Slide door structure of vehicle

Abstract

To provide a slide door structure of a vehicle which can properly guide a slide door during sliding while simplifying a structure of a vehicle lower part as much as possible.SOLUTION: A slide door structure of a vehicle is given in which: load of a slide door 20 during sliding is received at a vehicle upper side relative to a lower side sliding part 23 so that the lower side sliding part is supported by the slide door 20 and arranged at a specified height position; the lower side sliding part 23 only includes a sliding member (lower guide roller 23c) which is pivotally supported by a shaft part extending to a vehicle upper side as a part to be guided; and a lower side rail part 9 arranged at a lower side of a door opening part extending in the slide direction slides while regulating the sliding member (lower guide roller 23c) during sliding from the vehicle width direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a slide door structure of 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, a 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. 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 the guided portion slides in the vehicle longitudinal direction while moving a certain distance in the vehicle width direction.

[0003] Here, in the above-described slide door, the sliding portion on the lower end side has, as the guided portion, a guide roller (sliding member) pivotally supported on a shaft extending in the vehicle vertical direction and a load roller (another sliding member) pivotally supported on a shaft extending in the vehicle width direction. Further, a guide rail for guiding the sliding portion on the lower end side is disposed in a cylindrical locker forming the lower end portion of the door opening. The locker is provided with a recess opening outward in the vehicle width direction so as to extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the guide rail is fixed to the upper wall of the recess. When the slide door slides, the guide roller slides along the guide rail. Further, the load roller slides in a state of being in contact with the lower wall of the recess. Thereby, while receiving the load of the slide door by the locker, each roller that slides can be appropriately guided.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008 - 80819 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] By the way, in the field of vehicles, it is desired to simplify the configuration by making it more compact. For example, simplifying the configuration of the door opening, such as the rocker, to be more compact in the vehicle's vertical direction contributes to ensuring the boarding and alighting performance for passengers. However, in the above-described configuration, a guide roller and a load roller (two types of sliding members) are provided on the lower end side of the sliding door. Therefore, on the lower side of the vehicle, it is necessary to guide the two types of sliding members while receiving the load of the sliding door with the rocker, making it difficult to simplify the configuration. In this type of vehicle, a rail portion 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 portion. 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 conceived in view of the above points, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to simplify the configuration of the lower part of the vehicle as much as possible while being able to appropriately guide the sliding door during sliding. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0006] 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 a lower sliding portion provided on the lower end side of the slide door. 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 configuration of the lower part of the vehicle as much as possible. Therefore, in the present invention, by receiving the load of the slide door during sliding above the vehicle rather than at the lower sliding portion, the lower sliding portion is supported by the slide door and disposed at a predetermined height position. And the lower sliding portion has only a sliding member pivotally supported by a shaft portion extending upward of the vehicle as a guided portion, and a lower rail portion provided on the lower side of the door opening and extending in the sliding direction is configured to slide the sliding member during sliding while restricting it from the vehicle width direction. In the present invention, the lower sliding portion having one type of sliding member as the guided portion is supported by the slide door. And by providing the lower rail portion with a function of guiding while restricting the sliding member from the vehicle width direction, the slide door provided with the sliding member can be appropriately guided. And in the present invention, since it is only necessary to restrict the sliding member from the vehicle width direction by the lower rail portion, the lower rail portion and the lower sliding portion can be made more compact in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0007] 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 lower rail portion is provided on the lower side of the door opening via a rail mechanism that causes the lower rail portion to follow the movement of the slide door in the vehicle width direction. In the present invention, by allowing the lower rail portion to be moved in the vehicle width direction, the slide door that slides while moving a certain distance in the vehicle width direction can be more appropriately guided.

[0008] The slide door structure of the vehicle according to the third invention is such that, in the slide door structure of the vehicle according to the first invention, the upper sliding part provided at the upper part of the slide door is provided on the upper side of the vehicle rather than the lower sliding part. And an upper guide rail for sliding the guided part of the upper sliding part in a state where the slide door receives a load is provided so as to extend in the sliding direction on the upper side of the door opening. In the present invention, the load of the slide door can be received by the upper guide rail.

