The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 29, 2025
Filed:
Oct. 06, 2022
Ford Global Technologies, Llc, Dearborn, MI (US);
Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam, Canton, MI (US);
Bradford Scott Bondy, St. Clair Shores, MI (US);
Muhannad Anwar Hamdan, Canton, MI (US);
Christian Wegner, Grosse Ile, MI (US);
Abstract
A vehicle having a tailgate configured to move between retracted and extended positions is disclosed. The vehicle includes a first detection unit, a second detection unit, a third detection unit and a control unit. The control unit obtains a first input from the first detection unit and determines whether the tailgate is in extended position. The control unit further obtains a second input and a third input from the second and third detection units respectively, when the tailgate is in the extended position. Responsive to obtaining the second and third inputs, the control unit identifies a tailgate extended orientation. In addition, the control unit detects an obstacle presence in a vehicle rear side proximity and calculates a calibrated distance between the obstacle and a tailgate top side, based on the tailgate extended orientation. The control unit notifies a vehicle user when the calibrated distance is less than a threshold.