FR2837519A1 - Support and guide assembly for motor vehicle sliding door has roller with two rolling surfaces moving in guide rail fixed to vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The assembly consists of a roller (30) connected by a support (22) to the sliding door (8) and moving in a guide rail (18) fixed to the vehicle body (4). The roller has two rolling surfaces (40, 46) on either side of a plane of symmetry (M) lying perpendicular to its axis (X-X), and lines (N1, N2) perpendicular to the working surfaces have axial components (C1, C2) that are parallel to the roller's axis and act in opposite directions.

Description

claims 1 to 20.

  The present invention relates to a support and guide assembly

  for sliding door of a motor vehicle.

  It applies in particular to the sliding side doors of

  passenger or utility vehicles.

  Sliding doors are known for motor vehicles comprising a support and guide assembly formed by a support roller and by two guide rollers. The carrier roller is mounted to move in rotation about a horizontal axis, while the two guide rollers are movable in

  rotation around two vertical parallel axes.

  o In the assembled state, the assembly is arranged in a rail, which consists of a hollow section of rectangular section, so that it can slide along

this rail.

  In order to allow movement of the support and guide assembly, the distance between the two walls of the profile associated with a roller

  s guide is slightly greater than the diameter of this roller.

  Consequently, during the sliding of the door between its open and closed positions, the guide rollers are not always in contact with the wall of the profile and are applied alternately against the two

  walls, which generates unpleasant noises for the occupants of the vehicle.

  o Such support and guide assemblies include

  many parts, which makes them expensive to manufacture and assemble.

  The object of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks and to propose a support and guide assembly which generates little noise during operation, which is easy to manufacture and whose number of parts is reduced, while ensuring effective guidance. side door when sliding. To this end, the invention relates to an assembly of the aforementioned type, characterized in that it comprises two gays mounted coaxially to one another on an axis, and movable in rotation and in translation on this axis, each roller 3 o having a rolling surface having a convex convex shape, these rolling surfaces being directed in opposite directions, and elastic means adapted to oppose an axial displacement of each of the rollers

  under the action of a radial force acting on the respective rolling surface.

  According to other embodiments, the invention can include one or more of the following characteristics: - the rollers are symmetrical with respect to each other; - The rolling surface of the roller closest to each end of the axis has an axial component which is directed towards this end of the axis; - The elastic means comprise a spring member disposed between the two rollers and urging said rollers in opposite axial directions; - The assembly further comprises axial stop means adapted o to limit the axial movement of the two rollers; - the stop means comprise a first stop disposed between the two rollers; - The stop means comprise two second stops arranged on one side and on the other of the two rollers; s - the elastic means comprise two spring members, each of which is interposed between the first stop and a respective roller, the two spring members being in particular formed by two Belleville washers; - The assembly further includes a support and guide rail which comprises a first pair of tracks complementary to the 2 o rolling surfaces of the rollers; - The rali comprises a second pair of tracks identical to said first pair and arranged opposite it, and said second pair of tracks is spaced from said first pair so that, in the state unsolicited rollers, the rolling surfaces come into contact with only one of the two pairs of tracks at a time; - The cross-sectional profile of each pair of tracks is substantially V-shaped, the tracks of each pair being directed towards each other; - The guide rail is constituted by a profile with cross section 3 o constant over its length, in particular by an extruded profile; and

  - the profile has a general hexagonal cross section.

  The invention further relates to a sliding door for a motor vehicle comprising a set of support rollers and two sets of guide and support rollers, characterized in that at least one of the two sets of guide rollers and of support conforms to the assembly as

defined above.

  According to a particular embodiment, the door is characterized in that the two sets of support and guide rollers are arranged on the lower part and the middle part of the door.

  The invention will be better understood on reading the description which will

  follow, given only by way of example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle o comprising a sliding door according to the invention, and - Figure 2 is a sectional view along line 11-ll of Figure 1

  a guide assembly according to the invention.

  In Figure 1 is shown a motor vehicle for example of

  type "minivan" or the utility type designated by the general reference 2.

  s In the following, the expressions "front", "rear" and

  "laterally" will be used in relation to the usual orientation of the vehicle.

  The vehicle 2 comprises a body 4 delimiting a lateral opening 6, which allows access to the interior of this vehicle on 2, and in particular to the

rear part of the passenger compartment.

  o A sliding side door 8 is mounted on the lateral side of the body 4. This door 8 is movable in translation between a front position for closing the side opening 6 (Figure 1) and a rear release position

  of this lateral opening (not shown).

  To this end, the door 8 is connected to the body by means of three slide assemblies, one of which is an upper slide assembly 10 which consists of a carrier roller, known per se and two respectively central median slide assemblies 12 and lower 14 support and guide. The slide assemblies 10, 12 and 14 are interposed between the body 4 and the

side door 6.

