JP2003276442A - Rear gate opening and closing device for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To improve strength of a vehicle rear gate opening / closing device so that the length of a rack can be shortened. SOLUTION: A rear gate 5 is opened and closed by a drive unit 11 installed on the vehicle body side, and a motor 17 capable of rotating the drive unit 11 forward and reverse and a pinion 23 for reducing the rotation of the motor 17 and outputting the same are provided. The hinge shaft 9 is pivoted by the rotation of the gear box 18 and the pinion 23.
The motor 17 is reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the gearbox 18 and has a rack 29 having one end connected to the rear gate 5 side.
At one end facing the rear gate 5 and the other end opposite to the other end, and near one end of the gear box 18,
The output gear 27 rotated by the pinion 23 is pivotally connected, and the rack 29 meshes with the output gear 27.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rear gate opening / closing device for a vehicle, in which a rear gate pivotably mounted on a vehicle body by a horizontal hinge shaft is opened and closed by a drive unit installed on the vehicle body side. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional vehicle rear gate opening / closing device, as shown in FIG. 5, a motor capable of rotating in the normal and reverse directions is provided in a space between a lower surface side of a roof panel (101) and a roof trim (not shown). (102) and a gear box (103) provided with a pinion (104) for decelerating and outputting the rotation of the motor (102), and a rack (105) meshing with the pinion (104) and reciprocating in the front-back direction. And a rear gate (108) pivotally attached to the rear end of the rack (105) by a hinge shaft (107) directed in the left-right direction to the vehicle body so as to be vertically openable and closable. The rear gate (108) is rocked in the opening direction by moving the rack (105) to the rear (right side in FIG. 5) by rotating the pinion (104) by rotating the rack (105). Forward (left in FIG. 5)
The rear gate (108) is swung in the closing direction by moving the rear gate (108).

[0003]

According to the conventional switchgear described above, the motor (102) is connected to the side surface of the gear box (103) near the rear end, and the pinion (104) is connected to the gear box ( Since it is pivotally attached to the front-rear center of (103), the connection point (a) between the rack (105) and the rear gate (108) side
And a part (rear end) of the motor (102) and the gear box (103) are interposed between the meshing point (b) between the rack (105) and the output gear (104). The inclusions get in the way,
It is necessary to separate it from the rear roof rail or the like forming the opening so as not to interfere with it, and the meshing point (b) cannot be brought close to the connecting point (a).

As a result, the distance (L1) between the connecting point (a) and the meshing point (b) becomes large, and it is necessary to lengthen the entire length of the rack (105) in the front-rear direction.

However, as the total length of the rack (105) becomes longer, the compression acting on the rack (105) when the rack (105) is moved rearward and the rear gate (108) is pushed in the opening direction. Due to the force, the rack (105) will easily buckle,
It is disadvantageous in terms of strength. Also, the roof trim is
Since the entire length of 5) projects to the inside of the room, the indoor space becomes smaller.

In view of the above problems of the prior art, the present invention makes it possible to shorten the length of the rack to improve the strength and drive unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a rear gate opening / closing device for a vehicle, which can minimize the sacrifice of the interior space due to the mounting of the vehicle.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the above problems can be solved as follows. (1) A rear gate rotatably and pivotally attached to a vehicle body by a horizontal hinge shaft is opened and closed by a drive unit installed on the vehicle body side, and the drive unit includes a motor capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions. A gear box to which a pinion that decelerates and outputs the rotation of the motor is pivotally attached, and the rotation of the pinion causes the pinion to reciprocate in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the hinge shaft, and one end of the pinion to the rear gate side. In a vehicle rear gate opening / closing device having a connected rack, the motor is connected to one end of the gearbox facing the rear gate and the other end opposite to the one end of the gearbox. The output gear rotated by the pinion is pivotally attached to the side, and the rack is meshed with the output gear.

(2) In the above item (1), an intermediate gear is provided between the pinion and the output gear so as to reduce the rotation of the pinion and transmit the reduced speed to the output gear.

(3) In the above item (1) or (2), the other end of the motor opposite to the one end facing the rear gate side of the gear box is arranged so that its output shaft is orthogonal to the axial direction of the hinge shaft. Connect to the side.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a rear portion of a vehicle body showing an outline of the present embodiment. In the following description, the left side is "front" and the right side is "rear" in FIG. 1, and the left side is "rear" and the right side is "front" in FIG. Left and right rear pillars (not shown) on the rear of the vehicle body (1)
An opening (3) is formed by the rear edge of the roof panel (2), and is pivotally movable in the vertical direction at the rear end of the roof panel (2) via a pair of left and right hinge arms (4). The opening (3) can be opened and closed by the worn rear gate (5).

