Door opening and closing device

Abstract

To provide a door opening-closing apparatus which can be made compact and can operate stably.SOLUTION: A door opening-closing apparatus 10 performs opening / closing operation of doors of a vehicle. The door opening-closing apparatus 10 includes: a motor 30; a clutch 44 for adjusting input rotation power coaxially; a power adjustment unit 24 including a speed reducer 48; a rotation transmission unit 22 which transmits rotation of the motor 30 to the power adjustment unit 24; a columnar body 60 which is arranged coaxially with the power adjustment unit 24 and rotated by the power adjustment unit 24; an output unit 26 including a lever 62 configured to move integrally with the columnar body 60 to operate the doors 14; a base-end bearing 40 which pivotally supports a portion where the rotation transmission unit 22 and the power adjustment unit 24 are connected to each other; and a tip bearing 64 which pivotally supports a tip in the output unit 26.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In vehicle door opening and closing devices, a large force is required to open and close a door, so the motor's power is reduced using a reducer to increase torque. Door opening and closing devices are desirably as small as possible because they are installed in narrow spaces such as near the door hinges. In door opening and closing devices, the motor and reducer are relatively large components, so their relative placement requires careful consideration.

[0003] In the device described in Patent Document 1, the motor and reducer are arranged in parallel and connected by a rotation transmission mechanism. In other words, the motor and reducer protrude in parallel from the rotation transmission mechanism, which reduces the height. In addition, in the device described in Patent Document 2, the output arm that operates the door is connected further forward than the bearing member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-193559 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-223110 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The device described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which the reducer protrudes from the rotation transmission mechanism, and because it is conceptually a cantilevered structure, there is nothing to support the tip. Furthermore, the tip is connected to the door and is subject to large forces when opening and closing, making it prone to instability. Therefore, to stabilize the device, measures such as making the housing larger or thicker are necessary, which goes against the demand for smaller and lighter devices.

[0006] In the device described in Patent Document 2, the output arm connected to the door is located closer to the tip than the bearing member, and there is a concern that the shaft may vibrate if a large force is applied to the output arm. To prevent the shaft from vibrating, the device needs to be made more robust, which leads to an increase in the size of the device.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a door opening and closing device that can be made compact and yet can operate stably. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the door opening and closing device of the present invention is a door opening and closing device for opening and closing doors in a vehicle, characterized in that it has a motor, a power adjustment unit including one or more adjusters that adjust the input rotational power on the same axis, a rotation transmission unit that transmits the rotation of the motor to the power adjustment unit, an output unit that has a rotating body that is provided coaxially with the power adjustment unit and is rotationally driven by the power adjustment unit, and an operation unit that operates integrally with the rotating body to operate the door, a base end bearing that supports the part where the rotation transmission unit and the power adjustment unit are connected, and a tip end bearing that supports the output unit.

[0009] The tip-side bearing may support an end of the output section opposite to the end connected to the power adjusting section, thereby making it possible to further stabilize the power adjusting section and the output section.

[0010] The tip-side bearing may have a flange that contacts an end face of the output section opposite to the side connected to the power adjusting section, and this flange can stabilize the output section in the thrust direction.

[0011] The tip end bearing may be supported by a tip end cover that covers at least a part of the output portion, or may be integral with the tip end cover.

[0012] The base-end bearing may be supported by a base-end cover that covers the rotation transmitting portion, or may be integral with the base-end cover.

[0013] The tip bearing may be fixed to a mounting bracket that is attached to the vehicle body. By attaching the tip bearing to the vehicle body, which is a rigid body with sufficient strength, more stable operation can be achieved.

[0014] The base end bearing may be fixed to a mounting bracket that is attached to the vehicle body. By attaching it to the vehicle body, which is a rigid body with sufficient strength, more stable operation can be achieved.