  The support and guide assemblies 12, 14 are adapted, on the one hand, to support the weight of the door 8 and, on the other hand, to guide the door laterally during its movement. In the following, the median support assembly 12 and

  guide will be described, the lower assembly 14 being identical.

  The support and guide assembly 12 comprises a roller module 16 and a support and guide rail 18 in which the roller module

  16 is received, as shown in Figure 2.

  The roller module 16 has an axis 20 extending perpendicular to the side door 6 and having a threaded end 22. The roller module 16 is fixed by means of a nut 24 and a lock nut 26 to the

  body of the door 8. The axis 20 extends, in the mounted state of the door, horizontally.

  The axis 20 comprises, at its distal part of the door 8, a flange forming a central stop 28 integral with the axis 20 and defining a plane of symmetry o M-M. The roller module 16 further comprises two identical rollers respectively 30, 31, mounted on the axis 20 on either side of the median plane MM, that is to say of the central stop 28. These rollers 30, 31 are movable in rotation

and in translation on the axis 20.

  The gaiet 30 has two flat and opposite side walls, 30a and 30b respectively, one 30a facing the body 4 and the other 30b facing the central stop 28, connected together by a curved portion 30c forming a surface of rolling. This rolling surface has

  preferably a convex convex shape of a portion of a sphere.

  o Similarly, the roller 31 has two flat and opposite side walls, respectively 31a and 31b, one 31a facing the side door 8 and the other 30b facing the central stop 28, connected between them by a portion curve 31 c forming a rolling surface. This rolling surface preferably has a convex convex shape of a portion of: s sphere. The rolling surface 30c, 31c of the roller closest to each end of the axis 20 has an axial component which is directed towards this

end of axis 20.

  An elastic member forming a spring, in this case a Belleville washer respectively 34a, 34b, is interposed between each roller 30, 31 and the central stop 28. The two Belleville washers 34a, 34b each bias the rollers 30, 31 in the axial direction of the rolling surface 30c, 31c of the roller 30,

31 respectively.

  Thus, the Belleville washer 34a is interposed between the side wall b of the roller 30 and the central stop 28 so as to exert a thrust on the

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  roller 30 in the direction of the body 4 and the Belleville washer 34b is interposed between the side wall 31b of the roller 31 and the central stop 28 in order to exert a thrust on the roller 31 in the direction of the side door 8. Therefore, the rollers 30, 31 are biased in two opposite axial directions so as to separate them from one another. The axis 20 further includes two annular grooves 35, 36

  at a distance on either side of the central stop 28.

  A split rod 38, 40 is snapped into each of the grooves 35, 36 on each side of the rollers opposite the central stop 28. The split rods 38, 40 form lateral stops and limit the axial movement of the rollers 30, 31

  when they are not stressed by the weight of the door.

  The part of the roller module 16 which is inside the rail 18 is

  symmetrical with respect to the M-M plane.

  The support and guide rail 18 consists of a profile 42, for example of extruded metal, fixed on the lateral side of the chassis 4 of the vehicle 2 by conventional fixing means (not shown). This profile 42 has a cross section substantially of generally hexagonal shape. The cross section is identical over the length of the rail 18 and is symmetrical with respect to

  to a central plane C which extends horizontally in the assembled state of the rail 18.

  o The section 42 comprises a first pair 44 of tracks 46, 48 rectilinear and V-shaped open towards the rollers 30, 31. The tracks 46, 48 are directed towards each other. On runway 46, the roller 30 is supported while the

  roller 31 is supported on runway 48.

  Thus, the first pair 44 of tracks has a shape complementary to the

  : s running surfaces of the rollers 30c, 31c.

  On the opposite side of the first pair 44 of tracks, the section 42 comprises a second pair 50 of tracks 52, 54, identical to the first pair 44. The two pairs 44, 50 of tracks are connected by a central connecting branch 56 which is fixed to the chassis 4. On the opposite side of the connecting branch 56 the profile 42 has two flanges 58, 60 which delimit a passage 62 for

axis 20.

  The distance d between the central stop 28 and each of the split rods 38, 40 is chosen so that, when the rollers 30, 31 abut against the rods 38, 40, simultaneous contact of the rollers 30, 31 with the two pairs of

  tracks 44, 50 of the rail is prevented.

  Thanks to the fact that the two pairs 44, 50 of tracks are symmetrical with respect to the plane C-C, the rail 18 and the roller module 16 can be used for a left door 8 (as shown) or for a right door. In the latter case, the rail 18 and the roller module 16 are turned 180 relative to FIG. 2, so that the rollers 30, 31 bear on the

second pair 50 of tracks.

