Patent ID: 7121043

Claim:
An actuating device to open and close an open/close member of a vehicle which is pivotally mounted to an edge of an opening of said vehicle with a hinge shaft provided substantially horizontally, said actuating device comprising: a guide rail arranged on a body pillar located on a side edge of said opening and configured so that a longitudinal direction of the guide rail is inclined toward a center of the opening; a rack which is guided along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail; a motor unit for moving the rack along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail; and a connecting rod which is connected at an upper end thereof to said open/close member by one joint and connected at a lower end thereof to said rack by another joint; wherein said connecting rod is provided with a bent portion in a middle part thereof so that a lower section of said connecting rod below said middle part in a vertical direction is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of said guide rail, toward the center of said opening, and an upper section of said connecting rod above said middle part is substantially in parallel to the longitudinal direction of said guide rail and offset from a side face of said guide rail to the center of said opening, when said connecting rod is in a closed position of said open/close member.