IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,729,578
Granted Patent B2
US 12,729,578 · App. 19/128,808 · Granted Sep 8, 2026

Vehicle door device

Inventors: Yosuke Kaji (Kariya, JP); Jueru Shimizu (Kariya, JP); Masayoshi Yamaguchi (Kariya, JP); Seiichi Sumiya (Kariya, JP); Naoki Gotoh (Kariya, JP)
Assignee: AISIN CORPORATION
E05D15/34E05F15/649E05Y2201/624E05Y2201/712E05Y2900/531
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,729,578
App. No.
19/128,808
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A transmission mechanism includes: an engagement portion provided to a drive link; a support shaft; a drive member supported rotatably around the support shaft, and having an engagement coupling portion with respect to the engagement portion and a transmission gear portion centered on the support shaft; and a torque input gear configured to be input with a driving torque in a state of being meshed with the transmission gear portion. The transmission mechanism is configured such that a position at which the engagement coupling portion is engaged with the engagement portion is disposed at a position same as a position at which the torque input gear is meshed with the transmission gear portion, in an axial direction of a coupling shaft of the drive link.

Claims (71)

1 . A vehicle door device comprising:

first and second link arms each having a first rotary coupling point with respect to a vehicle body and a second rotary coupling point with respect to a door of a vehicle; and

a drive device configured to cause the door to perform opening and closing operations by rotating a drive link that is at least one of the first and second link arms, around a coupling axis passing through the first rotary coupling point, wherein

the drive device includes:

an actuator configured to output a driving torque; and

a transmission mechanism configured to transmit the driving torque to the drive link,

the transmission mechanism includes:

an engagement portion provided to the drive link;

a support shaft; and

a drive member supported rotatably around the support shaft, and having an engagement coupling portion with respect to the engagement portion and a transmission gear portion centered on the support shaft; and

a torque input gear configured to be input with the driving torque in a state of being meshed with the transmission gear portion, and

the transmission mechanism has a configuration in which, in an axial direction of the coupling axis, a position at which the engagement coupling portion is engaged with the engagement portion is disposed at a position same as a position at which the torque input gear is meshed with the transmission gear portion.

2 . The vehicle door device according to claim 1 , wherein

the engagement portion is a shaft-shaped engagement portion having a shaft shape.

3 . The vehicle door device according to claim 2 , wherein

the engagement coupling portion includes a pair of engagement claws that sandwich the shaft-shaped engagement portion.

4 . The vehicle door device according to claim 1 , wherein

the support shaft is provided coaxially with the coupling axis.

5 . The vehicle door device according to claim 2 , wherein

the support shaft and the shaft-shaped engagement portion are provided in parallel to each other.

6 . The vehicle door device according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a vehicle body bracket fixed to the vehicle body and having first and second vehicle-body-side coupling portions separated from each other in an axial direction of the coupling axis, wherein

the drive link includes first and second link-side coupling portions separated from each other in an axial direction of the coupling axis,

the drive link is coupled to the vehicle body by rotatably coupling the first and second link-side coupling portions to the first and second vehicle-body-side coupling portions, respectively, and

in an axial direction of the coupling axis, the drive device is disposed between a first position at which the first link-side coupling portion and the first vehicle-body-side coupling portion are coupled to each other and a second position at which the second link-side coupling portion and the second vehicle-body-side coupling portion are coupled to each other.

7 . The vehicle door device according to claim 6 , wherein

the shaft-shaped engagement portion is bridged between the first and second link-side coupling portions.

8 . The vehicle door device according to claim 1 , wherein

the drive member is fixed to the drive link to have a rotation center coaxially with the coupling axis,

the drive member has a gear tooth in a part of a circumferential range centered on the support shaft,

the transmission gear portion includes the gear tooth, and

the drive member has a configuration in which the gear tooth faces a vehicle exterior side when the door supported by the drive link is at a full closed position.

9 . The vehicle door device according to claim 8 , wherein

the torque input gear includes a first gear portion and a second gear portion that rotate together coaxially, the first gear portion is meshed with the transmission gear portion, and the driving torque is input to the second gear portion,

the second gear portion has an outer diameter larger than an outer diameter of the first gear portion, and

the drive member is configured not to protrude toward a vehicle interior side from the second gear portion when the door is at a full closed position.

10 . The vehicle door device according to claim 8 , wherein

the drive member has a cutout portion obtained by cutting out the drive member, in a circumferential range without the gear tooth in a circumferential range centered on the support shaft, and

the cutout portion is configured to face a vehicle interior side when the door is at a full closed position.

11 . The vehicle door device according to claim 10 , further comprising:

a stopper mechanism having: an engagement recess provided in the cutout portion and extending in a circumferential direction of the support shaft; and

an engagement protrusion disposed in the engagement recess, in a state of being fixed to the vehicle body, wherein

the stopper mechanism is configured to restrict rotation of the drive member within a range in which displacement of the engagement protrusion in the engagement recess is allowed.

