Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Door or window with specified vehicle feature
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-31
2001-05-15
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Door or window with specified vehicle feature
C049S360000, C192S089210
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231113
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a motor-vehicle sliding door such as used on a van or minivan. More particularly this invention concerns a cable drive for such a door.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A standard motor-vehicle sliding door moves on tracks between a closed position and an open position. It is now standard to provide a drive for power-assisted and even remote operation of this door, which under the best of circumstances can be difficult to manipulate. Thus in a standard arrangement a pair of cable sections, which may be separate or parts of a common cable, each have one end anchored on the door and an opposite end anchored on a drum or respective coaxial sections of a drum. A drive gear rotated by a reversible electrical motor rotates the drum, depending on whether the door is to be opened or closed, paying out one of the cables and winding up the other cable.
In a standard arrangement as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,283 of Compeau the drive motor and drum are mounted inside the vehicle and the cables are deflected about a fairly complex path from their attachment point on the door outside the vehicle to the interior drive unit. Such an arrangement is rather complex and, due to the numerous deflecting rollers over which the cables must pass, prone to failure at several high-stress locations. In addition installing the door, threading the cable into position, and generally getting the slider working is a substantial amount of work during the manufacturing process.
Another problem with these systems is that if the drive fails the door can be almost impossible to open. German utility model 296 13 848 describes an emergency-override system for a sunroof that requires a special tool that is inserted into the drive mechanism in order to operate it manually and/or override the motor drive. Such a system is extremely inconvenient and is basically only intended for use by equipped service personnel; it is not suitable for the end user to use in the field for an emergency exit from the vehicle.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved cable drive for a motor-vehicle sliding door.
Another object is the provision of such an improved cable drive for a motor-vehicle sliding door which overcomes the above-given disadvantages, that is which is of simple construction so it is inexpensive to install and has a long service life.
A further object is to provide such a cable drive which has a simple and easy-to-use override by means of which the door can be opened manually without the use of tools.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A cable drive for a motor vehicle having a body and a door slidable outside the body has according to the invention a rotatable shaft projecting through the body and having an outer end outside the vehicle adjacent the door and an inside end inside the vehicle. A drum outside the vehicle is mounted on the outside end and a cable wholly outside the vehicle is wound around the drum and connected to the door so that rotation of the drum and shaft in one direction slides the door into a closed position and opposite movement slides it into an open position. A motor unit wholly inside the vehicle is connected to the inside shaft end to rotate the shaft.
With the instant invention the entire cable is outside the vehicle along with the drum so the various rollers and such which guide the cable need only follow a relatively simple path. The drive unit can be a wholly separate subassembly that is easily mounted inside the vehicle, out of harm's way, greatly facilitating manufacture of the vehicle.
According to the invention a clutch is provided between the motor unit and the shaft openable to uncouple the motor unit from the shaft and closable to connect the motor unit to the shaft. This clutch has an input clutch member directly driven by the motor, rotatable on the shaft, and having a clutch surface and an output clutch member fixed rotatably on the shaft and having a clutch surface engageable axially with the surface of the input clutch member. A spring operatively braced between the clutch members urges the surfaces thereof axially together so that when the surfaces are engaged together the shaft is coupled via the clutch members to the motor unit. A fixed nut adjacent one of the clutch members carries a spindle that is engageable with the one clutch member to push it against the spring out of engagement with the other clutch member. A manually operable handle on the spindle allows it to be screwed in and out to engage and disengage the clutch.
The shaft according to the invention carries a disk and the spring is braced between the disk and the output clutch member. In addition the surfaces are frustoconical and centered on the axis. The handle itself is a radially projecting arm movable against or between stops defining end positions for it. Thus with a motor-driven door all that is necessary for manual operation is to uncouple it from the drive unit, so that the door can be slid manually in its tracks. What is more the clutch according to the invention can be overpowered, for prying-open of the door in an emergency.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3580372 (1971-05-01), Schiefer et al.
patent: 4776443 (1988-10-01), Maruyamano et al.
patent: 4932715 (1990-06-01), Kramer
patent: 5448856 (1995-09-01), Moore et al.
patent: 5634296 (1997-06-01), Hebda
patent: 5737875 (1998-04-01), Dowling
patent: 5746025 (1998-05-01), Shimura
patent: 5913563 (1999-06-01), Watanabe et al.
patent: 3827859 (1990-02-01), None
Armbruster Stefan
Greulich Kornelia
Blankenship Greg
Dayoan D. Glenn
Dubno Herbert
Kiekert AG
Wilford Andrew
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