JP7188315B2 - Vehicle opening/closing structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an opening/closing structure for a vehicle.

For example, Patent Literature 1 describes an opening/closing structure. The opening/closing structure described in Patent Literature 1 includes an opening/closing body and a guide rail that guides the opening/closing body in the closing direction by fitting a widthwise end portion side of the opening/closing body into a guide groove. The opening/closing body has a rigid portion formed by connecting a plurality of slats.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-308908

However, when the opening/closing structure of the prior art is applied to a vehicle door or the like, the following problems occur. That is, for example, in an opening/closing structure provided with an opening/closing unit in which a plurality of slats are alternately arranged via soft portions formed of a soft material, the lower ends of the slats hit the vehicle body when the opening/closing unit is closed. Therefore, since the load from above the opening/closing unit is directly applied to the soft portion, the adjacent slats are easily bent due to buckling. In addition, when the vehicle is running, vibrations occur, and repeated compressive and tensile loads due to the vibrations are directly applied to the soft portions, which easily causes deterioration and breakage of the soft portions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an opening/closing structure for a vehicle, in which a plurality of slats are alternately arranged with soft portions interposed therebetween, and which can reduce the load applied to the soft portions.

An opening/closing structure for a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention includes a pair of guide rails arranged to extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle body across an opening provided in the vehicle body; a plurality of guide members arranged on both sides of the opening/closing unit and supporting the opening/closing unit so as to be movable along the guide rail; The opening/closing unit includes a plurality of slats arranged along the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and the opening/closing unit is arranged between adjacent slats so as to connect the adjacent slats, and is softer than the slats. and a plurality of links that are attached to both ends of a plurality of slats and connect the ends of the adjacent slats. The guide member is movably connected, and the guide member is attached to the link. When the opening/closing unit closes the opening, the lowermost link among the plurality of links contacts the stopper.

In such a vehicle opening/closing structure, links are attached to both ends of the slat, and adjacent links are rotatably connected to each other. When the opening/closing unit closes the opening, the lowest link contacts the stopper. Therefore, when the opening/closing unit is closed, the load (compressive load) from above the opening/closing unit is received by the link, so the compressive load applied to the soft portion is reduced. In addition, when the vehicle is running, the link receives repeated compressive and tensile loads due to vibration, so the repeated load applied to the soft portion is reduced.

When the opening/closing unit closes the opening, the lowermost slat among the plurality of slats does not need to hit the stopper. With such a configuration, when the opening/closing unit is in the closed state, the compressive load is prevented from being directly applied to the soft portion, thereby further reducing the compressive load applied to the soft portion. In addition, when the vehicle is running, repeated compressive/tensile loads are prevented from being directly applied to the soft portions, so that repeated loads applied to the soft portions are further reduced.

Each link has a link body and a shaft protruding from one end of the link body and connected to an adjacent link, and the other end of the link body is fitted to the shaft of the adjacent link. A shaft hole is provided, and when the opening/closing unit closes the opening, the link bodies of adjacent links may come into contact with each other. In such a configuration, adjacent links are rotatably connected to each other by a simple structure. In addition, since the compression load and the repeated compression/tension load are received by the link body, the strength of the opening/closing unit can be increased.

A mounting portion protruding toward the opening side of the opening/closing unit is provided at a central portion of one end portion of the link body in the direction in which the pair of guide rails face each other. The shaft portion protrudes from the inner surface of the pair of guide rails in the mounting portion in the facing direction. may contact the link bodies of adjacent links. With such a configuration, a bending moment is less likely to occur in the link body when the link body receives a load. Therefore, the load can be stably received by the link body.

A clearance may be provided between the shaft portion and the inner wall surface of the link body defining the shaft hole. With such a configuration, since a compressive load is prevented from being applied to the shaft, it is possible to prevent damage to the shaft.

The link may be made of resin. With such a configuration, a link having a link body provided with a shaft hole and a shaft portion can be easily manufactured. When using such a resin link, it is particularly effective to receive the load with the link body.

