Patent Publication Number: US-11639621-B2

Title: Hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for vehicle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0001899, filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Jan. 7, 2019, which application is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for a vehicle. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In general, in the case of a passenger vehicle, doors of a vehicle include a front door installed at a front side in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a rear door installed at a rear side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The front door and the rear door are typically installed on the vehicle body so as to be rotatable by means of hinges. 
     Recently, a necessity of completely opening a door opening to allow a disabled person to be easily seated in the vehicle and make it easy to load articles becomes a serious issue, and as a result, it is necessary to install the sliding door in a passenger vehicle as well as a van. Further, there is a need to develop a latch device that enables the sliding door to be opened or closed and maintains an opened or closed state of the sliding door. 
     In this regard, Korean Patent No. 10-1786663 and U.S. Pat. No. 10,024,084 (Sliding Door Latch for Vehicle) in the related art relates to a latch for enabling a sliding door for a vehicle to be opened or closed, and more particularly, discloses a sliding door latch for a vehicle which includes: a striker which is mounted on an inner surface of each of front and rear sliding doors which faces an occupant compartment; a latch unit which catches and fixes the striker or releases the striker; and a release unit which releases the latch unit by a manipulation of a door handle installed on each of the front sliding door and the rear sliding door. 
     However, there is a problem in the related art in that because a roller allows the door to be moved only in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle, a separate link is required to move the door toward the inside and outside of the vehicle. 
     There is a problem in the related art in that because the striker for fixing the latch is separately mounted on the door, a large space is required to mount the latch and the striker. 
     There are problems in that because the latch is mounted at an upper side of the roller mechanism, the volume of space occupied by the roller mechanism and the latch is increased, and a step height is increased when a user gets in the vehicle. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present invention relate to a hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for a vehicle which is mounted on the opposite sliding doors to allow the door to be opened only in case of necessity and to prevent the door from being arbitrarily opened or closed, maintains an opened state of the door when the door is completely opened. In particular embodiments, the present invention relates to a hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for a vehicle in which a locking unit is configured such that the locking unit is operable without a separate striker and the locking unit is mounted in a roller so that a volume of the roller mechanism is reduced. 
     Embodiments of the present invention have been made in an effort to provide a hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for a vehicle in which a locking unit is configured such that the locking unit is mounted in a roller in a hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for a vehicle in the related art, and as a result, a volume of the roller mechanism is reduced, and the locking unit is configured to be operable without a separate striker. 
     An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for a vehicle. The hold-open latch structure includes a roller swing arm which rotates about a rotating shaft formed in a roller mechanism at the time of opening or closing the door, and moves the door toward the inside and outside of the vehicle and in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. A locking unit enables the door to be opened or closed and maintains an opened state of the door. The locking unit further includes a catch which is pivotably mounted on the rotating shaft and coupled to the roller mechanism swing arm so as to rotate together with the roller swing arm at the time of opening or closing the door; and a lever which is mounted so that one side of the lever is in contact with the catch. The lever has a catching groove that fixes the catch at a predetermined angle and prevents a rotation of the catch. The locking unit is mounted in the roller mechanism. 
     The roller mechanism swing arm may be pivotably connected to a mounting bracket through the rotating shaft, the mounting bracket fixing the roller mechanism to the door or a vehicle body. 
     The catch may be coupled to the roller mechanism swing arm through a rigid column that vertically penetrates the roller mechanism swing arm. 
     When the door is completely opened, the lever may maintain an opened state of the door as the catch is caught by the catching groove. 
     The locking unit may further include a lever cam which is pivotably mounted on the rotating shaft and rotates the lever to release the catch from the catching groove at the time of closing the door. 
     The lever may have a catching column which is in contact with an extension portion of the lever cam, such that the lever rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the lever cam as the lever cam rotates. 
     One side of the lever cam may be connected to a cable to be pulled by an operation of closing the door. 
     The lever may further include a lever return spring which returns the lever to an original position. 
     The lever cam may further include a lever cam return spring which returns the lever cam to an original position. 
     According to the present invention having the aforementioned configuration, a roller swing arm, which moves the door toward the inside and outside of the vehicle and in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, is provided, and as a result, there are advantages in that it is not necessary to provide a separate link for moving the door toward the inside and outside of the vehicle, such that an overall layout of the roller mechanism is simplified, and costs are reduced. 
