Vehicle sliding door device

Abstract

To provide a sliding door device for a vehicle that can reduce a storage space of a connecting mechanism in a vehicle when a sliding door is moved to a closed position, and stabilize the movement of the sliding door along a guide rail between the closed position and the opened position.SOLUTION: A sliding door device comprises a roller unit 20 that can move along a guide rail 12A, a door fixing member 16 that can fix the sliding door 13 of the vehicle 11 and a connecting mechanism 14 that connects the door fixing member 16 to the roller unit 20. The connecting mechanism 14 performs the following extension or contraction movements in conjunction with the movement of the roller unit 20 when the roller unit 20 passes through a curved portion 12a of the guide rail 12A. The extending connecting mechanism 14 moves the door fixing member 16 gradually away from the roller unit 20. The retracting connecting mechanism 14 moves the door fixing member 16 gradually closer to the roller unit 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sliding door device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] The vehicle sliding door device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a guide rail, a roller unit, a door fixing member, and a connecting mechanism. The guide rail extends forward and backward along the side of the vehicle. The roller unit is capable of moving along the guide rail. The door fixing member is capable of fixing the vehicle's sliding door. The connecting mechanism is for connecting the door fixing member to the roller unit.

[0003] The sliding door is connected to the roller unit via a door fixing member and a coupling mechanism, and is guided by the roller unit to move along the guide rail. The sliding door moves along the guide rail between a closed position that closes an opening located on the side of the vehicle and an open position that opens the opening. As the sliding door moves along the guide rail, the coupling mechanism moves the door fixing member in the vehicle width direction so that the open position is further outward in the vehicle width direction than the closed position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-74343 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the sliding door device, it is desirable to position the open position of the sliding door farther outward in the width direction of the vehicle than the closed position. However, the connecting mechanism to achieve this becomes large, and therefore a large storage space must be provided in the vehicle for the mechanism when the sliding door is moved to the closed position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Various aspects of a vehicle sliding door device that solves the above problems will be described below. (Aspect 1) A sliding door device for a vehicle includes a guide rail extending in the front-rear direction on a side of the vehicle, a roller unit movable along the guide rail, a door fixing member capable of fixing a sliding door of the vehicle, and a connecting mechanism connecting the door fixing member to the roller unit, wherein when the sliding door is moved along the guide rail between a closed position that closes an opening located on the side of the vehicle and an open position that opens the opening, the connecting mechanism moves the door fixing member in the width direction of the vehicle so that the open position is located outside the closed position in the width direction of the vehicle. a connecting mechanism that performs an extending operation to gradually move the door fixing member away from the roller unit as the roller unit moves along the curved portion when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the closed position side to the open position side, and that performs a contracting operation to gradually move the door fixing member toward the roller unit as the roller unit moves along the curved portion when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the open position side to the closed position side.

[0007] According to the above configuration, when the sliding door moves along the guide rail from the closed position to the open position, the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the closed position side to the open position side. At this time, the coupling mechanism performs an extending operation to gradually move the door fixing member away from the roller unit as the roller unit moves along the curved portion. Furthermore, when the sliding door moves along the guide rail from the open position to the closed position, the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the open position side to the closed position side. At this time, the coupling mechanism performs a contracting operation to gradually move the door fixing member toward the roller unit as the roller unit moves along the curved portion. This contracting operation reduces the size of the coupling mechanism, thereby reducing the storage space required for the coupling mechanism in the vehicle when the sliding door is moved to the closed position. Furthermore, the extending and contracting operations of the coupling mechanism are performed gradually as the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail. Therefore, the extending and contracting operations of the coupling mechanism can be performed smoothly, thereby stabilizing the movement of the sliding door along the guide rail between the closed position and the open position.

[0008] (Aspect 2) The connecting mechanism includes a guide member, a slide member, and a displacement mechanism, the guide member is fixed to the roller unit and protrudes from the roller unit toward the door fixing member, the slide member is connected to the door fixing member via a swing shaft so as to be rotatable about the swing shaft, and is capable of sliding to expand and contract relative to the guide member, the displacement mechanism performs the extension operation by sliding the slide member in an expanding direction relative to the guide member based on the rotation of the slide member and the guide member about the swing shaft when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the closed position side to the open position side, and the roller unit moves the curved portion of the guide rail open From the position side BlockageThe vehicle sliding door device described in (embodiment 1) performs the contraction operation by sliding the slide member in a contracting direction relative to the guide member based on the rotation of the slide member and the guide member around the swing axis when passing through the position side.

