Drive for opening and closing a vehicle flap

• US 7,143,548 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2004
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stabilus GmbH (Stabilus S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Stabilus GmbH (Stabilus S.A.)
• Inventors: Kleinmann, Michael, Ritter, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, HUGH B
• Application Number:
  US10/839,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20050160673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 493/34, 493/40, 493/38, 493/36, 493/39, 493/24, 492/48, 492/46, 493/45, 49/26, 296/146.8, 296/50, 296/51, 296/52, 296/53, 296/55, 296/56, 296/106, 296/146.12, 296/146.11, 248/276.1, 248/287.1, 248/285.1, 248/274.1, 248/281.1, 248/299.1
• US Class Current: 49/345
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/106 comprising door or part of door being moveable by a linkage system to open/close position
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/26 Means for controlling movement of tailboards or sideboards open loading compartments with movable sideboards or tailgates B62D33/027
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 15/463 specially adapted for overhead wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 3/145 specially adapted for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1091 with a gas spring E05F1/1292 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1292 with a gas spring
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/611 for swinging wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/614 operated by meshing gear wheels, one of which being mounted at the wing pivot axis; operated by a motor acting directly on the wing pivot axis
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/619 using flexible or rigid rack-and-pinion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/627 operated by flexible elongated pulling elements, e.g. belts, chains or cables using flexible elongated push-pull mechanisms E05F15/619
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/63 operated by swinging arms
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/416 for counterbalancing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/604 Transmission members
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/62 Synchronisation of suspension or transmission members
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/686 Rods, links
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/706 Shafts
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/516 for trucks or trailers
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/544 Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening downwards
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards

Abstract

A flap drive for a flap includes two identical lever joint arrangements which are arranged in pairs at a distance from one another. The flap can be moved out of its closing position into its opening position and back by the flap drive. In this case, the lever joint arrangements are articulated pivotably with one of their ends in each case on a side region of the flap and with their other ends at a fixed location on the motor vehicle. The mutually corresponding pivot axes of the articulation points extend coaxially to one another. Movement transmission devices for the pivotable drive of a driven lever of each lever joint arrangement are guided by a common motive drive unit, the driven levers being articulated at a fixed location on the motor vehicle.

Claims

1. A flap drive for driving a rear flap of a motor vehicle, comprising:

first and second lever joint arrangements arranged at a distance from one another and by which the flap is movable from a closing position to an opening position and back to the closing position, each of said first and second lever joint arrangements having a first side region connectable to the flap and a second side region connectable at a fixed location on the motor vehicle or a component of the motor vehicle, said each of said first and second lever joint arrangements having one end articulated pivotably about pivot axes at said first side region and another end articulated pivotably about pivot axes at said second side region, the mutually corresponding pivot axes extending coaxially to one another, said each of said first and second lever joint arrangements comprising a driven lever articulated at an articulation point at one of said pivot axes at said second side region an articulated at another articulation point at one of said pivot axes at said first side region; and

a common motive drive unit for guiding a movement transmission unit for pivotable drive of each of said driven levers of said first and second lever joint arrangements.

2. The flap drive of claim 1, wherein said driven levers of said first and second lever joint arrangements are pivotable out of the closing position into the opening position through approximately 180°

.

3. The flap drive of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second lever joint arrangements are four-bar lever arrangements.

4. The flap drive of claim 3, wherein said four-bar lever arrangements are parallelogram lever arrangements.

5. The flap drive according of claim 1, wherein said motive drive unit is a rotary drive.

6. The flap drive of claim 5, further comprising a rigid drive shaft extending coaxially to one of the pivot axes of the articulation points and connected fixedly with respect to rotation to each of said driven levers of said first and second lever joint arrangements, said rotary drive being connected to said rigid drive for rotating said rigid drive.

7. The flap drive of claim 5, further comprising a rigid drive shaft extending parallel to one of the pivot axes of said articulation points, gear units connected to said rigid drive shaft, each of said gear units being connected to a corresponding of said driven levers of said first and second lever joint arrangements, said rigid drive being rotatably driven by said rotary drive, wherein said driven levers are pivotable about the pivot axis by said gear units in response to rotation of said rigid drive.

8. The flap drive of claim 7, wherein said gear units comprise one of chain gear units and toothed-belt gear units, each of said gear units comprising a driving wheel arranged fixedly on the drive shaft, a drive wheel arranged fixedly with respect to rotation on a corresponding one of said driven levers, and one of a chain and a toothed belt guided around said driving wheel and said drive wheel.

9. The flap drive of claim 5, further comprising flexible shafts rotatable drivable by said rotary drive, each of said flexible shafts extending to one of the pivot axes of said articulation points for rotatably driving said driven levers of said first and second lever joint arrangements.

10. The flap drive of claim 9, wherein each of said driven levers is connected to one of said flexible shafts by a gear unit such that each of said flexible shafts rotatably drives a corresponding one of said driven levers by said gear unit.

11. The flap drive of claim 10, wherein each of said gear units comprises one of an epicyclic gear unit and a worm gear unit.

