WO2015061885A1

WO2015061885A1 - Closure panel drive mechanism with associated linear actuator

Info

Publication number: WO2015061885A1
Application number: PCT/CA2014/000778
Authority: WO
Inventors: Traian Miu; J.R. Scott MITCHELL; Gabriele Wayne SABATINI
Original assignee: Magna Closures Inc.
Priority date: 2013-10-29
Filing date: 2014-10-28
Publication date: 2015-05-07

Abstract

A closure panel assembly including: a closure panel configured for coupling to a vehicle and for being operated between a closed position and an open position; a closure panel drive system mounted on the closure panel, the closure panel drive system including a motor; and a first drive shaft coupling a drive output of the motor to a first attachment pivot point of a first linear actuator used in operating the closure panel between the closed position and the open position, such that the closure panel drive system is mounted remotely from the first attachment pivot point.

Description

CLOSURE PANEL DRIVE MECHANISM WITH ASSOCIATED LINEAR

ACTUATOR

FIELD

[0001] This disclosure relates to a drive system for a closure panel. BACKGROUND

[0002] Some vehicles are equipped with a closure panel, such as a lift gate, which is driven between an open position (position 2) and a closed position (position 1) using a driven actuator. Common problems associated with today's closure panel actuation systems include: packaging mechanisms that interfere with existing objects contained within the vehicle interior as the actuators and connected actuation systems are bulky; packaging mechanisms that have a large effect on the closure panel mass; electric motor that powers their strut is too bulky at the point of connection of the strut with the vehicle; and attachment difficulties of the actuator.

[0003] Further disadvantages of drive systems including linear actuators can include bulky form factors which take up valuable interior body/panel space, a requirement to have additional lift support systems in tandem such as gas struts, and unacceptable impacts on manual open and close efforts that require deemed excessive operator applied manual force at the panel handle.

[0004] A further disadvantage with present drive systems can include positioning and/or coupling of drive mechanisms for the linear actuator in view of the presence of routing or positioning obstacles (e.g. body panels, closure panels, etc.) for the drive mechanisms, in particular sealing issues of panels and/or components of the drive system.

SUMMARY

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a drive system that obviates or mitigates at least one of the above presented disadvantages. [0006] A first aspect provided is a closure panel assembly including: a closure panel configured for coupling to a vehicle and for being operated between a closed position and an open position; a closure panel drive system mounted on the closure panel, the closure panel drive system including a motor; and a first drive shaft coupling a drive output of the motor to a first attachment pivot point of a first linear actuator used in operating the closure panel between the closed position and the open position, such that the closure panel drive system is mounted remotely from the first attachment pivot point.

[0007] A second aspect provided is a closure panel drive assembly for a closure panel, the closure panel configured for coupling to a vehicle and for being operated between a closed position and an open position, the drive assembly having; a motor; and a first drive shaft coupling a drive output of the motor to a first attachment pivot point of a first linear actuator used in operating the closure panel between the closed position and the open position, such that the closure panel drive system is configured for mounting remotely from the first attachment pivot point.

[0008] Objectives of the described systems can include power open and close functionality (via remote key fob and internal / external switches); manual power assist mode via control software and electronics; contact obstacle detection implementation via control software and electronics; use of a lower cost more common automotive grade brushed motor that uses standard ferrite grade magnets; a non-handed strut design for use on both sides of the lift gate for manufacturing simplification and communization; a design that could accommodate third position hold capability; directly drive one or more struts to inhibit closure panel sagging effect.

