GB2135724A

GB2135724A - Sliding door catch

Info

Publication number: GB2135724A
Application number: GB8405103A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tsutomu Aihara; Michiaki Nagasaka
Original assignee: Ohi Seisakusho Co Ltd; Aichi Machine Industry Co Ltd
Current assignee: Aichi Machine Industry Co Ltd; Mitsui Kinzoku ACT Corp
Priority date: 1983-02-28
Filing date: 1984-02-28
Publication date: 1984-09-05
Also published as: GB2135724B; DE3407070C2; FR2541716A1; JPS59134669U; DE3407070A1; JPH0116647Y2; GB8405103D0; FR2541716B1

Abstract

A sliding door (10) catch for holding the door in its fully open position (right hand side) consists of a stopper (34) secured to a guide rail (18), a hooked lever (44) pivotally mounted on a roller assembly (20) for engagement with the stopper (34) when the sliding door (10) is in its fully open position, and a spring (36) urging the hooked lever (44) in the direction for engagement with the stopper (34). The improvement over a known catch comprises a first abutment portion (44d) on the lever (44) for contact with corresponding portion of an anchor bracket (46) and a second abutment portion (44e) for contact with a corresponding portion of a roller bracket (22). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Meansforholding a sliding door in its fully open position The present invention relates to sliding door mountings for motorvehicles and particularlyto means for holding a sliding door in its fully open position.

Asliding doorof a motor vehicle is usually suspended atthree points, i.e., at its front end at the top and bottom and at its rear end in such a manner thatwhen it is shut it lies flush with the side wall of the vehicle in which itisfitted and when it is opened it first projects outward ofthe vehicle body and then slides parallely along thevehicle side wall. Forthis end, a sliding door mounting is provided with a roller assembly pivotally connected to the rear end of the sliding door and adapted to run along a guide rail extending along the vehicle sidewall.

The sliding door mounting is also provided with means for holding the sliding door in its fully open position in order to prevent a passengerwho is getting in or out of the vehicle from being caught in the sliding door. The holding means mainly consist of a hooked lever installed on the roller assembly and a stopper securedtotheguide rail forengagementwith the hooked lever.

Adisadvantageofthe priorartholding means isthat the hooked lever has a possibility of being pressed againstthe guide rail to make a disturbing noise when the sliding door is being opened or closed.

Another disadvantage isthat under a certain conditin the holding means fail to function properly, i.e., cannot hold the sliding door in its fully open position.

Afurtherdisadvantageisthatthehooked lever is subject two such design restriction to inadequate in the strength.

It is an object ofthe present invention to provide a sliding door mounting with improved holding means which are free from the disadvantages noted above.

In accordance with the present invention,there is provided a sliding door mounting in a motor vehicle, having a guide rail secured to the vehicle body, an anchor bracket secured to a sliding door, a roller assembly pivotally mounted on the anchor bracket and adapted to run along the guide rail,the guide rail having a first guide rail section adapted to guide the sliding door substantially parallely along the outer surface ofthe vehicle body while holding same in a condition projected outward of the vehicle body and a second guide rail section adapted to guide the sliding door along a path turned laterally ofthe vehicle body andtherebyallowthesameto be pulled in or pulled outfrom its fully closed position where it lies flush with the outer surface of the vehicle body, the roller assembly being caused to rotate relative to the sliding doorwhen running along the second guide rail section, and means for holding the sliding door in its fully open position, the holding means having a stopper secured to the guide rail, a hooked lever pivotally mounted on the rollerassemblyforengagement with the stopper when the sliding door is in its fully open position and a spring urging the hooked lever in the direction for engagement with the stopper, characterized in that the hooked lever has a first abutment portion for contact with a corresponding portion of the anchor bracket underthe bias ofthe spring and a second abutment portion for contact with a corresponding portion of the roller assembly under the bias ofthe spring,thatthefirst abutment portion is adapted to be held in contact with the corresponding portion of the anchor bracket at least when said roller assembly is running along the first guide rail section forthereby holding the hooked lever in a predetermined constant state suitable forengagementwith the stopper irrespective of rotation ofthe roller assembly, and thatthe second abutment portion is adapted to come in contact with the corresponding portion ofthe roller assemblywhen the rollerassembly,which is running along the second guide rail section toward its extreme position where it holds the sliding door in its fully closed position, runs into a predetermined position and thenceforth to cause the hooked leverto rotatetogetherwith the roller assembly while at the same time allowing the first abutment portion to go away from the corresponding portion of the anchor bracket.

