Vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus

• US 7,472,944 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2006
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation (Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited
• Inventors: Hiramoto, Shigenori, Miyagawa, Masazumi
• Primary Examiner(s): GUTMAN, HILARY L
• Application Number:
  US11/275,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20060202507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 296/155, 296/146.1, 296/146.2, 492/80, 493/60, 318/55, 318/446, 318/266, 318/280
• US Class Current: 296/155
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/06 slidable; foldable
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 79/20 using flexible connections, e.g. Bowden cables
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/14 operating on bolt detents, e.g. for unlatching the bolt
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/40 for sliding doors
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 17/60 holding sliding wings open E05C17/443, E05C17/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 13/04 Fasteners specially adapted for holding sliding wings open for holding wings closed E05C
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/646 allowing or involving a secondary movement of the wing, e.g. rotational or transversal
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/689 specially adapted for vehicle windows
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/356 Intermediate positions
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/55 Windows

Abstract

A drive unit which operates in a first direction based on operation of a door opening and closing control unit so as to unfasten a latch of a full-opening latch unit is connected to a half-opening stopping unit being displaced from a state where the half-opening stopping unit is made unable to abut with a half-opening striker provided on a vehicle body side to a state where the half-opening stopping unit is made abut with the halt-opening striker when a window glass provided in a sliding door, so as to abut with the half-opening striker when the sliding door is opened to a predetermined half-opened position to thereby stop the sliding door at the half-opened position in such a manner that the half-opening stopping unit is displaced to the state where the half-opening stopping unit abuts with the half-opening striker when the drive unit is operated in a second direction.

Claims

1. A vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus comprising:

a full-opening latch unit adapted to be brought into engagement with a full-opening striker provided on a side of a vehicle body so as to hold a sliding door at a fully-opened position;

a first drive unit adapted to operate in a first direction based on operation of a door opening and closing control unit which enables an opening and closing of the sliding door so as to unfasten a latch of the full-opening latch unit;

a half-opening stopping unit adapted to be displaced from a state where the half-opening stopping unit is unable to be brought into abutment with a half-opening striker provided on the side of the vehicle body to a state where the half-opening stopping unit is able to be brought into abutment with the half-opening striker when a window glass provided in the sliding door in such a manner as to be opened and closed is opened, wherein the half-opening stopping unit is brought into abutment with the half-opening striker when the sliding door is opened to a predetermined half-opened position to stop the sliding door at the half-opened position;

a window glass detecting switch adapted to detect an opening and closing of the window glass; and

a first control unit adapted to control the first drive unit so as to operate in a second direction when the window glass detecting switch detects that the window glass has been opened,

wherein the first drive unit is linked to the half-opening stopping unit such that the half-opening stopping unit can be displaced to the state where the half-opening stopping unit is brought into abutment with the half-opening striker when the first drive unit is operated in the second direction.

2. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a door opening and closing drive unit adapted to operate based on operation of the door opening and closing control unit so as to move the sliding door to be opened and closed.

3. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the half-opening stopping unit comprises:

a half-opening stopper member which can move between a sunk position where the half-opening stopping unit is unable to be brought into abutment with the half-opening striker and a projecting position where the half-opening stopping unit is able to be brought into abutment with the half-opening striker;

a pawl member which holds the half-opening stopper member at the projecting position by being brought into engagement with the half-opening stopper member and enables the half-opening stopper member to move to the sunk position by being disengaged therefrom; and

a spring which biases the half-opening stopper member to the sunk position.

4. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the half-opening stopper member moves from the sunk position to the projecting position against a biasing force of the spring when the first drive unit operates in the second direction.

5. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pawl member of the half-opening stopping unit disengages from the half-opening stopper member in synchronism with an unfastening of the latch of the full-opening latch unit which occurs when the first drive unit operates in the first direction.

6. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first control unit is able to measure the position of the sliding door based on the movement of the sliding door, and

wherein, when measuring a fully-closed position of the sliding door and a position between the fully-closed position and the half-opened position thereof, the first control unit controls the first drive unit such that the first drive unit operates in the first direction when the window glass detecting switch detects that the window glass has been closed.

7. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when measuring the fully-opened position of the sliding door and a position between the fully-opened position and the half-opened position thereof, the first control unit controls the first drive unit such that the first drive unit is inoperative when the window glass detecting switch detects that the window glass has been opened.

8. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the door opening and closing drive unit comprises:

a motor which is able to operate based on control of the door opening and closing control unit; and

an electromagnetic clutch which is able to connect and disconnect an operation force transmission path which connects the motor and the sliding door together.

9. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first control unit controls the electromagnetic clutch such that the electromagnetic clutch is put in a connecting state so as to impart a braking force to the sliding door when the first control unit measures the movement of the sliding door in a closing direction immediately after the sliding door has stopped at the half-opened position.

10. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sliding door is supported in such a manner as to be opened and closed along the vehicle body.

11. A vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus comprising:

a full-opening latch unit adapted to be brought into engagement with a full-opening striker provided on a side of a vehicle body so as to hold a sliding door at a fully-opened position;

a drive unit adapted to operate in a first direction based on operation of a first control unit which enables an opening and closing of the sliding door so as to unfasten a latch of the full-opening latch unit;

a half-opening stopping unit adapted to be displaced from a state where the half-opening stopping unit is unable to be brought into abutment with a half-opening striker provided on the side of the vehicle body to a state where the half-opening stopping unit is able to be brought into abutment with the half-opening striker when a window glass provided in the sliding door is opened; and

a second control unit adapted to control the drive unit so as to operate in a second direction when the window glass has been opened,

wherein the drive unit is linked to the half-opening stopping unit such that the half-opening stopping unit can be displaced to the state where the half-opening stopping unit is brought into abutment with the half-opening striker when the drive unit is operated in the second direction.

12. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the half-opening stopping unit comprises:

a half-opening stopper member which can move between a sunk position where the half-opening stopping unit is unable to be brought into abutment with the half-opening striker and a projecting position where the half-opening stopping unit is able to be brought into abutment with the half-opening striker;

a pawl member which holds the half-opening stopper member at the projecting position by being brought into engagement with the half-opening stopper member and enables the half-opening stopper member to move to the sunk position by being disengaged therefrom; and

a spring which biases the half-opening stopper member to the sunk position.

13. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the half-opening stopper member moves from the sunk position to the projecting position against a biasing force of the spring when the drive unit operates in the second direction.

14. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the pawl member of the half-opening stopping unit disengages from the half-opening stopper member in synchronism with an unfastening of the latch of the full-opening latch unit which occurs when the drive unit operates in the first direction.

15. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the second control unit is able to measure the position of the sliding door based on the movement of the sliding door and,

wherein, when measuring a fully-closed position of the sliding door and a position between the fully-closed position and a half-opened position thereof, the second control unit controls the drive unit such that the drive unit operates in the first direction when the window glass has been closed.

16. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, when measuring the fully-opened position of the sliding door and a position between the fully-opened position and a half-opened position thereof, the second control unit controls the drive unit such that the drive unit is inoperative when the window glass has been opened.

17. The vehicle sliding door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the sliding door is supported in such a manner as to be opened and closed along the vehicle body.