Air conditioning system for a vehicle and its manufacture

Abstract

A sliding door assembly comprises a door structure with a channel formed within it, the channel extending axially along the door structure. A first rotary drive structure is configured for selective rotation about an axis of rotation of the same structure. The first rotary drive structure includes a first drive body that is mounted to roll within the channel of the door structure. An engagement feature is configured to convert the selective rotation of the first rotary drive structure about its axis of rotation into a linear translational movement of the door structure along its axial direction and relative to the axis of rotation of the first rotary drive structure. The door structure can be formed by an extrusion or pultrusion manufacturing process.

Description

Cross-reference to related application

[0001] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 584,689, filed September 22, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Description

[0002] The invention relates to a sliding door assembly of a vehicle air conditioning system / heating, ventilating, air conditioning (HAVC) unit, and more particularly to a sliding door assembly having a centrally located rotary drive mechanism for guiding movement of a door structure.

[0003] It is known to use a sliding door arrangement to control the distribution of air flow between different flow paths in an HVAC unit, such as that described in relation to the HAVC units described in U.S. Patent No. 6,622,787 and U.S. Patent No. 10,065,477, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As described in Fig. 1-3, such an arrangement comprises a pair of toothed shafts 1 configured to couple to a corresponding pair of toothed racks 2 extending along lateral sides of a door structure 3 slidably received between opposed wall segments 4, 5 of a flow path.

[0004] In the disclosed configuration, a problem arises when the toothed shafts 1 and / or the racks 2 are not accurately shaped / formed. As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, if the gears 1 or rods 2 are not accurately formed, one side of the gear and rod interface will engage before the other. As a result, a force couple, moment, or torque occurs. As soon as the torque occurs, the door structure 3 is misaligned in its guide path as formed between the wall segments 4, 5. Once the door structure 3 is misaligned in its intended path, the corners of the door structure 3 contact the side guide rails formed by the wall segments 4, 5. When corner contact occurs, the door structure binds / jams and cannot slide as intended. Aside from interrupting proper door function, the splined shafts 1 may continue to rotate and may miss teeth over the teeth of the rack 2, creating an unpleasant grinding noise emanating from the HAVC unit.

[0005] Because the sliding door and splined shaft require high manufacturing precision, the prior art design is difficult to manufacture. Thus, a need for a simplified manufacturing process and an improved sliding door assembly is evident.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a sliding door assembly and a method for producing a sliding door assembly with improved characteristics.

[0007] The object is achieved by a sliding door arrangement according to claim 1 and a method for producing a sliding door arrangement according to claim 15.

[0008] In accordance with the present invention, an improved and simplified sliding door assembly and method of manufacturing the same is disclosed.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, a sliding door assembly includes a door structure having a channel formed therein, the channel extending in an axial direction of the door structure. A first rotary drive structure is configured for selective rotation about a rotational axis thereof. The first rotary drive structure includes a first drive body rollably received within the channel of the door structure. An engagement feature is configured to translate the selective rotation of the first rotary drive structure about its rotational axis into linear translational movement of the door structure along its axial direction and relative to the rotational axis of the first rotary drive structure. The door structure may be formed by an extrusion or pultrusion manufacturing process.

[0010] A method of manufacturing a sliding door assembly according to the present disclosure is also provided and comprises the steps of: extruding or pultruding a strip of door material, the strip of door material comprising a constant cross-sectional shape extending in an axial direction of the strip of door material corresponding to the extrusion or pultrusion direction thereof, the constant cross-sectional shape comprising forming an axially extending channel in the strip of door material; severing an axial length of the extruded or pultruded strip of door material therefrom to form a door structure in which the axially extending channel is formed;and inserting a rotary body of a rotary drive structure into the channel of the door structure having an engagement feature of the sliding door assembly configured to translate selective rotation of the rotary drive structure about a rotational axis thereof into linear translational movement of the door structure along the axial direction thereof and relative to the rotational axis of the rotary drive structure;

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show: Fig. 1 is a partial cross-sectional elevation of an HVAC unit having a sliding door arrangement according to the prior art; Fig. 2 is a schematic drawing showing a sliding door for an HVAC unit according to the prior art; Fig. 3 a schematic drawing showing the sliding door of Fig. 2 in the misaligned state; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a sliding door assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a door structure of the sliding door assembly of Fig. 4 shows separately; Fig. 6 is a partially schematic and partially front elevational view of the sliding door assembly when installed relative to a housing of an HVAC unit; Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional elevation along a plane illustrating a channel of the door structure of the sliding door assembly according to Fig. 4 divides laterally; Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a plurality of cutting tools separately approaching a door structure for forming the notches therein; Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional elevation along a plane showing a channel of the door structure of Fig. 8 divides laterally; Fig. 10 is a partially schematic cross-sectional elevation taken along a plane laterally dividing a channel of a door structure, showing a method of covering through-holes extending through the door structure; Fig. 11 is a plan view showing a perimeter of a mold removed from an extruded or pultruded strip of material to form a door structure therefrom; Fig. 12-14 are partially schematic front elevation views showing exemplary approach angles of a cutting tool in shearing a door structure according to the present invention; Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing a sliding door assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 16 a front elevation of the sliding door arrangement according to Fig. 15; Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing a door structure in which an engaging member is arranged along a channel thereof; Fig. 18 is a perspective view of a sliding door assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the door structure of Fig. 17 includes; Fig. 19 and 20 are perspective views of engagement elements in which traction-enhancing surface features are formed; Fig. 21 is a perspective view of a sliding door assembly having a pair of rotary drive structures and a loop-shaped engagement member according to another embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 22 is a cross-sectional elevation view taken along a plane laterally dividing a channel of a door structure of a sliding door assembly having a toothed and looped engagement member according to another embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. Figure 23 is a cross-sectional elevation showing a pull wheel as may be used in a simultaneous pultrusion and notch forming process.

[0012] The following detailed description and attached drawings describe and illustrate various exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings are provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

[0013] "A" / "An" as used herein indicates that "at least one" of the element is present; where possible, a plurality of such elements may be present. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all numerical quantities in this specification are to be understood as modified by the word "about," and all geometric and spatial descriptive elements are to be understood as modified by the word "substantially" in describing the broadest scope of the technology. "About," when applied to numerical values, indicates that the calculation or measurement allows for a slight inaccuracy of the value (with some approximation to the exactness of the value; about or reasonably close to the value; almost).If for some reason the imprecision indicated by "about" and / or "substantially" is not otherwise understood in the art to have this common meaning, "about" and / or "substantially" as used herein at least indicate variations that may arise from common measurement techniques or using such parameters. Where any conflict or ambiguity exists between a document incorporated by reference and this Detailed Description, this Detailed Description shall prevail.

[0014] When an element or layer is referred to as being "on" or "engaging with," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, directly engaged with, connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly engaging with," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted similarly (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.).As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0015] Although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may also be used solely to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another region, layer, or section. Terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms, when used herein, do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly dictated by the context.Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or portion discussed below could also be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer, or portion without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments.

