US 12,467,306 B2
Door drive apparatus having a gear assembly comprising a guide rail
Daniel Schnapp, Ebensfeld (DE); Tobias Gagel, Zapfendorf (DE); and Melanie Angermüller, Heldburg (DE)
Assigned to Brose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, Bamberg, (DE)
Appl. No. 17/633,603
Filed by Brose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, Bamberg, Bamberg (DE)
PCT Filed Aug. 10, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/072400
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 8, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/023893, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 11, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2019 211 932.8 (DE), filed on Aug. 8, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0307314 A1, Sep. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. E05F 15/63 (2015.01); E05F 15/622 (2015.01)
CPC E05F 15/63 (2015.01) [E05F 15/622 (2015.01); E05F 2015/631 (2015.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A door drive apparatus configured to adjust a vehicle door relative to a vehicle body, the door drive apparatus comprising:
an adjustment part configured to provide power transmission between and connect the vehicle door and the vehicle body;
a drive motor; and
a gear assembly coupling the drive motor to the adjustment part, wherein the gear assembly includes a guide rail and a sliding element, wherein the guide rail is configured to longitudinally guide the sliding element along an adjustment direction, wherein the sliding element is adjustable by the drive motor and coupled to the adjustment part, wherein the guide rail includes two legs extending parallel to each other along the adjustment direction and the sliding element is configured to be guided between the two legs and to contact inner faces of the legs as the sliding element moves in the adjustment direction,
wherein the sliding element includes a structural part and a sliding portion arranged on the structural part, wherein the sliding portion is configured to contact and slide along the inner faces of the two legs of the guide rail,
wherein the gear assembly includes a spindle comprising a screw thread and the spindle being configured to be driven by the drive motor and rotate about an axis of rotation, wherein the sliding element is arranged on the screw thread of the spindle so that rotating the spindle causes a longitudinal movement of the sliding element along the adjustment direction,
wherein the sliding element includes a spindle nut portion provided with a threaded opening, wherein the spindle is configured to engage the threaded opening,
wherein the spindle nut portion is formed by injection molding on the structural part,
wherein the gear assembly includes a gear housing and a gear wheel mounted in the gear housing,
wherein the gear wheel is non-rotatably mounted on the spindle and is configured to transmit power from the drive motor to drive the spindle and the sliding element, and
wherein the sliding element is configured to move along the adjustment direction between a first position, in which the sliding element is spaced at a distance from the gear housing when viewed along the adjustment direction, and a second position, in which the sliding element is arranged proximally to the gear housing when viewed along the adjustment direction,
wherein when the sliding element is in the second position, the spindle nut portion is arranged at an axial distance to the gear wheel, when viewed along the adjustment direction, and the structural part extends beyond the spindle nut portion, when viewed along the adjustment direction, such that the structural part at least partially an overlaps with a radius of the gear wheel.