Vehicle sliding door structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle sliding door structure which allows a sliding door to be properly guided upon sliding while simplifying the configuration of a vehicle as much as possible.SOLUTION: In a vehicle sliding door structure, a rail part (a lower rail part 9) for guiding a part to be guided (a lower guide roller 23c of a lower sliding part 23) in a slide part provided at a sliding door 20 upon sliding is provided at a door opening part side so as to extend in a sliding direction. The structure further comprises: a rail mechanism 50 which allows the rail part (the lower rail part 9) to follow the movement of the sliding door 20 in a vehicle width direction; and a lock mechanism 60 which holds the rail part (the lower rail part 9) to a position at which it can guide the part to be guided (the lower guide roller 23c) moved outward in the vehicle width direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a slide door structure for a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] A vehicle equipped with this type of slide door is described in Patent Document 1. In this vehicle, the door opening is configured to be openable and closable by a slide door. The slide door is provided with a door arm portion extending inward in the vehicle width direction so as to constitute a sliding portion. In the slide door, each roller <guided portion> provided at the tip of the door arm portion is slidably connected to a guide rail extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction on the door opening side. The guide rail has a straight portion extending linearly in the vehicle longitudinal direction and a bent portion obliquely bent inward in the vehicle width direction from the front end of the straight portion. And the guided portion of the slide door slides while being guided by the bent portion and the straight portion of the guide rail, so that the slide door provided with this guided portion slides in the vehicle longitudinal direction while moving a certain distance in the vehicle width direction. That is, the slide door moves inward in the vehicle width direction when the guided portion thereof is guided by the bent portion of the guide rail.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the field of vehicles, it is desired to simplify the configuration by making it more compact. For example, by making the configuration of the door opening more compact in the vehicle width direction, it becomes easier to secure a layout space for members mounted inside the vehicle width direction, such as a battery unit installed under the floor panel. However, in the above-described configuration, due to the need to move the sliding door in the vehicle width direction during sliding, the guide rail on the door opening side is bent inward in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, in the above-described configuration, it is necessary to take a large layout space for the sliding part and the guide rail in the vehicle width direction, making it difficult to simplify the configuration. In this type of vehicle, a rail part may be provided on the step plate on the lower side of the vehicle, and the step plate may be made to follow the movement of the sliding door in the vehicle width direction via this rail part. In such a case, a plurality of rails are arranged on the lower side of the door opening, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of simplifying the vehicle configuration. The present invention was devised in view of the above points, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to make it possible to appropriately guide the sliding door during sliding while simplifying the vehicle configuration as much as possible.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0005] As a means for solving the above problems, the slide door structure of the vehicle according to the first invention includes a slide door that slides the door opening of the vehicle in an openable and closable manner, and the slide door is configured to move a certain distance in the vehicle width direction during sliding. In the above-described configuration, it is desirable to be able to appropriately guide the slide door during sliding while simplifying the vehicle configuration as much as possible. Therefore, in the present invention, a rail portion that guides the guided portion of the sliding portion provided on the slide door during sliding is provided on the door opening side so as to extend in the sliding direction. And a rail mechanism that causes the rail portion to follow the movement of the slide door in the vehicle width direction, and a lock mechanism that holds the rail portion at a position where the guided portion moved to the outside in the vehicle width direction can be guided are provided. In the present invention, by the action of the rail mechanism, the rail portion can be moved in the vehicle width direction, so that the slide door that slides while moving a certain distance in the vehicle width direction can be more appropriately guided. Also, by the action of the lock mechanism, by holding the rail portion at a position outside in the vehicle width direction, the rail portion can more appropriately guide the sliding portion that has moved to the outside in the vehicle width direction. And in the present invention, since the rail portion is moved in the vehicle width direction, it becomes possible to make the rail portion more compact in the vehicle width direction.

[0006] The slide door structure of the vehicle according to the second invention is the slide door structure of the vehicle according to the first invention, wherein the rail mechanism has a four-bar link mechanism that is rotatably attached to the door opening in the vehicle width direction. In the present invention, by the action of the four-bar link mechanism that constitutes the rail mechanism, the rail portion can be more reliably moved in the vehicle width direction.

[0007] The slide door structure of the vehicle according to the third invention is the slide door structure of the vehicle according to the second invention, wherein a link arm that forms a part of the four-bar link mechanism is configured to rotate by being pushed by the sliding portion that slides, and a contact portion connected to the link arm is arranged at a position where it is applied to the sliding portion that moves in the vehicle width direction. In the present invention, by being pushed in a state where the contact portion is applied to the sliding portion that moves in the vehicle width direction, the link arm <four-bar link mechanism> provided with the contact portion can be rotated.

[0008] The slide door structure of the vehicle according to the fourth invention is the slide door structure of the vehicle according to the second invention. The locking mechanism has a latch portion that engages with a four-bar link mechanism pivoted outward in the vehicle width direction. The latch portion is configured to engage and disengage from the four-bar link mechanism by being pushed by the sliding portion of the slide door during the closing operation. In the present invention, the function of the latch portion constituting the locking mechanism can more appropriately hold the position of the rail portion in the vehicle width direction. And the engagement and disengagement <release of engagement> between the four-bar link mechanism and the latch portion can be performed by the pressing of the sliding portion during sliding.

