Vehicle sliding door structure

Abstract

To shorten the dimensions of a sliding door rail and secure the width of an entry / exit.SOLUTION: A lower rail 30 of a slide door has a front side sloping section 31 extending inwardly sloping toward the front, a middle section 32 extending backward from the rear of the front side sloping section 31, and a rear sloping section 33 extending inwardly sloping toward from the rear of the middle section 32 toward the rear; and the relative position between a door support member 25 and a slide member 20 is that the door support member 25 is positioned backward relative to the slide member 20 when the slide member 20 is positioned in the rear sloping section 33 relative to the status in which the slide member 20 is in the middle section 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] A sliding side door (hereinafter referred to as a sliding door) on the side of a vehicle body generally opens and closes a door opening by traveling on a rail provided in the door opening on the side of the vehicle body. For example, in the sliding door device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a structure in which a guide rail is provided at the lower part of the door opening is disclosed. Further, the sliding door device in this example has a guide roller unit for traveling on the guide rail. The guide roller unit has a rotating arm for opening and closing the side door.

[0003] Generally, when the sliding door is fully closed, it is necessary to secure space because an arm or the like that supports the sliding door enters the vehicle interior. For this reason, there is a problem that the space in the vehicle interior becomes narrow. On the other hand, in the sliding door device disclosed in Patent Document 1, by providing a plurality of rotatable arms in the guide roller unit, the amount of movement of the sliding door in the vehicle width direction is increased, and as a result, the arrangement space of the guide roller unit is suppressed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, as in the above example, when trying to expand the space in the vehicle interior by suppressing the arrangement space of the guide roller unit, a plurality of guide rails are required, and the structure and shape become complicated. In addition, since a plurality of rotating arms are provided, the number of link joints increases. As a result, the rigidity of the rotating arm may decrease, and rattling may also increase.

[0006] Also, when a space for arranging electrical devices such as a battery in the vehicle interior is required, it is also required to reduce the arrangement space of guide rails and the like. In the structure of the above example, for example, the sliding amount of the sliding door from the fully closed state to the fully open state depends on the length of the guide rail in the vehicle front-rear direction, so the degree of freedom in designing the sliding amount is low. That is, it is difficult to shorten the dimension of the rail, for example, in the vehicle front-rear direction while ensuring the sliding amount of the sliding door. Also, when the sliding amount becomes small, the width of the boarding and alighting opening at the fully open state of the sliding door becomes narrow. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the above example in order to shorten the dimension of the rail and secure the width of the boarding and alighting opening while expanding the space in the vehicle interior.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a sliding door structure for a vehicle capable of shortening the dimension of a rail and securing the width of a boarding and alighting opening in a vehicle having a sliding door.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The slide door structure for a vehicle according to the present invention for achieving the above object is provided at the lower part of a door opening in a side portion of a vehicle body, and includes a lower rail extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, a door body that opens and closes the door opening by sliding on the lower rail, a lower arm that connects the door body and the lower rail, a center rail disposed behind the vehicle of the door opening and extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a rear arm that connects the center rail and the door body. The lower arm has a long main body portion, a running portion provided at an end of the main body portion in the longitudinal direction that is farther from the door body and runs on the lower rail, a door support portion provided at an end of the main body portion in the longitudinal direction that is closer to the door body and supports the door body, and a hinge shaft that rotatably connects the main body portion and the door support portion. The rear arm has a rear running portion that runs on the center rail. In the slide door structure for a vehicle, the lower rail has a front inclined portion located at the front of the lower rail and inclined and extending inward in the vehicle width direction as it goes forward in the vehicle, an intermediate portion extending rearward in the vehicle from the rear portion of the front inclined portion, and a rear inclined portion inclined and extending inward in the vehicle width direction as it goes rearward in the vehicle from the rear portion of the intermediate portion. The hinge shaft is In the vehicle width direction attached to the end of the main body portion closer to the door body is disposed at the front end of the door support portion and is disposed on the vehicle front side of the front end of the door body and is configured such that as the opening operation proceeds from a first state where the running portion is located at the intermediate portion to a second state where the running portion is located at the rear inclined portion, the opening angle formed on the rear side of the vehicle by the longitudinal direction of the main body portion of the lower arm and a reference line in the vehicle front-rear direction gradually increases. In the second state, the main body portion is arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the main body portion is along the vehicle width direction. The center rail has a front portion inclined outward in the vehicle width direction as it goes rearward in the vehicle from the front end of the center rail, and a rear portion extending rearward in the vehicle from the rear end of the front portion. A corner portion is formed by the front portion and the rear portion. When the door body is fully closed, the rear running portion is located at the front portion of the center rail, and when the door body is fully open, the rear running portion is located at the rear portion of the center rail. [Effect of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, in a vehicle having a sliding door, it is possible to shorten the dimension of the rail and secure the width of the boarding and alighting opening.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a slide door structure for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 12). In the drawings, the direction of arrow Fr indicates the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction. "Front part (front end) and rear part (rear end)" in the description of the embodiment correspond to the front part (front end) and rear part (rear end) in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Also, the direction of arrow In indicates the inside in the vehicle width direction.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the slide door structure for a vehicle of the present embodiment is a structure of a slide-type side door (slide door 1) provided on the side portion of the vehicle body. The slide door structure has a lower rail (rail) 30 shown in FIG. 6, a door main body 10 of the slide door 1 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and a lower arm 12. The lower rail 30 is provided at the lower part of the door opening 2 of the side body outer panel 4 shown in FIG. 2 and extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Details of the lower rail 30 will be described later. As shown in FIG. 2, a center pillar 3 extending in the vehicle vertical direction is arranged at the front part of the door opening 2. Also, a quarter panel 4a is arranged on the vehicle rear side of the door opening 2.

