FR2660009A1 - Device for guiding a sliding and retractable vehicle door and sliding door equipped with such a device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for guiding a sliding and retractable vehicle door. This device comprises a Y-shaped lever (13) articulated, on the one hand, on the sliding door (1) and, on the other hand, on a supporting carriage (6) guided along a rail (3) having a part (3a) curved towards the inside of the passenger compartment and a straight part (3b), the said carriage (6) is guided along the rail (3) by means of rollers (7, 8), a roller (9) for driving the lever (13) in rotation is guided along the curved portion (3a) of the rail, so that the door is driven between a retracted position and a position offset relative to the body (2) of the vehicle, the shape and relative dimensions of the curved part (3a) of the rail (3) and of the Y-shaped lever (13) are such that, in the retracted position of the door, the axes of the rollers (8 and 9) extend along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rail (3), whilst the axis of articulation (15) of the lever (13) with the door (1) is substantially in alignment with the straight part (3b) of the rail. This guide device is used on a sliding door for any vehicle.

Description

 The present invention relates in general to sliding doors for a motor vehicle for example, and more particularly to a guide device for such a door.

 Sliding doors have been proposed for a long time mounted on rails arranged on the upper, middle and lower parts of the side of a vehicle and which extend outside the passenger compartment, a rolling member such as a carrying carriage. connected to the door being guided along each of these rails so that it projects from the side of the vehicle so that it can slide freely. For reasons of aesthetics, aerodynamics and sealing, it was desired that in the closed position, these doors be retracted, that is to say coincident with the side of the vehicle along which they slide.

 To do this, there are provided guide devices for deporting the door from its retracted position towards the outside of the passenger compartment, before sliding it along the body. A device is known, for example, comprising a carrying carriage guided in a rail with a curved end towards the interior of the passenger compartment and pivotally connected to the door.

However, this type of device is bulky and most often requires reducing the section of the uprights of the body in the area of penetration of the rail inside the passenger compartment.

 Devices have also been proposed comprising a carriage guided along a straight rail and connected to the door by an articulated rod and solicited by a return spring. However, these devices are complex and expensive, and in addition the closing of the door is made difficult by the spring whose resistance must be overcome.

 Also, a device has been made for guiding a sliding door of a vehicle, of the type comprising a Y-shaped lever, a main branch of which is articulated on the one hand to the door, by a hinge with a vertical axis, and is articulated on the other hand to a carrying carriage guided in a rail curved towards the interior of the passenger compartment, which is itself fixed along the body of the vehicle, said lever further comprising a branch projecting at the end from which is pivotally mounted a roller for driving the lever in rotation, guided in the curved part of the rail, so that the movement of the entrainment roller along the curved part of the rail causes the door to pivot between a retracted position and a remote position relative to the vehicle body.

 This device of the prior art has principally for disadvantage the blocking by bracing of the lever in Y when the door is in retracted position, which obliges to resort to deport the door towards outside of the cockpit at the beginning opening, either to an additional opening assistance system, such as a spring necessarily making it more difficult to close the door, or to a handle placed on the door on the rail side, therefore far from the area access to the passenger compartment, which is impractical.

 Consequently, the aim of the present invention is to solve all the problems encountered in the guiding devices of the prior art, by proposing a device of the Y-lever type, articulated to the door and to a carrying carriage and the branch of which projecting is guided along a curved rail, characterized in that the shape and the relative dimensions of the curved part of the rail and the Y-lever are such that in the retracted position of the door, the axis of the articulation of the lever to the carriage and the axis of the drive roller extend substantially in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rail, while the axis of the articulation hinge of the lever and the door is substantially aligned with the axis of the rail, and such that said hinge follows a trajectory whose tangent at the start of opening of the door, is oriented towards the outside of the passenger compartment at an angle of at least 200 and preferably of about 400 compared to plane perpendicular to the axis of the rail.

 The present invention is also characterized in that the carrier carriage is supported by a single carrier wheel or roller, mounted on a horizontal axis extending in line with the vertical axis of a guide roller of the carriage around which is also articulated the lever.

 The invention is further characterized in that the carrier carriage comprises, on the side opposite the drive roller relative to the guide roller, an extension at the end of which is pivotally mounted a second guide roller rolling in the rectilinear portion of the rail.

However, other advantages and characteristics of the present invention will appear better in the detailed description of an embodiment given solely by way of example, which follows and refers to the appended drawings in which
- Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation and partially broken away of a device according to the invention, shown in the retracted position of the door as well as its offset position
- Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view along line II-II of Figure 1
- Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view along the line ITI-III of Figure 2; and
- Figure 4 shows schematically the distribution of forces in the device according to the invention, during the opening and closing of the door.

 Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the device for guiding a sliding door 1 along the side of the body 2 of a vehicle, such as a motor vehicle for example, comprises a rail 3 which s 'extends substantially horizontally and which is fixed in an elongated housing 4, formed in the side of the body 2. The rail 3 extends and is fixed in the housing 4 from an upright 27 of the body delimiting the area d access to the passenger compartment closable by the door, up to an end (not shown) distant from said upright by a distance substantially equal to the width of the door 1. This rail 3 is composed of a straight section 3b which extends by a curved end section 3a, projecting inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

 As can be clearly seen in FIG. 3, the rail 3 has a C-shaped section and includes a lower part which acts as a raceway 3c for a carrier wheel or roller 5 integral with a carrier carriage 6 which will be described in detail later. The upper part of the rail 3 forms a 3d guide path inside which rollers 7, 8 and 9, free in rotation, are guided. These rollers 7, 8 are respectively mounted on axes 10 and 11 secured to the carriage 6, while the roller 9 is mounted on a shaft 12 secured to a lever 13.

 Referring to Figure 2, we note that the lever 13 has the shape of a "Y" in horizontal section.

A so-called main branch of this "Y" extends from the door 1 to the rail 3. One end of this main branch is articulated to the door 1 by means of a hinge 14, with a vertical axis marked at 15, and is fixed on the edge of the door 1 using lugs 16 and screws 17. The opposite end of this main branch is, as for. it, articulated on the vertical axis 11 around which are also pivotally mounted the roller 8 called "guide", as well as the carrying carriage 6.

 The Y-shaped lever 13 has a second projecting branch which extends from the main branch at an acute angle relative to the end of the main branch to which the guide roller 8 is fixed. In the so-called "position" retracted "from the door 1, visible on the right in FIG. 2, the free end of the protruding branch of the lever is arranged at the right of the end of the curved section 3a of the rail 3, and supports at its upper part the axis of rotation 12 around which the roller 9 called "drive" of the lever 13 is mounted around the axis 11 of the guide roller 8.

 According to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, the carrier carriage 6 is of elongated shape and supports at its lower part the aforementioned carrier roller 5 whose horizontal axis of rotation 25 extends transversely right through the carriage 6 between two integral support tabs on said carriage 6. The upper part of the carrying carriage 6 has an extension which extends in the longitudinal direction of the straight section 3b of the rail and which supports, at its end opposite the lever 13, a second roller guide 7, rolling inside the 3d part of the rail 3. It is already understood that the two guide rollers 7 and 8 make it possible to keep the carrier roller 5 parallel to the section 3b of the rail 3 when the carriage 6 moves.

 It will be noted here that the horizontal axis 25 of the support roller 5 advantageously extends in line with the vertical axis 11 for supporting the guide roller 8, to which the main branch of the lever 13 is also articulated.

Thanks to this coaxial mounting of the lever 13, of the carriage 6 and of the guide roller 8, it is possible to avoid the overhangs tending to deform the carrier carriage 6 and to reduce the quality of the guide of the carrier roller 5 the along the rail 3.

 It can be seen in FIG. 2 that the shape and the relative dimensions of the curved part 3a of the rail 3 as well as those of the lever 13 are such that, in the retracted position of the door 1, that is to say with the outer wall of this door 1 flush with the body of the vehicle body 2, the axes 11 and 12 of the guide rollers 8 and dientralment 9 respectively, extend substantially in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the straight section 3b of the rail , while the vertical axis 15 of the hinge 14 is substantially in alignment with the axis of the straight section 3b. The vertical axes 11 and 12 on the one hand, 11 and 15 on the other hand are thus contained in two substantially perpendicular planes.

 The particular configuration of the invention allows, when a longitudinal force is exerted on the door 1 at the start of its opening, to produce, by reaction of the drive roller 9 in the curved section 3a of the rail, a resulting torque which tends to first pivot the lever 13 around the axis of this roller 9. For this purpose, the layout of the curved part 3a of the rail is such that the movement of the lever 13 resulting from the rolling of the rollers 8 and 9 in the sections 3b and 3a of the rail causes a displacement of the axis 15 along a trajectory T avoiding the bracing of the door at the start of opening, as indicated below, so that any longitudinal force applied to the door 1 in the direction of its opening tends to rotate the lever 13 and therefore to move the door 1 to its so-called "offset" position, that is to say offset towards the outside relative to the rail 3. Consequently, the device according to the invention does not require a help system the opening of the door such as a spring and the door handle can be placed thereon on the side of the access to the cockpit area.

 It will also be specified here that the housing 4 in which the rail 3 is fixed may, as in FIG. 3, be protected by a cover 26 of metal or plastic, which leaves visible only a narrow groove of length substantially identical to that of the rectilinear section 3d of the rail, and of sufficient height for the passage of the main arm of the lever 13. This cover 26 can also be constituted by the lower part of a window or by a body element of the vehicle.

 Returning to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the curved section 3a of the rail which projects into the passenger compartment of the vehicle is also protected by a cover which may be constituted by a covering element for the passenger compartment or by an attached part. to an upright 27 serving as a frame for the door 1. It is also to be noted that, when the door is retracted, the lever 13 is entirely concealed by a flange 21 of the door 1, which projects from the contact end of it with the amount 27.

 The seal between the upright 27 and the door is ensured by a seal identified at 28.

