Atoma International Corporation

Decoma Exterior Trim, Inc.

Thomas Dean

Thomas P Frommer

Lassi Mauno Ojanen

Robert D Worley

Brad Armstrong

Maciek Bigoszewski

Venkateswar Sagi

Paul Pirone

Brian Wood

Robert R MCaughey

John Kleino

Michael Schupp

Tad Podwysocki

A drive mechanism ( ) for enabling driving and manual movement of a sliding side door ( ). The assembly ( ) has a track assembly ( ) mounted to a vehicle body ( ) at a predetermined height and a drive mechanism ( ) mounted to the sliding side door ( ) so as to be proximate to a door latching mechanism ( ). The drive mechanism ( ) has an input drive motor ( ) driving an output gear assembly ( ) engaging the track assembly ( ) and a transmission gear assembly ( ) with a sliding gear ( ) which selectively couples the input drive motor ( ) and an input gear assembly ( ) to the output gear assembly ( ) between an engaged position for driving movement or disengaged position for manual movement of the sliding side door ( ). In this way, the slide side door ( ) may be moved manually between open and closed positions without having to overcome the effort required of rotating the drive motor ( ).

Drive mechanism for selectively opening and closing a closure panel manually or automatically

A retractable running board assembly has a step, at least two support arms, at least two mounting brackets, at least two pairs of parallel links and a drive. The step has an elongated stepping surface extending generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of a vehicle on which the running board assembly is mounted. The support arms are mounted to the step. The mounting brackets are connected to an underside of the vehicle. The parallel links are pivotally connected between each of the support arms and the mounting brackets. The drive effects movement of the step between an extended outboard position and a retracted inboard position.

Retractable running board

A power sliding door assembly for a motor vehicle comprising a door structure constructed and arranged to be mounted on a motor vehicle for movement between closed and opened positions and a drive assembly mounted on the door structure. The drive assembly includes a rotatable gear engageable with a gear track provided on the vehicle. The rotatable gear is drivable in a one direction to effect movement of the door towards the opened position and drivable in an opposite direction to effect movement of the door structure towards the closed position. A drive shaft is coupled with the drive assembly and is constructed and arranged to rotatably drive the rotatable gear. A reversible motor is mounted on said door structure and is energizable to drive the drive shaft in a first direction to enable the drive shaft to drive the rotatable gear in the one direction, and energizable to drive the drive shaft in a second direction opposite the first direction to enable the drive shaft to drive the rotatable gear in the opposite direction. A clutch assembly is provided that is constructed and arranged to selectively couple the reversible motor with the drive shaft, so that the reversible motor is coupled to the drive shaft when energized to rotate the drive shaft in either of the first and second directions, and so that the reversible motor is de-coupled from the drive shaft to prevent back-driving of the motor when the door structure is manually moved between the opened and closed positions.

Power sliding vehicle door

Growing community of inventors

Newmarket, Canada

Thomas Dean