JP2008037395A - Car with back door - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To suppress a change in height of a back door in an open state in response to a change in vehicle height by vehicle height control.
When the vehicle height is changed by the vehicle height control in the open state of the back door, and it is determined in S15 that the open position of the back door needs to be changed based on the vehicle height change amount of the front and rear wheels. In step S16, the open position of the back door is changed. If the vehicle height is changed by the vehicle height control in the closed state of the back door, and it is determined in S22 that the change in the target open position of the back door is necessary based on the amount of change in the vehicle height of the front and rear wheels, In S23, the target opening position is changed and stored. This target open position is used in S15.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an automobile including a flip-up back door that is attached to a rear upper end of a vehicle body and that is opened and closed by turning around a horizontal axis, and a vehicle height control device.

The automobile provided with the flip-up type back door is described in, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3 below. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a technique that enables the open position of the back door to be arbitrarily changed, and Patent Document 3 discloses that there is an obstacle in the rotation trajectory of the back door. It is described that, when detected by an object sensor, the range in which the back door can be rotated is limited so that interference with an obstacle can be avoided.
An automobile equipped with a vehicle height control device is described in Patent Document 4 below. In the automobile described in Patent Document 4, actuators are provided on both the front wheel side and the rear wheel side, and the front wheel side vehicle height and the rear wheel side vehicle height, which are vehicle heights at positions corresponding to the actuators, Are individually controllable.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-48784 JP 2004-338587 A JP 2005-336934 A JP 2005-88766 A

In a vehicle equipped with a vehicle height control device, if the relative rotational position with respect to the vehicle body as an open position where the back door is kept open is constant, the back door can be changed if the vehicle height is changed by vehicle height control. The height position with respect to the road surface changes, causing inconvenience. For example, if the back door in the open state is low, it may interfere with loading and unloading, or if the back door is manually closed, the height of the back door in the open state is usually It gets higher and it becomes impossible or difficult to close the back door.
The present invention has been made to reduce or eliminate this inconvenience.

The subject of the present invention is (a) a vehicle height control device for controlling the vehicle height by changing the vertical distance between the wheel and the vehicle body, and (b) a rotation around the horizontal axis at the upper rear end of the vehicle body. Compatible with (c) open position defining device that defines at least the open position of the back door, and (c) vehicle height control device with a back door that includes a back door that can be opened and closed by movement. This is solved by providing an open position control device for controlling the open position of the back door by controlling the open position defining device.
The open position defining device may include a door rotating device that rotates the back door by power, and a stopper device that includes a stopper member that defines a rotation limit of the back door in the opening direction.

  As described above, when the open position of the back door is changed by the open position control device in accordance with the vehicle height control by the vehicle height control device, the above-described disadvantages are reduced or eliminated. If the change in the height of the back door with respect to the road surface due to the vehicle height control in the open state is completely prevented by the open position control device, the inconvenience is solved, and if the change in height is reduced, the inconvenience is incurred. It is alleviated.

Aspects of the Invention

  In the following, the invention that is claimed to be claimable in the present application (hereinafter referred to as “claimable invention”. The claimable invention is at least the “present invention” to the invention described in the claims. Some aspects of the present invention, including subordinate concept inventions of the present invention, superordinate concepts of the present invention, or inventions of different concepts) will be illustrated and described. As with the claims, each aspect is divided into sections, each section is numbered, and is described in a form that cites the numbers of other sections as necessary. This is for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the claimable invention, and is not intended to limit the combinations of the constituent elements constituting the claimable invention to those described in the following sections. In other words, the claimable invention should be construed in consideration of the description accompanying each section, the description of the embodiments, etc., and as long as the interpretation is followed, another aspect is added to the form of each section. In addition, an aspect in which constituent elements are deleted from the aspect of each item can be an aspect of the claimable invention.

  In each of the following terms, (1) corresponds to claim 1, (2) corresponds to claim 2, (3) corresponds to claim 3, (5) corresponds to claim 4, (6) corresponds to claim 5 respectively.

