POWER SLIDING MINI-VAN DOOR

Abstract: A power sliding door (10) for a motor vehicle comprises a door structure, a power drive assembly, a latch assembly (22), and a single motor (108) for operating both the latch assembly (22) and the power drive assembly (14). The door structure is mounted on a track (204) associated with the motor vehicle, the door structure being movable along the track (204) between opened and closed positions. The power drive assembly (14) is connected with the door (10) and capable of being driven to move the door (10) along the track (204) between the opened and closed positions. The latch assembly (22) is mounted on the door (10) and movable between latched and unlatched positions. The single motor (108) is mounted on the door structure operatively connected with both the power drive assembly (14) and the latch assembly (22). The motor (108) drives the power drive assembly (14) and thus enables the power drive assembly (14) to move the door along the track between the opened and closed positions. The motor (108) assists movement of the latch assembly (22) to the latched position after the power drive assembly (14) moves the door (10) to the closed position.

Description: POWER SLIDING MINI- VAN DOOR Field of the Invention The present invention is related to a power sliding mini-van door, and in particular, to a motor which can be used to drive both a power drive assembly and a lock cinching assembly of the door. Background of the Related Art Conventional systems for automatically opening and closing a sliding door in a vehicle include a power drive assembly for moving the door and a latch assembly for cinching the door so that the door can be moved into a fully locked position. A first motor drives the power drive assembly and a second motor drives the latch assembly. The use of these multiple motors leads to a number of difficulties. For example, the use of the multiple motors increases the cost of the system and further necessitates additional corresponding circuitry to be added to the system, thereby further increasing costs. Moreover, the increase in components as a result of using multiple motors results in an undesirable increase in the weight of the door. When the door of the vehicle is being opened or closed, it will often encounter an obstacle which will resist or hinder the door's movement. This obstacle can be, for example, a user of the vehicle. Thus, it is desirable for a system which automatically opens or closes the door to be able to reverse direction upon the detection of the obstacle. Unfortunately, these detection systems can fail, sometimes without previous notification of its defective state being provided to the vehicle's users. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have at least two systems to detect obstacles of the door's movement in case one of the systems fails. In conventional systems, changes in motor speed are a direct function of the effective voltage of an input signal. When the opening or closing of the door is initiated, the rapidly changing input signal causes an in-rush current. This in-rush current is known to demagnetize motor magnets, which reduces horsepower and is detrimental to the life of any motor. Thus, it would be desirable to reduce or eliminate the in-rush current. Summary of the Invention It is therefore an object of the present invention to use a single motor to drive both the power drive assembly and a latch assembly of a vehicle door. This will decrease the number of required parts and hence, simplify and lower the cost of manufacture, while reducing the weight of the door. This object is achieved by providing power sliding door for a motor vehicle that comprises a door structure, a power drive assembly, a latch assembly, and a single motor for operating both the latch assembly and the power drive assembly. The door structure is mounted on a track associated with the motor vehicle, the door structure being movable along the track between opened and closed positions. The power drive assembly is connected with the door and capable of being driven to move the door along the track between the opened and closed positions. The latch assembly is mounted on the door and movable between latched and unlatched positions. The single motor is mounted on the door structure operatively and selectively connected with both the power drive assembly and the latch assembly. The motor drives the power drive assembly and thus enables the power drive assembly to move the door along the track between the opened and closed positions. The motor assists movement of the latch assembly to the latched position after the power drive assembly moves the door to the position It is another object of the present invention to provide two systems for detecting an obstacle to the door's movement One of two systems includes at least one Hall effect sensor to measure the speed of the motor If the detected speed is less than a predetermined threshold, then it is assumed that an obstacle is in the way of the door and hence, the direction of the motor is reversed The second system of the present invention includes a tape switch mounted on the edge of the door The tape switch has two electncal stnps which will contact each other if the tape switch contacts an obstacle and will provide a signal to reverse the direction of the motor These two systems operate independently of one another Therefore, if one of the systems fails, the other would still enable the motor to reverse direction upon detection of an obstacle Thus, the safety of all users of the vehicle is maintained It is another object of the invention to include a controller to provide a signal to the motor which slowly ramps up the effective voltage, and hence the speed of the motor, when the opening or closing of the door is initiated This will reduce or eliminate the m-rush current caused by a rapid start sequence Thus, the life and performance of the motor is enhanced These and other objects, features and charactenstics of the present invention, will be more apparent upon consideration of the detailed descnption and appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings Brief Description of The Drawings FIG 1 is a partial extenor elevational view of a mini- van incorporating the power sliding door of the present invention, FIG 2 is a partial inboard elevational view of a passenger side mini- van power sliding door, with the paneling removed, and in accordance with the principles of the present invention, FIG 3 is an inboard plan view of an actuating brain plate incorporated in the power sliding door of the present invention, with the actuator m a neutral position, FIG 4 is an inboard plan view of the actuating brain plate shown in FIG 3, with the actuator retracted and a lower assembly disengage cable tensioned, FIG 5 is an mboard plan view of the actuating brain plate shown in FIG 3, with the actuator extended, and a lower assembly engage cable tensioned, FIG 6 is an inboard perspective view of a motor dnve control assembly incorporated in the power sliding door of the present invention, FIG 7 is a front view of the motor dπve control assembly shown in FIG 6, FIG 8 is a side view of the motor