[0016] Spatially relative terms, such as "inner," "outer," "beneath," "beneath," "lower," "above," "upper," "lower," "above," and the like, may be used herein to facilitate description, to denote a relationship of one element or feature to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation, in addition to the orientation illustrated in the figures. For example, if the device is turned over in the figures, elements described as being "beneath" or "below" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "beneath" may encompass both an above and below orientation.The device may be oriented differently (rotated 90 degrees or with a different orientation) and the spatially relative descriptive elements used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0017] Fig. 4-7 illustrate a sliding door assembly 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sliding door assembly 10 generally includes a door structure 12, a rotary drive structure 50, and an engagement feature 80 configured to translate a rotary movement of the rotary drive structure 50 into a sliding movement of the door structure 12 in a direction perpendicular to a rotational axis of the rotary drive structure 50. As shown in Fig. As shown schematically in Figure 5, the sliding door assembly 10 may be associated with a rotary drive mechanism 95 configured to selectively rotate the rotary drive structure 50 about its rotational axis in one of two opposite rotational directions. The rotary drive mechanism 95 may be an electric motor, such as a stepper motor, a brushless DC motor, or the like, as non-limiting examples. The rotary drive mechanism 95 and the rotary drive structure 50 may form a rotary drive assembly including the rotary drive mechanism 95 forming a stator of the rotary drive assembly, and the rotary drive structure 50 forming a rotor of the rotary drive assembly.

[0018] The door structure 12 is formed by an extrusion or pultrusion process to obtain the door structure 12 having a constant cross-sectional shape extending in the extrusion / pultrusion direction of the material forming the door structure 12, wherein the extrusion / pultrusion direction corresponds to an axial direction of the door structure 12 along which the door structure 12 is configured to slide relative to the rotary drive structure 50 during adjustment of the sliding door assembly 10. The door structure 12 may be formed to comprise a substantially wall- or plate-like configuration, wherein the door structure 12 comprises a first major surface 13 and an oppositely disposed second major surface 14, wherein the major surfaces 13, 14 are spaced apart from each other with respect to a thickness direction of the door structure 12, which is arranged perpendicular to the axial direction thereof.The main surfaces 13, 14 extend primarily in the axial direction of the door structure 12 and a lateral direction of the door structure 12 arranged perpendicular to the axial and thickness directions thereof. The main surfaces 13, 14 are each shown to be substantially planar and arranged parallel to the axial and lateral directions, but the main surfaces 13, 14 may have substantially any shape or configuration, as long as the main surfaces 13, 14 extend in the axial and lateral directions by a sufficient distance to ensure that the main surfaces 13, 14 cover a desired portion of a flow path associated with the sliding door assembly 10, which may include the main surfaces 13, 14 comprising deviations in the thickness direction while the door structure 12 extends in the lateral direction, resulting in a non-planar configuration.For example, the door structure 12 may include protruding features or thickened portions for reinforcing or stiffening the door structure 12, may be spaced a greater thickness along certain lateral portions thereof, may include curved or inclined portions extending partially in the lateral and thickness directions, or may include flow control features formed therein for directing a fluid therealong, all extending in the axial extrusion / pultrusion direction of the door structure 12.

[0019] A first axial end surface 15 connects the main surfaces 13, 14 at a first axial end of the door structure 12, while a second axial end surface 16 connects the main surfaces 13, 14 at an oppositely disposed second axial end of the door structure 12. A first lateral side surface 17 connects the main surfaces 13, 14 along a first lateral side of the door structure 12, while a second lateral side surface 18 connects the main surfaces 13, 14 along an oppositely disposed second lateral side of the door structure 12. The axial end surfaces 15, 16 extend primarily in the lateral and thickness direction of the door structure 12, while the lateral side surfaces 17, 18 extend primarily in the axial and thickness direction of the door structure 12.In the illustrated embodiments, a convex arcuate surface 19 connects each of the axial end surfaces 15, 16 to an adjacent one of the lateral side surfaces 17, 18 to avoid the formation of sharp corners around the periphery of the door structure 12, although the door structure 12 may also be formed without the convex arcuate surfaces 19, as desired.

[0020] The first major surface 13 of the door structure 12 is configured to face the rotary drive mechanism 50 and includes a channel 20 formed therein. The channel 20 is defined by an inwardly facing first lateral surface 21, an inwardly facing and oppositely disposed second lateral surface 22, and a base surface 23 extending laterally between the lateral surfaces 21, 22, each of the surfaces 21, 22, 23 being formed along the first major surface 13. The lateral surfaces 21, 22 are shown arranged parallel to the axial direction and the thickness direction, such that the lateral surfaces 21, 22 are arranged along parallel planes that are spaced apart from each other with respect to the lateral direction of the door structure 12.However, the lateral surfaces 21, 22 need not necessarily be arranged parallel to the thickness direction while remaining within the scope of the present invention, as long as the rotary drive structure 50 comprises a complementary and rotationally axisymmetric configuration that mates with the channel 20 to prevent misalignment of the door structure 12, as will be explained in more detail below. That is, the lateral surfaces 21, 22 may comprise alternative configurations, including extending at least partially in an outward lateral direction when projecting outward from the base surface 23 in the thickness direction, while remaining within the scope of the present invention.

[0021] The base surface 23 may be provided as substantially planar where it extends between and connects the lateral surfaces 21, 22 and extends along a length of the channel 20. More specifically, the base surface 23 may be arranged on a plane extending parallel to the axial and lateral directions, wherein the plane of the base surface 23 may be arranged perpendicular to the lateral surfaces 21, 22 where the lateral surfaces 21, 22 are provided so that they are arranged on planes parallel to the axial and thickness directions, as illustrated in the present figures. In other cases, the lateral surfaces 21, 22 may each extend away from the plane of the base surface 23 while being inclined relative to it at an obtuse angle, resulting in a widening of the channel away from the base surface 23.In any event, the lateral surfaces 21, 22 are arranged transversely relative to the plane of the base surface 23 so that the channel 20 is generally concave and there are no undercut surfaces that could prevent rotation of the rotary drive structure 50 relative to the channel 20.

[0022] The embodiments illustrated herein include the first lateral surface 21 shown as the inwardly facing surface of a first wall segment 25 and the second lateral surface 22 as the inwardly facing surface of a second wall segment 26 spaced from the first projection 25 around the base surface 23 with respect to the lateral direction, wherein each of the wall segments 25, 26 is formed by portions of the first main surface 13 that protrude outwardly in the thickness direction of the door structure 12 relative to adjacent portions of the first main surface 13 so as to protrude from planar portions of the first main surface 13 arranged in the lateral and axial directions.However, the door structure 12 does not necessarily require that the channel 20 be formed in a portion of the door structure 12 that projects outwardly from the first major surface 13 with respect to the thickness direction in the form of such outwardly extending wall segments 25, 26, since the channel 20 may instead be formed to include the described surfaces 21, 22, 23 included in the constant cross-section of the door structure 12 with respect to a variety of different configurations of the door structure 12, such as that the channel 20 is formed in a portion of the door structure 12 that is bent to include a U-shape or a V-shape that is recessed relative to the major surface 13 and projects in the thickness direction relative to the second major surface 14, as desired.

