JP7532729B2 - Vehicle door opening and closing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle door opening and closing device for driving a sliding door supported so as to be movable along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

This type of vehicle door opening and closing device has already been provided in which the guide rail that supports the sliding door and the drive guide on which the moving body such as the drive belt is mounted are configured separately, making it easier to install on the vehicle body. That is, the arm member is arranged to be able to run on the guide rail, while a drive bracket is provided on the moving body of the drive guide, and after the guide rail and drive guide are separately attached to the vehicle body, a connecting member such as a connecting screw is provided between the arm member and the drive bracket, so that the movement of the moving body is transmitted to the sliding door (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-100081 A

When considering the ease of getting on and off the vehicle body, it is preferable to ensure that the entrance and exit is large. However, if the entrance and exit is made large, the sliding door that opens and closes it will also become larger and heavier, which will increase the load applied between the arm member and the drive bracket. This will require measures such as increasing the number of connecting members provided between the arm member and the drive bracket, and there is a concern that the device will become larger due to the larger arm member and drive bracket.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle door opening and closing device that can accommodate larger sliding doors while minimizing the device's size.

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle door opening and closing device of the present invention is a vehicle door opening and closing device that includes a guide rail attached to the vehicle exterior surface of a body panel that constitutes the vehicle body so that it is longitudinal along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, an arm member that is supported so as to be able to run along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail and is connected to a sliding door provided on the vehicle body, a drive guide that is attached to the vehicle exterior surface of the body panel that constitutes the vehicle body so that it is longitudinal along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body and is arranged in a state where it is arranged side by side above and below the guide rail, a moving body that is movably arranged along the longitudinal direction of the drive guide and moves back and forth by power provided by a drive source, and a drive bracket that is provided on a part of the moving body and is connected to the arm member by a connecting member, and is characterized in that the arm member and the drive bracket each have a contact engagement surface that extends in a direction that intersects with the extension direction of the guide rail and faces each other.

The present invention also provides the above-mentioned vehicle door opening and closing device, in which the arm member includes two first rollers arranged rotatably around the axis of a first shaft along the vertical direction, and a second roller arranged rotatably around the axis of a second shaft along the horizontal direction between the two first rollers, and the two first rollers are arranged side by side at the front and rear of the vehicle body, and the first rollers and the second rollers run on the guide rail with the axis of the second shaft aligned along a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the guide rail, and the arm member is characterized in that the abutment engagement surface is provided on each of the portions of the bearing portion supporting the second roller that are on the front and rear sides of the vehicle body.

The present invention is also characterized in that, in the above-mentioned vehicle door opening and closing device, the drive bracket is provided with abutment portions that abut against the bearing portions of the first roller on the outer side of the vehicle body.

The present invention is also characterized in that, in the vehicle door opening and closing device described above, the arm member has an outer plate portion extending from the guide rail toward the outside of the vehicle body, and a connecting portion with the sliding door is configured on the extending edge of the outer plate portion, and the drive bracket has an arm cover portion overlapping the outer plate portion, and the connecting member is provided on the outer plate portion via the arm cover portion.

The present invention is also characterized in that, in the vehicle door opening and closing device described above, the drive bracket has a bracket main body that extends almost vertically from the moving body in the up-down direction, the connecting member is provided at a portion that is closer to the vehicle exterior side of the bracket main body, and the abutment portion abuts against the bearing portion of the first roller at a portion that is closer to the vehicle interior side of the bracket main body.

According to the present invention, the arm member and the drive bracket are each provided with an abutment engagement surface, making it possible to withstand a large load without increasing the number of connecting members provided between the arm member and the drive bracket, and making it possible to accommodate larger sliding doors without increasing the size of the device.

