Drive device for adjusting a vehicle assembly
View Patent ↗A drive device for adjusting a vehicle assembly including an electromotive adjustment drive for adjusting the vehicle assembly and a control device for controlling the adjustment drive, the control device is configured to actuate the adjustment drive in a holding mode for holding the vehicle assembly. It is provided that the control device includes a regulation module for regulating a characteristic variable of the adjustment drive and a control module, wherein the regulation module is configured to determine a correcting variable for regulating the characteristic variable of the adjustment drive in the holding mode with reference to a specified setpoint value, and the control module is configured to evaluate a change of the correcting variable to detect an adjustment request for adjusting the vehicle assembly.
1. A drive device configured to adjust a vehicle assembly, the drive device comprising:
an electromotive adjustment drive configured to adjust the vehicle assembly; and
a control device configured to control the electromotive adjustment drive and command the electromotive adjustment drive to operate in a holding mode, in which the electromotive adjustment drive is actuated to hold the vehicle assembly,
wherein the control device is further configured to regulate a current of the electromotive adjustment drive and determine a correcting variable for regulating the current of the electromotive adjustment drive, in the holding mode, with reference to a specified setpoint value, wherein the control device is further configured to determine the correcting variable as a voltage value and to set a motor voltage with reference to the voltage value by using a pulse width modulation, and
evaluate a change of the correcting variable to detect an adjustment request to adjust the vehicle assembly;
wherein the control device is further configured to monitor the correcting variable, to identify the adjustment request based on a comparison of the correcting variable and threshold value and to terminate the holding mode in case the adjustment request is identified.
2. The drive device of claim 1 , wherein the control device is further configured to identify the adjustment request in response to the change of the correcting variable crossing a predetermined threshold value.
3. The drive device of claim 1 , wherein the control device is further configured to evaluate a sign of the change of the correcting variable in order to detect a direction of the adjustment request to adjust the vehicle assembly.
4. The drive device of claim 1 , wherein the control device is further configured to determine the change of the correcting variable with reference to,
a difference between a value of the correcting variable at a sampling point,
and a reference value of the correcting variable at a preceding sampling point.
5. The drive device of claim 1 , wherein the control device is further configured to actuate the electromotive adjustment drive in a servo mode in order to provide a supporting force during a manual adjustment of the vehicle assembly by a user, wherein the control device is further configured to determine a setpoint current value based on a load acting on the vehicle assembly to regulate a current of the electromotive adjustment drive in the servo mode based on the setpoint current value.
6. The drive device of claim 5 , wherein the control device is further configured to determine the load acting on a vehicle assembly based on,
an inclination angle of the vehicle, measured about a longitudinal vehicle axis
an inclination angle of a hinge axis of the vehicle assembly, measured about the longitudinal vehicle axis,
a slope angle of the vehicle, measured about a transverse vehicle axis,
a slope angle of the hinge axis of the vehicle assembly, measured about the transverse vehicle axis, and/or
an opening angle of the vehicle assembly.
7. The drive device of claim 6 , wherein the control device is further configured to determine and provide a setpoint torque to the electromotive adjustment drive at least partially based on the load acting on the vehicle assembly and a target force value to be applied by the user.
8. The drive device of claim 7 , wherein the load acting on the vehicle assembly is determined based on a static hinge moment acting about the hinge axis of the vehicle assembly and a dynamic hinge moment acting about the hinge axis.
9. The drive device of claim 8 , wherein the setpoint torque is determined by a torque balance of the static hinge moment, the dynamic hinge moment and a user moment resulting from the target force value, wherein
M setpoint_hinge =M hinge_stat +M hinge_dyn −M user
wherein Msetpoint_hinge indicates the setpoint torque, Mhinge_stat indicates the static hinge moment, Mhinge_dyn indicates the dynamic hinge moment and Muser indicates the user moment.
10. The drive device of claim 7 , wherein the control device is further configured to determine the setpoint current value based on the setpoint torque provided by the electromotive adjustment drive.
11. A drive device configured to adjust a vehicle assembly, the drive device comprising:
an electromotive adjustment drive configured to adjust a position of the vehicle assembly; and
a control device configured to command the electromotive adjustment drive to operate in a number of modes including a holding mode, in which the electromotive adjustment drive is actuated to hold the position of the vehicle assembly, wherein the control device is further configured to,
determine a correcting variable and regulate a current of the electromotive adjustment drive with reference to a specified setpoint value based on the correcting variable, wherein the control device is configured to determine the correcting variable as a voltage value and to set a motor voltage with reference to the voltage value by using a pulse width modulation,
detect an adjustment request to adjust the position of the vehicle assembly, in response to a change of the correcting variable;
wherein the control device is configured to monitor said correcting variable, to identify the adjustment request based on a comparison of the correcting variable and threshold value and to terminate the holding mode in case the adjustment request is identified.
12. A method of operating an electromotive adjustment drive configured to adjust a vehicle assembly between a number of positions, the method comprising:
determining, by a control device, a correcting variable;
regulating, by the control device, a current of the electromotive adjustment drive with reference to a specified setpoint value based on the correcting variable, wherein the control device determines the correcting variable as a voltage value and sets a motor voltage with reference to the voltage value by using a pulse width modulation; and
detecting, by the control device, an adjustment request to adjust the position of the vehicle assembly, in response to a change of the correcting variable;
wherein the control device is configured to monitor said correcting variable, to identify the adjustment request based on a comparison of the correcting variable and threshold value and to terminate a holding mode in case the adjustment request is identified.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
commanding, by the control device, the electromotive adjustment drive to operate in a holding mode, in which the electromotive adjustment drive is actuated to hold the vehicle assembly in a first position of the number of positions.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
commanding, by the control device, the electromotive adjustment drive to operate in a servo mode, in which the electromotive adjustment drive provides a supporting force to the vehicle assembly, in response to the detecting step.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
determining, by the control device, a setpoint current value based on a load acting on the vehicle assembly, wherein the specified setpoint value is the setpoint current value.
16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
receiving, by the control device, a number of angles including at least one of:
an inclination angle of a vehicle, measured about a longitudinal vehicle axis
an inclination angle of a hinge axis of the vehicle assembly, measured about the longitudinal vehicle axis,
a slope angle of the vehicle, measured about a transverse vehicle axis,
a slope angle of the hinge axis of the vehicle assembly, measured about the transverse vehicle axis, and
an opening angle of the vehicle assembly; and
determining, by the control device, a load acting on the vehicle assembly, in response to receiving the at least one of the number of angles.