Retractable room actuation assembly for recreational vehicle

摘要

A slide-out or retractable room for a mobile living quarters, such as a recreational vehicle, is provided with actuating assemblies mounted on opposite side walls of the slide-out room and the adjacent wall of the main living area. The actuating assemblies include a pair of parallel gear racks mounted on the side wall, which are engaged by pinions rotated by torque shafts mounted on the main living quarters. Each torque shaft is rotated by a separate motor. A roller engages a bearing surface on the lower portion of the gear racks. Accordingly, the slide-out room is extended and retracted by rotating the torque shafts to cause the gear racks and the attached slide-out room to extend and retract. The weight of the slide-out room is supported by the rollers, thereby supporting the slide-out room off of the floor of the main living quarters as it extends and retracts. A synchronizing control operates the motors.

主权项

1. An actuating assembly for extending and retracting through an aperture in a side wall of a mobile living quarters a slide out room having first and second opposing side walls and a floor, the actuating assembly comprising:
an upper gear rack comprising teeth, the upper gear rack configured for mounting on an upper portion of the first side wall of the slide out room such that the teeth face outwardly from the first side wall of the slide out room, the upper gear rack further comprising a longitudinally extending groove; a lower gear rack comprising teeth, the lower gear rack configured for mounting on a lower portion of the first side wall of the slide out room such that the teeth face outwardly from the first side wall of the slide out room, the lower gear rack further comprising a longitudinally extending groove; a drive mechanism configured for mounting to the side wall of the mobile living quarters adjacent to the aperture in the side wall of the mobile living quarters and adjacent the first side wall of the slide out room, the drive mechanism comprising: a column configured for attachment to the side wall of the mobile living quarters; an upper bearing block disposed in an upper portion of the column; a first hooked extension extending from the upper bearing block into the longitudinally extending groove of the upper gear rack; a lower bearing block disposed in a lower portion of the column; a second hooked extension extending from the lower bearing block into the longitudinally extending groove of the lower gear rack; a torque shaft rotatably supported by the upper bearing block and the lower bearing block; an upper pinion gear engaged with the torque shaft and the upper gear rack; a lower pinion gear engaged with the torque shaft and the lower gear rack; an electric motor configured to rotate the torque shaft, the motor disposed in the column.