Sliding door drive unit

Abstract

To provide a slide door drive device capable of holding a belt bracket until the assembly time of a vehicle, and capable of protecting a belt after the assembly of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A slide door drive device 40 includes: a long guide frame 50; a first driven pulley 74 and a second driven pulley rotatably supported on both end parts in the longer direction of the guide frame 50; a belt 81 wound around the first driven pulley 74 and the second driven pulley; a belt bracket 82 having a belt connection part 821 connected to the belt 81 and a door connection part 822 connected to a slide door 30; and a holding mechanism 90 installed above the guide frame 50. The holding mechanism 90 includes: a holding part 91 which displaces between a holding position capable of holding the belt bracket 82 and a covering position capable of covering the belt 81; a fixing part 92 fixed to the guide frame 50; and a joint part for joining the holding part 91 and the fixing part 92 so as to be relatively displaceable.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, sliding door drive devices have been known that operate to open and close a sliding door along a guide rail fixed to a vehicle body panel. Such sliding door drive devices include a guide frame extending along the guide rail, two pulleys provided at the front and rear ends of the guide frame, a belt wound around the two pulleys, a belt drive unit that drives the belt, and a belt bracket connected to the belt. The belt bracket is connected to the door hinge of the sliding door during assembly of the vehicle. The belt bracket transmits power from the belt drive unit to the sliding door.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a guide frame having an upper wall and a guide wall extending downward from the upper wall. When a belt drive unit drives a belt, the belt slides against the guide wall while being covered by the upper wall from above. In this way, the sliding door drive device described in Patent Document 1 can protect the belt with the upper wall.

[0004] Patent Document 2 describes a guide frame having a holding portion that holds a belt bracket connected to a belt. The belt bracket is held in the holding portion of the guide frame until the work of connecting the belt bracket to the door hinge is performed. In this way, the sliding door drive device described in Patent Document 2 prevents the belt bracket from interfering with the vehicle assembly work until the work of connecting the belt bracket to the door hinge is performed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-100081 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-95761 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, if a guide frame is provided with both an upper wall that covers the belt from above and a holding portion that holds the belt bracket, the following problems may occur: When the bracket is held by the holding portion, the bracket may interfere with the upper wall, or the holding portion may not be able to be located in an appropriate position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] 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 vehicle's sliding door in an opening direction and a closing direction, and includes: a long guide frame; a first driven pulley and a second driven pulley rotatably supported at both ends of the guide frame in the longitudinal direction; a belt bracket having a belt wound around the first driven pulley and the second driven pulley, a belt connecting portion connected to the belt, and a door connecting portion connected to the sliding door; and a holding mechanism installed above the guide frame, the holding mechanism having a holding portion that displaces between a holding position that can hold the belt bracket and a covering position that can cover the belt, a fixing portion fixed to the guide frame, and a joining portion that joins the holding portion and the fixing portion so that they can be displaced relative to each other.

[0008] In the sliding door drive device, the holding portion of the holding mechanism is positioned in the holding position when holding the belt bracket. On the other hand, the holding portion of the holding mechanism is positioned in the covering position when covering the belt. In this way, by changing the position of the holding portion, the sliding door drive device can both hold the belt bracket before the vehicle is assembled and protect the belt after the vehicle is assembled.

[0009] In the above-mentioned sliding door drive device, when the posture that the belt bracket takes when held by the holding portion located at the holding position is defined as a retracted posture, it is preferable that when the belt bracket takes the retracted posture, the door connection portion is positioned above the belt connection portion.

[0010] In the sliding door drive device, when the belt bracket is held by the holding part located in the holding position, the belt bracket takes a retracted position in which the door connecting part is located above the belt connecting part. Therefore, the sliding door drive device can prevent the belt bracket from interfering with the vehicle assembly work until the sliding door and belt bracket are connected.

[0011] In the above sliding door drive device, it is preferable that the joint portion is a hinge, and the holding portion is displaced while rotating between the holding position and the covering position. In the sliding door drive device, the holding portion is displaced while rotating between the holding position and the covering position, so that the sliding door drive device can easily displace the holding portion from the holding position to the covering position.

[0012] In the above sliding door drive device, it is preferable that the holding mechanism is integrally formed from a resin material, and the hinge is an integral hinge that is thinner than the holding portion and the fixing portion.

[0013] The sliding door drive device can simplify the configuration of the holding mechanism compared to when the holding portion and the fixed portion are joined together by a hinge configured including a pin or the like. In the above-mentioned sliding door drive device, when the posture that the belt bracket takes when held by the holding portion located at the holding position is a retracted posture, it is preferable that the guide frame has an engaging recess with which the belt connecting portion of the belt bracket taking the retracted posture engages.

[0014] In the sliding door drive device, when the belt bracket is in the retracted position, the belt bracket is held by the holding portion and engages with the engaging recess of the guide frame. In other words, there are at least two points of support for the belt bracket. This allows the sliding door drive device to stabilize the retracted position of the belt bracket.

[0015] In the above-mentioned sliding door drive device, it is preferable that the belt bracket has a plate-shaped connecting portion that connects the belt connecting portion and the door connecting portion, the holding mechanism has a slit extending in the longitudinal direction of the guide frame, and the belt bracket is held by the holding mechanism by inserting the connecting portion into the slit.