[0023] The rotary drive structure 50 includes a drive body 51, a first shaft segment 52, and a second shaft segment 53, each of which has a substantially axially symmetrical shape relative to a rotational axis of the rotary drive structure 50. As illustrated, each of the drive body 51, the first shaft segment 52, and the second shaft segment 53 may have a substantially cylindrical shape, as desired. The drive body 51 includes a cylindrically shaped outer peripheral surface 54, a first lateral surface 55 located at a first axial end of the outer peripheral surface 54, and a second lateral surface 56 located at a second axial end of the outer peripheral surface 54, the outer peripheral surface 54 extending between the first lateral surface 55 and the second lateral surface 56 around a circumference of the drive body 51.The first shaft segment 52 extends axially outward from a center of the first lateral surface 55 in a first lateral direction of the door structure 12 to the first lateral side surface 17, and the second shaft segment 53 extends axially outward from a center of the second lateral surface 56 in a second lateral direction of the door structure 12 to the second lateral side surface 18. The shaft segments 52, 53 may include a common outer diameter, and the outer peripheral surface 54 of the drive body 51 may include a larger outer diameter than the shaft segments 52, 53.

[0024] The drive body 51 is configured to be rollably received in the channel 20 of the door structure 12 so that lateral movement of the door structure 12 relative to the rotary drive structure 50 is prevented during rotational adjustment of the rotary drive structure 50 and the corresponding axial movement of the door structure 12 relative to the rotary drive structure 50.That is, the drive body 51 is received in the channel 20 such that at least a portion of the first lateral surface 55 faces and engages or is laterally stopped by the first lateral surface 21 of the channel 20, and at least a portion of the second lateral surface 56 faces and engages or is laterally stopped by the second lateral surface 22 of the channel 20 to prevent relative lateral movement therebetween, wherein the engagement surfaces may comprise substantially complementary shapes that enable rotation and rolling of the drive body 51 in the channel 20.In the present embodiment, each of the lateral surfaces 55, 56 is arranged perpendicular to the laterally extending axis of rotation of the rotary drive structure 50, which corresponds to the lateral surfaces 55, 56 extending on planes that extend parallel to the thickness direction and axial direction in the same way as the lateral surfaces 21, 22.The lateral surfaces 21, 22 may be spaced apart in the lateral direction by a distance substantially consistent with the lateral spacing existing between the opposing surfaces 55, 56 to ensure that the drive body 51 is stably and securely received in the channel 20 such that no undesirable misalignment occurs between the drive body 51 and the channel 20 in a manner that could result in undesirable rotation of the door structure 12 relative to the drive body 51 about an axis extending in the thickness direction or the axial direction.As mentioned above, the surfaces 21, 22 and the surfaces 55, 56 need not be arranged perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotary drive body 50, but may instead be inclined or may include a curvature if they extend in the thickness direction, such as the lateral surfaces 55, 56 having frusto-conical shapes complementary to outwardly inclined lateral surfaces 21, 22 of the channel 20, resulting in the channel having a substantially trapezoidal or V-shaped configuration, as a non-limiting example.

[0025] The first shaft segment 52 and the second shaft segment 53 may be configured to rest on or otherwise engage distally disposed surfaces of the first wall segment 25 and the second wall segment 26, respectively, such that the shaft segments 52, 53 are rotatably disposed on the distally disposed surfaces of the wall segments 25, 26 during axial movement of the door structure 12 relative to the rotational axis of the rotary drive structure 50. The shaft segments 52, 53 rotatably engaging the wall segments 25, 26 each also define a maximum depth that the rotary drive body 51 can extend into the channel 20 with respect to the thickness direction and a resulting distance that exists with respect to the thickness direction between the outer peripheral surface 54 of the drive body 51 and the base surface 23 of the channel 20.

[0026] The engagement feature 80 of the sliding door assembly 10 according to Fig. 4-7, the outer peripheral surface 54 of the drive body 51 has a plurality of circumferentially spaced and radially outwardly projecting teeth 85 formed or provided thereon, and the channel 20 of the door structure 12 has a corresponding plurality of axially spaced tooth receiving openings 82 formed in the base surface 23 of the channel 20, each of the tooth receiving openings 82 being configured to receive a corresponding one of the teeth 85 therein during rotation of the rotary drive structure 50 about its axis of rotation and corresponding movement of the door structure 12 in its axial direction relative to the rotary drive structure 50. The tooth receiving openings 82 are in Fig. 5-7 as notches 82 that are recessed inwardly with respect to the thickness direction into the base surface 23 and toward the second major surface 14, wherein the notches 82 do not completely penetrate the door structure 12 from the first major surface 13 to the opposite second major surface 14, but instead deform the door structure 12 outwardly such that the second major surface 14 projects outwardly in the thickness direction at positions corresponding to each of the notches 82.

[0027] As it is in Fig. 5 and Fig. 7, each of the notches 82 may comprise an axially symmetrical shape with a circular periphery, such as substantially cylindrical, frustoconical, or hemispherical, or combinations thereof, such as the illustrated frustoconical shape at an inlet to each of the notches 82 and the hemispherical shape forming the inwardly distal surface of the notches 82. Each of the teeth 85 is similarly illustrated as having a substantially axially symmetrical shape with a circular periphery, such as a cylindrical base portion, and a hemispherical distal portion at a radially outer end of the base portion.However, it should be readily understood that the teeth 85 and the corresponding tooth-receiving openings / notches 82 may comprise alternative complementary shapes that enable the translation of rotary motion into linear motion while remaining within the scope of the present invention, such as each of the teeth 85 being substantially pyramid-shaped with a rectangular or square perimeter configured for receipt in a similar pyramid-shaped notch 82 with a rectangular or square perimeter, as an additional example.

[0028] The notches 82 are evenly spaced apart from each other along the base surface 23 with respect to the axial direction of the door structure 12, while the teeth 85 are evenly circumferentially spaced apart along the outer peripheral surface 54 by a distance corresponding to the axial gap between adjacent ones of the notches 82, thereby ensuring continuous reception of the teeth 85 in the notches 82 as the door structure 12 continues to move relative to the rotary drive structure 50 during rolling rotation thereof. The notches 82 are also formed to encompass a perimeter of each of the notches 82, corresponding to an inlet boundary into each of the corresponding notches, arranged along the common plane formed by the base surface 23 into which the notches 82 are recessed.The teeth 85 and notches 82 may include tapered or otherwise complementary shapes that facilitate initial engagement of each of the teeth 85 into a corresponding one of the notches 82 during rotation of the rotary drive structure 50 relative to the door structure 12, the transfer of motion between the rotary drive structure 50 and the door structure 12 where the structures 12, 50 apply forces to one another within a corresponding one of the notches 82 along the axial direction of the door structure 12, and the removal of each of the respective teeth 85 from the corresponding one of the notches 82 after transfer of motion, with respect to one of two directions of rotation of the rotary drive structure 50 while the door structure 12 is engaged via the engagement feature 80.