FIG. 1 is a left side view of a vehicle to which a door opening and closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main portion of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 with a part cut away. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part of the vehicle shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a door opening and closing device applied to the vehicle shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the door opening and closing device applied to the vehicle shown in FIG. 6A and 6B are perspective and exploded perspective views showing the guide unit and the drive bracket of the vehicle door opening and closing device shown in FIG. 7A and 7B show the main parts and drive bracket of the guide unit of the vehicle door opening and closing device shown in FIG. 4, where FIG. 7A is a perspective view seen from the front side of the vehicle, and FIG. 7B is a perspective view seen from the rear side of the vehicle. 8A and 8B show an arm member applied to the vehicle door opening and closing device shown in FIG. 4, where (a) is a perspective view seen from the inside of the vehicle, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the outside of the vehicle together with the guide rail. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a transmission module applied to the vehicle door opening and closing device shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a power transmission system of the vehicle door opening and closing device shown in FIG. 11A and 11B show a first bracket plate applied to the drive bracket of the transmission module shown in FIG. 9, where (a) is a perspective view seen from the vehicle exterior side, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the vehicle interior side. 12A and 12B show a second bracket plate applied to the drive bracket of the transmission module shown in FIG. 9, where FIG. 12A is a perspective view seen from the vehicle exterior side, and FIG. 12B is a perspective view seen from the vehicle interior side. Figure 13 shows the connection state between the drive bracket and arm member of the vehicle door opening and closing device shown in Figure 4, where (a) is a view from the outside of the vehicle, and (b) is an enlarged view of the main parts of (a) with the second bracket plate on the outside of the vehicle omitted. Figure 14 shows the connection state between the drive bracket and arm member of the vehicle door opening and closing device shown in Figure 4, where (a) is a cross-sectional view from the rear side of the vehicle showing the contact state between the contact portion of the drive bracket and the bearing portion of the first roller, and (b) is a cross-sectional view from the rear side of the vehicle showing the relationship between the contact engagement surface and the position of the connecting member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a vehicle door opening and closing device according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 shows a vehicle to which a door opening/closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The vehicle shown here is configured such that an entrance E to a rear seat provided on the left side of a vehicle body B is opened and closed by a sliding door RD. That is, in the vehicle shown in Fig. 1, a front fender FF, a front door FD, a sliding door RD, and a quarter panel (body panel) QP are provided from the front on the left side of the vehicle body B, and the entrance E to the rear seat is opened by moving the sliding door RD to the outside rear side of the vehicle body B.

The vehicle door opening and closing device exemplified in this embodiment is configured with guide units UG, LG, and CG that movably support the sliding door RD relative to the vehicle body B, and a drive unit 1 that moves the sliding door RD relative to the vehicle body B.

The guide units UG, LG, and CG include an upper guide unit UG provided at the upper edge of the entrance E, a lower guide unit LG provided at the lower edge of the entrance E, and a center guide unit CG provided on the quarter panel QP, and movably support the sliding door RD. Although not shown in the figure, these guide units UG, LG, and CG include guide rails 10U, 10L, and 10C provided longitudinally along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body B, and arm members 11U, 11L, and 11C arranged to be able to run along the extension direction of the guide rails 10U, 10L, and 10C, and are connected to the sliding door RD via the arm members 11U, 11L, and 11C to movably support the sliding door RD relative to the vehicle body B.

The upper guide unit UG and lower guide unit LG have guide rails 10U, 10L provided in positions that are covered by the sliding door RD when the entrance E is closed. In contrast, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the center guide unit CG has guide rails 10C attached to the vehicle exterior surface Pa of the quarter panel QP that is exposed when the entrance E is closed by the sliding door RD, and the guide rails 10C are covered by a separately attached cover plate CP. As is clear from the figures, the center guide unit CG is provided in the part of the quarter panel QP between the wheel housing TH and the fuel filler opening FC.

The drive unit 1, which will be described later, is configured to be attached to this center guide unit CG. The upper guide unit UG and lower guide unit LG can be the same as those that have been used in the past. Therefore, the following mainly describes the configuration of the center guide unit CG and the drive unit 1. For the sake of convenience, the following description will specify the orientation of each component in the position when mounted on the vehicle body B.