According to the present invention, in a structure in which a plurality of slats are alternately arranged via soft portions, the load applied to the soft portions can be reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rear portion of a vehicle provided with a back door that is an opening/closing structure for a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the opening/closing unit shown in FIG. 1 is opened; FIG. Fig. 3 is a front view of the back door shown in Figs. 1 and 2; FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the opening/closing unit of the back door shown in FIG. 3; 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5; 7 is an enlarged sectional view of portion A in FIG. 6; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view showing a back door opening/closing unit as a comparative example; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the rear portion of the vehicle including the back door shown in FIG. 9;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the rear portion of a vehicle provided with a back door, which is a vehicle opening/closing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1 , a vehicle 1 has a vehicle body 2 . Arrow X in the drawing indicates the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 2 , arrow Y in the drawing indicates the lateral direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle body 2 , and arrow Z indicates the vertical direction of the vehicle body 2 . The front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction of the vehicle body 2 are directions perpendicular to each other.

The vehicle body 2 includes a roof panel 3 arranged on the upper part of the vehicle 1, two side panels 4 arranged on both sides of the vehicle 1, two rear panels 5 arranged on the rear part of the vehicle 1, and the vehicle 1. It has a rear bumper 6 arranged at the bottom. The rear bumper 6 is arranged over the lower side of the rear panel 5 and the lower side of the rear end portion of the side panel 4 .

A rear end portion of the vehicle 1 is provided with a back door 7 which is an opening/closing structure of the present embodiment. The back door 7 opens and closes an opening 2a provided at the rear end of the vehicle body 2, as shown in FIGS. The opening 2 a is defined by the roof panel 3 , rear panel 5 and rear bumper 6 . 1 shows a state in which the back door 7 closes the opening 2a, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the back door 7 opens the opening 2a.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the back door 7. FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing a part of the back door 7. FIG. 3 and 4, the back door 7 includes a pair of lifting guide rails 9, an opening/closing unit 10, and a plurality of pairs of guide rollers 11. As shown in FIG. It should be noted that the elevation guide rail 9 is omitted in FIG.

The lift guide rail 9 is arranged to extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle body 2 with the opening 2a of the vehicle body 2 interposed therebetween. A lift guide rail 9 is attached to the rear panel 5 . The lift guide rail 9 guides the opening/closing unit 10 in the vertical direction of the vehicle body 2 when the opening/closing unit 10 performs the opening/closing operation. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , a curved portion 9 a that curves toward the front side of the vehicle body 2 is provided on the upper portion of the lift guide rail 9 .

Although not shown, for example, a pair of roof guide rails extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 2 are provided between the roof panel 3 and an interior member (not shown) in the passenger compartment. It is arranged continuously with the lifting guide rail 9 . The roof guide rail guides the opening/closing unit 10 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 2 when the opening/closing unit 10 performs the opening/closing operation.

The opening/closing unit 10 opens and closes the opening 2 a of the vehicle body 2 in the vertical direction of the vehicle body 2 . As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the opening/closing unit 10 includes a plurality of slats 12 arranged along the vertical direction of the vehicle body 2, a plurality of soft portions 13 arranged between adjacent slats 12, and and a plurality of pairs of links 14 attached to opposite ends of the slats 12, respectively.

The slat 12 is a plate-shaped member extending in the vehicle width direction. The slats 12 are made of impact-resistant transparent resin. Examples of such transparent resin include polycarbonate and acrylic resin. Two projections 12 a for attaching the link 14 to the slat 12 are provided on both end faces of the slat 12 in the longitudinal direction. These protrusions 12 a are arranged side by side along the width direction of the slat 12 . The width direction of the slat 12 is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and thickness direction of the slat 12 .

The soft portion 13 connects adjacent slats 12 . The soft portion 13 is made of a soft material that is softer than the transparent resin forming the slats 12 . Examples of such soft materials include elastomers. As a result, the adjacent slats 12 can be bent via the soft portion 13 .

The link 14 connects both ends of the slats 12 adjacent to each other in the vertical direction of the vehicle body 2 . Adjacent links 14 are rotatably connected to each other. The link 14 is made of resin such as polyacetal resin or polyamide synthetic resin.

The link 14 has a link body 15 extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body 2 . The link body 15 is provided with two mounting holes 15a that are fitted with the projections 12a of the slats 12 . These mounting holes 15 a are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction of the link body 15 .

An upper end (one end) of the link body 15 when the opening/closing unit 10 is closed is provided with a mounting portion 16 projecting upward (to the opening side of the opening/closing unit 10). The mounting portion 16 is provided at the center portion of the upper end portion of the link body 15 in the vehicle width direction (Y direction). The vehicle width direction corresponds to the facing direction of the pair of lifting guide rails 9 .