dπve control assembly shown in FIG 6 FIGS 9-13 are graphical representations of the voltage waveforms of the motor dπve control assembly, for determining the speed of the motor dπve and for detecting the presence of an obstacle in the door travel path, FIG 14 is a schematic representation of the motor and hall effect sensors used in the obstacle detection arrangement in the power sliding door of the present invention, FIG 15 is a sectional view taken through the line 15-15 in FIG 2 of a tape sensor used for obstacle detection in the power sliding door of the present invention, FIG 16 is a sectional view of the tape sensor of FIG 15 and illustrating two pinch points for obstacle detection, FIG 17 is a perspective view of the lower dπve assembly of the power sliding door of the - 2 - SUBSTU T RUL£ 26 present invention, FIG 18 is a partial plan view of the lower dπve assembly of FIG 17 and positioned at the rear end of the track rail, FIG 19 is a sectional view of the vehicle track assembly to which the door of the present invention is mounted, FIG 20 is a partial plan view of the lower dπve assembly with the clutch assembly engaged, FIG 21 is an overhead plan view similar to that in FIG 20, but with the clutch assembly disengaged, FIG 22 is a plan view of the door track rail system m mounted relation with a conventional mini- van floor and door sill, and the lower dπve assembly at the forward end of the track rail, FIG 23 is an inboard side rear perspective view of the door latch assembly with portions of the door cut away for claπtv of illustration, FIG 24 is a front perspective view of the latch assembly with the cover plate omitted for claπty of illustration, FIG 25 is a plan view of the latch assembly, with the cover plate omitted, and in the full open position, FIG 26 is a plan view of the latch assembly similar to FIG 25, but shown in the secondary latching position, FIG 27 is a plan view of the latch assembly similar to FIG 25, but showing the power cinch cable in a cinching mode, FIG 28 is a plan view of the latch assembly similar to FIG 25, but shown in the pπmary latching position, FIG 29 is a perspective view of a coupler for coupling the ratchet and the cinching arm of the latch assembly Detailed Description of The Drawings Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown in FIG 1 a partial exterior elevational view of a mini-van which incorporates a power sliding door, generally indicated at 10, in accordance with the present invention The door 10 is shown mounted on vehicle track 204 FIG 2 is a partial inboard elevational view of the passenger side power-sliding mini-van door 10, embodying the principles of the present invention The mini-van door 10 generally compπses a lower drive assembly 14 cooperable with a track assembly for moving the door between opened and closed positions, a brain plate actuating assembly 16 for door actuation, a motor and gear assembly 18 for automated door opening and closing, a microprocessor 20 for system logic and actuation control, and an electro-mechanically actuated cable controlled latch assembly, generally indicated at 22 The brain plate actuating assembly 16 is mounted below the door window 23 in a recessed section of the door frame 24 The microprocessor 20 is a computer chip programmed to control the logic and sequence of operation The microprocessor 20 receives feedback information from vaπous electπcal components and processes the information through its software providing output signals that operate the system As shown in FIG 2, the brain plate actuating assembly 16 includes an electπcally operated linear actuator 36 πgidly mounted to the door frame 24, forwardly of a mounting plate 30 (relative to - 3 - SUBSTUUTE SHEET (RULE 26) the fore-aft vehicle direction) The linear actuator 36 has an electrically actuated motor 35 that is electrically connected, as at 37, to receive the output signal from microprocessor 20 which is mounted within a motor assembly housing 107 (see FIG 5) In FIG 3, the linear actuator 36 is shown in a neutral or central position, as will be descπbed in greater detail later 5 A movable cyhndπcal extension rod 52 is connected to and dπven for movement by the electrical motor 35 The extension rod 52 is movable along its longitudinal axis between extended and retracted positions The extension rod 52 is protected by a flexible accordion sheath 55 that covers the interconnecting area between the electπcal motor 35 and the extension rod 52, thereby protecting the linear actuator 36 from dirt or debπs The distal end of the extension rod 10 52 has a centrally located aperture 56 extending vertically therethrough The brain plate actuating assembly 16 also compπses a linkage assembly, shown at 50, for operatively connecting the actuator 36 with the lower dπve assembly 14 and latch assembly 22 The linkage assembly 50 includes a generally flat tπangular or sector shaped actuating plate 32, which is pivotally attached by pivot pin 58 to the mounting plate 30 An arcuate outer edge 15 61 defines the size and general shape of the actuating plate 32 At the upper pivotal corner is a longitudinal protrusion 60 extending upwardlv A small oval shaped bumper 62 is attached to the upper end of the longitudinal protrusion 60 and extends laterally outwardly therefrom A tab 64 extends downwardly from the lower comer of the actuating plate 32 The tab 64 extends through the aforementioned aperture 56 in the rod 52 of the linear actuator 36 The tab 20 64 coacts with linear actuator 36 to pivot the actuating plate 32 in the desired direction At the opposite upper corner of actuating plate 32 is a cable engaging end bracket 66 A lower assembly engaging cable 48 has a ball end 49 constructed and arranged to engage bracket 66 The brain plate assembly 16 also mounts one end of a door unlatching rod assembly 40 More particularly, rod assembly 40 compπses a rod member 190 and a rod clamp 42 that also 25 functions as a rod lever More particularly, the rod clamp 42 is fixed to rod member 190, and has a pin 43 which is received in a slot 45 in the mounting plate 30 When the rod clamp 42 is moved to the left m the figures, it carπes with it the end of latch rod 190, as pin 43 πdes within slot 45 The opposite end of latch rod 190 extends to the latch assembly 22, as will be descπbed in greater detail later A rod spπng 38 is connected between the mounting plate 30 and the rod clamp 42, 30 biasing the rod clamp 42 and the latch rod 190 towards the πght or a stand-by position in FIGS 3-5 Fixed to the actuating plate 32, directly above tab 64, is a cyhndπcal guide pm 74 which extends inwardly toward the door frame 24 The guide pin 74 passes through a longitudinal slot 76, in the forward end of an elongate connecting link 26 The opposite or rearward end of 35 connecting link 26 is pivotally connected to an L-shaped pivot link 28 by a connecting pin 84 A connecting spπng 34 is attached between the mounting plate 30 at an aperture 78 and the lower side of the connecting link 26 at an aperture 80 in a mid-portion thereof The spπng 34 is tensioned slightly, thereby biasing the connecting link 26 downwardly in a stand-by condition The L-shaped pivot link 28 is pivotally mounted