JP2006169898A - Opening/closing device for opening/closing body for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To positively prevent backlash between members when an opening/closing body is in a totally closed position. <P>SOLUTION: A drive unit 11 comprising an electric motor 20, an intermediate gear 25 and a sector gear 27 for transmitting the driving force to a rear door 3, a lower case 22 and an upper case 23 for rotatably supporting the intermediate gear 25 and sector gear 27, comprises stoppers 22d, 23c provided between the intermediate gear 25 and the lower case 22 and between the sector gear 27 and the upper case 23 to lock the intermediate gear 25 and the sector gear 27 to the lower case 22 and the upper case 23 respectively by frictional force when the rear door 3 is in the totally closed position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an opening / closing device for a vehicle opening / closing body.

  As a known opening / closing device for an opening / closing body, there is one described in Patent Document 1 described later. In this opening / closing device, the drive unit (opening / closing device) is provided at the rear portion of the vehicle body. The opening formed in the vehicle body is opened and closed by a back door (opening / closing body). The back door is connected to the vehicle body via a hinge arm. The hinge arm is connected to the rack. The rack is provided with a tooth portion and a guide surface, and the tooth portion of the rack is engaged with the output gear. The guide surface of the rack can be slidably contacted with the guide member. On the guide surface of the rack, an inclined portion is provided on the vehicle rear side.

  When there is a back door in the fully closed position, the inclined portion of the guide surface of the rack comes into contact with the guide member, so that the tooth portion of the rack is pressed toward the output gear. As a result, the gap between the rack tooth portion and the output gear is reduced, and rattling due to vibration or the like during traveling of the vehicle is prevented between these members.

When the drive unit operates in the fully closed position of the back door, the driving force of the motor is transmitted to the output gear via the intermediate gear, and the rack that engages with the output gear is moved to the rear side of the vehicle. Along with this, the back door connected to the rack via the hinge arm pivots upward in the vehicle, and finally reaches the fully open position.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-285643 (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 4)

  By the way, in the drive unit described above, when the back door is in the fully closed position, the tooth portion of the rack is pressed toward the output gear, thereby preventing rattling due to vibrations or the like during vehicle travel between these members. Has been.

  However, since it is necessary to provide a backlash between the rack teeth and the output gear, even if these members are pressed against each other between the rack teeth and the output gear, A gap is always formed. Therefore, the tooth portion of the rack can move relative to the output gear by this gap, and rattling between these members could not be completely prevented.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to more reliably prevent rattling between members when the opening / closing body is in the fully closed position.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the technical means taken in the present invention, as described in claim 1, is rotated by receiving a driving source and a driving force of the driving source. In an opening / closing device for a vehicle opening / closing body comprising a transmission member for transmitting to the housing and a housing for rotatably supporting the transmission member, the opening / closing body is provided between the transmission member and the housing, and the opening / closing body is fully closed. It is set as the structure provided with the friction member which latches the said transmission member with respect to the said housing | casing with a frictional force when it exists in a position.

  Preferably, as described in claim 2, the friction member is made of an elastic body.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the opening / closing body is in the fully closed position, the transmission member is locked to the housing by the frictional force by the friction member. According to this structure, since the transmission member is pressed against the housing via the friction member, no gap is formed between the transmission member and the housing. As a result, rattling due to vibration or the like during vehicle travel can be more reliably prevented between the transmission member and the housing.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, the friction member is made of an elastic body. In this case, the magnitude of the frictional force applied to the friction member is adjusted by changing the elastic modulus of the elastic body. Thereby, the magnitude | size of a desired frictional force can be set easily.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the electric back door 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, this electric back door 1 includes a back door 3 (open / close body) hinged to the upper rear portion of the vehicle body 2, an actuator 4 for opening and closing the back door 3 electrically, and a damper stay. And 5.

  The actuator 4 includes a drive unit 11 that is fixed to the rear pillar 2 a of the vehicle body 2 and outputs a driving force via the arm 12, and a rod 13 that connects the distal end portion of the arm 12 and the proximal end portion of the back door 3. I have. The rod 13 is rotatably connected to the distal end portion of the arm 12 and the proximal end portion of the back door 3.

