EP1911917B1

EP1911917B1 - Motor-vehicle sliding door

Info

Publication number: EP1911917B1
Application number: EP06425693A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giorgio Masoero; Marco Monaco; Maurizio Urbinati; Cecilia Ruspa; Angelo Storgato; Enrico Pisino
Original assignee: Centro Ricerche Fiat SCpA
Current assignee: Centro Ricerche Fiat SCpA
Priority date: 2006-10-09
Filing date: 2006-10-09
Publication date: 2008-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 2026-10-09
Also published as: DE602006004065D1; ATE416292T1; EP1911917A1

Abstract

A motor vehicle sliding door comprising a door structure and means to guide the sliding movement of the door structure (1) relative to the structure of the motor vehicle (2) between the door-closed position and the door-open position. The guide means exclusively comprise a first, a second and a third coupling device of the rail and trolley type (G1, G2, G3) interposed between the structure of the door (1) and the structure of the motor vehicle. The first coupling device (G1) is substantially situated at the level of the "waist" line (1B) of the door. The second coupling device (G2) is substantially situated at the level of the floor of the motor vehicle. The third coupling device (G3) is situated at an intermediate level between said first and second coupling devices (G1, G2) whereby the door (1) is without any means guiding it or coupling it to the structure of the motor vehicle above said "waist" line (1B).

Description

The present invention relates to sliding doors for motor vehicles, of the type indicated in the preamble of claim 1. A door of this type is disclosed in EP-A1-1255014 .
The purpose of the present invention is to produce a sliding door of the type specified above that presents a simple structure and efficient operation and that at the same time can easily be adapted to both front and rear doors, as well as to motor vehicles of various types, including motor vehicles having doors without window frames.
In view of achieving this purpose, the subject of the invention is a motor vehicle sliding door having all the characteristics indicated in claim 1.
According to the invention, the trolley of said third coupling device is borne at the extremity of an arm mounted on and projecting from the structure of the motor vehicle, articulated around a substantially vertical axis, and said arm is concealed from sight by a sheath likewise mounted in an oscillating manner on the structure of the motor vehicle, that defines an armrest in the door-closed configuration.
Thanks to the fact that it does not present guiding means above the "waist" line, the sliding door according to the invention may be adapted to a wide range of different types of vehicle and leaves considerable freedom to the designer in designing a motor vehicle that enables its application. Since with the door according to the invention it is not necessary to provide a guide rail adjacent to the roof of the vehicle, the designer of the motor vehicle is free from all constraints in determining the conformation of the upper part of the door, as well as that of the adjacent parts of the motor vehicle. Furthermore, again due to the fact of not requiring a guide rail adjacent to the roof, the door according to the invention may also be applied to vehicles (typically open sports cars or coupes) of the type in which the window is without a window frame.
At the same time as achieving all the advantages listed above, the door according to the invention also presents the advantage that it can be made in such a manner as to conceal from sight the guide rails of the three rail-and-trolley coupling devices. Furthermore, in the case of the third coupling device situated at an intermediate level between the other two, the problem of adequately supporting the door is resolved thanks to the fact that, as indicated above, the rail is connected to the structure of the door and the trolley is borne by the structure of the motor vehicle.
According to a preferred characteristic of the invention, the first rail-and-trolley coupling device, substantially situated at the level of the "waist" line of the door, presents a rail fixed to the structure of the motor vehicle and covered by a facing panel that conceals the rail from sight. This facing panel defines an access slit situated above the rail. The trolley engaged in a sliding manner in the rail of said first coupling device is borne at the extremity of an arm mounted on and projecting from the door structure, in an articulated manner. This arm has a configuration shaped in such a way that it inserts from above into said access slit and terminates with an extremity bearing the trolley engaged within said guiding rail.
For preference, the projecting arm bearing the trolley of the first coupling device is made to return to its limit position with regard to its axis of oscillation, by a spring.
Lastly, also the second rail-and-trolley coupling device, substantially situated at the level of the floor of the vehicle, presents a rail borne by the structure of the motor vehicle and a trolley borne in an oscillating manner at the distal extremity of an arm borne by and projecting from the motor vehicle structure.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description with reference to the attached drawings, provided as a simple example without limiting intent, in which:

figure 1 is a partial perspective view in diagram form of a motor vehicle fitted with a door according to the invention, with the door illustrated in the closed condition,
figure 2 is a figure corresponding to that in figure 1, that shows the door in an intermediate condition between the closed position and the open position,
figure 3 is a figure corresponding to those in figures 1 and 2 that shows the door in the open position,
figure 4 is a further perspective view in diagram form that illustrates the sliding door of the invention from inside the motor vehicle, and
figures 5 to 7 illustrate, in perspective view and at an enlarged scale, the details indicated by arrows V, VI, and VII in figure 4.

