Abstract: An automotive vehicle has a power operated lift-gate that is opened and closed by two drive units. The typical drive unit has a guide channel, an attachment assembly that is disposed in the guide channel, a flexible drive member that is attached to the attachment assembly and formed in a loop for moving the attachment assembly in the guide channel. The flexible drive member is trained solely around two pulleys at the respective opposite ends of the guide channel to form the flexible drive member in a narrow loop. One of the pulleys is an idler pulley that is part of an adjustable pulley assembly and the other pulley is driven by a power unit that is attached to the guide channel. The adjustable pulley assembly adjusts the distance between the pulleys to take up slack in the flexible drive member.

Abstract: A cinching latch assembly is disclosed herein. The cinching latch assembly having: a housing; a unidirectional motor mounted to the housing; at least one gear operatively connected to the unidirectional motor; at least one cam member operatively connected to the at least one gear; and a latch lever pivotally mounted relative to the housing, the latch lever being operatively connected to the at least one cam member wherein, operation of the unidirectional motor in a first direction rotates the gear causing the cam member to urge the latch lever between a first position and a second position wherein the latch lever rotates a fork bolt into a primary latched configuration.

Abstract: An extruded capacitive sensor assembly includes multiple sense conductors of unequal length disposed in an upper section of a non-conductive jacket, and a ground conductor disposed in a lower section of the jacket adjacent a panel or carrier to which the strip is affixed. A sensor strip with three sense conductors is formed by extruding a non-conductive jacket having first and second sense conductors in the upper section of the jacket, and severing the first sense conductor to create three unequal length sense conductor segments. Electrical termination to the sense and ground conductors can be made at the point where the first sense conductor is severed, or at the end of the sensor strip. In cases where only two sense conductor segments are needed, the third sense conductor segment is removed or simply un-used.

Abstract: A drive unit for a power operated vehicle closure has a track, a guide moveable along the track, a link attached to the guide at one end and adapted to be attached to the vehicle closure at the opposite end, and a motor assembly for moving the guide along the track. The motor assembly has an electric motor and a speed reducer driven by the electric motor that has a first stage and a second stage. The first stage includes a belt drive and the second stage is a spur gear set. Alternatively the first stage is a worm gear and a mating helical gear. The worm gear preferably has a high lead angle and a high number of leads. The speed of the electric motor is reduced to about 1000 rpm or less in the first stage permitting the use of spur gears in the second stage while retaining quiet operation.

Abstract: Arrangement, in particular for a motor vehicle, having a closing device which can be pivoted about an axis between a closed and an open position, for example a boot lid or a tailgate, a compensating device acting on the closing device, in particular at least one gas-pressure spring, which is pretensioned and a counter-force opposes the weight of the closing device, and a motor-driven drive which can be operated at least unidirectionally, in particular bidirectionally, in order to pivot the closing device about the axis in at least one direction, wherein the motor-driven drive is designed to be repellable, in order to facilitate manual actuation of the closing device.