Device for automatically controlling the closure of a sliding door for a vehicle

• US 6,037,727 A
• Filed: 08/14/1997
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation (Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Ohi Seisakusho Co., Ltd. (Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shimura, Ryoji, Kawanobe, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): MARTIN, DAVID S
• Application Number:
  US08/911,034
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 318/280-300, 318/441-489, 49/13, 49/31, 49/139-140, 49/348-349, 49/360
• US Class Current: 318/286
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/06 slidable; foldable
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/632 for horizontally-sliding wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/643 operated by flexible elongated pulling elements, e.g. belts, chains or cables by flexible elongated push-pull mechanisms E05F15/635
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/646 allowing or involving a secondary movement of the wing, e.g. rotational or transversal
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/70 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/216 Clutches
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/246 by motors, magnets, springs or weights
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/462 Electromagnets
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/326 of the angular type
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/36 Speed control, detection or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/44 Sensors therefore E05Y2400/322, E05Y2400/33, E05Y2400/55, E05Y2400/56, E05Y2400/852 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/46 in or on the wing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/113 Power assistance
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

A vehicular slide door open-close control apparatus for opening a slide door installed at a side of vehicle body by means of the drive source such as a motor and the like. The purpose of the apparatus is to reduce a burden applied to the slide door moving from its full-open position along its close direction, downsize, lighten and lower the cost. Also, reducing an operational force when the door is manually closed. The control apparatus has a drive source 54 such as motor and the like, a slide door 3 open-close-moved by a slide door open-close mechanism, a clutch means 56 transmitting intermittently a drive force of the drive source 54 to the slide door open-close mechanism, a slope judgement means 76 detecting a vehicle posture and a slide door control means 7 controlling the drive source and clutch means in order to adjust a drive force to be transferred to the slide door open-close mechanism. When a full-open control is done and it is detected that the vehicle parks on a level ground or upward slope, the slide door is stopped just before its full-open position.

Claims

1. A device for automatically controlling the open-close of a vehicular sliding door comprising:

a drive source,

a slide door adapted to be open-close movable by means of a slide door open-close mechanism so supported as to be able to open and close along a side of a vehicle,

a clutch means for intermittently transferring a drive force of the drive source to the slide door open-close mechanism,

a slope judgement means for detecting a slant of the vehicle and for judging whether or not the vehicle is stopped on a level ground or on an upward slope based on the detected slant, and

a slide door control means for controlling the drive source and the clutch means in order to control the drive force transferred to the slide door open-close mechanism,

wherein the slide door control means controls the drive source and the clutch means in order to make the slide door stop just before its full-open position when the slope judgement means judges that the vehicle is stopped on a level ground or an upward slope while the slide door is full-open controlled.

3. The device for automatically controlling the open-close of a vehicular sliding door according to claim 1, wherein the slope judgement means has a function for judging whether or not the vehicle is stopped on a downward slope based on the detected slant;

and wherein the slide door control means controls the drive source and the clutch means in order to make the slide door stop at its full-open position when the slope judgement means judges that the vehicle is stopped on a downward slope.

2. A device for automatically controlling the open-close of a vehicular sliding door comprising:

a drive source,

a slide door adapted to be open-close movable by means of a slide door open-close mechanism so supported as to be able to open and close along a side of a vehicle,

a clutch means for intermittently transferring a drive force of the drive source to the slide door open-close mechanism,

a vehicular slant judgement means for detecting a direction in which the slide door moves due to its weight, and for detecting a slant of the vehicle based on the detected direction, and for judging whether or not the vehicle is stopped on a level ground or an upward slope based on the detected slant; and

a slide door control means for controlling the drive source and the clutch means, in order to control the drive force transferred to the slide door open-close mechanism,

wherein the slide door control means controls the clutch means to release its connection between the drive source and the door open-close mechanism when the slide door is just before its full-open position while the slide door is full-open controlled, and controls the drive source and the clutch means in order to make the slide door stop just before its full-open position when the vehicular slant judgement means judges that the vehicle is stopped on a level ground or an upward slope.

4. The device for automatically controlling the open-close of a vehicular sliding door according to claim 2, wherein the vehicular slant judgement means has a function for judging whether or not the vehicle is stopped on a downward slope based on the detected slant;

and wherein the slide door control means controls the clutch means to connect the drive source and the door open-close mechanism, and controls the drive source and the clutch means in order to make the slide door stop at its full-open position when the vehicular slant judgement means judges that the vehicle is stopped on a downward slope.