Control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11384589-B2
Application number	US-202016792733-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2020
Priority date	Dec 21, 2011
Publication date	Jul 12, 2022
Grant date	Jul 12, 2022

Abstract

The invention relates to a control system for driving a motorized closure element of a motor vehicle, wherein, in order to detect operator control events, at least one sensor control means and at least one elongate distance sensor which extends along a sensor extent are provided, wherein the sensor control means drives the associated distance sensor and/or evaluates the sensor signals from said distance sensor, and wherein the distance sensor detects a distance from a user. It is proposed that, with the control system installed, a vehicle component is arranged or can be arranged in or along the sensor extent, and that the distance sensor is designed such that it has a blind section in the region of the vehicle component, said blind section having no sensitivity or a lower level of sensitivity compared to that region of the distance sensor which adjoins the blind section.

First claim

We claim:

1. A control system for driving a motorized closure element of a motor vehicle, the control system comprising:
at least one sensor control element; and
at least one elongate distance sensor that detects a distance from a user, the at least one elongate distance sensor comprising a longitudinal sensor extent, a blind section, and an adjoining region that adjoins the blind section, wherein the at least one elongate distance sensor comprises at least one conductor that extends through the blind section;
wherein the distance sensor extends along the longitudinal sensor extent;
wherein the blind section and the adjoining region extend along the longitudinal sensor extent;
wherein the blind section has a level of sensitivity that is lower than a level of sensitivity of the adjoining region;
wherein the at least one sensor control element drives the distance sensor, evaluates sensor signals from the distance sensor, or drives the distance sensor and evaluates the sensor signals from the distance sensor;
wherein the control system is configured such that when the control system is installed in the vehicle, the control system detects operator control events in the form of user movements and upon detection of an operator control event prompts motorized opening of the closure element;
wherein the control system is configured such that when the control system is installed in the vehicle, the blind section is located in a vehicle component region;
wherein the level of sensitivity of the blind section is such that a vehicle component located in the vehicle component region cannot be detected by the distance sensor and does not cause any interference in the detection of the distance from the user by the distance sensor; and
wherein the at least one distance sensor comprises multiple sensor modules, including a first sensor module and a second sensor module, extending along the longitudinal sensor extent, wherein the blind section provides a break in the multiple sensor modules along the sensor extent such that the first and second sensor modules are arranged on opposite sides of the vehicle component.

2. The control system as claimed in claim 1 , comprising at least two elongate distance sensors, the at least two distance sensors extending substantially parallel in relation to one another.

3. The control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one distance sensor comprises a capacitive sensor with an elongate measurement electrode.

4. The control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the extent of the blind section along the sensor extent is at least 5% of the total length of the distance sensor.

5. The control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second sensor modules make electrical contact with one another.

6. The control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor control element comprises a separate sensor control element associated with each of the first and second sensor modules.

7. The control system as claimed in claim 3 , wherein each of at least two distance sensors comprises multiple sensor modules, wherein the at least one sensor control element comprises a common sensor control element associated with a group of the sensor modules of the at least two distance sensors arranged on one side of the vehicle component.

8. The control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the distance sensor is arranged in or on a vehicle body part.

9. A motor vehicle comprising the motorized closure element and comprising the control system for driving the motorized closure element as claimed in claim 1 .

10. The control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle component comprises a trailer coupling.

11. The control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the extent of the blind section along the sensor extent is at least 10% of the total length of the distance sensor.

12. The control system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the vehicle body part comprises a front, rear or side skirt.

13. The control system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the distance sensor extends over the width of the vehicle body part.

14. The control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the blind section has no sensitivity such that no detection by the distance sensor takes place in the blind section.

15. The control system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the at least one sensor control element comprises a common sensor control element associated with the multiple sensor modules.

Assignees

• Brose Fahrzeugteile

Inventors

• Gunreben Andre
• Moench Henning
• Wuerstlein Holger
• Kuhnen Thorsten
• Troeger James

Classifications

• G07C9/00309 Primary

  operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks · CPC title

• E05F15/73 Primary

  responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects · CPC title

• E05F15/70

  with automatic actuation · CPC title

• E05Y2900/546

  Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards · CPC title

• E06B2009/6836

  sensing obstacle · CPC title