(1) A vehicle height control device for controlling the vehicle height by changing the vertical distance between the wheel and the vehicle body;
A back door attached to the upper rear end of the vehicle body so as to be openable and closable by rotation around a horizontal axis;
An open position defining device for defining at least an open position of the back door;
An automobile with a back door, comprising: an open position control device that controls the open position of the back door by controlling the open position defining device in response to vehicle height control by the vehicle height control device.
The open position is a position where the back door is held open, and the back door is opened and closed by turning between the closed position and the open position.
(2) The open position defining device includes a door rotation device that rotates the back door by power, and the open position control device changes the vehicle height by the vehicle height control device in the open state of the back door. In this case, the relative rotation position of the back door with respect to the vehicle body is controlled by the control of the door rotation device, and the change in the door height, which is the height from the road surface of the free end of the back door in the open state, is controlled. The vehicle with a back door as set forth in (1), including a door height change suppressing portion to be suppressed.
In this aspect, when vehicle height control is performed in the open state of the back door, a change in the height of the back door accompanying the vehicle height control is suppressed. Although it is desirable that the door height be kept constant regardless of the vehicle height change due to the vehicle height control, it is not indispensable, and at least the door height changes compared to the case where the open position control device is not provided. If it is made smaller, the effect of the present invention can be obtained.
In this aspect, the vehicle body rotates around the rotation axis of the rear wheel as the front wheel side vehicle height is raised or lowered while the rear wheel side vehicle height is constant, thereby the back door. The aspect which suppresses that the height of is changed is also included.
(3) The vehicle height control device is at least
A rear wheel side actuator provided between the rear wheel as the wheel and the vehicle body to change a vertical distance between them;
A rear wheel side vehicle height detection device that detects a rear wheel side vehicle height that is a vehicle height at a position corresponding to the rear wheel side actuator, wherein the door height change suppression unit is at least by the rear wheel side vehicle height detection device. A rear wheel side vehicle height change amount that controls the door rotation device based on the detected rear wheel side vehicle height change amount and suppresses at least the door height change caused by the rear wheel side vehicle height change. The vehicle with a back door as set forth in (2), including a corresponding control unit.
In a conventional automobile, if the rear wheel side vehicle height is changed by the operation of the rear wheel side actuator, that is, if the rear part of the vehicle body is raised or lowered, the height of the back door also changes accordingly. However, in the vehicle of this aspect, the change in the door height due to the change in the rear wheel side vehicle height is suppressed by the rear wheel side vehicle height change amount correspondence control unit. In the automobile according to this section, the door rotation device is controlled based on at least the amount of change in the rear wheel height, and at least the change in the door height due to the change in the rear wheel height is suppressed. In addition, the change in the door height due to the rotation around the horizontal axis of the vehicle body caused by the difference between the change amount of the rear wheel side vehicle height and the change amount of the front wheel side vehicle height (including 0). May be suppressed.
(4) The vehicle height control device is
A rear wheel side actuator provided between the rear wheel as the wheel and the vehicle body to change a vertical distance between them;
A rear wheel side vehicle height detection device that detects a rear wheel side vehicle height that is a vehicle height at a position corresponding to the rear wheel side actuator;
A front wheel side actuator provided between the front wheel as the wheel and the vehicle body to change a vertical distance between them;
A front wheel side vehicle height detection device that detects a front wheel side vehicle height that is a vehicle height at a position corresponding to the front wheel side actuator, wherein the door height change suppression unit is detected by the rear wheel side vehicle height detection device. And controlling the door rotation device based on the change amount of the rear wheel side vehicle height and the change amount of the front wheel side vehicle height detected by the front wheel side vehicle height detection device. The vehicle with a back door according to (2), further including a front-rear vehicle height change amount control unit that suppresses a change in the door height due to a change in height.
Not only the amount of change in the vehicle height at the rear of the vehicle body, but also the change in the door height due to the rotation of the vehicle body about the lateral axis is suppressed.
(5) When the vehicle height is changed by the vehicle height control device when the open position control device is in the closed state of the back door, the open position is changed according to the change in the vehicle height. The back door-equipped vehicle according to any one of (1) to (4), further including an open position changing unit that changes to a position where a change in door height, which is a height from a road surface in a state, becomes small.
In the automobile of this aspect, when the vehicle height control is performed in the closed state of the back door and the vehicle height deviates from the standard vehicle height, the height of the back door is set to the set height when the back door is opened next time. It is suppressed or prevented from coming off. Here, the set height may be a standard height determined by design, or may be a height set by the driver as a height at which the back door should be positioned when the vehicle height is the standard vehicle height.
Note that the open position changing unit may be any unit that changes the open position before the back door is turned in the opening direction. For example, each time the vehicle height control is performed by the vehicle height control device, the opening position may be changed in response to the vehicle height change by the vehicle height control, such as stopping the vehicle, unlocking the back door, and back door. It is also possible to detect the possibility that the back door is opened or a sign or the start of rotation such as steering operation, and change the open position to a position corresponding to the vehicle height at the time of detection in response to the detection.
(6) The back door is manually opened and closed, and the open position defining device includes a stopper device including a stopper member that defines a rotation limit in the opening direction of the back door, and an open position changing unit The vehicle with a back door according to item (5), including a stopper position control unit that controls at least the position of the stopper member of the stopper device.
If the position of the stopper member is changed, the opening position of the door defined by the stopper member is also changed. When the stopper device includes a stopper member and a stopper device body that holds the stopper member, the position of the stopper device body may be controlled even if the position of the stopper member is controlled by controlling the relative position of the stopper member to the stopper device body. The position of the stopper member may be controlled by this control.
The stopper device may or may not have the ability to rotate the back door when the position of the stopper member is changed while the back door is in the open position. In the former case, when the stopper device is operated with the back door in the open position, it can be considered that the stopper device functions as a door rotating device, and the stopper device also serves as the door rotating device. It will be.
(7) The open position defining device includes a door rotating device that rotates the back door by power, and the open position changing unit changes a target open position of the back door by the door rotating device. The automobile with a back door according to (5) or (6), which includes an open position changing portion.
The door rotation device operates in response to a command to open the door, and stops operating when the back door reaches the target open position. Therefore, if the target opening position is changed, the opening position of the back door is also changed.
In a mode in which this item is subordinate to item (6), the back door can be opened and closed manually or by a door rotation device, and the opening position is controlled in accordance with changes in vehicle height when opened by either method. Will be. In this case, the door rotation device and the stopper device may be provided separately, or the stopper device may function as the door rotation device. In the former case, it is desirable that the stopper device defines a door rotation limit by the door rotation device, and changing the target opening position of the back door means changing the position of the stopper member. When the stopper device is configured to function as a door rotation device, the change in the target opening position of the back door is the change in the target position of the stopper member when the stopper device functions next time. Alternatively, the position of the stopper member may be actually changed.
(8) The vehicle height control device is at least
A rear wheel side actuator provided between the rear wheel as the wheel and the vehicle body to change a vertical distance between them;
And a rear wheel side vehicle height detecting device that detects a rear wheel side vehicle height that is a vehicle height at a position corresponding to the rear wheel side actuator, and the open position changing unit is detected by at least the rear wheel side vehicle height detecting device. The opening position is changed based on the change amount of the rear wheel side vehicle height, and the opening position change corresponding to the rear wheel side vehicle height change amount is suppressed to suppress the change in the door height due to the change in the rear wheel side vehicle height. The vehicle with a back door according to any one of (5) to (7).
The explanation of the item (3) applies almost to this item.
(9) The vehicle height control device is
A rear wheel side actuator provided between the rear wheel as the wheel and the vehicle body to change the vertical distance between them;
A rear wheel side vehicle height detection device that detects a rear wheel side vehicle height that is a vehicle height at a position corresponding to the rear wheel side actuator;
A front wheel side actuator provided between the front wheel as the wheel and the vehicle body to change a vertical distance between them;
A front wheel side vehicle height detection device that detects a front wheel side vehicle height that is a vehicle height at a position corresponding to the front wheel side actuator, and the open position change unit is detected by the rear wheel side vehicle height detection device. The opening position is changed based on the change amount of the wheel side vehicle height and the change amount of the front wheel side vehicle height detected by the front wheel side vehicle height detection device, thereby changing the rear wheel side vehicle height and the front wheel side vehicle height. The vehicle with a back door according to any one of (5) to (7), further including an opening position changing unit corresponding to a front and rear vehicle height change amount that suppresses the change in the door height caused by the door.
The explanation of the item (4) also applies to this item.

  Several embodiments of the claimable invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition to the following examples, the claimable invention can be practiced in various modifications based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the aspects described in the above [Aspect of the Invention] section. .

  FIG. 1 shows a suspension device including a vehicle height control device in an automobile with a back door as one embodiment. In the suspension device shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle height control device includes a wheel holding device 6FL, FR, RL, RR for holding the wheel 4 and a vehicle body 8 for each of the front, rear, left and right wheels 4FL, FR, RL, RR. Between these, suspension cylinders 10FL, FR, RL, and RR as hydraulic actuators are provided. Each suspension cylinder 10FL, FR, RL, RR is provided in parallel with each suspension spring 11. The suspension cylinders 10FL, FR, RL, RR are actuated by hydraulic fluid. Hereinafter, when it is necessary to distinguish the suspension cylinder 10 or the like by the wheel position, the reference numerals FL, FR, RL, and RR representing the wheel position are used, and when there is no need to distinguish, the sign is not attached. Used in.

  The suspension cylinders 10FL, FR, RL, and RR have the same structure, and each includes a housing 12, a piston 13 fitted in the housing 12 so as to be relatively movable, and from the piston 13 to the outside of the housing 12. The piston rod 14 is extended, and the piston rod 14 is connected to the vehicle body 8 and the housing 12 is connected to the wheel holding device 6 so as not to be relatively movable in the vertical direction. The piston 13 is provided with a communication passage 20 that communicates the two liquid chambers 16 and 18 partitioned by the piston 13, and the communication passage 20 is provided with a throttle 21. The throttle 21 generates a damping force corresponding to the relative moving speed of the piston 13 with respect to the housing 12 (the flow rate of the working fluid flowing through the throttle 21). The suspension cylinder 10 functions as a shock absorber.

The piston rod 14 is attached to a spring retainer 22 that holds the suspension spring 11 via an elastic member such as rubber, and the spring retainer 22 is attached to the vehicle body 8 so as not to be relatively movable in the vertical direction. Further, a bound side stopper 24 is attached to the spring retainer 22. The movement limit on the bounce side is defined by the outer upper end surface 26 of the cylinder body 11 coming into contact with the bounce side stopper 24.
On the other hand, a rebound stopper 28 is provided on the side of the piston 13 on which the piston rod 14 is provided. When the inner upper end surface 30 of the main body 11 contacts the rebound side stopper 28, the rebound side movement limit is defined.