[0009] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the slide member slides relative to the guide member, thereby extending and contracting the connecting mechanism, which makes it easier to reduce the size of the connecting mechanism when the sliding door moves to the closed position and the connecting mechanism contracts.

[0010] (Aspect 3) The displacement mechanism includes a pin provided on one of the door fixing member and the guide member, and a slit provided on the other of the door fixing member and the guide member, the pin being inserted into the slit and moving relative to the slit based on the relative rotation of the door fixing member and the sliding member about the swing axis when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail, and the slit is curved so that the distance between the pin and the swing axis becomes longer when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the closed position side to the open position side, and the distance between the pin and the swing axis becomes shorter when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the open position side to the closed position side. (Aspect 2) A sliding door device for a vehicle described in

[0011] According to the above configuration, when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail and the door fixing member and the sliding member rotate relative to each other around the pivot axis, the curvature of the slit changes the distance between the pin and the pivot axis, allowing the sliding member to slide so that it expands and contracts relative to the guide member.

[0012] (Aspect 4) The connecting mechanism includes a first link and a second link, and one longitudinal end of the first link is rotatably connected to the roller unit via a first pin around the first pin, and the other longitudinal end is rotatably connected to the door fixing member via a second pin around the second pin, and the second link is positioned closer to the open position than the first link and is longer than the first link, and one longitudinal end of the second link is rotatably connected to the roller unit via a third pin around the third pin, and the other longitudinal end is rotatably connected to the door fixing member via a fourth pin around the fourth pin (a sliding door device for a vehicle described in embodiment 1).

[0013] According to the above configuration, when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the closed position to the open position, the first link rotates about the first and second pins, and the second link rotates about the third and fourth pins. This causes the coupling mechanism to extend, gradually separating the door fixing member from the roller unit. Also, when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the open position to the closed position, the first link rotates about the first and second pins, and the second link rotates about the third and fourth pins. This causes the coupling mechanism to contract, gradually moving the door fixing member toward the roller unit. By performing the extension and contraction of the coupling mechanism in this manner, the extension and contraction can be performed smoothly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing a vehicle to which a sliding door device is applied; [Figure 2] 3 is a plan view showing a door fixing member, a connecting mechanism, and a roller unit of the sliding door device. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a side view showing a door fixing member, a connecting mechanism, and a roller unit of the sliding door device. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a plan view showing the operation of the sliding door device. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a door fixing member, a connecting mechanism, and a roller unit of the sliding door device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a door fixing member, a connecting mechanism, and a roller unit of the sliding door device. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing another example of the connecting mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a sliding door device for a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. The sliding door device for vehicle 11 shown in Fig. 1 includes guide rails 12A to 12C extending in the front-to-rear direction on the sides of vehicle 11, and a roller unit 20 that can move along guide rails 12A to 12C. Guide rail 12A is provided in the center of vehicle 11 in the up-down direction. Guide rail 12B is provided in the upper part of vehicle 11. Guide rail 12C is provided in the lower part of vehicle 11.

[0016] A roller unit 20 is provided for each of the guide rails 12A to 12C. The roller unit 20 corresponding to the guide rail 12A is connected to the rear end of the sliding door 13. The roller unit 20 corresponding to the guide rail 12B and the roller unit 20 corresponding to the guide rail 12C are connected to the front end of the sliding door 13. The sliding door 13 can move along the guide rails 12A to 12C together with the roller units 20.

[0017] The sliding door 13 moves along the guide rails 12A to 12C between a closed position where it closes the opening 15 formed in the side of the vehicle 11 and an open position where it opens the opening 15. The sliding door 13 reaches the closed position when the roller unit 20 reaches the front end of the guide rails 12A to 12C, i.e., the right end in FIG. 1. The sliding door 13 reaches the open position when the roller unit 20 reaches the rear end of the guide rails 12A to 12C, i.e., the left end in FIG. 1.

[0018] Next, the structure around the guide rail 12A in the sliding door device will be described in detail. Note that this structure can also be used as the structure around the guide rails 12B and 12C in the sliding door device.

