1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spindle drive for a movable component, the drive having a threaded spindle which is rotatably driven around its axis by a reversible drive, and a spindle nut mounted nonrotatably on the spindle, a transmission element connected to the movable component being driven axially with respect to the spindle axis by the spindle nut.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a spindle drive for pivoting an automatically actuatable vehicle door, it is known that the threaded spindle can be rotated by an electric motor powered-drive acting by way of a gearbox and a releasable clutch.
In the known spindle drive, a sensor detects the application of manual force on the vehicle door, and a corresponding signal is sent to control electronics. The control electronics then actuate the clutch to disconnect the drive from the threaded spindle, so that the vehicle door can be easily moved by hand.
However, the known spindle drive requires a large amount of space because of the clutch. The clutch is also a complicated and expensive component.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds