Patent ID: 7014248
Filing Date: 2006-03-21
Classification: E05F,E05Y

Abstract:
1. An opening and closing apparatus for a rear gate pivotally attached to a vehicle body via a horizontal hinge shaft in such a manner as to open and close freely with a driving unit installed on a side of said vehicle body, said opening and closing apparatus comprising: a motor rotatable both in normal and reverse directions; a gearbox to which a pinion for reducing a rotating speed of said motor for output is attached, and in an interior of which a clutch for connecting and disconnecting a power transmission path between an output shaft of said motor and said pinion is provided, the gear box including an intermediate gear having a small-diameter gear portion and a large-diameter gear portion, and an output gear having a small-diameter gear portion and a large-diameter gear portion, the intermediate gear and the output gear being assembled such that the large-diameter gear portion of the intermediate gear meshes with the small-diameter gear portion of the output gear and the small-diameter gear portion of the intermediate gear meshes with the large-diameter gear portion of the output gear; and a rack adapted to reciprocate in directions normal to an axial direction of said hinge shaft by a rotation of said pinion and connected to said rear gate at one end thereof; wherein said rack is disposed one of at least partially above and below said gearbox, and wherein the rack is disposed on a same side surface as the gearbox.