[0016] In the sliding door drive device, the belt bracket can be attached to and detached from the holding mechanism simply by moving the belt bracket in the direction in which the slit is formed in the holding mechanism. In other words, the belt bracket can be easily attached to and detached from the holding mechanism.

[0017] In the above-mentioned sliding door drive device, when the posture that the belt bracket takes when held by the holding portion located at the holding position is defined as a retracted posture, and the posture that the belt bracket takes when it is no longer held by the holding portion is defined as a released posture, it is preferable that the retracted posture is a posture obtained by rotating the part of the belt to which the belt bracket is connected around an axis passing circumferentially of the belt relative to the released posture.

[0018] The retracted position is a position in which the belt is rotated around an axis extending in the circumferential direction of the belt relative to the released position. Therefore, although twisting occurs in the belt, a large load is unlikely to act on the belt. Therefore, the sliding door drive device can suppress the load on the belt when the belt bracket takes the retracted position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] The sliding door drive device can hold the belt bracket until the vehicle is assembled, and can protect the belt after the vehicle is assembled. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the vehicle behind a door opening. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sliding door driving device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sliding door driving device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the holding mechanism. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the holding mechanism. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the operation when the sliding door is assembled to the vehicle body. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the operation when the sliding door is assembled to the vehicle body. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating the operation when the sliding door is assembled to the vehicle body. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the operation when the sliding door is assembled to the vehicle body. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an end view of the sliding door driving device when the holding mechanism is in the holding position. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an end view of the sliding door driving device when the holding mechanism is in the covering position. 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. <Configuration of this embodiment> As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 20, a sliding door 30, and a door drive device 40. In the following description, the width direction of the vehicle 10 is also referred to as the "width direction," the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle 10 is also referred to as the "front-to-rear direction," and the up-to-down direction of the vehicle 10 is also referred to as the "up-to-down direction." In addition, in the width direction, the direction facing the center of the vehicle 10 is referred to as the "inward direction," and the opposite direction of the "inward direction" is referred to as the "outward direction." An axis extending in the forward-to-back direction is referred to as the X-axis, an axis extending in the width direction is referred to as the Y-axis, and an axis extending in the up-to-down direction is referred to as the Z-axis.

[0022] <Body 20> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a vehicle body 20 has a door opening 21, a body panel 22, an upper rail 23, a center rail 24, and a lower rail 25.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, a door opening 21 opens into a side surface of a vehicle body 20. The door opening 21 has a rectangular shape in a side view in the width direction. The door opening 21 is an area through which a user of the vehicle 10 passes when getting in and out of the vehicle 10. The body panel 22 is a side body panel that constitutes the side surface of the vehicle body 20. As shown in FIG. 2, a portion of the body panel 22 where the center rail 24 and the door drive device 40 are assembled is recessed inward in the width direction. Although hidden by the door drive device 40 in FIG. 2, the body panel 22 has a through-hole that passes through it in the width direction to allow some of the components of the door drive device 40 to pass therethrough.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1 , the upper rail 23, the center rail 24, and the lower rail 25 are fixed to the side of the vehicle body 20. The upper rail 23 is located above the door opening 21. The center rail 24 is located rearward of the door opening 21. The lower rail 25 is located below the door opening 21. 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.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2 , the center rail 24 has a straight portion 241 extending forward and a curved portion 242 extending inward in the width direction in an arc shape from the front end of the straight portion 241 toward the front. The straight portion 241 does not need to extend linearly throughout and may be slightly curved with a small curvature. Similarly, the curved portion 242 does not need to be curved entirely and may have a portion that extends linearly. Although not shown, the upper rail 23 and the lower rail 25 also include components corresponding to the straight portion 241 and the curved portion 242 of the center rail 24. 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 curvature of the upper rail 23, the center rail 24, and the lower rail 25 allows the sliding door 30 to move in the width direction near the fully closed position.

[0026] <Sliding Door 30> As shown in FIG. 1, the sliding door 30 includes a door body 31, an upper hinge unit 32, a center hinge unit 33, and a lower hinge unit .

[0027] The door body 31 has a shape corresponding to the door opening 21. The upper hinge unit 32, the center hinge unit 33, and the lower hinge unit 34 are fixed to the door body 31. The upper hinge unit 32 is located at the front end and upper part of the door body 31. The center hinge unit 33 is located at the rear end and central part in the up-down direction of the door body 31. The lower hinge unit 34 is located at the front end and lower part of the door body 31. The upper hinge unit 32, the center hinge unit 33, and the lower hinge unit 34 have rollers 321, 331, and 341, respectively. The roller 321 of the upper hinge unit 32 is engaged with the upper rail 23 so as to be movable along the upper rail 23. The roller 331 of the center hinge unit 33 is engaged with the center rail 24 so as to be movable along the center rail 24. The rollers 341 of the lower hinge unit 34 are engaged with the lower rails 25 so as to be movable along the lower rails 25 .

[0028] 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, causing the sliding door 30 to slide in the opening and closing directions. That is, the sliding door 30 slides 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 moves rearward to perform an opening operation, and the sliding door 30 moves forward to perform a closing operation. That is, the opening direction of the sliding door 30 is rearward, and the closing direction of the sliding door 30 is forward.

[0029] <Door drive device 40> 2, the door drive device 40 is fixed to the body panel 22. At this time, the door drive device 40 is aligned vertically with the center rail 24. More specifically, the door drive device 40 is located directly above the center rail 24.

