OEM&Lieferant Ausgabe 1/2018

94 The car recognizes the driver, the door opens without human activation and the side bolsters on the front seat lower to facilitate vehicle entry. This is how automotive supplier Brose presented the intelligent interaction between its door and seat functions at the International Motor Show 2017 in Frankfurt am Main. The central element of this new access experience is an electric drive that automatically opens and closes side doors. This function will be commonplace in the age of autonomous driv- ing – and it can already provide useful services today in car sharing: if the user does not close the door properly when exiting, the vehicle must be able to do this itself before it drives off or after it has stopped. But first applica- tions of the drive will offer greater comfort to vehicle users for entering and exiting vehicles – and enable carmakers to set themselves apart from their competitors with this function. Significantly enhanced comfort Brose introduced its side door drive concept in 2015, building on its expertise as a world Open for greater comfort By Rainer Weichel, Director Product Group Door Drives, and Thomas Schindler, Vice President Electronics, Brose Group When cars drive autonomously in the future, it goes without saying they will have doors that open and close automatically. But this function will already be seen in more and more cars in the next few years, making vehicle access more comfortable and convenient than ever before. The mechatronics specialist Brose offers a complete system for this that encompasses everything from drives to a soft-close feature. Innovations Images: © Brose The Brose door drive system comprises the (1) drive, (2) anti-trap and (3) collision protection sensors, the (4) control unit and (5) open-by-wire latch with (6) power cinching unit. market leader in systems for automatic opening and clos- ing of liftgates. The automo- tive supplier systematically further developed this innova- tion until it was series ready: the first production ramp-up is scheduled for 2019; various uses un- til 2025 in luxu- ry vehicles and mid-range cars are confirmed. The hinged car door opens and closes via remote con- trol, smartphone or gestures and can even be operated on slopes and at an angle of up to 15 degrees. Manual operation is still possible – and also more convenient: the electronics sense a man- ual movement and disengage the drive so that the door can move freely. If the movement stops, the integrated currentless door check securely holds the door in any position. The compact side door drive by Brose can adapt to different customer and vehicle requirements. Series production starts in 2019. Flexibility cuts costs The Brose concept is unique thanks to its compact and modular design, which makes it possible to flexibly adapt the side door drive to different customer or vehicle require- ments. This not only shortens development time, the use of standard components also keeps costs low. Brose’s product uses exist- ing door interfaces, so it can be offered as an option without modifications to the ve- hicle body. The drive works directly at the door check strap. If the required space is not available there, the optional connection via Bowden cables allows for flexible positioning of the unit in the door. Brose has expanded its expertise in the inter- action of mechanical, electric and electronic systems and offers its door drive as a com- plete system from a single source: this includes a power opening latch with soft-close feature and the door control unit. Capacitive sensor strips on the hinge and latch side increase safety as contact-free anti-trap protection and can also be used as switches. This technology is based on Brose’s proven liftgate systems that have been in use for years. New sensor technology for collision protection There is currently still one constraint in com- fort: the user must keep an eye on the open- ing movement and hold a button the whole