The rear gate (5) is an opening / closing device (6) installed in the space between the lower surface of the roof panel (2) and the indoor roof trim (10) stretched below the roof panel (2). ), The open / close drive is performed between the fully closed position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 and the fully opened position shown by the two-dot chain line.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outline of a mounting state of the opening / closing device (6), and the vehicle body (1) is shown by a chain double-dashed line.
The hinge arm (4) is attached to the hinge bracket (8) fixed to the upper surface of the rear roof rail (7) extending in the vehicle width direction along the upper opening edge of the opening (3), in the left-right direction (horizontal direction). ), The base end of which is pivotally attached by a hinge shaft (9), which extends downwardly and frontward from the base end, and which extends rearward in an arc shape centered on the hinge shaft (9) from the lower end. (4a)
The rear end is connected to the rear gate (5).

The switchgear (6) comprises a drive unit (11), a gas spring (12) filled with gas, and a controller (1).
3), a cross member (not shown) installed on the lower surfaces of the rear roof rail (7) and the roof panel (2) in the vehicle width direction, and a side roof rail that extends in the front-rear direction below the roof panel (2). (14) has a mounting bracket (15) fixed with a bolt (not shown), and the mounting bracket (15) is installed in the vicinity of the gas spring (12) and is provided around the gas spring (12). A temperature sensor (16) for measuring the temperature is provided.

The gas spring (12) is always urged in the front-rear direction in the extension direction and is expandable and contractible, and its front end portion is pivotally attached to the cross member with a shaft (not shown) facing the left-right direction, and The front end (rear end) of the piston rod (12a) has a shaft (32) oriented in the left-right direction and has a hinge arm.
It is pivotally attached to the curved portion (4a) of (4).

FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow III in FIG. 2, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3.
In addition, in FIG. 3, for the mounting bracket (15),
A part is shown by a chain double-dashed line, and others are omitted.

The drive unit (11) has a mounting bracket (15)
And a gear box (18) and a rack (29) movable in the front-rear direction.

The motor (17) has its output shaft (17a) oriented in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the hinge shaft (9), that is, in the front-rear direction, so that the front end side of the gear box (18) (the rear gate (5 ) Side and the opposite side).

Inside the gear box (18), as shown in FIG. 4, a worm (pivotally supported by a shaft (19) oriented in the left-right direction and fixed to an output shaft (17a) of the motor (17)). Worm wheel (21) meshing with 20) and worm wheel (21)
Detecting the rotation of the worm wheel (21) and the electromagnetic clutch (22) that is installed on the same axis (19) as the electromagnetic clutch (22) that connects and disconnects the transmission path between the output shaft (17a) of the motor (17) and the pinion (23) described below An encoder (not shown) is stored.

On the outer surface side of the gear box (18), as shown in FIG. 3, a pinion (23) coupled to the shaft on the output side of the electromagnetic clutch (22) and a diagonally upper rear of the pinion (23) are provided. Between the pinion (23) and the output gear (27), and the output gear (27) pivotally supported by the shaft (26) facing the left and right in the upper part near the rear end of the gear box (18). The pinion (23) and the output gear (2
7) meshes with the pinion (23) to reduce rotation and output gear
An intermediate gear (25) that transmits to (27) is provided.

The intermediate gear (25) and the output gear (27) are
Mounting bracket fixed to the outside of the gearbox (18)
It is pivotally supported between (18a) and the cover plate (28).

As shown in FIG. 4, on the inner side surface of the output gear (27), a small-diameter gear portion (27a) protruding toward the gearbox (18) side is located above the gearbox (18). ) Is provided. A rack (29) capable of reciprocating in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the hinge shaft (9), that is, the front-rear direction, meshes with the small-diameter gear portion (27a) from above by rotation thereof.

The rack (29) is pivotally attached to the curved portion (4a) of the hinge arm (4) by a shaft (31) whose rear end faces the left-right direction, and is provided on the mounting bracket (18a). The left and right support parts (18b) (18c) and the guide member (30) rotatably supported between the support parts (18b) (18c)
A guide is provided slidably in the front-rear direction at a position above the electromagnetic clutch (22) above the (18).

The supporting portions (18b) and (18c) sandwich both side surfaces of the rack (29) so that they can slidably contact with each other, and the guide member (30) includes the rack (29).
It slidably contacts the upper edge of the output gear (27) and is slidably held between it and the small-diameter gear portion (27a) of the output gear (27).

The guide member (30) in the present embodiment
Are formed by using the ball bearing itself as a roller.

As described above, the motor (17) has its output shaft
The rack (29a) is connected to the front end side of the gear box (18) so that (17a) faces in the front-rear direction and the output gear (27) is pivotally attached to the upper rear end of the gear box (18). )
(31), which is the connection point between the hinge arm (4) and the rack, and the rack
Between the (29) and the meshing point of the output gear (27), the motor (1
7), gear box (18), etc. are not present, so the shaft (31)
The length of the rack (29) can be shortened by narrowing the interval between the meshing point and the above.

