Selective Vehicle Door Control for Weather-Aware Passenger Egress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic door systems in motor vehicles fail to consider passenger seat positions and environmental conditions, leading to reduced comfort and safety, especially in carpooling scenarios where passengers are exposed to adverse weather conditions during ingress and egress.
Innovation Solution
A system that determines passenger seat occupancy and current environmental conditions to selectively actuate vehicle doors, using seat allocation, passenger control, environmental sensing, and door control units to optimize door opening configurations for individual passenger needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If automatic doors are opened for passenger egress/ingress, then passenger accessibility is improved, but other passengers are exposed to adverse environmental conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The door system is divided into multiple independently controllable door units (first door, second door, third door, fourth door) corresponding to different seating positions. The control system can selectively open only the specific door nearest to the egressing/ingressing passenger while keeping other doors closed, thus segmenting the door control function to minimize environmental exposure to remaining passengers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements localized door control where each door can be independently actuated based on the specific passenger's seat position and egress/ingress needs. This local quality approach allows the system to open only the necessary door (local action) rather than all doors simultaneously, thereby protecting passengers in other areas from adverse environmental conditions.
2Productivity
If all doors are opened for passenger egress, then egress efficiency is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door control system segments the door actuation function, allowing independent control of each door unit. This enables the system to open only the specific door needed for passenger egress/ingress rather than all doors, maintaining egress efficiency while reducing the total door operation time and associated energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by opening only the minimum necessary door (the one nearest to the passenger) rather than all doors. This partial door opening is sufficient to maintain egress efficiency while significantly reducing the energy consumption associated with operating multiple door units simultaneously.
3Device complexity
If door opening is automated without seat position detection, then system complexity is reduced, but door selection accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seat allocation unit performs preliminary detection of seat occupancy status before the door actuation process. This preliminary action of identifying which seats are occupied allows the control system to accurately determine which door should be opened, thereby improving door selection accuracy without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat allocation unit provides feedback information about seat occupancy status to the control unit, which then uses this feedback to make intelligent door selection decisions. This feedback mechanism enables accurate door selection based on real-time seat occupancy data while maintaining a relatively simple automated door control architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for selectively actuating an automatic door of a motor vehicle for passenger ingress or egress includes: determining, by a seat allocation unit of the motor vehicle, a seat occupied by a passenger within the motor vehicle; assessing, by a passenger control unit of the motor vehicle, that the passenger intends to egress the motor vehicle or that another passenger wants to ingress into the motor vehicle; determining, by an environmental sensor unit of the motor vehicle, current environmental conditions around the motor vehicle; selecting, by the passenger control unit and based on the determined seat and the determined current environmental conditions, an automatic door of the motor vehicle as an egress/ingress door for the passenger ingress or egress and specifying a door opening configuration for the egress/ingress door; and actuating, by a door control unit, the egress/ingress door based on the specified door opening configuration.