Adaptive Vehicle Door Timing Based on Kick Motion Duration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle door opening and closing systems using leg motion detection often start the door operation at inappropriate times due to varying kicking speeds, leading to user discomfort as the door opening or closing feels either too long or too short.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle door opening and closing control device that includes sensors to detect leg motion, a controller to perform door operations based on the detected motion, and a calculator to estimate the motion completion time, ensuring the door operation starts only when the leg motion is completed, thereby optimizing the timing according to the user's kicking speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a fixed time delay is used to start door operation after sensor output falls below threshold, then the control system is simple, but the door operation timing does not match the user's kicking speed, causing user discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the door operation timing adaptive rather than fixed. The control device dynamically adjusts the timing based on the measured motion duration of the kicking gesture. Specifically, the control device measures the duration from when the sensor output exceeds the threshold to when it falls below, then adds this measured duration to the threshold fall time to determine when to start door operation. This ensures the door starts opening or closing precisely when the user's leg completes its motion, accommodating varying kicking speeds without requiring complex predictive algorithms.
2Productivity
If door operation starts after a fixed time from sensor threshold crossing, then the control logic is simple, but fast kickers experience long delays while slow kickers experience premature operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by using the sensor's actual output waveform characteristics to determine door operation timing. The control device continuously monitors the sensor output, measures the motion duration (the time the output remains above threshold), and uses this measured duration as feedback to calculate the optimal start time. This feedback mechanism ensures that users with faster kicking speeds receive quicker response, while users with slower kicking speeds are given adequate time, eliminating both the delay problem for fast kickers and the premature operation problem for slow kickers.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle door opening and closing control device opens or closes a door of a vehicle according to a kicking motion of a leg detected by a kick sensor. A threshold is set for output from the kick sensor. Motion duration time until the output from the sensor falls below the threshold after the output from the sensor exceeds the threshold in a kicking motion is measured. Motion completion estimated time until the kicking motion is completed is calculated according to the motion duration time, for example, by assuming that motion completion estimated time=motion duration time/2. When the elapsed time after the output from the sensor falls below the threshold reaches the motion completion estimated time, opening operation or closing operation of the door starts.