[0009] The slide door structure of the vehicle according to the fourth invention is such that, in the slide door structure of the vehicle according to the third invention, a cylindrical rocker having a hollow cross-section is provided on the lower side of the vehicle of the upper guide rail so as to form the lower edge part of the door opening. And the lower rail part is provided on the lower side of the vehicle of the hollow cross-section part of the rocker. In the present invention, by providing the lower rail part on the lower side of the vehicle of the rocker, the structure of this rocker can be simplified and made more compact in the vehicle vertical direction, and furthermore, its height position can be lowered.

[0010] The slide door structure of the vehicle according to the fifth invention is such that, in the slide door structure of the vehicle according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, a cylindrical rocker 30 having a hollow cross-section forming the lower edge part of the door opening and a step plate that moves in the vehicle width direction between the storage position and the use position on the lower side of the vehicle of the hollow cross-section part of the rocker are provided. And the lower rail part is provided on the step plate. In the present invention, by providing the lower rail part on the step plate, there is no need to provide another rail on the lower part of the vehicle, which contributes to the simplification of the vehicle configuration.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the first invention of the present invention, while simplifying the configuration of the lower part of the vehicle 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 appropriately guided. Also, according to the third invention, the slide door can be more appropriately guided. Also, according to the fourth invention, the configuration of the lower part of the vehicle can be further simplified, and according to the fifth invention, the configuration of the lower part of the vehicle can be further simplified.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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

[0013] 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 illustrated. Also, in each figure, only the left side of the vehicle is illustrated, 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 configuration of the sliding door structure of the vehicle is illustrated by a solid line, and other configurations may be illustrated by a broken line or omitted.

[0014] [Overview of the Vehicle] Before describing the sliding door structure of the vehicle, first, the overview of the vehicle 2 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. 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 sliding door 20 that slides in the vehicle front-rear 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 portion of the rear door opening 10 so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction. And a step device 40 including a step plate 41 is disposed below the vehicle of the rocker 30.

[0015] Referring to FIG. 2 here, a fixed step 11 is provided at the upper end portion 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 vehicle of the floor panel 4. 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 up-down direction.

[0016] In the vehicle 2 shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of rails (7, 8, 9) are provided so as to extend in the sliding direction of the sliding door 20. That is, in the vehicle 2, an upper guide rail 7 is provided on the upper side of the vehicle of the rear door opening 10. A center guide rail 8 is provided at the central 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 vehicle of the locker 30, and a lower rail portion 9 is provided on the lower surface of the step plate 41.

[0017] Next, the sliding door 20 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with sliding portions (21, 22, 23) at its upper end position, intermediate position, and lower end position. The sliding door 20 is configured to be slidable by being guided by these guide rails 7, 8, etc. as its respective sliding portions move (slide, etc.) along the corresponding guide rails 7, 8, etc. 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 the fully closed position, it moves obliquely in the longitudinal direction and the vehicle width direction of the vehicle (in FIG. 1, for convenience, the sliding door that slides in the closing direction is shown by a dashed line).

[0018] [Sliding Door Structure of Vehicle] The sliding door structure of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 is a structure for guiding the lower sliding portion 23 provided at the lower end position of the sliding door 20 described above with a rail provided on the lower end side on the rear door opening 10 side. And in the above-described configuration, it is desirable to be able to appropriately guide the sliding door 20 during sliding while simplifying the configuration of the lower part of the vehicle 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).

[0019] [Sliding Portion of the Slide Door] First, as shown in FIG. 1, the slide door 20 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 thereof 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 slide 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, the upper sliding portion 21 is provided with two types of sliding members, namely, the front and rear upper guide rollers 21c and the load roller 21d, as its guided portions. 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>.

[0020] [Lower Sliding Portion] Also, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower sliding portion 23 is provided on the lower end side of the slide door 20, and is thus 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 slide 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.

[0021] [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 sliding 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 above-described upper sliding portion 21. 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, the 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 the support plate portion 73 having a substantially L-shaped cross section provided on the lower plate portion 72 of the upper guide rail 7.

[0022] 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. This roof side rail 100 has a side outer panel 101 fixed to the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction 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 (right side) in the vehicle width direction and is fixed to the roof side rail 100 side.

[0023] In this way, the upper guide rail 7 shown in FIG. 4 is configured such that its lower plate portion 72 receives the load roller 21d, thereby being able 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 be able to receive the load of the sliding door 20, and the guide rollers and load rollers (not shown) before and after the center sliding portion 22 are able 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.

