JPH0112915B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a connecting structure in an automatic door opening/closing device that automatically opens and closes doors of automobiles, etc.

Conventionally, in this type of device for automatically opening and closing doors, one end of the door hinge was pivotally mounted on the vehicle body side slightly to the side of the axis of the door hinge, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 42-22888, for example. The other end of the push rod is connected to an arm pivotally mounted within the door, which arm is further associated with suitable drive means.

By rotating the arm using a drive means, the pushing rod is pushed or pulled in the axial direction to open and close the door.

In such a structure, as the door opens and closes by the rotation of the arm, the connecting end of the push rod and the arm is moved in the vertical direction by the swing of the arm, and as the door opens and closes, Moved as if swinging from side to side.

For this reason, in the past, a universal joint was used for the connection between the pushing rod and the arm, or gaps were provided in the connection at the top, bottom, left and right.

However, the former has a complicated mechanism and is expensive, and the latter has the disadvantage that the connecting part rattles and rattles occur during driving or when opening/closing the door.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks and provides a structure for connecting a pushing rod and an arm, which has a simple structure and provides smooth operation.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention has a long hole bored in either the arm or the pushing rod, and connects the arm and the pushing rod with a connecting shaft loosely inserted into the long hole. , is characterized in that an elastic member having a biasing force in the axial direction is attached to the connecting shaft.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on an illustrated embodiment.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a center pillar of an automobile body, and a rear door 4 is attached to the rear outer surface of the center pillar 1 so as to be openable and closable by means of a pair of upper and lower door hinges 3 each having a vertical pivot 2.

An automatic door opening/closing device is housed in a predetermined position of a room 5 formed by an outer panel 4a, an inner panel 4b, and a front end plate 4c that constitute the door 4.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a motor serving as a driving source, which is powered by a battery, and is configured to rotate forward or reverse by operating a switch (not shown) located at a driver's seat or the like.

One output shaft 6a of the motor 6 is connected to a reducer 8 with a clutch via a connecting rod 7.
An electromagnetic clutch (not shown) built into the reducer 8 allows the connection between the connecting rod 7 and the output gear 9 to be
It is designed to be shut off when desired.

Further, another output shaft 6b of the motor 6 has a closure device (not shown) and operates a door lock (not shown), and is not directly related to the present invention, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a sector gear having a substantially fan shape, and a base plate 13 fixed to the inner panel 4b.
It is pivoted at its center with a horizontal shaft 11 protruding from a.

At the lower end of the sector gear 10, which has an arc shape,
Teeth 10a that mesh with the output gear 9 of the speed reducer 8 are provided.

A two-pronged protrusion 10b is connected to the rear edge of the upper part of the sector gear 10, and between the protrusions 10b, an L-shaped rotating piece 12 facing toward the inside of the vehicle is rotatable forward. It is installed.

A lock release device 13 that can engage and disengage the upper end of this rotating piece 12 is pivotally attached to a base plate 13a fixed to the inner panel 4b.

This lock release device 13 is provided at the free end of the door, engages with a striker (not shown) fixed to the vehicle body, and is linked via a cable 13b to a door lock (not shown) that closes the door. ing.

A pin 14 protruding toward the inside of the vehicle is provided at the front of the upper end of the sector gear 10.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a substantially triangular thin plate arm, the base of which is pivoted on the same shaft 11 in parallel with the sector gear 10. One end of a torsion spring 16 that winds around the shaft 11 is hung on the rear edge of the arm 15, and the other end is hung on the upper front edge of the sector gear 10.

Due to the restoring force of the torsion spring 16, the pin 14 of the sector gear 10 is brought into contact with the front edge of the arm 15.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the structure of the connecting portion, which is the main part of the present invention, and this structure will be explained in detail below.

The upper end of the arm 15 is provided with a long hole 17 in the vertical direction that intersects with the substantially horizontal pushing rod 18 that extends in the front-rear direction.

The tip of this pushing rod 18 is connected to the front end plate 4 of the door 4.
The bracket 19 protrudes outside the door by penetrating through the door hinge 3 and is pivotally connected with a pivot 20 to a bracket 19 attached to the center pillar 1, which is slightly deviated laterally from the pivot 2 of the door hinge 3.

