JP2006265982A - Vehicular automatic opening-closing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely hold an opening-closing body for installing an opening assisting force generating means in a midway position, while improving opening-closing operability of the opening-closing body by manual operation, by stopping in the middle of manually opening and closing the opening-closing body by the operation of a single operation part. <P>SOLUTION: An electromagnetic clutch for intermitting a motive power transmission passage is arranged between an electric motor for driving opening-closing of a tail gate and the tail gate, and an outer handle operated by an operator is arranged in the tail gate. When the outer handle is operated when the tail gate exists in the midway position between a closing recognizing range and an opening recognizing range, the electromagnetic clutch is switched to a connecting state, and thus, the tail gate can be held in the midway position against energizing force of a gas stay. While, when the tail gate exists in the closing recognizing range or the opening recognizing range, even if the outer handle is operated, the electromagnetic clutch is maintained in a cutoff state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention automatically opens and closes an opening / closing body mounted on a vehicle body via a hinge so as to be freely opened and closed in a vertical direction, and switches a clutch provided between the driving source and the opening / closing body to a disengaged state. Thus, the present invention relates to an automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle that can be opened and closed manually.

  In vehicles such as wagon cars and one-box cars, a back door is provided at the rear end of the vehicle body, and the back door is opened and closed to load and unload luggage. Normally, such a back door is attached to the vehicle body via a hinge provided on the roof portion of the vehicle body, and is an upper hinge lower opening type that flips up and down around the hinge as a rotation center, that is, a flip-up type. In this case, when the back door is opened, the back door is greatly lifted upward, so it is also called a tailgate, a lift gate, or a rear hatch.

  In a vehicle equipped with such a back door, a gas stay is installed between the back door and the vehicle body as an opening assisting force generating means, and the gas stay is an internal gas when the back door opens more than a predetermined opening degree. The door is extended by pressure to bias the door in the opening direction, and the opening / closing operation force is reduced by the biasing force, and the back door that has reached the fully opened position is held. On the other hand, when the back door is closed below a predetermined opening, the urging force of the gas stay is less than its own weight, and the back door is urged in the closing direction by its own weight.

  On the other hand, as an automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle that automatically opens and closes a flip-up type back door, a power transmission path is intermittently connected between an electric motor as a drive source for opening and closing the back door and the back door. It is known that a clutch is provided and a manual opening / closing operation of the back door can be easily performed by switching the clutch to a disconnected state. Even in a vehicle equipped with such an automatic opening / closing device, a gas stay is mounted between the back door and the vehicle body, and the gas stay assists the opening / closing operation when the back door is manually opened / closed.

In vehicles equipped with gas stays, the back door that opens more than a predetermined opening is urged toward the fully open position, so if there is an obstacle at the fully open position, for example, the back door is positioned halfway before the fully open position. When it is desired to stop the operation, it is inconvenient because it is necessary to hold the door by hand against the urging force of the gas stay. Therefore, for example, in the automatic opening and closing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a touch sensor for switching the clutch provided in the automatic opening and closing device to the connected state is provided on the back door, and the gas stay is operated under the state where the clutch is in the disconnected state. When the operator touches the touch sensor when the back door is manually opened to an intermediate position within the range that is energized in the opening direction, the clutch is switched to the connected state while the motor is stopped. The back door is held in the middle position. In addition, a release switch is provided separately from the touch sensor on the back door, and when the release switch is operated after the back door is held in the middle position, the clutch is again switched to the disengaged state.
JP 2004-338586 A

  However, in the automatic opening / closing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide a release switch for switching the clutch to the disengaged state on the back door in addition to the touch switch for switching the clutch to the connected state. The operation for manually opening and closing and stopping at an intermediate position is complicated.

  Further, in the automatic opening / closing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the touch switch is provided on the rear surface of the back door. However, if the touch switch is provided on the rear surface of the back door, the back door is opened. Since the touch switch faces upward, it is difficult to operate the back door when the back door is in the middle position. Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a touch switch at the lower end of the back door together with a release switch for switching the clutch to a disengaged state so that the back door is easy to operate even if it is in the middle position. However, if the touch switch is provided at the lower end portion of the back door, a plurality of switches having different functions are provided at the lower end portion of the back door, which may cause an erroneous operation of the switch by the operator and lower the operability. It will be.