As shown in FIG. 7 , a supporting shaft portion 17 for supporting the guide roller 11 protrudes from the outer surface of the mounting portion 16 in the vehicle width direction. A connecting shaft portion 18 that is connected to the link 14 adjacent on the upper side protrudes from the inner surface of the mounting portion 16 in the vehicle width direction. That is, the shaft portions 17 and 18 protrude from the upper end side (one end side) of the link body 15 . The shaft portions 17 and 18 protrude from the mounting portion 16 at positions corresponding to the soft portions 13 . The axial center of the shaft portion 18 is deviated from the axial center of the shaft portion 17 in the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the vehicle body 2 . Note that the axial centers of the shaft portions 17 and 18 may be aligned.

Regarding the links 14 other than the link 14 located on the lowermost side (referred to as link 14A), the lower end (the other end) of the link main body 15 when the opening/closing unit 10 is closed has a lower side (opening/closing unit 10 A connecting portion 19 protruding toward the closing side of the housing is provided. The connecting portion 19 is provided at the inner end portion in the vehicle width direction (Y direction) of the lower end portion of the link body 15 . The connecting portion 19 is arranged inside the mounting portion 16 of the link 14 adjacent on the lower side in the vehicle width direction.

The connecting portion 19 is provided with a shaft hole 20 into which the shaft portion 18 of the link 14 adjacent on the lower side is fitted. That is, the shaft hole 20 is provided on the lower end side (the other end side) of the link body 15 . By fitting the shaft portion 18 into the shaft hole 20 , the links 14 adjacent to each other in the vertical direction of the vehicle body 2 are rotatably connected.

The outer diameter of the shaft portion 18 is smaller than the inner diameter of the shaft hole 20 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, a predetermined amount of clearance C is provided between the shaft portion 18 and the inner wall surface of the link body 15 defining the shaft hole 20 .

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the link body 15 of the link 14A located on the lowest side is not provided with the connecting portion 19. As shown in FIGS. The shaft portion 17 protrudes from the lower end portion of the link body 15 of the link 14A.

The guide roller 11 is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 17 of the link 14 . Therefore, the guide roller 11 is attached to the outer surface of the attachment portion 16 of the link 14 in the vehicle width direction. That is, the guide rollers 11 are arranged on both sides of the opening/closing unit 10 . The guide roller 11 is a guide member that supports the opening/closing unit 10 so as to be movable along the pair of elevation guide rails 9 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body 2 is provided with a seal member 21 that seals between the vehicle body 2 and the opening/closing unit 10 when the opening/closing unit 10 closes the opening 2a of the vehicle body 2. installed. The seal member 21 is arranged all around the opening 2a. The seal member 21 is attached to a frame 22 (see FIG. 8) disposed within the roof panel 3, the lift guide rail 9, and the rear bumper 6, for example.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a stopper 23 is arranged in the lower part of the vehicle 1 so that the lower end of the opening/closing unit 10 abuts when the opening/closing unit 10 closes the opening 2a of the vehicle body 2. It is The stopper 23 is attached to the vehicle body 2 . The stopper 23 is attached, for example, to the frame 22 (see FIG. 8).

Note that the stopper 23 may be attached to the lower portion of each lifting guide rail 9 . Also, the stopper 23 may be arranged only inside the lift guide rail 9 . The stopper 23 may be part of the vehicle body 2 .

When the opening 2 a of the vehicle body 2 is closed by the opening/closing unit 10 , the lower end of the link 14 A located at the bottom among the plurality of links 14 hits the stopper 23 . When the opening 2a of the opening/closing unit 10 is closed, the link bodies 15 of the adjacent links 14 contact each other, so that the link bodies 15 receive the weight from above the opening/closing unit 10 (see the arrow in FIG. 7). G). Specifically, the link main body 15 of the upper link 14 hits the front end surface (upper end surface) of the mounting portion 16 provided on the link main body 15 of the lower link 14 . At this time, the tip surface (lower end surface) of the connecting portion 19 provided on the link main body 15 of the upper link 14 may or may not contact the link main body 15 of the lower link 14 .

When the opening/closing unit 10 closes the opening 2a of the vehicle body 2, the lower end of the lowermost slat 12 among the plurality of slats 12 does not hit the stopper 23, as shown in FIG. That is, when the opening 2a is closed by the opening/closing unit 10, a gap is provided between the lower end of the lowermost slat 12 and the stopper 23. As shown in FIG.

Although not shown, the back door 7 further includes a plurality of cables connected to the opening/closing unit 10 and a driving mechanism for moving these cables in the opening/closing direction of the opening/closing unit 10. As shown in FIG.

