# US 10,871,017 B2 · Motor vehicle having a manual rear closure member

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- Number: US 10,871,017 B2
- Document ID: US10871017B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/958,353
- Filed: 2018-04-20
- Published: 2018-12-27
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2017-06-23
- Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
- Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
- Inventors: Jonathan Gregory; Sam Penzato; William Gerald Barr; Matthew David Bunn
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10871017B2

## CPC

- E05D 11/1007: {with positive locking}
- B60J 5/101: {for non-load transporting vehicles, i.e. family cars including vans}
- E05F 5/00: Braking devices, e.g. checks; Stops; Buffers (construction of pneumatic or liquid braking devices E05F3/00; braking devices, buffers or end stops on drawers for tables, cabinets or like furniture A47B88/473; combined with devices for holding wings open E05C17/00; devices for limiting opening of wings or for holding wings open by a movable member extending between frame and wing E05C17/04)
- E05F 15/40: Safety devices, e.g. detection of obstructions or end positions
- E05F 15/43: responsive to disruption of energy beams, e.g. light or sound
- E05D 3/02: with one pin
- E05F 2015/432: {with acoustical sensors}
- E05Y 2201/21: Brakes
- E05Y 2201/218: Holders
- E05Y 2201/22: Locks
- E05Y 2201/232: by automatically acting means
- E05Y 2201/408: for braking
- E05Y 2201/448: Fluid motors; Details thereof
- E05Y 2201/458: Valves
- E05Y 2201/71: Toothed gearing
- E05Y 2201/712: with incomplete toothing
- E05Y 2400/20: of brakes, disengaging means, holders or stops
- E05Y 2400/44: Sensors not directly associated with the wing movement
- E05Y 2400/446: Vehicle state sensors, e.g. parked or inclination
- E05Y 2400/53: Wing impact prevention or reduction
- E05Y 2900/532: Back doors or end doors
- E05Y 2900/546: Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards
- E05Y 2900/548: Trunk lids
- G01S 2015/932: {for parking operations}
- E05D: HINGES OR SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS (pivotal connections in general F16C11/00)
- B60J: WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES (fastening, suspending, closing, or opening of such devices E05)
- E05F: DEVICES FOR MOVING WINGS INTO OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION; CHECKS FOR WINGS; WING FITTINGS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, CONCERNED WITH THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WING
- E05Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES

## 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.

## Claims

### Claim 1

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.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic controller is arranged to operate the electronically controlled mechanism to prevent movement of the rear closure member in a closing direction only if the rear closure member is in a fully open position.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic controller is arranged to operate the electronically controlled mechanism to prevent movement of the rear closure member in a closing direction when the rear closure member is in a partially closed position.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronically controlled mechanism is an electronically controlled latching mechanism comprising a solenoid actuator having a latching pin moveable into engagement with a hinge member forming one half of a hinge mechanism used to hingedly connect the rear closure member to a structural part of the motor vehicle to prevent movement of the hinge member and the solenoid actuator is operable to move the latching pin into engagement with the hinge member when it is required to prevent movement of the rear closure member in a closing direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the latching pin is moved into engagement with an abutment surface on the hinge member when it is required to prevent movement of the rear closure member in a closing direction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the hinge member is a first hinge member fastened to the rear closure member and the hinge mechanism includes a second hinge member pivotally connected to the first hinge member and fastened to part of a body structure of the motor vehicle and the solenoid actuator is fastened to the second hinge member.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronically controlled mechanism comprises a pump drivingly connected between first and second hinge members forming a hinge mechanism used to hingedly connect the rear closure member to a body structure of the motor vehicle and an electronically controlled valve to prevent flow of liquid from an outlet of the pump to an inlet of the pump through a recirculation circuit when it is required to prevent movement of the rear closure member in a closing direction.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first hinge member is a hinge member fastened to the rear closure member and the second hinge member is a hinge member pivotally connected to the first hinge member and fastened to the body structure of the motor vehicle.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein the pump is fastened to the second hinge member and has a drive shaft drivingly connected by a gear wheel to a quadrant gear fastened to the first hinge member.

### Claim 10

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.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the sensors comprise a plurality of rear parking sensors.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the rear closure member comprises a top hinge.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the controller is arranged to operate the controlled mechanism to prevent movement of the rear closure member in a closing direction only if the rear closure member is in a fully open position.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the controller is arranged to operate the controlled mechanism to prevent movement of the rear closure member in a closing direction when the rear closure member is in a partially closed position.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the controlled mechanism is an electronically controlled latching mechanism comprising a solenoid actuator having a latching pin moveable into engagement with a hinge member forming one half of a hinge mechanism used to hingedly connect the rear closure member to a structural part of the motor vehicle to prevent movement of the hinge member and the solenoid actuator is operable to move the latching pin into engagement with the hinge member when it is required to prevent movement of the rear closure member in a closing direction.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein the latching pin is moved into engagement with an abutment surface on the hinge member when it is required to prevent movement of the rear closure member in a closing direction.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein the hinge member is a first hinge member fastened to the rear closure member and the hinge mechanism includes a second hinge member pivotally connected to the first hinge member and fastened to part of a body structure of the motor vehicle and the solenoid actuator is fastened to the second hinge member.

### Claim 18

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.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method as claimed in claim 18 further comprising: the step of stopping motion of the rear closure member in a closing direction if the number of objects in the protection zone increases to more than one during closing of the rear closure member.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The method as claimed in claim 18 further comprising using an electronic controller to operate the electronically controlled mechanism to prevent movement in the closing direction at least when the rear closure member is in a fully open position in response to a feedback from the rear parking sensors.