Opening device

Abstract

The invention relates to an opening device for a motor vehicle door, in particular a handle-free motor vehicle door such as, for example, a handle-free motor vehicle side door. For this purpose, the opening device has an electromotive drive (1 to 4) and an associated actuator (5) for acting on a door leaf. The actuator (5) acts on the door leaf with a travel-dependent force along its actuating travel (S). According to the invention, the electromotive drive (1 to 4) acts on the actuator (5) with the interposition of a rack-and-pinion gear (7, 8), wherein the rack-and-pinion gear (7, 8) operates with different transmission ratios on the actuator (5) along its actuating travel (S).

Description

[0001] Installation device

[0002] Description:

[0003] The invention relates to a positioning device for a motor vehicle door, in particular a handleless motor vehicle door such as a handleless motor vehicle side door, comprising an electric motor drive and an associated actuator for actuating a door leaf. The actuator applies a path-dependent force to the door leaf along its travel path. This means that the electric motor drive acts on the associated actuator, which acts on the door leaf.

[0004] Opening devices for motor vehicle doors are known in a wide variety of designs and are promoted in the state of the art and in practice. According to the explanations in DE 10 2015 103 826 A1, the opening device in question actually ensures that the corresponding door leaf of the motor vehicle door in question can be opened at least partially relative to a motor vehicle body. As a result, an operator or user of the motor vehicle can then grasp the door leaf through the gap created in this way and, in the example case, pivot the door leaf around its pivot axis and open it.

[0005] In principle, not only pivoting vehicle side doors can be equipped with such a positioning device, but it is also possible to alternatively position a tailgate, a sliding door, etc. in this way. Alternatively, a front hood can also be equipped with such a positioning device. In either case, a vehicle door equipped with this positioning device generally eliminates the need for an exterior door handle or other external handle, allowing the vehicle door to be designed to be particularly aerodynamically efficient.

[0006] Various embodiments of such positioning devices are known in the prior art. For example, FR 2 814 771 A1 discloses a positioning device that, like a spindle drive, acts on a rod-shaped actuator, which can thus open and, if necessary, close a door leaf in the desired manner.

[0007] In another embodiment according to DE 10 2018 132 665 A1, the door leaf can be held in place using the actuator or actuating means. For this purpose, the actuator has a locking means or a locking lever. This allows a positive connection to the vehicle body to be provided.

[0008] The generic prior art according to DE 10 2011 015 669 A1 involves providing a lifting element that motor-drivenly moves the motor vehicle door or the associated door leaf into the raised position through a pivoting movement. For this purpose, the lifting element is equipped with two parts: an outer lever and an inner lever, which can be pivoted relative to each other. Since the outer lever, for example, is equipped with an arcuate stop ring and moves with this against the door leaf to raise it, the travel-dependent force is monitored along the travel of the actuator, with the aid of which the actuator acts on the door leaf.

[0009] The state of the art has generally proven itself, but still offers room for improvement. In fact, the structure of the generic teaching according to DE 10 2011 015 669 A1 is relatively complex, and the frictional contact of the stop ring of the outer lever on the inside of a hatch or motor vehicle door at this point leads, on the one hand, to damage to the motor vehicle door and, on the other hand, to increased abrasion on the stop ring. In addition, the interaction between the curved stop ring on the one hand and the door leaf it acts upon, on the other, requires a relatively large amount of space for mutual interaction.This is counterproductive given that the installation space between the corresponding motor vehicle door and the vehicle body is generally limited because the interior of the motor vehicle door, which usually houses the electric motor drive, is typically filled with other components such as side impact protection, window lifts, loudspeakers, side airbags, etc.

[0010] Accordingly, the present invention is based on the technical problem of further developing such a positioning device for a motor vehicle door in such a way that a functionally appropriate and structurally simple force application to the actuator is achieved. To solve this technical problem, a generic positioning device for a motor vehicle door within the scope of the invention is characterized in that the electric motor drive, with the interposition of a rack-and-pinion gear, commands the actuator. The rack-and-pinion gear operates with a varying gear ratio on the actuator along its travel path.

[0011] For this purpose, the rack-and-pinion gear is typically equipped with a spiral pinion meshing with a rack. The meshing between the pinion and the rack can advantageously be involute toothing.

[0012] Such an involute gearing is characterized by a gear profile in which the contact points of two intermeshing tooth flanks move in a straight line throughout the entire engagement. This makes such involute gearing relatively insensitive to changes in the center distance. Accordingly, any positional tolerances of the bearing points or even a deviation in concentricity have little effect, making this type of involute gearing ideal for robust applications involving such positioning devices.

[0013] Typically, the helical pinion defines a pitch curve with a radius that increases along the travel of the actuator. To accommodate this increasing radius of the helical pinion's pitch curve, the rack meshing with it is angled relative to the pinion and, consequently, to the actuator. The angle of the inclination is adjusted to accommodate the increase in the pinion's radius.