  When the back door 3 is in the fully closed position, as shown by the solid line in the figure, the arm 12 is arranged so that the tip side faces downward (downward in FIG. 3) of the vehicle. Folded (closed state). When the back door 3 is in the fully open position, as shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure, the arm 12 is arranged so that the front end side is directed to the rear of the vehicle (right side in FIG. 3). Is extended (open state). Therefore, the back door 3 is opened (closed) by moving the arm 12 and the rod 13 between these two states by the operation of the drive unit 11.

  The damper stay 5 has a configuration of a gas piston filled with high-pressure gas, and one end and the other end thereof are connected to the rear portion of the vehicle body 2 and the base end portion of the back door 3, respectively. The damper stay 5 generates a resultant force in the closing direction together with its own weight in the first half of the opening of the back door 3 to prevent a sudden door opening. On the other hand, in the latter half of the opening of the back door 3, a resultant force in the opening direction is generated together with its own weight to assist the opening of the door. In other words, the damper stay 5 applies a closing or opening force to the back door 3 before and after the position where the generated force and the weight of the back door 3 are balanced.

  Next, the drive unit 11 (opening / closing device for a vehicle opening / closing body) according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

  The drive unit 11 includes an electric motor 20, a clutch mechanism 21, a pinion gear 24, an intermediate gear 25, an output shaft 26, a sector gear 27, an arm 12, a lower case 22, and an upper case 23. The upper case 23 and the lower case 22 rotatably support the output shaft 26, and the output shaft 26 is fitted to the sector gear 27. A sector gear 27, an intermediate gear 25 that engages with the sector gear 27, and a pinion gear 24 that engages with the intermediate gear 25 are accommodated between the opposing surfaces of the upper case 23 and the lower case 22.

  The electric motor 20 (drive source) generates a driving force for opening (closing) the back door 3 described above. The driving force generated by the electric motor 20 is transmitted to the clutch mechanism 21 via a worm (not shown) and a worm wheel 20a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the clutch mechanism 21 is a known electromagnetic clutch including a plate 21a, a rotor 21b, an electromagnetic coil 21c, and the like. When the electromagnetic coil 21c is supplied with power, an attractive force is generated between the plate 21a and the rotor 21b, and the plate 21a and the rotor 21b are frictionally engaged (engaged state). In this state, when the worm wheel 20a is rotated by the driving force of the electric motor 20, the plate 21a connected to the worm wheel 20a rotates together with the worm wheel 20a. At this time, the rotor 21b rotates together with the plate 21a by the frictional force acting between the plate 21a and the rotor 21b. Further, the rotor 21b is connected to the output shaft 31 so as to rotate integrally. That is, when the drive unit 11 operates, the clutch mechanism 21 is engaged, and the driving force of the electric motor 20 is transmitted to the output shaft 31 via the clutch mechanism 21.

  The lower case 22 (housing) is formed in a substantially stepped plate shape. The lower case 22 is provided with an insertion hole 22a through which the output shaft 31 of the clutch mechanism 21 is inserted, a shaft portion 22b that rotatably supports the intermediate gear 25, and a bearing hole 22c that rotatably supports the output shaft 26. It has been. The lower case 22 is provided with a stopper 22d (friction member). The stopper 22d is made of an elastic body (for example, resin, rubber, leaf spring) and is fixed to the lower case 22. The stopper 22d comes into pressure contact with the protrusion 25c of the intermediate gear 25 when the back door 3 is in the fully closed position (see FIG. 5). Thereby, when the back door 3 is in the fully closed position, the relative movement between the intermediate gear 25 and the lower case 22 is suppressed by the frictional force applied to the stopper 22d.

  The pinion gear 24 is connected to the output shaft 31 inserted through the insertion hole 22 a of the lower case 22 and rotates integrally with the output shaft 31. More specifically, the pinion gear 24 is formed with a through hole 24a penetrating in the axial direction, and a serration 24b corresponding to the serration 31a of the output shaft 31 is formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof. Therefore, the pinion gear 24 rotates integrally with the output shaft 31 when the serration 24b is engaged with the serration 31a of the output shaft 31.

