Patent Application
20060197357
The subject invention relates to a vehicle door system that both slides and pivots to provide keyless entry, remote access, and full cargo access in rear and side door assemblies.
Currently, mini vans, sport utility vehicles, full-size vans, and other similar vehicles have a variety of side and rear access doors. Some examples of rear access doors include Dutch doors, lift gates, and cargo style doors. Some examples of side access doors include sliding doors and cargo style doors.
Cargo style doors can have various different configurations. In a side access door configuration, the cargo style door typically includes a single door panel that is pivoted about one door edge between open and closed positions. In a rear access door configuration, the cargo style door typically includes two (2) door panels that pivot about opposite outboard door edges between open and closed positions. Either one of the two door panels can be independently pivoted to the open position to provide partial access to a rear cargo area, or both door panels can be pivoted to the open position to provide full access to the rear cargo area.
Sliding doors require a track system and alignment mechanism. The track systems and alignment mechanisms are typically unique to different body styles. This proliferates parts and increases cost. Additionally, sliding doors require different mounting mechanisms than cargo style doors, which reduces the ability to commonize components. Further, sliding doors are typically not an option for a rear access door configuration because track systems are not feasible due to vehicle shape. However, sliding doors offer an opportunity to have keyless entry and a remote door opening system, which are not available with traditional cargo style doors.
Thus, it is desirable to have a vehicle door system that can be used for both rear and side access door configurations, and which provides keyless entry and remote access, in addition to overcoming the other above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art.
A vehicle door assembly includes first and second door panels that cooperate to cover a door opening formed within a vehicle body. The door opening can be either a side door opening or a rear door opening. The first door panel moves relative to the second door panel to provide access to a portion of the door opening. The first and second door panels can then optionally be moved relative to the vehicle body to provide full access to the door opening.
A first operating mechanism couples the first and second door panels together. A second operating mechanism couples the second door panel to the vehicle body. In one example, the first operating mechanism comprises a sliding track that is mounted to the second door panel, and which allows the first door panel to slide relative to the second door panel. The first operating mechanism can be manually actuated or can be activated remotely with a key fob or other similar mechanism. The second operating mechanism comprises a hinge assembly that connects the second door panel to the vehicle body. If full cargo access is required, i.e. if the door opening is to be completely uncovered, the first and second door panels are pivoted relative to the vehicle body about an axis defined by the hinge assembly. The first and second door panels can be pivoted on the hinge assembly either before or after sliding of the first door panel relative to the second door panel occurs.
The subject invention provides a door assembly that can be easily incorporated into a side or rear access door configuration, which allows common components to be used for all vehicle types. Further, the subject invention provides keyless entry and remote access for both rear and side access door configurations. These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.
A rear door assembly for a vehicle is shown generally at 10 in
In the example shown, the first door operating mechanism 20 comprises a sliding track 24 that allows the first door panel 12 to slide relative to the second door panel 14. The sliding track 24 is supported by an exterior surface 26 of the second door panel 14 and is coupled to an interior surface 28 of the first door panel 12. The sliding track 24 includes a first rail component 24a at an upper door position and a second rail component 24b at a lower door position. However, it should be understood that additional rail components or only a single rail component could be required as determined by a specific vehicle configuration.
The first door panel 12 slides over the second door panel 14 along a generally axial path to provide reduced or partial access to a rear cargo area via the rear door opening 16, as shown in
The first door operating mechanism 20, which slides the first door panel 12 relative to the second door panel 14, can be manually actuated or can be remotely activated by a key fob 30 or other similar mechanism. The key fob 30 includes a transmitter (not shown) and the vehicle includes a receiver (not shown) that cooperate to provide keyless entry and remote access to the rear door opening 16 in a known manner.
In the example shown, the second door operating mechanism 22 comprises a pivoting mechanism or a hinge assembly 32 that connects the second door panel 14 to the vehicle body 18. Once the first door panel 12 has been slid relative to the second door panel 14, the first 12 and second 14 door panels may then be pivoted as a unit relative to the vehicle body 18 about an axis A1 defined by the hinge assembly 32. The first 12 and second 14 door panels can be pivoted on the hinge assembly 32 along a generally arcuate path to provide a fully open position, as shown in
Optionally, the first 12 and second 14 door panels can be pivoted on the hinge assembly 32 without sliding the first door panel 12 relative to the second door panel 14. However, the activation of the first door operating mechanism 20 to slide the first door panel 12 relative to the second door panel 14 provides the beneficial features of keyless entry and remote access, as discussed above.
An alternate configuration is shown in
The subject invention can also be utilized in a side door assembly, shown generally at 50 in
In the example shown, the first door operating mechanism 60 comprises a sliding track 64 that allows the first door panel 52 to slide relative to the second door panel 54. The sliding track 64 is supported by an exterior surface 66 of the second door panel 54 and is coupled to an interior surface 68 of the first door panel 52. The sliding track 64 includes a first rail component 64a at an upper door position and a second rail component 64b at a lower door position. However, it should be understood that additional rail components or only a single rail component could be required as determined by a specific vehicle configuration.
The first door panel 52 slides over the second door panel 54 along a generally axial path to provide reduced or partial access to a passenger area via the side door opening 56, as shown in
The first door operating mechanism 60, which slides the first door panel 52 relative to the second door panel 54, can be manually actuated or can be remotely activated by a key fob 70 or other similar mechanism. The key fob 70 includes a transmitter (not shown) and the vehicle includes a receiver (not shown) that cooperate to provide keyless entry and remote access to the side door opening 56 in a known manner.
In the example shown, the second door operating mechanism 62 comprises a pivoting mechanism or a hinge assembly 72 that connects the second door panel 54 to the vehicle body 58. Once the first door panel 52 has been slid relative to the second door panel 54, the first 52 and second 54 door panels are then pivoted as a unit relative to the vehicle body 58 about an axis A2 defined by the hinge assembly 72. The first 52 and second 54 door panels can be pivoted on the hinge assembly 72 along a generally arcuate path to achieve a fully open position, as shown in
Optionally, the first 52 and second 54 door panels can be pivoted on the hinge assembly 72 without sliding the first door panel 52 relative to the second door panel 54. However, the activation of the first door operating mechanism 60 to slide the first door panel 52 relative to the second door panel 54 provides the beneficial features of keyless entry and remote access, as discussed above.
The subject invention provides a vehicle door assembly that can be easily incorporated into a side or rear access door configuration. This allows common components to be used for all vehicle types, and offers the option of easily providing door module assemblies. Further, the subject invention provides keyless entry and remote access for both rear and side access door configurations.
The subject invention is shown schematically in
Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.
