Vehicle door opening and closing apparatus
View Patent ↗In accordance with an embodiment, a vehicle door opening and closing apparatus includes: a main latch mounted on a vehicle door, and including a catch rotating around a shaft extending in a height direction of a vehicle; and a main striker mounted on a vehicle body, and including a rod extending in the height direction of the vehicle.
1. A vehicle door opening and closing apparatus, comprising:
a main latch mounted on a vehicle door, and including a catch rotating around a shaft extending in a height direction of a vehicle;
a main striker mounted on a vehicle body, and including a rod extending in the height direction of the vehicle;
a recessed surface which is recessed from a peripheral face of the vehicle door toward an interior of the vehicle door;
a recessed space defined between the peripheral face and the recessed surface; and
a protector covering or uncovering the recessed space, wherein:
a portion of the catch protrudes from the recessed surface, and is located in the recessed space, and
the protector includes:
a first cover pivotally connected to an edge of the recessed surface,
a second cover pivotally connected to the first cover, and
a pair of guides configured to guide a movement of the second cover.
2. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle door is configured to be selectively opened and closed in any one of a sliding mode and a swing mode so that the vehicle door uncovers and covers a door opening of the vehicle body.
3. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a longitudinal axis of the shaft is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rod.
4. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the main latch includes a lever operatively connected to the catch, and
the lever rotates around a lever pin.
5. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein a longitudinal axis of the lever pin is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the shaft.
6. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein:
the catch has a locking shoulder and a slot in which the rod is received, and
the lever has a locking projection releasably engaged with the locking shoulder.
7. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the catch is rotatable between an upper support plate and a lower support plate.
8. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the shaft is mounted on the upper support plate and the lower support plate.
9. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein each of the upper support plate and the lower support plate has a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the shaft.
10. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the main striker includes an upper extension portion connected to an upper end of the rod, a lower extension portion connected to a lower end of the rod, and a mounting plate to which the upper extension portion and the lower extension portion are fixed.
11. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
a first end portion of the second cover is pivotally connected to the first cover through a second pivot pin,
a guide pin is provided on a second end portion of the second cover, and
the guide pin is guided along the pair of guides.
12. The vehicle door opening and closing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein each guide has a guide slot configured to guide a corresponding end portion of the guide pin.
13. A method, comprising:
mounting a main latch on a vehicle door, the main latch including a catch rotating around a shaft extending in a height direction of a vehicle; and
mounting a main striker on a vehicle body, the main striker including a rod extending in the height direction of the vehicle, wherein:
the vehicle door has a recessed surface which is recessed from a peripheral face of the vehicle door toward an interior of the vehicle door,
a recessed space is defined between the peripheral face and the recessed surface,
a portion of the catch protrudes from the recessed surface, and is located in the recessed space,
a protector is configured to cover or uncover the recessed space, the protector including:
a first cover pivotally connected to an edge of the recessed surface,
a second cover pivotally connected to the first cover, and
a pair of guides configured to guide a movement of the second cover.
14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the vehicle door is configured to be selectively opened and closed in any one of a sliding mode and a swing mode so that the vehicle door uncovers and covers a door opening of the vehicle body.
15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein a longitudinal axis of the shaft is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rod.
16. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising mounting the shaft on an upper support plate and a lower support plate, wherein the catch is rotatable between the upper support plate and the lower support plate.
17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein each of the upper support plate and the lower support plate has a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the shaft.
18. A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle door opening and closing apparatus, comprising:
a main latch mounted on a vehicle door, and including a catch rotating around a shaft extending in a height direction of the vehicle;
a main striker mounted on a vehicle body, and including a rod extending in the height direction of the vehicle;
a recessed surface which is recessed from a peripheral face of the vehicle door toward an interior of the vehicle door;
a recessed space defined between the peripheral face and the recessed surface; and a protector covering or uncovering the recessed space, wherein:
a portion of the catch protrudes from the recessed surface, and is located in the recessed space, and
the protector includes:
a first cover pivotally connected to an edge of the recessed surface,
a second cover pivotally connected to the first cover, and
a pair of guides configured to guide a movement of the second cover.
19. The vehicle according to claim 18 , wherein the vehicle door is configured to be selectively opened and closed in any one of a sliding mode and a swing mode so that the vehicle door uncovers and covers a door opening of the vehicle body.
20. The vehicle according to claim 18 , wherein a longitudinal axis of the shaft is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rod.