[0009] Other aspects, including methods of operation, and other embodiments of the above aspects will be evident based on the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0010] Reference is made, by way of example only, to the attached figures, wherein:

[0011] Figure 1 is a side view of a vehicle with a closure panel assembly;

[0012] Figure 2 is an alternative embodiment of the closure panel of Figure 1 ;

[0013] Figure 3A is an example drive assembly for the closure panel assembly of Figure 1 ;

[0014] Figure 3B is a further example of the drive assembly of Figure 3A;

[0015] Figure 4 is an example linear actuator for the closure panel drive assembly shown in Figure 2;

[0016] Figure 5 shows an interior view of the linear actuator of Figure 4;

[0017] Figure 6 shows a cross sectional view of the linear actuator and coupling to a drive shaft of the linear actuator of Figure 4;

[0018] Figure 7 shows further details of the linear actuator of Figure 6; and

[0019] Figure 8 is a further example of the drive assembly of Figure 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0020] In this specification and in the claims, the use of the article "a", "an", or "the" in reference to an item is not intended to exclude the possibility of including a plurality of the item in some embodiments. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art in at least some instances in this specification and the attached claims that it would be possible to include a plurality of the item in at least some embodiments. Likewise, use of a plural form in reference to an item is not intended to exclude the possibility of including one of the item in some embodiments. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art in at least some instances in this specification and the attached claims that it would be possible to include one of the item in at least some embodiments.

[0021] Referring to Figure 1 , shown is a vehicle 10 with a vehicle body 11 having one or more closure panels 14. One example configuration of the closure panel 14 is a closure panel assembly 12 including a linear actuator 15 (e.g. one or more biasing strut(s)) coupled to a closure panel drive system 16 (e.g.

incorporating an electrically powered motor/drive) mounted in the vehicle body and/or preferably in the closure panel 14. For vehicles 10, the closure panel 14 can be referred to as a partition or door, typically hinged, but sometimes attached by other mechanisms such as tracks, in front of an opening 13 which is used for entering and exiting the vehicle 10 interior by people and/or cargo.

[0022] It is also recognized that the closure panel 14 can be used as an access panel for vehicle 10 systems such as engine compartments and also for traditional trunk compartments of automotive type vehicles 10. The closure panel 14 can be opened to provide access to the opening 13, or closed to secure or otherwise restrict access to the opening 13. It is also recognized that there can be one or more intermediate hold positions of the closure panel 14 between a fully open position and fully closed position, as provided at least in part by the closure panel drive system 16 as further described below. For example, the closure panel drive system 16 can assist in biasing movement of the closure panel 14 away from one or more intermediate hold position(s), also known as Third Position Hold(s) (TPHs) or Stop-N-Hold(s), once positioned therein. It is also recognized that the closure panel drive system 16 can be provided as a component of the closure panel assembly 12, such that the closure panel drive system 16 as a component can be separate from the one or more linear actuators 15.

[0023] The closure panel 14 can be opened manually and/or powered electronically via the closure panel drive system 16, where powered closure panels 14 can be found on minivans, high-end cars, or sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and the like. Additionally, one characteristic of the closure panel 14 is that due to the weight of materials used in manufacture of the closure panel 14, some form of force assisted open and close mechanism (or mechanisms) are used to facilitate operation of the open and close operation by an operator (e.g. vehicle driver) of the closure panel 14. The force assisted open and close mechanism(s) is/are provided by the linear actuator 15 including any biasing members therein (e.g. spring loaded struts, gas loaded struts, etc.) and the closure panel drive system 16 when used as part of the closure panel assembly 12, such that the linear actuator 15 is configured to provide an opening force that acts against the weight of the closure panel 14.

[0024] In terms of vehicles 10, the closure panel 14 may be a lift gate as shown in Figure 1 , or it may be some other kind of closure panel 14, such as an upward-swinging vehicle door (i.e. what is sometimes referred to as a gull-wing door) or a conventional type of door that is hinged at a front-facing or back-facing edge of the door, and so allows the door to swing (or slide) away from (or towards) the opening 13 in the body 11 of the vehicle 10. Also contemplated are sliding door embodiments of the closure panel 14 and canopy door embodiments of the closure panel 14, such that sliding doors can be a type of door that open by sliding horizontally or vertically, whereby the door is either mounted on, or suspended from a track that provides for a larger opening 13 for equipment to be loaded and unloaded through the opening 13 without obstructing access.