[0029] The engagement feature 80 of the sliding door assembly 10 of Fig. 4-7 may accordingly include the drive body 51 of the rotary drive structure 50, which may be referred to as a sprocket of a chain assembly, and the base surface 23 of the door structure 12 having the array of axially spaced tooth receiving openings / notches 82, which may be referred to as a rod of the chain assembly, wherein rotary movement of the sprocket results in rectilinear movement of the rod in a direction tangential to the sprocket.

[0030] The sliding door arrangement 10 is in Fig. 6 in an exemplary installed position in a housing 90 of an HVAC unit having a first lateral wall 91 and an opposite second lateral wall 92 spaced apart by the lateral direction of the door structure 12 and the axial direction of the rotary drive structure 50 to form a flow path 93, 94 therebetween, comprising a first portion 93 disposed on a side of the door structure 12 defining the first major surface 13 thereof, and a second portion 94 disposed on a side of the door structure 12 defining the second major surface 14 thereof, wherein the portions 93, 94 of the flow path may form upstream / downstream portions depending on a flow direction of a fluid (air) therethrough.As one example, the first portion 93 of the flow path may be an upstream portion that receives air that has passed through an evaporator (not shown) of the HVAC unit, and the second portion 94 may be a downstream portion configured to be selectively passed through to expose the air to a heater core (not shown) of the HVAC unit, wherein an adjustment of the sliding door assembly 10 controls a distribution of the air passing from the first portion 93 to the second portion 94 based on a cross-sectional flow area around the door structure 12 at an inlet to the second portion 94.However, it should be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that the sliding door assembly 10 can be installed in the HVAC unit under virtually any circumstances, including controlling air flowing between two or more upstream flow paths and two or more downstream flow paths at any stage of the air conditioning process, while remaining within the scope of the present invention.

[0031] The rotary drive structure 50 is shown received in the flow path with the first and second shaft segments 52, 53 each rotationally coupled or otherwise supported to a corresponding one of the lateral walls 91, 92 to establish a fixed axis of rotation of the rotary drive structure 50 relative to the housing 90. In the illustrated configuration, each of the shaft segments 52, 53 extends through an opening through the corresponding one of the lateral walls 91, 92, but any rotatable connection of the rotary drive structure 50 to the housing 90 may be used while remaining within the scope of the present invention. The first shaft segment 52 is mechanically engaged with a corresponding structure of the rotary drive mechanism 95 to enable selective rotation of the rotary drive structure 50 via actuation of the rotary drive mechanism 95.Any form of mechanical interface may be used in transmitting the rotary motion of the rotary drive mechanism 95 to the first shaft segment 52, as desired.

[0032] The door structure 12 is shown as being prevented from moving in the thickness direction of the door structure 12, including preventing rotation of the door structure 12 about a laterally extending axis that displaces the door structure 12 from the illustrated configuration, via the use of a first guide feature 91a of the first lateral wall 91 and a second guide feature 92a of the second lateral wall 92.Each of the guide features 91a, 92a extends laterally inward beyond a corresponding one of the lateral side surfaces 17, 18, such that a first portion of each of the guide features 91a, 92a faces the first major surface 13 and stops movement of the door structure 12 in the thickness direction toward the first portion 93 of the flow path, and a second portion of each of the guide features 91a, 92a faces the second major surface 14 and stops movement of the door structure 12 in the thickness direction toward the second portion 94 of the flow path. The guide features 91a, 92a can be used, while maintaining the door structure 12 in the illustrated plane, to ensure movement of the door structure 12 exclusively in its axial direction during adjustment of the sliding door assembly 10.

[0033] The use of the channel 20 in limiting the lateral movement and / or rotation of the door structure 12 relative to the fixed rotational axis of the drive body 51 results in the avoidance of frictional contact between the lateral side surfaces 17, 18 of the door structure 12 and the corresponding guide features 91a, 92a, which can be used in limiting the movement of the door structure 12 to the desired plane, thereby preventing offset of the door structure 12 that could cause undesirable frictional contact and potentially stoppage of the door structure 12 if opposing corners of the door structure 12 are otherwise pulled along the corresponding surfaces of the guide features 91a, 92a.Instead, the door structure 12 may be constrained such that only sliding contact occurring between the door structure 12 and each such guide feature 91a, 92a is parallel to the intended sliding direction of the door structure 12 relative to the housing 90, parallel to the principal direction of force occurring between the teeth 85 of the rotary drive structure 50 and the tooth receiving openings 82 of the door structure 12, and along surfaces of the door structure 12 and the guide features 91a, 92a intended for possible sliding contact in the manner described, resulting in no risk of the door structure 12 becoming frictionally constrained or otherwise misaligned or misaligned relative to the guide features 91a, 92a, such that sticking of the door structure 12 or the generation of undesirable noise results from the guidance of the door structure 12 by the guide features 91a, 92a.The sliding door assembly 10 of the present invention accordingly overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art as discussed herein with reference to FIG. Fig. 1-3 are described.

[0034] The channel 20 of the door structure 12 may be centrally located relative to the lateral dimension thereof to ensure that the axial force applied between the teeth 85 and the tooth receiving openings 82 for sliding the door structure 12 in the axial direction thereof is applied to the door structure 12 at substantially the same lateral distance as any other forces that may be applied substantially equally to opposite lateral portions of the door structure 12 during operation thereof, such as frictional forces that may result from sliding the door structure 12 relative to each of the guide features 91a, 91a.That is, the uniform lateral spacing of the frictional forces to each lateral side of the interface between the teeth 85 and the opening 82 results in a balancing of the moments or torques occurring about an axis extending in the thickness direction of the door structure 12, since the frictional forces resist movement of the door structure 12 in the selected axial direction, which in turn prevents the door structure 12 from attempting to rotate relative to the guide of the channel 20 about the described axis in a manner that could increase the frictional forces present between the surfaces 55, 56 of the drive body 51 and the lateral surfaces 21, 22 of the channel 20 as a result of the rolling / orbiting movement of the surfaces 55, 56 relative to the lateral surfaces 21, 22 during traversal of the channel 20 by the drive body 51.The central arrangement of the channel 20 also results in all forces existing between the rotary drive structure 50 and the door structure 12 being equally balanced with respect to the thickness direction, to cancel out resultant moments or torques that may occur about an axis extending in the axial direction of the door structure as a result of substantially uniform static or dynamic bridges applied to the door structure 12 to the lateral sides of the drive body 51, which likewise prevents forcing the door structure 12 to a configuration that increases frictional contact between the drive body 51 and the channel 20.The channel 20 may also be formed in the door structure 12, along a portion thereof that includes the center of mass of the door structure 12, to ensure that any forces resulting from the weight of the door structure 12 are evenly distributed to each lateral side of the drive body 51 to prevent a recurrence of a moment or torque in a particular direction that causes undesirable urging of the door structure 12 to a misaligned and friction-increasing configuration.Finally, the central location of the actuator body 51 helps ensure that flow conditions for air passing across the sliding door assembly 10 to each lateral side of the actuator body 51 are similar, particularly in cases where the flow path 93, 94 is subsequently laterally divided within the respective housing 90 to deliver the air to different regions of the passenger cabin, such as where the HVAC unit provides multi-zone control of the air within the passenger cabin. That is, each flow across the actuator body 51 can be equally divided to each lateral side thereof, so that any disturbance to the air flow through the actuator body 51 with respect to one or two or more laterally disposed flow paths is not experienced as undesirable.

