Motor vehicle door

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9879454-B2
Application number	US-201314655080-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2013
Priority date	Dec 13, 2012
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle door comprising a door leaf with a drive, a magnetic device as a component of the drive, and at least one sensor which is associated with the door leaf. According to the invention, said magnetic device also comprises a magnetorheological element and/or a magnetohydrodynamic element which can be actuated by at least one magnet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Motor vehicle door comprising a door leaf with a magnetic device and a hinge shaft that pivotally couples the door leaf to a motor vehicle, the magnetic device containing at least one magnet and a magnetorheological element, arranged around and acting on the hinge shaft, which is provided as a damping element allowing adjustable damping and can be actuated by the at least one magnet with the magnetorheological element, at least one sensor assigned to the door leaf for transmitting a door position via sensor signals, wherein the at least one sensor and the at least one magnet are connected to a control unit, said control unit actuating the magnet depending on the sensor signals, wherein the magnet varies a damping of the magnetorheological element depending on an acceleration of the door leaf as monitored by the at least one sensor, and wherein the control unit actuates the magnet and varies the damping depending on an external temperature monitored by the at least one sensor.

2. Motor vehicle door according to claim 1 , where the control unit actuates the magnet and varies the damping depending on potential end stops of the door leaf.

3. Motor vehicle door according to claim 1 , where the control unit actuates the magnet and varies the damping depending on latch functional states of the door latch associated to the door leaf selected from the group consisting of a pre-ratchet position, an anti-theft position, and a child lock position.

4. Motor vehicle door according to claim 1 , wherein the magnetorheological element includes a chamber that contains a magnetorheological fluid or a magnetorheological elastomer and wherein the hinge shaft extends through the chamber, wherein the magnet is a ring that surrounds the chamber, wherein the shaft follows a rotary movement of the door leaf in relation to the motor vehicle body, wherein in contrast, the magnet and also the chamber surrounded by the magnet are fixed.

5. Motor vehicle door according to claim 4 , further comprising paddles connected to the hinge shaft and positioned inside the chamber.

6. Motor vehicle door according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one sensor assigned to the door leaf includes a rotary sensor or a rotary encoder connected to the hinge shaft.

7. Motor vehicle door according to claim 4 , further comprising a plurality of paddles connected to the hinge shaft, wherein paddles are inside the chamber.

8. Motor vehicle door according to claim 4 , wherein the hinge shaft extends both above and below the chamber.

9. Motor vehicle door according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit actuates the magnet and varies the damping of the magnetorheological element depending on both the speed and an acceleration of the door leaf as monitored by the at least one sensor.

10. Motor vehicle door according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor assigned to the door leaf includes a rotary sensor or a rotary encoder connected to the hinge shaft.

11. Method for actuating a door leaf of a motor vehicle door, wherein actuating the door leaf includes one or more actions from the group consisting of braking, fixing, closing and opening the door leaf, in which the motor vehicle door contains the door leaf, a hinge shaft that pivotally couples the door leaf to the motor vehicle and a magnetic device containing at least one magnet and a magnetorheological element, arranged around the hinge shaft, which is provided as a damping element allowing adjustable damping and can be actuated by the at least one magnet, at least one sensor assigned to the door leaf for transmitting a door position via sensor signals, in which the at least one sensor determines individual functional states of the door leaf in relation to the motor vehicle body and transmits them to a control unit and in which the control unit energizes the magnetic device containing the magnetorheological element and actuatable by the magnet in such a way that the door leaf is either stopped, retained or closed, opened or pushed out, the method further comprising actuating the magnet thereby varying the damping of the magnetic device depending on an external temperature monitored by the at least one sensor.

12. Method according to claim 11 , wherein alternative or additional latch functions of a door latch can be provided by means of the magnetorheological element.

13. Motor vehicle door comprising a door leaf with a magnetic device and a hinge shaft that pivotally couples the door leaf to a motor vehicle, the magnetic device containing at least one magnet and a magnetorheological element, arranged around and acting on the hinge shaft, which is provided as a damping element allowing adjustable damping and can be actuated by the at least one magnet with the magnetorheological element, at least one sensor assigned to the door leaf for transmitting a door position via sensor signals, wherein the at least one sensor and the at least one magnet are connected to a control unit, said control unit actuating the magnet depending on the sensor signals, wherein the magnet varies a damping of the magnetorheological element depending on a speed of the door leaf as monitored by the at least one sensor, and wherein the control unit actuates the magnet and varies the damping depending an external temperature monitored by the at least one sensor.

14. Motor vehicle door according to claim 13 , wherein the control unit actuates the magnet and varies the damping depending on potential end stops of the door leaf.

15. Motor vehicle door according to claim 13 , wherein the control unit actuates the magnet and varies the damping depending on latch functional states of a door latch associated to the door leaf selected from the group consisting of a pre-ratchet position, an anti-theft position, and a child lock position.

16. Motor vehicle door according to claim 13 , wherein the magnetorheological element includes a chamber that contains a magnetorheological fluid or a magnetorheological elastomer and wherein the hinge shaft extends through the chamber, wherein the magnet surrounds the chamber.

17. Motor vehicle door according to claim 16 , further comprising a plurality of paddles connected to the hinge shaft, wherein paddles are inside the chamber.

18. Motor vehicle door according to claim 16 , wherein the hinge shaft extends both above and below the chamber.

19. Motor vehicle door according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one sensor assigned to the door leaf includes a rotary sensor or a rotary encoder connected to the hinge shaft.

Assignees

• Kiekert Ag

Inventors

• Bendel Thorsten
• Merget Michael

Classifications

• E05B2047/0033

  using electro-rheological or magneto-rheological substances · CPC title

• E05B81/08 Primary

  using electromagnets or solenoids · CPC title

• E05Y2900/531

  Doors · CPC title

• E05Y2201/25

  Mechanical means for force or torque adjustment therefor · CPC title

• E05C17/003 Primary

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