GB2050478A

GB2050478A - Vehicle Door

Info

Publication number: GB2050478A
Application number: GB8014449A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Adam Opel GmbH
Current assignee: Adam Opel GmbH
Priority date: 1979-05-04
Filing date: 1980-05-01
Publication date: 1981-01-07
Also published as: FR2455523A1; DE2918002C2; FR2455523B1; DE2918002A1; GB2050478B

Abstract

A vehicle door 10 which, by means of a parallelogram linkage 15, 16 pivotally supported on the vehicle body, is pivotally and slidably movable from the closed position of the door to the open position of the door parallel to a side opening in the vehicle, in which the pivotal movement and the sliding movement of the door are combined with one another by means of a rack-and-pinion transmission 42 between the parallelogram linkage and the vehicle door. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vehicle Door This invention relates to a swingable and slidable door for a vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle, which door, by means of a parallelogram linkage pivotally supported on the vehicle body, is pivotally and slidably movable from a closed position to an open position in which it is parallel to a side opening in the vehicle.

The forwardly hinged doors used on passenger vehicles today require a substantial amount of free space around the vehicle during opening of the doors, which is of a great disadvantage, particularly during parking of the vehicle, and gives rise to a need for the provision of parking places substantially larger than really required for the size of vehicle concerned. Moreover, especially in the case of two-door passenger vehicles, the hinged doors give rise to unsatisfactory entry and exit conditions for the passengers of the vehicles, particularly for those passengers occupying the rear seats in the passenger vehicle. This defect is further intensified if the vehicle is in narrow, confined space conditions (as in a garage or in street traffic conditions) which will only allow for partial opening of the doors.

In the case of station-wagons and commercial vans, it has already been known for a long time, and has proved to be highly successful, to replace the conventional hinged doors by sliding doors.

The practical realisation of the sliding door principle was not too difficult with such vehicles, because their bodywork shapes were constructed chiefly according to utility criteria and permitted the mounting of the parallel guiding devices necessary for the sliding door on the external surface of the vehicle.

However, conditions are different in the case of passenger cars. Here considerable importance is attached to the retention of an asthetically pleasing elegant bodywork shape. Hence it was not possible simply to transfer the conventional sliding door system from the commercial vehicle to the passenger car.

German patent specifications DE-AS 1 7 80 577 and DE-OS 24 47 698 disclose a swingable and slidable door of the above-mentioned kind which substantially fulfills the styling requirements of stream-lined passenger car bodywork shapes because no externally situated construction parts are used for guiding the swingable and slidable door. The parallelogram linkage serving to pivot this swingable and slidable door consists of a supporting link arm and of an equally long control arm merely serving as a parallel guiding arm. Both of these arms hingedly engage with a guide head. This guide head sits longitudinally on a guide rail mounted on the inside of the door.This known swingable and slidable door functions as follows: After operating the unlatching mechanism of the door, the door is first of ali swung outwards into a position in which it is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Now the door can be pushed backwards relative to the vehicle into an open position. For opening of the door therefore, it is necessary to have two kinds of movement progressing quite separate from each other, namely, firstly the swinging motion and then secondly the sliding motion. If the opening swing of the door is very great, this leads to a harsh snap action in the movement of the door into the rear (open) position.In order to overcome this defect, the known swingable and slidable door is provided with an expensive safety brake device which is intended to diminish an excessively high sliding speed to an admissible amount ensuring a gentle snap-in engagement, whilst at the same time firmly holding the door in the open position.

In the interests of completeness, in addition to the known swingable door described above, mention must also be made of the disclosures made in German DE-OS specifications 24 34 748, 24 43 472, 24 43 513 and 2443 555.

By comparison with this known prior art, the problem to be solved by the present invention is that of designing a swingable slidable door of the above-mentioned kind in such a way that it is operable more simply and more precisely than the known swingable and slidable doors and that faulty working is precluded without adopting additional and costly measures in the construction of the door.

According to the present invention, this problem is overcome by arranging that the swingable movement and the slidable movement of the door are mechanically coupled with each other by means of a rack-and-pinion transmission. Due to the compulsory mechanical coupling of the swingable and slidable movements of the door, it is possible to dispense with extensive safety brakes as well as restraining devices for the open position or for intermediate positions of the door. The technical and economic outlay for such doors is thereby considerably diminished, which may be a deciding factor for adopting such doors in the commercial production of passenger motor vehicles.

