Sliding door drive unit

Abstract

To provide a slide door driving device capable of suppressing swelling with respect to a body panel as a fixing object.SOLUTION: A door driving device 40 includes an elongated guide frame 50, a first driven pulley 641 and a second driven pulley that are respectively supported by both end portions in a longitudinal direction of the guide frame 50, a belt 66 that is wound around the first driven pulley 641 and the second driven pulley, and a belt driving unit that drives the belt 66. The guide frame 50 includes a guide wall 53 that guides the belt 66 between the first driven pulley 641 and the second driven pulley. The door driving device 40 includes a sliding plate 70 that is disposed at a position to sandwich the belt 66 with the inner surface of the curved portion side 50B of the guide wall 53 and slides with the belt 66 that is under driven.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sliding door drive device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a door opening and closing device as a sliding door drive device that opens and closes a vehicle sliding door. The door opening and closing device includes a belt guide section extending along a guide rail, two timing pulleys provided at the front and rear ends of the belt guide section, a belt wound around the two timing pulleys, and a pressure pulley that presses the belt toward the belt guide section.

[0003] The guide rail has a straight portion extending in the front-rear direction and a curved portion that curves from the front end of the straight portion toward the vehicle interior. Therefore, the belt guide portion also has a straight portion corresponding to the straight portion of the guide rail and a curved portion corresponding to the curved portion of the guide rail. The pressure pulley is provided at the curved portion of the belt guide portion. In other words, the pressure pulley prevents the belt from being driven when it is separated from the curved portion of the belt guide portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-100081 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When the door opening and closing device is fixed to the body panel of a vehicle, the pressure pulley is positioned between the belt guide and the body panel, so the vehicle needs to have a recess in the body panel to prevent interference with the pressure pulley. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described below. A sliding door drive device that solves the above problem is a sliding door drive device that is fixed to a body panel of a vehicle and operates the sliding door of the vehicle in an opening direction and a closing direction, and includes: a long guide frame that, when fixed to the body panel, is curved so that its end in the closing direction is located more inward in the vehicle width direction than its end in the opening direction; a first driven pulley and a second driven pulley that are supported at both ends of the guide frame in the longitudinal direction; a belt that is wound around the first driven pulley and the second driven pulley; and a belt drive unit that drives the belt, wherein the guide frame has a guide wall that guides the belt between the first driven pulley and the second driven pulley, and the curved portion of the guide wall is a curved portion, and when the surface of the guide wall facing the body panel is the inner surface, the guide frame includes a sliding part that is positioned to sandwich the belt and the inner surface of the curved part of the guide wall and slides against the driven belt.

[0007] The sliding door drive device configured as described above can open and close the sliding door by transmitting power to the sliding door via a belt. To prevent the belt from interfering with the body panel, the sliding door drive device includes a sliding portion that slides against the driven belt, rather than a pressure pulley that rotates relative to the driven belt. Therefore, the sliding door drive device does not require a structure for rotatably supporting the pulley, thereby reducing bulging relative to the body panel.

[0008] In the above sliding door drive device, it is preferable that the sliding portion is a sliding plate that is curved along the curved portion. The above-described sliding door drive device can simplify the configuration of the sliding door drive device compared to, for example, a case in which a plurality of pins are used as the sliding portion.

[0009] In the above-mentioned sliding door drive device, when the direction in which the rotation axes of the first driven pulley and the second driven pulley extend is defined as the axial direction, it is preferable that the guide frame has, over the longitudinal direction of the guide frame, a bottom wall and an upper wall that sandwich the guide wall in the axial direction, and a support wall that extends from the bottom wall so as to face the inner surface of the curved portion of the guide wall and supports the sliding plate while being in contact with the sliding plate.

[0010] In the sliding door drive device configured as described above, the sliding plate is positioned between the curved portion of the guide wall and the support wall, specifically, between the belt and the support wall. In other words, when the sliding plate is used as a reference, the support wall is located in the direction in which the reaction force from the belt acts. Therefore, even if a reaction force from the belt acts on the sliding plate, the sliding plate is less likely to be displaced in the direction in which the reaction force acts. Therefore, the sliding door drive device can stabilize the position of the sliding plate relative to the guide frame.

[0011] In the above-mentioned sliding door drive device, when the direction in which the support wall extends from the bottom wall is defined as the height direction, it is preferable that the upper wall of the guide frame has an abutment portion that, together with the bottom wall, sandwiches the sliding plate in the height direction.

