Siemens Vdo Automotive Corporation

Hi-lex Corporation

Tomohiro Fukumura

Sanjaya Kumar Dash

Brian J Marlett

Jose Maria Garcia

A power closure actuator especially suitable for use in powering various automotive closure devices. The actuator includes a brushless pancake electric motor having an output shaft; a sun gear on the output shaft; a plurality of compound planet gears each having a large diameter lower portion meshingly engaging the sun gear and a small diameter upper portion; a ring gear surrounding and meshingly engaging the small diameter upper portions of the planet gears, and a cable drum splined to the ring gear. A mounting plate positioned in overlying confronting relation to the flat upper face of the motor mounts a plurality of planet shafts extending upwardly from the mounting plate in circumferentially spaced relation to the motor output shaft with one of the compound planet gears journaled on each planet shaft.

Power closure actuator

A system with a sensor assembly is used to determine direction of movement of an object so that accuracy of position calculation is improved. The sensor assembly measures at least two operational characteristics and generates corresponding operational characteristic signals. A control unit monitors and compares transitions of the signals to more accurately determine direction of movement for the object.

Sensor assembly

A power closure system () for a vehicle panel () includes position initialization techniques that ensure accurate position initialization. According to this invention, any slack in a coupling () between the vehicle panel and a motor () for moving the vehicle panel is removed prior to obtaining an initialization position reading when the panel () is in a closed position. The inventive arrangement also includes determining a desired torque at which to operate the motor () during a position initialization procedure.

Position initialization for a vehicle power closure system

A pinch detection system and method controls the speed of a motor moving an object by first calculating the actual motor force and then comparing the actual motor force with a reference force value in a reference field. A pinch condition is indicated if the difference between the actual force and the reference force exceeds a selected pinch threshold. The difference is also used to update the reference field, the pinch threshold and the desired speed of the motor so that the reference field will eventually reflect the actual force profile of the object. The updated pinch threshold is also used to control the motor speed so that the pinching force remains constant regardless of the pinch threshold value.

Pinch detection system

A clutch control system for moving an object, such as a vehicle door, lift gate or trunk, compares the motor speed with the object speed and engages the clutch when the motor and object speeds are almost equal. Controlling engagement based on the object and motor speeds ensures smooth transitions into a power assist mode and between the power assist mode and a power release mode without causing clutch shock.

Dynamic clutch control

A power closure system ( ) for a vehicle panel ( ) includes position initialization techniques that ensure accurate position initialization. According to this invention, any slack in a coupling ( ) between the vehicle panel and a motor ( ) for moving the vehicle panel is removed prior to obtaining an initialization position reading when the panel ( ) is in a closed position. The inventive arrangement also includes determining a desired torque at which to operate the motor ( ) during a position initialization procedure.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester Hills, MI, United States of America

Tomohiro Fukumura