Open position adjusting tool for vehicle slide door

Abstract

To provide an open position adjusting tool for a vehicle slide door capable of easily adjusting a usual open position.SOLUTION: The open position adjusting tool comprises two components, a stopper 10 and a lock pin 20. The stopper 10 is fitted and fixed in a first guide hole 831, which is one of a plurality of holes formed in a base plate 83 of a rail 80, and restricts a movement limit of a door arm. The lock pin 20 is fitted and fixed in a second guide hole 832, and engages with a lock claw at an open position of the slide door to hold the door arm. The stopper 10 includes: a column part 11 extending from the base plate 83 of the rail 80 toward a vehicle lateral side; a support part 13 extending from a lateral face of the column part 11 toward a vehicle front side; and a buffer member 14 formed of rubber and fixed to the support part 13, the buffer member having a stopper face 141 on a side opposite to the support part 13, the stopper face 141 being abutted by a rear edge of the door arm. The lock pin 20 is inclined toward an innermost side of the rail 80 as it extends from a top part 21 of a column body toward a vehicle rear side, and has an inclined face 22 abutted by the lock claw.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for adjusting the open position of a vehicle sliding door.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, regarding the adjustment of the open position of a vehicle sliding door, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of electrically stopping the operation during the opening and closing of an electric sliding door and holding it in a half-open state. An electric sliding door is convenient when it is desired to change the open position each time according to the situation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In this specification, the "fully open position" of the sliding door means the fully open position in a vehicle with standard specifications. Also, based on the direction of viewing from the rear to the front of the vehicle, the "left side" and "right side" of the vehicle are represented. For example, assume a case where a second-row seat is attached as a rear seat to an imported commercial vehicle and it is modified into a camper van specification. In the standard specification, the opening and closing stroke of the sliding door is set large so that it is easy to load and unload luggage from the left side of the vehicle into the space behind the seat. Therefore, in the case of only using it for getting on and off the second-row seat, at the fully open position of the standard specification, the sliding door opens too wide, and there is a problem that the door lever at the fully open position cannot be reached with the hand in the posture of sitting on the second-row seat.

[0005] In this case, after the vehicle is modified to a camper van specification, it is not assumed that the sliding door can be opened to the fully open position of the standard specification according to the situation. Therefore, a simple means of changing the normal opening position of the sliding door forward from the fully open position of the standard specification is required. Conventionally, no adjuster that can easily achieve such customization has been known.

[0006] The present invention has been created in view of such points, and its object is to provide an opening position adjuster that can easily adjust the normal opening position of a vehicle sliding door.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The present invention is an opening position adjuster that is retrofitted by customization in a vehicle (90) equipped with a sliding door (93) that opens rearward along the side surface of the vehicle body beside the rear seat, and changes the normal opening position of the sliding door forward from the fully open position of the standard specification. This opening position adjuster is composed of two parts: a stopper (10) and a lock pin (20).

[0008] The stopper is fitted and fixed to one first guide hole (831) among a plurality of holes formed along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in the bottom plate (83) of the rail (80) along which the door arm (70) of the sliding door moves, and restricts the movement limit of the door arm.

[0009] The lock pin is fitted and fixed to a second guide hole (832) located in front of the vehicle with respect to the first guide hole, locks the lock claw (72) provided on the door arm at the opening position of the sliding door, and holds the door arm.

[0010] The stopper includes a column portion (11) extending laterally from the bottom plate of the rail, a support portion (13) extending forward from the side surface of the column portion, and a buffer member (14) formed of rubber and fixed to the support portion, having a stopper surface (141) against which the rear edge (71) of the door arm abuts on the side opposite to the support portion. The lock pin is inclined toward the inner side of the rail from the top (21) of the column body toward the rear of the vehicle, and an inclined surface (22) against which the lock claw abuts is formed.

[0011] When the door lever (94) is operated from the state where the sliding door is held in the open position, the locking claw moves to a position where the locking by the locking pin is released, and the sliding door is configured to be closable.

[0012] In the present invention, by reducing the opening and closing stroke of the standard-specification sliding door, it is possible to easily open and close the sliding door in the posture of sitting on the second-row seat. Further, since the sliding door is held in the open position by the locking pin unless the door lever is operated, it is possible to prevent the sliding door from closing accidentally when the vehicle stops on a slope.

[0013] Preferably, the stopper is formed separately from a pillar bracket forming a pillar portion and a support bracket forming a support portion, and is assembled with bolts (15). By sandwiching a spacer (17) of an arbitrary thickness between the pillar bracket and the support bracket and assembling them, the position of the stopper surface can be adjusted.

