US Patent 9636978 Power tailgate system and method

A door system for a vehicle comprises a first vehicle door (16) hingedly mountable to a vehicle for articulation about a pivot axis (123) between a closed position and an open position, the door comprising a cavity; an actuator mechanism (100) disposed within the cavity, the actuator mechanism being pivotally coupleable to the vehicle at a position offset from the pivot axis; and drive means for driving the actuator mechanism to articulate the first vehicle door between said closed and said open positions.