[0030] 3 and 4, the door drive device 40 includes a guide frame 50, a belt drive unit 60, a drive pulley 71, two pressure pulleys 72 and 73, three driven pulleys 74 to 76, a pulley cover 77, a belt 81, a belt bracket 82, a belt cover 83, and a holding mechanism 90. Note that in Figs. 3 and 4, for ease of understanding, the illustration of the guide frame 50 is partially omitted and the illustration of the belt 81 is partially omitted.

[0031] 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 more inward in the width direction than the rear end when fixed to the vehicle body 20. 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.

[0032] The guide frame 50 includes a linear portion 51 that is linear in plan view, a curved portion 52 that is arcuate in plan view, an accommodation portion 53 that accommodates some of the components of the door drive device 40, and a plurality of fixing holes 541 to 543 that are fixed to the body panel 22. In this embodiment, the guide frame 50 is a molded product made of a resin material. The guide frame 50 is molded, for example, using a mold that is mainly released in the width direction.

[0033] The straight portion 51 constitutes the rear portion of the guide frame 50. The straight portion 51 extends in the front-to-rear direction. The straight portion 51 does not need to extend linearly without any bends, and may be gently curved. The straight portion 51 has a guide wall 511, an outer upper wall 512, and an inner upper wall 513.

[0034] The guide wall 511 is an elongated member that extends in the same manner as the straight portion 241 of the center rail 24. The guide wall 511 is plate-shaped with its thickness direction in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 3 , a groove-shaped engagement recess 514 is provided on the outer surface of the guide wall 511 near the rear end thereof. The engagement recess 514 is recessed inward in the width direction from the outer surface of the guide wall 511. The engagement recess 514 extends along the longitudinal direction of the guide wall 511. The cross-sectional shape of the engagement recess 514 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction corresponds to the shape of a belt connecting portion 821 of the belt bracket 82, which will be described later.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the outer upper wall 512 and the inner upper wall 513 are connected to the upper end of the guide wall 511. The outer upper wall 512 extends outward in the width direction from the upper end of the guide wall 511. The inner upper wall 513 extends inward in the width direction from the upper end of the guide wall 511. The outer upper wall 512 and the inner upper wall 513 are plate-shaped with their thicknesses in the up-down direction. Because the outer upper wall 512 is located higher than the inner upper wall 513, a step is formed between the outer upper wall 512 and the inner upper wall 513. The outer upper wall 512 does not exist at a position above the portion of the guide wall 511 where the engagement recess 514 is provided. In this respect, the longitudinal length of the outer upper wall 512 is shorter than the longitudinal length of the guide wall 511. In other words, the rear end of the outer upper wall 512 is located forward of the rear end of the guide wall 511. The length in the longitudinal direction of the inner upper wall 513 is equal to the length in the longitudinal direction of the guide wall 511. An engagement hole 515 with its axial direction extending in the up-down direction penetrates near the rear end of the inner upper wall 513. The portion of the inner upper wall 513 where the engagement hole 515 is provided protrudes upward relative to the portion adjacent to that portion in the front-rear direction.

[0036] The curved portion 52 constitutes the front portion of the guide frame 50. The curved portion 52 extends in an arc shape inward in the width direction as it moves forward from the front end of the straight portion 51. The curved portion 52 does not have to be composed only of arc-shaped portions, and may also have a linearly extending portion. The curved portion 52 has a guide wall 521, an upper wall 522, and a bottom wall 523.

[0037] The guide wall 521 is an elongated member that extends in the same manner as the curved portion 242 of the center rail 24. The guide wall 521 is plate-shaped with its thickness direction in the width direction. The upper wall 522 is connected to the upper end of the guide wall 521. The upper wall 522 extends outward and inward in the width direction from the upper end of the guide wall 521. The upper wall 522 is plate-shaped with its thickness direction in the up-down direction. The bottom wall 523 is connected to the lower end of the guide wall 521. The bottom wall 523 extends outward and inward in the width direction from the lower end of the guide wall 521. Like the upper wall 522, the bottom wall 523 is plate-shaped with its thickness direction in the up-down direction. Therefore, the bottom wall 523 faces the upper wall 522 in the up-down direction.

[0038] In the guide frame 50 described above, the guide wall 511 of the straight portion 51 and the guide wall 521 of the curved portion 52 guide the belt 81 that moves along the straight portion 51 and the curved portion 52. The outer upper wall 512 and inner upper wall 513 of the straight portion 51 and the upper wall 522 of the curved portion 52 protect the belt 81 routed along the straight portion 51 and the curved portion 52 from above. The bottom wall 523 of the curved portion 52 prevents the belt 81 routed along the curved portion 52 from falling off downward.

[0039] The accommodation portion 53 is integrated with the front end portion of the straight portion 51 and the rear end portion of the curved portion 52. The accommodation portion 53 has an opening on the surface facing the body panel 22. As shown in FIG. 4 , the accommodation portion 53 has an accommodation space 531 that accommodates the drive pulley 71 and the two pressure pulleys 72, 73.