[0012] The sliding door drive device having the above-described configuration can stabilize the position of the sliding plate relative to the guide frame in the height direction. In the above-mentioned sliding door drive device, it is preferable that the sliding plate has a main body portion supported by the support wall, and locking portions that lock onto the bottom wall on both sides of the main body portion in the longitudinal direction.

[0013] In the sliding door drive device having the above-described configuration, the locking portion of the sliding plate is locked to the bottom wall of the guide frame, which allows the sliding door drive device to further stabilize the position of the sliding plate relative to the guide frame.

[0014] In the belt, when the surface that slides against the sliding portion is defined as the sliding surface, the belt has a belt main body made of an elastomer and a coating layer that includes the sliding surface and covers the belt main body, and it is preferable that the coefficient of friction between the coating layer and the sliding portion is smaller than the coefficient of friction between the belt main body and the sliding portion.

[0015] When a sliding door is opened or closed, sliding resistance occurs between the belt and the sliding part. In this regard, in the sliding door drive device configured as described above, the coefficient of friction between the coating layer and the sliding part is made lower than the coefficient of friction between the belt body and the sliding part. Therefore, the sliding door drive device can reduce the sliding resistance generated between the belt and the sliding part compared to a case where the belt is not provided with a coating layer.

[0016] The sliding door drive device is provided with a drive pulley supported by the guide frame and driven by the belt drive unit, and the rotation axis of the drive pulley is in a twisted positional relationship with the rotation axes of the first driven pulley and the second driven pulley, and it is preferable that the twisted belt is wound around the drive pulley between the first driven pulley and the second driven pulley.

[0017] When a twisted belt slides against a sliding part, only a portion of the belt slides against the sliding part more easily than when a non-twisted belt slides against the sliding part. Therefore, when a twisted belt slides against a sliding part, the belt may wear unevenly. In this regard, in the sliding door drive device configured as described above, the belt has a coating layer with a relatively small coefficient of friction between the belt and the sliding part. Therefore, even when a twisted belt slides against a sliding part, the belt is less likely to wear unevenly.

[0018] The vehicle includes an upper rail positioned above a door opening that is opened and closed by the sliding door, a lower rail positioned below the door opening, and a center rail positioned between the upper rail and the lower rail in the vertical direction, at a position further forward from the door opening in the opening direction, and it is preferable that the upper rail, the lower rail, and the center rail determine the opening and closing direction of the sliding door, and that the guide frame is fixed to the body panel so as to follow the center rail. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] The sliding door drive device can suppress bulging of the sliding door drive device relative to the body panel to which the sliding door drive device is fixed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle equipped with a sliding door drive device according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the sliding door drive device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the sliding door drive device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of the sliding door drive device, with a partial configuration omitted. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the front end portion of the sliding door drive device. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a front end portion of the sliding door drive device. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the front end portion of the sliding door drive device. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 10-10 line cross-sectional view of FIG. 8. [Figure 11] 11-11 line cross-sectional view of FIG. 8. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a belt according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle equipped with a sliding door drive device (hereinafter also referred to as a "door drive device") will be described. <Vehicle 10> 1, a vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 20, a sliding door 30, and a door drive device 40. In the following description, the vehicle width direction will also be referred to as the "width direction," the vehicle front-rear direction will also be referred to as the "front-rear direction," and the vehicle up-down direction will also be referred to as the "up-down direction."

[0022] <Body 20> The vehicle body 20 has a body panel 22 in which a door opening 21 is provided, an upper rail 23 arranged above the door opening 21, a center rail 24 arranged behind the door opening 21, and a lower rail 25 arranged below the door opening 21. The upper rail 23, the center rail 24, and the lower rail 25 are fixed to the body panel 22. In the vertical direction, the upper rail 23 is located above the center rail 24 and the lower rail 25, and the center rail 24 is located between the upper rail 23 and the lower rail 25. The upper rail 23, the center rail 24, and the lower rail 25 are members for determining the opening and closing direction of the sliding door 30.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the body panel 22 is a side body panel that constitutes a side surface of the vehicle body 20. Although hidden by the door drive device 40 in FIG. 2, the body panel 22 has insertion holes that penetrate in the thickness direction of the body panel 22 for passing some components of the door drive device 40 in the width direction. The center rail 24 has a first rail 24A extending forward, a second rail 24B that extends in an arc inward in the vehicle width direction as it moves forward from the front end of the first rail 24A, and a third rail 24C that extends linearly from the front end of the second rail 24B. Although not shown, the upper rail 23 and the lower rail 25 also include components corresponding to the first rail 24A, the second rail 24B, and the third rail 24C. Therefore, the upper rail 23, the center rail 24, and the lower rail 25 are curved so that their front ends are located inward in the width direction relative to their rear ends. The upper rail 23, the center rail 24, and the lower rail 25 are curved, which allows the sliding door 30 to move in the width direction near the fully closed position. The center rail 24 has a smaller radius of curvature at the curved portion than the upper rail 23 and the lower rail 25. This is because if the radius of curvature at the curved portion of the center rail 24 were increased, the front end of the center rail 24 would extend further forward, thereby shortening the length of the door opening 21 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0024] <Sliding Door 30> As shown in Figure 1, the sliding door 30 comprises a door body 31 sized according to the door opening 21, an upper hinge unit 32 arranged at the top of the door body 31, a center hinge unit 33 arranged at the rear of the door body 31, and a lower hinge unit 34 arranged at the bottom of the door body 31.