     According to the present invention, there is an advantage in that the catch and the groove formed in the lever may maintain an opened state of the door without a separate striker. 
     According to the present invention, the locking unit is positioned in the roller mechanism, and as a result, there are advantages in that an increase in step height is prevented and a volume of the roller mechanism is decreased. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for a vehicle according to the present invention. 
         FIG.  2 A  is a perspective view of the hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for a vehicle according to the present invention when the door is in a closed state. 
         FIG.  2 B  is a cut-away view taken along line A-B in  FIG.  2 A . 
         FIG.  3 A  is a perspective view of the hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for a vehicle according to the present invention when the door is in an opened state. 
         FIG.  3 B  is a cut-away view taken along line C-D in  FIG.  3 A . 
         FIG.  4    is a top plan view of a locking unit according to the present invention when the door is in a closed state. 
         FIG.  5    is a top plan view of the locking unit according to the present invention when the door is in an opened state. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not restricted or limited by exemplary embodiments. Like reference numerals indicated in the respective drawings refer to members which perform substantially the same functions. 
     An object and an effect of the present invention may be naturally understood or may become clearer from the following description, and the object and the effect of the present invention are not restricted only by the following description. In addition, in the description of the present invention, the specific descriptions of publicly known technologies related with the present invention will be omitted when it is determined that the specific descriptions may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention. 
       FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for a vehicle according to the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG.  1   , the hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for a vehicle according to the present invention may include a roller  1  and a mounting bracket  30 . 
     The roller mechanism  1  includes a roller swing arm  10  and a locking unit  20 . Since the locking unit  20  is positioned in the roller mechanism  1 , an increase in step height may be prevented and a volume of the roller mechanism  1  may be reduced. 
     At the time of opening or closing the door, the roller mechanism swing arm  10  may rotate about a rotating shaft  40  formed in the roller mechanism  1  and move the door toward the inside and outside of the vehicle and in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. 
     Since the roller mechanism swing arm  10  is configured to rotate, it is possible to move the door in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle without a separate link structure even though the roller mechanism  1  moves in a state of being coupled to a curved rail instead of a rectilinear rail. 
     The roller mechanism swing arm  10  may move the door toward the outside of the vehicle when opening the door and the roller mechanism swing arm  10  may move the door toward the inside of the vehicle when closing the door. 
     The mounting bracket  30  may be attached to any of the door and the vehicle body in accordance with a mounting position of the roller mechanism  1 . 
     The roller mechanism swing arm  10  is pivotably connected to the mounting bracket  30  through the rotating shaft  40 , thereby rotating the door about the rotating shaft  40 . The roller mechanism swing arm  10  may be connected to the mounting bracket  30  in order to fix the roller mechanism  1  to the door or the vehicle body. 
     The locking unit  20  enables the door to be opened or closed and maintains an opened state of the door. The locking unit  20  may include a catch  21  and a lever  25 . 
     Like the roller mechanism swing arm  10 , the catch  21  is pivotably mounted on the rotating shaft  40 . The catch  21  may be coupled to the roller mechanism swing arm  10  and rotated together with the roller mechanism swing arm  10  at the time of opening or closing the door. 
     Any part, except for the roller mechanism swing arm  10  and the rotating shaft  40 , may be coupled to the catch  21 . However, the catch  21  may be coupled to the roller mechanism swing arm  10  through a rigid column  11  which is mounted to vertically penetrate the roller mechanism swing arm  10  in order to improve rigidity of the roller mechanism swing arm  10 . 
     The lever  25  is mounted at a lateral side of the catch  21  so that one side of the lever  25  is in contact with the catch  21 . The lever  25  may have a catching groove  251  (see  FIG.  2 B ) which may fix the catch  21  at a predetermined angle and prevent a rotation of the catch  21 . The lever  25  may be mounted in the roller mechanism  1  such that the lever  25  may rotate about an axis separated from the axis of the catch  21 . 
     The catch  21  may have a catching projection  211  (see  FIG.  2 B ) that corresponds to the catching groove  251  so that the catching projection  211  may be caught by the catching groove  251  at a predetermined angle. 
     As described below in detail, when the door is completely opened, the catching groove  251  may allow the catch  21  to be caught by the catching groove  251 , thereby maintaining the opened state of the door. 
     The locking unit  20  may further include a lever cam  23  which is pivotably mounted on the rotating shaft  40  like the catch  21 . The lever cam  23  releases the catch  21  from the catching groove  251  by rotating the lever  25  at the time of closing the door. 