[0035] Fig. Figure 7 shows an exemplary setting of the sliding door assembly 10 in which the rotary drive structure 50 is rotated in a first direction of rotation (clockwise from the perspective of Fig. 7) to effect corresponding movement of the door structure 12 in a first axial direction toward the first axial end 15 thereof as each of the teeth 85 subsequently penetrates and then forcefully engages a corresponding surface of the associated one of the tooth-receiving openings / notches 82 during rolling movement of the drive body 51 within the channel 20. The shaft segments 52, 53 may also rollably engage the distal surfaces of the wall segments 25, 26 defining the channel 20 to establish the correct depth of the teeth 85 upon penetration into the notches 82 during rotation of the rotary drive structure 50.Although not shown, it should be understood that rotation of the rotary drive structure 50 in an opposite second rotational direction (counterclockwise) causes movement of the door structure 12 in an opposite second axial direction toward the second axial end 16 thereof, via the same interactions that occur between the teeth 85 and the notches 82.

[0036] As mentioned above, when the tooth-receiving openings 82 are provided as the notches 82 that do not penetrate the thickness of the door structure 12, the notches 82 may be formed by plastically deforming the door structure 12 along the base surface 23 of the channel 20 by applying a suitable compressive force to the base surface 23 in a direction toward the second major surface 14, with respect to the thickness direction. Such a deformation force may be applied by an appropriate tool (not shown) having a shape complementary to the resulting notches 82. The formation of the notches 82 via plastic deformation of the door structure 12 with respect to the thickness direction thereof may occur via a stamping process, a stamping process, or the like, as desired.

[0037] With reference to Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, the door structure 12 may alternately include the formation of the indentations 82 through a suitable machining (cutting) process, whereby material is removed from the extruded or pultruded door structure 12 via a suitable cutting tool 108. In the illustrated example, each of the cutting tools 108 is representative of a rotationally / axisymmetric rotary cutting tool, such as a drill, advanced in the thickness direction a suitable distance into the base surface 23 to form the indentations 82 having a desired shape and depth.The use of the cutting tools 108 to remove material may result in the need to extrude or pultrude the door structure 12 to include a thickened portion 28 protruding from the second major surface 14 with respect to the thickness direction to accommodate the depth to which the cutting tool 108 must be advanced to form the notches 82 without penetrating the door structure 12.

[0038] As a further example, the tooth receiving openings 82 need not be formed as notches 82 with resulting projections projecting toward the opposite second major surface 14, but may instead be formed as through holes 82, as shown in Fig. 10. That is, the through holes 82 and the teeth 85 may be suitably shaped and spaced to allow the teeth 85 to enter the through holes 82 and engage the defining surfaces thereof to drive the movement of the door structure 12 in the same manner as is shown with respect to the notches 82 of Fig. 7. The through-holes 82 can be formed using the machining process described above with a suitable tool 108 penetrating the entire thickness of the door structure 12, as one example. Another relatively quick and efficient process for forming the through-holes 82 is to punch the through-holes 82 from the door structure 12 via a suitable punching process applied to the base surface 23.

[0039] A problem arising from the use of the through-holes 82 is that air may pass through each of the through-holes 82 without immediately engaging one of the teeth 85 in a manner that clogs the corresponding through-hole 82, which not only degrades the performance of the door but may also cause a whistling noise to occur. Accordingly, an additional manufacturing step may include the use of one or more rollers 102 to apply a cover 96 to the second major surface 14 of the door structure 12 to cover each of the through-holes 82 and prevent air flow through the through-holes 82 between the first and second major surfaces 13, 14.The cover 96 may include an adhesive-coated surface that faces and adhesively engages the second major surface 14 opposite the base surface 23 of the channel 20 as the rollers 102 apply the cover 96 thereto. The cover 96 may be provided as an elongated strip of material that can be rolled onto the second major surface 14 with respect to the axial direction of the door structure 12. The cover 96 may be formed from a rubber, plastic, or other material that has favorable friction properties and flexibility for application.

[0040] The door structure 12 can advantageously be manufactured in a continuous process, wherein the tooth-receiving openings 82, whether formed as notches 82 or through-holes 82, are formed with respect to a strip or length of extruded or pultruded door material having the disclosed cross-sectional shape, after the door material has been removed from the corresponding extrusion or pultrusion die and prior to separation of the strip or length into individual door structures 12 corresponding to axially extending portions of the strip or length. Immediately after the formation of the tooth-receiving openings 82 therein, the strip or length of material can be separated into the individual door structures 12 via a laterally extending cut applied to the strip or length of extruded / pultruded door material.The continuous process may comprise the continuous production of the extruded / pultruded cross-section of the door material such that the strip or length of the resulting door material moves at a constant speed with respect to the axial direction of the door structures 12, while the formation of the tooth receiving openings 82 and / or the cutting of the individual door structures 12 may be performed by tooling that moves along with the corresponding segment of the strip or length of door material as it approaches the door structure 12 and thus performs the corresponding cutting or deformation thereof.

[0041] Fig. 11 illustrates an example of removing a single one of the door structures 12 from such a strip or length of extruded / pultruded door material, including punching the door structure 12 from the strip or length to include the described peripheral shape including the first and second axial end surfaces 15, 16 and the first and second lateral side surfaces 17, 18. The lateral side surfaces 17, 18 may be formed by the outermost portions of the extruded / pultruded cross-sectional shape; thus, the puncher need not cut these surfaces 17, 18. The punching process may primarily comprise punching the laterally extending cuts forming the axial end surfaces 15, 16 at positions between adjacent ones of the tooth-receiving openings 82, wherein one cut may form the opposite end surfaces 15, 16 of successive door structures 12.The stamping process may also include forming previously described convex arcuate surfaces 19 at each corner of the resulting door structure 12, as shown in FIG. Fig. 11, although the inclusion of such features is optional. It may be advantageous to perform the punching operation by approximating the door structure 12 to its second major surface 14, as opposed to its first major surface 13, to prevent initial contact with and potential deterioration of the wall segments 25, 26 defining the channel 20 upon interaction with a cutting surface of the punch, thereby ensuring that the channel 20 is properly formed and that there is no misalignment with the drive body 51.

