Slide door opening / closing device and design method thereof

Abstract

To reduce production cost by improving efficiency of design and production by using common components in a slide door opening / closing device.SOLUTION: A belt guide unit 12 of a slide door opening / closing device 1 comprises: an endless belt 8 attached to a slide door 2; a pair of inversion pulleys 9 around which the endless belt 8 is hooked; and a belt guide 13 that supports the endless belt 8 and the inversion pulley 9, which is attached to a panel 7 of a vehicle. A drive unit 11 of the slide door opening / closing device 1 includes: a motor 14; a drive pulley 15 connected to the motor 14, around which the endless belt 8 is hooked; a conversion pulley 16; and a casing 17. The casing 17 has an attachment plate part 18 that is attached to the panel 7. A rotation axis 15a of the drive pulley 15 and a rotation axis 16a of the conversion pulley 16 extend parallel to the attachment plate part 18 that is attached to the panel 7.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sliding door opening / closing device and its design method.

Background Art

[0002] A sliding door opening / closing device provided in a vehicle as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 includes a drive unit including a motor and a belt guide unit that transmits the output from the drive unit to the sliding door. The belt guide unit has an endless belt wound around a plurality of pulleys, and a part of the endless belt is attached to the sliding door. When the output from the drive unit is transmitted and the endless belt moves in a circular motion, the sliding door attached to the endless belt slides in the front-rear direction of the vehicle to open and close.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The endless belt of the sliding door opening / closing device has a shape and dimensions that match the shape of the vehicle body, and the size and arrangement of the pulleys that circulate the endless belt are also determined according to the shape of the vehicle body. Therefore, in any of the configurations of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the sliding door opening / closing device is individually designed and manufactured as a dedicated product for each type of vehicle (vehicle model) to be mounted. If the shape and arrangement of the endless belt and pulleys of the belt guide unit do not correspond to the shape of the vehicle body, there is a possibility that the sliding door cannot be smoothly opened and closed. Thus, it is difficult to commonly use the sliding door opening / closing device in various types of vehicles, and it is necessary to individually design and manufacture the sliding door opening / closing device for each type of vehicle, resulting in poor design and production efficiency and high production costs.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sliding door opening / closing device and a design method thereof that can achieve the common use of some components, improve the efficiency of vehicle design and production, and reduce production costs without inhibiting the smooth opening and closing of the sliding door.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The sliding door opening / closing device provided in a vehicle equipped with the sliding door of the present invention includes a drive unit and a belt guide unit respectively attached to panels of the vehicle. The belt guide unit includes at least an endless belt partially attached to the sliding door and capable of circular movement, a pair of reversing pulleys around which the endless belt is wound, and a belt guide that supports the endless belt and the reversing pulleys and is attached to the panel. The drive unit includes a motor, a drive pulley connected to the motor and around which the endless belt is wound to transmit the output of the motor to the endless belt, a conversion pulley that presses the endless belt against the drive pulley, and a casing that supports the motor, the drive pulley, and the conversion pulley. The casing has a mounting plate portion attached to the panel, and the rotation axes of the drive pulley and the conversion pulley extend parallel to the mounting plate portion attached to the panel, which is characterized in that. The rotation axis of the drive pulley, the rotation axis of the conversion pulley, and the mounting plate portion may be arranged parallel to the panel. The mounting plate portion may be attached to the panel inclined with respect to the vertical direction. Torsion may occur between a portion of the endless belt wound around the drive pulley and the conversion pulley and other portions. The belt guide unit has a plurality of intermediate pulleys respectively in contact with the endless belt between the pair of reversing pulleys. The endless belt is wound around the drive pulley and the conversion pulley in a region between a portion in contact with one of the intermediate pulleys and a portion in contact with the other intermediate pulley, and an angle formed by the region of the endless belt with respect to the horizontal direction may be different from an angle formed by portions other than the region with respect to the horizontal direction. The rotation axes of the drive pulley and the conversion pulley may extend in a direction non-parallel to the rotation axis of the reversing pulley. The belt guide unit is a dedicated product formed in a shape and dimensions corresponding to the shape and dimensions of the vehicle to which the sliding door opening / closing device is attached and the panel, and is replaced as the type of vehicle provided with the sliding door opening / closing device is changed. The drive unit may be a general-purpose product formed in a shape and dimensions set independently of the shape and dimensions of the vehicle and the panel, and does not require replacement as the type of vehicle provided with the sliding door opening / closing device is changed. The belt guide may have an outer wall portion of the vehicle that covers the endless belt on the outer side of the vehicle. The belt guide may further have an inner wall portion of the vehicle that covers the endless belt on the inner side of the vehicle and an upper wall portion that covers the endless belt above. The outer wall portion of the vehicle, the inner wall portion of the vehicle, and the upper wall portion may be integrally formed.

