A door system for an automotive vehicle includes an impact-responsive catcher pin which may be operated by a supplemental restraint system having side impact sensing capability so that the impact-responsive catcher pin may be directed to deploy from a housing mounted within a vehicle door, to a position in which the catcher pin locks the vehicle door to a rocker beam adjoining the door.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention relates to an automotive vehicle having a door with an impact-responsive catcher pin for limiting intrusion of the door into the vehicle's passenger compartment in the event of a side impact against the door. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Automotive designers have devised an array of solutions to the situation presented by the need to manage energy and deformation in the event of a side impact upon a vehicle. More precisely, in the event that a side facing passenger door of a vehicle is impacted during a collision, it is generally desirable to limit intrusion by the door into the passenger compartment. However, a very rigid door suffering little deformation during a heavy impact would cause more kinetic energy to be transferred to the vehicle, which is not necessarily desirable. U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,565 discloses a solution to limiting door intrusion in the course of a side impact, which includes a side impact bar having a pyrotechnically driven component which is extended into the B pillar of the vehicle in the event of a side impact. The system of the '565 patent does not address the issue of controlling recession of the bottom part of the door in the event of a side impact, nor does it provide a system which locks in place with the structure into which the stopper pin is engaged. 
   A system and method according to the present invention solves the problems with prior art devices by providing positive locking of the vehicle door to the rocker beam underlying the door, with the deployment of the catcher pin being controlled by a supplemental restraint system onboard the vehicle. 
   SUMMARY 
   A door system for an automotive vehicle includes a door having an inner panel and an outer panel and a door opening panel defining at least part of a door opening which is closable by the door. A rocker beam extends under the door so as to define a portion of the door opening. The rocker beam runs generally parallel to the lowermost portion of the door's outer panel. At least one impact-responsive catcher pin is contained within a housing mounted within the door between the inner panel and outer panel. The catcher pin has a first telescopic position in which the catcher pin is contained entirely within the door and a second telescopic position, responsive to impact upon the door, in which the catcher pin extends from the door into a receiver formed in the rocker beam. The catcher pin is preferably located near the intersection of a seatback and seat cushion mounted within the vehicle and adjoining the door opening. 
   A catcher pin according to the present invention is driven by a stored energy device which may include a pyrotechnic charge, or a compressed gas canister, or compression spring, or other types of stored energy linear actuators known to those skilled in the art and suggested by this disclosure. 
   The present system also includes a beam mounted within the door between the inner panel and the outer panel and extending generally along the length of the door, with the catcher pin housing being mounted at least in part to the beam. The catcher pin has a integral sprag which is formed upon the shank of the pin so as to prevent the pin from becoming disengaged from the rocker beam after the pin is deployed. 
   The present impact-responsive catcher pin is preferably activated by a side impact detection system which also activates at least a side airbag, or any other supplemental restraint device such as a side curtain supplemental restraint device. As an alternative, any one of a number of impact detection systems commonly used with vehicles may be employed for the purpose of determining an appropriate time for deploying the inventive impact-responsive catcher pin. 
   According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling side intrusion of a vehicle door into a passenger compartment includes the steps of sensing an impact against a vehicle door, using a supplemental restraint system to generate an activation signal in the event that an impact against a door is sensed, and using the activation signal to activate a stored energy device to drive a catcher pin housed within the door into a receiver contained within a rocker beam adjacent the door such that the pin will resist translational movement of the door toward the balance of the passenger compartment. 
   Is an advantage of a system according to the present invention that door intrusion resulting from side impact upon a vehicle may be mitigated while at the same time mitigating the amount of kinetic energy transferred to the vehicle. 
   It is a further advantage of a system according to the present invention that the present catcher pin remains hidden within the door until deployed in the event of a side impact. 
   It is a further advantage of a method and system according to the present invention that because the catcher pin is deployed by a supplemental restraint system, deployment of the pin may be coordinated with deployment of other supplemental restraints such as side airbags or air curtains. 
   It is a further advantage of a system according to the present invention that only the affected door or doors, i.e., those doors to which an impact is directed, need be latched to their respective rocker beams, when the present system is teamed with a supplemental restraint system capable of identifying the vehicle side being impacted. 
   It is a further advantage of a system according to the present invention that the system has a low installed weight and may be packaged within vehicle doors having current designs. 
   Other advantages, as well as features and objects of the present invention, will become apparent to the reader of this specification. 


