A vehicle door assembly combines features from cargo door systems and sliding door systems to provide remote access and keyless entry on both side and rear vehicle door assemblies. The vehicle door assembly includes a first door panel and a second door panel that cooperate to cover a rear or side door opening in a vehicle body. The first door panel slides relative to the second door panel on a sliding track mechanism to uncover a portion of the rear or side door opening. This movement can be achieved manually or by remote access. The first and second door panels can then be pivoted relative to the vehicle body to fully uncover the rear or side door opening. This allows cargo to be easily loaded and unloaded from the vehicle body.

TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]     The subject invention relates to a vehicle door system that both slides and pivots to provide keyless entry, remote access, and full cargo access in rear and side door assemblies.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Currently, mini vans, sport utility vehicles, full-size vans, and other similar vehicles have a variety of side and rear access doors. Some examples of rear access doors include Dutch doors, lift gates, and cargo style doors. Some examples of side access doors include sliding doors and cargo style doors.  
         [0003]     Cargo style doors can have various different configurations. In a side access door configuration, the cargo style door typically includes a single door panel that is pivoted about one door edge between open and closed positions. In a rear access door configuration, the cargo style door typically includes two (2) door panels that pivot about opposite outboard door edges between open and closed positions. Either one of the two door panels can be independently pivoted to the open position to provide partial access to a rear cargo area, or both door panels can be pivoted to the open position to provide full access to the rear cargo area.  
         [0004]     Sliding doors require a track system and alignment mechanism. The track systems and alignment mechanisms are typically unique to different body styles. This proliferates parts and increases cost. Additionally, sliding doors require different mounting mechanisms than cargo style doors, which reduces the ability to commonize components. Further, sliding doors are typically not an option for a rear access door configuration because track systems are not feasible due to vehicle shape. However, sliding doors offer an opportunity to have keyless entry and a remote door opening system, which are not available with traditional cargo style doors.  
         [0005]     Thus, it is desirable to have a vehicle door system that can be used for both rear and side access door configurations, and which provides keyless entry and remote access, in addition to overcoming the other above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     A vehicle door assembly includes first and second door panels that cooperate to cover a door opening formed within a vehicle body. The door opening can be either a side door opening or a rear door opening. The first door panel moves relative to the second door panel to provide access to a portion of the door opening. The first and second door panels can then optionally be moved relative to the vehicle body to provide full access to the door opening.  
         [0007]     A first operating mechanism couples the first and second door panels together. A second operating mechanism couples the second door panel to the vehicle body. In one example, the first operating mechanism comprises a sliding track that is mounted to the second door panel, and which allows the first door panel to slide relative to the second door panel. The first operating mechanism can be manually actuated or can be activated remotely with a key fob or other similar mechanism. The second operating mechanism comprises a hinge assembly that connects the second door panel to the vehicle body. If full cargo access is required, i.e. if the door opening is to be completely uncovered, the first and second door panels are pivoted relative to the vehicle body about an axis defined by the hinge assembly. The first and second door panels can be pivoted on the hinge assembly either before or after sliding of the first door panel relative to the second door panel occurs.  
         [0008]     The subject invention provides a door assembly that can be easily incorporated into a side or rear access door configuration, which allows common components to be used for all vehicle types. Further, the subject invention provides keyless entry and remote access for both rear and side access door configurations. These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1A  is a partial perspective view showing a rear access door configuration incorporating the subject invention with a rear door being in a closed position.  
         [0010]      FIG. 1B  is a view similar to that shown in  FIG. 1A , but shows the rear door in a partial open position.  
         [0011]      FIG. 1C  is a view similar to that shown in  FIG. 1A , but shows the rear door in a fully open position.  
         [0012]      FIG. 1D  is a view similar to that shown in  FIG. 1A , but shows the rear door in a fully open position and with the rear door being slid back along a vehicle body in a second stage.  
         [0013]      FIG. 2A  is a partial perspective view showing a side access door configuration incorporating the subject invention with a side door being in a closed position.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2B  is a view similar to that shown in  FIG. 1A , but shows the side door in a partial open position.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2C  is a view similar to that shown in  FIG. 1A , but shows the side door in a fully open position. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0016]     A rear door assembly for a vehicle is shown generally at  10  in  FIGS. 1A-1D . The rear door assembly  10  includes a first door panel  12  and a second door panel  14  that cooperate to cover a rear door opening  16  in a vehicle body  18 . A first door operating mechanism  20  couples the first door panel  12  to the second door panel  14 . A second door operating mechanism  22  couples the second door panel  14  to the vehicle body  18 . The first  20  and second  22  door operating mechanisms cooperate to move the rear door assembly  10  between a closed position and an open position.  
         [0017]     In the example shown, the first door operating mechanism  20  comprises a sliding track  24  that allows the first door panel  12  to slide relative to the second door panel  14 . The sliding track  24  is supported by an exterior surface  26  of the second door panel  14  and is coupled to an interior surface  28  of the first door panel  12 . The sliding track  24  includes a first rail component  24   a  at an upper door position and a second rail component  24   b  at a lower door position. However, it should be understood that additional rail components or only a single rail component could be required as determined by a specific vehicle configuration.  
         [0018]     The first door panel  12  slides over the second door panel  14  along a generally axial path to provide reduced or partial access to a rear cargo area via the rear door opening  16 , as shown in  FIG. 1B . Generally, when the first door panel  12  moves relative to the second door panel  14 , half of the rear door opening  16  is uncovered. However, the rear door assembly  10  could be configured to have door panels of varying sizes.  
