Abstract:
An automated closure assembly ( 20 ) is disclosed for a motor vehicle ( 10 ). A lateral linkage is connected to the drive mechanism ( 25 ) receiving the rotational force and translates the rotational force of the drive mechanism into a linear force to move the door between the open position and an intermediate position between the open position and the closed position. The automated closure assembly also includes a secondary linkage that is connected to both the lateral linkage and the drive mechanism. The secondary linkage translates the rotational force into a linear force to move the door between the intermediate position and the open position such that the door is able to move to its open position past the opening within which the lateral linkage extends.

Description:
This application is a 371 of PCT/CA61/00733 filed May 25, 2001 which claims benefit of U.S. Application No. 60/207,052 filed May 25, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND ART 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a system for moving a component part of a motor vehicle. In particular, the invention relates to an actuator used to selectively provide access to an enclosure of a motor vehicle. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     As motor vehicles characterized by their utility become a mainstream choice, consumers demand certain luxuries primarily associated with passenger cars, either due to their inherent design and/or size. One of the features desired by consumers is the automated movement of such items as sliding doors and lift gates. While features providing automated motion are available, the designs for mechanisms used to accommodate manual overrides are lacking in capability and functionality. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,769 discloses an automatic door operating system. This system requires a great deal of control, both by an electronic controller and an operator of the motor vehicle. To overcome forces due to manual operation, the manually operated seesaw switch used by the operator to electromechanically operate the door is in an open state, preventing current from passing through the motor. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An automated closure assembly is disclosed for a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle includes a body defining an opening and a door that is slideable between a closed position covering the opening and an open position providing access through the opening. The automated closure assembly includes a guide fixedly secured to the motor vehicle at a position in spaced relation to the opening. A drive mechanism is fixedly secured to the guide. The drive mechanism converts electrical energy into a rotational force. A lateral linkage is connected to the drive mechanism receiving the rotational force. The lateral linkage translates the rotational force into a linear force to move the door between the open position and an intermediate position between the open position and the closed position. The automated closure assembly also includes a secondary linkage that is connected to both the lateral linkage and the drive mechanism. The secondary linkage translates the rotational force into a linear force to move the door between the intermediate position and the open position such that the door is able to move to its open position past the opening within which the lateral linkage extends. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a motor vehicle incorporating one embodiment of the invention, with a sliding door of the motor vehicle in the open position; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view, partially cut away, of one embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective top view, partially cut away, of a portion of a second embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective bottom view of the portion of the second embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective top view of the second embodiment of the invention from another angle; 
     FIG. 6 is a side view, partially cut away, of another portion of the second embodiment of the invention; and 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a motor incorporated into the second embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the FIG. 1, a motor vehicle is shown at  10 . The motor vehicle  10  includes a sliding door  12  providing access to an inner compartment  14  of the motor vehicle  10 . The inner compartment  14  is generally a passenger compartment having a plurality of seat assemblies  16  (one partial seat assembly shown). It should be appreciated that other doors  18  provide access to the inner compartment  14 . Further, a plurality of sliding doors  12  may be utilized in one motor vehicle design. Only one is shown in FIG. 1 for simplicity. Throughout this discussion, the orientation from which reference of the invention  20  will be made will be the driver side sliding door  12  with a front being directed toward a front  22  of the motor vehicle  10 . 
     Referring to FIG. 2, the invention  20  is an automated closure assembly. The automated closure assembly  20  provides power to move the sliding door  12  between a closed position and an open position. The closed position is a latched position preventing access to the inner compartment  14 . The open position is defined as when the access to the inner compartment  14  is the greatest. In other words, the sliding door  12  is at its furthest most position from the front  22  of the motor vehicle. Referring back to FIG. 1, the sliding door is in an intermediate position defined as a position between the open and closed positions. The intermediate position will be discussed in greater detail subsequently. 
