Modular Vehicle Door Latch and Hinge for Independent Double-Door Operation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional passenger vehicle door systems, particularly those with double doors, require precise alignment for proper operation, leading to issues with independent opening and closing, potential vehicle damage, and passenger egress difficulties.
Innovation Solution
A modular door system with individually operable doors featuring a hinge module and door module, including a hinge bracket, pivotable arms, and a brace, allowing each door to operate independently without direct hinging to the vehicle body, and utilizing a latch mechanism that engages with the vehicle body, enabling independent opening and closing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If multiple doors are disposed at a single opening in a double door arrangement, then the overall opening size is increased and passenger entry/exit is facilitated, but the doors require precise alignment for proper operation and cannot be opened independently
Solution Approach 1:
The door system is divided into separate modular door assemblies, each with its own hinge module and door module. This segmentation allows each door to be independently operated while maintaining the benefits of a double-door configuration with a large overall opening.
Solution Approach 2:
A latch mechanism acts as an intermediary between the doors and the vehicle body, enabling independent operation. The latch mechanism includes a latch member that engages with a striker, allowing each door to be secured or released independently without requiring precise alignment between multiple doors.
2Device complexity
If traditional hinges are used to support doors from the pillar, then the door structure is simple, but the doors require precise alignment with the pillar and cannot operate independently when closed
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge module incorporates a dynamic latch mechanism that can transition between engaged and disengaged states. This dynamic capability allows the door system to adapt between different operational modes, enabling independent door operation while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch mechanism serves as an intermediary component between the hinge module and the door module, providing the necessary functionality for independent operation without significantly increasing overall structural complexity.
3Reliability
If doors are closed in a specific sequence in a double door arrangement, then proper latching is achieved, but passenger independence is restricted and vehicle damage may occur if the wrong door is closed first
Solution Approach 1:
Each door assembly is self-contained with its own latch mechanism that automatically engages with the vehicle body when closed. This self-service capability eliminates the need for specific closing sequences and allows any passenger to independently close and latch any door without affecting other doors.
Solution Approach 2:
The door system is segmented into independent operable units, each with its own latching functionality. This segmentation ensures that the latching of one door does not depend on the state of another door, providing both reliability and passenger independence.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A vehicle door system includes doors with a door module attached to a hinge module, which is attached to the vehicle body. The door module includes a latch mechanism configured to engage a striker pin of the vehicle body, with a pawl that pivots to accommodate a misalignment with the striker pin during a door closing operation, with the latch mechanism shifting following engagement with the striker pin. A door check mechanism includes a permanent magnet and a steel plate. Activation of the permanent magnet shifts the steel plate from a closed position to an open position permitting the hinge module to move from a locked position. An interface between doors includes a primary and secondary seal each having a constant cross section, with filler pieces disposed between the door and the secondary seal along a portion of the interface.