Cover device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12054971-B2
Application number	US-202217648429-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2022
Priority date	Feb 3, 2021
Publication date	Aug 6, 2024
Grant date	Aug 6, 2024

Abstract

A cover device includes a cover that is displaced between a covering position where an upper side of a striker is covered, and an exposure position where the striker is exposed upward, and an open-close mechanism that displaces the cover to the covering position when a slide door performs an opening operation, and displaces the cover to the exposure position when the slide door performs a closing operation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cover device being applied to a vehicle including a vehicle body having a door opening, and a vehicle door that opens and closes the door opening,
the vehicle body including a door lock component that is placed in a bottom portion of the door opening and is coupled to the vehicle door, and thereby binds the vehicle door at a full closed position,
the cover device comprising:
a cover that is displaced between a covering position where an upper side of the door lock component is covered, and an exposure position where the door lock component is exposed upward; and
an open-close mechanism that displaces the cover to the covering position when the vehicle door performs an opening operation, and displaces the cover to the exposure position when the vehicle door performs a closing operation, wherein
the vehicle door is a slide door that includes a lower rail defining a movement direction of the vehicle door, and that opens and closes the door opening that opens in a side portion of the vehicle body,
the vehicle body includes a lower hinge unit that supports the vehicle door via the lower rail,
the lower rail includes a first lower rail extending in an opening direction of the vehicle door, and a second lower rail being bent and extending outward in a vehicle width direction as moving in the opening direction from a tip of the first lower rail in the opening direction,
the lower hinge unit includes a fixed hinge fixed to the vehicle body, a movable hinge rotatably supported relative to the fixed hinge, and two guide rollers being rotatably supported by the movable hinge and relatively moving along the lower rail, and
the open-close mechanism displaces the cover due to rotation of the movable hinge when the two guide rollers move along the second lower rail.

2. The cover device according to claim 1 , wherein
the open-close mechanism includes
a wire that constitutes a part of a power transmission path between the movable hinge and the cover, and that is pulled due to rotation of the movable hinge when the vehicle door performs an opening operation or a closing operation, and
a biasing member that biases the wire in a direction opposite to a pulling direction of the wire due to rotation of the movable hinge.

3. The cover device according to claim 1 , wherein
the cover is displaced between the covering position and the exposure position by being displaced in a direction intersecting the vehicle width direction.

4. The cover device according to claim 3 , wherein
the open-close mechanism has a four-link mechanism configured by including a drive link that swings due to rotation of the movable hinge, a driven link that swings together with the drive link, and an intermediate link coupled to the drive link and the driven link, and
the intermediate link supports the cover.

Assignees

• Aisin Corp

Inventors

• Itonaga Hisashi
• Kiryu Tomohito
• Morioka Toshimitsu
• Morita Koichi

Classifications

• E05Y2201/22

  Locks · CPC title

• B60J2005/0475

  due to absence of the B-pillar · CPC title

• B60J5/0477

  with two doors opening in opposite direction · CPC title

• B60J5/047

  characterised by the opening or closing movement · CPC title

• B60J5/06

  slidable; foldable · CPC title