Tailgate Drive Control Using Friction-Based Motor Assistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The drive arrangements in cargo-space tailgates of motor vehicles, particularly pickup trucks, exert a noticeable influence on the motion behavior during manual actuation, leading to sluggishness or unnatural sequences due to the requirement for large drive forces and friction effects, which affect the perceived ease of operation.
Innovation Solution
A drive arrangement with an electric drive and control system that adapts motorized assistance based on friction parameters, utilizing a mechanical clearance to determine and compensate for drive friction, ensuring a natural hatch motion by combining manual and motorized actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If electric drives with large dimensions are used to provide large drive forces, then the drive force capability is improved, but the device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by adapting the motorized assistance level based on friction parameters detected during operation. The control arrangement adjusts the drive activation in response to detected friction conditions, optimizing the balance between drive force and friction compensation without requiring excessively large drives. This dynamic parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction by providing sufficient drive force only when needed, rather than continuously using large-dimensional drives.
2Ease of operation
If motorized assistance is increased to reduce manual forces, then the ease of operation is improved, but the motion behavior becomes unnatural and sluggish
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by using the control arrangement to detect friction parameters during manual operation and adjusting motorized assistance accordingly. The system continuously monitors the actual friction conditions and adapts the drive activation to match the operator's manual input, providing just enough assistance to reduce effort while maintaining natural motion characteristics. This closed-loop feedback prevents over-assistance that would cause sluggish or unnatural behavior.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the level of motorized assistance based on detected friction parameters. When friction is high, the drive provides more assistance; when friction is low, the drive provides less or no assistance. This adaptive parameter adjustment ensures that the motion remains natural and responsive to operator input while still providing necessary assistance to reduce manual forces.
3Ease of operation
If drive friction is compensated to improve motion naturalness, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by using the existing drive's own operational data (current, speed, position) to detect friction parameters and compensate for friction effects. The control arrangement analyzes the drive's own performance characteristics during normal operation to infer friction conditions and automatically adjusts assistance accordingly, eliminating the need for separate friction sensors or complex external measurement systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical friction measurement systems with an electronic/control-based approach. Instead of using physical force sensors or mechanical measurement devices to detect friction, the system uses the control arrangement to analyze electrical parameters (current, speed) from the existing drive system to infer friction conditions and compensate accordingly. This substitution reduces mechanical complexity while achieving the same friction compensation function.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances the ease of operation by reducing the noticeable drive friction, allowing for a natural and seamless manual-motorized combined hatch motion, without the need for additional force sensors, and adapting to mechanical boundary conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a drive arrangement (1) with an electric drive (6), for providing a drive force
Implementation Method 2
the output element (11) and the drive coupling (12) are coupled subject to a mechanical clearance in which the output element (11) is capable of being operated by the drive (6) without transmission of the drive force to the drive coupling (12)
Data Source
AI summary
A drive arrangement for motorized adjustment of a cargo-space-tailgate arrangement of a motor vehicle the cargo-space-tailgate arrangement including a cargo-space tailgate adjustable between an open position and a closed position, the drive arrangement includes an electric drive, for providing a drive force, and a control arrangement for activating the electric drive. The drive arrangement includes an output element and a drive coupling. The output element transmits the drive force to the drive coupling for motorized adjustment of the cargo-space tailgate. The control arrangement activates the drive in an adjustment routine for motorized adjustment of the cargo-space tailgate to assist an actuation action introduced manually the cargo-space tailgate, and the control arrangement activates the adjustment routine based on an activation preset that is dependent on at least one friction parameter of the drive.