Method for generating an operator control message when an operator control event occurs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9637049-B2
Application number	US-201113996985-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2011
Priority date	Dec 21, 2010
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for detecting an operator control event using a sensor arrangement having at least one proximity sensor and a sensor controller, the operator control event being generated by a user of a vehicle. A first coarse evaluation of the sensor measured values for the occurrence of an operator control sign is carried out, that a predetermined number of the respective last sensor measured values of at least one sensor element are buffered, that the detection of an operator control sign triggers a fine evaluation of the sensor measured values for verifying the occurrence of an operator control event at a triggering time, and that the fine evaluation is based on the buffered sensor measured values and on the temporally subsequent sensor measured values, with the result that sensor measured values both before and after the triggering time are included in the fine evaluation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for generating an operator control message when an operator control event occurs, a sensor arrangement having at least one sensor element in the form of a proximity sensor and a sensor controller for generating the operator control message when the operator control event is present being provided,
the sensor controller being used, in operator control event monitoring, to monitor the sensor measured values of at least one sensor element, in particular cyclically, for the occurrence of a behavior of the sensor measured values which is characteristic of the operator control event,
wherein the sensor controller is used, in disruptive situation monitoring, to monitor the sensor measured values of the at least one proximity sensor cyclically for the occurrence of a behavior of the sensor measured values which is characteristic of a disruptive situation,
in that the sensor controller is used to generate an operator control message only when an operator control event, and not a disruptive situation, is present according to the two monitoring operations, and
in that a “disruptive indicator” variable is increased cyclically in the disruptive situation monitoring when a disruptive sign is detected at a respective monitoring time, and in that a disruptive situation is deemed to be detected in the sensor controller when a predetermined threshold value for the disruptive indicator is exceeded.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one proximity sensor and the sensor controller are associated with a closure element arrangement of a motor vehicle having a motor-adjustable closure element.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the operator control event is defined as a foot movement of the user, and wherein the sensor arrangement has at least two sensor elements which are in the form of proximity sensors, and are arranged in or on a rear paneling part of a motor vehicle.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a number of characteristic features, the occurrence of which is monitored during the operator control event monitoring, are associated with the behavior of the sensor measured values of the at least one sensor element which is characteristic of the operator control event.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a to and fro movement of the user's foot is defined as the operator control event, and wherein the at least one sensor element generates a pulsed temporal profile of the sensor measured values—sensor pulse—at substantially the same time during the operator control event.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein a characteristic feature is defined as the width or height or edge steepness or curvature of parts of the sensor pulses or as a temporal offset between two sensor pulses of a sensor element.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein a characteristic feature is defined as a temporal offset between the sensor pulses of two sensor elements or as a predetermined correlation of the sensor signals of two sensor elements relative to one another.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the disruptive situation monitoring and the operator control event monitoring take place at substantially the same time.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an area immediately before the respective monitoring time is also monitored in any case in the disruptive situation monitoring.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the disruptive indicator is reduced if a disruptive sign is not detected at the monitoring time.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a disruptive sign involves the sensor measured values of the at least one sensor element being different from a zero measured value and not corresponding to at least one characteristic feature at the monitoring time or in a time range associated with the monitoring time.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a disruptive sign involves the degree of similarity of the signal profiles of two sensor elements undershooting a predetermined threshold value in a time range associated with the respective monitoring time.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a disruptive sign involves a correlation value between the sensor measured values of two sensor elements undershooting a predetermined threshold value.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a disruptive sign involves a sensor element, as the sole sensor element, providing sensor measured values which are different from a zero measured value or are above a predetermined threshold value at the respective monitoring time.

15. A closure element arrangement of a motor vehicle having a motor-adjustable closure element, a sensor arrangement having at least one sensor element in the form of a proximity sensor and a sensor controller being provided for the purpose of generating an operator control message when an operator control event occurs, motorized adjustment of the closure element being able to be triggered by the operator control message,
the sensor controller, in operator control event monitoring, monitoring the sensor measured values of at least one sensor element for the occurrence of a behavior of the sensor measured values which is characteristic of the operator control event to be detected
wherein the sensor controller, in disruptive situation monitoring, monitors the proximity sensor measured values of at least one sensor element, cyclically for the occurrence of a behavior of the sensor measured values which is characteristic of a disruptive situation,
in that the sensor controller generates an operator control message only when an operator control event, and not a disruptive situation, is present according to the two monitoring operations, and
in that the sensor controller, in the disruptive situation monitoring, increases a “disruptive indicator” variable, cyclically when a disruptive sign is detected at a respective monitoring time, and in that a disruptive situation is deemed to be detected in the sensor controller when a predetermined threshold value for the disruptive indicator is exceeded.

16. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the motor-adjustable closure element comprises a gate.

17. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the motor-adjustable closure element comprises a tailgate.

18. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the sensor elements are arranged in or on a rear paneling part and extend over a substantial part of the width of the motor vehicle, in that the detection range of one sensor element also points to the rear in any case, and in that the detection range of the other sensor element also points downward in any case.

Assignees

• Russ Detlef
• Wuerstlein Holger
• Fuchs Thorsten
• Brose Fahrzeugteile

Inventors

• Russ Detlef
• Wuerstlein Holger
• Fuchs Thorsten

Classifications

• E05Y2900/546

  Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards · CPC title

• B60R25/2045

  by hand gestures · CPC title

• E05Y2400/852

  Sensors · CPC title

• B60Q5/005 Primary

  automatically actuated · CPC title

• B60R25/2054

  by foot gestures · CPC title