[0007] A slide door opening and closing device design method includes a drive unit and a belt guide unit respectively attached to panels of a vehicle equipped with a slide door. The belt guide unit includes at least an endless belt partially attached to the slide door and capable of circular motion, a pair of reversing pulleys around which the endless belt is looped, and a belt guide that supports the endless belt and the reversing pulleys and is attached to the panel. The drive unit includes a motor, a drive pulley connected to the motor, a conversion pulley, and a casing that supports the motor, the drive pulley, and the conversion pulley. The belt guide unit is designed as an individual special product for each type of vehicle and panel so that its shape and dimensions correspond to the shape and dimensions of the vehicle and panel to which the slide door opening and closing device is attached. The drive unit is designed as a general-purpose product independent of the shape and dimensions of the vehicle and panel without making its shape and dimensions correspond to the shape and dimensions of a specific type of vehicle and panel. The belt guide unit designed as an individual special product for each type of vehicle and panel is attached to the panel, and the drive unit designed as a general-purpose product is attached to the panel. The endless belt is looped around the drive pulley to transmit the output of the motor to the endless belt, and the endless belt is looped around the conversion pulley so that the endless belt is pressed against the drive pulley, which is characterized by this. The rotation axis of the drive pulley, the rotation axis of the conversion pulley, and the mounting plate portion of the casing attached to the panel may be arranged parallel to the panel. The belt guide unit may have a plurality of intermediate pulleys respectively in contact with the endless belt between the pair of reversing pulleys. The endless belt is looped around the drive pulley and the conversion pulley in a region between a portion in contact with one of the intermediate pulleys and a portion in contact with another of the intermediate pulleys. The angle formed by the region of the endless belt with respect to the horizontal direction may be different from the angle formed by portions other than the region with respect to the horizontal direction. Another slide door opening / closing device of the present invention is characterized by including the drive unit designed as a general-purpose product by the design method of any of the slide door opening / closing devices described above, and the belt guide unit designed as a dedicated product.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize the commonization of some components, improve the efficiency of vehicle design and production, and reduce production costs without hindering the smooth opening and closing of the slide door.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Embodiment for Carrying out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 schematically shows a main part of an automobile which is a vehicle 6 in which the sliding door opening and closing device 1 of this embodiment is adopted. The sliding door opening and closing device 1 of this embodiment is attached to a vehicle 6 such as an automobile. This vehicle 6 has a sliding door 2, and a plurality of rails (for example, an upper rail 3A, a center rail 3B, and a lower rail 3C) extending in the front-rear direction are provided on the body of the vehicle 6. A plurality of guide roller units (for example, an upper roller unit 4A, a center roller unit 4B, and a lower roller unit 4C schematically shown in Fig. 1) provided on the sliding door 2 are respectively supported by each of the rails 3A to 3C. As the guide roller units 4A to 4C move forward or backward along the rails 3A to 3C, the sliding door 2 slides forward or backward of the vehicle 6. A part of the endless belt 8 of the sliding door opening and closing device 1 described later is attached to the sliding door 2, and the sliding door 2 moves forward or backward of the vehicle 6 along with the circulating movement of the endless belt 8 of the sliding door opening and closing device 1. Thus, the sliding door 2 moves between an open state in which the boarding and alighting opening 5 is opened and a closed state in which the boarding and alighting opening 5 is closed.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the slide door opening / closing device 1 of the present embodiment as viewed from the side, FIG. 3(A) is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the drive unit 11 of the slide door opening / closing device 1, and FIG. 3(B) is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the belt guide unit 12 and its periphery. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the slide door opening / closing device 1 as viewed from the upper surface side. The slide door opening / closing device 1 of the present embodiment includes a drive unit 11 and a belt guide unit 12. The belt guide unit 12 includes an endless belt 8 that can move in a circulating motion, a pair of reversing pulleys 9 around which the endless belt 8 is wound, a plurality of intermediate pulleys 10 located between the pair of reversing pulleys 9, and a belt guide 13 that supports the endless belt 8, the reversing pulleys 9, and the intermediate pulleys 10. Although not shown in detail, a part of the endless belt 8 is attached to the slide door 2. The drive unit 11 has a motor 14, a drive pulley 15 connected to the motor 14, a conversion pulley 16 close to the drive pulley 15, and a casing 17 that holds the motor 14, the drive pulley 15, and the conversion pulley 16. The casing 17 has a pulley support portion 19 that houses and supports the drive pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16, and a mounting plate portion 18 that is attached to a panel (body panel) 7 of the vehicle 6. When the belt guide unit 12 is attached to one surface side (outside of the vehicle) of the body panel 7 and the drive unit 11 is attached from the other surface side (inside of the vehicle) of the body panel 7, the drive pulley 15 of the drive unit 11 contacts the endless belt 8 from the inner surface side, the conversion pulley 16 contacts the endless belt 8 from the outer surface side, and the conversion pulley 16 presses the endless belt 8 against the drive pulley 15. In this slide door opening / closing device 1, when the motor 14 of the drive unit 11 operates, the output of the motor 14 is transmitted to the drive pulley 15 and the drive pulley 15 rotates. Then, the endless belt 8 wound around the drive pulley 15 and pressed against the drive pulley 15 by the conversion pulley 16 circulates while rotating the reversing pulleys 9 and the intermediate pulleys 10. Thereby, the slide door 2 attached to the endless belt 8 via a center roller unit 4B and a belt connector 20, which will be described later, moves along the rails 3A to 3C to open and close.

