Smart Entry System Using Hand Insertion Direction for Selective Door Unlocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional smart entry systems for vehicles require users to perform unfamiliar operations, such as pressing multiple switches or holding switches for extended periods, which can be bothersome and difficult to remember, leading to user frustration and decreased usability.
Innovation Solution
A smart entry system that uses a door handle with an unlock sensor to detect hand insertion direction, communicating with a mobile device to unlock either all doors or the driver's seat door based on the direction of hand insertion, eliminating the need for complex switch operations and simplifying the unlocking process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional smart entry systems use multiple switches or long-press operations to selectively unlock doors, then door unlocking functionality is achieved, but user operation complexity increases and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new dimension for operation by utilizing the spatial direction of hand insertion into the door handle groove. Instead of using temporal dimensions (pressing duration) or multiple discrete switches, the system distinguishes between insertion directions (e.g., from the front vs. from the side) to differentiate between unlocking all doors or only the driver's door, thereby simplifying the user interface while maintaining functional complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the directional information from the hand insertion action itself, separating the unlocking function from complex switch operations. By detecting the direction of insertion into the door handle groove, the system derives directional commands that directly control door unlocking behavior, eliminating the need for multiple switches or memorized operation sequences
2Ease of operation
If conventional smart entry systems require users to remember unfamiliar switch operations, then door unlocking control is achieved, but user burden increases and ease of operation worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The door handle groove structure itself provides the operational guidance through its physical geometry. The groove's shape and orientation naturally guide the user's hand insertion, making the directional operation intuitive and self-explanatory. This eliminates the need for users to memorize complex switch operation sequences, as the physical interface communicates the correct usage through its design
3Adaptability or versatility
If smart entry system adds directional detection capability to door handle, then door unlocking selectivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex electronic sensor systems with a simplified mechanical detection approach. Instead of using multiple sensors to detect hand position and calculate direction, the system uses a single sensor positioned within the door handle groove that detects the presence and direction of insertion through mechanical contact or proximity changes. This mechanical substitution reduces electronic complexity while maintaining directional detection capability
Solution Approach 2:
The door handle groove serves multiple functions: it provides the structural interface for hand insertion, guides the directional operation, and acts as the detection zone for the sensor. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components for each function, thereby reducing overall device complexity while achieving door unlocking selectivity
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 system simplifies door unlocking by allowing users to change hand insertion direction to selectively unlock doors, reducing user burden and improving usability and merchantability by eliminating the need to remember complex switch operations.
Implementation Method 1
an unlock sensor provided to the door handle and configured to detect an unlocking operation performed by the user's hand
Data Source
AI summary
A discriminating unit discriminates and detects a first unlocking operation performed on an unlock sensor by insertion of a user's hand into a space from a first direction, and a second unlocking operation performed on the unlock sensor by insertion of the user's hand into the space from a second direction. If the first unlocking operation is detected, an unlock order unit causes lock devices to unlock all the doors of a vehicle, and if the second unlocking operation is detected, the unlock order unit causes the lock device to unlock only the door of a driver's seat of the vehicle.