Sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle

Abstract

A sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle, comprising at least one cable (12, 13) configured to pull a sliding door (2) slidably installed on a vehicle (1) to slide the sliding door (2), a drum (23, 24) around which the at least one cable (12, 13) is wound, a drum adapter (25) connected to an output shaft (10a) of a drive unit (10), the drum (23, 24) being installed on the drum adapter (25), and a spring element (26, 27) configured to resiliently support the drum (23, 24) on the drum adapter (25).

Description

The invention relates to a sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle, which is suitable for opening and closing a sliding door of the vehicle with a cable pull.A door through which a passenger gets in and out of a vehicle is installed on a side surface of the vehicle.As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a slide door 2 slid for opening and closing is installed on the vehicle 1 such as a van. A rail 1a along which the slide door 2 is slid is installed on a body of the vehicle 1. A roller (not shown) running along the rail 1a is installed on the slide door 2. A door lock for locking the sliding door 2 when the sliding door 2 is closed is provided on the sliding door 2.In recent years, more vehicles have electric slide doors that open and close by driving power of a driving electric motor to improve passenger comfort.A drive unit 10 is installed in the sliding door 2. The drive unit 10 includes a drive electric motor 11, first and second cables 12 and 13, first and second pulley units 14 and 15, and the like. The first and second cables 12 and 13 are wound around or unwound from a drum (not shown) and press or pull the sliding door 2. the first and second pulley units 14 and 15 have respective associated pulleys (not shown) for changing the winding directions of the first and second cables 12 and 13. The drive unit 10 is connected to the drum. The drive unit 10 rotates the drum around which the first cable 12 and the second cable 13 are wound so as to respectively pull the first cable 12 and the second cable 13. Therefore, the slide door 2 slidably moves toward a forward or rearward direction of the vehicle 1, thereby being opened or closed.An end portion of the first cable 12 and an end portion of the second cable 13 are respectively fixed to the drum around which the first cable 12 and the second cable 13 are to be wound. The other end portion of the first cable 12 and the other end portion of the second cable 13 are each connected to a roller arm 2 athat is fixed to one side of the sliding door 2. The rail 1 ais installed on the vehicle 1 in the forward or rearward direction of the vehicle 1, and the roller running on the rail 1 ais installed on the roller arm 2 a. When the drive electric motor rotates the drum, the first cable 12 and the second cable 13 pull the roller arm 2 ain the forward or rearward direction of the vehicle 1 together with the rotation of the drum, thereby sliding the slide door 2.When the first cable 12 and the second cable 13 are connected to the pulley arm 2 a, the first cable 12 and the second cable 13 must be tightened in a state of tension for connection to the pulley arm 2 a. However, the first cable 12 and the second cable 13 are not easily connected to the pulley arm 2 abecause the first cable 12 and the second cable 13 do not have elasticity.The present invention provides a sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle, which is capable of pulling a cable to a predetermined length to fix an end portion of the cable to a drum during assembly, and which provides the cable with elasticity to maintain an appropriate pulling force after assembly.In one embodiment of the invention, a sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle is provided. The sliding door drum assembly includes a cable (e.g., a cable) configured to pull a sliding door slidably installed on a vehicle to slide the sliding door, a drum around which the cable is wound, and a drum adapter connected to an output shaft of a drive unit. The drum is installed on the drum adapter. In one embodiment, the sliding door drum arrangement has a spring element (e.g. an elastic element) which supports the drum on the (e.g. against the) drum adapter in a resilient (e.g. elastic) manner.In another embodiment, the cable pull may include a first cable pull pulling the sliding door in a first direction of the vehicle and a second cable pull pulling the sliding door in a second direction of the vehicle. The drum may include an upper drum around which the first cable or the second cable is wound and a lower drum around which another one of the first cable or the second