Belt-driven rack gear power sliding door

• US 7,810,282 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2007
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Magna Closures Company Limited (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Closures Company Limited (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Oxley, Peter Lance
• Primary Examiner(s): Strimbu; Gregory J.
• Application Number:
  US11/860,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20080072497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 494/13, 493/62, 491/39, 491/40, 493/58, 493/60
• US Class Current: 49/362
• 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 power door drive system for moving a sliding side door on a vehicle body having an aperture between an open position substantially clear of the aperture and a closed position substantially covering the aperture. A guide track having channel and rack portions is mounted to the vehicle body adjacent the aperture. The rack portion includes a plurality of rack teeth. A hinge member is adapted for mounting to the side door and includes a plurality of guide rollers for rollingly engaging the channel portion of the guide track. A power drive mechanism mounted to the hinge member includes a reversible motor for producing a drive torque, a pinion gear having a plurality of drive teeth meshingly engaging the rack teeth, and an endless belt for transferring the drive torque from the motor to the pinion gear thereby driving the sliding door between the open and closed position.

Claims

1. A power door drive system for moving a sliding side door on a vehicle body having an aperture between an open position wherein the side door substantially clears the aperture and a closed position wherein the side door substantially covers the aperture, said power door drive system comprising:

a guide track adapted to be mounted to the vehicle body adjacent the aperture and extending therealong, said guide track including a channel portion and a rack portion, said rack portion having a plurality of rack teeth disposed therealong;

a hinge member having a proximal end adapted to be mounted to the side door and an opposite distal end;

a plurality of guide rollers operatively coupled to said distal end of said hinge member, said plurality of guide rollers rollingly engaging said channel portion of said guide track;

a power drive mechanism mounted to said hinge member, said power drive mechanism including a reversible motor fixedly mounted to said proximal end of said hinge member, a spur gear, and a drive pulley, said spur gear and said drive pulley are journally supported by a first post, said spur gear operably coupled to said reversible motor such that actuation of said reversible motor produces a drive torque to drive said spur gear in order to rotate said drive pulley, said power drive mechanism including a pinion gear and a driven pulley said pinion gear and said driven pulley are rotatably coupled to second post, said pinion gear having a plurality of drive teeth meshingly engaging said plurality of rack teeth, and said power drive mechanism including an endless belt extending around said drive pulley and said driven pulley for transferring said drive torque from said motor to said pinion gear thereby driving the sliding door between the open and closed positions; and

a dampener shadow gear fixedly secured directly to an upper surface of said pinion gear for engaging said plurality of rack teeth and preventing backlash between said rack teeth and said pinion gear.

2. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said dampener shadow gear includes a plurality of teeth which are larger in dimension than said plurality of drive teeth of said pinion gear.

3. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said channel portion of said guide track includes a vertical guide surface and first and second horizontal guide surfaces, said vertical and horizontal guide surfaces cooperating with said plurality of rollers to position said hinge member in both a vertical and horizontal direction as the sliding door is moved between the open and closed positions.

4. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 3 including an encoder wheel operatively coupled to said pinion gear and an optical sensor for reading, said encoder wheel as said encoder wheel rotates to determine a position and a velocity of the sliding door as the sliding door moves between the open and closed positions.

5. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 4 including an idler pulley rotatably mounted to said hinge member between said drive pulley and said driven pulley for engaging and tensioning said belt therebetween.

6. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 5 wherein said hinge member includes a horizontal portion extending between said proximal end and said distal end and a vertical portion extending upwardly from said proximal end, said reversible motor is mounted to said vertical portion and said spur gear and pinion gear are mounted to said horizontal portion.

7. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 6 including an articulating bracket pivotally coupled to said distal end of said hinge member, said guide rollers rotatably mounted to said articulating bracket for guiding said hinge member along said channel portion.

8. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 7 including a clutch operatively coupled between said reversible motor and said spur gear for operatively coupling said motor and said pinion gear in an engaged position and decoupling said motor and said pinion gear in a disengaged position.

9. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 8 including an idler gear operatively coupled between said encoder wheel and said spur gear through said clutch for rotating said encoder wheel during travel of said pinion gear along said rack portion.

10. A power door drive system for moving a sliding side door on a vehicle body having an aperture between an open position wherein the side door substantially clears the aperture and a closed position wherein the side door substantially covers the aperture, said power door drive system comprising:

a guide track adapted to be mounted to the vehicle body adjacent the aperture and extending therealong, said guide track including a channel portion and a rack portion, said rack portion having a plurality of rack teeth disposed therealong;

a hinge member having a proximal end adapted to be mounted to the side door and an opposite distal end;

an articulating bracket pivotally coupled to said distal end of said hinge member;

a plurality of guide rollers rotatably coupled to said articulating bracket, said plurality of guide rollers rollingly engaging said channel portion of said guide track for guiding said hinge member along said channel portion; and

a power drive mechanism mounted to said hinge member, said power drive mechanism including a reversible motor fixedly mounted to said proximal end of said hinge member, a spur gear, and a drive pulley, said spur gear and said drive pulley are journally supported by a first post, said spur gear operably coupled to said reversible motor such that actuation of said reversible motor produces a drive torque to drive said spur gear in order to rotate said drive pulley, said power drive mechanism including a pinion gear and a driven pulley, said pinion gear and said driven pulley are rotatably coupled to second post, said pinion gear having a plurality of drive teeth meshingly engaging said plurality of rack teeth, and said power drive mechanism including an endless belt extending around said drive pulley and said driven pulley for transferring said drive torque from said motor to said pinion gear thereby driving the sliding door between the open and closed positions.

11. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said plurality of guide rollers is rotatably coupled directly to said articulating bracket.

12. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 11 including a dampener shadow gear fixedly secured directly to an upper surface of said pinion gear for engaging said plurality of rack teeth and preventing backlash between said rack teeth and said pinion gear.

13. A power door drive system for moving a sliding side door on a vehicle body having an aperture between an open position wherein the side door substantially clears the aperture and a closed position wherein the side door substantially covers the aperture, said power door drive system comprising:

a guide track adapted to be mounted to the vehicle body adjacent the aperture and extending therealong, said guide track including a channel portion and a rack portion, said rack portion having a plurality of rack teeth disposed therealong;

a hinge member having a proximal end adapted to be mounted to the side door and an opposite distal end;

a plurality of guide rollers operatively coupled to said distal end of said hinge member, said plurality of guide rollers rollingly engaging said channel portion of said guide track;

a power unit including a motor mounted to said hinge member, a spur gear operably coupled to said motor and journally supported by a post, and a drive pulley journally supported by said post and rotatable with said spur gear, said motor operable for producing a drive torque to drive said spur gear in order to rotate said drive pulley;

a drive unit including a driven pulley and a pinion gear, said driven pulley and said pinion gear are rotatably coupled to a post, said pinion gear having a plurality of drive teeth meshingly engaging said plurality of rack teeth; and

an endless belt extending around said drive pulley and said driven pulley for transferring said drive torque from said motor to said pinion gear thereby driving the sliding door between the open and closed positions.

14. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 13 including a clutch operatively coupled between said motor and said spur gear for operatively coupling said motor and said pinion gear in an engaged position and decoupling said motor and, said pinion gear in a disengaged position.

15. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 14 including an encoder wheel operatively coupled to said pinion gear and an optical sensor for reading said encoder wheel as said encoder wheel rotates to determine a position and a velocity of the sliding door as the sliding door moves between the open and closed positions.

16. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 15 including an idler gear operatively coupled between said encoder wheel and said spur gear through said clutch for rotating said encoder wheel during travel of said pinion gear along said rack portion.

17. A power door drive system as set forth in claim 13 including an idler pulley rotatably mounted to said hinge member between said drive pulley and said driven pulley for engaging and tensioning said belt therebetween.