WO2018066189A1 - Vehicle window glass lifting device, vehicle door, and vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle window glass lifting device 1 comprises: a drive unit 4 that generates a driving force to lift and lower a window glass 3; a control unit 5 that controls the drive unit 4; a light source 8 that emits non-visible light on a detection line 6 formed along a portion of a frame 22 for window glass; and a camera 7 that has a lens 71 into which enters the non-visible light emitted from the light source 8 onto the detection line 6. The light source 8 and the camera 7 are disposed on an edge of a door 2 in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle and the light source 8 distributes light unevenly on the detection line 6.

Description

Vehicle window glass lifting device, vehicle door, and vehicle

The present invention relates to a vehicle window glass elevating device, a vehicle door, and a vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle window glass elevating device for automatically elevating and lowering a window glass of a vehicle door is known.

The vehicle window glass elevating device includes a drive unit that generates a driving force for raising and lowering the window glass and a control unit that controls the drive unit. In such a vehicle window glass elevating device, in order to elevate and lower the window glass electrically, a mechanism for preventing pinching by the window glass is generally provided.

As a vehicle window glass elevating device, the present applicant is equipped with a camera for imaging a detection line provided along the window frame, and when at least a part of the detection line imaged by the camera is shielded by a foreign object, There has been proposed a vehicle window glass lifting device that causes a drive unit to perform a pinching prevention operation for preventing pinching by a window glass (see Patent Document 1).

A vehicle window glass lifting device described in Patent Document 1 includes a light source unit having a plurality of light emitting elements that irradiate infrared light toward a detection line, and is emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements and reflected by the detection line. By capturing external light with a camera arranged in the vicinity of the light source unit, it is possible to detect a foreign object that may be caught at night or the like. Further, as disclosed in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1, the light source unit and the camera are arranged at the center of the door trim in the vehicle front-rear direction.

Japanese Patent No. 5768202

However, in the vehicle window glass elevating device described in Patent Document 1, when the camera and the light source unit are arranged at the center part of the door trim, since it is easily noticeable, for example, an uncomfortable feeling monitored by an occupant is generated. There is a problem in appearance. In general, since the center portion of the door trim is formed narrower in the vehicle width direction, there is a problem that the installation space is limited. Therefore, it is desirable that the camera and the light source unit be installed on the end side in the vehicle front-rear direction (the fixed end side or the free end side of the door) with respect to the center part of the door trim.

Therefore, as a result of repeated studies by the present inventors, when the camera and the light source unit are arranged on the end side of the door trim, the reflected luminance in the detection line of the infrared light emitted from the light source unit is the vehicle front-rear direction. It was found that a portion having a low reflection luminance and a portion having a high reflection luminance were generated. Since there is a possibility that erroneous detection of pinching detection may occur in a portion where the reflected luminance is low, it is necessary to use a relatively expensive light source such as using a light source with high luminance or increasing the number of light sources to prevent this, There is a problem that this causes an increase in manufacturing cost.

Therefore, the present invention provides a vehicle window glass elevating device that can suppress an increase in manufacturing cost without impairing the appearance, a vehicle door using the vehicle window glass elevating device, and a vehicle. With the goal.

A vehicle window glass elevating device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle window glass elevating device that is arranged on a door provided with a frame portion having an opening, and elevates and lowers the window glass. A driving unit that generates a driving force to be driven, a control unit that controls the driving unit, a light source that emits invisible light to a detection line formed along at least a part of the frame unit, and a light source that is emitted from the light source. And a camera having a lens on which the invisible light reflected by the detection line is incident, and the control unit prevents pinching by the window glass based on an image captured by the camera There is a pinching prevention means for causing the driving unit to perform an operation, and the light source distributes light unevenly with respect to the detection line.

A vehicle door according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the vehicle window glass elevating device.

Furthermore, a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the vehicle door.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the vehicle window glass raising / lowering apparatus which can suppress the increase in manufacturing cost, without impairing an external appearance property, the vehicle door using this vehicle raising / lowering apparatus, and a vehicle can be provided.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle window glass lifting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the door as viewed from above the passenger compartment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the door as seen from the lower front side of the vehicle. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating the optical axes of the window frame, the window glass, and the light source. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing a configuration example of the light source shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship of the reflection luminance with respect to the reflection position of the detection line together with a comparative example. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the vehicle window glass lifting apparatus. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a light source according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a light source according to a modification.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a vehicle window glass lifting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle window glass lifting apparatus according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle door (vehicle door) 2 on which a vehicle window glass elevating device 1 is mounted includes a storage unit 21 that stores a window glass 3, and a window glass provided above the storage unit 21. And a frame portion 22. A door trim 23 is attached to the interior of the storage unit 21 so as to cover the storage unit 21.

