GB2541683A

GB2541683A - Door for an automobile and to a window system therefor

Info

Publication number: GB2541683A
Application number: GB1515124.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Karadia Narendra
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-08-26
Filing date: 2015-08-26
Publication date: 2017-03-01
Also published as: GB201515124D0

Abstract

A door 6 for an automobile 1 is curvilinear to provide a side portion for the automobile and at least a partial roof portion. A window 10 is shaped to move within the door between closed and open positions and an actuating means is arranged to move the window upwardly such that it retracts towards the roof portion to provide an aperture opening 9 which increases upwardly from a lower closed position. The window is arranged to be lowered into the side portion to close the aperture. In a feature of the invention, the actuator for the window may be arranged to lower the window into the door to provide an aperture opening (Fig. 5, 21) that increases from an upper position with respect to the window when it is closed.

Description

DOOR FOR AN AUTOMOBILE AND TO A WINDOW SYSTEM THEREFOR

This invention relates to a door for an automobile and to a window system therefor.

It is known to provide a door for an automobile which is located within an opening in a body of the automobile so as to permit occupant ingress and egress. The door may be mounted on a front or rear pillar to be forwardly or rearwardly opening respectively, or to be hingedly mounted along substantially an axial portion of a roof of the automobile to be upwardly opening in a guU wing fashion. Alternatively, the door may be slidably arranged to move substantially along a longitudinal axis of the automobile.

It is usual for a window that may be made of laminated or toughened glass, or perspex, or the like, to move vertically within a door frame in a so-called "drop glass" fashion. The conventional "drop glass" window system permits the window to move into a lower portion of the door to permit an occupant increased ventilation and to provide access for parking meters and drive-through areas where it is necessary to dispense or retrieve items, such as at toll booths. So as to provide improved occupants' space within a vehicle, it is also known for the glass to be arcuate in a vertical plane and to be guided in channels in the door frame. Thus, when lowered, the window is located between inner and outer panels of the door, the panels being made of one of metal such as mild steel, aluminium, fibreglass, carbon fibre, or plastics material.

With increase in safety regulations for protecting occupants within a vehicle, air bags are provided within the door to inflate in the event of an accident, thereby protecting occupants. The provision of such airbags increases the depth between inner and outer door panels, leading to automobiles having greater width and, therefore, presenting greater air resistance when moving.

It is also desirable, and increasingly a statutory requirement, for automobiles to be more fuel efficient and to emit lower emissions, such as carbon dioxide (CO2).

Besides improving engine efficiency, improved automobile body design to improve aerodynamics to decrease wind resistance is the subject of much attention.

Sports racing cars and many sports road cars have a reduced width in the passenger compartment area to improve air flow around the vehicle. However, improvements in such air flow are restricted hy windows operating with a drop glass.

The present invention seeks to at least partially mitigate the foregoing disadvantages.

According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a door for an automobile, said door being curvilinear to provide a side portion for the automobile and at least a partial roof portion for the automobile, a window shaped to move within the door between closed and open positions, and actuating means arranged to move said window upwardly toward the roof portion to provide an aperture opening which increases upwardly from a lower closed position and to be lowered into the side portion to close said aperture.

Preferably, said actuating means is also arranged to lower said window into the door to provide an aperture opening that increases from an upper position with respect to the window when it is closed.

Advantageously, window guide means are provided in at least one curvihnear channel in the door to guide leading and trailing sides of the window through a curvilinear path conforming to the curvilinear door shape.

Advantageously, the guide means are shaped to permit the window to move translationally in both a vertical and a horizontal plane, i.e. diagonally with respect to a longitudinal axis of the automobile.

Conveniently, the acuating means include a motor and a lazy tong arrangement located above the window and inside said door.

Advantageously, said door is one of hinged to a doorframe of said automobile at one of a side front pillar, and a rear pillar to be forward or rearwardly opening respectively, and to a substantially longitudinally axial portion of the roof of said automobile to open upwardly in a gull wing fashion, and to be shdeable along substantially the longitudinal axis of said automobile, and hinged to move upwardly and forwardly.

Conveniently, the window is manufactured from one of glass, which may be laminated or toughened glass, and perspex or the like.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a window system for an automobile door which is curvilinear to provide a side portion for the automobile and at least a partial roof portion of the automobile, said window system including a window shaped to move within the door between open and closed positions, and actuating means arranged to move said window upwardly toward the roof portion to provide an aperture opening which increases upwardly from a lower closed position, and to be lowered into the side portion to close said aperture.

It will be understood that the present invention facilitates a door for an automobile which may be of reduced thickness and may even have only a single, outer, panel, thereby saving weight and cost as well as providing improved aerodynamics for an automobile.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an automobile incorporating a door and window system in accordance with this invention in which the window is shown in a closed position.

Figure 2 shows a partial front vertical cross-sectional view of Figure 1,

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of an automobile having a door and window in accordance with this invention with the window in an open position where the window is retracted into an upper, roof forming area of the door,

Figure 4 shows a partial front vertical cross-sectional view of Figure 3,

Figure 5 shows a door and window system in accordance with this invention with the window in a lower open position, leaving a gap at the top of a window aperture,

Figure 6 shows a partial front vertical cross-sectional view of Figure 5,

Figure 7 shows a top schematic view of air flow around an automobile incorporating the door and window system of this invention,

Figure 8 shows a partial front vertical cross-sectional view of a door in another embodiment of this invention with a window in a closed position.

Figure 9 shows a partial front vertical cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in Figure 8 with the window in an open position, and

Figure 10 shows a partial front vertical cross-sectional view of the another emhodiment with the window in a lower open position.

