Method for actuating a closure element arrangement in a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10501979-B2
Application number	US-201615272665-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2016
Priority date	May 2, 2012
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for actuating a closure element arrangement in a motor vehicle, wherein the closure element arrangement has a closure element, a drive arrangement associated with the closure element, a control arrangement and a sensor arrangement having at least one sensor element that is particularly in the form of a proximity sensor, wherein operator control event monitoring involves the control arrangement being used to monitor the sensor measured values from the sensor arrangement for whether there is a predetermined operator control event, and the result of the operator control event monitoring is taken as a basis for actuating the drive arrangement, the mechanical configuration of the motor vehicle being able to be altered by an adjusting process and/or by a fitting process during use based on normal operation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for actuating a closure element arrangement in a motor vehicle, comprising:
monitoring for an operator control event associated with a closure element arrangement in a motor vehicle, the closure element arrangement comprising a closure element, a drive arrangement associated with the closure element, a control arrangement and a sensor arrangement having at least one sensor element, wherein the monitoring for the operator control event comprises the control arrangement being used to monitor one or more sensor measured values from the sensor arrangement for whether there is a predetermined operator control event, and wherein a result of the operator control event monitoring is taken as a basis for actuating the drive arrangement, the mechanical configuration of the motor vehicle being able to be altered by an adjusting process and/or by a fitting process during use based on normal operation,
wherein the operator control event monitoring is designed such that the sensing of sensor measured values above an upper threshold and/or below a lower threshold is not associated with an operator control event and wherein the configuration of the motor vehicle is taken as a basis for altering the upper threshold and/or the lower threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mechanical configuration of the motor vehicle comprises the mechanical configuration of the closure element, particularly a position of the closure element.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a tow coupling can be extended into an operating position by way of a change of configuration or can be fitted to the motor vehicle in an operating position, and/or wherein a bicycle carrier can be fitted to the motor vehicle in an operating position by way of a change of configuration.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one operator control event is defined as a foot movement by the operator.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the sensor arrangement has at least one sensor element in the form of a proximity sensor that is arranged in or on a rear panelling portion of the motor vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the proximity sensor that is arranged in or on the rear panelling portion extends over a portion of the width of the motor vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein at least one operator control event is defined as a to and fro movement by the foot of the operator.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein during the operator control event the at least one sensor element produces a pulsed time profile for the sensor measured values.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein when the closure element is in an open position the operator control event monitoring is conditioned such that the dangling or swinging legs of a person sitting in the bodywork opening associated with the closure element are not sensed as an operator control event in the course of operator control event monitoring.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one operator control event produces a pulsed time profile for sensor measured values from at least one sensor element and wherein at least one signal characteristic is/are defined as a width and/or as a height and/or as an edge gradient and/or as a curvature of portions of the sensor pulses and/or as a time offset between two sensor pulses from a sensor element.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the course of the operator control event monitoring the sensor measured values are ascertained by means of the control arrangement on the basis of a signal processing method, wherein the signal processing method is defined by a signal processing set of parameters with signal processing parameters and wherein the signal processing set of parameters is selected from a number of stored signal processing sets of parameters on the basis of the mechanical configuration of the motor vehicle or is parameterized on the basis of the mechanical configuration of the motor vehicle.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the course of monitoring for the operator control event the sensor arrangement is actuated by means of the control arrangement on the basis of the mechanical configuration of the motor vehicle.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the sensor arrangement has sensor sections on right and left sides of a tow coupling and at least one sensor section in a region of the tow coupling and wherein, when the tow coupling is fitted or adjusted to an operating position, the sensor sections of the sensor arrangement that are on the right and left sides of the tow coupling are actuated or the at least one sensor section of the sensor arrangement that is in the region of the tow coupling is also actuated.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein adjustment or fitting of a tow coupling to an operating position involves the upper threshold and/or the lower threshold being lowered.

15. A control arrangement for carrying out the method according to claim 1 .

16. A method for actuating a closure element arrangement in a motor vehicle, comprising:
monitoring for an operator control event associated with a closure element arrangement in a motor vehicle, the closure element arrangement comprising a closure element, a drive arrangement associated with the closure element, a control arrangement and a sensor arrangement having at least one sensor element, wherein the monitoring for the operator control event comprises the control arrangement being used to monitor one or more sensor measured values from the sensor arrangement for whether there is a predetermined operator control event, and wherein a result of the operator control event monitoring is taken as a basis for actuating the drive arrangement, the mechanical configuration of the motor vehicle being able to be altered by an adjusting process and/or by a fitting process during use based on normal operation, wherein the operator control event monitoring is modified on the basis of the mechanical configuration of the motor vehicle; and wherein a predetermined change of configuration comprising an adjustment or fitting of a tow coupling to an operating position prompts a decrease in sensor measured values as a result of shadowing and reflection effects.

17. A method for actuating a closure element arrangement in a motor vehicle, comprising:
monitoring for an operator control event associated with a closure element arrangement in a motor vehicle, the closure element arrangement comprising a closure element, a drive arrangement associated with the closure element, a control arrangement and a sensor arrangement having at least one sensor element, wherein the monitoring for the operator control event comprises the control arrangement being used to monitor one or more sensor measured values from the sensor arrangement for whether there is a predetermined operator control event, and wherein a result of the operator control event monitoring is taken as a basis for actuating the drive arrangement, the mechanical configuration of the motor vehicle being able to be altered by an adjusting process and/or by a fitting process during use based on normal operation, wherein the operator control event monitoring is modified on the basis of the mechanical configuration of the motor vehicle; wherein an operator control event has an associated operator control event set of characteristics comprising signal characteristics, wherein in the course of the operator control event monitoring the control arrangement is used to monitor whether the senso

Assignees

• Brose Fahrzeugteile

Inventors

• Gunreben Andre

Classifications

• B60R25/2054 Primary

  by foot gestures · CPC title

• E05Y2900/546

  Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards · CPC title

• B60R25/20 Primary

  Means to switch the anti-theft system on or off · CPC title

• B60R25/2009

  Antitheft state indicator · CPC title

• E05Y2800/40

  Physical or chemical protection · CPC title