12 . The vehicle door device according to claim 8 , wherein

an interior member of the vehicle is disposed on a vehicle interior side of the drive member,

the interior member is provided with an insertion recess, and

the gear tooth is disposed inside the insertion recess when facing the vehicle interior side on a basis of an opening operation of the door.

13 . The vehicle door device according to claim 2 , wherein

the support shaft is provided coaxially with the coupling axis.

14 . The vehicle door device according to claim 3 , wherein

the support shaft is provided coaxially with the coupling axis.

15 . The vehicle door device according to claim 3 , wherein

the support shaft and the shaft-shaped engagement portion are provided in parallel to each other.

16 . The vehicle door device according to claim 3 , further comprising:

a vehicle body bracket fixed to the vehicle body and having first and second vehicle-body-side coupling portions separated from each other in an axial direction of the coupling axis, wherein

the drive link includes first and second link-side coupling portions separated from each other in an axial direction of the coupling axis,

the drive link is coupled to the vehicle body by rotatably coupling the first and second link-side coupling portions to the first and second vehicle-body-side coupling portions, respectively, and

in an axial direction of the coupling axis, the drive device is disposed between a first position at which the first link-side coupling portion and the first vehicle-body-side coupling portion are coupled to each other and a second position at which the second link-side coupling portion and the second vehicle-body-side coupling portion are coupled to each other.

17 . The vehicle door device according to claim 16 , wherein

the shaft-shaped engagement portion is bridged between the first and second link-side coupling portions.

18 . The vehicle door device according to claim 9 , wherein

the drive member has a cutout portion obtained by cutting out the drive member, in a circumferential range without the gear tooth in a circumferential range centered on the support shaft, and

the cutout portion is configured to face a vehicle interior side when the door is at a full closed position.

19 . The vehicle door device according to claim 18 , further comprising:

a stopper mechanism having: an engagement recess provided in the cutout portion and extending in a circumferential direction of the support shaft; and

an engagement protrusion disposed in the engagement recess, in a state of being fixed to the vehicle body, wherein

the stopper mechanism is configured to restrict rotation of the drive member within a range in which displacement of the engagement protrusion in the engagement recess is allowed.

20 . The vehicle door device according to claim 9 , wherein

an interior member of the vehicle is disposed on a vehicle interior side of the drive member,

the interior member is provided with an insertion recess, and

the gear tooth is disposed inside the insertion recess when facing the vehicle interior side on a basis of an opening operation of the door.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 9, 2025
From: KAJI, YOSUKE; SHIMIZU, JUERU; YAMAGUCHI, MASAYOSHI; SUMIYA, SEIICHI; GOTOH, NAOKI
To: AISIN CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 071076/0045 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2023-030821 · Mar 1, 2023 · national
JP 2023-030822 · Mar 1, 2023 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20260168310A1 · Jun 18, 2026
References Cited (35)
US 6030024A · Schmidhuber · 2000 [cited by examiner]
US 6834834B2 · Dazet · 2004 [cited by examiner]
US 6997504B1 · Lang · 2006 [cited by examiner]
US 8713852B2 · Choi · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 9475368B2 · Choi · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 10787845B2 · Trentin · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 10876341B2 · Taylor · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 11560744B2 · Pujol Oller · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 11738626B2 · Sumiya · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 11807080B2 · Gabbianelli · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 11913265B2 · Sumiya · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 12196022B2 · Kajino · 2025 [cited by examiner]
US 12359480B2 · Dosenbach · 2025 [cited by examiner]
US 12552232B2 · Shimizu · 2026 [cited by examiner]
US 20100171336A1 · Elliott · 2010 [cited by examiner]
US 20120117884A1 · Oshima · 2012 [cited by examiner]
US 20220185079A1 · Sumiya · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20240401392A1 · Araki et al. · 2024 [cited by applicant]
US 20250188787A1 · Feng · 2025 [cited by examiner]
US 20250305338A1 · Araki · 2025 [cited by examiner]
CN 114718411A · 2022 [cited by examiner]
CN 115110872A · 2022 [cited by examiner]
DE 3805192A1 · 1989 [cited by examiner]
DE 102007032835A1 · 2009 [cited by examiner]
DE 202022002146U1 · 2022 [cited by examiner]
EP 2261449A1 · 2010 [cited by examiner]
GB 2050478A · 1981 [cited by examiner]
JP H01168681U · 1989 [cited by applicant]
JP H11223067A · 1999 [cited by applicant]
JP 2009113607A · 2009 [cited by applicant]
JP 2014122536A · 2014 [cited by applicant]
JP 202195762A · 2021 [cited by applicant]
JP 2022092327A · 2022 [cited by applicant]
JP 2023068579A · 2023 [cited by applicant]
Apr. 9, 2024 International Search Report issued in International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2024/003387. [cited by applicant]