Side door opening and closing apparatus for an automobile

Abstract

The present invention relates to a side door opening and closing apparatus for a vehicle, which enables a side door of a vehicle to be automatically opened and closed with respect to a body. The apparatus includes a housing installed and fixed to the side door and having an accommodation space therein, a drive motor located within the accommodation space of the housing and including a drive shaft, a worm connected to the drive shaft and rotating together with the drive shaft, a worm wheel engaged with the worm and coupled to the worm and capable of rotating by receiving a rotational force from the worm, a pinion engaged with the worm wheel and rotating, and a rack hingedly coupled to the body at one end, the rack being engaged with the pinion and converting a rotational motion of the pinion into a linear motion. The worm has a switchable structure capable of receiving a rotational force of the worm wheel and rotating when the worm wheel rotates. When the drive motor rotates in an automatic mode, the worm rotates the worm wheel, and when a user manually turns the door in a manual mode, the worm is capable of rotating by the rotating worm wheel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an opening and closing device for a side door of a vehicle, which enables the vehicle door to be opened and closed automatically and manually, and has a simple structure. Background Technology

[0002] The side doors for passenger boarding and alighting are located on the side of the vehicle and are configured to allow passengers to open and close them manually.

[0003] Recently, a structure in which a drive motor is mounted on the side door of a vehicle and the door is automatically opened and closed using the power of the drive motor has been applied to vehicles. Korean Patent No. 10-2172999 is known to relate to such an automatic door opening and closing device.

[0004] This opening and closing device includes a drive motor, a worm gear connected to a drive shaft of the drive motor, and a worm wheel engaged with the worm gear. When the drive motor rotates, the worm gear rotates to cause the worm wheel to rotate, and the door opens and closes as the worm wheel rotates.

[0005] In this situation, when the gear ratio between the worm gear and the worm is large enough, even if the drive motor has a small power output, it can generate a large force and support the vehicle's tilt.

[0006] That is, due to the difference in gear size, the worm wheel can rotate while the worm is rotating, but the worm does not rotate when the worm wheel attempts to rotate. Even in conventional opening and closing devices that include a worm and a worm wheel, the user must be able to manually open the door. This is because the worm may not rotate even when the worm wheel connected to the door is rotating, so a clutch device is added to allow only the worm wheel to rotate when attempting to manually open and close the door, even when the worm wheel is not connected to the worm. In Korean Patent No. 10-2172999, a friction material, a friction plate, and a clamping device are provided as a clutch device.

[0007] However, the addition of such a complex clutch device inevitably increases the complexity and cost of the entire device, and the risk of failure also increases due to the complex mechanical structure. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Technical issues

[0009] This disclosure is designed to address the problems of the prior art, and therefore aims to provide an opening and closing device for a side door of a vehicle, wherein an automatic mode and a manual mode can be implemented with a simple structure.

[0010] Technical solution

[0011] According to embodiments of this disclosure, an opening and closing device for a side door of a vehicle, which enables the side door of the vehicle to automatically open and close relative to the vehicle body, includes:

[0012] A housing, which is fixedly disposed in the side door and has a receiving space therein;

[0013] A drive motor, the drive motor being located within the receiving space of the housing and including a drive shaft;

[0014] A worm gear, which is connected to the drive shaft and rotates together with the drive shaft;

[0015] A worm gear, which engages with the worm and is capable of rotating by receiving rotational force from the worm;

[0016] A small gear, which rotates together with the worm gear; and

[0017] A rack, one end of which is hinged to the vehicle body, engages with a pinion to convert the rotational motion of the pinion into linear motion.

[0018] The worm gear has a reversible structure, in which the worm gear can rotate by receiving the rotational force of the worm wheel when the worm wheel rotates, such that when the drive motor rotates in automatic mode, the worm gear causes the worm wheel to rotate, and when the user manually turns the door in manual mode, the worm gear can rotate through the rotating worm wheel.

[0019] In opening and closing the device

[0020] The lead angle of the worm's thread can be in the range of 5° to 15°.

[0021] In opening and closing the device

[0022] The drive motor can be connected to one end of the worm, and a brake for stopping the rotation of the worm is located at the other end of the worm.

[0023] The brake is configured such that when an electrical signal is applied to the brake, the braking force is removed, and when the electrical signal is removed from the brake, the braking force is cut off.

