Automotive door with reverse hinge

An automotive vehicle is disclosed having a vehicle body with a passenger compartment and a door opening to the passenger compartment. A door is pivotally mounted to the door opening with an inclined axis which may extend laterally outboard and downward relative to the vehicle body in a rearward direction of the vehicle. The door opening may be provided through a sidewall and a roof of the vehicle; and the door may be provided with a side panel and a roof panel to match the door opening. Also disclosed is a hinge arrangement for attaching the door to the vehicle body at an upper region and a rearward region of the door.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to automotive vehicle doors, more particularly to hinge arrangements and door openings for automotive doors.

2. Background Art

The prior art has provided vehicles with doors pivotally mounted about vertical hinges. Various vehicles require large door openings, such as two-door vehicles or vehicles with a compact height including sports cars and roadsters. In these types of vehicles, a large door with a vertical hinge requires a substantially large lateral space for opening the door.

The prior has also provided doors that are pivotally connected to the vehicle about a horizontal hinge. Such doors often require the occupant to duck beneath the door in order to enter the vehicle.

The prior has also provided doors that are pivotally connected to the vehicle at a forward end of the door such that a rear end of the door is pivoted up and away from the vehicle, while the forward end is displaced along a forward region of the door opening. Such doors often limit clearance at the forward region of the door opening.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention provides an automotive vehicle with a vehicle body having a passenger compartment for transporting passengers. The vehicle body has a door opening for permitting passenger ingress and egress to and from the passenger compartment. A door is mounted to the vehicle body about a pivotal connection for rotary translation between a closed orientation and an open orientation of the door. The pivotal connection has an inclined axis extending laterally away from the vehicle body and downward relative to the vehicle body in a rearward direction of the vehicle.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides an automotive vehicle with a body having lateral sidewalls and a roof with a passenger compartment therein for transporting passengers. The body has a door opening formed through one of the sidewalls and the roof for permitting passenger ingress and egress. A door has a side panel sized to engage the door opening at the sidewall and a roof panel extending from a top region of the side panel, which is sized to engage the door opening at the roof. The door is operably mounted to the vehicle body for translation between a closed orientation and an open orientation of the door.

A further embodiment of the present invention provides an automotive vehicle with a body with a passenger compartment. A door opening is provided in the body for permitting passengers to enter and exit the passenger compartment. A door has an upper region and a rearward region relative to the vehicle body. The upper and rearward regions of the door are each pivotally connected to the vehicle body for rotary translation between a closed orientation and an open orientation of the door.

The above embodiments, and other embodiments, aspects, objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

With reference now toFIG. 1, an automotive vehicle is illustrated in accordance with the present invention and is referenced generally by numeral20. The automotive vehicle20is illustrated as a two-door coupe, however, the invention contemplates that the teachings of the present invention may be utilized with various automotive vehicles including passenger vehicles, utility vehicles, commercial vehicles and the like.

Two-door vehicles, particularly two-door vehicles having a door on each of a pair of opposed lateral sides of the vehicle, encounter the design constraints associated with passenger ingress to and egress from the vehicle. Particularly, two-door vehicles having multiple seating positions, such as the vehicle20illustrated inFIG. 1, involve design criteria requiring doors that are sufficiently sized to permit occupant ingress and egress to multiple seating rows of the passenger compartment. Additionally, various passenger vehicles, such as the coupe illustrated inFIG. 1, are generally lower to the ground for a lowered center of gravity for enhancing the handling and performance of the vehicle. These vehicles often include seating that is relatively low to a floor in the vehicle due to the compact height. Such compact height vehicles with lowered seats require the passenger to extend his or her legs forward within the passenger compartment of the vehicle20. All of these design characteristics, which are appreciated by the vehicle20of an embodiment of the present invention, are factors associated with designing doors of the vehicle.

Referring now toFIGS. 1 and 2, the automotive vehicle20has a vehicle body22provided with a passenger compartment24for comfortably seating and transporting passengers. For the embodiment illustrated, multiple seating rows are provided within the passenger compartment24, including a front seating row26and a rear seating row28. In order to accommodate occupant ingress to an egress from the multiple seating rows26,28of the passenger compartment24, a door opening30is provided in the vehicle body22. The door opening30is sized to accommodate the entering and exiting of front and rear rows26,28of the passenger compartment24.

The door opening30is illustrated formed through a lateral sidewall32and a roof34of the vehicle body22. Of course, the invention contemplates utilization of the present invention in various door openings in various regions of the vehicle body22. For example, the automotive vehicle20of the embodiment illustrated is symmetrical with mirror image lateral halves, as is typical with many passenger vehicles. Thus, the embodiment of the automotive vehicle20illustrated is provided with a door opening30on both lateral sidewalls32of the vehicle and the door openings30both extend at least partially through the roof34.

Of course, the invention contemplates that both door openings30may overlap a central region of the roof34such that a larger region of the roof34is utilized for the door opening than that depicted by the present embodiment automotive vehicle20.

Although the door opening30is illustrated formed through both the lateral sidewall32and the roof34of the vehicle body22, the invention contemplates utilization of various features in accordance with the present invention with or without the door opening30being formed through the roof34.