[0013] The door main body 10 is configured to open and close the door opening 2 by sliding on the lower rail 30. Although details of the configuration of the door main body 10 are omitted, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, the door main body 10 has a door inner panel 11A and a door outer panel 11B arranged on the vehicle outer side of the door inner panel 11A. The outer peripheral edge of the door outer panel 11B is joined to the outer peripheral edge of the door inner panel 11A, whereby the door main body 10 is constituted.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lower arm 12 is a member that connects the door inner panel 11A of the door body 10 and the lower rail 30. The lower arm 12 of the present embodiment has a long main body (main body portion), a slide member (traveling portion) 20, a door support member (door support portion) 25, and a hinge shaft 19. In this example, the hinge shaft 19 rotatably connects the long main body and the door support member 25, and the lower arm 12 is configured to rotate around the hinge shaft 19 when the door body 10 is opened and closed. The relationship between the lower arm 12 and the hinge shaft 19 will be described later.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the main body of the lower arm 12 has a plate-like portion 14 that extends substantially horizontally, a vertical wall portion 15, and a flange portion 16. The plate-like portion 14 is a portion that extends horizontally and has an upper surface facing upward of the vehicle, and the hinge shaft 19 is attached to an end closer to the door inner panel 11A.

[0016] The vertical wall portion 15 is a portion that extends upward from the side portion of the plate-like portion 14 and is integrally formed with the plate-like portion 14. The flange portion 16 protrudes from the upper end of the vertical wall portion 15 and is integrally formed with the vertical wall portion 15. The flange portion 16 and the plate-like portion 14 are disposed opposite to each other. The hinge shaft 19 is a cylindrical member that extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The upper portion of the hinge shaft 19 is rotatably supported by the flange portion 16 via an upper bearing (not shown) in a state of passing through the flange portion 16, and the lower portion of the hinge shaft 19 is rotatably supported by the plate-like portion 14 in a state of passing through the plate-like portion 14 via a lower bearing 29.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the slide member 20 has a mounting portion 21 and two protruding portions 22. The mounting portion 21 is a portion joined by two bolts to the end of the upper or lower surface of the plate-like portion 14 of the lower arm 12 opposite to the end where the hinge shaft 19 is attached, and is a horizontally extending plate-like shape.

[0018] Further, the two protruding portions 22 protrude from the ends of the plate-shaped portion 14 of the lower arm 12 and are arranged at intervals from each other. Guide rollers 23 are provided on the horizontally extending portions of the respective protruding portions 22. A load roller 24 for supporting the load of the slide door 1 is attached between the protruding portions 22.