In the back door 7 as described above, when the opening/closing unit 10 closes the opening 2a of the vehicle body 2, the lowermost link 14A hits the stopper 23, and the link bodies 15 of the adjacent links 14 contact each other. comes into contact. At this time, the lowermost slat 12 does not hit the stopper 23 . Also, the shaft portion 18 of the lower link 14 does not contact the link body 15 of the upper link 14 .

When the opening/closing unit 10 is lifted from the closed state, as shown in FIG. 2, the guide rollers 11 move along the elevation guide rails 9 to the upper side of the vehicle body 2, and the opening/closing unit 10 moves toward the opening 2a. to open. At this time, the adjacent slats 12 of the opening/closing unit 10 are bent through the soft portion 13 at the curved portion 9a provided on the upper portion of the lifting guide rail 9 . Further, when the opening/closing unit 10 is opened, the upper link 14 pulls the shaft portion 18 of the lower link 14 , so that the pulling direction (upward) force is transmitted to the shaft portion 18 .

When the opening/closing unit 10 is lowered from the opened state, the guide rollers 11 move along the elevation guide rails 9 to the lower side of the vehicle body 2 as shown in FIG. The opening 2a is closed. At this time, as described above, since the link bodies 15 of the adjacent links 14 contact each other, a force in the compression direction (downward) is transmitted to the link bodies 15 . Further, since the link body 15 of the upper link 14 does not come into contact with the shaft portion 18 of the lower link 14 , no compressive force is transmitted to the shaft portion 18 .

FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view showing a back door opening/closing unit as a comparative example. In FIG. 9, the opening/closing unit 50 has the slat 12 and the soft portion 13, but does not have the link 14. As shown in FIG. Mounting brackets 51 are fixed to both ends of the slat 12 in the longitudinal direction. A shaft portion 52 protrudes from the tip portion of the mounting bracket 51 . The guide roller 11 is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 52 .

When the opening 2a of the vehicle body 2 is closed by the opening/closing unit 50, the lower end of the lowermost slat 12 hits the stopper 23 as shown in FIG. In this case, since the load (compressive load) from above the opening/closing unit 50 is directly applied to the soft portion 13, the adjacent slats 12 are likely to be bent due to buckling. If the adjacent slats 12 are bent, the opening/closing unit 50 looks bad. In addition, when the vehicle 1 is running, vibrations occur, and the repeated compression and tension loads caused by the vibrations are directly applied to the soft portions 13, so that the soft portions 13 are likely to deteriorate and break.

To address such a problem, in this embodiment, the links 14 are attached to both ends of the slat 12, and the adjacent links 14 are rotatably connected to each other. When the opening/closing unit 10 closes the opening 2a, the lowermost link 14A hits the stopper 23. As shown in FIG. Therefore, when the opening/closing unit 10 is closed, the load from above the opening/closing unit 10 is received by the link 14, so that the compressive load applied to the soft portion 13 is reduced. As a result, the adjacent slats 12 are less likely to bend due to buckling. Further, when the vehicle 1 is running, the link 14 receives repeated compressive and tensile loads due to vibration, so the repeated load applied to the soft portion 13 is reduced. As a result, deterioration and breakage of the soft portion 13 are less likely to occur.

Further, in the present embodiment, the slat 12 located on the lowest side does not hit the stopper 23 when the opening/closing unit 10 closes the opening 2a. Therefore, when the opening/closing unit 10 is closed, the compressive load is prevented from being directly applied to the soft portion 13, so that the compressive load applied to the soft portion 13 is further reduced. In addition, when the vehicle 1 is running, repeated compressive/tensile loads are prevented from being directly applied to the soft portions 13, so that the repeated loads applied to the soft portions 13 are further reduced.

In addition, in the present embodiment, a shaft portion 18 connected to the adjacent link 14 is projected from one end of the link body 15 , and the shaft of the adjacent link 14 is projected from the other end of the link body 15 . A shaft hole 20 is provided for fitting with the portion 18 . Therefore, the adjacent links 14 are rotatably connected to each other with a simple structure. Further, when the opening/closing unit 10 closes the opening 2a, the link bodies 15 of the adjacent links 14 come into contact with each other. Therefore, since the link body 15 receives the compressive load and the repeated compressive/tensile load, the strength of the opening/closing unit 10 can be increased.

