Hydraulic closure system for a motor vehicle

A hydraulic closure system for use in a motor vehicle and constructed and arranged to cooperate with a closure opening defined by an opening frame of the motor vehicle body, said system comprising:

• a closure constructed and arranged to be pivotally mounted on the opening frame for movement between a closed position in which said closure closes the closure opening and an opened position in which said closure is oriented to permit access through the closure opening;
• a latching structure constructed and arranged to latch said closure in said closed position and to unlatch said closure to permit said closure to move from said closed position to said opened position;
• at least one hydraulic actuator assembly being coupled at one end thereof to said closure and coupled at an opposite end thereof to said opening frame, said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly including a cylinder and a piston rod assembly, said piston rod assembly including a piston and a rod member connected to said piston, said piston being moveable within said cylinder in slidably sealed relation with inner walls of said cylinder, said rod member extending outwardly from a rod extension end of said cylinder,
• said piston rod assembly being moveable between an extended condition in which said rod member has a relatively large extent thereof extending outwardly from said rod extension end of said cylinder so as to create a distance between said one end and said opposite end of said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly sufficient to maintain said closure in said opened position and a contracted condition in which said rod member has a relatively smaller extent thereof extending outwardly from the rod extension end of said cylinder in comparison with said extended condition to create a distance between said one end and said opposite end of said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly that enables said closure to be disposed in said closed position;
• an automated closure opening system constructed and arranged to effect automatic movement of said closure from said closed position to said opened position when said latching structure is unlatched, said automated closure opening system comprising a biased energy storage system constructed and arranged to store energy therein and apply a biasing force to said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly sufficient to move said closure from said closed position to said opened position and maintain said closure in said opened position when said energy stored therein is expended, and wherein said biased energy storage system expends said stored energy to move said closure from said closed position to said opened position when permitted to do so by unlatching of said latching structure;
• and
• a motorized hydraulic pump constructed and arranged to effect automated closing of said closure by creating hydraulic fluid flow with respect to said cylinder to force said piston away from said rod extension end of said cylinder and move said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly from said extended condition to said contracted condition and said closure from said opened position to said closed position,
• said motorized hydraulic pump being activated to effect said closing of said closure in response to manually generated movement of said closure from said opened position toward said closed position.

A hydraulic closure system for use in a motor vehicle and constructed and arranged to cooperate with a closure opening defined by an opening frame of the motor vehicle body, said hydraulic closure system comprising:

• a closure constructed and arranged to be pivotally mounted on the opening frame for movement between a closed position in which said closure closes the closure opening and an opened position in which said closure is oriented to permit access through the closure opening;
• a latching structure constructed and arranged to latch said closure in said closed position and to unlatch said closure to permit said closure to move from said closed position to said opened position;
• at least one hydraulic actuator assembly coupled at one end thereof to said closure and coupled at an opposite end thereof to said opening frame,
• said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly including a cylinder and a piston rod assembly, said piston rod assembly including a piston and a rod member connected to said piston, said piston being moveable within said cylinder in slidably sealed relation with inner walls of said cylinder, said rod member extending outwardly from a rod extension end of said cylinder,
• said piston rod assembly being moveable between an extended condition in which said rod member has a relatively large extent thereof extending outwardly from said rod extension end of said cylinder so as to create a distance between said one end and said opposite end of said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly sufficient to maintain said closure in said opened position and a contracted condition in which said rod member has a relatively smaller extent thereof extending outwardly from the rod extension end of said cylinder in comparison with said extended condition to create a distance between said one end and said opposite end of said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly that enables said closure to be disposed in said closed position,
• an automated closure opening system constructed and arranged to effect automatic movement of said closure from said closed position to said opened position when said latching structure in unlatched,
• a motorized hydraulic pump constructed and arranged to input energy to said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly to effect automatic movement of said closure from said opened position to said closed position by creating hydraulic fluid flow with respect to said cylinder on a first side of said piston to force said piston away from said rod extension end of said cylinder and move said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly from said extended condition to said contracted condition and said closure from said opened position to said closed position;
• and
• an obstacle detection mechanism comprising a pressure transducer constructed and arranged to monitor hydraulic pressure resulting from said hydraulic fluid flow created on said first side of said piston by operation of said motorized hydraulic pump,
• said obstacle detection mechanism constructed and arranged to detect an obstacle interfering with said automatic movement of said closure from said opened position to said closed position by operation of said motorized hydraulic pump based upon the hydraulic pressure monitored by said pressure transducer and to terminate operation of said motorized hydraulic pump when the hydraulic pressure monitored by said pressure transducer exceeds a prescribed threshold value which varies as a function of position of said closure with respect to the closure opening.

