Door opening/closing device

• US 8,479,445 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation (Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation (Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ichinose, Mikio
• Primary Examiner(s): Strimbu, Gregory J.
• Application Number:
  US11/313,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20060137248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,756 Days
• Field of Search: 491/38, 493/39, 493/40, 493/41, 493/42, 744/37, 744/14, 743/93, 296/56, 296/146.8, 296/50, 296/57.1
• US Class Current: 49/341
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/611 for swinging wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/63 operated by swinging arms
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/216 Clutches
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/246 by auxiliary motors, magnets, springs or weights
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/462 Electromagnets
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/618 Transmission ratio variation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/71 Toothed gearing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/00 Details, accessories and auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A device for controlling a door operated by a motor includes an opening/closing mechanism that opens and closes the door, and a gear mechanism that includes a plurality of tooth units each of which has different mesh and that conveys a torque of the motor to the opening/closing mechanism. The tooth units include a low-torque tooth unit that convey a relatively low torque, and a high-torque-tooth unit that conveys a relatively high torque. The torque conveyed to the opening/closing mechanism is changed by selecting a tooth unit based on a position of the door at the time of starting an opening or closing operation of the door.

Claims

1. A device for controlling a door operated by a motor, comprising:

an opening and closing mechanism configured to open and close the door in a first region between a full open position and a pre-closed position of the door and in a second region between the pre-closed position and a full closed position of the door, wherein the pre-closed position is a position just before a latch for the door is transferred to a half-latch state while the door is moved from the full open position to the full closed position; and

a gear mechanism including an output gear that rotates according to rotation of the motor and a plurality of tooth units, the gear mechanism being configured to convey a torque of the motor to the opening and closing mechanism which is fixed to a driving shaft,

wherein the plurality of tooth units includes an intermediate gear including a large diameter gear and a small diameter gear and being constituted by concentrically stacking and unitizing the large diameter gear and the small diameter gear, and a driving gear that is fixed to the driving shaft which rotates an arm of the opening and closing mechanism, the driving gear including a large diameter sector gear and a small diameter sector gear and being constituted by concentrically stacking and unitizing the large diameter sector gear and the small diameter sector gear,

wherein the large diameter gear of the intermediate gear and the small diameter sector gear of the driving gear are meshed when the door is positioned between the full open position and the pre-closed position, and constitute a low-torque tooth unit that conveys a low torque,

wherein the large diameter sector gear of the driving gear and the small diameter gear of the intermediate gear are meshed when the door is positioned between the pre-closed position and the full closed position, and constitute a high-torque tooth unit that conveys a high torque,

wherein one of the low-tooth units to be meshed with each other is selected from the low-torque tooth unit and the high-torque tooth unit is meshed based on a position of the door when an opening or closing operation of the door is started such that a first rotation speed of the driving shaft transmitted to the opening and closing mechanism in the first region is higher than a second rotation speed of the driving shaft transmitted to the opening and closing mechanism in the second region to change the torque conveyed to the opening and closing mechanism,

wherein when the large diameter sector gear meshes with the small diameter gear in the second region, the small diameter sector gear is released from the large diameter gear,

wherein when the small diameter sector gear meshes with the large diameter gear in the first region, the large diameter sector gear is released from the small diameter gear, and

wherein a rotation speed of the motor is adjusted such that the rotation speed of the motor gradually changes when switching between the low-torque tooth unit and the high-torque tooth unit.

2. A device for controlling a door operated by a motor, comprising:

an opening and closing mechanism configured to open and close the door in a first region between a full open position and a pre-closed position of the door and in a second region between the pre-closed position and a full closed position of the door, wherein the pre-closed position is a position just before a latch for the door is transferred to a half-latch state while the door is moved from the full open position to the full closed position; and

a gear mechanism configured to convey a torque of the motor to the opening and closing mechanism which is fixed to a driving shaft,

wherein the gear mechanism comprises;

an output gear that rotates according to rotation of the motor,

an intermediate gear including a large diameter gear and a small diameter gear and being constituted by concentrically stacking and unitizing the large diameter gear and the small diameter gear, and

a driving gear that is fixed to the driving shaft which rotates an arm of the opening and closing mechanism, the driving gear including a large diameter sector gear and a small diameter sector gear and being constituted by concentrically stacking and unitizing the large diameter sector gear and the small diameter sector gear,

wherein the large diameter gear of the intermediate gear and the small diameter sector gear of the driving gear are meshed when the door is positioned between the full open position and the pre-closed position, and constitute a low-torque tooth unit that conveys a low torque,

wherein the large diameter sector gear of the driving gear and the small diameter gear of the intermediate gear are meshed when the door is positioned between the pre-closed position and the full closed position, and constitute a high-torque tooth unit that conveys a high torque,

wherein the low-torque tooth unit and the high-torque tooth unit each has a different mesh,

wherein one of the low-torque tooth unit and the high-torque tooth unit is meshed based on a position of the door when an opening or closing operation of the door is started such that a first rotation speed of the driving shaft transmitted to the opening and closing mechanism in the first region is higher than a second rotation speed of the driving shaft transmitted to the opening and closing mechanism in the second region,

wherein when the large diameter sector gear meshes with the small diameter gear in the second region, the small diameter sector gear is released from the large diameter gear,

wherein when the small diameter sector gear meshes with the large diameter gear in the first region, the large diameter sector gear is released from the small diameter gear, and

wherein a rotation speed of the motor is adjusted such that the rotation speed of the motor gradually changes when switching between the low-torque tooth unit and the high-torque tooth unit.

3. A device for controlling a door operated by a motor, comprising:

an opening and closing mechanism configured to open and close the door in a first region between a full open position and a pre-closed position of the door and in a second region between the pre-closed position and a full closed position of the door, wherein the pre-closed position is a position just before a latch for the door is transferred to a half-latch state while the door is moved from the full open position to the full closed position;

a gear mechanism configured to convey a torque of the motor to the opening and closing mechanism which is fixed to a driving shaft; and

a controller,

wherein the gear mechanism comprises;

an output gear that rotates according to rotation of the motor,

an intermediate gear including a large diameter gear and a small diameter gear and being constituted by concentrically stacking and unitizing the large diameter gear and the small diameter gear, and

a driving gear that is fixed to the driving shaft which rotates an arm of the opening and closing mechanism,

wherein the driving gear includes a large diameter sector gear and a small diameter sector gear and is constituted by concentrically stacking and unitizing the large diameter sector gear and the small diameter sector gear,

wherein the large diameter gear of the intermediate gear and the small diameter sector gear of the driving gear are meshed when the door is positioned between the full open position and the pre-closed position, and constitute a low-torque tooth unit that conveys a low torque,

wherein the large diameter sector gear of the driving gear and the small diameter gear of the intermediate gear are meshed when the door is positioned between the pre-closed position and the full closed position, and constitute a high-torque tooth unit that conveys a high torque,

wherein one of the low-torque tooth unit and the high-torque tooth unit is meshed based on a position of the door when an opening or closing operation of the door is started such that a first rotation speed of the driving shaft transmitted to the opening and closing mechanism in the first region is higher than a second rotation speed of the driving shaft transmitted to the opening and closing mechanism in the second region,

wherein when the large diameter sector gear meshes with the small diameter gear in the second region, the small diameter sector gear is released from the large diameter gear,

wherein when the small diameter sector gear meshes with the large diameter gear in the first region, the large diameter sector gear is released from the small diameter gear,

wherein the controller is configured to control the motor,

wherein the controller adjusts the rotation of the motor such that a rotation speed of the motor gradually changes when switching between the low-torque tooth unit and the high-torque tooth unit.