The window glass frame portion 22 includes a rear standing portion 22a extending upward from the rear end portion of the storage portion 21 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a front extending upward from the storage portion 21 in front of the rear standing portion 22a. It comprises a standing portion 22b and an upward extending portion 22c that extends from the upper end portion of the rear standing portion 22a to the upper end portion of the front standing portion 22b. When the window glass 3 is fully closed, the window glass 3 is disposed in a space surrounded by the window glass frame portion 22 and the upper end portion of the door trim 23.

The vehicle window glass elevating device 1 controls the drive unit 4 that generates a driving force for moving the window glass 3 up and down with respect to the window glass frame unit 22 having an opening 22d (shown in FIG. 2), and the drive unit 4. And a control unit 5.

The driving unit 4 moves the window glass 3 in the vertical direction with respect to the window glass frame portion 22, and a motor 41 such as a DC motor and a driving force of the motor 41 in the vertical direction of the window glass 3. And a power conversion mechanism 42 for converting into The power conversion mechanism 42 includes, for example, a carrier plate that supports the window glass 3 and slides along the guide rail, and is attached to the wire by sliding the wire along the guide rail by the driving force of the motor 41. A window regulator or the like that moves the carrier plate and the window glass 3 in the vertical direction along the guide rail can be used. Further, as the power conversion mechanism 42, an X-arm type regulator or another type can be used.

The door 2 is provided with a switch (SW) 24 for raising and lowering the window glass 3. An output signal line of the switch 24 is connected to the control unit 5. The switch 24 is composed of, for example, a two-stage click type swing switch. When one end of the descending side is clicked by one stage, the descending first stage click signal is clicked, and one end of the descending side is clicked by two stages. When the second side click signal of the descending side is clicked, the first side click signal of the rising side when the other end side that is the rising side is clicked by one step, and when the other end side that is the rising side is clicked by two steps The side second stage click signal is configured to be output to the control unit 5.

The control part 5 controls the drive part 4 according to the signal from the switch 24, and moves the window glass 3 to an up-down direction. The control unit 5 is mounted on the door 2 as a control unit in which a CPU, a memory, an interface, software, and the like are appropriately combined. The control unit 5 may be mounted as a function in an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls, for example, a vehicle mirror or a seat other than the door 2.

When the descending first step click signal is input from the switch 24, the control unit 5 descends the window glass 3 while the signal is input, and when the descending second step click signal is input. Is configured to control the drive unit 4 so that the window glass 3 is automatically lowered until the window glass 3 is lowered to the lowest position or the switch 24 is operated again. Further, when the ascending side first stage click signal is input from the switch 24, the control unit 5 ascends the window glass 3 while the signal is input, and the ascending side second stage click signal is input. In this case, the drive unit 4 is controlled so that the window glass 3 is automatically raised until the window glass 3 is raised to the top or the switch 24 is operated again.

Next, a configuration for preventing pinching by the window glass 3 will be described.

The vehicle window glass lifting apparatus 1 includes a light source 8 that emits invisible light to a detection line 6 formed along at least a part of the window glass frame portion 22, and a light beam 8 emitted from the light source 8 and reflected by the detection line 6. And a camera 7 on which the invisible light is incident. In the present embodiment, based on the image captured by the camera 7, it is determined whether there is a foreign object that may be caught by the window glass 3.

In the present embodiment, the light source 8 that emits near-infrared light is used. The camera 7 is composed of a camera that images near-infrared light that is irradiated from the light source 8 and reflected by the detection line 6. By providing the light source 8, it is possible to detect a foreign object that may be caught even at night and in a dark place where infrared rays other than night reach, such as an underground parking lot. Specific configurations and mounting positions of the camera 7 and the light source 8 will be described later.

The detection line 6 serves as a reference for determining whether there is a foreign object that may be caught by the window glass 3, and at least the outer edge of the window glass 3 when the door 2 and the window glass 3 are closed. It is provided in the vehicle interior side rather than the window glass 3 along a part. The specific configuration and setting position of the detection line 6 will be described later.