[0009] The slide door structure of the vehicle according to the fifth invention is the slide door structure of the vehicle according to any one of the first to fourth inventions. A step plate is provided at the lower edge portion of the door opening so as to be movable in the vehicle width direction between a storage position and a use position. And a rail portion, a rail mechanism, and a locking mechanism are provided on the step plate. In the present invention, by providing the rail portion and each mechanism on the step plate, it is not necessary to provide another rail on the lower side of the vehicle, and the configuration contributes to the simplification of the vehicle configuration.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the first invention of the present invention, while simplifying the vehicle configuration as much as possible, the slide door during sliding can be appropriately guided. Also, according to the second invention, the slide door can be more reliably guided. Also, according to the third invention, the slide door can be more reliably guided. Also, according to the fourth invention, the slide door can be more appropriately guided. And according to the fifth invention, the vehicle configuration can be further simplified.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14. In each figure, arrow lines indicating the front-rear direction, left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and up-down direction (vehicle height direction) of the vehicle are appropriately shown. Also, in each figure, only the left side of the vehicle is shown, the left side of the vehicle corresponds to the outside in the vehicle width direction, and the right side of the vehicle corresponds to the inside in the vehicle width direction. And in each figure, the main components of the slide door structure of the vehicle are shown by solid lines, and other components may be shown by dashed lines or omitted.

[0013] [Overview of the Vehicle] Before explaining the slide door structure of the vehicle, first, the outline of the vehicle 2 shown in FIG. 1 will be explained. In the vehicle body 3 of this vehicle 2, a rear door opening 10 corresponding to the rear seat is formed. The rear door opening 10 is configured to be openable and closable by a slide door 20 that slides in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a rocker 30, which is a frame having a hollow cross-section, is provided at the lower edge of the rear door opening 10 so as to extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction. And a step device 40 having a step plate 41 is disposed below the rocker 30 on the vehicle side.

[0014] Here, referring to FIG. 2, a fixed step 11 is provided at the upper end of the rocker 30 so as to extend in the vehicle width direction and is continuous with the floor panel 4 of the vehicle 2. And a battery unit 5 is mounted below the floor panel 4 on the vehicle side. An impact absorbing member 6 is disposed below the battery unit 5 so as to protrude outward (left side) in the vehicle width direction. This impact absorbing member 6 is a member capable of absorbing an impact load applied from the outside in the vehicle width direction and is disposed between the rocker 30 and the step plate 41 in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0015] And a plurality of rails (7, 8, 9) are provided in the vehicle 2 shown in FIG. 1 so as to extend in the slide direction of the slide door 20. That is, an upper guide rail 7 is provided above the vehicle of the rear door opening 10 in the vehicle 2. Also, a center guide rail 8 is provided at the center position in the height direction on the rear side of the rear door opening 10. And as described above, a step plate 41 is disposed below the rocker 30 on the vehicle side, and a lower rail portion 9 is provided on the lower surface of this step plate 41.

[0016] Next, the sliding door 20 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with sliding portions (21, 22, 23) at its upper end position, middle position, and lower end position. And the sliding door 20 is configured to be slidable while being guided by these guide rails 7, 8, etc. by moving (such as sliding) along the corresponding guide rails 7, 8, etc. of its respective sliding portions. Here, the upper guide rail 7 and the center guide rail 8 generally extend linearly in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, but the vicinity of their front ends is bent obliquely inward in the vehicle width direction. For this reason, the sliding door 20 generally moves in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle between the fully open position and the fully closed position, but in the vicinity of its fully closed position, it moves obliquely in the longitudinal direction and the vehicle width direction of the vehicle (in FIG. 1, for the sake of convenience, the sliding door that slides in the closing direction is shown by a dashed line).

[0017] [Vehicle sliding door structure] And in the sliding door structure of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1, the lower sliding portion 23 provided at the lower end position of the sliding door 20 corresponds to the sliding portion of the present invention, and the lower rail portion 9 provided on the step plate 41 corresponds to the rail portion of the present invention. And this structure is a structure for guiding the lower sliding portion 23 by the lower rail portion 9. In this type of structure, it is desirable to be able to appropriately guide the sliding door 20 during sliding while simplifying the configuration of the vehicle 2 as much as possible. Therefore, in this embodiment, a simple configuration described later is adopted to enable appropriate guiding of the sliding door 20 during sliding. Hereinafter, the sliding door structure of the vehicle will be described in detail in the order of the configuration on the sliding door 20 side, the configuration on the rear door opening 10 side, the step device 40, the lower rail portion 9, and its related mechanisms (the rail mechanism 50, the lock mechanism 60, etc. shown in FIG. 3).

[0018] [Sliding portion of the sliding door] First, the sliding door 20 shown in FIG. 1 has sliding portions (21, 22, 23) at its upper position, central position, and lower position. Here, since the upper sliding portion 21 at the upper position and the central sliding portion 22 at the intermediate position have substantially the same basic configuration, the details will be described taking the upper sliding portion 21 as an example. In this upper sliding portion 21, as shown in FIG. 4, an upper door arm portion 21a fixed to the sliding door 20 is provided so as to extend inward in the vehicle width direction (right side). At the tip of the upper door arm portion 21a, a pair of front and rear upper guide rollers 21c and a load roller 21d are provided via its bracket 21b (in FIG. 4, for convenience, only one upper guide roller is shown). Here, the bracket 21b is provided with front and rear vertical shaft portions A1 extending in the vehicle up-and-down direction, and the upper guide rollers 21c are rotatably supported by these front and rear vertical shaft portions A1. Also, a horizontal shaft portion A2 extending in the vehicle width direction is provided at the center in the front-rear direction of the bracket 21b. And the load roller 21d is rotatably supported by the horizontal shaft portion A2 in a state of protruding below the vehicle compared to the front and rear upper guide rollers 21c. Thus, in the upper sliding portion 21, there are provided, respectively, the front and rear upper guide rollers 21c and the load roller 21d as its guided portions, that is, two types of sliding members. And the central sliding portion 22 shown in FIG. 1 also has a pair of front and rear upper guide rollers and load rollers <reference numerals omitted>.