After unlatching the door according to the present invention, the door can be swung outwards and backwards from its closed position, and this ensures easy opening of the door.

Conversely, when the door is moved into a closed position, a good deal is guaranteed between the door and the associated vehicle bodywork.

For the practical realisation of the basic principal of the invention, it is further proposed that the parallelogram linkage should consist of two supporting link arms of identical length vertically spaced from one another and displaced with respect to each other not only laterally but also in the longitudinal direction, each arm being pivotally connected to the vehicle body at one end and pivotally connnected to a guide head at the other end, with a rack-and-pinion transmission being provided to create a positive connection between the parallelogram linkage, or the guide head, and the door.

In contrast to the above-described known swingable and slidable door, a preferred embodiment of the present invention uses two supporting arms. One control arm may therefore be dispensed with. Owing to the substantial spacing of the pivot points of the supporting link arms on the guide head, it is possible to attain a high stability of the guide head with respect to the torsional forces acting about the transverse axis of the vehicle during opening and closing movement of the door.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the rackand-pinion transmission comprises a pinion segment mounted on the guide head, and arranged coaxially with the pivot axis of one of the two link arms with the guide head, said pinion segment being fixed to the respective link arm and co-operating directly or indirectly with a rack secured to the vehicle door.

Preferably, the lower link arm is initially displaced with respect to the passenger exit opening and with reference to the upper link arm, and the pinion segment is arranged on the guide head coaxial with the pivot axis of the lower link arm, and is connected with this link arm. This embodiment gives optimum consideration to the spatial conditions inside the vehicle, and particularly to the movement possibilities for the vehicle occupants. Preferably the bodywork-side pivot points of the parallelogram linkage are arranged in the region of the door post (central pillar) of the vehicle body. The entry and exit opening defined between the front edge of the door and the rear edge of the front wheel arches is then clear from obstruction.

Alternatively, it would also be possible to arrange for the pivot points of the parallelogram linkage in the area adjacent the A-pillar of the vehicle body, i.e. in front of the forward door edge, and to attain the open position of the door by swinging the door forwards and then sliding it.

The invention and how it may be performed are hereinafter particularly described with reference to a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view of a right-hand front door of a passenger car. as seen from the inside of the vehicle; Figure 2 is a cross-section taken along the lines Il-Il on the front door shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an isometric view of the door operating mechanism of the front door shown in Figure 1, as slightly modified; and Figure 4 is a schematic plan presentation of the parallelogram linkage formed by the door mechanism.

Figures 1 and 2 show a right-hand front door 10 of a passenger motor vehicle. The door includes a side window 12 which can be raised or lowered within a guide frame 11. The lower portion of the door 10 has an interior cladding 13 (shown in Figure 2), part of which forms an elongated arm rest 14 of the side door 10. In Figure 1 this interior cladding 1 3 has been removed in order to show the door operating mechanism.

Figure 1 clearly shows that the door 10 is mounted on a parallelogram linkage which consists mainly of two supporting link arms 1 5, 16 and of a guide head 1 7 carried by these arms.

The supporting link arms 1 5, 16 are pivotally secured to a central pillar 18 of the vehicle by means of hinges 1 9 and 20 respectively. The guide head 1 7 is a casting provided with two bosses 21,22 upon which the link arms 15, 16 are pivotally engaged by forward free ends 23 and 24. Since the link arms 15, 16 are of the same length, pivotal movement of the link arms 1 5, 1 6 about their respective hinges 1 9, 20 results in horizontal movement of the guide head 1 7 without any tilting thereof from a vertical plane relative to the vehicle.

Referring now to Figure 3 of the drawings, it can be seen that the guide head 17 has three further bosses 25, 26 and 27 formed thereon, which bosses carry respectively guide rollers 28, 29 and 30 rotationally mounted therein. The two lower guide rollers 28, 29 are longitudinally spaced from each other on the guide arm at the same height, and serve as support rollers for the vehicle door. As can be seen in Figure 3, they engage in a rail-like channel 31 of a supporting stay 32. The stay 32, which consists of two beaded metal sheets 33, 34 joined together, for example, by spot welding, extends over the entire width of the door 10, as is shown in Figure 1, and is firmly connected to the door at points 35 and 36. In this manner, the entire weight of the door is taken up by the carrying guide rollers 28, 29 and therefore by the link arms 1 5, 16 of the parallelogram linkage.

