Door barrier for a vehicle and vehicle having same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10583796-B2
Application number	US-201815937393-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2018
Priority date	Mar 27, 2018
Publication date	Mar 10, 2020
Grant date	Mar 10, 2020

Abstract

A door barrier assembly for a vehicle can include a flexible barrier member such as a net, flexible plastic screen, or other barrier device located within an opening in the vehicle frame. The vehicle frame can include a front pillar member connected to a longitudinally extending roll cage member that extends in a longitudinal rearward direction of the vehicle from a top end of the front pillar member. The front pillar member can also be connected to a transverse roll cage member. The flexible barrier member can include an upper forward portion and a connector at the upper forward portion releasably attached to one of the transverse roll cage member and the longitudinally extending roll cage member at a location between the front pillar member and the longitudinally extending roll cage member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A door barrier assembly for a vehicle, comprising:
a vehicle frame that includes a first cage side member having a longitudinal axis extending in a vertical rearward direction of the vehicle and a second cage side member having a longitudinal axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the first cage side member is connected at a front connection location to the second cage side member and the second cage side member extends in a longitudinal rearward direction of the vehicle from a top end of the first cage side member, the first cage side member and second cage side member define a window portion of the vehicle;
a flexible barrier member located in the window portion of the vehicle, the flexible barrier member has an upper forward portion located at an upper forward portion of the window portion of the vehicle and closer to a front of the vehicle than a rearward portion of the flexible barrier member;
a releasable buckle connector located at the upper forward portion of the flexible barrier member and releasably attached to the vehicle frame adjacent the front connection location between the first cage side member and the second cage side member; and
a first cage cross member extending in a transverse direction across the vehicle and attached at a first end to at least one of the first cage side member and second cage side member at the front connection location, and the releasable buckle connector includes a first buckle portion connected directly to the first cage cross member via the buckle connector structure.

2. The door barrier assembly for a vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a door structure having a top edge extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and further defining the window portion, wherein a lower edge of the flexible barrier member is attached to the top edge of the door structure at a frontward location of the door structure and at a rearward location of the door structure.

3. The door barrier assembly for a vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the vehicle has a front end and a rear end, and the door structure has a frontmost portion and a rearmost portion, and the rearmost portion is located closer to the rear end of the vehicle than the frontmost portion, and
the vehicle frame includes a third cage side member extending in a vertical direction of the vehicle and is connected to the longitudinally extending second cage side member at a rear connection location, the door structure includes a hinge adjacent to the third cage side member such that the door structure is rotatable about an axis at the rearmost portion of the door structure relative to the vehicle.

4. The door barrier assembly for a vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the flexible barrier member includes an upper rear portion attached adjacent the rear connection location such that the flexible barrier member extends along a topmost portion of the window portion of the vehicle from the front connection location to the rear connection location.

5. The door barrier assembly for a vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the vehicle frame includes a rear cross member extending from the rear connection location transversely across the vehicle, and the flexible barrier member includes an adjustable connector located at the upper rear portion attached directly to the rear cross member.

6. The door barrier assembly for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the buckle connector structure includes a plate that extends from the first cage cross member towards the window portion of the vehicle at an acute angle with respect to the first cage cross member.

7. The door barrier assembly for a vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the flexible barrier member includes a substantially linear bottom edge opposed to a substantially linear top edge, and the bottom edge includes a first connection structure located at a front lower portion of the flexible barrier member and a second connection structure located at a rear lower portion of the flexible barrier member, and the top edge includes the releasable buckle connector at the upper forward portion of the flexible barrier member releasably attached to the transversely extending first cross cage member.

8. The door barrier assembly for a vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein the first connection structure is a permanent non-adjustable connection structure and the second connection structure is an adjustable connection structure.

9. The door barrier assembly for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible barrier member includes a web structure.

10. The door barrier assembly for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the releasable buckle connector includes a male portion and a female portion, and one of the male portion and female portion is directly connected to the upper forward portion of the flexible barrier member, and an other of the male portion and female portion is located at the first cage cross member.

11. The door barrier assembly for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the flexible barrier member includes a first adjustable connector located at an upper rearward portion of the flexible barrier member, which, in turn, is located at an upper rearward portion of the window portion of the vehicle,
the flexible barrier member includes a second adjustable connector located at a lower rearward portion of the flexible barrier member, which, in turn, is located at a lower rearward portion of the window portion of the vehicle, and
the flexible barrier member includes a permanent connector structure different from the first and second adjustable connector structures, the permanent connector structure located at a lower frontward portion of the flexible barrier member, which, in turn, is located at a lower forward portion of the window portion of the vehicle.

12. The door barrier assembly for a vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a door structure including a top edge further defining the window portion of the vehicle, and the flexible barrier member connected to a front and rear location on the top edge of the door structure; and
a hinge connecting a rear edge of the door structure to the vehicle frame such that a front edge of the door structure is rotatable away from the vehicle frame in order to open the door.

13. A door barrier assembly for a vehicle, comprising:
a first cage side member having a longitudinal axis that is inclined with respect to each of a vertical direction of the vehicle and a longitudinal direction of the vehicle;
a second cage side member having a longitudinal axis extending from a top of the first cage side structure in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle to a rear end of the second cage side structure;
a door structure extending from the first cage side member in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, wherein the first cage side member, the second cage side member, and a top edge of the door structure define a window portion of the vehicle; and
a flexible barrier member located in the window portion of the vehicle, the flexible barrier member including,
an upper forward portion located at an upper forward portion of the window portion of the vehicle and adjacent the top of the first cage side structure,
a lower forward portion located at a lower forward portion of the window portion of the vehicle and adjacent the first cage side member and the top edge of the door structure,
an upper rearward portion located at an upper rearward portion of the window portion of the vehicle and adjacent the rear end of the second cage side structure,
a lower rearward portion located at a lower re

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Osorio Sebastian

Classifications

• B60R21/13

  Roll-over protection (electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01) · CPC title

• B60J5/0487

  simplified doors related to cabins of, e.g. golf carts, tractors, jeeps, cranes, forklifts, etc. · CPC title

• B60R21/06 Primary

  Safety nets, transparent sheets, curtains, or the like, e.g. between occupants and glass ({B60R21/026} , B60R21/11, B60R21/12, B60R21/16 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60R2021/028

  Means preventing passenger from falling out of vehicles · CPC title

• B60Y2200/124

  Buggies, Quads · CPC title