JP5390248B2 - Inner cable connection structure and sliding door drive device using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inner cable connection structure and a slide door drive device using the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to an inner cable connecting structure and a slide door driving device used for a power slide door that opens and closes a slide door of a vehicle via an inner cable.

  In Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 19, one end of an assembly lever 102 is rotatably provided on a roller bracket 101, an inner cable 104 is passed through a slit 103 formed in the assembly lever 102, and a cylindrical cable end is provided. An inner cable connection structure 100 in which 105 is slidably engaged is disclosed. This device is used in a cable type automatic opening / closing device for a sliding door of a vehicle. A horizontal roller 106 that rolls in a guide rail formed on a side surface of a vehicle body is rotatably attached to a roller bracket 101.

  In this connection structure, when the assembly lever 102 is rotated from the open state to the closed state, the cable end 105 slides on the back surface of the assembly lever 102, so that the lower side of the horizontal roller 106 is applied while applying tension to the inner cable 104. It can be moved to the original locking position. At that position, the cylindrical cable end 105 can be pivotably fitted to the receiving portion 107 having a substantially cylindrical locking hole 107a.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, as shown in FIG. 20, a fan-shaped end holder 112 including a pair of elastic pieces 111 is attached to a substantially W-shaped holder bracket 110 including a substantially arc-shaped engaging portion. A cable end connection structure is disclosed in which the end holder 112 is fixed to the mounting position of the holder bracket 110 by mounting from the side and the elastic piece 111 is restored. In this connection structure, the holder bracket 110 also serves as the bracket of the vertical roller 114. The fan-shaped end holder 112 includes a columnar hole 115 for rotatably locking the cable end 113 and a guide slit 116 formed between the upper and lower flanges.

JP 2007-313942 A Japanese Patent No. 3907105

  In the inner cable connection structure of Patent Document 1, since the tension applied to the inner cable 104 is smoothly transmitted to the roller bracket 101 to cause the roller 106 to roll, the receiving portion 107 is concentrically near the roller 106, particularly on the lower side. Is arranged. Therefore, the receiving part 107 is also arrange | positioned in a guide rail. However, recently, the opening of the guide rail has become narrower, and the conventional size receiving portion 107 cannot sufficiently cope with it. The connection structure of Patent Document 2 has the same problem.

  Further, since the guide rail that guides the sliding door is curved toward the inside of the vehicle body in the vicinity of the front end, when moving along the curved portion, the roller bracket 101 also rotates, and the pulling direction of the inner cable 104 changes. To do. For this reason, conventionally, the cable end 105 has a columnar shape and can be freely rotated in the locking hole 107a of the receiving portion 107 having the same shape, to cope with a change in the pulling direction. However, there is a concern that dust or the like is clogged between the cable end 104 and the inner surface of the locking hole 107a of the receiving portion 107, and sticking / baking may occur. The connection structure of Patent Document 2 has the same problem.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an inner cable connecting structure and a sliding door driving device that can be applied to a guide rail having a small cross-sectional shape and a narrow opening, and that is less likely to be fixed to a cable end.

  The inner cable connection structure of the present invention is an inner cable connection structure for locking the end portion of the inner cable before and after driving the slide door to the slide door side, and is stretched along the guide rail, Front and rear inner cables to which the cable end is fixed, a bracket that is pivotally connected to a slide door about a vertical axis, and a latch that is attached to the bracket and that locks the cable end. Front and rear end holders provided with holes, and the inner cable extending in the front and rear direction with the front and rear end holders extending along the curved path from the direction along the guide rail to the slide door side at a position away from the cable end It is characterized by having a guide part that guides to the vicinity of the locking hole as well as being converted. .

  A slide door drive device according to the present invention includes a bracket provided on a door arm of a slide door so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, and a pair of inner cables extending in opposite directions along the drive direction of the slide door at a fixed position. And a pair of end holders for locking the end portions of the inner cables, and the other end side of the pair of inner cables is connected to a cable driving mechanism for alternately pulling and operating the inner cables. The apparatus is characterized in that the pair of end holders, the front and rear inner cables locked to the end holders, and the bracket constitute one of the inner cable connecting structures.

