JP7347317B2 - Vehicle sliding door device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sliding door device for a vehicle.

In recent years, many power sliding doors (hereinafter simply referred to as "sliding doors") are used as the rear doors of automobiles such as minivans and one-box vehicles, and are configured to automatically open and close the opening for entry and exit using an actuator such as an electric motor. It has been adopted. An example of this type of sliding door is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. This sliding door is equipped with an opening handle and a closing handle as operating parts that can rotate around the same rotation axis, and each of the opening handle and the closing handle rotates around the same rotation axis. It is configured to control its opening/closing operation in response to rotation around the center. That is, the opening/closing operation of the sliding door is controlled using the operation of rotating the operating section.

In addition, with another type of sliding door, the operation for controlling the opening and closing operation of the sliding door involves pressing the close button, which is an operation part provided on the handle of the sliding door, toward the sliding door, and It is also generally known to pull the handle itself in the direction away from the sliding door. In the case of this sliding door, the opening/closing operation is controlled by pushing or pulling the operating section in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-44155

As mentioned above, in order to control the opening/closing operation of the sliding door, the operation of rotating the operation part around the rotation axis or the operation of pushing or pulling the operation part in the left-right direction of the vehicle is the same as the operation of the sliding door in the front-rear direction. This is an operation in a direction different from the slide operation. For this reason, the difference in operating direction may be a factor, and a problem may arise in which the movement of the operating section does not intuitively match the movement of the sliding door. In particular, this problem becomes noticeable when operating the operating section while the sliding door is being opened and closed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a sliding door device for a vehicle that makes it easy to open and close a power sliding door.

One aspect of the present invention is
a drive unit that drives a power sliding door that can open and close an opening of the vehicle in a door opening/closing direction;
an operation unit provided on the power sliding door so as to be slidable along the door opening/closing direction;
The driving section is controlled for the door opening operation of the power sliding door in response to a sliding operation of the operating section in the door opening direction, and the driving section is controlled in response to a sliding operation of the operating section in the door closing direction. a control unit that controls the door closing operation of the power sliding door;
Equipped with
The operating section is movable between a normal use position and a grip use position where an insertion gap for grip is formed between the surface component of the power sliding door. It is used as a type of handle to open and close the power sliding door mentioned above.
A sliding door device for a vehicle, comprising a switching mechanism section that mechanically switches the position of the operating section from the normal use position to the grip use position using a trigger operation in a direction different from the slide operation;
It is in.

In the above aspect, the power sliding door is a sliding door that can open and close an opening of the vehicle by being driven in the door opening/closing direction by a drive unit. The operating section is provided on the power sliding door so as to be slidable along the door opening/closing direction. Then, the door opening operation of the power sliding door is controlled in accordance with the sliding operation of the operating section along the door opening direction. Furthermore, the door closing operation of the power sliding door is controlled in accordance with the sliding operation of the operating section along the door closing direction.

At this time, the direction in which the user manually moves the operating section generally coincides with the direction in which the power sliding door moves, and a difference in operating direction is unlikely to occur between the two. Therefore, the movement of the operating section can be intuitively matched to the movement of the power sliding door. Moreover, when you want to control the door opening operation of a power sliding door, you only need to slide the operation part along the door opening direction, and when you want to control the door closing operation of a power sliding door, you only need to slide the operation part along the door closing direction. Therefore, the user can intuitively associate the operating direction of the operating section with the control content of the power sliding door.

As described above, according to the above aspect, it is possible to provide a vehicle sliding door device in which the power sliding door can be easily opened and closed.

1 is a side view of a vehicle when a power sliding door equipped with the vehicle sliding door device of Embodiment 1 is in a fully closed position. FIG. 2 is a side view of the vehicle of FIG. 1 when the power sliding door is in a fully open position. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the vehicle sliding door device in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the switch member in FIG. 1 as seen diagonally from the front. A sectional view taken along the line V-V in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle sliding door device shown in FIG. 5 when the switch member slides from the normal use position to the first slide position. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle sliding door device shown in FIG. 5 when the switch member slides from the normal use position to the second sliding position. A sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 4. FIG. 9 is a sectional view when the switch member of the vehicle sliding door device slides from the normal use position to the push-up position in FIG. 8; FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the vehicle sliding door device shown in FIG. 8 when the switch member is in the grip use position. A sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 10. FIG. 5 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 4 of a vehicle sliding door device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 4 of the vehicle sliding door device of Reference Embodiment 1 ; FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the vehicle sliding door device shown in FIG. 13 when the outer handle slides from the normal use position to the first slide position. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view when the outer handle of the vehicle sliding door device slides from the normal use position to the second sliding position in FIG. 13; FIG. 5 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 4 of the vehicle sliding door device of Reference Embodiment 2 ; FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view when the switch member of the vehicle sliding door device slides from the normal use position to the first slide position in FIG. 16; FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view when the switch member of the vehicle sliding door device slides from the normal use position to the second slide position in FIG. 16;

