Vehicle opening / closing body drive device

Abstract

To reduce operation resistance of an opening / closing body.SOLUTION: A power slide door device serving as a vehicular opening / closing body drive device includes an annular drive belt which has a connection part connected to a slide door serving as an opening / closing body and is rotationally driven. Further, the power slide door device includes a guide frame 12 having a slide contact surface S with which the drive belt slidably contacts and extending in an opening / closing operation direction of the slide door. The slide contact surface S is provided with a low slide resistance part 35 having multiple recessed parts 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle opening / closing body drive device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a vehicle opening / closing body drive device that uses a circular drive belt to open and close the opening / closing body of a vehicle. For example, in a door opening / closing device described in Patent Document 1, the drive belt is provided with a connection portion for connecting to a sliding door. This door opening / closing device also includes a guide frame that extends in the opening / closing direction of the sliding door. Furthermore, the drive belt is wound around a pair of pulleys provided on both ends of the guide frame. In this state, this door opening / closing device also includes an actuator that rotates and drives the drive belt.

[0003] Furthermore, in this conventional door opening and closing device, the drive belt slides against the guide frame that extends within the ring shape, and the sliding door connected to the drive belt opens and closes stably with the drive belt guided by the guide frame. [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] However, in the above-described conventional vehicle opening / closing body drive device, when the opening / closing body is opened or closed by the driving force of the actuator or manually, the operating resistance tends to be large. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A vehicle opening / closing body drive device that solves the above problem comprises a circular drive belt that has a connection part with the vehicle's opening / closing body and is driven to rotate, and a guide frame that has a sliding surface against which the drive belt slides and that extends in the opening / closing direction of the opening / closing body, and the sliding surface is provided with a low sliding resistance part having multiple recesses.

[0007] According to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the sliding resistance of the drive belt that slides on the sliding contact surface formed by the guide frame as the opening / closing body is opened or closed, thereby reducing the operating resistance when the opening / closing body is opened or closed.

[0008] In the vehicle opening / closing body drive device that solves the above-described problems, the low sliding resistance portion preferably has, as the plurality of recesses, a plurality of linear grooves extending in the sliding direction of the drive belt.

[0009] According to the above configuration, the sliding resistance of the drive belt can be effectively reduced. In the vehicle opening / closing body drive device that solves the above problems, it is preferable that each of the linear grooves extends continuously at least from a sliding contact start point of the drive belt formed on the sliding contact surface to a separation point.

[0010] According to the above configuration, a low sliding resistance portion can be appropriately formed on the sliding contact surface. In a vehicle opening / closing body drive device that solves the above problem, it is preferable that the drive belt is a toothed belt having tooth portions, the guide frame has a sliding surface against which the tooth portions slide, and each linear groove has an extension length longer than the pitch of the tooth portions.

[0011] According to the above configuration, the teeth of the drive belt are less likely to get caught in the linear grooves, which effectively reduces the sliding resistance of the drive belt. In a vehicle opening / closing body drive device that solves the above problem, it is preferable that linear protrusions extending in the sliding direction of the drive belt are formed between each of the linear grooves, and that each of the linear protrusions makes linear contact with the drive belt.

[0012] According to the above configuration, the sliding resistance of the drive belt can be reduced more effectively. In a vehicle opening / closing body drive device that solves the above problem, it is preferable that the guide frame has a curved corner portion and extends within the ring shape of the drive belt, and has the low sliding resistance portion provided on the sliding surface formed by the corner portion.

[0013] In other words, the corners of the guide frame that extends within the ring shape of the drive belt tend to be surfaces that the drive belt normally comes into contact with, and the surface pressure tends to be high. Therefore, by providing low sliding resistance portions at these corners, the sliding resistance of the drive belt can be effectively reduced.

[0014] In a vehicle opening / closing body drive device that solves the above problem, it is preferable that the guide frame has a convex portion that is convex toward the drive belt, and has the low sliding resistance portion provided on the sliding surface formed by the convex portion.