  (1) The inner cable coupling structure of the present invention changes the direction of the front and rear inner cables extending in the front-rear direction along the curved path from the direction along the guide rail to the slide door side at a position away from the cable end. And since the guide part which guides to the said locking hole vicinity is provided, a cable end can be arrange | positioned on the outer side of a guide rail. Therefore, it is possible to cope with a guide rail having a small cross-sectional shape and a narrow opening. Further, when the sliding door rotates, it is possible to follow the change in the pulling direction of the inner cable at the curved path portion. Therefore, it is not necessary to rotate the cable end within the locking hole, and the problem of sticking and baking does not occur.

  (2) The bracket includes a pair of front and rear horizontal rollers that roll along the guide rail, and the inner cable changes direction from the direction along the guide rail to the slide door side through the vicinity of the center of the horizontal roller. In this case, the horizontal roller can be smoothly rolled by the pulling force of the inner cable.

  (3) When the end holder can be inserted / removed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the inner cable extends with respect to the bracket, when the end holder is inserted into the bracket, The bracket can support the tension. Therefore, the tension of the inner cable is not directly applied in the insertion / removal direction. Therefore, installation work is easy.

  (4) Further, a substantially W-shaped holder bracket having two receiving portions opened on the slide door side is attached to the bracket, and the end holder slides with respect to the receiving portion of the holder bracket. If it can be inserted / removed from the door side, the mounting work is easier.

  (5) The holder bracket includes an engagement piece that crosses the receiving portion, and the end holder is provided with an engagement tongue piece that engages with the engagement piece to prevent the end holder from coming off. When the engagement piece and the engagement tongue piece serve as the disengagement prevention means, the engagement tongue piece of the end holder inserted into the receiving portion engages with the engagement piece of the holder bracket. It does not come out to the opening side of the receiving part.

  (6) The end holder is provided so as to be rotatable between an assembly position and a fixing position in the vicinity of the locking hole with respect to the bracket, and includes a fixing means for fixing the end holder to the fixing position. If the inner cable routing route at the fixed position of the end holder is longer than the routing route at the assembled position, the cable end is locked in the locking hole with the end holder opened at the assembled position, By rotating the end holder to the fixing position and fixing the end holder with the fixing means in this state, the assembling work is completed, and an appropriate tension is applied to the inner cable. Therefore, it is easy to route the inner cable. Further, if the cable end is locked in the locking hole in a state where the inner cable is loosened, the locking operation is easy.

  (7) The fixing means communicates with the hole formed in the bracket and substantially parallel to the center of rotation of the end holder, and the hole formed in the end holder when the end holder reaches the fixing position. If the end holder is rotated to the fixed position against the tension of the inner cable, the screw or bolt is penetrated. By passing through the holes, the tension of the inner cable can be supported. Therefore, after that, you can easily tighten the screws or tighten the nuts to the bolts.

  (8) When the front and rear end holders are connected by connecting bolts that fasten the end holders close to each other, appropriate tension can be applied to the inner cable by screwing of the connecting bolts.

  (9) Since the sliding door drive device of the present invention is provided with the above-described inner cable connection structure, it can also be used for a guide rail with a narrow opening, and can be fixed and baked in the locking hole of the cable end. There is no problem based on.

It is a top view which shows one Embodiment of the connection structure of this invention. It is a front view of the connection structure of FIG. It is a side view of the connection structure of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state before the assembly of the connection structure of FIG. It is a schematic plan view which shows one Embodiment of the reciprocating drive device of this invention. It is a top view which shows other embodiment of the connection structure of this invention. It is a front view of the connection structure of FIG. It is a side view of the connection structure of FIG. It is a top view before the assembly which shows the end holder and inner cable of the connection structure of FIG. It is a front view before the assembly which shows the end holder and inner cable of the connection structure of FIG. It is a bottom view before the assembly which shows other embodiment of the connection structure of this invention. It is a front view of the bracket used for the connection structure of FIG. It is a side view before the connection structure assembly of FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the front side which shows the whole connection structure of FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the back side (slide door side) which shows the whole connection structure of FIG. It is a top view which shows the whole after the assembly of the connection structure of FIG. It is a front view which shows the whole after the assembly of the connection structure of FIG. It is a side view which shows the whole after the assembly of the connection structure of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the conventional connection structure. It is the perspective view seen from the lower side which shows the other example of the conventional connection structure.

