JP7615602B2 - Control method, control device, and control program for electric sliding door - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a control method, control device, and control program for an electric sliding door.

Conventionally, a device for holding a manually operated end sliding door installed on a railway vehicle in a fully open or fully closed state is known (see Patent Document 1). This device is configured to be able to maintain the fully open or fully closed state of the end sliding door even when the door is subjected to external forces such as centrifugal force, vibration, or impact while the vehicle is moving.

JP 2014-95242 A

However, the above-mentioned device cannot reduce the burden placed on a person when manually opening the side sliding door, because it does not have a power source to move the side sliding door. Even if the above-mentioned device had a power source, it would not be able to adequately reduce the burden placed on a person when manually opening the side sliding door, because this device cannot detect when a person has manually opened the side sliding door, and cannot adequately control the timing of moving the side sliding door.

Therefore, it is desirable to detect when a person opens the back door.

A control method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a control method for an electrically operated sliding door, which generates a braking force when the sliding door is opened by an external force other than an electric force , and with the braking force generated, determines whether the sliding door has been opened manually based on information regarding the state of the sliding door.

The control method described above can detect when a person opens the back door.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a control method for an electric end sliding door. 13 is a flowchart of a support process. A figure showing the changes in the opening force for the end sliding door, the amount of movement of the end sliding door, and the movement speed of the end sliding door. A figure showing the changes in the opening force for the end sliding door, the amount of movement of the end sliding door, and the movement speed of the end sliding door. A figure showing the changes in the opening force for the end sliding door, the amount of movement of the end sliding door, and the movement speed of the end sliding door. A figure showing the changes in the opening force for the end sliding door, the amount of movement of the end sliding door, and the movement speed of the end sliding door. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing external forces acting on a side sliding door inside a railway vehicle traveling on a canted track. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of a first embodiment of a control method. FIG. 4 is another control block diagram of the first embodiment of the control method. 4 is a flowchart of an assistance process executed in a first embodiment of the control method. FIG. 11 is a control block diagram of a second embodiment of the control method. 10 is a flowchart of an assistance process executed in a second embodiment of the control method. FIG. 11 is a control block diagram of a third embodiment of the control method. 13 is a flowchart of an assistance process executed in a third embodiment of the control method. FIG. 13 is a control block diagram of a fourth embodiment of the control method. 13 is a flowchart of an assistance process executed in a fourth embodiment of the control method. FIG. 13 is a control block diagram of a fifth embodiment of the control method. 13 is a flowchart of an assistance process executed in a fifth embodiment of the control method. 13 is a flowchart of an assistance process executed in a sixth embodiment of the control method. 13 is a flowchart of an assistance process executed in a seventh embodiment of the control method. 23 is a flowchart of an assistance process executed in an eighth embodiment of the control method. 13 is a flowchart of an assistance process executed in a ninth embodiment of the control method. 23 is a flowchart of an assistance process executed in a tenth embodiment of the control method. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control device.

Below, with reference to the drawings, a control method CS for an electric side sliding door SD according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the control method CS. The control method CS is mainly composed of a control device CD, an information acquisition device SR, an electric motor MR, a drive mechanism DM, and the side sliding door SD. The solid line connecting the control device CD and the information acquisition device SR indicates that the control device CD and the information acquisition device SR are electrically connected. The same applies to the solid line connecting the control device CD and the electric motor MR. The double line connecting the electric motor MR and the drive mechanism DM indicates that the electric motor MR and the drive mechanism DM are mechanically connected. The same applies to the double line connecting the drive mechanism DM and the side sliding door SD.

The control device CD is a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, a volatile storage device, a non-volatile storage device, etc. The control device CD is configured to realize various functions by executing programs stored in the non-volatile storage device, for example.

The information acquisition device SR is configured to acquire information about the side sliding door SD. The information acquisition device SR is, for example, a sensor for measuring the position of the side sliding door SD. The sensor for measuring the position of the side sliding door SD is, for example, an encoder for detecting the movement of the electric motor MR. The encoder may be a rotary encoder for detecting the rotational position (rotation angle) of the rotation shaft of the rotary motor as the electric motor MR, or a linear encoder for detecting the position of the movable part of the linear motor as the electric motor MR. The information acquisition device SR may include at least one of a sensor for detecting that the side sliding door SD is in a fully closed position, a sensor for measuring the current supplied to the electric motor MR, and a sensor for measuring the voltage supplied to the electric motor MR. However, the sensor for detecting that the side sliding door SD is in a fully closed position may be configured to detect whether the side sliding door SD is opened or not. The sensor for detecting that the side sliding door SD is in a fully closed position is, for example, a contact sensor such as a limit switch. However, the sensor for detecting that the end sliding door SD is in the fully closed position may be a non-contact sensor such as a proximity sensor.

The electric motor MR is configured to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. The electric motor MR is, for example, a rotary motor or a linear motor.

The drive mechanism DM is configured to use the mechanical energy generated by the electric motor MR to move the gable sliding door SD. The drive mechanism DM is, for example, a ball screw mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, or a direct drive mechanism using a linear motor.

The end sliding door SD is a door installed on the end surface of a railway vehicle to separate the passageway between the cars. The end sliding door SD may be either a double-opening type or a single-opening type.

The end sliding door SD is different from the side sliding door, which is a door for boarding and alighting that is installed on the side of the railway vehicle. The electric side sliding door is equipped with a locking device that mechanically locks the side sliding door in a fully closed state to reliably prevent it from opening while the railway vehicle is moving. This is because simply using the mechanical energy generated by the electric motor MR or the like to keep the side sliding door in a fully closed state cannot completely prevent the side sliding door from opening due to vibration or impact. This locking device prevents the side sliding door from opening due to any vibration or impact, and reliably prevents passengers from falling through the open side sliding door while the railway vehicle is moving.

On the other hand, the side sliding door SD is basically kept in a fully closed state in order to maintain the in-vehicle environment through air conditioning or to prevent outside noise from entering the vehicle, and is configured to open only when a person is passing through. Also, in order to prevent the inflow of smoke or toxic gases due to a fire or other incident that has occurred in another vehicle, the side sliding door SD is basically kept in a fully closed state and is configured to open only when a person is passing through.

In Japan, the "Partial Revision of the Interpretation Standards of Ministerial Ordinances Prescribing Technical Standards for Railways" dated December 27, 2004, prohibits the installation of fasteners to keep end sliding doors (SD) in the fully open position.

In this way, the end sliding door SD is basically configured to be in a fully closed state, and to be in an open state while a person is passing through even when the railway vehicle is moving. Therefore, the end sliding door SD may open when the railway vehicle is moving due to external forces such as vibrations, impacts, or centrifugal forces generated when the railway vehicle passes through a curved section of the track. In addition, even when the railway vehicle is stopped, the end sliding door SD may open due to external forces caused by gravity when the railway vehicle is tilted due to a cant provided on the curved section of the track. Note that a "cant" is the difference in height set between the upper surfaces of a pair of rails laid on the curved section of the track, and is provided to allow the railway vehicle to run safely by offsetting the centrifugal force applied to the railway vehicle passing through the curved section.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the side sliding door SD is configured to maintain a fully closed state when it receives an external force other than human force. Note that "external force" is a force other than electric force, and "human force" is an external force applied to the side sliding door SD when a person opens it. Also, "electric force" is a force generated by the electric motor MR.

As a means for keeping the end sliding door SD in a fully closed state, it is possible to provide a locking mechanism similar to the locking mechanism used to keep the side sliding doors in a fully closed state. However, the passageway in which the end sliding door is installed can become an evacuation passage for moving between cars in an emergency. Therefore, from a safety standpoint, it is not appropriate to use a locking mechanism as a means for keeping the end sliding door SD in a fully closed state. This is because there is a possibility that a situation will arise in which the end sliding door SD cannot be opened due to a malfunction of the locking mechanism, etc.

The gable sliding door SD is therefore held in a fully closed state by a retention mechanism that generates a constant retention force, such as a mechanical latch mechanism that utilizes a spring, and is configured to be released from the retention mechanism and open when an external force exceeding that retention force is applied.

The side sliding door SD is configured to open automatically by electric power when it is detected that a person is attempting to open the side sliding door SD manually (by human power). The side sliding door SD may be configured to open automatically by electric power when a push button switch installed near the side sliding door SD is pressed, or when a person's approach to the side sliding door SD is detected by human detection means such as an infrared sensor installed near the side sliding door SD, in addition to when it is detected that a person is attempting to open the side sliding door SD manually (by human power).

However, if the end sliding door SD is only kept fully closed using a mechanical latch mechanism, the end sliding door SD will open unnecessarily if an external force exceeding the holding force of the latch mechanism is applied. In this case, the external force exceeding the holding force of the latch mechanism is caused, for example, by vibrations and shocks while the railway vehicle is traveling, or centrifugal forces generated when the railway vehicle passes over a curved section of the track.

The holding force may be increased to prevent the end sliding door SD from opening unnecessarily, but if the holding force is too strong, it will be difficult to open the end sliding door SD manually (by human power) when the electric motor MR is unavailable, for example, in the event of a power failure. This is undesirable from a safety standpoint, because the end sliding door SD can also serve as an evacuation route to adjacent vehicles.

For this reason, the holding force of the latch mechanism is set to a level that does not prevent manual opening of the door in the event of a power loss. If the side sliding door SD is opened by an external force exceeding that level, the side sliding door SD is closed by electric force. By configuring it in this way, the control method CS for the electric side sliding door SD can prevent the holding force of the latch mechanism from becoming stronger than necessary.

The control method CS of the electric sliding door SD is configured to determine whether the door SD was opened by human power or by an external force other than human power when it detects that the door SD was opened by an external force other than electric force. Preferably, the control method CS is configured to determine whether the door SD was opened by human power or by an external force other than human power by using information used when controlling the electric motor MR without using a special sensor or switch. Here, the "control of the electric motor MR" is, for example, control for opening and closing the door SD. Also, the "special sensor or switch" is, for example, an image sensor such as a camera that captures an image to recognize that a person is trying to open the door SD, an infrared sensor that detects the approach of a person to the door SD, a push button switch that generates an open command to open the door SD, or an electrostatic switch that detects that a person's hand has touched the handle of the door SD. However, control method CS does not preclude the installation of "special sensors or switches, etc."

Instead of using a limit switch or a proximity sensor to detect whether the side sliding door SD is opened, the control method CS may be configured to determine that the side sliding door SD is opened without the control of the electric motor MR based on the output of a sensor to measure the position of the side sliding door SD. Alternatively, the control method CS may be configured to determine whether the side sliding door SD is opened by human force or by an external force other than human force.