at a comer between a short leg portion 40 82 and a stem 92 thereof to the mounting plate 30 by a pivot pin 86 The ball end 87 of a disengaging cable 88 is received and held in place by a bracket 90, which extends laterally from the top edge of the stem 92 of the L-shaped pivot link 28 With the stem 92 of the pivot link 28 held the stand-by condition in FIG 3, a slight amount of slack is provided for the disengage cable - 4 - SUBSTΓΓUTE SHEET (RUI_E 26) 88. The distal end of stem 92 of the pivot link 28 is pivotally attached to a slotted, lost motion link member 29 by a hinge pin 94. The lost motion link member 29 connects the L-shaped link 28 with a second linkage arm 95 disposed in parallel and adjacent relation with actuating plate 32 (i.e., behind plate 32 in FIGS. 3-5), and is mounted for common pivotal movement around the pivot pin 58. The linkage arm 95 is operably connected to both inside and outside manual door handles (not shown), and has a laterally extending pin 96 received within a longitudinal slot 98 in the link member 29. The linkage arm 95 further includes an elongate extension 99 similar to extension 60 of first actuating plate 32, and similarly has a bumper (not shown) that is adapted to engage the rod/clamp 42 of the rod assembly 40. Cable sheaths 100 and 102 are fixedly attached to bracket 104, which is fixed to mounting plate 30. Engage cable 48 passes through an opening 101 in the bracket 104 and disengage cable 88 passing through opening 108 in the bracket. When the inside or outside handle is manually and moved to unlatch the door, the linkage arm 95 is pivoted in an unlatching sense (in a counterclockwise direction in the figures) so that the extension 99 moves the rod clamp 42 to the left against the bias of spring 38. As a result, the latch rod 190 is moved to the left to unlatch door latch assembly 22. In addition, such pivotal movement of the linkage arm 95 causes the pin 96 to πde upward within slot 98 until the link member 29 is moved upwards to cause the L-shaped link 28 to pivot in a disengaging sense (in a clockwise direction in the figures) around hinge pin 86. Bracket 90 is thus raised to tension disengage cable 88, which is turn disengages the clutch assembly 184 of lower assembly 14, as will be described in conjunction with FIG. 21. In this manner, the door 10 can be manually opened with no resistance from motor 108, as will also be described. During this manual mode of operation, the aforementioned pivotal movement of L-shaped link 28 has no effect on actuating plate 32 or actuator 36, as link 26 simply slides relative thereto (e.g., in FIG. 3), with the actuator and actuating plate 32 remaining in the neutral position. To automatically disengage the clutch 184 of lower assembly 14 without unlocking latch assembly 22 (e.g., during the cinching mode for latch assembly 22, as will be described), the microprocessor 20 electrically signals the linear actuator 36 to retract, as shown in FIG. 4. The actuating plate 32 is pivoted from the neutr.al position in the clockwise direction or disengaging sense and releases any tension from the engage cable 48. The guide pin 74 of the actuating plate 32 pulls the connecting link 26, which in turn pulls the short leg 82 of the L-shaped pivot link 28 and pivots the L-shaped pivot link 28 clockwise about the pivot pin 86. The stem 92 of the pivot link 28 pivots upwardly so that bracket 90 tensions the disengage cable 88. In this mode of operation, the latch rod 190 is not activated. In addition, the lost motion connection between link 29 and actuating plate 32 via pin 96 and slot 98 prevents the outside or inside door handles (which are functionally connected via pin 96) from being moved in the door unlocking direction. To effect automatic opening of the door 10, the microprocessor 20 electrically signals the linear actuator 36 to extend rod 52, as shown in FIG. 5. Movement of tab 64 to the right causes actuating plate 32 to pivot counterclockwise in an engaging sense. The connecting spring 34 prevents a significant amount of pivotal movement of L-shaped pivot link 28 to avoid tensioning of disengage cable 88. By extending rod 52, the actuator 36, pivots the actuating plate 32 thereby moving the cable bracket 66 upward, applying tension to the engage cable 48. The elongated - 5 - SUBSTΓΓUTE SHEET RULE 25 portion 60 pivots with actuating plate 32 and moves bumper 62 into engagement with the rod clamp 42 This pulls latch rod 190, thereby unlatching the latch assembly 22 The motor and gear assembly 18 compπses an electπc motor 108 of standard configuration, a gear train 110 mounted within a housing 107 fixed to door frame 24, a cable pulley 114, a flexible dπve shaft 116 extending from a distal end of a πgid motor shaft 118, and an electromechanical clutch 112 for coupling the cable pulley 114 with the gear train 110 The cable pulley 114 controls a cable 154 for cinching latch assembly 22, and the flexible dπve shaft 1 16 is used to dπve the power dπve assembly 14 The electπc motor 108, as shown in FIG 6 and 7, is mounted on top of the housing 107 A motor shaft 118 extends from the motor 108 and has screw-like helical threads 122 on the surface thereof forming a worm gear type structure that meshes with teeth 124 of a first gear 126 of gear train 110 The first gear 126 is axiallv coextensive with and connected for rotation with second gear 138 by anv conventional means The second gear 138 is a solid disc-like structure, smaller in diameter than the first gear 128, and also has teeth 140 extending circumferentially along its outer edge A mounting shaft 142 passes axiallv through the first gear 126 and the second gear 138 and connects them for rotation with one another Mounting shaft 142 is rotatablv mounted to the gear housing 107 Third gear 144 is preferably a solid disc that has a diameter larger than both the first gear 126 and the second gear 138, and has teeth 146 extending circumferentially along its outer edge The teeth 146 of gear 144 mesh with the teeth 140 of the second gear 138 Third gear 144 is axially mounted for rotation on a shaft 148, which is in turn mounted at a first end to the gear housing 107 An intermediate portion of the shaft 148 is fixed to the gear 144 so as to rotate therewith The second end of shaft 148 is received within the input end of the electromechanical clutch 112 The output end of the electromagnetic clutch is connected with the shaft 149 of a cable pulley 114 Duπng the cinching operation for latch 22, the microprocessor 20 sends a signal to engage the electromechanical clutch 1 12, so that the gear 144 becomes rotatably coupled to the cable pulley 114 to dπve the cable pulley 114 in a clockwise direction or a latching sense The type of electromechanical clutch 112 contemplated herein is manufactured by Reel Precision Mfg of Saint Paul, MN, part # ED30CCW8MM-12, and is disclosed in U S Patent Nos 4,263,995 and 5,183,437, hereby incorporated by reference The distal end 128 of motor shaft 118 has an axial opening having a square cross-section adapted to receive one end of the flexible drive shaft 116, which also has a square cross section The motor shaft 118 is connected to the flex dπve shaft 116 so that