To create a system for a furniture item that is electrically powered and functionally more flexible, with improved energy consumption, and independent from the mains voltage, an energy management method is proposed with the the steps of (i) generating electrical energy from the displacement of a component (C; 30) of a furniture item movable by a user, (ii) storing electrical energy thus generated in an electric accumulator (B), preferably placed onboard the furniture item.

A drive arrangement for a door device which includes a door member. The drive arrangement includes a door shaft, a driven shaft which is operatively connected to the door shaft, a transmission arrangement which drives the door shaft, and at least one electric motor which is coupled to the transmission arrangement to move the door member of the door device from a closed state to an open state and vice versa. The at least one electric motor has at least one eccentric drive shaft. The transmission arrangement includes an eccentric gear transmission which has at least two orbiting toothed disks, each of which have an internal toothing. The at least two orbiting toothed disks are driven by the at least one eccentric drive shaft of the at least one electric motor, and, via the internal toothing, engage with the driven shaft.

A powered tailgate opening system having object collision protection is disclosed for reducing the risk of collision with an object during opening of the tailgate. The opening system has an object distance sensor to sense a distance to an object during movement of the tailgate and an opening angle sensor for sensing an angle of opening of the tailgate. A memory stores limit distance values which vary according to different angles of opening of the tailgate and a controller controls a tailgate movement drive mechanism according to a determination of whether a sensed distance at a sensed angle of opening is less than the stored limit distance value for that sensed angle of opening.

An egress entrance system (1) comprising a swing door member (10) having a door leaf (12), an initiate device (13) for initiating a panic opening, and an automatic door operator (30) is provided. The automatic door operator (30) has a motor (34) capable of causing movement of the door member (10), a controller (31) for controlling operation of the motor (34), and the automatic door operator (30) being operable in a testing mode (60) and an operational mode, wherein the controller (31) is configured, in the testing mode (60), to automatically determine at least one test parameter; and causing an action in response to the determined test parameter.

A device for controlling a door of a vehicle includes a drive unit that pivots the door between closed and open positions, wherein the closed and open positions define a pivoting range of the door. The device includes a control unit to control the drive unit. The device also includes a sensor unit that monitors the pivoting range. The sensor unit transmits a collision signal when an object is in the pivoting range while the drive unit is pivoting the door. The control unit transmits a switch-off signal to the drive unit if the control unit receives the collision signal.

An automatic hatch assembly for bulk material containers includes a hatch cover which covers a fill opening of the container, and may be retrofitted to existing containers equipped with a conventional hatch cover. A drive unit is operable to open and close the hatch cover, and a locking assembly actuates an extendable lock member. Optionally, a pneumatic seal is provided within the cover for sealing the container from the outside environment. The locking assembly is adapted to resist opening forces applied to the cover, such as when the container is pressurized, and a sequencing controller may be provided to facilitate automated operation of the opening/closing, locking/unlocking, and/or sealing/unsealing of the hatch cover.

An opening and closing body drive device includes: an opening and closing body; a latch mechanism; an opening and closing body drive section; a control section; and a movement sensor, wherein the control section includes a middle reference count value and a pushing count value, and the control section compares the current count value acquired by the movement sensor when the opening and closing body becomes the predetermined state with the latch mechanism and the middle reference count value with each other and corrects the current count value, and the control section assumes that the opening and closing body has arrived the fully-closed position when the opening and closing body has moved by an amount corresponding to the pushing count value from a count value corresponding to the middle reference count value and stops driving of the opening and closing body drive section.

An open roof assembly for use in a vehicle roof of a vehicle comprises a moveably arranged closure member for selectively covering or at least partially exposing an opening in the vehicle roof, an electric motor operatively coupled to the closure member through a mechanical drive assembly for moving the closure member, an electric driving unit for providing a supply signal to the electric motor and a control unit operatively coupled to the electric driving unit for controlling operation of the electric motor. The electric driving unit comprises four switching devices in a bridged configuration and the control unit is configured to control a motion of the closure member by controlling operation of the switching devices, and to incur a safety stop during a motion of the closure member by an immediate reversal of a polarity of the supply signal.

An open roof assembly for use in a vehicle roof comprises a moveably arranged closure member and a drive system operatively coupled to the closure member for moving the closure member along a motion trajectory. The drive system comprises an electric motor and a control unit for controlling operation of the electric motor. The control unit comprises a mathematical model describing at least a part of the drive system; model parameters and a motion reference field. The control unit is configured to update the model parameters based on a received value of a first drive system variable; determine a value of a second drive system variable using the mathematical model; determine a comparison value by comparing the value of the second drive system value and a corresponding reference value of the motion reference field; and detect presence of an obstruction if the comparison value lies outside a predetermined value range.

A refrigerator comprises: a cabinet including a storage compartment, a door opening or closing the storage compartment, a door opening device including a push rod moving from an initial position to a door opening position for opening the door and a motor providing power to the push rod, and a controller controlling the motor. The controller allows the motor to rotate at a first opening speed for opening the door of the refrigerator. The controller changes a rotation speed of the motor to a second opening speed lower than the first opening speed before the push rod contacts the door of the refrigerator or the cabinet.