JPH09273342A - Door lock control method for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] With a simple structure, the door lock is released when the degree of collision is light, and when the degree of collision is large, the door lock is released after the vehicle is stopped to protect passengers. ,
Cost reduction while enabling both smooth rescue operations
Improve operational reliability. In a door lock control method for a vehicle,
The process of detecting that the vehicle has been impacted, the process of determining whether the impact value is greater than or equal to the reference value, and the process of outputting an unlock signal when the impact value is less than or equal to the reference value. If the impact value is above the reference value, the vibration sensor 5
A process of monitoring the vibration of the vehicle by the detection signal from 9.
A process of continuously outputting the door lock signal while the vibration sensor 59 detects the vibration and a process of outputting the unlock signal when the vibration sensor 59 no longer detects the vibration are performed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle door lock control method for controlling a door lock state according to a state at the time of a collision.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vehicle equipped with a door lock device, if a collision accident occurs while the door is locked, the door cannot be opened from the outside and it may be difficult to rescue the occupant. In order to eliminate such a problem, there has been proposed a door lock device that allows the door to be opened from the outside when a shock is applied in the door lock state.

This type of door lock device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-2.
The one described in Japanese Patent No. 79573 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a front view of a main part of a conventional door lock device.
In this door lock device 1, a door latch assembly 3 is arranged on a door (not shown). A bracket 5 is extended to the door latch assembly 3, and a cam 7 as a releasing means is rotatably provided on the bracket 5.

A central portion of a door lock lever 9 is rotatably attached to the door latch assembly 3, and the door lock lever 9 has a door lock knob (not shown) at one end 9a.
Is connected to a rod 11, and the other end 9b is connected to a rod 13 connected to a key cylinder (not shown).

The head portion 7a of the cam 7 is formed in an arc shape, and both sides 7b and 7c of the head portion 7a are projected to the left and right. A weight 15 as a detecting means is provided at the lower end of the cam 7, and the weight 15 is always biased so as to be positioned vertically below. This door lock device 1 includes a door lock lever 9
Is in the door locked state when is in the position shown in the figure, and is unlocked when the door lock lever 9 is rotated clockwise in the figure.

In the door lock device 1 thus constructed, when the door latch assembly 3 is in the locked state, when the vehicle is, for example, head-on collided and receives a shock, the weight 1
By the inertia of 5, the cam 7 rotates clockwise in the figure,
The door lock lever 9 is rotated clockwise by the left end portion 7b of the cam 7. As a result, the door lock of the door latch assembly 3 is unlocked and unlocked,
The door can be opened by operating the outer handle from the outside, and the occupant inside the vehicle can be rescued.

Further, as a system for releasing the door lock at the time of a collision, an air bag actuation signal is used to make the system.
A vehicle door unlocking system disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 59855 is disclosed. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a conventional door lock release system. This door lock release system includes an airbag system 27 including an acceleration sensor 21, a bag module 23 and an airbag controller 25, a door lock key 29, a door lock switch 31, a door lock module 33 and a door lock solenoid 35. Power Door Lock System 3
7 is provided. The airbag controller 25 includes a microcomputer 39 and a standby power supply 41.

The operation of the door lock releasing system configured as described above will be described. At the time of a collision, when the microcomputer 39 determines that the acceleration sensor 21 has caused acceleration above a certain level, the microcomputer 39 supplies a standby power source to the bag module 23 to ignite the squib. After determining that the airbag is inflated, the microcomputer 39 determines from the output of the acceleration sensor 21 whether the acceleration is “0”, that is, whether the vehicle is completely stopped.

When it is determined that the vehicle has stopped, the microcomputer 39 outputs a door lock release signal to the solenoid driver 43 of the door lock module 33. Upon receiving the door lock release signal, the solenoid driver 43 drives the door lock solenoid 35 to release the door lock. On the other hand, when the acceleration is not “0”, the microcomputer 3
9 is the time measured by the timer, that is, it is determined whether or not a certain time has elapsed since it was determined that the airbag was inflated,
When a certain period of time has passed, a door lock release signal is output to the solenoid driver 43 as described above. This allows
The door was unlocked after the vehicle had stopped, and the door could be opened from the outside by operating the outer handle.

[0010]

However, in the door lock device 1 shown in FIG. 3 described above, when the vehicle receives an impact, the door latch is unconditionally unlocked and brought into an unlocked state, so that a light collision occurs. It is sometimes effective, but in the event of a severe collision where the airbag is activated or the vehicle rolls over, the door itself may be opened due to the impact and the occupant may be thrown out of the vehicle, which may increase the damage. . Further, in the door lock release system shown in FIG. 4, the door lock is released by the output of the acceleration sensor 21 or the timer after receiving the airbag operation signal, so that the main power supply system (main battery, main battery,
If the harness or the like) is damaged, power is not supplied to the power door lock system 37, which makes it difficult to perform a desired operation completely. Further, although the acceleration sensor 21 is used to determine whether the vehicle is stopped, the acceleration sensor 21 for the airbag has almost no sensitivity except in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and is therefore resistant to impact in diagonal and lateral directions. System may not work. If the value detected by the acceleration sensor 21 is not "0", a timer circuit is required to determine that the vehicle has stopped when a certain period of time has passed, and the system configuration becomes complicated. . The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and by a simple configuration, unlocks when the degree of collision is light, and when the degree is large, maintains the door locked state until the vehicle stops, An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle door lock control method capable of releasing a door lock after a vehicle has stopped, to reduce cost and improve operation reliability.

[0011]

A vehicle door lock control method according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a process of detecting that a vehicle is impacted, and the impact value is a reference value or more. Processing for determining whether or not the shock value is below a reference value, outputting an unlock signal when the shock value is above the reference value, and a detection signal from the vibration sensor when the shock value is above the reference value. To monitor the vibration of the vehicle, to continuously output the door lock signal while the vibration sensor detects the vibration, and to output the unlock signal when the vibration sensor stops detecting the vibration. And processing. And
The vehicle door lock control method is characterized by adding a standby power source switching process for switching the drive power source of the power door lock unit from the normal power source to the standby power source after the process of detecting that the vehicle has been impacted. May be The vehicle door lock control method may include a process of continuously outputting the super lock signal instead of the process of continuously outputting the door lock signal.

In this vehicle door lock control method, the lock is instantly released when the degree of impact is small, and when the degree of impact is large, the lock signal is continuously output until the vehicle is completely stopped. The door lock is released after the vehicle completely stops, so that both occupant protection and smooth rescue operations can be performed. By adding the standby power supply switching process, door lock control can be performed unless the lock drive unit that finally operates is damaged. Further, by keeping the door held in the super lock state at the time of a high impact, the possibility that the door will be opened is reduced as compared with the normal door lock state.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of a vehicle door lock control method according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part of a system for realizing a vehicle door lock control method according to the present invention. Power door lock unit (hereinafter "PD
A microcomputer 53 is provided in the "U" 51, and a normal power source (main battery) 55 is connected to the microcomputer 53. A door lock drive motor 57 connected to the microcomputer 53, a lock position SW, an unlock position SW, a super lock position SW, and a vibration sensor 5 are provided in the PDU 51.
9 and 9 are provided.

An impact sensor 61 is provided outside the PDU 51, and the impact sensor 61 is the microcomputer 5 in the PDU 51.
3 is connected. The impact sensor 61 is for outputting a system operation trigger signal, and may be installed as a dedicated sensor or may be a sensor used in the airbag system in common. As the vibration sensor 59 provided in the PDU 51, there is used one that has no direction of vibration detection and can perform binary signal processing of whether or not there is a vibration output.

The procedure of the door lock control method using the system thus constructed will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a door lock control method according to the present invention. First, when the microcomputer 53 detects a collision signal by the detection signal of the impact sensor 61 (st. 1),
The microcomputer 53 determines whether or not the shock value is a preset reference value (st. 3).

If the impact value is less than the reference value, the microcomputer 5
3 outputs a door lock release signal (unlock signal) (st. 13). The door lock release signal drives the door lock drive motor 57 to operate the door lock mechanism (not shown) to the unlocked state. Completion of the unlocked state is determined by a signal from the unlock position SW.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the collision signal is equal to or greater than the reference value, that is, the vehicle does not stop immediately due to rollover or recoil, the microcomputer 53 causes the vibration sensor 5 in the PDU 51 to operate.
The monitoring of the output of 9 is started (st. 5).

Subsequently, the state of the door lock SW is detected (st. 7), and if it is in the unlocked state, a lock signal is output to the door lock driving motor 57 to operate the lock mechanism in the locked state (st. . 9).

When the door lock SW is in the locked state, the microcomputer 53 determines whether the output of the vibration sensor 59 is "0" (st. 11). If the output of the vibration sensor 59 is not "0", the process returns to st. 7 again, and st. 7, 9, and 11 are repeated. Therefore, the microcomputer 53 continues to output the lock signal until the output of the vibration sensor 59 becomes “0”, that is, until the vehicle completely stops. As a result, the door remains in the locked state.

Further, for example, even if the lock is released by a secondary impact or other external force before the vibration sensor 59 becomes "0", the processes of st. 7 to st. 11 are performed again. Thus, the lock signal is output and the door returns to the locked state.

When the microcomputer 53 detects that the output of the vibration sensor 59 has become "0", that is, that the vehicle has completely stopped, it outputs an unlock signal to the door lock driving motor 57 (st . 13), unlock the door. After that, confirm that it is unlocked (s
t. 15) End the processing.

According to the door lock control method described above, the lock is instantly released when the degree of impact is small, and when the degree of impact is large, the door sensor is driven by the vibration sensor 59 until the vehicle is completely stopped. Keeps outputting the lock signal to the motor 57 for maintaining the locked state, and thereafter
Since the vibration sensor 59 determines that the vehicle is completely stopped and the door lock is automatically released, both occupant protection and smooth rescue operation can be realized.