the motor shaft 1 18 dπvingly rotates the flex dπver shaft 116 The flex dπve shaft 116 extends downwardly through an aperture 130 in the bottom of the gear housing 107 and continues downwardly to the lower dπve assembly 14 This arrangement in accordance with the present invention allows the same motor 108 to be used for multiple tasks More specifically, the motor 108 is used for both dπvmg the lock cinching pulley 114 via gear train 110 and also for dπving the lower dπve assembly 14 via flexible dπve shaft 116 Both the gear train 110 and the flexible dπve shaft 116 operate whenever the motor 108 is spinning, either m the forward direction or reverse direction A clutch 184 on the lower dπve assembly 14 (descπbed later in greater detail) can be disengaged to disengage the operative connection between the dπve shaft 116 and the ge.ars on lower dπve assembly 14 which move the door 10 along track 204 This is done, for example, when the motor - 6 - SUBSTΓΓUTE SHEET (RULE 26) 108 is being used to cinch latch 22 via cable pulley 114 into the fullv locked or pπmary latching position The gear train 110, on the other hand, can be disengaged from cable pulley 114 by disengagement of electromechanical clutch 112 when the motor 108 is functioning to dπve the lower assembly 14 As shown in FIG 6, cinch cable 154 has a ball end 152 thereof positioned within a slot 156 m cable pulley 1 14 and leads out from the housing 107 through a slot 160 After the electromechanical clutch 112 is magnetically engaged, the motor 108 dπves gear train 110 so that cable pulley 114 turns clockwise in a latching sense, and the cmch cable 154 is pulled to cinch the latch assembly 22 into the pπmarv latched position Mounted within the motor 108 are two hall effect sensors 162, shown schematically in FIG 14 The hall effect sensors 162 monitor the rpm of the motor 108 and are set up to provide a quadrature offset for measunng the speed and direction of motor 108 when dπving the lower assembly 14 The two hall effect sensors 162 provide on and off (high/low) voltage output sign s in response to motor displacement, which are then evaluated and processed by the microprocessor 20 Bv using a 1/4 offset (90° displacement) between the two hall effect sensors 162, two output signals (one from each sensor) enable the motor speed to be monitored with twice the resolution m comparison with a single sensor Referπng to FIGS 9-13, the frequency of the on off signals from sensors 162 establish a reference time used to determine motor speed If only one sensor were used, it would be necessary for Vi t to elapse to determine whether the high or low signal remained high or low for a peπod of time greater than the V. t reference peπod Because a quadrature system is used in accordance with the invention, it is only necessary to wait Vi t (e g , between two high signals of the two sensors) to determine whether the motor is moving more slowly than the threshold speed When the motor 108 is detected as moving more slowly than the threshold speed duπng door closing (I e , duπng the motor 108 effecting dπving movement of lower assembly 14 via flex dπve cable 116), it is assumed by microprocessor 20 that an obstruction is m the way of the door and thus reverses the motor 108 direction to reverse the direction of door movement This is the primary mode for obstacle detection As can be appreciated bv those skilled in the art, changes in motor speed are a direct function of the effective voltage (V en ) As can be appreciated from FIG 11 , where V effective is 1/2V, the voltage signal is high for 50% of the time, and low for 50% of the time As time increases for the high signal portion of the cycle, the effective voltage increases In accordance with the present invention, when initiating opening or closing of the door 10, it is preferable to have the microprocessor 20 slowly ramp up the effective voltage, and hence the speed of the motor 108 (e g , to Veffective = 3/4V as shown in FIG 12, and then to Veffective = 7/8V as shown in FIG 13) in order to reduce or eliminate in-rush current caused by a rapid start sequence In-rush current is known to demagnetize motor magnets, which reduces horsepower and is detrimental to the life of any motor FIG 15 and 16 is a cross section taken through the line 15-15 in FIG 2 of an elongate tape switch 164 positioned along the leading edge 166 of the door 10 The tape switch 164 operates as a secondary or back-up mode of obstacle detection m the event of failure of the first mode of detection The tape switch 164 is preferably of a conventional type, which consists of two metallic tape strips 168 that are mounted in spaced relation within a tubular resilient, rubber - 7 - SUBSTΓΓUTE SHEET RULE 26 housmg 170 The stπps 168 of tape switch 164 are electrically connected to the microprocessor 20 If the two tape stπps 168 come m contact with one another duπng door movement towards the closed position within the vehicle frame, as when an obstacle is encountered, the microprocessor 20 senses that an object is interfering with door travel and sends a signal to the motor 108 to stop the door 10 from further movement in the forward direction and causes motor 108 to reverse direction and move the door rearwardly to the opened position It can be appreciated from FIG 16 that with the tape switch 164 attached to the door's leading edge 166, two spaced pinch points 172 and 174 can be readily detected More specifically, as the door 10 approaches the closed position, any obstacle located at two separate pmch points, including a first pinch point between the leading edge 166 of the door 10 and a rear edge or comer 172 of the vehicle's B-pillar 180 and a second pinch point between the leading edge 166 of the door 10 and a rear edge 178 of a front passenger door 176 can be detected The ability to detect an obstacle at two separate pmch points or at any position duπng the door's movement toward its closed position is enabled by the fact that the tape switch is mounted on the leadmg edge of the door 10 rather than on one of the stationary edges 172 or 178 The ability to mount the tape switch on the door 10 is enabled by the fact that the door 10 itself is electπfied Moreover, because the tape switch is mounted on the door itself, rather than one or more of the opposite edges 172 or 178 forming the pmch pomts, the tape switch is not limited to obstacle detection at such pmch points Rather, the tape switch will detect any obstacle it encounters at any point in the door's path of movement toward its closed position Shown in FIG 17, is the lower dπve assembly 14 which mounts the door 10 on a track rail 204 (see FIG 18) fixed to the vehicle body The dπve assembly 14 compπses a mounting structure 182, a clutch assembly 184, a gear dπve assembly 186, and a track rail guide assembly 188 The mounting structure 182 has an L-shaped mounting bracket 192 mounted on the door frame 24 with any conventional attaching hardware The bracket 192 has a bottom leg 194 extending outwardly m a perpendicular manner from the door frame 24 The mounting structure 182 further includes an arm portion 198 connected with the bracket 192 The arm portion 198 supports the clutch assembly 184, the gear dπve