Vehicle door opening and closing device

Abstract

To achieve downsizing of a motor module by enabling downsizing of a metallic base plate in a door opening / closing device for a vehicle.SOLUTION: The device comprises a motor module 5 and a guide module 6. The motor module 5 includes: a casing 7; a metallic base plate 8 fixed on a casing 7; a motor 10 whose rotation shaft 9 is attached to one side of a metallic base plate 8 so as to face a vertical direction; an electromagnetic clutch 12 having an annular electromagnetic coil part 121 fixed on the other side of the metallic base plate 8 based on a rotation center shaft line of the rotation shaft 9; a first gear 13 capable of rotating around the rotation center shaft line of the rotation shaft 9 integrally with an armature 123 of the electromagnetic clutch 12; a speed reduction mechanism having a first gear 13; and a drive shaft 151 capable of transmitting a rotation of the speed reduction mechanism to a belt 21 via a drive pulley 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle door opening and closing device for automatically opening and closing a sliding door of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Cited Document 1 discloses a vehicle door opening and closing device that automatically opens and closes a sliding door using the power of a motor and is equipped with an electromagnetic clutch that can be switched between a connected state in which the power of the motor can be transmitted to the sliding door and a disconnected state in which the power cannot be transmitted.

[0003] The vehicle door opening and closing device disclosed in Reference 1 has a motor arranged on one side of a metal base plate fixed to the vehicle body, and an annular electromagnetic coil portion of an electromagnetic clutch arranged on the other side, thereby making it possible to miniaturize the metal base plate and also to use the metal base plate as a heat sink for the electromagnetic coil portion to prevent a decrease in the operating efficiency of the electromagnetic clutch due to heat generation, thereby making it possible to miniaturize the motor module including the motor, metal base plate, electromagnetic clutch, and a reduction mechanism that slows down the rotation of the motor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4911662 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the vehicle door opening and closing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the annular electromagnetic coil portion is fixed to the other surface of the metal base plate so that its axial direction is perpendicular to the surface of the metal base plate, whereas the motor is arranged on one side of the metal base plate so that the rotational axis direction of the rotating shaft is parallel to the surface of the metal base plate, which places a limit on how miniaturizable the metal base plate can be.

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle door opening and closing device that enables the miniaturization of a metal base plate on one side of which a motor is arranged and on the other side of which an electromagnetic coil portion of an electromagnetic clutch is fixed, thereby enabling the miniaturization of a motor module. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the present invention, the above problems are solved as follows. A vehicle door opening and closing device includes a motor module including a motor and a speed reduction mechanism that reduces the speed of rotation of the motor, a power transmission member guide that is fixed to a vehicle body along the opening and closing direction of a sliding door, and a guide module including a power transmission member that is movable in a circular manner along the opening and closing direction of the sliding door by the reduced rotation of the speed reduction mechanism and is connected to the sliding door to pull and move the sliding door in the opening and closing direction, the motor module includes a casing fixed to the power transmission member guide, a metal base plate fixed to the casing, the motor attached to one side of the metal base plate so that a rotation axis of the motor is perpendicular to the surface of the one side of the metal base plate, and a motor module that is attached to the other side of the metal base plate with respect to the rotation center axis of the rotation axis of the rotation axis. The power to be deployed a magnetic clutch; and a magnetic clutch disposed in the casing, The rotating shaft is rotated about its central axis, and the electromagnetic clutch is rotated about the central axis. The power transmission device is characterized by having a rotatable first gear, a reduction mechanism that is located within the casing and includes the first gear, and a drive shaft that can transmit rotation of the reduction mechanism to the power transmission member via a drive pulley.

[0008] Preferably, the metal base plate includes a first metal plate to which the motor is fixed, and Electromagnetic clutch but arrangement The first metal plate and the second metal plate are fixed to each other with a gap formed between the first metal plate and the second metal plate.

[0009] Preferably, the motor is covered by a cover fixed to the casing, and an air layer is formed between the cover and the motor.

[0010] Preferably, the casing is formed separately from the power transmission member guide and is fixed to the power transmission member guide via a buffer member.

[0011] Preferably, the drive shaft has a rotational center axis extending in a vertical direction perpendicular to the circulating direction of the power transmission member.