  The intermediate gear 25 (transmission member) is rotatably supported by the lower case 22 by being inserted through the shaft portion 22 b of the lower case 22. The intermediate gear 25 has a first gear portion 25a having a larger diameter than the pinion gear 24 and a second gear portion 25b having a smaller diameter than the first gear portion 25a. In the intermediate gear 25, the first gear portion 25 a is meshed with the pinion gear 24, whereby the intermediate gear 25 is rotationally driven by the electric motor 20.

  The output shaft 26 is formed in a substantially stepped cylindrical body, and the base shaft side (lower side in FIG. 1) of the first shaft portion 26 a is inserted into the bearing hole 22 c of the lower case 22. It is supported rotatably. The output shaft 26 has a diameter reduced stepwise from the first shaft portion 26a toward the distal end side (upper side in FIG. 1), and includes a first serration shaft portion 26b, a second shaft portion 26c, and a second serration shaft portion. 26d and a threaded portion 26e are formed. The sector gear 27 is fitted to the first serration shaft portion 26b, and the arm 12 is fitted to the second serration shaft portion 26d.

  The sector gear 27 (transmission member) takes the shape of a bowl having only a part of the circumference, and rotates together with the output shaft 26 by being fitted to the output shaft 26. More specifically, the sector gear 27 is formed with a through hole 27a penetrating in the axial direction, and a serration 27b is formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof corresponding to the serration of the first serration shaft portion 26b. Therefore, the sector gear 27 rotates integrally with the output shaft 26 when the serration 27b is engaged with the serration of the first serration shaft portion 26b. That is, the sector gear 27 is rotatably supported by the lower case 22 and the upper case 23. The sector gear 27 is meshed with the second gear portion 25 b of the intermediate gear 25, whereby the sector gear 27 is rotationally driven by the intermediate gear 25 together with the output shaft 26.

  The upper case 23 (housing) is formed in a substantially stepped plate shape. The upper case 23 is provided with an insertion hole 23a through which the distal end portion of the shaft portion 22b supporting the intermediate gear 25 is inserted, and a bearing hole 23b through which the distal end side of the output shaft 26 is inserted. The upper case 23 is provided with a stopper 23c (friction member). The stopper 23 c is made of an elastic body (for example, resin, rubber, leaf spring) and is fixed to the upper case 23. The stopper 23c is in pressure contact with the locking portion 27c of the sector gear 27 when the back door 3 is in the fully closed position (see FIG. 4). Thereby, when the back door 3 is in the fully closed position, the relative movement between the sector gear 27 and the upper case 23 is suppressed by the frictional force applied to the stopper 23c.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the arm 12 is connected to the second serration shaft portion 26d of the output shaft 26 that is inserted into the bearing hole 23b of the upper case 23 and extends to one side (right side in FIG. 2). It rotates integrally with the shaft 26. More specifically, a sleeve 12a protruding in the axial direction corresponding to the output shaft 26 (second serration shaft portion 26d) is fixed to the base end portion of the arm 12, and the inner peripheral surface thereof is fixed with the sleeve 12a. A serration 12b is formed corresponding to the serration of the second serration shaft portion 26d. Therefore, the arm 12 rotates integrally with the output shaft 26 by fitting the serration 12b to the serration of the output shaft 26 (second serration shaft portion 26d). A nut 32 is fastened to a thread portion 26e of the output shaft 26 that is fitted to the arm 12 and extends to one side (right side in FIG. 2).