The features and advantages ofthe holding means according to the present invention will become more clearly appreciated from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. lisa perspective view of a box-type vehicle having a sliding doorforclosing an opening in the side wall of the vehicle body; Fig. 2 is a schematic top plan view of a prior art sliding door mounting with means for holding the sliding door in its fully open position, the mounting being shown in the left-hand part of the figure in a condition into which it is put when the sliding door is in its fully closed position and in the right-hand part of the figure in a condition into which it is put when the sliding door is in its fully open position; Fig.3 is a view taken along the arrow Ill of Fig. 2;; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a roller bracket employed in the sliding door mounting of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing a swinging of the sliding door mounting of Fig. 2 and the resulting movement ofthe holding means; Fig. 6 is a viewsimilarto Fig. 2 but showing the holding means according to the present invention; Fig. 7a is a partly sectional fragmentaryviewofthe holding means ofthis invention in one operating condition; Fig. 7B is a view similar to Fig. 7A but showing the holding means ofthis invention in another operating condition; Fig. 8 is a schematictop plan view of a hooked lever employed in the holding means of this invention; Fig. 9 is a viewtaken along the arrow IX of Fig. 8;; Fig. 10 is a partly cutaway top plan view of an anchor bracket employed in the sliding door mounting of this invention; Fig. 11 isa viewtaken along the arrow XI of Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is a schematic view of the holding means of this invention together with a sliding door in its fully closed position; Fig. 13 is a schematic view ofthe holding means of this invention and a sliding door in its fully open position; and Fig. a schematioviewshowing a swinging of the sliding door mounting of Fig. 6 and the holding means ofthis invention which are held stationary irrespective ofthe swinging.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, description is first made to the priorartholding meansforthe purpose of analyzing the aforementioned disadvantages encountered therein.

In Fig. 1, a sliding door 10 of a motor-van or box-type vehicle is shown in its fully closed position where it lies flush with a side wall 12 of a vehicle body 14. The sliding door 10 is suspended atthree points, i.e., at its front end atthetopAand bottom Band at its rear end C in such a mannerthat upon opening, itfirst projects outward ofthevehicle body 14andthen slides parallely along the vehicle sidewall 12 toward its fully open position.

Fig. 2 shows a sliding door mounting 16forth sl.spension atthe rear end C. The mounting 16 comprises a guide track or rail 18 secured to the vehicle body 14 and a roller assembly 20 in hinged or pivotal connection to the rear end ofthe sliding door 10 and adapted to run along the guide rail 18. The roller assembly 20 consists of a roller bracket 22 shaped as shown in Fig. 4, a pair offirst rollers 24 spaced from each other in the direction of the width of the sliding door 10 and a second roller 26 intervening between the first rollers 24. The roller bracket 22 is pivotally connected via a pivot pin 28to an anchor bracket 30 which is in turn secured to an inner panel 10a of the sliding door 10.The first rollers 24 are horizontally disposed and rotatable in a horizontal plane or rotatable about vertical axes, while the second roller26 is disposed vertically and rotatable in a vertical plane or rotatable about a horizontal axis.

The first and second rollers 24 and 26 are rotatably carried on the roller bracket 22 and guided bythe guide rail 18 having a channel-like cross section as shown in Fig. 3. The guide rail 18 has a first guide rail section 18a extending along the outer surface of the vehicle side wall 12 and a second guide rail section 1 8b extending from the front end ofthe first guide rail section 18a inward of the vehicle body 14. The first guide rail section 18a is adapted to guide the sliding door 10 parallely along the outer surface of the vehicle side wall 12 while holding same in a condition projected outwardly ofthe vehicle side wall 12.The second guide rail section 1 8b is adapted to guidethe sliding door 10 along a path turned laterally of the vehicle body 14 and thereby allow same to move inward or outward ofthe vehicle body 14, i.e., allow the sliding door 10 to be pulled into or pulled outfrom a closed position where it lies flush with the vehicle sidewall 12.

When the sliding door 10 is in the closed position, the roller assembly 20 is put into such a condition shown in the left-hand part of Fig. 2, i.e., received in the space between the second guide rail section 1 8b and the inner panel 10a ofthe sliding door 10. When the sliding door 10 is in the fully open position, the rollerassembly 20 is put into a condition as shown in the right-hand part of Fig. 2.