assembly 186 and the track rail guide assembly 188 As illustrated in FIGS 18, 19 and 20, the track rail guide assembly 188 is pivotally attached to the end of the arm structure 198 by a pivot pin 200 and has a generally flattened U- shape bracket 202 of the guide assembly 188 extending beneath the track 204 Rollers 206 are attached by vertical pins 208 at the ends of the legs of bracket 202 Between the legs of bracket 202 is generally rectangular shaped extension 210 that allows a large roller 212 to be attached by a hoπzontally extending pin 214 The large roller 212 extends axially from pin 214 and rotates orthogonally to rollers 206 The track rail guide assembly 188 provides a means of flexibly but securely holds the lower dπve assembly 14 to the track 204 duπng operation Rollers 206 πde along the inside surface 218 of a vertically extending wall 216 of the track rail 204, while the large roller 212 runs along a surface 205 of the vehicle body immediately beneath the track 204 Since the guide .assembly 188 is pivotally attached to the arm structure 198, the rollers 206 and 212 are capable of following a bend of the track 204 thereby maintaining constant engagement with the surface 216 of track 204 and surface 205 of the vehicle body Track 204 may thus be contoured to any desired shape while maintaining pinion gear 220 in geared engagement with teeth 248 Ge.ar dπve assembly 186 compπses a gear tram, including the pinion gear 220, an mput worm gear 222, and a plurality of intermediate gears 226. 232, and 240 for coupling the worm gear 222 with the pinion gear 220 The worm gear 222 receives its dπving mput via worm gear 222 from the flexible dπve shaft 1 16 connected with the motor 108 The worm gear 222 is provided with screw gear teeth 122 that mesh with teeth 224 of the first dπve gear 226 First dπve gear 226 is a disc structure with teeth 224 extending circumferentially along its outer edge The first gear 226 rotates about shaft 228, which is affixed at one end to a dπve assembly cover plate 230 that is mounted to the arm structure 198 Connecting member 234 is commonly mounted on shaft 228 and connects first dπve gear 226 and second dπve gear 232 for rotation with one another Second dπve gear 232 is commonly mounted and rotates about shaft 228, and has a diameter approximately half that of first dπve gear 226 The teeth 236 of second drive gear 232 are meshed with teeth 238 of the third dπve gear 240 The third dπve gear 240 is positioned on the same plane as second dπve gear 232 and the pimon gear 220 The third dπve gear 240 is supported and rotates about shaft 242, which is affixed to clutch assembly mounting plate 244, as will be descπbed m greater detail later It can be appreciated that the construction and gearing arrangement of the gear dπve assembly 186, particularly the use of worm gear 222 dπven by the flexible dπve shaft 116, converts a high speed, low torque input to provide a low speed, high torque output to operate the door 10 The clutch assembly 184, the operation of which is descπbed m conjunction with FIGS. 20 and 21, incorporates gears 220 and 240 of the dπve assembly 186, which are simply disengaged or engaged as part of the clutch operation In FIGS 20 and 21, vaπous components, such as gears 222 and 232 have been omitted for sake of claπty of illustration The clutch assembly 184 also includes the aforementioned mounting plate 244, a pivot link 250 that has a cable connecting opening 252 on one end and a link pm 254 on the other The pivot link 250 pivots about a centrally disposed pivot pm 256, which is connected at opposite ends between the drive assembly plate 230 and arm structure 198 An L-shaped link 258 is pivotally attached to the pivot link 250 by the link pm 254 at the corner 260 of the legs of the L-shaped link 258 A shorter leg 262 of the L-shaped link 258 has a cable connecting opening 264 The stem 266 of the L-shaped link 258 is pivotally attached to the clutch mounting plate 244 by a pivot pin 268 The clutch mounting plate 244 is pivotally supported or shaft 228 which also serves as the axis of rotation for the first and the second gears 226 and 232, respectively The clutch assembly 184 further mcludes a stop member 269 fixed to the pivot link 250 by pm 256 The stop member 269 has an irregular shape that mcludes a straight edge 271 which is disposed in abutting relation with an adjacent straight edge 273 formed on the shorter leg 262 of the L-shaped link 258 when the clutch assembly is m the engaged position as shown in FIG 20 The straight edge 273 of the L- shaped link 258 has a curved or arcuate edge 275 about corner 260 m order to create an "over center" condition with the stop member 269 as will be descπbed As shown m FIG 20, the engage cable 48 attaches to the connecting opening 252 of pivot link 250, and the disengage cable 88 attaches to the connecting opening 264 of the link 258. In an engaged condition, the linkage gears 226, 232, and 240 form a dnvmg connection between the - 9 - SUBSTΓΓUTE SHEET RULE 26 worm gear 222 and pimon gear 220 When the disengage cable 88 is pulled by retracting the linear actuator 36 of the brain plate assembly 16 (see FIG 4), the leg 262 of the L-shaped link 258 is pulled As a result, the link pm 254 is also pulled, causing the link 250 to pivot in a counterclockwise direction, or disengage sense, about pm 256 m the view shown Duπng this 5 movement of links 250 and 258, the curved edge 275 of link 258 travels about the straight edge 271 of stop member 269 The force of engagement between edges 275 and 271 mcreases as the curved edge 275 is forced further mto engagement with surface 271, until eventually the "over- center" position is reached Continued pulling of cable 88 causes the engagement between the edges to go beyond the "over-center" position, and thereafter the force of engagement between the 10 edges 275 and 271 gradually lessens This "over-center" arrangement enables the clutch assembly to remain virtually locked in the disengaged position (as shown in FIG 21) even after the tension in cable 88 is relieved In moving the links 250 and 258 in the aforementioned manner, the clutch mounting plate 244 is pivoted (in a counterclockwise direction or disengaging sense in the figures) about shaft 15 228 as a result of movement of the L-shaped link 258 at pivot pm 268 Pivotal movement of the mounting plate 244 in this manner causes the gear 240 to be moved out of mesh with the pinion gear 220 As a result, the clutch assembly 184 is disengaged, and the motor 108 is no longer capable of dπving the lower assembly 14 to effect door movement The purpose of disengagmg clutch assembly 184 is to disconnect the motor 108 from the 20 rack and pimon connection 220, 221 when the door 10 is to operate in manual mode As a result, the door 10 can be manually moved along track 204 without the load of motor 108 and without inflicting unnecessary wear on the motor 108 and the entire dπve system FIG 22 illustrates the general curvature at the front portion of track 204 The track 204 is mounted to the vehicle body 268 in the bottom of a door sill 270, under the vehicle floor 274 25 The track teeth 248 are the most outboard portion of the track The track 204 