[0015] The motor and the power adjusting unit may be arranged so that their central axes are parallel to each other, thereby enabling a well-balanced layout. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The door opening and closing device according to the present invention has a base-end bearing that supports the portion where the rotation transmission unit and the power adjustment unit are connected, and a tip-end bearing that supports the output unit that is driven by the power adjustment unit and is essentially the tip of the power adjustment unit. That is, the base end of the power adjustment unit is supported by the base-end bearing, and the rotor, which is essentially the tip, is supported by the tip-end bearing, resulting in a stable double-end support structure. Furthermore, because not only the base end but also the tip end is supported in this way, there is no need to make the housing larger or thicker to stabilize the device, and it can be made smaller and lighter. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle equipped with a door opening and closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the door opening and closing device when installed in a vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the door opening and closing device. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the door opening and closing device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the door opening and closing device as seen from the opposite side to that of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the housing. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the motor unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the wiring in the door opening and closing device. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view of the rotation transmission part. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the output section, the bush, the tip end cover and the surrounding area. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the tip end cover to which the bushing is attached. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional plan view of a tip end cover and a tip end bearing according to a modified example, and their surrounding areas. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A door opening and closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle 12 equipped with a door opening and closing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The door opening and closing device 10 opens and closes front and rear doors 14, 14 of the vehicle 12. The door 14 may be either the front door or the rear door. The door opening and closing device 10 is provided at the boundary between the vehicle body and the door 14, in a position parallel to a hinge 16. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the door opening and closing device 10 opens and closes the right door 14 of the vehicle 12, but the left door may be configured to have a symmetrical shape. The door opening and closing device 10 can also be used to open and close the back door of the vehicle 12.

[0020] 2 is a plan view of the door opening and closing device 10 attached to the vehicle 12. The door opening and closing device 10 is attached to the body frame 12a of the vehicle 12 and acts on the door frame 14a of the door 14 to open and close the door 14. The body frame 12a and the door frame 14a are rigid bodies with sufficient strength. The door opening and closing device 10 is configured to be compact enough to be placed in a narrow space, such as near a hinge 16. The door opening and closing device 10 is connected to an ECU (not shown) by a harness 18 and operates under the control of the ECU.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the door opening and closing device 10. FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the door opening and closing device 10. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the door opening and closing device 10 as viewed from the opposite side to that of FIG. 4. The door opening and closing device 10 is divided into a motor unit 20, a rotation transmission unit 22, a power adjustment unit 24, an output unit 26, and a housing 28. This division is for convenience of understanding. Conceptually, the motor unit 20 is a unit that generates power, the rotation transmission unit 22 is a unit that transmits rotation from the motor unit 20 to the power adjustment unit 24, the power adjustment unit 24 is a unit that adjusts the power and drives the output unit 26, and the output unit 26 is a unit that is driven by the power adjustment unit 24 to open or close the door 14.

[0022] The motor unit 20 and the power adjustment unit 24 are arranged in parallel. That is, the motor 30 and the power adjustment unit 24 are arranged so that their central axes (indicated by symbols J1 and J2 in FIGS. 3 and 5) are parallel to each other. With this configuration, the length of the door opening and closing device 10 in the X direction is reduced, making it compact and allowing it to be used in narrow spaces.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the housing 28. The housing 28 generally has a base end plate 28a and two tubes 28b and 28c protruding from the base end plate 28a to one side (the distal end side). The motor 30, which will be described later, is inserted and disposed in the tube 28b. The clutch 44 and the rotation sensor 46, which will be described later, are inserted and disposed in the tube 28c. Depending on the design, the tube 28c may cover the reducer 48, which will be described later. A notch 28d through which an electric wire passes is formed between the tubes 28b and 28c. In the following description, the extension direction of the tubes 28b and 28c is also referred to as the X direction (see FIG. 3), with one of the two (the side of the base end plate 28a) referred to as the base end and the other (the protruding side of the tubes 28b and 28c) referred to as the distal end. The X direction is the axial direction of the rotation shaft 30b, the clutch 44, and the reducer 48, which will be described later. In each drawing, the base end side is indicated by an arrow X1 and the distal end side is indicated by an arrow X2, as appropriate.

[0024] Cylinder 28b has a smaller diameter than cylinder 28c and protrudes slightly longer in the X direction. Housing 28, together with the outer casing of reducer 48, constitutes the casing of door opening and closing device 10. Housing 28 is made of a resin material.