[0012] The sliding door opening / closing device 1 includes two units, a drive unit 11 and a belt guide unit 12. The endless belt 8 of the belt guide unit 12 is formed in a shape and dimensions corresponding to the shape and dimensions of the vehicle 6 so that the sliding door 2 can open and close with an appropriate stroke in the vehicle 6. And so that this endless belt 8 can be stably supported and circulated smoothly, the positions of the reversing pulley 9 and the intermediate pulley 10 are appropriately determined, and the belt guide 13 is formed in a shape and dimensions corresponding to the shape and dimensions of the vehicle body panel 7. That is, the belt guide unit 12 is a dedicated product individually designed and manufactured to have a shape and dimensions corresponding to the shape and dimensions of the vehicle 6 and the vehicle body panel 7 in which the sliding door opening / closing device 1 is provided, and is replaced with another belt guide unit 12 when the type of the vehicle 6 is changed. On the other hand, the drive unit 11 of the present embodiment is formed in a shape and dimensions set independently of the shape and dimensions of the vehicle 6 and the vehicle body panel 7, and is a general-purpose product (standard product) that does not require replacement due to a change in the type of the vehicle 6. This point will be described below.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the slide door opening / closing device of the comparative example as viewed from the side. FIGS. 6 and 7 are other examples of perspective views schematically showing the slide door opening / closing device 1 of the present embodiment as viewed from the side, and the inclination angle of the vehicle body panel 7 is different from that in FIG. 2. Usually, the reversing pulley 9 and the intermediate pulley 10 shown in FIG. 4 each have rotating shafts 9a and 10a parallel to each other, and the endless belt 8 is wound around the reversing pulley 9 and regulated by the intermediate pulley 10, and smooth circular motion is performed. Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 5, the rotating shafts 15a and 16a of the driving pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16 of the driving unit 11 around which a part of the endless belt 8 is wound are arranged parallel to the rotating shafts 9a and 10a of the reversing pulley 9 and the intermediate pulley 10. That is, the driving unit 11 is generally arranged such that the rotating shafts 15a and 16a of the driving pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16 are parallel to the rotating shafts 9a and 10a of the reversing pulley 9 and the intermediate pulley 10 arranged in accordance with the shapes and dimensions of the vehicle body panel 7 of the vehicle 6 and the slide door 2. Specifically, the belt guide unit 12 is arranged such that the endless belt 8 circulates in a plane parallel to the horizontal direction H. On the other hand, the driving unit 11 is arranged by attaching the attachment plate portion 18 of the casing 17 to the vehicle body panel 7. When the vehicle body panel 7 extends in the vertical direction V as shown in FIG. 6, the attachment plate portion 18 also extends in the vertical direction V, the pulley support portion 19 is positioned substantially parallel to the horizontal direction H, and the rotating shafts 15a and 16a of the driving pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16 in the pulley support portion 19 are positioned parallel to the rotating shafts 9a and 10a of the reversing pulley 9 and the intermediate pulley 10 of the belt guide unit 12. However, as in the comparative example shown in FIG. 5, when the vehicle body panel 7 of the vehicle 6 is inclined by an angle θ1 with respect to the vertical direction V, the attachment plate portion 18 also inclines in the same inclination direction C as the vehicle body panel 7. In this case, in order to configure the rotating shafts 15a and 16a of the driving pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16 in the pulley support portion 19 to be parallel to the rotating shafts 9a and 10a of the reversing pulley 9 and the intermediate pulley 10 of the belt guide unit 12, as shown in FIG. 5, the pulley support portion 19 must be connected to the inclined attachment plate portion 18 at an appropriate angle.Therefore, when the inclination angle of the vehicle body panel 7 of the vehicle 6 changes, the angle of the pulley support portion 19 with respect to the mounting plate portion 18 must be changed accordingly. Thus, the conventional drive unit 11 (especially the casing 17), like the belt guide unit 12, is a dedicated product that is individually designed and manufactured for each type of vehicle 6.