 Referring now to Figures 2 and 4, the operation of the device described above will be explained. When the door 1 is in its retracted position, as on the right in FIG. 2, the rollers 7 and 8 are aligned in the rectilinear portion 3b of the rail, while the drive roller 9 is in abutment at the end of the curved section 3a. As mentioned above, in this position, the carriage 6 extends along the longitudinal axis of the rail 3 and the main branch of the lever 13 extends from the carriage 6 to the door 1, substantially in alignment with the rectilinear portion 3b of the rail. If a force F is exerted on the door 1, by means of a handle (not shown) preferably located on the side of the access to the passenger compartment, it occurs, by reaction of the drive roller 9 in abutment at the end of the curved section 3a, a resulting torque which tends to pivot the lever 13 first around the axis 12 of this roller 9, the axis 15 of the lever describing a path T (in dotted lines in FIG. 4) whose tangent F1 at the start of the opening of door 1, is oriented towards the outside of the passenger compartment and towards the rail at an angle of at least 200 and preferably about 400 with respect to the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the straight section 3b. Simultaneously with the pivoting d u lever 13 around the axes 11 and 12, the carrier carriage 6, guided by the rollers 7 and 8 and supported by the roller 5, moves along the straight section 3b in the direction of the force F applied to the door 1 .

 When the roller 9 moves along the curved section 3a of the rail, the lever 13 gives the door 1 an opening movement along the path T.

 When the drive roller 9 reaches the straight section 3b of the rail, the lever 13 is located and is held in a position perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the straight section 3b, as can be seen on the left in FIG. 2. In this perpendicular position of the lever 13, the door 1 is completely offset towards the outside of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, and can therefore slide freely under the effect of the force F.

 To close door 1, it suffices to exert on door 1 an effort in the opposite direction to that of F.

The rollers 7, 8 and 9 are then guided along the rail 3 until the entrainment roller 9 engages in the curved section 3a and gives the hinge 14 of the lever 13 a rotational movement along the path T, but in the opposite direction to that described above. This rotation has the effect of folding the door 1 towards the interior of the passenger compartment, until it is completely retracted in its frame.

 Thanks to the particular structure of the invention as described above, the lever 13 and its centering roller 9, as well as the curved section 3a of the rail 3, have the effect of blocking the door î in its retracted position when the entrainment roller 9 abuts at the end of the curved section 3a, thus making any door locking mechanism, such as a locking latch for example, unnecessary.

 There has thus been produced a device for guiding a sliding and retractable door in the body of a vehicle, which is reliable and inexpensive, and which moreover requires neither a return mechanism nor a blocking mechanism. In addition, the device according to the invention makes it possible to obtain gentle and easy handling of the door.

 Of course, the invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described and illustrated, which has been given only by way of example.

 This is how the number of rollers as well as the shape of the carriage or Y-shaped lever depends on the use that one wishes to make of it.

 The invention therefore includes all the technical equivalents of the means described and their combinations, if these are carried out according to the spirit.

Claims (4)

 1. A device for guiding a sliding vehicle door, of the type comprising a Y-shaped lever of which a main branch is articulated on the one hand to the door (1) by a hinge (14) with a vertical axis (15), and is articulated on the other hand to a carrying carriage (6), guided in a rail (3) fixed along the body (2) of the vehicle and having on its side closest to the door jamb (1), a curved part (3a) towards the interior of the passenger compartment, said carrying carriage (6) being connected to the lever (13) by means of a pivot with a vertical axis (11) on which a guide roller ( 8) of the carriage along the rail is mounted in rotation, said lever (13) further comprising a projecting branch at the end of which is pivotally mounted a drive roller (9) in rotation of the lever (13 ) around the axis (11) of the guide roller (8), so that the displacement of the drive roller (9) along the curved part (3a) of the rail (3) causes the pivot ment of the door (1) between a retracted closing position and an offset position relative to the body (2) of the vehicle, characterized in that the shape and the relative dimensions of the curved part (3a) of the rail (3) and of the lever (13) in Y are such that in the retracted position of the door, the axes (11, 12) of the guide rollers (8) and of the drive (9) extend substantially in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rail (3), while the axis (15) of the hinge (14) is substantially. in alignment with the straight part (3b) of said rail, and are such that the hinge (14) follows a trajectory (T) whose tangent at the start of opening of the door (1) is oriented towards the outside of the passenger compartment at an angle of at least 200 and preferably about 400. relative to the above perpendicular plane.  2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the carrier carriage (6) is supported by a single carrier wheel or roller (5), mounted on a horizontal axis (25) extending in line with the vertical axis ( 11) of the guide roller (8) on which the lever (13) is also articulated.  3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the carrier carriage (6) comprises, on the side opposite to the drive roller (9) relative to the guide roller (8), an extension at the end of which is pivotally mounted a second guide roller (7) rolling in the straight portion (3b) of the rail.  4. Sliding door for a vehicle, for example a motor vehicle, characterized in that it is equipped with a guide device according to one of claims 1 to 3.