[0025] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the motor unit 20. The motor unit 20 includes a motor 30 and an electric wire relay unit 32. The motor 30 includes a cylindrical main body 30a, a rotating shaft 30b provided at the center of the main body 30a, and multiple power terminals 30d provided at an end 30c of the main body 30a. The end 30c is the tip side. The rotating shaft 30b protrudes from the base end face. The motor 30 is one of the largest elements in the door opening and closing device 10, as it generates sufficient power to open and close the door 14. In particular, for structural reasons, the length L1 (see FIG. 3) of the motor 30 in the X direction is the longest of all the elements in the door opening and closing device 10.

[0026] However, the length of the rotating shaft 30b varies depending on the specifications. Also, the exposed portion of the rotating shaft 30b is considered to be part of the rotation transmission unit 22, and may not be taken into consideration when comparing the length with the power adjustment unit 24 in layout design. Therefore, the length L1 does not include the rotating shaft 30b.

[0027] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the wiring in the door locking device 10. To facilitate understanding of the wiring, the housing 28 and other components are omitted from FIG. 8 , and the wire relay unit 32 is shown with a virtual line. The wire relay unit 32 is connected to the harness connector 18a of the harness 18 via a receptacle 32a. Inside the device, the wire relay unit 32 is connected to the motor 30, the clutch 44 (described later), and the rotation sensor 46 (described later) via wires 33. The number of wires 33 is, for example, two for the motor 30, two for the clutch 44, and four for the rotation sensor 46. The wires 33 are, for example, terminals formed on fixed paths using coated copper wire or aluminum alloy. The wire relay unit 32 relays and connects the harness 18, which is connected to the outside. In the door locking device 10, a considerable number of internal wires 33 are all connected to the harness 18 via the wire relay unit 32, so only one harness 18 is required. To simplify the drawings, the wires 33 are omitted from all figures except FIG. 8 .

[0028] Furthermore, since the motor 30 has a power terminal 30d provided on its end surface, the wire relay unit 32 is disposed along the rotation shaft 30b of the motor 30, facing the end 30c. This reduces the radial dimension of the motor 30 and the wire relay unit 32, allowing them to be treated as an integrated motor unit 20 along the X direction. The wire relay unit 32 is essentially a functional unit that simply relays the wires, and its length L2 in the X direction (see FIG. 3) is sufficiently shorter than the length L1 of the motor 30 (see FIG. 3). The wire relay unit 32, except for the receptacle 32a, is covered with a cover that is continuous and integrated with the housing 28 in design. In other words, the wire relay unit 32 and the tube 28b of the housing 28 are designed to be connected with almost no gaps or steps.

[0029] As described above, the length L1 of the motor 30 is the longest among the components of the door opening and closing device 10. Therefore, the length L (L1 + L2) in the X direction of the motor unit 20 in which the electric wire relay unit 32 is connected to the motor 30 is an important parameter in the layout design of the door opening and closing device 10.

[0030] Fig. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view of the rotation transmission unit 22. The rotation transmission unit 22 will be described with reference to Figs. 4, 5, and 9. The rotation transmission unit 22 has three gears 34a, 34b, and 34c, and a base end cover 36 that covers the base end sides of the gears 34a to 34c. The first-stage gear 34a is fixed to the rotary shaft 30b of the motor 30. The two-section gear 34b is rotationally driven at a reduced speed by the gear 34a, and further rotationally drives the third-stage gear 34c at a reduced speed.

[0031] The base end cover 36 houses the gears 34a to 34c and covers their base end sides. The base end cover 36 is made of a metal material, a resin material, or the like. The base end cover 36 has ribs and lightening holes to maintain strength and reduce weight. The inside of the base end cover 36 is provided with an intermediate bearing 38 that fits into the center hole 34ba of the gear 34b and supports the gear 34b, a base end side bearing 40 that fits into the center hole 34ca of the gear 34c and supports the gear 34c, and a shaft hole 41 into which the base end of the rotating shaft 30b fits. The intermediate bearing 38 and the base end side bearing 40 are rod-shaped bodies that protrude from the base end wall 36a of the base end cover 36 toward the tip and are integral with the base end cover 36. The intermediate bearing 38 and the base end side bearing 40 may be fixed to and supported by the base end cover 36.

