Vehicle door opening/closing apparatus

• US 10,036,191 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2016
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Katsuyama, Hiroki, Kato, Kimihide, Oe, Koji, Sengoku, Takayuki, Haruta, Keisuke, Tsukagoshi, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Rephann, Justin B
• Application Number:
  US15/269,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20170089113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/00 Power-operated mechanisms for wings motor-operated accessories in locks for completing closing or initiating opening of a wing E05B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/622 using screw-and-nut mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/702 Spindles; Worms
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/60 Mounting or coupling members; Accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards

Abstract

A vehicle door opening/closing apparatus includes: a support member that has a telescopic shaft shape, is interposed between a body and a door of a vehicle, and thereby is capable of holding the door at an open position, wherein the support member includes a cylindrical housing that accommodates a drive source, and a joint member that is fixed with a part thereof inserted into an end portion of the corresponding housing and is attached on the body or the door of the vehicle, and wherein the joint member has a contact portion which comes into contact with the housing when the joint member is fixed to the housing, and on which convex portions and concave portions recessed to an inner side in a radial direction with respect to the convex portions are alternately provided in a circumferential direction.

Claims

1. A vehicle door opening and closing apparatus comprising:

a support member that has a telescopic shaft, is interposed between a body and a door of a vehicle, and thereby is capable of holding the door at an open position,

wherein the support member includes a cylindrical housing that accommodates a drive source, and a joint member that is fixed with a part thereof inserted into an end portion of the cylindrical housing and is attached on the body or the door of the vehicle, and

wherein the joint member has a contact portion which projects into an interior of the housing and is fixed to the housing by caulking when the joint member is fixed to the housing, and

wherein the contact portion includes convex portions and concave portions recessed in a radial direction of the contact portion with respect to the convex portions, the convex and concave portions are alternately provided in a circumferential direction of the contact portion and are fixed to the housing by the caulking.

2. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion has a surface area larger than the concave portion.

3. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the joint member, edge portions of the convex portion and the concave portion have a chamfered shape.

4. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the concave portions and the convex portions include straight knurling on the circumferential direction of the joint member at equiangular intervals.

5. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical housing includes a first cylindrical housing and a second cylindrical housing, the second cylindrical housing is configured to be inserted into the first cylindrical housing and has a diameter smaller than the first cylindrical housing,

wherein the first cylindrical housing and the second cylindrical housing have circumferential engagement portions, respectively, which engage with each other in the circumferential direction and allow the first and second cylindrical housings to relatively move with respect to each other in an axial direction, and

wherein the first cylindrical housing has the circumferential engagement portion on a first end side thereof and a cylindrical portion, at least an inner circumferential surface of which has a cylindrical shape, and the joint member is fixed to a second end side of the first cylindrical housing.

6. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, in the first cylindrical housing, a diameter of the cylindrical portion on an outer circumferential surface is smaller than a diameter of another portion of the first cylindrical housing on an outer circumferential surface.