In the drawings, reference number 1 indicates a sliding door according to the invention (shown with a dotted line) made as the rear side door of a motor vehicle 2 of any type.
The structure bearing the door 1 is made in any known manner, according to conventional technology. Typically it comprises two structures of pressed sheet metal welded together along the peripheral edges to define the inner framework and the external surface of the door. Made in this way, the door presents, in a manner in itself conventional, a lower part 1A, separated by a theoretical line 1B, or "waist" line, from an upper part 1C occupied by a window W. In the case of the example illustrated, the structure of the door 1 is of the type including a frame of the window W. However, the invention is also applicable to door structures without a window frame, in which only the glass of the window extends above the waist line 1B.
The door 1 is mounted on the supporting structure of the motor vehicle 2 such that it can slide between a closed position (figure 1) and an open position (figure 3). The sliding movement of the door is guided by guide means exclusively consisting of a first coupling device G1 of the rail-and-trolley type, substantially situated at the level of the waist line 1B, of a second coupling device G2 of the rail-and-trolley type, substantially situated at the level of the vehicle floor, and of a third coupling device G3 of the rail-and-trolley type that, according to the invention, is situated at an intermediate level between the two devices G1, G2, in such a way that the door structure according to the invention is completely free of guide means above the "waist" line 1B. The three coupling devices G1, G2 and G3 present guide rails R1, R2, and R3 respectively engaged by trolleys C1, C2, C3 (shown in figures 5, 6 and 7).
In the case of the guide devices G1, G2 the rails R1, R2 are mounted on the load-bearing structure of the motor vehicle. In the case of the device G3, on the contrary, the rail R3 is fixed to the load-bearing structure of the door 1. The trolleys engaged within the rails R1, R2, R3 are borne at the extremities of arms A1, A2, A3. The arms A1 and A2 are borne by the structure of the door 1, whereas the arm A3 is borne by the structure of the motor vehicle.
The rails R1 and R2 of the coupling devices G1, G2 are configured in such a manner that, starting from the closed position, the door moves towards its open position initially also being displaced transversally outwards, so that it can flank the external lateral part of the motor vehicle during its sliding movement. In particular, in the case of the rail R1, a first end portion R1a is provided for with orientation substantially in the transverse direction. In the case of the rail R2, a first portion R2a is provided having a transverse component that enables the door to make an adequate movement. It should be observed, with reference to figure 1, that the portion R2a is situated, together with the remaining part of the rail R2, in a substantially horizontal plane and substantially parallel to the floor of the motor vehicle. The inclination visible in the drawing only corresponds to a convergence forwards in the direction of the centre of the motor vehicle. In the case of the rail R3, the configuration is different, since that rail is integral with the door and, during movement of the door, it is the arm A3 that moves, since it is mounted on the load-bearing structure of the motor vehicle in an oscillating manner, as will be described in detail below.
With reference to figure 5, which illustrates the coupling device G1 for a right-hand sliding door at an enlarged scale, the trolley C1 comprises a central wheel 3, freely rotating with horizontal axis, and two lateral wheels 4 with vertical axes. The wheels 3, 4 are mounted freely rotating on pins borne at the shaped extremity of the arm A1. In the preferred embodiment, the rail R1 anchored to the side wall of the load-bearing structure of the motor vehicle is concealed from sight by a panel 5 that together with the wall of the motor vehicle defines an upper access slit 5a within which the extremity of the shaped arm A1 inserts. In the embodiment illustrated, the arm A1 comprises a plate of pressed sheet metal that presents a part A1a providing anchorage to the door (the structure of the door 1 is not illustrated in figure 5 for clarity's sake) that is mounted onto the door 1 such that is can oscillate around a vertical axis 6, the plane of the plate A1a being at right angles to the axis of oscillation. As figure 5 shows, the anchorage part A1a is substantially at the same level as the trolley C1. The part A1a continues however with a part 7 that rises upwards, connects with a substantially horizontal part 8 and from there extends further into a vertical part 9 that inserts through the access slit 5a. The part 9 extends in a further part 10 directed transversally outwards such as to enable the end part 11 to insert into the rail R1 that presents an access slit R1b situated laterally and outwards. Again with reference to figure 5, the anchorage part A1a of the arm A1 is mounted so that it can oscillate around the axis 6, through an articulation pin 6a, onto a metal rod 6b that is fixed with screws (not shown) to the door structure. A spiral spring 12 is also associated to the pin 6a, tending to recall the arm A1 towards a limit position.
With reference now to figure 1 and figure 6, the trolley C2 likewise presents a central wheel with horizontal axis 3 and two lateral wheels with vertical axes 4 (only one of which is shown in figure 6), freely rotating. The trolley C2 is borne by a sheet metal support 13 that he is mounted oscillating around a substantially vertical axis 14 onto the extremity 15 of the arm A2, such as to enable the trolley to follow the configuration of the rail R2 in an optimal manner during movement of the door between the closed position and the open position.
With reference now to figure 1 and figure 7, the trolley C3 likewise presents a central wheel 3 with substantially horizontal axis, borne such that it can rotate freely by a support member 16, and two lateral wheels 4 with substantially vertical axes, borne freely rotating by the support member 16. The support member 16 is mounted, so that it can freely oscillate around a substantially vertical axis, at the distal extremity of the arm A3, the opposite end of the arm A3 being on the contrary mounted oscillating around a vertical axis 17 onto a support 18 fixed with screws (not shown) to the load-bearing structure of the motor vehicle.
Starting from the closed position illustrated in figure 1, the door 1 may be opened by acting on its handle (not shown) in order to release it and exercising force on the door in such a manner as to move it transversally outwards and then longitudinally backwards, flanking the side wall of the motor vehicle. As is shown in figures 2 and 3, during this movement the trolleys borne by the arms A1 and A2 follow the guide rails R1 and R2 borne by the structure of the motor vehicle, whereas the arm A3 bearing the trolley that engages the rail R3 borne by the door 1 makes an oscillation around its vertical axis of oscillation, while the rail R3 moves relative to the trolley mounted at its extremity.
As is shown in figures 1-3, the arm A3 is concealed from sight by a rigid sheath I that is mounted onto the structure of the motor vehicle such that it oscillates around the same axis of oscillation as the arm A3 (or around an axis parallel and adjacent to that axis) and that, in the door-closed condition, also comprises an armrest for the door.
As is clear from the above description, the sliding door according to the invention is principally characterised in that it is completely free of devices to guide it and couple it to the structure of the motor vehicle above the "waist" 1B, with the consequent advantage of leaving the designer completely free in defining the configuration of the motor vehicle along the upper profile of the side, as well as enabling the sliding door to be applied both as a front door and as a rear door to motor vehicles of various types, including open sports cars or coupes with doors not having a window frame.
In a preferred embodiment, the rails of the devices G1, G2, G3 are channels having identical section and shape, which fact enables their manufacture to be rationalised and simplified. Furthermore, thanks to that characteristic, it is also possible to adopt trolleys C1, C2, and C3 substantially identical one to the other, at least with regard to the wheels they contain, with consequent further simplification and rationalisation of production.

