Patent Publication Number: US-2023151662-A1

Title: Door connection structure

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0158632 filed on Nov. 17, 2021, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE 
     Field of the Present Disclosure 
     The present disclosure relates to a door connection structure. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a door connection structure in which a door is opened or closed by a double motion of sliding and swing motion. 
     Description of Related Art 
     The vehicle door includes a general door hinged to the vehicle body or pillar, a scissor door (or lambo door) that opens or closes by rotating the door upward, a butterfly door or gull wing door that opens or closes the door upper and outside, a sliding door that opens or closes the door in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, a coach door (or suicide door) in which the opening and closing directions of the front and rear doors are opposite and various forms of door are used. 
     In the case of an opposing door, if there is a pillar, the opening and closing of the front and rear doors is possible independently regardless of the opening and closing of other doors. 
     However, in the case of pillarless doors, the order of operation of the front and rear doors is fixed, or a structure that reinforces the door and vehicle body is required. 
     That is, in the case of pillarless doors, there is a problem that individual operation of front and rear doors is impossible when a general hinge structure is applied. 
     The information included in this Background of the present disclosure is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the present disclosure and may not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to providing a door connection structure in which a door is opened or closed by a dual motion of sliding and swing motion. 
     Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to providing a door connection structure applicable to a vehicle body without a pillar, regardless of the order of opening and closing. 
     Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to providing a door connection structure which may be opened or closed in a double motion without an electrical operation configuration. 
     A door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may include a door guide for guiding a door in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle body, a door hinge arm mounted on the vehicle body, and including a hinge rotation shaft and a door rotation shaft, the door hinge arm rotating around the hinge rotation shaft when the door is sliding, a door hinge rotatably mounted around the door rotation shaft and connected to the door, a first catcher rotatably mounted on the door hinge arm and of which a center striker guide is formed thereto, and a center striker which is inserted into the center striker guide to rotate the first catcher and limits rotation of the first catcher when the door swings so that the door swings around the door rotation shaft. 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a first catcher spring for elasticity supporting the first catcher in a direction opposite to a swing direction of the door when the door is opened. 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a second catcher rotatably mounted on the door hinge arm to maintain a fixed state of the first catcher when the door swings. 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a second catcher spring that elastically supports the second catcher in the swing direction when the door is opened. 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a door bracket mounted on the door for the first catcher to be rotatable by selectively pressing the second catcher when sliding motion and swing motion of the door are switched. 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a stopper mounted on the door hinge arm to limit rotation of the first catcher. 
     The first catcher may include a catching protrusion that contacts with the second catcher and its rotation is constrained when the door is closed, a guide surface contacting with the second catcher when the door is closed, and a fixing surface contacting with the second catcher when the door swings. 
     The guide surface may be a curved surface protruded outwardly, and the fixing surface may be a curved surface formed concave inwardly. 
     The second catcher may include a sliding side in selective contact with the guide surface, and a support surface in selective contact with the catching protrusion or the fixing surface. 
     The support surface may be a curved surface protruded outwardly corresponding to a shape of the fixing surface. 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a door hinge arm bracket mounted on the door hinge arm, wherein the first catcher and the second catcher are rotatably mounted on the door hinge arm bracket. 
     The door hinge arm bracket may include an internal flange to which the first catcher and the second catcher are mounted, and an external flange engaging the door hinge arm. 
     The center striker may be fixed to the hinge rotation shaft. 
     The center striker guide of the first catcher may include a first leg contacting with the center striker, and a second leg formed shorter than the first leg to selectively contact with the center striker. 
     The door guide may include a guide striker mounted on the vehicle body, and a guide body mounted on the door, wherein a strike guide portion into which the guide striker is inserted is formed in the guide body. 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a mounting bracket coupled to the vehicle body, and the hinge rotation shaft may be mounted to the mounting bracket. 
     The door may be an opposing door or an opposing swing door. 
     The door may be a rear door. 
     According to the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the door may be opened or closed by a double motion of sliding and swing motion. 
     According to the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it may be applied to the vehicle body without a pillar regardless of the opening and closing order. 
     According to the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to open or close in a double motion without an electrical operation configuration. 
     Furthermore, the effects which may be obtained or predicted by various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be disclosed directly or implicitly in the detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. That is, various effects predicted according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be disclosed within a detailed description to be described later. 
     The methods and apparatuses of the present disclosure have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1   ,  FIG.  2   ,  FIG.  3    and  FIG.  4    is a top plan view showing the operation of the vehicle body to which the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied. 
         FIG.  5    and  FIG.  6    is a perspective view of a door guide which may be applied to a door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  7    is a partial perspective view of the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in which the door is closed. 
         FIG.  8    is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A of  FIG.  7   . 
