Vehicle side structure
AssigneesToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Aisin Corporation
InventorsHideaki Kanasugi, Dai Hidaka, Taiki Ishiguro
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An upper rail is located along an upper edge of a boarding opening. A center rail extends from a side edge of the boarding opening in a direction away from the boarding opening. A lower rail is located along a lower edge of a sliding door. An upper hinge that is guided by the upper rail and a center hinge that is guided by the center rail slide with the sliding door. A lower hinge that is guided by the lower rail is located at each of front and rear side edges of the boarding opening, and does not slide. A lower edge lock mechanism fixes the lower edge of the sliding door to a vehicle body side structure.
Claims9
A vehicle side structure, comprising:
- a vehicle body side structure including a boarding opening through which an occupant gets into and out of a vehicle;
- a sliding door that slides to open and close the boarding opening;
- an upper hinge configured to slide with the sliding door;
- an upper rail located along an upper edge of the boarding opening on the vehicle body side structure, and configured to guide the upper hinge;
- a center hinge configured to slide with the sliding door;
- a center rail located on the vehicle body side structure and extending from a side edge of the boarding opening in a direction away from the boarding opening, the center rail being configured to guide the center hinge;
- a lower hinge located near the side edge of the boarding opening on the vehicle body side structure;
- a lower rail located at a position lower than the center rail on the sliding door, and configured to be guided when the sliding door slides;
- and
- a lower edge lock mechanism configured to fix a lower end of a tip edge of the sliding door to the vehicle body side structure when the sliding door is closed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.