Claims

Sliding door for motor vehicles, comprising a door structure (1) and means (G1, G2, G3) to guide the sliding movement of the door structure (1) relative to the structure of a motor vehicle between a door-closed position and a door-open position, said guiding means consisting of a first, a second and a third coupling device of the rail-and-trolley type (G1, G2, G3) interposed between the door structure (1) and the motor vehicle structure (2), in which said first rail-and-trolley coupling device (G1) is substantially situated at the level of a theoretical line of separation between a lower portion of the door and an upper portion of the door in which a window (W) or similar structure extends, and in which a second rail-and-trolley coupling device (G2) is substantially situated at the level of the floor of the motor vehicle, wherein the third rail-and-trolley coupling device (G3) is situated at an intermediate height between the first and second coupling devices (G1, G2), whereby the sliding door is without guiding means above said waist line (1B), said third coupling device (G3) comprising a rail (R3) borne by the door (1), in which a trolley (C3) borne by the structure of the motor vehicle engages in a sliding manner, and
wherein the trolley (C3) of said third coupling device (G3) is borne at the end of an arm (A3) mounted projecting and articulated around a substantially vertical axis (17) upon the load-bearing structure of the motor vehicle,
characterised in that said oscillating arm (A3) of said third coupling device (G3) is covered by a sheath (I) that is likewise mounted oscillating onto the structure of the motor vehicle and that defines an armrest in the door-closed configuration.
Sliding door according to claim 1, characterised in that the trolley (C3) of said third coupling device (G3) presents freely rotating wheels (3, 4) borne by a support member (16) that is mounted freely oscillating around a vertical axis at the distal extremity of said arm (A3).
Sliding door according to claim 1, characterised in that the rail (R1) of said first coupling device (G1) is covered by a panel (5) that defines an upper access slit (5a) within which is inserted an arm (A1) borne by the door (1) and bearing the trolley (C1) that engages said rail of the first coupling device (R1).
Sliding door according to claim 43, characterised in that the arm (A1) of said first coupling device (G1) is mounted on the structure of the door (1) oscillating around a substantially vertical axis (6).
Sliding door according to claim 4, characterised in that a spring (12) that recalls said arm (A1) towards a limit position is associated to the articulation (6) of said arm (A1) of said first coupling device (G1).
Sliding door according to claim 1, characterised in that the trolley (C2) of said second coupling device (G2) comprises wheels (3,4) borne by a support member (13) mounted freely oscillating around a substantially vertical axis (14) at the distal extremity of an arm (A2) projecting from the load-bearing structure of the motor vehicle.
Sliding door according to claim 1, characterised in that the rails of the three coupling devices (G1, G2, G3) are channels presenting sections of identical shape and size, and that the relative trolleys (C1, C2, C3) are substantially identical, at least with regard to the wheels they contain.
Motor vehicle, characterised in that it includes at least one sliding door according to any of the above claims.