Further, the rack (29) is arranged so as to be capable of reciprocating in the front-rear direction at a position directly above the electromagnetic clutch (22) of the gear box (18), so that the rack (2
Since 9) does not project outward from the side surface of the gear box (18), the lateral dimension of the drive unit (11) can be reduced, and the drive unit (11) can be made thinner in the lateral direction. It is possible to increase the indoor space.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. When the rear gate (5) is in the fully closed position, the controller (13) controls the opening operation of the remote control switch (not shown).
When is received, the electromagnetic clutch (22) is excited, the transmission path between the output shaft (17a) of the motor (17) and the pinion (23) is connected, and the motor (17) is forwardly controlled.

By the normal rotation of the motor (17), the worm (20),
Worm wheel (21), electromagnetic clutch (22), pinion (2
3), intermediate gear (25), and output gear (27)
By moving (29) rearward from the fully closed position shown in FIG. 3, the rear gate (5) is swung in the opening direction (direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 1) via the hinge arm (4). And stop at the fully open position.

When swinging the rear gate (5) in the opening direction, a compressive force in the front-back direction acts on the rack (29), but since the length of the rack (29) can be shortened, the rack (29) can be shortened. It is possible to prevent (29) from buckling delusionally.

When the controller (13) accepts the closing operation of the remote control switch when the rear gate (5) is at the fully open position, the electromagnetic clutch (22) is excited and
The motor (17) is reversely controlled. This allows warm (2
0), worm wheel (21), electromagnetic clutch (22), pinion (23), intermediate gear (25), and output gear (27), the rack (29) is moved forward, and the rear gate (5) is swung in the closing direction (direction of arrow B shown in FIG. 1) via the hinge arm (4) against the biasing force of the gas spring (12), and stops at the fully closed position.

[0031]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (A) According to the invention of claim 1, the motor is connected to the other end side of the gearbox facing the rear gate side and the other end side of the gearbox, and is rotatable near the one end side of the gearbox by the rotation of the pinion. The output gear is pivotally attached and the rack is meshed with the output gear, so that the space between the rack and the output gear and the connection point between the rack and the hinge arm is narrowed to shorten the rack length. Therefore, the strength of the rack can be improved.

(B) According to the second aspect of the invention, the output gear is rotated by providing the intermediate gear between the pinion and the output gear, the intermediate gear being capable of reducing the rotation of the pinion and transmitting it to the output gear. It can be decelerated and placed closer to the rear end of the gearbox.

(C) According to the third aspect of the invention, the motor is provided on the other end side opposite to the one end side facing the rear gate side of the gear box so that the output shaft thereof is orthogonal to the axial direction of the hinge shaft. By connecting, the drive unit can be thinned in the left-right direction (the axial direction of the hinge shaft).

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a rear portion of a vehicle body showing an outline of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outline of a mounting state of the opening / closing device.

FIG. 3 is a view on arrow III in FIG.

4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a main part in a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

(1) car body (2) Roof panel (3) Opening (4) Hinge arm (4a) curved section (5) Rear gate (6) Switchgear (7) Rear roof rail (8) Hinge bracket (9) Hinge shaft (10) Roof trim (11) Drive unit (12) Gas spring (12a) Piston rod (13) Controller (14) Side roof rail (15) Mounting bracket (16) Temperature sensor (17) Motor (17a) Output shaft (18) Gear box (18a) Mounting bracket (18b) (18c) Support (19) axis (20) Warm (21) Worm wheel (22) Electromagnetic clutch (23) Pinion (24) axis (25) Intermediate gear (26) axis (27) Output gear (27a) Small gear section (28) Cover plate (29) Rack (30) Guiding member (31) (32) axis

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Masahiro Tanikawa             1-4-1 Chuo Stock Market, Wako City, Saitama Prefecture             Inside Honda Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Kenichi             1-4-1 Chuo Stock Market, Wako City, Saitama Prefecture             Inside Honda Research Laboratory F-term (reference) 2E052 AA09 BA02 CA06 DA00 DA06                       DA08 DB00 DB06 DB08 EA01                       EB01 EC01 KA10 KA15 KA16

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A motor capable of rotating the drive unit forward and backward by opening and closing a rear gate pivotally attached to the vehicle body by a horizontal hinge shaft so as to be openable and closable by a drive unit installed on the vehicle body side. And a gear box to which a pinion for decelerating the rotation of the motor is output, and rotation of the pinion causes the pinion to reciprocate in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the hinge shaft, and one end of the rear gate. A vehicle rear gate opening / closing device having a rack connected to the rear side of the gear box, wherein the motor is connected to one end side of the gear box facing the rear gate side and the other end side of the gear box. An output gear rotated by the pinion is pivotally attached to one end of the rack, and the rack is meshed with the output gear. Closing device for a vehicle rear gate, characterized and. 2. The opening / closing device for a vehicle rear gate according to claim 1, further comprising an intermediate gear provided between the pinion and the output gear, the intermediate gear being capable of decelerating the rotation of the pinion and transmitting the reduced speed to the output gear. 3. The motor is connected to one end side of the gearbox facing the rear gate side and the other end side of the gearbox opposite to the other end side so that the output shaft of the motor is orthogonal to the axial direction of the hinge shaft.
Alternatively, the vehicle rear gate opening / closing device described in 2.