A foot operable door opener operates, without using one's hands, and without an electrical assist. The entrance cycle is initiated by stepping on a pedal. This force drives the pedal a ¼ turn, engaging a soft wheel to open the door. The pedal is hard linked to a crank arm which goes into a unidirectional crank shaft hub to turn the wheel. The downward pressure from the pedal pivots a ratcheted hinge connected to a bracketed spring-loaded wheel assembly to keep constant pressure to the ground. A gear box or multiple pumps of the pedal turns the wheel two or more 360 degrees rotations, opening the door to allow the entrant to pass until the foot pedal is dis-engaged. This action releases the ratcheting hinge mechanism, allowing the spring assisted wheel assemble to rotate to its original up position, releasing the wheel from the ground, allowing the door to close.

An emergency mechanism for manually opening a powered door that includes a hold-close latch that holds the door in a closed position. During the manual operation, a manually operated handle for actuating only the hold-closed latch is manually moved from a non-actuating position to an actuating position, which actuates the hold-close latch to release the door from the closed position. The handle is held in the actuating position until it is moved back to the non-actuating position during a subsequent powered operation, thus allowing a user to move the door to an opened position using both hands.

Systems and methods are provided for protecting a door system from damage by a back electromotive force (EMF) voltage generated when a door coupled to a door actuator is manually closed. The door system may include a driver configured to drive the door actuator to move the door, and a back EMF protection circuit. The back EMF protection circuit detects a back EMF voltage generated by the door actuator when the door is moved, and determines whether the back EMF voltage exceeds an overvoltage threshold. In response to determining that the back EMF voltage exceeds the overvoltage threshold, the back EMF protection circuit causes the driver to transition to an enabled state to short the back EMF voltage to ground.

The disclosure concerns a method for controlling a sliding door arrangement of a motor vehicle, wherein the sliding door arrangement comprises a sliding door, a drive arrangement for motorized displacement of the sliding door, a control arrangement and a sensor arrangement with at least one sensor element, in particular implemented as a proximity sensor, where-in during operator event monitoring by means of the control arrangement the sensor signals of the sensor arrangement are monitored as to whether a predetermined operator event exists. It is proposed that the sensor arrangement is disposed at least partly in or on the sliding door and that opening the sliding door at least from a closed end position and/or closing the sliding door at least from an open end position is/are carried out by means of the drive arrangement depending on the result of the operator event monitoring.

An emergency mechanism for manually opening a powered door that includes a hold-close latch that holds the door in a closed position. During the manual operation, a manually operated handle for actuating only the hold-closed latch is manually moved from a non-actuating position to an actuating position, which actuates the hold-close latch to release the door from the closed position. The handle is held in the actuating position until it is moved back to the non-actuating position during a subsequent powered operation, thus allowing a user to move the door to an opened position using both hands.

A foot operable door opener operates, without using one's hands, and without an electrical assist. The entrance cycle is initiated by stepping on a pedal. This force drives the pedal a ¼ turn, engaging a soft wheel to open the door. The pedal is hard linked to a crank arm which goes into a unidirectional crank shaft hub to turn the wheel. The downward pressure from the pedal pivots a ratcheted hinge connected to a bracketed spring-loaded wheel assembly to keep constant pressure to the ground. A gear box or multiple pumps of the pedal turns the wheel two or more 360 degrees rotations, opening the door to allow the entrant to pass until the foot pedal is dis-engaged. This action releases the ratcheting hinge mechanism, allowing the spring assisted wheel assemble to rotate to its original up position, releasing the wheel from the ground, allowing the door to close.

A door drive device for adjusting and/or locking a vehicle door relative to a vehicle body including an adjustment member, a drive element operatively coupled to the adjustment member such that the adjustment member is movable with respect to the drive element for moving the vehicle door, a sensor device for measuring a measuring quantity indicative of a movement of the vehicle door to provide a sensor signal, a brake device operatively connected to the drive element for braking a movement of the vehicle door, and a control device for controlling operation of the door drive device. The control device is configured to compute, from the sensor signal obtained from the sensor device, an acceleration value indicative of an acceleration of the vehicle door and evaluate the acceleration value to distinguish movement of the vehicle door caused by a gravity force from movement caused by a user action.

Disclosed is a method (50) of providing finger pinch protection at a hinge area of a swing door-based entrance system (1) having a motorized automatic door operator (30) for opening (2) of the swing door (10) in an automatic mode of the entrance system (1), wherein the entrance system (1) also has a manual mode in which a human user may cause opening and closing of the swing door (10) by manual force. The method involves monitoring (52), by a first sensor function (S1), for presence of a person or object in a first zone (PD) at the first door leaf surface (12-1) and non-proximate to a vertical door edge (14). The method also involves monitoring, by a second sensor function (S2), for presence of a person or object in a second zone (PDHA) at the first door leaf surface (12-1) and proximate to said vertical door edge (14). When any of the first sensor function (S1) or second sensor function (S2) detects presence in the first zone (PD) or second zone (PDHA) in the automatic mode during an ongoing opening of the swing door (10), the automatic door operator (30) is controlled so as to stop opening of the swing door (10). When the second sensor function (S2) detects presence in the second zone (PDHA) in the manual mode, the automatic door operator (30) is controlled so as to counteract an attempt by a human user to manually open the swing door (10). A corresponding entrance system (1) is also disclosed.

A bodywork part for a motor vehicle is provided. The bodywork part includes a main body made from a plastic material and an anti-pinching system. The latter comprises a capacitive sensor comprising at least a first conductive wire integrated into the thickness of the main body by welding, said capacitive sensor being able to detect the presence of an object or a hand of a user in said peripheral zone.

A foot operable door opener operates, without using one's hands, and without an electrical assist. The entrance cycle is initiated by stepping on a pedal. This force drives the pedal a ¼ turn, engaging a soft wheel to open the door. The pedal is hard linked to a crank arm which goes into a unidirectional crank shaft hub to turn the wheel. The downward pressure from the pedal pivots a ratcheted hinge connected to a bracketed spring-loaded wheel assembly to keep constant pressure to the ground. A gear box or multiple pumps of the pedal turns the wheel two or more 360 degrees rotations, opening the door to allow the entrant to pass until the foot pedal is disengaged. This action releases the ratcheting hinge mechanism, allowing the spring assisted wheel assemble to rotate to its original up position, releasing the wheel from the ground, allowing the door to close.