[0040] 3 and 4, the multiple fixing holes 541 to 543 are provided at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the guide frame 50. More specifically, the fixing hole 541 is provided near the rear end of the guide frame 50 in the longitudinal direction. The fixing hole 542 is provided near the front end of the guide frame 50 in the longitudinal direction. The multiple fixing holes 543 are provided so as to surround the periphery of the storage portion 53 in a side view in the width direction. The multiple fixing holes 541 to 543 are portions through which fastening members such as screws and bolts pass when fixing the door drive device 40 to the vehicle body 20, i.e., when fixing the guide frame 50 to the body panel 22.

[0041] <Belt drive unit 60> 3, the belt drive unit 60 has a motor 61, an output shaft 62 driven by power transmitted from the motor 61, and a case 63 that houses the components of the belt drive unit 60. The belt drive unit 60 has a reducer (not shown) inside the case 63 that transmits the power of the motor 61 to the output shaft 62. The output shaft 62 is connected to a drive pulley 71. As shown in FIG. 2, when the door drive device 40 is fixed to the vehicle 10, the belt drive unit 60 is disposed inside the body panel 22.

[0042] <Pulley> As shown in Fig. 4, the drive pulley 71, the first pressure pulley 72, and the second pressure pulley 73 are housed in the housing portion 53 of the guide frame 50. More specifically, the drive pulley 71, the first pressure pulley 72, and the second pressure pulley 73 are rotatably supported in the housing portion 53. At this time, the drive pulley 71 is located between the first pressure pulley 72 and the second pressure pulley 73 in the longitudinal direction of the guide frame 50. Furthermore, when the door drive device 40 is fixed to the vehicle body 20, the rotation axes of the drive pulley 71, the first pressure pulley 72, and the second pressure pulley 73 extend in the width direction. The drive pulley 71 is a toothed pulley.

[0043] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the first driven pulley 74 and the second driven pulley 75 are supported at both longitudinal ends of the guide frame 50. Specifically, the first driven pulley 74 is rotatably supported at the rear end of the straight portion 51 of the guide frame 50. The second driven pulley 75 is rotatably supported at the front end of the curved portion 52 of the guide frame 50. The third driven pulley 76 is rotatably supported at an intermediate portion of the curved portion 52 of the guide frame 50 in the longitudinal direction. The rotation axes of the three driven pulleys 74 to 76 extend in the vertical direction. In other words, the rotation axes of the three driven pulleys 74 to 76 are in a torsional relationship with the rotation axes of the drive pulley 71, the first pressure pulley 72, and the second pressure pulley 73.

[0044] The pulley cover 77 is a member that covers the opening of the accommodating portion 53. The pulley cover 77 has an insertion hole 771 through which the output shaft 62 of the belt driving unit 60 is inserted. By covering the opening of the accommodating portion 53 with the pulley cover 77, the accommodating space 531 of the accommodating portion 53 becomes a closed space.

[0045] <Belt 81 and belt bracket 82> The belt 81 is a toothed belt made of an elastomer such as rubber or resin. The belt 81 is wound around the drive pulley 71, two pressure pulleys 72 and 73, and three driven pulleys 74 to 76 while surrounding the guide wall 511 of the straight portion 51 and the guide wall 521 of the curved portion 52 of the guide frame 50. Here, the portion of the belt 81 wound around the drive pulley 71 is pressed down by the two pressure pulleys 72 and 73. In this way, the power of the output shaft 62 of the belt drive unit 60 is efficiently transmitted to the belt 81 via the drive pulley 71.

[0046] 4, the rotation axes of the drive pulley 71 and the two pressure pulleys 72 and 73 are in a twisted positional relationship with the rotation axes of the three driven pulleys 74 to 76. Therefore, a twist occurs in the belt 81 at the front and rear of the portions of the belt 81 that are wound around the drive pulley 71 and the two pressure pulleys 72 and 73. More specifically, a twist occurs in the belt 81 between the first pressure pulley 72 and the first driven pulley 74, and a twist occurs between the second pressure pulley 73 and the third driven pulley 76.

[0047] The belt bracket 82 is formed, for example, by pressing a metal plate. The belt bracket 82 has a belt connecting portion 821 connected to the belt 81, a door connecting portion 822 connected to the center hinge unit 33 of the sliding door 30, and a connecting portion 823 connecting the belt connecting portion 821 and the door connecting portion 822. The belt bracket 82 is formed by pressing a metal plate. Therefore, the plate thicknesses of the belt connecting portion 821, the door connecting portion 822, and the connecting portion 823 are approximately constant.

[0048] The belt connecting portion 821 is connected to the belt 81 by sandwiching the belt 81 in the plate thickness direction. In other words, the belt connecting portion 821 is integrated with the belt 81. The belt connecting portion 821 is connected to the belt 81 when the door drive device 40 is manufactured. In the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the connection portion 823 extends downward from the belt connecting portion 821. At this time, it is preferable that the connection portion 823 be slightly bent outward in the width direction. The door connecting portion 822 extends from the lower end of the connection portion 823. It is preferable that the shape of the door connecting portion 822 corresponds to the shape of the center hinge unit 33. It is preferable that the door connecting portion 822 has fastening holes for passing fastening members such as screws and bolts. The door connecting portion 822 is connected to the center hinge unit 33 when the vehicle 10 is manufactured, specifically, when the sliding door 30 is assembled to the vehicle body 20. The door connecting portion 822 can also be said to be the portion that comes into contact with the center hinge unit 33.

