System for temporarily holding an automatically driven open-close structure

• US 6,226,925 B1
• Filed: 04/02/1998
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation (Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Ohi Seisakusho Co., Ltd. (Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited)
• Inventors: Shimura, Ryoji, Shigematsu, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): REDMAN, JERRY E
• Application Number:
  US09/043,973
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 49/360, 49/139, 49/140, 49/280, 49/25, 192/84.1, 192/142 R
• 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 2400/3015 Power assistance
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/34 Pulse count limit setting
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/36 Speed control, detection or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/44 Sensors not directly associated with the wing movement
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/00 Details, accessories and auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/74 Specific positions
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 3/00 Control of position or direction G05D1/00 takes precedence; numerical control to execute positioning G05B19/18

Abstract

A temporarily holding device for temporarily holding an opening/closing body such as a sliding door for a vehicle in such a manner as to allow it to be moved from a halted state with a required operating force, comprising, in order not to fluctuate the moving resistance remarkably in any condition by providing the moving resistance of a required limit in the form of electrical control while the opening/closing body is being halted, an opening/closing body movably supported on a guiding mechanism, a motor-driven clutch for freely connecting and/or disconnecting the guide mechanism to and/or from an opening/closing body holding mechanism and a clutch driving element for regulating the transmission maintaining force of the motor-driven clutch, wherein the clutch driving element is designed to set the transmission maintaining force of the motor-driven clutch when the opening/closing body is halted with a required opening smaller than when it is in motion.

Claims

1. A system for temporarily holding an automatically driven closure, the system comprising:

an open-close structure supported movably on a guide mechanism,

an electric clutch for intermittently connecting the guide mechanism to an open-close structure holding mechanism,

a clutch drive adjusting a transfer keeping force of the electric clutch,

and a control means for controlling the clutch drive so that the clutch drive sets the transfer keeping force of the electric clutch at a level smaller than that in moving the open-close structure, in order to suitably stop and hold the open-close structure at a predetermined open degree,

wherein the level is that in which a manual operation can make the open-close structure move.

2. The system for temporarily holding an automatically driven closure described in claim 1, wherein an open-close structure holding mechanism consists of an open-close structure drive moving the open-close structure along its open-close direction.

3. A system for temporarily holding an automatically driven closure, the system comprising:

an open-close structure supported movably on a guide mechanism,

an electric clutch for intermittently connecting the guide mechanism to an open-close structure holding mechanism,

an open-close structure movement detector discerning at movement of the open-close structure,

a clutch drive adjusting a transfer keeping force of the electric clutch,

and a control means for controlling the clutch drive so that the clutch drive gradually decreases the transfer keeping force of the electric clutch when the open-close structure stops at a predetermined open degree, gradually increases the transfer keeping force in order to stop the movement of sliding the open-close structure when the open-close structure movement detector discerns the movement of sliding the open-close structure, and adjusts the transfer keeping force of the electric clutch to a level a little larger than that in stopping the open-close structure by gradually decreasing the transfer keeping force,

wherein the level is that in which a manual operation can make the open-close structure slide.

4. The system for temporarily holding an automatically driven closure described in claim 3, wherein an open-close structure holding mechanism consists of an open-close structure drive moving the open-close structure along its open-close direction.

5. A system for temporarily holding an automatically driven closure, the system comprising:

an open-close structure supported movably on a guide mechanism,

an electric clutch intermittently connecting the guide mechanism to an open-close structure holding mechanism,

an open-close structure movement detector discerning a movement of the open-close structure,

a clutch drive for adjusting a transfer keeping force of the electric clutch,

and a control means for controlling the clutch drive so that the clutch drive gradually decreases the transfer keeping force of the electric clutch when the open-close structure stops at a predetermined open degree, once increases the transfer keeping force when the open-close structure movement detector discerns the movement of sliding the open-close structure, gradually decreases again the transfer keeping force to a level when the open-close structure movement detector discerns the movement of sliding the open-close structure and adjusts, when the open-close structure movement detector does not discern the movement of sliding the open-close structure, the transfer keeping force of the electric clutch at a level similar to that or a little larger than that in which the open-close structure movement detector discerned the movement of sliding the open-close structure the last time.

6. The system for temporarily holding an automatically driven closure described in claim 5, wherein an open-close structure holding mechanism consists of an open-close structure drive moving the open-close structure along its open-close direction.