Individual control passages 32FL, FR, RL, and RR are connected to the liquid chambers 16 of the suspension cylinders 10FL, FR, RL, and RR, respectively.
In each of the individual control passages 32FL, FR, RL, RR, an accumulator 34FL, FR, RL, RR and an accumulator 36FL, FR, RL, RR is connected. Further, spring constant switching valves 38FL, FR, RL, and RR are provided between the suspension cylinders 10FL, FR, RL, and RR and the accumulators 36FL, FR, RL, and RR, respectively.

Each of these accumulators 34 and 36 has a function as a spring, and includes, for example, a housing (not shown) and a partition member for partitioning the inside of the housing, and an individual control passage in one volume change chamber of the partition member. 32, the other volume change chamber is provided with an elastic body, and the volume of the other volume change chamber is reduced due to the increase in the volume of the one volume change chamber, whereby the elastic force Can be generated. The accumulators 34 and 36 may be bellows type, bladder type, piston type, or the like.
In this embodiment, the accumulator 34 has a larger spring constant than the accumulator 36. Hereinafter, the accumulator 34 is referred to as a high-pressure accumulator, and the accumulator 36 is referred to as a low-pressure accumulator. The spring constant switching valve 38 is a normally open electromagnetic on-off valve.

  The individual control passages 32FL, FR, RL, and RR are provided with variable throttles 40FL, FR, RL, and RR, respectively. As described above, the hydraulic fluid flows in and out in the liquid chamber 16 by the vertical movement of the wheel holding device 6 relative to the vehicle body 8. In this case, the flow area of the individual control passage 32 is reduced by the variable throttle 40. By being controlled, the damping force generated in the suspension cylinder 10 is controlled. In the present embodiment, the damping force control mechanism is constituted by the variable diaphragm 40 or the like.

A hydraulic fluid supply / discharge device 50 is connected to the individual control passages 32FL, FR, RL, RR.
The hydraulic fluid supply / discharge device 50 includes a high pressure source 52, a reservoir 54 as a low pressure source, an individual control valve device 58, and the like. The high-pressure source 52 includes a pump device 68 including a pump 60 and a pump motor 64 that drives the pump 60, a pressure accumulator 70, and the like. The pump device 68, the pressure accumulator 70, and the like are provided in the common control passage 72, and the pump device 68 and the pressure accumulator 70 are connected to each other. The hydraulic fluid in the reservoir 54 is pumped up and discharged by the pump 60 and stored in a pressurized state in the pressure accumulator 70 or supplied to the suspension cylinders 10FR, FL, RR, RL. In this embodiment, the pump 60 is a gear pump.

The accumulator 70 for pressure accumulation includes a housing (not shown) and a partition member that partitions the inside of the housing. A common control passage 72 is connected to one volume change chamber (referred to as a hydraulic fluid storage chamber) of the partition member, and an elastic body is provided in the other volume change chamber (elastic force generation chamber). The accumulator for pressure accumulation 70 can be, for example, a piston type, but is not limited thereto.
The accumulator 70 for pressure accumulation is connected to the common control passage 72 via a pressure accumulation control valve 90 which is a normally closed electromagnetic on-off valve.
The accumulator control valve 90 is a permissible state (corresponding to the open state of the accumulator control valve 90) that allows the inflow / outflow of hydraulic fluid in the accumulator 70 for accumulation and a blocking that prevents the inflow / outflow of hydraulic fluid in the accumulator 70 for accumulator It is possible to switch to a state (corresponding to the closed state of the pressure accumulation control valve 90).
A fluid pressure source fluid pressure sensor 92 is provided in the common control passage 72. The hydraulic pressure source hydraulic pressure sensor 92 detects the discharge hydraulic pressure of the pump device 68 and detects the accumulator hydraulic pressure. Further, the hydraulic pressure detected by the hydraulic pressure source hydraulic pressure sensor 92 is substantially the same as the hydraulic pressure of the suspension cylinder 10 when the suspension cylinder 10 is communicated with the common control passage 72.
The common control passage 72 is provided with a check valve 94 and a silencing accumulator 96. An outflow passage 104 that connects the high pressure side and the low pressure side of the pump device 68 is provided, and an outflow control valve 106 is provided in the outflow passage 104.
The outflow control valve 106 is a mechanical on-off valve that uses the discharge fluid pressure of the pump device 68 as a pilot pressure. When the pump device 68 is not in operation, it is in a communicating state, but when the pumping device 68 is operated and the discharge fluid pressure becomes high, the pump device 68 is cut off.

The individual control valve device 58 includes individual control valves 110FL, FR, RL, RR as vehicle height control valves provided in the individual control passages 32FL, FR, RL, RR. The left and right communication valves 112 are provided in the front wheel side left and right communication passages 111 connecting the individual control passages 32FL and FR, and the left and right communication valves 114 are provided in the rear wheel side left and right communication passages 113 connecting the individual control passages 32RL and RR. ing.
These individual control valves 110FL, FR, RL, RR, and left and right communication valves 112, 114 are normally closed electromagnetic on-off valves. When the left and right communication valves 112, 114 are closed, the individual control valves 110FL, FR, RL, RR are By individually controlling each wheel 4FL, FR, RL, RR, the wheel holding device 6FL, FR, RL, RR and the corresponding body part 8 (corresponding to the suspension cylinders 10FL, FR, RL, RR) The vehicle height, which is the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle, is controlled independently.