12. The flap drive of claim 5, further comprising rope pulleys arranged coaxially to the pivot axes of said articulation points, each of said rope pulleys being connected fixedly with respect to rotation to a corresponding one of said driven levers of said first and second lever joint arrangements, wherein said motive drive unit is a rope-traction drive connected for tractively driving two ropes wound onto said rope pulleys.

13. The flap drive of claim 12, wherein said rope-traction drive comprises at least one driving rope pulley for tractively driving at least one of said ropes.

14. The flap drive of claim 13, wherein each of said two ropes is guided from the driving rope pulley to a corresponding one of said rope pulleys, each of said ropes is wound in one direction onto said driving rope pulley and wound in the opposite direction onto a corresponding one of said rope pulleys.

15. The flap drive of claim 13, further comprising a reduction gear unit arranged between said motive drive unit and said driving rope pulley such that said driving rope pulley is driven by said motive drive unit by said reduction gear unit.

16. The flap drive of claim 12, wherein said rope-traction drive comprises at least one rack connected to one of said ropes, said at least one rack being longitudinally driven by said rope-traction drive.

17. The flap drive of claim 16, wherein said rope traction drive comprises two racks, each of said racks being connected to one of said two ropes, wherein each of said ropes is tractioned from the rack and wound in the opposite direction onto said rope pulleys.

18. The flap drive of claim 16, further comprising a reduction gear unit arranged between said motive drive unit and said rack such that said rack is driven by said motive drive unit by said reduction gear unit.

19. The flap drive of claim 1, wherein a connecting line extends from said articulation point of said driven lever at said first side and said articulation point of said driven lever at said second side, each of said driven levers of said first and second lever joint arrangements comprises a first auxiliary lever having an end region articulated on said each of said each of said driven levers at a distance from said connecting line, said articulated end region of said first auxiliary lever being arranged between said articulation point of said each of said driven levers at said first side region and said articulation point of said each of said driven levers at said second side region, such that said first auxiliary lever is pivotable about a first joint axis parallel to said pivot axis of said at least one of said driven levers, a first abutment being arranged on said each of said driven levers in a region of said connecting line and projecting into a pivoting range of said first auxiliary lever such that said first auxiliary lever butts against said first abutment at a distance from said articulation point of said driven lever at said second side region, wherein the other end region of said first auxiliary lever is connectable to a first movement device at an engagement point which produces a force directed approximately in the direction of a longitudinal extension of said driven lever in one of the closing position and the opening position.

20. The flap drive of claim 19, wherein said each of said driven levers includes a second auxiliary lever having an end region articulated on said each of said driven levers at a distance from said connecting line between said articulation point of said each of said driven levers at said first side region and said articulation point of said each of said driven levers at said second side region on a side of said connecting line which is located opposite said first joint axis, such that said second auxiliary lever is pivotable about a second joint axis parallel to said pivot axes of said each of said driven levers, a second abutment being arranged on said each of said driven levers in a region of said connecting line and projecting into a pivoting range of said second auxiliary lever such that said second auxiliary lever butts against said second abutment at a distance from said articulation point of said driven lever at said second side region, wherein the other end region of said second auxiliary lever is connectable to a second movement device at an engagement point, said second movement device produces a force directed approximately in the direction of a longitudinal extension of said driven lever in the other one of said closing position and said opening position.

21. The flap drive of claim 20, wherein said first auxiliary lever and said second auxiliary lever are arranged on opposing sides of said each of said levers.

22. The flap drive of claim 21, wherein said first abutment and said second abutment are arranged approximately coaxially to one another.

23. The flap drive of claim 21, wherein said first and the second auxiliary levers are approximately of equal length.

24. The flap drive of claims 20, wherein at least one of said first and second auxiliary levers includes a middle region butting against said corresponding one of said first and second abutments, said middle region being arranged between said joint axis and the engagement point of said at least one of said first and second auxiliary levers.

25. The flap drive of claims 20, wherein said first and second movement devices comprise ropes of a rope-traction drive.

26. The flap drive of claim 20, wherein said first and second movement devices comprise pneumatic springs.

27. The flap drive of claim 1, further comprising an obstacle recognition for detecting a resistance obstructing a pivoting movement of one of said first and second lever arrangements in one drive direction and feeding a corresponding resistance signal to electronics for stopping said drive unit in the one drive direction.

28. The flap drive of claim 27, said electronics comprising means for moving the drive unit over a defined distance opposite to the one drive direction when the resistance signal is received.

29. The flap drive of claim 27, wherein said obstacle recognition includes a position sensor potentiometer for detecting a respective position of one of said first and second lever arrangements for generating a corresponding position signal fed to said electronics, said electronics comprising means for comparing the running time actually required to reach a respective position with a defined predetermined running time for reaching the respective position, and means for generating the resistance signal when the actual running time is greater than the predetermined running time.

30. The flap drive according claim 1, further comprising a coupling arranged between said motive drive unit and said levers of said first and second lever joint arrangements, said coupling being openable so that the flap is manually movable.