As shown in Figures 2 to 6, the guide rail 10C of the center guide unit CG has a straight rail section 10Ca that extends in a substantially straight line along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body B, and a curved rail section 10Cb that extends from the front end of the straight rail section 10Ca in a curved manner so as to gradually turn toward the inside of the vehicle toward the front, and is configured to have substantially the same cross-sectional shape over its entire length. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, a guide rail 10C in which a main plate section 10a, a bottom plate section 10b, an upper plate section 10c, and an outer plate section 10d are integrally formed is illustrated. The main plate section 10a extends in the vertical direction. The bottom plate section 10b and the upper plate section 10c extend in the same direction from both upper and lower edges of the main plate section 10a. The outer plate section 10d extends downward from the upper plate section 10c so as to be substantially parallel to the main plate section 10a. Between the outer plate portion 10d and the bottom plate portion 10b, a slit is provided to allow the arm member 11C to pass through. This guide rail 10C is fixed to the outer surface Pa of the quarter panel QP via the outer surface of the main plate portion 10a, with the straight rail portion 10Ca being approximately horizontal along the front and rear.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the arm member 11C is a thick plate-like member integrally formed with a main arm plate portion (bearing portion) 11a extending in the up-down direction, an outer plate portion 11b extending in a substantially horizontal direction from the lower end of the main arm plate portion 11a in one direction, two inner plate portions 11c extending in a substantially horizontal direction from both sides at the upper end of the main arm plate portion 11a in the other direction, a connecting plate portion 11d extending downward from one side portion at the extending edge of the outer plate portion 11b, and a lower support plate portion 11e extending from the lower end of the connecting plate portion 11d so as to face the outer plate portion 11b. This arm member 11C is provided with a cylindrical thrust bearing portion (bearing portion) 12 on the upper surface of the inner plate portion 11c, and a thrust roller (first roller) 13 is disposed on each thrust bearing portion 12, and a radial roller (second roller) 14 is disposed on the main arm plate portion 11a between the inner plate portions 11c. The thrust roller 13 is rotatable about a thrust axis (first axis) 13a along the vertical direction, and is provided on the inner plate portion 11c so as to protrude upward from the thrust bearing portion 12. The radial roller 14 is rotatable about a radial axis (second axis) 14a along the horizontal direction, and is provided so as to protrude from the other side of the main arm plate portion 11a.

The arm member 11C having the above configuration is arranged on the guide rail 10C with two thrust rollers 13 disposed between the main plate portion 10a and the outer plate portion 10d on the guide rail 10C, and the radial roller 14 abutting against the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 10b. The arm member 11C is supported on the guide rail 10C in a state in which it can run along the length of the guide rail 10C by appropriately rolling the thrust rollers 13 and the radial roller 14. When the arm member 11C is supported on the guide rail 10C, the main arm plate portion 11a extends downward through the slit in the guide rail 10C, and the outer plate portion 11b extends almost horizontally toward the outside of the vehicle, and is connected to the sliding door RD via the door connection bracket 15 disposed between the outer plate portion 11b and the lower support plate portion 11e.

The drive unit 1 is disposed above the guide rail 10C, and includes a motor module 20 and a transmission module 30, as shown in Figures 2 to 5.

The motor module 20 is the driving source for the vehicle door opening and closing device, and although not shown in the figures, is configured by disposing an electric motor, a reduction gear mechanism, and an output shaft 22 inside the module case 21. The electric motor used is one that can rotate in both directions. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the output shaft 22 has a male spline, extends in the vertical direction, and is provided so that its lower end protrudes outside the module case 21. Although not shown in the figures, the motor module 20 is attached to the vehicle inner surface of the quarter panel QP via the module case 21 with the output shaft 22 connected to the input unit 330 of the transmission module 30 described below.

The transmission module 30 is interposed between the output shaft 22 of the motor module 20 and the arm member 11C, and is configured with a drive belt (moving body) 130, a belt guide (drive guide) 230, and an input unit 330.

The drive belt 130 is called a timing belt and has multiple meshing grooves 131 at equal intervals on one surface, and is configured as an endless ring so that the surface with the meshing grooves 131 is on the inner circumference. In this embodiment, a drive belt 130 is used that has a length that is more than twice the dimension along the front and rear of the guide rail 10C.

The belt guide 230, like the guide rail 10C, has a straight guide portion 230a that extends in a substantially straight line along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body B, and a curved guide portion 230b that extends from the front end of the straight guide portion 230a in a curved manner so as to gradually become inward toward the vehicle from the front end of the straight guide portion 230a toward the front, and is configured to have substantially the same dimensions as the guide rail 10C. The belt guide 230 has reversing pulleys 231 and 232 at the front and rear ends, respectively, and a guide pulley 233 at an appropriate location on the straight guide portion 230a and the curved guide portion 230b. These reversing pulleys 231 and 232 and the guide pulley 233 are arranged so that they can rotate around pulley shafts 231a, 232a, and 233a that are aligned in the vertical direction, respectively. The drive belt 130 described above is wound between reversing pulleys 231 and 232 and is guided by a guide pulley 233, allowing it to circulate in both directions along the shape of the belt guide 230 via a drive pulley 331 of the input unit 330, which will be described later.