Canopy doors are a type of door that sits on top of the vehicle 10 and lifts up in some way, to provide access for vehicle passengers via the opening 13 (e.g. car canopy, aircraft canopy, etc.). Canopy doors can be connected (e.g. hinged at a defined pivot axis and/or connected for travel along a track) to the body 11 of the vehicle at the front, side or back of the door, as the application permits.

[0025] Referring again to Figure 1 , in the context of a vehicle application of a closure panel by example only, the closure panel 14 is movable between a closed position (shown in dashed outline) and an open position (shown in solid outline). In the embodiment shown, the closure panel 14 pivots between the open position and the closed position about a pivot axis 18, which is preferably configured as horizontal or otherwise parallel to a support surface 9 of the vehicle 10. In other embodiments, the pivot axis 18 may have some other orientation such as vertical or otherwise extending at an angle outwards from the support surface 9 of the vehicle 10. In still other embodiments, the closure panel 14 may move in a manner other than pivoting, for example, the closure panel 14 may translate along a predefined track or may undergo a combination of translation and rotation between the open and closed position.

[0026] Referring to Figure 2, the linear actuator 15 is coupled at one end at pivot point 20 to the vehicle body 11 and at the other end at pivot point 22 to the closure panel 14. As such, when the linear actuator 15 is in an extending state the closure panel 14 is operated towards the open position and when in a retracting state the closure panel 14 is operated towards the closed position. The closure panel drive system 16 is remotely and operatively coupled via one of the pivot points 20,22 by a drive shaft 17, for example a flexible drive cable. The drive shaft 17 provides for transference of a drive output of the remote closure panel drive system 16 to the linear actuator 15, thus providing for control (e.g. selected state and/or rate of operation) of the extension and retraction states of the linear actuator 15. As such, it is understood that the closure panel drive system 16 is mounted remotely from the linear actuator 15 and thus are coupled to one another by the drive shaft 17. In other words, the closure panel drive system 16 is positioned remotely from the pivot point(s) 20,22, while the drive shaft 17 is positioned adjacent to the pivot points 20,22, as further described below. It is recognized that the linear actuator 15 as a flexible drive cable can be preferred, as the flexible drive cable can be routed around obstacles presented by geometries of the vehicle body 11 and/or closure panel 14.

[0027] Referring to Figures 3a and 3b, shown is an example closure panel drive system 16 including a gearbox 24 coupled to a motor 26 (e.g. electric motor, hydraulic motor, etc.). A mounting bracket 28 is used to mount the closure panel drive system 16 to the vehicle 10, for example mounted in the closure panel 14 or mounted in the body 10 to which the closure panel 14 is connected to via connection (e.g. hinge) 18. The mounting bracket 28 can be connected to the closure panel drive system 16 via the motor 26 and/or a housing 30 of the gearbox 24. The drive shaft 17 provides operative coupling of the closure panel drive system 16 to the one or more linear actuators 15.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3a, the drive shaft 17 is connected at one shaft end 32 to a gear 34,36 of the gearbox 24 and at another shaft end 38 to linear actuator 15 at one of the pivot points 20,22. By example only, the illustrated connection between the shaft end 38 and the linear actuator 15 is at pivot point 22.

