Vehicle Door Collision Avoidance via Sensor Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle door opening mechanisms are prone to damage from collisions with objects, inconvenient for certain individuals, and may not anticipate moving objects, leading to potential collisions and damage.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes an operator interface, sensors, and a powered actuator controlled by a controller to determine whether to open or close the door manually or automatically, with sensors detecting objects in the path to prevent collisions by adjusting the door's movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual door operation is used, then the design is simple and easy to implement, but the operator may cause damage to the door or surrounding objects due to lack of collision detection
Solution Approach 1:
A sensor system acts as an intermediary between the door operator and the door itself, detecting objects in the door's path and providing feedback to the controller. This intermediary layer enables automated collision prevention while maintaining a relatively simple manual operation interface, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by using sensors to continuously monitor the environment around the door and providing real-time information to the controller. When an object is detected in the projected path, the controller adjusts the door operation accordingly, enabling reliable collision prevention without significantly complicating the manufacturing process.
2Ease of manufacture
If manual door operation is used, then the mechanism is simple, but operation is inconvenient for children, the elderly, and the disabled
Solution Approach 1:
The door system performs self-service by automatically detecting objects and adjusting its own operation through the sensor-controller-actuator loop. This eliminates the need for complex manual manipulation, making the door accessible to children, the elderly, and the disabled while maintaining a simple overall mechanism that is easy to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces purely mechanical manual operation with an automated system that uses sensors and controlled actuators. This substitution provides power-assisted operation that is easy for all users while keeping the mechanical structure relatively simple, thus improving ease of operation without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity.
3Shape
If a handle-less design is implemented, then aesthetic appearance is improved, but the operator interface becomes less obvious
Solution Approach 1:
The operator interface serves as an intermediary that mediates between the aesthetic handle-less design and the user's opening command. Subtle indicators or touch-sensitive surfaces provide the necessary interface functionality without compromising the clean aesthetic appearance, allowing the door to maintain both visual appeal and usability.
4Reliability
If automated powered actuator is used, then collision prevention capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated door system is segmented into distinct functional modules: sensor array for object detection, controller for decision-making, and actuator for door movement. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall system architecture, enabling reliable collision prevention without excessive complexity. The modular structure makes the system manageable and maintainable.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for opening and closing a door of a vehicle may include receiving a signal indicative of either opening or closing the vehicle door, determining whether the opening or closing will be performed by an operator or via a powered actuator based on the signal, and generating, if the opening or closing will be performed by the powered actuator, a first control signal indicative of a first position to which the door is to be moved. The method may further include controlling the powered actuator to cause the door to move from an original position to the first position.