Sliding doors in vehicles permit ease of access to a vehicle, while not requiring a large special footprint to open or close the doors. Sliding doors may be advantageous in small vehicles to provide accessibility when parked in tight locations.
In an aspect, a sliding door system for a vehicle includes a sliding door with an upper and a lower edge, a forward roller pair coupled to a forward end of the lower edge of the sliding door and defining a first lower groove and a first upper groove. The sliding door system further includes an aft roller pair coupled to an aft end of the lower edge of the sliding door and defining a second lower groove and a second upper groove, a lower rail affixed to a frame of the vehicle and disposed vertically below the lower edge of the sliding door, and engaged with the first lower groove and the second lower groove, and an upper rail affixed to the frame of the vehicle and disposed vertically above the lower edge of the sliding door, the first upper groove and the second upper groove engaged with the upper rail.
Embodiments can include one or any combination of two or more of the following features.
In some instances, the forward roller pair and the aft roller pair each include an upper and a lower roller that are positioned with a relative vertical displacement, and for each roller pair the upper roller is configured to engage the upper rail, and the lower roller is configured to engage the lower rail. In some instances, the relative vertical displacement between each upper and lower roller is adjustable.
In some instances, the upper and lower rollers are formed of a metal alloy and coated with an anti-wear material.
In some instances, a spacing between the upper rail and the lower rail causes a compressive force between the upper and lower rollers when the sliding door rests on the lower rail and the upper rollers contact the upper rail.
In some instances, the first lower groove, first upper groove, second lower groove, and second upper groove have a triangular cross-section.
In some instances, the lower rail and upper rail have a first circular cross-section and the first lower groove, first upper groove, second lower groove, and second upper groove have a second circular cross-section. In some instances the second circular cross section has a radius that is smaller than the first circular cross-section.
In some instances, the system includes one or more guides configured to slot over the lower rail, the surface of the one or more guides includes high density polyethylene (HDPE) or a ceramic.
In some instances, the upper rail and the lower rail are skewed relative to one another
In some instances, a vertical distance between the upper rail and the lower rail toward a front of the vehicle is less than a vertical distance between the upper rail and the lower rail of toward a rear of the vehicle.
In some instances, the upper rail is laterally offset from the lower rail relative to the vehicle.
In some instances, the sliding door includes a guide slot positioned between the upper edge and the lower edge, the guide slot configured to receive a guide roller. In some instances, the guide roller is affixed to the frame of the vehicle and is configured to limit lateral motion of the sliding door.
In some instances, the sliding door is non-planar. In some instances, the sliding door, upper rail, and lower rail follow a non-linear path along the vehicle frame.
In an aspect, a sliding door system for a vehicle includes a sliding door including an upper edge and a lower edge; a lower roller coupled to the lower edge of the sliding door, the lower roller defining a groove; a lower guide coupled to the lower edge of the sliding door adjacent to the lower roller, the lower guide defining a groove; an upper roller coupled to the upper edge of the sliding door, the upper roller defining a groove; an upper guide coupled to the upper edge of the sliding door adjacent to the upper roller, the upper guide defining a groove; a lower rail affixed to a frame of the vehicle and disposed vertically below the lower edge of the sliding door, wherein the groove of the lower roller is engaged with the lower rail and wherein the groove of the lower guide partially surrounds the lower rail; and an upper rail affixed to a frame of the vehicle and disposed vertically above the upper edge of the sliding door, wherein the groove of the upper roller is engaged with the upper rail and wherein the groove of the upper guide partially surrounds the upper rail.
Embodiments can include one or any combination of two or more of the following features.
The lower rail includes a lower rail frame affixed to the frame of the vehicle and a lower tube attached to the top of the lower rail frame. In some cases, the upper rail includes an upper rail frame affixed to the frame of the vehicle and an upper tube attached to the bottom of the upper rail frame. The lower tube and the upper tube are cylindrical. In some cases, the groove in the upper roller has an inner diameter that is greater than an outer diameter of the upper rail tube. In some cases, the groove in the lower roller has an inner diameter that is greater than an outer diameter of the lower rail tube.
A surface of the upper guide that faces the upper rail includes high density polyethylene (HDPE) or a ceramic.
A surface of the lower guide that faces the lower rail includes HDPE or a ceramic.
The lower guides are positioned behind the lower roller along the lower rail relative to the front of the vehicle.
A height of the upper roller relative to the upper edge of the sliding door is adjustable.
The system includes a spring arm configured to adjust a height of the upper roller relative to the upper edge of the sliding door.
The upper and lower rollers are formed of a metal alloy and coated with an anti-wear material.
A spacing between the upper rail and the lower rail causes a compressive force between the upper and lower rollers when the sliding door rests on the lower rail and the upper roller contacts the upper rail.
The lower roller is a first lower roller and the lower guide is a first lower guide. The system includes a second lower roller coupled to the lower edge of the sliding door, wherein the second lower roller is disposed toward the back of the vehicle relative to the first lower roller, and
wherein a groove of the second lower roller is engaged with the lower rail; and a second lower guide coupled to the lower edge of the sliding door. A groove of the lower guide partially surrounds the lower rail. In some cases, the first lower guide and the second lower guide are both positioned between the first lower roller and the second lower roller along the lower rail.
The upper rail and the lower rail are skewed relative to one another. In some cases, a vertical distance between the upper rail and the lower rail toward a front of the vehicle is less than a vertical distance between the upper rail and the lower rail toward a rear of the vehicle.
The upper rail is laterally offset from the lower rail relative to the vehicle.
