US2552356A - Vehicle door and operating mechanism - Google Patents

Description

May 8, 1951 A. E. WEIGELE VEHICLE DOOR AND OPERATING MECHANISM 14 Sheets-Sheeff 1 Filed April 11, 1945 v Tiqi. J7

E L E m E E T R E B L A ATTOR EYS May 8, 1951 A. E. WEIGELE VEHICLE DOOR AND OPERATING MECHANISM 14 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 11, 1945 E L a s R m m NW R wa ww m m R E% mm A 1 1 y 1951 A. E. WEIGELE 2,552,356

VEHICLE DOOR AND OPERATINGMECHANISM Filed April 11, 1945 14 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ALBERT E. WEIGELE ATTORNE A. E. WEIGELE 2,552,356

VEHICLE DOOR ANDOPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 11, 1945 14 Sheet 5 IIIIIIIIIiIIIII/I ENTOR ALBERT E. WEIGELE TTORNE y 1951 A. E. WEIGELE 2,552,356

VEHICLE DOOR AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 11, 1945 14 Sheets-Sheet 5 ALBERT E.WE!GELE ATTORNEYS May 8, 1951 A. E.-WEIGELE VEHICLE DOOR AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 11, 1945 14 Sheets-Sheet 6 WEIGELE lNVENTbR ATTORNEYS ;ALBERTE 1% 3 l 3 May 8, 1951 A. E. WEIGELE VEHICLE DOOR AND OPERATING MECHANISM 14 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed April 11, 1945 ENVENTOR ALBERT E. WEI!GELE avqa xdgwkb May 8, 1951 A. E. WEIGELE VEHICLE DOOR AND OPERATING MECHANISM l4 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR ALBERT E. WEIGELE BY A'ITORNEY S Filed April 1 1945 May 8, 1951 A. E. WEIGELE VEHICLE DOOR AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 11, 1945 14 Sheets-Sheet 9 -ihufllllIIl l IIIImIVfiR IL nv flwwwmuMHHH :HH U nilfiuh u r kiiflwii i INVENTOR ALBERT E.WEIGELE BY ATTORNEYS I May 8, 1951 A. E. WEIGELE VEHICLE DOOR AND OPERATING MECHANISM l4 SheetsSheet 10 Filed April 11, 1945 BYQWQGALX May 8, 1951 A. E. WEIGELE VEHICLE DOOR AND OPERATING MECHANISM 14 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed April 11, 1945 \NNN \\\\w\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\N N k.

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INVENTOR ALBERT E. WEIGELE ATTOIJNEYS lll I A. E. WEIGELE VEHICLE DOOR AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 11, 1945 May 8, 1951 May 8, 1951 A. E. WElGELE v VEHICLE DOOR AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 11, 1945 14 Sheets-Sheet 14 A Q HHHHRHNHHHHHHHHHIZWZ?45/491434fig II ,@WEEEEEEEEMNW J E 4 RE i 2 A 5 Mm. Mm rl an mfl i. m. k g. m

INVENTOR.

E L E m E w E T R E B L A ATTORNEYS {A2.22:?1:11:15 AM UL air/Ill,

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w N \k rfill/@MW Y\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\V mm. WWW 9% k x I h\ \.-I--i h? Q Q i mm fi. Q n h L i n m m rL r IL Patented May 8, 1951 VEHICLE DOOR AND GPE'RA'PING -MECI-IANISM Albert E. Weigele, Newark, N. 1., assignor, by mesne assignments, to National Pneumatic '00., "Inc., Boston, Mass, a corporation'of Delaware :ApplicationAprilll, 1945, Serial No. 587,738

Claims.

This invention relates to doors and the operating mechanism therefor for modern streamlined buses and similar transportation vehicles.

One of the-objects of this invention is to provide a vehicle door which in closed position fits into the door opening so as to form a smooth continuation of the general outer surface or contour of the vehicle and which is opened by moving it bodily outwardly in relation to the plane of the door opening until it clears the outsideof the vehicle body and finally moving it bodily substantially in a plane parallel to the vehicle body until the door opening is fully exposed.

In the design of modern streamlined vehicles,

such, for example, as buses, street cars, and the like, it is now considered desirable to have the outer surface of the door flush and in line with the outside surface or contour of the vehicle body without projecting hinges, door handles and the like. Flush type doors of this kind facilitate the washing and cleaning of the outside of the vehicle with modern power cleaning equipment and eliminate the dangers of projecting hinges, handles and the like.

