Door component comprising a controllable damping system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10941601-B2
Application number	US-201615746503-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2016
Priority date	Jul 21, 2015
Publication date	Mar 9, 2021
Grant date	Mar 9, 2021

Abstract

A method for damping a movement of a door system of a vehicle that is equipped with a damping system having an adjustable and controllable damping action. A movement of the door system between a closed position and an open position is damped in a controlled manner. A measurement of the change in speed of the speed of movement of the door system is calculated and if the change in speed exceeds a predefined limit value, a set, gentle damping action is changed over to a greater damping action.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of damping a movement of a door device having a damper device with an adjustable and controllable damping action, the method which comprises:
damping a movement of the door device by controlling a degree of damping at least partially between a closed position and an open position;
determining a measure of a rate of change of a movement speed of the door device; and
when the rate of change exceeds a predetermined threshold value, switching from a currently set, relatively low degree of damping to a relatively high degree of damping.

2. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises setting the degree of damping to a substantially maximum value if the rate of change, being a deceleration, overshoots the predetermined threshold value.

3. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises determining a measure for a position and/or an angular position of the door device.

4. The method according to claim 3 , which comprises increasing the degree of damping when the door device approaches a predetermined angular position.

5. The method according to claim 4 , which comprises increasing the degree of damping when the door device approaches the closed position.

6. The method according to claim 3 , which comprises increasing the degree of damping to thereby decrease a rotational speed of the door device to a predefined closing speed.

7. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises evaluating closing speeds during closing processes with an integrated learning function to thereby adapt the predefined closing speed to enable a reliable closing of the door device.

8. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises increasing the degree of damping when the door device approaches a maximum open position.

9. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises increasing the degree of damping only if a rotational speed of the door device overshoots a predefined rotational speed.

10. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises increasing the degree of damping if an obstruction is identified in a movement path of the door device and a collision with the obstruction is imminent.

11. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises controlling the damper device to cause a rotational speed of the door device to adopt a profile such that a quiet closure of the door device is achieved and/or that a particular opening angle is attained without abrupt changes in speed.

12. The method according to claim 1 , configured for controlling a closing and opening of a vehicle door.

13. A door component, comprising:
two connector units movably disposed relative to one another, said connector units including a first connector unit connectable to a supporting structure and a second connector unit connectable to a movable door device;
at least one controllable damper device and a control device connected to said at least one controllable damper device and configured to dampen, under control by said control device, a movement of the door device at least partially between a closed position and an open position;
a sensor device connected to said control device for detecting a position of a pivotable said door device;
said control device being configured to determine a characteristic value for a rate of change of a speed of the door device using sensor data from said sensor device, and to switch said damper device from a relatively low degree of damping to a relatively high degree of damping if a rate of change of the speed of the door device exceeds a predefined threshold value.

14. The door component according to claim 13 , wherein said damper device is a magnetorheological damper device, and wherein the degree of damping is adjustable by subjecting a magnetorheological fluid to a variable magnetic field.

15. The door component according to claim 13 , wherein a time duration for switching from the relatively low degree of damping to the relatively high degree of damping is less than 50 ms.

16. The door component according to claim 13 , wherein the degree of damping is set to a maximum value if the rate of change, being a deceleration of a movement of the door device, overshoots the predetermined threshold value.

17. The door component according to claim 13 , wherein the degree of damping is deactivated, or is reduced to a low value, when the speed of the door device or a rotational speed of the door device has decreased to zero.

18. The door component according to claim 14 , wherein the damper device is formed with at least one flow channel through which the magnetorheological fluid can flow, wherein said flow channel can be subjected to the variable magnetic field to thereby adjust a flow resistance in said flow channel, and wherein a resultant degree of damping of said damper device is set to a more intense value by way of a relatively intense magnetic field in said flow channel and to a relatively weak value by way of a relatively weak magnetic field.

19. The door component according to claim 13 configured for a door of a vehicle.

Assignees

• Inventus Eng Gmbh

Inventors

• Battlogg Stefan
• Mayer Markus

Classifications

• E05C17/006 Primary

  with means for detecting obstacles outside the doors · CPC title

• E05C17/003

  Power-actuated devices for limiting the opening of vehicle doors · CPC title

• F16F9/20

  with the piston-rod extending through both ends of the cylinder {, e.g. constant-volume dampers} · CPC title

• F16F9/187

  with uni-directional flow of damping fluid through the valves · CPC title

• E05Y2201/254

  Fluid or viscous friction · CPC title