GB1597067A - Sliding door assemblies - Google Patents

Abstract

The device allows a translation in the form of sliding of the lateral door of vehicles. The upper part of each flap (V) is integral with one of the branches of a hinge (CH) articulated along a horizontal axis and the second branch (CHS) of which is hooked for the purpose of interacting, in the open position of the flap (V) with the folded-over part (RW) of the single retention channel integral with the upper part of the vehicle. This device is particularly applicable to the sliding doors of vehicles such as lorries. <IMAGE>

Description

(54) SLIDING DOOR ASSEMBLIES (71) I, JULES BIZIEN, a French citizen, of 18 Route de Roscoff, 29250 Saint Pol De Leon, France, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to devices allowing the sliding of doors forming the side panels of a vehicle in order to facilitate its loading or unloading.

In general, each sliding panel or leaf moves by means of roller wheels in relation to an upper rail; there are thus as many rails as leaves (for example, French Patent No. 1472.

503 filed by Akermann Fahrzenball). The maximum width of a vehicle being fixed by regulation, it follows that the useful volume of the platform of the vehicle is reduced very considerably when there are several leaves, as is the case with heavy lorries having a very long platform.

A partial solution was achieved on the basis of the British Patent No. 1,230,296.

The device described therein comprises only an upper guide rail and a lower bearing rail, the latter being provided with track widenings at the position where one leaf has to pass in front of its neighbour. Although the overall dimensions of these rails are less than in the preceding case, their presence still reduces the useful loading width by about 25 cms.

The invention provides a sliding door assembly for vehicles, which comprises a plurality of adjacent leaves, an upper rail, means integral with each leaf interacting with this rail allowing it to be displaced laterally in relation to the said upper rail, a lower rail of which the rolling track comprises lateral crossing protrusions and is traversed by roller wheels supporting the said leaf wherein each leaf is guided at its upper end by a guide element having one part fixed with respect to the leaf and a further hook-shaped part hinged about a horizontal axis to said one part which hook-shaped part cooperates with the upper rail and wherein the upper rail has an elongate section adapted such that said elongate section is slidingly engaged by the hook-shaped part when the leaf is moved transversely of the rail from a closed postiion to an open position which movement is accompanied by a pivotal movement of the hook-shaped part to a position not in horizontal alignment with the hook-shaped part of a neighbouring door when in its closed position.

The invention considerably reduces this lost space by mating use of a novel upper rail of reduced width (approximately 43 m.m.), the protrusions of the lower rail necessary for the crossing of the leaves extending underneath the platform.

Other details and advantages will become apparent on reading the description and Claims which follow and which have reference to the attached drawings in which: Figure 1 is a transverse schematic view of a leaf in the normal closed position.

Figure 2 is a partial plan view of the lower rail.

Figure 3 is a transverse schematic view of a leaf at the moment when it passes in front of its neighbour in order to provide a side opening in the lorry.

As will be seen from these drawings, each leaf V is supported by two angled levers Cd terminating in a fork CC in which a bearing roller wheel G, rolling in a lower rail R1, is rotatably supported.

In its upper part each leaf is integral with an articulated piece along a horizontal axis, forming a form of hinge CH, the hooked branch of which is bent over into a U and slides in the U of the upper rail RS which will be described more fully below.

As will be seen from Figure 2, the lower rail R1 comprises a rectilinear rolling track Ra bounded externally by a rim Rb, and at certain positions protrusions Rc and Rd of this rolling track, located on the inner side underneath the edging strip Br of the vehicle platform. These protrusions Rc and Rd are bounded by essentially vertical rims Re, the vertical rim Rf and Rc being inclined longitudinally to form a ramp enabling the fork CC to pass from an "entry" position to an "exit" position.

The fork CC is integral with an angled lever Cd in such a way that the roller G can be carried alternatively by Ra or Rc of the rail R1.

The upper rail Rs comprises a vertical part Rv fixed to the edge of the roof and acting also as a guide to the leaf V. This vertical part is prolonged by a horizontal part RH, itself adjacent to another vertical part Ru (Rv-RH and Ru forming an inverted U).

The branch Ru is bent over to form a gutter Rz.

As will be seen from Figure 1, in the closed position the leaf is upright and is carried by its roller wheels G located under neath the platform, so that the branch CHs of the hinge is accommodated between the branches of the inverted U Rv-RH-Ru.

In this position, the leaf is held in this vertical position by lateral lugs which engage in an upright.

To open, the user disengages these lugs and pulls the leaf towards him, the rollers G passing from the protrusions Rc of rail R, to the rolling track Ra.

This separation from the bottom of the door is translated into tilting, which results in the branch CHs descending into the in verted U of the upper rail until its angle CHA bears on the bent back portion Rw of the gutter Rz like a suspensory element. In Figure 3 it is evident that in this position the upper branch of the hinge CHs passes beneath the upper branch of the hinge of a neighbouring leaf in the closed position.

Because of this, only one upper rail is required and this can be of minimum width because there is no crossing over of sus pensory elements in width, but only in height.

To close, it is sufficient to return the leaf to its place and to push, so that its rollers retum to Rc underneath the platform.

The branch Rv of rail Rs is stiffened longitudinally by a bent over portion Rp, which also constitutes a tight fit to the passage of the uprights.