[0049] <Belt cover 83> The belt cover 83 has a shape corresponding to the curved portion 52 of the guide frame 50. The belt cover 83 is fixed to the curved portion 52 of the guide frame 50 from above. When the belt cover 83 is fixed to the guide frame 50, the belt 81 is covered by the belt cover 83. The belt cover 83 prevents foreign matter from coming into contact with the belt 81 that moves along the curved portion 52 of the guide frame 50.

[0050] <Holding mechanism 90> 5 and 6, the holding mechanism 90 has a holding portion 91 that holds the belt bracket 82, a fixed portion 92 that is fixed to the guide frame 50, and a hinge 93 that connects the holding portion 91 and the fixed portion 92. The holding mechanism 90 is molded from a resin material. In this embodiment, the holding portion 91, the fixed portion 92, and the hinge 93 are molded integrally.

[0051] The retaining portion 91 has a first upper wall 911, a second upper wall 912 adjacent to the first upper wall 911, a side wall 913 extending from the outer ends of the first upper wall 911 and the second upper wall 912 in the width direction, and a retaining wall 914 extending from the tip of the side wall 913.

[0052] The first upper wall 911, the second upper wall 912, and the side wall 913 are all rectangular plates. The first upper wall 911 and the second upper wall 912 have the same thickness direction. The first upper wall 911 is located behind the second upper wall 912. That is, in this embodiment, a step is formed between the first upper wall 911 and the second upper wall 912, but in other embodiments, there may be no step between the first upper wall 911 and the second upper wall 912. The side wall 913 extends from the first upper wall 911 and the second upper wall 912 in the thickness direction of the first upper wall 911 and the second upper wall 912. The length of the side wall 913 in the front-rear direction is equal to the length of the first upper wall 911 and the second upper wall 912 in the front-rear direction. The retaining wall 914 extends along the thickness direction of the side wall 913. The holding wall 914 has a slit 915 extending in the front-rear direction. That is, the slit 915 extends in the longitudinal direction of the straight portion 51 of the guide frame 50. The width of the slit 915 is smaller than the plate thickness of the connection portion 823 of the belt bracket 82.

[0053] The fixed portion 92 has a first fixed wall 921, a second fixed wall 922 located above the first fixed wall 921, and a protrusion 923 extending downward from the second fixed wall 922. The first fixed wall 921 and the second fixed wall 922 are both rectangular plate-shaped. The second fixed wall 922 is located forward of the first fixed wall 921. The protrusion 923 has a shape that corresponds to the engagement hole 515 of the inner upper wall 513 of the guide frame 50.

[0054] The hinge 93 is configured to allow the holding portion 91 to rotate relative to the fixed portion 92 around an axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the guide frame 50. The hinge 93 vertically connects the inner end of the second upper wall 912 in the width direction and the inner end of the first fixed wall 921 in the width direction. The hinge 93 is membrane-shaped. The film thickness of the hinge 93 is thinner than the plate thickness of the second upper wall 912 of the holding portion 91 and thinner than the plate thickness of the first fixed wall 921 of the fixed portion 92. In other words, the hinge 93 is an integral hinge that is thinner than the holding portion 91 and the fixed portion 92. Therefore, when the holding portion 91 rotates relative to the fixed portion 92, the hinge 93 deforms. The hinge 93 corresponds to a "joint" that joins the holding portion 91 and the fixed portion 92 so that they can be displaced relative to each other.

[0055] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the retaining mechanism 90 is fixed to the rear end of the straight portion 51 of the guide frame 50. That is, the retaining mechanism 90 is located higher than the straight portion 51 of the guide frame 50. More specifically, the first fixed wall 921 of the fixing portion 92 is located above the inner upper wall 513 of the straight portion 51. The second fixed wall 922 of the fixing portion 92 is located above the rear ends of the outer upper wall 512 and the inner upper wall 513 of the straight portion 51. Furthermore, the protrusion 923 of the fixing portion 92 engages with the engagement hole 515 of the inner upper wall 513 of the straight portion 51. In this embodiment, the protrusion 923 of the fixing portion 92 snap-fits into the engagement hole 515 of the inner upper wall 513, thereby securing the retaining mechanism 90 to the straight portion 51 of the guide frame 50. In other embodiments, the retaining mechanism 90 may be secured to the straight portion 51 of the guide frame 50 by fastening members such as screws and bolts.

[0056] <Function of the door driving device 40> The door drive device 40 configured as described above drives the motor 61 of the belt drive unit 60 when opening or closing the sliding door 30. Then, the output shaft 62 of the belt drive unit 60 rotates, causing the belt 81 to rotate. When the sliding door 30 is opened, the belt 81 rotates so that the belt bracket 82 moves rearward. As a result, a load acts rearward on the sliding door 30 via the center hinge unit 33. In this way, the sliding door 30 is opened by moving rearward. On the other hand, when the sliding door 30 is closed, the belt 81 rotates so that the belt bracket 82 moves forward. As a result, a load acts forward on the sliding door 30 via the center hinge unit 33. In this way, the sliding door 30 is closed by moving forward.

[0057] <Operation of this embodiment> 7 to 12, the operation of assembling the sliding door 30 to the vehicle body 20 will be described. The assembling work of the sliding door 30 to the vehicle body 20 is performed by a worker or a work robot, for example, in a manufacturing plant of the vehicle 10. Note that in Figs. 7 to 10, the door main body 31 of the sliding door 30 is omitted for ease of understanding.