  On the other hand, since the back door held in the middle position after the clutch is switched to the connected state is biased in the opening direction by the gas stay, when the biasing force exceeds the halfway stop holding force of the automatic opening and closing device There was a problem that it was difficult to maintain the position. In particular, in an opening / closing device using a friction clutch, the friction engagement portion of the clutch slips due to the biasing force of the gas stay, and it is difficult to keep the back door in the middle position.

  An object of the present invention is to improve manual operability of opening and closing of an opening / closing body by enabling manual opening / closing and halfway stop of the opening / closing body by operation of a single operation unit.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle that can reliably hold an opening / closing body equipped with an opening assisting force generating means at an intermediate position.

  An automatic opening / closing apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention is an automatic opening / closing apparatus for a vehicle that automatically opens / closes an opening / closing body mounted on a vehicle body via a hinge so as to be opened / closed in a vertical direction, and is a drive for opening / closing the opening / closing body. A power source, an opening / closing operation unit provided on the opening / closing body and operated by an operator, and an opening assisting force generating unit that is mounted between the vehicle body and the opening / closing body and biases the opening / closing body in an opening direction. A clutch that is provided between the opening / closing body and the drive source and that interrupts a power transmission path between the opening / closing body and the drive source by an operation of the opening / closing operation unit, and the clutch is in a disconnected state When the opening / closing body is in the closed recognition range from the fully closed position to the half door position or the open recognition range within the predetermined range from the fully open position, the clutch is operated even when the open / close operation unit is operated. To keep it in a shut-off state And it features.

  In the vehicle automatic opening / closing apparatus of the present invention, the opening / closing body is urged in the opening direction by the opening assisting force generating means when the opening / closing body is opened above a predetermined opening, and is urged in the closing direction by its own weight when the opening / closing body is below the predetermined opening. It is characterized by being.

  The automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle according to the present invention is characterized in that when a predetermined time elapses while the clutch is switched to the connected state by the operation of the opening / closing operation unit, the opening / closing body is released from holding.

  The automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle according to the present invention includes movement detection means for detecting movement of the opening and closing body in the opening and closing direction, and the clutch is switched to a connected state by an operation of the opening and closing operation unit. When the movement detecting means detects that the opening / closing body has moved in the opening / closing direction, the drive source is operated to return the opening / closing body by the amount moved.

  The automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle according to the present invention is characterized in that when the opening / closing operation unit is operated again after the clutch is switched to the connected state by the operation of the opening / closing operation unit, the clutch is switched to the disconnected state. .

  According to the present invention, when the opening / closing body is in the closing recognition range or the opening recognition range, the clutch is maintained in the disengaged state even when the opening / closing operation unit is operated, and the opening / closing body is halfway between the closing recognition range and the opening recognition range. Since the clutch is switched to the connected state by the operation of the opening / closing operation section when in the position, the opening / closing body can be manually opened / closed or stopped halfway by a single operation section, and the opening / closing operability of the opening / closing body is improved manually. be able to. In addition, when the opening / closing operation unit is operated again after switching the clutch to the connected state and stopping the opening / closing body halfway, the clutch is switched to the disengaged state. Operability is improved.

  Further, according to the present invention, when a predetermined time elapses with the clutch being switched to the connected state by the operation of the opening / closing operation unit, the opening / closing body is operated to release, so the clutch is maintained in the connected state. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the power consumption and prevent the battery from running out.

  Further, according to the present invention, when the opening / closing body that stops in the middle due to the urging force by the opening assisting force generating means or the weight of the opening / closing body moves in the opening / closing direction, the drive source is operated to return the opening / closing body by the amount moved. Since it did in this way, the opening / closing body with which the opening auxiliary | assistant force generation means was mounted | worn can be reliably hold | maintained in the middle position, and it can prevent that an opening / closing body moves to an opening / closing direction unexpectedly.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a side view showing a rear end portion of a vehicle provided with a vehicle automatic opening / closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the tailgate of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 is opened. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a tailgate 12 as an opening / closing body is provided at an opening at the rear end of the vehicle 11, and this tailgate 12 is attached to a roof portion 14 a of a vehicle body 14 via a hinge 13. As shown in FIG. 1, it can be opened and closed in the vertical direction within a range of about 90 degrees between a fully closed position that is substantially vertical and a fully open position that is substantially horizontal as shown in FIG.

  The vehicle 11 is provided with a vehicle automatic opening / closing device 21 (hereinafter referred to as an opening / closing device 21) for automatically opening and closing the tailgate 12, and the opening / closing device 21 is a pillar portion 14b of the vehicle body 14. Has a drive unit 22 mounted therein.

