Device for actuating a moving part of a vehicle without contact

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9587417-B2
Application number	US-200913142886-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2009
Priority date	Dec 30, 2008
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for actuating a moving part ( 10 ) of a vehicle ( 1 ), particularly a trunk lid ( 10.1 ), a side door ( 10.2 ), or the like, without contact, comprising a first detection means ( 11 ) for detecting an object in a first detection area ( 11 a ) and a second detection means ( 12 ) for detecting an object in a second detection area ( 12 a ) so that the actuation of the moving part ( 10 ) can be activated through the detection means ( 11, 12 ). According to the invention, the first detection means ( 11 ) is designed as a first capacitance sensor ( 11 ), and the second detection means ( 12 ) is designed as a second capacitance sensor ( 12 ), wherein means ( 13, 14 ) are provided, with which the detection areas ( 11 a, 12 a ) can be specified in areas separated from each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for actuating a moving part of a vehicle without contact comprising:
a first detection means for detecting a first object in a first detection area, and
a second detection means for detecting a second object separate from the first object in a second detection area separate from the first detection area, such that actuation of the moving part is activated by means of the detection means, wherein
the first detection means is configured as a first capacitance sensor and the second detection means is configured as a second capacitance sensor and wherein specifying means are provided with which the detection areas are specified in individually separate areas wherein the capacitance sensors for a trunk lid are arranged at the rear end of the vehicle, wherein the capacitance sensors for a side door are arranged in a door sill area of the vehicle, wherein the first capacitance sensor in or on the rear bumper, respectively at a bottom of the side door of the vehicle, is arranged such that the horizontally-extending detection area of the first capacitance sensor detects at least a leg of at least one upright moving person
wherein the control unit is configured such that the moving part is only actuated when the first capacitance sensor detects the leg prior to the second capacitance sensor detecting the foot,
wherein the first and second detection areas have no common area external of the vehicle and the first detection area is spatially separated from the second detection area such that the separation reduces power consumption of the first and second capacitance sensors,
wherein the first and second detection areas enable first and second objects to be detected independently,
wherein the first capacitance sensor initially detects the movement of a leg, wherein the second capacitance sensor first switches on,
wherein the foot needs to be promptly pulled back out of the second detection area as applicable in order to trigger the actuating of the moving part,
wherein not until an ID transmitter is present and thus an authentication conducted is the moving part actuated by the motion pattern concurrently detected by the capacitance sensors; and
wherein the sensor electrodes are a component of the rear bumper, the side door or the door sill, or are adhesively affixed or secured with fastening means in the interior of same,
wherein the capacitance sensors are arranged in a U-shaped opening and the respective detection area of the capacitance sensors is situated in front of the U-shaped opening of a shield, and the first capacitance sensor is disposed in a vertically extending area and the second capacitance sensor is disposed in a horizontally extending area.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said means are configured such that the first detection area exhibits a substantially horizontal extension and said means are configured such that the second detection area exhibits a substantially vertical extension.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the second capacitance sensor in or on the rear bumper, respectively at the bottom of the side door of the vehicle is arranged such that the vertically-extending detection area of the second capacitance sensor can detect at least a foot of at least one upright moving person.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the capacitance sensors are configured in a form of a wire or a foil and extend substantially over an entire width of the bumper.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the specifying means are designed in a form of a metallic shield extending to a side of the capacitance sensors facing away from the first and the second detection area and surround the capacitance sensors as a half shell.

6. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the metallic shields respectively exhibit a same potential as the capacitance sensors.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one capacitance sensor is additionally provided with a ground electrode to align the respective detection area.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a control unit is provided which is connected to the capacitance sensors and operatively connected to an actuating unit for the trunk lid of the vehicle.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the ID transmitter is operatively connected to the control unit, preferably by means of a wireless communication link.

10. The device according to claim 9 , wherein the control unit is designed such that the moving part is not actuated until said control unit detects the presence of the ID transmitter.

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is designed such that the moving part is actuated when the first capacitance sensor detects the presence of a leg within the first detection area and the second capacitance sensor detects the presence of a foot within the second detection area.

12. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is designed such that the moving part is only actuated when the first capacitance sensor detects the leg prior to the second capacitance sensor detecting the foot.

13. A method for actuating a moving part of a vehicle including the following steps:
providing a first detection means;
detecting a first object in a first detection area with the first detection means;
providing a second detection means;
detecting a second object separate from the first object in a second detection area separate from the first detection area such that actuation of the moving part can be activated by the second detection means;
wherein the first detection means is configured as a first capacitance sensor and the second detection means is configured as a second capacitance sensor and specifying the detection areas in individually separate areas with specifying means,
wherein the capacitance sensors for a trunk lid are arranged at the rear end of the vehicle, wherein the capacitance sensors for a side door are arranged in a door sill area of the vehicle, wherein the first capacitance sensor in or on the rear bumper, respectively at a bottom of the side door of the vehicle, is arranged such that the horizontally-extending detection area of the first capacitance sensor detects at least a leg of at least one upright moving person
wherein the control unit is configured such that the moving part is only actuated when the first capacitance sensor detects the leg prior to the second capacitance sensor detecting the foot,
wherein the first and second detection areas have no common area external of the vehicle and the first detection area is spatially separated from the second detection area such that the separation reduces power consumption of the first and second capacitance sensors,
wherein the first and second detection areas enable first and second objects to be detected independently,
wherein the first capacitance sensor initially detects the movement of a leg, wherein the second capacitance sensor first switches on,
wherein the foot needs to be promptly pulled back out of the second detection area as applicable in order to trigger the actuating of the moving part,
wherein not until an ID transmitter is present and thus an authentication conducted is the moving part actuated by the motion pattern concurrently detected by the capacitance sensors; and
wherein the sensor electrodes are a component of the rear bumper, the side door or the door sill, or are adhesively affixed or secured with fastening means in the interior of same, wherein the capacitance sensors are arranged in a U-shaped opening and the respective detection area of the capacitance sensors is situated in front of the U-shaped o

Assignees

• Van Gastel Peter
• Huf Huelsbeck & Fuerst Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Van Gastel Peter

Classifications

• G07C9/30

  not involving the use of a pass · CPC title

• E05Y2400/86

  by hand · CPC title

• G07C2009/00746

  by knocking on a surface for inputting the code, e.g. detecting a series of taps on a surface · CPC title

• G07C2209/64

  using a proximity sensor · CPC title

• E05B81/77

  comprising sensors detecting the presence of the hand of a user · CPC title