Vehicle sliding door travel extension system

#The present invention relates generally to vehicular sliding doors in which the rearward side of the sliding door is supported by a roller bracket that traverses a roller track mounted along the exterior side of the vehicle.

#A typical sliding door for a passenger vehicle such as a van, minivan, or a crossover vehicle is supported and guided by upper and lower roller bracket assemblies at the front edge of the sliding door and a center roller bracket assembly attached to the rear edge of the door.

#The size of the door opening that may be uncovered when the sliding door opens is limited to the available distance of rearward travel for the door. A large door opening is desired for ease of ingress/egress and for maximizing the size of loads that may pass through the door opening. However, door travel is typically limited by the length of the tracks in which the roller bracket assemblies traverse during opening of the sliding door. The center track, which receives a roller bracket mounted to the rearward edge of the sliding door, cannot extend beyond the back edge of the vehicle body. The presence of rear taillight assemblies may further limit the available space for the center track. In addition, it is desired to minimize the length of the track to reduce its visibility for aesthetic purposes. Therefore, the open door space for ingress/egress in prior art vehicles has been undesirably limited.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle with a sliding door in the closed position.

#FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between door opening size and sliding door travel for a vehicle body having a particular length.

#FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a sliding door support apparatus of the invention.

#Referring now to FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 has a sliding door 11 supported along an upper roller track 12, a lower roller track 13, and a center roller track 14. Respective roller brackets (not shown) slidable in each track are joined to respective door brackets (not shown) on the interior side of sliding door 11. In a conventional system, a pair of brackets at the top and bottom of the forward edge of sliding door 11 are joined to the roller brackets sliding in tracks 12 and 13, respectively. A door bracket attached at the center rear edge of sliding door 11 is coupled to a roller bracket slidably received in track 14. The tracks have initial portions which move radially outward so that the door first moves outward from the vehicle body in order to clear the vehicle body and then slides toward the rear of vehicle 10. Because of this compound movement, each roller bracket is pivotally connected to its respective door bracket.

#Sliding door 11, and the opening in vehicle 10 which receives sliding door 11, each have a front-to-back width designated D1. For conventional sliding doors, the rearward movement of sliding door 11 has a maximum distance designated D2 which is the length of center track 14 from the edge of the door opening to the end of track 14. The space available for track 14 is limited by the overall length of vehicle 10, and may be even more limited by the presence of other structures such as a taillight 15. If distance D2 is less than distance D1, then when a conventional sliding door 11 is at its maximum rearward travel position it continues to block a portion of the door opening. It would be desirable to obtain an extension of the sliding door travel without increasing the length of the corresponding center track.

#As shown in FIG. 2, vehicle 10 may have a side passenger opening 16 allowing ingress/egress to and from seats 17. In the upper half of FIG. 2, opening 16 is sufficiently small compared to the length of the vehicle behind opening 16 that a center track 18 can be accommodated on vehicle 10 to allow opening of the sliding door to a position 19 using conventional door sliders. In the lower half of FIG. 2, a larger (i.e., wider) opening 16′ allows easier ingress and egress to rear seat 17. However, the remaining length of the vehicle for accommodating track 18′ is insufficient. Therefore, the sliding door cannot be moved to a desired position 19′ using the conventional sliding door support apparatus. Track 18′ would need to extend through area 20 in order to provide a wider door opening 16′.