cable is wound. The lower drum is installed coaxially below the upper drum.In the sliding door drum assembly, an end portion of the first cable may be fixed to the upper drum, and the first cable may be wound (e.g., wound) to a predetermined length. In addition, in the sliding door drum assembly, an end portion of the second cable may be fixed to the lower drum, and the second cable may be wound (e.g., wound) to a predetermined length.In the sliding door drum assembly, the drum adapter may be positioned between the upper drum and the lower drum. The upper drum may be installed above the drum adapter and the lower drum may be installed below the drum adapter.In the sliding door drum assembly, the spring member may include an upper spring. The opposite ends of the upper spring may be respectively fixed to the upper drum and the drum adapter. The spring element can also have a lower spring. The opposite ends of the lower spring may be respectively fixed to the lower drum and the drum adapter.In the sliding door drum assembly, a spring receiving portion may be formed on the drum adapter in a radial direction of the drum adapter to receive an end portion of the upper spring or an end portion of the lower spring. The spring receiving portion may face from a periphery of the drum adapter toward the center of the drum adapter.In the sliding door drum assembly, the one end portion of the upper spring and the one end portion of the lower spring may be bent so as to face toward the center of the drum adapter.In the sliding door drum assembly, a reinforcing rib may be formed on the drum adapter, protruding along a circumferential direction and the radial direction of the drum adapter. The spring receiving portion may be formed in the radial direction of the drum adapter and passes through the reinforcing rib formed in a circumferential direction of the drum adapter.In the sliding door drum assembly, an upper coupling protrusion inserted into a lower surface of the upper drum may be formed on the drum adapter. In addition, an upper stopper that blocks the upper coupling protrusion when the upper drum rotates by a first predetermined angle with respect to the drum adapter may be formed on the inner side of the upper drum.In the sliding door drum assembly, a lower coupling protrusion inserted into an upper surface of the lower drum may be formed on the drum adapter. A lower stopper that blocks the lower coupling protrusion when the lower drum rotates by a second predetermined angle with respect to the drum adapter may be formed on the inner side of the lower drum.In the sliding door drum assembly, another end portion of the first or second cable may be connected to a roller arm installed at one side of the sliding door.In the sliding door drum assembly, when the drum rotates in a state of being resiliently (e.g., elastically) supported, by pulling one end portion of the first or second cable, the other end portion of the first or second cable may be connected to the roller arm.In the sliding door drum assembly, an inner surface of the drum adapter may be spline-fitted to form a spline portion.The sliding door drum assembly according to the invention is configured as described above, and during assembly of the sliding door, the end portion of the first or second cable may be resiliently pulled to a predetermined length. This can facilitate the process of fixing the end portion of the first or second cable to the upper or lower drum.Moreover, in a state where the assembly of the cable is completed, the first or second cable with the spring can maintain a pulling force at an appropriate level, which contributes to easy and easy opening or closing operation of the sliding door.The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawing, the following are shown: FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which a typical prior art sliding door is installed; FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a configuration in which a drive unit that opens and closes the sliding door is installed in the typical sliding door according to the related art; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cable is fixed to the typical sliding door according to the related art; FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. 