Patent Publication Number: US-9834970-B2

Title: Door opening and closing apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE 
     This application is the U.S. National Phase under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application No. PCT/JP2014/075279, filed Sep. 24, 2014, which claims the benefit of Japanese Application No. 2014-160322, filed Aug. 6, 2014, the entire contents of each are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a door opening and closing apparatus, and more particularly, to a door opening and closing apparatus that moves a door to open and close. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As a door opening and closing apparatus that moves a door to open and close with respect to a vehicle body, one that has a rail module is conventionally known. The rail module includes a guide rail, a drive device, and a supporting member. 
     The guide rail extends along the front-and-rear direction and its front end portion is curved. The drive device is mounted on one side portion of the guide rail via a bracket. The drive device includes a motor that is a driving source and a rotating drum that is rotatable forward and backward by the drive of the motor. On the rotating drum, an opening cable and a closing cable are wound around after the respective one end portions thereof are connected. The rotating drum, when rotating in one direction, takes up the closing cable while letting out the opening cable. Meanwhile, when rotating in the other direction, the rotating drum takes up the opening cable while letting out the closing cable. 
     The opening cable is hung on a first pulley arranged at a lower portion of the front end portion of the guide rail, and the closing cable is hung on a second pulley arranged at a lower portion of the rear end portion of the guide rail. 
     The supporting member is coupled to the other end portions of the opening cable and the closing cable. That is, the supporting member is coupled to the other end portion of the opening cable hung on the first pulley, and is coupled to the other end portion of the closing cable hung on the second pulley. The supporting member is movable along the extending direction of the guide rail by a driving force given by the drive device. 
     In such a door opening and closing apparatus, by making the supporting member support a door after mounting the rail module on a vehicle body and by making the supporting member move, the door can be moved to open and close with respect to the vehicle body (see Patent Literature 1, for example). 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-127290 
     SUMMARY 
     Technical Problem 
     In the door opening and closing apparatus disclosed in the above-described Patent Literature 1, because the first pulley is arranged at the lower portion of the front end portion of the guide rail and the second pulley is arranged at the lower portion of the rear end portion of the guide rail, the opening cable and the closing cable are routed in the lower portion of the guide rail. Hence, even when a cover member, what is called a finisher cover, is arranged on the vehicle body after mounting the rail module on the vehicle body, the cables routed in the lower portion of the guide rail are exposed. Consequently, there has been a risk of the exposed cables being cut by mischief and the like. If the cables are cut by mischief and the like in this way, then the door cannot be moved to open and close automatically, and the function as the door opening and closing apparatus cannot be exercised. 
     In view of the above-described situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a door opening and closing apparatus that can make the installation work to a vehicle body easy and prevent cables from being exposed. 
     Solution to Problem 
     To achieve the above-described object, a door opening and closing apparatus according to the present invention includes a rail module including: a rail member extending along a front-and-rear direction; a drive device mounted on the rail member; and a supporting member coupled to: one end portion of a closing cable, the other end portion of which is connected to the drive device, the closing cable being hung on a closing inversion member provided on one end portion of the rail member; and one end portion of an opening cable, the other end portion of which is connected to the drive device, the opening cable being hung on an opening inversion member provided on the other end portion of the rail member so that the supporting member is movable along an extending direction of the rail member by a driving force given by the drive device. The door opening and closing apparatus moves a door to open and close with movement of the supporting member by making the supporting member support the door. The rail module is provided with the drive device fastened to an outside of a vehicle body such that a part of the drive device goes inside the vehicle body through an opening provided on the vehicle body. At least the opening inversion member is provided at an upper portion of the other end portion of the rail member. 
     In the door opening and closing apparatus according to the present invention, the supporting member includes: a first support base portion configured to be movable along the extending direction of the rail member, and a second support base portion attached to the first support base portion to be fastened via a fastener and configured to support the door. 
     The door opening and closing apparatus according to the present invention, the first support base portion includes a fastening piece provided standing along a direction substantially orthogonal to the extending direction of the rail member. The second support base portion is attached to the first support base portion so as to be fastened with the fastener in a form that a fastening portion where a rear side is exposed overlaps the fastening piece in a state where the first support base portion is located at a rear end portion of the rail member. 
