1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an open/close member driving apparatus for opening and closing an open/close member which is supported on a vehicle body or the like in such a manner as to be opened and closed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, an open/close member driving apparatus includes an output drum and a clutch mechanism. The output drum is pivotally supported on a base member via a shaft in such a manner as to rotate freely and round an outer circumferential surface of which a cable which transmits a driving force to an open/close member such as a sliding door is wound. The clutch mechanism, into which a driving force from a motor is inputted via a speed reduction mechanism, is switched between an engaged state in which the driving force is transmitted to the output drum and a disengaged state in which the driving force is not so transmitted (refer, for example, to JP-A-2005-232918).
In an open/close member driving apparatus described in JP-A-2005-232918, a speed reduction mechanism is disposed on one side of a flat plate-like base member, while a clutch mechanism is disposed on another side, whereby the speed reduction mechanism and the clutch mechanism are mounted on the base member in such a state that they are aligned or superposed on each other in an axial direction.
In the related open/close member driving apparatus that has been described above, since the speed reduction mechanism and the clutch mechanism are disposed in such a state that they are superposed on each other in the axial direction, its axial size, that is, its thickness becomes relatively large. This makes it difficult for the driving apparatus to be accommodated in a limited space or, in particular, a narrow space defined between an inner panel and an outer panel of a vehicle. To make this happen, a countermeasure needs to be taken such as swelling the inner panel to project into the inside of the vehicle. This poses a limitation on vehicle body design.