[0032] The intermediate bearing 38, the base-end bearing 40, and the tip-end bearing 64 (described later) are so-called plain bearings. While typical bearings are annular and support a rotating body within their hollow space, the intermediate bearing 38, the base-end bearing 40, and the tip-end bearing 64 are inserted into the hollow space of the rotating body for support. This type of bearing can be configured to be lightweight and space-saving. A bearing can be defined as a mechanical element that positions, supports, or guides a moving part relative to another part (JIS B-0162). Plain bearings are characterized by their long life, small size, simple structure, low cost, and quiet operation.

[0033] The gears 34a to 34c are arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the X direction (see FIG. 9). Therefore, the distance between the axes of the gears 34a and 34c (J1 to J2 in FIG. 9) is appropriately spaced. This allows the motor unit 20 and the power adjustment unit 24 to be appropriately spaced apart. The rotation transmission unit 22 primarily transmits rotation to the power adjustment unit 24, which is an appropriate distance away from the motor unit 20. Depending on the design requirements, this section may not necessarily reduce the rotational speed. In other words, the reduction ratio R1 of the reducer 48 is set significantly larger than the reduction ratio R2 of the gears 34a to 34c. Depending on the requirements, it is possible to further increase the reduction ratio R1 to compensate for the reduction ratio R2. Setting the reduction ratio R2 smaller than the reduction ratio R1 also reduces the torque transmission capacity of the clutch 44, leading to a more compact device. The rotation transmission unit 22 may be configured using, for example, a belt, a chain, or a rotating rod, in addition to transmission of rotation by gears.

[0034] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, a base-end mounting bracket 42 is provided on the tip side of the rotation transmission unit 22. The base-end mounting bracket 42, together with a tip-end mounting bracket 58 (described later), is a member that mounts the door opening and closing device 10 to the vehicle body frame 12a. The base-end mounting bracket 42 is made of a metal plate with a sufficient thickness and strength, and includes a mounting piece 42a bent so as to have an L-shaped cross section and a wall piece 42b. The mounting piece 42a protrudes from the end of the wall piece 42b toward the tip side and faces a mounting piece 58a (described later). The mounting piece 42a has bolt holes on both ends, and is attached to the vehicle body frame 12a by inserting bolts through the bolt holes. The mounting piece 42a has an arc-shaped recess 42aa that abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the clutch 44.

[0035] The wall piece 42b also serves as the tip side wall of the rotation transmission unit 22. The gears 34a to 34c are housed in a space formed by the base end cover 36 and the wall piece 42b. The wall piece 42b has holes through which the rotation shaft 30b, parts of the gears 34b and 34c, and screws B pass. The wall piece 42b is sandwiched between the base end cover 36 and the base end plate 28a of the housing 28, and is fastened together from the base end side by a plurality of screws B. To avoid complication, all screws will be referred to as screws B regardless of their type, length, or diameter.

[0036] As described above, the base-end bearing 40 is integral with the base-end cover 36. The base-end cover 36 is fixed to the base-end mounting bracket 42 with screws, so the base-end bearing 40 is essentially fixed to the base-end mounting bracket 42. The base-end mounting bracket 42 is stably and reliably fixed to the body frame 12a. The base-end bearing 40 also supports the portion connecting the rotation transmission unit 22 and the base end of the power adjustment unit 24. Ultimately, the base-end bearing 40 is stably fixed almost directly to the body frame 12a via the base-end mounting bracket 42, and one end of the power adjustment unit 24 that is supported by the base-end bearing 40 is stabilized. The base-end bearing 40 may be separate from the base-end cover 36 and supported by the base-end cover 36.

[0037] The intermediate bearing 38 is also stable, similar to the base-end bearing 40. The base end surface of the motor 30 is fixed to the base end plate 28a of the housing 28 with a plurality of screws B, and the circumferential surface is supported by the inner circumferential surface of the housing 28, allowing the rotating shaft 30b to rotate stably. Therefore, each of the three gears 34a to 34c can rotate stably, and there is little loss in power transmission.

[0038] As described above, the power adjustment unit 24 is a part that adjusts the power input via the rotation transmission unit 22 to drive the output unit 26. Power adjustment is defined in a broad sense as adjustment by connecting / disconnecting power or by slowing down the speed. The power adjustment unit 24 is provided with one or more power adjusters. In this embodiment, the power adjustment unit 24 is provided with two adjusters, namely, a clutch 44 and a speed reducer 48. Other examples of power adjusters include a brake and a torque limiter. When there are multiple adjusters, they are basically connected in series on the same axis.

[0039] Power adjustment unit 24 has, in order from the base end to the tip, clutch 44, rotation sensor 46, reducer 48, intermediate cover 50, and pre-output stage bearing 52. In this embodiment, power adjustment unit 24 is coaxial with hinge 16 (see FIG. 2). A bushing 54 and a tip cover 56 are provided on the tip side of power adjustment unit 24.

[0040] The clutch 44 is electromagnetic and is serrated connected to the final-stage gear 34c of the rotation transmission unit 22, and connects and disconnects the rotation of the gear 34c to the rotation sensor 46 and the reducer 48. The clutch 44 is located upstream of the reducer 48, and requires a relatively small transmission torque capacity. The clutch 44 is stable because its base end surface is fixed to the base end plate 28a of the housing 28 with multiple screws B and its circumferential surface is supported by the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder 28c of the housing 28. The clutch 44 is a power regulator, and is somewhat long in the X direction for functional and structural reasons, but is shorter than the length L1 of the motor 30.

[0041] The rotation sensor 46 is provided between the clutch 44 and the reducer 48 and measures the number of rotations therebetween. The rotation sensor 46 has a stepped portion on its circumferential surface, and this stepped portion is prevented from rotating by engaging with an inner peripheral stepped portion 28ca (see FIG. 6) of the housing 28. The rotation sensor 46 is an electrical element and does not mechanically adjust power, so it has a structure that is sufficiently short in the X direction. Because the rotation sensor 46 is short, there is a relatively large degree of freedom in layout, and it may be placed, for example, in the output stage of the motor 30 or inside the rotation transmission unit 22.

[0042] The reducer 48 reduces the rotation speed of the rotary shaft of the rotation sensor 46 to drive the output unit 26. The reducer 48 is composed of a two-stage planetary gear mechanism, which provides sufficient reduction in speed. As is well known, a planetary gear mechanism has multiple planetary gears interposed between a sun gear and an outer gear, and the planetary gears are supported by a planetary carrier so that they can rotate and revolve. The sun gear and planetary carrier then serve as coaxial input and output shafts.

[0043] The inner periphery of the housing of the reducer 48 forms an outer gear. The housing of the reducer 48 has an appropriate size and strength, and also serves as part of the main housing of the door opening and closing device 10. The housing of the reducer 48 has a shape that is continuous and integrated in design with the cylinder 28c of the housing 28 (see FIG. 3). In other words, the housing of the reducer 48 and the cylinder 28c of the housing 28 are designed to be connected with almost no gaps or steps. Because the reducer 48 is a power regulator that generates large torque, the tooth width of each gear is relatively thick, and furthermore, due to the structure having a multi-stage planetary gear mechanism, the reducer 48 is somewhat long in the X direction, but is shorter than the length L1 of the motor 30.

[0044] In the door locking device 10 of this embodiment, all power regulators (clutch 44 and reducer 48 in this embodiment) are included in the power adjustment unit 24. As described above, the length L of the motor unit 20 including the motor 30 is an important parameter in the layout design of the door locking device 10. Therefore, it is desirable to layout the regulator, which is a relatively large component other than the motor 30, on a separate axis from the motor unit 20. This is also because it is desirable to perform power adjustment collectively on a single axis prior to the output unit 26. Furthermore, it is desirable from a design perspective to separate the regulator, which is a mechanical element, from the motor 30, which is an electrical element. However, since the rotation sensor 46, which is an electrical element, has a short X dimension, including it in the power adjustment unit 24 prevents the length L of the motor unit 20, which is a dominant parameter in the door locking device 10, from becoming even longer, thereby achieving a balance between the power adjustment unit 24 and the motor unit 20.

