Extended-travel sliding door with articulating roller bracket

A sliding door for a vehicle has a door bracket. A track is mounted along the vehicle and extends to a remote end. A roller bracket is movable between a first position proximate the opening and a second position at the end of the track. The roller bracket includes an articulating arm retained by the roller bracket by a first pivot and pivotally retained at a second end by the door bracket. The articulating arm has a first orientation for rotationally positioning the sliding door toward the closed position and a second orientation for rotationally positioning the sliding door into the open position. Movement of the roller bearing into the second position results in the articulating arm moving from the first to the second orientation. An over-center spring mechanism may maintain the positioning of the roller bracket relative to the sliding door throughout the travel of the bracket.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to vehicular sliding doors in which the rearward side of the sliding door is supported by a roller bracket that traverses a roller track mounted along the exterior side of the vehicle.

A typical sliding door for a passenger vehicle such as a van, minivan, or a crossover vehicle is supported by and guided by upper and lower track assemblies at the front edge of the sliding door and a center track assembly attached to the rear edge of the door.

The size of the door opening that may be uncovered when the sliding door opens is limited to the available distance of rearward travel for the door. A large door opening is desired for ease of ingress/egress and for maximizing the size of loads that may pass through the door opening. However, door travel is typically limited by the length of the tracks in which the track assemblies traverse during opening of the sliding door. The center track, which receives a roller bracket mounted to the rearward edge of the sliding door, cannot extend beyond the back edge of the vehicle body. The presence of rear taillight assemblies may further limit the available space for the center track. In addition, it is desired to minimize the length of the track to reduce its visibility for aesthetic purposes.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In order to extend the travel of the sliding door beyond the position that would otherwise result when the roller bracket reaches the end of the roller track, an articulating arm is used to join the roller bracket to the door. By pivoting the articulating arm when the roller bracket is at its most open position, additional opening movement of the sliding door is obtained.

In one aspect of the invention, an apparatus is provided for supporting a sliding door that moves between a closed position and a fully open position to selectively cover an opening in a vehicle. A door bracket is fixedly mounted to the sliding door. A track is mounted along an exterior side of the vehicle and extends away from the opening to a remote end. The length of the track from the opening to the remote end is less than the distance traveled by the sliding door between the closed position and the fully open position. A roller bracket having rollers received by the track is movable between a first position proximate the opening and a second position at the remote end of the track. The roller bracket includes an articulating arm pivotally retained by the roller bracket at a first end of the articulating arm by a first pivot and pivotally retained at a second end by the door bracket. The articulating arm has a first orientation for rotationally positioning the sliding door toward its closed position and a second orientation for rotationally positioning the sliding door away from its closed position and into the fully open position. Movement of the roller bearing into its second position results in the articulating arm moving from its first orientation to its second orientation. An over-center spring mechanism can be included for controlling and maintaining the positioning of the roller bracket relative to the sliding door throughout the full travel of the roller bracket.

The invention has the advantage of providing a length of sliding door travel which is greater than the length of the roller track. As a result, larger openings can be provided while avoiding the space constraints and styling problems associated with a long roller track.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now toFIG. 1, a vehicle10has a sliding door11supported along an upper roller track12, a lower roller track13, and a center roller track14. Respective roller brackets (not shown) slidable in each track are joined to respective door brackets (not shown) on the interior side of sliding door11. In a conventional system, a pair of brackets at the top and bottom of the forward edge of sliding door11are joined to the roller brackets sliding in tracks12and13, respectively. A door bracket attached at the center rear edge of sliding door11is coupled to a roller bracket slidably received in track14. The tracks have initial portions which move radially outward so that the door first moves outward from the vehicle body in order to clear the vehicle body and then slides toward the rear of vehicle10. Because of this compound movement, each roller bracket is pivotally connected to its respective door bracket.

Sliding door11and the opening in vehicle10which receives sliding door11each have a front-to-back width designated D1. For conventional sliding doors, the rearward movement of sliding door11has a maximum distance designated D2which is the length of center track14from the edge of the door opening to the end of track14. The space available for track14is limited by the overall length of vehicle10, and may be even more limited by the presence of other structures such as a taillight15. If distance D2is less than distance D1, then when a conventional sliding door11is at its maximum rearward travel position it continues to block a portion of the door opening. It would be desirable to obtain an extension of the sliding door travel without increasing the length of the corresponding center track.

FIG. 2is an interior side view of the present invention showing door11at several positions. Three different locations of door11are obtained with just two different locations of the roller bracket. At location11A, door11is at a radially inward position to be flush with the vehicle exterior surface while in its closed position. At position11B, door11has traveled in a rearward direction until a roller bracket16has reached the end of track14. An articulating arm17connects the roller bracket to a door bracket18. Arm17is pivotal on roller bracket16under the conditions that roller bracket16is at when at the end of the track, so that it may be pivoted into a position shown at11C wherein the rear edge of door11continues moving rearward as a result of the pivoting of arm17. Thus, even though roller bracket16can move no farther, door11continues to open (typically with a small amount of additional radial movement away from the exterior side of the vehicle) provided that the upper and lower roller brackets and tracks (not shown) can accommodate the additional distance.

