This invention relates to the control of the speed of an electrically driven door on a motor vehicle.
Electrically driven doors on a vehicle are generally known. For example, it is known to provide an electrically powered sliding door for a van in which the door is opened and closed by operation of an electric motor. The motor torque required to open or close the door typically varies with door position and vehicle inclination. For example, if the vehicle is stopped in a downhill heading, the gravity assist reduces the torque required by the motor to close the door. On the other hand, additional torque is required to close the door if the vehicle is on an uphill heading. If the motor is sized to close the door when the vehicle is on an uphill heading, application of full motor torque to close the door when on a downhill heading will result in a higher door speed.
It is therefore desirable to provide for the control of the speed of the door movement so as to compensate for vehicle inclination and other factors that may affect door movement.