In the suspension device configured as described above, the damping characteristic of each suspension cylinder 10 is controlled by the control of the variable throttle 40.
When the flow area of the individual control passage 32 is reduced by the variable throttle 40, the suspension becomes hard (a state in which the damping force increases when the relative movement speed in the vertical direction between the wheel and the vehicle body is the same), and the flow path When the area is increased, it becomes soft (a state in which the damping force is reduced when the relative movement speed is the same). The hardness of the suspension is switched in accordance with an operation by a driver of a mode selection switch (not shown), but may be controlled based on the running state of the vehicle.
Further, the spring constant is switched by the control of the spring constant switching valve 38.
When the spring constant switching valve 38 is in the communication state, the two accumulators 34 and 36 are communicated with the liquid chamber 16 so that the spring constant is small, and the spring constant switching valve 38 is shut off. In this case, since the low-pressure accumulator 36 is shut off from the liquid chamber 16 and only the high-pressure accumulator 34 is communicated, the spring constant is increased.

In the vehicle height control device, the vehicle height corresponding to the four wheels 4FL, FR, RL, and RR is controlled by the control of the hydraulic fluid supply / discharge device 50. The left and right communication valves 112 and 114 and the individual control valve 110 are normally in the illustrated original positions.
In order to increase the vehicle height of the left front wheel 4FL, the pump device 68 is activated, the pressure accumulation control valve 90 is brought into a communicating state, and the individual control valve 110FL is brought into a communicating state. Since the outflow control valve 106 is switched to the closed state by the operation of the pump device 68, the hydraulic fluid discharged from the pump device 68 is supplied to the suspension cylinder 10FL, and the vehicle height increases. The hydraulic fluid is also supplied from the accumulator 70 for pressure accumulation to the suspension cylinder 10FL. When the actual vehicle height reaches the target value for the left front wheel 4FL, the individual control valve 110FL is shut off and the operation of the pump device 68 is stopped. The same applies when increasing the vehicle height for the other wheels 4FR, RL, and RR.
In order to reduce the vehicle height, the individual control valve 110FL is in a communication state. Since the pump device 68 is in a stopped state, the outflow control valve 106 is in a communicating state. The working fluid is caused to flow from the suspension cylinder 10FL to the reservoir 74. When the actual vehicle height reaches the target value, the individual control valve 110FL is turned off. The same applies when the vehicle height is reduced for the other wheels 4FR, RL, and RR.

The above control is performed by a vehicle height control ECU (electronic control unit) 150 mainly composed of a computer. The vehicle height control ECU 150 includes an execution unit 154, a storage unit 156, an input / output unit 158, and the like. The input / output unit 158 includes a spring constant switching valve 38, a coil of the variable throttle 40, a hydraulic fluid supply / discharge device 50 (for pressure accumulation). The control valve 90, the individual control valve 110, the coils of the left and right communication valves 112 and 114, the pump motor 64, etc.) are connected via a drive circuit (not shown). A vehicle height sensor 160 for detecting the vehicle height, a vehicle height control mode selection switch 164, a vehicle height control instruction switch 166, a vehicle height control request presence / absence detection device 168, etc. are connected to each other.
The vehicle height control mode selection switch 164 is operated by the driver, and either the automatic mode or the manual mode is selected by the operation of the switch 164.
The vehicle height control instruction switch 166 is operated by the driver when the vehicle height is increased or when the vehicle height is decreased.
The vehicle height control request presence / absence detection device 168 detects the traveling state of the vehicle, detects the driver's intention to start, and detects the possibility of passengers getting on and off. The presence or absence of a control request is detected. The vehicle height control request presence / absence detection device 168 includes, for example, an ignition switch, a shift position sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, and the like.
In a state where the automatic mode is selected by the vehicle height control mode selection switch 164, when a predetermined condition is satisfied (when the vehicle height control request detection device 168 detects that there is a vehicle height control request) The vehicle height is changed accordingly. For example, when the automatic mode is selected, if the ignition switch is switched from the ON state to the OFF state after the vehicle stops, it is assumed that the passenger may get off and the vehicle height is reduced. The In addition, when the ignition switch is switched from the OFF state to the ON state and the intention to start such as when the shift position is switched from the parking position to the drive position is detected, the vehicle height is increased, and the height suitable for driving is increased. It is assumed.
When the vehicle height control instruction switch 166 is operated in the state where the manual mode is selected, the vehicle height is changed according to the instruction.

