Sliding door closed loop cable closure system with balanced cable length and varying diameter pulleys

• US 5,319,881 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:
  US08/008,907
• 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 2201/216 Clutches
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/246 by auxiliary motors, magnets, springs or weights
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/462 Electromagnets
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/47 Springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/654 Cables
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/664 Drums
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/13 by motors, magnets, springs or weights
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/33 Stepwise motion
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/21 of identical elements, e.g. of identical compression springs
• 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) takes up slack cable to set cable tension and is then locked in position.

Claims

1. A sliding door opening and closing system for a vehicle including a vehicle frame;

sliding door tracks attached to the vehicle frame;

a sliding door supported by the sliding door tracks and guided by the sliding door tracks between a closed position and a fully open position; and

a sliding door opening and closing module including a cable drive assembly with a cable drive pulley assembly, that includes a front cable drive pulley section with a large diameter cable groove and a small diameter cable groove, a rear cable drive pulley section with a large diameter cable groove and a small diameter cable groove, a front cable section attached to the front cable drive pulley section and to the sliding door, a rear cable section attached to the rear cable drive pulley section and to the sliding door and forming a continuous cable loop that extends from the front cable drive pulley section to the sliding door and back to the rear cable drive pulley section, a motor mounted on the cable drive assembly and connected to the cable drive pulley assembly to rotate the front cable drive pulley section and the rear cable drive pulley section in one direction to close the sliding door and in the other direction to open the sliding door, a first fixed idler roller journaled on the frame in a position to guide the front cable section from the front cable drive pulley section and a second fixed idler roller journaled on the frame in a position to guide the rear cable section from the rear cable drive pulley section and wherein the first and second fixed idler rollers are positioned relative to the front cable drive pulley section and the rear cable drive pulley section in positions that result in the length of the continuous cable loop when the front and rear cable sections are driven by the large diameter cable grooves being substantially equal to the length of the continuous cable loop when the front and rear cable sections are driven by the small diameter cable grooves.

2. A sliding door opening and closing system for a vehicle including a vehicle frame;

sliding door tracks attached to the vehicle frame;

a sliding door supported by the sliding tracks and guided by the sliding door tracks between a closed position and a fully open position; and

a sliding door opening and closing module including a cable drive assembly with a cable drive pulley assembly that includes a front cable drive pulley with a large diameter cable groove, a small diameter cable groove, and a transition groove that guides cable between the large diameter cable groove and the small diameter cable groove, a rear cable drive pulley with a large diameter cable groove, a small diameter cable groove and a transition groove that guides cable between the large diameter cable groove and the small diameter cable groove, a front cable section attached to the front cable drive pulley and to the sliding door, a rear cable section attached to the rear cable drive pulley and to the sliding door and that together with the front cable section forms a continuous cable loop that extends from the front cable drive pulley to the sliding door and back to the rear cable drive pulley, a motor mounted on the cable drive assembly and connected to the cable drive pulley assembly to rotate the front cable drive pulley and the rear cable drive pulley in one direction to close the sliding door, a first fixed idler roller journaled on the frame in a position to guide the front cable section from the front cable drive pulley, a second fixed idler roller journaled on the frame in a position to guide the rear cable section from the rear cable drive pulley and wherein the first and second fixed idler rollers are positioned relative to the front cable drive pulley and the rear cable drive pulley in positions that result in the length of the continuous cable loop when the front and rear cable sections are driven by the large diameter cable grooves being substantially equal to the length of the continuous cable loop when the front and rear cable sections are driven by the small diameter cable grooves.

3. A sliding door opening and closing system for a vehicle including a vehicle frame;

sliding door tracks attached to the vehicle frame;

a sliding door supported by the sliding tracks and guided by the sliding door tracks between a closed position and a fully open position; and

a sliding door opening and closing module including a cable drive assembly with a cable drive pulley assembly that includes a front cable drive pulley with a large diameter cable groove, a small diameter cable groove, and a transition groove that guides cable between the large diameter cable groove and the small diameter cable groove, a rear cable drive pulley with a large diameter cable groove, a small diameter cable groove and a transition groove that guides cable between the large diameter cable groove and the small diameter cable groove, a front cable section attached to the front cable drive pulley and to the sliding door, a rear cable section attached to the rear cable drive pulley and to the sliding door and that together with the front cable section forms a continuous cable loop that extends from the front cable drive pulley to the sliding door and back to the rear cable drive pulley, a motor mounted on the cable drive assembly and connected to the cable drive pulley assembly to rotate the front cable drive pulley and the rear cable drive pulley in one direction to close the sliding door and to rotate the front cable drive pulley and the rear cable drive pulley in another direction to open the sliding door, a first fixed idler roller journaled on the frame in a position to guide the front cable section from the front cable drive pulley, a second fixed idler roller journaled on the frame in a position to guide the rear cable section from the rear cable drive pulley and wherein the first and second fixed idler rollers are positioned relative to the front cable drive pulley and the rear cable drive pulley in positions that result in the length of the continuous cable loop when the front and rear cable sections are driven by the large diameter cable grooves being substantially equal to the length of the continuous cable loop when the front and rear cable sections are driven by the small diameter cable grooves, and a cable tensioner assembly that maintains tension in the front cable section and the rear cable section.