  FIG. 3 is a front view showing details of the drive unit shown in FIG. 2. The drive unit 22 is provided with an electric motor 23 as a drive source for opening and closing the tailgate 12, and the electric motor 23 has a control device 24. It is connected. As the control device 24, a microcomputer including a CPU, a memory, and the like is used, and the operation of the electric motor 23 is controlled in accordance with an open / close command signal from an open / close switch (not shown) provided in a vehicle interior or a portable terminal.

  The output of the electric motor 23 is decelerated to a predetermined rotational speed by a reduction mechanism (not shown) and transmitted to the output shaft 25, and the drive unit 22 is rack-and-run to convert the rotational motion of the output shaft 25 into linear reciprocating motion. A pinion type power conversion mechanism 26 is provided. The power conversion mechanism 26 has a pinion gear 27 fixed to the output shaft 25 and a rack 28 meshing with the pinion gear 27, and the rack 28 is supported by a guide rail 29 fixed to the vehicle body 14 and linearly reciprocates in the vertical direction. It is free to move. Further, one end of a connecting rod 31 is swingably connected to the upper end portion of the rack 28, and the other end of the connecting rod 31 is swingably connected to the tail gate 12, whereby the rack 28 is linearly reciprocated. Is converted into an opening / closing motion of the tailgate 12 via the connecting rod 31. Accordingly, when the electric motor 23 is operated and the output shaft 25 is rotated, the rotational motion is converted into a linear reciprocating motion of the rack 28 via the pinion gear 27 and is also converted into an opening / closing motion of the tail gate 12. Automatically opens and closes.

  In order to detect the open / close position of the tailgate 12, the drive unit 22 is provided with a rotation sensor (not shown) that outputs a pulse signal proportional to the rotation of the electric motor 23. The pulse signal from the rotation sensor is supplied to the tailgate. By counting with 12 reference positions (for example, fully closed positions) as a reference, the control device 24 can recognize the open / close position of the tailgate 12. In this case, a reference position sensor (not shown) that outputs a detection signal when the tailgate 12 reaches the reference position is provided, and counting of the pulse signal is started when the detection signal is received from the reference position sensor. . Then, the control device 24 controls the automatic opening / closing operation of the tailgate 12 based on the detected opening / closing position of the tailgate 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the power transmission path between the electric motor 23 and the tailgate 12 (between the output shaft 25 in the illustrated case) An electromagnetic clutch 32 is provided. The electromagnetic clutch 32 generates a driving friction plate (not shown) linked to the electric motor 23, a driven friction plate (not shown) linked to the opening / closing operation of the tailgate 12, and an electromagnetic force for pressing the friction plates. The friction type is provided with a clutch coil (not shown), and the power transmission path between the tailgate 12 and the electric motor 23 can be interrupted by controlling the energization of the clutch coil.

  The clutch coil of the electromagnetic clutch 32 is connected to the control device 24 via a wiring (not shown), and the operation control of the electromagnetic clutch 32 is performed by the control device 24. When the tailgate is in the fully closed position, the half door position, or the fully open position, and the operation is stopped, the electromagnetic clutch is in a disengaged state, and an open / close switch (not shown) is operated from this state to operate the tailgate 12. When the automatic opening / closing operation is performed, the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched to the connected state, and the power of the electric motor 23 is transmitted to the tailgate 12. On the other hand, when the tailgate 12 is manually opened / closed, the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched to the disengaged state, and the operating force when the tailgate 12 is manually opened / closed by disconnecting the tailgate 12 from the electric motor 23 is reduced. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of gas stays 33 as an opening assisting force generating means are provided between the vehicle body 14 and the tailgate 12 to assist the manual opening / closing operation of the tailgate 12. It is attached to the left and right of the opening. The gas stay 33 has a cylinder mechanism (not shown) in which gas is sealed. When the tailgate 12 is opened at a predetermined opening or more, that is, at a neutral position N or more, the gas stay 33 is extended by the internal gas pressure to cause the tailgate 12 to move. Energize in the opening direction. Accordingly, when the tailgate 12 is manually opened, if the tailgate 12 is moved to the neutral position N, the operating force is reduced by the urging force of the gas stay 33 in the subsequent range. When the tailgate 12 is opened to the fully open position, the tailgate 12 is held at the fully open position by the urging force of the gas stay 33. On the other hand, when the tailgate 12 is closed to a predetermined opening or less, that is, to the neutral position N or less, the urging force of the gas stay 33 is less than the weight of the tailgate 12, and the tailgate 12 is urged in the closing direction by its own weight. Is done.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tailgate shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as seen from the vehicle rear side, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the closing recognition range and the opening recognition range of the tailgate.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a lock mechanism 34 is provided at the lower end of the tailgate 12, and the tailgate 12 in the fully closed position is held in the fully closed position by the lock mechanism 34. The lock mechanism 34 includes a releaser mechanism (not shown) that automatically shifts the tailgate 12 held in the fully closed position to the unlatched state, that is, the unlocked state, and the tail that is closed from the open state to the half door position. A closer mechanism (not shown) that automatically pulls the gate 12 to the fully closed position is provided. The releaser mechanism and the closer mechanism are controlled by the control device 24 in conjunction with the automatic opening / closing operation of the tailgate 12. .