  Hereinafter, the back door opening / closing system of the vehicle with the back door will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 2, a back door is opened at the upper rear end of the vehicle body 8 of the automobile so as to be opened and closed by turning around a shaft 196, ie, turning around a turning axis 198 extending horizontally in the width direction of the automobile. 200 is attached. Gas dampers 202 are provided between both ends of the back door 200 in the width direction of the vehicle body 8 and the vehicle body 8. The gas damper 202 includes a cylinder, a piston, and a piston rod. The gas and the piston rod are urged in the extending direction by the gas pressure inside the cylinder, and the gas damper 202 has a communication path that connects the gas chambers on both sides of the piston. The operating speed of the piston is suppressed by the provided throttle. Therefore, when the back door 200 is manually rotated around the horizontal axis in the opening direction (direction toward the open position) or in the closing direction (direction toward the close position), the weight of the back door 200 is increased by the biasing force of the gas damper 202. While the influence is reduced, the rotation speed is moderately suppressed, and the opening / closing operation of the back door 200 is facilitated.

  A link member 204 is provided between the back door 200 and the vehicle body 8 at one end in the width direction of the back door 200. One end portion of the link member 204 is connected to the back door 200 on the shaft 206 so as to be relatively rotatable, and the other end portion is connected to a door rotation device 210 provided on the vehicle body 8. Since the door rotation device 210 is a well-known device, a detailed description thereof is omitted. However, the door rotation device 210 includes a motor 212 (see FIG. 3) as a drive source, and passes through a motion transmission device 216 including a swing arm 214. The rotation of the motor 212 is transmitted to the link member 204. A free end portion of the swing arm 214 and the other end portion of the link member 204 are coupled to each other on a shaft 218 so as to be relatively rotatable. The door rotation device 210 is also provided with a clutch 220 (see FIG. 3) for allowing or blocking transmission of torque from the motor 212 to the swing arm 214 side.

  In the door rotation device 210 configured as described above, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the clutch 220 is turned on (connected) while the back door 200 is in the open position, and the motor 212 is driven in one direction. Then, when the swing arm 214 is rotated in a direction (downward) indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2 (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2), the link member 204 connected to the swing arm 214 is moved. It moves along a predetermined locus, and the back door 200 is rotated in the closing direction along with this movement. When the motor 212 is driven in a direction opposite to the one direction, the swing arm 214 is rotated upward, and the back door 200 is rotated in the opening direction. Further, when the drive of the motor 212 is stopped (OFF) and the clutch 220 is turned off (disconnected), the back door 200 can be manually opened and closed.

  In FIG. 3, reference numeral 230 denotes a back door control ECU (electronic control unit). The back door control ECU 230 includes an execution unit, a storage unit, and an input / output unit. The motor 212 and the clutch 220 of the door rotation device 210 are connected to the input / output unit, and the back door 200 is rotated relative to the vehicle body 8. A back door rotation position detection device and the like for detecting the movement position are connected. In the illustrated embodiment, the back door rotation position detection device is an encoder 236 that detects the rotation position of the swing arm 214 corresponding to the relative rotation position of the back door 200. These door rotation device 210, back door control ECU 230, encoder 236 and the like constitute a back door control device.

  Further, the back door control ECU 230 and the vehicle height control ECU 150 can exchange information with each other via a CAN (car area network) 240. The storage unit of the back door control ECU 230 stores various programs such as a back door opening position control routine described later.

  In the back door opening / closing system configured as described above, the open position of the back door 200 is a preset target open position. When the back door 200 is manually opened, when the encoder 236 detects that the back door 200 has been opened to the vicinity of the pivot position of the swing arm 214 corresponding to the target open position, the clutch 220 is turned on. Then, the back door 200 is rotated to the target open position by driving the motor 212. Thus, in this embodiment, the open position of the back door 200 is automatically controlled. However, the open position of the back door 200 can be automatically changed according to the situation.

  The change of the open position of the back door 200 will be described based on the back door open position control routine shown in FIG. This routine is to be executed when the possibility that the back door is opened or a warning or the start of rotation is detected, for example, when the vehicle is stopped, the back door is unlocked, or the back door is operated. Can do. First, in S10 (abbreviation of step 10), it is determined whether or not the back door 200 is in the closed position. If it is detected that the back door 200 is not in the closed position based on the detection by the encoder 236, the determination is NO, and it is determined in S11 whether or not the back door 200 is in the target open position. If the back door 200 is in the process of opening, the determination in S11 is NO, and one execution of this routine is completed. If the back door 200 is in the target open position, the determination in S11 is YES, and in S12, it is determined whether or not the vehicle height is being changed by the vehicle height control in the open state of the back door 200. If vehicle height control is being performed based on information from the vehicle height control ECU 150, the determination in S12 is YES, and in S13, the relative rotational position of the back door 200 with respect to the vehicle body 8 is detected. In S14, the amount of change in vehicle height of the front and rear wheels accompanying the vehicle height control described above is detected.