[0028] Referring again to Figures 2, 3a and 3b, when a pair of linear actuators 15 are installed on both sides of the closure panel assembly 12 (e.g. a right hand side and a left hand side), the motor 26 can be used to drive both of the linear actuators simultaneously in a same selected state (e.g. retracting or extending) by using respective gears 34,36 of the gearbox 24, such that each of the respective gears 34,36 rotates in a direction opposite to one another. This simultaneous operation of a pair of linear actuators 15 is advantageous in that the linear actuator 15 can be configured as a no-handed design, and as such can be installed on either side of the closure panel assembly 12. Therefore, use of the gearbox 24 (having two or more gears 34,36) rotating in opposite directions) to transfer the drive output of the closure panel drive system 16 to the linear actuators 15, via the drive shafts 17, can be accomplished using the common motor 26 shared by the pair of linear actuators 15. It is recognized that the use of the common motor 26 can provide for weight savings, cost savings, and/or space savings, in comparison to prior art actuators having motors directly attached at one end of the actuators (e.g. positioned adjacent to a pivot point between the prior art actuators and the vehicle). Again, it is recognized that the closure panel drive system 16 can be used to drive one or more linear actuators 15, as desired, such that illustrated is a pair of the linear actuators 15 by example only. [0029] Referring to Figures 4,5, shown is the linear actuator 15 having a housing 40 having an outer tube 42 and an inner tube 44 (or inner member if provided as a solid component). The inner tube 44 is configured to slidably retract into the outer tube 42 when in the retracting state and slidably extend out of the outer tube 42 when in the extending state, as such that inner tube 44 is configured to reciprocate in and out of the outer tube 42 of the linear actuator 15. An attachment member 46 (e.g. ball stud attachment) is connected at one end of the inner tube 44 for coupling the linear actuator 15 to one of the pivot points (e.g. pivot point 20) and an attachment member 48 is connected at the other end of the outer tube 42 for coupling the linear actuator 15 to the other of the pivot points (e.g. pivot point 22). A mounting bracket 50 can be provided, for example for fastening the attachment member(s) 46,48 to the vehicle body 1 1 and/or closure panel 14 as a separate component or as an integrated component to the body 11/ panel 14. As noted, and further described below, the drive shaft 17 (or connection component thereof) can extend through the pivot point 20,22 in order to couple to the attachment member 46,48.

[0030] Referring to Figure 5, shown is the linear actuator 15 coupled to the drive shaft 17 via a gearing arrangement 52 (e.g. a set of bevel gears), such that an axis 54 of the drive shaft 17 is offline with an axis 56 of the linear actuator 15. The gearing arrangement 52 can be mounted in a housing 53 (e.g. separate to or part of housing 40) located at one end of the linear actuator 15. For example, as shown, the axis 54 is positioned at an angle (e.g. approximately 90 degrees) to the axis 56. It is also considered that the axes 54,56 could be parallel and non- collinear with one another, as desired, as facilitated by the gearing arrangement 52. Also noted is that the routing connection of the drive shaft 17 can be through an opening 58 (see Figure 6) of the panel 14 material (e.g. component material such as sheet steel) at the pivot point 20,22. Also noted is that the routing connection of the drive shaft 17 can be through an opening 58 (see Figure 6) of the body 1 1 material (e.g. component material such as sheet steel) at the pivot point 20,22. It is also recognized that the drive shaft 15 can be hard coupled to the inner tube 44 directly and thus without the use of the gearing arrangement 52, as desired. In either case, the drive shaft 17 provides for the drive

mechanism 16 to be remotely positioned from the pivot point 20,22 of the linear actuator, such that the drive shaft 17 is positioned externally to both the linear actuator 15 housing 40 and the housing 30 of the drive mechanism 16. This feature of the external drive shaft 17 used to couple the drive mechanism 16 to the pivot point of the linear actuator 15 can be used to facilitate sharing of a common drive mechanism 16 with two or more actuators. Further, decoupling between the individual position of the drive mechanism 16 on the panel 11 ,14 with the individual position of the linear actuator 15 on the panel 11 ,14 can facilitate using the drive mechanism 16 as a counterweight of the closure panel 14. Further, decoupling between the individual position of the drive mechanism 16 on the panel 11 ,14 with the individual position of the linear actuator 15 on the panel 11 ,14 can facilitate removing the drive mechanism 16 as a counterweight of the closure panel 14. In other words, placement of the interveneing external drive shaft 17 provides for the housing 30 and the housing 40 to be decoupled from one another and therefore positionable on the panel(s) 11 ,14 such that the housings 30,40 are non-adjacent to one another.