Within these limits, there is provided in accordance with .this invention a door which is not supported by hinges and does not swing on a vertical edge thereof in opening and closing, thereby eliminating a further source of possible injury to passengers. Of course, conventional sliding doors have this advantage but in'accordance with-their usual construction, they are not desirable on modern vehicles because of the necessity of providing a recessed pocket or housing within the vehicle body within which they may -move in opening. Such housed recesses limit the seating space adjacent thereto as is obvious. In accordance with this invention the door is moved outwardly for a distance substantially equal to the thickness thereof which in accordance with the construction herein disclosed need not exceed 1% inches and the door is then moved rearwardly in that plane along the outside of the bus a distance equal to the width of the door so as to fully uncover the door openmg.

An object of this invention is to provide a power operating mechanism to effect such door movements both for opening and closing which requires but simple manipulation of a valveor other controlling member by the vehicle operator.

'In providing a structure of this type, it is also necessary to provide for the following features, as is done in the case of the construction herein disclosed. The door must'tightly seal the vehicle body when closed so that air conditioning, if used, may be employed to its fullest advantage; the door must be flush with the outside of the combination,

2 vehicle body without projections of any kind; and it must be arranged for power operation which -must ifurther provide for easy emergency opening should the power supply fail.

The foregoing discussion clearly indicates the general objects of the inventionand the more detailed objects involving the structural features herein disclosed will be apparent from the followingdescription of the single embodiment of the invention illustrated in the attached drawingsand defined-in the appended claims.

This invention resides substantially in the construction, arrangement and relative location of parts as will be described. in detail below.

In the accompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals will be used throughout the various views to indicate the same parts- Figure 1 is .a side elevational view of the front end of a vehicle such as a bus, equipped with apparatus embodying featuresof the-invention;

Figure 2 is aperspective view, with some parts broken away and some parts removed, of the general door assembly .of the bus shown .in Figure 1;

Figure 3 .is :a cross-sectional view, taken on the line 33 of Figure 1, part of the bus being shown in :dotted lines, and the door being. shown in ifulllinesiin closed position, .andin dotted .lines inits.position'whenmoved outof .closed position;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view, takensubstantiallyconthe ;line.-i-4'-14.of Figure .3, only parts of the interlocked slide guides being shown, and apart thereof beingabroken away in section, and the position of the upperichaindrive being shown by (10593116433811 lines;

Figure 5-isade'tail-elevational view-of a 'part of an operating shaft and its associated driven member, as seen from a position adjacent the lower end-of Figure 3 and looking toward the shaft fromthe'lefthandside of Figure 3, aportion of the step well floor being-shownin section;

Figure '6 is a vertical, transverse, cross-sectional 'vie ,"to an enlarged scale, taken verticzillyandtransversely of the "portion of the "bus just in advance of the line of sectionfor Figure 3, the door being shown in-fully closed position, a part-of the bus being-shownin'dotted lines;

Figure 7 is -a cross-sectional View, similar to Figure 6, but with the door moved out bodily *to its outermost position, parallel to the *dooropenins;

Figure-8 is a detail'top plan'view, to enlarged scale, showing the apparatus associated with the operating "s-haft'at the lefthand side of the door in Figure 1;

Figure 9 is'a cross-sectional view, taken vertically'on the "1ine913 ofFigure 8, the-chain being shown in elevation;

Figure is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Figure 2. The bus body being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 11 is an elevational view of the mechanism shown in Figure 10, as seen when looking toward the bus in Figure 1, but with the body eliminated;

Figure 12 is a detail top plan view of one of the movable portions of the door track;

Figure 13 is a side elevational view thereof, as seen looking up towards the side defined by the lower edge of Figure 12;

Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view, on the line I l-i4 of Figure 13;

Figure 15 is an end elevational view of the structure of Figure 13, as seen from the righthand end of Figure 13, other associated parts of the apparatus being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 16 is an elevational view or" another of the movable track portions, shown secured to a portion of the door;

Figure 17 is an elevational view of another section of the track assembly;

Figure 18 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 17, parts of the operating mechanism being illustrated to indicate their relationship;

Figure 18a is a side elevational view of a detail of the operating mechanism as shown in the relationship of Figure 18;