  Further, an outer handle 35 as an opening / closing operation portion is provided on the rear surface of the tailgate 12, and when the tailgate 12 is in a fully closed position or a half door position, the outer handle 35 is operated by an operator such as a driver. When operated, the lock mechanism 34 is released and the tailgate 12 can be manually opened and closed.

  The outer handle 35 is provided with an operation switch (not shown). When the operator operates the outer handle 35, an operation signal is output from the operation switch, and the operation signal is input to the control device 24 via a wiring (not shown). Is done. When the operation signal from the operation switch is input to the control device 24 when the tailgate 12 is in the fully closed position or the half door position, the releaser is driven by the control device 24 and the lock mechanism 34 is switched to the unlatched state. At this time, the tailgate 12 is not automatically opened and closed, and the electromagnetic clutch 32 is in the disconnected state, so that the tailgate 12 can be manually opened and closed. In this way, by operating the outer handle 35 when the tailgate 12 is closed, the lock mechanism 34 can be released and the tailgate 12 can be manually opened and closed.

  Further, when the tailgate 12 that is manually opened and closed is in the middle position between the closing recognition range R1 and the opening recognition range R2, the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched between the connected state and the disconnected state by the operation of the outer handle 35. . That is, when the tailgate 12 is in the middle position between the closing recognition range R1 and the opening recognition range R2, the electromagnetic clutch 32 can be engaged / disengaged by operating the outer handle 35.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the closing recognition range R1 is set to a range from the fully closed position to the half door position, that is, a range recognized by the control device 24 when the tailgate 12 is closed. The range R2 is a range within a predetermined range from the fully opened position, that is, a range that is recognized by the control device 24 when the tailgate 12 is opened, and is set to a range in which an automatic closing operation can be commanded.

  Therefore, if the outer handle 35 is operated when the tailgate 12 that is manually opened and closed with the electromagnetic clutch 32 in the disconnected state is in the middle position, the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched to the connected state and the gas stay is changed. The tailgate 12 can be held at an intermediate position against the urging force 33. Further, after operating the outer handle 35 to switch the electromagnetic clutch 32 to the connected state and stopping the tailgate 12 halfway, by operating the outer handle 35 again, the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched to the disconnected state and the tailgate 12 is operated. Can be manually opened and closed again.

  Thus, when the tailgate 12 is in the middle position, the operator operates the outer handle 35 to switch the electromagnetic clutch 32 between the connected state and the disconnected state, and manually opens and closes the tailgate 12 and stops halfway. And can be done.

  On the other hand, when the tailgate 12 is in the closed recognition range R1 or the open recognition range R2 with the electromagnetic clutch 32 in the disconnected state, the control device 24 connects the electromagnetic clutch 32 even if the outer handle 35 is operated. Instead of switching to a state, it is maintained in a cut-off state. Thus, even when the outer handle 35 is operated to release the lock mechanism 34 when the tailgate 12 in the fully closed position is manually opened and closed, the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched to the connected state by the operation of the outer handle 35. In other words, it is possible to easily perform manual opening / closing operation and halfway stop operation of the tailgate 12 by the single operation portion, that is, the outer handle 35.

