Sliding door arrester

Abstract

Disclosed is a door arrester for sliding doors of motor vehicles which may be moved between a closed position and an open position. The door arrester includes a latching cam which may be brought into engagement with a latching element that is arranged on the sliding door and is displaceable in a guide rail, for blocking the sliding door in the open position. A locking element is provided for locking the movement of the latching cam, said locking element being movable by means of negative acceleration between a position of release and a locked position.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation and claims the benefit of German Patent Application No. DE 102011081618.6 titled “Sliding Door Arrester” filed Aug. 26, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a door arrester for sliding doors of motor vehicles, which may be moved between a closed position and an open position.

BACKGROUND

Convenient means for locking a vehicle sliding door are desirable.

A door arrester for blocking a sliding door with a latching pawl is disclosed in DE 103 47 324 B4. Said sliding door is mounted in a guide rail on a vehicle and movable between a closed position and an open position. The latching pawl is able to be attached in a region of the guide rail such that it may be brought into engagement with a latching element which is arranged on the sliding door and is displaceable in the guide rail and in the process blocks the sliding door in the region of its open position. The latching pawl is pretensioned by a spring element in the direction of the contact region with the latching element. The spring element is arranged for adjusting the spring force in the contact region with a latching pawl carrier, by the interposition of a support element configured in a torsionally resistant manner on the latching pawl carrier, preferably as a sheet-metal nut, on an adjusting screw for altering the spacing between the ends of the spring element. The adjusting screw may be screwed into the support element and is supported by means of a collar on the side of the latching pawl carrier facing the support element.

Also disclosed in DE 101 33 938 A1 is a door arrester for sliding doors of motor vehicles with a retaining arm that is fastened via a holder to the bodywork that can be pivoted counter to a pretensioned spring. A retaining arm is latched via a latching member to a counter latching member arranged on the sliding door in the open position of the sliding door. A lug is arranged as a latching member on the retaining arm and a latching cam is arranged as a counter latching member that acts transversely to the direction of travel of the sliding door.

There is a problem, however, when a vehicle with an open sliding door starts to move forward and then brakes with the use of the known arresters. The sliding door may be released and closed and/or slammed shut on its own accord in an unrestrained manner.

A device for hooking a door into an opening of a vehicle with a closing bolt and a receiver is disclosed in DE 100 42 282 B4. In this reference the receiver is pivotably mounted and comprises a receiver portion for the closing bolt spaced apart from its pivot axis and at least one closing portion for the closing bolt and a mass. A mass that is spaced apart from a pivot axis after pivoting is brought into a positive connection with the closing bolt. The receiver is fixedly connected to the further mass which is arranged spaced apart from the pivot axis, and the further mass pivots the receiver due to its inertial force. Thus the pivotable vehicle door is hooked onto the bodywork via the normal door lock in the event of an accident or side impact and the forces are introduced into the bodywork.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a sliding door arrester which prevents automatic closure of the sliding door during braking.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure teaches a sliding door arrester which prevents automatic closure of the sliding door during braking. Such sliding door arresters have proven advantageous as they are simple to construct and to fasten. In addition, such arresters permit easy actuation by a user despite the sliding door being arrested.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further details, features and advantages of the invention are revealed from the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a door arrester for sliding doors of motor vehicles in a resting position; and

FIG. 2 shows a schematic, perspective view of the door arrester of FIG. 1 when a vehicle is braking.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a door arrester for sliding doors of motor vehicles, denoted as a whole by 1, is shown in the figures.

Door arrester 1 comprises a latching cam 2 that may be brought into engagement with a roller 3. The roller is arranged on a sliding door and is displaceable in a guide rail. The latching cam acts as a latching element for blocking the sliding door in an open position, as shown in FIG. 1. In this case, the roller 3 bears against one side of the latching cam 2.

For closing the sliding door, the latching cam 2 can be overcome by subjecting the door to a force acting in the closing direction (i.e., in the direction of arrow 8, i.e. along the rail). Latching cam 2 is guided by roller 3 to move against a pretensioning produced by a spring element 9 when the latching cam 2 deviates from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 2.

In this case, therefore, the cam 2 deviates to a side, transverse to the closing direction and/or direction of the rail, and the roller 3 is able to roll across the cam 2.

A leaf spring 9 simultaneously forms the latching cam 2 in an angled portion of the spring.

In order to prevent an open sliding door from slamming shut during braking, the door arrester additionally comprises a locking element 4. Locking element 4 is configured for locking the deviation movement of the latching cam 2 by means of negative acceleration (or braking acceleration). When subject to the braking acceleration locking element is movable between a position of release and a locked position.

To this end, the locking element 4 is configured to be pivotable about an axis 10, which is aligned transversely (or perpendicularly) to the direction of travel.

In the position of release, as shown in FIG. 1, the locking element 4 is located adjacent to the leaf spring 9 and in the locked position a block-like locking segment 7 of the locking element bears against the cam 2 and thus blocks the deviation thereof.

The locking element 4 is operatively connected to an inertial mass 5 such that during acceleration the inertial mass 5 moves the locking element 4 and/or the locking segment 7 thereof into its locked position, as shown in FIG. 2. The inertial mass 5 is articulated on the rotational axis 10 of the locking element and drives said locking element at a ratio of 1:1 in the illustrated embodiment.

The locking element 4 is further pretensioned by a spring 6 in order to return to the position of release, as shown in FIG. 1. The spring 6 acts on the rotational axis 10 of the locking element 4 and/or inertial mass 5.

