Vehicle door manual to power move

• US 5,434,487 A
• Filed: 05/20/1993
• Issued: 07/18/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Strattec Power Access LLC (Strattec Security Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Bree: Gary D., Long, Joseph D., Strother, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John W.
• Application Number:
  US08/063,625
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 49/141, 49/334, 49/337, 49/214, 49/117, 49/280, 49/242, 49/460, 49/32, 49/43, 49/24-32, 49/138-140, 49/28, 49/213, 49/25, 318/282, 318/283, 318/284-293, 318/269, 318/602, 318/603, 318/280, 318/640, 318/650, 318/671
• US Class Current: 318/286
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/41 Detection by monitoring transmitted force or torque E05F15/48 takes precedence; Safety couplings with activation dependent upon torque or force, e.g. slip couplings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/646 allowing or involving a secondary movement of the wing, e.g. rotational or transversal
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/70 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/75 responsive to the weight or other physical contact of a person or object
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/216 Clutches
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/246 by auxiliary motors, magnets, springs or weights
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/462 Electromagnets
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/654 Cables
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/664 Drums
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/3015 Power assistance
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/452 for saving energy, e.g. sleep or wake-up
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/554 sensing motor load
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/21 of identical elements, e.g. of identical compression springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

A power operating system for a vehicle door includes a motor operable to power the door open or closed. When a manual movement of the door a predetermined distance is detected while the motor is inactive, the motor is energized so as to move the door in the direction of the detected movement to complete the manually initiated door movement.

Claims

1. A door controller for a vehicle door moveable between a closed position and an opened position, the door controller comprising, in combination:

electric drive means including an electric motor selectively energizable to power move the door in an opening direction to the opened position and in a closing direction to the closed position;

a door movement sensor for (A) indicating one of the opening and closing directions of movement of the door and (B) generating distance pulses, each distance pulse representing a predetermined incremental distance of travel of the door;

means for selectively energizing the electric motor to power move the door in the one of the opening and closing directions indicated by the door movement sensor when a predetermined number of the distances pulses representing a predetermined movement of the door are generated while the electric motor is de-energized.

2. A door controller for a vehicle door moveable between a closed position and an opened position, the door controller comprising, in combination:

drive means for power moving the door, the drive means including (A) cable means attached to the door, (B) a pulley means rotatable in a first direction to wind the cable to move the door in a closing direction toward the closed position and in a second direction to wind the cable to move the door in an opening direction toward the opened position, (C) an electric motor having an output shaft, and (D) an electromagnetic clutch coupled to the motor output shaft and the pulley, the clutch, when energized, coupling the motor output shaft and the pulley to enable the motor output shaft to rotate the pulley and thereby move the door and, when de-energized, decouple the motor output shaft from the pulley to enable the door to be manually moveable between the opened and closed positions, the pulley being rotated in the first direction by the cable when the door is manually moved in the closing direction and in the second direction by the cable when the door is manually moved in the opening direction;

a rotary position sensor rotated by the pulley for (A) indicating one of the first and second directions of rotation of the pulley and therefore the opening and closing directions of movement of the door and (B) generating distance pulses, each distance pulse representing a predetermined incremental distance of travel of the door; and

means for initiating power movement of the door in response to manual movement of the door in one of the opening and closing directions comprising;

means for (A) determining the generation of a predetermined number of distance pulses by the position sensor in response to a manual movement of the door and (B) when the predetermined number of distance pulses is determined, energizing the clutch to couple the motor output shaft to the pulley and energizing the motor to rotate the pulley in the direction indicated by the rotary position sensor in response to manual movement of the door to power move the door toward the one of the opening and closing directions of the manual movement.