Motor vehicle having a manual rear closure member
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsJonathan Gregory, Sam Penzato, William Gerald Barr, Matthew David Bunn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A motor vehicle is disclosed having a safety system that includes an electronic controller controlling an electronically controlled mechanism in response to inputs from a number of rear parking sensors to prevent movement of a rear closure of the motor vehicle in a closing direction when more than one object is sensed to be within a rear protection zone and the rear closure member is in a fully open position.
Claims20
A motor vehicle comprising:
- a top hinged rear closure member manually moveable between open and closed positions;
- an electronically controlled mechanism to prevent, at least when the rear closure member is in a fully open position, movement of the rear closure member in a closing direction;
- a number of rear parking sensors to provide an indication of whether one or more objects lies within a rear protection zone in which a person may accidentally be impacted by the rear closure member during closing of the rear closure member;
- and
- an electronic controller arranged to operate the electronically controlled mechanism to prevent movement of the rear closure member in the closing direction when the parking sensors indicate that more than one object is located within the rear protection zone and to permit closing of the rear closure when the rear parking sensors indicate only one object lies within the rear protection zone.
A vehicle comprising:
- a rear closure member manually moveable between open and closed positions;
- a controlled mechanism to prevent movement of the rear closure member in a closing direction at least when the rear closure member is in a fully open position;
- sensors sensing objects located within a rear protection zone in which a person may accidentally be impacted by the rear closure member during closing of the rear closure member;
- and
- a controller controlling the controlled mechanism to prevent movement of the rear closure member in the closing direction when more than one object is sensed in the rear protection zone and to permit closing of the rear closure when only one object is sensed within the rear protection zone.
A method of controlling closing motion of a manually operated top hinged rear closure member of a motor vehicle, comprising:
- sensing with rear parking sensors more than one object located within a rear protection zone of the motor vehicle in which a person may accidentally be impacted by the rear closure member during closing of the rear closure member;
- and
- controlling an electronically controlled mechanism on the motor vehicle to prevent movement of the rear closure member in a closing direction when more than one object is located within the rear protection zone and to permit closing of the rear closure when the rear parking sensors indicate only one object lies within the rear protection zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.