[0014] This means that the rack is tilted so that the spiral pinion, with its increasing radius relative to the pinion axis, remains in engagement with the rack without jamming over the entire travel of the actuator. Furthermore, the actuator is usually connected to the rack.

[0015] In this way, when the pinion moves, the rack meshing with the spiral pinion moves in the direction specified by the angle of inclination, which typically corresponds to a linear movement of the actuator connected to the rack. This allows the actuator to be moved from one end position, for example in a retracted state relative to a housing, to another end position that corresponds to an exposed position of the actuator relative to the housing. Of course, it is also possible for the actuator to be moved back into the retracted position. The housing accommodates the entire inventive positioning device within its interior and ensures sealed accommodation, except for an opening through which the actuator passes. This allows the actuator to be moved into the two described end positions.Furthermore, the helical pinion is usually connected to a gear wheel of the electric motor drive's gearbox. This gearbox is usually a reduction gear, which converts the high-speed movements of an electric motor's output shaft, which is part of the electric motor drive, into the slower rotations of the respective gear wheel and, consequently, of the helical pinion.

[0016] The actuator is typically designed as a linearly actuated slide valve. A linear guide is provided inside the housing to support the slide valve in or opposite the housing. This allows the actuator or linearly movable slide valve to be easily moved relative to the vehicle body, thus ensuring the desired actuating movement of the door leaf relative to the vehicle body.

[0017] All of this is achieved through a particularly functional and compact design. This functional design is achieved by using the spiral pinion to initially apply a high torque to the actuator or linearly movable control slide, starting from the retracted end position of the actuator inside the housing, while taking into account only a small portion of the total travel. This allows the control slide or actuator to apply great force or a high transmission ratio to the door leaf at the beginning of its travel, so that even if the vehicle door is frozen to a vehicle body, for example, the loaded door leaf can ultimately be released from, for example, a surrounding rubber door seal.

[0018] As the travel distance increases, a reduced force is required to act on the door leaf, which corresponds to a smaller gear ratio of the spiral pinion relative to the engaged rack or the rack-and-pinion gear as a whole. This results in a lower force acting on the door leaf, while at the same time the majority of the actuator's travel distance is completed at a simultaneously increased speed. In contrast, the rack-and-pinion gear operates at its highest gear ratio at the beginning of the actuator's movement, starting from the retracted end position, in order to, as described, loosen any ice buildup.

[0019] Due to the spiral pinion and the associated increase in the radius of the rolling geometry compared to the axis of the spiral pinion, the overall result, as desired, is that the door leaf is subjected to a force that is initially large and then continuously decreasing, depending on the travel path, along its travel.

[0020] All this is achieved thanks to a compact design, which thus fits securely and securely inside the housing. This allows the entire installation device to be housed inside the vehicle door, taking into account the typically narrow and limited space available there. The encapsulated design also allows for installation in the wet area of ​​the vehicle door. This represents the key advantage.

[0021] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing which merely represents an exemplary embodiment; in the drawings:

[0022] Figure 1 shows the installation device according to the invention in a

[0023] Overview,

[0024] Figures 2A and 2B show different functional positions of the installation device in detail and

[0025] Figure 3 shows a concrete design variant.

[0026] The figures depict a positioning device for a motor vehicle door. The positioning device in question is actually located inside a motor vehicle door, and for this purpose, it may be mounted close to the axis of a motor vehicle side door relative to its pivot axis, as described in detail in the already referenced DE 10 2015 103 826 A1. For this purpose, the positioning device has an electric motor drive 1, 2, 3, 4, which can be understood from the specific representation in Figure 3. With the aid of the electric motor drive 1 to 4, an associated actuator 5 is actuated in order to, in turn, position a door leaf as a component of the motor vehicle side door (not expressly shown) relative to the associated motor vehicle body. The actuator 5 acts on the door leaf with a travel-dependent force along its travel path S.

[0027] By comparing the upper and lower views in Figure 1, it can be seen that the actuator 5 can be moved along the travel path S, starting from a first end position shown in the upper part of Figure 1 or a retracted position relative to a housing 6 into an exposed second end position, as shown in the lower part of Figure 1. The housing 6 is completely closed and completely accommodates the positioning device shown in detail in Figures 2A, 2B and 3. An opening 6a in the housing 6 ensures that the actuator 5 can be moved through it from one end position to the other and back. The positioning device accommodated in the interior of the housing 6 can thus be attached in the wet space of the motor vehicle door and in particular the motor vehicle side door equipped therewith.

[0028] Figures 2A, 2B, and 3 clearly show that the electric motor drive 1 to 4 acts on the actuator 5 via a rack-and-pinion gear 7, 8. The rack-and-pinion gear 7, 8 operates with a varying gear ratio on the actuator 5 along its travel path S, as explained in more detail below. For this purpose, the basic design of the rack-and-pinion gear 7, 8 comprises a spiral pinion 7, which meshes with a rack 8. An involute toothing is provided between the pinion 7 and the rack 8, as already described in the introduction.