4 and 5, the drive belt 130 wound around the belt guide 230 is exposed to the outside in the path that moves on the outside of the vehicle, and a part of it is provided with a belt bracket (drive bracket) 234. The belt bracket 234 is for connecting the arm member 11C and the drive belt 130, and extends downward from the drive belt 130. In this embodiment, a belt bracket 234 is illustrated that includes a first bracket plate 234A and a second bracket plate 234B and is configured to sandwich the drive belt 130 between them. As shown in FIG. 9, the first bracket plate 234A arranged on the inner periphery side of the drive belt 130 is provided with a plurality of uneven portions 234a so as to engage with the meshing groove 131 of the drive belt 130. This allows the belt bracket 234 to move together with the drive belt 130.

The input unit 330 is constructed by disposing two introduction pulleys 333 and a drive pulley 331 inside a unit case 332. The unit case 332 is formed so as to protrude toward the inside of the vehicle from the portion of the straight guide portion 230a of the belt guide 230 that is the mounting surface with the quarter panel QP, and when the belt guide 230 is abutted against the outer surface Pa of the quarter panel QP, it is inserted into the inside of the vehicle through a rectangular insertion opening (not shown) formed in the quarter panel QP.

The introduction pulleys 333 are arranged rotatably around the vertical pulley shaft 333a, and are arranged side by side at a distance from each other in the unit case 332, in a portion of the unit case 332 close to the belt guide 230. The drive belt 130, which is located on the vehicle interior side, is wound between the two introduction pulleys 333 so that it is introduced in a detour into the inside of the unit case 332.

The drive pulley 331 is integrally formed with a disk-shaped pulley portion 331a and a support shaft portion 331b that is the center of rotation of the pulley portion 331a, and is rotatably arranged inside the unit case 332 on the inside of the vehicle from the lead-in pulley 333 with the support shaft portion 331b aligned vertically. The drive pulley 331 has meshing teeth 331c on the outer circumferential surface of the pulley portion 331a, and a female spline 331d at the center of the upper end of the support shaft portion 331b. The meshing teeth 331c of the drive pulley 331 are configured to mesh with the meshing groove 131 of the drive belt 130. The female spline 331d is configured to fit onto the output shaft 22 of the motor module 20. As is clear from Figures 5 and 10, in this input unit 330, the upper end surface of the support shaft portion 331b is exposed to the outside through an opening 332a provided in the upper surface of the unit case 332, and the output shaft 22 can be fitted to the female spline 331d from outside the unit case 332. The drive pulley 331 having the above configuration has a drive belt 130 wound around its outer periphery with the meshing teeth 331c meshing with the meshing grooves 131.

The reference numeral 334 in the figure denotes a cylindrical guide pin 334 that extends vertically around the drive pulley 331 in the area between the support shaft portion 331b and the introduction pulley 333. The circumferential surface of this guide pin 334 abuts against the surface on the outer periphery of the drive belt 130 that is wound around the circumferential surface of the drive pulley 331.

The above-mentioned unit case 332 is provided with a mounting plate portion 335 for mounting to the quarter panel QP. The mounting plate portion 335 is generally rectangular and larger than the insertion opening of the quarter panel QP, protruding from the top, both side surfaces, and bottom of the unit case 332, and configured so that when the unit case 332 is inserted into the insertion opening, its entire surface extends along the vehicle exterior surface Pa of the quarter panel QP. A seal member 338 is attached to almost the entire surface of the mounting plate portion 335 located on the vehicle interior side.

When the vehicle door opening and closing device configured as described above is attached to the vehicle body B, the motor module 20, the transmission module 30, and the center guide unit CG can be handled independently of one another. In other words, between the motor module 20 and the transmission module 30, the output shaft 22 is removed from the female spline 331d of the drive pulley 331. Between the transmission module 30 and the center guide unit CG, the connection between the belt bracket 234 and the arm member 11C is released.