[0024] The opening and closing device may also include

[0025] A load sensor, configured to detect whether a user manually opens and closes a door; and

[0026] A control device, connected to the load sensor and configured to transmit an electrical signal to the brake when a signal from the load sensor is detected.

[0027] When the load sensor detects that the user manually opens and closes the door in the manual mode, the control device connected to the load sensor applies an electrical signal to the brake to remove the braking force.

[0028] In opening and closing the device

[0029] A groove with a shape corresponding to the pinion can be formed at the center of the worm gear, and a portion of the pinion can be inserted into the groove, causing the pinion to rotate together with the worm gear.

[0030] The gear shaft supporting the pinion can be inserted into the center of the pinion and rotatably fixed to the housing.

[0031] In opening and closing the device

[0032] The worm gear may include a wheel body having gear teeth formed at a circumferential edge, and

[0033] A central protrusion, the central protrusion projecting from one surface of the wheel body, and including a groove formed at the center,

[0034] The central hole is formed in the housing at a position corresponding to the central protrusion, and a sealing ring is fixedly disposed at the circumferential edge of the central hole to maintain airtightness.

[0035] Beneficial effects

[0036] In the side door opening and closing device for the device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, since the worm gear connected to the drive motor has a reversible structure, automatic mode and manual mode can be realized without a clutch device, thus simplifying the device and reducing costs.

[0037] In the side door opening and closing device for the apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, because the lead angle of the worm and the gear ratio of the worm to the worm wheel are optimized, the tilting state can be supported, and automatic mode and manual mode can be realized without a clutch device.

[0038] In the side door opening and closing device for the apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the tilted state can be supported more reliably because a braking device is additionally provided. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Figure 1This is a front perspective view showing an opening and closing device for a side door of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 A partially exploded perspective view of the front cover of the opening and closing device being separated.

[0041] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 An exploded perspective view.

[0042] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 1 Rear perspective view of the opening and closing mechanism for the side doors of a vehicle.

[0043] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 4 A partially exploded perspective view showing the main body of the opening and closing device separated.

[0044] Figure 6 and Figure 7 yes Figure 5 An exploded perspective view.

[0045] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating a control system for an opening and closing device for a side door of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0046] Embodiments of this disclosure are shown to illustrate the technical concepts of this disclosure. However, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments or the detailed description of the embodiments.

[0047] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. All terms chosen for use in this disclosure are for the purpose of clearly describing the disclosure and should not be construed as limiting its scope.

[0048] Unless otherwise mentioned in a phrase or sentence that includes these terms, the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” as used herein should be understood as open-ended terms that include the possibility of other embodiments.

[0049] Unless otherwise stated, the singular expression may include the meaning of the plural, and this also applies to the singular expression as described in the claims.

[0050] When a component is described in this document as being “connected to” or “attached to” another component, this should be understood to mean that the particular component can be directly connected to or attached to another component, or that the particular component can be connected to or attached to another component via a new intermediate component.

[0051] The term "upward" as used in this document refers to the orientation of the test socket relative to the test board, while "downward" refers to the opposite direction. It should be understood that the term "vertical" as used in this document includes both upward and downward directions, but does not refer to any specific direction within either direction.

[0052] Embodiments will be described with reference to the examples shown in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, identical or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, in the following description of the embodiments, repeated descriptions of identical or corresponding components will be omitted. However, even if the descriptions of these components are omitted, they are not intended to be excluded from the embodiments.

[0053] The embodiments described below and the examples shown in the accompanying drawings relate to an opening and closing device for a side door of a vehicle, which is disposed in the side door to automatically open and close the side door. The vehicle's side door can be opened and closed by a drive motor, and can also be opened and closed manually by a user when the drive motor is not in operation.

[0054] The opening and closing device for a side door of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] The side door opening and closing device 100 disclosed herein includes a housing 110, a drive motor 120, a worm gear 130, a worm wheel 140, a pinion 150, a rack 160, a brake 170, a load sensor 180, and a control device 190.

[0056] The housing 110 is disposed in the side door of the vehicle. Specifically, the housing 110 is located in the space between the outer panel and the inner panel of the side door. The housing 110 has a generally quadrilateral box shape and has a receiving space therein. The housing 110 includes a body 111 and a front cover 112. The body 111 and the front cover 112 are bolted together to form the receiving space between them.