The control unit 5 includes a detection unit 51 that detects a shielding state in which at least a part of the detection line 6 captured by the camera 7 is shielded by a foreign substance, and a shielding state that is detected by the detection unit 51 when the window glass 3 is moved by the driving unit 4. And a pinching prevention unit 52 that causes the drive unit 4 to perform a pinching prevention operation for preventing pinching by the window glass 3. The detection unit 51 is an aspect of the detection means of the present invention, and the pinching prevention unit 52 is an aspect of the pinching prevention means of the present invention.

The detection unit 51 performs image processing of an image captured by the camera 7 and extracts the detection line 6, and at least one of the detection lines 6 based on the image subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 51 a. And a shielding determination unit 51b for determining whether the part is in a shielding state shielded by a foreign object.

A specific method for extracting the detection line 6 in the image processing unit 51a is not particularly limited. For example, the image captured by the camera 7 is trimmed to remove unnecessary portions, and a posterization process or a binarization process is performed. Alternatively, by performing edge detection processing, it is possible to extract a detection line 6 having a luminance different from that of the surrounding members.

In the shielding determination unit 51b, for example, an image in an unshielded state (an image after image processing by the image processing unit 51a) is stored as an initial state image, and the initial state image and the image processing unit 51a are stored. It is configured to determine whether or not the detection line 6 is shielded by a foreign object by comparing with the image output from. The shielding determination unit 51b compares, for example, the initial state image and the image output from the image processing unit 51a, and the foreign object determination in which the difference between the edges of the detected detection lines 6 and the difference between the areas of the detection lines 6 is set in advance. It is configured to determine that it is in a shielded state when the threshold is exceeded.

The pinching prevention unit 52 causes the driving unit 4 to perform a pinching prevention operation for preventing pinching by the window glass 3 when the detection unit 51 detects a shielding state when the window glass 3 is moved by the driving unit 4. As the pinching prevention operation, an operation for stopping the movement of the window glass 3, an operation for lowering the window glass 3 to a safe position, an operation for warning the operator by sound or light from an alarm device installed in the passenger compartment, , A combination of these operations is included.

Further, the control unit 5 gives an instruction from the switch 24 when the detection state is detected by the detection unit 51 after the movement of the window glass 3 is instructed by the switch 24 and before the movement of the window glass 3 is started. An instruction invalidating unit 53 for invalidation is further provided. By providing the instruction invalidation unit 53, the window glass 3 does not move in the first place when the shielding state is detected, so that safety can be further improved.

Next, specific configurations of the camera 7 and the light source 8 will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the door 2 as viewed from above the vehicle interior side. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the door 2 as seen from the lower front side of the vehicle. FIG. 4 is a view showing optical axes (C ₁ to C ₄ described later) generated from the window glass 3 and the light source 8 shown in FIG. 2 in order to explain the light distribution characteristics of the light source 8. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing a configuration example of the light source 8 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the vehicle window glass lifting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the camera 7 and the light source 8 are disposed in the vicinity and provided on the upper surface S of the door trim 23. Here, the upper surface S of the door trim 23 is an outer surface at the upper end portion of the door trim 23, and is a surface that is visible from above in the vertical direction.

The detection line 6 is formed along at least a part of the outer edge of the window glass 3 in a state where the door 2 and the window glass 3 are closed, and is set on the vehicle interior side with respect to the window glass 3.

The detection line 6 should just be set along the frame part 22 for window glasses, may be set to the door 2 side, and may be set to the vehicle body side. Moreover, the detection line 6 may not be continuous, a part thereof may be set on the door 2 side, and a part thereof may be set on the vehicle body side.

In the present embodiment, as an example, a case where the detection line 6 is set on the door 2 side will be described. In this case, the detection line 6 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the entire window glass frame portion 22, that is, on the entire inner peripheral surface of the rear standing portion 22a, the front standing portion 22b, and the upper extending portion 22c. Is set to be separated from the vehicle interior side.

In the present embodiment, the camera 7 and the light source 8 are arranged at predetermined positions on the front standing portion 22b side (front end side in the vehicle longitudinal direction) of the door trim 23. However, the positions of the camera 7 and the light source 8 are not necessarily limited to this, and may be arranged at positions excluding the vicinity of the central portion of the door trim 23 in the vehicle front-rear direction. For example, the rear standing portion of the door trim 23 It may be arranged at a predetermined position on the 22a side (the rear end side in the vehicle front direction).