In normal operation, upon contact with the roller 3 the resiliently configured latching cam 2 is able to deviate counter to the inherent spring force so that the sliding door is able to slide the rail in the sliding direction from the open position into the closed position (and vice versa).

If the sliding door is open and is subjected to a negative acceleration, for example by braking of the motor vehicle (“−m/s²” as shown in FIG. 2), the locking element 4 and/or the locking segment 7 is moved, driven by the inertial mass 5 into the locked position. The locking element 4 prevents a deviation of the latching cam 2 so that the roller 3 is not able to overcome the latching cam 2 and is arrested in the rail. If the negative acceleration decreases, the locking element 4 is moved by the restoring spring 6 into the position of release.

The locking element is provided for locking the movement of a latching cam in the sliding door. The locking element is movable by means of a negative acceleration (for example braking acceleration) between the position of release and the locked position. With the present teachings it is possible to prevent the sliding door from slamming shut. By means of the locking element it is now more difficult for the latching element to overcome the latching cam which is stationary.

The latching cam, which would otherwise deviate by contact with the latching element counter to the pretensioning of the spring, is now not able to deviate as the spring is blocked and locks the movement of the latching cam.

The spring, which is in the form of a leaf spring, forms the latching cam at the same time, for example in the form of an angled portion.

For adopting the locked position, the locking element is designed to be pivotable about an axis which is aligned transversely to the direction of travel. Thus, the axis can accordingly be aligned horizontally or vertically.

If in the locked position, the locking element blocks the spring element against deviation of the latching cam.

The locking element is operatively connected to an inertial mass such that during acceleration the inertial mass moves the locking element into its locked position. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, the locking element acts automatically.

Additionally, if the inertial mass is articulated to the rotational axis of the locking element, at the same time, the locking element may be pretensioned by a spring for returning to the position of release. The spring force of said “restoring spring” is then designed to correspond to the masses of the sliding door and the door arrester.

It is particularly preferred in this case that the spring acts on the rotational axis of the locking element and/or inertial mass.

The latching cam is thus configured in a resilient manner able to deviate against the spring force upon contact with the latching element, which is configured, for example as a roller, so that the sliding door is able to slide in the sliding direction from the open position into the closed position (and vice versa). If the sliding door is opened and subjected to negative acceleration, for example by braking of the motor vehicle, the locking element is then moved, driven by the inertial mass, into the locked position and preventing deviation of the latching cam, so that the latching element is not able to overcome the latching cam. If the negative acceleration decreases, the locking element is moved by the restoring spring into the position of release.

The sliding door is movable between a closed position and an open position along the rail. It is held by the door arrester in the open position.

Claims

1. A door arrester for sliding doors of motor vehicles moveable between a closed position and an open position, comprising: a latching cam configured to be brought into engagement with a latching element arranged on the sliding door;wherein the latching element is displaceable in a guide rail, for blocking the sliding door in the open position;wherein the latching cam is configured to be acted upon by the latching element with a force from the latching element which acts in a closing direction against a pretensioning produced by a spring element;a locking element configured to selectively lock movement of the latching cam, said locking element further configured to move by means of application of a negative acceleration.

2. The door arrester of claim 1, wherein, for adopting the locked position, the locking element is configured to pivot about an axis which is aligned transversely to a direction of travel.

3. The door arrester of claim 1, wherein when in the locked position the locking element blocks the spring element against deviation of the latching cam.

4. The door arrester of claim 1, wherein the locking element is connected to an inertial mass such that during acceleration the inertial mass moves the locking element into its locked position.

5. The door arrester of claim 4, wherein the inertial mass is articulated to a rotational axis of the locking element.

6. The door arrester of claim 1, wherein the spring element pretentions the locking element for returning to a position of release.

7. The door arrester of claim 6, wherein the spring element acts on a rotational axis of the locking element.

8. A door arrester for a sliding door, comprising: a locking element configured to pivot into a locked position when subject to a negative acceleration and pivot to a release position when not subject to a negative acceleration; anda latching cam incorporated in a sliding door, configured to engage the locking element when the locking element is in the locked position.

9. The door arrester of claim 8, further comprising: an inertia mass pivotably attached to a locking segment in the locking element and configured to swing the locking segment into the locked position when subject to the negative acceleration.

10. The door arrester of claim 9, further comprising: a spring attached to the locking element configured to pretention the locking element towards the release position.

11. The door arrester of claim 8, further comprising: a latching element abutting the latching cam configured to bear against one side of the latching cam.

12. The door arrester of claim 11, wherein the latching element is a roller.

13. The door arrester of claim 8, wherein the latching cam is a leaf spring with a recessed surface.

14. A method of manufacturing a door arrester for a sliding door, comprising: providing a locking element configured to pivot into a locked position when subject to a negative acceleration and pivot to a release position when not subject to a negative acceleration.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: incorporating a latching cam into a sliding door; andconfiguring the latching cam to engage the locking element when the locking element is in the locked position.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising: adding an inertia mass to the locking element, pivotably attached to a locking segment; andconfiguring the inertia mass to swing the locking segment into the locked position when subject to the negative acceleration.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising: attaching a spring to the locking element; andconfiguring the spring to pretention the locking element towards the release position.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising: abutting a latching element to the latching cam; andconfiguring the latching element to bear against one side of the latching cam.