[0019] [Lower sliding portion] Also, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower sliding portion 23 is provided on the lower end side of the sliding door 20, and is arranged below the vehicle compared to the above-described upper sliding portion 21 and central sliding portion 22. In this lower sliding portion 23, as shown in FIG. 2, its lower door arm portion 23a is provided so as to extend inward in the vehicle width direction (right side) from the sliding door 20. And at the tip of the lower door arm portion 23a, only a lower guide roller 23c extending upward in the vehicle, that is, only one type of sliding member as the guided portion, is rotatably supported via a lower vertical shaft portion 23b.

[0020] [Configuration on the rear door opening side (guide rail)] Next, the upper guide rail 7 and the center guide rail 8 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. Here, since each of the guide rails 7 and 8 has the same basic configuration, the upper guide rail 7 will be taken as an example to explain its details. As shown in FIG. 4, this upper guide rail 7 is formed in a hollow columnar shape with the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction being open, and is provided so as to extend in the sliding direction of the slide door 20. Further, in the upper guide rail 7, an opening that communicates with the outside on the outer side in the vehicle width direction is formed at the same height position as the upper sliding portion 21 described above. And the upper part 70 of the upper guide rail 7 is formed in a substantially inverted U shape, so that the movement of the upper guide rollers 21c before and after the upper sliding portion 21 can be restricted from the vehicle width direction. Also, in the upper guide rail 7, a vertical plate portion 71 on the inner side (right side) in the vehicle width direction is provided so as to extend downward of the vehicle, and further, the lower end of the vertical plate portion 71 is bent at a substantially right angle, so that a lower plate portion 72 that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction is formed. And the load roller 21d of the upper sliding portion 21 slides in a state of being in contact with a support plate portion 73 having a substantially L-shaped cross section provided on the lower plate portion 72 of the upper guide rail 7.

[0021] Note that the upper guide rail 7 shown in FIG. 4 can be fixed along the roof side rail 100 that forms the upper end portion of the rear door opening 10. On the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction of this roof side rail 100, the side outer panel 101 is fixed so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction. And the upper guide rail 7 can be fastened and fixed to an appropriate position of the side outer panel 101 with a fastener BM. At this time, the upper guide rail 7 can be fastened to the side outer panel 101 and a reinforcement 102 overlapped on the back side thereof. And the upper side of the reinforcement 102 is formed in a plate shape that extends inward in the vehicle width direction <right side> and is fixed to the roof side rail 100 side.

[0022] Thus, the upper guide rail 7 shown in FIG. 4 is configured such that its lower plate portion 72 receives the load roller 21d, thereby enabling it to receive the load of the sliding door 20 provided with this load roller 21d. Further, the center guide rail 8 shown in FIG. 1 has substantially the same configuration as the upper guide rail 7. For this reason, the center guide rail 8 is also configured to receive the load of the sliding door 20, allowing the guide rollers and load rollers (not shown) before and after the center sliding portion 22 to slide. And according to the above-described configuration, the load of the sliding door 20 is received by each of the guide rails 7, 8 (on the vehicle upper side of the lower sliding portion 23). As a result, the lower sliding portion 23 is supported by the sliding door 20 and is arranged at a predetermined height position as shown in FIG. 2.

[0023] [Locker] Next, the locker 30 provided at the lower end portion of the rear door opening 10 shown in FIG. 2 has a hollow cross-section formed by a locker outer 31 and a locker inner 32 (in FIG. 2, for convenience, the hollow cross-section portion is denoted by reference numeral 35). Further, the locker outer 31 is formed in a substantially horizontally oriented substantially U-shape in cross-section from its upper plate surface 311, lower plate surface 312, and left side plate surface 313, with its inner side (right side) in the vehicle width direction being open. And at the upper end position of the upper plate surface 311, an upper flange portion 31a bent upward on the vehicle is formed, and at the lower end position of the lower plate surface 312, a lower flange portion 31b bent downward on the vehicle is formed. Also, the locker inner 32 is formed in a substantially horizontally oriented substantially U-shape in cross-section from its upper plate surface 321, lower plate surface 322, and right side plate surface 323, with its outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction being open. And at the upper end position and lower end position of the locker inner 32, upper and lower flange portions 32a, 32b bent in the vehicle vertical direction are formed.

[0024] In the rocker 30 shown in FIG. 2, the upper flange portions 31a, 32a and the lower flange portions 31b, 32b are joined by welding or the like. In this way, the rocker outer 31 and the rocker inner 32 are aligned and joined in the vehicle width direction, and the rocker 30 is formed in a substantially square tube shape. Weather strips WS for filling the gap with the sliding door 20 are fitted to the upper flange portions 31a, 32a. In this way, the rocker 30 is formed in a square tube shape with the recess for the rail omitted and has a hollow cross-sectional shape (35) suitable for ensuring rigidity. Therefore, the rocker 30 can be made compact by reducing its dimension in the vehicle up-and-down direction, and its height position can be lowered, which contributes to ensuring excellent ride-on and ride-off performance. Also, by omitting the guide rail from the rocker 30, the dimension in the vehicle width direction can be made compact. As a result, it becomes easy to secure the arrangement space for the members arranged inside the rocker 30 in the vehicle width direction <right side>, for example, the battery unit 5 mounted under the floor panel 4.

[0025] [Step device (step plate)] Next, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a step device 40 is provided below the vehicle of the rocker 30. The step device 40 is provided with a step plate 41 serving as a stepping surface for the occupant and a four-bar link mechanism 42. As shown in FIG. 3, the step plate 41 is formed to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction and is supported substantially parallel to the rocker 30 by the four-bar link mechanism 42 described later. The step plate 41 is configured to be movable in the vehicle width direction between the storage position shown in FIG. 3 and the use position shown in FIG. 5 by the action of the four-bar link mechanism 42.