The control method CS is also configured to initiate a door-closing operation when it is determined that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. The door-closing operation is an operation for closing the side sliding door SD by electric force. For example, the control method CS operates the drive mechanism DM by the force generated by the electric motor MR, and moves the side sliding door SD in the closing direction until it is fully closed.

The control method CS is also configured to initiate a door-opening operation when it is determined that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force. The door-opening operation is an operation for opening the side sliding door SD by electric force. For example, the control method CS operates the drive mechanism DM by the force generated by the electric motor MR, and moves the side sliding door SD in the opening direction until it is fully open.

Next, the door-opening force acting on the end sliding door SD will be explained. The door-opening force acting on the end sliding door SD is a force that tries to open the door SD, and mainly includes a door-opening force based on human force, a door-opening force based on vibration or impact, an opening force based on centrifugal force that occurs when a railway vehicle passes through a curved section of the track, and an opening force based on the component of gravity acting on the end sliding door SD in the opening direction of the end sliding door SD when the railway vehicle is tilted due to the cant provided on the curved section (hereinafter referred to as "door-opening force based on gravity").

The manual door opening force is typically an external force continuously applied to the side sliding door SD by a person who intends to release the side sliding door SD from the retention mechanism and move the side sliding door SD in the opening direction. The magnitude of the manual door opening force varies depending on each person attempting to open the side sliding door SD.

The vibration- or impact-based door-opening force is typically an external force that is applied to the gable sliding door SD for a period of time that is shorter than the period during which the manual door-opening force is applied to the gable sliding door SD. The vibration- or impact-based door-opening force may be significantly greater than the manual door-opening force, but the application period is at most several hundred milliseconds.

The door-opening force based on centrifugal force and the door-opening force based on gravity may typically continue for a long period of time depending on the operating conditions of the railway vehicle, but the magnitude of the force is not very large. In other words, the door-opening force based on centrifugal force and the door-opening force based on gravity may typically continue for a longer period of time than the door-opening force based on vibration or impact, but the magnitude of the force is smaller than the door-opening force based on human force and smaller than the door-opening force based on vibration or impact.

Using the above-mentioned characteristics of each door-opening force acting on the side sliding door SD, the control method CS can determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force or by an external force other than human force, based on the kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD when it is opened by an external force. Then, for example, if the control method CS determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, it automatically opens the side sliding door SD using the electric motor MR, and if it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force, it automatically closes the side sliding door SD using the electric motor MR to keep it in a fully closed state.

In this case, the control method CS utilizes, as a directly measurable state quantity, information on the state of the side sliding door SD in the opening direction of the side sliding door SD, which is repeatedly acquired at a predetermined period by an information acquisition device SR such as an encoder. The directly measurable state quantity is, for example, the position, speed, acceleration, or amount of movement of the side sliding door SD in the opening direction of the side sliding door SD. The speed of the side sliding door SD may be derived by differentiating the position of the side sliding door SD, and the acceleration of the side sliding door SD may be derived by differentiating the speed of the side sliding door SD. The amount of movement of the side sliding door SD may be derived as the difference between the position of the side sliding door SD at a first point in time and the position of the side sliding door SD at a second point in time. In addition, the control method CS controls, for example, the output of the electric motor MR that generates an electric force for holding or moving the side sliding door SD.

For example, in a configuration in which the side sliding door SD is driven by a rotary motor, the information on the state of the side sliding door SD is the rotational position (rotation angle), rotational speed (rotational angular velocity), rotational acceleration (rotational angular acceleration), or accumulated rotation angle of the rotary motor's rotation shaft. Alternatively, in a configuration in which the side sliding door SD is driven by a linear motor, the information on the state of the side sliding door SD is the position, movement speed, movement acceleration, or accumulated movement distance of the movable part of the linear motor. This is because the position, movement speed, movement acceleration, or accumulated movement distance of the side sliding door SD can be indirectly derived from the position, movement speed, movement acceleration, or accumulated movement distance of the movable part of the electric motor MR.

Next, the support process realized by the control method CS will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The support process is a process that supports a person in opening the side sliding door SD. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the support process. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the support process is executed when the side sliding door SD is in a fully closed state.

The control method CS first determines whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force rather than by an electric force (step ST1). In the example shown in FIG. 2, the control method CS determines whether the side sliding door SD has been opened based on the output of a limit switch installed on the side sliding door SD. Note that the limit switch may be installed, for example, inside the door pocket of the side sliding door SD or outside the door pocket of the side sliding door SD.

When the control method CS determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened (YES in step ST1), it generates a braking force (step ST2). The braking force is a force for slowing down the moving speed of the side sliding door SD. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the braking force is applied by the electric motor MR. However, the braking force may be applied by an actuator other than the electric motor MR.

Then, the control method CS determines whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force (step ST3). In the example shown in FIG. 2, the control method CS measures the kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD when the side sliding door SD is opened by an external force while a braking force is applied to the side sliding door SD. Then, the control method CS determines whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force based on the measured kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD.

The reason for making the judgment after generating a braking force is that applying a braking force brings out a sharper dynamic behavior of the side sliding door SD, making subsequent judgments easier. Specifically, when no braking force is applied to the side sliding door SD, that is, when the side sliding door SD is free to move, there is a risk that the side sliding door SD may be fully opened by an external force other than human force before it is determined which external force caused the side sliding door SD to be opened. Or, even if it is determined that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, there is a risk that the side sliding door SD may already be fully open at that time. In other words, if a braking force is not applied when the side sliding door SD is opened, the control method CS cannot prevent the side sliding door SD from being fully opened by an external force other than human force, and cannot provide timely support to a person opening the side sliding door SD.

The control method CS may determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force or by an external force other than human force based on the measured kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD and information on the control of the electric motor MR. The information on the control of the electric motor MR is, for example, the thrust command value f* or the actual thrust value f described below.

If it is determined that the side sliding door SD has been opened manually (YES in step ST3), the control method CS starts the door-opening operation by the electric motor MR (step ST4). However, if the control method CS determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened manually, it may simply release the braking force without starting the door-opening operation by the electric motor MR.

If it cannot be determined that the side sliding door SD was opened by human force (NO in step ST3), the control method CS determines that the side sliding door SD was opened by an external force other than human force, and starts the door closing operation by the electric motor MR (step ST5). However, if the control method CS cannot determine that the side sliding door SD was opened by human force, it may end the support process without starting the door opening operation by the electric motor MR.

Next, an example of the kinematic behavior of the gable sliding door SD will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 6. Figures 3 to 6 respectively show the time progression of the opening force applied to the gable sliding door SD, the amount of movement of the gable sliding door SD, and the movement speed of the gable sliding door SD. Specifically, each of Figures 3 to 6 has a horizontal axis representing time, and a vertical axis corresponding to the opening force, the amount of movement, and the movement speed. Each of Figures 3 to 6 shows the progression of the opening force with a solid line, the progression of the amount of movement with a dashed line, and the progression of the movement speed with a dashed line.

When the door-opening force based on vibration or impact is smaller than the braking force and its duration is relatively short (hereinafter referred to as "first case"), the side sliding door SD starts to open at an initial speed determined based on the magnitude of the door-opening force and the inertia of the side sliding door SD, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 3, but is stopped in a short time by the braking force. In the example shown in Figure 3, the side sliding door SD starts to open at time t0 and stops at time t1. The amount of movement L1 of the side sliding door SD from when it opens to when it stops is not large.

When the door-opening force due to vibration or impact is equal to or exceeds the braking force and its duration is relatively short (hereinafter referred to as the "second case"), the side sliding door SD starts to open at an initial speed determined based on the magnitude of the external force and the inertia of the side sliding door SD, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 4. The side sliding door SD then decelerates due to the braking force, but since the initial speed is greater than in the case of Figure 3, it takes a certain amount of time to stop. In the example shown in Figure 4, the side sliding door SD starts to open at time t0 and stops at time t1. The amount of movement of the side sliding door SD from when it opens to when it stops is significantly greater than the amount of movement L1 shown in Figure 3. Note that in the example shown in Figure 4, the acceleration of the side sliding door SD ends immediately after the side sliding door SD is opened.

When the door-opening force due to vibration or impact is smaller than the braking force and continues for a relatively long time (hereinafter referred to as the "third case"), the side sliding door SD continues to accelerate until the braking force exceeds the door-opening force, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 5, and then begins to decelerate when the braking force exceeds the door-opening force. However, the side sliding door SD does not stop in a short time as in Figures 3 and 4, but takes a relatively long time to stop.

When the door-opening force due to vibration or impact is equal to or exceeds the braking force and continues for a relatively long time (hereinafter referred to as "Case 4"), the side sliding door SD continues to accelerate until the braking force exceeds the door-opening force, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 6. In the example shown in Figure 6, the door-opening force is a transient external force, so it starts to decrease after its peak, as shown by the solid line in Figure 6, and eventually disappears.

In the examples shown in each of Figures 3 to 6, the door-opening force based on vibration or impact is a temporary external force, so the side sliding door SD stops after moving in the opening direction without reaching the fully open position. However, if the door-opening force based on human force is greater than the braking force, the side sliding door SD typically continues to move in the opening direction at least until it opens enough for a person to pass through. This is because the door-opening force based on human force is basically maintained at a state greater than the braking force as long as the person is trying to open the side sliding door SD.

Next, the door-opening force fcent based on centrifugal force and the door-opening force fcant based on gravity will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the external forces acting on a side sliding door SD installed inside a railway vehicle passing on a track with a cant, and includes cross sections of the rail RL and sleepers RT used by the railway vehicle. Specifically, FIG. 7 shows the state of the rail RL and sleepers RT when the cant value is zero with dotted lines, and the state of the rail RL and sleepers RT when the cant value is not zero with solid lines. FIG. 7 also shows a schematic diagram of a side sliding door SD installed inside a railway vehicle (not shown) on a track with a cant value that is not zero.

When a railway vehicle passes through a curved section, the force fc (not shown) applied to the end sliding door SD in the direction of the railway vehicle's sleepers is expressed by the following formula using the door-opening force fcent based on centrifugal force and the door-opening force fcant based on gravity. Note that the "sleeper direction" is the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the railway vehicle and parallel to the rail plane.