The supporting stay 32 is formed with an upper edge 37 which engages a circumferential groove 38 formed in the guide roller 30. In this manner, the door is made secure against being lifted upwards off the carrying guide rollers 28, 29.

The stay 32 not only serves for supporting the weight of the door on the carrying guide rollers 28, 29, but also serves as a guide for displacing the door 10 relative to the guide head 17, that is, in the direction of the arrow 39 in Figure 1. The degree of lateral displacement of the door 10 relative to the guide head 1 7 is indicated on Figure 1 by the letter "S". As can be seen from Figure 2, the supporting stay 32 is arranged inside the door space formed between an outer shell 40 of the door and by the interior door cladding 13.

Because of the stable configuration of the supporting stay 32 and its position within the door, this supporting stay acts as useful reinforcement of the door.

Although, as previously described, the door movement is composed of two kinds of motion, nameiy, the swinging movement of the door about the link arms 1 5, 1 6 and the sliding movement of the door relative to the guide head 17 on the guide rollers 28, 29, 30, these two kinds of motion do not take place independently of one another. This is prevented by the provision of a mechanical coupling between the components of the door support mechanism and the door so that the swinging movement is coupled to the sliding movement. This mechanical coupling is achieved by the provision of a toothed rack 41 secured to the door, which rack may consist either of a casting or of a pressed and stamped sheet-metal part.The rack 41 engages with a toothed segment 42 carried on the end 24 of the lower link arm 16, with the teeth of this segment engaging in slot-shaped cavities 43, formed in rack 41. The toothed segment 42 has a radius r. As can be seen in Figures 1 and 3, the toothed segment 42 is situated directly adjacent the lower link arm 16 which link arm extends forwardly in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The toothed segment 42 is secured to end 24 of the lower link arm 16 so as to be coaxial with the pivot axis 44 of the lower link arm end 24 and the guide head boss 22. The toothed segment 42 can be mounted upon the.

upper surface of the end 24 of the link arm 16, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, or, alternately, it can be mounted to the lower surface of end 24 of the link arm 16, as illustrated as an alternative in Figure 3 of the drawings. The operation of the mechanism is unaffected by the relative position of the toothed segment 42 to the end 24 of the link arm 1 6. The choice of position of the toothed segment 42 relative to the end 24 of the link arm 16 is chosen primarily on the shape and size of the lower portion of the door.

Now, to open the door according to the invention, the link arms 15, 16 of the parallelogram linkage are swung about their respective hinges 1 9, 20 on the vehicle body, and, at the same time, a compulsory sliding movement of the vehicle door 10 upon the guide support rollers 28, 29 takes place due to the rotary movement of the toothed segment 42 and the transmission of this rotary movement into a linear movement of the door through the rack-andpinion transmission 41,42. Consequently the door 10 slides along the supporting guide rollers 28, 29 through the distance "S" during the movement of the parallelogram linkage from the door closed position to the door open position.

The above-described door movement is composed on the one hand of the component of the swinging movement of the link arms 1 5, 1 6 which lies in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and, on the other hand, of the forced displacement in the longitudinal direction of the door as a result of the engagement of the toothed segment 42 with the rack 41. Thus, as shown in Figure 4, the total travel of the door attained at the maximum possible angular movement of the link arms 15 and 1 6 is donoted by d, whilst the sliding movement of the door produced by the engagement of the toothed segment 42 with the rack 41 is designated by e. The total longitudinal displacement of the fully open door is therefore produced by the sum of these two distances d and e.

Of f considerable importance for the precise guiding of the door during opening and closing are the locations of the pivot axes of the two carrying arms 1 5, 1 6 relative to one another, the pivot axis 1 9 being displaced from the pivot axis 20 longitudinally by a distance b and transversely by a distance c, the length R (Figure 3) of the link arms 1 5, 1 6 being the same. The additional sliding movement e (Figure 4) for the door in the fully open position is dependent upon the design of the rack-and-pinion gear in conjunction with the magnitude of the maximum possible angular movement of the link arms. Thus, by changing the magnitudes of rand R, it is possible to vary at will the degree of sliding movement of the door in relation to the angular movement of the parallelogram linkage.

