US-12624583-B2 - Sliding door device for vehicle

US12624583B2US 12624583 B2US12624583 B2US 12624583B2US-12624583-B2

Abstract

A sliding door device includes: a door configured to open or close a door opening portion formed in a vehicle body; a lower arm including one end portion connected to an internal side of the door, and the other end portion configured to slide along a rail provided on the vehicle body; a lower arm carrier rotatably connected to the other end portion of the lower arm and configured to slide the lower arm while moving along a rail provided on the vehicle body; a lower arm rotor rotatably provided on the lower arm carrier and including one end portion connected to the lower arm so that the lower arm rotates; a catch configured to fix the door by engaging with the lower arm rotor after the door slides; and a pawl with which the catch engages by rotating so that a rotation of the catch is prevented.

Inventors

Jaeseung LEE

Assignees

HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
KIA CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230516
Priority Date: 20220930

Claims (18)

1 . A sliding door apparatus for a vehicle, the sliding door apparatus comprising: a door configured to open or close a door opening portion formed in a vehicle body; a lower arm including a first end portion connected to an internal side of the door, and a second end portion configured to slide along a rail provided on the vehicle body; a lower arm carrier rotatably connected to the second end portion of the lower arm and configured to slide the lower arm while moving along the rail provided on the vehicle body; a lower arm rotor rotatably provided on the lower arm carrier and including an end portion connected to the lower arm so that the lower arm rotates; a catch configured to fix the door by engaging with the lower arm rotor after the door slides; and a pawl with which the catch engages by rotating so that a rotation of the catch is prevented, wherein the catch is rotatably provided at an upper end portion of a rail box that surrounds a second lower rail.
2 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the rail includes a first lower rail and an upper rail, and wherein the second end portion of the lower arm slides along the first lower rail and the upper rail provided at a lower side of the vehicle body.
3 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lower arm carrier slides the lower arm while moving along the second lower rail provided at a lower side of the vehicle body.
4 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 3 , further including a lower arm rotation pin, wherein the lower arm carrier is rotatably coupled to an upper surface of the lower arm by the lower arm rotation pin and rectilinearly moves along the second lower rail.
5 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 2 , further including: an upper roller rotatably provided on an upper surface of the second end portion of the lower arm, wherein the upper roller is inserted into the upper rail and rolls in a longitudinal direction of the upper rail.
6 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 1 , wherein pairs of legs having different lengths are respectively provided at end portions of the lower arm rotor and the catch.
7 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 6 , further including a catch pin and a lower arm rotation pin, wherein when the door is opened, the catch pin is inserted between and comes into contact with the pair of legs of the lower arm rotor and the lower arm rotation pin is inserted between and comes into contact with the pair of legs of the catch, and wherein when the lower arm moves, the lower arm rotor and the catch rotate together about the catch pin in a state in which the lower arm rotor and the catch are fixed.
8 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 6 , wherein when the door is opened, the lower arm rotor and the catch further rotate toward a rear side of the vehicle in a state in which the lower arm rotor and the catch are fixed, and an end of the catch is fixed by engaging with an end portion of the pawl.
9 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 6 , further including a cable connected to the pawl, wherein when the door is closed, the cable connected to the pawl is pulled toward the vehicle body, the pawl is rotated, and the catch and an end portion of the pawl are disengaged.
10 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 6 , wherein when the door is closed, the lower arm rotor and the catch further rotate toward a front side of the vehicle in a state in which the lower arm rotor and the catch are fixed so that the lower arm rotor and the catch are disengaged, and the catch returns to an original position thereof.
11 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 2 , further including a lower roller, wherein the lower roller is rotatably provided on a lower surface of the second end portion of the lower arm, and wherein the lower roller is inserted into the first lower rail and rolls in a longitudinal direction of the first lower rail.
12 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the upper rail and the first lower rail each include a curved shape so that the door moves inward or outward relative to the vehicle when the lower arm moves along the upper rail and the first lower rail.
13 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lower arm carrier includes a plurality of lower arm carrier rollers, and wherein the plurality of lower arm carrier rollers rolls along an internal surface of the second lower rail.
