A furniture drive including a housing to be arranged on a furniture panel, and an actuating arm assembly for moving the movable furniture part, and the actuating arm assembly includes an actuating arm movably-supported relative to the housing to be fixed to the movable furniture part. The actuating arm assembly is movable between a first relative position and a second relative position, and includes actuating arms pivotable relative to one another. A pivotal movement of the actuating arm assembly from the second relative position toward the first relative position can be blocked by a releasable blocking device including a movably supported blocking element movable between a blocking position and an unblocking position. A blocking element of the blocking device is supported on one of the actuating arms and includes an abutment bearing against a counter-abutment of the other of the actuating arms in the blocking position.

A powered actuation mechanism for operating a closure panel device coupled to a closure panel of a vehicle, the closure panel operated between a closed position and a partially open position, the mechanism including: a motor operatively coupled to a control member; a lever body mounted at a pivot end to a body of the vehicle by a first pivot connection and coupled at an output end to a closure panel device by a second pivot connection, the lever body for driving the closure panel device; the control member having a control connection coupling the control member to the lever body, the control connection moveable between the first pivot connection and the second pivot connection such that the lever body has an opening to provide a releasable engagement of the control connection between the lever body and the control member.

A hinge assembly for a door, the hinge assembly including a hinge pin arranged to be fixed to the door at one end and having a pin connector part at an opposite second end. A rotation damper connected to a damper connector part arranged to cooperate with the pin connector part for transferring torque around an axis of rotation between the damper connector part and the pin connector part throughout an opening angle of the door, such that a rotational movement of the damper connector part about the axis of rotation in at least a first rotational direction is dampened by the rotation damper. The pin connector part and the damper connection part allow an initial closing angle of rotation of the door before the damper acts on the rotation of the hinge pin, the initial closing angle being at least 2°.

A hinge comprising: a first hinge member (110) comprising a cylinder barrel (117) having a longitudinal direction (118); a second hinge member (111) pivotably mounted on the first hinge member (110); and a dashpot interposed between said hinge members (110, 111) and configured for damping a closing movement of said closure member. The dashpot comprises a closed cylinder cavity formed within the cylinder barrel (117); a damper shaft (124) which extends into the cylinder cavity and is connected to the second hinge member (111); and a piston (147) within said cylinder cavity. The hinge members (110, 111) are made of a synthetic material and the damper shaft (124) is made of metal.

A device for assisting the opening and closing of a door in a structure. The device may comprise: a door shaft configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis thereof in both a first direction and in a second opposite direction, and configured to be mounted to the structure to form a hinge about which the door may rotate in the both the first and second directions relative to the structure; a first actuator linked to the door shaft and configured to control a speed of rotation of the door shaft in the first direction; and a second actuator linked to the door shaft and configured to drive rotation of the door shaft in the second direction. The second actuator is an electromechanical actuator.

A dashpot comprising: a closed cylinder cavity and a damper shaft (24) which are rotatable with respect to one another; a piston (47) which is slideable between two extreme positions; and a motion converting mechanism to convert the relative rotation between the cylinder barrel (17) and the damper shaft (24) into a sliding motion of the piston (47). The motion converting mechanism comprises two co-operating screw threads, one (58) being provided on an outer wall of the piston (47) and the other one being provided on an inner wall of the cylinder barrel (17) or on an inner wall of a plastic tubular element fixed to the cylinder barrel. By providing the screw thread (58) on the outside of the piston (47), the diameter of the screw thread (58) is increased thereby increasing its lead and thus causing a higher volume of hydraulic fluid to be displaced during operation of the dashpot.

A drive arrangement for adjusting a flap of a motor vehicle about a body including a motor, a drivetrain, and a freewheel mechanism. The drivetrain is disposed between the motor and the flap. The freewheel mechanism provided with a drive component including a transmitting element, and a driven component provided with a receiving element coupled to the transmitting element. During motoric movement of the flap between the closed and the open position over at least a portion of the pivot angle, the motor actuates the drive component and displaces the transmitting element, from a neutral position, conjointly with the receiving element along a displacement path.

The technology relates to assisting in the closing of a vehicle door by automatically pulling a door closed. One or more computing devices having one or more processors may receive, from one or more sensors, information indicating that a door on the vehicle is not closed. In response to the received information indicating that the door is not closed, the one or more computing devices may determine to send a triggering signal to close the door. The one or more computing devices may send the triggering signal to the actuator and the actuator may receive the triggering signal. In response to receiving the triggering signal the actuator may be activated to close the door of the vehicle without user input.

An overhead door system is disclosed, which includes a first track and a second track mounted on opposite sides of an opening. Each track has a vertical portion, a transition portion, and a horizontal portion, with the transition portion being between the vertical portion and the horizontal portion. An overhead door engages the first and second tracks on opposite sides of the overhead door and is movable along the first and second tracks between a closed, vertical position and a raised, horizontal position. A motor unit has a motor that is mounted above the horizontal portions of the first and second tracks. A rail is parallel to and disposed between the horizontal portions of the first and second tracks. The rail carries a carriage configured to move in a first direction to raise the overhead door and in a second, opposite direction to lower the overhead door. A connecting member is pivotally attached at one end near a top edge of the overhead door and attached at an opposite end to the carriage. A one-way bearing is disposed between the motor and the carriage. The motor, as it rotates in a first rotational direction, applies force to the carriage to move the carriage in the first direction to raise the overhead door. Nevertheless, owing to the one-way bearing, the motor, as it rotates in a second, opposite rotational direction, does not apply force to the carriage to move the carriage in the second direction to lower the overhead door. A kit to retrofit an overhead door system with a one-way bearing is also disclosed.

A method for the operation of a motorized flap arrangement of a motor vehicle, wherein the flap arrangement has a flap which is pivotable with respect to a motor vehicle body, wherein the flap arrangement has a back-driveable drive arrangement for the motorized adjustment of the flap and a control arrangement for controlling the drive arrangement. It is proposed that an, in particular gravitationally induced, predetermined flap deflection is detected by means of the control arrangement from a de-energized intermediate position of the flap in a monitoring routine and, in response to the detection of the predetermined flap deflection, a holding routine is triggered in which the drive arrangement is adjusted to a flap-holding position in a holding control circuit.