SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MULTIPLE LATCHES

Abstract

A method for operating each of the latches in the drive arrangement provided with three latch motors interconnected by four half-bridges. The method includes the steps of determining whether a predetermined period is passed to control each of the motors, determining whether a second predetermined period is passed to control each of the motors after the first predetermined period is passed, measuring current in each of the motors for actuation when the first and second predetermined periods are each passed, determining whether the measured current is less than a predetermined threshold value, and operating each of the motors to perform a cinch operation of each of the latches when the measured current is less than the predetermined threshold value.

Claims

1. A drive arrangement for a splitgate system having an upper gate and a lower gate for a vehicle, the drive arrangement comprising: an upper latch included in the upper gate and operatively connected with an upper latch motor; a first lower latch included in the lower gate and operatively connected with a first lower latch cinching motor; a second lower latch included in the lower gate and operatively connected with a second lower latch cinching motor; a controller configured to operate each of the upper latch motor, the first lower latch cinching motor, and the second lower latch cinching motor to perform a cinch operation of the upper latch, the first lower latch, and the second lower latch, wherein the upper latch motor, the first lower latch cinching motor, and the second lower latch cinching motor are operatively interconnected to control a rotational direction of the motors such that each of the three motors uses a respective half-bridge connection and a common half-bridge connection to make a H-bridge connection.

2. The drive arrangement of claim 1, wherein the upper latch motor, the first lower latch cinching motor, and the second lower latch cinching motor are operatively interconnected with eight (8) MOSFETs to control the rotational direction of each motor.

3. The drive arrangement of claim 1, wherein, in the cinch operation, the controller is configured to switch on a high voltage (H) in the respective half-bridge connection of the motors and a low voltage (L) in the common half-bridge connection such that current flows toward the common half-bridge connection from each of the half-bridge connections to operate the motors.

4. The drive arrangement of claim 3, wherein, in the cinch operation, each of the motors runs in a clockwise (CW) direction such that the latches are moved to a primary position from a secondary position.

5. The drive arrangement of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to further operate each of the motors to perform a rewind operation for resetting a position of the motors.

6. The drive arrangement of claim 5, wherein, in the rewind operation, a rotational direction of the motors is an opposite from the rotational direction of the motors in the cinch operation.

7. The drive arrangement of claim 5, wherein, in the rewind operation, the controller is configured to switch on a low voltage (L) in the respective half-bridge connection of the motors and a high voltage (H) in the common half-bridge connection such that each current flows toward the respective half-bridge connection from the common half-bridge connection to operate the motors.

8. The drive arrangement of claim 7, wherein, in the rewind operation, each of the motors runs in a counterclockwise (CCW) direction such that the latches are moved to a home position from a primary position.

9. The drive arrangement of claim 1, wherein when the controller determines that a cinch operation of the upper latch starts in ongoing cinch operations of the first and second lower latches, the controller is configured to perform the cinch operations of the three latches.

10. The drive arrangement of claim 1, wherein when the controller determines that a cinch operation of the upper latch starts in ongoing rewind operations of the first and second lower latches, the controller is configured to stop and wait the rewind operations of the first and second lower latches until the upper latch completes the cinch operation.

11. The drive arrangement of claim 10, wherein when the cinch operation of the upper latch is completed, the controller is configured to resume the rewind operations of the first and second lower latches and also perform a rewind operation of the upper latch.

12. The drive arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a first lower latch releasing motor and a second lower latch releasing motor to unlock the respective first and second lower latches such that the first and second lower latches are moved to a secondary position from a primary position.

13. The drive arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a pair of upper spindle drives to move the upper gate between an open position and a closed position, and a pair of lower spindle drives to move the lower gate between an open position and a closed position.

14. A method for operating each of the latches in the drive arrangement of claim 1, the method includes the steps of: determining whether a first predetermined period is passed to control each of the motors; determining whether a second predetermined period is passed to control each of the motors after the first predetermined period is passed; measuring current in each of the motors for actuation when the first and second predetermined periods are each passed; determining whether the measured current is less than a predetermined threshold value; and operating each of the motors to perform a cinch operation of each of the latches when the measured current is less than the predetermined threshold value.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of operating each of the motors to perform a rewind operation of each of the latches after the cinch operation of the latches is completed.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the first and second predetermined periods is around 40 msec.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined threshold value of the current in each of the motors is around 8A.