[0045] The intermediate cover 50 covers the tip end side of the reducer 48 and supports the front output stage bearing 52. The front output stage bearing 52 is a deep groove ball type rolling bearing, and its outer circumferential surface is supported by the front tubular portion 50b (see Figure 10) of the intermediate cover 50. A wall piece 58b of the front end side mounting bracket 58 is interposed between the intermediate cover 50 and the tip end surface of the reducer 48.

[0046] The tip-side mounting bracket 58, together with the base-side mounting bracket 42, is a member that mounts the door opening and closing device 10 to the vehicle body frame 12a. The tip-side mounting bracket 58 is made of a metal plate with a sufficient thickness and strength, and is composed of a mounting piece 58a bent so that its cross section is L-shaped and a wall piece 58b. The mounting piece 58a protrudes from the end of the wall piece 58b toward the base end and faces the mounting piece 42a. The mounting piece 58a has bolt holes on both ends, and is attached to the vehicle body frame 12a by inserting bolts through the bolt holes.

[0047] The wall piece 58b is formed with holes through which the rear cylinder 50a of the intermediate cover 50 (see FIG. 10) and screws B pass. The wall piece 58b is sandwiched between the intermediate cover 50 and the tip surface of the reducer 48, and is fastened together from the tip side with four screws B (see FIG. 5). These four screws B are relatively long, and pass through the vicinity of the four corners of the reducer 48 to reach the housing 28. Therefore, the reducer 48 is sandwiched and stabilized between the housing 28, wall piece 58b, and intermediate cover 50. The base-end side mounting bracket 42 and the tip-end side mounting bracket 58 are configured separately, which facilitates assembly of the door opening and closing device 10, but they may also be integrated depending on the design and assembly process conditions.

[0048] FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the output unit 26, bushing 54, tip cover 56, and their surrounding areas. FIG. 10 shows a cross section below the rotation axis. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 10, the output unit 26 has a cylindrical body (rotating body) 60 and a lever (operating unit) 62. The cylindrical body 60 is made of metal and has a hollow portion 60a and a stepped inner circumferential surface 60b. The shaft 48a of the reducer 48 is inserted into the hollow portion 60a, and they are connected by serrations. In other words, the cylindrical body 60 is a rotating body that is disposed coaxially with the power adjustment unit 24 and is rotated by the power adjustment unit 24. The stepped inner circumferential surface 60b is formed at the tip and has a circumferential surface that is slightly larger in diameter than the hollow portion 60a.

[0049] The lever 62 has a fixed portion 62a welded over approximately 180 degrees to the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 60, and a protruding portion 62b protruding laterally from the fixed portion 62a. The protruding portion 62b is attached to the door frame 14a (see FIG. 2) via an attachment 65. In other words, the lever 62 is an operating portion that operates integrally with the cylindrical body 60 to operate the door 14. The output portion 26 does not have to be directly connected to the door frame 14a, and may be connected via other power transmission means (for example, a wire or a rod).

[0050] The output section 26 can be replaced with a different lever 62 depending on the vehicle model to which it is applied, but the cylindrical body 60 is securely connected to the shaft 48a with serrations, and can essentially be considered the shaft end of the final stage in the power adjustment section 24.

[0051] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the tip cover 56 to which the bushing 54 is attached. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the tip cover 56 includes an attachment piece 56a, a cylindrical half body 56b, an end plate 56c, and a shaft support protrusion 56d. The tip cover 56 is made of a high-strength material such as metal or hard resin. The attachment piece 56a is fixed to the tip side of the reducer 48 via the intermediate cover 50 and a wall piece 58b with multiple screws B (see FIG. 4). The cylindrical half body 56b has an arc-shaped cross section of approximately 180°, protrudes from the attachment piece 56a toward the tip, and covers approximately half of the cylindrical body 60 of the output unit 26. The portion not covered by the cylindrical half body 56b is the operating range of the lever 62 of the output unit 26. Because the cylindrical half body 56b cannot cover the operating range of the lever 62, it is preferable to configure it to cover at least a portion of the output unit 26 excluding the operating range. The end plate 56c is a circular plate provided at the tip of the cylindrical half body 56b, and covers the tip side of the cylindrical body 60. The shaft support protrusion 56d protrudes from the center of the end plate 56c toward the base end side. A hollow portion is formed in the shaft support protrusion 56d.

