systems fail to effectively address the issue of a flip-up type back door descending due to gravity, potentially leading to unnoticed failures in support devices, which can result in safety concerns and inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
A vehicular opening/closing body control device and method that includes an opening drive control unit, gravity descent detection unit, braking force imparting unit, and opening drive prohibition unit to prevent sharp descent and prohibit opening operations when a descent due to gravity is detected, ensuring safety and prompting user action for repairs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If braking control is executed when descent due to gravity is detected, then the opening/closing body does not fall sharply and safety is improved, but the user may continue to use the opening/closing body without feeling inconvenience and the underlying failure cause remains unattended
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit provides feedback to the user by notifying them of the detected descent state through visual or audible alerts. This feedback loop ensures the user is aware of the underlying failure cause (such as support device failure) even though the braking control prevents sharp falling. The notification function addresses the information loss by making the system state visible to the user, prompting them to seek repairs.
2Reliability
If the control unit remains activated to monitor and detect descent, then detection reliability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit operates in periodic cycles, switching between active monitoring states and sleep states. During normal operation, the control unit periodically checks for descent conditions. When no descent is detected, the control unit enters a low-power sleep state. Upon detecting descent (through motor current changes or position sensors), the control unit immediately activates braking control. This periodic monitoring approach maintains adequate detection reliability while significantly reducing average power consumption compared to continuous monitoring.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents sharp descent of the opening/closing body, informs users of potential failures, and ensures safety by prohibiting automatic opening until the cause of descent is addressed, thereby enhancing user awareness and safety.
Implementation Method 1
a state in which the opening and closing body (back door), which is opened upward, descends (falls) due to gravity is detected by detecting power generated by a motor serving as a driving source, that is, electromotive voltage generated when the motor is brought to a regenerative state
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicular opening/closing body control device includes: an opening drive control unit configured to control operation of a drive device configured to drive a vehicular opening/closing body to open the opening/closing body upward; a gravity descent detection unit configured to detect a descent of the opening/closing body opened upward due to gravity, a braking force imparting unit configured to impart a braking force to the opening/closing body whose descent due to gravity is detected; and an opening drive prohibition unit configured to prohibit opening drive by the drive device of the opening/closing body whose descent due to gravity is detected.