[0024] [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 from 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, and its inner side in the vehicle width direction (right side) is 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. Further, 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, and its outer side in the vehicle width direction (left side) is open. And at the upper end position and the lower end position of the locker inner 32, upper and lower flange portions 32a, 32b bent in the vehicle vertical direction are formed.

[0025] 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 vertical 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 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.

[0026] [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.

[0027] [Four-bar link mechanism] Further, the four-bar link mechanism 42 shown in FIG. 3 mainly includes a front link arm 43 and a rear link arm 44, and a sub-arm 45 is further provided 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 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] [Position Displacement of Step Plate by Four-Bar Link 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 trajectory (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, 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, 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, as described above, the sub-arm 45 is folded in a substantially V shape in plan view with its joint portion 453 as a base point. Further, the tip portions of both link arms rotate horizontally about the rotation center axes 43a, 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, 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.

[0030] [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.

[0031] 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 those of the other guide rails and the sliding portion (FIG. 4) by the amount of omission of the load roller, so as to be made compact.

[0032] [Rail mechanism] 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 above-described four-bar link mechanism 42 and the 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.

[0033] 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 connection shaft 43b. That is, the contact portion 51 is pivotally connected to the front link arm 43 via the front tip connection 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 connection shaft 43b with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0034] In addition, the contact portion 51 shown in FIG. 6 is provided with front and rear contact convex portions 52 and 53 on the left edge portion on the outer side in the vehicle width direction thereof. 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. Further, 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. An arc-shaped guide groove 54 along the outer circumference of the front tip connection shaft 43b is formed in the right edge portion of the contact portion 51 with reference to FIGS. 6 and 9. In addition, an engaging convex portion 61 (configuration of a lock mechanism 60 described later) protruding downward from the vehicle is provided at the tip of the front link arm 43. 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 connection shaft 43b.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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 comes off 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.

[0037] 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 to the right (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 to the right. By rotating the front link arm 43 (the four-bar link mechanism 42) to the right, 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. Further, when the contact portion 51 rotates to the right, 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.

[0038] [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. The 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 release) by the rotation operation of the contact portion 51 described above.

[0039] 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 engagement 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. And 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 engagement 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 engagement recess 64 is formed substantially rectangular in plan view, and with respect to its bottom edge portion 641, 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.

[0040] And 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). Also, a rear boss 65 protruding downward from the vehicle is provided near the rear portion of the latch portion 62 (FIG. 10). And 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 engagement recess 64 of the latch portion 62 (FIG. 9). Thereby, the latch portion 62 provided with the engagement recess 64 is engaged with the convex portion 56 of the contact portion 51 and is disposed on the rear side of the vehicle. In this state, the engagement 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 engagement recess 64 of the latch portion 62.

[0041] And in the above-described configuration, due to the counterclockwise 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 clockwise 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 outside (left side) in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the latch portion 62 of the step plate 41 and the front link arm 43 are disengaged <engagement released>.

[0042] Then, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, when the contact portion 51 is pushed to the rear side of the vehicle, it rotates counterclockwise (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 counterclockwise 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. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, when the front link arm 43 reaches the counterclockwise 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. As a result, 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.

[0043] 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 abutting 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 abutting portion 51, the abutting 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 abutting portion 51 rotates rightward. Also, the latch portion 62 that is tilted forward has the convex portion 56 of the abutting 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>. Then, 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. As a result, the latch portion 62 is disengaged from the front link arm 43, and the step plate 41 provided with the latch portion 62 can move inward in the vehicle width direction (right side) together with the lower rail portion 9.