In the Figures like reference numerals denote like parts.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, an automobile 1 is depicted as having a pair of opening doors, although it is to be understood that this invention relates similarly to automobiles having four or more doors and the invention may be applied to each of said doors. The automobile shown in Figures 1 and 2 has a pair of door apertures 2, each having a leading edge 4, a trailing edge 3, and a top edge 5 extending substantially longitudinally of a longitudinal axis of the automobile. Within each aperture 2 is a door 6 which may be hinged at a front pillar at the leading edge 4 so as to be forwardly opened or at a rear pillar located at the rear edge 3 so as to be rearwardly opened, or at the top edge 5 so as to be upwardly opened in a gull wing fashion. Alternatively, the door may be slideable along substantially the longitudinal axis of the automobile or hinged to move upwardly and forwardly.

The automobile has an engine (not shown) and wheels 31.

The door 6 has a reduced body section 7, i.e. it is concave from an exterior surface, below a swage line 8 that is below a window aperture 9.

The door has an outer panel 61 and an inner panel 62, an upper outer door panel 63 and an upper inner door panel 64. The upper outer door panel 63 and upper inner door panel 64 abut a roof panel 65. A window 10, which is shown in a closed position in Figures 1 and 2, has an actuating mechanism 11 that includes a motor (not shown) and a lazy tong arrangement such that the window may be raised and lowered. The window is restrained within guide channels (not shown) and is arranged to follow a curvilinear path following the curvilinear shape of the door which provides side and partial roof portions for the automobile.

In Figure 1, the cross-hatched section denotes the transparent section of the window which may be made from laminated or toughened glass or of perspex material, or the like.

Although the window shown in Figures 1 and 2 is indicated as moving in a generally vertical direction, the window may be arranged to move translationally in both vertical and horizontal planes, i.e. diagonally with respect to a longitudinal axis of the automobile, in dependence upon space and design requirements.

In Figure 2, there is shown an occupant 15.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, the window is shown in an upper raised position where the window has moved through a curvilinear path to be located between the upper outer door panel 63 and the upper inner door panel 64 and the window mechanism 11 is shown contracted. Thus, the window 10 is raised to provide a lower window aperture 9 within the door 6, the area of the window being shown cross-hatched. In the position shown in Figures 3 and 4 with the window raised, so an opening 20 is created within the window aperture 9.

In Figures 5 and 6, the window is shown dropped to locate into a space between the outer door panel 61 and inner door panel 62 so as to provide an upper opening 21 for ventilation of the interior of the automobile.

By virtue of the doors being of thinner construction created by the incorporation of the present invention having windows that are raised to create a window opening, so the automobile aerodynamics are improved, as shown in Figure 7 where the air flow is shown by arrow-headed lines 70.

Thus, the present invention permits a smoother air flow through and around the automobile due to the amount of air deflection being reduced.

The present invention, as well as having improved aerodynamic effects, also improves the occupant's space within a vehicle.

Figures 8, 9 and 10 show another embodiment of a door in accordance with this invention. In Figures 8, 9 and 10, instead of the door being concave from an exterior surface, it is concave from an inner surface so as to provide increased internal storage space 680 within the vehicle, thereby providing the vehicle with deeper and wider internal door pockets. In the Figures 8-10, the upper outer door panel is raised above the roof panel 65 to provide an upwardly extending portion 630 of the door into which the window 10 may extend when raised. In Figures 8 - 10, an outer door panel 610 may be flat in a vertical plane or slightly curved, as is usual, and the door has an inner door panel 620 which is concave from an interior of the vehicle.

Figure 8 shows the window 10 in a closed position. Figure 9 shows the window 10 in a fully raised position with the window extending into portion 630 and

Figure 10 shows the window 10 lowered into a lower portion of the door between outer panel 610 and inner door panel 620 so as to provide an upper opening 21.

Claims

1. An automobile, said door being curvilinear to provide a side portion for the automobile and at least a partial roof portion for the automobile, a window shaped to move within the door between closed and open positions, and actuating means arranged to move said window upwardly toward the roof portion to provide an aperture opening which increases upwardly from a lower closed position and to be lowered into the side portion to close said aperture.

2. An automobile as claimed in claim 1, wherein said actuating means is also arranged to lower said window into the door to provide an aperture opening that increases from an upper position with respect to the window when it is closed.

3. An automobile as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein window guide means are provided in at least one curvilinear channel in the door to guide leading and trailing sides of the window through a curvilinear path conforming to the curvilinear door shape.

4. An automobile as claimed in claim 3, wherein the guide means are shaped to permit the window to move translationally in both a vertical and a horizontal plane, i.e. diagonally with respect to a longitudinal axis of the automobile.

5. An automobile as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the acuatmg means include a motor and a lazy tong arrangement located above the window and inside said door.

6. An automobile as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said door is one of hinged to a doorframe of said automohde at one of a side front pillar, and a rear pillar to be forward or rearwardly opening respectively, and to a substantially longitudinally axial portion of the roof of said automobile to open upwardly in a gull wing fashion, and to be slideable along substantially the longitudinal axis of said automobile and hinged to move upwardly and forwardly.

7. An automobile as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the window is manufactured from one of glass, which may be laminated or toughened glass, and perspex or the like.

8. A window system for an automobile door which is curvilinear to provide a side portion for the automobile and at least a partial roof portion of the automobile, said window system including a window shaped to move within the door between open and closed positions, and acmating means arranged to move said window upwardly toward the roof portion to provide an aperture opening which increases upwardly from a lower closed position, and to be lowered into the side portion to close said aperture.

9. An automobile substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

10. A window system substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.