   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a side elevation of an automotive vehicle having a system according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a sectional view of a door having a deployable catcher pin according to the present invention, shown in its stowed, or normal, state. 
       FIG. 3  is similar to  FIG. 2 , but shows the deployable catcher pin in its deployed state. 
       FIG. 4  is a plan view of a door showing various components of a system according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a side elevation of a vehicle with the door open, showing the position of a rocker beam receiver into which a catcher pin is driven and latched according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  shows a catcher pin driven by compressed gas. 
       FIG. 7  is similar to  FIG. 6 , but illustrates a catcher pin driven by a compression spring. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a control system for operating an impact-sensitive door catcher pin according to the present invention. 
   


   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   In the following figures the same reference numerals will be used to illustrate the same components. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , vehicle  10  has door  14  into which a catcher pin assembly  36  is mounted. As shown in  FIG. 2 , door  14  has inner panel  18  and outer panel  22 . Door beam  34 , which is shown more precisely in  FIG. 4 , is mounted within door  14  between inner panel  18  and outer panel  22  and extends generally along the length of the door. Catcher pin housing  42  is mounted at least in part to door beam  34 , using conventional joining techniques such as mechanical fasteners, adhesives, welding, and other types of fastening known to those skilled in the art and suggested by this disclosure. 
     FIG. 2  shows catcher pin  38  as having a shank, and sprag  40  which is unitary with pin  38 . Piston  48  is also unitary with catcher pin  38  and allows gas pressure to build up within housing  42  when pyrotechnic device  58  is fired, such that catcher pin  38  will be driven from the location shown in  FIG. 2  to its second telescopic position, shown in  FIG. 3  in which catcher pin  38  and sprag  40  extend within receiver  46 , which is carried by rocker beam  30 . The lowermost portion of housing  42  is normally closed by elastomeric plug  39 , which prevents contamination of catcher pin assembly  36 . Receiver  46  is normally covered by either a plastic cover,  41  ( FIG. 2 ) or by a trim panel (not shown), which is suitably prepared for the insertion of pin  38 . Such preparation may include localized weakening of the panel to permit easy passage of pin  38 . 
   The latched, or deployed, position of pin  38  is also shown in  FIG. 4 . Once catcher pin  38  has been moved to its second telescopic position within receiver  46 , an impact load directed against door  14 , or more precisely, directed against outer door outer panel  22 , will be resisted by catcher pin  38 , which will be urged to remain locked with receiver  46  by sprag  40 . In this manner, translational movement of door  14  with respect to rocker beam  30  and the remaining portion of the vehicle body will be mitigated. 
   In some applications, it may be desirable to add a second impact-responsive catcher pin, shown at  44  in  FIG. 4 . If a single impact-responsive catcher pin is used with the present system, it is desirable to mount the catcher pin in the vicinity of the intersection of seatback  50  and seat cushion  54 , with the intersection being shown at I in  FIG. 5 . 
     FIGS. 6 and 7  show alternative stored energy devices for activating the present catcher pin. For example, in  FIG. 6 , a canister of compressed gas, releasable by firing explosive diaphragm  70 , is employed. In the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , compression spring  64  is releasable by solenoid  65 , which operates pin  67 . In both cases, deployment of the catcher pin will be controlled as described below. 
   Regardless of the type of stored energy device driving catcher pin  38  from its first telescopic position in door  14  into interlocking relationship with rocker beam  30 , deployment of the catcher pin will be controlled by a system according to  FIG. 8 . Thus, controller  80  receives inputs from a variety of sensors  86  known to those skilled in the art of occupant restraint engineering and suggested by this disclosure, and including such sensors as accelerometers, seat occupant sensing, vehicle speed sensors, and other sensors. Controller  80 , having received inputs from the variety of sensors  86 , may conclude that an impact is being directed against a door equipped with the present impact-sensitive catcher pin. Controller  80  will then direct pyrotechnic charge  58 , or solenoid  65 , or explosive diaphragm  70 , to place catcher pin  38  into its deployed position. Alternatively, controller  80  may be programmed to deploy pin  38  in the event of other types of impacts, such as vehicle inversions. 
   In essence, once an impact against a vehicle, whether upon a door, or other vehicle structure, is sensed, the vehicle's supplemental restraint system will generate an activation signal and use that activation signal to activate a stored energy device to drive the catcher pin into the receiver contained within the rocker beam. 
   While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, numerous variations and alternate embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only in terms of the appended claims.