  FIG. 1 shows a connecting structure 10 for connecting end portions of inner cables 13 and 14 to a roller bracket 11 of a sliding door of an automobile. As shown in FIG. 2, the roller bracket 11 includes an upper plate 11 a and a lower plate 11 b, and the upper plate and the lower plate are arranged in a vertical rotation shaft at a middle portion in the vertical direction at the rear of the slide door. As shown in FIG. 3, a horizontal roller 16 that rolls in the recess 15a on the upper portion of the center rail 15 and a vertical roller 17 that rolls on the lower wall 15b are rotatably supported. .

  The connection structure 10 fixes a pair of end holders 20 and 21 that are rotatably connected by a connection shaft 18, the inner cables 13 and 14 that are connected to the end holders, and the end holders 20 and 21. And a fixing bolt 22 for fixing the roller bracket 11 as a driven body at a position. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the distal end (upper end) of the connecting shaft 18 is a small diameter portion 18 a, and a thin disc-shaped head portion 18 b is provided at the lower end. When one of the end holders 20 and 21 is fixed to the roller bracket 11 with the fixing bolt 22, the other is assembled with each other (an obliquely opened position Op in FIG. 1) and a fixed position (a position Cl arranged parallel to each other). It can be freely rotated between.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the roller bracket 11 has a substantially triangular upper plate (base portion) 11 a, a vertical wall 23 extending downward from the front end of the upper plate, and a front side extending from the left and right of the lower end of the vertical wall. A pair of left and right fork-like support arms 24, a vertical piece 25 extending downward from the center of the vertical wall 23, and the above-described lower plate 11b bent backward from the lower end of the vertical piece are provided. In FIG. 4, the vertical piece 25 and the lower plate 11b are separated from the upper plate 11a and the vertical wall 23 and are shown in the lower part of FIG. A mounting hole 26 is formed in the vicinity of the rear ends of the upper plate 11a and the lower plate 11b so as to be pivotably attached to the door arm 61 of FIG. 3, and left and right for passing the fixing bolts 22 in the vicinity of the front end of the upper plate 11a. A pair of fixing bolt holes 27 are formed. In the vicinity of the tip of the support arm 24, a through hole 29 for fixing the support shaft 28 of the horizontal roller (roller rotating along a horizontal plane) 16 is formed.

  As shown in the lower part of FIG. 4, the front end of the vertical piece 25 and the lower plate 11 b is formed by bending a portion between the support arms 24. The aforementioned mounting hole 26 is formed at the rear end of the lower plate 11b. A hole 35 for fixing the support shaft 34 of the vertical roller (roller rotating along the vertical surface) 17 is formed from the vertical wall 23 to the vertical piece 25. The roller bracket 11 can be manufactured by pressing from a steel plate or the like.

  The inner cables 13 and 14 include a closed inner cable 13 for moving the door to the front of the automobile and closing the doorway, and an open inner cable 14 for moving the door to the rear and opening the doorway. Each of the inner cables 13 and 14 is a conventionally known one in which metal strands are twisted together. The inner cables 13 and 14 are flexible and elastically return to their original shape when bent at a predetermined bending radius or more. It has sex. However, since bending or bending with a small bending radius causes plastic deformation that does not return, the minimum bending radius is determined. Cylindrical cable ends 13a and 14a are fixed to the end portions of the inner cables 13 and 14 by casting, caulking, or the like. In the structure of the present invention, the cable ends 13a and 14a do not need to be rotated in the locking holes, and therefore do not have to be cylindrical, and may have other shapes such as a prism. However, it is usually made into a columnar shape for reasons such as moldability.

  The end holders 20 and 21 are configured as a pair of left and right, respectively, a columnar or prismatic base portion 36 having a cross-sectional fan shape, plate-like connecting pieces 37 and 38 and engaging pieces projecting perpendicularly from the lower portion of the base portion. 39, and is substantially L-shaped in plan view. The base portion 36 includes an inner side surface 40 on which the connecting pieces 37 and 38 are provided, and a front side surface 41 on which the engagement piece 39 is provided, and the other side surface 42 is matched with the contour of the corresponding portion of the upper plate 11a of the bracket 11. ing. The upper part of the front side surface 41 is flat so as to contact the back side of the vertical wall 23 of the upper bracket 11 at the fixed position.

  A screw hole 44 that communicates with the fixing bolt hole 27 and is screwed to the fixing bolt 22 when the end holder 20 comes to the fixing position is formed on the upper surface of the base portion 36. Further, a locking hole 45 for locking the cable end 13a is formed in the base portion 36. In this embodiment, the inner surface 40 side of the base portion 36 is cut out at a substantially half position of the locking hole 45. The locking hole 45 penetrates to the lower surface side for molding, but has a step portion in the middle (see FIG. 3). In addition, since it is not necessary to hold | maintain the cable end 13a rotatably also about the latching hole 45, shapes other than a cylinder may be sufficient. The locking hole 45 is in communication with the outside through an introduction groove 46 through which the inner cable 13 is passed during assembly on the front side surface 41 side. The depth to the stepped portion of the locking hole 45 is set to an appropriate dimension so that when the cable end 13a is inserted, the inner cable 13 comes to the outside at a predetermined height (a height that matches the guide groove 47). Yes.

  A guide groove 47 for guiding the inner cable 13 is formed in the engagement piece 39 of the left end holder 20 from the inner side surface to the tip, and the direction of the inner cable 13 is changed by about 90 degrees near the tip. An arcuate direction changing portion 48 is provided. The guide groove 47 is continuous with the introduction groove 46. A detachment preventing piece 49 for preventing the inner cable 13 from coming off from the guide groove 47 protrudes above the guide groove 47 on the inner side surface of the engagement piece 39. Further, the upper portion on the distal end side is notched in an arc shape in order to avoid interference with a nut that fixes the support shaft 28 of the horizontal roller 16 when the end holder 20 is rotated to the fixed position. For this reason, the bottom portion of the guide groove 47 that normally contacts and guides the inner cable 13 is exposed as an arc-shaped protrusion 47a.

  The connecting piece 37 of the left end holder 20 has a rotating hole 50 that is rotatably fitted to the connecting shaft 18 in the vicinity of the tip, and the tip of the connecting piece 37 has a semicircular shape centering on the rotating hole 50. Has been.

  The right end holder 21 is the same as the left end holder 20 except for the connecting piece 38. A groove 51 for inserting the tip of the connecting piece 37 of the left end holder 20 is formed at the tip of the connecting piece 38 of the right end holder 21, and the connecting shaft 18 is fitted to the upper and lower protruding pieces 52a and 52b, respectively. Holes 50a and 50b are formed. The small diameter portion 18a of the connecting shaft 18 is fitted into the hole 50a of the upper protruding piece 52a, and the base portion of the connecting shaft 18 is fitted into the hole 50b of the lower protruding piece 52b. A retaining ring 18c is fitted into an annular groove formed around the tip of the small-diameter portion 18a of the connecting shaft 18 protruding from the upper protruding piece 52a to prevent the connecting shaft 18 from coming off. The left and right end holders 20 and 21 can be formed from a synthetic resin such as polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), or a metal such as aluminum or zinc alloy. In the case of synthetic resin, the screw hole 44 can be provided by insert molding of a nut.

  In order to assemble the connection structure 10 configured as described above, the connection shaft 18 is connected to the upper and lower end holders 20 and 21 in a state where the connection pieces 37 and 38 of the left and right end holders 20 and 21 are first combined. A retaining ring 18 c is attached to the annular groove at the upper end of the connecting shaft 18 through the hole 50 b, the rotation hole 50, and the hole 50 a of the pieces 37 and 38. At this time, the head 18b contacts the lower surface of the one connecting piece 38, and the stepped portion at the boundary between the small diameter portion 18a and the other portion contacts the lower surface of the upper protruding piece 52a (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 3, the roller bracket 11 is assembled to the tip of the door arm 61 of the slide door. The horizontal roller 16 and the vertical roller 17 are previously attached to the support arm 24 and the vertical piece 25 of the roller bracket 11.

  Next, in a state in which the end holders 20 and 21 are opened, that is, in the assembled position, the cable end 14a of the corresponding inner cable 14 is fitted into the locking hole 45 of one end holder, for example, the right end holder 21. At this time, the root portion of the inner cable 14 is passed through the introduction groove 46, and the other portion of the inner cable 14 is passed through the guide groove 47 of the engagement piece 39. Next, the end holder 21 is closed to a fixed position that is substantially perpendicular to the inner cable 14. In this state, the lateral side surface 41 of the end holder 21 abuts on the back side of the vertical wall 23 of the roller bracket 11, and the upper surface of the engagement piece 39 abuts on the lower surface of the support arm 24 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the end holder 21 and the roller bracket 11 are firmly connected. Further, the opening at the upper end of the locking hole 45 is closed by the upper plate 11a.