[0015] For example, the drive belt may flutter due to the influence of external disturbances. In such a case, the convex portion described above tends to become the sliding surface of the drive belt adjacent to the guide frame. Therefore, the above configuration can effectively reduce the sliding resistance of the drive belt.

[0016] In the opening / closing body drive device for a vehicle that solves the above problem, the opening / closing body is a sliding door that opens and closes a door opening provided on the side of the vehicle body, and the vehicle body is provided with a guide rail that supports the sliding door on the vehicle body and opens and closes it in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and it is preferable that the guide frame is provided parallel to a center rail that constitutes the guide rail and extends rearward of the door opening.

[0017] Specifically, the center rail of a sliding door that opens and closes the door opening of a vehicle, as described above, is typically fixed to the vehicle body with its corners and front end positioned at the rear edge of the door opening. Therefore, the corners of the center rail are often set with a smaller radius of curvature than the other guide rails. This also results in the corners of the guide frame that runs parallel to the center rail also being set with a smaller radius of curvature. Since these corners form the sliding contact surface of the drive belt, the sliding resistance tends to be large. Therefore, providing a sliding resistance portion on the sliding contact surface of the guide frame that runs parallel to the center rail can provide a more significant effect. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, the operating resistance of the opening / closing body can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a vehicle provided with a power sliding door device; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the power sliding door device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the power sliding door device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a low sliding resistance portion provided at a corner portion of the guide frame. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a low sliding resistance portion. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a low sliding resistance portion. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a drive belt that slides against a guide frame. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a convex portion provided on a guide frame. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing another example of the guide frame. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] A first embodiment in which a vehicle opening / closing body drive device is embodied in a power sliding door device will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a sliding door 4 that opens and closes a door opening 3 provided in a side surface 2s of a vehicle body 2. Specifically, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a plurality of guide rails 5a-5c extending in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1) of the vehicle, and a plurality of guide roller units 6a-6c connected to each of these guide rails 5. That is, the sliding door 4 of this embodiment is supported on the side surface 2s of the vehicle body 2 via each of these guide rails 5 and each of these guide roller units 6. Furthermore, each of these guide rails 5 and each of the guide roller units 6 is capable of moving an engagement position of each of the guide rails 5 with respect to each of the guide rails 5 along the extension direction of each of the guide rails 5. Thus, the sliding door 4 of this embodiment is configured to move in the front-rear direction of the vehicle while following the side surface 2s of the vehicle body 2.

[0021] That is, the sliding door 4 of this embodiment is brought into a fully closed state in which it closes the door opening 3 when it moves toward the front side of the vehicle (right side in FIG. 1), and is brought into a fully open state in which occupants of the vehicle 1 can get in and out through the door opening 3 when it moves toward the rear side of the vehicle (left side in FIG. 1). The vehicle 1 of this embodiment is provided with a power sliding door device 10 as a vehicle opening / closing body drive device that opens and closes the sliding door 4 based on the driving force generated by an actuator 7 using a motor 7m as a drive source.

[0022] More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment includes a guide rail 5b provided at a height near the beltline, i.e., a guide frame 12 provided parallel to a center rail 11. Specifically, the guide frame 12 is integrated with the center rail 11 and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, which is the direction in which the sliding door 4 opens and closes. The power sliding door device 10 also includes a pair of pulleys 13, 13 provided at both ends of the guide frame 12 in the longitudinal direction. The power sliding door device 10 also includes a circular drive belt 15 having a connecting portion 14 for connecting to the sliding door 4 and wound around the pulleys 13, 13. The power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment is configured so that the drive belt 15 is rotationally driven by an actuator 7 provided near a rear end 12r of the guide frame 12.

[0023] That is, in the power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment, the drive belt 15 wound around the pulleys 13, 13 rotates based on the driving force of the actuator 7, causing a connecting portion 14 provided on this drive belt 15 to move in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, in the power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment, this connecting portion 14 is fixed to the guide roller unit 6b that engages with the center rail 11. As a result, the power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment is configured so that the sliding door 4 connected to the drive belt 15 via the connecting portion 14 and the guide roller unit 6b moves in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, that is, performs opening and closing operations.