Preferred embodiments of the above aspects are described below.

In the above vehicle sliding door device, the operating section is provided movably between a normal use position and a gripping use position that forms an insertion gap for gripping between the surface component of the power sliding door. It is used as a grip-type handle in the above-mentioned gripping position to open and close the above-mentioned power sliding door.
It is preferable to include a switching mechanism section that mechanically switches the position of the operating section from the normal use position to the grasp use position using a trigger operation in a direction different from the slide operation.

According to this sliding door device for a vehicle, the position of the operating portion can be mechanically switched from the normal use position to the grip use position by the switching mechanism activated by the trigger operation. When the operating section is set to the grip use position, the operating section can be used as a grip-type handle of a power sliding door. This makes it possible to manually open and close the power sliding door when the power goes down or when power cannot be secured.

In the above sliding door device for a vehicle, the switching mechanism section includes a locking member that locks the operating section in the normal use position and unlocks it by the trigger operation, and a locking member that locks the operating section in the normal use position, and a locking member that locks the operating section in the normal use position. It is preferable to have an elastic member that elastically biases the grip toward the grip use position.

According to this sliding door device for a vehicle, the structure of the switching mechanism section can be simplified by combining the locking member and the elastic member to mechanically switch the position of the operating section from the normal use position to the grip use position.

In the above sliding door device for a vehicle, the power sliding door has a latch member that latches in a fully closed position with a striker provided on the vehicle;
The switching mechanism section has an engagement release member that is connected to the latch member and moves in conjunction with the operation section, and the engagement release member is configured to change the position of the operation section from the normal use position to the grip use position. It is preferable that the latching engagement of the latch member with the striker is released by switching to .

According to this sliding door device for a vehicle, it is possible to automatically release the latch engagement of the latch member with the striker by utilizing the movement of switching the position of the operating portion from the normal use position to the grip use position.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of a vehicle sliding door device will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings for explaining this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, the front of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow FR, the upper part of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow UP, and the inside of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow IN. Furthermore, regarding the power sliding door that is the object of the vehicle sliding door device, the door opening/closing direction, which is the front and rear direction, is indicated by arrows X1 and X2, the vertical direction is indicated by arrows Y1 and Y2, and the left and right direction is indicated by arrows Z1 and Z2. shall be taken as a thing.

(Embodiment 1)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle sliding door device (hereinafter simply referred to as "sliding door device") 10 of Embodiment 1 has an opening 2 for getting on and off the vehicle 1 (see FIG. 2). It is installed in the power sliding door 3 that can be opened and closed.

The power sliding door 3 is a rear door configured to slide in door opening/closing directions X1 and X2 between a fully closed position P1 in FIG. 1 and a fully open position P2 in FIG. A detection switch (not shown) detects that the power sliding door 3 has reached each of the fully closed position P1 and the fully open position P2.

The door opening direction X1, which is one of the door opening and closing directions X1 and X2, is the direction in which the power sliding door 3 moves when it performs an opening operation. The door closing direction X2, which is the opposite direction of the door opening and closing directions X1 and X2, is the direction in which the power sliding door 3 moves when it performs a closing operation. When the power sliding door 3 is in the fully closed position P1, boarding and exiting through the opening 2 is prevented, and when the power sliding door 3 is in the fully open position P2, boarding and exiting through the opening 2 is permitted.