The sliding door mounting 16further comprises holding means 30 for holding the sliding door 10 in its fully open position. The holding means 30 consist of a hooked lever32 mounted on the roller assembly 20 in a manner to pivot aboutthe pivot pin 28, a stopper 34 secured to the guide rail 18 for engagement with the hooked lever 32, and a spring 36 placed around the pivot pin 28 in a mannerto urge the hooked lever32 in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing, i.e., in the direction forengagementwith the stopper 32.As best shown in the right-hand part of Fig. 2 (atthe partly cutaway portion), the hooked lever 32 is adapted to abut at 32a upon a corresponding vertical wall portion 22a ofthe pivotal bracket 22 under the biasofthe spring 36. Whenthe hooked lever32goesoverthe stopper 34, it is rotated clockwise in the drawing againstthe bias ofthespring 36while atthe same time allowing the abutment portion 32a to go awayfrom the corresponding vertical wall portion 22a ofthe roller bracket 22. The hooked lever 32 is held stationary relative to the pivotal bracket 22 or held movabletogetherwith the same exceptthe case where it is driven by the stopper34to rotate clockwise in the drawing.

With such holding means 30, when the sliding door 10 is moved intothefullyopen position, the hooked end 32b ofthe lever 32 is caused to go overthe stopper 34 and is put into engagementwith same underthe bias ofthe spring 36,whereby holding the sliding door 10 in the fully open position. The hooked lever 32 can be disengaged from the stopper 34 by rotating a release lever38 clockwise in the drawing, which is connected via a rod 40to an unshown outside door handle and adapted to push at its end 38a a release finger32cofthe hooked lever 32, and thereby cause the hooked lever 32 to rotate in the corresponding direction.

In the foregoing structure, there are provided small clearances between the guide rail 18 and the rollers 24 and 26, and the guide rail 18 itself is not accurately flat but has some inequality of surface. This may permit the roller assembly 20 to swing as shown in Fig. Seven when itisguided bythefirstguiderail section 18a. Due to this, the hooked end 32b ofthe lever 32 may possibly be pressed against the guide rail 1 8to make a disturbing noise or upon going overthe stopper 34the hooked end is subjected to a large pressureto make a disturbing noise orthe hooked end 32a may possibly assume a position that is too far away from the stopper34to allowtheformerto engage the latter.

Further, upon closing of the sliding door 1 Q the roller assembly 20 is caused to rotate aboutthe pivot pin 28 clockwise in the drawing. Togetherwith the roller assembly 20, the hooked lever 32 is also caused to rotate in the corresponding direction. The hooked lever 32 is thus subject to design restriction resulting not onlyfrom the limited space between the second guide rail section 1 8b and the inner panel 1 Oa ofthe sliding door 10 but also from the angle of rotation of the roller assembly 20 upon closing ofthe sliding door 10. Due to this design restriction, it is, in effect, impossible to increase the width ofthe hooked end 32b of the lever 32 forthe purpose of reducing the foregoing pressuretowhich it is subject upon going overthe stopper34 or to increase the width ofthe hooked lever32forthe purpose of increasingthe strength thereof.

The foregoing disadvantages encountered in the prior art holding means can be obviated or avoided by the holding means ofthe present invention which will bedescribedhereinafterwith reference to Figs.6 to 14, in particular.

In Figs. 6to 14, like and corresponding parts and portionstothoseoftheforngoing priorartarrange- ment are designated by like reference numerals and will not be described again for brevity.

The holding means of this invention are generally designated by42andcomprisesa hooked lever44 having, as best shown in Figs. 8 and 9, a hooked end 44a for engagement with a stopper 34, a bearing portion 44b located adjacentan end opppositetothe hooked end 44a for pivotal mounting thereat on a pivot pin 28panda releasefinger44cadaptedtobe pushed by an end 38a of a release lever 38. The hooked lever 44 also has a first abutment portion 44d at the end opposite to the hooked end 44a and a second abutment portion 44e located between the hooked end 44a and the bearing portion 44b.The first abutment portion 44d is adapted to abut upon an anchor bracket 46, as best shown in Fig. 7A, underthe bias of a spring 36 when the sliding door 10 is in its fully open position as shown in the right-hand part of Fig. 6 ora roller assembly 20 is being guided by a first guide rail section 18a of a guide rail 18.

As shown in Figs. 10 and 11 the anchor bracket 46 is channel-shaped and has a pair of horizontal walls 46a between which the pivot pin 28 spans and a vertical wall 46b having an abutment portion 46e for abutment with the first abutment portion 44d of the hooked lever 44. The anchor bracket 46 is provided with a plurality of nuts 46d, though only one is shown, for attachment to a sliding door inner panel 1 Oa. By the anchor bracket 46 and the pivot pin 28, a roller assembly 20 is hingedly connected to the rear end of the sliding door 10 similarly to the foregoing prior art arrangement.