[0024] 2 and 3, the guide frame 12 of this embodiment has a rail-like outer shape with side walls 12s facing in the vehicle width direction. As described above, the guide frame 12 is disposed within the ring shape of the drive belt 15 by having the drive belt 15 wound around a pair of pulleys 13, 13 provided at both ends of the guide frame 12 in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the guide frame 12 of this embodiment is configured to guide the drive belt 15 with the side walls 12s facing the inner periphery of the drive belt 15.

[0025] The drive belt 15 of this embodiment is configured as a toothed belt 16 having teeth on its inner periphery. Furthermore, the guide frame 12 is provided with a toothed pulley 17 in the vicinity of its rear end 12r, which meshes with the teeth of the drive belt 15. The power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment is configured so that the driving force of the actuator 7 is transmitted to the drive belt 15 via the toothed pulley 17.

[0026] In the guide frame 12 of this embodiment, the toothed pulley 17 has a rotation axis that extends in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the guide frame 12. Specifically, the toothed pulley 17 is supported by the guide frame 12 with its rotation axis facing the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the guide frame 12 of this embodiment is provided with a pair of pressure pulleys 18, 18 that sandwich the toothed pulley 17 on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the guide frame 12. In the power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment, the drive belt 15 is wound alternately around the pressure pulleys 18, 18 and the toothed pulley 17, so that the drive belt 15 in a twisted state can be stably rotated.

[0027] 2, in the vehicle 1 of this embodiment, the center rail 11 has a curved corner portion 21 near the front end portion 11f. That is, this corner portion 21 curves the extension direction of the center rail 11 inward in the vehicle width direction toward the front side of the vehicle. Furthermore, each of the other guide rails 5 also has a corner portion (not shown) that curves its extension direction inward in the vehicle width direction toward the front side of the vehicle, similar to this corner portion 21. Thus, in the power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment, the sliding door 4 supported on the side surface 2s of the vehicle body 2 via these guide rails 5 and guide roller units 6 can open and close without interfering with the vehicle body 2.

[0028] More specifically, in the vehicle 1 of this embodiment, the center rail 11 is fixed to the vehicle body 2 with its corner portion 21 and front end portion 11f positioned at the rear edge portion 3r of the door opening 3 (see FIG. 1). As a result, the vehicle 1 of this embodiment is configured so that the sliding door 4 in its fully closed state is positioned flush with the side surface 2s of the vehicle body 2.

[0029] 2 and 3, in the power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment, the guide frame 12 also has a curved corner portion 22 near its front end portion 12f, similar to the corner portion 21 of the center rail 11. That is, this corner portion 22 also curves the extension direction of the guide frame 12 inward in the vehicle width direction toward the front of the vehicle. As a result, in the power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment, the drive belt 15 having a connecting portion 14 for the sliding door 4 is rotationally driven in a state where it follows the opening and closing movement locus of the sliding door 4 that moves in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle while being displaced in the vehicle width direction.

[0030] Specifically, the guide frame 12 of this embodiment is positioned inside the circular drive belt 15, so that the drive belt 15 slides against the corner portions 22 of the guide frame 12. More specifically, the guide frame 12 has an outer wall portion 12sa facing outward in the vehicle width direction, and a portion of the outer wall portion 12sa positioned at the corner portion 22 serves as a sliding surface S of the drive belt 15. The guide frame 12 of this embodiment also has a pressing pulley 23 provided at a position radially inside the corner portion 22. Furthermore, the drive belt 15 of this embodiment is wound around the pressing pulley 23, so that the drive belt 15 is routed along the curved corner portions 22 even at positions inside the guide frame 12 in the vehicle width direction. Thus, the power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment is configured so that the drive belt 15 is rotationally driven along the side wall portions 12s of the guide frame 12 over substantially the entire longitudinal direction of the guide frame 12, including the corner portions 22.