     Advantageous Effects of Invention 
     In accordance with the present invention, because the rail module is provided with the drive device fastened to the outside of a vehicle body such that a part of the drive device goes inside the vehicle body through an opening provided on the vehicle body, the installation work to the vehicle body can be made easy. Furthermore, because at least the opening inversion member is arranged at the upper portion of the other end portion of the rail member, the opening cable has no risk of being exposed to the outside when the door is moved to close. Consequently, the invention has an effect in that the installation work to the vehicle body can be made easy and the cables can be prevented from being exposed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view, viewed obliquely from the rear left, of a vehicle to which a door opening and closing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention has been applied. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a left-side rail module constituting the door opening and closing apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1  viewed from the front left side. 
         FIG. 3  is a right side view of the left-side rail module constituting the door opening and closing apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1  viewed from the right. 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a rear end portion of a guide rail. 
         FIG. 5  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a relevant portion of a drive device. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram schematically illustrating a supporting member,  FIG. 6( a )  being a longitudinal cross-sectional view and  FIG. 6( b )  being a cross-sectional view viewed along the line A-A. 
         FIG. 7  is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state of mounting the left-side rail module onto the vehicle body. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating a relevant portion of the left-side rail module mounted on the vehicle body. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating a relevant portion of the left-side rail module mounted on the vehicle body. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a state of closing an opening of the vehicle body. 
         FIG. 11  is a diagram for explaining an opening and closing move of a slide door. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view illustrating a modification of a supporting member of the door opening and closing apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view illustrating the modification of the supporting member of the door opening and closing apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 14  is an exploded perspective view of the supporting member illustrated in  FIGS. 12 and 13 . 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a left-side rail module to which the supporting member illustrated in  FIGS. 12 and 13  has been applied. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the left-side rail module to which the supporting member illustrated in  FIGS. 12 and 13  has been applied. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to the accompanying drawings, the following describes in detail an exemplary preferred embodiment of a door opening and closing apparatus according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view, viewed obliquely from the rear left, of a vehicle to which the door opening and closing apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention has been applied. The door opening and closing apparatus exemplified here is one that is mounted on the rear side of entrances  2  formed on a vehicle body  1  at a medium-height level of the vehicle body  1 , and includes two pieces of rail modules, for example. Of these rail modules, one is mounted on the left side of the vehicle body  1  on the rear side of the entrance  2  and the other is mounted on the right side of the vehicle body  1  on the rear side of the entrance  2 . 
     In the following description, the rail modules that constitute the door opening and closing apparatus will be described. However, the rail module mounted on the right side of the vehicle body  1  on the rear side of the entrance  2  (hereinafter, also referred to as a right-side rail module) differs only in left-right orientation from a rail module  10  mounted on the left side of the vehicle body  1  on the rear side of the entrance  2  (hereinafter, also referred to as a left-side rail module). Thus, the following describes only the left-side rail module  10 , and the description on the right-side rail module is omitted. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the left-side rail module  10  constituting the door opening and closing apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1  viewed from the front left side, and  FIG. 3  is a right side view of the left-side rail module  10  constituting the door opening and closing apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1  viewed from the right. The left-side rail module  10  exemplified here includes a guide rail (rail member)  20 , a drive device  30 , and a supporting member  40 . 
     The guide rail  20  is formed of a steel plate, for example, and is in a channel shape in longitudinal cross-section. The guide rail  20  is an elongate member for which the front-and-rear direction is the longitudinal direction, and its front side is curved halfway toward the right side. On such a guide rail  20 , a first pulley (closing inversion member)  21 , a second pulley (opening inversion member)  22 , an upper guide plate  23 , and a lower guide plate  24  are arranged. 
     The first pulley  21  is in a form of being rotatable around the shaft center of a shaft  21   a  extending along the up-and-down direction, and is arranged at a lower portion of the front end portion of the guide rail  20  via a first pulley bracket  21   b . The first pulley bracket  21   b  is attached to the guide rail  20  by welding, for example. 
     The second pulley  22  is in a form of being rotatable around the shaft center of a shaft  22   a  extending along the up-and-down direction, and is arranged at an upper portion of the rear end portion of the guide rail  20  via a second pulley bracket  22   b . The second pulley bracket  22   b  is attached to the guide rail  20  by welding, for example. On the second pulley bracket  22   b , as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a projection  22   c  that closes the upper portion of the rear end portion of the guide rail  20  and is projecting toward the rear side is formed. 
