KR960005855B1 - A vehicle closure - Google Patents

Abstract

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Description

Vehicle Opening Closure Assembly

1 is a side perspective view of a vehicle having a safety drop door in a fully closed position, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing the door panel partially moved under the fuselage or chassis of the vehicle and the window partially entering the door panel;

FIG. 2B is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing the door panel and the window in a fully open position with the window fully inserted into the door panel.

3 is a typical layout of a structural member of a chassis under a vehicle chassis supporting a guide rail with doors and windows in a fully open position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

4 and 5 are perspective views of the front and rear door track coupling members respectively positioned at both ends of the door panel.

6 and 7 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention in which the front and door tracks each include a flanged locking device for receiving a door structural member when the door closing position is achieved.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the interior of the door with the elongated locking and support members fixed and protruding in both sides of the door, with the window fully raised or lowered from the door panel.

9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the bottom of a vehicle and a door panel of a car vehicle, showing a conventional balance member connecting the bottom of the door panel to the bottom structure of the vehicle.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention comprising a multipart opening closure means generally consisting of a door panel, a window and a slidable roof panel in a closed and fully open (tangential) position in an overlapping relationship with the door panel.

The present invention relates to a new closure assembly of a vehicle, such as an automobile, and more particularly to an opening closure assembly of a vehicle such as an opening multipart door and a displaceable loop part formed in a curved outer wall.

Typically cars are rectangular in cross section and the doors are hinged to the auto bodies along their square or tip vertical edges so that the rear vertical edges protrude outwards when the door is opened. This type of door has proven to be very dangerous and unwieldy in modern driving environments. For example, the structural integrity of such a door is limited, and the door is opened with an impact in the event of a vehicle accident, thereby endangering people and others in the vehicle. Even during normal use, conventional doors are inadvertently opened, jeopardizing the safety of other passing vehicles, occupants, motorcycle occupants and bicycle occupants. Moreover, vehicles with such doors must be parked at significant distances from each other to allow for convenient getting on and off the vehicle and to prevent neighboring vehicles from dents or scratches.

Currently, designers in the automotive industry are changing conventional rectangular vehicles with doors that open to the outside in favor of aerodynamically designed vehicles. These new vehicles have rounded sides and cross sections similar to the aircraft fuselage. Efforts to modernize door assemblies to meet new geometries have been developed in various forms, such as Berton doors, Mercedes, which slide forward, and the upper edge of doors used in Delorean It has been taken in various forms such as "gull wing" doors that rotate outwardly with respect to, and the bizarre doors of Lambbroghini Countach, which rotate vertically with respect to the upper front edge of the door. However, these doors are used only for show cars and limited production sports cars.

A vertical sliding door for a vehicle has been proposed in which the cross section of the vehicle body is curved and the door can slide to the upper side of the body when the door is opened (for example, US Patent Nos. 2, 819, 114). In the above US patent, the vehicle body is constructed with a curved upper side and has a curved door similar to this form but the doors must overlap each other to facilitate the entry and exit of passengers when in the open position. The actual vertical length of the door, which is required to fill the vertical length of the door opening when closed, and to allow a person to enter and exit the vehicle, places significant design restrictions on the design of the vehicle body. For example, the door must be moved upwards to the roof, as opposed to downwards to any position under the vehicle to avoid excessively high interior floors. Furthermore, the vehicle roof must be curved and must be an extension of the curved outer wall to limit the vehicle body to tubular shape. The track structure associated with the necessary door overlaps occupies a very large space in the vehicle body or roof above the head, reducing structural integrity and significantly reducing the head room (the distance between the head and the ceiling) in the vehicle. Reducing and limiting at the same time requires a vehicle's exterior height that is significantly larger than the vehicle door opening.

In view of the problems with conventional exterior open doors and the new aerodynamic design of the vehicle, the inventive aspect is compatible with the new vehicle form, overcoming the limitations set forth above, and providing an inexpensive, safe and convenient means of entry, To provide a metered closure assembly for use in a vehicle.

According to the present invention, the getting on and off of passengers through the rotary safety of the vehicle is facilitated without the disadvantageous limitations of the known technology for design standards and structural integrity.

