Vehicle Door Pinch Detection With Rain-Adaptive Threshold Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Anti-pinch sensors in vehicle doors malfunction in rainy weather due to moisture contact, leading to frequent false detections and unnecessary door opening and closing, which delays vehicle departure and compromises safety.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle door pinch detection system with internal and external sensors and a controller that adjusts pinch thresholds based on weather conditions, using impedance and resistance changes to differentiate between rainy and non-rainy weather, and triggers alarms or door openings to prevent injuries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If anti-pinch sensors are used to detect door pinching, then safety is improved, but false detection occurs in rainy weather due to moisture contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the detection parameter from direct contact-based sensing to impedance-based sensing. The sensor detects changes in impedance caused by pinching forces rather than relying on direct mechanical contact, which eliminates the false detection problem in rainy weather while maintaining pinch detection capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical contact-based anti-pinch sensor with an impedance-based detection system. This substitution transforms the detection mechanism from mechanical to electrical field-based, allowing detection without direct moisture contact and eliminating false alarms in rainy conditions
2Measurement precision
If pinch threshold is set low to detect all pinches, then detection sensitivity is improved, but false alarms increase in rainy weather
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic threshold adjustment based on weather conditions. The controller automatically adapts the detection threshold according to whether it is raining or not, allowing high sensitivity in non-rainy weather while preventing false alarms in rainy weather through automatic parameter adaptation
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback from rain detection sensors to dynamically adjust the pinch detection threshold. When rain is detected, the system receives feedback and automatically adjusts the threshold to prevent false alarms, creating a closed-loop control system that optimizes detection performance
3Measurement precision
If rain detection sensor is added to adjust thresholds, then detection accuracy in rain is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the existing sensor system multi-functional by enabling it to perform both rain detection and pinch detection functions. The same sensor hardware is used for dual purposes, eliminating the need for completely separate sensor systems and reducing overall device complexity while achieving weather-adaptive detection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the rain detection and pinch detection functions into a unified sensor system. By combining these functions and processing them through a single controller with adaptive algorithms, the system achieves weather-aware pinch detection without requiring separate complex sensor subsystems
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
Enhances detection accuracy by reducing false alarms and ensuring safe door operations in various weather conditions, preventing injuries and ensuring timely vehicle departures.
Implementation Method 1
The internal pinch sensor and the rain detection sensor may transmit respective output values depending on a change in impedance
Implementation Method 2
an internal pinch sensor configured for detecting a pinch at a periphery of a vehicle door
Implementation Method 3
an external pinch sensor operatively connected to the controller and provided on an external weather strip to detect a pinch depending on a change in resistance value upon an occupant's pinch
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle door pinch detection method includes a door closure request step in which a controller determines whether there is a request to close a vehicle door, a rainy weather determination step in which the controller determines whether it is rainy weather or non-rainy weather by the rain detection sensor provided at a weather strip, a door closure initiation step in which the controller loads a pinch threshold and starts actuating the door motor for closing the vehicle door; and a pinch determination step in which the controller determines whether there occurs a pinch by the pinch sensors provided on the weather strips, wherein the controller loads different pinch thresholds in response to a rainy weather or a non-rainy weather, and if the pinch is detected in the pinch determination step, the controller opens the door.