[0012] Preferably, in a plan view, a straight line connecting the central axis of rotation of the motor and the central axis of rotation of the drive shaft is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the power transmission member guide. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, a motor is fixed to one side of a metal base plate so that the rotating shaft is perpendicular to one surface of the metal base plate, and a ring-shaped electromagnetic coil portion, which is one of the components of an electromagnetic clutch, is fixed to the other side with the central axis of rotation of the rotating shaft as a reference; thereby, the projected area of ​​the metal base plate can be reduced and the motor module can be made smaller. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle door opening and closing device according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view of a vehicle door opening and closing device and a center guide rail as viewed obliquely from the front. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle door opening and closing device as viewed obliquely from the front; [Figure 4] 1 is a side view of a vehicle door opening and closing device as viewed from the vehicle exterior side. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle door opening and closing device; [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the motor module. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical end view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] 8 is an enlarged vertical end view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 5. [Figure 9] 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. [Figure 10] 11 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the connecting member in a temporary holding position, as viewed obliquely from behind; FIG. [Figure 11] 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main portion of the power transmission member guide as viewed obliquely from behind; FIG. [Figure 12] 11 is a perspective view of a main part of the connecting member when it is in a temporary holding position, as viewed from diagonally front. FIG. [Figure 13] 11 is a side view of a main part seen from the vehicle exterior side with the connecting member in a temporary holding position. FIG. [Figure 14] 11 is a perspective view of a main part of a state in which the connecting member is connected to the center guide roller unit, as viewed obliquely from behind. FIG. [Figure 15] 11 is a side view of the main part as seen from the vehicle exterior side in a state in which the connecting member is connected to the center guide roller unit. FIG. [Figure 16] 16 is a vertical end view taken along line XVI-XVI in FIG. 13. [Figure 17] 17 is a vertical end view taken along line XVII-XVII in FIG. 15. [Figure 18] 14 is a horizontal end view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. 13. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, and includes appropriate modifications of the embodiment described below within the scope obvious to those skilled in the art.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle door opening and closing device 1 according to this embodiment is disposed inside a left-side body panel 4 of a small wagon-type vehicle 2, and automatically opens and closes a left-side sliding door 3 supported on the body panel 4 so as to be freely opened and closed in the fore-and-aft direction by the power of a motor 10, which will be described later. In the following description, the directions refer to the directions when the vehicle door opening and closing device 1 is attached to the vehicle 2, unless otherwise specified.

[0017] The sliding door 3 opens and closes in the front-to-rear direction by having an upper guide roller unit 31 attached to the front upper part supported by an upper guide rail 41 extending in the front-to-rear direction fixed to the upper part of the vehicle body, a center guide roller unit 32 attached to the central rear part supported by a center guide rail 42 extending in the front-to-rear direction fixed to the center of the vehicle body in the up-down direction, and a lower guide roller unit 33 attached to the front lower part supported by a lower guide rail 43 extending in the front-to-rear direction fixed to the bottom of the vehicle body, each of which is supported so as to be freely movable in the front-to-rear direction.

[0018] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the vehicle door opening and closing device 1 is disposed inside a vehicle body panel 4 and includes a motor module 5 that outputs power for automatically opening and closing the sliding door 3, and a guide module 6 that is connected to the motor module 5 and transmits the power output from the motor module 5 to the sliding door 3 to open and close the sliding door 3. Note that Figure 2 shows the vehicle door opening and closing device 1 and center guide rail 42 in a state in which a connecting member 24 (described later) of the guide module 6 in the vehicle door opening and closing device 1 is connected to a center guide roller unit 32, and Figures 3 to 5 show only the vehicle door opening and closing device 1.

[0019] The vehicle door opening and closing device 1 will now be described. (Motor module 5) As shown in Figures 6 to 9, the motor module 5 includes a casing 7 fixed to a power transmission member guide 20 via a mounting plate 22 in the guide module 6, which will be described later, a metal base plate 8 fixed to the top of the casing 7, a motor 10 fixed to the upper surface of the metal base plate 8 so that the rotating shaft 9 faces in the vertical direction (the direction in which the rotating shaft 9 faces perpendicular to one side of the metal base plate 8), a synthetic resin cover 11 fixed to the upper surface of the casing 7 and covering the entire upper surface of the casing 7 including the motor 10, an electromagnetic clutch 12 arranged within the casing 7, a first gear 13 arranged below the electromagnetic clutch 12 and rotatable about a rotation center axis CL1 facing in the vertical direction of the rotating shaft 9 of the motor 10, a second gear 14 that reduces the rotation of the first gear 13, and a third gear 15 that further reduces the rotation of the second gear 14.