Figure 19 is an end elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 16, as seen from the righthand side of Figure 16, other parts of the track assembly being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 20 is an end elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 17 Figure 21 is a plan view of an assembly including the parts of Figures 12 and 18 in their cooperative relationship when the door is open, one of the elements being shown in dotted lines in the position it assumes when the door is closed;

Figures 22 and 23, together, comprise an elevational view of the structure of Figure 21, Figure 23 being intended to extend beyond the lefthand end of Figure 22;

Figure 24 is a top plan view of a portion of the engine used in driving the apparatus, one of the catches being shown in two of the positions it assumes during operation;

Figure 25 is a detail top plan view of a portion of the engine structure of Figure 24, some of the elements being removed, and the driving pin being shown in elevation;

Figure 26 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the structure of Figure 24, taken along its longitudinal axis;

Figure 27 is a top plan view, broken away partly in cross-section, and parts being shown in elevation, of the portion of the engine next to the portion of Figure 24;

Figure 28 is a cross-sectional view, substantially vertically along its longitudinal axis, parts being shown in elevation, of the structure of Figure 27;

Figure 29 is a top plan view of the portion of the engine next to that shown in Figure 27, some parts being broken away in cross-section;

Figure 30 is a cross-sectional view, substantially vertically along the longitudinal axis, of the structure of Figure 29;

Figure 31 is a cross-sectional view, similar to Figure 30, of the portion of the engine beyond the portion shown in Figure 30;

Figure 32 is a top plan view of the end of the portion of the engine shown in Figure 24, to a slightly reduced scale;

Figure 33 is a cross-sectional view, similar to Fig. 25, but of a larger portion of the engine, to illustrate the relative association of the engine parts, certain of the parts being shown in elevation;

Figure 34 is a bottom plan view of the portion of the engine shown in Figure 32, one of the positions of the catches being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 35 is a cross-sectional View, similar to that of Figure 33, of the engine including a section to the left of the section included in Figure 33, the parts being shown in door open position, some of the parts being shown in dotted lines in the position they assume when the door is closed;

Figure 36 is a cross-sectional view, similar to that of Figure 33 but including more of the next adjacent portion; and

Figure 37 is a cross-sectional view, similar to Figure 36, of the final or terminal portion of the engine beyond the portion shown in Figure 36, the parts being shown in door open position.

The nature, objects, construction and function of the subject matter comprising this invention will now be set forth by a detailed description of the embodiment thereof illustrated in the drawings. For purposes of illustration the invention has been shown as applied to a bus but is equally applicable to all types of vehicles as well as on other structures such as buildings.

There is illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings the forward end of a bus I having a door opening normally closed by the door 2 comprising a panel of suitable outline and contour so as to form a smooth continuation of the body of the vehicle when in closed position. As illustrated the bus has no exterior steps but has a step well Within the bus the floor of which is shown at 3 in Figure 6, for example. The alighting edge of the floor of the step well is at the left (Figure 6) and is supported by a frame or structural member 4 forming part of the chassis. Underneath the step well floor 3 is a housing 5 of suitable construction extending below the member 4 to provide an opening through which a skirt 6 attached to the lower edge of the door panel projects. This skirt, as will be seen from Figure 2, extends throughout the full width of the door and its terminal edge within the housing 5 is formed into an inverted channel I. The channel I engages within an inverted channel member 8 likewise extending throughout the width of the door opening and to a considerable distance to the rear thereof, as is indicated in Figure 1.

Extending fore and aft of the vehicle body below the roof and above the door opening is a supporting plate I5 which forms one of the structural members of the body and upon which is mounted a pair of bearings I4 at the sides of the door opening in which are rotatably mounted the vertical door operating shafts l2 and 19 (see Figures 4 and 6). These shafts are supported at the floor 3 by means of self-aligning bearings 13 and project a short distance below it. Secured on the projecting endsof the door shafts l2 and I9, respectively, are the short levers H and 2E], respectively, pivotally connected by the pivot pins lo and 2|, respectively, to the short levers 9 and 22, respectively, which are rigidly secured to the inverted channel 8. This construction can be easily seen in Figures 4 and 6. On the upper end of each of the shafts l2 and I9 are secured the 5 sprocket wheels I 6 and [8, respectively, which-are joined by an endless chain-l so that the rotation of the shafts will be synchronized.