     The embodiment of the automatic closure assembly  20  shown in FIG. 2 allows for two types of motion for the sliding door  12 . The first type of motion is the bidirectional axial motion of the sliding door  12  between its closed position and the intermediate position. The second type of motion is bidirectional axial motion of the sliding door  12  between the intermediate position and its open position. Because an automated closure assembly  20  can only extend as far as the opening of the sliding door  12 , it requires a second subassembly, discussed subsequently, to move the sliding door  12  past the opening  24  defined by the motor vehicle  10 . The point at which the automated closure assembly  20  cannot move the sliding door  12  past without the aid of the additional subsystem is defined as the intermediate position. The intermediate position is not a median position and is further from the front  22  of the motor vehicle  10  than the median of the opening  24 . 
     The automated closure assembly  20  includes a drive mechanism, generally shown at  25 . The drive mechanism  25  is driven by a motor  26 , shown in FIG.  7 . In the preferred embodiment, the motor  26  is a coreless motor  26  for reasons set forth in copending patent application Ser. No. 10/258 644, which is of common assignment, and is hereby incorporated by reference. The coreless motor  26  includes an output gear  28  fixedly secured to an output shaft (not shown) thereof. The output gear  28  drives a transmission gear  30 , which, in turn, rotates a motor pulley  32 . The motor pulley  32  drives the toothed belt (not shown). The motor  26  provides a support for a belt tensioner  34 . The belt tensioner  34  includes a spring  36  and a slideable plate  38  that maintains the belt in the proper tension. 
     Returning to FIG. 2, the coreless motor  26  drives the drive belt  40 . The drive belt  40  is a continuous loop, toothed belt. It travels along a path defined by rollers positioned on a platen (neither shown). A lower hinge, generally shown at  42 , is driven by the movement of the drive belt  40 . The lower hinge  42  includes a base  44  that includes a channel  46  allowing the drive belt  30  to pass therethrough. A hinge pulley  48  rotates about a shaft  50  that is secured to the base  44  within the channel  46 . 
     During much of the movement of the drive belt  40 , the hinge pulley  48  is locked in place against the drive belt  40  by a pulley lock lever  52 . The pulley lock lever  52  includes a plurality of teeth  54  that engage the teeth of the drive belt  40 . 
     The pulley lock lever  52  is pivotal about a pin  56 . When the pulley lock lever  52  rotates counter clockwise, as taken from the perspective of FIG. 2, the hinge pulley  48  will be unlocked allowing the drive belt  40  to rotate it. The rotation of the hinge pulley  48  rotates a cable  58  that rotates an articulation pulley  60 . The articulation pulley  60  moves a rack  62  which is fixedly secured to the sliding door  12 , resulting in the articulation of the sliding door  12  away from the intermediate position toward either the open or closed positions. 
     The hinge lock lever  52  is locked by a fork bolt  64 . The rotation of the fork bolt  64  to release the hinge lock lever  52  is initiated by the fork bolt  64  engaging a striker  66 . A push pull cable  68 , secured to the end of the pulley lock lever  52 , locks and unlocks the articulation pulley  60 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 3 through 6, a second embodiment of the automated closure assembly is generally indicated at  70 . FIGS. 3 through 5 represent a portion of the invention  70  referred to as the secondary linkage and FIG. 6 represents a portion of the invention referred to as a lateral linkage. 
     Beginning with the lateral linkage  71  shown in FIG. 6, wherein like named elements represent elements in the first embodiment, FIG. 2, of similar function, a continuous loop, toothed drive belt  72  extends around a path defined by roller  74  (one shown). A hinge pulley  76  travels along a path defined by a bracket  78 . The entire lateral linkage  72  travels along the bracket  78  when the drive belt  72  is moving and the hinge pulley  76  is locked in relative position by a pulley lock lever  80 . The sliding door  12 , represented by extension  82 , moves along therewith. As the sliding door  12  moves from the closed position to the intermediate position, the pulley lock lever  80  is moved out of engagement with the hinge pulley  76  allowing the hinge pulley  76  to rotate in response to the travel of the drive belt  72 . 