[0031] Referring to Figure 6, shown is the outer tube 44 having a drive member 45 (e.g. with all or just a portion as a lead screw such as a threaded rod) coupled at one end to a component (e.g. one gear 49) of the gearing

arrangement 52 (e.g. one gear 49) and at the other end coupled to a compatible drive member 47 (e.g. a drive nut). For example, the gear 49 can be affixed to the drive member 45 and the drive member 47 can be affixed to the inner tube 44. It is also recognized that the drive member 45 can be provided as a drive nut and the drive member 47 as a threaded rod, as desired. In any event, it is recognized that rotation of the drive member 45 (driven via the coupled drive shaft 17) causes the drive member 47 to translate or otherwise reciprocate (depending on selected operational state) along the interior of the outer tube 42. As the drive member 47 moves along the axis 56 of the outer tube 42, the inner tube 44 is caused to extend out or retract in of the outer tube 42 as the drive member 47 and the inner tube 44 are connected to one another. [0032] Also shown are bearings 74 at one end (e.g. adjacent to the attachment member 48 for coupling the linear actuator 15 to the pivot point attachment location 22) for supporting rotational movement of the drive member 45 and at the other end (e.g. adjacent to other end of the outer tube 42 coupled via the inner tube 44 to the attachment member 46 for coupling the linear actuator 15 to the pivot point attachment location 20) for supporting rotational movement of the drive member 47. Also shown in ghosted view is a

compression resilient member 72 (e.g. compression spring), extending between the sets of bearings 74 at either end of the linear actuator 15. It is recognized that as the linear actuator 15 is operated in the retracting and extending states, elongation or shortening of the inner tube 44 respectively out of, or into, the outer tube 42 causes rotation of the attachment members 46,48 about their pivot point mounting locations 20,22, thus providing for the inclusion of a spherical ball joint or other joint configuration providing additional degrees of freedom to

accommodate this rotation between the attachment member 46,48 and the pivot point mounting locations 20,22 of the closure panel 14 and vehicle body 11.

[0033] Referring to Figure 7, shown is the housing 53 of the gearing arrangement 52, which is connected to both the drive member 45 and the drive shaft 17. As such, rotation of the drive shaft 17 causes rotation in the drive member 45. For example, drive shaft 17 is connected via connector 60 to cause simultaneous rotation of drive gear 62 of the gearing arrangement 52 with rotation of the drive shaft 17. As drive gear 62 rotates in one direction, meshed gear 49 (with that of drive gear 62) is driven and rotates to cause rotation of the drive element 45 to effect extension of the inner tube 44. Alternatively, as drive gear 62 rotates in the other direction, meshed gear 49 (with that of drive gear 62) is driven and rotates to cause rotation of the drive element 45 to effect retraction of the inner tube 44.

[0034] It is noted that in the opening 58 at the pivot point 22, the

attachment member 48 (e.g. a spherical bearing, a flexible rubber bushing or other resilient material, etc.) is hollow to provide a channel 64 there-through for facilitating passing of the drive shaft 17 (and/or a connector 60 coupled to one end of the drive shaft 17) through the opening 58 and thereby operatively connected to the gearing arrangement 52. The attachment member 48 can be shaped and fit into the opening 58 so as to provide a seal to inhibit entrance and/or egress of foreign material (e.g. dirt, dust, moisture) through the opening 58. As such, as discussed above, the drive shaft 17 can provide for connection of the remote (to the pivot point 20,22) closure panel drive system 16 through the opening 58 (at the pivot point 20,22) to the drive member 45 of the linear actuator 15. In the example given, the connect of the drive shaft 17 with the drive member 45 is facilitated by the gearing arrangement 52 (e.g. a set of two or more bevel gears 49,62).

