GB1189190A - Motor Vehicle Doors - Google Patents

Abstract

1,189,190. Motor vehicle doors. BRITISH MOTOR CORP. Ltd. 17 March, 1969 [22 Dec., 1967], No. 58531/67. Heading B7J. A sliding door installation 1 for a motor vehicle comprises three vertically spaced horizontal guides. 3, 4, 10 each guide having, throughout its length, a longitudinal opening for a respective arm 13, 13 or 19 which each carry a part-spherical roller 11 located within and co-operating with the corresponding guide, two of the guides 3 and 4 being fixed to the door 1 with arms 13 mounted on a rear pillar 9 of the vehicle body for pivotal movement about vertical axis and the third guide 10 being fixed to the vehicle body directly beneath the door opening, the arm of its co-operating roller 11 comprising a bracket 19 mounted on the door 1. The door 1 is opened by slidable movement from front pillar 8 to rear pillar 9 but prior to this the pivotal arms 13 are swung outwardly. Means to automatically prevent the door 1 from sliding open until pivotal arms 13 have swung outwardly to the full extent comprises a roller 22 mounted near the outer end of the uppermost of the pivotal arms 13 of guide 3 on a bracket 23 rigid with that arm 13 and co-operating with an extension 24 fixed to the rear end of guide 3, the arrangement being such that the roller 22 engages a curved end face of the extension 24 and prevents the door 1 from sliding open until the pivotal arms 13 have swung outwardly to the full extent. Provision for automatically retaining the pivoted arms 13 in the fully extended position throughout sliding movement of the door in either direction comprises a spring-loaded latch 26 pivoted to one side of the uppermost pivotal arm 13 which latch 26 engages a catch-plate 28 fixed to the rear pillar 9, when the door 1 has reached the end of its outward swinging movement. When the door 1, preparatory to being closed, has reached the end of its forward sliding movement a ramp 29 fixed to the door engages a tail 30 of the latch 26 so that latch 26 is released from the catch-plate 28. The door 1 may be equipped with drop-windows (not shown) or horizontally sliding window panels (not shown).