System for automatically opening and closing doors of vehicles

• US 5,228,239 A
• Filed: 07/22/1992
• Issued: 07/20/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Asia Motors Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Asia Motors Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Heo, Chang I.
• Primary Examiner(s): KANNAN, PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US07/917,637
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 49/280, 49/334, 49/335, 49/324
• US Class Current: 49/280
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/20 for assisting final closing or for initiating opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/47 responsive to changes in fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/50 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

A system for automatically opening and closing a door of a vehicle is disclosed. The system comprises an oil-hydraulic pump for generating hydraulic power for the system and a pressure accumulator for removing pressure pulsations generated in the pressurized oil outputted from the oil-hydraulic pump. A pressure control valve controls a flow direction of the pressurized oil applied from the oil-hydraulic pump thereto, and a controller controls the pressure control valve in response to input signals. An intermittent gearing assembly transmits rotational motion caused by the pressurized oil acting thereon to the door to automatically open or close the door. A hydraulic rotator converts the hydraulic power of the pressurized oil into rotational motion of the intermittent gearing assembly. A longitudinal lock bar movable in response to intermittent gearing motion locks and unlocks the door relative to the vehicle frame.

Claims

1. A system for automatically opening and closing a door of a vehicle, comprising:

a hydraulic pump for pressurizing oil supplied from an oil reservior connected thereto;

a pressure accumulator connected to said hydraulic pump for removing a pressure pulsation generated in the pressurized oil outputted thereto from said hydraulic pump, said pressure accumulator thereby being disposed on an output side of the hydraulic pump;

a pressure control valve, connected to said hydraulic pump and pressure accumulator for controlling a flow direction of the pressurized oil which is applied thereto from the hydraulic pump in communication with said pressure accumulator;

a controller electrically connected to said pressure control valve for controlling same in response to input signals;

an intermittent gearing assembly means for transmitting a rotational motion, induced by the pressurized oil supplied from said control valve, to open and close said door, said intermittent gearing assembly means comprising a cylindrical drive intermittent gear rotatable about a drive shaft fixed to a vehicle frame and a cylindrical driven intermittent gear engaging said drive intermittent gear for co-rotation therewith, said driven gear being mounted on a driven shaft fixed to the door which driven shaft is rotatable with the driven gear;

a hydraulic rotator formed by the drive gear and drive shaft for converting the hydraulic power of the pressurized oil into the rotational motion of said intermittent gearing assembly means through rotation of said drive gear, said hydraulic rotator comprising a pair of variable oil chambers which are formed in said drive intermittent gear and communicate with said pressure control valve to receive pressurized oil therefrom; and

a longitudinal lock bar for locking the door to the vehicle frame, said longitudinal lock bar being connected at an end thereof to a connection ring provided at an outer surface of the driven intermittent gear.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said pressure accumulator includes a housing enclosing a piston which is provided with an oil ring and divides the inner space of said housing into an upper part and a lower part, the upper part being charged with a high pressure gas and the lower part communicating with a hydraulic line between said oil-hydraulic pump and said control valve to thereby remove the pressure pulsation from the pressurized oil flowing in said hydraulic line.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said pressure control valve comprises:

a pair of solenoids having a movable needle, respectively, for controlling the flow direction of the pressurized oil which is applied from the oil pump to an input side of the pressure control valve; and

a pair of movable spools for opening or closing a plurality of hydraulic lines inside the pressure control valve, respectively, each said spool moving leftwards and rightwards in accordance with the controlled flow direction of the pressurized oil.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a spacer for spacing said drive and driven shafts of the intermittent gearing assembly means apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and wherein the driven shaft includes a stopper by which the rotational motion of the driven intermittent gear first causes said lock bar to be pulled in order to release the locking state of the door whereupon said rotational motion is then transmitted to the driven shaft to rotate it together with the driven intermittent gear.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said variable oil chambers of the hydraulic rotator are formed by providing a stationary partition on said drive shaft and a movable partition on said drive intermittent gear, said movable partition radially inwardly projecting from an inner surface of the drive intermittent gear and said stationary partition radially outwardly projecting from an outer surface of the drive shaft and having a pair of oil circulation holes for causing the pressurized oil applied from said pressure control valve to flow in the variable oil chambers.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said lock bar includes a release lever for manually opening the door and an elastic biasing member for elastically restoring the lock bar to the locking state with respect to the vehicle frame.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said system further comprises:

a first sensor for sensing a full opening state of the door and outputting a said input signal corresponding to the full opening state to said controller, said first sensor being driven by a pin which is mounted on an outer surface of said drive intermittent gear; and

a second sensor for sensing a full closing state of the door and outputting another said input signal corresponding to the full closing state to the controller, said second sensor being mounted on a portion of the vehicle frame facing a free end of the door so as to be driven by the door.