In particular, the multipart opening closure means is slidably installed on the approximately curved outer wall of the vehicle body and is an outer body between the closed position and the minimum partial opening position for the opening, which may be a door opening or a combination of the door and the roof panel opening. It is selectively rotatable within a curved outer fuselage wall about the circumference of one or more arcs formed partly in the wall. Each of the closing means, such as door panels, windows that can normally move from the interior of the door panel to a position extended out of the door panel, and other unsupported and detachable roof panels, is the full dimensions of the fuselage opening curved in the direction of rotational movement. It has smaller dimensions and furthermore has dimensions to cooperatively fill the fuselage openings when they are fully rotatably extended in the openings.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the window can be slidably moved independently into the opening in a rotational direction opposite to the ejection direction of the door panel.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the slidable roof panel can be rotated, for example, to a position in an overlapping relationship with respect to the door panel, and can then be further selectively withdrawn from the opening in cooperation with the movement of the door panel.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprising a door panel and a window, the door panel is determined by a track means in which the chassis is installed from a door closing position in an opening formed in an approximately curved vehicle sidewall to a door opening position in the lower part of the vehicle body. Is selectively rotated through. The window enters the door panel before or at the same time as the door panel from the opening.

Depending on the design and thickness of the door panel, the window portion of the opening closure means may be formed with a curved surface located in a substantially arc of rotation with the door panel or may have a different radius of curvature including the prospect of conventional flat windows. have.

Unlike the door panel of the opening closing means, which is bound to move in the passage determined by the chassis or the body in which the track member or the like is installed, the window portion can be separately bound and moved together with the door panel in a suitable conventional manner.

Referring to the present invention in more detail by the accompanying drawings as follows.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the door is advanced along the guide rail (track member) from the closed position to the open position, the door is maintained at about the same height as the vehicle body.

The vehicle door shown in FIG. 1, when placed in the closed position in the aerodynamically designed vehicle 10, is substantially flush with the outer wall 15 of the generally curved vehicle body. The window 20 extends from the door panel 5 of the vehicle to the roof of the vehicle 25. In this embodiment, in the closed position, looking at the cross section of the bottom branch of the door panel 5 from the top of the window 20, the vehicle closure is generally in the form of an arc.

If the door 5 is in the fully open position shown in FIG. 2b, the door is positioned directly under the outer wall 15 of the vehicle body, ie, between the bottom of the vehicle chassis 30 and the underpan 35. do. The side of the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10 is completely opened from the bottom of the vehicle chassis 30 to the vehicle roof 25 to facilitate entry into and out of the vehicle. In this open position, the window 20 is placed inside the door panel 5 and the vehicle chassis 30.

Manipulation of the closure assembly is clearly shown in FIG. The vehicle door panel 5 is fixed between the track members (hereinafter referred to as "track members" 40) which are the fully open position and guide rails. The door panel 5 is prevented from moving past the bottom of the vehicle by two blocking members 45 and 50 located at the center of the bottom of the vehicle 10. The track member 40 has an L-shaped cross section that is vertically arched, and is in contact with the blocking members 45 and 50 at the same height as the top of the door panel 5 in the closed position. It is extended. In the illustrated embodiment, two pairs of track members 40, 55 are formed on both sides of the vehicle and form part of each non-concentric circular shape.

When moving from the closed position to the open position, the door panel 5 slides along the pair of track members 40 on the side ends 60 and 65 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively. The L-shaped side ends 60, 65 are also adapted to be rigidly received in the track member 40 by means of a suitable L-shaped interlocking structure. Other suitable connecting members may be used between the door panel 5 and the track member 40.

For example, the track mechanism may consist of a bowl race and small wheels in the track, as in the horizontally sliding doors currently found mainly in van applications. These may be composed of iron, nylon or graphite composites or other materials having suitable weight, strength and horizontal properties, coupled with economical conditions and ease of design and manufacture.

The balance member should be used in the form of a conventional gas strut 68 currently used for the rear door and the "gull wing" door (Figure 9). One end is fixed to the bottom of the door and the other end is fixed to the underside of the vehicle between the door tracks. They support the weight of the door during a "down" or "open" movement and push the door upward during a "up" or "closed" cycle. It will help.