18. A drive arrangement for a splitgate system having an upper gate and a lower gate for use in a vehicle, the drive arrangement comprising: an upper latch included in the upper gate and operatively connected with an upper latch motor, the upper latch motor connected to a first half-bridge; a first lower latch included in the lower gate and operatively connected with a first lower latch cinching motor, the first lower latch cinching motor connected to a second half-bridge; a second lower latch included in the lower gate and operatively connected with a second lower latch cinching motor, the second lower latch cinching motor connected to a third half-bridge; wherein the upper latch motor, the first lower latch cinching motor, and the second lower latch cinching motor are operatively interconnected to one another by the first, second and third half-bridges to form a H-bridge connection; and a controller configured to, responsive to a current flowing through the H-bridge connection being or falling below a predetermined threshold value, operate and control a rotational direction of each of the upper latch motor, the first lower latch cinching motor, and the second lower latch cinching motor via the H-bridge connection to perform a cinch operation of the upper latch, the first lower latch, and the second lower latch.

19. The drive arrangement of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to operate and control a rotational direction of the first lower latch cinching motor in response to a first predetermined period passing.

20. The drive arrangement of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to operate and control a rotational direction of the second lower latch cinching motor in response to a second predetermined period passing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a vehicle illustrating an upper gate and a lower gate of a splitgate system of the vehicle in an open position in accordance with an exemplary form of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 2A is a side view of the splitgate system having the upper gate and the lower gate in the open position of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the splitgate system having the upper gate and the lower gate in a closed position of FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electronic control unit (ECU) communicating with latches and spindle drives in the splitgate system of FIG. 1;

[0018] FIG. 4 is a portion of the ECU of the drive arrangement showing motors interconnected with MOSFETs; and FIG. 4A is an interconnection diagram of three (3) motors;

[0019] FIG. 5A is a diagram showing three (3) motors connected to a common half-bridge connection in a clockwise (CW) direction, and FIG. 5B is a diagram showing three (3) motors connected to the common half-bridge connection in a counterclockwise (CCW) direction;

[0020] FIGS. 6A-6C are examples of the combined operation of three (3) latches in the drive arrangement of FIG. 4;

[0021] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of the drive arrangement operation of FIG. 4; and

[0022] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of the drive arrangement operation including a diagnosis operation of the motors.

[0023] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments can take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative bases for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures can be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical application. Various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications or implementations.

[0025] A, an, and the as used herein refers to both singular and plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. By way of example, a processor programmed to perform various functions refers to one processor programmed to perform each and every function, or more than one processor collectively programmed to perform each of the various functions.

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a rear portion of a vehicle 10 having a splitgate system, which is in an open position. It is contemplated that the vehicle 10 may be one of a variety of types of vehicles (e.g., SUV, crossover, truck, sedan, van, coupe, etc.), in various embodiments. For example, FIG. 1 shows the vehicle 10 including a cabin 14 for passengers, and two gates such as an upper gate 16 and a lower gate 18. The upper and lower gates 16 and 18 are operable between the open position and the closed position. As shown in FIG. 1, opening the upper gate 16 and/or the lower gate 18 may access to the cabin 14 of the vehicle 10, and particularly provide access to a cargo area 20 of the vehicle 10. The cargo area 20 may be an area of the vehicle 10 for receiving cargo for storage therein. For example, the vehicle 10 includes the rear cargo area 20 that is accessible via opening one of the upper and lower gates 16 and 18 of the vehicle 10. In some implementations, the cargo area 20 may be positioned outside of the cabin 14 of the vehicle 10. For example, the vehicle 10 may be a pickup truck, the cargo area 20 may be a bed of the truck (not shown), and the rear gate may be a tailgate of the truck that gives access to the bed. In another example, the vehicle 10 may be an electric vehicle, the cargo area 20 may be a front truck, and the gate may be a hood that is a movable to an open position to provide access to the front trunk (not shown).