Secured on the underside of the plate or structural member are a pair of brackets 23 in which are mounted the short shafts or rods 24 (see Figures 3, 6, 9, 11 and 12, for example). Slidably mounted on the shafts 24 are the brackets or supports 25. As will be understood from Figure II, the members 23, 24 and 25 are spaced at the opposite sides of the door 2. The brackets 25 are secured in any suitable manner to the channel member 26 which extends for at least the full width of the door 2, as is clear from Figures 17 and 20. The cross-sectional shape of the channel member 26 is quite clear from Figures 6 and 7. Secured on the inner face of the member 26 is a flat U-shaped channel 2'! facing outwardly with respect to the vehicle. Also secured on the channel member 26 is an L-shaped channel 26. It will be seen that the shape of the upper edge of the member 25 and that member together with the member 25' form guide tracks for rollers to be referred to later. All of the members 26, 2-! and 26 are of substantially the same length, that is, of a length at least equal to the width of the door panel. These three members are all rigidly united together'and attached to the supports 25 to move as a unit transversely of'the vehicle towards and away from the plane of the door opening and form a part of the door track system.

Another part of the door track system comprises achannel member 3| (Figure 6) having an L-shaped angle iron 32 secured thereon on the inside face near the lower edge. Attached to the same face of the channel 3! is an L-shaped angle iron 39. Attached to the other face of the channel 3| is a flat U-shaped channel'34. The members 30, 3], 32 and 34 are rigidly united together and have a length substantially equal or a little greater than the width of the door panel, as is clear from Figures l2, l3 and 14, for example. Secured to the horizontal web of the angle iron 39 are a pair of rollers riding in the track formed by the upper edge of the channel 26. Similarly a pair of rollers 33 are attached to the projecting flange of the angle iron 32 and ride in the track formed by the-channel members 26 and 26'. Secured to the unit 39-3] (Figures 6, 12, -13, 14, 15) are a pair of rollers or wheels 29 which rotate between a pair of track'members 28 in the form of rods clamped in the channel 21 by tie plates 28' (Figure 22) held thereon by means of nuts, as is clear from Figures 21 and 22, for example. As will appear later, the unitary structure comprising the members 38, 3!, 32 and 34 is 'movable longitudinally of the structure comprising the members 26, 21 and 26.

The track assembly includes anothersub-assembly comprising the angle iron member 38 having a long vertical web to the inside face, near the lower edge of which is attached a channel member 39. Channel member 39 is secured to the top edge of the door to support it, as is clear from Figure 6. Mounted on the narrow flange of member 38 are the guide wheels 31 which rotate in the track formed by the shape of the upper edge of the channel 3|. Secured on the inner face of the angle iron 33 (Figures6, 21 and 22) are a pair of rollers or supporting wheels 36 which rotate on a pair of track rods tied together at the ends by means of straps 35, as shown in Figures 21 and 22 which'are'pulled up against the ends of 'the channel '34. The door supporting channel member '39 is i provided with a horizontal flange on the inner surface of which is secured a toothed rack bar 40. Mounted below the rack bar 40 on the underlying edge ofthe channel member 26 is another toothed :rackbar 4!. The longitudinal relationship of the racks 4i] and "4| when'the door is closedis quite apparent from Figure 11. A pinion '43 is rotatably mounted on the channel member 3| so as to lie between the rack bars and mesh with the teeth thereof.

From a study of Figures 3 and 11, it'will be seen thatthe door is hung from this track assembly which in turn is ultimately supported by the brackets 23 and 25 and the rods'2 4. It will be seen (Figure 6) that the weight of the door is transmitted back through the supporting channel 39 to the member 38 and from it to the channel 3! through the rollers 36 and channel 34. In turn it is transmittedfrom channel 3 I, through the rollers 29 to the channel 2-7, and finally to channel 26 on which the latter is mounted.

Attached to thetop edgeof the channel 3! near the righthand end thereof (Figures 2, 10, l1, '12, 13 and 15) when the door is closed is a slotted arm 42 by means of which the door is connected to the engine which opens and closes it, as will be described later.