  As described above, in this opening / closing device 21, when the tailgate 12 is in the middle position between the closing recognition range R1 and the opening recognition range R2, the electromagnetic clutch 32 can be connected and disconnected by operating the outer handle 35. When the gate 12 is in the closing recognition range R1 or the opening recognition range R2, the electromagnetic clutch 32 is maintained in the disengaged state even if the outer handle 35 is operated. Therefore, the gate 12 can be shared with a switch for instructing the automatic closing operation. One tail handle 12 can be manually opened / closed and stopped halfway by one outer handle 35, so that the manually opening / closing operability of the tail gate 12 can be improved. Further, since the tailgate 12 can be manually opened / closed, stopped halfway, and held / released by the single outer handle 35, the erroneous operation can be reduced as compared with the case where these operations are performed by separate operation units. Can do.

  6 (a) and 6 (b) are explanatory views for explaining control for holding the tailgate held at the midway position at the stop position, respectively. The stop position S of the tailgate 12 when stopped halfway by the operation of the handle 35 is stored as the count value of the pulse signal from the rotation sensor, and the count of the pulse signal based on the stop position S is used to count the tailgate 12. The movement in the opening / closing direction from the stop position S is detected.

  When it is detected that the tailgate 12 has moved in the opening / closing direction from the stop position S under the state where the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched to the connected state by the operation of the outer handle 35, the control device 24 detects the electric motor 23. Is operated to return the tailgate 12 by the amount moved. That is, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the tailgate 12 is stopped halfway above the neutral position N, that is, on the open side, and moved upward, that is, in the opening direction by the biasing force of the gas stay 33, the control device 24 By actuating 23, the tail gate 12 is moved down, that is, in the closing direction, and the tail gate 12 is automatically closed to the original stop position S. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the tailgate 12 is stopped halfway below the neutral position N and moved downward, that is, in the closing direction by its own weight, the control device 24 operates the electric motor 23. The tail gate 12 is automatically opened to the original stop position S by performing an up control to move the tail gate 12 upward, that is, in the opening direction. As a result, the tailgate 12 is always held at the stop position S against the urging force and its own weight of the gas stay 33.

  Thus, in this opening / closing device 21, when the tailgate 12 that stops halfway due to the urging force of the gas stay 33 or the weight of the tailgate 12 moves in the opening / closing direction from the stop position S, the electric motor 23 is operated to operate the tailgate 12 Therefore, the tailgate 12 to which the gas stay 33 is attached can be securely held in the middle position, and the tailgate 12 can be prevented from moving unexpectedly in the opening / closing direction.

  Since the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched to a connected state by energizing the clutch coil, if the tailgate 12 is held at a midway position for a long time, a power source (not shown), that is, a battery mounted on the vehicle 11 is consumed. There is a risk. For this reason, in this opening / closing device 21, when the outer handle 35 is operated and the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched to the connected state for a predetermined time or more, the tailgate 12 is released from the holding state by releasing the holding operation. I have to.

  The operation performed as the holding release operation includes a manual operation for automatically switching the electromagnetic clutch 32 to the disengaged state after a predetermined time has elapsed and manually moving the tailgate 12 to the fully closed position or the fully open position, and after the predetermined time has elapsed. An automatic closing operation in which the tailgate 12 is automatically closed and moved to the fully closed position; and an automatic opening operation in which the tailgate 12 is automatically opened and moved to the fully open position after a predetermined time has elapsed; The operation selected in advance is performed from these operations. For example, when the manual operation is selected as the holding release operation, the electromagnetic clutch 32 is automatically switched to the disengaged state when a predetermined time elapses after the tailgate 12 is held at the middle position. At this time, in consideration of the case where the manual operation by the operator is not performed, when a drop toward the fully closed position of the tailgate 12 is detected when the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched to the disconnected state, for example, the electromagnetic clutch Fall detection control such as intermittent connection of 32 is performed to prevent the tailgate 12 from being suddenly closed. By such a holding release operation, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched to the connected state, the tailgate 12 is moved to the fully closed position or the fully opened position, and the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched to the disconnected state. It will be.

  Thus, in this opening / closing device 21, when a predetermined time has elapsed after the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched to the connected state, the tailgate 12 is moved to the fully closed position or the fully opened position by the holding release operation, and the electromagnetic clutch 32 is moved. Since it switched to the interruption | blocking state, the power consumption by maintaining the electromagnetic clutch 32 in a connection state can be suppressed, and consumption of a battery can be suppressed.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing control for holding the tailgate at a midway position, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing control for releasing the tailgate halfway stop. The control 21 will be described.