[0042] Fig. 12-14 illustrate various different angles of attack that may be used in shearing the door structure 12 from the strip or length of door material when using a saw 104 or similar cutting or shearing tool when approaching the door structure 12. Again, it may be preferable to avoid approaching the door structure 12 from the first major surface 13 and toward the opening of the channel 20, thus Fig. 12 the saw 104 so that it approaches the second main surface 14 exclusively in the thickness direction, Fig. Figure 13 shows the saw 104 approaching the second main surface 14 at an inclination with respect to both the thickness direction and the lateral direction and Fig. 14 shows the saw 104 approaching exclusively from the lateral direction for a first impact on one of the lateral side surfaces 17, 18 of the door structure 12.

[0043] Alternative methods for separating a length of the door material strip therefrom to form a single one of the door structures 12 include using a water jet cutting process, using a laser cutting process, or using an air jet cutting process as non-limiting additional examples.

[0044] Where the described adhesive backing 96 is used, as described with reference to Fig. 10, such a cover 96 may also be incorporated into the continuous process by applying the cover 96 after the formation of the through-holes 82 and prior to separating the strip or length of material to which the cover 96 is applied into the individual door structures 12 via laterally extending cuts or shear cuts. Cutting the door material into the individual door structures 12 may accordingly involve penetrating or shearing the cover 96 during the separation process.

[0045] Although the described continuous process is preferred, it will be appreciated that the door structures 12 could be formed in a different order than that described without adversely affecting the advantageous features of the sliding door assembly 10 as described and shown herein, including removing the individual door structures 12 from the extruded / pultruded length or strip of material prior to forming additional surface features, such as tooth receiving openings 82 therein or prior to adding the cover 96 thereto.The door structure 12 may also be manufactured to include the disclosed shape or configuration without forming it via a corresponding extrusion / pultrusion process while still retaining the advantageous features of the resulting structure associated with the disclosed sliding door assembly 10, such as alternately forming the door structure 12 via an injection molding process or the like, although the efficiency and precision of forming the door structure 12 may be compromised by the method of forming it in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0046] The finished and separated door structure 12 may thus be operatively engaged with a corresponding rotary drive structure 50, in the manner illustrated and described, for interaction between the teeth 85 and the tooth receiving openings 82, which may occur during installation of the door structure 12, relative to the rotary drive structure 50, in a corresponding housing 90, as described, for example, with reference to Fig. 6. The sliding door assembly 10 is then fully assembled and ready for adjustment to a variety of different configurations, according to a position of the door structure 12 along its axial direction of travel.

[0047] With reference to Fig. 15 and Fig. 16, a sliding door assembly 110 is disclosed according to another embodiment of the present invention. The sliding door assembly 110 includes substantially the same structure as the sliding door assembly 10, but differs by incorporating an alternative configuration of an engagement feature 180 of the sliding door assembly 110 that is configured to translate the rotational movement of the rotary drive structure 50 to the rectilinear translational movement of the door structure 12. However, it should be understood that the sliding door assembly 110 otherwise operates in the same manner as described with reference to the sliding door assembly 10, including the same relationships existing between the components thereof that do not directly relate to the operation of the engagement feature 80 and include the interaction that occurs between the teeth 85 and the tooth-receiving openings 82, unless otherwise noted.

[0048] The drive body 51 of the rotary drive structure 50 is constructed without the radially outwardly projecting teeth 85 and is instead constructed to include an engagement element 185 that extends annularly and circumferentially around the outer peripheral surface 54 of the drive body 51. The engagement element 185 may be a belt or strip of material wrapped around the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 54, resulting in the engagement element 185 having a cylindrical shape with an outer diameter larger than that of the outer peripheral surface 54, for positioning the engagement element 185 as the radially outermost surface of the drive body 51. The material forming the engagement element 185 may be a polymeric material with a relatively high coefficient of friction compared to the material forming the outer peripheral surface 54, such as using an elastomeric material (rubber).

[0049] As it is in Fig. 16, the base surface 23 of the channel 20 may be formed to be planar and parallel to the axial and lateral directions, while also not including any of the tooth-receiving openings 82 for cooperation with the teeth 85. The sliding door assembly 110 accordingly simplifies the manufacture of the door structure 12 because the step leading to the formation of the openings 82 may be omitted.The planar base surface 23 acts as a track along which the engagement member 185 can roll during rotation of the rotary drive structure 50 about its axis of rotation when it is in the channel 20, wherein frictional forces present between the base surface 23 and the engagement member 185 cause the door structure 12 to move in the axial direction relative to the fixed axis of rotation of the rotary drive structure 50, which is tangential to the contact between the cylindrical engagement member 185 and the base surface 23.

[0050] The door structure 12 may be installed in a corresponding housing 90, wherein the door structure 12 is slidably received in the guide features 91a, 92a, such as those in Fig. 6, to limit movement of the door structure 12 to the desired plane. The dimension of one or more of the thickness-direction distances of the projection of the wall members 25, 26 away from the base surface 23, the outer diameter of the shaft members 52, 53, the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 54, and / or the thickness of the engagement member 185 may vary, resulting in the engagement member 185 being slightly compressed in the thickness direction when the sliding door assembly 110 is installed into the housing 90 to promote appropriate frictional forces between the engagement member 185 and the track formed by the base surface 23 when there is no interlocking interaction of the engagement feature 80.Accordingly, the engagement feature 180 includes the drive body 51 taking the form of a wheel, with the engagement element 185 forming a tire thereof, the tire linearly translating the door structure 12 as the tire rolls in the channel 20 and along the track formed by the base surface 23, with the traction existing between the tire and the track driving the transfer of motion therebetween.

[0051] Fig. 17 and Fig. 18 illustrate a sliding door assembly 210 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The sliding door assembly 210 is substantially identical to the sliding door assembly 110 in many respects, except that an engagement feature 280 of the sliding door assembly 210 comprises a reversal of components relative to the engagement feature 180, with an engagement element 285 provided as a rectangular, cuboid-shaped strip of material extending axially along the base surface 23 for engagement with the outer peripheral surface 54 of the drive body 51 during rotation thereof.The elongated strip forming the engagement element 285 may be formed from the same materials as described above with reference to the engagement element 185 formed as the annular hoop around the drive body 51, such material comprising a relatively high coefficient of friction to enhance frictional contact occurring between the outer peripheral surface 54 of the drive body 50 and the engagement element 285. The engagement element 285 may be applied to the base surface 23 via a suitable adhesive formed along a back surface of the engagement element 285, as desired.The sliding door assembly 210 operates in the same manner as the sliding door assembly 110, wherein rotation of the drive body 51 within the channel 20 causes rolling of the outer peripheral surface 54 along an axially and laterally extending plane formed by an exposed surface of the engagement member 185 to translate rotational movement of the drive body 51 into linear movement of the door structure 12. An installed configuration of the sliding door assembly 210 may include the drive body 51 applying a compressive force to the engagement member 285 to promote increased frictional forces therebetween.