上記の式において、mは妻引戸ＳＤの質量を表し、vは鉄道車両の走行速度を表し、rは曲線部の曲線半径を表し、gは重力加速度を表し、g_Lは重力加速度の開方向成分を表し、Lgaugeは軌間（レールＲＬの幅）を表し、Lcantはカント値を表す。

In the above formula, m represents the mass of the end sliding door SD, v represents the traveling speed of the railway vehicle, r represents the curve radius of the curved section, g represents the gravitational acceleration, _gL represents the opening direction component of the gravitational acceleration, Lgauge represents the gauge (width of the rail RL), and Lcant represents the cant value.

As is clear from the above formula, the force fc applied to the end sliding door SD varies greatly depending on the conditions of the track (orbit) such as the curve radius r of the curved section or the cant value Lcant, or the traveling speed v of the railway vehicle.

When the railway vehicle is stopped on a curved section (hereinafter referred to as "Case 5"), the door-opening force fcent based on centrifugal force is zero, so the force fc applied to the end sliding door SD is fc = fcent - fcant = -fcant.

For example, for a certain railway operator, the maximum cant value Lcant is approximately 200 mm for a standard gauge Lgauge of 1,435 mm. In this case, if the mass m of the end sliding door SD is 40 kg, the magnitude (absolute value) of the force fc applied to the end sliding door SD, |fc|, is less than 60 N, as shown in the formula below.

このとき、妻引戸ＳＤに加わる力fcの継続時間は長時間に亘る可能性があるが、その大きさは一定である。そのため、妻引戸ＳＤに加わる力fc以上の制動力が加わると、一旦開いた妻引戸ＳＤは減速し、やがて停止する。

At this time, the force fc applied to the side sliding door SD may continue for a long time, but its magnitude is constant. Therefore, when a braking force equal to or greater than the force fc applied to the side sliding door SD is applied, the side sliding door SD that has once opened will decelerate and eventually stop.

When a railway vehicle passes through a curved section at a relatively low speed (hereinafter referred to as "Case 6"), the door-opening force fcent based on centrifugal force and the door-opening force fcant based on gravity continue to act for a long time compared to the door-opening force based on vibration or impact. However, the magnitude of the door-opening force fcent based on centrifugal force is equal to or less than the door-opening force fcant based on gravity. In addition, the door-opening force fcent based on centrifugal force and the door-opening force fcant based on gravity are in opposite directions. Therefore, the magnitude (absolute value) of the resultant force fc is less than the door-opening force fcant based on gravity when the cant value is at its maximum. Therefore, even in Case 6, when a braking force is applied, the end sliding door SD, which has opened once, decelerates and eventually stops.

When a railway vehicle passes through a curved section at a relatively high speed (hereinafter referred to as "Case 7"), the duration of each of the centrifugal force-based door-opening force fcent and the gravity-based door-opening force fcant is considered to be approximately the same as when the railway vehicle passes through a curved section at a relatively low speed, in terms of comparison with the duration of the door-opening force based on vibration or impact. In other words, in Case 7, the duration of each of the centrifugal force-based door-opening force fcent and the gravity-based door-opening force fcant is significantly longer than the duration of the door-opening force based on vibration or impact, similar to when the railway vehicle passes through a curved section at a relatively low speed.

In the seventh case, the magnitudes of the door-opening force fcent based on centrifugal force and the door-opening force fcant based on gravity can vary greatly depending on the train's running speed v, the curve radius r of the curved section, or the cant value Lcant, but they must be kept within a certain range from the perspective of passenger safety and ride comfort. Therefore, the magnitude (absolute value) of the force fc, which is the resultant of the two, is practically equal to or less than the magnitude of the door-opening force fcant based on gravity when the cant value is at its maximum. Note that the direction of the force fc in this case is the same as the direction of the door-opening force fcent based on centrifugal force. Therefore, even in the seventh case, when a braking force is applied, the end sliding door SD, which has opened once, decelerates and eventually stops.

Now, referring back to FIG. 1, we will explain the dynamic information that can be used by the control method CS of the electric gable sliding door SD. When a rotary motor is used as the electric motor MR, the dynamic information that can be used by the control method CS includes information obtained from a rotary encoder that detects the rotational position (rotation angle) of the rotary motor's rotating shaft.

Rotary encoders, which are generally used in digitally controlled systems, output a pulse signal with a frequency proportional to the number of rotations of the encoder rotor, which rotates together with the shaft of the rotary motor.

Such systems typically calculate the period of the pulse signal and calculate the rotational angular velocity from the inverse of the period, or count the number of pulses of the pulse signal output within a given period of time to obtain the detected value of the rotational angular velocity.

However, the control method CS controls the end sliding door SD, which starts moving from a fully closed state (a state in which the rotating shaft of the rotary motor is stationary), i.e., the rotary motor that rotates at a low speed. In particular, when the end sliding door SD starts moving, the rotational angular velocity of the rotary motor is extremely low, and the frequency of the pulse signal output by the rotary encoder is also extremely low, resulting in problems such as low accuracy of the detection value or very large detection delays. The same applies when a linear motor is used as the electric motor MR.

Therefore, the control method CS is configured to use an appropriate combination of physical quantities that form the basis of the conditions for determining whether the gable sliding door SD has been opened by human force.

Specifically, the control method CS determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force when at least one of the following three conditions is satisfied based on the characteristics of the external force (door-opening force) as described above. In this case, the control method CS may start the door-closing operation. Furthermore, the control method CS may determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force when it cannot be determined that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. In this case, the control method CS may start the door-opening operation. For example, the control method CS may determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force when all three conditions are satisfied, and may start the door-closing operation to bring the side sliding door SD into a fully closed state. Furthermore, the control method CS may determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force when none of the conditions are satisfied within a predetermined time, and may start the door-opening operation to bring the side sliding door SD into a fully open state.

The first condition is that "even after a predetermined time D1 has elapsed since the generation of the braking force, the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD has not reached a predetermined value Lt." By determining whether the first condition is met, the control method CS can determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force in each of the first, fifth, and sixth cases described above.

The second condition is that "the deceleration during a predetermined time D2 after the occurrence of the braking force is greater than a predetermined value DCt." By determining whether the second condition is met, the control method CS can determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force in each of the second, sixth, and seventh cases described above.

The third condition is that "the estimated value of the door-opening force is equal to or less than a predetermined value Ft for a predetermined time D3 after the braking force is generated." By determining whether the third condition is met, the control method CS can determine whether the gable sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force in each of the third, fourth, sixth, and seventh cases described above.

Then, if none of the first to third conditions are met even after a predetermined time D4 has elapsed after the generation of the braking force, the control method CS can determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force.

In addition, the smaller the values of the predetermined times D1 to D4, the predetermined value Lt as the amount of movement, the predetermined value DCt as the deceleration rate, and the predetermined value Ft as the estimated door-opening force, the earlier the control method CS can make various judgments. The various judgments are, for example, whether the side sliding door SD has been opened, whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force, and whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force. In other words, the smaller the values of the control method CS are, the earlier it can determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force at a stage when the side sliding door SD is only slightly opened, and by starting the door-opening operation earlier, the burden on the person trying to open the side sliding door SD can be more effectively reduced.

However, the smaller the numerical values, the more likely it is that the control method CS will erroneously determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, when in fact the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force.

On the other hand, the door-opening force based on gravity and the door-opening force based on human force act on the end sliding door SD regardless of whether the railway vehicle is moving or not, but the door-opening force based on vibration or impact and the door-opening force based on centrifugal force basically act on the end sliding door SD only when the railway vehicle is moving.

Therefore, if the control method CS can detect that the railway vehicle is stopped, it can more effectively reduce the burden on the person attempting to open the end sliding door SD by making each numerical value smaller than the magnitude of each numerical value used when the railway vehicle is moving. This is because making each numerical value smaller does not increase the frequency of erroneous judgments.

On the other hand, if the control method CS can detect that the railroad vehicle is moving, it can prevent the above-mentioned erroneous judgment by making the magnitude of each numerical value larger than the magnitude of each numerical value used when the railroad vehicle is stopped. By preventing erroneous judgment, the control method CS can prevent the door closing operation from being started even though the end sliding door SD has been opened by human force, or the door opening operation from being started even though the end sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force.

In addition, information indicating whether a railway vehicle is moving or stopped is extremely basic information for railway vehicles. Therefore, the control method CS can easily use such basic information in any situation.

With the above-described configuration, the control method CS reduces the holding force of the holding mechanism for holding the side sliding door SD in a fully closed state, thereby reducing the burden on the person attempting to manually open the side sliding door SD and improving convenience for users of the side sliding door SD. Furthermore, the control method CS can more accurately determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened manually. Therefore, when the control method CS determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened manually, it can automatically open the side sliding door SD by performing a door-opening operation. Therefore, the control method CS can further reduce the burden on the person attempting to open the side sliding door SD and further improve convenience for users of the side sliding door SD.

The control method CS can also more accurately determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. Therefore, if the control method CS determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force, it can automatically close the side sliding door SD by performing a door closing operation.

The control method CS can also determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened manually without the need for additional special sensors or switches. If the control method CS determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened manually, it can automatically open the side sliding door SD by performing a door-opening operation.

In addition, when the control method CS realizes the above-mentioned functions by using digital control that detects information regarding the state of the side sliding door SD based on the pulse signal emitted by the encoder, the movement speed of the side sliding door SD may be divided into multiple stages, and various judgments may be made using physical quantities appropriate for each stage.

For example, in the initial stage when the moving speed of the side sliding door SD (the rotation speed of the rotating shaft of the electric motor MR) is low, the control method CS may determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened manually based on the position detection value derived from the integrated value of the number of pulses in the pulse signal.

In addition, when the moving speed of the side sliding door SD (the rotation speed of the rotating shaft of the electric motor MR) increases and a highly accurate speed detection value (time derivative value of the position detection value) can be obtained, the control method CS may determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened manually based on the speed detection value.

In addition, when the moving speed of the side sliding door SD (the rotation speed of the rotating shaft of the electric motor MR) further increases and a highly accurate acceleration detection value (time derivative of the speed detection value) can be obtained, the control method CS may determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, etc., based on an external force estimate derived from the acceleration detection value.

The control method CS may also sequentially perform a judgment based on the position detection value, a judgment based on the speed detection value, and a judgment based on the external force estimation value, and if it is determined in all of these cases that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, it may make a final judgment that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force.

Alternatively, the control method CS may sequentially perform a judgment based on the position detection value and a judgment based on the speed detection value, and if it is determined from both that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, it may make a final judgment that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force. The same applies to the case where a judgment based on the position detection value and a judgment based on the external force estimated value are sequentially performed, or the case where a judgment based on the speed detection value and a judgment based on the external force estimated value are sequentially performed.