         FIG.  9    is a top plan view of the first catcher and the second catcher which may be applied to the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  10    is a partial perspective view of the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure showing the sliding operation state of the door. 
         FIG.  11    is a cross-sectional view along the line B-B of  FIG.  10   . 
         FIG.  12    is a top plan view of the first catcher and the second catcher of the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure showing the door sliding operation state. 
         FIG.  13    is a partial cross-section perspective view showing the transition process from the sliding operation state to the swing operation state of the door. 
         FIG.  14    is a top plan view of the first catcher and the second catcher in the transition process from the sliding operation state to the swing operation state of the door. 
         FIG.  15    is a partial cross-sectional view of the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in which the door shows an open state. 
     
    
    
     It may be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the present disclosure. The specific design features of the present disclosure as included herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particularly intended application and use environment. 
     In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present disclosure throughout the several figures of the drawing. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the present disclosure(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it will be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the present disclosure(s) to those exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. On the other hand, the present disclosure(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. 
     As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. 
     To clearly explain an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar elements throughout the specification. 
     Because the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily indicated for convenience of description, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to those shown in the drawings, and the thicknesses are enlarged to clearly express various portions and regions. 
     Furthermore, in the detailed description below, the reason that the names of the components are divided into first, second, etc. is to classify the components in the same relationship, and it is not necessarily limited to the order in the following description. 
     Throughout the specification, when it is said that a certain part includes certain constituent elements, this means that other constituent elements may be further included, rather than excluding other constituent elements, unless specifically stated otherwise. 
     Furthermore, terms such as . . . part, . . . means described in the specification mean a unit of a comprehensive configuration that performs at least one function or operation. 
     When a part, such as a layer, film, region, plate, etc., is “on” another part, this includes not only the case where it is directly above the other part, but also the case where there is another part in between. 
     In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present. 
     Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG.  1   ,  FIG.  2   ,  FIG.  3    and  FIG.  4    is a top plan view showing the operation of the vehicle body to which the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied. 
     In  FIG.  1   ,  FIG.  2   ,  FIG.  3    and  FIG.  4   , for convenience of understanding, although the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure has shown an example applied to the pillar-less vehicle body to which the coach door (or suicide door) is applied, but is not limited thereto, the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be also applied to the vehicle body with a pillar. 
     Furthermore, the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to a vehicle body to which an opposing door or an opposing swing door is applied. 
     In  FIG.  1   ,  FIG.  2   ,  FIG.  3    and  FIG.  4   , a vehicle body  10  to which the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied includes a door  20 . 
     The door  20  may include a front door  22  in front of the vehicle and a rear door  24  in the rear of the vehicle. 
     For convenience of understanding, an exemplary embodiment of the door connection structure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is referred to as an example applied to the rear door  24 , but is not limited thereto, an exemplary embodiment of the door connection structure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may also be applied to the front door. 
     Drawing reference number  130  refers to a mounting bracket for mounting the rear door  24  to the vehicle body  10 , and specific operation will be described later. 
       FIG.  1    shows the closed state of the rear door  24 ,  FIG.  2    shows the sliding operation of the rear door  24 ,  FIG.  3    shows the transition operation from the sliding operation of the rear door  24  to the swing operation,  FIG.  4    shows the rear door  24  fully open state. 
     In the detailed description and claim of the present disclosure, the sliding operation refers to an operation in which the door  20  moves in the forward and backward direction of the vehicle body  10 , and the swing operation refers to rotation of the door  20  around a rotation axis. 
       FIG.  5    and  FIG.  6    is a perspective view of a door guide which may be applied to a door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG.  1    to  FIG.  6   , the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may include a door guide  30  for guiding the door  20 , for example, the rear door  24  in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body  10 . 
     The door guide  30  may include a guide striker  32  mounted on vehicle body  10 , and a guide body  34  mounted on the door  20 , for example the rear door  24 , and of which a strike guide portion  36  into which the guide striker  32  is inserted is formed thereto. 
     Referring to  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  5   , when the rear door  24  is closed, the guide striker  32  is inserted inside the strike guide portion  36 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  2    and  FIG.  6   , when the rear door  24  slides, that is, when the rear door  24  moves relative to the right side of drawing, the strike guide portion  36  moves relative to the guide striker  32 , and guides the sliding operation of the rear door  24 . 
     After that, when the rear door  24  performs a swing operation, the guide striker  32  is separated from the guide body  34  through the guide striker entrance  38  formed in the guide body  34 , and then the rear door  24  can swing operation. 
       FIG.  7    is a partial perspective view of the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in which the door is closed and  FIG.  8    is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A of  FIG.  7   . 
