Vehicle Side Door Pivot Linkage for Clearance and Flush Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle side doors often face challenges in design, particularly in terms of clearance and visibility when transitioning between open and closed positions, and in accommodating the movement of other doors like the driver door, while maintaining structural integrity and aesthetic flushness.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a side door system with a plurality of pivot members that allow the side door to move between open and closed positions via pivotal movement relative to a support structure and the pivot members, with specific configurations of pivot member lengths and positions to ensure clearance for the driver door and concealment of pivot members in the closed position, and a side panel that pivots to cover the opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the side door is designed to extend across the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle in the open position, then access to the vehicle interior is improved, but clearance for the driver door and visibility are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The side door system is divided into multiple segments: the main side door, the side panel, and multiple pivot members. The side panel can be independently positioned in different configurations (first position for covering the opening, second position for lateral extension), allowing the system to provide access while maintaining clearance and visibility by adjusting the panel position relative to the main door.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple pivot members are used to enable complex movement of the side door, then the door can achieve both access and compact positioning, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple pivot members are combined into a coordinated system where each pivot member performs a specific function in the door movement sequence. The first pivot member enables initial door opening, the second pivot member facilitates panel movement, and the third pivot member assists in positioning. By merging these functions into a single integrated mechanism, the system achieves complex adaptability without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the side panel is positioned vehicle-laterally outboard in the open position, then clearance for the driver door is improved, but the aesthetic appearance and structural compactness are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The side panel is designed with dynamic positioning capability, allowing it to move between different positions based on operational requirements. In the closed door position, the panel extends laterally to provide clearance for the driver door. When the side door is closed, the panel returns to a retracted position that maintains aesthetic flushness with the vehicle body. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between clearance requirements and aesthetic appearance.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes a support structure. The vehicle also includes a side door operable to move relative to the support structure between an open position and a closed position. In the open position of the side door, access to a vehicle interior of the vehicle is provided. In the closed position of the side door, the side door extends across a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle. The vehicle further includes a plurality of pivot members, each pivotably coupled to the support structure at a first end and pivotably coupled to the side door at a second end. The side door is movable between the open and closed positions via pivotal movement of each of the plurality of pivot members relative to the support structure and pivotal movement of the side door relative to each of the plurality of pivot members.