  First, it is determined in step S1 whether the tailgate 12 is in an automatic opening / closing operation, and in step S2, it is determined whether the closer mechanism or the releaser mechanism is in operation, and it is determined that none of these is in operation. Then, in step S3, it is determined whether or not the tailgate 12 is in the fully closed position or the half door position. If it is determined in step S3 that the tailgate 12 is in the fully closed position or the half door position, whether the operation switch (outer handle SW) of the outer handle 35 is turned on in step S4, that is, whether the outer handle 35 has been operated. If it is determined that the outer handle 35 has been operated, the lock mechanism 34 is released in step S5, and it is determined in step S6 whether the release of the lock mechanism 34 has been completed.

  When the lock mechanism 34 is released, the tailgate 12 can be manually opened and closed, and the tailgate 12 is manually moved to an arbitrary position in step S7. When the tailgate 12 is manually opened and closed in step S7, in steps S8 to S10, the automatic opening / closing operation of the tailgate 12 is started, whether the tailgate 12 is in the half-door position, or the select lever (not shown) is It is determined whether there is a vehicle speed other than the (parking) range or the vehicle 11, and if it is determined that none of these is applicable, it is determined in step S11 whether the outer handle 35 has been operated. If it is determined in step S11 that the outer handle 35 has been operated, it is determined in step S12 whether or not the tailgate 12 is in the holding permission range, that is, in the middle position between the closing recognition range R1 and the opening recognition range R2. If it is determined and the tailgate 12 is determined to be within the holding permission range in step S12, a warning sound is emitted and a warning display is made in step S13. Then, in step S14, the electromagnetic clutch 32 is turned on, that is, turned on. Can be switched. As a result, the tailgate 12 is held at an intermediate position against the urging force caused by the gas stay 33 or its own weight.

  If it is determined that any one of steps S1, S2 and steps S8 to S10 is applicable, the routine is terminated. 7 and 8 indicate that the routines are continuous between the same symbols.

  On the other hand, the control after the tailgate 12 is held at the middle position is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, when the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched to the connected state by the control shown in FIG. 7, it is determined whether or not the outer handle 35 has been operated in step S15, and it is determined that the outer handle 35 has been operated in step S15. In step S16, after the warning sound and warning display are made, in step S17, the electromagnetic clutch 32 is switched off, that is, turned off. As a result, the tailgate 12 can be manually opened and closed, and the tailgate 12 is manually moved to an arbitrary position in step S18. If it is determined in step S19 that the automatic opening / closing operation of the tailgate 12 has been started, or if it is determined in step S20 that the tailgate 12 is in the half-door position, the routine is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S20 that the tailgate 12 is not at the half-door position, the routine returns to step S7, and the tailgate 12 can be stopped halfway again.

  If it is determined in step S15 that the outer handle 35 has not been operated, it is determined in step S21 whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the electromagnetic clutch 32 was switched to the connected state, and it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed. In the case where a warning is sounded and a warning is displayed in step S22, the holding release operation selected in steps S23 to S25 is performed. That is, when the manual operation in step S23 is selected as the holding release operation, the electromagnetic clutch 32 is turned off in step S26, and when the fall of the tailgate 12 is not detected in step S27, the routine ends. On the other hand, when the fall of the tailgate 12 is detected in step S27, the fall detection control is performed in step S28, and then the routine ends. When the automatic closing operation in step S24 or the automatic opening operation in step S25 is selected as the holding release operation, the tailgate 12 is automatically closed or opened in step S29 or step S30, respectively, and the routine ends. If none of steps S23 to S25 is selected as the holding release operation, another holding releasing operation or any holding releasing operation of steps S23 to S25 is performed in step S31.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S21 that the predetermined time has not elapsed since the electromagnetic clutch 32 was switched to the connected state, it is determined in step S32 whether or not the tailgate 12 has moved in the opening and closing direction. If it is determined that the tailgate 12 is moving, it is determined in step S33 whether the moving direction is the up side, that is, the opening direction. If it is determined in step S33 that the tailgate 12 has moved to the up side, that is, the fully open position, the tailgate 12 is driven in the closing direction by the down control, that is, the electric motor 23 in step S34, and the original Return to the stop position S. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S33 that the tailgate 12 has moved to the down side, that is, the fully closed position, the tailgate 12 is driven in the up direction by the up control, that is, the electric motor 23 in step S35. Is returned to the stop position S. If it is determined in step S36 that the up control or the down control has been performed more than a predetermined number of times, the routine is skipped to step S22, and after the holding release operation in steps S23 to S25 is performed, the routine Is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S32 that the tailgate 12 has not moved, the routine is repeated until it is determined in step S37 that the select lever is not in the P range or the vehicle 11 has a vehicle speed, and in step S37. If it is determined that the select lever is not in the P range or the vehicle 11 has a vehicle speed, the routine is skipped to step S22, and after the holding release operation in steps S23 to S25 is performed, the routine is terminated.

