A structural member 10 includes a hat member 1 and a closing plate 2. The length LY of the tubular portion formed by the hat member 1 and the closing plate 2 is 6 or more times the height H of a pair of side walls 11 and 12. Each of the side walls 11 and 12 includes a high-strength portion 11A or 12A and low-strength portions 11B or 12B. The high-strength portion has a yield strength not less than 500 MPa. The low-strength portions have a yield strength of 60 to 85% of that of the high-strength portion. Each high-strength portion extends a distance not less than ()H and not more than 3H as measured in the direction in which the ridges extend, and is provided such that the high-strength portions of the pair of side walls face each other. A pair of low-strength portions sandwich the associated high-strength portion.

A vehicle door lock apparatus (1) includes latch and actuating housings (9, 7) that are fixed between outer and inner panels (3, 4) of a vehicle door (2). A connector fitting section (80C) is exposed through an open window (4H) in the inner panel (4) toward a vehicle interior side of the inner panel (4). A movable member (50) includes a second end (52) that projects out of the actuating housing (7), passes through an opening (80H) in the actuating housing (7) and also passes through the open window (4H) toward the vehicle interior side, where it is coupled to a link member (C3). The connector fitting section (80C) and the opening (80H) are covered by a single umbrella-shaped blocking member (89) that contacts the actuating housing (7) and the inner panel (4) around at least an upper side of the peripheral edge of the open window (4H).

A control element for roof or window adjustment in a motor vehicle includes a surface and a sensor. The surface has an introduced recess and a surface portion. The surface portion is connected to the surface in a gap-free manner above the recess. The surface portion only partially covers the recess. The sensor is formed within the surface portion or is arranged onto the bottom side thereof to detect deformations of the surface portion.

A door beam includes an outer flange, an inner flange, and a pair of webs connecting the outer flange and the inner flange. The outer flange, the inner flange, and the pair of webs define a closed cross-sectional portion. The outer flange includes an outer central portion constituting the closed cross-sectional portion, and outer protruding portions protruding outward from the closed cross-sectional portion. The inner flange is formed with an attachment press working portion having been subjected to press working so as to serve as an attachment portion with respect to the inner panel at both end portions in the longitudinal direction. The outer protruding portion is formed with a mastic press working portion having been subjected to press working so as to serve as an attachment portion with respect to the outer panel.

Provided are a detecting device and a loading ratio estimating system which are highly durable, with which it is possible for an open or closed state of a luggage compartment door to be stably detected, and with which a decrease in design freedom in the vicinity of the luggage compartment door can be suppressed. This detecting device includes: a calculating unit which acquires a color image of the interior of a luggage compartment provided with a door that is free to open and close, and which calculates a determination value on the basis of color information relating to a plurality of pixels included in the color image; and a determining unit which determines that the door is open if the determination value is greater than a predetermined threshold, and determines that the door is closed if the determination value is at most equal to the threshold.

A system for operating an automatically movable panel that forms a portion of an exterior of a vehicle, and provides access to an interior of the vehicle; a motivator connected to the panel and moving the panel through a range of motion; a proximity sensor; and a control module disposed within the motor vehicle, the control module having a processor configured to execute control logic, the motivator and the proximity sensor in electronic communication with the control module. The control logic including: determining a position of the panel; receiving a plurality of passive inputs; selectively utilizing the motivator to move the panel through the range of motion based on the passive inputs; utilizing the proximity sensor to selectively determine when to initiate movement of the movable panel through the range of motion with the motivator; and informing a motor vehicle occupant of movement of the panel via a human-machine interface.

A system for operating an automatically movable panel that forms a portion of an exterior of a vehicle, and provides access to an interior of the vehicle; a motivator connected to the panel and moving the panel through a range of motion; a proximity sensor; and a control module disposed within the motor vehicle, the control module having a processor configured to execute control logic, the motivator and the proximity sensor in electronic communication with the control module. The control logic including: determining a position of the panel; receiving a plurality of passive inputs; selectively utilizing the motivator to move the panel through the range of motion based on the passive inputs; utilizing the proximity sensor to selectively determine when to initiate movement of the movable panel through the range of motion with the motivator; and informing a motor vehicle occupant of movement of the panel via a human-machine interface.

A vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus mounted on a vehicle includes a first imaging unit that captures an image of a rear side and a diagonally backward, a distance detection unit that detects a distance from the vehicle to an object present in the rear side and the diagonally backward, based on the image captured by the first imaging unit, a course prediction unit that predicts a course of the object, based on transition of the distance to the object detected by the distance detection unit, and an entry prediction unit that predicts whether the object enters a door opening and closing area, based on the course of the object predicted by the course prediction unit and the door opening and closing area which is set on sides of the vehicle and defines a movable range in which side doors of the vehicle are opened and closed.

A vehicle latch is disclosed herein, the vehicle latch, having: a first gear with a first gear pitch radius that reduces from a first gear tooth to an ending gear tooth; a second gear with a second gear pitch radius that increases from a first gear tooth to an ending gear tooth, the second gear being rotatably mounted to the latch for movement about a second gear axis; and wherein rotation of the second gear causes a claw of the latch to move from a first position to a second position, the second position corresponding to a closed state of the latch.

A vehicle latch is disclosed herein, the vehicle latch, having: a first gear with a first gear pitch radius that reduces from a first gear tooth to an ending gear tooth; a second gear with a second gear pitch radius that increases from a first gear tooth to an ending gear tooth, the second gear being rotatably mounted to the latch for movement about a second gear axis; and wherein rotation of the second gear causes a claw of the latch to move from a first position to a second position, the second position corresponding to a closed state of the latch.