[0052] The bushing 54 is a copper-based sintered metal part, for example, and has excellent lubricity and wear resistance. The bushing 54 is a so-called flanged type, and includes a flange portion 54a, a first protruding portion 54b protruding from the flange portion 54a toward the base end, and a second protruding portion 54c with a smaller diameter than the first protruding portion 54b and protruding further toward the base end. A hollow portion 54d is formed in the bushing 54. The bushing 54 is supported by a shaft support protrusion 56d tightly fitting into the hollow portion 54d. The tip side surface of the flange portion 54a abuts against the end plate 56c for stability. The base side surface of the flange portion 54a abuts against the tip side surface of the cylindrical body 60 for stability. The first protruding portion 54b is inserted into the cylindrical body 60 from the tip side, and its outer surface 54ba abuts against the stepped inner peripheral surface 60b without any gap. The second protrusion 54c is inserted into the hollow portion 60a where the serrations are formed, further stabilizing the bushing 54.

[0053] The bushing 54 supported by the shaft support projection 56d and the cylindrical body 60 of the output portion 26 slide between the outer peripheral surface 54ba and the stepped inner peripheral surface 60b. In this manner, the shaft support projection 56d and the bushing 54 form a tip-side bearing 64 that supports the output portion 26. The tip-side bearing 64 is a sliding bearing. The tip-side bearing 64 acts as a radial bearing between itself and the stepped inner peripheral surface 60b, but also acts as a thrust bearing due to sliding between the base-end side surface of the flange 54a and the tip-end side surface of the cylindrical body 60. In other words, the tip-side bearing 64 can stably support the output portion 26 in the axial direction as well. The output portion 26 drives the door 14 to open and close and is subjected to a considerable force, but stable operation is possible because the tip end is supported by the tip-side bearing 64.

[0054] The shaft support protrusions 56d of the tip side bearing 64 are formed integrally with the tip side cover 56. The high-strength tip side cover 56 is fixed to the tip side mounting bracket 58 with screws, so the tip side bearing 64 is essentially fixed to the tip side mounting bracket 58. The tip side mounting bracket 58 is stably and reliably fixed to the body frame 12a. The tip side bearing 64 supports the tip of the output unit 26, which is essentially the tip of the power adjusting unit 24. Ultimately, the tip side bearing 64 is stably fixed almost directly to the body frame 12a via the tip side mounting bracket 58, and one end of the power adjusting unit 24 that is supported by the tip side bearing 64 is stabilized.

[0055] Although a bearing can be provided at the intermediate position in the axial direction of the cylindrical body 60 to obtain a reasonable effect, providing it at the tip provides a greater support effect. Furthermore, providing a bearing at the intermediate position in the axial direction of the cylindrical body 60 makes it difficult to provide support in the thrust direction, and requires some means to avoid interference with the lever 62. Therefore, it is desirable to provide the bearing at the tip, as in the tip-side bearing 64.

[0056] Furthermore, because the base end of the cylindrical body 60 is supported by the output front stage bearing 52, both ends of the output section 26 are supported, further stabilizing operation. The bushing 54 and the tip cover 56 may be integrally formed, but forming them as separate bodies facilitates manufacturing and allows the selection of appropriate materials for each. A general-purpose product can also be used for the bushing 54.

[0057] 12 is a cross-sectional plan view of a tip side cover 56A, a tip side bearing 64A, and their surrounding areas according to a modified example. The tip side cover 56A and the tip side bearing 64A are components equivalent to the tip side cover 56 and the tip side bearing 64 described above.

[0058] Depending on the specifications based on the application of the door opening and closing device 10, it is also possible that the output unit 26 will be subjected to a high load only in the radial direction, and not to a load in the thrust direction. For example, if the output unit 26 is located on the upper side of the vehicle in the vertical direction, the output unit 26 will not be subjected to a load in the thrust direction. In such a case, a tip side bearing 64A, which is a rolling bearing, may be provided as a means for supporting the tip of the output unit 26, rather than the tip side bearing 64, which is a sliding bearing as described above. In this case, the protrusion 56Aa of the tip side cover 56A has a diameter that fits into the inner periphery of the inner ring of the tip side bearing 64A.