The sliding door device 10 includes a switch member 30 as an operating section provided on the power sliding door 3 so as to be slidable along the door opening/closing directions X1 and X2. At this time, the direction in which the switch member 30 slides does not need to completely match the door opening/closing directions X1, X2 as long as it is along the door opening/closing directions X1, X2, but it is preferably substantially the same direction. This switch member 30 is provided so as to protrude outward from the door outer panel 4 as a surface component of the power sliding door 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the power sliding door 3 is equipped with a door lock device 5 that functions to hold the power sliding door 3 in a fully closed position P1 (see FIG. 1). This door lock device 5 has a latch member 6 connected to a switching mechanism section 40 by an open cable W. This latch member 6 is configured to latch and engage with a striker 7 provided on a pillar portion of the vehicle 1 at a fully closed position P1.

The sliding door device 10 is equipped with a microswitch 32 for detecting a sliding operation of the switch member 30 in the door opening/closing directions X1 and X2. According to this microswitch 32, the first slide operation and the second slide operation of the switch member 30 can be detected separately.

The sliding door device 10 includes an electric motor 20 as a drive section, a switching mechanism section 40, and a control section 50.

The electric motor 20 is an actuator using electricity as a power source and drives the power sliding door 3 in door opening/closing directions X1 and X2. The operation of the electric motor 20 is controlled according to a control signal input from the control section 50. Note that an actuator other than the electric motor 20 may be used to drive the power sliding door 3 if necessary.

The switching mechanism section 40 allows the switch member 30 to receive a manual operation (in this embodiment, an upward pushing operation) in a direction different from the back and forth sliding operation along the door opening/closing directions X1 and X2. This is for mechanically switching the position of the switch member 30. The switch member 30 is provided so as to be movable between a normal use position Q1 and a grip use position Q5, which will be described later. According to this switching mechanism section 40, the position of the switch member 30 can be mechanically (also referred to as "physically") switched from the normal use position Q1 to the grip use position Q5.

The term "mechanically switching" herein refers to a mode in which the switch member 30 is moved to switch its position without using electrically controlled elements. Thereby, even when the power is down or under a situation where power cannot be secured, the switch member 30 can be moved to the grip use position Q5 by the switching mechanism section 40. By gripping the switch member 30, it can be used as a grip-type handle.

The control unit 50 is for controlling connected devices, and is connected to the electric motor 20 and the microswitch 32 so as to be able to transmit and receive electrical signals. The control unit 50 is constituted by a known door ECU including a signal processing circuit, a CPU (arithmetic processing unit), a memory circuit, and the like.

The control unit 50 controls the electric motor 20 based on the detection signal detected by the microswitch 32. Specifically, when the microswitch 32 detects a sliding operation of the switch member 30 along the door opening direction X1, the electric motor 20 is controlled for the door opening operation of the power sliding door 3 in response to this sliding operation. Further, when the microswitch 32 detects a sliding operation of the switch member 30 in the door closing direction do.

Specifically, the control for the door opening operation includes control to move the power sliding door 3 at the fully closed position P1 in the door opening direction X1 toward the fully open position P2, and control to move the power sliding door 3 from the fully closed position P1 to the fully open position. Control to move the power sliding door 3 from an intermediate position between the position P2 and the door opening direction X1, control to change the speed at which the power sliding door 3 moves in the door opening direction X1 (for example, control to increase the speed at which the power sliding door 3 moves in the door opening direction X1), etc. can be mentioned.

Specifically, the control for the door closing operation includes a control to move the power sliding door 3 at the fully open position P2 in the door closing direction X2 toward the fully closed position P1, and a control to move the power sliding door 3 from the fully closed position P1 to the fully open position. Control to move the power sliding door 3 in the door closing direction X2 from an intermediate position between the position P2, control to change the speed at which the power sliding door 3 moves in the door closing direction X2 (for example, control to increase the speed at which the power sliding door 3 moves in the door closing direction X2), etc. can be mentioned.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the switch member 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with the door opening/closing directions X1 and X2 as the longitudinal directions when viewed from the side. This switch member 30 is preferably made of a hard resin material in consideration of weight reduction and moldability.