[0020] The casing 7 is composed of a lower casing 7A that is directly fixed to the mounting plate 22 of the guide module 6, and an upper casing 7B that is fixed to the upper part of the lower casing 7A. The lower casing 7A has front and rear mounting parts 71A on the lower side surface that protrude toward the outside of the vehicle, and a mounting part 72A on the inside bottom surface that protrudes downward. Each mounting part 71A, 72A is fastened and fixed to the mounting plate 22 by bolts 25.

[0021] The metal base plate 8 is fixed to the upper casing 7B. A motor 10 is directly fixed to the upper surface of the metal base plate 8 so that a rotating shaft 9 faces in the vertical direction. Similarly, a motor 10 is fixed to the lower surface of the metal base plate 8 so that a rotating shaft 9 faces in the vertical direction. Not shown Circular electromagnetic coil Ru The rotary shaft 9 is fixed directly to the base plate 8 with the central axis CL1 of the rotary shaft 9 as a reference. Electromagnetic clutch 12 It can also be used as a heat sink for Electromagnetic clutch 12 This can suppress heat generation and prevent a decrease in the operating efficiency of the electromagnetic clutch 12.

[0022] 7 and 8, in this embodiment, the metal base plate 8 is divided into a first metal plate 8A having a generally hat-shaped cross section and a lower plate 8B fixed to the lower side of the first metal plate 8A. A gap 81 is formed between the lower surface of the first metal plate 8A and the upper surface of the lower plate 8B to prevent them from contacting each other. This increases the surface area of ​​the entire metal base plate 8, and further enhances the effect of the metal base plate 8 as a heat sink.

[0023] In the present embodiment, as described above, the metal base plate 8 is made up of the first metal plate 8A to which the motor 10 is fixed, Electromagnetic clutch 12 is arranged However, in the present invention, the first metal plate 8A and the second metal plate 8B are not limited to this, and the first metal plate 8A and the second metal plate 8B may be integrally formed.

[0024] The motor 10 is fixed to the upper surface of the first metal plate 8A so that the rotating shaft 9 faces the vertical direction. A rotating body 16 that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 9 is fixed to the lower end of the rotating shaft 9 that penetrates downward through the center of the metal base plate 8.

[0025] The cover 11 is fixed to the top surface of the upper casing 7b to cover all of the motor 10, the second gear 14, and the third gear 15 from above. The motor cover portion 11a of the cover 11 that covers the motor 10 has a gap 11A that forms an air layer between the motor 10 and the motor cover portion 11a so as not to come into contact with the motor 10. This allows the operating sound of the motor 10, especially operating sound in the high frequency band, to be attenuated by the air layer, thereby improving soundproofing. Furthermore, the motor 10, the electromagnetic clutch 12, the first gear 13, the second gear 14, and the third gear 15 are covered by the casing 7 and the cover 11, which improves the handleability of the motor module 5.

[0026] The electromagnetic clutch 12 is Not shown Electromagnetic carp Ru, low Ta and armature AIt is a basic component.

[0027] The electromagnetic clutch 12 is To By being energized , Mo A power transmission path is connected between the rotary shaft 9 of the motor 10 and the first gear 13, so that the rotation of the rotary shaft 9 can be transmitted to the first gear 13. Le By cutting off the current, the power transmission path between the rotating shaft 9 and the first gear 13 is cut off.

[0028] The rotating body 16 is , electromagnetic clutch 12 The rotor 16 is fixed to the lower end of the rotor 9 so as to be allowed to rotate about the rotation center axis CL1 of the rotor 9. A first shaft 161 extending downward is provided at the center of the lower surface of the rotor 16. The first shaft 161 has a rotation center coincident with the rotation center axis CL1, and its lower end is rotatably supported by a bearing 17 supported by the lower casing 7A. As a result, the electromagnetic clutch 12 is disposed around the rotation center axis CL1 of the rotor 9, and the rotation center axis of the first gear 13 coincides with the rotation center axis CL.