[0019] The door support member 25 is a plate-shaped member joined to the lower portion of the vehicle inner surface of the door inner panel 11A. The door support member 25 has a joint surface portion 26, an upper flange portion 27, and a lower flange portion 28. The joint surface portion 26 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction and has a vehicle outer surface and a vehicle inner surface facing the vehicle width direction. In a state where the vehicle outer surface of the joint surface portion 26 abuts against the vehicle inner surface of the door inner panel 11A, the joint surface portion 26 is fastened to the door inner panel 11A by fastening members such as bolts (not shown) and nuts. In this example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, one bolt hole 26c is provided at the upper part and two bolt holes 26a, 26b, 26c are provided at the lower part of the joint surface portion 26. The two lower bolt holes 26a, 26b are arranged at intervals in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the upper bolt hole 26c is arranged above the front bolt hole 26a.

[0020] The upper flange portion 27 protrudes inward of the vehicle from the upper end of the joint surface portion 26 and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction. The lower flange portion 28 protrudes inward of the vehicle from the lower end of the joint surface portion 26 and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction. The upper flange portion 27 and the lower flange portion 28 are arranged to face each other, and the upper part of the hinge shaft 19 is rotatably attached to the upper flange portion 27 in a state of passing through the upper flange portion 27, and the lower part of the hinge shaft 19 is rotatably attached to the lower flange portion 28 in a state of passing through the lower flange portion 28.

[0021] The flange portion 16 of the lower arm 12 is arranged below the vehicle of the upper flange portion 27. An upper bearing for supporting the hinge shaft 19 is provided on the flange portion 16. The upper part of the hinge shaft 19 is rotatably supported by the upper bearing in a state of passing through the upper bearing.

[0022] Further, on the vehicle upper side of the lower flange portion 28, the plate-shaped portion 14 of the lower arm 12 is disposed. A lower bearing 29 for supporting the hinge shaft 19 is provided on the plate-shaped portion 14. The lower portion of the hinge shaft 19 is rotatably supported by the lower bearing 29 of the lower flange portion 28 in a state of passing through the lower bearing 29 provided on the plate-shaped portion 14. The main body of the lower arm 12 rotates around the hinge shaft 19 as the hinge shaft 19 rotates.

[0023] Here, the rear arm 17 provided on the door body 10 will be described. The rear arm 17 is provided at the rear portion of the door inner panel 11A. The rear portion of the door body 10 is supported by the center rail 37 provided on the vehicle body side portion on the vehicle rear side of the door opening 2 via the rear arm 17 so as to be able to travel.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 7 to 12, the front portion 37a of the center rail 37 is provided at the rear portion of the door opening 2 and is inclined outward in the vehicle width direction as it goes from the front end of the center rail 37 toward the vehicle rear. The rear portion 37b of the center rail 37 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction along the vehicle body side portion. The front portion 37a and the rear portion 37b of the center rail 37 form a center rail corner portion 37c.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the rear arm 17 has a rear running portion 17a, a rear main body portion 17b, and a rear door support portion 17c. The rear running portion 17a runs on the center rail 37. The rear door support portion 17c is joined to the rear portion of the door inner panel 11A and supports the door body 10. The rear main body portion 17b extends between the rear running portion 17a and the rear door support portion 17c so as to connect them.

[0026] Next, the lower rail 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the lower rail 30 has a front inclined portion 31, an intermediate portion 32, and a rear inclined portion 33 of the door opening 2, and these are formed so as to be continuous. The guide roller 23 runs on the lower rail 30, and the load roller 24 supports the load of the slide door 1.

[0027] The front inclined portion 31 is located at the front part of the lower rail 30 and extends while inclining inward in the vehicle width direction as it goes forward in the vehicle. The intermediate portion 32 extends rearward in the vehicle from the rear part of the front inclined portion 31. The rear inclined portion 33 extends while inclining inward in the vehicle width direction as it goes rearward in the vehicle from the rear part of the intermediate portion 32. The length in the longitudinal direction (inclination direction) of the front inclined portion 31 is set to be longer than the length in the longitudinal direction (inclination direction) of the rear inclined portion 33. The front end of the front inclined portion 31 is located inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the rear end of the rear inclined portion 33.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 6, a first corner portion 34 is formed by the front inclined portion 31 and the intermediate portion 32. The first corner portion 34 is an angle formed inward in the vehicle width direction of the lower rail 30 and is larger than 90 degrees. A second corner portion 35 is formed by the rear inclined portion 33 and the intermediate portion 32. The second corner portion 35 is, similarly to the first corner portion 34, an angle formed inward in the vehicle width direction of the lower rail 30 and is larger than 90 degrees.