[0025] The upper hinge unit 32 and the lower hinge unit 34 are located near the front end of the door body 31, and the center hinge unit 33 is located near the rear end of the door body 31. The center hinge unit 33 is located in the center of the door body 31 in the up-down direction. The upper hinge unit 32 is engaged with the upper rail 23 so as to be movable along the upper rail 23. The center hinge unit 33 is engaged with the center rail 24 so as to be movable along the center rail 24. The lower hinge unit 34 is engaged with the lower rail 25 so as to be movable along the lower rail 25.

[0026] The upper hinge unit 32, the center hinge unit 33, and the lower hinge unit 34 move relative to the upper rail 23, the center rail 24, and the lower rail 25, respectively, so that the sliding door 30 opens and closes between a fully closed position where the door opening 21 is fully closed and a fully open position where the door opening 21 is fully opened. In this embodiment, the sliding door 30 opens when it moves rearward, and closes when it moves forward. That is, the opening direction of the sliding door 30 is rearward, and the closing direction of the sliding door 30 is forward. In other embodiments, the sliding door 30 may open when it moves forward, and close when it moves rearward.

[0027] <Door drive device 40> As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the door drive device 40 includes a guide frame 50, a belt drive unit 61, a drive pulley 62, two pressure pulleys 631, 632, two driven pulleys 641, 642, a cover 65, a belt 66, a connecting device 67, a protective plate 68, and a sliding plate 70.

[0028] The door drive device 40 is fixed to the body panel 22 along the center rail 24 at a position aligned vertically with the center rail 24. The door drive device 40 operates the sliding door 30 in the opening and closing directions. In the following description, fixing the door drive device 40 to the body panel 22 is also referred to as "mounting the door drive device 40 on the vehicle body 20."

[0029] 3 and 4, the guide frame 50 has an elongated shape similar to the center rail 24. In other words, the guide frame 50 is curved so that the front end is positioned inward in the width direction relative to the rear end when mounted on the vehicle body 20.

[0030] 3 and 4, in the guide frame 50, the portion extending forward will be referred to as the "first straight portion 50A," the portion extending in an arc shape inward in the width direction as it moves forward from the front end of the first straight portion 50A will be referred to as the "curved portion 50B," and the portion extending in a straight line from the front end of the curved portion 50B will be referred to as the "second straight portion 50C." The first straight portion 50A is longer than the curved portion 50B and the second straight portion 50C, and the curved portion 50B and the second straight portion 50C have the same length. In terms of the opening and closing direction of the sliding door 30, the front end of the guide frame 50 is the end in the closing direction, and the rear end of the guide frame 50 is the end in the opening direction.

[0031] 4 and 6, the guide frame 50 has a bottom wall 51, an upper wall 52, a guide wall 53, a storage portion 54, a support wall 55, a holding wall 56, and a fixing portion 57. The guide frame 50 is made of, for example, a resin material and is molded using a mold.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom wall 51, the upper wall 52, and the guide wall 53 are elongated members that are curved similarly to the center rail 24. The bottom wall 51 is connected to the lower end of the guide wall 53, and the upper wall 52 is connected to the upper end of the guide wall 53. In other words, the bottom wall 51 and the upper wall 52 sandwich the guide wall 53. The longitudinal lengths of the bottom wall 51 and the upper wall 52 are slightly longer than the longitudinal length of the guide wall 53. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper wall 52 includes, at the curved portion 50B, two abutment portions 521 that protrude along the radial direction of the curved portion 50B. The two abutment portions 521 are positioned at an interval in the longitudinal direction of the guide frame 50.

[0033] In the following description, the surface of the guide wall 53 facing inward in the width direction is referred to as the “inner surface,” and the surface of the guide wall 53 facing outward in the width direction is referred to as the “outer surface.” The inner surface is the surface that faces the body panel 22 when the door drive device 40 is mounted on the vehicle body 20.

[0034] 4, the accommodation portion 54 is integrated with the upper wall 52 and the guide wall 53 at a position closer to the front end than the center in the longitudinal direction of the guide frame 50. The accommodation portion 54 has a housing 541 that accommodates the drive pulley 62 and the two pressure pulleys 631, 632, and a flange 542 extending from the edge of the housing 541. When the door drive device 40 is mounted on the vehicle body 20, the housing 541 is positioned inside the body panel 22 through the insertion hole, and the flange 542 is positioned outside the body panel 22.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 6 , the support wall 55 extends upward from the curved portion 50B of the bottom wall 51. That is, the support wall 55 faces the inner surface of the curved portion 50B of the guide wall 53. When the extending direction of the support wall 55 is defined as the height direction, the support wall 55 is slightly curved in a plan view in the height direction. The surface of the support wall 55 facing the guide wall 53 extends along the vertical direction. On the other hand, the surface of the support wall 55 facing the body panel 22 when the door drive device 40 is mounted on the vehicle body 20 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. That is, the surface of the support wall 55 facing the body panel 22 extends along the outer surface of the body panel 22.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4 , the retaining wall 56 extends upward from the first linear portion 50A of the bottom wall 51. That is, the retaining wall 56 faces the first linear portion 50A of the guide wall 53. The retaining wall 56 is located between the rear end of the guide frame 50 and the accommodation portion 54 in the longitudinal direction of the guide frame 50. The surface of the retaining wall 56 facing the guide wall 53 extends in the vertical direction. On the other hand, the surface of the retaining wall 56 facing the body panel 22 when the door driver 40 is mounted on the vehicle body 20 is inclined upward. That is, the surface of the retaining wall 56 facing the body panel 22 extends along the outer surface of the body panel 22. In this embodiment, the guide frame 50 has three retaining walls 56, but the number of retaining walls 56 can be changed as desired. The retaining walls 56, together with the first linear portion 50A of the guide frame 50, guide the movement of the belt 66.

[0037] The fixing portions 57 extend upward from the upper wall 52. A plurality of fixing portions 57 are provided at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the guide frame 50. The fixing portions 57 are portions through which fastening members such as screws and bolts pass when the door drive device 40 is mounted on the vehicle body 20, i.e., when the guide frame 50 is fixed to the body panel 22.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3, the belt drive unit 61 includes a motor 611, an output shaft 612 that outputs power from the motor 611, and a case 613 that houses the components of the belt drive unit 61. The belt drive unit 61 includes a reducer (not shown) in the case 613 that transmits power from the motor 611 to the output shaft 612. The axial direction of the output shaft 612 is the width direction. The output shaft 612 is connected to a drive pulley 62. As shown in FIG. 2, when the door drive device 40 is mounted on the vehicle 10, the belt drive unit 61 is disposed inside the body panel 22. In this respect, it can be said that the belt drive unit 61 and the guide frame 50 sandwich the body panel 22 therebetween.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 4, the drive pulley 62, the first pressure pulley 631, and the second pressure pulley 632 are housed in the housing 54 of the guide frame 50. More specifically, the drive pulley 62, the first pressure pulley 631, and the second pressure pulley 632 are rotatably supported by a housing 541. At this time, the drive pulley 62 is located between the first pressure pulley 631 and the second pressure pulley 632 in the longitudinal direction of the guide frame 50. Furthermore, when the door drive device 40 is mounted on the vehicle body 20, the rotation axes of the drive pulley 62, the first pressure pulley 631, and the second pressure pulley 632 extend in the width direction. The drive pulley 62 is a toothed pulley.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 4 , the first driven pulley 641 is rotatably supported at the front end of the guide frame 50 in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the first driven pulley 641 is supported between the front end of the bottom wall 51 in the longitudinal direction and the front end of the top wall 52 in the longitudinal direction. The second driven pulley 642 is rotatably supported at the rear end of the guide frame 50 in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the second driven pulley 642 is supported between the rear end of the bottom wall 51 in the longitudinal direction and the rear end of the top wall 52 in the longitudinal direction. In this respect, it can be said that the bottom wall 51 and the top wall 52 sandwich the guide wall 53 in the axial direction of the first driven pulley 641 and the second driven pulley 642. Furthermore, it can be said that the guide wall 53 is located between the first driven pulley 641 and the second driven pulley 642.