5 is a plan view of an upper drum when a first cable wound around the upper drum is pulled in a slide door drum assembly for a vehicle according to the invention; FIG. 6 is a plan view of the upper drum with the first cable fully installed in the sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle according to the invention; FIG. 7 is a plan view of a drum adapter of the sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle according to the invention; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the upper drum and a lower drum in a state where the sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle is normally mounted; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the drum adapter and the upper drum are coupled to each other in the sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the drum adapter and the lower drum are coupled to each other in the sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. 11 is a plan view of the drum adapter in a state in which the cable is mounted on the drum adapter normally in the sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle according to the invention; FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the upper drum and the lower drum in a state where the sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle according to the invention is abnormally mounted; and FIG. 13 is a plan view of the drum adapter in the state where the slide door drum assembly for a vehicle according to the invention is abnormally mounted.A sliding door drum assembly 20 for a vehicle according to the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another component, the one component may be directly connected or coupled to the other component, but it is understood that other components may be present therebetween. On the other hand, when the one component is referred to as being "directly connected to" or "directly in contact with" the other component, it is understood that no other components are present therebetween. Other terms for describing relationships between components, such as "between" and "directly between" or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to", should be interpreted in the same manner.When a component, a device, an element, or the like of the present disclosure is described as having a purpose or performing an operation, a function, or the like, the component, the device, or the element should be considered herein as being "configured to" fulfil that purpose or perform that operation or function.The sliding door drum assembly 20 according to the invention may comprise ropes 12 and 13, drums 23 and 24, a drum adapter 25 and spring elements 26 and 27. The trains 12 and 13 slide a slide door 2 slidably installed on a vehicle 1 by pulling the slide door 2, and the trains 12 and 13 are respectively wound around the drums 23 and 24. The drum adapter 25 may be connected to an output shaft 10 aof a drive unit 10. The drums 23 and 24 are installed on the drum adapter 25. The spring elements 26 and 27 support the drums 23 and 24 on the drum adapter 25 in a spring-loaded manner.The trains 12 and 13 may be installed in a state of being wound around the drum assembly 20 and moving the sliding door 2 slidably installed on the vehicle 1 toward the front or the rear of the vehicle 1.A rail 1 amay be installed on a side of the vehicle 1 in the front and rear direction of the vehicle 1. A roller arm 2 amay be installed at one side of the sliding door 2. A roller (not shown) can run along the rail 1a. When the pulls 12 and 13 pull the pulley arm 2 ain the forward or rearward direction, the slide door 2 can be slid in a direction in which the pulls 12 and 13 pull the slide door 2.The cable pulls 12 and 13 can correspond respectively to a first cable pull 12 and a second cable pull 13. The first cable 12 may pull the pulley arm 2 atoward the front or the rear of the vehicle 1. The second cable 13 can pull the reel arm 2a in the opposite direction.The drums 23 and 24 may be rotatably installed in a housing 21. The cable pulls 12 and 13 can be wound around the drums 23 and 24, respectively, in a manner associated with them. Winding the pulls 12 and 13 allows the pulls 12 and 13 to pull the sliding door 2. The drums 23 and 24 may have the same structure, preferably a symmetrical configuration, and may respectively correspond to an upper drum 23 and a lower drum 24. The first cable 12 may be wound around the upper drum 23, and the second cable 13 may be wound around the lower drum 24.End portions of the first cable 12 and the second cable 13 may be respectively fixed to the upper drum 23 and the lower drum 24. The first cable 12 and the second cable 13 may be wound around the upper drum 23 and the lower drum 24 to a predetermined length respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, an end portion of the first cable 12 may be fixed to a cable fixing portion 23 aformed on the upper drum 23. Likewise, an end portion of the second cable 13 may be fixed to a cable fixing portion 24 aformed on the lower drum 24. The first cable 12 and the second cable 13 may be wound around the upper drum 23 and the lower drum 24 in opposite directions, respectively.Winding the