[0029] The lower rail 30 is disposed inside a door pocket 40 provided at the lower part of the door opening 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the door pocket 40, the portion that houses the front inclined portion 31 bulges inward in the vehicle width direction. An arm opening 41 through which the lower arm 12 is disposed is provided in a side body outer panel 4 disposed outside the vehicle width direction of the door pocket 40, and the hinge shaft 19 is disposed outside the vehicle width direction of the arm opening 41.

[0030] Subsequently, the movement of the lower arm 12 accompanying the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 1 will be described. First, the operation from the fully closed state to the fully open state will be described.

[0031] In the fully closed state, as shown in FIG. 7, the slide member 20 of the lower arm 12 is located at the front inclined portion 31. At this time, the hinge shaft 19 and the door support member 25 are located on the vehicle front side of the front end of the lower rail 30. Further, the main body of the lower arm 12 is inclined inward in the vehicle width direction from the hinge shaft 19 as it goes toward the vehicle rear. The opening angle (angle α1 shown in FIG. 7) formed on the vehicle rear side by the longitudinal direction (inclination direction) of the main body of the lower arm 12 and the reference line in the vehicle longitudinal direction is an acute angle. At this time, the rear traveling portion 17a of the rear arm 17 is located at the front portion 37a of the center rail 37.

[0032] Next, immediately after the start of the opening operation of the sliding door 1, as shown in FIG. 8, the slide member 20 moves slightly rearward along the longitudinal direction (inclination direction) of the front inclined portion 31. At this time, the above opening angle maintains substantially the same angle α2 as the angle α1 in the fully closed state, but is in a state just before starting to change. On the other hand, the rear end of the door body 10 moves slightly outward in the vehicle width direction. At this time, the rear traveling portion 17a of the rear arm 17 is located approximately in the middle in the inclination direction of the front portion 37a of the center rail 37.

[0033] Furthermore, as the opening operation progresses, as shown in FIG. 9, the slide member 20 travels along the front inclined portion 31 toward the first corner portion 34. At this time, the above opening angle is an angle α3 that is slightly larger than the angle α1 in the fully closed state. At this time, the rear traveling portion 17a of the rear arm 17 is located at the center rail corner portion 37c of the center rail 37.

[0034] Furthermore, as the opening operation progresses, when the slide member 20 travels and reaches the first corner portion 34 as shown in FIG. 10, the above opening angle becomes an angle α4 that is even larger than the angle α3 in FIG. 9. The angle α4 at this time is, for example, about 45 degrees. On the other hand, the longitudinal direction of the door body 10 at this time is closer to the vehicle longitudinal direction as the main body of the lower arm 12 rotates. At this time, the rear traveling portion 17a of the rear arm 17 is located at the front portion of the rear portion 37b of the center rail 37.

[0035] Furthermore, when the slide member 20 travels over the intermediate portion 32 from the first corner portion 34 toward the second corner portion 35, the opening angle maintains the angle α4 in FIG. 10. Also, the longitudinal direction of the door body 10 also maintains the vehicle front-rear direction.

[0036] Furthermore, as the opening operation progresses, as shown in FIG. 11, when the slide member 20 travels over the intermediate portion 32 and reaches the second corner portion 35, the opening angle maintains the angle α4 during travel over the intermediate portion 32, but is in a state just before starting to change. At this time, the rear running portion 17a of the rear arm 17 is located at the middle in the vehicle front-rear direction of the rear portion 37b of the center rail 37.

[0037] Furthermore, as the opening operation progresses, as shown in FIG. 12, the slide member 20 travels over the rear inclined portion 33 toward the rear end of the lower rail 30, and the door body 10 is in a fully open state. At this time, the opening angle gradually changes to an angle α5 that is larger than the above-described angle α4. The angle α5 at this time becomes, for example, approximately 90 degrees. At this time, the rear running portion 17a of the rear arm 17 is located at approximately the rear end of the rear portion 37b of the center rail 37.

[0038] Here, the relative positions of the door support member 25 and the slide member 20 will be described. In the second state (FIG. 12) where the slide member 20 travels over the rear inclined portion 33, as compared to the first state (FIGS. 10 and 11) where the slide member 20 is located at the intermediate portion 32 of the lower rail 30, the door support member 25 is located rearward of the vehicle with respect to the slide member 20. In the first state, the door support member 25 and the slide member 20 are positioned so as to overlap in the vehicle width direction view. In contrast, in the second state, the door support member 25 is located rearward of the vehicle with respect to the slide member 20. That is, when the relative positions of the door support member 25 and the slide member 20 change from the first state to the second state, the door support member 25 moves rearward of the vehicle with respect to the slide member 20.