  The support and guide assembly is assembled and mounted as follows: The Belleville washers 34a, 34b and the rollers 30, 31 are

  plugged on the axis 20 on either side of the central stop 28.

  Then the split rods 38.40 are snapped into the grooves 35, 36.

  Finally, the roller module 16 is screwed onto the door 8 and fixed by the nut 24 and the lock nut 26. A first roller module 16 is fixed to the rear central part of the door 8, while a second module, identical to the first, is fixed to the lower front part of the door. A carrier module 10 known per se

  is attached to the corresponding top front location of door 8.

  The support and guide rails 18 are fixed to the bodywork 4 of the vehicle, for example by screwing. Then, each roller module 16 is threaded into the corresponding rail 18. When the door 8, under the action of its weight, urges the rollers 30, 31 against the tracks 46, 48 of the first pair 44 of tracks, the radial force acting on the rollers 30, 31 is transformed into a radial component and an axial component which urges each roller 30, 31 to

  The effort of the Belleville washer 34a, 34b associated.

  Consequently, each of the rollers 30, 31 is applied at all times against the corresponding track 46, 48 during the sliding, which

  avoids contact noises between the rollers 30, 31 and the tracks 46, 48.

  In addition, manufacturing tolerances regarding the difference between the

  two sets 12, 14 of support and guide are compensated.

  The fact that the two rollers 30, 31 are identical leads to a low

manufacturing cost.

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  The two rollers 30, 31 of a roller module 16 are arranged along the same axis. Consequently, the manipulations during assembly are simple. As a variant, the roller module comprises an axis support which is articulated relative to the door about an axis extending vertically in the assembled state. Two parallel axes 20, each comprising a pair of rollers 30, 31 and a pair of Belleville washers 34a, 34b as described above, are connected to

  this support, one behind the other in the direction of rail 18.

Claims (13)

  1. Support and guide assembly for a sliding door of a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises: - two rollers (30, 31) mounted coaxially with one another on an axis (20), and movable in rotation and in translation on this axis (20), each roller (30, 31) having a rolling surface (30c, 31c) having a convex convex shape, these rolling surfaces (30c, 31c) being directed in directions opposite, and - elastic means (34a, 34b) adapted to oppose an axial displacement of each of the rollers (30, 31) under the action of a radial force   acting on the respective rolling surface (30c, 31c).   2. Assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the rollers   (30, 31) are symmetrical with respect to each other.   3. Assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rolling surface (30c, 31c) of the roller closest to each end of the axis (20) has an axial component which is directed towards this end of the axis (20).   4. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3,   characterized in that the elastic means comprise a spring member (34a, 34b) disposed between the two rollers (30) and urging said rollers in opposite axial directions.   5. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4,   characterized in that the assembly also comprises means for axia le   (28, 38, 40) adapted to limit the axial movement of the two rollers (30).   2 56. An assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that the stop means comprise a first stop (28) disposed between the two rollers (30, 31).   7. An assembly according to any one of claims 5 or 6,   characterized in that the stop means comprise two second stops   (38, 40) arranged on one side and the other of the two rollers (30, 31).   8. Assembly according to claim 6, or according to claims 6 and   7 taken together, characterized in that the elastic means comprise two spring members (34a, 34b) each of which is interposed between the first stop (28) and a respective roller (30, 31), the two spring members being   in particular formed by two Belleville washers (34a, 34b).   9. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8,   characterized in that it further comprises a support and guide rail (18) which comprises a first pair (44) of complementary raceways   to the rolling surfaces (30c, 31 c) of the rollers (30, 31).   10. The assembly of claim 9, characterized in that the rail comprises a second pair (50) of rolling tracks identical to said first pair (44) and arranged opposite it, and in that said second pair (50) of tracks is spaced from said first pair (44) such that, in the unstressed state of the rollers (30, 31), the rolling surfaces (30c, 31c) do not come into contact contact with only one of the two pairs (44, 50) of tracks at a time.   11. An assembly according to any one of claims 9 or 10,   s characterized in that the cross-sectional profile of each pair (44, 50) - of tracks is substantially V-shaped, the tracks (46, 48, 52, 54) of each   pair being directed towards each other.   12. An assembly according to any one of claims 9 to 11,   characterized in that the guide rail (18) consists of a profile (42) with 2 o constant cross section over its length, in particular by an extruded profile. 13. The assembly of claim 12, characterized in that ie   profile (42) has a general hexagonal cross section.   14. Sliding door for a motor vehicle comprising a set of support cheeks (10) and two sets of rollers (12, 14) for guiding and support, characterized in that at least one of the two sets of rollers (12 , 14) guide and support conforms to the whole of one   any of the preceding claims.   15. Door according to claim 14, characterized in that the two sets of rollers (12, 14) for support and guide are arranged on the part