       FIG.  9    is a top plan view of the first catcher and the second catcher which may be applied to the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG.  1    to  FIG.  9   , the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may include a door hinge arm  40  mounted on the vehicle body  10  and including a hinge rotation shaft  42  and a door rotation shaft  46 , a door hinge  50  rotatably mounted around the door rotation shaft  46  and connected to the door  20 , a first catcher  60  rotatably mounted on the door hinge arm  40  and of which a center striker guide  64  is formed thereto, and a center striker  44 . 
     The door hinge arm  40  may rotate around the hinge rotation shaft  42  when the door  20  is sliding. 
     When the door  20  is sliding, the center striker  44  is inserted into the center striker guide  64  to rotate the first catcher  60 . The center striker  44  may limit the rotation of the first catcher  60  when the door  20  swings so that the door  20  swings around the door rotation shaft  46 . 
     The center striker guide  64  of the first catcher  60  may include a first leg  66  contacting with the center striker  44  and a second leg  68  formed shorter than the first leg  66  to selectively contact with the center striker  44 . 
     The second leg  68  is formed relatively short to prevent interference during rotation of the first catcher  60 . 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a first catcher spring  70  for elasticity supporting the first catcher  60  in the opposite direction of the swing direction when the door  20  is opened. 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a second catcher  80  rotatably mounted on the door hinge arm  40  to maintain a fixed state of the first catcher  60  when the door  20  swings. 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a second catcher spring  90  that elastically supports the second catcher  80  in the swing direction when the door  20  is opened. 
     The swing direction when the door  20  is opened is clockwise based on the drawing. 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a door bracket  100  mounted on the door  20  for the first catcher  60  to be rotatable by selectively pressing the second catcher  80  when the sliding motion and swing motion of the door  20  are switched. 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a stopper  110  mounted on the door hinge arm  40  to limit the rotation of the first catcher  60 . 
     The first catcher  60  may include a catching protrusion  72  that contacts with the second catcher  80  and its rotation is constrained when the door  20  is closed, a guide surface  74  contacting with the second catcher  80  when the door  20  is closed and a fixing surface  76  contacting with the second catcher  80  when the door  20  swings. 
     The guide surface  74  may be a curved surface protruded outwardly, and the fixing surface  76  may be a curved surface formed concave inwardly. 
     The second catcher  80  may include a sliding side  84  in selective contact with the guide surface  74 , and a support surface  86  in selective contact with the catching protrusion  72  or the fixing surface  76 . 
     The support surface  86  may be a curved surface protruded outwardly corresponding to the shape of the fixing surface  76 . 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a door hinge arm bracket  120  mounted on the door hinge arm  40  and of which the first catcher  60  and the second catcher  80  are rotatably mounted thereon. 
     The door hinge arm bracket  120  may include an internal flange  122  to which the first catcher  60  and the second catcher  80  are mounted, and an external flange  124  engaging the door hinge arm  40 . 
     The first catcher rotation shaft  62  is mounted on the internal flange  122 , and the first catcher  60  is rotatably mounted on the first catcher rotation shaft  62 . 
     The second catcher rotation shaft  82  is mounted on the internal flange  122 , and the second catcher  80  is rotatably mounted on the second catcher rotation shaft  82 . 
     The center striker  44  may be fixed to the hinge rotation shaft  42 . 
     The door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure further includes the mounting bracket  130  coupled to the vehicle body  10 , and the hinge rotation shaft  42  may be mounted to the mounting bracket  130 . 
       FIG.  10    is a partial perspective view of the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure showing the sliding operation state of the door, and  FIG.  11    is a cross-sectional view along the line B-B of  FIG.  10   . 
       FIG.  12    is a top plan view of the first catcher and the second catcher of the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure showing the door sliding operation state. 
       FIG.  13    is a partial cross-section perspective view showing the transition process from the sliding operation state to the swing operation state of the door, and  FIG.  14    is a top plan view of the first catcher and the second catcher in the transition process from the sliding operation state to the swing operation state of the door. 
       FIG.  15    is a partial cross-sectional view of the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in which the door shows an open state. 
     Hereinafter, referring to  FIG.  1    to  FIG.  15   , the operation of the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. 
     Referring to  FIG.  1   ,  FIG.  5   ,  FIG.  7   ,  FIG.  8    and  FIG.  9   , when the rear door  24  is closed, the guide striker  32  is inserted inside the strike guide portion  36 . 
     The center striker  44  is positioned at the external position of the center striker guide  64 , and the door bracket  100  is separated from the second catcher  80 . 
     The catching protrusion  72  is in contact with the support surface  86  so that the first catcher  60  and the second catcher  80  remain fixed. 