[0029] The first gear 13 has An armature that can be attracted to the rotor inside the electromagnetic clutch 12 The first gear 13 is mounted such that it is permitted to move in the direction of the rotation central axis CL1 and is restricted from moving in the rotation direction. A small diameter gear 132 extending downward is provided at the center of the lower surface of the first gear 13. In this embodiment, an upper portion of the shaft portion of the small diameter gear 132 is rotatably supported by a bearing 18 on the upper casing 7B.

[0030] The second gear 14 is composed of a two-stage gear having a large diameter gear 14a at the bottom and a small diameter gear 14b at the top, and is rotatably supported by a second shaft 141 that faces up and down and is located in front of the first shaft 161 in the space between the lower casing 7A and the upper casing 7B. The large diameter gear 14a meshes with the small diameter gear 132 of the first gear 13, thereby slowing down the rotation of the first gear 13.

[0031] The third gear 15 has a large diameter gear 15a at its upper portion, and is rotatably supported together with a drive shaft 151 located in front of the second shaft 141 and facing in the vertical direction in the space between the lower casing 7A and the upper casing 7B. The large diameter gear 15a is 14 The drive shaft 151 meshes with the small diameter gear 14b, thereby reducing the rotation speed of the second gear 14. The drive shaft 151 is tightly inserted into the center hole of the third gear 15 so as to rotate integrally with the third gear 15.

[0032] In this embodiment, a shaft portion 15b is provided at the center of the lower surface of the large diameter gear 15a of the third gear 15, the shaft portion 15b is rotatably supported by a bearing 19A on the lower casing 7A, and the upper end of the drive shaft 151 is rotatably supported by a bearing 19B on the upper casing 7B. Furthermore, serrations extending in the vertical direction are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the drive shaft 151, and the serrations are press-fitted into the central hole of the third gear 15 so that the drive shaft 151 and the third gear 15 rotate integrally. Furthermore, in the plan view shown in FIG. 9, the second gear 15 is aligned with the straight line X (see FIG. 9) connecting the rotation central axis CL1 of the rotation shaft of the motor 10 and the rotation central axis CL2 of the drive shaft 151 in the vertical direction. 14 The first shaft 161, the second shaft 141 and the drive shaft 151 are arranged so that the second shaft 141 forming the rotation center of the power transmission member guide 20 is located at the center of the power transmission member guide 20 and the direction of the straight line X is parallel to the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction, the opening and closing direction of the sliding door 3) of the power transmission member guide 20. This allows the motor module 5 to be arranged parallel to the opening and closing direction of the sliding door 3, thereby minimizing the protrusion of the motor module 5 toward the inside of the vehicle and minimizing the effect on the interior space.

[0033] The drive shaft 151, whose rotation center axis CL2 faces the vertical direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the power transmission member 21, outputs the rotation of the motor 10, which has been reduced by the first gear 13, the second gear 14, and the third gear 15, to the guide module 6 side, and as shown in FIG. 8 in particular, penetrates the bottom of the lower casing 7A and is press-fitted and fixed to the center hole of a drive pulley 23 (described later) of the guide module 6 so as not to rotate relatively. As a result, the rotation of the rotation shaft 9 of the motor 10 is transmitted to the drive pulley 23 via the connected electromagnetic clutch 12, the first gear 13, the second gear 14, the third gear 15, and the drive shaft 151. The rotation of the drive pulley 23 is transmitted to the power transmission member 21 of the guide module 6, as described later. In this way, by arranging the drive shaft 151 so as to face in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the power transmission member 21, the layout space of the motor module 5 can be reduced.

[0034] The first gear 13, second gear 14 and third gear 15 in this embodiment are the basic components of the reduction mechanism of the present invention, but the reduction mechanism of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the second gear 14 may be omitted and the third gear 15 may be directly meshed with the first gear 13, or other reduction gears may be added.

[0035] (Guide Module 6) 2 to 5, the guide module 6 includes a power transmission member guide 20 made of synthetic resin and arranged on the upper portion of the center guide rail 42, a power transmission member 21 guided by the power transmission member guide 20 along the shape of the center guide rail 42 in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction), a mounting plate 22 fixed to the power transmission member guide 20, a drive pulley 23 (see FIGS. 6, 8 and 9) for circulating the power transmission member 21, and a connection member 24 for connecting the power transmission member 21 to the sliding door 3. Note that in this embodiment, the power transmission member 21 is described as a belt 21, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the power transmission member 21 may be a cable.

[0036] The power transmission member guide 20 has a shape that follows the longitudinal direction (front-to-rear direction) of the center guide rail 42 in the plan view shown in Figure 5, and is fixed to the vehicle body panel 4 in a form that overlaps the upper surface of the center guide rail 42, with a front bracket 201 provided at the front end and a rear bracket 202 provided at the rear end being fastened to the vehicle body panel 4 by bolts not shown.

[0037] A holding portion 203 is provided on the rear side surface of the power transmission member guide 20 for temporarily holding the connecting member 24 in a detachable manner to the power transmission member guide 20, as shown particularly in Figures 10, 11, 16 and 18. As shown particularly in Figure 11, the holding portion 203 is formed by a rectangular opening hole that penetrates the side wall portion 20a facing the up-down direction of the power transmission member guide 20 in the left-right direction (inside-outside direction of the vehicle) and has a predetermined opening width in the front-rear direction. The connecting member 24 that is fixed to the belt 21 in advance is temporarily held in the holding portion 203 for a period until the belt 21 is connected to the center guide roller unit 32. The connecting member 24 is temporarily held in the power transmission member guide 20 in a detachable manner by being partially inserted into and engaged with the holding portion 203.

[0038] 11 and 16, in particular, an upwardly protruding stopper portion 203a is provided below the holding portion 203 in the power transmission member guide 20. The stopper portion 203a abuts against a corner portion of an engaging portion 241a (described later) of the connecting member 24, thereby regulating the amount of entry of the engaging portion 241 into the holding portion 203 so that the connecting member 24 is securely and temporarily held by the holding portion 203.

[0039] As can be seen particularly from FIG. 6, the mounting plate 22 has a connecting portion 22a facing obliquely upward and fixed to the vehicle interior side surface of the power transmission member guide 20 by a bolt (not shown), and a horizontal support portion 22b extending from the lower portion of the connecting portion 22a toward the vehicle interior. The connecting portion 22a and the support portion 22b are provided with mounting portions 22c and 22d to which the mounting portions 71A and 72A of the lower casing 7A in the motor module 5 are respectively fixed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the mounting portions 71A and 71B are fixed to the mounting portions 22c and 22d by interposing a cylindrical buffer member 26 made of rubber between the mounting portions 71A and 72A of the lower casing 7A and the mounting portions 22c and 22d. This can reduce the transmission of vibrations generated during vehicle running to the motor module 5.

[0040] 6 and 8, a drive pulley 23 rotatable together with the drive shaft 151 is disposed on the support portion 22b. The drive pulley 23 rotates about the rotational central axis CL2 of the drive shaft 151 by pressing a lower portion of the drive shaft 151 into the drive pulley 23. A part of the belt 21 is wound around the drive pulley 23. As a result, the rotation of the drive pulley 23 is transmitted to the belt 21, and the belt 21 moves in a circular motion along the power transmission member guide 20.

[0041] The belt 21 is a flat, endless belt made of rubber, and as shown in FIG. 2, its front end is passed around a front reversing pulley 204 pivoted to the front part of the power transmission member guide 20, and its rear end is passed around a rear reversing pulley 205 pivoted to the rear part of the power transmission member guide 20. As shown in FIG. 9, part of the part that moves on the inside of the vehicle is detouring to the inside of the vehicle and passed around a drive pulley 23 that is rotatably supported on the mounting plate 22, so that the belt 21 circulates in the front-to-rear direction along the power transmission member guide 20 as the drive pulley 23 rotates.

[0042] The upper part of the connecting member 24 is fixed to the area of ​​the belt 21 that moves on the outside of the vehicle, and is temporarily held in a detachable state in an engaged state with the holding portion 203, for example as shown in Figures 3 and 4, until it is connected to the center guide roller unit 32, and finally, as shown in Figure 2, the lower part is connected to the connected portion 32a of the center guide roller unit 32, thereby connecting the belt 21 and the sliding door 3 to each other.

[0043] The connecting member 24 is temporarily held by the power transmission member guide 20 while the vehicle door opening and closing device 1 is being transported and while the connecting member 24 is being assembled to the vehicle body panel 4. This prevents the connecting member 24 from vibrating due to slackness, twisting, or the like of the belt 21 and coming into contact with and damaging other components or the sliding door 3, and also improves the handleability of the vehicle door opening and closing device 1.

[0044] When the connecting member 24 is temporarily held by the holding portion 203, the connecting member 24 is temporarily held by the power transmission member guide 20 in a temporary holding position inclined at about 30 degrees in an upward diagonal direction toward the outside of the vehicle, as shown in Figs. 10, 12, 13, and 16. Therefore, when the connecting member 24 is held in the temporary holding position, the belt 21 is in a state twisted by a predetermined angle from a normal position (e.g., the position shown in Fig. 17) in which the thickness direction faces the inside and outside of the vehicle. Therefore, when the connecting member 24 is held in the temporary holding position, the twisted portion 21a of the belt 21 is formed on the front and rear sides of the connecting member 24. The twisted portion 21a absorbs the slack of the belt 21 and suppresses rattling of the belt 21, thereby improving the handling property when the vehicle door opening and closing device 1 is transported and assembled to the vehicle body panel 4.

[0045] When the connecting member 24 is in the temporary holding position, it is in a position retracted outside the movement trajectory of the center guide roller unit 32. As a result, after the vehicle door opening and closing device 1 is assembled to the vehicle body panel 4, when the center guide roller unit 32 is assembled to the center guide rail 42, the center guide roller unit 32 does not interfere with the connecting member 24, so that the center guide roller unit 32 can be easily assembled to the center guide rail 42.

[0046] In order to temporarily hold the connection member 24 in the holding portion 203 of the power transmission member guide 20, as shown in FIG. 16, the connection member 24 is rotated upward by approximately 120 degrees from the normal position shown by the two-dot chain line, and in this state, the engagement portion 24c is inserted into the holding portion 203 from the vehicle exterior to engage with it. As a result, the connection member 24 is temporarily held in a temporarily held position inclined upward by approximately 30 degrees toward the vehicle exterior, particularly as shown by the solid line in FIG. 16. When removing the connection member 24 from the holding portion 203, in FIG. 16, the connection member 24 is pulled out toward the vehicle exterior in a state in which it is slightly rotated upward. This allows the connection member 24 to be easily removed from the holding portion 203. After this, the connection member 24 is connected to the center guide roller unit 32 assembled to the center guide rail 42.

[0047] In this embodiment, as can be seen particularly from FIGS. 16 and 17, the connection member 24 includes a first plate 24A on the vehicle exterior side and a second plate 24B on the vehicle interior side that sandwich the belt 21 in the thickness direction (interior-exterior direction).

[0048] Preferably, as shown in Figures 14 to 18, the connecting member 24 has a clamping portion 24a that is fixed to the belt 21 by clamping the belt 21 from the thickness direction, a connecting portion 24b that is lower than the clamping portion 24a and connected to the connected portion 32a of the center guide roller unit 32, and an engaging portion 24c that is higher than the clamping portion 24a and engages with the holding portion 203.

[0049] 15 and 18, the engaging portion 24c is formed so that the width W1 in the front-rear direction is slightly smaller than the opening width W2 in the front-rear direction of the holding portion 203. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 16, the engaging portion 24c has a claw portion 24d that protrudes obliquely upward when the connecting member 24 is in the temporary holding position.

[0050] 16 and 18, when the connecting member 24 is held in the temporary holding position, the engaging portion 24c engages with the opening of the holding portion 203 in the width direction (front-rear direction) so as to restrict the movement of the connecting member 24 in the front-rear direction. The corner portion of the engaging portion 24c abuts against the stopper portion 203a located below the holding portion 203 so as to restrict the amount of advancement (insertion amount) of the engaging portion 24c into the holding portion 203 toward the vehicle interior. The claw portion 24d engages with the upper edge of the opening of the holding portion 203 from the vehicle interior so that the connecting member 24 does not easily come out of the holding portion 203. A return force (a force that returns the belt 21 to the normal position, which is a force in the clockwise direction in FIG. 16) due to the twisted portion 21a formed in the belt 21 acts on the connecting member 24.

[0051] As described above, by temporarily holding the connecting member 24 in the holding portion 203 of the power transmission member guide 20 so that the twisted portions 21a are formed in the belt 21 on the front and rear sides of the connecting member 24, the slack in the belt 21 can be reliably absorbed by the twisted portions 21a. This allows the connecting member 24 to be temporarily held in the holding portion 203 reliably.

[0052] (Connection work of vehicle door opening / closing device 1 to sliding door 3) First, the power transmission member guide 20 is placed above the center guide rail 42 which has been preliminarily fixed to the vehicle body panel 4, and the front bracket 201 and rear bracket 202 of the power transmission member guide 20 are fixed to the vehicle body panel 4 with bolts not shown, thereby assembling the vehicle door opening and closing device 1 to the vehicle body panel 4.

[0053] When the vehicle door opening and closing device 1 is assembled to the vehicle body panel 4, the connecting member 24 is temporarily held by the holding portion 203 of the power transmission member guide 20. By temporarily holding the connecting member 24 by the holding portion 203, unnecessary movement of the connecting member 24 and the belt 21 can be suppressed during transportation of the vehicle power slide device 1 and assembly to the vehicle body panel 4, thereby improving the handleability of the vehicle power slide device 1. This prevents the connecting member 24 from coming into contact with and damaging the vehicle body panel 4 or the slide door 3.

[0054] The vehicle door opening and closing device 1 may be assembled to the vehicle body panel 4 with the motor module 5 connected to the guide module 6 in advance, or the motor module 5 and the guide module 6 may be separated and the guide module 6 first assembled to the vehicle body panel 4, and then the motor module 5 may be connected to the guide module 6. In this way, the motor module 5 and the guide module 6 are configured separately and are integrated by assembling them to the vehicle body, which facilitates assembly to the vehicle body panel 4.

[0055] Next, the guide rollers (not shown) of the guide roller units 31, 32, 33 attached to the sliding door 3 (the guide roller of the center guide roller unit 32 is indicated by reference symbol 32b in FIG. 17) are inserted into the corresponding rails 41, 42, 43 from the rear end. Then, the sliding door 3 is moved forward, i.e., in the closing direction, to align the center guide roller unit 32 with the position of the connecting member 24 temporarily held by the holding portion 203. In this case, since the connecting member 24 is in a temporarily held position and is in a position retracted outside the movement trajectory of the center guide roller unit 32, it is possible to prevent the center guide roller unit 32 from colliding with the connecting member 24. This makes it possible to prevent damage to the center guide roller unit 32 and the connecting member 24.

[0056] Next, a dedicated jig is inserted into the gap between the vehicle body panel 4 and the rear end of the sliding door 3, and the connecting member 24 is removed from the holding portion 203 to return the connecting member 24 to the correct position. Then, the connecting portion 24b of the connecting member 24 is connected to the connected portion 32a of the center guide roller unit 32. As a result, the belt 21 and the sliding door 3 are connected via the connecting member 24 and the center guide roller unit 32.

[0057] (Function of vehicle door opening and closing device 1) The motor 10 is driven in response to the operation of a wireless remote switch carried by a user or a door handle for opening the door provided on the sliding door 3. In response to this, the electromagnetic clutch 12 is brought into an engaged state. As a result, the rotation of the rotating shaft 9 of the motor 10 is transmitted to the belt 21 via the electromagnetic clutch 12, the first gear 13, the second gear 14, the third gear 15, the drive shaft 151, and the drive pulley 23. As a result, the belt 21 moves in a circular motion along the longitudinal direction of the power transmission member guide 20, so that the sliding door 3 moves to open if it is in the closed position, and moves to close if it is in the fully open position.

[0058] When the sliding door 3 is opened or closed manually, the motor 10 and the electromagnetic clutch 12 are in a disconnected state. Therefore, the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 3 is transmitted to the belt 21 and the speed reduction mechanism, but is not transmitted to the motor 10. This allows the sliding door 3 to be manually opened or closed with little force.

[0059] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the following various modifications, changes, and combinations can be made to the above embodiment without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0060] (1) In the above embodiment, the power transmission member guide 20 and the center guide rail 42 of the guide module 6 are separate bodies. Alternatively, the power transmission member guide 20 and the center guide rail 42 may be integrally formed, or the power transmission member guide 20 may be fixed to the center guide rail 42 in advance. In this case, the center guide rail 42 may be provided with a holding portion 203 for temporarily holding the connecting member 24. Therefore, in the present invention, the power transmission member guide 20, or an element combining both the power transmission member guide 20 and the center guide rail 42, is defined as a guide means.

