Vehicle door opening and closing structure

• US 20060267375A1
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsuba Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsuba Corporation
• Inventors: Enomoto, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,393,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/155
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/047 characterised by the opening or closing movement
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 2015/1086 swingingly, e.g. on arms
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/646 allowing or involving a secondary movement of the wing, e.g. rotational or transversal
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/434 Electromotors; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/46 in or on the wing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

A slider is provided on a rear door so as to be able to freely reciprocated, and the slider is connected to a vehicle body through a control arm and a driven arm. A linear cam groove and a curved cam groove continuous to the linear cam groove are formed in a guide plate fixed to the rear door. A control arm that controls an operation of the rear door includes a proximal portion rotatably attached to the slider and a pair of arm portions continuous to the proximal portion. The longer arm portion is attached to the vehicle body whereas the shorter arm portion is guided by the cam grooves. A projection amount of the rear door can be thereby set larger than a curve amount of the curved cam groove. In addition, a width of the guide plate can be thereby reduced. Therefore, the guide plate can be attached not to the vehicle body but to the rear door.

Claims

1. A vehicle door opening and closing structure for opening and closing a door main body attached to an opening of a vehicle body, comprising:

a slide rail fixed to the door main body;

a slider attached to the slide rail to be movable along the slide rail;

a control arm including a proximal portion rotatably connected to the slider and a pair of arm portions continuous to the proximal portion;

a driven arm having one end rotatably connected to the vehicle body and having the other end rotatably connected to the slider; and

a guide member including a linear portion and a curved portion continuous to the linear portion, the guide member fixed to the door main body and movably engaged with one of the arm portions of the control arm, wherein

the control arm is rotated by moving the slider along the slide rail, and the door main body is pulled outside of the vehicle body by the other arm portion of the control arm, and then the slider is moved along the slide rail, thereby slidably opening and closing the door main body.

2. The vehicle door opening and closing structure according to claim 1, wherein the other arm portion of the control arm is rotatably connected to the vehicle body.

3. The vehicle door opening and closing structure according to claim 2, wherein the other arm portion of the control arm and the driven arm are arranged in parallel to each other.

4. The vehicle door opening and closing structure according to claim 2, wherein the other arm portion of the control arm is longer than the arm portion movably engaged with the guide member.

5. The vehicle door opening and closing structure according to claim 2, further comprising:

a base member connected to the vehicle body through a hinge member, and connected to the door main body through the driven arm; and

a lock mechanism provided between the vehicle body and the base member, and switched over between a fastened state in which the base member is fixed to the vehicle body and a released state in which the base member is separated from the vehicle body, wherein

the door main body is slidably moved along a side surface of the vehicle body by fastening the lock mechanism to thereby fix the base member to the vehicle body, and the door main body is swung and moved with the hinge member set as a fulcrum by releasing the lock mechanism to thereby separate the base member from the vehicle body.

6. The vehicle door opening and closing structure according to claim 5, wherein the base member is connected to the door main body through the control arm and the driven arm.

7. The vehicle door opening and closing structure according to claim 1, further comprising a sub control arm rotatably connected to the other arm portion of the control arm, and rotatably connected to an intermediate portion of the driven arm.

8. The vehicle door opening and closing structure according to claim 7, wherein the driven arm is a pair of driven arms.

9. The vehicle door opening and closing structure according to claim 7, wherein the pair of arm portions are formed to be substantially equal in length, and the control arm is formed into a doglegged shape.

10. The vehicle door opening and closing structure according to claim 7, further comprising:

a base member connected to the vehicle body through a hinge member, and connected to the door main body through the driven arm; and

a lock mechanism provided between the vehicle body and the base member, and switched over between a fastened state in which the base member is fixed to the vehicle body and a released state in which the base member is separated from the vehicle body, wherein

the door main body is slidably moved along a side surface of the vehicle body by fastening the lock mechanism to thereby fix the base member to the vehicle body, and the door main body is swung and moved with the hinge member set as a fulcrum by releasing the lock mechanism to thereby separate the base member from the vehicle body.

11. The vehicle door opening and closing structure according to claim 10, wherein the base member is connected to the door main body through a pair of the driven arms.

12. The vehicle door opening and closing structure according to claim 1, wherein the slider is driven by driving means fixed to the door main body.

13. The vehicle door opening and closing structure according to claim 1, wherein the curved portion of the guide member is curved in a vehicle exterior direction or a vehicle interior direction on an opened side of the door main body in a slidably moving direction of the door main body.