  Next, from the upper side of the upper plate 11a, the fixing bolt 22 is passed through the fixing bolt hole 27, screwed into the screw hole 44 of the lower end holder 21, and one end holder 21 is fastened to the upper plate 11a of the roller bracket 11. . At this time, since the upper side surface of the end holder 21 abuts against the back surface of the vertical wall 23 of the roller bracket 11, even one fixing bolt 22 can be fixed so as not to rotate. The operation of connecting the one inner cable 14 is easy because the loops of the inner cables 13 and 14 are not yet closed and no tension is generated. The state where the one inner cable 14 is connected is shown on the right side of FIG. By fixing one end holder 21 in this way, the other end holder 20 can freely rotate between the assembly position and the fixed position with respect to the roller bracket 11 via the connecting shaft 18 and the other end holder 21. It will be connected to.

  Next, as shown on the left side of FIG. 1, the cable end 13a of the other inner cable 13 is fitted into the locking hole 45 of the left end holder 20 that is open (in the assembled position), and the inner cable 13 is introduced. It passes through the groove 46 and the guide groove 47. In this state, since the end holder 20 is open and the routing route of the inner cable 13 extends in an oblique direction, no tension is generated yet. Moreover, even if it occurs, it is slight, and there is no hindrance to the connecting work.

  Then, the end holder 20 is rotated in the direction of arrow P to the fixed position Cl indicated by the imaginary line in FIG. As a result, the routing route of the inner cable 13 changes to a route that is bent approximately 90 degrees from the oblique direction. In this case, due to the relationship between one side of the triangle and the other two sides, the routing path at the fixed position is longer than the routing path at the assembly position. Therefore, when the end holder 20 is rotated, the end holder 20 is rotated while resisting the tension that gradually occurs in the inner cable 13. Then, while maintaining the end holder 20 in the closed position, the fixing bolt 22 corresponding to the end holder 20 is passed through the fixing bolt hole 27 of the upper plate 11 a and screwed into the screw hole 44 of the end holder 20. Is fixed to the roller bracket 11.

  By the above procedure, the inner cables 13 and 14 on both sides are connected to the roller bracket 11 (see FIG. 2). In this state, the inner cables 13 and 14 extending along the guide rail are guided by the direction changing portion 48 of the guide groove 47 so as to change the direction about 90 degrees near the center of the horizontal rollers 16 and 16, respectively. Head toward the locking hole 45. The vertical roller 17 is also provided near the center of the horizontal roller 16. Therefore, the pulling force applied to one inner cable 13 is applied almost straight to the resistance force caused by the rolling of the rollers 16 and 17, and the sliding door can be pulled smoothly. Further, when the sliding door moves on the curved portion of the guide rail, the inner cables 13 and 14 can be separated in the tangential direction of the direction changing portion 48, so that the change in the pulling direction can be smoothly followed. it can. Further, since the cable ends 13a and 14a do not need to rotate in the locking hole 45, there is no problem due to sticking.

  FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a drive device provided with the connection structure 10 of FIGS. The driving device 55 drives a sliding door of an automobile, and locks the inner cable 13 on the closed side, the inner cable 14 on the open side, and the ends of the inner cables, and winds them alternately. A drum 56 for driving and driving, a motor M and a speed reducer G for reciprocatingly rotating the drum, and a connecting structure 10 for connecting the other ends of the inner cables 13 and 14 to the roller bracket 11. The drum 56, the motor M, and the speed reducer G constitute a cable drive mechanism as a whole. Reference numerals 57 and 58 are guide members such as pulleys or slide guides for changing the direction of the inner cables 13 and 14, reference numeral 59 is an automobile, reference numeral 60 is a slide door, reference numeral 61 is a door arm, and reference numeral 62 is a lower rail. ing. The upper rail is not shown. The rear guide member 58 may change the direction of the inner cable 14 around the horizontal axis, but is shown here as changing the direction around the vertical axis. The same applies to the drum 56.