extends from the rear of the door sill 270 linearly forward curving inboard near the front end 272 This shape is a common travel path for sliding doors found on mini-vans Shown in FIG 23 is a perspective view of the latch assembly 22 compπsing a latch housing 292 mounted to the vehicle door frame 24 by a plurality of fasteners 279 The housing 30 292 defines a mouth 293 which receives a door latch stπker mounted to a door openmg frame in conventional fashion In FIG 24 and 25, a portion of the latch housing 292 has been omitted to better reveal interior components of latch assembly 22 The latch assembly 22 mcludes a spπng biased (spπng not shown) pawl or locking arm member 306, and a spπng biased (spπng not shown) stπker 35 retaining member or ratchet 286 The ratchet 286 is mounted for rotation about a pivot pm 288, generally at 290 (see FIG 25 and is spπng biased in the clockwise direction or open condition (as seen in the figures) in conventional fashion The pivot pm 288 is attached at opposite ends thereof to the latch assembly housmg 292 The housmg 292 has a cutout that forms the openmg 293 for receiving a door stπker 296 (see FIGS 25-28) The ratchet 286 has a slot 294 as is conventional 40 with latches As is also conventional, the door stπker 296 fits mto the slot 294 and engages a leading surface portion 297 of the ratchet, causing the ratchet 286 to rotate in a clockwise direction or latching sense against the spπng biasing direction, thereby trapping the door stπker 294 within the mouth 293 - 10 - SUBSTΓΠJTE SHEET RUI_E 26 The pawl 306 is pivotally mounted at a center portion to the housmg 292 by a p 310 Pawl 306 is conventionally spπng biased (spπng not shown m Figures) for rotation to engage the ratchet 286 Latch rod 190 is connected to ratchet 186 m a well known manner to rotate pawl 306 to release ratchet 286 The ratchet 286 has a flat edge 308 as shown, which is sized to accept 5 a latching end 309 of locking arm 306 Flat edge 308 acts as an abutment for the pawl 306 in order to lock and hold the ratchet 286 in a pπmarv locking position as shown in FIG 28 The ratchet 286 also has a second flat edge 312 of the same size and shape as the flat edge 308 This second flat edge 312 also accepts the latchmg end 309 of the pawl 306 This is the initial latching position for the ratchet 286 Duπng the door closing operation, the lower assembly 14 moves the 10 door 10 until the ratchet 286 engages the door stπker 296 and is rotated counterclockwise mto the initial latchmg position as shown m FIG 26 Movement of the ratchet 286 mto the pπmary position is accomplished by a cinching process, as will be descπbed The aforementioned c ch cable 154, descπbed in conjunction with FIG 6, enters the latch assembly's housmg 292 through a cable guide 316 (see FIG 24) The cable guide 316 is 15 attached to the latch housmg 292 or any adjacent portion of the door 10 in any conventional manner The cable guide 316 is of a two part construction including a first part 318 having an arcuate groove 324 extending therethrough The groove 324 provides an approximately 90° change m direction for the cmch cable 154 A second part 320 of the cable guide has substantially the same peπpheral configuration as the first part, but has an arcuate πdge 322 20 received mto the groove 324 The πdge 322 has a height which extends only partially mto groove 324, to close-off the groove, leaving sufficient room for cable 154 The cable guide 316 is preferably made from a hardened plastic, Teflon, or resin mateπal, and advantageously functions to properly oπent the cmch cable 154 and align it with a cable cmch arm 326 This construction is more cost-effective than conventional pulley assemblies which could also be used to 25 accomplish the same function The cmch arm 326 is an elongated member that pivots around a common axis of rotation with ratchet 286 One end of arm 326 has an aperture 328 which enables the arm 326 to be mounted for pivotal movement about pivot pm 288 The ratchet 286 and cable cinch arm 326 are connected together by a coupler member 30 304, shown in FIG 29 The coupler 304 enables the ratchet 286 and the cmch arm 326 to be connected at the common pivots, thus allowing the latch assembly 22 to be of a smaller configuration than conventional arrangements m which a cmch arm is connected to the penphery of the ratchet The coupler 304 is a cylmder with an aperture 336 extendmg centrally therethrough To 35 be connected with coupler 304, as shown in FIG 24, the generally hook shaped ratchet 286 has an aperture 298 through the central portion thereof The aperture 298 is generally circular with two rectangular portions 300 extendmg radially outwardly in opposed relation to each other Portions 300 are sized and shaped to accept bottom extendmg elements 302 of the coupler 304 The central portion of the cylindncal coupler 304, generally indicated at 340, acts as a spacer 40 between the ratchet 286 and the cmch arm 326 Extendmg upwardly from the top flange 342 of coupler 304 is an upper extendmg element 330 sized to receive the aperture 328 in the cable cmch arm 326 The aperture 336 fits down over a shaft 288, thereby providing a pivotal operating pomt for the ratchet 286 and cable cinch arm 326 allowing them to rotationally coact - 11 - SUBSTTTUTE SHEET RULE 26 within the confines of a relatively smaller latch assembly The opposite end of the cmch .arm 326 is folded back upon itself forming parallel walls through which the cmch cable 154 extends A U-shaped notch 332 is provided in each of the walls and in axial alignment with one another The notch is shaped mto the back edge of the 5 parallel walls and accepts and holds a ball end 334 of the cmch cable 154 FIG 25 shows the latch assembly 22 in a full open position with the ratchet openmg 294 ready to receive the stπker 296 The cmch arm 326 extends outwardly and the pawl 306 is biased against the cam surface 345 of the ratchet 286 A first contact switch 344 has an outwardly biased pm member 343 thereof engaged and depressed by the cam surface 345 of the ratchet 286 10 When depressed, switch 344 sends a signal to microprocessor 20 indicating that latch assembly 22 is unlocked Also, m FIG 25, the cmch cable 154 is in a relatively relaxed condition FIG 26 shows the latch assembly 22 in the initial position The latch assembly 22 is moved mto this condition as a result of the lower assembly 14 moving the door 10 towards the closed position The stπker 296, as shown m FIG 26, has entered the mouth 293 m the housmg 15 292 .and has engaged the surface 297 of the ratchet 286, thus causmg the ratchet 286 to pivot about the pivot pm 288 until the locking arm 306 is able to move inwardly (counterclockwise) under spπng force against a surface 307 of the ratchet 286 after the latchmg end 309 passes flat edge 312 of the ratchet When the ratchet 286 is rotated into the initial position, a recessed portion 347 of the cam surface 345 of ratchet 286 releases pm member 343 of the first contact 0 switch 344 The switch 344 sends a signal to the microprocessor 20, mdicatmg the imtial position has been reached Microprocessor 20 responsively then sends appropπate signals to stop the lower assembly 14 from moving the door 10 