Adjustable cable guide assembly for powered sliding vehicle door closer

• US 5,233,789 A
• Filed: 11/16/1992
• Issued: 08/10/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Priest, William L., Martin, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): KANNAN, PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US07/975,333
• Time in Patent Office: 267 Days
• Field of Search: 49/360, 49/280
• US Class Current: 49/360
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/646 allowing or involving a secondary movement of the wing, e.g. rotational or transversal
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

A vehicle access door is operatively mounted for powered fore and aft sliding movement between open and closed positions. A power module disposed internally of the vehicle has motor driven cable reels mounted on a space frame having door pull cables wound thereon routed by forward and rear cable guide assemblies into operative connection with the access door. The rear cable guide assembly is an adjustable two part guide pulley assembly in which a first housing part is adjustably carried by the space frame and the second housing part is adjustably mounted on the first housing part so that the assembly can be subsequently fitted and attached to production vehicles having a wide build tolerance in the support structure for the module and the rear cable guide assembly. The adjustment provided by the rear cable guide assembly assures high quality fits with good sealing of the pull cable access opening and positions the pull cable in an external guide channel to eliminate frictional wear between these components.

Claims

1. In a wheeled automotive vehicle having a body and an access door mounted for sliding movement along guide track means supporting said door between open and closed positions to provide vehicle entrance and egress, said vehicle having stationary support panel means, a power module assembly including a space frame adapted to be secured to said support panel, motor means and associated reel means secured to said space frame, cable means wound on said reel means and operatively connected to said door means for moving said door means between said open and closed positions, cable guide track means on the exterior of said vehicle, the improvement comprising a cable guide assembly located adjacent one end of the space frame, said cable guide assembly having a first support adjustably carried by said space frame and a cable support guide and housing means mounted for general transverse movement with respect to said first support, said cable support and guide housing means having pulley means therein for receiving said cable means, and cable locater and guide means for locating said cable support guide and housing means in a position with respect to said track means so that said cable is free from contact with said track means and means for adjusting and securing said cable support guide and housing means in a fixed position with respect to said first support.

2. An adjustable cable guide assembly for positioning and guiding a pull cable for a vehicle sliding door in a track for moving said door along an outer side panel of the vehicle, said cable guide assembly comprising first and second relatively adjustable supports having idler pulley means therein for operatively receiving said pull cable, said first support having guide surface means for receiving said second support for adjustable movement transverse with respect to said first support, said second support having a cable guiding nose means adapted to extend through an access opening in said outer side panel of said vehicle for guiding said cable in a path along the outer side of said vehicle.

3. The cable guide assembly of claim 3, wherein said guiding nose means fits into and seals said access opening.

4. The cable guide assembly of claim 3, and further including threaded adjustor means for adjusting said first and second supports relative to one another and for securing said supports in an adjusted position.

5. A guide assembly for routing and guiding a pull cable for a sliding closure for a vehicle, said closure being movable between opened and closed positions with respect to an opening in the vehicle, said guide assembly comprising a first housing having a cable routing and guide pulley operatively mounted therein for rotation in a first plane, a second housing associated with said first housing having a second routing and a guide pulley operatively mounted therein for rotation in a plane extending across said first plane and having cable guide means extending therefrom, and adjustment means for adjusting the relative position of said first and second housing so that said cable guide means can be selectively positioned at a fixed one of a plurality of positions to thereby establish the routing said pull cable.

6. The guide assembly of claim 5, wherein said second housing has a nose portion extending therefrom, said nose portion having a cable cleaning guide and feed opening therein disposed along a tangent extending from said guide pulley therein, support means extending laterally of said first pulley housing, guide track means formed in said support means, said second pulley housing being slidably mounted in said support means by said guide track means, and wherein said adjustment means comprises threaded means operatively interconnecting said second pulley housing and said support means of said first pulley housing so that said first and second housings can be relatively adjusted by turning said threaded adjuster means to advance and retract said threaded adjuster means with respect to said support means.