  Based on the vehicle height change amount of the front and rear wheels detected in S14, it is determined in S15 whether or not the open position of the back door 200 needs to be changed. If the vehicle height change amount is within an allowable range where it is not necessary to change the open position of the back door 200, the determination in S15 is NO, and one execution of this routine ends. On the other hand, if the determination in S15 is YES, in S16, the target open position of the back door 200 is changed, and the open position of the back door 200 is changed accordingly. In the present embodiment, for example, based on a function or a map, a change amount of the open position (target open position) of the back door 200 based on the vehicle height change amount is uniquely obtained. In the door rotation device 210, the motor 212 is driven while the clutch 220 is ON, and the back door 200 rotates in the closing direction or the opening direction by the change amount of the opening position via the motion transmission device 216 and the link member 204. Be moved.

On the other hand, when it is determined that it is not necessary to change the open position of the back door 200, or when the change of the open position of the back door 200 is completed, the determination of S15 is NO and S16 is skipped. The open position of the back door 200 is maintained.
Thereafter, when the back door 200 is closed, it is allowed to close manually by executing a back door closing control routine (not shown). That is, in the state where the back door 200 is maintained at the target open position as described above, if a force greater than the set force is applied to the back door 200 in the closing direction, the open position of the back door 200 is maintained. Since the current required for the motor 212 exceeds the threshold value, the fact is detected by a motor control circuit (not shown), and the back door 200 is manually operated by switching the clutch 220 from the ON state to the OFF state accordingly. It is allowed to close with.
In addition, a force detector that detects that a force exceeding the set value is applied in the closing direction is provided on the back door 200, and the clutch 220 is turned off in response to detection by the force detector. In addition, a clutch-off command switch that is manually operated to command that the clutch 220 should be switched from the ON state to the OFF state is provided, and the clutch 220 is turned off in accordance with the operation of this switch. You may do it.

  In S10, if the back door 200 is in the closed position and the determination is YES, it is determined in S20 whether vehicle height control is being performed with the back door 200 in the closed state. If vehicle height control is not being performed, one execution of this routine is terminated with a NO determination. If the determination in S20 is YES, the vehicle height change amounts of the front and rear wheels are respectively detected in S21. In S22, based on the vehicle height change amount, whether or not the target open position that is the open position when the back door 200 is opened next needs to be changed from the already set target open position. Is determined. If the determination in S22 is NO, one execution of this routine ends. If the determination in S22 is YES, in S23, the target opening position is changed corresponding to the vehicle height change amount, and the changed target opening position is stored. This target open position is used for the control when the determination in S10 is NO.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress a change in the door height, which is the height from the road surface of the free end of the back door 200 in the open state, in response to the change in the vehicle height by the vehicle height control. Therefore, inconveniences associated with the height or height of the back door 200 being opened are reduced.

  In the present embodiment, in the back door control ECU 230, the portion that executes S10 to S16 of the back door opening position control routine constitutes a door height change suppression unit as a front and rear vehicle height change amount corresponding control unit. Further, in the back door control ECU 230, the part that executes S20 to S23 of the back door opening position control routine constitutes an opening position changing section that is a target opening position changing section and an opening position changing section corresponding to the front and rear vehicle height change amount. ing. In the vehicle height control device, the suspension cylinders 10FL and 10FR of the front wheels 4FL and 4FR constitute front wheel side actuators, respectively, and a vehicle height sensor 160 provided for each wheel of the front wheels 4FL and 4FR serves as the front wheel side vehicle height detection device. It is composed. The suspension cylinders 10RL and 10RR for the rear wheels 4RL and 4RR each constitute a rear wheel side actuator, and the vehicle height sensor 160 provided for each of the rear wheels 4RL and 4RR constitutes a rear wheel side vehicle height detection device. is doing.

  Note that the back door 200 can be automatically opened and closed by the door rotation device 210. For example, the back door 200 can be opened and closed by opening or closing an opening / closing operation switch. Even in this case, the back door 200 can be manually opened and closed by turning off the clutch 220.

  In addition, the door rotation device 210 may be controlled based on only the vehicle height change amount detected by the vehicle height sensor 160 on each of the rear wheels 4RL and 4RR, and the change in the door height of the back door 200 may be suppressed. Or it is good also as what suppresses the change of the door height of the back door 200 based on the variation | change_quantity of the vehicle height by each front wheel 4FL and 4FR side.

In the above embodiment, the open position of the back door 200 is automatically controlled, but the open position may be defined by a stopper member. An example is shown in FIG. 5, parts that are configured in the same manner as in the embodiment shown in FIGS.
The vehicle body 8 is provided with a stopper device 250 that regulates the limit of rotation of the back door 200 in the opening direction. The stopper device 250 includes a stopper member 252 that abuts on the swing arm 214 and defines the rotation limit in the opening direction in order to define the rotation limit of the back door 200 in the opening direction. The stopper member 252 is configured by a male screw member that is held on the apparatus main body 254 so as not to rotate relative to the apparatus main body 254 and to be relatively movable in the axial direction while protruding from the apparatus main body 254 toward the swing arm 214. The stopper device 250 rotates a nut that is screwed into the stopper member 252, the device main body 254, the stopper member 252, is held relative to the device main body 254 and is relatively non-movable in the axial direction, and the nut. And a motor 258 (see FIG. 6) as a drive source. An encoder 260 is provided as a detection device that detects the rotational position of the motor 258 and is connected to the back door control ECU 262. The nut 256 is rotated by driving the motor 258, the position of the stopper member 252 is controlled by moving the stopper member 252 forward or backward, and the open position of the back door 200 is defined. The motor 258, the encoder 260, and the back door control ECU 262 constitute a back door control device.