The control method CS may also detect whether the railroad vehicle is stopped based on information indicating whether the railroad vehicle is moving. When the control method CS detects that the railroad vehicle is stopped and is not affected by door-opening forces due to vibration or impact, the control method CS may switch the numerical values of thresholds and the like used for various determinations to numerical values other than those used when the railroad vehicle is moving. The various determinations include, for example, a determination of whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, and a determination of whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. With this configuration, the control method CS can further improve the operability of the side sliding door SD when a user manually opens the side sliding door SD.

Next, a first embodiment of the control method CS will be described with reference to FIG. 8A. FIG. 8A is a control block diagram of the first embodiment of the control method CS. In the example shown in FIG. 8A, the control method CS is mainly composed of a sequence control unit 1, a speed pattern generation unit 2, a speed adjustment unit 3, a thrust adjustment unit 4, an inverter control unit 5, a current/thrust conversion unit 6, a rotary motor 7, an encoder 8, a door closing switch 9, a speed detection unit 10, a position detection unit 11, a movement amount detection unit 12, a drive mechanism DM, and an inverter IV.

The sequence control unit 1 is configured to perform sequence control for opening and closing the gable sliding door SD. In the example shown in FIG. 8A, the sequence control unit 1 is configured to generate a control command b based on an opening/closing command a for the gable sliding door SD and position information s for the gable sliding door SD, etc.

The open/close command a is, for example, an open command output by an open button switch, which is one of the push button switches installed near the gable sliding door SD, when the open button switch is pressed, or a close command output by a close button switch, which is another of the push button switches, when the close button switch is pressed.

The position information s is information about the state of the gable sliding door SD detected by the position detection unit 11 based on the pulse signal p output by the encoder 8.

The control command b is, for example, a command regarding the direction of movement of the side sliding door SD or the amount of movement to a target position. The target position is, for example, the fully open position when the side sliding door SD moves in the opening direction, or the fully closed position when the side sliding door SD moves in the closing direction.

The speed pattern generating unit 2 is configured to generate a speed command value v*. In the example shown in FIG. 8A, the speed pattern generating unit 2 is configured to generate a speed command value v* based on the control command b from the sequence control unit 1 and the position information s of the gable sliding door SD.

The speed adjustment unit 3 is configured to generate a thrust command value f*. In the example shown in FIG. 8A, the speed adjustment unit 3 is configured to generate a thrust command value f* so that the actual speed value v and the speed command value v* match. Specifically, the speed adjustment unit 3 is configured to generate a thrust command value f* based on a deviation between the actual speed value v and the speed command value v*, which is a value obtained by subtracting the actual speed value v from the speed command value v*. More specifically, the speed adjustment unit 3 is configured to generate the thrust command value f* by feedback control such as PID control. In addition, the speed adjustment unit 3 is configured to limit the thrust command value f* so that the thrust command value f* does not exceed the thrust limit value f _limit .

The actual speed value v is information about the speed of the gable sliding door SD detected by the speed detection unit 10 based on the pulse signal p output by the encoder 8.

The thrust limit value f _limit is a value calculated by the sequence control unit 1 based on the opening/closing command a, the position information s, and the like.

The thrust adjustment unit 4 is configured to generate the manipulated variable e. In the example shown in FIG. 8A, the thrust adjustment unit 4 is configured to generate the manipulated variable e so that the thrust actual value f and the thrust command value f* match. Specifically, the thrust adjustment unit 4 is configured to generate the manipulated variable e based on the deviation between the thrust actual value f and the thrust command value f*, which is a value obtained by subtracting the thrust actual value f from the thrust command value f*. More specifically, the thrust adjustment unit 4 is configured to generate the manipulated variable e by feedback control such as PID control. Then, the thrust adjustment unit 4 outputs the generated manipulated variable e to the inverter control unit 5.

The actual thrust value f is a value calculated by the current/thrust conversion unit 6 based on the current i output by the inverter IV, and corresponds to the thrust generated by the rotary motor 7, which is an AC motor, for moving the gable sliding door SD.

The inverter control unit 5 is configured to control the inverter IV based on the operation amount e from the thrust adjustment unit 4. In the example shown in FIG. 8A, the inverter control unit 5 controls the inverter IV (rotary motor 7) by PWM control.

The inverter IV is configured to supply power E to the rotary motor 7 to move the gable sliding door SD. Specifically, the inverter IV converts DC power into three-phase AC power and supplies it to the rotary motor 7.

The current/thrust conversion unit 6 detects the current i output by the inverter IV and outputs an actual thrust value f equivalent to the thrust generated by the rotary motor 7. When the rotary motor 7 is a three-phase AC motor, the current/thrust conversion unit 6 includes, for example, two current sensors provided on two of the three power lines corresponding to the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase connecting the inverter IV and the rotary motor 7. In this case, the current sensors may be contact sensors or non-contact sensors such as current transformer type or Hall element type.

Here, an AC motor driven by an inverter IV is used as the rotary motor 7, which is the drive device for the gable sliding door SD, but instead of the inverter IV, a DC motor driven by a DC chopper or a PWM converter may also be used.

Figure 8B is a control block diagram showing another example of the configuration of the first embodiment of the control method CS. In the example shown in Figure 8B, a DC chopper control unit 5A is used instead of the inverter control unit 5, and a DC chopper CP is used instead of the inverter IV. In the example shown in Figure 8B, the rotary motor 7 is a DC motor.

The encoder 8 is a rotary encoder and is configured to output a pulse signal p for detecting the angular velocity of the rotating shaft of the rotary motor 7 in response to the rotation of the rotating shaft. If the electric motor MR is a linear motor, the encoder 8 may be a linear encoder and configured to output a pulse signal for detecting the moving speed of the gable sliding door SD (moving part of the linear motor) in response to the movement of the gable sliding door SD.

The door closing switch 9 is configured to output a fully closed signal c when the side sliding door SD is in the fully closed position. In other words, the door closing switch 9 is configured not to output a fully closed signal c when the side sliding door SD is not in the fully closed position. Specifically, the door closing switch 9, for example, sets the fully closed signal c to an on level (high voltage level) when the side sliding door SD is in the fully closed position, and sets the fully closed signal c to an off level (low voltage level) when the side sliding door SD is not in the fully closed position.

The speed detection unit 10 is configured to derive the actual speed value v of the gable sliding door SD from the number of pulses (corresponding to the frequency) within a specified time of the pulse signal p output by the encoder 8 or the inverse of the period of the pulse signal p.

The position detection unit 11 is configured to detect the position information s of the gable sliding door SD by accumulating the number of pulses of the pulse signal p output by the encoder 8.

The movement amount detection unit 12 is configured to detect the amount of movement of the gable sliding door SD. Specifically, the movement amount detection unit 12 is configured to detect the amount of movement of the gable sliding door SD based on the position information s. More specifically, the movement amount detection unit 12 detects the amount of movement of the gable sliding door SD in the period between the first point in time and the second point in time based on the difference between the position information s detected at the first point in time and the position information s detected at the second point in time.

The movement amount detection unit 12 also determines whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force or by an external force other than human force based on the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD.

Next, the support process executed in the first embodiment of the control method CS will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the support process executed in the first embodiment of the control method CS. The flowchart shown in FIG. 9 differs from the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 in that it includes step ST3A, which represents the specific content of step ST3 shown in FIG. 2. However, the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 and the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 are common in other respects.

First, the sequence control unit 1 determines whether the side sliding door SD is opened (step ST1). In the example shown in FIG. 2, the sequence control unit 1 determines whether the side sliding door SD is opened based on the level of the full-close signal c while the inverter IV is stopped. However, the sequence control unit 1 may also determine whether the side sliding door SD is opened based on the position information s of the side sliding door SD. In this case, the door closing switch 9 may be omitted.

Then, when the sequence control unit 1 detects that the gable sliding door SD is opened (YES in step ST1), it generates a braking force (step ST2). Specifically, the sequence control unit 1 outputs a control command b to the speed pattern generating unit 2 so that the speed command value v* becomes zero. In this case, the inverter control unit 5 operates the inverter IV so that the angular velocity of the rotating shaft of the rotary motor 7, which is an example of the electric motor MR, is maintained at zero (stopped state). In addition, the sequence control unit 1 outputs a predetermined braking force setting value to the speed adjusting unit 3 as a thrust limit value f _limit . In this case, the thrust command value f* output by the speed adjusting unit 3 is limited by the braking force setting value. As a result, the braking force generated by the rotary motor 7 is limited to a magnitude corresponding to the braking force setting value.

Then, the movement amount detection unit 12 determines whether the movement amount of the side sliding door SD exceeds a predetermined value Lt (see FIG. 3) before a predetermined time D1 (see FIG. 3) has elapsed after braking has started (step ST3A).

Then, when the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the movement amount of the side sliding door SD exceeds the predetermined value Lt before the predetermined time D1 has elapsed after the braking is started (YES in step ST3A), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human power. In this case, the movement amount detection unit 12 starts the door opening operation by the electric motor MR (step ST4). Specifically, the movement amount detection unit 12 outputs a control command w _opn to the sequence control unit 1. The sequence control unit 1 receives the control command w _opn and starts the door opening operation, so that the side sliding door SD can be opened by electric force. In other words, the movement amount detection unit 12 continues the movement of the side sliding door SD, which has been opened by human power, in the opening direction by electric force.

On the other hand, when the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the movement amount of the side sliding door SD has not reached the predetermined value Lt even after the predetermined time D1 has elapsed (NO in step ST3A), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. The kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to this case. In this case, the movement amount detection unit 12 starts the door closing operation by the electric motor MR (step ST5). Specifically, the movement amount detection unit 12 outputs a control command w _cls to the sequence control unit 1. The sequence control unit 1 receives the control command w _cls and starts the door closing operation, so that the side sliding door SD opened by an external force other than human force is closed by an electric force.

Specifically, when the opening force applied to the side sliding door SD, the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD, and the movement speed of the side sliding door SD change as shown in FIG. 3, the sequence control unit 1 detects that the side sliding door SD has been opened at time ta and generates a braking force.

Then, at time tb, the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the movement amount of the side sliding door SD has not reached the predetermined value Lt even after the predetermined time D1 has elapsed, and determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. In this case, the movement amount detection unit 12 outputs a control command w _cls to the sequence control unit 1. In response to the control command w _cls , the sequence control unit 1 starts the door closing operation, so that the side sliding door SD that has been opened by an external force other than human force is closed by electric force.