[0029] The spiral pinion 7 can be pivoted about an axis 9. The pivoting movement of the spiral pinion 7 is provided by a gear wheel 4, to which the spiral pinion 7 is connected, as can be seen from Figure 3.

[0030] For this purpose, the gear wheel 4 is designed as a component of a gear 2, 3, 4 of the electric motor drive 1 to 4. In fact, the electric motor drive 1 to 4 consists of an electric motor 1 and the gear 2, 3, 4 in question, which, according to the exemplary embodiment, is designed as a reduction gear 2, 3, 4. In this way, fast movements of an output shaft of the electric motor 1 are converted into slow rotations of the output-side gear or gear wheel 4.

[0031] The spiral pinion 7 defines a pitch curve 10, which is particularly evident from Figures 2A and 2B, and which is described by the fact that the spiral pinion 7 is equipped with a radius Ri, R2, which increases from an initial value of the radius Ri to a final value of the radius R2 along the pitch curve 10 described in this way. In this way, the pitch curve 10 and with it the pinion 7 are spirally formed, designed overall as a circular arc segment according to the exemplary embodiment.

[0032] It can be seen that the rolling curve 10 has an increasing radius along the travel S of the actuator 5, which increases from the initial value Ri to the final value R2. With this increasing radius or the spiral rolling curve 10, the spiral pinion 7 works on a rack 8. To prevent the respective teeth of the pinion 7 and the rack 8 from becoming wedged at this point, the rack 8 is inclined relative to the pinion 7 and also to the actuator 5, which generally moves back and forth linearly, according to the exemplary embodiment. An associated angle a of the inclination takes into account the increase in the radius of the spiral pinion 7 or is adapted to it.This means that depending on the difference between the initial radius Ri and the finally achieved radius R2, the angle a of the inclination of the rack 8 is also dimensioned accordingly in order to ensure uniform engagement of the respective gears.

[0033] In this way, the actuator 5 as a whole is designed as a linearly movable control slide 5. In fact, the housing 6 has a linear guide 11 inside it for this purpose, with the help of which the control slide 5 can be moved linearly along its travel path S from one end position to the other and back. This process can best be understood by comparing Figures 2A and 2B. In Figure 2A, the control slide 5 is in its retracted end position, as it corresponds to the upper illustration in Figure 1. If, starting from this end position, the spiral pinion 7 is pivoted clockwise about its axis 9 with the aid of the electric motor drive 1 to 4, the toothing on the outer circumference of the spiral pinion 7 ensures that the rack 8 is moved increasingly obliquely in accordance with its oblique position, taking into account the angle α.

[0034] During this process, the spiral pinion 7 with the initial radius Ri engages the rack 8, so that the rack 8 and, with it, the connected adjusting slide 5 are subjected to a high gear ratio and a small adjustment range, thus exerting a high force. This high force is required at the beginning of the opening process, for example, to release the door leaf from a surrounding rubber seal, even when the vehicle door is frozen.

[0035] With increasing movement of the spiral pinion 7, the radius now increases until the value R2 is reached at the end of the travel S. This is accompanied by a reduction in the transmission ratio and an increase in the proportion of the travel S as well as an increased adjustment speed of the adjusting slide 5. This continues until the functional position according to Figure 2B is reached, which corresponds to the lower illustration in Figure 1

[0036] corresponds to the position in which the adjusting slide 5 has taken up its exposed position relative to the housing 6.

Claims

Patent claims:

1. An opening device for a motor vehicle door, in particular a handleless motor vehicle door such as a handleless motor vehicle side door, with an electric motor drive (1 to 4) and with an associated actuator (5) for acting on a door leaf, wherein the actuator (5) acts on the door leaf with a path-dependent force along its actuating path (S), characterized in that the electric motor drive (1 to 4) acts on the actuator (5) with the interposition of a rack and pinion gear (7, 8), wherein the rack and pinion gear (7, 8) operates with a different transmission ratio on the actuator (5) along its actuating path (S).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the pinion-Z-rack gear (7, 8) has a spiral pinion (7) in engagement with a rack (8).

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the engagement between the pinion (7) and the rack (8) is designed as an involute toothing.

4. Device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the spiral pinion (7) defines a rolling curve (10) with a radius (Ri, R2) increasing along the travel (S) of the actuator (5).

5. Device according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the rack (8) is inclined relative to the pinion (7).

6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the angle (a) of the inclination is adapted to a radius increase (Ri, R2) of the pinion (7).

7. Device according to one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the actuator (5) is connected to the rack (8).

8. Device according to one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that the pinion (7) is connected to a gear wheel (4) of a transmission (2, 3, 4) of the electric motor drive (1 to 4).

9. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the gear (2, 3, 4) is designed as a reduction gear (2, 3, 4).

10. Device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the actuator (5) is designed as a linearly movable adjusting slide (5).

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