[0026] [Four-bar link mechanism] Also, the four-bar linkage mechanism 42 shown in FIG. 3 mainly includes a front link arm 43 and a rear link arm 44, and further includes a sub-arm 45 between the front and rear link arms. The front link arm 43 and the rear link arm 44 are plate-like members formed with substantially equal lengths, and are pivotally connected to the step plate 41 and the rocker 30 as will be described later. The sub-arm 45 has a proximal end side arm 451 pivotally connected to the rocker 30 and a distal end side arm 452 pivotally connected to the step plate 41. Here, the sub-arm 45 has a joint portion 453 at the axially connected portion where the ends of the proximal end side arm 451 and the distal end side arm 452 are pivotally connected to each other. And the sub-arm 45 can be folded in the vehicle width direction so as to form a substantially V shape in plan view with the joint portion 453 as a base point.

[0027] And the proximal end portion of the front link arm 43 shown in FIG. 3 is pivotally connected to the front portion of the front support bracket 33 fixed to the lower surface of the rocker 30. That is, the proximal end portion of the front link arm 43 is pivotally connected in a horizontally rotatable state by a front rotation center shaft 43a provided on the front support bracket 33. The distal end portion of the front link arm 43 is pivotally connected via a front bracket 430 to a front distal end connection shaft 43b provided near the front end position of the step plate 41. The proximal end portion of the rear link arm 44 is also pivotally connected to a rear rotation center shaft 44a provided on the rear support bracket 34. And the distal end portion of the rear link arm 44 is pivotally connected via a rear bracket 440 to a rear distal end connection shaft 44b provided at the rear portion of the step plate 41. Further, in the sub-arm 45, the proximal end side arm 451 is pivotally connected to a middle rotation center shaft 45a provided at the rear portion of the front support bracket 33, and the distal end side arm 452 is pivotally connected to a middle distal end connection shaft 45b provided on the step plate 41.

[0028] [Position Displacement of Step Plate by Four-Bar Linkage Mechanism] Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 5, the front link arm 43 and the rear link arm 44 are formed with equal dimensions. For this reason, when the front link arm 43 and the rear link arm 44 of the four-bar link mechanism 42 rotate horizontally, the step plate 41 moves along an arc locus (S) while being held parallel to the locker 30. Then, the tip portions of both link arms rotate horizontally about the rotation center axes 43a and 44a to a position substantially parallel to the locker 30 (right rotation limit position). In this way, when the tip portions of both link arms rotate inward in the vehicle width direction (right side) about the rotation center axes 43a and 44a, the step plate 41 is held in a storage position located below the locker 30 with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. At this time, the sub-arm 45 is folded in a substantially V shape in plan view with its joint portion 453 as a base point as described above. Further, the tip portions of both link arms rotate horizontally about the rotation center axes 43a and 44a to a position substantially perpendicular to the locker 30 (left rotation limit position). In this way, when the tip portions of both link arms rotate outward in the vehicle width direction (left side) about the rotation center axes 43a and 44a, the step plate 41 is held in a use position protruding from below the locker 30 to the left as shown in FIG. 5. At this time, the sub-arm 45 is in a state where the base-end side arm 451 and the tip-end side arm 452 are expanded in the vehicle width direction with its joint portion 453 as the center.

[0029] [Lower rail portion] Next, the lower rail portion 9 shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 is provided on the lower surface (door opening side) of the step plate 41 together with the rail mechanism 50 and the lock mechanism 60 described later. This lower rail portion 9 is composed of a front end bent portion 91 provided at its front end portion and a straight portion 92 continuous with this front end bent portion 91, and is arranged along the left edge portion of the step plate 41. Here, the straight portion 92 extends along the movement locus Ds between the half-open position (described later) and the fully open position of the slide door 20 shown in FIG. 3. Further, the front end bent portion 91 is bent at a predetermined angle in the vehicle width direction with respect to the straight portion 92, and is gradually inclined inward in the vehicle width direction as it goes toward the front side of the vehicle. This front end bent portion 91 extends so as to intersect the movement locus Dо between the fully closed position and the half-open position of the slide door 20 shown in FIG. 3. And the front end bent portion 91 is bent obliquely in the vehicle width direction in the same manner as the above-described movement locus Do, but the bending width W1 in the vehicle width direction is smaller than the bending width W2 of the movement locus Do.

[0030] Also, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lower rail portion 9 is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section from a left wall portion 9a, a right wall portion 9b, and an upper wall portion 9c, and is fixed to the lower surface of the step plate 41 by the upper wall portion 9c. And by releasing the lower side of the vehicle of the lower rail portion 9, the lower guide roller 23c of the lower sliding portion 23 described above is fitted into this lower rail portion 9 from the vehicle vertical direction. Thereby, only the lower guide roller 23c at the time of sliding is such that its movement in the vehicle width direction is restricted by the left wall portion 9a and the right wall portion 9b. And in the above-described configuration, the lower rail portion 9 is configured to be able to guide the lower sliding portion 23 by restricting the movement of the lower guide roller 23c only from the vehicle width direction. For this reason, the vehicle vertical dimension S1 of the lower sliding portion 23 and the lower rail portion 9 shown in FIG. 7 can be made smaller than that of the other guide rails and the sliding portion (FIG. 4) by the amount of omission of the load roller, and can be made more compact.

[0031] [Rail mechanism] And the lower rail portion 9 shown in FIG. 6 is configured to follow the movement of the sliding door 20 in the vehicle width direction by the action of the rail mechanism 50. This rail mechanism 50 can be composed of the front link arm 43 of the four-bar link mechanism 42 described above and a contact portion 51 connected to the tip of this front link arm 43. In the rail mechanism 50, the contact portion 51 is applied to the lower sliding portion 23 that moves in the vehicle width direction, so that the front link arm 43 (four-bar link mechanism 42) connected to the contact portion 51 can be rotated.

