Powered sliding door opener/closer for vehicles

A door operator for a slide door that is slidingly supported relative to a door opening in a side panel of a vehicle body, said door being supported adjacent its forward end on at least one curved forward guide member by a forward bracket and roller assembly and being supported adjacent its rear end on a curved rear guide member by a rear bracket and roller assembly, said guide members guiding said door through an initial closing movement generally parallel to said side panel and through at least a portion of its final closing movement generally toward the plane of said door opening, movement generally away from the plane of said door operator comprising means including a cable member carried on the outboard side of said side panel and coupled to said rear bracket and roller assembly for driving said rear bracket and roller assembly along said rear guide member to thereby move said door through said initial and final closing movements.

A door operator for a slide door that is slidingly supported relative to a door opening in a side panel of a vehicle body, said door being supported adjacent its forward end on at least one curved forward guide member by a forward bracket and roller assembly and being supported adjacent its rear end on a curved rear guide member by a rear bracket and roller assembly, said guide members guiding said door through an initial closing movement and a final opening movement generally parallel to said side panel, through at least a portion of its final closing movement generally toward the plane of said door opening and through at least a portion of its initial opening movement generally away from the plane of said door opening, said door operator comprising means including a cable member supported in said curved rear guide member and coupled to said rear bracket and roller assembly for driving said rear bracket and roller assembly along said rear guide member to thereby move said door through said initial and final closing movements.

A door operator for a slide door that is slidingly supported relative to a door opening in a side panel of a vehicle body, said door being supported adjacent its forward end in at least one curved forward guide member by a forward bracket and roller assembly and being supported adjacent its rear end in a curved rear guide member by a rear bracket and roller assembly, said guide members guiding said door through an initial closing movement and a final opening movement generally parallel to said side panel, through at least a portion of its initial opening movement generally away from the plane of said door opening and through at least a portion of its final closing movement generally toward the plane of said door opening, said door operator comprising means including a cable member carried on the outboard side of said side panel and coupled to the rear end of said door for driving said bracket and roller assemblies along said guide members to thereby move said door through said initial and final opening and closing movements.

A door operating system for a door that is slidingly supported relative to a door opening in a side panel of a vehicle body, said door being supported adjacent its forward end on at least one forward guide member carried by said vehicle body and being supported adjacent its rear end on a rear guide member carried by said vehicle body, said guide members guiding said door through (i) an initial closing movement generally parallel to said side panel, (ii) a final opening movement generally parallel to said side panel, (iii) at least a portion of its final closing movement generally toward the plane of said door opening, and (iv) at least a portion of its initial opening movement generally away from the plane of said door opening, said door including a latch bolt member carried adjacent the rear end thereof and movable between latched and unlatched positions, said door operating system comprising drive means including a cable member coupled to the rear end of said door for moving said door along said guide members and through said initial and final closing movements, and clamping means including a rotatable striker plate mounted on said vehicle body and having an eccentrically mounted striker pin thereon engageable by said latch bolt member of said door for clamping said door to said vehicle body with said door in a finally closed position in said door opening.