[0027] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the upper and lower gates 16 and 18 are each operable to pivot about an upper pivot axis 22 and a lower pivot axis 24 between the open and closed positions. It is contemplated that, in various embodiments, the upper and lower gates 16 and 18 are operable to move between the open and closed positions in at least one of a variety of ways (e.g., translation, sliding, pivoting, etc.). As shown in FIG. 1, for example, one or more gates 16 and 18 of the vehicle 10 are operable to be power actuated between the open and closed positions via operation of one or more actuators such as an upper actuator 26 and/or a lower actuator 28, which are each coupled to the vehicle 10. Various types of actuators 26 and 28 are configured to move the upper and/or lower gates 16 and 18 are contemplated (e.g., electric motor, piston (i.e., spindle), solenoid, etc.).

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 includes a rear gate assembly 12 positioned at the rear portion of the vehicle 10. The rear gate assembly 12 is operable to selectively provide access to at least one of the cabin 14 of the vehicle 10 and the cargo area 20 of the vehicle 10. In some embodiments, the rear gate assembly 12 includes a single gate (not shown). For example, the rear gate assembly 12 may include a single trunk door operable to provide access to a trunk of the vehicle 10 in the open position. In another example, the rear gate assembly 12 may include a single tailgate of a truck operable to provide access to the bed of the truck in the open position. Further, in some example, the rear gate assembly 12 may include a single door lift gate that pivots to the open position to provide access to the storage area positioned within the cabin 14 of the vehicle 10 (not shown).

[0029] In FIG. 1, for example, the rear gate assembly 12 includes the splitgate system having an upper gate 16 and a lower gate 18 positioned in the vehicle-downward of the upper gate 16. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the upper gate 16 pivots a first direction (vehicle-upward) about the upper pivot axis 22 from the closed position to the open position. The lower gate 18 pivots a second direction (vehicle-downward) about the lower pivot axis 24 that is an opposite from the first direction of the upper gate 16 from the closed position to the open position. The upper gate 16 and the lower gate 18 are coupled to each other in their respective closed position.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, further, the upper gate 16 includes an upper distal end 30 that is located distally relative to the upper pivot axis 22 about which the upper gate 16 pivots between the open and closed positions. The lower gate 18 includes a lower distal end 32 that is located distally relative to the lower pivot axis 24 about which the lower gate 18 pivots between the open and closed positions. So, the upper and lower distal ends 30 and 32 of the upper and lower gates 16 and 18 are proximate and/or in contact with each other in the closed position of the upper and lower gates 16 and 18.

[0031] Referring back to FIG. 1, the splitgate system of the vehicle 10 is an electrically driven system configured to articulate the upper gate 16 and the lower gate 18 between the open and closed positions. In general, the upper and lower gates 16 and 18 are each automatically operated by the electrically driven system. For example, the upper gate 16 may be opened without opening the lower gate 18 (not shown), both of the upper and lower gates 16 and 18 may be opened at the same time (see FIG. 1), and the lower gate 18 may be opened without opening the upper gate 16 (not shown).

[0032] In FIG. 1, an electronic control unit (ECU) 34 (i.e., a controller) is included in the vehicle 10 to control the splitgate's opening and closing. The controller is configured to independently control movements of the upper and lower gates 16 and 18. So, this may include an upper module control sequence where the upper gate 16 is actuated to the open position while the lower gate 18 remains closed. Another gate control sequence may be a dual mode where both of the upper and lower gates 16 and 18 are simultaneously articulating.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the ECU 34 to control the splitgate system 11 of the vehicle 10 in the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the splitgate system 11 includes an upper latch 36, the upper actuator 26, a first lower latch 38, a second lower latch 40, and the lower actuator 28. For example, each of the upper actuator 26 and the lower actuator 28 includes a pair of upper and lower spindle drives 42 and 44 (see FIG. 1). Each of the upper and lower spindle drives 42 and 44 includes a first end pivotally attached to the vehicle 10 and a second end pivotally attached to the upper and lower gates 16 and 18, respectively. Further, each of the upper and lower spindle drives 42 and 44 is operatively connected to respective bi-direction motors (i.e., an upper actuating motor 46 and a lower actuating motor 48) for controlling the upper and lower actuators 26 and 28 between the open position and closed position. The upper and lower spindle drives 42 and 44 are each configured to move from a retracted position to a deployed position. So when the each of the upper and lower gates 16 and 18 is in the open position as shown in FIG. 2A, each of the upper and lower spindle drives 42 and 44 is in the deployed position. When each of the upper and lower gates 16 and 18 is in the closed position as shown in FIG. 2B, each of the upper and lower spindle drives 42 and 44 moves to the retracted position.