,At this point, it willbe helpful torefer to Figure 18 which shows the connections between the brackets 25 and the'door operating shafts 1'2 and 1 9. The shafts l2 and i9 are provided with short levers [2a and 12a, respectively, firmly attached thereto for rotation therewith -and-pivotally connected as shown to the levers 42b and 9b, respectively, which in turn are attached to the associated brackets-2'5. It will be no'ted that the links I21) and lab have an offset 'or arcuate-construction so thatwhen the door is in fully closed position they will nest around the shafts l2 and !9, as is clearly indicated in Figure 18. When the door is'opened, shafts l2 and I9 both rotate in a counterclockwise direction (Fi ure l8) to cause the outward movement of the door panel and track assembly through motion transmitted through the links and levers'thus described.

Asshown in Figure 9, pinion #28 is keyed to shaft I9 and meshes with an interrupted gear' il forming part of the sleeve 46 journalled on a shaft 45 mounted in the bracket. Integral with the sleeve 45 is an arm 49 (see Figures 10 and 11) which is pivotally connected by a link 5E! to a pivot pin 52 attached to the ram Gil forming part of the engine 5| (see Figure 26).

The details of the engine which is of the differential pressure fluid operated type are clearly shown in Figures 24 to 37, inclusive. As is clear, for example, from Figures 10 and 11, the engine is of even greater length than the width of the door, and is supported on top of the structural member 15 by means of clamp brackets 52. Figures 26, 28, 30 and 31 taken together show the full structure of the-engine.

The ram 60 is provided with a rod 6! which extends through a concentric opening in the reentrant tube 59 formedintegrally with and concentrically of the end cap 54 which is threadedly connected to the end of the cylinderportion 53. A compression spring -62 lies between the ram El] and the end wall of the cap 54. The cylinder portion 53'is provided with a relatively short longitudinal slot '53 in the wall at the atop and :in diametric relation with respect thereto is a much longer longitudinal slot 53". The pivot pin E52 moves in theslot53. Mounted on thenpposite side of the ram 6!] is a pin 63' on which is pivotally mounted a latch lever 55. This latch is biased by means of a spring 63 having one end engaging a lateral lug 66 integral with the latch 65 (see Figure 34) and the other end engaging a pin 64 mounted on the ram 60 (see particularly Figure 26). The latch lever 65 has a rearwardly extending extension (see Figure 34) for engagement with the pin 64 under the action of spring 63 to limit its movement to the position clearly shown in Figure 25.

In this position of the lever 65 it engages or latches with a pin 68 mounted on the ram 69 slidably mounted in the cylinder portion 53. The ram 69 is mounted on a piston rod 70. Supported on the top side of the structural member 15 is a stop member I! having an adjustable screw '12 mounted therein and positioned to engage the lug 66 on the lever 65 near the end of its stroke towards the left (Figure 26). As will be seen from Figure 28, the piston rod 10 has portions of several different diameters and at the shoulder formed between a pair of these portions is a collar 83 against which one end of the compression spring 84 seats. The other end of this compression spring seats against a plunger 82 (see Figure 26) through which the piston rod Hi freely passes. The plunger 82 has a tubular concentric extension 82 lying inside the spring 84 as a guide for it.

Mounted on the underside of the plunger 82 is a stud or pin 14 on which is pivotally mounted another latching member 15 biased by a spring 18 having one end anchored on a pin 11 mounted on the plunger 82 and the other end engaging a lateral extension 16 on the latching member I5. As is clear from Figure 24, for example, the latching member 1'5 also has a rearwardly extending tail engageable with the pin H to limit its movement in a clockwise direction. A stop 80 is also mounted on the upper side of the plate and provided with an adjustable set screw 8| to engage the lateral extension 16 or" the latching member 15 at the proper time to effect rotational movement of the latching member 15. The pins and stud 63', 64, 68, '14 and IT move in the slot 53". Rotatably mounted on the lower end of the stud T5 is a roller 19 which engages in the slot of the arm 42, previously referred to and shown attached to one of the sub-assemblies of the door track structure (see for example, Figure The piston rod it (Figure 30) is connected to a piston assembly including the piston 13 by means of a tubular connecting member (0. This piston is slidably mounted in the cylinder portion 53. A threaded cylinder plug member 85 forms part of this piston assembly and is threadedly connected to a tube 86 which in effect forms a continuation of the piston rod 18. A piston assembly 81 is attached to the other end of the tube 86 and operates in a cylinder portion 56 connected to the cylinder portion 53 by means of a properly constructed and threaded sleeve 54a (see Figure 30). This sleeve is provided with a threaded port to receive the fluid pressure line 55, as will be described later. This is a good point to note that piston assembly 81 is of greater diameter than piston 13 and hence the cylinder portion 56 is larger than the cylinder portion 53, a usual characteristic for a difierential pressure fluid engine. Another characteristic is the face that the piston 13 and piston assembly 81 are rigidly secured together for conjoint movement.

