US 11,927,036 B2
Device for detecting intention of locking or unlocking an opening element of a motor vehicle with capacitive and inductive sensors
Gabriel Spick, Toulouse (FR); Nicolas Gerard, Toulouse (FR); and Bertrand Vaysse, Toulouse (FR)
Assigned to VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES GMBH, Hannover (DE)
Appl. No. 16/972,927
Filed by Vitesco Technologies GmbH, Hanover (DE)
PCT Filed Jun. 7, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/064959
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 7, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/234225, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 12, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1854957 (FR), filed on Jun. 7, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0246694 A1, Aug. 12, 2021
Int. Cl. E05B 81/76 (2014.01); H03K 17/96 (2006.01); H03K 17/97 (2006.01)
CPC E05B 81/77 (2013.01) [H03K 17/962 (2013.01); H03K 17/97 (2013.01); H03K 2017/9706 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device for detecting an intention of a user to lock or unlock an opening element of a motor vehicle, the device being intended to be incorporated into a handle (18) or into a frame of the opening element and comprising a voltage source, a printed circuit board (13) and a capacitive sensor for detecting contact with a hand of the user on the handle (18) or the frame comprising a capacitive measurement circuit (12) and at least one member (16, 20) that supports an electrode (10) that is electrically connected to the capacitive measurement circuit (12) by said at least one member (16, 20), wherein the device incorporates an inductive sensor with an amagnetic metal target that is capable of moving under the action of the hand of the user on the handle (18) or the frame, the target being associated with a coil (L) placed in an oscillating circuit comprising at least one capacitor and having a specific resonant frequency, and being connected to an inductive measurement circuit (11) comprising means for oscillating the oscillating circuit at a resonant frequency, means for measuring the resonant frequency and means for comparing the measured resonant frequency with a predetermined resonant-frequency threshold value, in order to detect the intention of the user to lock or unlock the opening element, said intention being confirmed only when detected both by the capacitive sensor and by the inductive sensor, the target of the inductive sensor being borne by the electrode (10) of the capacitive sensor and said at least one member (16, 20) supporting the electrode (10) being elastically deformable under the action of the hand of the user on the handle (18) or the frame, the inductive measurement (11) and capacitive measurement (12) circuits being independent of one another.