[0052] The engagement element 285, provided as the strip of material along the base surface 23, may be manufactured to include additional friction or traction enhancing features to ensure non-slip rolling of the rotating body 51 relative to the engagement element 285. Fig. Figure 19 illustrates an example in which an exposed outer surface of the engagement member 285 along which the drive body 51 rolls comprises a serrated profile including a plurality of teeth 286 projecting outwardly therefrom in a sawtooth configuration, while Fig. 20 illustrates another example in which the exposed outer surface of the engagement member 285 includes inwardly notched sockets 287 formed therein. Each of these disclosed features is provided to assist in the generation of axially extending forces between the outer peripheral surface 54 and the engagement member 285 via interaction with features of the engagement member 285 that extend in the thickness direction of the door structure 12.

[0053] With reference to Fig. 21, a sliding door assembly 310 according to another embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. The sliding door assembly 310 operates using the same principles as the sliding door assembly 110, but includes the use of a respective first rotary drive structure 50a and a second rotary drive structure 50b spaced apart from each other with respect to the axial direction of the door structure 12, each of which includes respective drive bodies 51a, 51b, first shaft segments 52a, 52b, and second shaft segments 53a, 53b, as described above. The rotary drive structures 50a, 50b may be axially spaced such that the channel 20 of the door structure 12 always receives at least one of the drive bodies 51a, 51b therein during movement of the door structure 12 relative to the drive bodies 51a, 51b, so that lateral movement and rotation of the door structure 12 along all possible positions thereof is prevented.

[0054] An engagement feature 380 of the sliding door assembly 310 is formed by an engagement element 385 provided as a looped belt partially received around the outer peripheral surface 54 of both drive bodies 51a, 51b, such that driving one of the rotary drive structures 50a, 50b to rotate about its respective axis of rotation causes the engagement element 385 to travel around the looped configuration provided by the cylindrical drive bodies 51a, 51b while also driving the non-driven one of the rotary drive structures 50a, 50b. The disclosed arrangement of the drive bodies 51a, 51b and the engagement element 385 may thus resemble a tracked or tank-tracked configuration.A portion of the looped engagement member 385 is also in frictional contact with the planar base surface 23 of the channel 20, such that orbital movement of the engagement member 385 in either orbital direction causes a resultant movement of the door structure 12 in the axial direction thereof. The engagement member 385 may be tensioned in contact with the base surface 23 to ensure appropriate frictional engagement therebetween. The engagement member 385 may be made of the same materials described as suitable for forming the engagement members 185, 285, as desired.

[0055] Fig. 22 illustrates a sliding door assembly 410 according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the sliding door assembly 410 includes a substantially similar crawler / tank track configuration as that disclosed with reference to the sliding door assembly 310, but instead utilizes an engagement feature 480 similar to the engagement feature 80 disclosed with reference to the sliding door assembly 410. The assembly 410 includes axially spaced first and second drive bodies 51a, 51b with a loop-shaped engagement element 485 extending therearound in a drive belt manner, as shown in Fig. 21, but the engaging member 485 differs by incorporating outwardly extending teeth 486 projecting from an outer surface of the engaging member 485 that is arranged to face the door structure 12 as it passes thereover during rotation of the engaging member 485. The door structure 12 is provided to include the tooth-receiving openings 82 therein in the same manner as described hereinabove, which may include the formation of notches 82 or through holes 82, as desired.The teeth 486 are received in and / or exit from the tooth receiving openings 82 each time the tooth receiving holes 82 extend axially beyond the rotational axis of the corresponding one of the drive bodies 51a, 51b during transport of the door structure 12 in the axial direction thereof, and the teeth 486 can fill all of the openings 82 when the door structure 12 is transported between the rotational axes of the drive bodies 51a, 51b, as shown in FIG. Fig. 22. The sliding door assembly 410 may advantageously include the advantage of being capable of producing the door structure 12 via the described continuous process involving punching the through-openings 82 therefrom, since the teeth 486 of the engaging member 485 may be configured to substantially plug each of the through-openings 82 when received therein, thereby avoiding undesirable whistling or air leakage therethrough.

[0056] Fig. 23 illustrates an advantageous method for manufacturing the door structure 12 via a pultrusion process, when the door structure 12 is manufactured to include the tooth receiving openings 82 in the form of the notches 82 that are plastically deformed in the base surface 23. A strip or length of the door material with the constant cross-section is drawn from a die 600 over a drawing wheel 500 having the same configuration as the drive body 51 that drives the teeth 85 of the sliding door assembly of Fig.4 to 7, wherein the pull wheel 500 pulls the door material in the axial direction thereof by continuously plastically deforming the base surface 23 of the door material via radially outwardly projecting teeth 585 in a manner that results in the formation of the notches 82 while the pull wheel 500 is rotated about a stationary axis of rotation thereof. The fact that the pull wheel 500 has the same configuration as the drive body 51 ensures that the resulting door structure 12 includes the desired configuration of the notches 82 for proper interaction with the teeth 85 of the drive body 51, since the pulling of the door material by the pull wheel 500 essentially confirms a desired formation of the array of notches 82, since the pull wheel 500 would otherwise not be able to pull the door material in the desired manner.That is, operating the pulley 500 in an acceptable manner should result in the production of serviceable door structures 12, since the manufacturing process used in forming the notches 82 would be interrupted or otherwise show evidence of improper formation, indicating that such problems arise during the manufacturing process due to the similar methods of axially transporting the door structure or door material in each case. As such, proper synchronization / spacing of the notches 82 or proper depth of the notches 82 is ensured during the formation of the door structure 12.Therefore, a pass / fail gauge can be readily used to ensure that the forming gear 50 is up to the proper synchronization / spacing and notch depth, and can also be used to determine whether the interface forming drive bodies 51 have acceptable synchronization / spacing and tooth protrusion depth.

[0057] Due to the fact that the door structure 12 is extruded and / or pultruded as a continuous process, significant energy savings can be achieved, as a typical injection mold used for conventional sliding door production is no longer required. The energy required to heat and cool the mold and the injected material can be completely eliminated. This resulting minimization of energy consumption during production allows sliding doors to be manufactured at lower costs and with reduced environmental impact.

[0058] Another advantage of manufacturing the door structure 12 in an extrusion and / or pultrusion process is that the door no longer needs to be made from a polymer / plastic material. This new freedom in material selection allows the door structure 12 to be manufactured from materials not previously considered, which could include waste products / materials, as desired. For example, the door structure 12 could be extruded and / or pultruded from wood pulp, recycled cardboard, other types of paper products, or other waste materials, as desired. The above-mentioned materials may also include additives, such as waste rubber and / or other water-resistant materials, tailored to a desired material property, as desired.