As shown in FIG. 5, the switch member 30 is attached to the base portion 31 from a front position Q3 (see FIG. 7) to a rear position Q2 (see FIG. 6) across a central normal use position Q1 in the front-rear direction. They are slidably engaged between. Therefore, with the normal use position Q1 as a reference position, the switch member 30 can perform a sliding operation along the door opening direction X1 from this reference position (hereinafter referred to as "first sliding operation"), and a sliding operation from this reference position to Both sliding operations along the closing direction X2 (hereinafter referred to as "second sliding operation") are possible. This switch member 30 is operated by the user when automatically opening/closing the power sliding door 3 . Note that the normal use position Q1 is a position in an initial state before the user operates the switch member 30, and this normal use position Q1 can also be referred to as an "initial position."

The switch member 30 has two engagement pieces 30a and 30b that are provided to sandwich the microswitch 32 from both sides in the door opening/closing directions X1 and X2. One engagement piece 30a is provided at a position in front of the microswitch 32 so as to face the pressed portion 32a on the front side of the microswitch 32. The other engagement piece 30b is provided at a position rearward of the microswitch 32 so as to face the pressed portion 32b on the rear side of the microswitch 32.

The switch member 30 is connected to a connecting piece 31a of the base portion 31 via a spring member 33, and is connected to a connecting piece 31b of the base portion 31 via a spring member 34. The two connecting pieces 31a and 31b are provided at front and rear positions of the base portion 31 in the door opening/closing directions X1 and X2. Further, this switch member 30 is connected to a guide piece 31c of the base portion 31 via a spring member 35 (see FIG. 8), which will be described later. When no external load is applied to the switch member 30, the switch member 30 is held at the normal use position Q1 by the balance of the elastic biasing forces of the two spring members 33 and 34.

As shown in FIG. 6, the user can slide the switch member 30 in the normal use position Q1 along the door opening direction X1 against the elastic biasing forces of the two spring members 33 and 34. At this time, when the switch member 30 slides to the slide position Q2 and a pressing load exceeding the threshold is input from the engagement piece 30a to the pressed portion 32a of the microswitch 32, the microswitch 32 causes the first Slide operation is detected.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the user can slide the switch member 30 in the normal use position Q1 along the door closing direction X2 against the elastic urging force of the two spring members 33 and 34. . At this time, when the switch member 30 slides to the slide position Q3 and a pressing load exceeding the threshold is input from the engaging piece 30b to the pressed portion 32b of the microswitch 32, the microswitch 32 causes the second Slide operation is detected.

As shown in FIG. 8, the switch member 30 is slidably engaged with the base portion 31 from the normal use position Q1 to the upper position Q4 (see FIG. 9) in the vertical direction. The switch member 30 is pushed upward toward the upper position Q4 by the user when switching the position of the switch member 30 from the normal use position Q1 to the grip operation position Q5. This push-up operation is a manual operation in a direction different from the sliding operation of the switch member 30 back and forth, and is a trigger operation for setting the switch member 30 to the grip operation position Q5. The switch member 30 becomes a grip-type handle in the grip use position Q5 and is used for manual opening/closing of the power sliding door 3.

The normal use position Q1 is a position where the switch member 30 is close to the door outer panel 4 of the power sliding door 3 with the base portion 31 in between. By setting the switch member 30 to this normal use position Q1, the user's finger cannot be inserted between the base portion 31 and the door outer panel 4. At this time, although a small gap may be formed between the base portion 31 and the door outer panel 4, it is preferable that the base portion 31 is set in close contact with the door outer panel 4 in order to improve the appearance.

On the other hand, the grip use position Q5 is a position where an insertion gap S for gripping (see FIG. 10) is formed between the switch member 30 and the door outer panel 4. By setting the switch member 30 to this grip use position Q5, the user's finger can be inserted into the insertion gap S. At this time, the insertion gap S is preferably large enough to allow insertion of about three fingers of the user.

As shown in FIG. 8, the switching mechanism section 40 includes a movable body 41, a case 42, a lock member 43, a spring member 44, a stopper 45, and an engagement release member 46.

The movable body 41 is provided on the inside of the door outer panel 4 , and is integrated with the base portion 31 provided on the outside of the door outer panel 4 . Therefore, the movable body 41 is configured to move integrally with the base portion 31.

The case 42 accommodates the movable body 41 and is connected to the movable body 41 via a spring member 44 as an elastic member. The spring member 44 is configured to elastically bias the switch member 30 from the normal use position Q1 to the grip use position Q5. Thereby, the movable body 41 is always elastically biased with respect to the case 42 in the sliding direction Z1 by the spring member 44. Note that this spring member 44 can be replaced with another elastic member as needed.

