JP2006090033A - Automatic door opening device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic door opening device which is excellent in waterproofness and operability of an operation part without sacrificing aesthetic appearance and capable of ensuring safety during operation.
A detection electrode is attached to a part of a door that is opened by a door opening mechanism, and a change in capacitance between the detection electrode and ground due to a part of a human body approaching the detection electrode is detected. To activate the door opening mechanism. The lighting device displays the position of the detection electrode with the illumination pattern A prior to the operation of the door opening mechanism with the detection electrode, displays the detection of the capacitance change with the detection electrode with the illumination pattern B, and the door opening / closing mechanism is activated. The lighting pattern C is displayed as being inside.
[Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic door opening device mounted on a door of an automobile, a train, a house or the like.

Conventionally, as this kind of automatic door opening device, what was applied to the motor vehicle is disclosed by patent document 1. FIG. The device disclosed herein is an open / close control device for a back door of an automobile, and the back door is controlled by on / off control of an electric motor and a solenoid valve constituting a mechanism for automatically opening / closing the back door by manual or remote operation. Therefore, even an operator with weak muscular strength such as using a wheelchair or a crutch can easily open and close the back door.
JP 2000-158947 A, paragraphs 0008, 0009, FIG.

  In the above-described conventional open / close control device for a back door of an automobile, details of a switch for turning on and off the automatic opening / closing mechanism are not shown, but a switch having an electrical contact is generally used. The Such a switch is embedded in a door knob or the like because it loses its aesthetics when it appears on the exterior of an automobile and also requires waterproofness. However, if there is a switch in such a position, there is a drawback that it is difficult to operate for both handicapped persons and persons with physical disabilities.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides an automatic door opening device that is excellent in waterproofness and operability of an operation unit and that can ensure safety during operation without deteriorating aesthetics. With the goal.

  The first automatic door opening device according to the present invention includes a detection electrode mounted on a part of a door opened by a door opening mechanism, and the detection electrode formed by a part of a human body approaching the detection electrode. An automatic door opening device that detects a change in capacity with respect to the ground and activates the door opening mechanism, and is informed by light, sound, or vibration that the door opening mechanism is in operation. It is characterized by comprising.

  In the second automatic door opening device according to the present invention, the detection electrode is attached to a part of the door that is opened by the door opening mechanism, and a part of a human body approaches the detection electrode. An automatic door opening device that operates the door opening mechanism by detecting a change in capacitance between the electrode and the ground, wherein the position of the detection electrode is changed prior to the operation of the door opening mechanism by the detection electrode. The first illumination mode is displayed, the change in the capacitance detected by the detection electrode is displayed in a second illumination mode different from the first illumination mode, and the door opening / closing mechanism is in operation. It is characterized by comprising an illuminating device that displays in a third illumination form different from the first and second illumination forms.

  According to the present invention, the switch for turning on the door mechanism for opening the door is configured by the detection electrode for detecting the approach of a part of the human body, and this detection electrode is controlled by It is attached to a certain door. Since such a detection electrode is thin, it is possible to form a switch with a wide detection area without impairing the overall aesthetic appearance, and to provide an automatic door opening device excellent in waterproofness and operability of the operation unit. Can do.

  Further, according to the first automatic door opening device of the present invention, the start of the operation of the door opening mechanism by the switch is notified by light, sound or vibration by the notification means, so that the door is opened with attention to the surroundings. The safety of time can be ensured.

  Furthermore, according to the second automatic door opening device of the present invention, the position of the detection electrode is displayed in the first illumination form by the illumination device, and is displayed in the second illumination form when the capacitance change is detected by the detection electrode. Since the third illumination form indicates that the door opening / closing mechanism is in operation, the confirmation of the switch position, the confirmation of the switch-on state, and the confirmation of the operation state of the door opening mechanism are one. It becomes possible with the lighting device, and operability and safety are further improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an automatic door opening device for a back door of an automobile.

  In the center of the rear end portion of the back door 2 of the automobile 1, a license plate attachment portion 4 to which the license plate 3 is attached is provided. The license plate mounting portion 4 is provided with a garnish 5 as a horizontally extending exterior part projecting in a bowl shape at the top, and a switch module 6 configured with the garnish 5 is disposed on the back side of the garnish 5.

