Split Tailgate Door Collision Avoidance Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power split tailgate systems for vehicles lack effective collision avoidance mechanisms, particularly when both doors are stopped within a defined collision zone during powered articulation, leading to potential collisions and obstacles detection issues.
Innovation Solution
A control system for a powered split door system that includes first and second drive means for articulating vehicle doors between closed and open positions, with a control means to determine if both doors are within a collision zone and control their movement to avoid collisions by articulating them out of the zone, reversing direction, or maintaining them in a stopped condition, while also detecting obstacles and ensuring positional data exchange between control units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If both doors are independently powered and controlled to move simultaneously, then the door system productivity is improved, but the risk of door collision increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control means continuously monitors the position of both doors during powered articulation and uses this feedback information to determine when both doors are within the collision zone. This real-time feedback enables the system to detect potential collision conditions and trigger appropriate avoidance actions, thus maintaining high productivity while ensuring safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-defines a collision zone based on the geometric relationship between the two doors before operation begins. By establishing this safety boundary in advance, the control means can proactively prevent collision by stopping or reversing door movement before actual contact occurs, rather than reacting after collision has started.
2Reliability
If the control means continuously monitors door positions to detect collision risks, then the collision avoidance capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control means serves multiple functions: it controls the powered articulation of both doors, monitors their positions for collision detection, determines when both doors are within the collision zone, and executes collision avoidance maneuvers. By consolidating these functions into a single control unit rather than separate systems, the patent achieves high detection accuracy without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The collision zone is pre-calculated and stored in the control means based on the known geometric relationship between the two doors. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for complex real-time geometric calculations during operation, reducing the computational burden and simplifying the control algorithm while maintaining accurate collision detection.
3Reliability
If the doors are stopped within the collision zone, then the collision risk is reduced, but the door operation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control means dynamically adjusts door movement based on real-time position feedback. When both doors are detected within the collision zone, the system automatically stops further movement into the collision area. If doors are already stopped within the zone, the control means reverses their direction to move them out of the collision zone, thereby preventing collision while minimizing operational delay through automated dynamic adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows doors to move quickly through safe zones without interruption. Only when both doors are simultaneously detected within the collision zone does the system intervene to stop or reverse movement. This selective intervention approach minimizes operational delays by avoiding unnecessary stops while maintaining safety when required.
Data Source
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AI summary
A power, split door system for a vehicle, comprising a first vehicle door arranged to articulate between a closed position and an open position and a second vehicle door arranged to articulate between a closed position and an open position. First and second drive means are provided for articulating the first and second vehicle doors, respectively, between the closed and open positions. A control means is provided for controlling the first and second drive means so as to control movement of the first and second doors between the open and closed positions. Wherein a collision zone is defined as a region of the door system in which the first vehicle door and the second vehicle door could potentially come into contact with one another. Wherein the control means is configured to determine if both of the first and second vehicle doors is within a collision zone during powered articulation of the vehicle doors. In the event that the first and second vehicle doors are both stopped within the collision zone during a powered articulation, the control means is configured to control the first and second drive means to articulate the first and second vehicle doors in a reverse direction to the direction they were being articulated in and into either their fully open or fully closed positions in an appropriate manner that avoids collision of the first and second vehicle doors or the control means is configured to maintain the first and second vehicle doors in a stopped condition..