The lock member 43 is configured to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 42a provided in the case 42, and includes an engagement piece 43a and a lock piece 43b on both sides of the rotation shaft 42a. There is. The engagement piece 43a is configured to be able to engage with the engagement piece 30c provided on the switch member 30. The lock piece 43b is configured to be able to lock the movable body 41 with respect to the case 42 by engaging with an engagement hole 42b provided through the case 42.

The lock member 43 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 8 about the rotation shaft 42a when the engagement piece 43a receives an upward load from the engagement piece 30c provided on the switch member 30. However, the lock piece 43b is configured to be detached from the engagement hole 42b.

The stopper 45 is for determining the maximum protrusion position of the movable body 41 relative to the case 42 in the sliding direction Z1. According to this stopper 45, the switch member 30 can be held at the grip use position Q5.

The disengagement member 46 is connected to the latch member 6 (see FIG. 3) and is configured to move in conjunction with the switch member 30. This engagement release member 46 is for releasing the latch engagement of the latch member 6 with the striker 7 (see FIG. 3) by switching the position of the switch member 30 from the normal use position Q1 to the grip use position Q5. It is.

According to the switching mechanism section 40 configured as described above, the lock member 43 locks the switch member 30 at the normal use position Q1 by the lock piece 43b engaging with the engagement hole 42b. On the other hand, the lock member 43 brings the switch member 30 into the unlocked state by causing the lock piece 43b to disengage from the engagement hole 42b upon input of a trigger operation in the sliding direction Y1 to the switch member 30 (see FIG. 9). reference). At this time, the movable body 41 protrudes in the sliding direction Z1 together with the switch member 30 according to the elastic biasing force of the spring member 44. Thereby, the switch member 30 is set to the grip use position Q5. On the other hand, by pushing the switch member 30 in the grip use position Q5 in the sliding direction Z2 against the elastic urging force of the spring member 44 until the lock piece 43b of the lock member 43 engages with the engagement hole 42b, The switch member 30 can be returned to the normal use position Q1.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the switch member 30 is in the grip use position Q5, the user can insert his or her fingers into the insertion gap S to grip the switch member 30 with his or her fingers. Become. Therefore, the switch member 30 can be used as a grip-type outer handle, and it becomes possible to grip the switch member 30 and perform normal handle operations. At this time, the user can manually open the power sliding door 3 by grasping and pulling the switch member 30.

Next, the effects of the first embodiment described above will be explained.

The power sliding door 3 is a sliding door that can open and close the opening 2 of the vehicle 1 by being driven by an electric motor 20 in door opening/closing directions X1 and X2. The switch member 30 is provided on the power sliding door 3 so as to be slidable along the door opening/closing directions X1 and X2. Then, the door opening operation of the power sliding door 3 is controlled in accordance with the sliding operation of the switch member 30 along the door opening direction X1. Furthermore, the door closing operation of the power sliding door 3 is controlled in accordance with the sliding operation of the switch member 30 along the door closing direction X2.

At this time, the direction in which the user manually moves the switch member 30 generally coincides with the direction in which the power sliding door 3 moves, so that a difference in operating direction is unlikely to occur between the two. Therefore, the movement of the switch member 30 can be intuitively matched to the movement of the power sliding door 3. Moreover, when it is desired to control the door opening operation of the power sliding door 3, it is sufficient to slide the switch member 30 along the door opening direction X1, and when it is desired to control the door closing operation of the power sliding door 3, the switch member 30 is Since it is sufficient to perform a sliding operation along the door closing direction X2, the user can intuitively associate the operating direction of the switch member 30 with the control content of the power sliding door 3.

Therefore, according to the first embodiment described above, it is possible to provide the sliding door device 10 in which the power sliding door 3 can be easily opened and closed.

According to the sliding door device 10, the switch member 30 itself is used not only for the sliding operation for controlling the opening and closing of the power sliding door 3 but also for the trigger operation, so that the operation button for operating the switching mechanism section 40 is used. There is no need to provide such. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide an extra shape on the surface of the switch member 30, and a clean appearance of the switch member 30 can be obtained.

