Aisin Technical Center of America, Inc.

Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Aisin Seiki Company, Ltd.

Aisin World Corp. of America

Emiko Okuma

Yasuo Imatomi

Toshio Machida

Norio Konomoto

Satoshi Shibayama

Daisuke Yamada

Koji Nagase

Satoshi Takeno

Tomohide Kato

Todd M Remtema

Brett A Campbell

Eric M Botten

Sadayuki Makino

Embodiments of systems and methods for operating a power tailgate system include overload checking a tailgate latched by a latch that is in a full-latching position, connected with a latch actuator, and activated by the latch actuator for non-revertible movement in a latching direction. Overload checking the tailgate includes operating the latch actuator to over-stroke the latch, identifying an over-stroking load on the latch actuator, and based on the over-stroking load on the latch actuator, determining whether the tailgate is overloaded or not overloaded. Over-stroking the latch includes moving the latch in the latching direction from the full-latching position to an over-stroking position, and the over-stroking load on the latch actuator is associated with its operation to over-stroke the latch.

Systems and methods for operating a power tailgate system

Touch sensor apparatus for use with vehicles are disclosed. A disclosed touch sensor assembly for a vehicle gate includes a sensor configured to operatively couple to the vehicle gate. The touch sensor assembly also includes a cover having a tubular body that extends over the sensor and ribs interposed between the tubular body and the sensor. At least one of the ribs is configured to transfer a load from the tubular body to the sensor to change a state of the sensor.

Touch sensor apparatus for use with vehicles

A safety apparatus for a sliding door of a vehicle, including a lower rail including a mid stopper bracket; and an arm affixed at an external extremity to the sliding door and connected at an internal extremity to the lower rail, the arm including a mid stopper lever that is rotatable. In an open position, the mid stopper lever contacts the mid stopper bracket and contacts a tongue of the internal extremity of the arm to prevent the sliding door from exceeding a mid open position.

Sliding door apparatus

A locking system including a latch assembly that actuates a cancel cable and thereby a cancel lever of a lock device includes a latch lever that has a first engaging surface and receives a striker positioned at the end of a rail of a vehicle, a cancel latch lever including an engagement tab that is engaged by the first engaging surface of the latch lever in an overstroke position of the latch lever, and a cancel cable that interrupts a transmission of power from an actuator to a lock device in accordance with a rotation of the latch cancel lever occurring from an engagement of the engagement tab with the engagement surface.

Vehicle sliding door locking system and latch assembly

A slide structure that slides a door of a vehicle, including a roller hinge attached to the door; a guide roller that rolls within a rail of the door; a cable end that transmits a sliding force to the roller hinge to slide the door; and a guide roller pin that attaches the guide roller and the cable end to the roller hinge.

Slide structure for power slide door and cable assembly method for slide door center

A vehicle door opening/closing device includes: an inside handle mounted to a vehicle door and operated from a vehicle interior to perform a door opening/closing operation; an outside handle mounted to the door and operated from a vehicle exterior to perform the door opening/closing operation; a locking mechanism actuated to lock the door at a predetermined position; an open mechanism; a release mechanism; and a cancel mechanism. The open mechanism is actuated according to operation of the inside and outside handles to release the lock by the locking mechanism. The release mechanism includes an electric motor and a power-transmission member transmitting electric motor power to the open mechanism, and actuates the open mechanism to release the lock of the door. Further, the cancel mechanism is actuated by operating the inside and outside handles to interrupt transmission of the electric motor driving force to the open mechanism by the power-transmission member.

Vehicle door opening-closing device

A door handle for a door of an automotive vehicle having a first gasket attached at a distal end of the door handle and a second gasket attached at a proximate end of the door handle. The first gasket and second gasket have an inner surface facing the outer surface of the door and an outer surface facing the respective ends of the door handle. The first gasket and the second gasket also include a lip formed of a resilient material, which protrudes outwardly relative to the outer surface of gaskets and extends longitudinally along the edge of the gaskets to sealingly engage the ends of the door handle. The lip is embossed so that it is recessed relative to the inner surface of the gasket to accommodate compression of the lip as the handle is displaced towards the door. A flattened portion extends from an end of the lip on the first gasket to dampen noise due to impact between the distal end of the door handle and an outer surface of the door.

Growing community of inventors

Novi, MI, United States of America

Emiko Okuma