[0032] Here, the contact portion 51 shown in FIG. 6 is connected to the tip of the front link arm 43 by being pivotally supported (crimped) on the front tip connecting shaft 43b. That is, the contact portion 51 is pivotally connected to the front link arm 43 via the front tip connecting shaft 43b so as to be rotatable. And the contact portion 51 is arranged below the vehicle (directly below) the front end bent portion 91 of the lower rail portion 9 in a state of being pivotally supported on the front tip connecting shaft 43b with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0033] In addition, on the left edge portion on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the contact portion 51 shown in FIG. 6, front and rear contact convex portions 52 and 53 are provided. The front and rear contact convex portions 52 and 53 protrude outward in the vehicle width direction from the right wall portion 9b of the lower rail portion 9 and are arranged at positions where they are applied to the lower sliding portion 23 during sliding described later. Also, the right edge portion on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the contact portion 51 is formed in a substantially circular shape in plan view. On the right edge portion of this contact portion 51, an arc-shaped guide groove 54 along the outer circumference of the front tip connecting shaft 43b is formed with reference to FIGS. 6 and 9. Also, an engaging convex portion 61 (configuration of a lock mechanism 60 described later) that protrudes downward from the vehicle is provided at the tip of the front link arm 43. And the engaging convex portion 61 is inserted into the guide groove 54 of the contact portion 51 in a state of being arranged at a position behind the front tip connecting shaft 43b.

[0034] And in the above-described configuration, referring to FIGS. 6 and 11, when the contact portion 51 is pushed in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the front link arm 43 provided with this contact portion 51 rotates. For example, referring to FIG. 11, when the front link arm 43 and the contact portion 51 are at the right rotation limit position, when the contact portion 51 is pushed to the rear side of the vehicle, it rotates leftward (rotates in the direction of arrow X1). As a result, the engaging convex portion 61 of the front link arm 43 is locked to the left end E2 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the guide groove 54. In this state, when the contact portion 51 is pushed to the rear side of the vehicle, the front link arm 43 locked to this contact portion 51 rotates leftward. And by rotating the front link arm 43 (the four-bar link mechanism 42) leftward, the step plate 41 provided on the lower rail portion 9 follows the movement of the slide door 20 described later to the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

[0035] Also referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, as the contact portion 51 rotates leftward together with the front link arm 43, the rear contact convex portion 53 of the contact portion 51 gradually moves inward in the vehicle width direction (right side). And when the front link arm 43 rotates to the left rotation limit position (FIG. 13), the rear contact convex portion 53 of the contact portion 51 disengages from the lower rail portion 9 inward in the vehicle width direction. As a result, when the front link arm 43 is at the left rotation limit position, only the front contact convex portion 52 protrudes outward (left side) in the vehicle width direction from the right wall portion 9b of the lower rail portion 9.

[0036] Also, in the above-described configuration, when the front link arm 43 shown in FIG. 14 is at the left rotation limit position together with the contact portion 51, the contact portion 51 is pushed toward the front side of the vehicle and rotates rightward (rotates in the direction of arrow X2). As a result, the engaging convex portion 61 of the front link arm 43 is locked to the right end E1 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the guide groove 54. In this state, when the contact portion 51 is pushed toward the front side of the vehicle, the front link arm 43 locked to the contact portion 51 rotates rightward. By rotating the front link arm 43 (the four-bar link mechanism 42) rightward, the step plate 41 provided on the lower rail portion 9 follows the movement of the slide door 20 described later toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction. Also, when the contact portion 51 rotates rightward, the rear contact convex portion 53 of the contact portion 51 gradually moves toward the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction. When the front link arm 43 rotates together with the contact portion 51 to the right rotation limit position (FIG. 6), the front and rear contact convex portions 52 and 53 of the contact portion 51 protrude outward in the vehicle width direction from the right wall portion 9b of the lower rail portion 9.

[0037] [Lock mechanism] Furthermore, the lower rail portion 9 shown in FIG. 6 is configured to be held at a predetermined position moved outward in the vehicle width direction (left side), that is, the left rotation limit position (FIG. 13) by the action of the lock mechanism 60. This lock mechanism 60 can be composed of an engaging convex portion 61 of the front link arm 43, a latch portion 62 provided on the step plate 41, and a biasing portion 66 passed between the contact portion 51 and the latch portion 62. The lock mechanism 60 is configured such that the latch portion 62 and the engaging convex portion 61 are engaged or disengaged (engagement released) by the rotation operation of the contact portion 51 described above.

[0038] Here, the latch portion 62 shown in FIG. 6 is pivotally supported (crimped) on a shaft member 410 extending downward from the lower surface of the step plate 41 toward the lower side of the vehicle, and is disposed on the rear side of the vehicle of the contact portion 51. This latch portion 62 is disposed at a position substantially the same height as the lower end portion of the engaging convex portion 61, that is, on the lower side of the vehicle of the contact portion 51, in a state of being pivotally supported on the shaft member 410 of the step plate 41 with reference to FIGS. 6 and 9. The latch portion 62 is a strip-shaped member extending in the vehicle width direction as shown in FIG. 6, and its tip portion 63 is bent in a substantially L shape in plan view so as to protrude toward the front side of the vehicle. Further, an engaging recess 64 recessed toward the rear side of the vehicle is formed on the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction of the tip portion 63 of the latch portion 62. This engaging recess 64 is formed substantially rectangular in plan view, and the left edge portion 642 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and the right edge portion 643 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction protrude toward the front side of the vehicle with respect to the bottom edge portion 641 thereof.