According to the sliding door device 10 described above, the switch member 30 can be activated by a simple sliding operation, so that the switch member 30 can be made smaller. Furthermore, when the user has both hands occupied, it is also possible to operate the switch member 30 with the elbow or the like.

According to the sliding door device 10 described above, the position of the switch member 30 can be mechanically switched from the normal use position Q1 to the grip use position Q5 by the switching mechanism section 40 which is activated by inputting a trigger operation to the switch member 30. When the switch member 30 is set to the grip use position Q5, the switch member 30 can be used as a grip type handle of the power sliding door 3. Therefore, it is possible to manually open and close the power sliding door 3 when the power is down or in a situation where power cannot be secured. Furthermore, since the direction of the trigger operation on the switch member 30 is upward, erroneous operations by the user are less likely to occur, compared to, for example, a case where the direction of the trigger operation is downward.

According to the sliding door device 10, the lock member 43 and the spring member 44 are combined as main components to mechanically switch the position of the switch member 30 from the normal use position Q1 to the grip use position Q5. The structure of the switching mechanism section 40 can be simplified.

According to the sliding door device 10, the latch engagement of the latch member 6 with the striker 7 can be automatically released by utilizing the movement of switching the position of the switch member 30 from the normal use position Q1 to the grip use position Q5. It becomes possible.

Other embodiments related to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In other embodiments, the same elements as those in Embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions of the same elements will be omitted.

(Embodiment 2)
As shown in FIG. 12, the sliding door device 110 of the second embodiment is different from the sliding door device 10 of the first embodiment in the structure of a switch member 130.

The switch member 130 is slidable between the front position Q3 (see FIG. 7) and the rear position Q2 (see FIG. 6) across the normal use position Q1, while being able to slide upward from the normal use position Q1. It is said that it is impossible to slide.

The switch member 130 includes an operation button 133 that can be pushed inward against the elastic urging force of an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring member. Although not particularly illustrated, this operation button 133 is connected to a switching mechanism section 40 for mechanically switching the position of the switch member 130, and is configured to operate the switching mechanism section 40 by utilizing the pushing operation. has been done. That is, in this sliding door device 110, the operation for setting the switch member 130 to the grip operation position Q5 is performed by pressing the operation button 133, which is a separate member from the switch member 130. This pushing operation is a manual operation input in a direction different from the sliding operation of the switch member 130 back and forth, and is a trigger operation for setting the switch member 130 to the grip operation position Q5.

The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

According to the sliding door device 110 of the second embodiment, the switching mechanism section 40 activated by inputting a trigger operation to the operation button 133 mechanically switches the position of the switch member 130 from the normal use position Q1 to the grip use position Q5. be able to.

Other than that, the same effects as in the first embodiment are achieved.

( Reference form 1 )
As shown in FIG. 13, the sliding door device 210 of Reference Embodiment 1 uses the outer handle 8 provided on the power sliding door 3 as an operating section in place of the switch member 30, and corresponds to the switching mechanism section 40. This embodiment differs from the sliding door device 10 of the first embodiment in that it does not include any elements.

The outer handle 8 is provided on the power sliding door 3 so as to be slidable along the door opening/closing directions X1 and X2. The outer handle 8 is slidably engaged with the base portion 31 between a front position Q3 (see FIG. 15) and a rear position Q2 (see FIG. 14) across the center normal use position Q1. There is.

When the microswitch 32 detects a sliding operation of the outer handle 8 in the door opening direction X1, the electric motor 20 is controlled for the door opening operation of the power sliding door 3 in accordance with this sliding operation. Furthermore, when the microswitch 32 detects a sliding operation of the outer handle 8 in the door closing direction X2, the electric motor 20 is controlled for the door closing operation of the power sliding door 3 in accordance with this sliding operation.

The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

According to the sliding door device 210 of Reference Embodiment 1 , this can be achieved by improving the existing outer handle structure, and is advantageous in that it is possible to keep development costs and product costs low.

Other than that, the same effects as in the first embodiment are achieved.

( Reference form 2 )
As shown in FIG. 16, the sliding door device 310 of Reference Embodiment 2 is different from the sliding door of Reference Embodiment 1 in that the switch member 9 provided on the outer handle 8 is used as an operating section in place of the outer handle 8 itself. It is different from device 210.