  When the motor M rotates to rotate the drum 56 in one direction, the driving device 55 configured as described above winds up one inner cable, for example, the front (closed) inner cable 13 and the rear side ( The inner cable 14 on the open side is sent out. As a result, the loops of the inner cables 13 and 14 circulate in the clockwise direction in FIG. 5, the slide door 60 moves forward, and the doorway can be closed. When the motor M rotates in the reverse direction, the slide door 60 moves backward and the doorway can be opened. The front ends of the center rail 15, the lower rail 62, and the upper rail are curved toward the inner side of the vehicle, and when the slide door 60 is closed, the outer surface of the door is flush with the side wall of the vehicle.

  In the driving device 55 shown in FIG. 5, when the slide door 60 moves to the inside of the vehicle body along the curved path of the front end of the center rail 15, the front and rear inner cables 13, 14 change the direction of the front ends of the end holders 20, 21. The drawing direction smoothly changes at the portion 48. Therefore, the cable ends 13 a and 14 a do not need to rotate inside the locking holes 45 of the end holders 20 and 21, and the cable ends 13 a and 14 a are not likely to be fixed to the inner surface of the locking holes 45 or seized.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the portions of the locking holes 45 of the end holders 20 and 21 can be disposed outside the center rail 15, so that a large space is not required below the horizontal roller 16. Therefore, it is possible to cope with a guide rail having a small cross-sectional shape, particularly a guide rail having a narrow width W of the opening.

  Next, another embodiment of the connection structure will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 has a structure in which the connecting pieces 71 and 72 of the left and right end holders 20 and 21 are formed so as to be different in plan view, and the side surfaces of the connecting pieces are engaged with each other (see FIG. 9). In this connection structure 70, the end holders 20 and 21 cannot be rotated in a combined state. As shown in FIG. 7, connecting blocks 73 and 74 having a width wider than the connecting pieces project from the lower surfaces of the connecting pieces 71 and 72, and screw holes 75 are formed in one connecting block 74 and the other connecting block. A through hole 76 is formed in 73, and the connection blocks 73 and 74 are fastened together with a connection bolt 77 (see FIGS. 8 and 9). However, a nut may be screwed to the connecting bolt 77 and both may be tightened with both through holes. About another structure, since it is substantially the same as the connection structure 10 of FIGS. 1-4, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same part and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In order to assemble the connection structure 70 configured as described above, first, the end portions of the inner cables 13 and 14 are locked to the left and right end holders 20 and 21. Next, the fixing bolt 22 is temporarily fastened only to one end holder, and the other end holder is brought close to each other and fastened by the connecting bolt 77 (see FIG. 10). Thereby, both can be brought close to each other against the tension of the inner cables 13 and 14. Therefore, assembly work is easy. Thereafter, both end holders 20 and 21 are finally firmly fixed to the roller bracket 11 with fixing bolts 22 (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

  Also in this connection structure 70, the inner cables 13, 14 are changed in direction by the direction changing portion 48 at a position passing through the vicinity of the center of the horizontal roller 16, and are guided along the end holders 20, 21 as in the connection structure of FIG. The cable ends 13 a and 14 a are locked to the locking holes 45 at the positions extending outside the rails. Therefore, there is no influence on the pulling operation of the roller bracket 11 by the inner cables 13 and 14, and the cable ends 13 a and 14 a do not need to be arranged below the horizontal roller 16. Further, the cable ends 13 a and 14 a do not need to rotate within the locking hole 45. Therefore, no space is taken below the horizontal roller 16, and it is possible to cope with the narrow width of the opening of the guide rail. Furthermore, there is no possibility that the cable ends 13a and 14a are fixed to the inner surface of the locking hole 45 or seized.

  In the connecting structure 80 shown in FIG. 11, the end holders 20 and 21 are straight with respect to the holder bracket 81 and, consequently, with respect to the roller bracket (reference numeral 11 in FIG. 14) (with respect to the routing direction of the inner cables 13 and 14). It is configured to be inserted and fitted (substantially at right angles). The holder bracket 81 includes a main body 81a having a substantially W shape or a substantially “bow” shape in a plan view (FIG. 11 is a bottom view), and an engagement piece 81b fixed to the main body 81a. The main body 81a includes a base portion 82 attached to a roller bracket (see reference numeral 11 in FIG. 14), and a substantially U-shaped receiving portion 83 protruding from the left and right ends of the base portion toward the vehicle body. As shown in FIG. 12, a slit 84 through which the inner cable passes is formed at the tip of the receiving portion 83. The upper portion 83a of the portion divided vertically by the slit 84 extends to the vicinity of the base portion 82, and the lower portion 83b is shortened. The slit 84 is for avoiding interference when the sliding direction of the inner cable changes when the sliding door moves along the curved path.