[0019] 2 and 3, the sliding door device includes a door fixing member 16 that can be fixed to the sliding door 13 (FIG. 1), and a connecting mechanism 14 for connecting the door fixing member 16 to the roller unit 20. The connecting mechanism 14 is connected to the door fixing member 16 via a swing shaft 18, and is capable of swinging horizontally around the swing shaft 18.

[0020] A support roller 21 that receives a load from the sliding door 13 is rotatably supported by the roller unit 20. The support roller 21 rolls along a load-receiving surface 25 formed on the side of the vehicle 11. The load from the sliding door 13 acts on the load-receiving surface 25 via the door fixing member 16, the connecting mechanism 14, the roller unit 20, and the support roller 21. Two guide rollers 22 are rotatably supported by the roller unit 20. These guide rollers 22 are capable of rolling along the guide rail 12A as shown in FIG. 4.

[0021] 4 shows the movements of the sliding door 13, door fixing member 16, connecting mechanism 14, and roller unit 20 as they move along the guide rail 12A. The guide rail 12A has a curved portion 12a near its front end, i.e., near the left end in FIG. 4. Due to this curved portion 12a, the front end of the guide rail 12A is positioned more inward in the width direction of the vehicle 11 as it approaches the front end.

[0022] The sliding door 13 moves along the guide rail 12A together with the door fixing member 16, the connecting mechanism 14, and the roller unit 20, thereby moving between the closed position and the open position. When the sliding door 13 reaches the closed position, the sliding door 13, the door fixing member 16, the connecting mechanism 14, and the roller unit 20 are located at the left end in FIG. 4. When the sliding door 13 reaches the open position, the sliding door 13, the door fixing member 16, the connecting mechanism 14, and the roller unit 20 are located at the right end in FIG. 4.

[0023] 4, when the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a while the two guide rollers 22 roll along the guide rail 12A, the connecting mechanism 14 swings about the swing shaft 18 relative to the door fixing member 16. As a result, when the sliding door 13 is moved along the guide rail 12A, the connecting mechanism 14 moves the door fixing member 16 in the width direction of the vehicle 11 so that the open position is located outside the closed position in the width direction of the vehicle 11.

[0024] When the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a of the guide rail 12A from the closed position to the open position, the connecting mechanism 14 performs an extending operation to gradually move the door fixing member 16 away from the roller unit 20 as the roller unit 20 moves along the curved portion 12a. Furthermore, when the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a of the guide rail 12A from the open position to the closed position, the connecting mechanism 14 performs a contracting operation to gradually move the door fixing member 16 closer to the roller unit 20 as the roller unit 20 moves along the curved portion 12a. The extending and contracting operations of the connecting mechanism 14 are performed gradually as the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a of the guide rail 12A.

[0025] <Detailed structure of the connecting mechanism 14> 5 and 6, the connecting mechanism 14 includes a guide member 31, a slide member 32, and a displacement mechanism 33. The guide member 31 is formed in a plate shape. The guide member 31 is fixed to and integrated with the roller unit 20, and protrudes from the roller unit 20 toward the door fixing member 16. A swing shaft 18 is attached to the door fixing member 16. The guide member 31 is formed with a pin 34 that extends parallel to the swing shaft 18. The pin 34 serves as the displacement mechanism 33.

[0026] The slide member 32 is connected to the door fixing member 16 via a swing shaft 18 so as to be rotatable around the swing shaft 18. More specifically, the swing shaft 18 is attached to the door fixing member 16. Meanwhile, a hole 35 for passing the swing shaft 18 is formed in the slide member 32. The swing shaft 18 is passed through the hole 35, so that the slide member 32 is connected to the door fixing member 16 so as to be rotatable around the swing shaft 18.

[0027] The slide member 32 is capable of sliding and expanding relative to the guide member 31. More specifically, a receiving portion 36 is formed in the slide member 32, and the guide member 31 is inserted into the receiving portion 36. The slide member 32 and the guide member 31 are capable of moving relative to each other in a direction in which the guide member 31 is inserted into or removed from the receiving portion 36.

[0028] An elongated hole 37 is formed in the slide member 32. The elongated hole 37 extends long in the direction in which the guide member 31 is inserted into and removed from the receiving portion 36. When the guide member 31 is inserted into the receiving portion 36 of the slide member 32, the pin 34 of the guide member 31 passes through the elongated hole 37 of the slide member 32. The sliding of the slide member 32 with respect to the guide member 31 is permitted by the relative movement between the elongated hole 37 and the pin 34.