Moreover it is not absolutely essential to locate the racl < -and-pinion transmission 41,42 on the lower link arm 16, but this arrangement has the advantage however that the rack-and-pinion transmission can thereby be located in the lower area of the door where there is more room. The result is that the upper region of the guide head 17, together with the link arm 1 5 can then be covered over from above in simple manner by the lengthened arm rest 14.

Claims

1. A vehicle door which, by means of a parallelogram linkage pivotally supported on the vehicle body, is pivotally and slidably movable from the closed position of the door to the open position of the door parallel to a side opening in the vehicle, in which the pivotal movement and the sliding movement of the door are combined with one another by means of a rack-and-pinion transmission between the parallelogram linkage and the vehicle door.

2. A vehicle door according to claim 1, in which the parallelogram linkage comprises two supporting link arms of identical length spaced vertically from one another, each link arm being pivotally connected at one end to the vehicle body and at the other end to a guide head, the pivot axes of one of the link arms being both laterally offset and longitudinaily offset with respect to the respective pivot axes of the other link arm, and the rack-and-pinion transmission is provided between the door and either one of the link arms or the guide head.

3. A vehicle door according to claim 2, in which the rack-and-pinion transmission comprises a toothed segment mounted coaxially with the pivot axis of said other end of one of the link arms with the guide head, and a rack secured to the door and meshing with the teeth on the toothed segment.

4. A vehicle door according to claim 2 or 3, in which the link arms of the parallelogram linkage are pivoted to the rear edge of the side opening in the vehicle such that, in the closed position of the door, the link arms extend forwardly of the vehicle with the lower link arm displaced forwardly with respect to the upper link arm by a predetermined amount, and the rack-and-pinion transmission is provided between the lower link arm and the vehicle door.

5. A vehicle door according to claim 3, in which the toothed segment is located directly adjacent the pivotal connection of the lower link arm to the guide head in such a manner that the rack-andpinion transmission is located adjacent the base of the parallelogram linkage.

6. A vehicle door according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the guide head is provided with guide means which permit the door to slide relative to the guide head, the weight of the door being supported by at least two parts of the guide means of the guide head.

7. A vehicle door according to claim 6, in which said two parts of the guide means comprise guide rollers located between the respective pivot axes of the upper and lower link arms with the guide head.

8. A vehicle door according to claim 6 or 7, in which the door includes a supporting stay secured on the inside of the door, a portion of said stay slidably engaging with said guide means on said guide head.

9. A vehicle door according to claim 8, in which the supporting stay is provided with an upper edge portion which is engageable with a grooved guide roller mounted on said guide head.

10. A vehicle door according to claim 8 or 9, in which the supporting stay comprises two convoluted sheet-metal parts connected together by spot-welding.

11. A vehicle door according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the guide head and the link arms are in the form of castings.

12. A vehicle door according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the rack of the rackand-pinion transmission is in the form of a sheetmetal pressing having slots stamped therein for the engagement thereof of a pinion segment.

13. A vehicle door according to any one of claims 1 to 11, in which the rack of the rack-andpinion transmission is in the form of a casting.

14. A vehicle door according to any one of claims 2 to 13, in which the upper link arm is covered over by an elongated arm rest secured to the interior surface of the door.

15. A vehicle door according to any one of claims 2 to 14, in which the guide head is enclosed within a housing formed by an outer shell of the vehicle door and an inner cladding of the vehicle door.

1 6. A vehicle door according to any one of claims 2 to 15, in which the lower link arm and the associated rack-and-pinion transmission is covered by an inner cladding of the vehicle door.

17. A vehicle door according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the link arms are pivotally connected to the vehicle body at the front edge of said side opening.

18. A vehicle door substantially as hereinbefore particularly described and as shown in Figures 1,2 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

1 9. A vehicle door substantially as hereinbefore particularly described and as shown in Figures 1,2 and 4, as modified by Figure 3.