Also in this embodiment, the open position of the back door is changed in the same manner as the embodiment shown in FIG. However, in the closed state of the back door 200, the motor 258 is driven if the target open position of the back door 200 needs to be changed in accordance with the amount of change in the vehicle height associated with the vehicle height control by the vehicle height control device. The protruding position of the stopper member 252 from the apparatus main body 254 is changed. Therefore, when the back door 200 is opened later, the door height, which is the height from the road surface of the free end of the back door 200, is constant regardless of the vehicle height change accompanying the vehicle height control by the vehicle height control device. It becomes.
In addition, when the back door 200 is in an open state and the opening position of the back door 200 needs to be changed in response to vehicle height control, the protruding position of the stopper member 252 is changed. When the back door 200 is rotated in the opening direction, the stopper member 252 is retracted, so that the back door 200 is opened to a position where the swing arm 214 contacts the stopper member 252 by the biasing force of the gas damper 202. It is rotated in the direction. Further, when the back door 200 is rotated in the closing direction, the stopper member 252 is advanced, and the swinging arm 214 is rotated downward against the urging force of the gas damper 202, whereby the back door 200 is rotated. Is rotated in the closing direction. When the back door 200 is open, the stopper device 250 functions as a door rotation device.
In the back door control ECU 260, the portion that controls the position of the stopper member 252 by controlling the motor 258 constitutes a stopper position control unit.

It is a figure which shows the suspension apparatus containing vehicle height control ECU in the motor vehicle with a back door which is one Example of this invention. It is a side view which shows the back door of the said motor vehicle with a back door, and its rotation apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the back door control apparatus of the said motor vehicle with a back door. It is a flowchart showing the back door opening position control routine performed in the back door control ECU of the said back door control apparatus. It is a side view which shows the back door in the motor vehicle with a back door which is another Example of this invention, and its stopper apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the back door control apparatus of the said motor vehicle with a back door.

Explanation of symbols

  4: Wheel 8: Car body 10: Suspension cylinder 50: Hydraulic fluid supply / discharge device 150: Vehicle height control ECU 160: Vehicle height sensor 200: Back door 210: Door rotation device 212: Motor 214: Swing arm 216: Motion transmission Device 230: Back door control ECU 220: Clutch 250: Stopper device 252: Stopper member 262: Back door control ECU

Claims (6)

A vehicle height control device for controlling the vehicle height by changing the vertical distance between the wheel and the vehicle body;
A back door attached to the upper rear end of the vehicle body so as to be openable and closable by rotation around a horizontal axis;
An open position defining device for defining at least an open position of the back door;
An automobile with a back door, comprising: an open position control device that controls the open position of the back door by controlling the open position defining device in response to vehicle height control by the vehicle height control device.   The open position defining device includes a door rotating device that rotates the back door by power, and the vehicle height is changed by the vehicle height control device when the open position control device is in the open state of the back door. Further, a door that controls the relative rotation position of the back door with respect to the vehicle body by the control of the door rotation device and suppresses a change in the door height, which is the height from the road surface of the free end of the back door in the open state. The automobile with a back door according to claim 1, comprising a height change suppressing portion. The vehicle height control device is at least,
A rear wheel side actuator provided between the rear wheel as the wheel and the vehicle body to change a vertical distance between them;
A rear wheel side vehicle height detection device that detects a rear wheel side vehicle height that is a vehicle height at a position corresponding to the rear wheel side actuator, wherein the door height change suppression unit is at least by the rear wheel side vehicle height detection device. A rear wheel side vehicle height change amount that controls the door rotation device based on the detected rear wheel side vehicle height change amount and suppresses at least the door height change caused by the rear wheel side vehicle height change. The automobile with a back door according to claim 2, comprising a corresponding control unit.   When the vehicle height is changed by the vehicle height control device when the open position control device is in the closed state of the back door, the open position is changed to the road surface in the open state of the back door according to the change in the vehicle height. The automobile with a back door according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an opening position changing unit that changes the position to a position where a change in door height, which is a height from the position, becomes small.   The back door is manually opened and closed, and the open position defining device includes a stopper device that includes a stopper member that defines a rotation limit in the opening direction of the back door, and an open position changing unit includes: The automobile with a back door according to claim 4, further comprising a stopper position control unit that controls at least a position of the stopper member of the stopper device.   The open position defining device includes a door rotating device that rotates the back door by power, and the open position changing unit changes a target open position of the back door by the door rotating device. The automobile with a back door according to claim 4 or 5 including a section.

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