Next, a second embodiment of the control method CS will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a control block diagram of the second embodiment of the control method CS. The control method CS shown in FIG. 10 differs from the control method CS shown in FIG. 8A in that it has a deceleration amount detection unit 13 instead of the movement amount detection unit 12 shown in FIG. 8A. However, the control method CS shown in FIG. 10 and the control method CS shown in FIG. 8A have other points in common. Therefore, in the following, the description of the common parts will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail. In the control method CS shown in FIG. 10, as in the control method CS shown in FIG. 8B, a DC chopper control unit 5A may be adopted instead of the inverter control unit 5, a DC chopper CP may be adopted instead of the inverter IV, and a DC motor may be adopted instead of the AC motor as the rotary motor 7. The same applies to other control methods CS described below.

The deceleration amount detection unit 13 is configured to detect the deceleration amount of the gable sliding door SD. Specifically, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 is configured to detect the deceleration amount of the gable sliding door SD based on the actual speed value v. More specifically, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 detects the deceleration amount of the gable sliding door SD in the period between the first point in time and the second point in time based on the difference between the actual speed value v detected at the first point in time and the actual speed value v detected at the second point in time.

The deceleration amount detection unit 13 also determines whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force or by an external force other than human force based on the deceleration amount of the side sliding door SD.

Next, the support process executed in the second embodiment of control method CS will be described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the support process executed in the second embodiment of control method CS. The flowchart shown in FIG. 11 differs from the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 in that it includes steps ST3B1 and ST3B2 which represent the specific content of step ST3 shown in FIG. 2. However, the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 and the flowchart shown in FIG. 11 are common in other respects. Therefore, in the following, a description of the common parts will be omitted and the differences will be described in detail.

After the braking force is generated, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines whether a predetermined time D2A (see FIG. 4) has elapsed since the braking force was generated (step ST3B1).

When the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that a predetermined time D2A has elapsed since the generation of the braking force (YES in step ST3B1), it determines whether the deceleration amount DC (see FIG. 4) at the predetermined time D2 (see FIG. 4) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value DCt (see FIG. 4) (step ST3B2). The deceleration amount detection unit 13 may also determine whether the movement of the gable sliding door SD has stopped.

The predetermined time D2 may start, for example, from the time td when it is determined that the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD has reached a predetermined value Lt, or from the time when a predetermined time has elapsed since it was determined that the side sliding door SD was opened.

When the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the deceleration amount DC is less than the predetermined value DCt (NO in step ST3B2), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human power. In this case, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 starts the door opening operation by the electric motor MR (step ST4). Specifically, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 outputs a control command w _opn to the sequence control unit 1. The sequence control unit 1 receives the control command w _opn and starts the door opening operation so that the side sliding door SD can be opened by electric force. That is, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 continues the movement of the side sliding door SD opened by human power in the opening direction by the electric force. Note that the case where the deceleration amount DC is less than the predetermined value DCt includes the case where the side sliding door SD is accelerating.

On the other hand, when the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the deceleration amount DC is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt (YES in step ST3B2), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. The kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to this case. The deceleration amount detection unit 13 may also determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force when it determines that the movement of the side sliding door SD has stopped. In this case, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 starts the door closing operation by the electric motor MR (step ST5). Specifically, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 outputs a control command w _cls to the sequence control unit 1. The sequence control unit 1 starts the door closing operation upon receiving the control command w _cls , so that the side sliding door SD opened by an external force other than human force is closed by an electric force.

The deceleration amount detection unit 13 is also configured to evaluate the deceleration state of the side sliding door SD based on the difference (amount of change) in the moving speed of the side sliding door SD at two points in time separated by a certain period (predetermined time D2). Therefore, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 can avoid the effects of momentary changes in the moving speed of the side sliding door SD caused by vibrational external forces or unstable human force, etc. In other words, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 can prevent erroneous judgments.

Specifically, when the opening force applied to the side sliding door SD, the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD, and the movement speed of the side sliding door SD change as shown in Figure 4, the sequence control unit 1 detects that the side sliding door SD has been opened at time ta and generates a braking force.

Then, when the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines at time tc that a predetermined time D2A has elapsed after the generation of the braking force, it determines that the deceleration amount DC at the predetermined time D2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value DCt, and determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. The deceleration amount DC is the difference between the moving speed of the side sliding door SD at time td and the moving speed of the side sliding door SD at time te. In this case, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 outputs a control command w _cls to the sequence control unit 1. In response to the control command w _cls , the sequence control unit 1 starts the door closing operation, so that the side sliding door SD that has been opened by an external force other than human force is closed by an electric force.

Next, a third embodiment of the control method CS will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a control block diagram of the third embodiment of the control method CS. The control method CS shown in FIG. 12 differs from the control method CS shown in FIG. 8A in that it has a state observation unit 14 and an external force determination unit 15 instead of the movement amount detection unit 12 shown in FIG. 8A. However, the control method CS shown in FIG. 12 and the control method CS shown in FIG. 8A have other points in common. Therefore, in the following, a description of the common parts will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail.

The state observation unit 14 is configured to estimate the external force acting on the side sliding door SD based on the state observation theory. Specifically, the state observation unit 14 calculates the force acting on the rotating shaft of the rotary motor 7 based on the actual speed value v and the thrust command value f* as an external force estimate value fest, which is an estimate of the external force acting on the side sliding door SD. The state observation unit 14 may calculate the force acting on the rotating shaft of the rotary motor 7 as the external force estimate value fest based on the actual speed value v and the actual thrust value f. Various methods have been put into practical use to realize the state observation unit, such as the Luenberger observer, a state feedback method based on an inverse system, and a minimum order observer. The state observation unit 14 may be realized based on any method. Note that the method of realizing the state observation unit is a known technology, so a detailed description will be omitted.

The external force determination unit 15 is configured to determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force based on the external force acting on the side sliding door SD. Specifically, the external force determination unit 15 determines whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force based on the external force estimated value fest output by the state observation unit 14.

Next, the support process executed in the third embodiment of control method CS will be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the support process executed in the third embodiment of control method CS. The flowchart shown in FIG. 13 differs from the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 in that it includes steps ST3C1 to ST3C3 which represent the specific content of step ST3 shown in FIG. 2. However, the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 and the flowchart shown in FIG. 13 are common in other respects. Therefore, in the following, a description of the common parts will be omitted and the differences will be described in detail.

After the braking force is generated, the external force determination unit 15 determines whether a predetermined time D3 (see FIG. 6) has elapsed since the braking force was generated (step ST3C1).

If the external force determination unit 15 determines that a predetermined time D3 has elapsed since the generation of the braking force (YES in step ST3C1), it then determines whether the external force estimated value fest has remained below the predetermined value Ft for a predetermined time D3A or more (step ST3C2).

Then, if the external force determination unit 15 determines that the external force estimated value fest has not remained below the predetermined value Ft for a period of time D3A or more (NO in step ST3C2), it determines whether a predetermined time D3B has elapsed since it was detected that the back sliding door SD was open (step ST3C3).

Then, when the external force determination unit 15 determines that a predetermined time D3B has elapsed since the opening of the side sliding door SD was detected (YES in step ST3C3), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force. In this case, the external force determination unit 15 starts the door opening operation by the electric motor MR (step ST4). Specifically, the external force determination unit 15 outputs a control command w _opn to the sequence control unit 1. The sequence control unit 1 receives the control command w _opn and starts the door opening operation, so that the side sliding door SD can be opened by electric force. In other words, the external force determination unit 15 continues the movement of the side sliding door SD, which has been opened by human force, in the opening direction by electric force.

In this way, if the external force estimated value fest does not become equal to or less than the predetermined value Ft even after a predetermined time D3B has elapsed since the opening of the side sliding door SD was detected, the external force determination unit 15 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force and starts the door-opening operation.

On the other hand, when the external force determination unit 15 determines that the external force estimated value fest is equal to or less than the predetermined value Ft for the predetermined time D3A or more (YES in step ST3C2), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. The kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to this case. In this case, the external force determination unit 15 starts the door closing operation by the electric motor MR (step ST5). Specifically, the external force determination unit 15 outputs a control command w _cls to the sequence control unit 1. The sequence control unit 1 receives the control command w _cls and starts the door closing operation, so that the side sliding door SD opened by an external force other than human force is closed by an electric force.

Specifically, when the opening force applied to the side sliding door SD, the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD, and the movement speed of the side sliding door SD change as shown in FIG. 6, the sequence control unit 1 detects that the side sliding door SD has opened at time ta and generates a braking force.

Then, when the external force determination unit 15 determines at time tf that a predetermined time D3 has elapsed since the generation of the braking force, it starts monitoring the transition of the external force estimated value fest. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the transition of the external force estimated value fest corresponds to the transition of the door-opening force. Then, the external force determination unit 15 detects that the external force estimated value fest has become equal to or less than the predetermined value Ft at time tg, and further determines that the external force estimated value fest has remained equal to or less than the predetermined value Ft for a predetermined time D3A or more at time th. Then, the external force determination unit 15 determines whether or not a predetermined time D3B has elapsed since time ta when it was detected that the side sliding door SD was open. At time th, the elapsed time from time ta when it was detected that the side sliding door SD was open has not reached the predetermined time D3B. Thereafter, at time ti, the external force determination unit 15 determines that a predetermined time D3B has elapsed from time ta when it was detected that the side sliding door SD was opened, and determines that the side sliding door SD was opened by an external force other than human force. In this case, the external force determination unit 15 outputs a control command w _cls to the sequence control unit 1. Upon receiving the control command w _cls , the sequence control unit 1 starts the door closing operation, so that the side sliding door SD that was opened by an external force other than human force is closed by electric force.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the control method CS will be described with reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a control block diagram of the fourth embodiment of the control method CS. The control method CS shown in FIG. 14 differs from the control method CS shown in FIG. 8A in that it has a deceleration amount detection unit 13 following the movement amount detection unit 12 shown in FIG. 8A. However, the control method CS shown in FIG. 14 and the control method CS shown in FIG. 8A have other points in common. Therefore, in the following, a description of the common parts will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail.

The deceleration amount detection unit 13 is configured to detect the deceleration amount of the gable sliding door SD. Specifically, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 is configured to detect the deceleration amount of the gable sliding door SD based on the actual speed value v. More specifically, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 detects the deceleration amount of the gable sliding door SD in the period between the first point in time and the second point in time based on the difference between the actual speed value v detected at the first point in time and the actual speed value v detected at the second point in time.

In addition, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force or by an external force other than human force based on the deceleration amount of the side sliding door SD and the control command w _opn or control command w _cls output by the movement amount detection unit 12.

