Power sliding door for a motor vehicle
First Claim
1. A sliding door system in combination with a vehicle having a body portion defining an aperture, the sliding door system comprising:
- a door assembly translatable between a fully open position substantially clearing the aperture and a fully closed position substantially covering the aperture, the door assembly having an outer panel and an inner panel defining a door cavity; and
a drive arrangement for translating the door assembly between the fully open position and the fully closed position under a source of power, the drive arrangement including a drive motor attached to the door assembly and a flexible driveshaft having a first end attached to the drive motor and a second end extending from the door assembly, the drive motor disposed completely within the door cavity and operable for producing a drive torque.
20 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A sliding door system including a guide track, a door assembly, a power drive assembly operable for propelling the door assembly between an open position and a closed position, a power latching mechanism operable for selectively positioning the door assembly between a fully latched position and a fully unlatched position, a control module operable for controlling the operation of the power drive assembly and power latching mechanism and a wire harness electrically coupling the power drive assembly, the power latching mechanism and various other vehicle devices and switches to the control module. The guide track, power drive unit, power latching mechanism and door assembly are configured in a manner which provides improved performance of the power door system, as well as permitting the vehicle door system to be readily upgraded from one which is completely manual in operation to one which may be actuated automatically.
76 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A sliding door system in combination with a vehicle having a body portion defining an aperture, the sliding door system comprising:
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a door assembly translatable between a fully open position substantially clearing the aperture and a fully closed position substantially covering the aperture, the door assembly having an outer panel and an inner panel defining a door cavity; and a drive arrangement for translating the door assembly between the fully open position and the fully closed position under a source of power, the drive arrangement including a drive motor attached to the door assembly and a flexible driveshaft having a first end attached to the drive motor and a second end extending from the door assembly, the drive motor disposed completely within the door cavity and operable for producing a drive torque. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A sliding door system in combination with a vehicle having a body portion defining an aperture, the sliding door system comprising:
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a door assembly attached to the body for translation between a fully open position substantially clearing the door aperture and a fully closed position substantially covering the door aperture; and a drive arrangement for translating the door assembly between the fully open position and the fully closed position under a source of power, the drive arrangement including a power drive assembly and a guide assembly; the power drive assembly carried by the door assembly and including a drive motor and a drive gear driven by the drive motor through a flexible drive shaft; the guide assembly carried by the body of the vehicle and including a guide member and a rigid toothed rack adapted to meshingly engage the drive gear, the guide member fixedly coupled to the body of the vehicle and guiding the door assembly between the fully open and fully closed positions in a generally horizontal direction and positioning the door assembly in a generally vertical plane. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A vehicle comprising:
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a body portion defining an aperture, the body portion including a generally horizontal floor and a generally vertical sidewall proximate the aperture; a door assembly translatable between a fully open position substantially clearing the aperture and a fully closed position substantially covering the aperture, the door assembly having an outer panel and an inner panel defining a door cavity; and a drive arrangement for translating the door assembly between the fully open position and the fully closed position under a source of power, the drive arrangement including a drive motor attached to the door assembly, the drive motor disposed completely within the door cavity and operable for producing a drive torque; the power drive assembly carried by the door assembly and including a drive motor and a drive gear driven by the drive motor; the guide assembly carried by the body of the vehicle and including a guide member and a rigid toothed rack adapted to meshingly engage the drive gear, the guide member fixedly coupled to the body of the vehicle and guiding the door assembly between the fully open and fully closed positions in a generally horizontal direction and positioning the door assembly in a generally vertical plane. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification