IP Library › Granted Patent US 12674349
Granted Patent B2
US 12674349 · App. 19/099,894 · Granted Jul 7, 2026

Opening device

Inventors: Michael Berres (Cologne, DE); Bernhard Drost (Isselburg, DE)
Assignee: Kiekert Aktiengesellschaft
E05F15/619E05Y2201/618E05Y2201/716E05Y2201/722E05Y2900/531
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12674349
App. No.
19/099,894
Granted
Jul 7, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The invention relates to an opening device for a motor vehicle door, in particular a handle-free motor vehicle door such as, for example, a handle-free motor vehicle side door. For this purpose, the opening device has an electromotive drive ( 1 to 4 ) and an associated actuator ( 5 ) for acting on a door leaf. The actuator ( 5 ) acts on the door leaf with a travel-dependent force along its actuating travel(S). According to the invention, the electromotive drive ( 1 to 4 ) acts on the actuator ( 5 ) with the interposition of a rack-and-pinion gear ( 7, 8 ), wherein the rack-and-pinion gear ( 7, 8 ) operates with different transmission ratios on the actuator ( 5 ) along its actuating travel(S).

Claims (21)

1 . An opening device for a motor vehicle door including a door leaf, the opening device comprising:

an electromotive drive,

a rack-and-pinion gear, and

an actuator for acting on the door leaf,

wherein the actuator acts on the door leaf with a travel-dependent force along an actuating travel,

wherein the electromotive drive acts on the actuator with interposition of the rack-and-pinion gear,

wherein the rack-and-pinion gear operates with different transmission ratios on the actuator along the actuating travel,

wherein the rack-and-pinion gear has a nautilus-shaped pinion and a gear rack, and

wherein the nautilus-shaped pinion defines a rolling curve with a radius that continually grows along the actuating travel of the actuator.

2 . The opening device according to claim 1 , wherein an engagement is formed between the nautilus-shaped pinion and the gear rack.

3 . The opening device according to claim 2 , wherein the engagement between the nautilus-shaped pinion and the gear rack is formed as an involute gearing.

4 . The opening device according to claim 2 , wherein the gear rack is inclined relative to the nautilus-shaped pinion.

5 . The device according to claim 4 , wherein an angle of inclination of the gear rack is adapted to a growth of the radius of the nautilus-shaped pinion as the radius grows along the actuating travel of the actuator.

6 . The opening device according to claim 4 , wherein the gear rack is configured to move in a direction of the inclination relative to the nautilus-shaped pinion.

7 . The opening device according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator is connected to the gear rack.

8 . The opening device according to claim 1 , wherein the electromotive drive includes a gear with a gear wheel, and

wherein the nautilus-shaped pinion is connected to the gear wheel of the gear.

9 . The opening device according to claim 8 , wherein the gear is formed as a reduction gear.

10 . The opening device according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator is designed as a linearly movable adjusting slide.

11 . The opening device according to claim 10 , further comprising a housing including a linear guide configured to support the adjusting slide.

12 . The opening device according to claim 11 , wherein the housing is sealed such that the housing is configured to perform a wet installation.