         [0019]     The first door operating mechanism  20 , which slides the first door panel  12  relative to the second door panel  14 , can be manually actuated or can be remotely activated by a key fob  30  or other similar mechanism. The key fob  30  includes a transmitter (not shown) and the vehicle includes a receiver (not shown) that cooperate to provide keyless entry and remote access to the rear door opening  16  in a known manner.  
         [0020]     In the example shown, the second door operating mechanism  22  comprises a pivoting mechanism or a hinge assembly  32  that connects the second door panel  14  to the vehicle body  18 . Once the first door panel  12  has been slid relative to the second door panel  14 , the first  12  and second  14  door panels may then be pivoted as a unit relative to the vehicle body  18  about an axis A 1  defined by the hinge assembly  32 . The first  12  and second  14  door panels can be pivoted on the hinge assembly  32  along a generally arcuate path to provide a fully open position, as shown in  FIG. 1C . In this position, there is complete, unimpeded access to the rear cargo area.  
         [0021]     Optionally, the first  12  and second  14  door panels can be pivoted on the hinge assembly  32  without sliding the first door panel  12  relative to the second door panel  14 . However, the activation of the first door operating mechanism  20  to slide the first door panel  12  relative to the second door panel  14  provides the beneficial features of keyless entry and remote access, as discussed above.  
         [0022]     An alternate configuration is shown in  FIG. 1D . In this configuration, a third door operating mechanism  40 , shown schematically in a dashed outline, is used to couple the second door panel  14  to the vehicle body  18 . The third door operating mechanism  40  is a track system, similar to that used for the first door operating mechanism  20 , and which is supported by an exterior side surface of the vehicle body  18 . The third door operating mechanism  40  is coupled to an interior surface of the second door panel  14 . After the first  12  and second  14  door panels have been pivoted to a fully open position ( FIG. 1C ), both the first  12  and second  14  door panels can then optionally be slid back relative to the vehicle body  18  along the track system, as shown in  FIG. 1D .  
         [0023]     The subject invention can also be utilized in a side door assembly, shown generally at  50  in  FIGS. 2A-2C . The side door assembly  50  includes a first door panel  52  and a second door panel  54  that cooperate to cover a side door opening  56  in a vehicle body  58 . A first door operating mechanism  60  couples the first door panel  52  to the second door panel  54 . A second door operating mechanism  62  couples the second door panel  54  to the vehicle body  58 . The first  60  and second  62  door operating mechanisms cooperate to move the side door assembly  50  between a closed position and an open position.  
         [0024]     In the example shown, the first door operating mechanism  60  comprises a sliding track  64  that allows the first door panel  52  to slide relative to the second door panel  54 . The sliding track  64  is supported by an exterior surface  66  of the second door panel  54  and is coupled to an interior surface  68  of the first door panel  52 . The sliding track  64  includes a first rail component  64   a  at an upper door position and a second rail component  64   b  at a lower door position. However, it should be understood that additional rail components or only a single rail component could be required as determined by a specific vehicle configuration.  
         [0025]     The first door panel  52  slides over the second door panel  54  along a generally axial path to provide reduced or partial access to a passenger area via the side door opening  56 , as shown in  FIG. 2B . Generally, when the first door panel  52  moves relative to the second door panel  54 , half of the side door opening  56  is uncovered. However, the side door assembly  50  could be configured to have door panels of varying sizes.  
         [0026]     The first door operating mechanism  60 , which slides the first door panel  52  relative to the second door panel  54 , can be manually actuated or can be remotely activated by a key fob  70  or other similar mechanism. The key fob  70  includes a transmitter (not shown) and the vehicle includes a receiver (not shown) that cooperate to provide keyless entry and remote access to the side door opening  56  in a known manner.  
         [0027]     In the example shown, the second door operating mechanism  62  comprises a pivoting mechanism or a hinge assembly  72  that connects the second door panel  54  to the vehicle body  58 . Once the first door panel  52  has been slid relative to the second door panel  54 , the first  52  and second  54  door panels are then pivoted as a unit relative to the vehicle body  58  about an axis A 2  defined by the hinge assembly  72 . The first  52  and second  54  door panels can be pivoted on the hinge assembly  72  along a generally arcuate path to achieve a fully open position, as shown in  FIG. 2C . This provides full access to the passenger area, which allows passengers to easily enter and exit the vehicle.  
         [0028]     Optionally, the first  52  and second  54  door panels can be pivoted on the hinge assembly  72  without sliding the first door panel  52  relative to the second door panel  54 . However, the activation of the first door operating mechanism  60  to slide the first door panel  52  relative to the second door panel  54  provides the beneficial features of keyless entry and remote access, as discussed above.  
         [0029]     The subject invention provides a vehicle door assembly that can be easily incorporated into a side or rear access door configuration. This allows common components to be used for all vehicle types, and offers the option of easily providing door module assemblies. Further, the subject invention provides keyless entry and remote access for both rear and side access door configurations.  
         [0030]     The subject invention is shown schematically in  FIGS. 1-2 . It should be understood that mechanisms for driving and guiding vehicle door panels are well-known. Any type of door drive mechanisms, door pivoting mechanisms, and door sliding mechanisms can be used to move the vehicle door panels according to the invention to achieve the desired inventive door panel assembly configuration.  
         [0031]     Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.