[0041] When the door drive device 40 is mounted on the vehicle body 20, the rotation axes of the first driven pulley 641 and the second driven pulley 642 extend in the vertical direction. That is, the rotation axes of the first driven pulley 641 and the second driven pulley 642 are in a twisted positional relationship with the rotation axes of the drive pulley 62, the first pressure pulley 631, and the second pressure pulley 632. The first driven pulley 641 and the second driven pulley 642 are idlers.

[0042] The cover 65 is a component that covers the drive pulley 62, the first pressure pulley 631, and the second pressure pulley 632 housed in the housing portion 54. The cover 65 has a through hole 651 for connecting the output shaft 612 of the belt drive unit 61 and the drive pulley 62. The cover 65 is fixed to the housing portion 54 of the guide frame 50.

[0043] The belt 66 is a toothed belt made of an elastomer such as rubber or resin. The belt 66 is wound around the drive pulley 62, two pressure pulleys 631, 632, and two driven pulleys 641, 642 while surrounding the guide wall 53 of the guide frame 50. As shown in FIG. 4 , in this embodiment, the rotation axes of the drive pulley 62 and the two pressure pulleys 631, 632 and the rotation axes of the two driven pulleys 641, 642 are in a twisted positional relationship. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5 , a twist occurs in the belt 66 at the front and rear of the portions wound around the drive pulley 62 and the two pressure pulleys 631, 632. More specifically, a twist occurs in the belt 66 between the pressure pulley 631 and the sliding plate 70, and a twist occurs between the pressure pulley 632 and the retaining wall 56.

[0044] 3, the connector 67 is a bracket for fixing the center hinge unit 33 of the sliding door 30 to the belt 66. That is, one end of the connector 67 is fixed to the center hinge unit 33, and the other end is fixed to the bracket.

[0045] 3, the protective plate 68 is formed, for example, by pressing a metal plate. The protective plate 68 is fixed from above to the second straight portion 50C of the upper wall 52 of the guide frame 50. When the protective plate 68 is fixed to the guide frame 50, the belt 66 is covered by the protective plate 68 in the horizontal direction. In this way, the protective plate 68 prevents foreign matter from coming into contact with the belt 66 that is guided along the second straight portion 50C of the guide frame 50.

[0046] 6, the sliding plate 70 has a main body portion 71 supported by the support wall 55 of the guide frame 50, two extension portions 72 extending so as to avoid the support wall 55 of the guide frame 50, two engagement portions 73 engaging with the top wall 52 of the guide frame 50, and a locking portion 74 engaging with the bottom wall 51 of the guide frame 50. The sliding plate 70 is formed by pressing a metal plate such as a stainless steel plate. The sliding plate 70 is an example of a "sliding portion."

[0047] The main body portion 71 has a rectangular shape when viewed in the plate thickness direction. The main body portion 71 is slightly curved to form an arc in plan view. More specifically, the main body portion 71 is curved with the same curvature as the curved portion 50B of the guide wall 53 of the guide frame 50 in plan view. One end portion of the main body portion 71 in the short side direction is slightly bent along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 71. Two extension portions 72 extend from both ends of the main body portion 71 in the long side direction. The two extension portions 72 extend in a direction slightly inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 71. In plan view of the sliding plate 70, the two extension portions 72 are inclined in a direction that strengthens the degree of curvature compared to the main body portion 71. The two engagement portions 73 extend in the short side direction of the main body portion 71 on both sides of the main body portion 71 in the long side direction. The two locking portions 74 extend from the tips of the two extension portions 72 in the short direction of the main body portion 71. In terms of their relationship with the vehicle 10, the two engagement portions 73 extend upward, and the two locking portions 74 extend downward.

[0048] 7 and 8, the sliding plate 70 is inserted into the guide frame 50. More specifically, the sliding plate 70 is inserted between the curved portion 50B of the guide wall 53 and the support wall 55. At this time, the sliding plate 70 undergoes slight elastic deformation. In this way, the sliding plate 70 is disposed at a position where it sandwiches the belt 66 with the inner surface of the curved portion 50B of the guide wall 53. In other words, the sliding plate 70 is supported by the guide frame 50.