A vertical plate-shaped sliding portion 18 is provided at the base end of the pushing rod 18.
a is formed, and a pin hole 21 is bored in the center thereof.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a connecting shaft, and a disk-shaped head 22b is connected to one end of the cylindrical shaft 22a, and a cylindrical engaging portion 22c having a smaller diameter than the shaft 22a is connected to the other end. It is set up.

Thus, with the washer 23 and the elastic member, that is, the coil spring 24 loosely fitted into the shaft 22a, the shaft 22a is loosely inserted into the elongated hole 17, and the engaging portion 22
c loosely inserted into the pin hole 21 and crushed its tip to prevent it from coming off, and the pushing rod 18 and arm 15
are connected by a connecting shaft 22.

That is, the coil spring 24 has a biasing force in the axial direction of the connecting shaft 22, and due to the biasing force of the coil spring 24, the sliding portion 18a of the pushing rod 18 is always pressed against the side surface of the arm 15. , and can move slightly in the left and right direction against the return force of the coil spring 24.

Furthermore, since the shaft portion 22a of the connecting shaft 22 is loosely inserted into the elongated hole 17, the arm 15 can move relative to the push rod 18 in the vertical direction.

Next, the operation of the apparatus of the present invention configured as described above will be explained.

In FIG. 1, in order to open the door 4, a door opening switch is turned on from the driver's seat or the like. Then, the motor 6 rotates and the clutch of the speed reducer 8 is connected, so that the output gear 9 meshes with the teeth 10a and rotates the sector gear 10 counterclockwise in FIG.

Due to this initial rotation of the sector gear 10,
The rotating piece 12 activates the lock release device 13,
Release the door lock (not shown).

Then, the rotating piece 12 comes into contact with the arm 15,
The arm 15 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1, and the push rod 18 connected to the arm 15 is pushed forward.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the push rod 18 moves in the longitudinal direction, the door 4 relatively rotates about the pivot 2 in the direction of the arrow and is opened. In this case, since the pivot 20 of the push rod 18 and the pivot 2 of the door 4 are installed at different positions, the push rod 18 is placed on the side of the arm 15 by an inclination angle α, as shown by the imaginary line. tilt in one direction. This inclination between the pushing rod 18 and the arm 15 is allowed by slightly compressing the coil spring 24.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, there is a difference in the trajectories of the arm 15 that rotates around the shaft 11 and the push rod 18 that moves horizontally.
It is designed to be resolved by moving vertically within the area.

To automatically close the door 4, turn on the door-closing switch, rotate the motor 6 in the opposite direction, bring the pin 14 into contact with the arm 15, and the push rod 18 is pulled rearward by the reverse operation described above. Door 4 is closed.

As explained in detail above, the present invention eliminates the difference in the vertical trajectory of the push rod and the arm due to the rotation of the arm by using the elongated hole drilled in the arm, and the door opening/closing operation. The structure is such that the horizontal vibration of the pushing rod caused by this movement is tolerated by compressing the coil spring loosely fitted to the connecting shaft.

Furthermore, the push rod is configured to be prevented from wobbling by being urged by the urging force of the coil spring so that the push rod is always pressed against the arm.

Therefore, although the structure is simple, the door can be opened and closed smoothly without rattling noise. It also has the advantage of being easy to manufacture and requiring no effort to assemble.

In the above embodiment, the elongated hole is formed at the upper end of the arm, but it may also be formed on the pushing rod side. Further, it goes without saying that the coil spring may be a leaf spring or an elastic member such as rubber.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of an automobile door provided with an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. The figure is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line X--X of FIG. 1. 1... Center pillar, 2... Axis, 3... Door hinge, 4... Door, 10... Sector gear,
15...Arm, 17...Elongated hole, 18...Pushing rod, 22...Connection shaft, 23...Washer, 24...
...Coil spring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The other end of the push rod, whose one end is pivotally attached to the vehicle body side slightly deviated laterally from the pivot axis of the door hinge, is connected to an arm linked to a drive means, and the swing of the arm causes the push rod to move. In an automatic door opening/closing device that opens and closes a door by pushing and pulling a Connect the arm and the pushing rod with the inserted connecting shaft,
A connecting part structure in an automatic door opening/closing device, characterized in that the connecting shaft is provided with an elastic member having a biasing force in the axial direction.