[0014] Due to variations in the hole position of the rail by the vehicle and dimensions of each part of the door arm, etc., when the opening position adjuster is attached, a difference occurs in the degree of play in the open position of the sliding door. Therefore, by adopting a structure in which the position of the stopper surface can be adjusted and appropriately adjusted for each vehicle, the sliding door can be stably restricted and held in the open position.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] (One embodiment) The opening position adjuster for the slide door according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This opening position adjuster is retrofitted by customization in a vehicle equipped with a slide door that opens rearward along the side surface of the vehicle body on the side of the rear seat, and changes the normal opening position of the slide door forward from the fully open position of the standard specification.

[0017] FIG. 1 shows a customized vehicle 90 in which the normal opening position of the slide door 93 is adjusted by the opening position adjuster of one embodiment. FIG. 2 shows, for comparison, the fully open position of the slide door 93 in the vehicle 90 of the standard specification. For example, this vehicle 90 is an imported commercial vehicle. When imported, the area behind the front seats (driver's seat, passenger seat) is empty, and a second-row seat 92 is installed there as a rear seat, and it is modified to a camper van specification.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, in the standard specification, the opening and closing stroke FO of the slide door 93 is set large so that it is easy to load and unload luggage from the left side of the vehicle into the space behind the seat. In the fully open position, the door lever 94 is located several tens of centimeters behind the second-row seat 92. Therefore, when sitting on the second-row seat 92, one cannot reach the door lever in the fully open position. That is, in the case of only getting on and off the second-row seat 92 without loading and unloading luggage from the left side of the vehicle into the space behind the seat, the slide door 93 opens too wide in the fully open position of the standard specification. Also, it is not assumed that the slide door 93 will be opened to the fully open position of the standard specification depending on the situation.

[0019] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the normal open position of the sliding door 93 is set to a semi-open position that allows passengers to get on and off the second row seat 92, and it is required to mechanically shorten the opening and closing stroke HO to the normal open position. Also, from the perspective of ensuring safety, it is important to prevent the sliding door 93 from closing on its own when the vehicle is parked on a slope or the like.

[0020] In this embodiment, as a simple means for this purpose, an opening position adjuster composed of two parts, a stopper 10 and a lock pin 20, is attached to the bottom plate of the rail 80 at the lower part of the vehicle body. The rail 80 is a part where the door arm 70 of the sliding door 93 is guided and moves, and a plurality of holes are formed in the bottom plate, that is, the back plate, along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Appropriate holes among the plurality of holes are selected as the first guide hole 831 and the second guide hole 832 (see FIG. 2). The second guide hole 832 is located in front of the vehicle with respect to the first guide hole 831.

[0021] The stopper 10 is fitted and fixed in the first guide hole 831 to restrict the movement limit of the door arm 70. The lock pin 20 is fitted and fixed in the second guide hole 832. The lock pin 20 locks the lock claw 72 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) provided on the door arm 70 in the open position of the sliding door 93, and holds the door arm 70 in the open position of the sliding door 93. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the sliding door 93 from closing on its own when the vehicle is parked on a slope or the like.

[0022] The lock claw 72 is connected to the door lever 94 via a wire 73. When the door lever 94 is operated from the state where the sliding door is held in the open position, the lock claw 72 is pulled by the wire 73. Then, the lock claw 72 moves to a position where the locking by the lock pin 20 is released, and the sliding door 93 can be closed. Depending on the configuration of the vehicle, instead of pulling the lock claw 72 with the wire 73, the locking of the lock claw 72 may be electrically released based on the operation signal of the door lever 94.

[0023] Next, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the specific configurations of the stopper 10 and the lock pin 20 will be described. In each of the figures (a), a plan view seen from the upper surface side within the rail 80 in the assembled state is shown, and in each of the figures (b), a front view seen from the side of the vehicle in the assembled state is shown. The members hatched with broken lines in the plan view indicate the bottom plate 83 of the rail 80 and the back wall 84 arranged in parallel with the bottom plate 83 on the back side of the bottom plate 83. Circular first guide holes 831 and second guide holes 832 are formed in the bottom plate 83 at a predetermined pitch. In the back wall 84, first wall holes 841 and second wall holes 842 having a smaller diameter than the guide holes 831 and 832 are formed coaxially with the guide holes 831 and 832.

[0024] The stopper 10 includes a column bracket 11 as a "column part", a support bracket 13 as a "support part", and a buffer member 14. In the present embodiment, the column bracket 11 and the support bracket 13 are formed separately and assembled with bolts 15. The column bracket 11 and the support bracket 13 are made of steel, and the buffer member 14 is made of rubber.

[0025] The column bracket 11 forming the column part has a fitting part 12 with a smaller diameter than the main body provided at one end of a columnar main body centered on the axis Y1 via a step part 123. The outer diameter of the fitting part 12 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the first guide hole 831, and the height of the fitting part 12 is set to be approximately equal to the length from the front surface of the bottom plate 83 to the front surface of the back wall 84. The column bracket 11 is fitted into the first guide hole 831 until the step part 123 abuts against the front surface of the bottom plate 83, and is tightened with bolts 85 from the back side of the first wall hole 841. In the assembled state to the rail 80, the column bracket 11 is fixed to the back wall 84 so as to extend laterally from the bottom plate 83 toward the vehicle.

