Sliding vehicle door

In a vehicle having an access opening in the body covered by a door assembly and defined between vertical pillar members and upper and lower edge portions, a support and guide mechanism to produce initial swinging movement of the leading portion of the door as it is opened followed by sliding movement along the exterior of the vehicle body, the mechanism comprising:

• an arm attached to the trailing end portion of said door and extending laterally inward;
• a track formed adjacent the lower edge portion of the body operably engaging the end of said arm to support and guide the trailing end portion of the door in its opening movement;
• said track curving laterally inward at one end so that said one end portion of the door is located flush with an adjacent pillar portion of the body when in a closed operative position;
• a dual-armed member engaging the other end portion of the door at two locations and mounted for pivotal movement on the other pillar member;
• one arm of the pivotal armed member supporting a carriage member in a manner permitting rotation about a vertical axis;
• said carriage supporting rollers rotatable about both vertical and horizontal axes;
• two parallel tracks extending horizontally in said door;
• said carriage-mounted rollers engaging horizontal and vertical surfaces of one of said door tracks for both lateral spacing of the leading end portion of the door and for support;
• a pair of spaced roller guides rotatable about vertical axes on the end of the second arm of the pivotal dual-armed member;
• the first of said roller guides being substantially in line with the axis of said second arm and engaging the other door track during opening and closing movement of the door;
• the second roller guide being mounted offset from the axis of the second arm and being laterally outward from the first roller guide when the door is in the closed operative position;
• a cam plate supported by said door adjacent the end of said other door- mounted track and having curved guide surface extending in substantial horizontal orientation and opening to the other door-mounted track, said second spaced roller engaging said guide surface during swinging movement of said link arm from the laterally outward orientation of said second roller with respect to said first roller when the door is closed to the aligned orientation between said rollers and said other door-mounted track when said door is opening by movement by both rollers through said other door-mounted track.

A swinging and sliding vehicle door assembly for a vehicle body which has an elongated opening formed therein define between forward and rearward pillar members and between an upper roof edge portion and a lower edge portion of the body, comprising:

• an elongated door having spaced inner and outer panel portions and covering said elongated opening when in a closed operative position;
• a first end portion of said door adjacent said forward pillar member having an arm extending therefrom in a forward and laterally inward direction from the lower forward corner of the door;
• first follower means on the free end of said arm, including a roller rotatable about a horizontal axis and another roller rotatable about a vertical axis;
• a track in said body extending generally parallel to the lower edge portion of the body and including horizontal and vertical surfaces operably engaging the rollers having a horizontal axis and vertical axis, respectively, a portion of said track extending adjacent said forward pillar member being located more laterally inward than the remainder of the track, whereby the arm-mounted roller followers position the first edge portion of the door laterally inward as the door closes, thereby aligning the door and pillar member when the door is in a closed operative position;
• a pivotal link arm member mounted about a vertical axis on said rearward pillar of said body and having upper and lower projecting arm portions extending therefrom;
• carriage means pivotally supported about a vertical axis on the end of one of said link arm portions;
• said carriage having at least one roller mounted thereon for rotation about a horizontal axis and at least one roller supported for rotation about a vertical axis;
• a first track supported by said door adjacent said inner panel and adapted to engage said carriage-mounted rollers to laterally position and support said door;
• the other link arm portion having a first roller mounted about a vertical axis substantially in line with the axis of said link arm;
• a second track supported by said door and substantially parallel to said first track and having vertical surfaces adapted to engage said first roller forming a pivotal connected between the other link arm portion and said door during the initial swinging movement;
• a second roller mounted on the other link arm portion but with its vertical axis laterally offset from the axis of the other link arm portion;
• a horizontally oriented flat cam plate supported by said door adjacent the end of said second track and having an arcuate guide surface engaged by said second roller during the initial opening of the door, whereby as the door is pulled initially outward and rearward, said pivotal link member swings laterally outward, whereby the second roller traces the arcuate guide surface of said cam plate until a line extending between the centers of rotation of said first and second rollers in aligned with said second track and subsequent further movement of said door is by movement of said first and second rollers in said second track, thereby locking the pivotal link in a laterally outwardly extended position.