[0034] In FIGS. 1 and 3, further, the upper gate 16 of the splitgate system 11 includes the upper latch 36, which is located at the upper distal end 30. The lower gate 18 of the splitgate system 11 includes the first lower latch 38, which is located at the left side of the lower gate 18 and the second lower latch 40, which is located at the right side of the lower gate 18. However, the locations of the latches 36, 38, and 40 are not limited to the identified locations above. In another approach, the locations of the latches 36, 38, and 40 may be changed to other locations according to the splitgate system's design.

[0035] In general, each of the upper, first lower, and second lower latches 36, 38, and 40 is configured to move or actuate from an unlocked position to a secondary position (i.e., the gates are partially closed (not shown)). At the secondary position, the controller continues to apply power to the latches for moving the latches to the primary position (i.e., the gates are fully closed) from the secondary position. So when each of the upper and lower spindle drives 42 and 44 actuates from the deployed position (i.e., the open position of the gates) to the retracted position (i.e., the partially closed position of the gates), the three latches 36, 38, and 40 are each actuated to move to the primary position (locked position) from the unlocked position via the secondary position.

[0036] Referring to FIG. 4, the ECU 34 is communicated with a plurality of electric motors to control the latches 36, 38, and 40 between the cinch operation and the release operation. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper latch 36 is controlled by an upper latch motor 54 for the cinch and release operation, and the first and second lower latches 38 and 40 are each controlled by two different motors such as cinching motors 50 and 52 for the cinch operation and releasing motors 51 and 53 for the release operation. For example, the electric motors used in the latches 36, 38, and 40 are also the bi-directional motors to control the both rotational directions such as a clockwise (CW) direction and a counterclockwise (CCW) direction. Further, the upper latch 36, the first lower latch 38, and the second lower latch 40 are each engaged with a respective striker installed in the vehicle 10 to lock each of the upper gate 16 and the lower gate 18 in the closed position.

[0037] In general, a bi-directional motor is controlled with 4 MOSFETs. For example, in FIG. 4, the upper and lower actuator motors 46 and 48 are each connected to four (4) MOSFETs such that the actuator motors 46 and 48 are each controlled with a full H-Bridge connection and are independently operated to control each of the upper and lower spindle drives 42 and 44. Unlike the upper and lower actuator motors 46 and 48, the first lower latch cinching motor 50, the second lower latch cinching motor 52, and the upper latch motor 54 are interconnected to one another such that the motors are controlled with eight (8) MOSFETs to perform the cinch operation of the upper latch 36, the first lower latch 38, and the second lower latch 40 instead of twelve (12) MOSFETs. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the upper latch motor 52 and the first and second lower latch cinching motors 52 and 54 is controlled with the respective half-bridge connection 58, 60, and 62, and a common half-bridge connection 64. FIG. 4A shows the interconnection diagram of the three (3) motors 50, 52, and 54 connected with each of the half-bridge connections 58, 60, and 62, and the common half-bridge connection 64.

[0038] FIGS. 5A and 5B show the operating topology of the first lower latch cinching motor 50, the second lower latch cinching motor 52, and the upper latch motor 54, which are interconnected to control the cinch operation and the rewind operation of each of the three (3) latches 36, 38, and 40. Each of the first lower latch cinching motor 50, the second lower latch cinching motor 52, and upper latch motor 54 uses the respective half-bridge connection 58, 60, and 62, and the common half-bridge connection 64 such that each of the three motors 50, 52, and 54 is controlled using one full H-bridge connection. FIGS. 5A and 5B show the cinch operation and the rewind (i.e., home) operation of the three latches 36, 38, and 40. In the cinch operation of FIG. 5A, each of the half-bridge connections 58, 60, and 62 connected to the respective motor is switched on a high voltage (H) and the common half-bridge connection 64 is switched on low voltage (L) such that the current flows toward the common half-bridge connection 64 from each of the half-bridge connections 58, 60, and 62 (see arrows in FIG. 5A) to control the rotational direction of the motors (e.g., a clockwise (CW) direction). Further, the cinch operation of the three latches 36, 38, and 40 may be operated simultaneously because each of the motors is controlled by the common half-bridge connection 64.

[0039] After completing the cinch operation of the three latches, each motor is not in a position to perform the next operation of the motor. Accordingly, the ECU 34 is configured to reset the position of the motors to perform the next operation, which is defined as a rewind operation of the latches. In the rewind operation of the latches, the motors run in an opposite direction from the rotational direction of the previous operation. As described above, in the cinch operation, the motors connected to the H-bridge connections run in the CW direction such that, in the rewind operation of the latches, the motors run in a counterclockwise (CCW) direction, which is the opposite direction from the cinch operation. As shown in FIG. 5B, each of the half-bridge connections 58, 60, and 62 connected to the respective motor is switched on the low voltage (L) and the common half-bridge connection 64 is switched on the high voltage (H) such that the current flows toward each of the half-bridge connections 58, 60, and 62 from the common half-bridge connection 64 (see arrows in FIG. 5B) to control the rotational direction of the motors (e.g., the counterclockwise (CCW) direction). Also, the rewind operation of the three latches 36, 38, and 40 may be operated simultaneously because each of the motors is controlled by the common half-bridge connection 64.

[0040] Due to the common half-bridge connection 64, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B and also described above, all of the latches 36, 38, and 40 may work simultaneously in the cinch operation and/or the rewind operation. For example, if any of the latches is doing the rewind operation and other latch starts cinch operation, then the ongoing rewind operation is paused until the cinch operation of the other latch is completed. After completing the cinch operation of the other latch, the paused rewind operation is resumed and also the other latch also starts the rewind operation. In the present disclosure, accordingly, the three latches 36, 38, and 40 may be operated simultaneously in the cinch and/or rewind operations.

[0041] Further, when the lower gate 18 is only closed while the upper gate 16 is in the open position, the controller 34 is configured to operate the first and second lower latch cinching motors 50 and 52 to perform the cinch and rewind operations of the first and second lower latches 38 and 40, which is the same way as in the cinch and rewind operations of the three latches including the upper latch 36, the first lower latch 38, and the second lower latch 40. For example, the first lower latch 38 and the second lower latch 40 may be operated simultaneously in the cinch and rewind operations. Further, when the cinch operation of the second lower latch 40 starts in ongoing the rewind operation of the first lower latch 38, the ongoing rewind operation of the first lower latch 38 is stopped and paused, and then the cinch operation of the second lower latch 40 starts and is completed. After the second lower latch 40 completes its cinch operation while the rewind operation of the first lower latch 38 is paused, the rewind operations of the first and second lower latches 38 and 40 may start simultaneously to reset the motors for the next operation.

[0042] FIGS. 6A-6C show the combined operation scenarios of the three latches 36, 38, and 40 operatively connected with the respective motors 50, 52, and 54. FIG. 6A shows that the cinch operation of the upper latch 36 starts in ongoing cinch operation of the first and second lower latches 38 and 40. In this case, the cinch operations of the three latches 36, 38, and 40 may run simultaneously. After completing the cinch operation of the three latches 36, 38, and 40, the rewind operations of the three latches 36, 38, and 40 may also run simultaneously. FIG. 6B shows that the cinch operation of the upper latch 36 starts in ongoing rewind operation of the first and second lower latches 38 and 40 (i.e., the first and second lower latches are in the primary position, but the upper latch is not in the primary position yet). In this case, the rewind operations of the first and second lower latches 38 and 40 are stopped and paused, and then the cinch operation of the upper latch 36 starts and is completed. After the cinch operation of the upper latch 36 is completed while the rewind operations of the first and second lower latches 38 and 40 are paused, the rewind operations of the first and second lower latches 38 and 40 are resumed and also the rewind operation of the upper latch 36 starts such that the three latches may run simultaneously.