[0031] (Low sliding resistance part) Next, a low sliding resistance portion provided on the sliding contact surface S of the drive belt 15 formed by the guide frame 12 of this embodiment will be described.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , in the power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment, a plurality of linear grooves 30 extending in the longitudinal direction of the guide frame 12 are provided on the sliding contact surface S of the drive belt 15 formed by the corner portion 22 of the guide frame 12. That is, each of these linear grooves 30 extends along the sliding direction (left-right direction in FIG. 4 , direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 5 ) of the drive belt 15, which is driven to rotate while sliding against the corner portion 22 of the guide frame 12 during the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 4. Specifically, in the guide frame 12 of this embodiment, each of these linear grooves 30 extends over substantially the entire area of ​​the corner portion 22, which extends in an arc-like curve. As a result, in the power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment, each of these linear grooves 30 forms a low sliding resistance portion 35 with low sliding resistance against the corner portion 22 of the guide frame 12, which is the sliding contact surface S of the drive belt 15.

[0033] 4 and 5, these linear grooves 30 are recessed parallel to each other at positions that become corner portions 22 of the guide frame 12 in the outer wall portion 12sa that forms the sliding surface S of the drive belt 15. As a result, in the guide frame 12 of this embodiment, these linear grooves 30 are arranged in a comb-tooth shape, reducing the contact area of ​​the corner portions 22 that come into sliding contact with the drive belt 15.

[0034] 4, each linear groove 30 extends continuously within a range where the drive belt 15 can easily slide against the sliding contact surface S of the drive belt 15, which is formed by the corner portion 22 of the guide frame 12. Specifically, each linear groove 30 extends continuously at least from a sliding contact start point Xs of the drive belt 15 formed on the sliding contact surface S to a separation point Xe. That is, the sliding contact start point Xs is the point where the drive belt 15 starts to slide against the sliding contact surface S, and the separation point Xe is the point where the drive belt 15 separates from the sliding contact surface S. The sliding contact start point Xs and the separation point Xe are interchanged depending on the rotation direction of the drive belt 15. In the power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment, for example, the sliding contact start point Xs and the separation point Xe are formed at two positions X1 and X2 shown in FIG. The guide frame 12 of this embodiment is configured such that each of these linear grooves 30 can appropriately form a low sliding resistance portion 35 on the sliding contact surface S thereof.

[0035] That is, the drive belt 15 configured as a toothed belt 16 may have its teeth caught on the sliding surface S, which may increase sliding resistance. However, as described above, each linear groove 30 extends continuously between the sliding contact start point Xs of the drive belt 15 and the separation point Xe, thereby suppressing such tooth catch. As a result, the guide frame 12 of this embodiment is configured to effectively reduce sliding resistance at the positions where each linear groove 30 is formed.

[0036] 5 and 6, linear protrusions 40 are formed between the linear grooves 30, respectively, and also extend in the sliding direction of the drive belt 15. Specifically, each of the linear protrusions 40 has a generally arc-shaped cross section that is convex toward the inner circumferential surface 15sb of the drive belt 15 that is in sliding contact with the low sliding resistance portion 35. In the power sliding door device 10 of this embodiment, this allows each of the linear protrusions 40 to be in line contact with the inner circumferential surface 15sb of the drive belt 15.

[0037] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. That is, by forming a plurality of recesses 50 on the sliding contact surface S between two members that slide against each other and changing the contact state, the sliding resistance between these two members may be reduced. Utilizing this, a low sliding resistance portion 35 is provided on the sliding contact surface S of the drive belt 15 formed by the guide frame 12. This reduces the sliding resistance of the drive belt 15 that slides on the sliding contact surface S.

[0038] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. (1) A power sliding door device 10 as a vehicle opening / closing body drive device includes a circular drive belt 15 that has a connecting portion 14 for a sliding door 4 that serves as an opening / closing body and is driven to rotate. The power sliding door device 10 also includes a guide frame 12 that has a sliding contact surface S with which the drive belt 15 slides and that extends in the opening / closing direction of the sliding door 4. The sliding contact surface S is provided with a low sliding resistance portion 35 having a plurality of recesses 50.