In the case where the first abutment portion 44d is in contactwith the corresponding vertical wall portion 46c of the anchor bracket46 underthe bias of the spring 36, the second abutment portion 44e is out of contactwith a corresponding vertical wall portion 22a of a pivotal bracket 22 and spaced a predetermined distance away from same as best shown in Fig. 7A.

When the roller assembly 20 comes to run along a second guide rail section 18b, it is caused rotate clockwise in the drawing relative to the hooked lever 44, allowing the vertical wall portion 22a of the pivotal bracket22togo nearertothesecondabutment portion 44e and eventually abut upon same as best shown in Fig. 78. This abutment is adapted to occur when the roller assembly 20 runs into a predetermined position onthewayto its extreme position where it holds the sliding door 10 in the fully closed condition, that is, when the roller assembly 20 is caused to rotate by a second guide rail section 18b a predetermined angle.The hooked lever44 is thence- forth caused to rotate clockwise in the drawing, with the second abutment portion 44e being held in contact with the vertical wall portion 22a of the roller bracket 22, while atthe same time allowing the first abutment portion 44d to go increasingly awayfrom the vertical wall portion 44d of the anchor bracket 46 as it rotates with the roller assembly 20.

In Figs. 12 and 13, there is shown an outside handle 48 which is connected via a rod 40 to the release lever 38.

The operation of the holding means 42 of this invention will now be described hereinafter.

In Fig. 13 and in the left-hand part of Fig. 6, the sliding door 10 is shown in its fully open position.

When it is desired to close the sliding door 10, the outside handle 48 is operated to pull the rod 40 leftward in the drawing and thereby rotate the release lever 38 clockwise in the drawing. Bythis,the hooked lever 44 is rotated clockwise in the drawing and disengaged from the stopper 34 since it is adapted to be pushed at the release finger 44c by the end 38a of the release lever 38.After disengagement of the hooked lever44from the stopper 34, the sliding door 10 is displaced from thefully open position and moved toward its fully closed position. Duringthe movement of the sliding door 1 Otoward the fully closed position, the roller assembly 20 is first guided by the first guide rail section 1 8a and then bythe second guide rail section 18b. The second guide rail section 1 8b causes the roller assembly 20 to rotate clockwise in the drawing. In this connection, the roller assembly 20 starts rotating as it begins to be guided by the second guide rail section 1 8b and rotates increasingly as it goes nearerto its extreme position where it holdsthe sliding door lOin the fully closed position.In this rotation ofthe roller assembly 20, the second abutment portion 44e of the hooked lever 44 comes in contact with the corresponding vertical wall portion 22a of the roller bracket 22 when the roller assembly 20 runs into a predetermined position on the way to the extreme position orwhenthe rollerassembly 20 is rotated a predetermined angle which issmallerthan a maximum anglethat it can rotate. From thistime onward, the hooked lever 44 rotates together with the roller bracket 22 and therefore the roller assembly 20 until the roller assembly 20 moves to the extreme position. In this manner, the sliding door 10 is moved to thefully closed position as shown in Fig. 12 and also in the left-hand part of Fig. 6.

In the foregoing, at the very time when the second abutment portion 44e comes in contact with the corresponding vertical wall portion 22a ofthe roller bracket 22, the first abutment portion 44d is still in contact with the corresponding vertical wall portion 46d of the anchor bracket 46. However,from this time onward, the first abutment portion 44d goes further away from the corresponding vertical wall portion 46c as the hooked lever 44 rotates together with the roller assembly 20.

In the opening movement of the sliding door 10 from the fully closed position, the roller assembly 20 is rotated counterclockwise as it runs along the second guide rail section 18b toward the first guide rail section 18a. In this counterclockwise rotation ofthe roller assembly 20, the first abutment portion 44d of the hooked lever 44 comes in contactwiththecorrespond- ing vertical wall portion 46c ofthe anchor bracket 46 when the roller assembly 20 runs into the aforementioned predetermined position. From th is time onward, the hooked lever 44 is held stationary relative to the anchor bracket 46 and onlythe roller assembly 20 rotates further as it goesfartherawayfrom the extreme position.

The roller assembly 20 is then guided by the first guide rail section 18a, allowing the sliding door 10 to move parallely along the sidewall 12 ofthevehicle body 14 toward the fully open position. When the sliding door 10 comes close to the fully open position, the hooked end 44a ofthe lever 44 is caused to ride on thestopper34and is rotated clockwise in the drawing against the bias ofthe spring 36. When the sliding door loins fully opened, the hooked end 44a ofthe lever44 is caused to go over the stopper 34 and be brought into engagementwith same underthe bias of the spring 36.