In the present embodiment, the light source 8 is configured to distribute light unevenly with respect to the detection line 6. More specifically, the reflection luminance value in the entire area of the detection line 6 is at least a minimum luminance value (hereinafter, this luminance value is simply referred to as a reference value) from which the detection unit 51 of the control unit 5 can extract the detection line 6. In order to exceed, the detection line 6 is irradiated by adjusting the output of the light source 8, the half-value angle, and the angle between the optical axes unevenly.

Here, “equally distribute light” means that the outputs of a plurality of light emitting elements (first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 described later) constituting the light source 8 are the same, and Irradiating the detection line 6 with the same half-value angle and the same angle between the optical axes of a pair of adjacent light emitting elements. On the other hand, “unevenly distribute light” means that the outputs of at least one of the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 are not the same, or the half-value angles are not the same or adjacent to each other. It means that the detection line 6 is irradiated in a state where the angles formed between the optical axes in a set of light emitting elements are not the same.

As shown in FIG. 4, for convenience of explanation, the measurement points on the upper extension portion 22c side in the rear standing portion 22a are A as a plurality of measurement points for measuring the reflected luminance reflected from the light source 8 by the detection line 6. The measurement point on the rear standing part 22a side in the upper extension part 22c is B, the measurement point on the central part in the upper extension part 22c is C, and the measurement point on the front standing part 22b side in the upper extension part 22c is D, E is a measurement point on the upper extension 22c side of the front standing part 22b. In the present embodiment, the light source 8 is arranged at a position separated by 350 mm from the intermediate point M of the door trim 23 toward the front standing portion 22b.

Further, the optical axis C ₁ of the first light emitting element 81 the angle between the optical axis C ₂ of the second light-emitting element 82 and alpha, the optical axis C ₂ of the second light-emitting element 82 a third light emitting element an angle between the optical axis C ₃ of 83 and beta, when an optical axis C ₃ of the third light-emitting element 83 the angle between the optical axis C ₄ of the fourth light emitting element 84 and gamma, the angle alpha, the angle β and the angle γ are not identical (α ≠ β, β ≠ γ, α ≠ γ). That is, the angle formed by the optical axes of the adjacent light emitting elements among the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 is set to be non-uniform, and the distance from the light source 8 to the detection line 6 is different. The angles α to γ are, for example, an angle α of 26.0 °, an angle β of 28.5 °, and an angle γ of 12.6 °.

As shown in FIG. 5, the light source 8 includes first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 that emit invisible light (near infrared light) and first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84. And a plate-like pedestal 85 on which a flexible substrate 850 is formed as a mounting surface. The light emitting element 81 is composed of, for example, a light emitting diode. The camera 7 includes a lens 71 on which invisible light (near infrared light) emitted from the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 and reflected by the detection line 6 is incident, and a mirror that holds the incident lens 71. A cylinder 72 and a mount 73 for holding the lens barrel 72 on the circuit board 700 are provided. In the present embodiment, the outputs (light amounts) of the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 are all different.

Here, assuming that the half-value angles of the _first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 are ω ₁ to ω ₄ , ω ₁ to ω ₄ are not the same. In the present embodiment, the half-value angle ω _{1 of} the first light-emitting element 81 is not identical to the half-value angles ω ₂ to ω _{4 of the} other light-emitting elements (ω ₁ ≠ ω ₂ , ω ₁ ≠ ω ₃ , ω ₁ ≠ omega _4), half-value angle omega ₂ of the second light-emitting element 82 is non-identical to the half-value angle omega ₄ of the first light emitting element 81 half value angle omega ₁ and the fourth light emitting element 84 (ω ₂ ≠ ω _{1, ω 2 ≠ ω 4)} , half-value angle omega ₃ of the third light emitting element 83 is non-identical to the half-value angle omega ₄ of the first half-value angle omega ₁ and the fourth light emitting element 81 of the light emitting element 84 ( ω ₃ ≠ ω ₁ , ω ₃ ≠ ω ₄ ). The half-value angles ω ₁ to ω ₄ are, for example, the half-value angle ω ₁ is 43.6 °, the half-value angles ω ₂ and ω ₃ are 50.3 °, and the half-value angle ω ₄ is 19.3 °. .