  2A is an enlarged front view of the switch module 6, and FIG. 3 shows a cross section taken along the line AA 'in FIG.

  A groove 11 extending in the lateral direction is formed on the back surface of the garnish 5, and a detection electrode 12 is mounted in the groove 11. The thickness of the garnish 5 at the groove 11 is such that the change in capacitance between the detection electrode 12 and the ground can be sufficiently detected when a part of the human body approaches the detection electrode 12, for example, about 1 to 10 mm. Is set. The detection electrode 12 is made of a copper foil pattern formed on one surface on the tip side of the FPC 13. The FPC 13 is mounted with an LED 15 as a light source constituting the illumination device 14 and a circuit component 16 including a detection circuit and a light source driving circuit. Further, a connector 17 is connected to the base end side of the FPC 13 so that the circuit component 16 can be connected to an external control box via a wire harness (not shown).

  The illumination device 14 includes a plurality of LEDs 15 arranged along the detection electrodes 12 and a horizontally long light guide 18 provided along with the detection electrodes 12 that guides light from the LEDs 15 to the surface of the garnish 5. . For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of LEDs 15 are formed by alternately arranging two types of LEDs 15 a and 15 b having different emission colors.

  These detection circuit 12, FPC 13, LED 15 and circuit component 16 are accommodated in a waterproof case 19. The waterproof case 19 is attached to the back surface of the garnish 5 through the seal member 20 with the inside sealed. The connector 17 is attached to the base end side of the waterproof case 19 so that a part thereof is exposed. Thereby, the switch module 6 integrated with the garnish 5, the waterproof case 19, and the component accommodated in the inside is formed. The switch module 6 is inserted into the mounting hole 23 of the body 22 of the automobile from the base end side of the waterproof case 19 provided with the connector 17 and is liquid-tightly attached to the body 22 of the automobile via the seal member 21. .

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the automatic door opening device for the back door according to the present embodiment.

  The capacitance detection circuit 31 outputs a detection voltage corresponding to the capacitance Cx between the detection electrode 12 and the ground. The detection circuit 31 incorporates an oscillation circuit, for example, and generates a signal whose oscillation frequency or duty ratio changes according to the capacitance Cx generated by the detection electrode 12. The detection voltage output from the detection circuit 31 is input to one input terminal of the comparator 32. A determination voltage generated by the determination voltage generation circuit 33 is applied to the other input terminal of the comparator 32. The comparator 32 outputs a detection signal when the detection voltage exceeds a predetermined determination voltage. If there are a plurality of types of determination voltages output from the determination voltage generation circuit 33, the comparator 32 outputs stepwise detection signals such as the approach and contact of a human body. This detection signal is input to the switch control circuit 34.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, the opening control of the back door 2 is performed using the radio wave from the smart key 35 incorporating the portable transmitter. The smart key 35 transmits a radio signal including identification number (ID) information at predetermined time intervals. On the other hand, the smart key receiving circuit 36 provided on the vehicle body side receives the radio signal including the ID information described above, collates with the ID information stored therein, and performs individual authentication of the driver. When the authentication is completed, an authentication completion signal is given to the switch control circuit 34, and a lock mechanism (not shown) is released. The authentication completion signal is also supplied to the light source driving circuit 38, and the light driving circuit 38 controls the lighting of the LED 15 so as to display authentication completion, switch-on, motor driving, etc. with different illumination patterns.

  When the detection signal from the comparator 32 is input in a state where the authentication completion signal is input, the switch control circuit 34 sets the door open signal to an on state and outputs it to the motor drive circuit 37. When the door open signal is turned on, the motor drive circuit 37 starts driving the motor 38 for opening and closing the back door 2. As a result, the back door 2 enters the door opening operation. When the back door 2 is fully opened, the motor drive circuit 37 detects this and lowers the motor drive signal. As a result, the switch control circuit 34 and the light source driving circuit 38 are turned off.