[0039] In the lock mechanism 60 shown in FIG. 6, the latch portion 62 and the contact portion 51 are urged by an urging portion 66 in a direction approaching each other, and in this state, the latch portion 62 is engaged with the rear side of the contact portion 51. That is, a front boss 55 protruding downward from the vehicle is provided near the front portion of the contact portion 51 (FIG. 7). Further, a rear boss 65 protruding downward from the vehicle is provided near the rear portion of the latch portion 62 (FIG. 10). By attaching the urging portion 66 between the front boss 55 and the rear boss 65, the latch portion 62 and the contact portion 51 are urged so as to approach each other. Further, when the front link arm 43 shown in FIG. 6 is at the right rotation limit position together with the contact portion 51, a convex portion 56 protruding downward from the vehicle of this contact portion 51 is provided at a position where it fits into the engaging recess 64 of the latch portion 62 (FIG. 9). Thereby, the latch portion 62 provided with the engaging recess 64 is engaged with the convex portion 56 of the contact portion 51 and is disposed on the rear side of the vehicle thereof. In this state, the engaging convex portion 61 inserted into the guide groove 54 of the contact portion 51 shown in FIG. 6 is disposed on the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction of the engaging recess 64 of the latch portion 62.

[0040] And in the above-described configuration, due to the leftward rotation operation of the contact portion 51, the latch portion 62 of the step plate 41 is engaged with the front link arm 43. First, referring to FIG. 6, when the front link arm 43 is at the rightward rotation limit position together with the contact portion 51, the engaging convex portion 61 of the front link arm 43 disengages from the engaging concave portion 64 of the latch portion 62 and is disposed on the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, the latch portion 62 of the step plate 41 and the front link arm 43 are disengaged <engagement released>.

[0041] And as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, when the contact portion 51 is pushed to the rear side of the vehicle, it rotates leftward (rotates in the direction of arrow X1). As a result, the convex portion 56 of the contact portion 51 gets over the right edge portion 643 of the engaging concave portion 64 and moves toward the tip end portion 63 side of the latch portion 62. At the same time, the engaging convex portion 61 inserted into the guide groove 54 of the contact portion 51 moves inward (right side) in the vehicle width direction and approaches the engaging concave portion 64 of the latch portion 62. Then, due to the leftward rotation of the contact portion 51, as shown in FIG. 13, the convex portion 56 of the contact portion 51 moves to the front side of the tip end portion 63 of the latch portion 62, and the engaging convex portion 61 moves along the front edge of the latch portion 62. And as shown in FIG. 13, when the front link arm 43 reaches the leftward rotation limit position together with the contact portion 51, the engaging convex portion 61 fits into the engaging concave portion 64. At this time, as the latch portion 62 gradually tilts toward the front side of the vehicle (tilts in the direction of arrow Y1) around the shaft member 410 by the biasing force of the biasing portion 66, the engaging convex portion 61 passes through the left edge portion 642 of the engaging concave portion 64 and reaches the bottom edge portion 641. Thereby, the engaging convex portion 61 inserted into the guide groove 54 fits into and engages with the engaging concave portion 64 of the tilted latch portion 62. Thus, when the latch portion 62 engages with the front link arm 43, the step plate 41 provided with this latch portion 62 is held at a predetermined position where it has moved outward in the vehicle width direction together with the lower rail portion 9. And the engagement between the latch portion 62 and the front link arm 43 is maintained by the biasing force of the biasing portion 66.

[0042] Also, in the above-described configuration, the latching portion 62 can be disengaged from the front link arm 43 by the rightward rotation operation of the contact portion 51 (a part of the front link arm). That is, when the front link arm 43 shown in FIG. 14 is at the leftward rotation limit position together with the contact portion 51, the contact portion 51 is pushed toward the front side of the vehicle and rotates rightward (rotates in the direction of arrow X2). At the initial stage of this rightward rotation, only the contact portion 51 rotates rightward. Also, the tilted latch portion 62 has the convex portion 56 of the contact portion 51 applied to the tip portion 63 thereof. Then, as the latch portion 62 is pushed by the convex portion 56 that rotates rightward, the latch portion 62 gradually tilts rearward of the vehicle about the shaft member 410 against the biasing force of the biasing portion 66 <tilts in the direction of arrow Y2>. And the engaging convex portion 61 inserted into the guide groove 54 can move outward in the vehicle width direction (left side) over the left edge portion 642 of the engaging concave portion 64 as the latch portion 62 tilts rearward. Thereby, the latch portion 62 is disengaged from the front link arm 43, and the step plate 41 provided with this latch portion 62 can move inward in the vehicle width direction (right side) together with the lower rail portion 9.

[0043] [Configuration and Function of Slide Door Structure of Vehicle] In the vehicle 2 shown in FIG. 1, while simplifying its configuration, it is desirable to be able to appropriately guide the slide door 20 during sliding. Therefore, in the slide door structure of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower rail portion 9 that guides the lower guide roller 23c (the guided portion) provided on the slide door 20 during sliding is provided so as to extend in the sliding direction toward the rear door opening side. And the above-described rail mechanism 50 and lock mechanism 60 are provided in the slide door structure of the vehicle. In the above-described configuration, due to the functions of the rail mechanism 50 and the lock mechanism 60, the lower rail portion 9 can appropriately guide the lower sliding portion 23. And since the lower rail portion 9 is made to move in the vehicle width direction, it becomes possible to make the lower rail portion 9 compact in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, hereinafter, the function of the slide door structure of the vehicle will be specifically described together with the opening and closing operations of the slide door 20.

[0044] [Slide Door in Fully Closed Position] First, fully close the sliding door 20 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. At this time, the front link arm 43 and the rear link arm 44 shown in FIG. 3 have their tip ends rotated to the right rotation limit position about the corresponding rotation center axes 43a and 44a. As a result, the step plate 41 is held at the storage position below the vehicle of the locker 30. And the lower sliding portion 23 provided on the sliding door 20 is disposed at the front end position of the front end bent portion 91 of the lower rail portion 9, and thus is abutted against the front abutting convex portion 52 of the abutting portion 51. Also, the front link arm 43 and the step plate 41 are disengaged. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the engaging convex portion 61 of the front link arm 43 is disengaged from the engaging concave portion 64 of the latch portion 62 of the step plate 41 and is disposed on the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction thereof.

