Motor vehicle comprising an actuator for opening the side door

• US 8,740,284 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Freymann, Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kiran B
• Application Number:
  US13/618,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20130008088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 296/146.4, 296/146.11, 296/146.2, 296/146.9, 296/155, 296/187.12, 493/74, 163/82, 280/730.2
• US Class Current: 296/146.4
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/0479 without B-pillar or releasable B-pillar, i.e. the pillar is moving with door

Abstract

A motor vehicle has a side door opening that can be closed off by way of a front side door. For opening the front side door from the vehicle interior, the front side door has an actuator on the side facing the vehicle interior for the opening of the front side door. In addition, a second actuator is arranged in the vehicle interior rearwardly of the first actuator, by which second actuator the closed front side door can also be opened. This provides a motor vehicle that permits comfortable entering and exiting of all vehicle occupants.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a side door opening;

a front side door operatively configured to exclusively close-off the side door opening in the region adjacent to a first seat row;

a first actuator operable by a first seat row occupant and operatively configured for opening the front side door, the first actuator being arranged on a side of the front side door facing an interior of the vehicle in the region adjacent to a first seat row;

a second actuator operatively configured for opening the front side door when closed, the second actuator being located rearwardly of the first actuator relative to a front end of the motor vehicle in an ergonomically accessible location reachable by a rear seat occupant of a seat row located behind the first seat row.

2. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the second actuator is operatively arranged in the vehicle interior at an ergonomically accessible location reachable by the rear seat occupant in at least one of a second seat row and a third seat row.

3. The motor vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the second actuator is arranged in a side panel of the vehicle interior, the side panel being rearward of the front side door.

4. The motor vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the second actuator is arranged on a backrest of a front vehicle seat of the motor vehicle.

5. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an electronic control unit coupled with the second actuator, the electronic control unit being operatively configured for allowing opening of the front side door via the second actuator only when a defined condition of the vehicle is present.

6. The motor vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising an electronic control unit coupled with the second actuator, the electronic control unit being operatively configured for allowing opening of the front side door via the second actuator only when a defined condition of the vehicle is present.

7. The motor vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the defined condition of the vehicle is that the vehicle is stationary.

8. The motor vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the defined condition of the vehicle is that the vehicle is stationary.

9. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the second actuator for opening the front side door is operatively configured to at least one of mechanically and electrically open a rotary latch that holds the front side door in the closed position.

10. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of an unlocking device and an adjusting mechanism of a front vehicle seat of the front seat row, and

wherein the second actuator is operatively configured to simultaneously activate the at least one of the unlocking device and the adjusting mechanism of the front vehicle seat when actuated.

11. The motor vehicle according to claim 10, further comprising:

a seat occupancy detector, and

wherein activation of the at least one of the unlocking device and the adjusting mechanism of the front vehicle seat occurs only when the seat occupancy detector detects that no occupant is in the front vehicle seat.

12. The motor vehicle according to claim 10, wherein when the second actuator is actuated, at least one of the front vehicle seat is adjusted forward and a backrest of the front vehicle seat is tilted forward.

13. The motor vehicle according to claim 11, wherein when the second actuator is actuated, at least one of the front vehicle seat is adjusted forward and a backrest of the front vehicle seat is tilted forward.

14. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the motor vehicle is one of a convertible vehicle and a coupe vehicle.