any further by momentaπly stoppmg motor 108 and disengagmg the clutch assembly 184 of the lower assembly 14 The microprocessor 20 responsively energizes cinching clutch 112 to be engaged to initiate the cinching process 5 Referring to FIG 6, after the microprocessor 20 causes the cinching clutch 112 on the motor and gear assembly 18 to engage the cable pulley 1 14, motor 108 is energized so that the worm gear 118 begms to rotate causing the cinch cable 154 to be pulled or tensioned Referring to FIG 27, as the cmch cable 154 is tensioned, the cinch arm 326 is caused to rotate counterclockwise or in a cinching sense and, through the coupler 304, the ratchet 286 is also 0 rotated counterclockwise As the ratchet 286 is rotated, the stπker 296 is maneuvered relatively further mto the latch assembly 22, thereby pulling the penphery of the door 10 mto se g engagement with the resilient peπpheral door seal stπp around the door frame which seals the passenger compartment from the external environment In FIG 28, latch cinching is complete The cmch arm 326 has rotated the ratchet 286 to 5 the pπmary position The flat edge 308 on the ratchet 296 is engaged by the latchmg end 309 of the pawl 306, thereby locking and holding the latch assembly 22, and therefore the door 10, in a fully closed position A second contact switch 346 has a pm member 351 which is actuated by bemg depressed by a protruding portion 349 of the cam surface 345 of ratchet 286, thus sending a signal to the microprocessor 20 mdicatmg that the latch assembly 22 is m the pπmary position 0 The microprocessor 20 then responsively signals the motor 108 to stop further cinching, and disengages the cinching clutch 112 so that the pulley 114 then releases the tension from the cmch cable 154 In order to release the latch assembly 22, the microprocessor 20 sends a signal to the - 12 - SUBSTΓΓUTE SHEET (RULΈ 26) brain plate actuating assembly 16, causing linear actuator 36 to extend The latch rod 190 is pulled, causing the pawl 306 to rotate against the bias of the lock arm spπng m a clockwise direction or a releasmg sense away from the ratchet 286 flat edges 308 and 312 As a result, the ratchet spπng (not shown) causes the ratchet 286 to rotate m a clockwise direction or releasmg sense to the full opened position as shown Because the cinching clutch 112 connected with the cinch pulley 114 is disengaged at this pomt, the ratchet urges the arm 326 and cable 154 attached thereto into the stand-by position as shown in FIG 25 SYSTEM LOGIC With the door 10 fully shut and at rest, the lower dπve assembly 14 is disengaged, the latch assembly 22 is m the pπmary position, and the motor and gear assembly 18 is shut off with the cinching clutch 112 disengaged The door 10 can now be opened by activating an electronic switch either manually or remotely Upon receiving a signal to open the door 10, the microprocessor 20 releases the latch assembly 22 and engages the lower dπve assembly 14 More specifically, microprocessor 20 sends a signal to the linear actuator 36 of the brain plate actuating assembly 16, which extends actuator rod 52 The bumper 62 contacts rod clamp 42, thus moving the rod clamp and the latch rod 190 connected thereto to the left m the figures This unlatches the latch assembly 22, and causes the engage cable 48 to be tensioned to ensure that clutch assembly 184 of lower dπve assembly 14 engages the dπve gears to be dπven by motor 108 The motor 108 begms to rotate the flexible dπve shaft 116, slowly building up speed by increasing the effective voltage to avoid in-rush cuπent m the motor The dπve shaft 116 dπves the gears of the lower dπve assembly 14 As pimon gear 220 of the lower dπve assembly 14 turns, it dπves the door 10 along the track system 216, drawing the door open As the door 10 reaches the end of the track system 216 it hits a travel switch 350 (see FIG 22), whereby the microprocessor 20 responsively stops motor 108 to stop travel of the door 10 The lower dπve assembly 14 remains engage, now holdmg the door 10 in the full open position In manual mode of door openmg operation, the inner or outer door handle (not shown) is engaged and moved, thus causmg the plate 95 of brain plate assembly 16 to pivot in a counterclockwise direction or unlatching sense This action tensions disengage cable 88 to disengage clutch assembly 184 of lower assembly 14 and moves latch rod 190 to unlock door latch assembly 22 The door is then manually moved to the opened position When the door reaches the full opened positioned, a contact tπp switch 352 is engaged, sending a signal to microprocessor 20 The microprocessor 20 then sends a signal to the actuator 36, causmg extension rod 52 to extend and the engage cable 48 to engage the lower assembly clutch 184 to maintain the door 10 m the fully opened position To close the door 10, the microprocessor 20 extends the extension rod 52 of the br.aιn plate actuating assembly 16, pulling the engage cable 48, engagmg the lower dπve assembly 14 The microprocessor 20 then slowly starts the motor 108, which draws the door 10 closed until the imtial position of the latch assembly 22 is reached as detected by latch switch 344 The microprocessor 20 now momentaπly stops, and then mstantaneously reverses the motor 108 in order to prevent friction lock-up between the clutch gears of lower assembly 14, before such gears are disengaged At substantially the same time, the microprocessor 20 sends a signal to the linear actuator 36 to disengage the clutch gears of the lower dπve assembly 14 With the lower - 13 - SUBSTΓΓUTE SHEET (RULE 26) drive assembly 14 disengaged, the microprocessor 20 sends a signal to the cinching clutch 112 to engage the cable pulley 114 and energizes the motor 108 to continue rotation in the aforementioned reverse direction to cause the gears m assembly 18 to rotate the pulley 114 m a direction that will pull on the cmch cable 154 As a result, the arm 326 and ratchet 286 of the latch assembly 22 will cmch the latch into the pπmary latchmg position Once the latch assembly 22 is m the pπmary position, the latch switch 346 sends a signal to the microprocessor 22, which releases the tension on the cable pulley 1 14 and shuts the motor 108 off To close the door 10 m m,anual mode, the mside or outside door handle is lifted so that the disengage cable 88 is tensioned to release the clutch assembly 184 of the lower arm assembly 14 The door 10 can then be manually moved to the closed position The momentum imparted to the door in normal operation is sufficient to cause the latchmg ratchet 286 to hit the door stπker and rotate the ratchet mto the pπmary position Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled m the art Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and descπbed herein Accordmgly, vaπous modifications to the emboώments may be made without departing from the spiπt or scope of the invention as descπbed by the appended claims