[0059] The door opening and closing device 10 configured as described above includes a base-end bearing 40 that supports the portion where the rotation transmission unit 22 and the power adjustment unit 24 are connected, and a tip-end bearing 64 that supports the output unit 26 that is driven by the power adjustment unit 24 and is essentially the tip of the power adjustment unit 24. That is, the base end of the power adjustment unit 24 is supported by the base-end bearing 40, and the cylindrical body 60 that is essentially the tip is supported by the tip-end bearing 64, resulting in a double-end support structure that is stable. Furthermore, unlike a so-called cantilever structure (for example, a reducer portion extending from a rotation transmission mechanism as in Patent Document 1), this double-end support structure supports not only the base end but also the tip end, eliminating the need to increase the size or thickness of the housing to stabilize the device, and allowing for a smaller and lighter device.

[0060] Furthermore, the device described in Patent Document 1 has an unstable and heavy structure due to its cantilevered structure, and is fixed by a single L-shaped mounting bracket on the base end, which raises concerns that bending of the L-shaped bend could increase vibration and internal shaft wobble. Furthermore, suppressing shaft wobble requires a more robust device construction, which leads to an increase in the device's size. In contrast, the door opening and closing device 10 has a double-end support structure that is stable and lightweight, and is fixed by a base end mounting bracket 42 on the base end side and a tip end mounting bracket 58 on the tip end side, making it highly stable and able to suppress vibration and internal shaft wobble.

[0061] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can of course be freely modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 10 Door opening and closing device 12 vehicles 14 doors 20 Motor unit 22 Rotation transmission unit 24 Power adjustment section 26 Output section 28 Housing 30 motor 30b Rotation axis 30c end 30d Power terminal 32 Electrical cable relay section 34a, 34b, 34c Gears 36 Base end cover 38 Intermediate bearing 40 Base end bearing 42 Base end mounting bracket 44 Clutch (adjuster) 46 Rotation Sensor 48 Reducer (adjuster) 50 Intermediate cover 52 Front output bearing 54 Bush (tip bearing) 54a Tsuba 56,56A Tip side cover 56d Shaft support protrusion (tip bearing) 58 Tip side mounting bracket 60 Cylinder (rotating body) 62 Lever (operating part) 64 Tip bearing

Claims

1. A door opening and closing device for opening and closing a door of a vehicle, A motor; a power adjusting unit including one or more adjusters that adjust the input rotational power on the same axis; a rotation transmission unit that transmits rotation of the motor to the power adjustment unit; an output unit including a rotating body that is provided coaxially with the power adjusting unit and is rotationally driven by the power adjusting unit, and an operation unit that operates integrally with the rotating body to operate the door; a base-end bearing that supports a portion where the rotation transmission unit and the power adjustment unit are connected; a tip-end bearing that supports the output portion; a tip end cover that covers at least a part of the output portion; and The distal end cover has a shaft support projection that projects toward the proximal end, the tip-end bearing is constituted by the shaft support projection and a bush, the bushing includes a flange portion and a first protruding portion protruding from the flange portion toward a base end side, the shaft support projection is fitted into a bushing hollow portion formed in the first protruding portion, and the first protruding portion is fitted into an output portion first hollow portion formed in the output portion, The flange abuts against an end face of the output section opposite to the side connected to the power adjusting section. A door opening and closing device characterized by the above.

2. The base-end bearing is supported by a base-end cover that covers the rotation transmission unit, or is integral with the base-end cover.

2. The door opening and closing device according to claim 1.

3. The tip bearing is fixed to a mounting bracket that is attached to the vehicle body.

3. The door opening and closing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The base end bearing is fixed to a mounting bracket that is attached to the vehicle body. The door opening and closing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The motor and the power adjusting unit are arranged so that their central axes are parallel to each other.

5. The door opening and closing device according to claim 1.

6. the bushing includes a second protruding portion that protrudes further from the first protruding portion toward the base end side, the output portion has a second hollow portion provided with serrations extending from the first hollow portion toward the base end, The second protrusion is inserted into the second hollow portion of the output portion. The door opening and closing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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