     The lever  25  may have a catching column  253  which is in contact with an extension portion  231  formed at one side of the lever cam  23 . 
     When the user attempts to close the door by operating the lever cam  23 , the lever cam  23  rotates to push the catching column  253  in a direction opposite to the rotation direction, such that the lever  25  rotates in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the lever cam  23 . Therefore, the catch  21  fixed to the catching groove  251  is released from the catching groove  251 , such that the locking unit  20 , which maintains the opened state of the door, is unlocked. 
     One side of the lever cam  23  is connected to a cable  50  to be pulled by an operation of closing the door, and the cable  50  is connected to a switch or the like that performs an operation of opening or closing the door, such that the lever cam  23  may be rotated when the user attempts to close the door. 
     The lever  25  may include a lever return spring  257  that returns the lever  25  to an original position. The lever cam  23  may further include a lever cam return spring  237  that returns the lever cam  23  to an original position. 
       FIG.  2 A  is a perspective view of the hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for a vehicle according to the present invention when the door is in a closed state, and  FIG.  2 B  is a cut-away view taken along line A-B in  FIG.  2 A . 
     Referring to  FIG.  2 B , the catch  21  and the roller mechanism swing arm  10 , which are coupled to each other through the rigid column  11  so as to be pivotable about the rotating shaft  40 , may have the same angle when the door is in the closed state. 
     In this case, the catch  21  is in a free state in which the lever  25  does not restrict the catch  21  and one side of the catch  21  is not caught by the catching groove  251 . 
       FIG.  3 A  is a perspective view of the hold-open latch structure for opposite sliding doors for a vehicle according to the present invention when the door is in an opened state, and  FIG.  3 B  is a cut-away view taken along line C-D in  FIG.  3 A . 
     Referring to  FIG.  3 B , the catch  21  is rotated clockwise in accordance with the rotation of the roller mechanism swing arm  10 , and the catching projection  211 , which is formed at one side of the catch  21  so as to correspond to the catching groove  251 , is caught by the catching groove  251 . 
     Therefore, the opened state of the door may be maintained without a separate striker. 
     The catching projection  211  formed on the catch  21  may be provided at a position on the catch  21  which corresponds to a rotation angle of the roller mechanism swing arm  10  which is calculated when the door is completely opened. 
       FIG.  4    is a top plan view of the locking unit  20  according to the present invention when the door is in the closed state. 
     Referring to  FIG.  4   , when the user attempts to open the door in the state in which the door is in the closed state, the lower swing arm rotates clockwise first. 
     As the lower swing arm rotates, the catch  21 , which is coupled to the lower swing arm through the rigid column  11 , rotates at the same angle as the lower swing arm. 
     In this case, as the catch  21  rotates, the catch  21 , which is in contact with a protruding portion  254  (see  FIG.  2 B ) of the lever  25 , comes into contact with a curved portion  255  (see  FIG.  2 B ) formed to correspond to a cross section of the catch  21 . 
     When the catch  21  further rotates, the catching projection  211  formed on the catch  21  comes into contact with the protruding portion  254 . When the catching projection  211  passes the protruding portion  254 , the lever  25  rotates counterclockwise at the same time by elastic force of the lever return spring. 
       FIG.  5    is a top plan view of the locking unit  20  according to the present invention when the door is in the opened state. 
     Referring to  FIG.  5   , when the door is completely opened, the catch  21  and the lever  25  cannot rotate despite the elastic force of the lever return spring because the catching groove  251  and the catching projection  211  of the catch  21  are caught by each other. 
     In this case, when the cable  50  is pulled in a right direction as the user attempts to close the door, the lever cam  23  rotates clockwise. 
     As the lever cam  23  rotates clockwise, the extension portion  231  of the lever cam  23  pushes the catching column  253  of the lever  25 , such that the lever  25  rotates in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the lever cam  23  while overcoming the elastic force of the lever return spring. 
     As the lever  25  rotates in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the lever cam  23 , the catch  21  caught by the catching groove  251  becomes free and rotates counterclockwise together with the roller mechanism swing arm  10 , such that the door may return to the closed state. 
     While the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the representative exemplary embodiment, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that the exemplary embodiment may be variously modified without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described exemplary embodiment, but should be defined not only by the appended claims but also by all changes or modified forms induced from an equivalent concept to the claims.