Vehicle door open-close device

• US 7,117,638 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2003
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ihashi, Yoshitomo
• Primary Examiner(s): REDMAN, JERRY E
• Application Number:
  US10/348,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20030145524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• Field of Search: 493/39, 493/40, 493/41, 493/42, 493/44, 493/45, 296/56
• US Class Current: 49/340
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/619 using flexible or rigid rack-and-pinion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/63 operated by swinging arms
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/722 Racks
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards

Abstract

A vehicle door open-close device which makes it possible to achieve a reduction in numbers of parts and also make the deflection width size of a member 5 small, to thereby allow an effective use of a vehicle compartment to be aimed at, is produced, comprising a driving mechanism positioned inwardly from a door opening, an operation transfer mechanism to connect this driving mechanism and the vehicle door, the operation transfer mechanism being equipped with a slider member reciprocatingly and linearly moving by the aid of the driving means, and a link member connecting this slider member and the vehicle door, wherein the link member is rotatably connected to the slider member and the vehicle door, and the link member includes a straight portion and a curved portion outwardly and protrudingly curved away from a center of rotation of the vehicle door, and a straight portion 5b formed in substantially straight line in a connection part 8. And in a process of fully-opening-state or fully-closing-state of the door, the curved portion passes across the door opening seen from the rotation axis direction.

Claims

1. An open-and-close mechanism for a vehicle door, which is driven by electric power, comprising:

a driving mechanism disposed in a vehicle compartment and positioned inwardly from a door opening; and

an operation transfer mechanism connecting said driving mechanism and said vehicle door;

the operation transfer mechanism being equipped with a slider member reciprocatingly and linearly moving by the aid of the driving mechanism, and a link member directly connecting the slider member and the vehicle door,

wherein said link member having a first end and a second end, the first end being rotatably connected to the slider member and the second end being rotatably connected to the vehicle door, and said link member is formed to have a curved portion outwardly and protrudingly curved away from a center of rotation of the vehicle door, and the link member is a single body, and

wherein said curved portion passes across the door opening in the process of a fully opening and fully closing state of the vehicle door.

2. An open-and-close mechanism for a vehicle door as claimed in claim 1, comprising a connection part rotatably connecting the first end of said link member and said slider member, the connection part being located within a back end panel of the vehicle compartment when the vehicle door is in both the fully opened and the fully closed state.

3. An open-and-close mechanism for a vehicle door as claimed in claim 1, wherein a curvature of said curved portion is continuously changed in conformity with a parabolic locus traced by a movement of said link member.

4. An open-and-close mechanism for a vehicle door as claimed in claim 1, wherein the curved portion of the link member is disposed at the first end, and only curves outwardly and protrudingly away from the center of rotation of the vehicle door.

5. An open-and-close mechanism for a vehicle door, which is driven by electric power, comprising:

driving mechanism disposed in a vehicle compartment and positioned inwardly from a door opening; and

operation transferring mechanism connecting the driving mechanism and the vehicle door, the operation transferring mechanism being equipped wit a slider member reciprocatingly and linearly moving by the aid of the driving mechanism, and a link member directly connecting the slider member and the vehicle door,

wherein said link member having a first end and a second end, the first end being rotatably connected to the slider member and the second end being rotatably connected to the vehicle door, and said link member includes a straight portion and a curved portion outwardly and protrudingly curved away from a center of rotation of the vehicle door, and the link member is a single body, and

wherein said curved portion passes across the door opening in the process of a fully opening and fully closing state of the vehicle door.

6. An open-and-close mechanism for a vehicle door as claimed in claim 5, comprising a connection part rotatably connecting the first end of said link member and said slider member, the connection part being located within a back end panel of the vehicle compartment when the vehicle door is in both the fully opened and the fully closed state.

7. An open-and-close mechanism for a vehicle door as claimed in claim 5, wherein a curvature of said curved portion is continuously changed in conformity with a parabolic locus traced by a movement of said link member.

8. An open-and-close mechanism for a vehicle door as claimed in claim 5, wherein the curved portion of the link member is disposed at the first end, and only curves outwardly and protrudingly away from the center of rotation of the vehicle door.