[0049] 8 and 9, when the sliding plate 70 is supported by the guide frame 50, the main body 71 of the sliding plate 70 is in surface contact with the support wall 55. In other words, the main body 71 of the sliding plate 70 is located between the support wall 55 and the belt 66.

[0050] 8 and 10, the two engagement portions 73 of the sliding plate 70 engage with the two abutment portions 521 of the upper wall 52 of the guide frame 50, respectively. When the sliding plate 70 is inserted into the guide frame 50, the two engagement portions 73 of the sliding plate 70 undergo slight elastic deformation. The two engagement portions 73 of the sliding plate 70 are disposed below the two abutment portions 521 of the upper wall 52 of the guide frame 50, respectively. As a result, the sliding plate 70 is sandwiched between the two engagement portions 73 and the bottom wall 51 in the up-down direction.

[0051] 6 and 11, the two locking portions 74 of the sliding plate 70 lock onto the bottom wall 51 of the curved portion 50B. At this time, the support wall 55 of the guide frame 50 is located closer to the body panel 22 than the main body portion 71 of the sliding plate 70, whereas the two locking portions 74 of the sliding plate 70 are located closer to the body panel 22 than the bottom wall 51 of the guide frame 50. At this time, the sliding plate 70 clamps the guide frame 50 due to its restoring force.

[0052] In this way, the sliding plate 70 is firmly supported on the guide frame 50 without using any fastening members such as screws. As a result, the sliding plate 70 can press the belt 66 toward the curved portion 50B of the guide wall 53.

[0053] The operation of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, when the sliding door 30 is opened, the belt 66 is driven so that the connecting member 67 moves rearward. On the other hand, when the sliding door 30 is closed, the belt 66 is driven so that the connecting member 67 moves forward. As shown in FIG. 7, when the belt 66 is driven, the belt 66 slides against the sliding plate 70. In other words, the belt 66 moves in one direction and then the other direction between the inner surface of the guide wall 53 and the sliding plate 70 at the curved portion 50B of the guide frame 50. In this way, the sliding plate 70 prevents the belt 66 from interfering with the body panel 22.

[0054] The effects of this embodiment will be described. (1) The door drive device 40 includes a sliding plate 70 that slides on the driven belt 66, rather than a pulley that rotates relative to the driven belt 66, as a configuration for preventing interference between the belt 66 and the body panel 22. Therefore, the door drive device 40 does not require a configuration for rotatably supporting a pulley, and therefore bulges relative to the body panel 22 can be reduced.

[0055] (2) The sliding plate 70 has a plate shape, which simplifies the configuration of the door drive device 40 compared to when multiple pins are used as the "sliding portion," for example. (3) As shown in FIG. 9 , in the door drive device 40, the sliding plate 70 is positioned between the curved portion 50B of the guide wall 53 and the support wall 55, more specifically, between the belt 66 and the support wall 55. In other words, when the sliding plate 70 is used as a reference, the support wall 55 is positioned in the direction in which the reaction force from the belt 66 acts. Therefore, even if the reaction force from the belt 66 acts on the sliding plate 70, the sliding plate 70 is less likely to be displaced toward the body panel 22. Therefore, the door drive device 40 can stabilize the position of the sliding plate 70 relative to the guide frame 50.

[0056] (4) As shown in Figure 9, the support wall 55 of the guide frame 50 is shaped to fit the outer surface of the body panel 22. Therefore, the support wall 55 of the guide frame 50 can come into surface contact with the outer surface of the body panel 22. Therefore, the reaction force from the belt 66 acting on the sliding plate 70 can be received not only by the support wall 55 but also by the body panel 22. Therefore, the door drive device 40 can suppress concentration of load on the support wall 55.

[0057] (5) As shown in Figures 7 and 10, the two engagement portions 73 of the sliding plate 70 engage with the contact portions 521 of the upper wall 52 of the guide frame 50. More specifically, the two engagement portions 73 of the sliding plate 70 engage with the contact portions 521 of the upper wall 52 of the guide frame 50 from below. Therefore, the movement of the sliding plate 70 in the up-down direction is limited by the bottom wall 51 and the upper wall 52 of the guide frame 50. Therefore, the door drive device 40 can stabilize the posture of the sliding plate 70.

[0058] 7 and 11, the two locking portions 74 of the sliding plate 70 are locked to the bottom wall 51 of the guide frame 50. Therefore, the door driving device 40 can stabilize the posture of the sliding plate 70 in the plate thickness direction.

