Door-opening/closing apparatus

• US 20040046418A1
• Filed: 09/04/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation (Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited
• Inventors: Kakumae, Takuya, Chikata, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 7,063,373 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/146.4
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/63 operated by swinging arms
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/00 Braking devices, e.g. checks; Stops; Buffers construction of pneumatic or liquid braking devices E05F3/00; braking devices, buffers or end stops on drawers for tables, cabinets or like furniture A47B88/473; combined with devices for holding wings open E05C17/00; devices for limiting opening of wings or for holding wings open by a movable member extending between frame and wing E05C17/04
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/21 Brakes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/234 direction dependent
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/246 by auxiliary motors, magnets, springs or weights
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/26 Mechanical friction
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/266 rotary
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/462 Electromagnets
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/68 Handles, cranks
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/3013 during manual wing operation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/854 Switches
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/86 by hand
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/73 Multiple functions
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards

Abstract

The clutch includes a drive disk, a follower disk and a brake disk. When current flows, the follower disk is connected with the drive disk to transmit a power from a driving unit to a door-opening/closing mechanism. When no current flows, the follower disk is separated from the drive disk to cut off the power transmission from the driving unit to the door-opening/closing mechanism. In a state that the drive disk and the follower disk are separated from each other, the brake disk is connected to the follower disk to brake the door-opening/closing mechanism in the opening direction of the door, and to allow the door-opening/closing mechanism to move in the closing direction of the door.

Claims

1. A door-opening/closing apparatus for a vehicle, the vehicle having a body, the body having an opening, the vehicle having a door for closing the opening of the body based on a power of a driving unit, comprising:

a door-opening/closing mechanism that drives the door in a closing direction when the door is open; and

a clutch having a first mechanism to flow an electric current and a second mechanism to any one of transmit and not transmit the power of the driving unit to the door-opening/closing mechanism based on whether the electric current is flowing in the first mechanism, wherein

when the electric current flows in the first mechanism, the second mechanism transmits the power of the driving unit to the door-opening/closing mechanism so that the door can be any one of opened and closed, and

when no electric current flows in the first mechanism, the second mechanism does not transmit the power of the driving unit to the door-opening/closing mechanism so that the door cannot be opened but can be closed.

2. The door-opening/closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clutch has a third mechanism to switch between an operative state and a non-operative state, wherein

in the operative state, the door-opening/closing mechanism is disabled to drive the door in an opening direction of the door, and

in the non-operative state, the door-opening/closing mechanism is allowed to drive the door both in the opening direction of the door and in the closing direction of the door.

3. The door-opening/closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second mechanism includes

a drive disk that is driven by the driving unit;

a follower disk that is linked with the door-opening/closing mechanism, wherein

when the electric current flows in the first mechanism, the follower disk is engaged with the drive disk to transmit the power of the driving unit to the door-onenino/closing mechanism, and

when no electric current flows in the first mechanism, the follower disk is separated from the drive disk to cut off the transmission of the power; and

a brake disk that is engaged with the follower disk when no electric current flows in the first mechanism, wherein

the brake disk disables the door-opening/closing mechanism to drive the door in the opening direction of the door, and

the brake disk allows the door-opening/closing mechanism to drive the door in the closing direction of the door.

4. The door-opening/closing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the drive disk and the follower disk have angled teeth, wherein the teeth of the drive disk and the follower disk are engaged with each other,

when the electric current flows in the first mechanism, the teeth of the drive disk and the follower disk are engaged with each other, and

when no electric current flows in the first mechanism, the teeth of the drive disk and the follower disk are separated from each other.

5. The door-opening/closing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the follower disk and the brake disk have saw teeth, wherein each of the saw teeth has a first surface that is perpendicular to a plane of the follower disk and a second surface that makes a slope with respect to the plane of the follower disk, and

when no electric current flows in the first mechanism, the follower disk cannot rotate in a descending direction of the slope of the second surface of the brake disk, the door-opening/closing mechanism is disabled to drive the door in the opening direction of the door, the follower disk is allowed to rotate in an ascending direction of the slope of the second surface of the brake disk, and the door-opening/closing mechanism is allowed to drive the door in the closing direction of the door.

6. The door-opening/closing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the brake disk includes

an inner race and an outer race;

a one-way clutch that is placed between the inner race and the outer race, wherein the one-way clutch disables the power transmission in the opening direction of the door, and allows the power transmission in the closing direction of the door.

7. The door-opening/closing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the brake disk has a mechanism to separate the brake disk from the follower disk when the drive disk and the follower disk are separated from each other.

8. The door-opening/closing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the clutch includes

a drive disk that is driven by the driving unit;

a follower disk that is linked with the door-opening/closing mechanism, wherein

when the electric current flows in the first mechanism, the follower disk is engaged with the drive disk to transmit the power of the driving unit to the door-opening/closing mechanism, and

when no electric current flows in the first mechanism, the follower disk is separated from the drive disk to cut off the transmission of the power; and

a brake disk that is engaged with the follower disk when no electric current flows in the first mechanism, wherein

the brake disk disables the door-opening/closing mechanism to drive the door in the opening direction of the door, and

the brake disk allows the door-opening/closing mechanism to drive the door in the closing direction of the door.

9. The door-opening/closing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the drive disk and the follower disk have angled teeth, wherein the teeth of the drive disk and the follower disk are engaged with each other,

when the electric current flows in the first mechanism, the teeth of the drive disk and the follower disk are engaged with each other, and

when no electric current flows in the first mechanism, the teeth of the drive disk and the follower disk are separated from each other.

10. The door-opening/closing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the follower disk and the brake disk have saw teeth, wherein each of the saw teeth has a first surface that is perpendicular to a plane of the follower disk and a second surface that makes a slope with respect to the plane of the follower disk, and

when no electric current flows in the first mechanism, the follower disk cannot rotate in a descending direction of the slope of the second surface of the brake disk, the door-opening/closing mechanism is disabled to drive the door in the opening direction of the door, the follower disk is allowed to rotate in an ascending direction of the slope of the second surface of the brake disk, and the door-opening/closing mechanism is allowed to drive the door in the closing direction of the door.

11. The door-opening/closing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the brake disk includes

an inner race and an outer race;

a one-way clutch that is placed between the inner race and the outer race, wherein the one-way clutch disables the power transmission in the opening direction of the door, and allows the power transmission in the closing direction of the door.

12. The door-opening/closing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the brake disk has a mechanism to separate the brake disk from the follower disk when the drive disk and the follower disk are separated from each other.

13. The door-opening/closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the door is a back door that closes a tailgate formed on a rear portion of the body.

14. The door-opening/closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the door is a side door.