Door control equipment

• US 6,405,485 B1
• Filed: 11/30/1999
• Issued: 06/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Itami, Eiji, Suzuki, Shintaro, Fukumoto, Ryoichi, Yamada, Katsuhisa, Ohhashi, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): REDMAN, JERRY E
• Application Number:
  US09/449,677
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 493/60, 493/62, 492/79, 492/80, 192/140, 192/143
• US Class Current: 49/280
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/20 for assisting final closing or for initiating opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/40 for sliding doors
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/603 using rotary electromotors
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/638 allowing or involving a secondary movement of the wing, e.g. rotational or transversal
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

A door control device is adapted to smoothly shift the mode of operation to the door closer operation at the time the door is being moved by pushing in the door closing condition, without requiring a large size motor and without the need for increasing the strength of the drive medium. The door control device includes a closer for shifting a slide door from the half door condition to the fully closed condition, and a clutch mechanism which is interposed in a power transmission system between the slide door and a motor for driving the slide door. If the slide door is electrically driven, a clutch of the clutch mechanism is rendered operational to move the slide door and the closer operation is started after the sliding operation. The door control device further includes a pole switch which detects the condition of the slide door and a junction switch which establishes the connection when the condition of the slide door is between a condition right before the half door condition and the fully closed condition, and effects the supply of electricity to the closer. If the junction switch is connected in the midst of the closing operation of the slide door, the closer operation is started and then the motor is stopped when the slide door is moved a given distance.

Claims

1. A door control device adapted to be operatively associated with a sliding door for controlling movement of the door between an open condition and a closed condition, comprising:

a drive device which moves the door from the open condition towards the closed condition;

output means for outputting a signal in advance of the door reaching a half-latch condition while the door is moving towards the closed condition;

a closer which is actuated to move the door from the half-latched condition to a fully latched condition in response to the signal outputted by the output means; and

the drive device being deactivated when the door is moved a predetermined distance after actuation of the closer.

2. A door control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting means for detecting whether the door is in the half latched condition.

3. The door control device according to claim 1, wherein the closer is supplied with electricity to move the door to the fully latched condition and the detecting means also detects the fully latched condition, and including a clutch mechanism which establishes and interrupts a coupling between the door and the drive device, the coupling between the door and the drive device by the clutch mechanism being interrupted when the half latched condition is detected by the detecting means, and the supply of electricity to the closer being interrupted when the fully latched condition is detected.

4. The door control device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means is a pole switch.

5. The door control device according to claim 1, wherein the output means is a junction switch.

6. A door control device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a connecting mechanism which establishes an electric connection in which electricity is supplied to the closer.

7. A door control device operatively associated with a door mounted on a sliding vehicle to control movement of the door between an open condition and a closed condition, comprising:

a drive device which, upon operation, moves the door from the open condition towards the closed condition;

output means for outputting a signal in advance of the door reaching a half-latch condition while the door is moving towards the closed condition;

a closer which is operated in response to the signal outputted by the output means to move the door from the half-latched condition to a fully latched condition; and

the operation of the drive device moving the door towards the closed position overlapping with the operation of the closer moving the door from the half-latched condition to the fully latched condition.

8. The door control device according to claim 7, wherein the closer is supplied with electricity to move the door to the fully latched condition and the detecting means also detects the fully latched condition.

9. The door control device according to claim 8, including a clutch mechanism which establishes and interrupts a coupling between the slide door and the drive device, the coupling between the door and the drive device by the clutch mechanism being interrupted when the half-latched condition is detected by the detecting means, and the supply of electricity to the closer being interrupted when the fully latched condition is detected.

10. A door control device according to claim 7, including detecting means for detecting whether the door is in the half-latched condition.

11. The door control device according to claim 10, wherein the detecting means is a pole switch.

12. The door control device according to claim 7, wherein the output means is a junction switch.

13. The door control device according to claim 7, including a connecting mechanism which establishes an electric connection in which electricity is supplied to the closer.