IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,134,930
Granted Patent B2
US 12,134,930 · App. 17/172,142 · Granted Nov 5, 2024

Vehicle door opening/closing control system, vehicle door opening/closing method and recording medium recorded with door opening/closing program

Inventors: Kazuma Uchibori (Kasugai, JP); Hiroshi Mizobata (Seto, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
E05F15/76E05F15/40B60N2/04B60N2/20E05Y2400/44E05Y2400/45E05Y2400/54E05Y2400/818E05Y2400/85E05Y2900/531
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,134,930
App. No.
17/172,142
Granted
Nov 5, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A vehicle door opening/closing control system that sets a communication range inside a vehicle cabin of a vehicle, and detects whether or not a specific mobile terminal is positioned within the communication range; opens and closes a door of the vehicle; and transitions the door to either an open state or a closed state in a case in which the mobile terminal has been detected as being positioned within the communication range.

Claims (56)

1. A vehicle door opening/closing control system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor connected to the memory, the processor being configured to:

set a communication range inside a vehicle cabin of a vehicle;

detect whether or not a mobile terminal of an occupant inside the vehicle cabin is positioned within the communication range, wherein the mobile terminal is a computer;

open and close a side door of the vehicle, wherein the door serves for entering and exiting of the occupant;

detect, as a specific operation of the mobile terminal, an operation in which the mobile terminal is moved from outside the communication range to within the communication range a plurality of times within a prescribed duration;

determine whether the door is in a closed state or an open state; and

in response to the mobile terminal having been detected as being positioned within the communication range and the specific operation having been detected, transition the door from the closed state to the open state or from the open state to the closed state.

2. The vehicle door opening/closing control system of claim 1 , wherein:

the door includes a door trim that covers the door from inside the vehicle cabin, and a door operation section configured to be used to open or close the door; and

the communication range is set at a vehicle cabin inner face of the door trim and at a vehicle rear side of the door operation section.

3. The vehicle door opening/closing control system of claim 2 , wherein:

the communication range is set across a continuous range spanning from the vehicle rear side of the door operation section to a pillar positioned at the vehicle rear side of the door.

4. The vehicle door opening/closing control system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a display that enables the occupant inside the vehicle cabin to view display content.

5. The vehicle door opening/closing control system of claim 4 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect a potential hazard present in surroundings of the vehicle;

restrict transition of the door from the closed state to the open state in a case in which the potential hazard has been detected during transition of the door from the closed state to the open state; and

display, on the display, display content indicating that transition of the door from the closed state to the open state is restricted in a case in which transition of the door from the closed state to the open state is restricted.

6. The vehicle door opening/closing control system of claim 1 , wherein

a vehicle seat provided near to the door is capable of at least one of movement along a vehicle front-rear direction or reclining of a seatback; and

the communication range is set to a range corresponding to at least one of a front-rear direction movement range of the vehicle seat or a reclining range of the seatback.

7. The vehicle door opening/closing control system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect a potential hazard present in surroundings of the vehicle; and

restrict transition of the door from the closed state to the open state in a case in which the potential hazard has been detected during transition of the door from the closed state to the open state.

8. A vehicle door opening/closing control method comprising:

by a processor,

setting a communication range inside a vehicle cabin of a vehicle;

detecting whether or not a mobile terminal of an occupant inside the vehicle cabin is positioned within the communication range, wherein the mobile terminal is a computer;

opening and closing a side door of the vehicle, wherein the door serves for entering and exiting of the occupant;

detecting, as a specific operation of the mobile terminal, an operation in which the mobile terminal is moved from outside the communication range to within the communication range a plurality of times within a prescribed duration;

determining whether the door is in a closed state or an open state; and

in response to the mobile terminal having been detected as being positioned within the communication range and the specific operation having been detected, transitioning the door from the closed state to the open state or from the open state to the closed state.

9. The vehicle door opening/closing control method of claim 8 , wherein:

the door includes a door trim that covers the door from inside the vehicle cabin, and a door operation section configured to be used to open or close the door; and

the communication range is set at a vehicle cabin inner face of the door trim and at a vehicle rear side of the door operation section.

10. The vehicle door opening/closing control method of claim 9 , wherein:

the communication range is set across a continuous range spanning from the vehicle rear side of the door operation section to a pillar positioned at the vehicle rear side of the door.

11. The vehicle door opening/closing control method of claim 8 , wherein

a vehicle seat provided near to the door is capable of at least one of movement along a vehicle front-rear direction or reclining of a seatback; and

the communication range is set to a range corresponding to at least one of a front-rear direction movement range of the vehicle seat or a reclining range of the seatback.

12. The vehicle door opening/closing control method of claim 8 , further comprising:

detecting a potential hazard present in surroundings of the vehicle; and

restricting transition of the door from the closed state to the open state in a case in which the potential hazard has been detected during transition of the door from the closed state to the open state.

13. The vehicle door opening/closing control method of claim 8 , further comprising:

detecting a potential hazard present in surroundings of the vehicle;

restricting transition of the door from the closed state to the open state in a case in which the potential hazard has been detected during transition of the door from the closed state to the open state; and

displaying, on a display that enables the occupant inside the vehicle cabin to view display content, display content indicating that transition of the door from the closed state to the open state is restricted in a case in which transition of the door from the closed state to the open state is restricted.

14. A non-transitory recording medium that records a program that is executable by a computer to perform a vehicle door opening/closing control method, the vehicle door opening/closing control method comprising:

setting a communication range inside a vehicle cabin of a vehicle;

detecting whether or not a mobile terminal of an occupant inside the vehicle cabin is positioned within the communication range, wherein the mobile terminal is a computer;

opening and closing a side door of the vehicle, wherein the door serves for entering and exiting of the occupant;

detecting, as a specific operation of the mobile terminal, an operation in which the mobile terminal is moved from outside the communication range to within the communication range a plurality of times within a prescribed duration;

determining whether the door is in a closed state or an open state; and

in response to the mobile terminal having been detected as being positioned within the communication range and the specific operation having been detected, transitioning the door from the closed state to the open state or from the open state to the closed state.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 10, 2021
From: UCHIBORI, KAZUMA; MIZOBATA, HIROSHI
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 055208/0428 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-068437 · Apr 6, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210310295A1 · Oct 7, 2021
Cited By (1)
US 12,423,766