Referring now toFIGS. 1-4, the vehicle20includes a door36sized to enclose the passenger compartment24by mating with the perimeter of the door opening30. The door36is operably connected to the vehicle body22for translation from a closed orientation, as illustrated inFIG. 1to an open orientation as illustrated inFIGS. 2-4. Since the door opening30of the depicted embodiment extends through the lateral sidewall32and the roof34of the vehicle body22, the door36includes a matching side panel38with a roof panel40extending laterally inboard from a top region42of the door side panel38. Thus, the door side panel38and door roof panel40collectively provide the door36for closing the door opening30.

In order to displace the door36relative to the vehicle body22to an upper orientation that optimizes the door opening30for occupant ingress and egress, the door36is translated vertically upward relative to the vehicle body22and laterally outboard relative to the vehicle body. During the translation of the door36to the open orientation, the door36is also rotationally translated such that a forward region of the door44is translated upward and outboard from the vehicle body22at a greater rate than that of a rearward region46of the door36.

In order to translate the door36between the closed and opened orientations, the door36may be pivotally connected to the vehicle body22. For example, the rearward region46of the door36may be pivotally connected to a rearward region48of the door opening30by a hinge50. Another hinge52is provided on an upward region of the door36for pivotally connecting the door roof panel40to the roof34of the vehicle body22.

The hinges50,52provide a pivot axis54of the door36that extends laterally away from the vehicle body22from the roof panel hinge52to the rearward door hinge50. The lateral arrangement of the pivot axis54is illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4. Additionally, the pivot axis54is inclined downward from the roof panel hinge52to the rearward door hinge50as illustrated inFIGS. 2-4.

The door opening30diverges as it extends upward relative to the vehicle body22as illustrated inFIG. 2. The taper of the divergent door opening30maximizes a longitudinal length of the door opening30for accommodating entering and exiting both rows26,28of the passenger compartment24.

The door opening30partially follows a perimeter of a windshield56of the vehicle20. The windshield56is a transparent panel mounted to the vehicle body22at a forward region58of a passenger compartment24. A structural pillar60, commonly referred to as an A-pillar, is displaced along a lateral side of the windshield56. The A-pillar60may form a portion of the door opening30. The door opening30may also partially extend along a top region of the windshield56thereby providing an enlarged door opening30through the roof34. Thus, the door side panel38engages the A-pillar60in the closed orientation and the door roof panel40extends to the top region of the windshield56and a distal end of the A-pillar60.

Referring now toFIGS. 7 and 8, a transparent backlight62is mounted to the vehicle body22at a rearward region64of the passenger compartment24. Another structural pillar66is provided on a lateral side of the backlight62. The door opening30may extend rearward to a top region of the backlight62. Accordingly, the door roof panel40may engage a top region above the backlight62and a distal end of the pillar66in the closed orientation of the door.

Due to the large door opening30extending through the roof34, clearance is provided through the roof34of the vehicle body22such that passengers are not required to duck while entering and exiting the front row26of the passenger compartment. Passengers may enter the front row26of the passenger compartment24, and then sit down.

Referring now toFIGS. 5 and 7, a streamlined vehicle20is provided. InFIGS. 6 and 8, the door36is illustrated in the open orientation. The door36opens facing forward such that passengers approach the door opening30from a forward region of the vehicle20. By translating the door36upward about the pivot axis54, the door36is not greatly extended laterally outboard of the vehicle20, which is typical with vertically hinged doors.

Referring again toFIG. 2, a forward region of the passenger compartment24is generally unobstructed so that the passenger has wide clearance for his or her legs when entering or exiting the front row26. Such obstructions are generally typical in prior art doors that have a vertical hinge and open rearward facing. Such obstructions are also typical in doors that pivot about a generally horizontal axis provided at a forward region of the passenger compartment24.

InFIG. 3, a striker68is provided on the forward region44of the door36. Likewise, a receiver70(FIG. 2) is provided in the door opening30for receiving the striker68and latching the door36in the closed orientation. The striker68translates with the door36such that it is oriented generally horizontal in the closed orientation of the door.

To maximize occupant external viewing from within the passenger compartment24, a side window72is provided in the side panel38of the door36. Additionally, a roof window74is provided in the roof panel40of the door36.

With reference now toFIGS. 9 and 10, the hinges50,52are illustrated in greater detail. Both hinges50,52are generally arcuate and are coupled to the vehicle body22for sliding translation relative to the vehicle body22so that as the arcuate hinges50,52slide, the door36is pivoted about the pivot axis54. Moreover, the arcuate hinges50,52share a common axis of rotation, the pivot axis54. The rearward door hinge50has a radius of curvature (r1) that is greater than the radius of curvature (r2) of the roof panel hinge52for increased translation of the door36relative to the door opening rearward region48with respect to the translation of the door roof panel40relative to the roof34.

As illustrated inFIG. 10, an actuator76may be provided within the vehicle body22interconnected with the rearward door hinge50for driving the door36between the open and closed orientations. Due to the vertical displacement of the door36, the actuator76may assist or translate the door36. The actuator76may be a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, an electric actuator such as a stepper motor, or the like. Additionally, the actuator76may provide support to the door36to maintain the door36in the open orientation.

In summary, various door, door opening and door hinging features are disclosed, which optimize vehicle compactness, and door positioning for ingress and egress of passengers to and from the passenger compartment24of the vehicle20.