Within the tube 86 (Figure 29) is a compression spring, seated at one end on the plug mem ber and engaging it at its other end with a rod-like plunger 88 which is slidably mounted in the piston assembly 87 and projects towards the closure cap 57 (Figure 31) for the other end of the cylinder portion 56. A pressure fluid supply connection 58 is provided for and attached to the cap 51. When the piston assembly 81 is moved sufficiently to the right (see Figure 37, for example) the plunger 88 will seat by the spring 89 on the piston assembly 81, and the valve member 90 on the end of the plunger 88 will move away from the port in the cap 51.

The above description comprises an explanation of the structural features of the mechanism comprising this invention and the operation thereof will now be given. It will be assumed that the door is in fully closed position, as shown, for example, in Figure 6, at which time the movable parts of the engine 5i are all at the extreme righthand position facing the door from the outside, which is the position of the engine parts as shown in Figures 26, 28, 30 and 31, for example. It will further be assumed that pressure fluid from a suitable source is supplied to the piston 13 and the assembly 81 through the line 55 (see Figure 30) which, as is usual with differential engines, is a permanent connection, and that pressure fluid is also supplied to the lefthand end of the large cylinder portion 56 through the connection 58 from the same source. In view of the fact that the pressure on both sides of piston assembly 81 is balanced, the pressure on the piston I3 will have moved the engine parts to the extreme righthand position and the door is fully closed.

When the vehicle comes to a stop or at any time when it is desired to open the door, the operator, by means of the usual valve, not shown, in the pipe connection 58 will disconnect that pipe from the pressure fluid source and open the pipe to exhaust. Thus the fluid in the cylinder portion 55 between the cap 5'? and the piston assembly 8'! will be exhausted. Since the pressure remains between the pistons through the pipe connection 55, it will be seen that the piston assembly will begin to move to the left, carrying the ram 50 with it, since the piston rod 79 extends to the ram 69 and the ram 69 is latched to the ram 80 by means of the latch lever 55. Of course, this movement of the ram causes clockwise rotation of arm is (see Figure 8) through the link 50 and similar rotation of gear 41. Movement of gear 41 causes counterclockwise rotation of pinion 48 and door shaft 19. By means of chain l'i between the sprocket wheels i6 and IE on the door shafts l2 and I9, respectively (see Figure 4) it will be seen that shaft 12 also rotates in a counterclockwise direction. Of course, such rotation of these shafts will cause the short levers |2a and I9a to rotate in a similar direction, causing the track-assembly to slide outwardly by reason of the levers 12b and It'b, respectively. This outward movement of the door will be best understood by a comparison of Figures 6 and '7, in the former of which the door is shown fully closed, and in the latter of which the door is shown at the end of its outward movement, in a plane parallel to the door opening. Through the pushing action of the levers [2b and [9b the brackets 25 will slide outwardly on the supporting shafts 24 to move the door and track assembly to the position shown in Figure 7 This movement need consist of little more than a distance equal to the thickness of the door 2 so as to clear the side of the vehicle body, as is also clearly illustrated in Figure 7. At the same time that the upper end of the door is being moved outwardly, its bottom end is being similarly moved by reason of the levers H on the bottom of the door shafts l2 and I9 and their connection to the channel member 3 in which the channel l is engaged. Thus the door and attached parts are moved outwardly by application of forces to both the top and bottom edges which act together through mechanical connections, which insure that the door remains properly aligned in a vertical plane as it moves outwardly.