[0045] [Sliding door at the initial stage of the opening operation] Then, referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, slide the sliding door 20 in the opening direction (rear side in each figure). At this time, the lower sliding portion 23 of the sliding door 20 obliquely moves rearward of the vehicle and outward in the vehicle width direction (left side) together with the sliding door 20 within the front end bent portion 91 of the lower rail portion 9 (refer to the movement locus Do in each figure). And in the front end bent portion 91 of the lower rail portion 9, as shown in FIG. 11, the rear abutting convex portion 53 of the abutting portion 51 protrudes into the front end bent portion 91 of the lower rail portion 9. As a result, the lower sliding portion 23 moves outward in the vehicle width direction and rearward of the vehicle while being abutted against the rear abutting convex portion 53.

[0046] [Function of the rail mechanism] Then, referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, when the rear contact projection 53 is pushed rearward of the vehicle by the lower sliding portion 23, the front link arm 43 is locked to the contact portion 51 and rotates counterclockwise (rotates in the direction of arrow X1) as described above. Thus, due to the counterclockwise rotation of the front link arm 43 and the contact portion 51 (the function of the rail mechanism 50), the step plate 41 provided on the lower rail portion 9 follows the movement of the slide door 20 outward in the vehicle width direction (left side). At this time, the movement of the lower sliding portion 23 in the vehicle width direction is restricted by the left wall portion 9a and the right wall portion 9b of the front end bent portion 91. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the front link arm 43 locked to the contact portion 51 moves to the counterclockwise rotation limit position. As a result, the step plate 41 provided on the lower rail portion 9 moves to the use position while being supported by the front link arm 43 (the four-bar link mechanism 42).

[0047] [Function of the locking mechanism] Subsequently, the step plate 41 at the use position is held at the use position without following the slide door 20 by the action of the locking mechanism 60. That is, as shown in FIG. 13, when the front link arm 43 locked to the contact portion 51 moves to the left rotation limit position, the engaging convex portion 61 of the front link arm 43 engages with the latch portion 62 (engaging concave portion 64) of the step plate 41 inclined forward. Thus, by the engagement of the engaging convex portion 61 and the engaging concave portion 64 (the action of the locking mechanism), the step plate 41 provided with this latch portion 62 is held at a predetermined position moved outward in the vehicle width direction (left side) together with the lower rail portion 9. And the engagement between the latch portion 62 and the front link arm 43 is maintained by the biasing force of the biasing portion 66. Further, when the lower rail portion 9 is held at the predetermined position, the straight portion 92 thereof is disposed at a position where it can guide the lower guide roller 23c that has moved outward in the vehicle width direction on the movement locus Ds from the half-open position to the fully open position of the slide door 20, that is, at a position where it can guide the lower guide roller 23c that has moved outward in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, the straight portion 92 of the lower rail portion 9 can be slid while restricting the lower guide roller 23c during sliding from the vehicle width direction by its left wall portion 9a and right wall portion 9b. And in the above-described configuration, even if the bending width W1 of the front end bent portion 91 shown in FIG. 3 is reduced, the front end bent portion 91 can be adjusted to match the movement locus Do by moving it in the slide direction. Thereby, it becomes possible to make the lower rail portion 9 more compact in the vehicle width direction.

[0048] [Slide Door during Closing Operation] Next, the slide door 20 shown in FIG. 5 is slid in the closing direction (front side in each figure) and fully closed as shown in FIG. 3. At this time, referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the lower sliding portion 23 of the slide door 20 moves from the straight portion 92 to the front end bent portion 91 while being guided by the lower rail portion 9. Also, in the lower rail portion 9, as shown in FIG. 14, only the front contact convex portion 52 of the contact portion 51 protrudes into the front end bent portion 91. Thereby, the lower sliding portion 23 moves inward in the vehicle width direction (right side) and toward the front side of the vehicle while being abutted against the front contact convex portion 52.

[0049] Then, referring to FIG. 14, the contact portion 51 is pushed toward the front side of the vehicle by the lower sliding portion 23 and rotates clockwise (rotates in the direction of arrow X2). At the initial stage of this clockwise rotation, only the contact portion 51 rotates clockwise. Also, the latch portion 62 is pushed by the convex portion 56 of the contact portion 51 and gradually tilts toward the rear side of the vehicle about the shaft member 410 against the biasing force of the biasing portion 66 <tilts in the direction of arrow Y2>. Then, the engaging convex portion 61 inserted into the guide groove 54 moves outward in the vehicle width direction (left side) over the left edge portion 642 of the engaging concave portion 64 as the latch portion 62 tilts rearward. In this way, the latch portion 62 disengages from the front link arm 43, and the step plate 41 provided with this latch portion 62 can move inward in the vehicle width direction (right side) together with the lower rail portion 9. Then, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the front link arm 43 (the four-bar link mechanism 42) is rotated to the clockwise rotation limit position. As a result, the sliding door 20 is fully closed, and the step plate 41 is held at the storage position below the vehicle of the locker 30 (FIG. 2).

[0050] As described above, in the sliding door structure of the vehicle, due to the function of the rail mechanism 50, the lower rail portion 9 can be moved in the vehicle width direction, so that the sliding door 20 that slides while moving a certain distance in the vehicle width direction can be more appropriately guided. Also, due to the function of the lock mechanism 60, by holding the lower rail portion 9 at a position outside the vehicle width direction, the lower sliding portion 23 that has moved outward in the vehicle width direction can be more appropriately guided by this lower rail portion 9. And in the present invention, since the lower rail portion 9 is made to move in the vehicle width direction, it becomes possible to make the lower rail portion 9 more compact in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, according to the above-described configuration, while simplifying the configuration of the vehicle 2 as much as possible, the sliding door 20 during sliding can be appropriately guided.