first cable 12 around the upper drum 23 may allow the first cable 12 to pull the sliding door 2 to allow the sliding door 2 to move toward the front or the rear of the vehicle 1. Winding the second cable 13 around the lower drum 24 may allow the second cable 13 to pull the sliding door 2 to allow the sliding door 2 to be slid in the opposite direction.The drum adapter 25 may be installed between the upper drum 23 and the lower drum 24. The upper drum 23 may be disposed above the lower drum 24 in the up and down direction. An upper portion of the drum adapter 25 may be connected to the upper drum 23, and a lower portion of the drum adapter 25 may be connected to the lower drum 24. The drum adapter 25 may be formed to have the same shape as a disk through which a pipe passes. The upper drum 23 may be installed above the drum adapter 25 and the lower drum 24 may be installed below the drum adapter 25.In addition, an upper coupling protrusion 25 aand a lower coupling protrusion 25 b, which are respectively coupled to the upper drum 23 and the lower drum 24, may be formed on the drum adapter 25.The upper coupling protrusion 25 amay be inserted into a lower surface of the upper drum 23. In the upper drum 23, a space may be formed in a manner that allows the upper coupling protrusion 25 ato be inserted. This space can also allow the coupling protrusion 25 ato rotate by a predetermined angle α. An upper stopper 23 bmay be formed on an inner surface of the upper drum 23. The upper stopper 23 bmay limit the rotation of the upper drum 23 when the upper drum 23 rotates by the predetermined angle α with respect to the drum adapter 25. Accordingly, the upper drum 23 can rotate by the predetermined angle α with respect to the drum adapter 25.Likewise, a lower stopper 24 bmay be formed on the lower drum 24. The lower stopper 24 bmay limit the rotation of the lower drum 24 when the lower coupling protrusion 25 bis also inserted into the lower drum 24 and the lower drum 24 may rotate by a predetermined angle β with respect to the drum adapter 25. The lower drum 24 may also rotate by the predetermined angle β with respect to the drum adapter 25.A reinforcing rib 25 cmay be formed on the drum adapter 25. The reinforcing rib 25 cmay increase the strength / rigidity of a central disk portion of the drum adapter 25 in the circumferential and radial directions.The drum adapter 25 may be fixed to the output shaft 10 aof the drive unit 10. With the drum adapter 25, when the drive unit 10 operates, winding the first cable 12 around the upper drum 23 along a rotation direction of the output shaft 10 acan allow the first cable 12 to pull the sliding door 2 to allow the sliding door 2 to be slid in one direction. Alternatively, winding the second cable 13 around the lower drum 24 may allow the second cable 13 to pull the sliding door 2 to allow the sliding door 2 to be slid in the opposite direction.The drum adapter 25 may be connected to the output shaft 10 aof the drive unit 10 to thereby transmit the driving power of the drive unit 10 to the drum assembly 20. In a state where the output shaft 10 apasses through the drum adapter 25, an upper end portion of the drum adapter 25 and the output shaft 10 amay be fastened to each other for mounting by a threaded bolt 28. At this point, a portion of an inner surface of the drum adapter 25 may be spline-fitted in such a manner as to form a spline portion 25 e. In addition, a portion of an outer surface of the output shaft 10 amay also be splined (not shown) to thereby prevent slippage from occurring between the drum adapter 25 and the output shaft 10 a.The spring members 26 and 27 may be respectively installed between the drum adapter 25 and the upper drum 23 and between the drum adapter 25 and the lower drum 24 in such a manner as to respectively support the upper drum 23 and the lower drum 24 on the drum adapter 25.The spring elements 26 and 27 can correspond respectively to an upper spring 26 and a lower spring 27. The upper spring 26 may be installed between the drum adapter 25 and the upper drum 23, and the lower spring 27 may be installed between the drum adapter 25 and the lower drum 24. The upper spring 26 and the lower spring 27 may each be formed in the shape of a coil spring.The upper spring 26 can resiliently support the upper drum 23 on the drum adapter 25 in the rotational direction of the upper drum 23. When the first cable 12 is connected to the pulley arm 2 a, the first cable 12 may be pulled to a predetermined length to allow connection of the first cable 12 to the pulley arm 2 a. In the case where the first cable 12 is connected to the pulley arm 2 a, the first cable 12 can maintain an appropriate pulling force.Likewise, the lower spring 27 may also