14 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 13 , further including a lower arm rotation pin, wherein the lower arm rotor is rotatably coupled to an upper surface of the lower arm carrier by the lower arm rotation pin and disposed in a direction parallel to a longitudinal direction of the lower arm.
15 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the upper rail and the first lower rail each include a curved shape so that the door moves inward or outward relative to the vehicle when the lower arm moves.
16 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 1 , further including a catch pin, wherein the catch is provided to be rotatable about the catch pin provided on the rail box.
17 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lower arm rotor is disposed in a direction parallel to a longitudinal direction of the lower arm.
18 . The sliding door apparatus of claim 1 , further including a lower arm rotation pin, wherein the lower arm rotor is rotatably provided on the lower arm carrier by the lower arm rotation pin provided on the lower arm carrier.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0125718 filed on Sep. 30, 2022, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE Field of the Present Disclosure Various embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a sliding door device for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a sliding door device for a vehicle, which is configured to open or close a door opening portion of a vehicle body while sliding forward or rearward in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle. Description of Related Art In general, a vehicle has an occupant compartment having a predetermined size in which a driver or an accompanied occupant may be accommodated, and occupant compartment opening/closing doors are provided on a vehicle body to open or close the occupant compartment. In the case of a passenger vehicle, the occupant compartment opening/closing doors include a front door provided at a front side in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a rear door provided at a rear side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The front door and the rear door are typically provided on the vehicle body to be rotatable by hinges. Meanwhile, in the case of a van in which many persons may be accommodated, the occupant compartment opening/closing doors slide forward and rearward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to open or close the occupant compartment. In the case of the slide type occupant compartment opening/closing door for a van, the occupant compartment opening/closing door is configured to move rearward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to open the occupant compartment, and move forward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to close the occupant compartment. Therefore, the slide type occupant compartment opening/closing door includes an advantage in that a space required to open or close the door is smaller in the slide type occupant compartment opening/closing door than in the hinged occupant compartment opening/closing door applied to the passenger vehicle and a door opening formed in the vehicle body may be completely opened even though the space required to open or close the door is small. However, in the case of the slide type occupant compartment opening/closing door generally, a space in which a door arm (lower arm) enters a side sill portion of the vehicle at the time of opening or closing the door is excessively large because of a fixed sliding door arm structure. For the present reason, there is a problem in that a height of a floor of the vehicle needs to be increased to ensure the space. Furthermore, because of vehicle design, a vehicle body space and a door opening width may be insufficient to configure a center portion rail. Furthermore, because a center roller driving space is exposed from an external appearance of a vehicle body, the marketability and aesthetic appearance of the vehicle may deteriorate. 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 sliding door device for a vehicle, in which a dual rail enables rectilinear and rotation motions of a lower arm, which makes it possible to ensure a door opening width and solve a problem in that there is an excessively large space in which a lower arm enters a side sill portion of a vehicle. Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to providing a sliding door device for a vehicle, the sliding door device including: a door configured to open or close a door opening portion formed in a vehicle body; a lower arm including a first end portion connected to an internal side of the door, and a second end portion configured to slide along a rail provided on the vehicle body; a lower arm carrier rotatably connected to the second end portion of the lower arm and configured to slide the lower arm while moving along a rail provided on the vehicle body; a lower arm rotor rotatably provided on the lower arm carrier and including an end portion connected to the lower arm so that the lower arm rotates; a catch configured to fix the door by engaging with the lower arm rotor after the door slides; and a pawl with which the catch engages by rotating so that a rotation of the catch is fixed. The second end portion of the lower arm may slide along a first lower rail and an upper rail provided at a lower side of the vehicle body. The catch may be rotatably provided at an upper end portion of a rail box that surrounds the second lower rail. An upper roller may be rotatably provided on an upper surface of the second end portion of the lower arm, and