The switch member 9 is provided on the outer handle 8 so as to be slidable along the door opening/closing directions X1 and X2. The switch member 9 is slidably engaged with the outer handle 8 between the front position Q3 (see FIG. 18) and the rear position Q2 (see FIG. 17) across the center normal use position Q1. There is. The switch member 9 is held at the normal use position Q1 by an elastic biasing force of an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring member. Further, on the surface of the switch member 9, recesses 9a and 9b are provided in front and back, in which the user inserts his/her finger and slides it back and forth.

When the microswitch 32 detects a sliding operation of the switch member 9 in the door opening direction X1, the electric motor 20 is controlled for the door opening operation of the power sliding door 3 in accordance with this sliding operation. Furthermore, when the microswitch 32 detects a sliding operation of the switch member 9 in the door closing direction X2, the electric motor 20 is controlled for the door closing operation of the power sliding door 3 in accordance with this sliding operation.

The other configurations are the same as those of reference form 1 .

According to the sliding door device 310 of Reference Embodiment 2 , the switch member 9 can be slid with a smaller load than when the outer handle 8 itself is slid.

In addition, the same effects as those of Reference Embodiment 1 are achieved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various applications and modifications can be made without departing from the purpose of the present invention. For example, the following embodiments can also be implemented.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where an operation part such as the switch member 30 is provided on the door outer panel 4 side of the power sliding door 3 is illustrated, but instead of this, or in addition to this, the surface structure of the inside of the power sliding door 3 may be The member can also be provided with an operating section. This allows the user to operate the operation unit from inside the vehicle.

In the above-described embodiment, the push-up operation and the push-in operation are used as the trigger operation for operating the switching mechanism section 40, but if the operation is in a direction different from the forward/backward sliding operation, the push-up operation may be used. Other operations such as a lowering operation or a pulling operation may also be used. In this case, the object to which the trigger operation is input may be the operating section itself, or may be a member different from the operating section.

In the above-described embodiment, the switching mechanism section 40 including the locking member 43 and the spring member 44 as components is illustrated, but the position of the switch member 30 can be changed from the normal use position Q1 to the gripping use position Q5 without using a power source. The components of this switching mechanism section 40 are not limited to these, as long as they can be mechanically switched.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the sliding door devices 10, 110, 210, 310 applied to the power sliding door 3 that slides in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1 are illustrated, but these sliding door devices 10, 110 can be modified as needed. , 210, and 310 can also be applied to a power sliding door that slides in a direction other than the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1.

1 Vehicle 2 Opening 3 Power sliding door 4 Door outer panel (surface component)
6 Latch member 7 Striker 8 Outer handle (operation part)
9 Switch member (operation part)
10,110,210,310 Vehicle sliding door device (sliding door device)
20 Electric motor (drive part)
30,130 Switch member (operation part)
40 Switching mechanism section 43 Lock member 44 Spring member (elastic member)
50 Control part P1 Fully closed position Q1 Normal use position Q5 Gripping use position

Claims (3)

a drive unit that drives a power sliding door that can open and close an opening of the vehicle in a door opening/closing direction;
an operation unit provided on the power sliding door so as to be slidable along the door opening/closing direction;
The driving section is controlled for the door opening operation of the power sliding door in response to a sliding operation of the operating section in the door opening direction, and the driving section is controlled in response to a sliding operation of the operating section in the door closing direction. a control unit that controls the door closing operation of the power sliding door;
Equipped with
The operating section is movable between a normal use position and a grip use position where an insertion gap for grip is formed between the surface component of the power sliding door. It is used as a type of handle to open and close the power sliding door mentioned above.
A sliding door device for a vehicle, comprising a switching mechanism that mechanically switches the position of the operating portion from the normal use position to the grasp use position using a trigger operation in a direction different from the slide operation. The switching mechanism section includes a locking member that locks the operating section in the normal use position and unlocks it by the trigger operation, and an elastic member that moves the operating section from the normal use position to the grasping use position. The sliding door device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising: an elastic member that biases the vehicle. The power sliding door has a latch member that latches in a fully closed position with a striker provided on the vehicle,
The switching mechanism section has an engagement release member that is connected to the latch member and moves in conjunction with the operation section, and the engagement release member is configured to change the position of the operation section from the normal use position to the grip use position. The sliding door device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the latching engagement of the latch member with the striker is released by switching to .

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