[0035] As discussed above, an example construction of the drive mechanism 16 consists of an electric motor 26 attached to the gearbox 24. The electric motor / gearbox subassembly is fastened to the mounting bracket 28 that can be fastened to an interior cavity of the lift gate 14 (for example beneath the rear wiper motor, however other locations could be possible). There can be one or more (e.g. 2) outputs on the gearbox 24, both of which can preferably rotate at the same speed and in the same direction when viewed normal to each respective output. The reason for this corotation ability is that the same linear actuator 15 design can be leveraged on both sides of the lift gate 14 as a non- handed design, making the linear actuator 15 able to be positioned on either the right or left hand of the closure panel 14 as desired. As such, it is advantageous to have a central drive mechanism 16 driving two or more linear actuators 15 positioned remotely from the drive mechanism 16 via corresponding drive shafts 17.

[0036] Because of this non-handed design, each of the linear actuators 15 uses the same directional drive input and this is facilitated by the associated gears of the gearbox 24. The gearbox 24 outputs can have (e.g. 'square' adapter female) sockets 60 that can accept the (e.g. preferred flexible) drive cable 17, so that the drive assembly 16 can be positioned as desired in the closure panel 14 interior while at the same time accommodating internal structures in obstacle to the drive shaft 17. Each flexible drive cable 17 can be sheathed within pliable tubing and both extend through the opening 58 via attachment member 48 to the inputs (e.g. driven gear 49) of their respective linear actuator 15 (left side and right side).

[0037] The inputs to the linear actuator 15 (e.g. 'square' adapter female sockets 60) for accepting the flexible drive cables 17 can also be fixed to the drive gear 62 of the gearing arrangement 52. Note that other adapter 60 geometries are possible for interfacing the flexible cable17 to the gearbox outputs 32 and linear actuator 15 inputs 60. The adapter input 60 can be connected to the bevel gear set 52 that allows for a (e.g. 90 degree) rotation or turning of the powering driving axes 54,56, thereby providing for the drive member 45 (e.g. lead screw) to be directly driven by the remotely positioned closure panel drive assembly 16. As the drive member 45 rotates, it forces the mating (e.g. drive member 47) lead screw nut to translate along the axis 56 thereby causing the inner tube 44 to extend and retract and the coupled lift gate 14 to open and close in response.

[0038] Also, the bottom attachment member 48 of the linear actuator 15 to the closure panel 14 is accomplished through the channel 64 (e.g. of the spherical joint) that is contained within the mounting bracket housing 53 that is affixed to opening 58 (e.g. in the lift gate 14). The spherical joint can provide for additional rotational degrees of freedom of the linear actuator 5 to

mimic/approximate existing strut attachments that use a spherical ball stud attachment methodology. Alternative to the spherical joint of the attachment member 48, for example a flexible/resilient material bushing could allow for appropriate rotational degrees of freedom as the linear actuator operates in the extending and retracting states. As such, the drive shaft 17 is coupled to the linear actuator 15 through the interior of the spherical joint (e.g. through the channel 64 interior to the attachment member 48). [0039] In control of the operation of the gearing arrangement 52, as a such the extending/retracting state of the linear actuator, an electronic computer control module 70 (see Figure 1) receives a command signal to open the lift gate 14 from either an inside lift gate switch, outside handle switch or key fob, as desired. The module 70 can then provide power to the electric motor 26 in the form of a pulse width modulated voltage (for speed control) while obtaining (e.g. hall effect) sensor and current feedback from the motor 26 to ensure that a contact obstacle detection with the closure panel 14 has not occurred. If no obstacle detection is detected by the module 70, the closure panel 14 can be driven to the full open position and held at that location. At this position, if the user tries to move the closure panel 14 to a different opening position, the module 70 can assist the user's effort by supplying limited power to the motor 26 and follow the user's input by moving the closure panel 14 to the newly desired location. When the programmed control algorithm of the module 70 detects that the user is no longer trying to move the closure panel 14, the control module 70 relinquishes power to the motor 26 and the closure panel 14 remains in a '3rd' position hold. If the user provides a sufficiently large motion input to the closure panel 14 on opening or closing (i.e. as is the case when the user wants to the closure panel 14 to fully open or close) the control module 70 can recognize this motion (e.g. via hall effect pulses and current) and execute a full open or close operation. Finally, it should be noted that many control strategies and closure panel 14 ergonomic execution methodologies are possible using the

appropriately configured control module 70 and closure panel drive assembly 16.