Referring toFIGS. 3-5, a first embodiment of a roller assembly for the center track includes a roller bracket20with an articulating arm21for coupling to a door bracket22. Roller bracket20includes sets of roller wheels23-25to be received in the roller track as is known in the art. A bracket body26receives an adjustable bumper stop27and a pivot pin28. Articulating arm21includes a set of aligned holes30and a spring31for likewise capturing pivot pin28. A second pivot pin32is rotationally mounted to the opposite end of articulating arm21and is captured by parallel pivot holes33on door bracket22. Door bracket22includes a plurality of mounting holes34for mounting door bracket22to the inside of the sliding door.

FIG. 6shows roller bracket20having reached an end of travel in track14. An end cap35may be provided for stopping the travel of roller bracket20. Articulating arm21is shown in a first orientation comprising a non-extended position wherein spring31retains articulating arm21in a closed position against bumper stop27. Based on the inertia of the moving door and any additional manual pulling forces from a person opening the sliding door, articulating arm21moves into a second orientation comprised of an extended position wherein door bracket22shifts toward the rear of the vehicle with respect to the end of track14as shown inFIG. 7. In order to maintain the sliding door at the extended position, a separate catch mechanism (not shown) is provided for maintaining the extended position once it is reached. For example, a conventional mechanism is known for securing the sliding door in its maximum open position once reached, until the door handle is pulled. Pulling of the handle releases the catch mechanism and allows the sliding door to be closed. Once the catch mechanism is released, spring31returns articulating arm21to its first orientation as shown inFIG. 8where the articulating arm21is held against adjustable bumper stop27.

As shown inFIG. 9, spring31has a pair of legs37and38for compressing articulating arm21toward bumper stop27.FIGS. 10 and 11provide additional views showing pivot pin32of articulating arm21being retained against bumper stop27during the sliding (during either opening or closing) of the sliding door.

FIG. 12shows an alternative embodiment providing mechanical assistance for reorienting the articulating arm as well as an integral mechanism for biasing the articulating arm to the desired position throughout the range of motion along the track. InFIG. 12, sliding door11is in its unextended position. A roller bracket40is coupled to door bracket22by an articulating arm41at a pivot point42. Roller bracket40is shown in a position just before reaching the end of track14(i.e., arm41is in its first orientation), such that articulating arm41is about to engage a plunger or pin43which is fixed to end cap35.FIG. 13shows sliding door11in its extended position with articulating arm41having moved from its first orientation to its second orientation. Plunger43is received in a slot44of roller bracket40so that articulating arm41engages plunger43in a controlled manner. As shown in greater detail inFIG. 14, articulating arm41has first and second fingers45and46for receiving plunger43therebetween. As roller bracket40moves to the right inFIG. 14, plunger43contacts finger46so that articulating arm41pivots about a pivot pin42connecting it to roller bracket40and pivots about a pivot pin47connecting it to door bracket22. Thus, articulating arm41moves from its first orientation as shown inFIG. 14to a second orientation as shown inFIG. 15with door bracket22extended beyond the end of track14. In the second orientation, finger45rests against plunger43. When the door is manually closed from this position, the action of finger45against plunger43toggles articulating arm41back into its first orientation.

A preferred embodiment of a spring biasing mechanism for selectably maintaining articulating arm41in the first and second orientations is shown inFIGS. 16 and 17. An over-center spring50is joined to a tab51on articulating arm41and to an anchor point52on roller bracket40. Over-center spring50is compressed between51and52, so that a clockwise rotation moment is created for articulating arm41. Thus, arm41is biased against a stop pin53mounted on roller bracket40. The biasing of articulating arm41into the first orientation as shown inFIG. 16is sufficiently strong to resist pivoting of articulating arm41as roller bracket40moves within track14, even when there is a pulling force on the sliding door to open it. However, when finger46contacts plunger43, the force of the closing action causes articulating arm41to pivot in a counter clockwise direction thereby further compressing over-center spring50as tab41moves clockwise around pivot pin42. As tab51rotates, the direction of the spring force from over-center spring50moves to the opposite side of pivot pin42. Then, over-spring50creates a rotation moment in the counter clockwise direction about pivot pin42to thereby maintain articulating arm41in the second orientation as shown inFIG. 17.

Another embodiment of the articulating arm is shown inFIG. 18wherein arm55has a single finger56and a tab57with a spring-receiving hole58. Arm55also includes a pair of pivot holes60and61for receiving pivot pins as in the previous embodiments. As shown inFIGS. 19 and 20, finger56is used only for resetting articulating arm55from the second orientation back to the first orientation. InFIG. 19, roller bracket40has reached its end of travel. At that instant, inertia from the sliding of the door would overcome the biasing force of spring51so that articulating arm55moves out of the first orientation as shown inFIG. 19to the second orientation as shown inFIG. 20(and is held there by the spring bias from spring50). In the second orientation, finger56abuts a reset plunger62, which is fixed to the end of track14and may be integrally formed with end cap35. As shown inFIG. 21, articulating arm55may have a projecting pin63for interacting with reset plunger62. When roller bracket40begins to move to the left during the closing of the sliding door, reset plunger62forces pin63to pivot around the roller bracket pivot pin64, thereby moving arm55toward its first orientation. Once the rotation moment of over-center spring50reverses, it biases arm55completely into its first orientation against stop pin53.

As shown inFIGS. 22 and 23, and articulating arm65may be used in an alternative embodiment having a separate reset lever66interfacing between reset plunger62and articulating arm65.

In a typical embodiment of the invention, the articulating arm may rotate about 80° around the roller bracket pivot point. The resulting extension of the sliding door travel can be 80 mm or more.