[0044] [Configuration and Function of Slide Door Structure of Vehicle] In the vehicle 2 shown in FIG. 1, while simplifying the lower structure, it is desirable to be able to appropriately guide the sliding door 20 during sliding. Therefore, in the sliding door structure of the vehicle, referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, by receiving the load of the sliding door 20 during sliding above the vehicle rather than at the lower sliding portion 23, the lower sliding portion 23 is supported by the sliding door 20 and is arranged at a predetermined height position. And the lower sliding portion 23 has only the lower guide roller 23c (sliding member) pivotally supported on the shaft portion extending upward of the vehicle as the guided portion, and the lower rail portion 9 provided on the lower side of the rear door opening 10 and extending in the sliding direction is configured to slide the lower guide roller 23c (sliding member) during sliding while restricting it from the vehicle width direction. In the above-described configuration, since it is only necessary to restrict the lower guide roller 23c (sliding member) from the vehicle width direction by the lower rail portion 9, the lower rail portion 9 and the lower sliding portion 23 can be made compact in the vehicle vertical direction. And in the same configuration, the lower rail portion 9 is provided with a function of guiding while restricting the lower guide roller 23c (sliding member) from the vehicle width direction. Therefore, hereinafter, the operation (guide function) of the sliding door structure of the vehicle will be specifically described together with the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 20.

[0045] [Sliding door in the fully closed position] First, the sliding door 20 is fully closed 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 are rotated to the right rotation limit position with their tip ends centered on the corresponding rotation center shafts 43a, 44a. Thereby, 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 arranged at the front end position of the front end bent portion 91 of the lower rail portion 9 and 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 arranged outside the vehicle width direction (left side) thereof.

[0046] [Sliding door at the initial stage of the opening operation] Then, referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, the sliding door 20 is slid in the opening direction (the rear side in each figure). At this time, the lower sliding portion 23 of the sliding door 20 moves obliquely in the front end bent portion 91 of the lower rail portion 9 toward the rear side of the vehicle and the outer side in the vehicle width direction (left side) together with the sliding door 20 (refer to the movement locus Dо in each figure). And in the front end bent portion 91 of the lower rail portion 9, as shown in FIG. 11, the rear contact convex portion 53 of the contact portion 51 protrudes into the front end bent portion 91 of the lower rail portion 9. Thereby, the lower sliding portion 23 moves to the outer side in the vehicle width direction and the rear side of the vehicle while being applied to the rear contact convex portion 53.

[0047] [Function of the rail mechanism] Then, referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, when the rear contact convex portion 53 is pushed toward the rear side 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 sliding door 20 to the outer side 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. And as shown in FIG. 13, the front link arm 43 locked to the contact portion 51 moves to the counterclockwise rotation limit position. Thereby, 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).

[0048] [Function of the lock 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 the 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, by holding the lower rail portion 9 at a 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. 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.

[0049] [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, only the front contact convex portion 52 of the contact portion 51 protrudes into the front end bent portion 91 as shown in FIG. 14. Thereby, the lower sliding portion 23 moves inward in the vehicle width direction (right side) and forward in the vehicle while being applied to the front contact convex portion 52.

[0050] 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).

[0051] As described above, in the sliding door structure of the vehicle, the lower sliding portion 23 provided with the lower guide roller 23c as the guided portion is supported by the sliding door 20. And by providing the lower rail portion 9 with the function of guiding while restricting the lower guide roller 23c from the vehicle width direction, the sliding door 20 provided with this lower guide roller 23c can be appropriately guided. And in this embodiment, since it is only necessary to restrict the lower guide roller 23c from the vehicle width direction by the lower rail portion 9, the lower rail portion 9 and the lower sliding portion 23 can be made compact in the vehicle vertical direction. Therefore, according to the above-described configuration, it is possible to appropriately guide the sliding door 20 during sliding while simplifying the configuration of the vehicle 2 as much as possible.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by enabling the lower rail portion 9 to be moved in the vehicle width direction, it becomes possible to more appropriately guide the sliding door 20 that slides while moving a certain distance in the vehicle width direction. Also, in this embodiment, the load of the sliding door 20 can be received by the upper guide rail 7 (upper side guide rail). Further, in this embodiment, by providing the lower rail portion 9 below the vehicle of the locker 30, the configuration of the locker 30 can be simplified and made more compact in the vehicle vertical direction, and furthermore, its height position can be lowered. And in this embodiment, by providing the lower rail portion 9 on the step plate 41, there is no need to provide another guide rail on the lower side of the vehicle, resulting in a configuration that contributes to the simplification of the vehicle configuration.