     A transition linkage, generally shown at  83 , extends between the hinge pulley  76  and the sliding door  12 . The transition linkage  83  changes the linkage between the coreless motor  26  and the sliding door  12  between the lateral linkage  71  and the secondary linkage  94 , discussed subsequently. 
     The rotation of the hinge pulley  76  rotates a power cable  84 . The power cable  84  rotates a power gear  86 . The power gear  86  rotates an transition pulley  88 , discussed subsequently. 
     The pulley lock lever  80  is rotated when a lock ratchet  90  is pivoted. The lock ratchet  90  is controlled by a push pull cable  92 . The movement of the push pull cable  92  will also be discussed in greater detail subsequently. 
     Returning to the secondary linkage, generally shown at  94 , the push pull cable  92  (not shown in FIGS. 3 through 5) is secured to a secondary ratchet  96 . The secondary ratchet  96  is held in a specific orientation by a pawl  98 . The secondary ratchet  96  is spring loaded by spring  100  to maintain the push pull cable  92  in an extended position allowing the pulley lock lever  80  to remain in a locked position keeping the hinge pulley  76  from rotating. 
     The pawl  98  is linked to a bell crank  102  via a rod  104 . In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 through 5, the rod  104  is shown as a two-piece adjustable rod  104 . It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a simple rod  104  may be used. 
     The bell crank  102  includes a receiving extension  106 . The receiving extension  106  selectively receives a slide  108  that moves axially with the sliding door  12  through a guide  110 . Therefore, movement of the sliding door  12  from its open position to the intermediate position pivots the bell crank  102  to pull the pawl  98  away from the secondary ratchet  96  allowing it to return to its disengaged position which, in turn, allows the pulley lock lever  80  to lock the hinge pulley  76  to move lateral linkage  71 . Lateral movement of the lateral linkage  71  allows the sliding door  12  to move past the intermediate position toward the closed position. 
     The slide  108  is moved, i.e., movement of the sliding door  12  between the intermediate and open positions, by a secondary belt  112 . The transition pulley  88  drives the secondary belt  112 . The transition pulley  88  is coaxially mounted to the secondary linkage  94  with a secondary gear  114 . The secondary gear  114  receives its rotational power from the power gear  86  of the lateral linkage  71 . 
     Referring specifically to FIG. 4, a dog  116  is connected to a back side of the secondary ratchet  96 . The dog  116  holds the secondary gear  114  in a position to receive power from the power gear  86 . When the pawl  98  releases the secondary ratchet  96 , the dog  116  moves the secondary gear  114  out of engagement with the power gear  86  preventing any forces from being applied to the sliding door  12  via the slide  108 . This allows for the sliding door  12  to latch in the closed position with a minimal effort. 
     In the operation of unlatching the sliding door  12  from its closed position and moving it to its open position, the coreless motor  26  is activated and rotates the drive belt  72 . Because the hinge pulley  76  is locked by the pulley lock lever  80 , the hinge pulley  76  travels with the drive belt  72 . This moves the sliding door  12  from the closed position toward the intermediate position. 
     The lock ratchet  90  engages a striker (not shown) that pivots the pulley lock lever  80  out of engagement with the hinge pulley  76 . This allows the hinge pulley  76  to rotate with the passing of the drive belt  72  thereby. Movement of the lock ratchet  90  also moves the secondary ratchet  96  through the push pull cable  92 . 
     This forces the secondary gear  114  into engagement with the rotating power gear  86 . The rotation of the secondary gear  114  moves the secondary belt  112  to move the slide  108  and the sliding door  12  out from the intermediate position to the open position. 
     The return of the sliding door  12  reverses this operation with the addition of using the bell crank  102  to move the secondary ratchet  96 , through pawl  98 , back to its inactive position allowing the pulley lock lever  80  back into engagement with the hinge pulley  76  to lock the hinge pulley  76  in a specific orientation. The return of the lateral linkage  71  to its original position returns the sliding door  12  to its closed position. 
     The invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. 
     Many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.