Upon the completion of this outward movement of the door, the lug 66 on the latch lever 65 will engage the screw 12 (see Figure 26) so that latch lever 65 is disengaged from the pin 68' as the movement of theram 60 is completed. At about this time the nut and collar on the end of rod 6| engages in the end of the reentrant tube 59 of the cap 54 to prevent any further movement of these connected parts under the action of spring 62. At the time latch lever 65 is disengaging from the pin 68, latching member 15 is engaging it. Some idea of this possibility will be gathered from Figure which shows the relationship of the parts just before latch lever 65 disengages and latching member 15 engages. At about this time the ram 69 engages the righthand face of plunger 82 so that further movement of ram 69 will carry the plunger 82 with it. At this time ram 69 and plunger 82 are latched together by the latching member 15 but this is of no significance at the moment. It will be seen from Figure 25 that this latching movement is completed as the plunger 82 begins to move latching member 75 with it and out of engagement with the set. screw 8| so that it can move into this. latching. relationship. When plunger 8.2 begins to move under the force exerted by ram 69 which, of course, is connected to the pressure fluid operated pistons, the door 2 begins to slide rearwardly of the vehicle (Figure I) because of the connection between the roller 79' and the arm 42 connected to that part of the track assembly which moves longitudinally. As is clear from Figures 21 and 22, for example, the channel member. 26 secured to the brackets 25 is longitudinally stationary it is the other part of the track assembly, including the channel member 3| and attached parts which move rearwardly by the application of force to arm 42.

The portions of the track assembly which move rearwardly comprise two parts which have a differential movement. The part which includes the channel member 3| and attached elements moves with the engine and for a distance equal to the remainder of its stroke. Thus if We assume that the door is 31 inches wide; this part of the track assembly and the engine move half the distance or 15 /2 inches. However, it is necessary, of course, that the door move a full 31 inches in order to fully clear the opening. This result is secured by the fact that the other parts of the movable part of the track assembly, that is, member 38 and attached parts, also moves with respect to member 3| and attached parts. This is accomplished through the difierential action of the rack bars 40 and 4| and the pinion 43. This additional movement of these parts is effected by reason of. the fact that the pinion 43 engages the rack bar 4| which is fixed against longitudinal panel, being mounted on the channel member 26. As the channel 10 member 3| moves rearwardly a distance of 15 inches with respect to the channel member 26, pinion 43 will roll on the fixed rack bar 4|, and, as a final result of its rolling or rotation, it will react upon the rack bar 40 and cause an additional rearward movement of the channel member 39 and attached parts, including the door 2, equal to a distance of 15 inches. Thus as the engine moves through the portion of its stroke causing rearward movement of the door, it will be seen that by this construction a full 31 inches of door movement can be effected with but 15 /2 inches of movement of the engine. As a practical feature which is commonly used in this art, it will be noted that when the pistons move to the left to the point where, towards the end of the stroke of the engine, the valve member seats on the cap 51. The remainder of its stroke will be cushioned by the -fact that the remainder of the air in the cylinder is exhausted through a restricted port 51', as shown in Figures 31 and 37, so as to cushion the final movement of the door.

The operation of the apparatus in the return direction to close the door will be apparent from the foregoing description with the exception of a few details. To close the door, the operator moves his control valve to again supply pressure fluid to the lefthand end of the engine through the supply connection 58, and air is supplied to balance the pressure on the larger. piston assembly 8'! so that piston I3 takes over and moves the parts to the right.- The pressure fluid can unseat the valve member 9!] sufliciently to accomplish this with the desired rapidity. Of course, the track sub-assemblies move in the reverse direction to bring the door back into alignment with the door opening. During this period, ram-69 and plunger 82 are latched together (it will be recalled that they latched up during the opening movement) so that these parts move together until the extension 76 on the latching member 15 engages the stop screw 8| (see Figure 24), whereupon further movement will cause latching member 15 to disengage from pin 68. At about the same timethe ram 69 latches up with the ram 60 through the engagement of latch'lever 65 with pin 68 and ram- 69 which, of course, is connected to the connected piston assembly 87 and piston 13 so that ram 6|] is moved to the right. As a result the gear 41 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction through link 50 (see Figure 8), causing reverse rotation of door shafts |-2 and I9 so that thedoor is pulled back into the'opening, which is to say that it moves transversely'towards the bus and into the door opening to return it to its fully closed position shown in Figure 6 It can be emphasized that the forward movement of the door into alignment with the door opening is completed at the time that the latching member 15 disengages from the pin 68 since this is the end of the stroke of the engine for such movement and the remaining stroke is for the purpose of bodily shifting the door back into its final fully closed position in the door opening.

The springs 62 and 84 are simply provided for the. purpose-of facilitatingthe opening of the door by hand in the event that the power supply fails. If the lefthand end of the engine is open to exhaust throughsupply connection 58, the door can be pushed out and then back by hand and in this manualoperation the movement of the parts is aided by the force exerted by springs 62- and 84 which are fully compressed when the door is closed.