[0039] According to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the sliding resistance of the drive belt 15 that slides on the sliding contact surface S formed by the guide frame 12 in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 4. This reduces the operating resistance when opening and closing the sliding door 4. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size of the actuator 7, and it becomes possible to open and close the sliding door 4 with a smaller operating force even during manual operation.

[0040] (2) The low sliding resistance portion 35 has a plurality of linear grooves 30 extending in the sliding direction of the drive belt 15 as a plurality of recesses 50 provided on the sliding surface S. According to the above configuration, the sliding resistance of the drive belt 15 can be effectively reduced.

[0041] (3) Each linear groove 30 extends continuously at least from the sliding contact start point Xs of the drive belt 15 formed on the sliding contact surface S to the separation point Xe. According to the above configuration, the low sliding resistance portion 35 can be appropriately formed on the sliding contact surface S. In particular, the drive belt 15 configured as a toothed belt 16 may have its teeth caught on the sliding contact surface S, which may increase the sliding resistance. However, as described above, each linear groove 30 extends continuously between the sliding contact start point Xs and the separation point Xe of the drive belt 15, thereby suppressing such tooth catch. This effectively reduces the sliding resistance at the position where each linear groove 30 is formed.

[0042] (4) Linear protrusions 40 extending in the sliding direction of the drive belt 15 are formed between the linear grooves 30. Each of these linear protrusions 40 comes into line contact with the drive belt 15. According to the above configuration, the sliding resistance of the drive belt 15 can be reduced more effectively.

[0043] (5) The guide frame 12 has curved corner portions 22 and extends within the ring shape of the drive belt 15. The guide frame 12 has low sliding resistance portions 35 provided on the sliding contact surface S of the drive belt 15 formed by the corner portions 22.

[0044] That is, the corner portions 22 of the guide frame 12 extending within the ring shape of the drive belt 15 tend to become the normal sliding surfaces S of the drive belt 15, and the surface pressure tends to be high. Therefore, by providing the low sliding resistance portions 35 at such corner portions 22, the sliding resistance of the drive belt 15 can be effectively reduced.

[0045] (6) The power sliding door device 10 includes a guide frame 12 that is provided in parallel with the center rail 11 that extends rearward of the door opening 3 . Specifically, the center rail 11 of the sliding door 4, which opens and closes the door opening 3 of the vehicle 1 provided on the side surface 2s of the vehicle body 2, is usually fixed to the vehicle body 2 with its corner portion 21 and front end portion 11f positioned at the rear edge 3r of the door opening 3. For this reason, the corner portion 21 is often set to have a smaller radius of curvature than the other guide rails 5. This also results in the corner portion 21 of the guide frame 12 parallel to the center rail 11 being set to have a smaller radius of curvature. Since this corner portion 21 forms the sliding surface S of the drive belt 15, the sliding resistance tends to be large. Therefore, by providing a low sliding resistance portion 35 on the sliding surface S of the guide frame 12 parallel to the center rail 11, a more significant effect can be obtained.

[0046] The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the toothed belt 16 is used as the drive belt 15, but the drive belt 15 may be configured to have no teeth. In the above embodiment, each linear groove 30 forming the low sliding resistance portion 35 in the corner portion 22 of the guide frame 12 extends over substantially the entire area of ​​the corner portion 22. However, this is not limiting, and the length of each linear groove 30 extending in the sliding direction of the drive belt 15, i.e., its extension length, may be changed as desired.

[0048] However, as shown in FIG. 7, when a toothed belt 16 having toothed portions 60 is used as the drive belt 15, as in the above embodiment, it is desirable to appropriately set the extension length L of each linear groove 30 recessed into the sliding contact surface S. Specifically, in this case, it is preferable that the extension length L of each linear groove 30 be longer than the pitch P of the toothed portions 60 (P <L)。

[0049] That is, by adopting such a configuration, the teeth 60 of the drive belt 15 are less likely to get caught in each linear groove 30. As a result, the sliding resistance of the drive belt 15 can be effectively reduced.