[0014] In contrast, in the present invention, the drive unit 11 is designed as a general-purpose product (standard product) that can be commonly used for different types of vehicles 6, aiming to improve the efficiency of design and production and reduce production costs. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, when the mounting plate portion 18 is attached to the vehicle body panel 7 inclined with respect to the vertical direction V, the pulley support portion 19 is held in an inclined state with respect to the horizontal direction H without being made horizontal, and the rotation axes 15a, 16a of the drive pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16 extend in a direction C inclined with respect to the horizontal direction H. As a result, the rotation axes 15a, 16a of the drive pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16 of the drive unit 11 are inclined with respect to the rotation axes 9a, 10a of the reverse pulley 9 and the intermediate pulley 10 of the belt guide unit 12. As a result, the endless belt 8 extends in an inclined posture rather than being parallel to the horizontal direction H in the vicinity of the drive pulley 15, unlike other portions. That is, a twist occurs between the portion of the endless belt 8 wound around the drive pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16 and the other portions. In other words, the angle θ1 formed by the region of the endless belt 8 wound around the drive pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16 with respect to the horizontal direction H is different from the angle (0 degrees) formed by the other portions with respect to the horizontal direction H. In this way, in the present embodiment, by arranging the endless belt 8 in a partially twisted state, even if the pulley support portion 19 of the casing 17 is inclined, it is not necessary to adjust the posture of the pulley support portion 19 and the drive pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16 so that the rotation axes 15a, 16a of the drive pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16 extend in the vertical direction V according to the shape and dimensions of the vehicle body panel 7 of the vehicle 6. As a result, the drive unit 11 can be used commonly for various types of vehicles 6 as a substantial general-purpose product (standard product). For example, as shown in FIG. 7, even when used in a vehicle in which the vehicle body panel 7 is inclined at an inclination angle θ2 different from the inclination angle θ1 of the vehicle body panel 7 in the configuration shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the same drive unit 11 as the drive unit 11 shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 is used, and the relative positions and postures of the pulley support portion 19 and the drive pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16 with respect to the mounting plate portion 18 do not need to be changed.Thus, since the drive unit 11 of the present embodiment can be commonly used for various types of vehicles 6 as a substantial general-purpose product (standard product), it is possible to improve the efficiency of the design and production of the vehicle 6 and reduce the production cost.

[0015] Note that the endless belt 8 twists only in the region between the portion in contact with one intermediate pulley 10 and the portion in contact with the other intermediate pulley 10. In this region, the endless belt 8 is wound around the drive pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16, and the angle (for example, θ1 or θ2) formed by this region with respect to the horizontal direction H is different from the angle (for example, 0 degrees) formed by the portion other than this region with respect to the horizontal direction H. Since this region is considerably shorter than the portion other than this region, the smooth circulating motion of the endless belt 8 is not hindered. And when water droplets such as rainwater adhere to the endless belt 8, there is an effect that the water droplets easily fall from the endless belt 8 in the portion where the endless belt 8 twists.

[0016] As described above, in the sliding door opening / closing device 1 of the present embodiment, the drive unit 11 is formed in a shape and dimensions set independently of the shapes and dimensions of the vehicle 6 and the vehicle body panel 7, and is a general-purpose product that does not require replacement due to a change in the type of vehicle 6 in which the sliding door opening / closing device 1 is provided. Thereby, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the design and production of the vehicle 6 and reduce the production cost. Moreover, since the portion where the endless belt 8 is twisted is only a short region between the intermediate pulleys 10, the smooth circulation of the endless belt 8 is not hindered. Such an effect is not limited to the vehicle in which the vehicle body panel 7 is inclined by the angle θ1 or θ2 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, but is also exhibited in the vehicle 6 inclined at other angles. And the configuration of the present embodiment can also be adopted for the vehicle 6 in which the inclination angle of the vehicle body panel 7 is 0 degree, that is, the vehicle body panel 7 extends in the vertical direction V as shown in FIG. 6, and the drive unit 11 has high versatility. In this configuration, since the endless belt 8 is not twisted, a smoother circulating motion is possible. Further, in the examples shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 7, the non-twisted portion of the endless belt 8 extends in the horizontal direction H, but the configuration is not limited thereto. That is, the non-twisted portion of the endless belt 8 extends in a direction inclined with respect to the horizontal direction H, and even in a configuration where the angle formed by that portion with respect to the horizontal direction is different from the angle formed by the twisted region (the region between the intermediate pulleys 10 and wound around the drive pulley 15 and the conversion pulley 16) with respect to the horizontal direction, the effect of using the drive unit 11 as a general-purpose product is exhibited.

[0017] A more specific embodiment of the present invention described above will be described below. As shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 7, the sliding door opening / closing device 1 is configured such that after the belt guide unit 12 is attached to the vehicle body panel 7 of the vehicle 6 from the outside of the vehicle, the drive unit 11 is assembled from the inside of the vehicle of the vehicle body panel 7. A perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the sliding door opening / closing device 1 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 8, and an exploded perspective view thereof is shown in FIG. 9. Further, a perspective view of an enlarged main part of this sliding door opening / closing device 1 is shown in FIG. 10. The belt guide unit 12 mainly includes a synthetic resin belt guide 13 disposed above the center rail 3B (see FIG. 1), a rubber annular endless belt 8 guided by the belt guide 13 along the longitudinal shape of the center rail 3B, and a belt connector 20 that connects the endless belt 8 to the center roller unit 4B. The belt guide 13 has a shape along the longitudinal direction of the center rail 3B in a plan view, and rotatably supports a reversing pulley 9 having a rotating shaft 9a extending in the vertical direction at both ends. Attachment portions 13e provided at the front end and the rear end of the belt guide 13 are fixed to the vehicle body panel 7 of the vehicle 6 by bolts 21. The end of the endless belt 8 is wound around the reversing pulley 9, and the endless belt 8 changes direction at both ends of the belt guide 13.