The flexible substrate 850 is curved so as to follow the shape of the pedestal curved in a convex shape along the extending direction of the detection line 6, and is provided at a position corresponding to the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84. First to fourth holding portions 851 to 854 are provided. A first light emitting element 81 is disposed in the first holding portion 851. Similarly, the second light emitting element 82 is disposed in the second holding portion 852, the third light emitting element 83 is disposed in the third holding portion 853, and the fourth light emitting element 84 is disposed in the fourth holding portion 854. Is arranged. In addition, the flexible substrate 850 is disposed in close contact with the surface of the pedestal 85.

The flexible substrate 850 has the first holding portion 851 positioned on the rear standing portion 22a side (the rearmost side in the vehicle front-rear direction) of the window glass frame portion 22, and from the rear standing portion 22a to the front standing portion 22b. The second holding unit 852, the third holding unit 853, and the fourth holding unit 854 are arranged adjacent to each other at a predetermined interval in order.

The first holding portion 851 is inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the second holding portion 852, the second holding portion 852 is inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the third holding portion 853, and the third holding portion 853 is the fourth holding portion. It is inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the holding portion 854.

The first light emitting element 81 is arranged on the first holding portion 851 so that the optical axis C ₁ is orthogonal to a plane parallel to the first holding portion 851. Similarly, the second light emitting element 82 is the optical axis C ₂ is disposed on the second holding portion 852 so as to be perpendicular to the plane parallel to the second holding portion 852, the third light-emitting element 83 is an optical axis C ₃ is disposed on the third holding portion 853 so as to be orthogonal to a plane parallel to the third holding portion 853, and the fourth light emitting element 84 has a plane in which the optical axis C ₄ is parallel to the fourth holding portion 854. It arrange | positions on the 4th holding | maintenance part 854 so that it may orthogonally cross. That is, the first to fourth holding portions 851 to 854 of the holding member 85 are formed as pedestals of the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84, respectively.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the first to fourth holding portions 851 to 854 of the holding member 85 are inclined with respect to each other, so that the optical axes of the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 ( The angles formed between C ₁ to C ₄ ) are nonuniform.

FIG. 6 shows, together with a comparative example, the relationship between the measurement points A to E of the detection line 6 and the reflected luminance at each measurement point A to E when the light source 8 distributes light unevenly with respect to the detection line 6. It is a graph. In FIG. 6, the measurement points A to E of the detection line 6 are plotted on the horizontal axis, and the brightness of the reflected light that is reflected by the measurement points A to E of the detection line 6 and enters the lens 71 is measured. The reflection brightness at E is on the vertical axis. In FIG. 6, the minimum luminance value with which the detection unit 51 of the control unit 5 can extract the detection line 6 is indicated by a broken line as a reference value.

The vehicle window glass lifting apparatus according to the comparative example is the vehicle window glass lifting apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, except that the light source 8 distributes light evenly with respect to the detection line 6. It is the same composition as. That is, in the light source 8 according to the comparative example, the outputs, the half-value angles, and the angles formed between the optical axes (C ₁ to C ₄ ) in the _first to _fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 are all the same. Further, when the camera 7 and the light source 8 are arranged on the front end side of the door trim 23 in the vehicle front-rear direction, the measurement point E among the measurement points A to E of the detection line 6 has the smallest reflected luminance. In the comparative example shown, the distribution of the reflection luminance at each measurement point is shown when the light is evenly distributed so that at least the reflection luminance at the measurement point E exceeds the reference value.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the comparative example, when light is evenly distributed to the detection line 6, the reflected luminance at the measurement point E of the detection line 6 becomes the smallest, and the reflected luminance becomes the reference value at the measurement points B to D. On the other hand, it turns out that it has become excessively large. In the present embodiment, it is understood that light distribution is performed so that it exceeds at least the reference value in the entire measurement points A to E, and the reflected luminance is smaller than that of the comparative example. In particular, at the measurement points B to D, the difference in reflected luminance with respect to the comparative example is the largest. That is, in this embodiment, the reflected luminance at all the measurement points A to E does not fall below the reference value, and the reflected luminance at all the measurement points A to E can be reduced as compared with the comparative example. Yes. That is, the energy of the light source 8 can be saved by optimizing the output, the half-value angle, and the angle between the optical axes in the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84.