[0057] The drive motor 120 and various electronic components are housed in the housing 110, and a seal is provided between the main body 111 and the front cover 112 to prevent water from seeping in from the outside.

[0058] A central hole 1121 is formed at approximately the center of the front cover 112, and a central protrusion 142 of the worm gear 140 is inserted into the central hole 1121. A pinion 150 and the worm gear 140, which receive power from the drive motor 120, protrude from the central hole 1121, and the pinion 150 protruding from the central hole 1121 engages with a rack 160 that moves linearly outside the housing 110.

[0059] A sealing ring 1122 with an annular shape is formed around the central hole 1121 in the front cover 112 of the housing 110. The sealing ring 1122 is used to seal around the central hole 1121 and the central protrusion 142 of the worm gear 140 to prevent rainwater and the like from flowing into the housing 110.

[0060] The sealing ring 1122 is formed in an annular shape and is forced into the outer peripheral surface of the central protrusion 142 to prevent water from seeping in therebetween.

[0061] A pressure plate 1123 is formed around a sealing ring 1122 to contact and securely fasten the sealing ring 1122 to the front cover 112. The pressure plate 1123 has a central hole with a shape corresponding to the central protrusion 142, and secures the sealing ring 112 to the front cover 112 while the sealing ring 1122 is in contact with one surface of the pressure plate 1123. Multiple protrusions are provided on one surface of the pressure plate 1123, such that the pressure plate 1123 is non-rotatably fixed to the front cover 112 of the housing 110 and secured to the front cover 112 by bolts (not shown).

[0062] A wheel receiving portion 1111 for accommodating the worm gear 140 is formed on the inner surface of the central portion of the main body 111, and a shaft support 1112 is disposed at the center of the wheel receiving portion 111, and a gear shaft 151 supporting the pinion 150 is non-rotatably inserted into the shaft support 1112.

[0063] Specifically, an inwardly recessed star-shaped shaft insertion groove 1113 is formed in the shaft support 1112. Because the end of the gear shaft 151 of the pinion 150 has a star shape, when the gear shaft 151 is inserted into the shaft insertion groove 1113, the gear shaft 151 is non-rotatably assembled into the body 111.

[0064] The drive motor 120 is located within the housing 110 and includes a drive shaft. The drive motor 120 is connected to a control device 190 and performs rotational operations by receiving electrical signals from the control device 190. The drive motor 120 is vertically mounted on the upper portion of the housing 110, and the drive shaft is connected to a worm gear 130 extending vertically within the housing 110. The drive motor 120 is well-known, therefore its detailed description will be omitted.

[0065] One end of the worm gear 130 is connected to the drive motor 120, while the other end of the worm gear 130 is connected to the brake 170. Specifically, the worm gear 130 is connected to the drive motor 120 and rotates by receiving the rotational force of the drive motor 120, and the brake 170 is connected to the other end of the worm gear 130 to prevent the door from being opened and closed unintentionally by the user.

[0066] In this embodiment, the lead angle for reversing and supporting the door is preferably in the range of 5° to 15°, and the (worm: worm wheel) gear ratio used for reversing should be high, and preferably 1:80. The lower the gear ratio, the lower the reversing load, and the higher the gear ratio, the higher the reversing load.

[0067] As a result of the test, when the gear ratio was 1:40, the reverse load was too low to support the tilted door. A gear ratio of 1:60 or higher was needed to simultaneously reverse and support the door. The optimal values ​​for each door should be selected by choosing the gear ratio and lead angle. Preferably, the gear ratio and lead angle should be as large as possible. In this embodiment, it is preferred that the lead angle be in the range of 5° to 15° and the (worm:worm wheel) gear ratio be in the range of 1:50 to 1:90.

[0068] However, when there are limitations in supporting tilt by optimizing gear ratio and lead angle, brake 170 is applied to support tilt more reliably.

[0069] The worm gear 140 can engage with the worm 130 and can rotate by receiving the rotational force of the worm 130. The worm gear 140 is formed in a disc shape and has a plurality of gear teeth formed on its outer peripheral surface. The gear teeth on the outer peripheral surface mesh with the gear teeth of the worm 130. The worm gear 140 includes a wheel body 141 and a central protrusion 142, the wheel body 141 having gear teeth formed at its circumferential edge.

