IP Library Granted Patent US 12,539,823
Granted Patent B2
US 12,539,823 · App. 17/288,257 · Granted Feb 3, 2026

Automobile hatch opening/closing device

Inventors: Atsushi Joko (Osaka, JP); Hiromu Daidou (Hyogo, JP)
Assignee: HI-LEX CORPORATION
B60R25/01B60J5/10E05B81/06E05B81/56E05F15/622E05F15/70E05B83/00E05B85/243E05B85/26E05Y2201/22E05Y2201/434E05Y2201/70E05Y2201/702E05Y2400/32E05Y2400/40E05Y2900/546
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,539,823
App. No.
17/288,257
Granted
Feb 3, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An opening/closing body opening/closing device includes: an opening/closing body; a closing mechanism; an opening/driving body driving section; a control section; and a position detection section. The closing mechanism includes an engaging portion, an engaged portion, a closing mechanism-side driving section, and an interaction detection section. The control section causes the closing mechanism-side driving section to perform closing driving and, after the closing driving, sets the engaging part to an open state so as to allow the closing mechanism to lock the opening/closing body through engagement between the engaging portion and the engaged portion when a positional difference between a current position and an engageable position of the opening/closing body is outside a predetermined range. Use of the opening/closing body opening/closing device makes a zero position of the opening/closing body settable in an originally supposed position even when the closing mechanism operates while the opening/closing body is in an improper position.

Claims (27)

1 . An automobile hatch opening/closing device, comprising:

a hatch that is configured to open and close with respect to a rear opening of an automobile;

a closing mechanism that is configured to lock the hatch in a closed state;

a hatch driving section that is configured to cause the hatch to transition to an open state or the closed state;

a processor that is configured to control driving of the closing mechanism and the hatch driving section; and

a position detection section that is configured to detect a position of the hatch,

wherein the closing mechanism includes:

an engaging portion provided in one of the automobile or the hatch;

an engaged portion provided in another of the automobile or the hatch;

a closing mechanism-side driving section that is configured to cause the engaging portion to transition between the open state and the closed state; and

an interaction detection section that is configured to detect that the engaging portion and the engaged portion have interacted with each other,

wherein the open state of the engaging portion includes:

a first state in which the engaged portion is movable to a position where the engaged portion is engageable with the engaging portion; and

an unlatched state in which engagement between the engaging portion and the engaged portion is released,

wherein the closed state of the engaging portion includes a second state in which the engaged portion is locked by the engaging portion,

wherein the processor is configured to:

cause the closing mechanism-side driving section to drive the engaging portion to transition from the first state to the second state, when the processor acquires interaction information on occurrence of interaction between the engaging portion and the engaged portion;

determine a first position of the hatch after the driving, determine a second position of the hatch when the engaged portion is engageable with the engaging portion, and determine a difference between the first position and the second position as the positional difference;

cause the closing mechanism-side driving section to set the engaging portion from the second state to the unlatched state so as to allow the closing mechanism to lock the hatch through the engagement between the engaging portion and the engaged portion in a case where the positional difference is outside a predetermined range; and

cause the closing mechanism-side driving section to perform the driving again, after the setting is performed.

2 . The automobile hatch opening/closing device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the automobile is a vehicle body, and

the hatch is a back door of a vehicle.

3 . The automobile hatch opening/closing device according to claim 1 , wherein the engaging portion includes a latch.

4 . The automobile hatch opening/closing device according to claim 1 , wherein the engaged portion includes a striker.

5 . The automobile hatch opening/closing device according to claim 1 , wherein the closing mechanism-side driving section includes a closure motor.

6 . The automobile hatch opening/closing device according to claim 1 , wherein the interaction detection section includes a switch.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 27, 2026
From: FORTA, LLC
To: J.P. MORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 074773/0612 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 23, 2021
From: JOKO, ATSUSHI; DAIDOU, HIROMU
To: HI-LEX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 056022/0742 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2018-205998 · Oct 31, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210380070A1 · Dec 9, 2021
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