[0059] Should one of the engagement elements 185, 285, 385 be used that rely on frictional engagement, a relatively inexpensive rubber can be used in forming the engagement elements 185, 285, 385, since the rubber only performs the function of transporting the door structure 12 in the specific direction, with little resistance along the way. This allows the aforementioned engagement elements 185, 285, 385 to be manufactured from a waste material, such as shredded tires or other waste rubber materials, if desired.

[0060] As described above, the resulting configuration of the channel 20 and the drive body 51 relies much less on precision-molded and tolerance components. As a result of the disclosed design, which allows for reduced accuracy, it allows for materials with lower specifications (including scrap materials) to be used to manufacture the parts. The resulting design is therefore easy to manufacture with a low scrap rate, the materials have lower specifications, and these characteristics result in a design that can be manufactured with minimal environmental impact, easy supply chain selection, and low cost.

[0061] From the above description, one of ordinary skill in the art can readily derive the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the scope and spirit thereof, can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various uses and conditions. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] US 6,622,787

[0003] US 10,065,477

[0003]

Claims

[1] Sliding door arrangement (10) having the following features: a door structure (12) having a channel (20) formed therein, the channel (20) extending longitudinally in an axial direction of the door structure (12); a first rotary drive structure (50a) configured for selective rotation about a rotation axis thereof, the first rotary drive structure (50a) comprising a first drive body (51a) rollably received in the channel (20) of the door structure (12); and an engagement feature (80) configured to translate a rotational movement of the first drive body (51a) about the rotational axis of the first rotary drive structure (50a) into a linear translational movement of the door structure (12) along the axial direction thereof and relative to the rotational axis of the first rotary drive structure (50a). [2] Sliding door assembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the door structure (12) is formed by an extrusion process or a pultrusion process, wherein the door structure (12) is extruded or pultruded in the axial direction thereof. [3] Sliding door assembly (10) according to claim 2, wherein one of the extrusion process or the pultrusion process comprises forming the channel (20) to have a constant cross-sectional shape extending in the axial direction of the door structure (12). [4] Sliding door assembly (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rollable receptacle of the first drive body (51a) in the channel (20) prevents movement of the door structure (12) with respect to a lateral direction of the door structure (12) which is perpendicular to the axial direction thereof and parallel to the axis of rotation of the first rotary drive structure (50a). [5] Sliding door assembly (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the channel (20) is located centrally on the door structure (12) with respect to a lateral direction of the door structure (12) which is perpendicular to the axial direction thereof and parallel to the rotation axis of the first rotary drive structure (50a). [6] Sliding door assembly (10) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the channel (20) is formed between a first wall segment (25) and a second wall segment (26) of the door structure (12), each of the first wall segment (25) and the second wall segment (26) projecting outwardly from the door structure (12) with respect to a thickness direction of the door structure (12). [7] Sliding door assembly (10) according to claim 6, wherein the first rotary drive structure (50a) further comprises a first shaft segment extending axially from a first axial inner surface of the first drive body (51a) and a second shaft segment extending axially from a second axial end surface of the first drive body (51a), the first shaft segment being rollably disposed on a distal surface of the first wall segment (25) and the second shaft segment being rollably disposed on a distal surface of the second wall segment (26). [8] Sliding door assembly (10) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the door structure (12) is formed by an injection molding process. [9] The sliding door assembly (10) of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the engagement feature (80) comprises the first drive body (51a) having a plurality of radially outwardly projecting teeth formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof, and the door structure (12) having a plurality of tooth receiving openings formed along the channel (20), each of the tooth receiving openings being configured to receive a corresponding one of the teeth of the first drive body (51a) therein during rotation of the first rotary drive structure (50a) about the rotational axis thereof. [10] Sliding door assembly (10) according to claim 9, wherein the tooth receiving openings are provided as notches formed by a deformation of the door structure (12) or as through holes formed by a penetration of the door structure (12). [11] Sliding door assembly (10) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the engagement feature (80) comprises an engagement element that is either circumferentially disposed around an outer peripheral surface of the first drive body (51a) or disposed along the channel (20) with respect to the axial direction of the door structure (12). [12] Sliding door assembly (10) according to claim 11, wherein the engagement element is formed from an elastomeric material. [13] Sliding door assembly (10) according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the engagement feature (80) comprises a drive belt looped around the first drive body (51a) of the first rotary drive structure (50a) and a second drive body of a second rotary drive structure spaced from the first rotary drive structure (50a) with respect to the axial direction of the door structure (12), the drive belt being configured to engage the door structure (12) along the channel (20) thereof. [14] The sliding door assembly (10) of claim 13, wherein the engagement feature (80) further comprises the drive belt having a plurality of outwardly extending teeth formed on an outer surface thereof, and the door structure (12) comprising a plurality of tooth-receiving openings formed therein along the channel (20), each of the tooth-receiving openings configured to receive a corresponding one of the teeth of the drive belt therein during rotation of the first rotary drive structure (50a) about the axis of rotation thereof. [15] A method for manufacturing a sliding door assembly (10), comprising the following steps: Extruding or pultruding a door material strip, the door material strip comprising a constant cross-sectional shape extending in an axial direction of the door material strip corresponding to the extrusion or pultrusion direction thereof, the constant cross-sectional shape comprising a formation of an axially extending channel (20) in the door material strip; severing an axial length of the door material strip therefrom to form a door structure (12) in which the axially extending channel (20) is formed; and Inserting a rotary body of a rotary drive structure into the channel (20) of the door structure (12) with an engagement feature (80) of the sliding door assembly (10), which is configured to translate a selective rotation of the rotary drive structure about a rotation axis thereof into a linear translational movement of the door structure (12) along the axial direction thereof and relative to the rotation axis of the rotary drive structure. [16] The method of claim 15, further comprising a step of forming a plurality of openings in the strip of door material and along the channel (20) thereof, each of the openings being configured to receive therein a tooth associated with the engagement feature (80) of the sliding door assembly (10). [17] A method according to claim 16, wherein the openings are one of the following: Notches formed in the door material via a plastic deformation process, notches formed in the door material via a first rotary cutting tool and a corresponding first machining process, through-openings formed through the door structure (12) via a second rotary cutting tool and a corresponding second machining process, or through-openings formed through the door structure (12) via a punching process. [18] A method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the step of forming a plurality of openings in the strip of door material occurs before the step of severing the axial length of the door strip material therefrom to form the door structure (12). [19] A method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the openings are through-holes penetrating the door material strip, and wherein the method further comprises a step of covering the through-holes along a surface of the door material strip opposite the formation of the channel (20) therein. [20] A method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the extruded or pultruded material is one of wood pulp, paperboard or a paper product.

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