  Hereinafter, the operation of the stopper 22d and the stopper 23c when the back door 3 is opened from the fully closed position to the fully opened position will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the back door 3 is in the fully closed position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, the projection 25c of the intermediate gear 25 and the locking portion 27c of the sector gear 27 are in predetermined positions with respect to the lower case 22 and the upper case 23, respectively. . At this time, as shown in FIG. 5A, the projection 25c of the intermediate gear 25 is pressed against the stopper 22d of the lower case 22, and a frictional force is generated between the intermediate gear 25 and the lower case 22 via the stopper 22d. It is working. That is, the intermediate gear 25 is locked to the lower case 22 by the frictional force related to the stopper 22d. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4A, the locking portion 27c of the sector gear 27 is pressed against the stopper 23c of the upper case 23, and the sector gear 27 and the upper case 23 are frictionally interposed via the stopper 23c. Power is acting. That is, the sector gear 27 is locked to the upper case 23 by the frictional force applied to the stopper 23c. Therefore, no gap is formed between the intermediate gear 25 and the lower case 22, and between the sector gear 27 and the upper case 23, and these members do not rattle even under a situation where the vehicle vibrates due to running or the like.

  In the fully closed position of the back door 3, when the electric motor 20 is supplied with power and the drive unit 11 operates, the driving force of the electric motor 20 is transmitted to the output shaft 31 via the clutch mechanism 21, and the output shaft 31 rotates. Driven. The driving force is transmitted to the intermediate gear 25 (the first gear portion 25a and the second gear portion 25b) via the pinion gear 24. As a result, the intermediate gear 25 starts to rotate with respect to the lower case 22, and the protruding portion 25 c moves away from the stopper 22 d of the lower case 22 as shown in FIG. At this point, the frictional force does not act between the intermediate gear 25 and the lower case 22. Thereafter, the intermediate gear 25 continues to rotate smoothly with respect to the lower case 22 in order to transmit the driving force to the sector gear 27.

  The sector gear 27 receiving the driving force from the intermediate gear 25 starts to rotate with respect to the upper case 23, and the engaging portion 27c is separated from the stopper 23c of the upper case 23 as shown in FIG. At this time, the frictional force is not applied between the sector gear 27 and the upper case 23. Thereafter, the sector gear 27 continues to rotate smoothly with respect to the upper case 23.

  The driving force transmitted to the sector gear 27 is transmitted to the back door 3 through the output shaft 26, the arm 12, and the rod 13 in this order. As a result, the back door 3 is opened to the fully open position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

  As described above, according to the drive unit 11 of the present invention, when the back door 3 is in the fully closed position by the stopper 22d and the stopper 23c, the intermediate gear 25 and the sector gear 27 are in relation to the lower case 22 and the upper case 23. Each is locked by frictional force. According to this structure, the intermediate gear 25 and the sector gear 27 are pressed against the lower case 22 and the upper case 23 via the stopper 22d and the stopper 23c, respectively. No gap is formed. As a result, play between the intermediate gear 25 and the lower case 22, and the sector gear 27 and the upper case 23 due to vibrations or the like during vehicle travel can be more reliably prevented.

  According to the present invention, the stopper 22d and the stopper 23c are made of an elastic body. In this case, the magnitude of the frictional force relating to the stopper 22d and the stopper 23c is adjusted by changing the elastic modulus of the elastic body. Thereby, the magnitude | size of a desired frictional force can be set easily.

The disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the drive unit of this invention. The fragmentary sectional view of a drive unit. The figure which shows roughly the example in which the drive unit was applied to the electrically driven back door of a vehicle. The figure which shows the effect | action of a stopper typically. The figure which shows the effect | action of a stopper typically.

Explanation of symbols

3 Back door
11 Drive unit (opening / closing device for vehicle opening / closing body)
20 Electric motor (drive source)
22 Lower case
22d Stopper (friction member)
23 Upper case (housing)
23c Stopper (friction member)
25 Intermediate gear (transmission member)
27 Sector gear (transmission member)

Claims (2)

An opening / closing device for a vehicle opening / closing body, comprising: a driving source; a transmission member that rotates by receiving the driving force of the driving source and transmits the driving force to the opening / closing body; and a housing that rotatably supports the transmission member. And a friction member that is provided between the transmission member and the casing and locks the transmission member with the casing by a frictional force when the opening / closing body is in the fully closed position. An opening / closing device for a vehicle opening / closing body. The opening / closing device for a vehicle opening / closing body according to claim 2, wherein the friction member is made of an elastic body.

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