In addition, PDU5 is used until the vehicle stops.
Since the determination is made by the vibration sensor 59 provided in the device 1, it is not necessary to provide a configuration such as a timer unlike the system shown in the related art, and the system configuration can be simplified. As a result, the cost can be reduced and the operational reliability of the system can be improved.

Further, in the above door lock control method, since the vibration sensor 59 is used, the direction of detection can be eliminated and the signal becomes binary, so that the processing circuit is simple and inexpensive. And reliability can be improved.

Although the impact sensor 61 is provided outside the PDU 51 in the above embodiment, the impact sensor 61 is provided.
May provide a dedicated sensor for trigger output in the PDU 51. With such a configuration, the wiring of the sensor harness, the disconnection of the harness in the event of an accident, etc.
The system can be made simpler and more reliable. Further, the control of the microcomputer 53 may add a child lock.

Next, a second embodiment of the door lock control method according to the present invention will be described. In the door lock control method according to this embodiment, the system configuration shown in FIG.
The standby power source 63 is connected to the microcomputer 53. The backup power supply 63 may have a power that can drive the microcomputer 53 for a short time and unlock the door once, and a small power supply can be used.

The procedure of the door lock control method is shown in FIG.
Standby power source switching processing st. 17 for switching the drive power source of the PDU 51 to the standby power source 63 between st. 3 and st.
Is added. Therefore, the microcomputer 53 receives an output signal from the impact sensor 61 at the time of a vehicle collision, and at the same time,
The power source is switched to the standby power source 63 and the output monitoring of the vibration sensor 59 is started. Other procedures are the same as the door lock control method according to the first embodiment described above.

According to the door lock control method of this example, by switching to the standby power source 63, door lock control can be guaranteed unless the lock drive unit that finally operates is damaged.

Next, a third embodiment of the door lock control method according to the present invention will be described. In the door lock control method according to this embodiment, among the processing procedures shown in FIG. 2 of the door lock control method according to the first embodiment described above,
The processing of st. 7 and st. 9 is different. That is, in the door lock control method of the first embodiment, the locked state is determined in st. 7 and the lock signal is output in st. 9, but in the present embodiment, st. Judgment of "super lock state" in 7 and "output of super lock signal" in st. 9
Is supposed to do. The other processing is the same as the processing shown in FIG.

The super lock has the function of preventing theft,
For example, if you try to release the lock from inside or outside the vehicle by an unauthorized act, you mechanically prevent the release of the lock,
The lock state is continuously maintained.

The super lock uses a lock mechanism that enables a transition from the locked state to the super lock state by driving the door lock drive motor 57, and a dedicated super lock drive motor is separately added, Any of the above lock mechanisms that enables the super lock state may be used.

According to the door lock control method of this example, it is possible to prevent the door lock from being released by an external force by keeping the door kept in the super lock state at the time of a high impact. Compared to the locked state, the possibility that the door lock is released and the door is opened can be minimized.

[0033]

As described in detail above, according to the vehicle door lock control method of the present invention, the lock is released instantly when the degree of impact is light, and when the degree of impact is large. The vibration sensor continues to output a lock signal until the vehicle is completely stopped, and the door lock is automatically released after determining that the vehicle has completely stopped, so both occupant protection and smooth rescue operations can be performed. Can be realized. Further, since the vibration sensor determines the time until the vehicle stops, the processing circuit can be simple and inexpensive, and the reliability can be improved. Then, by adding the standby power source switching process, door lock control can be guaranteed unless the lock drive unit that finally operates is damaged. Further, by keeping the door kept in the super-locked state at the time of a high impact, it is possible to minimize the possibility that the door will be opened, as compared with the normal door-locked state.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part of a system for realizing a vehicle door lock control method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a door lock control method according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a main part of a conventional door lock device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a conventional door lock release system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 51 PDU (Power Door Lock Unit) 55 Normal Power Supply 59 Vibration Sensor 63 Standby Power Supply

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A process of detecting that a vehicle has received an impact, a process of determining whether or not the impact value is greater than or equal to a reference value, and a process of determining if the impact value is less than or equal to the reference value. The process of outputting a lock signal, the process of monitoring the vibration of the vehicle by the detection signal from the vibration sensor when the impact value is equal to or more than the reference value, and the door lock while the vibration is detected by the vibration sensor. A door lock control method for a vehicle, comprising: a process of continuously outputting a signal; and a process of outputting the unlock signal when vibration is no longer detected by the vibration sensor. 2. A standby power source switching process for switching the drive power source of the power door lock unit from a normal power source to a standby power source after the process of detecting that the vehicle has been impacted. Item 2. A vehicle door lock control method according to Item 1. 3. The door lock control method for an automobile according to claim 1, further comprising a process of continuously outputting a super lock signal instead of the process of continuously outputting a door lock signal.