[0039] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the door body 10 is in the fully open state, as shown in FIG. 12, a first reference line (L1) is set that connects the intermediate position between the two guide rollers 23 of the slide member 20 and the center in the vehicle front-rear direction of the joint surface portion 26 of the door support member 25 (the positions of the bolt holes 26a and 26c in FIG. 5). When setting a second reference line (L2) extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, when the first reference line (L1) and the second reference line (L2) intersect, the angle β1 formed on the vehicle rear side of the first reference line (L1) and inside the vehicle width direction of the second reference line (L2) is 90 degrees or more. That is, the angle β1 in the second state including the fully open state shown in FIGS. 6 and 12 is 90 degrees or more. In the conventional lower rail 38 described later in FIG. 6, the angle γ1 formed by the reference line (L3) corresponding to the first reference line (L1) and the second reference line (L2) is also 90 degrees or more.

[0040] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the slide member 20 is in the third state (FIGS. 7, 8, 9) located at the front inclined portion 31, the relative position between the door support member 25 and the slide member 20 is such that, compared to the first state (FIGS. 10, 11), the door support member 25 is located in front of the slide member 20 in the vehicle front-rear direction. As described above, in the first state, the door support member 25 and the slide member 20 are positioned so as to overlap when viewed in the vehicle width direction. In contrast, in the third state, the door support member 25 is located in front of the slide member 20 in the vehicle front-rear direction. That is, when the relative position between the door support member 25 and the slide member 20 changes from the third state to the first state, the door support member 25 moves rearward in the vehicle until it overlaps the slide member 20 when viewed in the vehicle width direction. Also, for example, in the third state including the fully closed state shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the angle β2 is less than 90 degrees. In contrast, in the conventional lower rail 38 described later in FIG. 6, the angle γ2 formed by the reference line (L3) and the second reference line (L2) is 90 degrees or more.

[0041] Here, the slide door 1 of the present embodiment will be described by comparing it with an example of a conventional slide door structure. For the sake of explanation, in FIG. 6, the conventional slide door structure is shown by a two-dot chain line. The conventional lower rail 38 has a portion 38a corresponding to the first corner portion 34 of the present embodiment, a portion corresponding to the front inclined portion 31, and a portion 38b corresponding to the intermediate portion 32.

[0042] The conventional lower rail 38 shown in FIG. 6 has a portion corresponding to the front inclined portion 31 of the lower rail 30 of the present embodiment extending forward of the vehicle and inward in the vehicle width direction compared to the lower rail 30 of the present embodiment in order to accommodate the conventional lower arm 18 inside the vehicle when the door is fully closed. For this reason, the amount by which the door pocket 40 for accommodating the conventional lower rail 38 and the lower arm 18 bulges in the vehicle width direction becomes large. Also, the door pocket 40 becomes large in the vehicle front direction as well.

[0043] On the other hand, the lower rail 30 of the present embodiment is provided with a second corner portion 35 in addition to the first corner portion 34, and a rear inclined portion 33 is provided. The change in the opening angle from the opening angle α1 in the fully closed state to the opening angle α5 in the fully open state of the lower arm 12 becomes large, and thereby the amount of movement of the door body 10 in the vehicle front-rear direction becomes large. That is, when the amount of movement of the door body 10 in the vehicle front-rear direction is set to be the same as that of the conventional case, the lower rail 30 of the present embodiment has a shorter length in the vehicle front-rear direction compared to the conventional lower rail 38.

[0044] Furthermore, by configuring the opening angle α1 in the fully open state of the lower arm 12 to be an acute angle, the space in the vehicle width direction in which the lower rail 30 and the lower arm 12 are arranged also becomes small. As a result, when the amount of movement of the door body 10 in the vehicle width direction is set to be the same as that of the conventional case, the lower rail 30 of the present embodiment has a shorter dimension in the vehicle width direction compared to the conventional lower rail 38.

