Cable guide assembly for sliding vehicle doors

Abstract: A vehicle access door (12) is operatively mounted for powered fore and aft sliding movement between open and closed positions. A power module (14) disposed internally of the vehicle (10) has motor driven cable reels (22) mounted on a space frame having door pull cables (23,24) wound thereon routed by forward and rear cable guide assemblies (40,50) into operative connection with the access door (12). The rear cable guide assembly (50) is an adjustable two part guide pulley assembly (58,60) in which a first housing (62) is adjustably carried by the space frame and a second housing (75) is adjustably mounted on the first housing (62) so that the assembly can be subsequently fitted and attached to production vehicles having a wide build tolerance in the support structure for the power module (14) and the rear cable guide assembly (50). The adjustment provided by the rear cable guide assembly (50) assures high quality fits with good sealing of the pull cable access opening and positions the pull cable (24) in an external guide channel (98) to eliminate frictional wear between these components.

Description: This invention relates to powered sliding doors for vehicles, and more particularly, to a cable guide assembly for accommodating tolerances in quantity production vehicles while providing high quality fits and for positioning a door pull cable in a guide channel to prevent frictional contact and wear therebetween. Vans and various other automotive vehicles have utilised access doors which slide fore and aft in tracks between open and closed positions. An illustrative vehicle with a powered sliding access door is disclosed in US patent No. 5,046,283, which represents the prior art as referred to in the preamble of claim 1. A cable guide assembly in accordance with the present invention is characterised by the features specified in claim 1. The power sliding door closer and cable guide assembly of the present invention is of the general category of that of the above cited US patent and has a power module for the moving the door between open and closed positions. The present invention is more particularly drawn to a new and improved rear pull cable guide assembly that can be part of a power module which provides an adjustment that allows the module and the cable guide assembly to be closely fitted to vehicles having a wide tolerance in the body work to which the power module and cable guide assembly is mounted. With the present invention, the pull cable is positioned in a cable guide track without physical contact therebetween to prevent or reduce cable wear and increase cable service life. With the present invention a high quality fit of the module and the fit of the rear cable guide assembly with a vehicle is assured since the assembly is adaptable to fit a wide variance in module and cable guide mountings occurring in quantity production vehicles. The present invention provides a new and improved module having a cable guide assembly supported thereon that can be affixed to support structure within a vehicle and adjusted so that the cable will be positioned in an associated guide track with suitable clearances to prevent cable wear and to thereby extend cable service life. More particularly, the adjustable cable guide assembly is a two part horizontal and vertical housing assembly that is designed to provide efficient routing of a door pull cable through vehicle body structure. The assembly is designed to adjust to build variations occurring from vehicle to vehicle. To minimise frictional losses in the guide assembly, cable routing pulleys are advantageously employed. One pulley in each housing part or half of the assembly reduces friction from the door pull cable system and large lead angles provided by the pulleys aid in reducing the effects of misalignment of the structural components of the vehicle body. The two housing parts of the assembly have a sliding adjustment therebetween with a set screw used for adjusting and securing the two parts in a relative fixed position. A conical cable guide and locator of the horizontal housing part of the assembly is readily positioned in a circular access hole or opening in the outer body panel and has a cable guide opening that provides a cleaning and sealing action on the pull cable while the external surface thereof contacts and seals the access hole. Once the horizontal or transverse housing part of the assembly has been positioned in the access hole, the vertical housing can then be positioned against the inner body panel and fastened thereto. The present invention can provide a new and improved cable guide assembly for guiding a pull cable of a slidable door which has a first pulley housing unit mounted generally vertically on a support for guiding a door pull cable thereacross, and which has a second pulley housing unit adjustably mounted transversely with respect to the first housing unit so that the cable can be guided therefrom into a position in an associated cable guide channel whereby the cable is clear of frictional contact with the channel to thereby allow the cable to operate without undue friction and wear therebetween so that service life of the cable and the cable guide is optimised. The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the following detailed description, and the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a side elevational view, broken away in part, of an automotive vehicle with a powered sliding rear side door; Figure 2 is a