The door panel 5 and the window 20 constituting the part of the multipart opening closure means the window 20 when the door is in the " downward " or " open " position (shown in FIG. 3) by appropriate manual or power operation. Is actually moved simultaneously so that it completely exits when the door panel enters the door panel and the door panel returns to its "up" or "closed" position. For example, this synchronous motion may be achieved in a suitable conventional manner by means of an axis (not doored) arranged at right angles to the leading and trailing edges of the door panel 5. Each shaft driven in a bearing in the edge of the door has pinions at both ends. That is to say, driven on the track of the door jamb and, if appropriate, driven on the track of the side of the window or the entering window frame. The gear ratio of the door jam rack and pinion to the window rack and pinion is calculated by each part so that the time and distance are accurate for each special installation. These racks and pinions may be manufactured from metal, carbon fiber, nylon or rubber compounds (as in the toothed belt) at the designer's discretion.

Furthermore, it is desirable to maintain passive override capability for power driven applications in the event of a power failure.

The window 20 of the door can be manufactured to operate independently of the door opening mechanism in a conventional manner by an independent crank which drives the second pinion in the window track, the first pinion being removed from the track by the initial winding of the crank. Escape This second pinion can be interlocked so as to make two to three turns, usually from the full rise of the window to the full fall. If the door is opened while the window 20 is already partially open, the first window pinion “picks up” the window in the usual way, allowing the door to enter the door when it is lowered. The door is closed and the window is re-elevated to its full "rising" position.

Manually operated doors may also be fitted with suitable conventional power windows by mounting them on a small electric motor door operated by an electrical switch. This design also allows the door itself to be powered in addition to this type of window operation. This can be done by installing a powerful motor in the appropriate shape on the door to drive the shaft through the leading and trailing edges of the door, and their pinions can be jammed for the door operation, just as in a fully manual operation mechanism. It can be engaged with a window track inside the door on the track within the track's "middle point" of the up and down motion range and for simultaneous bundling of the window and the door. In this case, the third pinion on the shaft can be engaged with the window track. It has the right gear ratio to work smoothly in a "windows only" fashion. The other two pinions (for simultaneous operation of doors and windows) are moved laterally (usually by the electromechanical means of the solenoid switch) and the shaft actuated by the shaft to engage the "window only" pinion. When it is released A solution to reduce the weight in the structure of the door can also be used by installing a motor in the door jam and reversing the shaft and pinion.

Finally, this entire mechanism can be driven in a conventional manner by a suitable hydraulic servo (not shown). If engine-driven servos are used, manual access is required to approach the vehicle and enter the vehicle until the engine is switched on. This is not a big problem because the lowering of the door to open the door requires minimal physical effort.

The rotary vehicle closure assembly of the present invention can use most known fastening devices with little modification, including a key, a key with a central locking device, personal digital operation and radio control.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, a strong structural member installed inside the door panel 5 extending transversely across the door opening inside the "skins" of the door panel. 80 is engaged with other intake systems of a passenger vehicle in engagement with an open end "boxes" (downward open channels) 70,75 or other suitable fasteners upon reaching an "up" or fully closed position. Provides the vehicle with a greater overall structural integrity than was available by this. Since such structural members are arranged at or near the top of the door, the door opening is completely removed in view of the structural frame of the vehicle as a whole.

In addition, these structural members can be arranged to protect passengers well in the case of "light side-swipe" and the doors are not "pop-open" in the event of this or any other kind of accident. Will not. In another embodiment of FIG. 10, the portion 90 of the vehicle roof that is operated in a suitable manner, either manually or by power, is separated from the conventional center "T" shaped bar in an overlapping relationship with the door panel 5. A convenient coupe car that can be turned down to a track (not shown) so that it can be raised or lowered when the vehicle is in operation and can be taken out with the door panel 5 and the window 20 when the door is to be opened. provide the vehicle with a "cabriolet" (removable).

The closure assembly described above offers several advantages over vehicle doors known in the art, particularly with regard to the safety of road users and passengers. For example, accidents caused by the protrusion of the door are prevented because the drop door does not always protrude outside the body of the vehicle when in use. Another advantage is that access to the vehicle in a narrow space is easier than the conventional door because the vehicle has a drop door, because the occupant does not have to push into the small space provided by the open door. Since no additional space is required to enter the vehicle, the vehicles may approach each other and park. Furthermore, when the vehicle is parked on a slope or camber surface, the effect of the often undesired high elevation of lever weight of the door hinged to the vehicle side with respect to gravity is excluded. If the occupant is a cripple, its mobility and independence can be increased by avoiding obstructions and inconveniences of the open door that occur when the occupant enters the vehicle.