[0058] 7 and 11, it is assumed that the center rail 24 and the door drive device 40 are already fixed to the vehicle body 20. Although not shown, it is assumed that the upper rail 23 and the lower rail 25 are also fixed to the vehicle body 20. Before the sliding door 30 is assembled to the vehicle body 20, the belt bracket 82 is held by the holding portion 91 of the door drive device 40. In other words, the holding portion 91 is located at a holding position where it can hold the belt bracket 82. In the following description, the position taken by the belt bracket 82 held by the holding portion 91 located at the holding position is referred to as the retracted position.

[0059] 11, when the holding portion 91 is in the holding position, the second upper wall 912 of the holding portion 91 is inclined with respect to the first fixed wall 921 of the fixing portion 92. Therefore, the extension direction of the holding wall 914 relative to the side wall 913 is a direction that progresses upward as it moves outward in the width direction.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 7 , when the belt bracket 82 assumes the retracted position, the belt bracket 82 needs to be held by the holding portion 91. In this regard, when the belt bracket 82 assumes the retracted position, the belt bracket 82 moves to near the rear end of the guide frame 50. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 11 , when the belt bracket 82 assumes the retracted position, the connection portion 823 of the belt bracket 82 is inserted into the slit 915 of the holding portion 91. Meanwhile, the belt connecting portion 821 of the belt bracket 82 engages with the engagement recess 514 of the guide wall 511 of the straight portion 51 of the guide frame 50. In this manner, the belt bracket 82 maintains the retracted position by being supported by the guide frame 50 and the holding portion 91. In other words, the belt bracket 82 assumes the retracted position without being fixed by fastening members such as screws or bolts. In this embodiment, the holding portion 91 and the belt bracket 82 support each other, so that the holding portion 91 remains in the holding position and the belt bracket 82 maintains the retracted position.

[0061] When the belt bracket 82 is in the retracted position, the door connecting portion 822 is positioned above the belt connecting portion 821. In other words, the belt bracket 82 is retracted from the space outside in the width direction of the straight portion 241 of the center rail 24. In addition, a twist occurs in the belt 81 at the front and rear of the portion connected to the belt connecting portion 821.

[0062] When the sliding door 30 is assembled to the vehicle body 20, the sliding door 30 is moved relative to the vehicle body 20 as shown by the solid arrow in Fig. 8. More specifically, the roller 331 of the center hinge unit 33 of the sliding door 30 is inserted into the rear end of the center rail 24 of the vehicle body 20. Furthermore, the sliding door 30 is moved in the closing direction relative to the vehicle body 20. In this way, the center hinge unit 33 will not fall off from the center rail 24.

[0063] Here, because the belt bracket 82 is in the retracted position, the center hinge unit 33 does not come into contact with the belt bracket 82 when the roller 331 of the center hinge unit 33 is inserted into the center rail 24. Similarly, the center hinge unit 33 does not come into contact with the belt bracket 82 when the sliding door 30 is moved in the closing direction.

[0064] Although not shown, when the sliding door 30 is assembled to the vehicle body 20, the rollers 321 of the upper hinge unit 32 are inserted into the rear end of the upper rail 23, and the rollers 341 of the lower hinge unit 34 are inserted into the rear end of the lower rail 25. Furthermore, by moving the sliding door 30 in the closing direction, the upper hinge unit 32 and the lower hinge unit 34 will not fall off from the upper rail 23 and the lower rail 25, respectively.

[0065] 9 and 12, the belt bracket 82 is removed from the holding portion 91. More specifically, the belt bracket 82 is removed by moving the belt bracket 82 from the holding portion 91 in the direction in which the slit 915 is formed. The belt bracket 82 removed from the holding portion 91 is rotated around an axis passing through the portion of the belt 81 to which the belt connecting portion 821 is connected in the circumferential direction of the belt 81. As a result, the belt bracket 82 stops assuming the retracted position and assumes the released position.

[0066] 11 and 12, when the belt bracket 82 changes from the retracted position to the released position, in other words, when the belt bracket 82 rotates, the position of the belt connecting portion 821 does not change substantially in the vertical and width directions. In FIG. 12, the position of the belt 81 in FIG. 11 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The two belts 81 shown by the solid line and the two-dot chain line in FIG. 12 partially overlap. In this respect, it can be seen that even when the belt bracket 82 changes from the retracted position to the released position, the position of the belt connecting portion 821 does not change substantially in the vertical and width directions. Furthermore, by rotating the portion of the belt 81 connected to the belt connecting portion 821, any twist that had occurred in the portion of the belt 81 connected to the belt connecting portion 821 is eliminated.

[0067] 9 and 12, when the belt bracket 82 is in the released position, the connection portion 823 and the door connection portion 822 extend downward from the belt connection portion 821 of the belt bracket 82. Therefore, the door connection portion 822 is positioned lower than the belt connection portion 821. The belt bracket 82 is positioned in the space outside the straight portion 241 of the center rail 24 in the width direction.