[0026] The column bracket 11 is formed with bolt holes 116 centered on an axis X1 orthogonal to the axis Y1. Further, an inlay portion 113 is formed at one end of the bolt hole 116, and a countersink portion 115 is formed at the other end of the bolt hole 116. The outer diameter of the cylindrical support bracket 13 fits into the inlay portion 113. With the end face of the support bracket 13 in contact with the inlay seating surface 114, the bolt 15 penetrates the bolt hole 116 from the countersink portion 115 side and is tightened into the support bracket 13. In the assembled state to the rail 80, the axis X1 is horizontal, and the support bracket 13 is arranged in front of the vehicle with respect to the column bracket 11. Therefore, the support bracket 13 extends forward from the side surface of the column bracket 11 in the vehicle direction.

[0027] The rubber buffer member 14 has a frustoconical shape, and a countersink portion 145 and a bolt hole 146 are formed along the axis X1 common to the support bracket 13. The buffer member 14 is fixed to the support bracket 13 by a bolt 16 passing through the bolt hole 146 such that the end face on the lower base side of the frustoconical shape contacts the end face of the support bracket 13. Further, the buffer member 14 has a stopper surface 141 against which the rear edge 71 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) of the door arm 70 abuts on the side opposite to the support bracket 13. In the assembled state to the rail 80, the "side opposite to the support bracket 13" corresponds to the front side of the vehicle. Since the stopper surface 141 is formed of rubber, it is possible to mitigate the impact when the door arm 70 collides with the stopper surface 141 during the opening operation of the sliding door 93 and prevent damage and deformation of the contact portion.

[0028] The lock pin 20 is made of steel and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape centered on an axis Y2. The outer diameter of the lock pin 20 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the second guide hole 832, and the height of the lock pin 20 is set to be larger than the length from the front surface of the bottom plate 83 to the front surface of the rear wall 84. The lock pin 20 is fixed to the rear wall 84 by fitting into the second guide hole 832 and being tightened with a bolt 86 from the back side of the second wall hole 842. Here, a spacer 87 for adjusting the height may be appropriately provided between the end face of the lock pin 20 and the front surface of the rear wall 84.

[0029] In the portion protruding into the rail 80 from the second guide hole 832 of the bottom plate 83, the locking pin 20 has an inclined surface 22 formed from the top 21 of the columnar body toward the side surface. In the assembled state to the rail 80, the inclined surface 22 is inclined toward the inner side of the rail 80 as it goes toward the rear of the vehicle. In the open position of the slide door 93, a locking claw 72 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) provided on the door arm 70 abuts against the inclined surface 22.

[0030] FIG. 5 shows a plan view and a front view of a state in which a stopper 10 and a locking pin 20 are attached to a rail 80 of a vehicle body. The stopper 10 and the locking pin 20 are fitted into adjacent first guide holes 831 and second guide holes 832, and are fixed to the back wall 84 through adjacent first wall holes 841 and second wall holes 842. The stopper surface 141 of the buffer member 14 of the stopper 10 is disposed on the front side as viewed from the side of the vehicle, and the inclined surface 22 of the locking pin 20 is disposed on the inner side. In the height direction of the vehicle, the positions of the buffer member 14 and the locking pin 20 are the same.

[0031] Next, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the operation of the open position adjuster accompanying the opening and closing operation of the slide door 93 will be described. A door arm 70 connected to the lower part of the slide door 93 is inserted into the rail 80 from the outside of the rail 80 and moves inside the rail 80 together with a roller (not shown). The shape of the door arm 70 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is a schematic image for explaining the operation of the open position adjuster and is different from the actual shape.

[0032] The locking claw 72 is biased toward the inner side of the rail 80 by a biasing force F such as a spring mechanism (not shown). Further, the tip of a wire 73 disposed along the door arm 70 is connected to the locking claw 72. When the wire 73 is pulled by the operation of the door lever 94, the locking claw 72 moves to the front side of the rail 80 against the biasing force F.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 6, when the sliding door 93 is opened, the door arm 70 moves rearward of the vehicle, and the movement limit is regulated at the position where the rear edge 71 of the door arm 70 abuts against the stopper surface 141 of the stopper 10. At this time, the locking claw 72 that has overcome the top 21 of the lock pin 20 abuts against and is locked by the inclined surface 22 due to the biasing force F in the back direction. In this way, the rearward movement of the door arm 70 is regulated, and by locking the locking claw 72 in the front, the sliding door 93 is held (locked) in the open position.

