Patent ID: 12257887

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.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the technical field of the present disclosure to which an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure pertains may easily carry out the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in various different ways and is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein.

A part irrelevant to the description will be omitted to clearly describe the present disclosure, and the same or similar constituent elements will be predetermined by the same reference numerals throughout the specification.

Furthermore, terms or words used in the specification and the claims should not be interpreted as being limited to a general or dictionary meaning and should be interpreted as a meaning and a concept which conform to the technical spirit of the present disclosure based on a principle that an inventor can appropriately define a concept of a term to describe his or her own invention by the best method.

Hereinafter, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a structure of a flap part for covering a rail part when opening a sliding door of a vehicle. As illustrated inFIG.2A, the structure of the flap part is basically identical or similar to the structure of the flap part in the related art in that a sliding door1includes an upper end rail part10, a center rail part30, and a lower end rail part20provided on a vehicle body on which the sliding door1(hereinafter, referred to as a ‘door’) is provided, the door1is supported by a roller arm50that operates along the rails, and the center rail part30, which is externally exposed when the door1of the vehicle is opened, is covered by the structure of the flap part.

However, the present disclosure is directed to providing a structure configured for preventing the flap part in the related art from excessively protruding (having an excessive opening trajectory) when the door is opened.

To solve the problem of the flap structure in the related art caused by the configuration in which the flap rotates about the single hinge shaft, the present disclosure adopts a link structure in which a flap part rotates about two shafts to minimize a protrusion degree of the flap part when the door is opened.

To implement the link structure, as illustrated inFIG.4, a door flap part100according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes an installation hole101, a door flap guide110, door trim flap links120(hereinafter, referred to as ‘flap links’), elastic members130, and a flap140.

For example, the installation hole101is positioned at a position facing a door trim2, i.e., the center rail30and elongated in a direction of the center rail30.

A plurality of hinge fixing portions102is provided at a lower end of an upper portion of the installation hole101and formed at an equal interval in a longitudinal direction thereof.

A rotation shaft P1, which is provided on the flap links120to be described below, is rotatably inserted and provided on the hinge fixing portions102formed in the installation hole101.

That is, as illustrated inFIG.3, the hinge fixing portions102and the flap links120are connected by the rotation shaft P1.

Meanwhile, the plurality of flap links120, which is provided in the installation hole101at an equal interval, each has first and second shaft fixing portions121and122provided at two opposite ends thereof.

The first and second shaft fixing portions121and122each have an approximately “concave” shape. The first and second rotation shafts P1and P2are rotatably provided on the first and second shaft fixing portions121and122.

In the instant case, the elastic members130are provided between the first and second shaft fixing portions121and122and the first and second rotation shafts P1and P2and are configured to restore the flap140to an original position thereof.

The first shaft fixing portion121is fixed, by the first rotation shaft P1, to a bracket2aprovided inside the door trim2, and the second shaft fixing portion122is rotatably provided on the flap140by the second rotation shaft P2. The first shaft fixing portion121is fixed, by the first rotation shaft P1, to the bracket2aprovided inside the door trim2, and the second shaft fixing portion122is rotatably provided on the door trim flap140by the second rotation shaft P2.

Meanwhile, as illustrated inFIG.5, at the time of opening the door1, a roller51provided on the roller arm50comes into contact with the door flap part100and pushes the door flap part100to ensure a movement space for the roller arm50.

That is, an inclined surface111is formed on the door flap guide110which is in contact with the roller51.

The inclined surface111has a gradient so that an area thereof increases from below to above.

Therefore, as the roller51pushes the inclined surface111, the flap part100is opened while being raised upwards.

Therefore, the flap part for covering the rail part when opening the sliding door of the vehicle, which is configured as described above, operates as illustrated inFIG.3,FIG.4,FIG.5andFIG.6.

When a driver or a passenger opens the door, the roller arm50provided at a center portion in the door1operates along the center rail30, as illustrated inFIG.6A.

Accordingly, as illustrated inFIG.5B, the roller51provided on the roller arm50pushes the inclined surface111of the door flap guide110so that the flap part100is opened while being raised upwards.

In the instant case, the flap part100is opened as the door trim flap links120rotatably provided on the first and second hinge shafts P1and P2are moved by l from the state illustrated inFIG.3Ato the state illustrated inFIG.3B.

In more detail, as illustrated inFIG.5A or6A, the door1is kept in the closed state, i.e., the trim flap link120is kept fixed to the first and second hinge shafts P1and P2. As illustrated inFIG.5B, when the door1is opened, the roller51provided on the roller arm50rotates while moving along the rail30and comes into contact with a side external panel as illustrated inFIG.6B.

Next, when the door is fully opened, the door is opened as illustrated inFIG.6C.

In the drawings, non-described reference numeral3indicates a door internal panel, non-described reference numeral4indicates the side external panel, and non-described reference numeral5indicates a door external panel.

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.