Fully-openable slidable vehicle door assembly
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorRajesh K. Patel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A slidable contoured side door of an automotive vehicle equipped with a guidance structure that permits full travel of the door without adversely affecting door stability. The guidance structure may include a carriage movable along a relatively short track at the door lower edge and a stabilizer arm having limited sliding motion relative to the door. The relative sliding motion enables the contoured door to be out of registry with the door opening when the door is in the fully open position. This enables the door opening to be unobstructed so that passengers or cargo can more easily pass through the door opening.
Claims20
An automotive vehicle comprising a vehicle body with a fore-and-aft geometric axis having a side door opening;
- a slidable door having a closed position within the door opening and an open position extending outside the vehicle body out of registry with said door opening;
- upper and lower tracks fixed to the vehicle body and having a major portion thereof extending in the direction of the fore-and-aft axis along the upper and lower margins of the door opening;
- and
- upper and lower door guidance structures extending from said door into said tracks;
- said lower door guidance structure comprising a linear guide carried by the door, a slide assembly slidably positioned on said guide for movement along the door, an elongated arm connected to said slide assembly, and anti-friction members connected to said arm within the lower track, said door guidance structure being constructed so that when the door is moving to its open position, said slide assembly slides along the associated linear guide, whereby the door has opening movement extending to a fully opened position located beyond the linear extent of the lower track.
An automotive vehicle comprising a vehicle body with a fore-and-aft geometric axis having a side door opening, a slidable door having a closed position within the door opening, a mechanism for controlling the motion of the slidable door comprising a track structure fixed to the vehicle body and having a major portion thereof extending in the direction of the fore-and-aft axis located at a lower margin of the door opening, a door guidance structure for stabilizing the door while the door is moving between a closed position within the door opening and an open position spaced laterally from the door opening;
- said door guidance structure comprising a linear guide carried by the door, a slide member slidably positioned on said guide for horizontal movement along a lower margin of the door, an arm connected to said slide member and extended through the door opening, and anti-friction members connected to said arm for disposition within said track structure;
- said slide member being slidable on said linear guide when the door reaches an intermediate position corresponding to the linear extent of said track structure, whereby the door can be moved farther to a fully opened position out of registry with the door opening.
An automotive vehicle comprising a vehicle body with a fore-and-aft geometric axis having a side door opening;
- a slidable door having a closed position with the door opening and an open position extending outside the vehicle body out of registry with said door opening;
- said slidable door having a contoured rear edge so that the door upper edge is appreciably longer than the door lower edge;
- a relatively long upper track for supporting the door during door movement;
- means for stabilizing the lower edge of the door during door movement;
- said stabilizing means comprising a lower track fixed to the vehicle body and having a major portion thereof extending in the direction of the fore-and-aft axis, a linear guide on the lower edge of the door, an anti-friction member movable along the lower track, and a guide arm having a pivotal connection with the anti-friction member;
- said guide arm having a slidable connection with said linear guide, whereby the door can move in the opening direction a distance greater than the linear extent of the lower track.
A sliding side door assembly for a wheeled vehicle, the vehicle having a fore-and-aft geometric axis including a side door opening with an upper edge, a lower edge that is shorter than the upper edge, a forward edge and a rearward edge that is contoured at the lower portion of the door opening whereby the lower portion of the door opening is narrower than the upper portion of the door opening;
- an upper track fixed to the vehicle at the upper edge of the door opening;
- a lower track fixed to the vehicle at the lower edge of the door opening;
- the upper and lower tracks having major portions extending in the direction of the fore-and-aft axis;
- each track having a curved portion extending toward an interior of the vehicle through the door opening;
- a first roller carriage connected to the door assembly at an upper margin of the door assembly whereby the door assembly is supported and guided in the upper track;
- a second roller carriage connected to a guide arm for the door assembly whereby the door assembly is guided in the lower track;
- a lower guide connected to the lower margin of the door assembly;
- anti-friction guide elements connected to the guide arm, said anti-friction guide elements being slidably disposed on the linear guide whereby the door assembly is movable relative to the vehicle to a position beyond the rearward edge of the door opening to effect access to the interior of the vehicle through the entire door opening.
A fully-openable sliding door assembly for an automotive vehicle body having a body side opening, the vehicle body having a fore-and-aft geometric axis, the side opening having an upper margin near a roof structure of the vehicle body and a lower margin near a sill portion of the vehicle body;
- the length of the upper margin being longer than the length of the lower margin whereby a rear wheel well in the body side is accommodated;
- a first door support member in the sliding door assembly located at the upper margin for supporting the weight of the sliding door assembly;
- a second door support member on the sliding door assembly at a location intermediate the upper margin and the sill portion for supporting the weight of the sliding door assembly;
- said first and second door support members having anti-friction elements, the upper margin and the intermediate location of the body side opening having first and second tracks, respectively, receiving the anti-friction elements of the door support members whereby the door is movable from a position in which the body side opening is fully closed by the sliding door assembly to a position in which the body side opening is fully open;
- a guide structure carried by the sliding door assembly at the lower margin of the door opening, the guide structure comprising a guide track secured to the vehicle body and extending in the direction of the fore-and aft axis, guide rollers in the guide track for accommodating sliding movement of the door assembly from a forward position to a first rearward position relative to the fore-and-aft axis, and means for guiding and moving the sliding door assembly to a second rearward position corresponding to a fully open position of the door assembly;
- and
- a frontmost margin of the sliding door assembly being located at the rearmost margin of the door opening when the sliding door assembly is fully open whereby a maximum degree of access through the door opening is available.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.