[0061] (2) The temporary holding position of the connecting member 24 is changed from a position facing diagonally upward toward the outside of the vehicle to a position facing vertically or horizontally.

[0062] (3) Instead of an opening passing through the holding portion 203 in the vehicle interior / exterior direction, an opening facing up / down or obliquely is provided.

[0063] (4) The holding portion 203 is formed with a circular or elliptical opening instead of a rectangular opening.

[0064] (5) Regarding the casing 7 of the motor module 5, the lower casing 7A and the upper casing 7B are integrally formed.

[0065] (6) The vehicle door opening and closing device 1 is provided under the vehicle body, and the belt 21 is connected to the lower guide roller unit 33. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1 Vehicle door opening and closing device 2 Vehicle 3 Sliding door 31 Upper guide roller unit 32 Center guide roller unit 32a Connected part 32b Guide roller 33 Lower guide roller unit 4 Body panel 41 Upper guide rail 42 Center guide rail 43 Lower guide rail 5 Motor module 6 Guide module 7 Casing 7A Lower casing 71A, 72A Mounting section 7B Upper casing 8 Metal base plate 8A First metal plate 8B Second metal plate 81 Gap 9 Rotating shaft 10 Motor 11 Cover 11A Gap 11a Motor cover 12 Electromagnetic clutch 13 1st gear (reduction mechanism) 132 Small diameter gear 14 Second gear (reduction mechanism) 14a Large diameter gear 14b Small gear 141 Second shaft 15 3rd gear (reduction mechanism) 15a Large diameter gear 15b shaft portion 151 drive shaft 16 Rotating body 161 First axis 17, 18 Bearings 19A, 19B Bearings 20 Power transmission member guide 20a Side wall portion 201 Front bracket 202 Rear bracket 203 Holding portion 203a Stopper portion 204 Front reversing pulley 205 Rear reversing pulley 21 Power transmission member (belt) 21a Twisted portion 22 Mounting plate 22a Connection part 22b Support part 22c, 22d Mounted part 23 Drive pulley 24 Connecting member 24a Clamping part 24b Connecting part 24c Engagement part 24d Claw part 24A 1st plate 24B 2nd plate 25 Bolt 26 Buffer material

Claims

1. a motor module including a motor and a speed reduction mechanism for reducing the speed of rotation of the motor; a power transmission member guide fixed to a vehicle body along the opening and closing direction of the sliding door; and a guide module including a power transmission member that is movable in a circular manner along the opening and closing direction of the sliding door by the reduced rotation of the speed reduction mechanism and is connected to the sliding door to pull and move the sliding door in the opening and closing direction; The motor module includes: a casing fixed to the power transmission member guide; a metal base plate fixed to the casing; the motor is attached to one side of the metal base plate so that a rotation axis of the motor is perpendicular to the surface of the one side of the metal base plate; an electromagnetic clutch that is disposed within the casing and on the other side of the metal base plate with respect to the central axis of rotation of the rotating shaft; a first gear that is disposed within the casing and is rotatable integrally with the electromagnetic clutch about a rotational central axis of the rotary shaft; the reduction mechanism including the first gear, the reduction mechanism being disposed within the casing; a drive shaft capable of transmitting rotation of the reduction mechanism to the power transmission member via a drive pulley; In a vehicle door opening and closing device having The metal base plate includes a first metal plate to which the motor is fixed and a second metal plate to which the electromagnetic clutch is disposed, and a gap is formed between the first metal plate and the second metal plate, and the two metal plates are fixed to each other.

2. 2. The vehicle door opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the motor is covered by a cover fixed to the casing, and an air layer is formed between the cover and the motor.

3. 3. The vehicle door opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the casing is formed separately from the power transmission member guide and is fixed to the power transmission member guide via a buffer member.

4. 4. The vehicle door opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein a rotational center axis of the drive shaft is oriented in a vertical direction perpendicular to a direction of circular movement of the power transmission member.

5. The vehicle door opening and closing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, in a plan view, a straight line connecting the central axis of rotation of the motor and the central axis of rotation of the drive shaft is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the power transmission member guide.

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