초록 ▼

A cable drive assembly in a closed-loop cable closure system for opening and closing a sliding door on a vehicle includes helical front and rear cable grooves supported on the vehicle frame for rotation about a helix axis. A front cable extends from the front cable groove to the sliding door in a po

A cable drive assembly in a closed-loop cable closure system for opening and closing a sliding door on a vehicle includes helical front and rear cable grooves supported on the vehicle frame for rotation about a helix axis. A front cable extends from the front cable groove to the sliding door in a position to be wound into and unwound from the front cable groove in response to front cable groove rotation about the helix axis. A rear cable extends from the rear cable groove to the sliding door in a position to be wound into and unwound from the rear cable groove in response to rear cable groove rotation about the helix axis. A single cable drive spool is supported on the vehicle frame for rotation about the helix axis and includes both the front and the rear cable grooves. A motor rotates the spool in one direction about the helix axis to open the sliding door and in an opposite direction about the helix axis to close the sliding door.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A sliding door closure apparatus for opening and closing a sliding door on a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:a helical front cable groove supportable on the vehicle for rotation about a helix axis; a helical rear cable groove supportable on the vehicle for rotation about the helix axis; a front

1. A sliding door closure apparatus for opening and closing a sliding door on a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:a helical front cable groove supportable on the vehicle for rotation about a helix axis; a helical rear cable groove supportable on the vehicle for rotation about the helix axis; a front cable receptacle disposed in the front cable groove and configured to receive one end of a front cable that extends from the front cable groove to a vehicle sliding door in a position to be wound into and unwound from the front cable groove in response to front cable groove rotation in respective opposing first and second directions about the helix axis; a rear cable receptacle disposed in the rear cable groove and configured to receive one end of a rear cable that extends from the rear cable groove to the sliding door in a position to be unwound from and wound onto the rear cable groove in response to rear cable groove rotation in respective opposing first and second directions about the helix axis; an outer end of the front cable groove having a helical diameter larger than that of an inner end of the front cable groove; an outer end of the rear cable groove having a helical diameter larger than that of an inner end of the rear cable groove; the front cable groove including a front diametrical transition portion extending between and connecting large and small diameter portions of the front cable groove; the rear cable groove including a rear diametrical transition portion extending between and connecting large and small diameter portions of the rear cable groove; a groove fork that splits the front cable groove into one branch that merges into the large diameter portion of the rear cable groove and another branch that merges into the diametrical transition portion of the front cable groove and dead-ends at the small diameter portion of the front cable groove, and a cable drive spool supported on the vehicle for rotation about the helix axis and including both the front cable groove, the rear cable groove and the groove fork to reduce the amount of space and the number of parts required to support winding and unwinding of the front and rear cables.