From the above description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject matter of this invention may be embodied in other physical forms and I do not, therefore, desire to be strictly limited to the disclosure as given herein for purposes of illustration but rather to the scope of the claims as granted.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination as disclosed comprising a structure having a door opening therein, a door lying in said opening, means for locating aid door for movement in two directions in one continuous operation, the first stage of which involves movement of said door into a plane parallel to and spaced from said opening and the second stage of which involves movement of the door in said plane until it clears said opening, and means including a single actuator and separate linkages successively coupled to said actuator for producing said two directional movement in said one continuous operation.

2. In combination as disclosed, a structure forming a door opening, a door lying flush in said opening, means for supporting said door for twodirectional movement the first stage of which is at right angles to the plane thereof to a position out of the plane of said opening and the second stage of which is in the plane of that position to fully expose said opening, and motive means including a single actuator and separate linkages successively coupled to said actuator for producing said two directional movement in said one continuous operation for efiecting said twodirectional movement in both the opening and closing cycles of the door.

3. In a combination as disclosed, a structure forming a door opening, a door adapted to lie flush in said opening, movable means for supportting said door from above, means connected to said last means and to the bottom of said door for effecting two-directional movement, the first stage of which involves shifting of the door out of the plane of said opening, and the second stage of which involves moving the door in a plane parallel to said opening to a position to fully expose said opening, and means including a single actuator and separate linkages successively coupled to said actuator for producing said two directional movement in said one continuous operation.

4. In combination, a wall having a door opening therein, a door, means for mounting the door for movement in two directions in one continuous operation, the first stage of which shifts the door to a position to coincide with the opening, and the second stage of which causes movement of the door to seat in the opening, and means including a single actuator and separate linkages successively coupled to said actuator for producing said two directional movement in said one continuous operation.

5. In combination, a structure having a door opening therein, a door registrable with said opening and movable in a path one portion of which lies in a direction transverse to the other, and means including a single actuator and separate linkages successively coupled to said actuator for producing said two directional movement in said one continuous operation for causing said door to travel said path in one continuous movement.

6. In combination, a structure having a door opening therein, a door registrable with said opening and movable in a path, one portion of Which path lies in a direction transverse to the other, and means for causing said door to traverse said path completely in one continuous movement, said means comprising a power-operated ram movable in a rectilinear path, and two sets of motion-transmitting linkages between said power-operated ram and said door, said linkages being successively actuated by said ram as it traverses said rectilinear path.

7. Means for moving a door front-wise, then sidewise, in one continuous operation, said means comprising a cylinder having a fluid-pressure actuated ram movable therein, means including two motion-transmitting linkages between said ram and the door to be operated, said linkages controlling the front-wise and side-wise motions, respectively, and means for causing said ram to actuate said linkages successively as said ram moves through said cylinder in one continuous stroke in a single direction.

8. Door operating means comprising a single power engine, and means connecting said single engine with the door to move the latter in two different directions successively, one of which directions is transverse of the other, in response to a single, continuous cycle of motion of said engine, said connecting means including a pair of motion transmitting linkages and means for successively coupling said linkages to said single engine for transmitting the motion of successive stages of operation of said single engine, whereby said door is caused to move in said two diiierent directions successively.

9. Door operating means comprising a single, rectilineally movable piston, and means connecting said piston with a door to move the latter in two difierent directions successively, one of which directions is transverse of the other, in response to a single, continuous cycle of motion of said piston, said connecting means including two sets of motion transmitting connections, means for coupling one of said sets of connections to said piston during the first stage of the cycle of motion of said piston, and means for coupling said second set of connections to said piston during the final stage of the cycle of motion of said piston.

10. Door operating means as defined in claim 9, wherein said connecting means includes a pivoting linkage releasably connected to said piston, and an end-wise movable linkage actuated by said piston following release of the connection between the piston and said first-named linkage.

ALBERT E. WEIGELE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,055,969 Ellis Mar. 11, 1913 1,071,469 S'cullin Aug. 26, 1913 1,410,887 Capazza Mar. 28, 1922 1,572,108 De Carie Feb. 9, 1926 1,776,163 .Mayer Sept. 16, 1930 1,919,864 Salmon et a1 July 25, 1933 1,921,415 Larsen Aug. 8, 1933 2,313,095 Schneider Mar. 9, 1943 2,320,216 Brister May 25, 1943 2,457,625 Amiot Dec. 28, 1948

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