Next, the support process executed in the fourth embodiment of the control method CS will be described with reference to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the support process executed in the fourth embodiment of the control method CS. The flowchart shown in FIG. 15 differs from the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 in that it includes steps ST3D1 and ST3D2 which represent the specific content of step ST3 shown in FIG. 2. However, the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 and the flowchart shown in FIG. 15 are common in other respects. Therefore, in the following, a description of the common parts will be omitted and the differences will be described in detail.

After the braking force is generated, the movement amount detection unit 12 determines whether the movement amount of the side sliding door SD exceeds a predetermined value Lt (see FIG. 4) before a predetermined time D1 (see FIG. 4) has elapsed after braking has started (step ST3D1).

Then, when the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the movement amount of the side sliding door SD exceeds the predetermined value Lt before the predetermined time D1 has elapsed after the braking has started (YES in step ST3D1), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force. The kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to this case. In this case, the movement amount detection unit 12 outputs a control command w _opn to the deceleration amount detection unit 13.

On the other hand, if the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the movement amount of the side sliding door SD has not reached the predetermined value Lt even after the predetermined time D1 has elapsed (NO in step ST3D1), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. The kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD shown in Figure 3 corresponds to this case. In this case, the movement amount detection unit 12 outputs a control command _wcls to the deceleration amount detection unit 13.

After that, if it is determined that the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD has exceeded the predetermined value Lt (YES in step ST3D1), the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines whether the deceleration amount DC (see FIG. 4) at the predetermined time D2 (see FIG. 4) is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt (see FIG. 4) (step ST3D2). The deceleration amount detection unit 13 may determine whether the movement of the side sliding door SD has stopped. In other words, when the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened manually, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines whether the deceleration amount DC at the predetermined time D2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt after the predetermined time D2A has elapsed since the generation of the braking force.

Then, when the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the deceleration amount DC is less than the predetermined value DCt (NO in step ST3D2), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human power. That is, when the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human power and the deceleration amount DC is less than the predetermined value DCt, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 finally determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human power. In this case, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 starts the door opening operation by the electric motor MR (step ST4). Specifically, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 outputs a control command w _opn to the sequence control unit 1. The sequence control unit 1 receives the control command w _opn and starts the door opening operation so that the side sliding door SD can be opened by the electric force. That is, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 continues the movement of the side sliding door SD opened by human power in the opening direction by the electric force. Note that the case where the deceleration amount DC is less than the predetermined value DCt includes the case where the side sliding door SD is accelerating.

On the other hand, when the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the deceleration amount DC is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt (YES in step ST3D2), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. The kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to this case. The deceleration amount detection unit 13 may also determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force when it determines that the movement of the side sliding door SD has stopped. In other words, even if the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, when the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the deceleration amount DC is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt, or when it determines that the movement of the side sliding door SD has stopped, it finally determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force.

Furthermore, if it is determined that the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD does not exceed the predetermined value Lt (NO in step ST3D1), the deceleration amount detection unit 13 makes a final determination that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force, without determining whether the deceleration amount DC in the predetermined time D2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt. In other words, if the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 makes a final determination that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force, without determining whether the deceleration amount DC in the predetermined time D2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt. The kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to this case.

When it is finally determined that the gable sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 starts the door closing operation by the electric motor MR (step ST5). Specifically, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 outputs a control command w _cls to the sequence control unit 1. The sequence control unit 1 starts the door closing operation upon receiving the control command w _cls , so that the gable sliding door SD that has been opened by an external force other than human force is closed by electric force.

Specifically, when the opening force applied to the side sliding door SD, the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD, and the movement speed of the side sliding door SD change as shown in Figure 4, the sequence control unit 1 detects that the side sliding door SD has been opened at time ta and generates a braking force.

Then, at time ta, the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the movement amount of the side sliding door SD has exceeded the predetermined value Lt before the predetermined time D1 has elapsed. In this case, the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, and outputs a control command w _opn to the deceleration amount detection unit 13.

However, even if the movement amount detection unit 12 outputs the control command w _opn , when the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines at the time tc that the predetermined time D2A has elapsed and determines that the deceleration amount DC at the predetermined time D2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 finally determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. That is, even if the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 finally determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. In this case, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 outputs a control command w _cls to the sequence control unit 1. The sequence control unit 1 starts a door closing operation upon receiving the control command w _cls , so that the side sliding door SD opened by an external force other than human force is closed by an electric force.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the control method CS will be described with reference to FIG. 16. FIG. 16 is a control block diagram of the fifth embodiment of the control method CS. The control method CS shown in FIG. 16 differs from the control method CS shown in FIG. 8A in that it has a deceleration amount detection unit 13, a state observation unit 14, and an external force determination unit 15 following the movement amount detection unit 12 shown in FIG. 8A. However, the control method CS shown in FIG. 16 and the control method CS shown in FIG. 8A are common in other respects. Therefore, in the following, a description of the common parts will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail.

The deceleration amount detection unit 13 is configured to detect the deceleration amount of the side sliding door SD. Specifically, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 is configured to detect the deceleration amount of the side sliding door SD based on the actual speed value v.

In addition, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force or by an external force other than human force based on the deceleration amount of the side sliding door SD and the control command w _opn or control command w _cls output by the movement amount detection unit 12.

The state observation unit 14 is configured to estimate the external force acting on the side sliding door SD based on the state observation theory. Specifically, the state observation unit 14 calculates the force acting on the rotating shaft of the rotary motor 7 based on the actual speed value v and the thrust command value f* as an external force estimated value fest, which is an estimate of the external force acting on the side sliding door SD.

The external force determination unit 15 is configured to determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force based on the external force acting on the side sliding door SD. Specifically, the external force determination unit 15 determines whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force based on the external force estimated value fest output by the state observation unit 14.

In addition, the external force determination unit 15 determines whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force or by an external force other than human force, based on the external force estimated value fest and the control command w _opn or control command w _cls output by the deceleration amount detection unit 13.

Next, the support process executed in the fifth embodiment of control method CS will be described with reference to FIG. 17. FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the support process executed in the fifth embodiment of control method CS. The flowchart shown in FIG. 17 differs from the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 in that it includes steps ST3E1 to ST3E4, which represent the specific content of step ST3 shown in FIG. 2. However, the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 and the flowchart shown in FIG. 17 are common in other respects. Therefore, in the following, a description of the common parts will be omitted, and the differences will be described in detail.

After the braking force is generated, the movement amount detection unit 12 determines whether the movement amount of the side sliding door SD exceeds a predetermined value Lt (see FIG. 5) before a predetermined time D1 (see FIG. 5) has elapsed after braking has started (step ST3E1).

Then, when the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the movement amount of the side sliding door SD exceeds the predetermined value Lt before the predetermined time D1 has elapsed after the braking has started (YES in step ST3E1), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force. The kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD shown in FIG. 5 corresponds to this case. In this case, the movement amount detection unit 12 outputs a control command w _opn to the deceleration amount detection unit 13.

On the other hand, if the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the movement amount of the side sliding door SD has not reached the predetermined value Lt even after the predetermined time D1 has elapsed (NO in step ST3E1), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. The kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD shown in Figure 3 corresponds to this case. In this case, the movement amount detection unit 12 outputs a control command w _cls to the deceleration amount detection unit 13.

If it is determined that the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD has exceeded the predetermined value Lt (YES in step ST3E1), the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines whether the deceleration amount DC (see FIG. 5) at the predetermined time D2 (see FIG. 5) is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt (see FIG. 5) (step ST3E2). The deceleration amount detection unit 13 may determine whether the movement of the side sliding door SD has stopped. In other words, when the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened manually, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines whether the deceleration amount DC at the predetermined time D2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt after the predetermined time D2A has elapsed since the generation of the braking force.

Then, when the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the deceleration amount DC is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt (YES in step ST3E2), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. The kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to this case. The deceleration amount detection unit 13 may also determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force when it determines that the movement of the side sliding door SD has stopped. That is, even when the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force when it determines that the deceleration amount DC is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt, or when it determines that the movement of the side sliding door SD has stopped. In this case, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 outputs a control command w _cls to the external force determination unit 15.

On the other hand, when the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the deceleration amount DC is less than the predetermined value DCt (NO in step ST3E2), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force. That is, when the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force and determines that the deceleration amount DC is less than the predetermined value DCt, it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force. Note that when the deceleration amount DC is less than the predetermined value DCt, this includes the case where the side sliding door SD is accelerating. The kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD shown in FIG. 5 corresponds to this case. In this case, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 outputs a control command w _opn to the external force determination unit 15.

If it is determined that the deceleration amount DC is less than the predetermined value DCt (NO in step ST3E2), the external force determination unit 15 determines whether the external force estimated value fest has remained below the predetermined value Ft for a predetermined time D3A or more (step ST3E3). In other words, when the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the back sliding door SD has been opened by human force, the external force determination unit 15 determines whether the external force estimated value fest has remained below the predetermined value Ft for a predetermined time D3A or more after determining that a predetermined time D3 (see FIG. 5) has elapsed since the generation of the braking force.

Then, if the external force determination unit 15 determines that the external force estimated value fest has not remained below the predetermined value Ft for a period of time D3A or more (NO in step ST3E3), it determines whether a predetermined time D3B has elapsed since it was detected that the back sliding door SD was open (step ST3E4).

Then, when the external force determination unit 15 determines that a predetermined time D3B has elapsed since the opening of the side sliding door SD was detected (YES in step ST3E4), it finally determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force. In this case, the external force determination unit 15 starts the door opening operation by the electric motor MR (step ST4). Specifically, the external force determination unit 15 outputs a control command w _opn to the sequence control unit 1. The sequence control unit 1 receives the control command w _opn and starts the door opening operation, so that the side sliding door SD can be opened by electric force. In other words, the external force determination unit 15 continues the movement of the side sliding door SD, which has been opened by human force, in the opening direction by electric force.

On the other hand, if the external force determination unit 15 determines that the external force estimated value fest has remained below the predetermined value Ft for a period of time D3A or more (YES in step ST3E3), it determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. In other words, even if the movement amount detection unit 12 and the deceleration amount detection unit 13 each determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, if the external force determination unit 15 determines that the external force estimated value fest has remained below the predetermined value Ft for a period of time D3A or more, it finally determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. The kinematic behavior of the side sliding door SD shown in Figure 5 corresponds to this case.

In addition, if it is determined that the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD does not exceed the predetermined value Lt (NO in step ST3E1), the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force without executing the determination in step ST3E2. In other words, if the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force without determining whether the deceleration amount DC at the predetermined time D2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt.

