SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING THE DOORS OF A POWER SPLIT TAILGATE

• US 20150275562A1
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Warburton, Andrew, Loveday, Duncan, Thomas, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 9,909,347 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/103 where lower door part moves independently from other door structures, e.g. by being hinged on the vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/027 between relatively movable parts of the vehicle, e.g. between steering wheel and column devices for measuring, signalling or controlling tyre pressure or temperature specially adapted for mounting on vehicles B60C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/60 using electrical actuators
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/611 for swinging wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/622 using screw-and-nut mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/77 using wireless control
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/12 specially for preventing the closing of a wing before another wing has been closed
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/322 by using absolute position sensors sensors for electronic control of hinges, wings, windows as such E05Y2400/44
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/415 for multiple wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/44 Sensors therefore E05Y2400/322, E05Y2400/33, E05Y2400/55, E05Y2400/56, E05Y2400/852 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/45 Control modes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/544 Tailboards or sideboards
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailgates

Abstract

A power, split door system (12) for a vehicle (10), comprising a first vehicle door (14) arranged to articulate between a closed position and an open position; a second vehicle door (16) arranged to articulate between a closed position and an open position; first (40a, 40b) and second (42) drive means for moving the first and second doors, respectively, between the closed and open positions; and control means (18, 83, 85, 87) for controlling the first and second drive means so as to control movement of the first and second doors between the open and closed positions; wherein the control means is provided with positional information relating to each of the first and second vehicle doors; and wherein the control means is configured to ensure that each of the first and second vehicle doors do not attempt to simultaneously occupy the same space. The first and second doors may be configured such that in a closed position, the first and second doors partially overlap.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. 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 means for moving the first and second vehicle doors, respectively, between the closed and open positions; and

control means for controlling the first and second drive means so as to control movement of the first and second doors between the open and closed positions;

wherein the control means is provided with positional information relating to each of the first and second vehicle doors; and

wherein the control means is configured to ensure that each of the first and second vehicle doors do not attempt to occupy the same space at the same time.

25. A system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the control means comprises a first control unit for controlling the first drive means and a second control unit for controlling the second drive means.

26. A system as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

(i) the first control unit is supplied with positional data from one or more sensors and/or the first drive means and/or from another control system within the vehicle such that the first control unit is provided with positional information relating to the first vehicle door;

(ii) the second control unit is supplied with positional data from one or more sensors and/or the second drive means and/or from another control system within the vehicle such that the second control unit is provided with positional information relating to the second vehicle door; and

(iii) the first and second control units are in communication with one another to exchange positional data relating to the first and second vehicle doors such that each of the first and second control units is provided with positional data relating to both the first and the second vehicle doors.

27. A system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the first and second control units each receive positional data from a sensor located on or within the first and second drive means respectively.

28. A system as claimed in claim 27, wherein said sensors located on or within the first and second drive means respectively are each Hall sensors.

29. A system as claimed in claim 27, wherein the first and second control units each receive positional data from a body control management unit, and wherein said positional data from the body control management unit may be a determination that the first and/or second door is latched and is therefore located in its closed position.

30. A system as claimed in claim 27, wherein the first drive means comprises an electrically driven rotating spindle and wherein a first Hall sensor located on or within the first drive means issues a signal to the first control unit about every half rotation of the rotating spindle and wherein the first control unit is configured to count the Hall sensor signals issued to the first control unit and determine in dependence upon the counted number of Hall sensor signals the current position of the first vehicle door.

31. A system as claimed in claim 27, wherein the second drive means comprises an electrically driven rotating spindle and wherein a second Hall sensor located on or within the second drive means issues a signal to the second control unit about every half rotation of the rotating spindle and wherein the second control unit is configured to count the Hall sensor signals issued to the second control unit and determine in dependence upon the counted number of Hall sensor signals the position of the second vehicle door.

32. A system as claimed in claim 31 wherein the counted number of Hall signals issued to the first control unit can range from zero in the closed or fully open position of the first vehicle door to a first maximum count in the fully opened or closed position of the first vehicle door and wherein the counted number of Hall signals issued to the second control unit can range from zero in the closed or fully open position of the second vehicle door to a second maximum count in the fully opened or closed position of the first vehicle door.

33. A system as claimed in claim 24, 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.

34. A system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the first vehicle door partially overlaps the second vehicle door, when the first and second vehicle doors are in their closed positions.

35. A system as claimed in claim 25, wherein the first vehicle door partially overlaps the second vehicle door when the first and second vehicle doors are in their closed position, and wherein the first and second control units are configured such that if the articulation of the first and/or second vehicle door is interrupted when the first and second vehicle doors are both disposed within the collision zone, the first and second control units are configured to articulate the first and second vehicle doors into a fully open position in an appropriate manner that avoids collision of the first and second vehicle doors.

36. A system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the first and second control units are each in communication with a controller area network (CAN) of the vehicle and thereby the first and second control units exchange positional data.

37. A system as claimed in claim 24, 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 positions of the first and second vehicle doors can be categorised as being in any one of:

a closed position;

the collision zone;

a wide open position; and

a fully opened position.

38. A system according to claim 25, 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 positions of the first and second vehicle doors can be categorised as being in any one of:

a closed position;

the collision zone;

a wide open position; and

a fully opened position, and wherein the positional data exchanged by the first and second control units is categorised positional data.

39. A system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the system comprises a remote control configured to issue wireless command signals to the control means and/or one or more actuators mounted externally to or internally within the vehicle configured to issue wireless command signals to the control means, wherein the control means comprises a body control management unit (BCM) and wherein at least some or all of the instructions signals from the remote control and/or actuators are initially issued to the BCM for verification that the remote control issuing the instructions is authorised to do so and/or to address other security issues and/or to cause unlatching of the first and second doors, whereafter, the BCM communicates the instruction signals to the control means.

40. A system as claimed in claim 39 wherein, the control means comprises a first control unit for the first door and a second control unit for the second door and wherein the BCM communicates directly with the first and/or second control units and is configured to pass on the instruction signals received from the remote control and/or the one or more actuators mounted externally to or internally within or on the vehicle to the first and/or second control units as appropriate.

43. A vehicle comprising the power, split door system according to claim 24.

41. A method of controlling a first vehicle door arranged to articulate between a closed position and an open position;

and a second vehicle door arranged to articulate between a closed position and an open position, the method comprising;

(i) obtaining positional data relating to the first vehicle door;

(ii) obtaining positional data relating to the second vehicle door;

(iii) controlling movement of the first and second doors between the open and closed positions whist ensuring that each of the first and second vehicle doors do not attempt to occupy the same space at the same time.

42. A method as claimed in claim 41, comprising exchanging positional data between a first control unit for controlling movement of the first vehicle door and a second control unit for controlling movement of the second vehicle door.