[0070] One surface of the wheel body 141 is flat, and a central protrusion 142 protrudes from the center portion of the other surface of the wheel body 141. A star-shaped groove 143 corresponding to the pinion 150 is formed in the central protrusion 142, and a through hole through which the gear shaft 151 supporting the pinion 150 passes is formed at the center of the central protrusion 142.

[0071] Because a portion of the pinion 150 is inserted into the groove 143 formed in the central protrusion 142 of the wheel body 141, the pinion 150 interlocks and rotates when the wheel body 141 rotates, and the wheel body 141 interlocks and rotates when the pinion 150 rotates. Because the pinion 150 is inserted into the groove 143 integrally formed in the center of the wheel body 141, the wheel body 141 and the pinion 150 can rotate simultaneously without loss of rotational force.

[0072] The pinion 150 rotates while being assembled around the gear shaft 151, which is non-rotatably fixed to the housing 110. Specifically, the pinion 150 is rotatably supported on the gear shaft 151. One side of the pinion 150 engages with the rack 160 relative to its center in the thickness direction perpendicular to the central axis of the pinion 150, while the other part is inserted into a groove 143 in the wheel body 141.

[0073] Therefore, when the worm gear 140 rotates, the pinion 150 rotates, and thus the rack 160, which engages with the pinion 150, moves linearly. Furthermore, when the user manually operates the door, the rack 160 moves linearly, causing the pinion 150 to rotate, and the worm gear 140 also rotates together with the pinion 150.

[0074] One end of the rack 160 is hinged to the vehicle body and engages with the pinion 150 to convert the rotational motion of the pinion 150 into linear motion. The rack 160 is formed as a strip shape extending linearly in one direction, and a plurality of gear teeth that engage with the gear teeth of the pinion 150 are formed on the bottom surface extending in the longitudinal direction.

[0075] Because one end of the rack 160 is pivotally connected to the vehicle body, the door can rotate relative to the vehicle body as the rack 160 moves linearly with the rotation of the pinion 150. A gear cover 161 is provided on the rack 160, the gear cover 161 having an open bottom and surrounding the rack 160 in the longitudinal direction. A guide pin 163, pivotally connected to the housing 110, is provided above the gear cover 161 to guide the direction of movement.

[0076] In addition, a protective plate 162 is formed near the rack 160, and the protective plate 162 is fixed to the housing to form a space in which the rack can move.

[0077] The brake 170 is located in the receiving space of the housing 110 and is connected to one end of the worm gear 130. The brake 170 is positioned opposite the drive motor 120, with the worm gear 130 between them.

[0078] Brake 170 is operated by an electrical signal. Brake 170 uses a non-excitation method executed by an electrical signal, wherein the braking force is removed when the electrical signal is applied, and the braking force is applied when the electrical signal is cut off. Specifically, when no electrical signal is provided, brake 170 is operated by spring force.

[0079] Because of the application of brake 170, the tilted state supported by worm gear 140 with a reversible structure can be supplemented, so that the door in the tilted state can be supported more reliably.

[0080] A load sensor 180 is configured to detect whether a user manually opens and closes the door. The load sensor 180 is disposed on the rack 160, housing 110, or another part to detect whether a user manually opens and closes the door. That is, when a user applies force to the door to manually open and close it, a load is applied to the hinges of the rack 160, housing 110, body 111, etc., and the load sensor 180 detects the load.

[0081] Because the door may fail to open and close when braking force is applied to brake 170 while the vehicle is stopped and power is cut off, load sensor 180 is configured to apply an electrical signal to brake 170 when load sensor 180 detects a load on the door. Therefore, the braking force on brake 170 is removed, and worm gear 130 can rotate.

[0082] The control device 190 is connected to each of the drive motor 120, the load sensor 180, and the brake 170 to control each of the drive motor 120, the load sensor 180, and the brake 170.

[0083] In detail, when the door opens and closes automatically, the control device 190 controls the electrical signal applied to the drive motor 120 to make the drive motor 120 rotate.

[0084] Furthermore, because the control device 190 is connected to the brake 170, when the vehicle is closed, the control device 190 controls the removal of the signal provided to the brake 170, so that the door cannot be opened or closed in the tilted state.

[0085] Furthermore, because the control unit 190 is connected to the load sensor 180, when a user loads the door of the vehicle and it is determined that the load is for opening and closing operations, the control unit 190 controls the application of an electrical signal to the brake 170 to remove the braking force of the brake 170. Therefore, when the user attempts to manually turn the door in manual mode, the worm gear 130 can be rotated by the rotating worm wheel 140.