[0051] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, due to the function of the four-bar link mechanism 42 that constitutes the rail mechanism 50, the lower rail portion 9 can be reliably moved in the vehicle width direction. Also, in the present embodiment, when the contact portion 51 is pressed against the lower sliding portion 23 that moves in the vehicle width direction, the front link arm 43 <four-bar link mechanism 42> provided with this contact portion 51 can be rotated. Also, in the present embodiment, due to the function of the latch portion 62 that constitutes the lock mechanism 60, the position of the lower rail portion 9 in the vehicle width direction can be held more appropriately. And the engagement / disengagement <engagement release> of the four-bar link mechanism 42 and the latch portion 62 can be performed by the pressing of the lower sliding portion 23 during sliding. And in the present embodiment, by providing the lower rail portion 9 and each mechanism on the step plate 41, there is no need to provide another rail on the lower side of the vehicle, and the configuration contributes to the simplification of the vehicle configuration.

[0052] The slide door structure of the vehicle according to the present embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, in the slide door structure of the vehicle according to the present embodiment, the lower rail portion is provided on the step plate under the locker, but this is not intended to limit the arrangement position of the lower rail portion. Also, the contact portion and the latch portion can be provided at appropriate positions of the four-bar link mechanism. Also, the contact portion can be configured to be applied to an appropriate position of the lower rail portion. For example, the contact portion can be applied to at least one of the lower door arm portion (bracket) and the lower guide roller. Also, as the rail portion, at least one of a lower rail portion, an upper guide rail, and a center guide rail can be used. Note that the dimension of the rail portion in the vehicle vertical direction is not particularly limited.

[0053] Also, in the present embodiment, the configuration of the lower part of the vehicle, for example, the configuration of the locker is illustrated, but this is not intended to limit the configuration of the locker. Also, as members mounted in the vehicle width direction, in addition to the battery unit, various internal members such as a fuel tank can be assumed. Also, the configuration of the step device can be appropriately changed. And the configuration and movement locus of the slide door can also be appropriately changed, and the rail mechanism and the lock mechanism can be configured according to the movement locus and the like. Note that the configurations of the above-described third invention and fourth invention can be appropriately combined.

Explanation of Symbols

[0054] 2 vehicles 3 vehicle body 4 floor panel 5 battery unit 6 shock absorbing member 7 upper guide rail 70 upper part 71 vertical plate part 72 lower plate part 73 support plate part 8 center guide rail 9 lower rail part (rail part of the present invention) 9a left wall part 9b right wall part 9c upper wall part 91 front end bent part 92 straight part 10 rear door opening 11 fixed step 20 sliding door 21 upper sliding part 21a upper door arm part 21b bracket 21c upper guide roller 21d load roller 22 central sliding part 23 lower sliding part 23a lower door arm part 23b lower vertical shaft part 23c lower guide roller 30 locker 31 locker outer 32 locker inner 311 upper plate surface (of locker outer) 312 lower plate surface (of locker outer) 313 left side plate surface (of locker outer) 321 upper plate surface (of locker inner) 322 lower plate surface (of locker inner) 323 right side plate surface (of locker inner) 33 front support bracket 34 Rear support bracket 40 Step device 41 Step plate 410 Shaft material 42 Four-bar link mechanism 43 Front link arm (link arm of the present invention) 44 Rear link arm 43a Front rotation center axis 43b Front tip connection axis 44a Rear rotation center axis 44b Rear tip connection axis 45 Sub-arm 451 Base end side arm 452 Tip end side arm 453 Joint part 45a Middle rotation center axis 45b Middle tip connection axis 430 Front bracket 440 Rear bracket 50 Rail mechanism 51 Contact part 52 Front contact convex part 53 Rear contact convex part 54 Guide groove E1 Right end E2 Left end 55 Front side boss 56 Convex part 60 Lock mechanism 61 Engaging convex part 62 Latch part 63 Tip end part (of the latch part) 64 Engaging concave part 641 Bottom edge part 642 Left edge part 643 Right edge part 65 Rear side boss 66 Biasing part 100 Roof side rail 101 Side outer panel 102 Reinforce A1 Vertical axis part A2 Horizontal axis part BM Fastener Do,Ds Movement locus (of the sliding door and the sliding part) WS Weatherstrip

Claims

1. A vehicle sliding door structure including a sliding door that slides to open and close a door opening of the vehicle, the sliding door being configured to move a certain distance in a vehicle width direction when sliding, A rail portion that guides a guided portion of a sliding portion provided on the sliding door when the sliding door is slid is provided on the door opening side so as to extend in the sliding direction, A vehicle sliding door structure provided with a rail mechanism that causes the rail portion to follow the movement of the sliding door in the vehicle width direction, and a locking mechanism that holds the rail portion in a position where it can guide the guided portion that has moved outward in the vehicle width direction.

2. 2. The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 1, wherein the rail mechanism has a four-joint link mechanism attached to the door opening so as to be rotatable in the vehicle width direction.

3. A link arm forming a part of the four-joint link mechanism is configured to rotate by being pushed by the sliding part, 3. The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 2, wherein the abutment portion connected to the link arm is disposed at a position where it abuts against the sliding portion that moves in the vehicle width direction.

4. 3. The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 2, wherein the locking mechanism has a latch portion that engages with the four-bar link mechanism rotated outward in the vehicle width direction, and the latch portion is configured to disengage from the four-bar link mechanism by being pressed against the sliding portion of the sliding door during a closing operation.

5. A step plate is provided at a lower edge of the door opening so as to be movable in the vehicle width direction between a storage position and a use position, 5. The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 1, wherein the step plate is provided with the rail portion, the rail mechanism, and the lock mechanism.

Images