[0018] The drive unit 11 includes a drive pulley 15 that circulates the endless belt 8 and a conversion pulley 16 that presses the endless belt 8 against the drive pulley 15. A drive pulley 15 having a rotating shaft 15a extending in the vertical direction and a pair of conversion pulleys 16 having rotating shafts 16a extending in the vertical direction are located between the front end portion and the rear end portion of the belt guide 13 and are rotatably supported.

[0019] The endless belt 8 transmits the rotation of the drive pulley 15 to the sliding door 2 via various members, and is a toothed belt having teeth portions formed by alternately arranging ridge portions and valley portions extending in the width direction (vertical direction) on the inner surface side, and is wound around a pair of reversing pulleys 9 respectively. A part of the indoor side of the endless belt 8 further bypasses to the indoor side and is wound around the drive pulley 15. When the drive pulley 15 is rotated by the power of the motor 14, the endless belt 8 circulates and moves in a loop shape mainly extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle within the belt guide 13.

[0020] A guide roller (not shown) is rotatably attached to the center roller unit 4B, and this guide roller is engaged with the center rail 3B. A belt connector 20 is attached to the center roller unit 4B. The belt connector 20 includes a main body portion 20a fixed to the center roller unit 4B by a bolt 22, and a clamping piece portion 20b attached to the main body portion 20a by bolts or the like (not shown). The endless belt 8 is sandwiched between the main body portion 20a in contact with the outer surface of the endless belt 8 and the clamping piece portion 20b in contact with the inner surface of the endless belt 8, and the teeth provided on the endless belt 8 (not shown) mesh with the teeth provided on the clamping piece portion 20b. Thereby, the endless belt 8 is fixed to the belt connector 20 and is integrally movable. Further, the center roller unit 4B is attached to the sliding door 2 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, when the endless belt 8 circulates, following the circulation direction, while the guide roller rotates, the belt connector 20, the center roller unit 4B, and the sliding door 2 move integrally back and forth along the center rail 3B. In this way, the sliding door 2 automatically opens and closes when the endless belt 8 circulates by the power of the motor 14.

[0021] Next, the drive unit 11 will be described. The drive unit 11 is for outputting the power of the motor 14 and circulating the endless belt 8 via the drive pulley 15, and includes the motor 14, the drive pulley 15, the conversion pulley 16, and the casing 17. The casing 17 includes a lower casing 17A and an upper casing 17B. The lower casing 17A has a mounting plate portion 18 that is fixed to the belt guide 13 and is also fixed to the outer surface of the vehicle body panel 7 by bolts facing the inside and outside of the vehicle, and a pulley support portion 19 that protrudes inward of the vehicle from the lower portion of the mounting plate portion 18. By fastening the upper portion of the mounting plate portion 18 to the outer surface of the vehicle body panel 7 with bolts, the lower casing 17A is fixed to the vehicle body panel 7. In a state where the drive unit 11 and the belt guide unit 12 are assembled to the vehicle body panel 7, the pulley support portion 19 protrudes inward of the vehicle through the insertion hole 7a of the vehicle body panel 7. The pulley support portion 19 is provided with a circular concave portion 19a for accommodating the drive pulley 15 and a vibration isolation member support portion 19b that is located inside the vehicle and supports the upper casing 17B via the first elastic vibration isolation member 25.

[0022] The drive pulley 15 is formed of synthetic resin, has an output shaft (rotating shaft) 15a that rotates by the drive of the motor 14, and is rotatably supported by the pulley support portion 19. The endless belt 8 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the drive pulley 15. Thereby, when the drive pulley 15 rotates by the drive of the motor 14, the endless belt 8 circulates within the belt guide 13, and the slide door 2 opens and closes. The drive pulley 15 can rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 15a, and a tooth portion that meshes with the tooth portion of the endless belt 8 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the drive pulley 15.

[0023] The upper casing 17B is supported on the upper surface of the lower casing 17A via one first elastic vibration isolation member 25 and two front and rear second elastic vibration isolation members 26. The upper surface of the upper casing 17B has a cover 27 that covers the gear accommodation portion 17B1 provided in the upper casing 17B, and a motor 14 that is fixed to the upper surface of the cover 27 and is rotatable about a vertical axis.

[0024] The upper casing 17B has a gear housing portion 17B1 that rotatably supports a two-stage gear 28 (see FIG. 10) and an output gear 29, a first leg portion 17B2 located on the outside of the vehicle of the gear housing portion 17B1, and two front and rear second leg portions 17B3 located on the inside of the vehicle of the gear housing portion 17B1. The first leg portion 17B2 is supported by a vibration isolation member support portion 19b of the lower casing 17A via a first elastic vibration isolation member 25, and the second leg portions 17B3 are supported in front of and behind a mounting plate portion 18 of the lower casing 17A via second elastic vibration isolation members 26. Thereby, the upper casing 17B is supported by the lower casing 17A without directly contacting the lower casing 17A.

[0025] Since the cover 27 is fixed to the upper casing 17B and integrated with the upper casing 17B in the final assembled form of the drive unit 11, it is interpreted as a part of the upper casing 17B.

[0026] The first elastic vibration isolation member 25 is for preventing the vibration of the vehicle body panel 7 during vehicle travel from being directly transmitted to the upper casing 17B, and is fixed to the first leg portion 17B2.

[0027] The first leg portion 17B2 to which the first elastic vibration isolation member 25 is fixed is supported on the upper surface of the vibration isolation member support portion 19b of the lower casing 17A via the first elastic vibration isolation member 25. A washer is interposed between the upper surface of the vibration isolation member support portion 19b and the lower surface of the first elastic vibration isolation member 25 so that the first elastic vibration isolation member 25 does not directly contact the vibration isolation member support portion 19b of the lower casing 17A.

[0028] The front and rear second elastic vibration isolation members 26 cooperate with the first elastic vibration isolation member 25 to prevent the vibration of the vehicle body panel 7 during vehicle travel from being directly transmitted to the upper casing 17B. The front second elastic vibration isolation member 26 is fixed to the front second leg portion 17B3, and the rear second elastic vibration isolation member 26 has a front-rear symmetric shape with the front second elastic vibration isolation member 26 and is fixed to the rear second leg portion 17B3.

[0029] The front second leg portion 17B3 to which the second elastic seismic isolation member 26 is fixed is supported on the side surface of the mounting plate portion 18 of the lower casing 17A via the second elastic seismic isolation member 26. The rear second leg portion 17B3 is supported on the rear portion of the lower casing 17A via the second elastic seismic isolation member 26. A washer is interposed between the surface of the mounting plate portion 18 of the lower casing 17A and the second elastic seismic isolation member 26 so that the second elastic seismic isolation member 26 does not directly contact the lower casing 17A.

[0030] As described above, the upper casing 17B is supported by a floating structure that does not directly contact the lower casing 17A fixed to the vehicle body panel 7 via the first elastic seismic isolation member 25 and the second elastic seismic isolation member 26. Therefore, the vibration of the vehicle body panel 7 during vehicle running is not directly transmitted to the upper casing 17B. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the operating sound caused by the deviation and wear of the meshing allowance of each reduction gear supported by the upper casing 17B.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 10, the motor 14 is a brushed motor, and is fixed to the upper surface of the cover 27 so that the output shaft (rotating shaft) 14a faces downward. A metal pinion 14b is fixed to the tip of the rotating shaft 14a that enters the concave gear housing portion 17B1 of the upper casing 17B.

[0032] The two-stage gear 28 housed in the gear housing portion 17B1 of the upper casing 17B has a large-diameter gear 28a at the lower part and a small-diameter gear 28b at the upper part, and is rotatably supported in the gear housing portion 17B1 of the upper casing 17B by a rotating shaft 28c extending in the vertical direction. The rotation of the motor 14 is decelerated by the meshing of the pinion 14b of the motor 14 with the large-diameter gear 28a. Preferably, the large-diameter gear 28a of the two-stage gear 28 is made of synthetic resin, and the small-diameter gear 28b is made of metal.

[0033] The output gear 29 is made of synthetic resin and is rotatably supported about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction within the gear housing portion 17B1 of the upper casing 17B. By meshing with the small-diameter gear 28b of the two-stage gear 28, the rotation of the two-stage gear 28 is further decelerated. Preferably, for the output gear 29, a circular shaft portion 29a provided at the center of the upper surface is rotatably supported by a first ball bearing 23 supported by the cover 27, and the lower portion of a circular shaft portion 29b provided at the center of the lower surface is rotatably supported by a second ball bearing 24 supported within the upper casing 17B.

[0034] An output shaft (rotation shaft) 15a is press-fitted into a center hole provided at the center of the output gear 29 so as to rotate integrally with the output gear 29. The rotation shaft 15a is made of metal, and vertical serrations 15b are formed on the outer peripheral surface. The upper portion of the serrations 15b is press-fitted into the center hole of the output gear 29, causing it to rotate integrally with the output gear 29. Further, for the rotation shaft 15a, the lower portion of the serrations 15b penetrates the bottom of the upper casing 17B and enters the lower casing 17A, where it is press-fitted into the center hole of the drive pulley 15 in a non-rotatable manner relative to the drive pulley 15. Thereby, the output gear 29 and the drive pulley 15 are connected to each other via the rotation shaft 15a and can rotate integrally around the common rotation shaft 15a.

