Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Jeffrey K Joyner

Jiri Paulik

Marcos Hoffman

A van door slidable in tracks (16, 18 and 20). An operating module is mounted inside the van adjacent center track 18. A front cable attached to drive pulley (144) extends through guide assembly (54) to hinge and roller assemble (26). A rear cable attached to drive pulley (136) extends through guide assembly (56) to hinge and roller assembly (26). The drive pulleys (136 and 144) each have a large diameter spiral cable groove (164), a small diameter cable groove (208) and a transition cable groove (210). A motor rotates the drive pulleys. The small diameter cable grooves drive the door when the door is in the forward portion of the tracks. The large diameter spiral cable grooves drive the door when the door is in the center and rear portions of the track. Fixed idler rollers (226 and 254) are positioned relative to the cable drive pulleys to insure that the total cable in the continuous cable loop is substantially the same when the cable is driven by the small diameter cable grooves as when the cable is driven by the large diameter spiral cable grooves. A cable tension system (220) maintains cable tension. A slack cable take-up pulley (174) on the drive pulley (136) takes up slack cable to set cable tension and is then locked in position.

Door opening cable system with cable slack take-up

The van (10) has a sliding door (14) mounted on rollers (22, 24 and 30) that are supported by and slidable in tracks (16, 18 and 20). An opening and closing module (50) is mounted inside the van adjacent to the center track (18). A front cable (74) is attached to the front cable drive pulley (144), and extends from the pulley through a front cable roller guide assembly (54) and is attached to the hinge and roller assembly (26). A rear cable (100) is attached to the rear cable drive pulley (136) and extends from the pulley through a rear cable roller guide assembly (56) and is attached to the hinge and roller assembly (26). The front and rear cable drive pulleys (136 and 144) each have a large diameter spiral cable groove (164), a small diameter cable groove (208) and a transition cable groove 210. A motor (126) rotates the front and rear cable drive pulleys to move the sliding door. The small diameter cable grooves (208) drive the sliding door (14) when the door is in the forward portion of the tracks. The large diameter spiral cable grooves (164) drive the sliding door when the door is in the center and rear portions of the tracks. Fixed idler rollers (226 and 254) guide the front and rear cables (74 and 100) to and from the cable drive pulleys (136 and 144).

Sliding door closed loop cable closure system with balanced cable

The vehicle door latch includes a housing having latch bolt rotatably mounted for engagement with a striker mounted on the door jamb. The door latch includes a detent mechanism adapted to establish the latch bolt in rotary positions to selectively latch the door in a primary closed position, to latch the door at a secondary door ajar position, and to unlatch the door at an unlatched position allowing door opening movement. The electrical switch includes a rotor rotatably mounted on the latch housing and carrying a first set of electrical contacts adapted upon rotary movement of the rotor to electrically connect with a second set of electrical contacts mounted on the latch housing. The rotor and the latch bolt each have gear teeth provided respectively thereon and meshing with one another whereby rotary movement of the latch bolt induces corresponding rotary movement of the rotor and thereby enables the switch mechanism to provide electrical signals corresponding to the various positions of the latch bolt.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Jeffrey K Joyner