JP4012756B2 - Open / close device for vehicle rear gate - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicular rear gate opening / closing device in which a rear gate pivotally attached to a vehicle body by a horizontal hinge shaft is opened and closed by a drive unit installed on the vehicle body side.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a conventional vehicle rear gate opening and closing device, a motor that can rotate forward and reverse and an output gear that decelerates and outputs the motor rotation are provided in a space between the lower surface side of the roof panel and the roof trim on the indoor side. The drive unit has a gear box and a rack that meshes with the output gear and can be moved back and forth in the front-rear direction, and the rear end of the rack is opened and closed vertically by a hinge shaft that faces the vehicle body in the left-right direction. The rear gate is connected to a freely pivoted rear gate side, and the rack is reciprocated in the front-rear direction by rotation of the output gear, thereby swinging the rear gate in the opening direction and the closing direction.
In addition, a guide member is provided below the output gear on the gear box side so as to be able to slidably contact a support surface on the opposite side of the tooth portion that meshes with the output gear in the rack, and the rack meshes with the output gear by the guide member. Can be reciprocated between the output gear and the guide member. (For example, see JP-A-2001-280000).
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
According to the conventional opening / closing device as described above, it is necessary to provide a backlash at the meshing portion between the rack and the output gear, and the rack needs to be tiltable as the rear gate is opened and closed. It is necessary to loosely fit the rack with the guide member so that a gap is generated in the vertical direction.
However, if there is a gap between the rack, the output gear, and the guide member, the rack rattles up and down while the vehicle is running when the rear gate is fully closed, causing abnormal noise. Will be emitted.
[0004]
An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular rear gate opening / closing device that prevents the rack from rattling when the rear gate is in the closed position.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the present invention, the above problem is solved as follows.
(1) A rear gate pivotably attached to a vehicle body by a horizontal hinge shaft is opened and closed by a drive unit installed on the vehicle body side, and the drive unit is rotated forward and backward, A gear box provided with an output gear that decelerates and outputs the rotation of the motor; a tooth portion that meshes with the output gear; and is reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the hinge shaft; And a guide member that is slidably contactable with a support surface opposite to the tooth portion of the rack. The guide member and the output gear are provided on the gear box side. In the vehicle rear gate opening and closing device in which the rack meshes with the output gear and is tiltably fitted so that the rack corresponds to the fully closed position of the rear gate. That when in position, and biasing means for biasing the rack in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction, is provided and can receiving means receiving said rack offset, said biasing means, and the guide member, the rack The rack is formed by a biasing portion that is provided on the support surface and abuts against the guide member to bias the rack toward the output gear, and the receiving means is formed by the output gear .
[0006]
(2) In the above (1) term, the biasing portion, the vertical width of the portion that is sandwiched between the guide member and the output gear in the rack, one end connected to said rear gate side of the rack Inclined to gradually increase toward
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
1 is a side view of a rear part of a vehicle body provided with the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. In the following description, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the left side is “front” and the right side is “rear”.
[0008]
An opening (3) is formed in the rear part of the vehicle body (1) by left and right rear pillars (not shown) and the rear edge of the roof panel (2), and is vertically moved via a pair of left and right hinge arms (4). The opening (3) can be opened and closed with a rear gate (5) pivotably mounted in the direction.
[0009]
As shown in FIG. 2, the hinge arm (4) is attached to a hinge bracket (7) fixed to the upper surface of the rear roof rail (6) extending in the vehicle width direction along the upper edge of the opening (3). The base end is pivotally attached by the hinge shaft (8) facing left and right (horizontal direction), and is directed obliquely downward from the base end toward the front, and has an arc shape centered on the hinge shaft (8) from the front end. It has a curved portion (4a) facing rearward, and the rear end portion of the curved portion (4a) is connected to the rear gate (5).
[0010]
The rear gate (5) is a drive unit installed on the vehicle body (1) side between a lower surface of the roof panel (2) and a roof trim (9) on the indoor side that is stretched below the roof panel (2). By (10), it is driven to open and close between the fully closed position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1 and the fully open position indicated by the two-dot chain line.
[0011]
In FIG. 2, a mounting bracket for fixing the drive unit (10) to the vehicle body (1) side and support plates (20) and (21) described later are omitted.
[0012]
The drive unit (10) has a motor (11) that can rotate forward and reverse, a gear box (12), and a rack (13).
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 3, the gear box (12) has a worm pivotally supported by a pivot shaft (14) facing in the left-right direction and meshed with a worm (11a) fixed to the output shaft of the motor (11). A wheel (15) and an electromagnetic clutch (17) which is installed on the pivot (14) and intermittently connects a transmission path between the motor (11) and a pinion (16) described later are accommodated.