In this embodiment, a mounting portion 16 projecting toward the opening side of the opening/closing unit 10 is provided at the central portion in the vehicle width direction of one end portion of the link body 15, and the opening/closing unit 10 closes the opening portion 2a. In this state, the mounting portion 16 contacts the link body 15 of the adjacent link 14 . Therefore, when the link body 15 receives a load, a bending moment is less likely to occur in the link body 15 . Therefore, the load can be stably received by the link body 15 .

Further, in this embodiment, a clearance C is provided between the shaft portion 18 and the inner wall surface of the link body 15 defining the shaft hole 20 . Therefore, since the compressive load is prevented from being applied to the shaft portion 18, the shaft portion 18 can be prevented from being damaged.

Further, in this embodiment, since the link 14 is made of resin, the link 14 having the shaft portion 18 and the link body 15 provided with the shaft hole 20 can be easily manufactured.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the opening/closing unit 10 is movably supported along the elevation guide rail 9 by a plurality of guide rollers 11, but such guide members are not particularly limited to the guide rollers 11. For example, A guide shoe for sliding the opening/closing unit 10 along the elevation guide rail 9 may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a clearance C However, the form is not particularly limited, and the clearance C may not be provided between the shaft portion 18 and the inner wall surface of the link body 15 defining the shaft hole 20 . That is, the shaft portion 18 and the inner wall surface of the link body 15 defining the shaft hole 20 may be in contact with each other.

In the above embodiment, when the opening 2a is closed by the opening/closing unit 10, the lowermost slat 12 among the plurality of slats 12 does not hit the stopper 23. If the lowermost link 14A hits the stopper 23 when the opening/closing unit 10 closes the opening 2a, the lowermost slat 12 may hit the stopper 23.

Further, in the above embodiment, the link 14 is made of resin, but the material of the link 14 is not particularly limited to resin, and may be metal or the like.

Further, the above-described embodiment relates to the back door 7 that opens and closes the opening 2a provided at the rear end of the vehicle body 2, but the present invention is not particularly limited to the back door 7, and is provided at the side of the vehicle body. It can also be applied to a side door that opens and closes an opening. Moreover, the present invention can be applied to an opening/closing structure other than a door as long as it is mounted on a vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Vehicle, 2... Vehicle body, 2a... Opening, 7... Back door (opening/closing structure), 9... Lifting guide rail (guide rail), 10... Opening/closing unit, 11... Guide roller (guide member), 12... Slat, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13... Soft part 14, 14A... Link, 15... Link body, 16... Mounting part, 18... Shaft part, 20... Shaft hole, 23... Stopper, C... Clearance.

Claims (6)

a pair of guide rails arranged to extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle body across an opening provided in the vehicle body;
an opening/closing unit that opens and closes the opening in the vertical direction of the vehicle body;
a plurality of guide members disposed on both sides of the opening/closing unit and supporting the opening/closing unit movably along the guide rail;
a stopper against which a lower end of the opening/closing unit abuts when the opening/closing unit closes the opening;
The opening/closing unit includes a plurality of slats arranged along the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and is arranged between the adjacent slats so as to connect the adjacent slats, and is made of a soft material that is softer than the slats. and a plurality of links attached to both ends of the plurality of slats and connecting the ends of the adjacent slats,
The links adjacent to each other in the vertical direction of the vehicle body are rotatably connected to each other,
The guide member is attached to the link,
An opening/closing structure for a vehicle in which, when the opening/closing unit closes the opening, the lowest link among the plurality of links contacts the stopper. 2. The vehicle opening/closing structure according to claim 1, wherein the lowermost slat among the plurality of slats does not contact the stopper when the opening/closing unit closes the opening. The link has a link body and a shaft protruding from one end of the link body and connected to the adjacent link,
The other end of the link body is provided with a shaft hole that fits with the shaft portion of the adjacent link,
3. The vehicle opening/closing structure according to claim 1, wherein the link bodies of the adjacent links are in contact with each other when the opening/closing unit closes the opening. A mounting portion protruding toward the opening side of the opening/closing unit is provided at a central portion of one end portion of the link body in the direction in which the pair of guide rails face each other,
The guide member is attached to the outer surface of the pair of guide rails in the attachment portion in the facing direction,
The shaft portion protrudes from an inner surface of the mounting portion in the facing direction of the pair of guide rails,
4. The opening/closing structure for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein when the opening/closing unit closes the opening, the mounting portion contacts the link bodies of the adjacent links. 5. The vehicle opening/closing structure according to claim 3, wherein a clearance is provided between the shaft portion and an inner wall surface of the link body defining the shaft hole. The opening/closing structure for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the link is made of resin.

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