[0086] The effects of embodiments according to this disclosure are as follows.

[0087] According to an embodiment, the worm gear 130 has a structure that can be reversed and support a door in a tilted state by adjusting the lead angle of the worm gear 130. That is, in automatic mode, the drive motor 120 that receives an electrical signal can be operated by the control device 190, and the worm gear 130, worm wheel 140, pinion 150 and rack 160 can be operated accordingly to open and close the door.

[0088] Furthermore, when the user applies force to open and close the door, the drive motor 120 rotates via the rack 160, pinion 150, worm gear 140, and worm 130. Although a structure has been adopted in which the worm 130 is not rotated by the worm gear 140, this disclosure employs a reversible structure, so the drive motor can rotate reversibly via an adjusted gear ratio, and the door can be supported without rotating even in an inclined state.

[0089] Furthermore, when the door is tilted and unsupported, a brake 170 is additionally applied. The brake 170 is designed with the worm gear 130 having a reversible structure and being difficult to support in a tilted state. Additionally, considering that when power is applied to the brake 170 in manual mode, a braking force is generated and the worm gear 130 does not rotate, a load sensor 180 is provided to remove the braking force of the brake 170 when the user opens and closes the door.

[0090] In the opening and closing device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, since a clutch device is not used, the overall structure can be simplified, manufacturing costs can be reduced, and the risk of failure can be reduced.

[0091] However, the opening and closing device for the side door of a vehicle disclosed herein is not limited thereto, and can be modified as follows.

[0092] Although a brake has been added in the above embodiments, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the lead angle and gear ratio of the worm gear can be changed differently than before without the application of a brake.

[0093] Furthermore, although the above embodiments employ an unexcited operating brake that removes braking force when an electrical signal is provided, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and various brakes may be applied.

[0094] Although the opening and closing device for a side door of a vehicle has been described in this disclosure, the scope of this disclosure is not limited thereto, and various modifications may be made within the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An opening and closing device for a side door of a vehicle, the opening and closing device enabling the side door of the vehicle to automatically open and close relative to the vehicle body, the opening and closing device comprising: A housing, which is fixedly disposed in the side door and has a receiving space therein; A drive motor, the drive motor being located within the receiving space of the housing and including a drive shaft; A worm gear, which is connected to the drive shaft and rotates together with the drive shaft; A worm gear, which engages with the worm and is capable of rotating by receiving rotational force from the worm; A pinion, which rotates together with the worm gear; A rack, one end of which is hinged to the vehicle body, and the rack engages with the pinion to convert the rotational motion of the pinion into linear motion; A load sensor configured to detect whether a user manually opens and closes the side door; and A control device connected to the load sensor and configured to transmit an electrical signal to the brake when a signal from the load sensor is detected. The worm gear has a reversible structure, in which the worm gear can rotate by receiving the rotational force of the worm wheel when the worm wheel rotates, such that when the drive motor rotates in automatic mode, the worm gear causes the worm wheel to rotate, and when the user manually turns the side door in manual mode, the worm gear can rotate by the rotating worm wheel. The drive motor is connected to one end of the worm, and a brake for stopping the rotation of the worm is located at the other end of the worm. The brake is configured such that when an electrical signal is applied to the brake, the braking force is removed, and when the electrical signal is removed from the brake, the braking force is disengaged; and When the load sensor detects that the user manually opens and closes the side door in the manual mode, the control device connected to the load sensor applies an electrical signal to the brake to remove the braking force.

2. The opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein, The lead angle of the worm's thread is in the range of 5° to 15°.

3. The opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein... A groove with a shape corresponding to the pinion is formed at the center of the worm gear, and a portion of the pinion is inserted into the groove, causing the pinion to rotate together with the worm gear. The gear shaft supporting the pinion is inserted into the center of the pinion and simultaneously rotatably fixed to the housing.

4. The opening and closing device according to claim 3, wherein The worm gear includes a wheel body having gear teeth formed at a circumferential edge, and A central protrusion, the central protrusion projecting from one surface of the wheel body, and including a groove formed at the center, in, A central hole is formed in the housing at a position corresponding to the central protrusion, and a sealing ring is fixedly disposed at the circumferential edge of the central hole to maintain airtightness.

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