[0029] A slit 38 is formed in the door fixing member 16. The slit 38 serves as the displacement mechanism 33. The tip of the pin 34 of the guide member 31 is inserted into the slit 38. When the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a (FIG. 4) of the guide rail 12A, the door fixing member 16 and the slide member 32 rotate relatively around the swing shaft 18 as shown in FIG. 2. Based on this relative rotation, the pin 34 moves relative to the slit 38. The slit 38 is curved so that the relative movement between the pin 34 and the slit 38 causes the above-mentioned extension and contraction of the connecting mechanism 14. More specifically, the slit 38 is curved so as to achieve the following (A) and (B).

[0030] 4A, when the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a of the guide rail 12A from the closed position to the open position, the distance between the pin 34 and the swing shaft 18 increases due to the relative rotation of the door fixing member 16 and the sliding member 32 about the swing shaft 18. This causes the door fixing member 16 and the sliding member 32 to move away from the guide member 31 and the roller unit 20. In other words, the sliding member 32 slides in the direction of extension relative to the guide member 31. As a result, the above-mentioned extension operation of the connecting mechanism 14 is performed.

[0031] 4, when the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a of the guide rail 12A from the open position side to the closed position side, the distance between the pin 34 and the swing shaft 18 is shortened based on the relative rotation of the door fixing member 16 and the sliding member 32 about the swing shaft 18. As a result, the door fixing member 16 and the sliding member 32 move away from the guide member 31 and the roller unit 20. In other words, the sliding member 32 slides in a direction contracting relative to the guide member 31. As a result, the above-mentioned contracting operation of the connecting mechanism 14 is performed.

[0032] Next, the operation of the vehicle sliding door device of this embodiment will be described. When the sliding door 13 moves from the closed position to the open position along the guide rails 12A to 12C, the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a of the guide rail 12A from the closed position side to the open position side. At this time, the connecting mechanism 14 performs an extending operation to gradually separate the door fixing member 16 from the roller unit 20 as the roller unit 20 moves along the curved portion 12a.

[0033] When the sliding door 13 moves from the open position to the closed position along the guide rails 12A to 12C, the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a of the guide rail 12A from the open position side to the closed position side. At this time, the connecting mechanism 14 performs a contracting operation to gradually bring the door fixing member 16 closer to the roller unit 20 as the roller unit 20 moves along the curved portion 12a.

[0034] This contraction operation reduces the size of the connecting mechanism 14, so that the storage space required for the connecting mechanism 14 in the vehicle 11 when the sliding door 13 is moved to the closed position can be reduced.

[0035] Furthermore, the extension and contraction of the connecting mechanism 14 are performed gradually as the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a of the guide rail 12A. This allows the extension and contraction of the connecting mechanism 14 to be performed smoothly, stabilizing the movement of the sliding door 13 along the guide rails 12A to 12C between the closed position and the open position.

[0036] According to the present embodiment described above in detail, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The storage space required for the connecting mechanism 14 in the vehicle 11 when the sliding door 13 is moved to the closed position can be kept small, and the movement of the sliding door 13 along the guide rails 12A to 12C between the closed position and the open position can be stabilized.

[0037] (2) The connecting mechanism 14 performs an extending and retracting action to change the distance between the roller unit 20 and the door fixing member 16 by sliding the slide member 32 so that it expands and contracts relative to the guide member 31. Therefore, when the sliding door 13 moves to the closed position and the connecting mechanism 14 performs the retracting action, the size of the connecting mechanism 14 can be easily reduced.

[0038] (3) When the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a of the guide rail 12A, the door fixing member 16 and the slide member 32 rotate relative to each other around the swing shaft 18, and the curvature of the slit 38 changes the distance between the pin 34 and the swing shaft 18. This allows the slide member 32 to slide so that it expands and contracts relative to the guide member 31.

[0039] The above embodiment can be modified as follows, for example: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility. Although the pin 34 is formed in the guide member 31 and the slit 38 is formed in the door fixing member 16, the positional relationship between the pin 34 and the slit 38 may be reversed. That is, the pin 34 may be formed in the door fixing member 16 and the slit 38 may be formed in the guide member 31.