  It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the opening / closing body is the tailgate 12 provided at the rear end of the vehicle 11. However, the opening / closing body is not limited thereto, and can be opened and closed in the vertical direction via the hinge 13. For example, a trunk lid provided in a sedan vehicle or the like may be used as long as the opening / closing body is mounted.

  In the present embodiment, the opening / closing operation part is the outer handle 35 provided on the rear end surface of the tailgate 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is provided, for example, at the lower end part of the tailgate 12. A close switch for automatically closing the tailgate 12 in the recognition range may be used as the opening / closing operation unit.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as the opening assisting force generating means, a pair of gas stays 33 mounted between the vehicle body 14 and the tailgate 12 are used, but not limited to this, the gas stay 33 is used for the vehicle. 11 may be provided only on one side of the opening, or a torsion bar or the like may be used.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the frictional electromagnetic clutch 32 is used as the clutch. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the power transmission path between the electric motor 23 and the tailgate 12 can be interrupted. If so, other types of clutches may be used. Further, the clutch is not limited to be provided between the electric motor 23 and the output shaft 25, and may be provided between the tailgate 12 and the electric motor 23.

It is a side view which shows the rear-end part of the vehicle provided with the vehicle automatic opening / closing apparatus which is one embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state where a tailgate of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 is opened. It is a front view which shows the detail of the drive unit shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tailgate shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as viewed from the vehicle rear side. It is explanatory drawing which shows roughly the closure recognition range and opening recognition range of a tailgate. (A), (b) is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the control for hold | maintaining the tailgate hold | maintained in the middle position in a stop position, respectively. It is a flowchart figure which shows the control which hold | maintains a tailgate in the middle position. It is a flowchart figure which shows the control which cancels the middle stop of a tailgate.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Vehicle 12 Tailgate 13 Hinge 14 Car body 14a Roof part 14b Pillar part 21 Vehicle automatic opening / closing device 22 Drive unit 23 Electric motor 24 Control device 25 Output shaft 26 Power conversion mechanism 27 Pinion gear 28 Rack 29 Guide rail 31 Connecting rod 32 Electromagnetic clutch 33 Gas stay 34 Lock mechanism 35 Outer handle N Neutral position R1 Closing recognition range R2 Opening recognition range S Stop position

Claims (5)

An automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle that automatically opens and closes an opening and closing body mounted on a vehicle body through a hinge so as to freely open and close in a vertical direction,
A drive source for opening and closing the opening and closing body;
An opening / closing operation unit provided on the opening / closing body and operated by an operator;
An opening assisting force generating means mounted between the vehicle body and the opening and closing body and biasing the opening and closing body in an opening direction;
A clutch that is provided between the opening and closing body and the drive source, and that interrupts a power transmission path between the opening and closing body and the drive source by operating the opening and closing operation unit;
When the opening / closing body is in the closed recognition range from the fully closed position to the half-door position or the open recognition range within the predetermined range from the fully open position with the clutch in the disengaged state, the opening / closing operation unit operates The vehicle automatic opening and closing device is characterized in that the clutch is maintained in a disengaged state even if the clutch is operated.   2. The automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing body is biased in the opening direction by the opening assisting force generating means when the opening / closing body is opened above a predetermined opening degree, and in the closing direction by its own weight when the opening / closing body is below the predetermined opening degree. An automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle characterized by being energized.   3. The automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing member is held and released when a predetermined time elapses while the clutch is switched to the connected state by the operation of the opening / closing operation unit. An automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle.   The automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising movement detection means for detecting movement of the opening and closing body in an opening and closing direction, wherein the clutch is connected by operation of the opening and closing operation unit. When the movement detecting means detects that the opening / closing body has moved in the opening / closing direction under the state of being switched to, the drive source is operated to return the opening / closing body by the amount moved. Automatic vehicle opening and closing device.   5. The automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when the opening / closing operation unit is operated again after the clutch is switched to a connected state by operation of the opening / closing operation unit, the clutch An automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle characterized in that the vehicle is switched to a shut-off state.

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