     The upper guide plate  23  is in a curved shape in transverse cross-section. The upper guide plate  23  is arranged on the guide rail  20  in a form of being projecting upward at a curved portion of the guide rail  20 , that is, a portion curved to the right side halfway toward the front from the rear. 
     The lower guide plate  24  is in a curved shape in transverse cross-section. The lower guide plate  24  is arranged on the guide rail  20  in a form of being projecting downward at the curved portion of the guide rail  20 . 
     The drive device  30  includes a driven unit  30   a  and a driving unit (drive unit)  30   b . The driven unit  30   a  houses a rotating drum  31  (see  FIG. 5 ) inside a casing  32 . The rotating drum  31  is in a cylindrical form and is arranged to be rotatable forward and backward around the central axis of the rotating drum  31  itself. The rotating drum  31  is connected, on the outer circumferential surface thereof, to one end portions of a closing cable  51  and an opening cable  52  and winds the closing cable  51  and the opening cable  52 . Explaining more specifically, the rotating drum  31  takes up the closing cable  51  and lets out the opening cable  52  when rotating in one direction while the rotating drum  31  takes up the opening cable  52  and lets out the closing cable  51  when rotating in the other direction. 
     The casing  32  constituting the driven unit  30   a  includes a casing body portion  32   a  and a casing outlet portion  32   b . The casing body portion  32   a  is a portion that houses the above-described rotating drum  31  to be rotatable forward and backward. 
     The casing outlet portion  32   b  and the casing body portion  32   a  are communicating with each other inside, and the casing outlet portion  32   b  is constructed by fitting a cover drum  322  into a case drum  321 . On the case drum  321 , a tongue-shaped first closing plate portion  321   a  projecting downward is formed at the central portion, and on the first closing plate portion  321   a , a projecting portion  321   b  projecting toward the right is formed. 
     On the cover drum  322  that fits in the case drum  321 , a tongue-shaped second closing plate portion  322   a  extending toward the upper left side after extending upward is formed at the central portion. The second closing plate portion  322   a , together with the first closing plate portion  321   a , constitutes a closing portion to close a later-described opening P 1  of the vehicle body  1 . 
     The casing outlet portion  32   b  composed of the case drum  321  and the cover drum  322  being fitted includes a first arm portion  33   a  extending toward the front and a second arm portion  33   b  extending toward the rear. 
     A first outlet not depicted is formed on the front end surface of the first arm portion  33   a , and on the front end surface, a closing outer tube  61  that couples the first outlet to the lower portion of the front end portion of the guide rail  20  is provided. The closing outer tube  61  extends toward the right side of the guide rail  20 . A second outlet not depicted is formed on the rear end surface of the second arm portion  33   b , and on the rear end surface, an opening outer tube  62  that couples the second outlet to the upper portion of the rear end portion of the guide rail  20  is provided. 
     The driving unit  30   b  includes a motor  34  and a deceleration mechanism  35 , and the deceleration mechanism  35  is arranged at the upper portion of the casing body portion  32   a  in a state that it can be linked to the rotating drum  31 . The motor  34  is a driving source and is rotatable forward and backward. The motor  34  is provided such that its rotating shaft is on the same axis as the rotating shaft of the rotating drum  31 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the deceleration mechanism  35  is housed within a drive case  36 . The drive case  36 , together with the casing  32  of the driven unit  30   a,  constitutes the housing of the drive device  30 . Such a deceleration mechanism  35  includes a reduction gear portion  35   a  that is composed of planetary gears and the like to decelerate the rotation of the motor  34  and an output shaft  35   b  that outputs the decelerated rotation by the reduction gear portion  35   a . The output shaft  35   b  is projecting downward, inserted into a hollow portion  31   a  of the rotating drum  31 , and linked to the rotating drum  31  via an adaptor  38 . 
     Such a drive device  30 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , is arranged on the guide rail  20  by being supported by a plurality of drive brackets  37  that are arranged on the upper portion of the guide rail  20  by welding and the like and inserted to insertion portions (not depicted) formed on the casing outlet portion  32   b.    