The details of these and other aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
This disclosure describes a sliding door system for a vehicle. The disclosed sliding door system is supported by an upper rail and a lower rail positioned above and below the door, respectively, thereby minimizing the width of the door and associated mechanism. The sliding door is captured by the lower and upper rails by at least three rollers, enabling the door to smoothly glide forward and backward on the rails, e.g., without large vibrations or uneven force requirements. Capture guides engage the rails as well as the rollers, allowing the door to smoothly transit the rails and providing feedback friction during motion of the door. The rollers and capture guides can provide self-cleaning and self-lubricating features to the rails, minimizing or eliminating required maintenance throughout the life of the door.
The sliding door system described here is advantageous in that it has a narrow profile when compared to other types of sliding vehicle doors. By positioning the rails directly above and below the door, the overall width of the sliding door system described here is reduced as compared to vehicles having sliding doors in which rails are positioned laterally adjacent to the door. Additionally, the sliding door is able to travel forward and backward without translating laterally relative to the vehicle, such that the vehicle's overall width does not change as the door is opened or shut. This reduces the likelihood of accidental damage to the door and provides ready access to the vehicle even when parked in a tight space. Further, by positioning a rail directly below the sliding door, the weight of the door is supported directly, thus requiring less structural material as compared to a side- or top-mounted sliding door, resulting in a lightweight solution.
In some implementations, instead of positioning the rails above and below the door, support rails can be integrated into the door, or below the door and inside the door. For example, a pair of rails can be positioned below or near the bottom of the door and provide structural support for the weight of the door, and an additional rail or guide slot can be positioned within the door, providing support without contributing to an increase in width of the overall door system.
The dual-rail sliding door system described here is also advantageous in that the sliding door can operate in a non-vertical plane, e.g., the sliding door system can be designed such that horizontal translation of the door does not necessarily remain within a single vertical plane. Instead, because forces can be applied to the door from both the upper and lower rails, the rails can be offset relative to one another, e.g., allowing the door to be designed to accommodate a vehicle cab that tapers to a smaller width toward the roof line of the vehicle. In this design, the door can be shaped to follow the tapering body of the vehicle while still maintaining a high quality seal against the body to reduce weather-related issues. In other words, the sliding door can be non-planar, and have a concave or convex shape that conforms to the body shape of the vehicle.
In some examples, the upper roller 110 is a cast steel roller coated with an anti-wear substance, such as a powder coat or a high durability polymer painting, which enhances the life of the roller. In some examples, the upper roller 110 is formed of a durable ceramic or plastic material. When the material of the upper roller 110 is sufficiently durable, no coating is applied to the upper roller.
The upper roller 110 features a concave groove around its circumference, which is shaped and sized to engage with the upper rail tube 304. For instance, the groove in the upper roller 110 has a semi-circular cross-sectional shape. The groove in the roller 110 is described in more detail below with respect to
The combination of the upper roller 110 and capture guide 206 allows for flexibility in the design of the doors and the cab. The upper roller 110 provides smooth, tactile feedback to a user operating the door, and additionally provides self-cleaning functionality for the upper rail 108, as discussed further below. The capture guide 206 supports the roller 110 and acts as a mechanical safety capable of retaining the door 104 in place. For instance, the capture guide 206 can retain the door 104 in case of a misaligned door, or as normal wear minimizes the positive pressure exerted by the upper roller 110. In some examples, on a properly installed and adjusted door system, the capture guide 206 does not engage or directly contact the rails during ordinary operation. When the capture guide 206 does come into contact with the upper rail 108, a user will feel the drag and friction that arise from this contact, e.g., which can trigger the user to seek a service adjustment. Similar functionality applies to the lower rollers 202 and capture guides 207, the structure of which is discussed below.
In some examples, the configuration of rollers and capture guides provides tactile feedback and frictional forces that make the weight of the sliding door seem to be greater than the actual weight of the door. This configuration enables the door to be made of lightweight materials while still providing a desirable weighted feeling to a user.
In some examples, the sliding door system described here can enable a configuration in which the upper rail 108 and lower rail 106 are non-parallel (e.g., skewed), e.g., such that the vertical spacing between the rails varies along the length of the rails. This flexibility can allow an installer of the sliding door to make the door operate more smoothly on one end of its horizontal travel pathway than the other. In a specific example, the rails 106, 108 can be skewed such that the vertical spacing between the rails towards the rear of the vehicle (e.g., at the fully open position of the door) is less than the vertical spacing between the rails towards the front of the vehicle (e.g., at the fully closed position of the door). In this configuration, a user will feel a gradual increase in pressure as he opens the door. This increase in pressure can be advantageous, e.g., in protecting the door from being slammed into the fully opened position, limiting the force exerted by the door on the rails and extending the lifetime of the door system.
An additional guide roller 806 is affixed to the vehicle frame, and engages with a guide slot 808 in the vehicle door 702. This guide roller and slot (806, 808) capture the door to the vehicle and prevent out-of-plane rotation of the door. In some implementations the guide roller 806 is a cast or forged metal roller, and can be coated in a coated with an anti-wear substance, such as a powder coat or a high durability polymer painting.
Door seal 810 can be a rubber, polyurethane, or other material that deforms under pressure and forms a seal between the door 702 and the vehicle structure. In some implementations, door seal 810 is a single continuous piece, and can be adhered, or otherwise affixed to the vehicle frame, or the door in order to reduce intake of moisture, dust, or debris into the vehicle from a gap between the vehicle and the door 702.
Other features are within the scope of the following claims.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/234,846, filed on Aug. 19, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63234846 | Aug 2021 | US |