Vehicle liftgate power operating system

A power operating system that opens and closes a vehicle liftgate for pivotal attachment to an aft end of a vehicle roof for pivotal movement between an open position and a closed position about a generally horizontal axis comprising:

• at least one drive unit that includes a reversible electric motor, a segmented sector driven by the electric motor and a track,
• the segmented sector having a plurality of links including one link that slides in the track,
• the one link being pivotally attached to the vehicle liftgate at one end and to a second link of the segmented sector at the other end,
• the vehicle liftgate pivoting about a hinge axis,
• the track having a rearward portion that is arcuately shaped with a radius of curvature that is centered on the hinge axis, and the one link being arcuately shaped with a curvature that matches that of the rearward the track so that the one link slides back and forth in the rearward portion of the track pivoting about the hinge axis,
• the track having a wave-like configuration and including a forward portion for storing at least a portion of the segmented sector when the vehicle liftgate is in the closed position, and
• the segmented sector having a plurality of sector links including the second link, the one link having an integral sector link at an inboard end and wherein the sector links are pivotally connected end to end in chain-like fashion.

A power operating system that opens and closes a vehicle liftgate comprising:

• a vehicle frame and an access opening;
• the vehicle liftgate pivotally attached to the vehicle frame adjacent to a top of the access opening for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal pivot axis;
• a drive unit supported on the frame and connected to the vehicle liftgate for opening and closing the vehicle liftgate,
• the drive unit including a reversible electric motor, a gear unit and a track,
• the track including a rearward arcuate track portion that is fixed to the vehicle body and a forward storage track portion,
• an arcuate link that slides in the arcuate track portion and a segmented sector disposed in the track comprising a plurality of short sector links and the arcuate link,
• the arcuate link having an inboard end that is pivotally connected to an end of one of the short sector links of the segmented sector and an outboard end that is connected to the vehicle liftgate, and
• the electric motor having a gear output that drives the segmented sector via the gear unit.