     Furthermore, the drive device  30  is arranged being inclined along a straight line L connecting the first pulley  21  and the second pulley  22  on the guide rail  20 , and more specifically, is arranged on the guide rail  20  such that a rotation axis line M of the rotating drum extends substantially orthogonal to the straight line L and is slightly inclined toward the right. In the above-described drive device  30 , the outer diameter of the rotating drum  31  is made smaller than a maximum diameter of the deceleration mechanism  35 . 
     The supporting member  40 , as illustrated in  FIG. 6( a ) , includes a support base portion  40   a  including a roller  41   a  that is rotatable around the vertical axis and a roller  41   b  that is rotatable around the horizontal axis, and is movable along the extending direction of the guide rail  20  by the rollers  41   a  and  41   b  rolling along the inside of the guide rail  20 . Such a supporting member  40  is provided with a closing coupling portion  42 , an opening coupling portion  43 , and a mounting member  44 , other than the above-described rollers  41   a  and  41   b , on the support base portion  40   a.    
     The closing coupling portion  42  is in a cylindrical shape provided at the lower portion of the supporting member  40 . The closing coupling portion  42  is coupled to the other end portion of the closing cable  51  that is let out from the first outlet of the first arm portion  33   a , inserted into the closing outer tube  61 , and hung on the first pulley  21 . In the closing coupling portion  42 , as illustrated in  FIG. 6( b ) , a tensioner  421  composed of a coil spring that gives a tensile force to the closing cable  51  to absorb the looseness of the closing cable  51  is built in. 
     The opening coupling portion  43  is in a cylindrical shape provided at the upper portion of the supporting member  40 . The opening coupling portion  43  is coupled to the other end portion of the opening cable  52  that is let out from the second outlet of the second arm portion  33   b , inserted into the opening outer tube  62 , and hung on the second pulley  22 . In the opening coupling portion  43 , a tensioner  431  composed of a coil spring that gives a tensile force to the opening cable  52  to absorb the looseness of the opening cable  52  is built in. 
     Furthermore, the opening coupling portion  43  is arranged on the supporting member  40  in a form of being able to swing about the shaft center of a shaft  432  extending along the up-and-down direction. 
     The mounting member  44  is arranged on the supporting member  40  to be rotatable about the shaft center of a shaft  441  extending along the up-and-down direction, and is the one that a later described slide door SD is mounted thereon. 
     The left-side rail module  10  thus configured is arranged on the vehicle body  1  in the following manner. 
     That is, as schematically illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the left-side rail module  10  is brought close to a mounting panel P of the vehicle body  1 , and the driving unit  30   b  of the drive device  30  and the casing body portion  32   a  of the driven unit  30   a  are inserted into the opening P 1  formed on the mounting panel P and are made to go inside the vehicle body  1  (inside the mounting panel P). Subsequently, the projection  22   c  of the second pulley bracket  22   b  is inserted into a hole P 2  formed on the rear of the mounting panel P, and the guide rail  20  is fastened with bolts and the like to a certain portion of the mounting panel P. 
     In this case, as illustrated in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the closing portion (the first closing plate portion  321   a  and the second closing plate portion  322   a ) that is the casing outlet portion  32   b  of the drive device  30  closes the opening P 1  via a sealing member  70  in the following manner. 
     By the projecting portion  321   b  of the case drum  321  constituting the casing outlet portion  32   b  being pressed onto the guide rail  20 , the closing portion including the second closing plate portion  322   a  is pressed onto the mounting panel P (the vehicle body  1 ) in a state of the sealing member  70  being interposed. Then, as illustrated in  FIG. 10 , a fastening bolt (fastening member)  71  is inserted into a mounting hole  322   c  formed on the second closing plate portion  322   a  and is screwed to a fastening nut  72  provided on the mounting panel P. At this time, after inserting the fastening bolt  71  through a through-hole (not depicted) of a supporting bracket  73  that is to support the driving unit  30   b  of the drive device  30 , the fastening bolt  71  and the fastening nut  72  are screwed and fastened together with the supporting bracket  73 . In this manner, the opening P 1  is closed by the closing portion and the left-side rail module  10  is arranged on the vehicle body  1 . 
     After the left-side rail module  10  is arranged on the vehicle body  1  in this manner, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the upper portion of the guide rail  20  is covered with a cover member  3 , what is called a finisher cover. Then, an upper supporting portion and a lower supporting portion, not depicted, mounted on the slide door SD are inserted into an upper rail  4  and a lower rail  5 , respectively, of the vehicle body  1 , and the slide door SD is mounted on the mounting member  44  afterward. This makes the left-side rail module  10  support the slide door SD. 