  FIG. 5 is a timing chart of signals of the respective parts, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of opening the back door 2 according to the present embodiment.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), when the driver 41 who accommodates the smart key 35 in the pocket approaches the automobile 1, the smart reception circuit 36 detects this, and as shown in FIG. The light source drive circuit 38 turns on the LED 15 with the illumination pattern A, for example. For example, the illumination pattern A is a pattern in which one LED 15a is turned on. As a result, the driver 41 can visually recognize which side the switch (detection electrode 12) for opening the back door is located.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), when the driver 41 touches the position illuminated by the LED 15a with a part of the human body (for example, the back of the hand), the light source driving circuit 38, as shown in FIG. The LED 15 is turned on with the illumination pattern B. The illumination pattern B may be a pattern for lighting the LED 15b or a pattern for increasing the luminance of the LED 15a instead of or in addition to the LED 15a. As a result, the driver 41 can visually recognize that the switch is turned on. At the same time, the switch control circuit 34 turns on the motor drive circuit 37. Thereby, the back door 2 is automatically opened, and as shown in FIG.6 (c), it can be set as a complete door open state. During the period when the back door 2 is automatically opened, the light source drive circuit 38 drives the LED 15 with the illumination pattern C as shown in FIG. The illumination pattern C is, for example, a pattern that causes the LED 15b to blink. Thereby, it can alert | report to the circumference | surroundings that the back door 2 is opening and can call attention.

  According to the automatic door opening device of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, even when the driver 41 holds the luggage 42, it is only necessary to lightly press a part of the body, for example, the back of the hand, etc. The back door 2 can be opened. And the detection electrode 12 is thin, can be arrange | positioned on the back side of the garnish 5, and can form a switch with a wide detection area, without impairing the whole beauty | look. And since the detection electrode 12 is arrange | positioned at the back side of the garnish 12, and the water droplet by rain, snow, etc. does not contact directly, the noise factor by this can be reduced. Further, since the switch device is modularized by the waterproof case 19, the waterproof property of the operation unit can be improved. Further, by displaying the position of the switch by turning on the LED 15, it is possible to immediately know which side should be contacted, and to improve the operability.

  7 and 8 are diagrams showing a configuration of the switch module 7 of the automatic door opening apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 7 (a) is a front view, FIG. 7 (b) is a bottom view, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB ′ of FIG.

  This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a ground electrode 51 is provided in addition to the detection electrode 12 in the module 7 and a license illumination device 52 for illuminating the license plate 3 is provided. is there.

  On the back surface of the garnish 53, two grooves 11 and 54 extending in the lateral direction with the illumination device 14 interposed therebetween are formed, and the detection electrode 12 similar to the conventional one is attached to the first groove 11, A ground electrode 51 is attached to the second groove 54. As shown in FIG. 7A, the detection electrode 12 and the ground electrode 51 are formed on one surface of the front end side of the FPC 55 that extends in the horizontal direction in the vertical direction of the illumination device 14 and is connected to the center. It consists of a copper foil pattern. In addition to the electronic components of the first embodiment, the FPC 55 is mounted with an LED 56 that constitutes the license lighting device 52. As shown in a bottom view in FIG. 7B, a plurality of LEDs 56 are arranged in the horizontal direction. The license illumination device 56 includes the plurality of LEDs 56 and a lamp plate 59 fitted to the lower surface of the waterproof case 58, and illuminates the license plate 3 from above.

  In this embodiment, since the ground electrode 51 is provided adjacent to the detection electrode 12, the detection operation when the human body approaches can be made more reliable. That is, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), in the case of only the detection electrode 12, the detection electrode is utilized through the coupling of the ground and the circuit ground by utilizing the fact that the human body is electrically connected to the ground. The electrostatic capacitance Cx generated between 12 and the human body is detected. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, in addition to the human body being electrically connected to the ground as shown in FIG. 9B, the capacitance Cx2 generated between the human body and the circuit ground is used. Since it can be directly coupled to the circuit ground, the detection sensitivity is improved and more reliable detection is possible.

  In this embodiment, a license lighting device 52 and the like are also added, and the functionality as a module is further enhanced as compared with the previous embodiment.

  10A and 10B are views showing a switch module 8 according to a third embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 10B is a partially enlarged view.