When the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force, the external force determination unit 15 makes a final determination that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force, without determining whether the external force estimate value fest has remained below the predetermined value Ft for a predetermined time period D3A or more.

Similarly, if it is determined that the deceleration amount DC at the specified time D2 is equal to or greater than the specified value DCt (YES in step ST3E2), the external force determination unit 15 makes a final determination that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force without executing the determination in step ST3E3. In other words, if the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force, the external force determination unit 15 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force without determining whether the external force estimate value fest has been equal to or less than the specified value Ft for a period of time D3A or more.

In these cases, the external force determination unit 15 starts the door closing operation by the electric motor MR (step ST5). Specifically, the external force determination unit 15 outputs a control command w _cls to the sequence control unit 1. The sequence control unit 1 starts the door closing operation upon receiving the control command w _cls , so that the gable sliding door SD that has been opened by an external force other than human force is closed by an electric force.

Specifically, when the opening force applied to the side sliding door SD, the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD, and the movement speed of the side sliding door SD change as shown in FIG. 5, the sequence control unit 1 detects that the side sliding door SD has been opened at time ta and generates a braking force.

Then, at time td, the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the movement amount of the side sliding door SD has exceeded the predetermined value Lt before the predetermined time D1 has elapsed. In this case, the movement amount detection unit 12 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, and outputs a control command w _opn to the deceleration amount detection unit 13.

Then, at time tc, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the predetermined time D2A has elapsed, and at time te, the deceleration amount DC during the predetermined time D2 is not equal to or greater than the predetermined value DCt. In this case, the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the gable sliding door SD has been opened by human force, and outputs a control command w _opn to the external force determination unit 15.

However, even when each of the movement amount detection unit 12 and the deceleration amount detection unit 13 outputs a control command w _opn , when the external force determination unit 15 determines at time tf that a predetermined time D3 has elapsed since the generation of the braking force and determines at time th that the external force estimated value fest has been equal to or less than the predetermined value Ft for a predetermined time D3A or more, the external force determination unit 15 finally determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. That is, even when each of the movement amount detection unit 12 and the deceleration amount detection unit 13 determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, the external force determination unit 15 finally determines that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. In this case, the external force determination unit 15 outputs a control command w _cls to the sequence control unit 1. The sequence control unit 1 starts a door closing operation upon receiving the control command w _cls , so that the side sliding door SD opened by an external force other than human force is closed by an electric force.

Next, the support processing executed in the sixth to tenth examples of the control method CS will be described with reference to Figures 18 to 22.

Figure 18 is a flowchart of the support process executed in the sixth embodiment of control method CS. The flowchart shown in Figure 18 differs from the flowchart shown in Figure 9 for the support process executed in the first embodiment of control method CS in that it includes steps ST2A to ST2C. However, the flowchart shown in Figure 9 and the flowchart shown in Figure 18 are common in other respects.

Figure 19 is a flowchart of the support process executed in the seventh embodiment of control method CS. The flowchart shown in Figure 19 differs from the flowchart shown in Figure 11 for the support process executed in the second embodiment of control method CS in that it includes steps ST2A to ST2C. However, the flowchart shown in Figure 11 and the flowchart shown in Figure 19 are common in other respects.

Figure 20 is a flowchart of the support process executed in the eighth embodiment of control method CS. The flowchart shown in Figure 20 differs from the flowchart shown in Figure 13 for the support process executed in the third embodiment of control method CS in that it includes steps ST2A to ST2C. However, the flowchart shown in Figure 13 and the flowchart shown in Figure 20 are common in other respects.

Figure 21 is a flowchart of the support process executed in the ninth embodiment of control method CS. The flowchart shown in Figure 21 differs from the flowchart shown in Figure 15 for the support process executed in the fourth embodiment of control method CS in that it includes steps ST2A to ST2C. However, the flowchart shown in Figure 15 and the flowchart shown in Figure 21 are common in other respects.

Figure 22 is a flowchart of the support process executed in the tenth embodiment of control method CS. The flowchart shown in Figure 22 differs from the flowchart shown in Figure 17 for the support process executed in the fifth embodiment of control method CS in that it includes steps ST2A to ST2C. However, the flowchart shown in Figure 17 and the flowchart shown in Figure 22 are common in other respects.

In the examples shown in Figures 18 to 22, after generating a braking force, the control device CD determines whether the railway vehicle is moving (step ST2A). This is because the contents of the determination parameters are switched depending on whether the railway vehicle is moving or stopped.

Specifically, when the control device CD determines that the railcar is moving (YES in step ST2A), it sets a judgment parameter for when the railcar is moving (step ST2B), and when the control device CD determines that the railcar is not moving (NO in step ST2A), it sets a judgment parameter for when the railcar is stopped (step ST2C).

The judgment parameters are set values used in the assistance process. The judgment parameters are typically stored in advance in a non-volatile storage device in the control device CD. Furthermore, the judgment parameters are typically set to values other than zero, but may be zero. The judgment parameters for when the railroad vehicle is moving are judgment parameters used when the railroad vehicle is moving, and the judgment parameters for when the railroad vehicle is stopped are judgment parameters used when the railroad vehicle is stopped.

In the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 18, the judgment parameters for when the vehicle is moving and when the vehicle is stopped include a predetermined time D1 and a predetermined value Lt related to the amount of movement of the end sliding door SD, respectively. The predetermined time D1 as the judgment parameter for when the vehicle is moving is typically greater than the predetermined time D1 as the judgment parameter for when the vehicle is stopped. The same is true for the predetermined value Lt.

In the seventh embodiment shown in FIG. 19, the judgment parameters for when the vehicle is moving and when the vehicle is stopped include a predetermined time D2, a predetermined time D2A, and a predetermined value DCt related to the deceleration amount of the end sliding door SD, respectively. The predetermined time D2 as the judgment parameter for when the vehicle is moving is typically greater than the predetermined time D2 as the judgment parameter for when the vehicle is stopped. The same is true for the predetermined time D2A and the predetermined value DCt.

In the eighth embodiment shown in FIG. 20, the judgment parameters for when the vehicle is moving and the judgment parameters for when the vehicle is stopped include a predetermined time D3, a predetermined time D3A, a predetermined time D3B, and a predetermined value Ft related to the external force estimated value fest, respectively. The predetermined time D3 as the judgment parameter for when the vehicle is moving is typically greater than the predetermined time D3 as the judgment parameter for when the vehicle is stopped. The same is true for the predetermined time D3A, the predetermined time D3B, and the predetermined value Ft.

In the ninth embodiment shown in FIG. 21, the judgment parameters for when the vehicle is moving and when the vehicle is stopped include a predetermined time D1, a predetermined time D2, a predetermined value Lt related to the amount of movement of the end sliding door SD, and a predetermined value DCt related to the amount of deceleration of the end sliding door SD, respectively. The predetermined time D1 as the judgment parameter for when the vehicle is moving is typically greater than the predetermined time D1 as the judgment parameter for when the vehicle is stopped. The same is true for the predetermined time D2, the predetermined value Lt, and the predetermined value DCt.

In the tenth embodiment shown in FIG. 22, the judgment parameters for when the vehicle is moving and the judgment parameters for when the vehicle is stopped respectively include a predetermined time D1, a predetermined time D2, a predetermined time D3A, a predetermined time D3B, a predetermined value Lt related to the amount of movement of the end sliding door SD, a predetermined value DCt related to the amount of deceleration of the end sliding door SD, and a predetermined value Ft related to the estimated external force value fest. The predetermined time D1 as the judgment parameter for when the vehicle is moving is typically greater than the predetermined time D1 as the judgment parameter for when the vehicle is stopped. The same is true for the predetermined time D2, the predetermined time D3A, the predetermined time D3B, the predetermined value Lt, the predetermined value DCt, and the predetermined value Ft.

As described above, the control method CS according to the embodiment of the present invention is a control method CS for an electrically operated sliding door SD, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, and is configured to generate a braking force when the sliding door SD is opened, and to determine whether the sliding door SD has been opened manually based on information about the state of the sliding door SD while the braking force is being generated. With this configuration, the control method CS can detect that a person has opened the sliding door SD. Therefore, the control method CS can execute various functions after accurately detecting that the sliding door SD has been opened manually. For example, the control method CS can reduce the burden on a person when opening the sliding door SD. This is because the control method CS can start an operation (hereinafter referred to as an "assistance operation") for reducing the burden on a person when opening the sliding door SD after accurately detecting that the sliding door SD has been opened manually. The assist operation is, for example, an operation to open the sliding door by an electric force. The assist operation may be an operation for releasing the braking force. In addition, the control method CS can prevent the assistance operation from being started by mistake even if a person has not opened the side sliding door SD. This is because it can accurately detect that the side sliding door SD has not been opened by human force.

The information on the state of the side sliding door SD may be, for example, at least one of the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD, the amount of deceleration of the side sliding door SD, and an estimated value of the external force acting on the side sliding door SD. Specifically, the information on the state of the side sliding door SD is position information s derived from the pulse signal p output by the encoder 8, the actual speed value v, the thrust command value f*, or the actual thrust value f, etc. With this configuration, the control method CS can easily and accurately determine whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force.

As shown in FIG. 9, for example, the control method CS may determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force when the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD is greater than a predetermined value Lt after a predetermined time D1 has elapsed while a braking force is being generated. Alternatively, the control method CS may determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force when the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD exceeds the predetermined value Lt before the predetermined time D1 has elapsed. With this configuration, the control method CS can accurately determine whether the external force is human force or an external force other than human force, based on the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD, which changes depending on the magnitude and duration of the external force attempting to move the side sliding door SD with a braking force applied. As a result, the control method CS can more reliably and timely reduce the burden on a person when opening the side sliding door SD.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11, the control method CS may determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force when the deceleration amount of the side sliding door SD in a predetermined time D2 is smaller than a predetermined value DCt while a braking force is being generated. In this case, the start point of the predetermined time D2 may be, for example, the point when the movement amount of the side sliding door SD exceeds a predetermined value Lt, or may be the point when a certain time has passed since the side sliding door SD was opened. In addition, when the deceleration amount DC is smaller than the predetermined value DCt, it may include a case where the side sliding door SD is accelerating. With this configuration, the control method CS can accurately determine whether the external force is human force or an external force other than human force based on the deceleration amount of the side sliding door SD, which changes depending on the magnitude and duration of the external force that tries to move the side sliding door SD with the braking force applied. As a result, the control method CS can more reliably and timely reduce the burden on a person when opening the side sliding door SD.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 13, for example, the control method CS may determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by manual force if the external force estimated value fest, which is the force estimated by the state observation unit 14, is greater than a predetermined value Ft even after a predetermined time D3A has elapsed since the braking force was generated. Alternatively, the control method CS may determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by manual force if the external force estimated value fest does not fall below the predetermined value Ft even after the predetermined time D3A has elapsed.