[0035] With the above-described configuration, the rotation of the motor 14 is transmitted to the drive pulley 15 via the two-stage gear 28, the output gear 29, and the rotation shaft 15a. When the drive pulley 15 rotates clockwise around the rotation shaft 15a due to the forward rotation drive of the motor 14, accordingly, the endless belt 8 performs a circulating motion clockwise. Thereby, the slide door 2 connected to the endless belt 8 via the belt connector 20 and the center roller unit 4B moves in the closing direction by the power of the motor 14. Also, when the drive pulley 15 rotates counterclockwise around the rotation shaft 15a due to the reverse rotation drive of the motor 14, accordingly, the endless belt 8 performs a circulating motion counterclockwise. Thereby, the slide door 2 moves in the opening direction by the power of the motor 14.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 11, it is preferable that the belt guide 13 has wall portions 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d that cover the endless belt 8 on the outer side of the vehicle, the inner side of the vehicle, the upper side, and the middle portion, respectively. By providing these wall portions 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d, even when the endless belt 8 becomes slack, the posture and the circulation direction of the endless belt 8 can be regulated, and malfunction of the circulation movement of the endless belt 8 can be suppressed. Further, it is possible to suppress intrusion of water droplets such as rainwater and adhesion to the endless belt 8, and prevent malfunction due to freezing of the water droplets or the like. Furthermore, the wall portions 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d exhibit a sound insulation effect, and can suppress transmission of noise associated with opening and closing of the slide door 2 to the inside of the vehicle. It is preferable that these wall portions 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d are integrally formed to constitute the belt guide 13. In that case, particularly excellent waterproof function and sound insulation effect can be obtained.

[0037] Next, the operation of connecting the slide door opening and closing device 1 to the slide door 2 will be described. First, the slide door opening and closing device 1 is attached to the vehicle body panel 7 to which the rails 3A to 3C are previously fixed. In order to attach the slide door opening and closing device 1 to the vehicle body panel 7, the attachment portion 13e of the belt guide 13 is fastened to the vehicle body panel 7 with bolts 21, and the attachment plate portion 18 of the lower casing 17A is fastened to the vehicle body panel 7 with bolts, thereby fixing the belt guide 13 and the lower casing 17A to the vehicle body panel 7, respectively.

[0038] Next, the upper casing 17B is placed on the drive pulley support portion 19 of the lower casing 17A protruding inward from the insertion hole 7a of the vehicle body panel 7 via the first elastic vibration isolation member 25 and the second elastic vibration isolation member 26. Note that the belt connector 20 connected to the endless belt 8 is placed in a state of being held at a predetermined holding position.

[0039] Next, insert the guide rollers of each guide roller unit 4A to 4C fixed to the sliding door 2 into the corresponding rails 3A to 3C from the rear end, and move the sliding door 2 forward, that is, in the closing direction, to align the position of the center roller unit 4B with the position of the belt connector 20.

[0040] Next, connect the belt connector 20 to the center roller unit 4B. Thereby, the endless belt 8 and the center roller unit 4B are connected.

[0041] Note that the operation of connecting the belt connector 20 to the center roller unit 4B is performed through the gap between the outer surface of the vehicle body panel 7 and the inner surface of the sliding door 2 with the sliding door 2 stopped at the rearmost position. Also, when a combination lamp (not shown) is already assembled at the rear part of the vehicle body, it may be performed through the gap between the sliding door 2 and the combination lamp.

[0042] Although one embodiment and examples of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and examples, and various modifications and changes can be made to this embodiment and examples without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0043] 1 Sliding door opening / closing device 2 Sliding door 3A Upper rail 3B Center rail 3C Lower rail 4A Upper roller unit 4B Center roller unit 4C Lower roller unit 5 Entrance / exit 6 Vehicle 7 Panel (vehicle body panel) 7a Insertion hole 8 Endless belt 9 Reverse pulley 9a, 10a, 14a, 15a, 16a Rotation shaft 10 Intermediate pulley 11 Drive unit 12 Belt guide unit 13 Belt guide 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d Wall parts 13e Mounting part 14 Motor 14b Pinion 15 Drive pulley 15b Serration 16 Conversion pulley 17 Casing 17A Lower casing 17B Upper casing 17B1 Gear housing part 17B2 First leg part 17B3 Second leg part 18 Mounting plate part 19 Pulley support part 19a Circular concave part 19b Vibration isolation member support part 20 Belt connector 20a Body part 20b Clamping piece part 21, 22 Bolts 23 First ball bearing 24 Second ball bearing 25 First elastic vibration isolation member 26 Second elastic vibration isolation member 27 Cover 28 Two-stage gear 28a Large-diameter gear 28b Small-diameter gear 28c Rotation shaft 29 Output gear 29a, 29b Circular shaft parts