     In the door opening and closing apparatus including such a left-side rail module  10 , when the motor  34  of the drive device  30  rotates forward, its torque is transmitted to the rotating drum  31  through the deceleration mechanism  35  and the rotating drum  31  rotates in one direction. When the rotating drum  31  rotates in the one direction, the rotating drum  31  takes up the closing cable  51  and lets out the opening cable  52 . Consequently, as illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the supporting member  40  moves toward the front, and thus the slide door SD moves to close. 
     In this case, the closing cable  51  moves along the lower surface of the guide rail  20 , and at the curved portion of the guide rail  20 , is guided by the lower guide plate  24 . The opening cable  52  moves along the upper surface of the guide rail  20 , and at the curved portion of the guide rail  20 , is guided by the upper guide plate  23 . 
     Then, when the supporting member  40  moving toward the front reaches the front end portion of the guide rail  20 , the slide door SD closes the entrance  2 . When the slide door SD closes the entrance  2  in this manner, a part of the guide rail  20  is in a state of being exposed. However, because the closing cable  51  that moves along the lower surface of the guide rail  20  has been taken up by the rotating drum  31  of the drive device  30 , the closing cable  51  has no risk of being exposed. Meanwhile, although the opening cable  52  is extending along the upper surface of the guide rail  20 , because the upper area of the guide rail  20  is covered with the cover member  3 , the opening cable  52  is not exposed. 
     Meanwhile, when the motor  34  rotates backward, its torque is transmitted to the rotating drum  31  through the deceleration mechanism  35  and the rotating drum  31  rotates in the other direction. When the rotating drum  31  rotates in the other direction, the rotating drum  31  takes up the opening cable  52  and lets out the closing cable  51 . Consequently, as illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the supporting member  40  moves toward the rear, and thus the slide door SD moves to open. 
     In this case, the closing cable  51  moves along the lower surface of the guide rail  20 , and at the curved portion of the guide rail  20 , is guided by the lower guide plate  24 . The opening cable  52  moves along the upper surface of the guide rail  20 , and at the curved portion of the guide rail  20 , is guided by the upper guide plate  23 . 
     Then, when the supporting member  40  moving toward the rear reaches the rear end portion of the guide rail  20 , the slide door SD is at a fully open position. When the slide door SD is located at the fully open position in this manner, because the guide rail  20  is covered with the slide door SD, the closing cable  51  extending along the lower surface of the guide rail  20  is not exposed. 
     As explained in the foregoing, in the door opening and closing apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention, because the rail module ( 10 ) is provided with the drive device  30  fastened to the outside of the vehicle body  1  such that a part of the drive device  30  goes inside the vehicle body  1  through the opening P 1  provided on the vehicle body  1 , the installation work to the vehicle body  1  can be made easy. 
     In the above-described door opening and closing apparatus, because the second pulley  22  is provided on the upper portion of the rear end portion of the guide rail  20 , the opening cable  52  is not exposed to the outside when the slide door SD closes the entrance  2 . Consequently, mischief and the like to the opening cable  52  can be prevented, and also the appearance can be improved. 
     In the above-described door opening and closing apparatus, because the drive device  30  is arranged on the guide rail  20  such that the rotation axis line M of the rotating drum  31  extends substantially orthogonal to the straight line L connecting the first pulley  21  and the second pulley  22 , the drive device does not need to be swung as in a conventional case, and thus the first arm portion  33   a  is in a position being progressively inclined downward toward the front and the second arm portion  33   b  is in a position being progressively inclined upward toward the rear. Consequently, the closing cable  51  can be hung on the first pulley  21  in a state of a small degree of bend and the opening cable  52  can be hung on the second pulley  22  in a state of a small degree of bend. 
     In the above-described door opening and closing apparatus, the opening cable  52  is hung on the second pulley  22  and coupled to the opening coupling portion  43  at the upper portion of the supporting member  40 . This configuration also ensures that the opening cable  52  is not exposed to the outside when the slide door SD closes the entrance  2 . Thus, mischief and the like to the opening cable  52  can be prevented, and also the appearance can be improved. 