[0059] This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility. The belt 66 may be replaced with a belt 80 shown in Fig. 12. The belt 80 is a toothed belt, similar to the above embodiment. As shown in Fig. 12, the belt 80 has a belt main body 81, a plurality of core wires 82, a first covering layer 83, and a second covering layer 84. The belt main body 81, the core wires 82, the first covering layer 83, and the second covering layer 84 are all annular.

[0060] The belt body 81 is made of an elastomer such as rubber or resin. The belt body 81 is preferably made of a material that is highly durable and abrasion-resistant. The elastomer material constituting the tooth side portion of the belt body 81 may be different from the elastomer material constituting the back side portion. The core wire 82 is a reinforcing member for the belt body 81. The core wire 82 is preferably made of a material that has high tensile strength, such as resin fiber or metal. The core wires 82 are embedded in the belt body 81 while being aligned in the width direction of the belt 80.

[0061] The first coating layer 83 covers the tooth side surface of the belt body 81, and the second coating layer 84 covers the back side surface of the belt body 81. The first coating layer 83 is a so-called tooth cloth. The second coating layer 84 is an example of a "coating layer" including a sliding surface 80S that slides against the sliding plate 70 and the like. The first coating layer 83 and the second coating layer 84 are cloth-like members made of synthetic fibers such as nylon. The coefficient of friction between the second coating layer 84 and the sliding plate 70 is smaller than the coefficient of friction between the belt body 81 and the sliding plate 70. In other words, the coefficient of friction between the material of the first coating layer 83 and the second coating layer 84 and the metal constituting the sliding plate 70 is smaller than the coefficient of friction between the elastomer constituting the belt body 81 and the metal constituting the sliding plate 70. The first coating layer 83 and the second coating layer 84 are preferably made of a self-lubricating material. Note that the friction coefficient in this embodiment refers to the coefficient of dynamic friction.

[0062] For example, when the belt 80 is manufactured through a vulcanization process, it is preferable to bring the components of the belt 80 into close contact with each other in the vulcanization process. Therefore, it is preferable to perform a pretreatment on the core wires 82 and the first and second covering layers 83 and 84 prior to the vulcanization process to improve the adhesion between the core wires 82 and the elastomer constituting the belt body 81.

[0063] When the sliding door 30 is opened or closed, sliding resistance occurs between the sliding surface 80S of the belt 80 and the sliding plate 70, and between the sliding surface 80S of the belt 80 and the retaining wall 56. In the above modification, it is the second coating layer 84 of the belt 80 that slides against the sliding plate 70, which has a relatively small coefficient of friction with metal. Therefore, the above modification can reduce sliding resistance that occurs between the driven belt 80 and the sliding plate 70, etc.

[0064] When a twisted belt 80 slides against the sliding plate 70 or the like, only a portion of the belt 80 is more likely to slide against the sliding plate 70 than when an untwisted belt 80 slides against the sliding plate 70 or the like. Therefore, when a twisted belt 80 slides against the sliding plate 70 or the like, there is a risk that the belt 80 will wear unevenly. In this regard, the belt 80 has the second coating layer 84, which has a relatively small coefficient of friction with metal. Therefore, even when the twisted belt 80 slides against the sliding plate 70 or the like, the belt 80 is less likely to wear unevenly.

[0065] As described in the above embodiment, the center rail 24 has a smaller radius of curvature at the curved portion than the upper rail 23 and the lower rail 25. Therefore, the radius of curvature of the curved portion 50B of the guide frame 50 of the door drive device 40 is also smaller. As a result, the sliding resistance between the driven belt 80 and the sliding plate 70 tends to increase. Therefore, according to the above modification, it can be said that the effect of suppressing sliding resistance by providing the second coating layer 84 on the belt 80 is further enhanced.

[0066] The door drive device 40 may be provided with a pulley that rotates relative to the driven belt 66, instead of the sliding plate 70, as a configuration to prevent interference between the belt 66 and the body panel 22. In this case, if the belt 66 is replaced with a modified belt 80, the sliding resistance that occurs between the driven belt 80 and the pulley can be reduced.

[0067] The guide frame 50 does not have to have the support wall 55. In this case, it is preferable that the sliding plate 70 is fixed to the bottom wall 51 or the top wall 52 of the guide frame 50. The sliding plate 70 can be replaced with a pin or the like that is slidable relative to the belt 66. In this case, the pin corresponds to an example of the "sliding portion."