That is, in the present embodiment, when the light source 8 is disposed at a predetermined position on the rear standing portion 22a side of the door trim 23 and the detection line 6 is irradiated, the reflected luminance at each measurement point A to E of the detection line 6 is reflected. The output, the half-value angle, and the angle between the optical axes of the first to fourth light-emitting elements 81 to 84 of the light source 8 are optimized so that at least exceeds the reference value. Thereby, an area with excessively high reflection luminance such as the reflection luminance at the measurement points C and D of the comparative example can be eliminated, so that energy efficiency in the light source 8 can be improved so that a relatively inexpensive light-emitting element can be obtained. Can be used. That is, it is possible to suppress an increase in manufacturing cost and reliably detect foreign matter that may be caught across the entire detection line 6.

Next, a control flow of the vehicle window glass lifting apparatus 1 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the vehicle window glass lifting apparatus 1, first, in step S <b> 1, the control unit 5 determines whether a signal is input from the switch 24. If NO is determined in step S1, the control unit 5 turns off the power of the camera 7 and the light source 8 (or continues the power-off state) in step S2, and returns to step S1.

If YES is determined in step S1, the control unit 5 turns on the power of the camera 7 and the light source 8 (or continues the power-on state) in step S3, and proceeds to step S4.

In step S <b> 4, the detection unit 51 (the image processing unit 51 a and the shielding state determination unit 51 b) performs processing for detecting the shielding state (shielding state detection processing) based on the image captured by the camera 7. Thereafter, in step S <b> 5, the instruction invalidation unit 53 determines whether the detection unit 51 has detected a shielding state.

If it is determined YES in step S5, the instruction invalidation unit 53 determines that there is a possibility of being caught by the window glass 3, and does not move the window glass 3 (that is, invalidates the signal from the switch 24). Return to S1.

If NO is determined in step S5, in step S6, the control unit 5 determines that the signal input from the switch 24 is a first-stage click signal (down-side first-stage click signal or ascending-side first-stage click). Signal).

If YES is determined in step S6, the control unit 5 controls the drive unit 4 to control movement of the window glass 3 in step S7.

Thereafter, in step S <b> 8, the detection unit 51 performs a process of detecting the shielding state (shielding state detection process) based on the image captured by the camera 7. Thereafter, in step S <b> 9, the pinching prevention unit 52 determines whether the detection unit 51 has detected the shielding state.

If YES is determined in step S9, there is a risk of pinching by the window glass 3, and therefore, in step S10, the pinching prevention unit 52 stops the movement of the window glass 3, or the window glass 3 is positioned at a safe position. The trapping prevention operation such as lowering is performed. Then, after the control part 5 complete | finishes the movement of the window glass 3 in step S18, it returns to step S2. As described above, in the present embodiment, when the shielding state is detected while the first-stage click signal is being input from the switch 24, the movement of the window glass 3 is terminated after the pinching prevention operation is performed.

If it is determined NO in step S9, there is no possibility of being caught by the window glass 3, so the control unit 5 determines whether a signal is input from the switch 24 in step S11. When it is determined NO in step S11, the operation of the switch 24 has been completed. Therefore, after the control unit 5 finishes moving the window glass 3 in step S18, the process returns to step S2. If YES is determined in step S11, the process returns to step S6, and the movement of the window glass 3 is continued.

On the other hand, if NO is determined in step S6, that is, if the second stage click signal (the lower side second stage click signal or the upward second stage click signal) is input from the switch 24, in step S12, The control unit 5 controls the drive unit 4 to control the movement of the window glass 3.

Thereafter, in step S <b> 13, the detection unit 51 performs a process of detecting the shielding state (shielding state detection process) based on the image captured by the camera 7. Thereafter, in step S <b> 14, the pinching prevention unit 52 determines whether the detection unit 51 has detected the shielding state.

If YES is determined in step S14, there is a possibility of pinching by the window glass 3. Therefore, in step S15, the pinching prevention unit 52 performs the pinching prevention operation. Thereafter, after the movement of the window glass 3 is finished in step S18, the process returns to step S2. That is, in this embodiment, when the second stage click signal is input from the switch 24 and the shielding state is detected when the window glass 3 is moved, the window glass 3 is moved after the pinch prevention operation is performed. End the move.