     In the above-described door opening and closing apparatus, because the second pulley bracket  22   b  closes the upper portion of the rear end portion of the guide rail  20 , the water-tightness with respect to the guide rail  20  can be improved when the rail module ( 10 ) is arranged on the vehicle body  1 . 
     In particular, the projection  22   c  of the second pulley bracket  22   b  closing the hole P 2  formed on the vehicle body  1  can yield better water-tightness. 
     In the above-described door opening and closing apparatus, in the drive device  30 , because the outer diameter of the rotating drum  31  is made smaller than the maximum diameter of the deceleration mechanism  35 , if the lengths of the opening cable  52  and the closing cable  51  are the same as those of the conventional case, the number of wounds of the opening cable  52  and the closing cable  51  increases and the length of the rotating drum  31  in the axis direction becomes larger as compared with the conventional case. However, by making the outer diameter of the rotating drum  31  smaller than the maximum diameter of the deceleration mechanism  35 , the opening P 1  of the vehicle body  1  that the drive device  30  passes through when the rail module ( 10 ) is arranged on the vehicle body  1  can be made small, and thus the opening P 1  can be prevented from being increased in size. 
     In particular, by making the outer diameter of the rotating drum  31  smaller than the maximum diameter of the deceleration mechanism  35 , the output of the cables (the closing cable  51  and the opening cable  52 ) that is calculated by “motor output torque/outer diameter of rotating drum” can be increased. Consequently, the output torque of the motor  34  can be made small when the same cable output as that of the conventional case is required, and as a result, by the reduction in power consumption, energy saving can .be achieved. 
     In the above-described door opening and closing apparatus, the closing portion that is a portion of the housing of the drive device  30  and is located outside the vehicle body  1  closes the opening P 1  by being pressed onto the vehicle body  1  by the guide rail  20  via the projecting portion  321   b  and being fastened in a state of being pressed onto the vehicle body  1  via the fastening bolt  71  while the sealing member  70  is interposed therein. Consequently, the opening P 1  can be closed while the number of fastening members such as the fastening bolt  71  is reduced, and the better water-tightness can be yielded. 
     In particular, because the supporting bracket  73  that supports the driving unit  30   b  of the drive device  30  is fastened together onto the vehicle body  1  with the fastening bolt  71 , the reduction in fastening process to fasten the driving unit  30   b  can be achieved, and also the reduction in the number of fastening members can be achieved. 
     In the above-described door opening and closing apparatus, because the opening coupling portion  43  is arranged on the supporting member  40  in a form of being able to swing about the shaft center of the shaft  432 , the opening coupling portion  43  can swing as appropriate when the supporting member  40  moves on the guide rail  20  in which the curved portion is formed halfway. Consequently, the opening cable  52  can be prevented from being damaged by a twist and the like. 
       FIGS. 12 and 13  are perspective views illustrating a modification of the supporting member of the door opening and closing apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention. Note that ones having the same configuration as the above-described supporting member  40  are given the same reference signs, and redundant explanations are omitted. A supporting member  40 ′ exemplified here includes a first support base portion  40   b  and a second support base portion  40   c.    
     The first support base portion  40   b  includes the roller  41   a  that is rotatable around the vertical axis and the roller  41   b  that is rotatable around the horizontal axis, and is movable along the extending direction of the guide rail  20  by the rollers  41   a  and  41   b  rolling along the inside of the guide rail  20 . On such a first support base portion  40   b , the closing coupling portion  42  and the opening coupling portion  43  are provided, other than the above-described rollers  41   a  and  41   b.    
     On the first support base portion  40   b , a fastening piece  40   b   1  is further provided. The fastening piece  40   b   1  is a portion in a flat plate shape formed in a form of extending upward from the front end portion of the first support base portion  40   b . The fastening piece  40   b   1  is provided standing along a direction substantially orthogonal to the extending direction of the guide rail  20 . 
     The second support base portion  40   c  is provided with the mounting member  44 . The mounting member  44  is arranged on the second support base portion  40   c  to be rotatable about the shaft center of the shaft  441  extending along the up-and-down direction, and is the one that the slide door SD (see  FIGS. 1 and 14 ) is mounted thereon. 