A plate Tz, bent into a Z, fixed be tween leaf and hinge, likewise ensures tightness.

WHAT I CLAIM IS:- 1. A sliding door assembly for vehicles, which comprises a plurality of adjacent leaves, an upper rail, means integral with each leaf interacting with this rail allowing it to be displaced laterally in relation to the said upper rail, a lower rail of which the rolling track comprises lateral crossing protrusions and is traversed by roller wheels supporting the said leaf wherein each leaf is guided at its upper end by a guide element having one part fixed with respect to the leaf and a further hook-shaped part hinged about a horizontal axis to said one part which hookshaped part cooperates with the upper rail and wherein the upper rail has an elongate section adapted such that said elongate section is slidingly engaged by the hook-shaped part when the leaf is moved transversely of the rail from a closed position to an open position which movement is accompanied by a pivotal movement of the hook-shaped part to a position not in horizontal alignment with the hook-shaped part of a neighbouring door when in its closed position.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said section of the upper rail comprises an upwardly open channel-shaped portion in which the hook-shaped part engages when the leaf is moved into said open position thereof.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the channel-shaped section has a side wall extending at an obtuse angle to the base of such section such that the free end of such side wall engages in an angle formed between sections of the hook-shaped part when the leaf is in said open position to suspend the guide element on the rail.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the upper rail has a portion above said channel-shaped portion adapted to accommodate the hook-shaped part when the leaf is in its closed position.

5. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each roller wheel is rotat ably mounted in a clevis provided at the end of a respective angle member one limb of which is fixed with respect to the leaf.

6. A sliding door assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.

7. A vehicle having a sliding door assembly as claimed in any preceding claim.

8. A vehicle as claimed in claim 7, wherein said protrusions of said roller track extend beneath a load receiving platform of the vehicle.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (8)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. CC to pass from an "entry" position to an "exit" position. The fork CC is integral with an angled lever Cd in such a way that the roller G can be carried alternatively by Ra or Rc of the rail R1. The upper rail Rs comprises a vertical part Rv fixed to the edge of the roof and acting also as a guide to the leaf V. This vertical part is prolonged by a horizontal part RH, itself adjacent to another vertical part Ru (Rv-RH and Ru forming an inverted U). The branch Ru is bent over to form a gutter Rz. As will be seen from Figure 1, in the closed position the leaf is upright and is carried by its roller wheels G located under neath the platform, so that the branch CHs of the hinge is accommodated between the branches of the inverted U Rv-RH-Ru. In this position, the leaf is held in this vertical position by lateral lugs which engage in an upright. To open, the user disengages these lugs and pulls the leaf towards him, the rollers G passing from the protrusions Rc of rail R, to the rolling track Ra. This separation from the bottom of the door is translated into tilting, which results in the branch CHs descending into the in verted U of the upper rail until its angle CHA bears on the bent back portion Rw of the gutter Rz like a suspensory element. In Figure 3 it is evident that in this position the upper branch of the hinge CHs passes beneath the upper branch of the hinge of a neighbouring leaf in the closed position. Because of this, only one upper rail is required and this can be of minimum width because there is no crossing over of sus pensory elements in width, but only in height. To close, it is sufficient to return the leaf to its place and to push, so that its rollers retum to Rc underneath the platform. The branch Rv of rail Rs is stiffened longitudinally by a bent over portion Rp, which also constitutes a tight fit to the passage of the uprights. A plate Tz, bent into a Z, fixed be tween leaf and hinge, likewise ensures tightness. WHAT I CLAIM IS:-

1. A sliding door assembly for vehicles, which comprises a plurality of adjacent leaves, an upper rail, means integral with each leaf interacting with this rail allowing it to be displaced laterally in relation to the said upper rail, a lower rail of which the rolling track comprises lateral crossing protrusions and is traversed by roller wheels supporting the said leaf wherein each leaf is guided at its upper end by a guide element having one part fixed with respect to the leaf and a further hook-shaped part hinged about a horizontal axis to said one part which hookshaped part cooperates with the upper rail and wherein the upper rail has an elongate section adapted such that said elongate section is slidingly engaged by the hook-shaped part when the leaf is moved transversely of the rail from a closed position to an open position which movement is accompanied by a pivotal movement of the hook-shaped part to a position not in horizontal alignment with the hook-shaped part of a neighbouring door when in its closed position.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said section of the upper rail comprises an upwardly open channel-shaped portion in which the hook-shaped part engages when the leaf is moved into said open position thereof.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the channel-shaped section has a side wall extending at an obtuse angle to the base of such section such that the free end of such side wall engages in an angle formed between sections of the hook-shaped part when the leaf is in said open position to suspend the guide element on the rail.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the upper rail has a portion above said channel-shaped portion adapted to accommodate the hook-shaped part when the leaf is in its closed position.

5. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each roller wheel is rotat ably mounted in a clevis provided at the end of a respective angle member one limb of which is fixed with respect to the leaf.

6. A sliding door assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.

7. A vehicle having a sliding door assembly as claimed in any preceding claim.

8. A vehicle as claimed in claim 7, wherein said protrusions of said roller track extend beneath a load receiving platform of the vehicle.