[0053] The sliding door structure of the vehicle according to this embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, in the sliding door structure of the vehicle, 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 lower rail portion is preferably moved in the vehicle width direction by the action of the rail mechanism, but the locking mechanism is not necessarily required. That is, in the above-described configuration, the sliding door can be guided only by moving the lower rail portion in the vehicle width direction. The contact portion can be provided at an appropriate position 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. The dimension of the lower rail portion in the vehicle width direction is not particularly limited. Also, the lower rail portion can be fixed to the lower side of the vehicle of the locker (various members arranged on the lower side of the vehicle of the locker), and in this case as well, it results in a configuration that contributes to the simplification of the vehicle lower part, particularly the locker.

[0054] In addition, in the present embodiment, the configuration of the lower part of the vehicle, for example, the configuration of the rocker, is illustrated, but it is not intended to limit the configuration of the rocker. Also, various internal members such as a fuel tank can be arranged inside the rocker in the vehicle width direction in addition to the battery unit. Further, the configuration of the step device can be appropriately changed. And the configuration and movement locus of the sliding door can be appropriately changed, and a rail mechanism and a lock mechanism can be configured according to the movement locus and the like. In addition, the configurations of the above-described second invention and other inventions (at least one of the third invention, the fourth invention, and the fifth invention) can be appropriately combined.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0055] 2 Vehicle 3 Vehicle Body 4 Floor Panel 5 Battery Unit 6 Shock Absorbing Member 7 Upper Guide Rail (Upper Guide Rail of the Present Invention) 70 Upper Portion (of the Upper Guide Rail) 71 Vertical Plate Portion 72 Lower Plate Portion 73 Support Plate Portion 8 Center Guide Rail 9 Lower Rail Portion 9a Left Wall Portion 9b Right Wall Portion 9c Upper Wall Portion 91 Front End Bending Portion 92 Straight Portion 10 Rear Door Opening 11 Fixed Step 20 Sliding Door 21 Upper Sliding Portion 21a Upper Door Arm Portion 21b Bracket 21c Upper Guide Roller 21d Load Roller 22 Central Sliding Portion 23c Lower Guide Roller (Sliding Member, Guided Portion of the Present Invention) 23 Lower Sliding Portion 23a Lower Door Arm Portion 23b Lower Vertical Shaft Portion 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 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 Protrusion 53 Rear Contact Protrusion 54 Guide Groove E1 Right End E2 Left End 55 Front Boss 56 Protrusion 60 Lock Mechanism 61 Engaging Protrusion 62 Latch Part 63 Tip End Part (of Latch Part) 64 Engaging Recess 641 Bottom edge part 642 Left edge part 643 Right edge part 65 Rear 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 (for the sliding door and the sliding part) Movement locus WS Weather strip

Claims

1. A vehicle sliding door structure comprising a sliding door that slides to open and close a door opening of a vehicle, and a lower sliding portion provided on a lower end side of the sliding door, the sliding door being configured to move a certain distance in a vehicle width direction when sliding, The load of the sliding door when sliding is received at a position higher than the lower sliding portion, so that the lower sliding portion is supported by the sliding door and disposed at a predetermined height position, The lower sliding portion has only a sliding member journaled on a shaft portion extending upwardly of the vehicle as a guided portion, A vehicle sliding door structure in which a lower rail portion provided on the lower side of the door opening and extending in the sliding direction is configured to allow the sliding member to slide while regulating it in the vehicle width direction when sliding.

2. 2. A vehicle sliding door structure as described in claim 1, wherein the lower rail portion is provided on the lower side of the door opening via a rail mechanism that causes the lower rail portion to follow the movement of the sliding door in the vehicle width direction.

3. An upper sliding portion provided at an upper portion of the sliding door is provided on an upper side of the vehicle than the lower sliding portion, 2. A vehicle sliding door structure as described in claim 1, wherein an upper guide rail, which slides the guided portion of the upper sliding portion when the sliding door is loaded, is provided to extend in the sliding direction at the upper side of the door opening.

4. A cylindrical locker having a hollow cross section is provided on the vehicle lower side of the upper guide rail so as to form a lower edge of the door opening, 4. The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 3, wherein the lower rail portion is provided on a vehicle lower side of a hollow cross-sectional portion of the locker.

5. A cylindrical locker having a hollow cross section that constitutes a lower edge of the door opening, and a step plate that moves in the vehicle width direction between a storage position and a use position on the vehicle underside of the hollow cross section of the locker, 5. The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 1, wherein the lower rail portion is provided on the step plate.

Images