[0050] In particular, as in the above embodiment, it is preferable that each linear groove 30 extends continuously between the sliding contact start point Xs and the separation point Xe of the drive belt 15 formed on the sliding contact surface S, and in this case, the extension length L should be set in accordance with the sliding contact start point Xs and the separation point Xe. For example, in the above embodiment, the sliding contact start point Xs and the separation point Xe are swapped depending on the rotation direction of the drive belt 15, but their positions do not necessarily have to be the same two positions and may be shifted depending on the rotation direction of the drive belt 15. In this case, it is preferable to set the extension length L of each linear groove 30 to a length that covers the sliding contact start point Xs and the separation point Xe in both rotation directions.

[0051] Furthermore, the shape of the recesses 50 provided on the sliding surface S of the drive belt 15 to form the low sliding resistance portion 35 does not necessarily have to be the linear groove 30 described above. That is, as long as it is possible to reduce the sliding resistance of the drive belt 15 that slides against the sliding surface S, the shape of each recess 50 may be changed arbitrarily, for example, to a circular shape or a polygonal shape such as a diamond shape.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the low sliding resistance portion 35 is provided on the sliding surface S formed by the corner portion 22 of the guide frame 12. However, this is not limiting, and the position of the sliding surface S where the low sliding resistance portion 35 is provided may be set arbitrarily.

[0053] For example, as shown in Figure 8, if a convex portion 70 that is convex toward the drive belt 15 is provided on the side wall portion 12s of the guide frame 12, the low sliding resistance portion 35 may be provided on the sliding surface S of the drive belt 15 formed by this convex portion 70.

[0054] That is, for example, there is a possibility that the drive belt 15 may flutter due to the influence of an external disturbance or the like. In such a case, the convex portion 70 as described above is likely to become the sliding surface S of the drive belt 15 that is close to the side wall portion 12s of the guide frame 12. Therefore, with the above configuration, the sliding resistance of the drive belt 15 can be effectively reduced.

[0055] Furthermore, the convex portion 70 provided on the side wall portion 12s of the guide frame 12 has the effect of preventing the inner circumferential surface 15sb of the annular drive belt 15 from coming into surface contact with the side wall portion 12s of the guide frame 12 when the annular drive belt 15 is displaced in the radial direction. Therefore, even if the convex portion 70 does not have the low sliding resistance portion 35, the effect of reducing sliding resistance can be obtained.

[0056] Furthermore, even in a position where the above-described convex portion 70 is not provided, a low sliding resistance portion 35 may be provided on the side wall portion 12s of the guide frame 12 facing the drive belt 15. For example, the above-described plurality of linear grooves 30 may be provided extending over the entire surface of the side wall portion 12s. Even when such a configuration is adopted, the sliding resistance of the drive belt 15 can be reduced.

[0057] Furthermore, when a member is located radially outside the annular drive belt 15 and is in sliding contact with its outer peripheral surface 15sa, the sliding surface S of the drive belt 15 formed by this member may be provided with the low sliding resistance portion 35 as described above.

[0058] For example, a guide frame 12C shown in Fig. 9 includes, instead of the pressure pulley 23 in the above embodiment, a curved, generally plate-shaped pressure member 80 provided at a position radially inward of the corner portion 22. Specifically, the pressure member 80 extends along the curved corner portion 22 at a position that is the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the guide frame 12 (upper side in Fig. 9). The drive belt 15 is routed along the curved corner portion 22 with its outer peripheral surface 15sa in sliding contact with the pressure member 80.