  The engaging piece 81b is used to hold the end holders 20 and 21 attached to the receiving portion 83 and to prevent them from coming off. The engaging piece 81b is provided so as to block the opening side of the substantially U-shaped receiving portion 83, and is fixed to the lower end of the base portion 82 by welding or the like. Reference symbol Y indicates a welded portion. The tip of the engagement piece 81b (right side in FIG. 13) is inclined downward in order to facilitate the insertion of the engagement tongue piece 85 of the end holders 20 and 21. The main body 81a and the engagement piece 81b of the bracket 81 can each be formed from a metal plate such as a steel plate.

  The end holders 20 and 21 are plate-like members each having a locking hole 45 for locking the cable end at one end and a direction changing portion 48 curved at the other end. Since these end holders 20 and 21 are inserted and fitted straight to the holder bracket 81, they do not include the connecting pieces 37 and 38 in the end holder of FIG. The locking hole 45 communicates with an introduction groove 46 through which the inner cable is passed when the cable ends 13a, 14a are inserted. A guide groove 47 for guiding the inner cable is formed along the inner side edge of the end holders 20 and 21. These locking holes 45, introduction grooves 46, and guide grooves 47 are substantially the same as in FIG. In the end holders 20 and 21 in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 13, the lower end side of the end holders 20 and 21 is elastically engaged with the engaging piece 81 b of the holder bracket 81 described above. A tongue piece 85 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the engaging tongue 85 projects downward from the lower surface of the main body of the end holders 20, 21, is further bent, and extends toward the distal end side (vehicle body side) in the insertion direction. A projection 86 that engages with the edge of the engagement piece 81b is formed at the tip of the engagement tongue piece 85. The upper surface of the protrusion 86 is formed with an inclined surface in order to elastically deform the engaging tongue piece 85 downward when the end holders 20 and 21 are inserted into the holder bracket 81. When the protrusion 86 exceeds the engagement piece 81b, the engagement tongue piece 85 is elastically returned to the original state, and the protrusion 86 can be engaged with the end edge of the engagement piece 81b. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a pressing piece 87 that prevents the inner cable from coming off from the slit 84 protrudes from the outer edge of the end holder 20, 21 on the tip side.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 to 18, the connecting structure 80 is combined with the horizontal roller 16 whose center of rotation is near the tip of the receiving portion 83 and the vertical roller 17 disposed between the receiving portions 83, and is connected to the connecting structure shown in FIG. 10 is assembled in substantially the same manner. 14 to 18, parts corresponding to the connection structure of FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. This connecting structure 80 is also used in the driving device 55 shown in FIG. Also in this case, when the sliding door moves along the curved path toward the inside of the vehicle body, the pulling direction of the front and rear inner cables is easily changed by the direction changing portion 48 that is smoothly curved. Therefore, the cable ends 13 a and 14 a do not need to rotate inside the locking holes 45 of the end holders 20 and 21, and there is no possibility that the end holders 20 and 21 adhere to or adhere to the inner surface of the locking holes 45.

  Furthermore, since the portions of the locking holes 45 of the end holders 20 and 21 can be arranged outside the guide rail, it is possible to cope with the narrow width of the guide rail opening. Furthermore, since the inner cables 13 and 14 are turned from the vicinity of the center of the horizontal roller 16 toward the slide door, the slide door can be smoothly pulled by the operation force applied to the inner cables 13 and 14.