If NO is determined in step S14, there is no possibility of pinching by the window glass 3, so in step S16, the control unit 5 determines whether the window glass 3 has been moved to the end (upper end or lower end position). To do. If YES is determined in step S16, the control unit 5 returns to step S2 after the control unit 5 finishes moving the window glass 3 in step S18. Note that the position information of the window glass 3 may be acquired by using a rotation pulse generated by using a Hall IC incorporated in the motor 41 or a current ripple.

If NO is determined in step S16, it is determined in step S17 whether a new signal is input from the switch 24 (whether a new signal is input after the second-stage click signal is input). If YES is determined in the step S17, the process returns to the step S6. If NO is determined in step S17, the process returns to step S12, and the movement of the window glass 3 is continued. That is, when the second stage click signal is input, the window glass 3 is moved until the shielding state is detected, the window glass 3 moves to the end, or a new signal is input from the switch 24. continue.

(Operation and effect of the first embodiment)
As described above, in the vehicle window glass lifting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the light source 8 and the camera 7 are arranged at predetermined positions on the front standing portion 22 b side of the door trim 23. Thereby, compared with the case where it arrange | positions in the center part (center part in the vehicle front-back direction) of the door trim 23, an external appearance property improves.

Further, in the present embodiment, the light source 8 is non-uniform so that at least the detection unit 51 of the control unit 5 exceeds the reference value as the minimum luminance value with which the detection line 6 can be extracted over the entire detection line 6. The light is distributed. As a result, the output of the light source 8 in the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84, the angle formed with the optical axis, and the half-value angle can be optimized, and there is a risk of being caught without using an expensive light source. It is possible to reliably detect a foreign object. That is, an increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed without impairing the appearance.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the light source 8 according to the second embodiment. The vehicle window glass lifting apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the vehicle window glass lifting apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment except that the configuration of the light source 8 is different from that of the vehicle window glass lifting apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. It is comprised similarly to the window glass raising / lowering apparatus 1 for a glass. In FIG. 8, components having substantially the same functions as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

The light source 8 according to the second embodiment is different from the light source 8 according to the first embodiment in the means for making the angles formed by the optical axes of the plurality of light emitting elements non-identical. That is, in the first embodiment, the first to fourth holding portions 851 to 854 of the holding member 85 are inclined to each other, so that the optical axes of the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 are spaced from each other. In this embodiment, the angle formed between the optical axes in each light emitting element is made nonuniform by using a light guide member that guides light.

As shown in FIG. 8, the substrate 850A has a flat plate shape, and the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval on the substrate 850A. The light source 8 according to the present embodiment includes first to fourth light guide members 861 to 864 that guide invisible light emitted from the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84.

The first to fourth light guide members 861 to 864 are arranged to face the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84, respectively. The first light guide member 861 guides invisible light emitted from the first light emitting element 81, the second light guide member 862 guides invisible light emitted from the second light emitting element 82, and the third The light guide member 863 guides invisible light emitted from the third light emitting element 83, and the fourth light guide member 864 guides invisible light emitted from the fourth light emitting element 84.

The first light guide member 861 has a shape bent by a predetermined angle, and the optical axis D1 of the _first light emitting element 81 is also bent corresponding to the bent shape. The second to fourth light guide members 862 to 864 are similarly bent, but the bent angles of the first to fourth light guide members 861 to 864 are different from each other.

Here, the optical axis D ₁ of the first light emitting element 81 the angle between the optical axis D ₂ of the second light-emitting element 82 and alpha _1, the optical axis D ₂ and the third of the second light-emitting element 82 an angle between the optical axis D ₃ of the light emitting element 83 and beta _1, when the angle between the optical axis D ₄ between the optical axis D ₃ of the third light-emitting element 83 a fourth light emitting element 84 and gamma _1, The angle α ₁ , the angle β ₁ , and the angle γ ₁ are different from each other (α ₁ ≠ β ₁ , β ₁ ≠ γ ₁ , α ₁ ≠ γ ₁ ). With this configuration, the optical axes D ₁ to D _{4 of the first} to _fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 are also bent, and the angles formed by the optical axes of the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 are not uniform. It becomes. Thereby, the light source 8 can distribute light unevenly with respect to the detection line 6.

