Patent ID: 7579802

Claim:
Apparatus for controlling motion of a motor driven element in a vehicle over a range of motion and for altering said motion when undesirable resistance to said motion is encountered, said apparatus comprising: a) a sensor for measuring a parameter of a motor coupled to the motor driven element that varies in response to a resistance to motion during all or part of a range of motion of the motor driven element; b) a memory for storing a number of measurement values from the sensor based on immediate past measurements of said parameter over at least a portion of a present traversal of said motor driven element through said range of motion; c) a controller coupled to the memory for determining to de-activate the motor based on a most recent sensor measurement of the parameter and the immediate past measurement values stored in the memory obtained during a present run through the motor driven element range of motion; and d) a controller interface coupled to the motor for altering motion of said motor driven element during the present run in response to a determination made by the controller.