[0040] The connecting mechanism 14 shown in FIG. 7 may be adopted. The connecting mechanism 14 includes a first link 41 and a second link 42. One longitudinal end of the first link 41 is rotatably connected to the roller unit 20 via a first pin 43 about the first pin 43. The other longitudinal end of the first link 41 is rotatably connected to the door fixing member 16 via a second pin 44 about the second pin 44. The second link 42 is located closer to the open position than the first link 41, i.e., to the right in FIG. 7 , and is longer than the first link 41. One longitudinal end of the second link 42 is rotatably connected to the roller unit 20 via a third pin 45 about the third pin 45. The other longitudinal end of the second link 42 is rotatably connected to the door fixing member 16 via a fourth pin 46 about the fourth pin 46.

[0041] According to this configuration, when the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a of the guide rail 12A from the closed position to the open position, the first link 41 and the second link 42 operate as follows. That is, as the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a, the first link 41 rotates about the first pin 43 and the second pin 44, and the second link 42 rotates about the third pin 45 and the fourth pin 46. This causes the connecting mechanism 14 to extend, gradually separating the door fixing member 16 from the roller unit 20. Furthermore, as the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a of the guide rail 12A from the open position to the closed position, the first link 41 and the second link 42 operate as follows. That is, as the roller unit 20 passes through the curved portion 12a, the first link 41 rotates about the first pin 43 and the second pin 44, and the second link 42 rotates about the third pin 45 and the fourth pin 46. This causes the connecting mechanism 14 to contract, gradually bringing the door fixing member 16 closer to the roller unit 20. By performing the extending and retracting operations of the connecting mechanism 14 in this manner, the extending and retracting operations can be performed smoothly. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 11...Vehicle 12A~12C...Guide rail 12a...Bend 13...Sliding door 14...Connection mechanism 15...Opening 16...Door fixing member 18...Oscillating shaft 20...Roller unit 21...Support roller 22...Guide roller 25...Load bearing surface 31...Guide member 32...Slide member 33...Displacement mechanism 34...pin 35...hole 36...Reception Department 37…Long hole 38...Slit 41...1st link 42...Second link 43...46 1st to 4th pins

Claims

1. The sliding door of the vehicle is provided with a guide rail extending in the front-rear direction on the side of the vehicle, a roller unit capable of moving along the guide rail, a door fixing member capable of fixing a sliding door of the vehicle, and a connecting mechanism connecting the door fixing member to the roller unit, In a sliding door device for a vehicle, when the sliding door is moved along the guide rail between a closed position that closes an opening located on a side of the vehicle and an open position that opens the opening, the connecting mechanism moves the door fixing member in a width direction of the vehicle so that the open position is located outside the closed position in the width direction of the vehicle, The guide rail has a curved portion, The connecting mechanism includes: When the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the closed position side to the open position side, an extension operation is performed to gradually separate the door fixing member from the roller unit as the roller unit moves along the curved portion, When the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the open position side to the closed position side, the roller unit moves along the curved portion, and a contracting operation is performed to gradually bring the door fixing member closer to the roller unit, the connecting mechanism includes a guide member, a slide member, and a displacement mechanism, the guide member is fixed to the roller unit and protrudes from the roller unit toward the door fixing member; The sliding member is connected to the door fixing member via a swing shaft so as to be rotatable around the swing shaft, and is slidable so as to extend and retract relative to the guide member, The displacement mechanism includes: the extension operation is performed by sliding the slide member in an extension direction relative to the guide member based on the rotation of the slide member and the guide member about the swing axis when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the closed position side to the open position side, A vehicle sliding door device that performs the contracting operation by sliding the slide member in a contracting direction relative to the guide member based on the rotation of the slide member and the guide member about the swing axis when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the open position side to the closed position side.

2. the displacement mechanism includes a pin provided on one of the door fixing member and the guide member, and a slit provided on the other of the door fixing member and the guide member, the pin is inserted into the slit and moves relative to the slit based on the relative rotation of the door fixing member and the sliding member about the swing axis when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail, 2. The vehicle sliding door device according to claim 1, wherein the slit is curved so that the distance between the pin and the swing axis becomes longer when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the closed position side to the open position side, and the distance between the pin and the swing axis becomes shorter when the roller unit passes through the curved portion of the guide rail from the open position side to the closed position side.

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