A hydraulic closure system for use in a motor vehicle and constructed and arranged to cooperate with a closure opening defined by an opening frame of the motor vehicle body, said hydraulic closure system comprising:

• a closure constructed and arranged to be pivotally mounted on the opening frame for movement between a closed position in which said closure closes the closure opening and an opened position in which said closure is oriented to permit access through the closure opening;
• a latching structure constructed and arranged to latch said closure in said closed position and to unlatch said closure to permit said closure to move from said closed position to said opened position;
• at least one hydraulic actuator assembly coupled at one end thereof to said closure and coupled at an opposite end thereof to said opening frame, said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly including a cylinder and a piston rod assembly, said piston rod assembly including a piston and a rod member connected to said piston, said piston being moveable within said cylinder in slidably sealed relation with inner walls of said cylinder, said rod member extending outwardly from a rod extension end of said cylinder,
• said piston rod assembly being moveable between an extended condition in which said rod member has a relatively large extent thereof extending outwardly from said rod extension end of said cylinder so as to create a distance between said one end and said opposite end of said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly sufficient to maintain said closure in said opened position and a contracted condition in which said rod member has a relatively smaller extent thereof extending outwardly from the rod extension end of said cylinder in comparison with said extended condition to create a distance between said one end and said opposite end of said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly that enables said closure to be disposed in said closed position;
• a biased energy storage system constructed and arranged to expend energy stored therein on a first side of said piston when said closure is unlatched to move said piston toward said rod extension end of said cylinder and thereby move said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly from said contracted condition to said extended condition and move said closure from said closed position to said opened position and maintain said closure in said opened position;
• and
• a vehicle level detection and compensation system including a vehicle level detector constructed and arranged to detect inclination or declination of the motor vehicle, said vehicle level detection and compensation system being constructed and arranged to control the amount of energy stored in said biased energy storage system based upon a detected inclination or declination of the vehicle as detected by said vehicle level detector so that the energy stored in said biased energy storage system is commensurate with an amount of energy required to move said closure from said closed position to said opened position for the detected inclination or declination.

A hydraulic closure system for use in a motor vehicle and constructed and arranged to cooperate with a closure opening defined by an opening frame of the motor vehicle body, said system comprising:

• a closure constructed and arranged to be pivotally mounted on the opening frame for movement between a closed position in which said closure closes the closure opening and an opened position in which said closure is oriented to permit access through the closure opening;
• a latching structure constructed and arranged to latch said closure in said closed position and to unlatch said closure to permit said closure to move from said closed position to said opened position;
• at least one hydraulic actuator assembly including a cylinder and a piston rod assembly, said piston rod assembly including a piston and a rod member connected to said piston, said piston being moveable within said cylinder in slidably sealed relation with inner walls of said cylinder, said rod member extending outwardly from a rod extension end of said cylinder,
• said piston rod assembly being moveable between an extended condition in which said rod member has a relatively large extent thereof extending outwardly from said rod extension end of said cylinder so as to create a distance between said one end and said opposite end of said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly sufficient to maintain said closure in said opened position and a contracted condition in which said rod member has a relatively smaller extent thereof extending outwardly from the rod extension end of said cylinder in comparison with said extended condition to create a distance between said one end and said opposite end of said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly that enables said closure to be disposed in said closed position;
• a biased energy storage system constructed and arranged to expend energy stored therein on a first side of said piston when said closure is unlatched to move the piston toward said rod extension end of said cylinder and thereby move said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly from said contracted condition to said extended condition and move said closure from said closed position to said opened position and maintain said closure in said opened position;
• an energy monitoring device constructed and arranged to monitor the amount of energy stored in said biased energy storage system;
• and
• an energy control system in communication with said energy monitoring device and constructed and arranged to control the amount energy stored in said biased energy storage system so that said amount of energy remains within a predetermined range so that said amount of energy remains commensurate with the energy required to move said closure from the closed position to the opened position.

A hydraulic closure system for use in a motor vehicle and constructed and arranged to cooperate with a closure opening defined by an opening frame of the motor vehicle body, said system comprising:

• a closure constructed and arranged to be mounted on an upper portion of the opening frame and pivoted for movement about a horizontal axis between a closed position in which said closure closes the closure opening and an opened position in which said closure is oriented to permit access through the closure opening;
• an electrically operated latching structure constructed and arranged to latch said closure when said closure is moved to said closed position and to unlatch said closure in response to a first electrical signal to permit said closure to move from said closed position to said opened position;
• a manually overridable power control system including at least one hydraulic actuator assembly, said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly coupling said closure with said closure opening and being capable of effecting movement of said closure between said opened and closed positions in response to hydraulic fluid flow generated by said manually overridable power control system,
• said manually overridable power control system including an energy storage system constructed and arranged to store energy therein and to expend energy stored therein to effect hydraulic fluid flow that causes said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly to move said closure from said closed position to said opened position when said latching structure is unlatched in response to said first electrical signal, said manually overridable power control system being constructed and arranged to effect hydraulic fluid flow that causes said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly to move said closure from said opened position to said closed position in response to a second electrical signal;
• a remote control device;
• and
• an electrical controller responsive to selective activation of said remote control device to generate said first electrical signal to unlatch said latching structure and thereby permit said manually overridable power control system to effect hydraulic fluid flow that causes said at least one actuator to move said closure from said closed position to said opened position, said electrical controller being responsive to selective activation of said remote control device to generate said second electrical signal so that said manually overridable power control system effects, hydraulic fluid flow that causes said at least one hydraulic actuator assembly to move said closure from said opened position to said closed position,
• said manually overridable power control system permitting manually generated movement of said closure from said opened position to said closed position.