side elevational view of an interior portion of the vehicle of Figure 1 showing a power module for moving the side door between open and closed position; Figure 3 is a pictorial view of a portion of the door sliding power module of Figure 1 connected to an inner panel of the vehicle and illustrating details of a rear cable guide assembly; Figure 4 is a top view of the rear cable guide assembly as installed with the module in a vehicle taken generally along sight lines 4-4 of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a view partly in section taken generally along sight lines 5-5 of Figure 4; and Figure 6 is an exploded view of the rear cable guide assembly of the power door sliding module of Figures 2-5. Turning now in greater detail to the drawing, there is shown in Figure 1 an automotive vehicle 10 having a sliding access door 12 on one side thereof. This sliding door 12 has conventional upper and lower arms with rollers that run in upper and lower guide channels or tracks 13 in the vehicle 10 so that the sliding door can be moved between fore and aft, closed and opened positions for occupant entrance and egress as disclosed in the above referenced US patent No. 5,046,283. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sliding door 12 is powered to move between these positions by actuation of a power module 14 mounted to an interior side support panel 16 within the vehicle 10. In basic organisation, the power module 14 has a space frame 20 formed from plastics, sheet metal, or other suitable material, with offset areas that support a powered double reel 22 for pull cables 23, 24, respectively, and associated cable idler pulleys 26, 28 operatively mounted within a housing 30 secured to the space frame 20 by threaded fasteners 32. A reversible drive motor 34 is selectively energizable to rotatably drive a transfer gear unit 38 mounted in housing 36 that is secured to the housing 30. The teeth of the transfer gear unit 38 mesh with the teeth of a gear integral with the double reel 22 so that it can be rotatably driven in clockwise or counterclockwise directions to wind one cable on one reel and unwind the other cable on the other reel to open and close the access door in accordance with selected operation of door controls, not shown. In addition to the cable reel, pulleys, drive motor, transfer gear and housing, the power module 14 has a front cable guide assembly 40 attached by threaded fasteners 42 to the space frame 20 which has pulleys, such as pulley 44, operatively mounted therein to guide the door pull cable 23 from its attachment with the sliding door 12 to the double reel 22. To guide and route door pull cable 24 leading from the double reel 22 and idler pulleys 28 through the space between the inner side panel 16 and an outer side panel 49 of the vehicle, the present invention is drawn to a rear cable guide assembly 50 which is loosely secured to the space frame 20 by suitable fasteners 51 such as those of the "Christmas tree" type. Such fasteners 51 are formed from plastics and have elongated shanks with resilient retainer fins thereon. When installed, these shanks extend through elongated adjustment slots 52 in a lower flange 53 of a first idler pulley unit 58 of the rear cable guide assembly 50 and openings 56 in the space frame 20 causing deflection of the fins which subsequently recover on the outboard side of the space frame to loosely retain the cable guide assembly 50 to the space frame so that it can be subsequently adjusted and securely attached in the adjusted position to the inner side panel 16 of a production vehicle exemplified by vehicle 10. This adjustment is needed because of allowable build variation such as in inner and outer panel spacing and in size and mounting locations for accommodating parts such as the rear cable guide assembly 50 that normally occur in quantity production. Accordingly, the openings for the cable guide assembly 50 as well as the spacing of panels 16, 49 may vary from vehicle to vehicle and be within manufacturing tolerances. The rear cable guide assembly 50 of the present invention has two housing parts or idler pulley units 58 and 60 which adjustably interfit with one another to compensate for such tolerance. The first idler pulley unit 58 is preferably formed as an injection moulded body of engineering plastics material having a housing 62, integral with the lower flange 53, in which a cable pulley wheel 64 is housed. Pulley wheel 64 is rotatably mounted for rotation in a generally vertical plane on an axle provided by a cylindrical pin 66. This pin 66 has a hex opening in its outermost end and a threaded inner end for threaded attachment into an inner wall of the housing 62. As shown in Figure 6, the cable pulley wheel 64 can be inserted in an opening formed in the bottom of the housing 62, and after the pin openings in the housing 62 and the hub of pulley wheel are aligned, the pin is inserted and turned until the threaded end thereof is secured to the inner wall of the housing so that the cable pulley wheel is rotatably mounted therein. In addition to the housing 62 and lower flange 53, the first housing part or idler pulley unit 58 has laterally extending upper and lower guides 68 and 70. These guides 68, 70 are vertically spaced from one another to define a bight therebetween and are formed with guide surfaces 72, 74 thereon to slidably receive the second housing part or idler pulley unit 60 of engineering plastics material that provides a shell or housing 75 for a pulley wheel 76 mounted for