Vehicle Sliding Door Arm Rack-Pinion Layout for Low Step Height
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sliding door devices for vehicles face excessive intrusion of the door arm into the side sill, necessitating a higher floor height to accommodate the door's opening and closing mechanism, which limits space efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A sliding door device employing a rack/pinion gear engaging structure, where a door arm is connected to a first slider and a lower arm pinion gear, allowing the door arm to rotate perpendicular to the door and reducing intrusion by using a second slider that moves along the side sill, coupled with a first slider locker and rocker pusher to manage the door's opening and closing path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional sliding door structure with a fixed sliding door arm is used, then the door can open and close the cabin, but the door arm intrudes excessively into the side sill portion, requiring increased floor height
Solution Approach 1:
The door arm is transformed from a fixed structure to a dynamically adjustable one through the rack and pinion mechanism. The pinion gear rotates to change the angle and position of the door arm during opening/closing operations, allowing the arm to follow an optimized trajectory that reduces intrusion into the side sill portion while maintaining full door functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanism introduces rotational motion in a different dimension (vertical rotation of the pinion gear) to control the door arm's movement path. By adding this rotational degree of freedom, the system achieves more compact space utilization and reduces the horizontal intrusion distance of the door arm into the side sill area
2Ease of operation
If the floor height is increased to accommodate the door arm intrusion space, then the door arm has sufficient space to move, but the vehicle interior space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic rack and pinion mechanism allows the door arm to achieve its required movement arc through coordinated linear and rotational motion, eliminating the need for increased floor height. The pinion gear's rotation provides the necessary angular adjustment to guide the door arm through a compact path that fits within the original floor height constraint while preserving interior space
3Volume of moving object
If a rack and pinion gear engaging structure is used, then the door arm intrusion is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sliding door mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: the door arm, the rack gear attached to the side sill, the pinion gear attached to the door arm, and the connecting linkages. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall design by breaking down the complex motion into manageable sub-functions that can be implemented with standard mechanical elements
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 configuration minimizes the door arm's intrusion into the vehicle body, enabling a flat vehicle structure and reducing the step height, thereby enhancing space efficiency and aesthetics.
Implementation Method 1
a rack/pinion gear engaging structure, where a door arm is connected to a first slider and a lower arm pinion gear
Implementation Method 2
a lower arm pinion gear which is rotatably coupled to the second end portion of the door arm and gear-engaged with the second slider to provide rotation force to the door arm
Implementation Method 3
a second slider coupled to the first slider to provide a path in which the first slider moves and to linearly move along the side sill
Data Source
AI summary
A sliding door device for a vehicle, includes: a door that opens or closes a door opening formed in a vehicle body; a door arm provided with a first end portion rotatably connected to the door and a second end portion movable along a side sill of the vehicle body; a first slider pivotally coupled to the second end portion of the door arm so that the door arm rotates; a second slider coupled to the first slider to provide a path in which the first slider moves and to linearly move along the side sill; and a lower arm pinion gear which is rotatably coupled to the second end portion of the door arm and gear-engaged with the second slider to provide rotation force to the door arm so that the door arm rotates when the first slider moves in a longitudinal direction of the second slider.