Abstract:
A vehicle body includes a passenger compartment and a cargo compartment separated by a midgate assembly which occupies a midgate opening. A seat is positioned in the passenger compartment. The midgate assembly includes a midgate panel which is movable along a pair of guide tracks from a closed position in the midgate opening to an open position under the seat.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a midgate assembly including a garage door style midgate panel which is movable between a closed position in a midgate opening and an open position beneath a vehicle seat. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is known in the art to provide a pickup truck or SUV having a cab portion for carrying passengers in a rear seat section behind the driver and a cargo box behind the cab portion for carrying cargo. It is also known to provide aligned openings in the cab portion and the cargo box for carrying longer loads which extend into the passenger compartment with the rear seat folded down. Currently, a multi-use vehicle is available which provides a pickup truck having a rear passenger compartment convertible to a cargo area and separated from a rear pickup box by a midgate having a panel and a window. This vehicle is adapted to accommodate a variety of optional configurations for alternatively carrying a maximum passenger load or an extended cargo load under both covered and uncovered conditions where the cargo load is protected from or exposed to ambient external conditions. 
     It is desirable to provide a midgate panel which may be conveniently stored in unused space in the vehicle when the midgate panel is not occupying the midgate opening. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a midgate assembly including a garage door style midgate panel which is slidable along the guide tracks to a position underneath a seat. 
     More specifically, the invention provides a vehicle body having a first compartment for carrying passengers or cargo and a second compartment for carrying cargo rearwardly adjacent the first compartment. The body includes a frame defining an opening between the first and second compartments. The opening includes lower and upper portions. First and second guide tracks each include a first portion secured to the frame along opposing sides of the lower portion of the opening, a curved portion adjacent bottom corners of the lower portion of the opening, and a second portion extending forwardly in the vehicle body from the respective curved portion. A midgate panel has opposing sides slidably engaged with the first and second guide tracks to facilitate movement of the panel from a closed position covering the lower portion of the opening when the panel engages the first portion of the guide tracks, to an open position permitting access through the lower portion of the opening when the panel engages the second portion of the guide tracks. 
     Preferably, the midgate panel is a garage door style midgate panel including a plurality of sections hinged together along a plurality of horizontal splits in the midgate panel. The panel also includes a plurality of rollers for rolling engagement with the first and second tracks. 
     A window is mounted in the frame to close the upper portion of the opening. The window may be removably mounted in the frame to selectively permit access through the upper portion of the opening. Alternatively, the window may be hinged to the frame for pivotable movement to an open position. The window may be hinged along an upper edge to facilitate pivotal movement upward against a roof of the body. The glass could pivot forward or rearward. A crossbar may be mounted in the opening between the upper and lower portions. The window could be glued in place with a fixed crossbar. 
     A seat may be positioned in the first compartment, and the second portion of each guide track may extend beneath the seat such that the midgate panel is positioned under the seat when in the open position. 
     A drive motor may be operatively connected to the midgate panel to actuate movement of the midgate panel between the open and closed positions. 
     The seat may include a collapsible seatback which may be used to selectively increase cargo storage capacity in the first compartment. 
     These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more further understood from the following description of the specific embodiments of the invention taken together with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows a partial front perspective view of a vehicle body in accordance with present invention with the midgate panel in the closed position; 
     FIG. 2 shows a partial underside perspective view of the vehicle body of FIG. 1 with the midgate panel in the open position; 
     FIG. 3 shows a horizontal cross sectional view taken through the body of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 4 shows a schematic vertical cross sectional side view of a body in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a vehicle body  10  is partially illustrated. The vehicle body  10  includes a first compartment  12  for carrying passengers or cargo, and a second compartment or cargo box  14  for carrying cargo rearwardly adjacent the first compartment  12 . The body includes a frame  16  which defines an opening  18  between the first and second compartments  12 ,  14 . 