From this state, for example, first, the guide rail 10C is attached to the quarter panel QP, and then the transmission module 30 and the motor module 20 are sequentially attached to the quarter panel QP, and the transmission module 30 and the motor module 20 are connected to each other, so that the sliding door RD can be driven by the vehicle door opening and closing device.

Specifically, the output shaft 22 of the motor module 20 is inserted into the female spline 331d of the transmission module 30, and the motor module 20 and transmission module 30 are attached to the quarter panel QP in a state in which the drive belt 130 can be moved by driving the motor module 20.

After attaching the transmission module 30 to the quarter panel QP, the belt bracket 234 of the drive belt 130 is overlapped with the arm member 11C, and the connecting screw (connecting member) CB is screwed into the arm member 11C via the belt bracket 234 to connect the transmission module 30 and the center guide unit CG.

In this state, when the motor module 20 is driven, the drive belt 130 moves in an appropriate direction relative to the belt guide 230, and the belt bracket 234 moves relative to the belt guide 230. As a result, the movement of the drive belt 130 is transmitted to the arm member 11C via the belt bracket 234, making it possible to move the sliding door RD connected to the arm member 11C in the fore-and-aft direction relative to the vehicle body B.

Here, if the sliding door RD is enlarged for reasons such as ensuring a large entrance/exit E for the vehicle body B, it is necessary to improve the connection strength between the arm member 11C connected to the sliding door RD and the belt bracket 234 of the belt guide 230. In the vehicle door opening and closing device configured as described above, this can be addressed by increasing the number of connecting screws CB. However, in order to screw in a large number of connecting screws CB, it is necessary to ensure space in both the arm member 11C and the belt bracket 234 for screwing in the connecting screws CB, which leads to the problem that the vehicle door opening and closing device becomes larger.

Therefore, in the above-mentioned vehicle door opening and closing device, the arm member 11C and the belt bracket 234 are each provided with abutment engagement surfaces 16, 235 that extend in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the guide rail 10C, and the abutment engagement surfaces 16, 235 are brought into abutment with each other to solve the above-mentioned problem.

That is, as shown in Figures 8, 11, 12, and 13, the arm member 11C has abutment engagement surfaces 16 formed on both sides of the radial shaft 14a in the main arm plate portion 11a, which serves as the bearing portion of the radial roller 14. The abutment engagement surfaces 16 are configured to intersect with the extension direction of the belt guide 230, and the distance between them gradually decreases upward. Two screw holes 11f into which the connecting screws CB are screwed are provided in the outer plate portion 11b of the arm member 11C along the vertical direction.

On the other hand, the belt bracket 234 has a contact engagement surface 235 formed on the first bracket plate 234A arranged on the inner periphery of the drive belt 130, and a screw insertion hole 234b through which the connecting screw CB is inserted is formed on the second bracket plate 234B arranged on the outer periphery of the drive belt 130.

More specifically, the first bracket plate 234A is configured to have a first bracket body portion (bracket body) 234Aa extending downward from the drive belt 130, and two abutment plate portions (abutment portions) 234Ab extending substantially horizontally from the lower end of the first bracket body portion 234Aa toward the vehicle interior. The second bracket plate 234B is configured to have a second bracket body portion (bracket body) 234Ba extending downward from the drive belt 130, and an arm cover plate portion (arm cover portion) 234Bb extending substantially horizontally from the lower end of the second bracket body portion 234Ba toward the vehicle interior. The first bracket body 234Aa and the second bracket body 234Ba have narrow clamping portions 234Ac, 234Bc at their respective upper ends, and by connecting the clamping portions 234Ac, 234Bc with the drive belt 130 between them using a screw member 236, they can move together with the drive belt 130. The uneven portion 234a of the first bracket plate 234A described above is provided on the clamping portion 234Ac.

The abutment plate portion 234Ab of the first bracket plate 234A is configured so that when it is placed on the arm member 11C, it abuts against the upper surface of the inner plate portion 11c, and the end surface 237 located on the inside of the vehicle abuts against the peripheral surface located on the outside of the vehicle in the thrust bearing portion 12. Abutment engagement surfaces 235 are formed on the opposing portions of each abutment plate portion 234Ab. The abutment engagement surfaces 235 are configured to abut against the abutment engagement surface 16 provided on the arm member 11C when the abutment plate portion 234Ab abuts against the upper surface of the inner plate portion 11c. The screw insertion hole 234b is formed in a portion of the arm cover plate portion 234Bb of the second bracket plate 234B that corresponds to the screw hole 11f of the arm member 11C.

