External Sliding Door Layout for Full-Height Vehicle Door Openings

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle door designs restrict the clear height of the door portal due to the placement of support guides, limiting the available space within the vehicle.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle door device featuring an outer sliding door with an electro-mechanical drive system, door guide, and locking mechanism entirely arranged on the outer vehicle wall, utilizing magnetic interaction between stator and rotor modules for operation, allowing for increased space utilization and simplified assembly by eliminating mechanical connections.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If support guides are placed in the upper part of the door portal opening, then the door device can be supported and guided, but the clear height of the door portal is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedoor device support and guidanceVSAvoidclear height of door portal
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The support and guidance functions are extracted from the door portal opening and relocated to the outer wall of the vehicle. The door guide device is mounted on the outer wall, completely outside the door portal opening, thereby eliminating the space occupation within the portal and maximizing the clear height while maintaining reliable door support and guidance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Stability of the object's composition

If mechanical connections between external and internal components are used, then structural stability is achieved, but installation complexity and space requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidinstallation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The mechanical connection system is replaced with a magnetic field-based electromechanical drive device. The drive device includes a stator module with magnet coils and a rotor module with permanent magnets that interact magnetically to drive the door, eliminating the need for complex mechanical connections between external and internal components while maintaining operational stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Volume of moving object

If door mechanism components are mounted inside the vehicle body, then space utilization is improved, but available space for other systems is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespace utilizationVSAvoidavailable space for other systems
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The door mechanism components, including the drive device and guide device, are extracted from the internal vehicle body space and mounted on the outer wall. This external mounting arrangement completely eliminates the space occupation within the vehicle body, maximizing the available internal volume for passenger space and other essential systems while maintaining effective door operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This design maximizes available space within the vehicle by eliminating internal mechanical connections and allowing for the installation of other essential systems, while enabling efficient operation of the door mechanism with reduced electrical dependency through an integrated emergency unlocking system.

Implementation Method 1

a magnetic interaction arises between the at least one stator module and the at least one rotor module when the magnet coils are energized and, as a result of the magnetic interaction, a magnetic force is exerted as a driving force on the at least one outer door

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMagnetic interaction: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP3973127B1Vehicle having an external door apparatus arranged on an external wall
Publication Date: 2024.07.24 KNORR BREMSE GMBH
  • EP3973127B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3973127B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The invention relates to a vehicle having a chassis, body (6) or bodywork which is surrounded by a vehicle external wall (8) and having at least one vehicle door apparatus (4) which comprises the following: at least one external door (12, 14) which is in the form of an external sliding door or external swinging-sliding door; a door opening (10) in the chassis, body (6) or bodywork; an electromechanical drive device (2) by means of which the at least one external door (12, 14) can be driven between a closed position, which closes the door opening (10), and an open position, which releases the door opening (10), and into any intermediate positions between the closed position and the open position; an electronic controller (34, 36) which controls the electromechanical drive device (2) in an open-loop or closed-loop manner; a door guidance device (16) which guides the at least one external door (12, 14) relative to the door opening (10); and a locking device (22a) which locks the at least one external door (12, 14) at least in the closed position. According to the invention, at least the electromechanical drive device (2), the door guidance device (16) and the locking device (22a) are each fully arranged on the vehicle external wall (8) and face outwards therefrom.