Motor Vehicle Closure Control Using Operator Orientation Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for controlling motorized closure elements in vehicles face challenges in maintaining high detection reliability with minimal effort, especially when operator motions are not pronounced or when no motion is intended to trigger the closure.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating the orientation of the operator's body parts into the monitoring system to determine if the body is facing the closure element, using sensors to detect alignment within a permitted range, thereby preventing unintended activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sensor-based detection methods are used to automatically trigger locking element assembly, then ease of operation is improved, but false triggering occurs when operator movements are not pronounced or unintended
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from detecting only positional information (2D coordinates) to detecting orientation information (angular position around vertical axis), adding a dimensional aspect to the detection parameters. This allows the system to distinguish between intentional activation gestures and incidental body movements by evaluating the operator's facing direction relative to the locking element.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the operator's orientation and uses this feedback to modulate the activation behavior. When the operator is facing away from the locking element, the system suppresses activation even if other triggering conditions are met, creating a feedback loop that improves detection reliability while maintaining ease of operation.
2Measurement precision
If multiple body part movements are monitored to increase detection reliability, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and focuses on a single critical parameter (orientation around vertical axis) from the complex set of possible body movement parameters. Instead of analyzing multiple body parts and movement types simultaneously, the system isolates the orientation parameter, which provides sufficient discrimination power to prevent false triggering while keeping the sensor arrangement relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the detection parameter from positional coordinates to angular orientation. This parameter transformation allows a single sensor arrangement to achieve high detection reliability by measuring the angle around the vertical axis, avoiding the need for multiple sensors to track different body parts.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for controlling a motorized locking element arrangement of a motor vehicle, wherein the locking element arrangement comprises a locking element, a control arrangement and a sensor arrangement, wherein the sensor measurement values of the sensor arrangement are monitored by means of the control arrangement to determine whether a triggering operating situation, defined by at least one operating situation condition, exists, and wherein, upon detection of the triggering operating situation by means of the control arrangement, a control of the locking element arrangement is triggered.It is proposed that an operating situation condition of the triggering operating situation is defined by the fact that the orientation of at least one body part of the operator around the vertical lies within a predetermined permissible orientation range, that the sensor arrangement detects whether the orientation of at least one body part of the operator around the vertical lies within the permissible orientation range, and that the control of the locking element arrangement is triggered depending on this.