     A seat assembly  20  is positioned in the first compartment  12 , and includes a lower seat  22  and a collapsible seatback  24 . The seat assembly  20  is supported by stanchions  26 . The seatback  24  is collapsible onto the lower seat  22  as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. 
     First and second guide tracks  28 ,  30  are secured to the opening  18  of frame  16  as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The opening  18  includes lower and upper portions  32 ,  34 . 
     The first and second guide tracks  28 ,  30  each include a first portion  36  secured to the frame  16  along opposing sides of the lower portion  32  of the opening  18 , a curved portion  38  adjacent bottom corners of the lower portion  32  of the opening  18 , and a second portion  40  extending forwardly in the vehicle body from the curved portion  38 . As shown, the second portions  40  of the first and second guide tracks  28 ,  30  extend underneath the seat assembly  20 . Both the first and second guide tracks  28 ,  30  are not entirely visible in all of the Figures, but one can appreciate that the guide tracks  28 ,  30  are mirror images of each other. 
     The garage door style midgate panel  42  includes opposing sides  44 ,  46  which are slidably engaged with the first and second guide tracks  28 ,  30 , respectively, to facilitate movement of the midgate panel  42  between the closed position covering the lower portion  32  of the opening  18  when the midgate panel  42  engages the first portion  36  of the guide tracks  28 ,  30  as shown in FIG. 1, and an open position permitting access through the lower portion  32  of opening  18  when the midgate panel  42  engages the second portion  40  of the guide tracks  28 ,  30 , as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     The midgate panel  42  includes a plurality of sections  50  which are hinged together by hinges  52 , as shown in FIG.  4 . The plurality of sections  50  are hinged together along the horizontal splits  54 , as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     As shown in FIG. 3, the midgate panel  42  includes a plurality of rollers  56  along the opposing sides  44 ,  46  of the midgate panel  42  for rolling engagement with the first and second guide tracks  28 ,  30 . At least one such roller is provided at each end of each of the plurality of sections  50 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a window  60  is mounted in the opening  18  to close the upper portion  34  of the opening  18 . The window  60  is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 to include defroster frits  62 . The window  60  is supported by a crossbar  64 . The crossbar  64  includes latch/striker assemblies  66 ,  68  which hold the midgate panel  42  in the upright, closed position, shown in FIG.  1 . 
     The window  60  may be removably mounted in the upper portion  34  of the opening  18  to selectively permit access through the upper portion  34  of the opening  18 . Alternatively, the window could be glued in place with a fixed crossbar. 
     The “midgate assembly” includes the midgate panel  42 , first and second guide tracks  28 ,  30 , the crossbar  64  and the window  60 . 
     As shown schematically in FIG. 3, a drive motor  70  may be operatively connected to the midgate panel  42  to actuate movement of the midgate panel between the open and closed positions. The drive motor  70  rotates a pulley  72  which actuates a cable  74  connected to the midgate panel  42  to cause midgate panel movement. 
     FIG. 4 shows a slightly modified alternative body  10 ′ in accordance with the invention, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like components from FIGS. 1-3. This embodiments differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 in that the window  80  is hinged to a vehicle roof  82  along an upper edge of the window  80  by hinges  84 . As shown, the window  80  is pivotable toward the roof  82  to a horizontal position (shown in phantom) in which the window  80  may be received within a recess formed in a headliner of the roof  82 . 
     FIG. 4 also illustrates the closed and open positions of the midgate panel  42  with respect to the track  28 . The midgate panel  42  is shown in the closed position in FIG. 4, with the open position shown in phantom. Each of the sections  50  includes at least one roller at each end, such as the rollers  56  shown in FIG. 3, to facilitate the sliding movement of the midgate panel  42  along the track  28 . 
     Supporting disclosure may also be found in commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,934,727; 6,260,916; 6,416,104; 6,478,355 and 6,513,863, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     While the invention has been described by reference to certain preferred embodiments, it should be understood that numerous changes could be made within the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts described. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but that it have the full scope permitted by the language of the following claims.