Claims

1. In a slide door opening and closing device provided in a vehicle equipped with a slide door, comprising a drive unit and a belt guide unit respectively attached to panels of the vehicle, the belt guide unit includes at least an endless belt partially attached to the slide door and capable of circular motion, a pair of reversing pulleys around which the endless belt is looped, and a belt guide attached to the panel to support the endless belt and the reversing pulleys, the drive unit includes a motor, a drive pulley connected to the motor and around which the endless belt is looped to transmit the output of the motor to the endless belt, a conversion pulley pressing the endless belt against the drive pulley, and a casing supporting the motor, the drive pulley and the conversion pulley, the casing has a mounting plate portion attached to the panel, A slide door opening and closing device, characterized in that a rotation axis of the drive pulley and a rotation axis of the conversion pulley extend parallel to the mounting plate portion attached to the panel.

2. The slide door opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation axis of the drive pulley, the rotation axis of the conversion pulley, and the mounting plate portion are arranged parallel to the panel.

3. The slide door opening and closing device according to claim 2, wherein the mounting plate portion is attached to the panel inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

4. The slide door opening and closing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the endless belt is twisted between a portion looped around the drive pulley and the conversion pulley and another portion.

5. The belt guide unit has a plurality of intermediate pulleys respectively in contact with the endless belt between a pair of the reversing pulleys, and the endless belt is looped around the drive pulley and the conversion pulley in a region between a portion in contact with one of the intermediate pulleys and a portion in contact with another of the intermediate pulleys, and an angle formed by the region of the endless belt with respect to the horizontal direction is different from an angle formed by portions other than the region with respect to the horizontal direction. The slide door opening and closing device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The slide door opening and closing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a rotation axis of the drive pulley and a rotation axis of the conversion pulley extend in a direction non-parallel to a rotation axis of the reversing pulley.

7. The belt guide unit is a dedicated product formed in a shape and dimensions corresponding to the shape and dimensions of the vehicle to which the sliding door opening / closing device is attached and the panel, and is replaced as the type of vehicle provided with the sliding door opening / closing device changes. The drive unit is a general-purpose product formed in a shape and dimensions set independently of the shape and dimensions of the vehicle and the panel, and does not require replacement as the type of vehicle provided with the sliding door opening / closing device changes. The sliding door opening / closing device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The belt guide has an outer wall portion of the vehicle that covers the endless belt on the outer side of the vehicle. The sliding door opening / closing device according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The belt guide further has an inner wall portion of the vehicle that covers the endless belt on the inner side of the vehicle and an upper wall portion that covers the endless belt above. The sliding door opening / closing device according to claim 8.

10. The outer wall portion of the vehicle, the inner wall portion of the vehicle, and the upper wall portion are integrally formed. The sliding door opening / closing device according to claim 9.

11. A design method of a sliding door opening / closing device including a drive unit and a belt guide unit respectively attached to a panel of a vehicle equipped with a sliding door. The belt guide unit includes at least an endless belt that is partially attached to the sliding door and is capable of circular motion, a pair of reversing pulleys around which the endless belt is wound, and a belt guide that supports the endless belt and the reversing pulleys and is attached to the panel. The drive unit includes a motor, a drive pulley connected to the motor, a conversion pulley, and a casing that supports the motor, the drive pulley, and the conversion pulley. The belt guide unit is designed as an individual dedicated product for each type of vehicle and panel so as to have a shape and dimensions corresponding to the shape and dimensions of the vehicle and panel to which the sliding door opening / closing device is attached. The drive unit is designed as a general-purpose product independent of the shape and dimensions of the vehicle and panel without making its shape and dimensions correspond to the shape and dimensions of a specific type of vehicle and panel. Attach the belt guide unit designed as an individual dedicated product for each type of vehicle and panel to the panel, attach the drive unit designed as a general-purpose product to the panel, wrap the endless belt around the drive pulley to transmit the output of the motor to the endless belt, and wrap the endless belt around the conversion pulley so that the endless belt is pressed against the drive pulley. A design method for a sliding door opening / closing device, characterized by this.

12. The design method for a sliding door opening / closing device according to claim 11, wherein the rotation axis of the drive pulley, the rotation axis of the conversion pulley, and the mounting plate portion attached to the panel of the casing are arranged parallel to the panel.

13. The belt guide unit has a plurality of intermediate pulleys that are each in contact with the endless belt between a pair of the reversing pulleys, and the endless belt is wound around the drive pulley and the conversion pulley in a region between a portion in contact with one of the intermediate pulleys and a portion in contact with another of the intermediate pulleys. The angle formed by the region of the endless belt with respect to the horizontal direction is different from the angle formed by portions other than the region with respect to the horizontal direction. The design method for a sliding door opening / closing device according to claim 11 or 12.

14. A sliding door opening / closing device, characterized by including the drive unit designed as a general-purpose product and the belt guide unit designed as a dedicated product by the design method for a sliding door opening / closing device according to claim 11 or 12.

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