[0034] In this embodiment, by reducing the opening and closing stroke of the sliding door 93 of the standard specification, it is possible to easily open and close the sliding door in the posture of sitting on the second row seat 92. Further, even when the self-weight of the sliding door 93 acts forward on a downward slope, it is possible to prevent the sliding door 93 from closing by itself, ensuring safety.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 7, when the door lever 94 is operated and the locking claw 72 is pulled by the wire 73, the locking claw 72 moves to a position where the locking by the lock pin 20 is released against the biasing force F in the back direction, that is, a position where the locking claw 72 is unlocked. Thereby, it becomes possible to close the sliding door 93.

[0036] By the way, when the door arm 70 is held in the open position as shown in Fig. 6, actually an appropriate "play" is required. If the play is too small, there is a risk that the locking claw 72 may come off the inclined surface 22 due to the rebound when the rear edge 71 collides with the stopper surface 141. If the play is too large, the sliding door 93 rattles. However, there are variations in the positions of the guide holes 831 and 832 of the rail 80 and the dimensions of each part of the door arm 70 depending on the vehicle. In addition, there are also individual variations in the processing dimensions of the stopper 10 and the lock pin 20. Therefore, when attached to the rail 80, there is a difference in the degree of play in the open position of the sliding door 93.

[0037] Therefore, in the stopper 10 of the present embodiment, the pillar bracket 11 and the support bracket 13 are formed separately and assembled with bolts 15. As shown in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b), by sandwiching a spacer 17 with an arbitrary thickness t between the inlay seat surface 114 of the pillar bracket 11 and the end surface of the support bracket 13 and assembling them, the position of the stopper surface 141 can be adjusted.

[0038] Also, as described above, a spacer 87 may be appropriately provided between the end surface of the lock pin 20 and the surface in front of the back wall 84 (see FIGS. 4(a) and 5(a)). Thereby, the locking state of the lock claw 72 according to the position of the inclined surface 22 can be adjusted. By appropriately adjusting the positions of the stopper surface 141 of the stopper 10 and the inclined surface 22 of the lock pin 20 for each vehicle, the slide door 93 can be stably restricted and held in the open position.

[0039] (Other embodiments) The pillar portion 11 and the support portion 13 of the stopper may be integrally formed in an L shape. In that case, a spacer may be sandwiched between the support portion 13 and the buffer member 14 so that the position of the stopper surface 141 can be adjusted.

[0040] The purpose of changing the normal open position of the slide door 93 forward from the fully open position of the standard specification by the open position adjuster of the present invention is not limited to changing to the camper specification. Even when used as a commercial vehicle, if it is desired to always use the slide door 93 in a half-open stroke without fully opening it to load and unload luggage, it is effective to use the open position adjuster of the present invention.

[0041] As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit thereof.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0042] 10... Stopper, 11... Pillar bracket (pillar portion), 13... Support bracket (support portion), 14... buffer member, 141... stopper surface, 20... lock pin, 21... top, 22... inclined surface, 70... door arm, 71... rear edge, 72... locking claw, 80... rail, 83... bottom plate, 831... first guide hole, 832... second guide hole, 90... vehicle, 93... sliding door, 94... door lever.

Claims

1. In a vehicle (90) equipped with a slide door (93) that opens rearward along the side surface of the vehicle body on the transverse side of the rear seat, an opening position adjuster that is retrofitted by customization and changes the normal opening position of the slide door forward from the fully open position of the standard specification, a stopper (10) that is fitted and fixed to a first guide hole (831) among a plurality of holes formed along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in the bottom plate (83) of a rail (80) along which a door arm (70) of the slide door moves, and restricts the movement limit of the door arm; a lock pin (20) that is fitted and fixed to a second guide hole (832) located in front of the vehicle with respect to the first guide hole, locks a lock claw (72) provided on the door arm at the opening position of the slide door, and holds the door arm; composed of these two components, the stopper is a column part (11) extending laterally from the bottom plate of the rail to the vehicle side; a support part (13) extending forward from the side surface of the column part to the vehicle; a buffer member (14) formed of rubber and fixed to the support part, having a stopper surface (141) against which the rear edge (71) of the door arm abuts on the side opposite to the support part; the lock pin is inclined toward the inner side of the rail from the top (21) of the column body as it goes rearward of the vehicle, and an inclined surface (22) against which the lock claw abuts is formed; An opening position adjuster for a vehicle slide door configured such that when a door lever (94) is operated from a state where the slide door is held at the opening position, the lock claw moves to a position where the locking by the lock pin is released, and the slide door can be closed.

2. The stopper is formed separately by a column bracket forming the column part and a support bracket forming the support part, and is assembled with bolts (15). The opening position adjuster for a vehicle slide door according to claim 1, wherein the position of the stopper surface can be adjusted by sandwiching a spacer (17) of an arbitrary thickness between the column bracket and the support bracket and assembling them.

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