[0014]
On the outer surface side of the gear box (12), as shown in FIG. 2, there is a pinion (16) coupled to the shaft on the output side of the electromagnetic clutch (17) and an intermediate for sequentially reducing the rotation of the pinion (16). A gear (18) and an output gear (19) are pivotally attached.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate gear (18) and the output gear (19) are pivotally supported between the left and right support plates (20) (21) fixed to the outer surface of the gear box (12). Yes.
[0016]
The tooth portion (13a) provided on the lower edge of the rack (13) meshes with the small diameter gear portion (19a) of the output gear (19) from above, and the rack (13) is rotated by the rotation of the output gear (19). , And can be reciprocated in the front-rear direction (direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the hinge shaft (8)). The rear end portion of the rack (13) is connected to the curved portion (4a) of the hinge arm (4) by a support shaft (22) facing in the left-right direction.
[0017]
The left and right side surfaces of the rack (13) are slidably supported in the front-rear direction between support portions (20a) (21a) swingably provided on the upper portions of the support plates (20) (21). . On one side of the rack (13), a concave guide groove (13b) is provided along the movement direction of the rack (13), and the guide groove (13b) is provided so as to protrude inside the support portion (20a). The protruding portion (20b) is loosely fitted so as to be in sliding contact.
[0018]
Above the output gear (19), between the support portions (20a) (21a), the upper edge (13c) forming the support surface on the opposite side of the teeth (13a) of the rack (13) can be slidably contacted. A guide member (23) is pivotally supported.
[0019]
In the present embodiment, the guide member (23) uses a ball bearing itself.
[0020]
The rack (13) is movable between the guide member (23) and the small-diameter gear portion (19a) of the output gear (19), can be moved in the front-rear direction, and can be tilted in the up-down direction. 13a) and the small-diameter gear part (19a) are loosely fitted with a slight gap in the vertical direction so that backlash is secured.
[0021]
Thus, the rack (13) can be moved in the front-rear direction and tilted in the up-down direction while maintaining the meshing between the tooth portion (13a) and the small-diameter gear portion (19a) by the guide member (23). it can.
[0022]
When the rack (13) is in the fully closed position shown in FIG. 2 corresponding to the fully closed position of the rear gate (5), the rack (13) is placed on the upper edge (13c) of the rack (13) facing the guide member (23). The vertical width of the portion sandwiched between the small diameter gear portion (19a) of the output gear (19) and the guide member (23) in 13) can be gradually increased toward the rear end portion of the rack (13). A gently inclined bias part (24) is formed.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 4, when the rack (13) is in the fully closed position, the biasing portion (24) forming the biasing means and the guide member (23) come into contact with each other, so that the rack (13) has a small diameter gear portion. (19a) and the guide member (23) are biased toward the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the rack (13), that is, downward in the direction where the output gear (19) forming the receiving means is disposed. It is done.
[0024]
The biased rack (13) is received by the small-diameter gear portion (19a) of the output gear (19), and the tooth portion (13a) is pressed against the small-diameter gear portion (19a). The rack (13) is prevented from rattling with the guide member (23).
[0025]
Next, the operation in this embodiment will be described.
When the rear gate (5) is in the fully closed position, the biased portion (24) provided on the rack (13) contacts the guide member (23), and the rack (13) faces toward the output gear (19). Being biased, rattling of the rack (13) is prevented.
[0026]
In this state, when a remote control switch (not shown) is opened, the electromagnetic clutch (17) is excited to connect the transmission path between the motor (11) and the pinion (16), and the motor (11) Be controlled.
[0027]
The forward rotation of the motor (11) causes the rack (13a) to pass through the worm (11a), worm wheel (15), electromagnetic clutch (17), pinion (16), intermediate gear (18), and output gear (19). ) Is moved backward from the fully closed position, the rear gate (5) is swung in the opening direction (in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 1) via the hinge arm (4) and stopped at the fully open position. To do.
[0028]
When the rack (13) moves rearward from the fully closed position, the biasing part (24) is immediately separated from the guide member (23). Thereby, at a position other than the fully closed position of the rack (13), a gap is generated between the rack (13) and the small-diameter gear portion (19a) of the output gear (19) and the guide member (23). 13) can be tilted with the rotation of the rear gate (5).
[0029]
If the remote control switch is closed when the rear gate (5) is in the fully open position, the electromagnetic clutch (17) is excited and the motor (11) is reversely controlled. This causes the rack (13) to move forward via the worm (11a), worm wheel (15), electromagnetic clutch (17), pinion (16), intermediate gear (18), and output gear (19). As a result, the rear gate (5) is swung in the closing direction (in the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. 1) via the hinge arm (4) and stopped at the fully closed position.