In this case, the predetermined value Ft for the external force estimated value fest is preferably equal to or greater than the value equivalent to the component force of gravity acting on the side sliding door SD in the direction of movement of the side sliding door SD when a vehicle equipped with the side sliding door SD is stopped at maximum cant. Furthermore, the judgment based on the external force estimated value fest is preferably started when the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD exceeds the predetermined value Lt, or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the side sliding door SD was opened. For example, the judgment based on the external force estimated value fest is preferably started when it is detected that the side sliding door SD is open.

With this configuration, the control method CS can accurately determine whether the external force is human force or a non-human external force based on the external force estimate fest, which changes depending on the magnitude and duration of the external force attempting to move the gable sliding door SD when a braking force is applied. As a result, the control method CS can more reliably and timely reduce the burden on a person when opening the gable sliding door SD.

Alternatively, the control method CS may be configured to determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force when at least two of the following conditions are satisfied: a first condition that the amount of movement of the side sliding door SD after a predetermined time D1 has elapsed while a braking force is being generated is greater than a predetermined value Lt (see, for example, step ST3A in FIG. 9); a second condition that the amount of deceleration of the side sliding door SD during a predetermined time D2 while a braking force is being generated is less than a predetermined value DCt (see, for example, step ST3B2 in FIG. 11); and a third condition that the external force estimate fest, which is an estimate of the force estimated by the state observation unit 14, is greater than a predetermined value Ft even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the braking force was generated (see, for example, step ST3C2 in FIG. 13).

For example, the control method CS may be configured to determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened manually when: (1) two conditions are satisfied in the order of the first condition and the second condition (e.g., see steps ST3D1 and ST3D2 in FIG. 15); (2) two conditions are satisfied in the order of the second condition and the third condition; (3) two conditions are satisfied in the order of the first condition and the third condition; or (4) three conditions are satisfied in the order of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition (e.g., see steps ST3E1 to ST3E3 in FIG. 17).

With this configuration, the control method CS can more accurately determine whether the external force is human force or an external force other than human force based on at least two of the movement amount of the side sliding door SD, the deceleration amount of the side sliding door SD, and the external force estimated value fest, which change depending on the magnitude and duration of the external force attempting to move the side sliding door SD with a braking force applied. As a result, the control method CS can more reliably and timely reduce the burden on a person when opening the side sliding door SD.

The set value used in determining whether the side sliding door SD has been opened manually may be switched depending on whether the vehicle equipped with the side sliding door SD is running or not, or whether the vehicle equipped with the side sliding door SD is stopped or not, or whether the vehicle equipped with the side sliding door SD is running or stopped, as shown in steps ST2A to ST2C in each of Figures 18 to 22, for example. With this configuration, the control method CS can, for example, determine when the railroad vehicle is stopped earlier than when the railroad vehicle is running. Therefore, the control method CS can further reduce the burden on a person when opening the side sliding door by starting the door opening operation earlier. Alternatively, the control method CS can, for example, determine when the railroad vehicle is running more accurately (more strictly) than when the railroad vehicle is stopped. Therefore, the control method CS can more reliably prevent erroneous determinations.

When the control method CS does not determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, it may determine that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force. In other words, the determination by the control method CS may be an alternative between whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force or whether the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force.

The control method CS may be configured to open the side sliding door SD by the electric motor MR when it is determined that the side sliding door SD has been opened by human force, for example as shown in step ST4 of FIG. 2. With this configuration, the control method CS can open the side sliding door SD without the human applying force. Therefore, the control method CS can reliably reduce the burden on a person when opening the side sliding door SD.

The control method CS may be configured to close the side sliding door SD by the electric motor MR when it is determined that the side sliding door SD has been opened by an external force other than human force, for example as shown in step ST5 of FIG. 9. With this configuration, the control method CS can immediately close the side sliding door SD even if it has been opened by an external force other than human force. Therefore, when a person subsequently attempts to open the side sliding door SD, the control method CS can reliably reduce the burden on the person when opening the side sliding door by starting the support process without delay.

The control device CD according to an embodiment of the present invention is, for example, a control device CD for an electric sliding door SD as shown in FIG. 1, and is configured to generate a braking force when the sliding door SD is opened, and determine whether the sliding door SD has been opened manually based on information about the state of the sliding door SD while the braking force is being generated. With this configuration, the control device CD can detect that a person has opened the sliding door SD. Therefore, the control device CD can execute various functions after accurately detecting that the sliding door SD has been opened manually. For example, the control device CD can reduce the burden on a person when opening the sliding door SD. This is because the control device CD can start an assist operation after accurately detecting that the sliding door SD has been opened manually.

The control program according to an embodiment of the present invention is a control program for an electric sliding door, and is configured to cause a computer (microcomputer) to realize a function of generating a braking force when the sliding door SD is opened, and determining whether the sliding door SD has been opened manually based on information about the state of the sliding door SD while the braking force is being generated. This control program is typically recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium on which the control program is recorded can be distributed as a program product.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control device CD. The control device CD shown in FIG. 23 has a drive device 100, an auxiliary storage device 102, a memory device 103, a CPU 104, an interface device 105, a display device 106, and an input device 107, which are connected to each other by a bus B. A control program that realizes the functions of the control device CD is provided by a recording medium 101 such as a CD-ROM. When the recording medium 101 on which the control program is recorded is set in the drive device 100, the control program is installed from the recording medium 101 to the auxiliary storage device 102 via the drive device 100. However, the control program does not necessarily have to be installed via the recording medium 101, and may be downloaded and installed from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 102 is configured to store the installed program and to store necessary data, etc. The memory device 103 is configured to read and store the program from the auxiliary storage device 102 when an instruction to start the control program is received. The CPU 104 is configured to realize the functions of the control device CD according to the program stored in the memory device 103. The interface device 105 is used as an interface for connecting to a network. The display device 106 is configured to display information related to the control program, etc. The input device 107 is configured with a keyboard, a mouse, etc., and is used to input various instructions to the control device CD.

The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications and substitutions can be applied to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, each of the features described with reference to the above-described embodiments may be combined as appropriate, so long as there is no technical contradiction.

1: Sequence control unit 2: Speed pattern generation unit 3: Speed adjustment unit 4: Thrust adjustment unit 5: Inverter control unit 5A: DC chopper control unit 6: Current/thrust conversion unit 7: Rotary motor 8: Encoder 9: Door closing switch 10: Speed detection unit 11: Position detection unit 12: Movement amount detection unit 13: Deceleration amount detection unit 14: Status observation unit 15: External force determination unit 100: Drive device 101: Recording medium 102: Auxiliary storage device 103: Memory device 104: CPU 105: Interface device 106: Display device 107: Input device B: Bus CD: Control device CP: DC chopper CS: Control method DM: Drive mechanism IV: Inverter MR: Motor RL: Rail RT: Sleeper SD: Gable sliding door SR: Information acquisition device

Claims (17)

A control method for an electric sliding door, comprising:
a braking force is generated when the end sliding door is opened by an external force other than an electric force , and in a state in which the braking force is generated, it is determined whether the end sliding door has been opened by human force or not based on information regarding the state of the end sliding door.
Control method. and determining that the end sliding door has been opened by manual force if a movement amount of the end sliding door is greater than a predetermined value after a predetermined time has elapsed while the braking force is being generated.
2. The control method of claim 1. and determining that the end sliding door has been opened by manual force when a deceleration amount of the end sliding door within a predetermined time period is smaller than a predetermined value while the braking force is being generated.
2. The control method of claim 1. The start point of the predetermined time is the point at which the movement amount of the end sliding door exceeds a predetermined value.
4. A control method according to claim 3. The start time of the predetermined time is a time when a certain time has elapsed since the end sliding door was opened.
4. A control method according to claim 3. If the estimated force value estimated by the state observation unit is greater than a predetermined value even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the generation of the braking force, it is determined that the side sliding door has been opened by human force.
2. The control method of claim 1. the predetermined value for the estimated force is equal to or greater than a value corresponding to a component force of gravity acting on the end sliding door in a moving direction of the end sliding door when the vehicle equipped with the end sliding door is stopped at a maximum cant.
7. A control method according to claim 6. The determination of whether the side sliding door has been opened by human force is started when the amount of movement of the side sliding door exceeds a predetermined value or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the side sliding door was opened.
A control method according to claim 6 or 7. A first condition is that the amount of movement of the end sliding door when a predetermined time has elapsed in a state in which the braking force is generated is greater than a predetermined value;
A second condition that the deceleration amount of the end sliding door in a predetermined time period in a state where the braking force is generated is smaller than a predetermined value; and
and a third condition that the estimated value of the force estimated by the state observing unit is greater than a predetermined value even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the generation of the braking force.
2. The control method of claim 1. When the first condition and the second condition are satisfied in this order,
When the two conditions, the second condition and the third condition, are satisfied in this order,
When the first condition and the third condition are satisfied in this order, or
When the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition are satisfied in this order, it is determined that the side sliding door has been opened manually.
10. A control method according to claim 9. The set value used when determining whether the end sliding door has been opened manually is switched depending on whether the vehicle equipped with the end sliding door is traveling or whether the vehicle equipped with the end sliding door is stopped or not.
A control method according to any preceding claim. When it is not determined that the side sliding door has been opened by human force, it is determined that the side sliding door has been opened by an external force other than human force.
A control method according to any preceding claim. When it is determined that the side sliding door has been opened manually, the side sliding door is opened by an electric motor.
A control method according to any preceding claim. When it is determined that the side sliding door has been opened by an external force other than human force, the side sliding door is closed by an electric motor.
A control method according to any preceding claim. The information regarding the state of the end sliding door is at least one of a movement amount of the end sliding door, a deceleration amount of the end sliding door, and an estimated value of an external force acting on the end sliding door.
A control method according to any preceding claim. A control device for an electric sliding door,
a braking force is generated when the end sliding door is opened by an external force other than an electric force , and in a state in which the braking force is generated, it is determined whether the end sliding door has been opened by human force or not based on information regarding the state of the end sliding door.
Control device. A control program for an electric sliding door,
A function is realized in the computer to generate a braking force when the end sliding door is opened by an external force other than an electric force , and to determine whether the end sliding door has been opened by human force or not based on information about the state of the end sliding door while the braking force is being generated.
Control program.

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