Similarly, the closure assembly may be used for one long door that extends from a point near the front wheel to a point near the rear wheel of the vehicle, thus eliminating the need for multiple side doors. Thus, the present invention can also be applied to ambulances, buses and limousines in addition to ordinary cars. It can also be used in vehicles such as trains, ships and aircraft. In addition, by allowing the vehicle window to protrude past the bottom of the door when the door is opened, the size of the window no longer needs to be limited by the length of the door. This specification excludes significant overall vehicle design restrictions that have limited the depth of the openable portion of the window relative to the height of the vehicle door. Finally, the cost of manufacturing these doors is substantially similar to that of conventional doors due to the low cost of the parts.

While the invention has been illustrated and described by way of the preferred and modified embodiments, the invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, from a safety point of view, a simple micro switch may be installed that closes the circuitry that enables operation of the ignition or gearbox only when the door is fully closed in the "situation" position. This prevents the door from being opened and driven on the road, thus preventing the situation that jeopardizes the occupant in case of a crash. By using the principle of sliding the door vertically about the circumference of the arc formed by the part through the side of the vehicle, in some applications the door slides down the vehicle as described above, while the window slides over the vehicle. It can be seen that it can be located on top of the loop. In some cases it may also be desirable to reverse the entire process so that the entire door is rotated onto the roof with the window, so that in this case it sucks the window as conventionally when moving upward.

In addition to the above, vehicles equipped with these types of entrance systems have been stabilized so that drivers limited to wheel chairs can be easily switched for operation without assistance. In the open position, the permanent interference of the conventional hinged door is eliminated so that the floor extends laterally and can be lowered to form a ramp that can be driven up by a suitable type of wheelchair. Fixtures in the floor of the vehicle can secure the lower side of the wheelchair, rotate 90 ° to face the front if necessary, and plug the wheelchair battery into the recharger connected to the vehicle's main electrical system or supplemental alternator. Can be plugged in automatically. In some applications, a small elevator can be used as an alternative to the ramp, in which case the wheel chair is fixedly lifted up in the elevator and moved to a predetermined position so that the vehicle can be switched to "handsonly" operation and can be driven in the usual way. have.

Claims (2)

It is slidably mounted on openings and body parts formed in the curved outer wall, and selectively rotated within the curved vehicle outer wall with respect to the main line of the curved path along the body wall between the closed position and at least some open positions for the opening. A vehicle body portion 15 having a movable open / close door 5, wherein the open / close door 5 is of sufficient length to extend across the opening in the closed position and is mounted on the door and crosses the length of the door laterally. A structural member (80) extending transversely, the structural member having an integrally formed distal end, and further comprising means on each side of the opening body, the means having a door such that the compressive force is transmitted longitudinally from the body portion to the member. And include downwardly open channels 70 and 75 respectively arranged to receive respective distal ends of the structural member 80 when in the closed position in the opening. The door is a part of the body part in structure, structural members doedoe Kane slide in a state that is acceptable for the open-channel slide is characterized by a vehicle assembly formed of a door closing the opening rotational movement of the closed position in the open position. An elongated body part 15 comprising a structural support member forming part of the body frame, the body part 15 comprising an opening formed in a curved outer wall, optionally a door panel 5 for filling the opening. Curved opening closing means and a displaceable window 20 adapted to be received inside the door panel 15 through one end of the door panel, the support member being disposed on each side of the opening and also the path of movement of the opening closing means. A track 40, 55 positioned adjacent to the opening for determining and organically engaging with the opening closing means, the opening between the closed position in the opening of each of the support members on which the track is formed and the open position displaced from the opening. Is disposed on the opening path with respect to the longitudinal axis of rotation having a sufficient length and curvature change to enable the sliding movement of the closing means relative to A structural member (80) extending laterally across the length of the door panel, wherein the structural member (80) has an integrally formed distal end and means on each opening side support member for receiving the structural member (80) The means includes a downwardly open channel adapted to receive each distal end of the structural member 80 when the closing means is in a closed position within the opening such that a compressive force can be transmitted longitudinally from the body portion 15 to the member 80. The door panel 5 is thus an overall component of the vehicle body, including 70 and 75, and the structural member 80 slides in a state accommodated against an open channel for receiving the structural member. The vehicle opening closure assembly, characterized in that the movement of the opening closing means to the closed position in the open position.

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