Claims: WHAT WE CLAIM IS 1 A power sliding door for a motor vehicle compπsmg a door structure constructed and arranged to be mounted on a track associated with said motor vehicle, said door structure bemg movable along said track between opened and closed positions, a power dπve assembly connected with said door and capable of bemg dπven to move the door along said track between said opened and closed positions. a latch assembly mounted on said door and movable between latched and unlatched positions, and a single motor mounted on said door structure operatively connected with both said power dπve assembly and said latch assembly, said motor constructed and arranged to dπve said power dπve assembly and thus enable said power dπve assembly to move said door along said track between said opened and closed positions, said motor bemg constructed and arranged to assist movement of said latch assembly to said latched position after said power dπve assembly moves said door to said closed position 2 The power sliding door of claim 1 wherein said motor is selectively engageable with said power dπve assemblv and said latch assembly, further compπsing a controller which provides control sιgn,als to selectively engage said motor with said power dπve assemblv and to disengage said motor from said latch assemblv when said motor dπves said power dπve assembly 3 The power sliding door of claim 1 , wherem said motor is selectively engagable with said power dπve assembly and said latch assembly, further compπsmg a controller which provides control signals to selectively engage said motor with said latch assembly and to disengage said motor from said power dπve assemblv when said motor assists movement of said latch assembly to said latched position 4 The power sliding door of claim 1 , further compπsmg a clutch assemblv and a controller, said clutch assembly being engaged to couple said motor with said latch assembly and bemg disengaged to decouple said motor from said latch assembly, said controller controlling the engagement and disengagement of said clutch assembly 5 The power sliding door of claim 1 , further compπsing a flexible dπve shaft connecting said motor with said power dπve assembly 6 The power sliding door of claim 5, wherem said motor compπses a πgid motor shaft, said πgid motor shaft bemg capable of rotatably dπvmg said flexible dπve shaft 7 The power sliding door of claim 1 , further compπsmg a gear tram coupled to said motor, a clutch coupled to said gear tram, and a cable pulley coupled to said clutch, said cable pulley including a cable having an end coupled to said latch assembly, said clutch being capable of engaging/disengaging said gear tram from said cable pulley 8 The power sliding door of claim 7, wherem said motor compπses a πgid motor shaft forming a worm gear having teeth which are meshed with teeth of said gear train 9 The power sliding door of claim 5. wherem said power dπve assembly includes a clutch coupled to said flexible dπve shaft for engaging/disengaging said flexible dπve shaft to/from said power dπve assembly 10 The power sliding door of claim 7, wherem said power dπve assembly includes a clutch coupled to said flexible dπve shaft for engaging/disengaging said flexible dπve shaft to/from said power dπve assembly 11 The power sliding door of claim 10, further compπsing a controller which provides 5 control signals to said clutch coupled to said gear tram and said clutch coupled to said flexible dπve shaft to enable said clutch coupled to said gear tram to engage said gear tram to said cable pulley while said power dπve assembly is disengaged from said flexible dπve shaft by said clutch coupled to said flexible dπve shaft 12 The power sliding door of claim 10, further compπsing a controller which provides 10 control signals to said clutch coupled to said gear train and said clutch coupled to said flexible dπve shaft to enable said clutch coupled to said flexible dπve shaft to engage said flexible dπve shaft with power dπve assemblv while said gear tram is disengaged from said cable pulley by said clutch coupled to said gear tram 13 The power sliding door of claim 11 , wherem said controller controls said clutch coupled 15 to said gear tram and said clutch coupled to said flexible draft shaft to enable said clutch coupled to said flexible dπve shaft to engage said flexible dπve shaft with said power dπve assembly while said gear tram is disengaged from said cable pulley by said clutch coupled to said gear train 14 The power sliding door of claim 1 , further compπsmg 20 at least one sensor for easuπng speed and direction of rotation of said motor when said motor dπves said power assembly, and a detector for determining when said speed of said motor is less than a predetermined threshold, said motor reversing the direction of rotation of said motor when said detector determines 25 that said speed of said motor is less than said predetermined threshold 15 The power sliding door of claim 14, further compπsing a tape switch mounted on said door for detecting an obstacle to movement of said door, wherem said motor reverses said director of rotation of said motor when said tape switch detects said obstacle 16 The power sliding door of claim 14, wherein said at least one sensor mcludes a Hall effect 30 sensor 17 The power sliding door of claim 1 , further compπsmg a controller for providing a control signal having an effective voltage level to said motor, wherem said signal slowly ramps up to said effective voltage level when initiating the openmg or closmg of said door 35 18 The power sliding door of claim 1 , wherem said power dπve assembly includes a clutch assembly for couplmg said power dπve assembly to said track, and further compπsmg a controller bemg operable to disengage said clutch assembly and thereby decouple said power dπve assembly from said track after said power dπve assembly has moved said door to an imtial latchmg position of said latch assembly 40 19 The power sliding door of claim 18, wherem said clutch assembly of said power dπve assembly compπses a gear tram, and wherem said gear tram is disengagable to decouple said power dπve assembly from said track, wherem said motor reverses direction after said power dπve assembly has moved said door to said imtial latchmg position to facilitate disengagement of - 16 - SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RU.LE 26) said gear train. 20. The power sliding door of claim 19, further comprising a cable driving pulley and a cable associated therewith, and a clutch assembly coupling said cable driving pulley with said motor, said cable driving pulley being drivable by said motor when said clutch assembly is engaged, said cable being connected with said latch assembly and being movable to facilitate movement of said latch assembly from said initial latching position to said latched position, and wherein said clutch assembly is engaged after said power drive assembly has moved said door to said initial latching position to enable said cable driving pulley to move said cable for facilitating movement of said latch assembly from said initial latching position to said latched position. 17 - SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RU.LE 26)

Inventors: DANIELS ANDREW R, FROMMER THOMAS P, MURRAY SHAWN, DANIELS, ANDREW, R., FROMMER, THOMAS, P., MURRAY, SHAWN
Applicants: ATOMA INT CORP, ATOMA INTERNATIONAL CORP.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: E05F15
IPC codes: B60J5, E05F15