     The second support base portion  40   c  includes a fastening portion  40   c   1 . The fastening portion  40   c   1  is a portion in a flat plate shape extending along the up-and-down direction and a rear side of the fastening portion  40   c   1  is exposed. Such a second support base portion  40   c  is attached to the first support base portion  40   b  to be fastened with fasteners in a form that the fastening portion  40   c   1  overlaps the fastening piece  40   b   1  of the first support base portion  40   b . Explaining more specifically, the second support base portion  40   c  is attached to the first support base portion  40   b  by screwing fastening bolts  80 , which are inserted into fastening holes  40   b   2  and others formed on the fastening portion  40   c   1  and the fastening piece  40   b   1 , to fastening nuts  81 , in a state that the fastening portion  40   c   1  is overlapping the fastening piece  40   b   1 . 
     Because the supporting member  40 ′ is thus provided with the first support base portion  40   b  and the second support base portion  40   c , the slide door SD can be supported in the following manner. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 14 , the first support base portion  40   b  is moved to the rear end portion of the guide rail  20 , which has already been arranged on the mounting panel P (vehicle body  1 ). Then, the second support base portion  40   c  for which the slide door SD has already been mounted is arranged such that the fastening portion  40   c   1  overlaps the fastening piece  40   b   1 . In this case, the upper supporting portion and the lower supporting portion mounted on the slide door SD have already been inserted to the upper rail  4  and the lower rail  5 , respectively, of the vehicle body  1 . 
     Then, as illustrated in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , by aligning fastening holes, not depicted, of the fastening portion  40   c   1  with the fastening holes  40   b   2  of the fastening piece  40   b   1 , inserting the fastening bolts  80  from the rear side, and screwing the fastening bolts  80  to the fastening nuts  81 , the second support base portion  40   c  is attached to the first support base portion  40   b . This makes the supporting member  40 ′ support the slide door SD. 
     In the door opening and closing apparatus thus configured, the fastening piece  40   b   1  of the first support base portion  40   b  is provided standing along the direction substantially orthogonal to the extending direction of the guide rail  20  and the rear side of the fastening portion  40   c   1  of the second support base portion  40   c  is exposed. Thus, in a state that the first support base portion  40   b  is located at the rear end portion of the guide rail  20 , the slide door SD can be supported easily by inserting the fastening bolts  80  from the rear side and attaching the second support base portion  40   c  to the first support base portion  40   b . Consequently, the mounting of the slide door SD can be made easy, and as a result, the installation work to the vehicle body  1  can be made easy. 
     As in the foregoing, the preferred embodiment and the modification of the present invention have been explained in detail. The invention, however, is not limited to this and various modifications can be made. 
     In the above-described embodiment, the second pulley  22  that is an opening inversion member is arranged on the upper end portion of the guide rail  20  and the first pulley  21  that is a closing inversion member is arranged on the lower end portion of the guide rail  20 . However, in the invention, the closing inversion member may also be arranged on the upper end portion of the rail member. 
     In the above-described embodiment, the rail module ( 10 ) is mounted to the vehicle body  1  in a state that the drive device  30  has been assembled. In the invention, however, the driving unit  30   b  of the drive device  30  may be fastened to the vehicle body  1  after being separated from the driven unit  30   a , and afterward, the driving unit  30   b  may be attached to a part of the driven unit  30   a  that passes through the opening  91  of the vehicle body  1  and goes inside the vehicle body  1 . With this configuration, the opening  91  of the vehicle body  1  can be further downsized. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       1  vehicle body 
       10  left-side rail module 
       20  guide rail (rail member) 
       21  first pulley (closing inversion member) 
       21   b  first pulley bracket 
       22  second pulley (opening inversion member) 
       22   b  second pulley bracket 
       22   c  projection 
       30  drive device 
       30   a  driven unit 
       30   b  driving unit (drive unit) 
       31  rotating drum 
       32  casing 
       32   a  casing body portion 
       32   b  casing outlet portion 
       321  case drum 
       321   a  first closing plate portion 
       321   b  projecting portion 
       322  cover drum 
       322   a  second closing plate portion 
       34  motor 
       35  deceleration mechanism 
       40  supporting member 
       42  closing coupling portion 
       43  opening coupling portion 
       44  mounting member 
       51  closing cable 
       52  opening cable 
       70  sealing member 
       71  fastening bolt 
       73  supporting bracket 
     P mounting panel 
     P 1  opening 
     P 2  hole 
     SD slide door