[0068] When the bracket is removed from the holding portion 91, the holding portion 91 is rotated around the axis of the hinge 93. As a result, the holding portion 91 is displaced to a covering position where it can cover the belt 81 routed along the rear end of the straight portion 51 of the guide frame 50. When the holding portion 91 is positioned at the covering position, the first upper wall 911 and the second upper wall 912 of the holding portion 91 partially face the first fixed wall 921 of the fixed portion 92. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12 , the second upper wall 912 extends outward in the width direction beyond the first fixed wall 921. The first upper wall 911 and the second upper wall 912 of the holding portion 91 are positioned above the belt 81 routed along the rear end of the straight portion 51 of the guide frame 50. The side walls 913 of the holding portion 91 are positioned outward in the width direction from the belt connecting portion 821 of the belt bracket 82. In this regard, if the belt bracket 82 moves in the front-to-rear direction, the side wall 913 of the holding portion 91 can be said to be located outward in the width direction of the belt 81 routed along the rear end of the straight portion 51 of the guide frame 50. Note that the holding portion 91 is preferably fixed to the guide frame 50 or the fixed portion 92 by fastening members such as screws and bolts so that it does not move from the covering position.

[0069] Finally, as shown in Fig. 10, the belt bracket 82 is moved in the closing direction in the vertical direction until it overlaps with the center hinge unit 33. Then, the center hinge unit 33 and the belt bracket 82 are connected by fastening members such as screws and bolts. In this manner, the power of the door drive device 40 can be transmitted to the sliding door 30. That is, the sliding door 30 is opened and closed by driving the door drive device 40. Note that it is preferable that the openings at the rear ends of the upper rail 23, the center rail 24, and the lower rail 25, which serve as insertion ports for the rollers 321, 331, and 341, are closed.

[0070] The effects of this embodiment will be described. (1) At the rear end of the guide frame 50, the inner upper wall 513 is present but the outer upper wall 512 is not. Therefore, the belt bracket 82, which is held by the holding portion 91 of the holding mechanism 90 and takes the retracted position, can avoid contact with the guide frame 50. Furthermore, after the belt bracket 82 is no longer held in the retracted position, in other words, after the belt bracket 82 is connected to the sliding door 30, the holding portion 91 of the holding mechanism 90 is positioned at the covering position to cover the belt 81. In other words, the portion of the belt 81 that is not covered from above by the outer upper wall 512 is covered by the holding portion 91 of the holding mechanism 90. More specifically, the portion of the belt 81 that is not covered from above by the outer upper wall 512 is covered by the first upper wall 911 and the second upper wall 912 of the holding portion 91. In this way, by changing the position of the holding portion 91, the door drive device 40 can both hold the belt bracket 82 before the vehicle 10 is assembled and protect the belt 81 after the vehicle 10 is assembled.

[0071] (2) As shown in Figure 8, when the holding portion 91 holds the belt bracket 82, the belt bracket 82 is in a retracted position in which the door connecting portion 822 is positioned higher than the belt connecting portion 821. This facilitates the assembly of the vehicle 10, more specifically, the insertion of the roller 331 of the center hinge unit 33 into the rear end of the center rail 24.

[0072] (3) In the door driving device 40, the holding portion 91 is displaced between the holding position and the covering position. Specifically, the holding portion 91 is displaced between the holding position and the covering position around the rotation axis of the hinge 93. Therefore, the door driving device 40 can easily displace the holding portion 91 from the holding position to the covering position.

[0073] (4) In the door driving device 40, the holding mechanism 90 is integrally molded from a resin material. Furthermore, the hinge 93 of the holding mechanism 90 is an integral hinge. Therefore, the door driving device 40 can simplify the configuration of the holding mechanism 90 compared to when the holding portion 91 and the fixed portion 92 are joined by a hinge including a pin or the like.

[0074] (5) In the door drive device 40, when the belt bracket 82 assumes the retracted position, the belt bracket 82 is not only held by the holding portion 91 but also engages with the engaging recess 514 of the guide frame 50. In other words, there are at least two points that support the belt bracket 82. Therefore, the door drive device 40 can stabilize the retracted position of the belt bracket 82. For example, the door drive device 40 can reduce the risk of the belt bracket 82 coming off the holding portion 91 not only when the device is fixed to the body panel 22 but also when the device is being transported.

[0075] (6) In the door driving device 40, the belt bracket 82 can be attached to and detached from the holding mechanism 90 simply by moving the belt bracket 82 in the direction in which the slit 915 of the holding mechanism 90 is formed.

[0076] (7) For example, if the retracted position is a position that is moved in the vertical or horizontal direction relative to the released position, a large load may act on the belt 81 when the belt bracket 82 assumes the retracted position. In this regard, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the retracted position is a position that is rotated around an axis extending in the circumferential direction of the belt 81 relative to the released position. Therefore, although twisting occurs in the belt 81, a large load is unlikely to act on the belt 81. Therefore, the door drive device 40 can suppress the load from being applied to the belt 81 when the belt bracket 82 assumes the retracted position.

[0077] This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility. In the holding mechanism 90, the hinge 93 may be a joint that joins the holding portion 91 and the fixing portion 92 so that the holding portion 91 can be linearly displaced between the holding position and the covering position. In this case, when the belt bracket 82 is in the retracted position, the door connecting portion 822 may be located below the belt connecting portion 821.

[0078] In the holding mechanism 90, the hinge 93 may be a general hinge having a hinge pin. In this case, in the holding mechanism 90, the holding portion 91 and the fixing portion 92 do not need to be molded integrally.