10 Connecting structure 11 Roller bracket 11a Upper plate 11b Lower plate 13 Inner cable (closed inner cable)
13a Cable end 14 Inner cable (open side inner cable)
14a Cable end 15 Center rail 15a Upper recess 15b Lower wall 16 Horizontal roller 17 Vertical roller 18 Connection shaft 18a Small diameter portion 18b Head 18c Retaining ring Op Assembly position Cl Fixing position 20, 21 End holder 22 Fixing bolt 23 Vertical wall 24 Support Arm 25 Vertical piece 26 Mounting hole 27 Fixing bolt hole 28 Support shaft 29 Through hole 32 Support wall 34 Support shaft 35 Hole 36 Base 37, 38 Connecting piece +
39 Engagement piece 40 Inner side surface 41 Front side surface 42 Other side surface 44 Screw hole 45 Locking hole 46 Introduction groove 47 Guide groove 47a Arc-shaped protrusion 48 Direction change part 49 Detachment prevention piece 50 Rotating hole 50a, 50b Hole 51 Groove 52a 52b Projection piece 53 Nut 55 Reciprocating drive device 56 Drum M Motor G Reducer 57, 58 Guide member 59 Automobile 60 Door 61 Door arm 62 Lower rail 70 Connection structure 71, 72 Connection piece 73, 74 Connection block 75 Screw hole 76 Through hole 77 Connection bolt 80 Connection structure 81 Holder bracket 81a Main body 81b Engagement piece 82 Base 83 Receiving part 83a Upper part 83b Lower part 84 Slit 85 Engagement tongue 86 Projection 87 Pressing piece

Claims (5)

An inner cable coupling structure for locking the end portion of the inner cable before and after driving the sliding door to the sliding door side,
Inner cables before and after being stretched along the guide rail and having a cable end fixed to the tip,
A bracket that is pivotally connected to a sliding door about a vertical axis;
Front and rear end holders each having a locking hole for locking the cable end, which are attached to the bracket,
The inner cable in which the front and rear end holders extend in the front-rear direction is changed in the direction away from the cable end from the direction along the guide rail to the slide door side along the curved path and is guided to the vicinity of the locking hole. It has a guide part ,
A substantially W-shaped holder bracket having two receiving portions opened on the slide door side is attached to the bracket,
The end holder can be inserted / removed from the sliding door side with respect to the receiving portion of the holder bracket,
The holder bracket includes an engagement piece that crosses the receiving portion, and the end holder is provided with an engagement tongue piece that engages with the engagement piece to prevent the end holder from being detached. Lee emissions toner cable connection structure and engaging piece and the engaging tongue piece is in the preventing means, however. An inner cable coupling structure for locking the end portion of the inner cable before and after driving the sliding door to the sliding door side,
Inner cables before and after being stretched along the guide rail and having a cable end fixed to the tip,
A bracket that is pivotally connected to a sliding door about a vertical axis;
Front and rear end holders each having a locking hole for locking the cable end, which are attached to the bracket,
The inner cable in which the front and rear end holders extend in the front-rear direction is changed in the direction away from the cable end from the direction along the guide rail to the slide door side along the curved path and is guided to the vicinity of the locking hole. It has a guide part,
The end holder is provided so as to be rotatable between an assembly position and a fixed position with respect to the bracket in the vicinity of the locking hole, and includes means for fixing the end holder to the fixed position. Louis emission toner cable connection structure is longer than the arrangement path in the routing path is assembled position of the inner cable in a fixed position of the holder. The fixing means includes a hole substantially parallel to the rotation center of the end holder formed in the bracket, and a screw hole communicating with the hole when the end holder formed in the end holder comes to a fixed position. The inner cable connection structure according to claim 2, further comprising a screw or a bolt inserted into the hole and the screw hole . An inner cable coupling structure for locking the end portion of the inner cable before and after driving the sliding door to the sliding door side,
Inner cables before and after being stretched along the guide rail and having a cable end fixed to the tip,
A bracket that is pivotally connected to a sliding door about a vertical axis;
Front and rear end holders each having a locking hole for locking the cable end, which are attached to the bracket,
The inner cable in which the front and rear end holders extend in the front-rear direction is changed in the direction away from the cable end from the direction along the guide rail to the slide door side along the curved path and is guided to the vicinity of the locking hole. It has a guide part,
The front and rear end holder, Louis emission toner cable connection structure is connected by a connecting bolt for fastening the end holder together so as to approach each other. A bracket provided on the door arm of the sliding door so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, a pair of inner cables extending in opposite directions along the driving direction of the sliding door at a fixed position, and ends of the inner cables. A pair of end holders for locking, wherein the other end of the pair of inner cables is connected to a cable drive mechanism that alternately pulls and operates the inner cables,
The slide door drive device in which the pair of end holders, the front and rear inner cables locked to the end holders, and the bracket constitute the inner cable connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4. .

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