     That is, based on  FIG.  9   , the first catcher  60  is receiving an anticlockwise direction power by the first catcher spring  70 , and the second catcher  80  is receiving a clockwise direction power by the second catcher spring  90 . 
     In the present state, when the vehicle occupant pulls the handle of the rear door  24 , the door latch is released so that the rear door  24  becomes slidable, and when the vehicle occupant pushes or pulls the rear door  24 , the rear door  24  is sliding toward the rear of the vehicle body  10 . 
     If the rear door  24  is an auto door, the door may slide rearward by a door button or remote control signal. 
       FIG.  2   ,  FIG.  6   ,  FIG.  10   ,  FIG.  11    and  FIG.  12    show the rear door  24  during sliding operation. 
     In  FIG.  6   , when the rear door  24  moves relative to the right side of drawing, the guide striker  32  is positioned outside the strike guide portion  36 , that is, at a relative position on the left side of drawing. 
     Based on  FIG.  10   ,  FIG.  11    and  FIG.  12   , the rear door  24  slides, and the door hinge arm  40  rotates clockwise around the hinge rotation shaft  42 . 
     The center striker  44  is fixed, and as the door hinge arm  40  rotates, the first catcher  60  mounted on the door hinge arm  40  also rotates clockwise with respect to the first catcher rotation shaft  62 . 
     That is, the center striker  44  pushes the first leg  66  within the center striker guide  64 . 
     At the present time, because the guide surface  74  of the first catcher  60  is a curved surface protruded outwardly, the sliding side  84  of the second catcher  80  is pushed and the first catcher  60  may rotate. 
     And, according to the sliding of the rear door  24 , the door bracket  100  moves to push the second catcher  80 , and according to this, the fixing surface  76  and the support surface  86  are separated. 
       FIG.  3   ,  FIG.  13    and  FIG.  14    shows the transition process from the sliding operation state of the door connection structure to the swing operation state according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     When the first catcher  60  is rotated by the center striker  44  and supported by the stopper  110 , the first catcher  60  is fixed and rotation of the door hinge arm  40  is also stopped. 
     Accordingly, the rear door  24  rotates around the door rotation shaft  46 , that is, swing operation starts. 
     According to the swing operation of the rear door  24 , the door bracket  100  pushes the second catcher  80 , and the second catcher  80  rotates anticlockwise based on  FIG.  13    and  FIG.  14   . 
     At the present time, the guide striker  32  is completely separated from the strike guide portion  36 . 
       FIG.  4    and  FIG.  15    show a completely open state of the door of the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     According to the swing operation of the rear door  24 , the door bracket  100  is separated from the second catcher  80 , and the second catcher  80  is rotated clockwise in drawing by elastic force of the second catcher spring  90 . 
     Accordingly, the support surface  86  pushes the fixing surface  76 , the first catcher  60  and the second catcher  80  are fixed, the door hinge arm  40  also remains fixed, and the rear door  24  may be rotated around the door rotation shaft  46  for swing operation. 
     Accordingly, the rear door  24  is shown in  FIG.  4    and as shown in  FIG.  15   , may be fully opened. 
     Conversely, when the vehicle occupant or the like closes the rear door  24 , the first catcher  60  and the second catcher  80  are in a fixed state, and the rear door  24  rotates with respect to the door rotation shaft  46  in the opposite direction, that is, based on  FIG.  4   , the count operation is performed anticlockwise. 
     After that, as shown in  FIG.  14   , the door bracket  100  pushes the second catcher  80  and rotates it anticlockwise. 
     And, according to the reverse order of the operation described above, that is, the swing operation is converted to the sliding operation, and the rear door  24  is closed. 
     At the present time, the guide striker  32  is inserted into the strike guide portion  36  and guides the sliding operation of the rear door  24 . 
     Because the closing process of the door is in the reverse order of the door opening process described above, a repeated description will be omitted. 
     As described above, according to the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the door may be opened or closed by a double motion of sliding and swing motion. 
     According to the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the front and rear doors may be opened independently regardless of the presence or absence of pillars, that is, regardless of the order. 
     According to the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to drive without a separate electrical operation configuration for selectively fixing the rotation shaft during swing operation and sliding operation. 
     Therefore, it is possible to open or close the door despite the discharge of the battery. 
     Furthermore, according to the door connection structure according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it may be applied to an opposing door or an opposing swing door. 
     For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer”, “up”, “down”, “upwards”, “downwards”, “front”, “rear”, “back”, “inside”, “outside”, “inwardly”, “outwardly”, “interior”, “exterior”, “internal”, “external”, “forwards”, and “backwards” are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures. It will be further understood that the term “connect” or its derivatives refer both to direct and indirect connection. 
     The foregoing descriptions of predetermined exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the present disclosure be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.