[0045] In addition, in this embodiment, the lower arm 12 rotates around a single hinge shaft 19 and is a simple link mechanism. Therefore, it is not necessary to have an arm with a plurality of link joints, the rigidity of the lower arm 12 can be ensured, and rattling when the lower arm 12 rotates can also be suppressed.

[0046] Therefore, according to this embodiment, in a vehicle having the sliding door 1, the dimension of the lower rail 30 can be shortened and the width of the boarding and alighting opening can be ensured.

[0047] The description of this embodiment is an exemplification for explaining the present invention and does not limit the invention described in the claims. Further, each component configuration of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0048] Also, in this embodiment, an example in which the lower rail 30 is traveled by the sliding door 1 is described, but it is not limited thereto. For example, a rail may be provided above the door opening 2.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0049] 1 Sliding door 2 Door opening 3 Center pillar 4 Side body outer panel 4a Quarter panel 10 Door body 11A Door inner panel 11B Door outer panel 12 Lower arm (arm, main body part) 14 Plate-like part 15 Vertical wall part 16 Flange part 17 Rear arm 17a Rear running part 17b Rear main body part, 17c Rear door support part 18 Conventional lower arm 19 Hinge shaft 20 Slide member (running part) 21 Mounting part 22 Protruding part 23 Guide roller 24 Load roller 25 Door support member (door support part) 26 Joint surface part 26a Bolt hole 26b Bolt hole 26c Bolt hole 27 Upper flange part 28 Lower flange part 29 Lower bearing 30 Lower rail (rail) 31 Front inclined part 32 Middle part 33 Rear inclined part 34 First corner part 35 Second corner part 37 Center rail 37a Front part 37b Rear part 37c Center rail corner part 38 Conventional lower rail 40 Pocket 41 Arm opening

Claims

1. a lower rail provided at a lower portion of a door opening on a side of a vehicle body and extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle; a door body that opens and closes the door opening by sliding on the lower rail; a lower arm that connects the door body and the lower rail; a center rail that is provided at the rear of the door opening and extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle; and a rear arm that connects the center rail and the door body, the lower arm has a long main body portion, a running portion provided at an end portion of the main body portion in a longitudinal direction that is farther from the door body and running on the lower rail, a door support portion provided at an end portion of the main body portion in a longitudinal direction that is closer to the door body and supports the door body, and a hinge shaft rotatably connecting the main body portion and the door support portion, In the vehicle sliding door structure, the rear arm has a rear running portion that runs on the center rail, the lower rail has a front inclined portion located at a front portion of the lower rail, extending and inclining inward in the vehicle width direction toward the front of the vehicle, an intermediate portion extending from a rear portion of the front inclined portion toward the rear of the vehicle, and a rear inclined portion extending and inclining inward in the vehicle width direction from a rear portion of the intermediate portion toward the rear of the vehicle, the hinge shaft is attached to an end portion of the main body portion that is closer to the door body in a vehicle width direction, is disposed at a front end of the door support portion, and is disposed further forward of the vehicle than a front end of the door body, an opening angle formed toward the rear of the vehicle by a longitudinal direction of the main body of the lower arm and a reference line in a front-rear direction of the vehicle gradually increases as an opening operation progresses from a first state in which the running portion is located in the intermediate portion toward a second state in which the running portion is located in the rear inclined portion, and the main body in the second state is disposed such that the longitudinal direction of the main body is aligned with a vehicle width direction, the center rail has a front portion that slopes outward in a vehicle width direction from a front end of the center rail toward the rear of the vehicle, and a rear portion that extends from a rear end of the front portion toward the rear of the vehicle, and a corner portion is formed by the front portion and the rear portion, When the door body is fully closed, the rear running portion is located at the front portion of the center rail, a sliding door structure for a vehicle, wherein when the door body is fully open, the rear running portion is located at a rear end of the rear portion of the center rail.

2. When a first reference line connecting the traveling portion and the door support portion is set and a second reference line extending in a vehicle front-rear direction is set, The angle formed by the intersection of the first reference line and the second reference line on the vehicle rear side of the first reference line and on the vehicle width direction inner side of the second reference line is: When the door body is fully open, the angle is 90 degrees or more.

2. The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 1, wherein the door body is at an angle of less than 90 degrees when fully closed.

3. 3. The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 1, wherein when the running portion is located at the front inclined portion, a relative position between the door support portion and the running portion is such that the door support portion is located at a front side of the vehicle relative to the first state.

Images