resiliently support the lower drum 24 in a rotational direction on the drum adapter 25. The lower spring 27 may also allow connection between the second cable 13 and the pulley arm 2 a, while allowing the second cable 13 to maintain an appropriate pulling force.The upper spring 26 and the lower spring 27 can respectively spring-support the upper drum 23 and the lower drum 24 on the drum adapter 25. Therefore, when the first cable 12 and the second cable 13 are connected to the pulley arm 2 a, pulling the first cable 12 and the second cable 13 may allow the first cable 12 and the second cable 13 to move to predetermined lengths to facilitate the connections of the first cable 12 and the second cable 13 to the pulley arm 2 a. For example, when the first cable 12 is pulled, a connecting ring 12 ainstalled at an end portion of the first cable 12 may be connected to a cable connecting portion 2 bof the pulley arm 2 a. Therefore, the first cable 12 may be connected to the pulley arm 2 a.The first cable 12 and the second cable 13 may be connected to the pulley arm 2 a. Thereafter, with the upper spring 26 and the lower spring 27 respectively associated with the first cable 12 and the second cable 13, an appropriate pulling force can be maintained.Both end portions of the upper spring 26 may be respectively fixed to the drum adapter 25 and the upper drum 23. In particular, a spring receiving portion 25 dmay be formed on the drum adapter 25. An end portion of the upper spring 26 may be seated on the spring receiving portion 25 d. The spring receiving portion 25 dmay be formed by recessing a circumference of the drum adapter 25 in the radial direction thereof on the drum adapter 25. The reinforcing rib 25 cis not required to be formed in a portion of the drum adapter 25 in which the spring receiving portion 25 dis to be formed. Instead, the spring receiving portion 25 dmay be formed in the portion thereof in such a manner as to receive an end portion of the upper spring 26. In other words, the spring receiving portion 25 dmay be formed in the radial direction of the drum adapter 25 in a manner of passing through the reinforcing rib 25 cformed in the circumferential direction of the drum adapter 25. The spring receiving portion 25 dmay be formed in such a manner as to have the same height as the reinforcing rib 25 cand face from the periphery of the drum adapter 25 toward the center of the drum adapter 25 so that an end portion of the upper spring 26 is received in the spring receiving portion 25 d. Specifically, the upper spring 26 itself may serve to guide a position in which the upper spring 26 is installed. When the upper drum 23 and the upper spring 26 are mounted, a coupling portion 26 awhich is bent from an end portion of the upper spring 26 in a manner facing toward the center of the drum adapter 25 may be positioned at the spring receiving portion 25 d. Only with this position of the coupling portion 26a can the upper drum 23 and the upper spring 26 be mounted at respective normal positions with respect to the drum adapter 25.FIGS. 8 and 11 show that an end portion of the upper spring 26 is mounted in its normal position in the spring receiving portion 25 d. Figs. 12 and 13 show that the one end portion of the upper spring 26 is not positioned at its normal position in the spring receiving portion 25d. The non-positioning of the one end portion of the upper spring 26 in the spring receiving portion 25 dmay facilitate the detection of whether or not erroneous mounting occurs. As a result, when the upper drum 23 and the upper spring 26 are not mounted at their respective normal positions, the first cable 12 may be longer or shorter than in a normal state. When the first cable 12 is unwound to a greater length, even if the first cable 12 is connected to the reel arm 2 a, the first cable 12 may be too long to maintain an appropriate pulling force. When the first cable 12 is unwound to a shorter length, the first cable 12 cannot be connected to the reel arm 2 a.However, when an end portion of the upper spring 26 is positioned in the spring receiving portion 25 d, the upper drum 23 and the upper spring 26 may be positioned at their respective normal positions. This positioning may allow the first cable 12 to be unwound to an intended length. Accordingly, the connection of the first cable 12 to the pulley arm 2 acan be enabled. Moreover, the first cable 12 after being connected to the pulley arm 2 acan be allowed to maintain an appropriate pulling force.The spring receiving portion 25 dmay also be formed on a lower surface of the disc portion of the drum adapter 25. As a result, the lower drum 24 and the lower spring 27 can be allowed to be mounted at their respective associated positions.