[0059] 9, the pressing member 80 forms a convex portion 81 that is convex toward the drive belt 15. In such a configuration, it is preferable to provide the low sliding resistance portion 35 on the sliding contact surface S of the drive belt 15 formed by the pressing member 80 as the convex portion 81. This makes it possible to effectively reduce the sliding resistance of the drive belt 15.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the guide frame 12 is provided parallel to the center rail 11 extending rearward of the door opening 3. However, this is not limiting, and the present invention may be embodied in a configuration that includes, for example, a guide frame 12 that is parallel to an upper rail provided above the door opening 3 or a lower rail provided below the door opening 3. That is, each of the guide rails 5a, 5c that constitute such an upper rail and lower rail also has a corner portion that curves inward in the vehicle width direction toward the front of the vehicle, similar to the corner portion 21 of the center rail 11. Therefore, for the guide frame 12 that is parallel to the upper rail or lower rail, the sliding resistance of the drive belt 15 can also be reduced by providing, for example, a low sliding resistance portion 35 at the corner portion 21 that constitutes the sliding contact surface S of the drive belt 15.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the actuator 7 is provided near the rear end 12r of the guide frame 12. However, this is not limiting, and the location of the actuator 7 may be changed as desired. Furthermore, the configuration of the actuator 7 and the drive system of the drive belt 15 may also be changed as desired.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the power sliding door device 10 is embodied to open and close the sliding door 4 based on the driving force generated by the actuator 7 using the motor 7m as a drive source. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to other vehicle opening / closing body drive devices that drive opening / closing bodies other than the sliding door 4, such as a sunroof device or a window regulator device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1...Vehicle 4...Sliding door (opening and closing body) 10...Power sliding door device (vehicle opening / closing body drive device) 12...Guide frame 14...Connection part 15...Drive belt 35...Low sliding resistance part 50...recess S…Sliding surface

Claims

1. a circular drive belt that has a connection portion for connecting to an opening / closing body of a vehicle and is driven to rotate; a guide frame having a sliding contact surface with which the drive belt slides and extending in the opening / closing direction of the opening / closing body; The sliding surface is provided with a low sliding resistance portion having a plurality of recesses, the low sliding resistance portion has a linear groove extending in the sliding direction of the drive belt, The linear groove extends continuously at least from a sliding contact start point of the drive belt formed on the sliding contact surface to a separation point. An opening / closing body drive device for a vehicle.

2. a circular drive belt that has a connection portion for connecting to an opening / closing body of a vehicle and is driven to rotate; a guide frame having a sliding contact surface with which the drive belt slides and extending in the opening / closing direction of the opening / closing body; The sliding surface is provided with a low sliding resistance portion having a plurality of recesses, The low sliding resistance portion includes the plurality of recesses, a plurality of linear grooves extending in the sliding direction of the drive belt; the drive belt is a toothed belt having a toothed portion, The guide frame has the sliding contact surface with which the tooth portion slides, The linear grooves have an extension length longer than the pitch of the teeth. An opening / closing body drive device for a vehicle.

3. The opening / closing member drive device for a vehicle according to claim 1, The low sliding resistance portion includes the plurality of recesses, a plurality of linear grooves extending in the sliding direction of the drive belt; A vehicle opening / closing body drive device comprising:

4. The opening / closing member drive device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 3, the drive belt is a toothed belt having a toothed portion, The guide frame has the sliding contact surface with which the tooth portion slides, the linear grooves have an extension length longer than the pitch of the teeth; A vehicle opening / closing body drive device comprising:

5. The vehicle opening / closing body drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a linear protrusion extending in the sliding direction of the drive belt is formed between each of the linear grooves, and each of the linear protrusions makes linear contact with the drive belt; A vehicle opening / closing body drive device comprising:

6. The vehicle opening / closing body drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The guide frame has curved corners and extends within the annular shape of the drive belt; the low sliding resistance portion is provided on the sliding contact surface formed by the corner portion; A vehicle opening / closing body drive device comprising:

7. The vehicle opening / closing body drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The guide frame has a convex portion that is convex toward the drive belt, the low sliding resistance portion is provided on the sliding contact surface formed by the convex portion; A vehicle opening / closing body drive device comprising:

8. The vehicle opening / closing body drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the opening / closing body is a sliding door that opens and closes a door opening provided on a side of a vehicle body, The vehicle body is provided with a guide rail that supports the sliding door on the vehicle body and allows it to open and close in the vehicle front-rear direction; The guide frame is provided in parallel with a center rail that constitutes the guide rail and extends rearward of the door opening. A vehicle opening / closing body drive device comprising:

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