Kiekert Touts Fully Autonomous Door System

Germany’s Kiekert AG is developing a fully automated door for future self-driving vehicles.

The integrated system would combine Kiekert’s NuEntry electronic latch with its upcoming i-protect and i-move technologies. Kiekert aims to launch the system early next decade.

The NuEntry system replaces various mechanical mechanisms with an electronic latch to save weight and potentially eliminate traditional door handles. Other companies already offer similar devices.

I-protect is an electromechanical system that uses an object-detection sensor that detects nearby objects such as a wall or adjacent vehicle, then prevents the door from swinging open far enough to hit them. Kiekert developed the technology in early 2016 but doesn’t have a contract yet for it.

The company calls its i-move technology as an “intelligent movement” system that provides a smooth, automatically driven opening and closing action for hinged side doors, similar to that of rear hatches. The system also could be teamed with a vehicle’s existing radar and ultrasonic sensors to detect approaching vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians, and stop the door from opening until they pass.

Kiekert, which is celebrating its 160th anniversary this year, says it has produced more than 1.9 billion automotive latches to date, including 70 million side-door locking units in 2017 alone. The company claims to be the top automotive latch manufacturer in the world with a 35% market share in Europe and 25% in North America.