The present disclosure may be embodied as a rotary actuator for lifting a load against gravity. The actuator includes a housing and a drive motor attached to the housing. The drive motor has a drive shaft. The drive shaft may be configured to be manually operated. A rotatable output shaft is attached to the housing and in mechanical communication with drive shaft. The actuator includes at least one spring which is configured to act on the output shaft to at least partially offset a weight of the load. The at least one spring may be a torsion spring. The at least one spring may be configured to unwind when the motor is driven to lift the load, and may be configured to be wound when the motor is driven to lower the load. The at least one spring may comprise a plurality of springs, such as torsion springs.

A system and method are described for providing an air quality alert to an occupant of a host vehicle. The system includes a communication unit adapted to be mounted in the host vehicle and configured to receive a wireless vehicle-to-x communication comprising an air quality value associated with a geographic area outside the host vehicle. The system also includes a controller adapted to be mounted in the vehicle and provided in communication with the communication unit. The controller is configured to generate an air quality alert control signal operative to provide an air quality alert to the occupant of the host vehicle based on a relationship of the air quality value to an air quality threshold value.

A protection device for a window opening of a motor vehicle, with a window pane shiftable between a closed position closing the window opening and an open position opening the window opening, at least one shading structure shiftable between a window shading position and a window unblocking position, and a cable drive system for driven shifting of the window pane and/or of the shading structure and having a drive and a cable strand movable by the drive. A mechanical coupling arrangement which, depending on the position of the window pane, the shading structure and movement of the cable strand, is transferable between a first coupling state, in which the shading structure is coupled to the cable strand for the driven shifting and the window pane is decoupled therefrom, and a second coupling state, in which the shading structure is decoupled from the cable strand and the window pane is coupled to the cable strand for the driven shifting.

A moving body control device controls a moving body that moves by a rotation of a motor. The moving body control device includes: a pinching detecting unit that detects pinching of an object based on a change in a physical quantity indicating a rotation state of the motor. The pinching detecting unit is configured to: determine that the pinching has occurred in a case in which a first difference of the physical quantity in a first period is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and a tendency of a change in the physical quantity in the first period is a monotonous increase or a monotonous decrease; and lower a value of the first threshold value in a case in which the tendency of the monotonous increase or the monotonous decrease of the physical quantity continues for a period longer than the first period.

An opening-closing member controller includes a control unit that executes an initialization process to store at least a fully closed position of an opening-closing member. In the initialization process, the control unit closes the opening-closing member, executes entrapment reversing control one or more times when entrapment is detected to open the opening-closing member, and closes the opening-closing member after the entrapment reversing control to store a position where the opening-closing member locks as the fully closed position.

A motor control system configured to detect a pinch condition of a structure actuated by a motor includes a pinch detection module configured to receive a current signal indicative of a motor current, determine a rate of change of current based on the current signal, and generate a pinch signal indicative of the pinch condition in response to either one of the motor current being greater than a current threshold and the rate of change of current being greater than a rate of change threshold. The motor control system further includes a position control module configured to control the motor to actuate the structure in response to an input and at least one of stop and reverse the motor in response to the pinch signal.

A window regulator has a guide rail extending in a drive direction of a window glass, and a slider supporting the window glass and supported on the guide rail so as to slide in the drive direction. In the window regulator, the guide rail has a grease application region extending in the drive direction, and the slider has multiple grease application portions provided along the drive direction to apply grease in a stepwise manner to the grease application region.

An opening/closing body control device continues an as-needed operation where the opening/closing body is controlled in response to the operation instruction signal even when an abnormality in an opening/closing position of the opening/closing body is detected, continues opening and closing the opening/closing body until it is determined that the abnormal state in the opening/closing instruction signal is confirmed even when an abnormality in the opening/closing instruction signal is detected during the as-needed opening/closing operation, and stops opening and closing the opening/closing body the abnormal state in the opening/closing instruction signal is confirmed. The confirmation time at the presence of the opening/closing position abnormality is shorter than that at the absence of opening/closing position abnormality.

An unattended occupant alarm assembly includes a plurality of passenger pressure pads that is each integrated into a respective passenger seat in a vehicle to detect the weight of a passenger sitting in any other the passenger seats. A driver pressure pad is integrated into a driver's seat of the vehicle to detect the weight of a driver sitting in the driver's seat. A control unit is coupled to the vehicle. The control unit is actuated into an alert condition when the driver pressure pad does not detect the weight of the driver and any of the passenger pressure pads detects the weight of the passenger after a pre-determined duration of time. Additionally, the vehicle horn is actuated to emit an audible alarm and the electric window system is actuated to roll down windows of the vehicle when the control unit is actuated into the alert condition.

The disclosure provides a vehicle side structure. The vehicle side structure is for being mounted near a door, and includes: an electric motor disposed inside the door to drive a door glass up and down; a fitting member, fitting the door and a vehicle body; and a connecting member, connecting the fitting member and the electric motor.