Claims

A sliding door drum assembly for a vehicle, comprising: at least one cable (12, 13) configured to pull a sliding door (2) slidably installed on a vehicle (1) to slide the sliding door (2), a drum (23, 24) around which the at least one cable (12, 13) is wound, a drum adapter (25) connected to an output shaft (10a) of a driving unit (10), the drum (23, 24) being installed on the drum adapter (25), and a spring member (26, 27) configured to resiliently support the drum (23, 24) on the drum adapter (25).The sliding door drum assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cable pull (12, 13) comprises: a first cable pull (12) configured to pull the sliding door (2) in a first direction of the vehicle (1) and a second cable pull (13) configured to pull the sliding door (2) in a second direction of the vehicle (1), the drum (23, 24) comprising: an upper drum (23) around which one cable pull is wound among the first cable pull (12) and the second cable pull (13), and a lower drum (24) around which the other cable pull is wound among the first cable pull (12) and the second cable pull (13), the lower drum (24) being installed coaxially among the upper drum (23).The sliding door drum assembly according to claim 2, wherein an end portion of the first cable (12) is fixed to the upper drum (23), and the first cable (12) is wound up to a predetermined length, and wherein an end portion of the second cable (13) is fixed to the lower drum (24), and the second cable (13) is wound up to a predetermined length.The sliding door drum assembly of claim 2 or 3, wherein the drum adapter (25) is positioned between the upper drum (23) and the lower drum (24), and wherein the upper drum (23) is installed above the drum adapter (25) and the lower drum (24) is installed below the drum adapter (25).The sliding door drum assembly according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the spring member (26, 27) comprises: an upper spring (26), opposite ends of the upper spring (26) being respectively fixed to the upper drum (23) and the drum adapter (25), and a lower spring (27), opposite ends of the lower spring (27) being respectively fixed to the lower drum (24) and the drum adapter (25).The sliding door drum assembly according to claim 5, wherein a spring receiving portion (25d) is formed on the drum adapter (25) in a radial direction of the drum adapter (25) to receive an end portion of the upper spring (26) or an end portion of the lower spring (27), and wherein the spring receiving portion (25d) is formed to face from a periphery of the drum adapter (25) toward a center of the drum adapter (25).The sliding door drum assembly according to claim 6, wherein the one end portion of the upper spring (26) and the one end portion of the lower spring (27) are bent so as to face toward the center of the drum adapter (25).The sliding door drum assembly according to claim 6 or 7, wherein a reinforcing rib (25c) protruding along a circumferential direction and the radial direction of the drum adapter (25) is formed on the drum adapter (25), and wherein the spring receiving portion (25d) is formed in the radial direction of the drum adapter (25) and passes through the reinforcing rib (25c) formed in a circumferential direction of the drum adapter (25).The sliding door drum assembly according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein an upper coupling protrusion (25a) inserted into a lower surface of the upper drum (23) is formed on the drum adapter (25), and wherein an upper stopper (23b) is formed on an inner side of the upper drum (23) and is configured to block the upper coupling protrusion (25a) when the upper drum (23) rotates by a first predetermined angle (α) with respect to the drum adapter (25).The sliding door drum assembly according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein a lower coupling protrusion (25b) is formed on the drum adapter (25) and is configured to be inserted into an upper surface of the lower drum (24), and wherein a lower stopper (24b) is formed on an inner side of the lower drum (24) and is configured to block the lower coupling protrusion (25b) when the lower drum (24) rotates by a second predetermined angle (β) with respect to the drum adapter (25).The sliding door drum assembly according to any one of claims 3 to 10, wherein another end portion of the first or second cable (12, 13) is connected to a roller arm (2a) installed at a side of the sliding door (2).The sliding door drum assembly according to claim 11, wherein when the drum (23, 24) rotates in a state of being resiliently supported, by pulling the one end portion of the first or second cable (12, 13), the other end portion of the first or second cable (12, 13) is connected to the roller arm (2a).The sliding door drum assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein an inner surface of the drum adapter (25) is spline-fitted to form a spline portion.

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