Vehicle closure anti-pinch assembly having a non-contact sensor

An anti-pinch assembly for a closure device having a closure panel and a motor for moving the closure panel between an open position and a closed position covering an aperture of a motor vehicle, said anti-pinch assembly comprising:

• a position sensor disposed to measure rotational position of the motor and generating a position signal therefrom, said position signal being directly related to a position of said closure panel between said open position and closed position;
• a capacitive sensor electrically connected to the motor for measuring a capacitance of a field extending through the aperture of the motor vehicle and generating a voltage signal therefrom;
• and
• a controller electrically connected to said position and said capacitive sensor for receiving said position and voltage signals, said controller transmitting an output signal to the motor preventing the motor from moving the closure panel toward the closed position when said voltage signal deviates from a series of predetermined values.

A method for preventing a closure panel from pinching an obstruction extending through an aperture of a motor vehicle having a motor to drive the closure panel between an open position and a closed position, a position sensor and a capacitive sensor, the method comprising the steps of:

• measuring a capacitance of a field extending through the aperture using the capacitive sensor as the motor drives the closure panel between the open and closed positions;
• generating a voltage signal from the capacitance sensor based on the capacitance measurements;
• identifying a position of the motor using the position sensor as the motor drives the closure panel between the open and closed positions;
• correlating the voltage measured to the position identified to create data;
• comparing the data to a reference map to create a compare value;
• and
• detecting an object in a path of the closure panel as the closure panel moves toward the closed position when the compare value exceeds a predetermined value.