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US 10,927,581 B2Granted
Tailgate step stowage assistance
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsAdrian Nania, Craig A. Moccio, Brian K. Sullivan, Manuel Santana
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle tailgate with a power up-down system may employ a method of operating a vehicle tailgate that may include detecting a step is deployed from the tailgate, detecting the tailgate is less than fully open, and automatically actuating a power up-down system to drive the tailgate to fully open.
Claims15
A method of operating a tailgate of a vehicle comprising:
- (a) detecting a step is deployed from the tailgate;
- (b) detecting the tailgate is less than fully open;
- and
- (c) automatically actuating a power up-down system to drive the tailgate to fully open.
1 more element
A vehicle comprising:
- a closure, pivotally mounted to the vehicle, including a step deployable from within the closure;
- a power system, configured to open and close the closure, including a position sensor;
- a deployment switch detecting when the step is stowed;
- and
- a controller detecting that the step is deployed from the closure, detecting the closure is less than fully open, and automatically actuating the power system to drive the closure to fully open.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.