Shiroki Corporation

Nissan Motor Company Limited

Tachibana Eletech Co., Ltd.

Junya Kurita

Takao Koba

Kenta Ikenori

Takaharu Kiyama

Hideaki Nakamura

Hiroharu Ozawa

An opening-and-closing body is configured to open and close an opening and to move in a closing direction across a first section of movement in which the opening-and-closing body moves against the weight of the opening-and-closing body and a second section of movement in which the weight of the opening-and-closing body assists the movement of the opening-and-closing body in the closing direction. A driver is configured to drive the opening-and-closing body in the closing direction. A predictor is configured to predict when the opening-and-closing body will shift from the first section of movement to the second section of movement as the driver drives the opening-and-closing body in the closing direction.

Opening-and-closing apparatus

A drive control apparatus includes an opening-and-closing body. A first driver drives the opening-and-closing body in a closing direction. A second driver moves the opening-and-closing body from a half-latched position to a fully-latched position. A fully-latched detector detects that the opening-and-closing body has reached the fully-latched position. A stop detector detects whether a predetermined stopping condition has been satisfied for stopping the driving of the opening-and-closing body in the closing direction. A drive controller is configured to drive the opening-and-closing body via the first driver in the closing direction. Upon the fully-latched detector detecting that the opening-and-closing body has reached the fully-latched position, the second driver ends operation and the first driver continues to drive the opening-and-closing body in the closing direction until the stop detector detects that the predetermined stopping condition is satisfied.

Drive control apparatus for opening-and-closing body

A lock device is achieved, which can prevent a battery, for supplying power to a microcomputer of an electronic control unit, from going flat by reducing the consumption power of the microcomputer, said lock device provided with a lock mechanism which holds an opening-and-closing body, for an opening in a vehicle body, an electronic control unit which operates in a microcomputer normal power mode or a microcomputer power-saving mode; and an open-state detector which detects the state of the lock mechanism. The electronic control unit transfers from the microcomputer normal power mode to the microcomputer power-saving mode when the open-state detector detects that the lock mechanism continuously remains at one of the opening state, the half-latched state and the fully-latched state for a predetermined period of time when operating during the microcomputer normal power mode.

Lock device

An opening/closing-body drive device is achieved, in which a malfunction, caused by the electrical contacts of the relay switch freezing, can be reliably prevented from occurring. The control unitincludes a freeze determinerwhich determines that the relay switch(es) is frozen when an opening/closing-body drive motordoes not drive a specified amount in accordance with opening/closing operational conditions of a back doorand when the temperature of the control unitthat is detected by a temperature detectoris lower or equal to a predetermined value; and a freeze releaserwhich releases a frozen state of the relay switch(es) by intermittently supplying electric current for a predetermined number of times to the relay switch(es) without supplying a drive current to said opening/closing-body drive motor, when said freeze determinerdetermines that the relay switch(es) is frozen.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Junya Kurita