[0040] Referring to Figure 8, shown is an alternative embodiment of the linear actuator 15.

Claims

We Claim

1. A closure panel assembly including:

a closure panel configured for coupling to a vehicle and for being operated between a closed position and an open position;

a closure panel drive system mounted on the closure panel, the closure panel drive system including a motor; and

a first drive shaft coupling a drive output of the motor to a first attachment pivot point of a first linear actuator used in operating the closure panel between the closed position and the open position, such that the closure panel drive system is mounted remotely from the first attachment pivot point.

2. The closure panel assembly of claim 1 further including the first linear actuator coupled to the first drive shaft through a first opening of the closure panel at the first attachment pivot point.

3. The closure panel assembly of claim 2, wherein the closure panel drive system further includes a gearbox coupled to the motor, such that the motor output is provided to the first drive shaft as a first gearbox output, the first drive shaft connected to a first gear of the gearbox.

4. The closure panel assembly of claim 3 further including a second linear actuator coupled to a second drive shaft through a second opening of the closure panel at a second attachment pivot point.

5. The closure panel assembly of claim 4, wherein the motor output is provided to the second drive shaft as a second gearbox output, the second drive shaft connected to a second gear of the gearbox, the first gear coupled to the second gear such that the first and second drive shafts are driven in the same direction.

6. The closure panel assembly of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the closure panel is a lift gate and the first linear actuator is a strut biased by a compression member.

7. The closure panel assembly of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein a first axis of the first drive shaft is non-collinear to a second axis of the first linear actuator.

8. The closure panel assembly of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first drive shaft is a flexible drive cable.

9. The closure panel assembly of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein a housing of the closure panel drive system is non-adjacent to a housing of the first linear actuator.

10. A closure panel drive assembly for a closure panel, the closure panel configured for coupling to a vehicle and for being operated between a closed position and an open position, the drive assembly having;

a motor;

one or more mounting brackets for mounting the drive assembly to at least one of the closure panel or a body panel of the vehicle; and

a first drive shaft coupling a drive output of the motor to a first attachment pivot point of a first linear actuator used in operating the closure panel between the closed position and the open position, such that the closure panel drive system is configured for mounting remotely from the first attachment pivot point.

11. The closure panel drive assembly of claim 10 further including the first linear actuator coupled to the first drive shaft at a first attachment member, the first attachment member configured for coupling through a first opening of the closure panel at the first attachment pivot point.

12. The closure panel drive assembly of claim 11 further including a gearbox coupled to the motor, such that the motor output is provided to the first drive shaft as a first gearbox output, the first drive shaft connected to a first gear of the gearbox.

13. The closure panel drive assembly of claim 12 further including a second linear actuator coupled to a second drive shaft at a second attachment member, the second attachment member configured for coupling through a second opening of the closure panel at a second attachment pivot point.

14. The closure panel assembly of claim 13, wherein the motor output is provided to the second drive shaft as a second gearbox output, the second drive shaft connected to a second gear of the gearbox, the first gear coupled to the second gear such that the first and second drive shafts are driven in the same direction.

15. The closure panel assembly of any of claims 10 to 14, wherein the closure panel is a lift gate and the first linear actuator is a strut biased by a compression member.

16. The closure panel assembly of any of claims 10 to 15, wherein a first axis of the first drive shaft is non-collinear to a second axis of the first linear actuator.