  In this embodiment, without using the light guide 18 used in the illumination device 14 of the second embodiment, the garnish 61 itself is constituted by a light transmissive member 62, and a half mirror, magic mirror, and wood grain print are formed on the surface thereof. This is an example in which the lighting device 64 is formed by forming a surface decoration treatment layer 63 by performing a surface decoration treatment having light permeability such as the above.

  In this way, by using the decorative component in which the light transmittance and the visibility of the surface cosmetic treatment are controlled, when the lighting device 64 is turned off, the surface cosmetic treatment layer 63 of the garnish 61 is visually recognized. When the lighting device 64 is lit, the illumination light can be visually recognized. Therefore, normally, the lighting device 64 is not recognized, and the lighting device 64 can be recognized only when necessary, so that the secrecy of the switch position and the aesthetic retention can be enhanced.

  FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a switch module 9 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  In this embodiment, electronic components are not arranged on the garnish 71 side, but electronic components are concentrated on the license lighting device 75 side of the waterproof case 72. That is, the LED 15 and the LED 56 are arranged on the lower surface side of the FPC 73 in the figure, and the LED 15 and 56 and the lamp plate 76 constitute a switch illumination device 74 and a license illumination device 75. The detection electrode 12 and the ground electrode 51 are disposed downward on both sides of the illumination devices 74 and 75. The detection electrode 12 and the ground electrode 51 are preferably protected by thin portions at both ends of the lamp plate 76. The ground electrode 51 is not essential in the present invention.

  According to this configuration, as a back door, there is a demerit that makes it somewhat difficult to touch the switch when opening the door, but it is rather easy to touch in the open state, and the light transmitting member of the switch display illumination is It can also serve as a transparent member of the license lamp plate, and the structure is simplified.

  In the above-described embodiment, the notification that the door is being opened is indicated by the illumination pattern C of the lighting device. However, as the notification means for notifying that the door is being opened, sound or A means for notifying that the door opening operation is being performed by vibration may be used.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment was a switch module of the opening device of the back door of a motor vehicle, it is applicable also to the other door of a motor vehicle, the door of vehicles other than a motor vehicle, the door of a house, etc. Needless to say.

1 is a rear view of an automobile equipped with a switch module of an automatic door opening device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the module. It is AA 'sectional drawing in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the module. It is a timing chart of each part of the module. It is a figure which shows door opening operation using the module. It is the front view and bottom view of a switch module of an automatic door opening device concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is BB 'sectional drawing in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the module compared with operation | movement of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the switch module which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the switch module which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Automobile, 2 ... Back door, 3 ... License plate, 4 ... License plate attaching part, 5, 51, 62, 71 ... Garnish, 6, 7, 8, 9 ... Switch module, 12 ... Detection electrode, 13, 55 73, FPC, 14, 64, 74 ... Illumination device, 15, 56 ... LED, 18 ... Light guide, 19, 58, 72 ... Waterproof case.

Claims (4)

A detection electrode is attached to a part of the door that is opened by the door opening mechanism, and the door detects a change in capacitance between the detection electrode and ground due to a part of the human body approaching the detection electrode. An automatic door opening device that operates a door opening mechanism,
An automatic door opening device comprising a notification means for notifying that the door opening mechanism is in operation by light, sound or vibration. A detection electrode is attached to a part of the door that is opened by the door opening mechanism, and the door detects a change in capacitance between the detection electrode and ground due to a part of the human body approaching the detection electrode. An automatic door opening device that operates a door opening mechanism,
Prior to the operation of the door opening mechanism by the detection electrode, the position of the detection electrode is displayed in the first illumination form, and the change in capacitance is detected by the detection electrode is different from the first illumination form. An illumination device is provided which displays in a second illumination form and displays in a third illumination form different from the first and second illumination forms that the door opening and closing mechanism is operating. Automatic door opening device.   The automatic door opening device according to claim 2, wherein the first to third display forms are different from each other in at least one of an illumination color and a blinking pattern of the illumination device. A receiving means for receiving a radio signal transmitted from a predetermined transmitter;
The automatic lighting device according to claim 2, wherein when the predetermined information signal for owner recognition is detected from the wireless signal received by the receiving means, the lighting device is displayed in the first lighting mode. Opening device.

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