According to the vehicle door opening and closing device configured as described above, the connecting screw CB is screwed into the screw hole 11f of the arm member 11C through the screw insertion hole 234b of the belt bracket 234, whereby the transmission module 30 and the center guide unit CG are connected, and the abutment engagement surface 235 of the belt bracket 234 and the abutment engagement surface 16 of the arm member 11C are in abutment with each other. Therefore, as described above, the abutment engagement surfaces 16, 235 extend in a direction intersecting with the extension direction of the belt guide 230. In other words, the belt bracket 234 and the arm member 11C are in abutment with each other through the abutment engagement surfaces 16, 235 that are provided so as to intersect with the moving direction of the sliding door RD. Therefore, it is possible to receive a large load without increasing the number of connecting screws CB, and it is possible to accommodate a larger sliding door RD without increasing the size of the device. Moreover, since two sets of the abutment engagement surfaces 16, 235 are provided at mutually symmetrical positions, they function both when the sliding door RD is opened and when it is closed. Furthermore, since the belt bracket 234 abuts against the thrust bearing portion 12 of the thrust roller 13 via the end surface 237 of the abutment plate portion 234Ab and also abuts against the upper surface of the inner plate portion 11c, the belt bracket 234 is prevented from falling in the vehicle interior/exterior direction when the sliding door RD is moved via the drive belt 130, and there is an advantage that the sliding door RD can be opened and closed smoothly. In particular, in the vehicle door opening and closing device described above, as shown in Figures 14(a) and 14(b), the first bracket body portion 234Aa and the second bracket body portion 234Ba extending downward from the drive belt 130 have abutment engagement surfaces 16, 235 on the inside of the vehicle, and the connecting screw CB is screwed into the outside of the vehicle, making it possible to more reliably prevent the belt bracket 234 from falling over.

In the above-described embodiment, a vehicle door opening and closing device is illustrated for a sliding door RD that opens and closes the entrance E to the rear seats, which is provided on the left side of the vehicle body B, but this is not necessarily limited to this, and it is also possible to configure it for a sliding door provided on the right side of the vehicle body, for example. In addition, a drive belt 130 is illustrated as an example of a moving body, but this is not necessarily limited to this, and it is also possible to use a cord-like body such as a cable or chain, or a rod. Furthermore, a connecting screw CB is illustrated as an example of a connecting member, but other connecting members such as rivets and clips may also be used.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the abutment engagement surface is provided within the projected area of the arm member in the inside-outside direction of the vehicle, which makes it possible to further prevent the device from becoming large, but the present invention is not limited to this. The abutment engagement surface may also be provided at a position that protrudes outside the arm member.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a vehicle door opening and closing device is illustrated in which a transmission module is provided above a guide rail, but it is also possible to configure the device so that a guide rail is provided above the transmission module.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the abutment engagement surfaces 16 of the arm member 11C are configured so that the distance between them gradually decreases toward the top, so that the main arm plate portion 11a can be easily inserted between the abutment plate portions 234Ab. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the abutment engagement surfaces 16 of the arm member 11C may be arranged parallel to each other along the vertical direction, and the mutual spacing of the abutment engagement surfaces 235 of the belt bracket 234 may be configured to be larger than the mutual spacing of the abutment engagement surfaces 16 provided on the arm member 11C, so that a gap is provided between the abutment engagement surfaces 16 and the abutment engagement surfaces 235 when the main arm plate portion 11a is inserted between the abutment plate portions 234Ab. In this way, when a gap is provided between the abutment engagement surface 16 and the abutment engagement surface 235, even if an excessive load such as pinching is applied to the sliding door RD, when the belt bracket 234 moves relative to the belt guide 230 by the arm member 11C, the abutment engagement surface 16 and the abutment engagement surface 235 come into contact with each other, making it possible for the belt bracket 234 to bear a large load.