In the above embodiment, the first to fourth light guide members 861 to 864 are used as means for bending the optical axes D ₁ to D ₄ of the _first to _fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84. Although described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in place of the first to fourth light guide members 861 to 864, prisms and mirrors are arranged to bend the optical axes D ₁ to D ₄ of the _first to _fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84. May be. Also by this, since the light can be distributed unevenly with respect to the detection line 6, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the present embodiment.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same operations and effects as in the first embodiment.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments described above do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, it should be noted that not all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the means for solving the problems of the invention.

Further, the present invention can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the present embodiment, the light source 8 includes the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 as a plurality of light emitting elements, but the number of the plurality of light emitting elements is limited to this. Instead, it may be three, for example. Furthermore, a single light emitting device may be used. In that case, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, by using a diffusion plate 92 that diffuses light emitted from a single light emitting element 91, the detection line 6 can be unevenly distributed. An anisotropic diffusion plate that diffuses light in the longitudinal direction of the detection line 6 may be used as the diffusion plate according to the present embodiment.

Further, for example, in the present embodiment, as means for unevenly distributing light to the detection line 6, all of the outputs of the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84, the half-value angle, and the angle between the optical axes are used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only the output may be non-uniform. That is, since the reflected luminance in the entire area of the detection line 6 needs to be unevenly distributed so that the reflected luminance does not exceed the reference value and is not excessively reflected, whichever of the output, the half-value angle, and the angle between the optical axes is selected. May be set to be non-uniform, or the output and the half-value angle may be non-uniform, or the angle between the half-value angle and the optical axis may be non-uniform, and the output and the optical axis. You may set so that the angle which makes may become non-uniform | heterogenous. Alternatively, the light may be distributed unevenly using an LED having a lens that anisotropically diffuses light in the longitudinal direction of the detection line 6 or a light guide member.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where the angles formed between the respective optical axes in the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 are all non-uniform has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the respective optical axes are not limited thereto. All the angles formed between them need not be non-uniform. That is, at least the angle formed between the pair of optical axes may be different. Similarly, the outputs of the first to fourth light emitting elements 81 to 84 may not be all non-uniform, and the half-value angles may not be all non-uniform.

For example, although not mentioned in the above embodiment, the vehicle window glass elevating device 1 monitors the rotation speed of the motor 41, the load increases while the window glass 3 is raised, and the rotation speed of the motor 41 decreases. When this is done, it may be determined that a foreign object has been caught by the window glass 3, and a safety device that performs various safety operations such as reversing the moving direction of the window glass 3 and automatically lowering the window glass 3 may be provided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle window glass raising / lowering apparatus 2 ... Door 22 ... Window glass frame part (frame part)
22d ... opening 3 ... window glass 4 ... drive unit 5 ... control unit 51 ... detection unit (detection means)
52. Anti-pinch part (pinch prevention means)
6 ... detection line 7 ... camera 8 ... light sources 81 to 84 ... first to fourth light emitting elements

Claims (6)

A vehicle window glass elevating device that is arranged on a door provided with a frame having an opening and elevates and lowers the window glass,
A driving unit that generates a driving force to raise and lower the window glass;
A control unit for controlling the driving unit;
A light source that emits invisible light to a detection line formed along at least a portion of the frame;
A camera having a lens on which the invisible light emitted from the light source and reflected by the detection line is incident;
The control unit includes a pinching prevention unit that causes the driving unit to perform a pinching prevention operation for preventing pinching by the window glass based on an image captured by the camera.
The light source and the camera are arranged on a front end side or a rear end side in a vehicle front-rear direction in a door trim arranged on the vehicle interior side of the door, and the light source distributes light unevenly with respect to the detection line.
Vehicle window glass lifting device. The light source has a plurality of light emitting elements,
Out of the plurality of light emitting elements, at least one pair of light emitting elements has different outputs.
The vehicle window glass elevating device according to claim 1. The light source has a plurality of light emitting elements,
Among the angles formed by the optical axes between adjacent light emitting elements of the plurality of light emitting elements, at least a pair of the angles are different.
The vehicle window glass elevating device according to claim 1. The light source has a plurality of light emitting elements,
Of the plurality of light emitting elements, at least a pair of light emitting elements have different half-value angles.
The vehicle window glass elevating device according to claim 1. A vehicle door comprising the vehicle window glass elevating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A vehicle comprising the vehicle door according to claim 5.

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