System for controlling the doors of a powered split tailgate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9676258-B2
Application number	US-201615055935-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 29, 2016
Priority date	Sep 6, 2012
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A power, split door system for a vehicle includes a first vehicle door and a second vehicle door arranged to be articulated between closed and open positions. A controller controls movement of the first and second doors between the open and closed positions. A collision zone is defined as a region of the door system in which the first vehicle door and the second vehicle door could potentially come into contact with one another. If both of the doors are within the collision zone during powered articulation of the doors, both are stopped within the collision zone and articulated in a reverse direction to the direction they were being articulated in and into either their fully open or fully closed positions in an appropriate manner that avoids collision of the doors or the doors may remain stopped.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power, split door system for a vehicle, comprising:
a first vehicle door arranged to articulate between a closed position and an open position;
a second vehicle door arranged to articulate between a closed position and an open position;
first and second drive mechanisms for articulating the first and second vehicle doors, respectively, between the closed and open positions; and
a controller for controlling the first and second drive mechanisms so as to control movement of the first and second doors between the open and closed positions;
wherein a collision zone is defined as a region of the door system in which the first vehicle door and the second vehicle door could potentially come into contact with one another;
wherein the controller is configured to determine if both of the first and second vehicle doors is within a collision zone during powered articulation of the vehicle doors; and
where, in the event that the first and second vehicle doors are both stopped within the collision zone during a powered articulation, the controller is configured to:
a) control the first and/or second drive mechanisms to articulate one or both of the first and second vehicle doors out of the collision zone in a manner that avoids collision of the first and second vehicle doors;
b) control the first and/or second drive mechanisms to articulate one or both of the first and second vehicle doors in a reverse direction to the direction they were being articulated in and into either their fully open or fully closed positions in an appropriate manner that avoids collision of the first and second vehicle doors; or
c) maintain the first and second vehicle doors in a stopped condition.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the first vehicle door partially overlaps the second vehicle door, when the first and second vehicle doors are in their closed positions and wherein the collision zone is defined based upon the geometry of the first and second doors and includes an additional margin.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein the first vehicle door is an upper tailgate door and is disposed above the second vehicle door which is a lower tailgate door and wherein said additional margin of the collision zone extends from the lowest position in which the upper and lower doors could contact one another to immediately above the closed position of the lower tailgate door.

4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a first control unit for controlling the first drive mechanism and a second control unit for controlling the second drive mechanism.

5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the system comprises means for detecting the presence of an obstacle extending out of a vehicle opening created when the first and second vehicle doors are at least partially open and/or for detecting an obstacle external to the vehicle in the opening path of either the first and/or second vehicle doors.

6. A system according to claim 5 , wherein the means for detecting comprises one or more of: a Hall sensor, a camera, an ultrasound sensor and an infrared sensor.

7. A system according to claim 1 , wherein, in the event that powered articulation of the first and second vehicle doors is interrupted when the controller is controlling the first and second drive mechanisms to articulate the first and second vehicle doors into their respective closed positions, the controller is configured to reverse the direction of articulation of the first and second vehicle doors and to articulate the first and second vehicle doors to their respective fully open positions.

8. A system according to claim 1 , wherein, in the event that powered articulation of the first and second vehicle doors is interrupted when the controller is controlling the first and second drive mechanisms to articulate the first and second vehicle doors into their respective open positions, the controller is configured to stop articulation of the first and second vehicle doors and maintain the first and second vehicle doors in a stopped condition.

9. A power, split door system for a vehicle, comprising:
a first vehicle door arranged to articulate between a closed position and an open position;
a second vehicle door arranged to articulate between a closed position and an open position;
first and second drive mechanisms for articulating the first and second vehicle doors, respectively, between the closed and open positions; and
a controller for controlling the first and second drive mechanisms so as to control movement of the first and second doors between the open and closed positions;
wherein the system is operable in a dual open mode in which the controller is configured to control the first and second drive mechanisms to articulate the first and second vehicle doors from their respective fully closed positions to respective open positions, and wherein operation of the system in the dual open mode comprises articulating the first and second vehicle doors simultaneously, wherein the second vehicle door is articulated at a greater velocity than the first vehicle door.

10. A system according to claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to commence articulation of the first vehicle door before the second vehicle door.

11. A system according to claim 9 , wherein the respective open positions of the first and second vehicle doors correspond to respective fully open positions of the first and second vehicle doors.

12. A system according to claim 11 , wherein the door system is a power split tailgate system of a vehicle, wherein the first vehicle door is an upper tailgate door and the second vehicle door is a lower tailgate door, wherein the fully open position of the upper tailgate is less than the full extent of travel of a hinge mechanism of the upper tailgate and/or wherein the fully open position of the lower tailgate is equal to the full extent of travel of a hinge mechanism of the lower tailgate.

13. A system according to claim 9 , wherein the door system is a power split tailgate system of a vehicle, wherein the first vehicle door is an upper tailgate door and the second vehicle door is a lower tailgate door.

14. A system according to claim 13 , wherein the lower tailgate door is articulated at a greater angular velocity that the upper tailgate door.

15. A power, split door system for a vehicle, comprising:
a first vehicle door arranged to articulate between a closed position and an open position;
a second vehicle door arranged to articulate between a closed position and an open position;
first and second drive mechanisms for articulating the first and second vehicle doors, respectively, between the closed and open positions; and
a controller for controlling the first and second drive mechanisms so as to control movement of the first and second doors between the open and closed positions;
wherein the system is operable in a dual close mode in which the controller is configured to control the first and second drive mechanisms to articulate the first and second vehicle doors from respective open positions to their respective closed positions, and wherein operation of the system in the dual close mode comprises articulating the first and second vehicle doors simultaneously, wherein the second vehicle door is articulated at a greater velocity than the first vehicle door.

16. A system according to claim 15 , wherein the controller is configured to commence articulation of the second vehicle door before the first vehicle door.

17. A system according to claim 15 , wherein the respective open positi

Assignees

• Jaguar Land Rover Ltd

Inventors

• Warburton Andrew
• Loveday Duncan
• Thomas Steven

Classifications

• E05Y2900/50

  for vehicles · CPC title

• E05F5/12

  specially for preventing the closing of a wing before another wing has been closed · CPC title

• E05Y2900/00

  Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof · CPC title

• E05Y2400/54

  Obstruction or resistance detection · CPC title

• E05F15/00

  Power-operated mechanisms for wings (motor-operated accessories in locks for completing closing or initiating opening of a wing E05B17/00) · CPC title