In the movement ofthe roller assembly 20 along the first guide rail section 1 8a, the first abutment portion 44d ofthe hooked lever44 is held in contactwith the vertical wall portion 46e of the anchor bracket 46, while the second abutment portion 44e is held out of contactwith the vertical wall portion 22a of the roller bracket22. Dueto this arrangement, the hooked end 44a of the lever 44 can always assume a suitable position for engagement with the stopper 34 irrespective ofthe swinging ofthe roller assembly 20 as shown in Fig. 14. Further, the hooked end 44a is prevented from being pressed against the guide rail 18 even if the roller assembly 20 is caused to swing as shown in Fig.

14.

From the foregoing, it is to be understood that the holding means 42 of the present invention is free from the disadvantage of making a disturbing noise when a sliding door is being opened or closed.

It is furtherto be understood that the holding means 42 ofthis invention can effect an assured and reliable operation in holding a sliding door in its fully open position.

It is still furtherto be understood thatthe hooked lever 44 is free from the design restrictions encountered in the prior art and can be designed relatively freely since the angle which the hooked lever 44 rotates togetherwith the roller assembly 20when running along the second guide rail section 1 8b can be set smaller.

Claims

1. Asliding door mounting in a motorvehicle, having a guide rail secured to the vehicle body, an anchor bracket secured to a sliding door, a roller assembly pivotally mounted on the anchor bracket and adapted to run along the guide rail, the guide rail having a first guide rail section adapted to guide the sliding door substantially parallely along the outer surface of the vehicle body while holding same in a condition projected outward of the vehicle body and a second guide rail section adapted to guidethe sliding door along a path turned laterally of the vehicle body and thereby allow same to be pulled into or pulled out from its fully closed position where it lies flush with the outer surface ofthe vehicle body, the roller assembly being caused to rotate relative to the sliding door when running along the second guide rail section, and means for holding the sliding door in its fully open position, the holding means having a stopper secured to the guide rail, a hooked lever pivotally mounted on the roller assembly for engage mentwith the stopper when the sliding door is in its fully open position and a spring urging the hooked lever in the direction for engagement with the stopper, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said hooked lever has a first abutment portion for contact with a corresponding portion of said anchor bracket underthe bias of said spring and a second abutment portion for contact with a corresponding portion of said roller assembly under the bias ofsaid spring, THAT said first abutment portion is adapted to be held in contact with said corresponding portion of said anchor bracket at least when said roller assembly is running along said first guide rail section forthereby holding said hooked lever in a predetermined constant condition suitable for engagement with said stopper irrespective of rotation of said roller assembly, and T'-." AT said second abutment portion is adapted to come in contact with said corresponding portion of said roller assembly when said roller assembly, which is running along said second guide rail section toward its extreme position where it holds said sliding door in its fully closed position, runs into a predetermined position and thenceforth to cause said hooked leverto rotate togetherwith said roller assemblywhile atthe same time allowing said first abutment portion to go away from said corresponding portion of said anchor bracket.

2. Asliding door mounting as set forth in claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said first abutment portion is adapted to be also held in contactwith said corresponding portion of said anchor bracket when said roller assembly is running along an area of said second guide rail section otherthan an area between said extreme position and said predetermined position.

3. A sliding door mounting as setforth in claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said second abutment portion is adapted to be spaced a predetermined distance from said corresponding portion of said roller assembly at least when said roller assembly is running along said first guide rail section.

4. A sliding door mounting as setforth in claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said hooked lever also has a hooked end for engagementthereatwith said stopper and a bearing portion located adjacent an end oppositetosaid hooked endforpivotal mounting thereat on said roller assembly, said first abutment portion being located atan end opposite to said hooked end and said second abutment portion being located between said hooked end and said bearing portion.

5. Asliding door mounting as set forth in claim 4, wherein said anchor bracket is secured to the rear end of said sliding door and channel-shaped to have a pair of horizontal walls and a vertical wall, said roller assembly being adapted to pivot about a pivot pin spanning between said horizontal walls, CHARACTE RIZED IN THAT said corresponding portion of said anchor bracket comprises an abutment portion formed in said vertical wall.

6. A sliding door mounting as setforth in claim 5, wherein said roller assembly hasa roller bracket adapted to pivot about said pivot pin, a pair of horizontally-disposed rollers spaced from each other in the direction of the width of said sliding door and a vertically-disposed roller intervening between said horizontally-disposed rollers, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said corresponding portion of said roller assembly comprises a vertical wall portion of said roller bracket.

7. Asliding door mounting characterized by means for holding a sliding door in its fully open position, substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1, and Figs. 6 to 14 ofthe accompanying drawings.