[0043] FIG. 6C shows that the cinch operation of the upper latch 36 starts in the rewind operation brake time of the first and second lower latches 38 and 40. In this case, the cinch operation of the upper latch 36 waits and starts after the rewind operation brake time of the first and second lower latches 38 and 40 is passed. In the scenario of FIG. 6C, the first and second lower latches 38 and 40 reach first the primary position and reset the position for the next operation, and then the upper latch reaches its primary position and resets the position for the next operation. Further, the combined operation scenarios of the three latches using the common half-bridge connection are not limited to the scenario examples described above and shown in FIGS. 6A-6C such that the various operation scenarios of the three latches using the common half-bridge connection may be occurred in the drive arrangement of the present disclosure.

[0044] FIG. 7 shows a flow chart 100 of the cinch and rewind operations of one of the first and second lower latches 38 and 40 using the common half-bridge connection in the present disclosure. As shown in the flow chart 100 and also described above, each of the first and second lower latch cinching motors 50 and 52 connected to the respective half-bridge connection and the common bridge connection may run simultaneously in the CW direction such that the latches are moved to primary position from the secondary position defined as the cinch operation. After the cinch operation of the latches, the motors also runs simultaneously in the CCW direction such that the latches are moved to home position from the primary position defined as the rewind operation. FIG. 8 shows a flow chart 110 showing a diagnosis step whether the cinch operation of each of the lower latches 38 and 40 is possibly performed by checking current value in the H-bridge connection having the respective half-bridge connection and one common bridge connection.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 8, the ECU (i.e., controller) 34 is configured to check current flowing through the H-bridge connection connected to each of the lower latch cinching motors 50 and 52 to perform the cinch operation of the lower latches 38 and 40. In steps 112 and 114 of the diagnosis process, the controller 34 is configured to send a wait signal for a predetermined period (e.g., around 40 msec), and then send another wait signal for an additional predetermined period (e.g., around 40 msec) before checking the current flowing in the H-bridge connection of each of the motors. In step 116 of the diagnosis process, the controller 34 is configured to measure the current value flowing through the H-bridge connection connected to each of the lower latch cinching motors 50 and 52. Further, the controller is configured to determine whether the measured current is less than a predetermined threshold value (e.g., around 8A) or not.

[0046] In step 118, if the controller 34 determines that the measured current is less than the predetermined threshold value, the controller is configured to perform the cinch operation of each of the lower latches. In step 120, however, if the controller 34 determines that the measured current is not less than the predetermined threshold value, the cinch operation of each of the lower latches cannot be performed. In step 122, further, the controller 34 is configured to perform the rewind operation of each of the lower latches after the cinch operation of the lower latches is completed.

[0047] The foregoing description of various forms of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Numerous modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The forms discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various forms and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

[0048] While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. As previously described, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form further embodiments of the invention that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the specific application and implementation. These attributes can include, but are not limited to cost, strength, durability, life cycle cost, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. As such, to the extent any embodiments are described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics, these embodiments are not outside the scope of the disclosure and can be desirable for particular applications.

[0049] The following is a list of reference numbers shown in the Figures. However, it should be understood that the use of these terms is for illustrative purposes only with respect to one embodiment. And, use of reference numbers correlating a certain term that is both illustrated in the Figures and present in the claims is not intended to limit the claims to only cover the illustrated embodiment.

PARTS LIST

[0050] 10 vehicle [0051] 11 splitgate system [0052] 12 rear gate assembly [0053] 14 cabin [0054] 16 upper gate [0055] 18 lower gate [0056] 20 cargo area [0057] 22 upper pivot axis [0058] 24 lower pivot axis [0059] 26 upper actuator [0060] 28 lower actuator [0061] 30 upper distal end [0062] 32 lower distal end [0063] 34 electronic control unit (ECU) [0064] 36 upper latch [0065] 38 first lower latch [0066] 40 second lower latch [0067] 42 upper spindle drives [0068] 44 lower spindle drives [0069] 46 upper actuating motor [0070] 48 lower actuating motor [0071] 50 first lower latch cinching motor [0072] 51 first lower latch releasing motor [0073] 52 second lower latch cinching motor [0074] 53 second lower latch releasing motor [0075] 54 upper latch motor [0076] 58 first lower latch half-bridge connection [0077] 60 second lower latch half-bridge connection [0078] 62 upper latch half-bridge connection [0079] 64 common half-bridge connection [0080] 100 flow chart [0081] 110 flow chart with diagnosis steps