Door structure for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10322625-B2
Application number	US-201715452355-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2017
Priority date	May 26, 2016
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

A vehicle door structure includes two doors, a weatherstrip, a moving device and a control device. The two doors are disposed adjacently at a vehicle side portion with no pillar therebetween. The weatherstrip is provided at one of the doors and is disposed to change a distance between the weatherstrip and the other door. The moving device moves the weatherstrip in a direction of putting the weatherstrip into contact with and a direction of separating the weatherstrip from the other door. When it is determined that the two doors are closed and neither is opening or closing, the control device controls movement of the moving device to put the weatherstrip into contact with the other door. When a single door is closed and the counterpart door is opening or closing, the control device controls movement of the moving device in the direction of separating the weatherstrip from the other door.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A door structure for a vehicle, comprising:
two doors that are disposed at at least one of: i) a vehicle side portion to be adjacent to each other along a vehicle front direction and a vehicle rear direction with no pillar therebetween, or ii) a vehicle rear portion to be adjacent to each other along a vehicle left direction and a vehicle right direction with no pillar therebetween;
a weatherstrip provided at an outer periphery portion of at least one door of the two doors, the weatherstrip being disposed so as to change a distance between the one door and the other door of the two doors;
a moving device configured to move at least a portion of the weatherstrip in at least either one of: i) a direction of putting the weatherstrip into area contact with the other door or ii) a direction of separating the weatherstrip from the other door; and
a control device configured such that:
when the control device determines that the two doors are closed and neither of the two doors is opening or closing, controls a movement of the moving device so as to put the weatherstrip into area contact with the other door, and
when the control device determines that at least one of the two doors is in the closed state thereof and a counterpart door of the two doors is opening or closing, controls a movement of the moving device in the direction of separating the weatherstrip from the other door.

2. The door structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein:
the moving device includes a moving member configured to move in at least either one of: (i) a direction approaching the other door or (ii) a direction away from the other door, and a frame attached to an end portion of the moving member, and
the weatherstrip is attached to the frame.

3. The door structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein:
the moving member includes a moving member configured to move in at least either one of: (i) a direction approaching the other door or (ii) a direction away from the other door, and a protrusion portion that is provided at an end portion of the moving member and protrudes to the side thereof at which the other door is disposed, and
a portion of the weatherstrip is pushed by the protrusion portion and moves to the side at which the other door is disposed.

4. The door structure for a vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein a protrusion amount of the protrusion portion to the side at which the other door is disposed is altered stepwise by the moving member, whereby a pressure force of the weatherstrip against the other door is altered.

5. The door structure for a vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
a vehicle speed sensor that detects vehicle speeds is provided at the vehicle, and
the control device alters a pressure force of the weatherstrip against the other door in accordance with a vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor.

6. The door structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
a wet weather sensor that detects wet weather conditions is provided at the vehicle, and
when a wet weather condition is detected by the wet weather sensor, the control device controls movement of the moving device in the direction of putting the weatherstrip into area contact with the other door.

7. The door structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the moving device is provided at either one of the two doors.

8. A door structure for a vehicle, comprising:
two doors that are disposed at at least one of: (i) a vehicle side portion to be adjacent to each other along a vehicle front direction and a vehicle rear direction with no pillar therebetween, or (ii) a vehicle rear portion to be adjacent to each other along a vehicle left direction and a vehicle right direction with no pillar therebetween;
a weatherstrip provided at an outer periphery portion of at least one door of the two doors, the weatherstrip being disposed so as to change a distance between the one door and the other door of the two doors;
a moving device configured to move at least a portion of the weatherstrip in at least either one of: i) a direction of putting the weatherstrip into area contact with the other door or ii) a direction of separating the weatherstrip from the other door; and
a control device configured such that:
when the control device determines that the two doors are closed and neither of the two doors is opening or closing, controls a movement of the moving device so as to put the weatherstrip into area contact with the other door, and
when the control device determines that at least one of the two doors is in the closed state thereof and a counterpart door of the two doors is opening or closing, controls a movement of the moving device in the direction of separating the weatherstrip from the other door,
wherein, when the control device detects either (i) a state in which the two doors are locked, or (ii) a state in which a vehicle speed is at least a predetermined value, the control device causes the moving device to move so as to put the weatherstrip into area contact with the other door.

9. A door structure for a vehicle, comprising:
two doors that are disposed at at least one of: i) a vehicle side portion to be adjacent to each other along a vehicle front direction and a vehicle rear direction with no pillar therebetween, or ii) a vehicle rear portion to be adjacent to each other along a vehicle left direction and a vehicle right direction with no pillar therebetween;
a weatherstrip provided at an outer periphery portion of at least one door of the two doors, the weatherstrip being disposed so as to change a distance between the one door and the other door of the two doors;
a moving device configured to move at least a portion of the weatherstrip in at least either one of: i) a direction of putting the weatherstrip into area contact with the other door or ii) a direction of separating the weatherstrip from the other door; and
a control device configured such that:
when the control device determines that the two doors are closed and neither of the two doors is opening or closing, controls a movement of the moving device so as to put the weatherstrip into area contact with the other door,
when the control device determines that at least one of the two doors is in the closed state thereof and a counterpart door of the two doors is opening or closing, controls a movement of the moving device in the direction of separating the weatherstrip from the other door,
wherein a plurality of moving devices are arranged in a vertical direction of the weatherstrip.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sakakibara Kosuke
• Ohmi Masanobu
• Sugie Kazuki

Classifications

• B60J10/86

  arranged on the opening panel · CPC title

• B60J10/40

  characterised by contact between two or more cooperating sealing arrangements · CPC title

• B60J10/84 Primary

  arranged on the vehicle body · CPC title

• B60J5/0479 Primary

  without B-pillar or releasable B-pillar, i.e. the pillar is moving with door · CPC title

• B60J10/45

  Assembling sealing arrangements with vehicle parts · CPC title