[0030]
When the rack (13) reaches the fully closed position, the biasing part (24) comes into contact with the guide member (23), and the rack (13) is biased toward the output gear (19) side to prevent rattling. Is done. At this time, since the biasing portion (24) is formed with a gentle inclined surface, the guide member (23) can smoothly contact the biasing portion (24).
[0031]
FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the lower edge (13d) of the concave guide groove (13b) provided on the side surface of the rack (13), i.e., the biasing portion (inclined gently upward) on the support surface of the rack (13) ( 25), and the guide member (26) is loosely fitted in the guide groove (13b) so as to be relatively movable along the moving direction of the rack (13).
[0032]
The guide member (26) can be slidably contacted with the lower edge (13d) of the guide groove (13b), and the guide member (26) abuts against the biased portion (25) in the fully closed position of the rack (13). As a result, the rack (13) can be biased toward the small-diameter gear portion (19a) of the output gear (19), and rattling of the rack (13) can be prevented as in the above embodiment.
[0033]
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it is possible to give a various deformation | transformation and change to the said embodiment.
For example, the biasing portion is made of synthetic resin, and is fixed to the support surfaces (13c) and (13d) of the rack (13) .The biasing portion is provided on the side surface of the guide groove (13b), and the rack (13) is in the fully closed position. At one time, the rack (13) is biased in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction thereof, that is, in the horizontal direction by bringing the biasing part and the protrusion (20b) of the support part (20a) into contact with each other, and the biased rack ( 13) can be received by the support plate (21) to prevent the rack (13) from rattling.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the following effects can be achieved.
(A) According to the first aspect of the invention, when the rack is at a position corresponding to the fully closed position of the rear gate, the biasing means for biasing the rack in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction thereof and the biased rack can be received. By providing the receiving means, it is possible to reliably prevent the rack from rattling when the rack is at a position corresponding to the fully closed position of the rear gate.
Further, the biasing means is formed by a guide member and a biasing portion provided on the support surface of the rack and abutting the guide member to bias the rack toward the output gear, and the receiving means is formed by the output gear. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the rack from rattling with a simple configuration without adding new parts.
[0035]
( B ) According to the invention described in claim 2 , the biasing portion is gradually increased in the vertical width of the portion sandwiched between the output gear and the guide member in the rack toward one end connected to the rear gate side of the rack. By tilting in such a manner, the guide member and the biasing portion can be smoothly brought into contact with each other, and rattling of the rack can be reliably prevented.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a rear part of a vehicle body showing an outline of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of a portion II in FIG.
3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a main part.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of a main part of a second embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
(1) Body
(2) Roof panel
(3) Opening
(4) Hinge arm
(4a) Curved part
(5) Rear gate
(6) Rear roof rail
(7) Hinge bracket
(8) Hinge shaft
(9) Roof trim
(10) Drive unit
(11) Motor
(11a) Warm
(12) Gearbox
(13) Rack
(13a) Teeth
(13b) Guide groove
(13c) Upper edge (support surface)
(13d) Lower edge (support surface)
(14) Axis
(15) Worm wheel
(16) Pinion
(17) Electromagnetic clutch
(18) Intermediate gear
(19) Output gear (receiving means)
(19a) Small diameter gear (receiving means)
(20) (21) Support plate
(20a) (21a) Support part
(20b) Projection
(22) Spindle
(23) (26) Guide member (biasing means)
(24) (25) Deviation part (bias means)

Claims (2)

A rear gate pivotably attached to a vehicle body by a horizontal hinge shaft is opened and closed by a drive unit installed on the vehicle body side, and the drive unit is rotated forward and backward, and the motor A gear box provided with an output gear that decelerates and outputs the rotation; a tooth portion that meshes with the output gear; and is reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the hinge shaft; A rack connected to the rear gate side, and provided on the gear box side with a guide member slidably contactable with a support surface on the opposite side of the tooth portion of the rack, between the guide member and the output gear In addition, in the vehicle rear gate opening and closing device, the rack is engaged with the output gear and is loosely fitted so as to be tiltable.
When the rack is at a position corresponding to the fully closed position of the rear gate, biasing means for biasing the rack in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction thereof, and receiving means capable of receiving the biased rack are provided ,
The biasing means is formed by the guide member and a biasing portion provided on the support surface of the rack and biasing the rack toward the output gear by contacting the guide member, and receiving the receiving member. A vehicle rear gate opening and closing device characterized in that the means is formed by the output gear . The biasing portion, the vertical width of the portion that is sandwiched between the guide member and the output gear in the rack, tilted so as to gradually increase toward the one end side connected to said rear gate side of the rack The vehicle rear gate opening and closing device according to claim 1 .

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