That is, for example, when the drive belt 130 starts to move toward the front of the vehicle body B, the upper end of the belt bracket 234 connected to the drive belt 130 moves forward, while when an overload such as pinching is applied to the sliding door RD, the lower end of the belt bracket 234 connected to the arm member 11C tries to maintain its position, so that the belt bracket 234 is slightly deformed so as to be inclined forward relative to the arm member 11C. As a result, the abutment engagement surface 235 of the abutment plate portion 234Ab provided on the rear side of the vehicle body B from the main arm plate portion 11a comes into abutment with the abutment engagement surface 16 of the main arm plate portion 11a, and the belt bracket 234 and the arm member 11C are connected together via the abutment engagement surfaces 16, 235 that abut against each other together with the connecting screw CB, making it possible to withstand a large load without increasing the number of connecting screws CB. When the drive belt 130 moves toward the rear of the vehicle body B, if an overload such as contact with an obstacle is applied to the sliding door RD, the abutment engagement surface 235 of the abutment plate portion 234Ab provided on the front side of the vehicle body B from the main arm plate portion 11a comes into contact with the abutment engagement surface 16 of the main arm plate portion 11a, and the belt bracket 234 and the arm member 11C are connected via these abutment engagement surfaces 16, 235 together with the connecting screw CB. Note that even if the abutment engagement surfaces 16 of the arm member 11C are provided parallel to each other in the vertical direction, the mutual interval between them is smaller than the mutual interval between the abutment engagement surfaces 235 provided on the belt bracket 234, so that the operation of inserting the main arm plate portion 11a between the abutment plate portions 234Ab can be easily performed, as in the embodiment.

Description of the Reference Signs 10C Guide rail 11C Arm member 11b Outer plate portion 12 Thrust bearing portion 13 Thrust roller 13a Thrust shaft 14 Radial roller 14a Radial shaft 16 Abutment engagement surface 20 Motor module 130 Drive belt 230 Belt guide 234 Belt bracket 234A First bracket plate 234Aa First bracket main body portion 234Ab Abutment plate portion 234B Second bracket plate 234Ba Second bracket main body portion 234Bb Arm cover portion 235 Abutment engagement surface CB Connecting screw Pa Vehicle outer surface

Claims (5)

A guide rail is attached to an outer surface of a body panel constituting a vehicle body so as to extend longitudinally along a front-rear direction of the vehicle body;
an arm member that is supported so as to be capable of running along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail and is connected to a sliding door provided on a vehicle body;
a drive guide attached to an outer surface of a body panel constituting a vehicle body, the drive guide being elongated along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body and vertically arranged in parallel with the guide rail;
a movable body that is movably disposed along the longitudinal direction of the drive guide and that reciprocates by power applied from a drive source;
a drive bracket provided on a part of the movable body and connected to the arm member by a connecting member,
a vehicle door opening and closing device, characterized in that the arm member and the drive bracket are provided with abutment engagement surfaces that extend in a direction intersecting an extending direction of the guide rail and face each other; the arm member includes two first rollers arranged rotatably about the axis of a first shaft along the vertical direction, and a second roller arranged rotatably about the axis of a second shaft along the horizontal direction between the two first rollers, the two first rollers being arranged side by side at the front and rear of the vehicle body, and the arm member runs on the guide rail via the first rollers and the second rollers with the axis of the second shaft aligned along a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the guide rail;
2. The vehicle door opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the arm member is provided with the abutment engagement surfaces at each of the portions of the bearing portion supporting the second roller that are on the front and rear sides of the vehicle body. The vehicle door opening and closing device according to claim 2, characterized in that the drive bracket is provided with abutment parts that abut against the bearing parts of the first roller on the outer side of the vehicle body. the arm member has an outer plate portion extending from the guide rail toward an outer side of the vehicle body, and a connecting portion for connecting with the sliding door is formed on an extending edge of the outer plate portion,
2. The vehicle door opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the drive bracket has an arm cover portion overlapping the outer plate portion, and the connecting member is provided on the outer plate portion via the arm cover portion. The vehicle door opening and closing device according to claim 3, characterized in that the drive bracket has a bracket body portion that extends substantially vertically from the moving body in the up-down direction, the connecting member is provided at a portion that is closer to the vehicle exterior side of the bracket body portion, and the abutment portion abuts against the bearing portion of the first roller at a portion that is closer to the vehicle interior side of the bracket body portion.

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