Automatic control of a power tailgate under external loading
AssigneeAisin Technical Center of America, Inc.
InventorsGowtham Harsha Pulikonda, Yasuyuki Noiri, Nicholas Ozog, Ryan Heins
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of a system for controlling a vehicle power tailgate are described. The system includes a motor operably connectible to a tailgate and configured to open the tailgate at any of at least a first opening speed and a second opening speed lower than the first opening speed. The system is operable to, responsive to a determination that an external load is being applied to the tailgate when the tailgate is in a closed condition, control operation of the motor to open the tailgate at the second predetermined tailgate opening speed if an estimated magnitude of the load is below a predetermined threshold load.
Claims11
A method of controlling a vehicle power tailgate system including a motor operably connectible to a tailgate and configured to lower the tailgate at any of at least a first predetermined tailgate opening speed and a second predetermined tailgate opening speed lower than the first opening speed, the method comprising steps of:
- responsive to a determination that no external load is being applied to the tailgate when the tailgate is in a closed condition, controlling operation of the motor to open the tailgate at the first opening speed;
- responsive to a determination that an external load is being applied to the tailgate when the tailgate is in the closed condition, controlling operation of the motor to open the tailgate at the second opening speed if an estimated magnitude of the load is below a predetermined threshold load;
- and
- maintaining the tailgate in the closed condition if the estimated magnitude of the load is at or above the predetermined threshold load.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium for controlling a vehicle power tailgate system including a motor operably connectible to a tailgate and configured to lower the tailgate at any of at least a first predetermined tailgate opening speed and a second predetermined tailgate opening speed lower than the first opening speed, the medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to:
- responsive to a determination that no external load is being applied to the tailgate when the tailgate is in a closed condition, control operation of the motor to open the tailgate at the first opening speed;
- responsive to a determination that an external load is being applied to the tailgate when the tailgate is in the closed condition, control operation of the motor to open the tailgate at the second opening speed if an estimated magnitude of the load is below a predetermined threshold load;
- and
- maintain the tailgate in the closed condition if the estimated magnitude of the load is at or above the predetermined threshold load.
A system for controlling a vehicle power tailgate comprising:
- a motor operably connectible to a tailgate and configured to open the tailgate at any of at least a first predetermined tailgate opening speed and a second predetermined tailgate opening speed lower than the first opening speed;
- a processor;
- and
- a memory communicably coupled to the processor and storing a tailgate control module including instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to, responsive to a determination that an external load is being applied to the tailgate when the tailgate is in a closed condition, control operation of the motor to open the tailgate at the second opening speed if an estimated magnitude of the load is below a predetermined threshold load.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.