Control apparatus for vehicle opening/closing body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9721408-B2
Application number	US-201314425906-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2013
Priority date	Sep 12, 2012
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member that operates the opening/closing member provided in the vehicle in response to a physical expression of a user, having a user authentication unit that authenticates a user whose physical expression is to be detected, a physical expression detecting unit that detects the physical expression of the user, an operation determining unit that determines an operating state of at least one of the user authentication unit and the physical expression detecting unit, and a notification unit that sends notification that, in accordance with a determination result of the operating state determined by the operation determining unit, the user has been authenticated, the detection of the physical expression has been completed, or the detection of the physical expression has failed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member that operates the opening/closing member provided in the vehicle in response to a physical expression of a user, comprising:
a user authentication unit that authenticates a user whose physical expression is to be detected;
a physical expression detecting nit that detects the physical expression of the user;
an operation determining unit that determines an operating state of the user authentication unit and the physical expression detecting unit; and
a notification unit that is configured to, in accordance with a determination result of the operating state determined by the operation determining unit, send a first notification when the user has been authenticated,
wherein, after the first notification is sent upon the user being authenticated, the notification unit is configured to send a second notification when the detection of the physical expression has been completed, and a third notification when the detection of the physical expression has failed,
wherein the first notification, the second notification, and the third notification are distinct from each other.

2. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, when the operation determining unit determines the operation start of at least one of the user authentication unit and the physical expression detecting unit, the notification unit sends notification of the operation start determined by the operation determining unit.

3. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 2 , wherein, when the operation determining unit determines the operation completion of at least one of the user authentication unit and the physical expression detecting unit, the notification unit sends notification of the operation completion determined by the operation determining unit.

4. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 2 , wherein, when the operation determining unit, after determining the operation start at least one of the user authentication unit and the physical expression detecting unit, determines interruption of the operation, the notification unit sends notification of the operation interruption determination by the operation determining unit.

5. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 2 ,
wherein the user authentication unit comprises a portable device authentication unit that authenticates a portable device carried by the user, and a portable device position detection unit that detects a position of the portable device,
wherein the operation determining unit determines the completion of the operation of the user authentication unit when the position of the portable device detected by the portable device position detecting unit is located within a predetermined area and the authentication of the portable device by the portable device authentication unit is completed.

6. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, when the operation determining unit determines the operation completion of at least one of the user authentication unit and the physical expression detecting unit, the notification unit sends notification of the operation completion determined by the operation determining unit.

7. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 6 , wherein, when the operation determining unit, after determining the operation start at least one of the user authentication unit and the physical expression detecting unit, determines interruption of the operation, the notification unit sends notification of the operation interruption determination by the operation determining unit.

8. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 6 ,
wherein the user authentication unit comprises a portable device authentication unit that authenticates a portable device carried by the user, and a portable device position detection unit that detects a position of the portable device,
wherein the operation determining unit determines the completion of the operation of the user authentication unit when the position of the portable device detected by the portable device position detecting unit is located within a predetermined area and the authentication of the portable device by the portable device authentication unit is completed.

9. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the operation determining unit determines an operation start and completion of the user authentication unit, and, during a period between the operation start determination and the operation completion determination, the notification is continued.

10. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 9 , wherein, when the operation determining unit, after determining the operation start at least one of the user authentication unit and the physical expression detecting unit, determines interruption of the operation, the notification unit sends notification of the operation interruption determination by the operation determining unit.

11. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 9 ,
wherein the user authentication unit comprises a portable device authentication unit that authenticates a portable device carried by the user, and a portable device position detection unit that detects a position of the portable device,
wherein the operation determining unit determines the completion of the operation of the user authentication unit when the position of the portable device detected by the portable device position detecting unit is located within a predetermined area and the authentication of the portable device by the portable device authentication t nit is completed.

12. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the operation determining unit determines an operation start and completion of the physical expression detecting unit, and, during a period between the operation start determination and the operation completion determination, the notification is continued.

13. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 12 , wherein, when the operation determining unit, after determining the operation start at least one of the user authentication unit and the physical expression detecting unit, determines interruption of the operation, the notification unit sends notification of the operation interruption determination by the operation determining unit.

14. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 12 ,
wherein the user authentication unit comprises a portable device authentication unit that authenticates a portable device carried by the user, and a portable device position detection unit that detects a position of the portable device,
wherein the operation determining unit determines the completion of the operation of the user authentication unit when the position of the portable device detected by the portable device position detecting unit is located within a predetermined area and the authentication of the portable device by the portable device authentication unit is completed.

15. The control apparatus for a vehicle opening/closing member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, when the operation determining unit, after determining the operation start at least one of the user authentication unit and the physical expression detecting unit, determines interruption of the

Assignees

• Nissan Motor

Inventors

• Obata Takayuki
• Yoshida Ryuichi
• Ueda Masanari

Classifications

• G07C9/00309

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

• E05Y2400/81

  Feedback to user, e.g. tactile · CPC title

• E05Y2400/822

  Light emitters, e.g. light emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• E05F15/73

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

• E05Y2400/852

  Sensors · CPC title