Sliding door opening cable system with cable slack take-up

• US 5,319,880 A
• Filed: 01/25/1993
• Issued: 06/14/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1993
• 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: Kuhlman, Howard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): KANNAN, PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US08/008,905
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 49/360, 49/138
• 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 2201/22 Locks
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/246 by motors, magnets, springs or weights
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/434 Electromotors; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/462 Electromagnets
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/47 Springs; Spring tensioners
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/618 Transmission ratio variation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/654 Cables
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/664 Drums
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/13 by motors, magnets, springs, weights
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/11 Manual wing operation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

A van door slidable in tracks (16, 18 and 20). An operating module is mounted inside the van adjacent center track 18. A front cable attached to drive pulley (144) extends through guide assembly (54) to hinge and roller assemble (26). A rear cable attached to drive pulley (136) extends through guide assembly (56) to hinge and roller assembly (26). The drive pulleys (136 and 144) each have a large diameter spiral cable groove (164), a small diameter cable groove (208) and a transition cable groove (210). A motor rotates the drive pulleys. The small diameter cable grooves drive the door when the door is in the forward portion of the tracks. The large diameter spiral cable grooves drive the door when the door is in the center and rear portions of the track. Fixed idler rollers (226 and 254) are positioned relative to the cable drive pulleys to insure that the total cable in the continuous cable loop is substantially the same when the cable is driven by the small diameter cable grooves as when the cable is driven by the large diameter spiral cable grooves. A cable tension system (220) maintains cable tension. A slack cable take-up pulley (174) on the drive pulley (136) is locked in position by teeth (194) thereon and arcuate tooth rack (172) which move into engagement by rotation of the drive pulley (144) relative to drive pulley (136).

Claims

1. A door opening cable system with a cable slack take-up including a vehicle, tracks mounted on the vehicle, a sliding door supported and guided by the tracks for sliding movement between a closed and latched position and an open position;

a cable drive pulley;

a motor for rotating the cable drive pulley;

a continuous cable loop attached to the sliding door and to the cable drive pulley for closing and opening the sliding door including a front cable section with an end connected to the cable drive pulley and a portion connected to the sliding door, a rear cable section with an end connected to the cable drive pulley and a portion connected to the sliding door;

a cable slack take up pulley mounted on the cable drive pulley and rotatable relative to the cable drive pulley to take up cable slack and adjust cable tension; and

a lock assembly to prevent rotation of the slack take-up pulley relative to cable drive pulley to maintain cable tension.

2. A sliding door opening and closing system with a cable slack take-up including a vehicle, tracks mounted on the vehicle, a sliding door supported and guided by the tracks for sliding movement between a closed and latched position and an open position;

a cable drive assembly attached to the vehicle for moving the sliding door in one direction or the other along the tracks including a front cable drive pulley mounted in the cable drive assembly for rotation about a fixed axis;

a front cable anchored to the front cable drive pulley and to the sliding door;

a rear cable drive pulley mounted in the cable drive assembly for rotation about the fixed axis that the front cable drive pulley rotates about;

a cable slack take-up pulley rotatably mounted on the rear cable drive pulley;

a rear cable anchored to the cable slack take-up pulley and to the sliding door;

a lock assembly to prevent rotation of the slack take-up pulley relative to the rear cable drive pulley that is engaged by rotation of the front cable drive pulley relative to the rear cable drive pulley; and

a motor for rotating the front cable drive pulley and the rear cable drive pulley in one direction to open the sliding door and in another direction to close the sliding door.

3. A sliding door opening and closing system with a cable slack take-up including a vehicle, tracks mounted on the vehicle, a sliding door supported and guided by the tracks for sliding movement between a closed and latched position and an open position;

a cable drive assembly attached to the vehicle for moving the sliding door in one direction or the other along the tracks including a front cable drive pulley mounted in the cable drive assembly for rotation about a fixed axis;

a front cable anchored to the front cable drive pulley and to the sliding door;

a rear cable drive pulley mounted in the cable drive assembly for rotation about the fixed axis that the front cable drive pulley rotates about;

a cable slack take-up pulley rotatably mounted on the cable drive pulley and having radially extending teeth;

a rear cable anchored to the cable slack take-up pulley and to the sliding door;

a lock assembly to prevent rotation of the slack take-up pulley relative to the rear cable drive pulley that includes a toothed rack on the front cable drive pulley that is moveable into and out of engagement with the radially extending teeth on the cable slack take-up pulley in response to rotation of the front cable drive pulley relative to the rear cable drive pulley;

a cam and cam follower operable to pivot the front cable drive pulley relative to the rear cable drive pulley to move the toothed rack on the front cable drive pulley out of engagement with the radially extending teeth on the cable slack take-up pulley; and

a motor for rotating the front cable drive pulley and the rear cable drive pulley in one direction to open the sliding door and in another direction to close the sliding door.