rotation in a plane transverse to that of pulley wheel 64 by a cylindrical pivot pin 78. This housing 75 has upper and lower walls 80 and 82 that slide on the guide surfaces 72, 74, respectively, of the first idler pulley unit 58 so that the housing can be transversely adjusted through the bight of the first idler pulley unit. This adjustment is accomplished by turning of an adjusting screw 84 that extends through a slot 87 in an ear 88 extending upwardly from the shell 75 of the second idler pulley unit 60 into threaded connection with a opening 89 in the upper guide 68, as best shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. The second idler pulley unit 60 has a nose-like cable locator and guide 92 that is in the general form of a truncated cone which projects outwardly from a stepped annular stop shoulder 94. This cable locator and guide 92 is adapted to fit within and seal circular access openings 96 and 97 formed in the outer side panel 49 and an elongated and channelled cable guide track 98 fixed on the outer side panel 49 of the vehicle 10. The cable locator and guide 92 is formed with a cable feed opening 99 on a tangent line from pulley wheel 76 and a connected horizontal feed slot 100 therein. The opening 99 and feed slot 100 guide and position the pull cable 24 in a selected location with respect to the cable guide track 98. This opening 99 and slot 100 also serve to clean and seal the interior of the pulley housing 75 as the pull cable 24 winds therethrough. The outer surface of the cable locator and guide 92 and in particular the shoulder 94 engage the inner surfaces of the side panel 49 adjacent the access opening 96 to seal and prevent the entry of water and foreign matter into the space between the inner and outer side panels 16 and 49. In the event that the power module 14 is secured to the inner side panel 16 of the vehicle 10 by threaded fasteners 104 and the rear cable guide assembly 50 does not align with an opening 106 in the inner side panel, the "Christmas tree" fasteners 51 and the slots 52 provide a loose fit which allows the installer to laterally shift the rear cable guide assembly 50 until appropriate fit up is achieved. Since the spacing of the inner and outer side panels 16 and 49 varies from vehicle to vehicle within allowable tolerance, the cable locator and guide 92 can be readily positioned by the installer by advancing or retracting the adjustment screw 84 so that shoulder 94 abuts the interior surface of the outer side panel 49 defining the opening 96 to seal that opening and to centre pull cable 24 in elongated cable guide track 98. Subsequently, threaded fasteners 108 are utilised to rigidly secure the first idler pulley unit 58 to the inner side panel 16 of the vehicle. As shown best in Figure 5, the pulley wheel 76 and the cable locator and guide 92 are inclined to improve the positioning of the pull cable 24 in the guide track 98 of the vehicle 10. In other types of vehicles such orientations may not be needed and the pulley wheel can be on a truer vertical pivot.

Claims: A cable guide assembly (50) in a wheeled automotive vehicle (10) having an access door (12) mounted for sliding movement along guide track means (13) supporting the door (12) between open and closed positions, the vehicle having a stationary support panel (16); a power module (14) adapted to be secured to the support panel (16), and including motor means (34), associated reel means (22), and a cable (24) wound on the reel means (22) and operatively connected to the door (12) for moving the door between the open and closed positions; and cable guide track means (98) on the exterior of the vehicle (10) characterized in that the cable guide assembly (50) has a first housing (62) for mounting on the support panel (16) and a second housing (75) adjustably mounted for general transverse movement with respect to the first housing (62) between the first housing (62) and the cable guide track means (98), the second housing (75) having pulley means (76) therein for receiving the cable (24), and cable locator and guide means (92) for locating the second housing (75) in a position with respect to the cable guide track means (98) so that the cable (24) is free from contact with the cable guide track means (98), and means (84) for adjusting and securing the second housing (75) in a fixed position with respect to the first housing (62). A cable guide assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first housing (62) is adjustable carried on a space frame (20) securable to the support panel (16) and subsequently fixedly mounted to the space frame by fasteners (108) to mount the cable guide assembly on the support panel. A cable guide assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first housing has a pulley means (64) therein for receiving the cable (24) and guiding the cable to the pulley means (76) in the second housing (75). A cable guide assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second housing (75) is slidably mounted in guides (68,70) attached to the first housing (62). A cable guide assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cable locator and guide means (92) comprises a nose portion which is capable of fitting and sealing into the cable guide track means (98).

Inventors: MARTIN IAN, PRIEST WILLIAM LAWRENCE, MARTIN, IAN, PRIEST, WILLIAM LAWRENCE
Applicants: GEN MOTORS CORP, GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION
Application year: 1993
Main classification: E05F15
IPC codes: B60J5, B60J7, E05F15, E05F11