These sensors will be used to detect approaching passengers, visually gauge the prospective passenger’s weight, and inspect the area surrounding the door that is being approached by the potential passenger. It will then consider the car’s current ground clearance before deciding whether it would allow the door to open, how far it can open before hitting an obstacle, and whether there will be enough clearance for the door to close after the passenger has entered the vehicle and the suspension has compressed.
This power door operating system hinges heavily on image processing power because cameras will be mounted on each side of the vehicle. These cameras will typically be mounted on the B-pillar, as that’s a central observation point that can cover both front and rear doors.
After detecting the approach of a prospective passenger, the system will capture images to estimate the passenger’s weight based on their height, shoulder width, and hip width dimensions. Once this information is processed, the system will determine the current suspension compression and calculate how much further the springs will be compressed when a passenger of that estimated weight is seated in the vehicle.