[0068] The support wall 55 of the guide frame 50 may function as a "sliding portion." In this case, it is preferable to select a material for the support wall 55 so that the support wall 55 is not worn down by sliding with the belt 66.

[0069] The sliding plate 70 may be integrated with the support wall 55 of the guide frame 50 when the guide frame 50 is resin-molded. This allows the sliding plate 70 to be fixed to the guide frame 50 more firmly.

[0070] The sliding plate 70 may be fixed to the guide frame 50 using fastening members such as screws and bolts, or may be adhered to the guide frame 50 using an adhesive. The shape of the sliding plate 70 can be changed as needed. For example, the sliding plate 70 does not need to have a structure corresponding to the engaging portion 73, and does not need to have a structure corresponding to the locking portion 74.

[0071] The sliding plate 70 may be fixed to the guide frame 50 by providing a hole in the bottom wall 51 of the guide frame 50 and inserting the sliding plate 70 into the hole. The door drive device 40 can be attached to the body panel 22 along the upper rail 23 or along the lower rail 25. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 10...Vehicle 20...Body 21...Door opening 22...Body panel 30...Sliding door 40...Door drive device (sliding door drive device) 50...Guide frame 50A...First straight section 50B...Bend 50C…Second straight section 51...Bottom wall 52...Upper wall 521...Abutting part 53...Guide wall 55…Supporting wall 61...Belt drive unit 65...Cover 641...First driven pulley 642...Second driven pulley 66...Belt 67...Connector 68...Protection plate 70...Sliding plate (an example of a sliding part) 71...Main body 72…Extension part 73...Engagement portion 74...Latching part 80...Belt 80S…Sliding surface 81...Belt body 84...Second covering portion (an example of a covering portion)

Claims

1. A sliding door driving device that is fixed to a body panel of a vehicle and operates a sliding door of the vehicle in an opening direction and a closing direction, a long guide frame that is curved such that an end portion in the closing direction is positioned more inward in the vehicle width direction than an end portion in the opening direction when the guide frame is fixed to the body panel; a first driven pulley and a second driven pulley supported at both longitudinal ends of the guide frame, respectively; a belt wound around the first driven pulley and the second driven pulley; a belt drive unit that drives the belt, the guide frame has a guide wall that guides the belt between the first driven pulley and the second driven pulley, a sliding part that is disposed at a position where the belt is sandwiched between the inner surface of the curved part of the guide wall and the belt when the curved part of the guide wall is defined as a curved part and a surface of the guide wall facing the body panel is defined as an inner surface, and that slides against the driven belt, the sliding portion is a sliding plate curved along the curved portion, the guide frame has a support wall that supports the sliding plate while being in contact with the sliding plate, The sliding plate is located between the support wall and the belt. Sliding door drive unit.

2. When the direction in which the rotation axes of the first driven pulley and the second driven pulley extend is defined as the axial direction, the guide frame has a bottom wall and a top wall that sandwich the guide wall in the axial direction across the longitudinal direction of the guide frame, The support wall extends from the bottom wall so as to face the inner surface of the curved portion of the guide wall. The sliding door drive device according to claim 1.

3. When the direction in which the support wall extends from the bottom wall is defined as the height direction, The upper wall of the guide frame has a contact portion that, together with the bottom wall, sandwiches the sliding plate in the height direction. The sliding door drive device according to claim 2.

4. The sliding plate has a main body portion supported by the support wall and locking portions that lock onto the bottom wall on both sides of the main body portion in the longitudinal direction. The sliding door drive device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. In the belt, when the surface that slides against the sliding portion is defined as a sliding surface, the belt has a belt body made of an elastomer and a coating layer including the sliding surface and coating the belt body, The coefficient of friction between the coating layer and the sliding portion is smaller than the coefficient of friction between the belt body and the sliding portion. The sliding door drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. a drive pulley supported by the guide frame and driven by the belt drive unit; a rotation axis of the drive pulley is in a torsional positional relationship with respect to rotation axes of the first driven pulley and the second driven pulley, The belt is wound around the driving pulley and is twisted between the first driven pulley and the second driven pulley. The sliding door drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The vehicle includes an upper rail disposed above a door opening that is opened and closed by the sliding door, a lower rail disposed below the door opening, and a center rail disposed between the upper rail and the lower rail in the up-down direction, the center rail being located at a position advanced from the door opening in the door opening direction, The upper rail, the lower rail, and the center rail determine the opening and closing direction of the sliding door, The guide frame is fixed to the body panel along the center rail. The sliding door drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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