[0079] The direction in which the axis of the hinge 93 extends can be changed as appropriate in the holding mechanism 90. For example, the axis of the hinge 93 may extend in the width direction or in the up-down direction.

[0080] In the holding mechanism 90, the retracted posture may be a posture in which the belt connecting part 821 moves up and down relative to the released posture, or a posture in which the belt connecting part 821 moves in the width direction. However, in order to reduce the load on the belt 81, it is preferable that the movement amount of the belt connecting part 821 between the two postures is small.

[0081] In the holding mechanism 90, the holding portion 91 located at the holding position may be locked to the guide frame 50. This allows the holding portion 91 to remain at the holding position even when it is not holding the belt bracket 82.

[0082] The manner in which the retaining mechanism 90 retains the belt bracket 82 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the retaining mechanism 90 may retain the belt bracket 82 by fastening the retaining portion 91, which is located at the retaining position, to the belt bracket 82 with fastening members such as screws and bolts. The retaining mechanism 90 may also retain the belt bracket 82 by fastening the retaining portion 91, which is located at the retaining position, to the belt bracket 82 with a snap fit. Furthermore, the retaining mechanism 90 may release the retention of the belt bracket 82 by the retaining portion 91 by breaking a part of the retaining portion 91 that retains the belt bracket 82.

[0083] The location where the holding mechanism 90 is fixed to the guide frame 50 can be changed as desired. Specifically, the holding mechanism 90 may be fixed to any position on the straight portion 51 of the guide frame 50. The holding mechanism 90 may also be fixed to any position on the curved portion 52 of the guide frame 50.

[0084] In the guide frame 50, the engagement recesses 514 may be omitted from the guide walls 511 of the straight portions 51. In other words, in the guide frame 50, the outer surfaces of the guide walls 511 of the straight portions 51 may be flat. Even in this case, the retracted position of the belt bracket 82 can be stabilized by abutting the belt connecting portions 821 of the belt bracket 82 against the flat guide walls 511.

[0085] The door drive device 40 can also be installed in a position where it is aligned vertically with the upper rail 23. In this case, the belt bracket 82 of the door drive device 40 is connected to the upper hinge unit 32. The door drive device 40 can also be installed in a position where it is aligned vertically with the lower rail 25. In this case, the belt bracket 82 of the door drive device 40 is connected to the lower hinge unit 34.

[0086] The belt driving unit 60 may be assembled to the guide frame 50 so that the axial direction of the output shaft 62 of the belt driving unit 60 is aligned with the axial directions of the three driven pulleys 74 to 76. This configuration can prevent twisting of the belt 81. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 10...Vehicle 20...Body 21...Door opening 22...Body panel 30...Sliding door 40...Sliding door drive unit 50...Guide frame 51...Straight section 511...Guide wall 512…Outside top wall 513...Inner upper wall 514...Engagement recess 515...Engagement hole 52...Bend 521...Guide wall 522...Upper wall 523...Bottom wall 53...Storage section 60...Belt drive unit 71...Drive pulley 72, 73...Presser pulley 74~76...Driven pulley 77...Pulley cover 81...Belt 82...Belt bracket 821...Belt connection part 822...Door connection part 823...Connection 83...Belt cover 90...holding mechanism 91...Holding part 911...First upper wall 912...Second upper wall 913…Side wall 914…Retaining wall 915...Slit 92…Fixed part 921…1st fixed wall 922…Second fixed wall 923...Protrusion 93...Hinge (an example of a joint)

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 and a first driven pulley and a second driven pulley rotatably supported at both longitudinal ends of the guide frame; a belt wound around the first driven pulley and the second driven pulley; a belt bracket having a belt connecting portion connected to the belt and a door connecting portion connected to the sliding door; a holding mechanism installed above the guide frame, the holding mechanism having a holding portion that is displaceable between a holding position that can hold the belt bracket and a covering position that can cover the belt, a fixing portion that is fixed to the guide frame, and a joining portion that joins the holding portion and the fixing portion so that they can be relatively displaced. Sliding door drive unit.

2. When the posture that the belt bracket takes when held by the holding portion located at the holding position is defined as a retracted posture, When the belt bracket is in the retracted position, the door connecting portion is positioned above the belt connecting portion. The sliding door drive device according to claim 1.

3. the joint is a hinge, The holding portion is displaced while rotating between the holding position and the covering position. The sliding door drive device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The holding mechanism is integrally formed from a resin material, The hinge is an integral hinge that is thinner than the holding portion and the fixing portion. The sliding door drive device according to claim 3.

5. When the posture that the belt bracket takes when held by the holding portion located at the holding position is defined as a retracted posture, The guide frame has an engaging recess with which the belt connecting portion of the belt bracket in the retracted position engages. The sliding door drive device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. the belt bracket has a plate-shaped connecting portion that connects the belt connecting portion and the door connecting portion, the holding mechanism has a slit extending in the longitudinal direction of the guide frame, The belt bracket is held by the holding mechanism by inserting the connecting portion into the slit. The sliding door drive device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. When the posture that the belt bracket takes when held by the holding portion located at the holding position is defined as a retracted posture, and the posture that the belt bracket takes when it is no longer held by the holding portion is defined as a released posture, The retracted position is a position in which a portion of the belt to which the belt bracket is connected is rotated around an axis passing through the circumferential direction of the belt, with respect to the released position. The sliding door drive device according to claim 1 or 2.

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