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(11) | EP 0 843 060 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | A rear side door assembly for a vehicle |
| (57) A rear side door assembly for a vehicle, provided with a catch (20) which can be
opened from the inside and the outside of the vehicle, and which has a safety device
(28) which, when engaged, prevents the door from being opened from inside the vehicle.
The safety device (28) has an associated control member (32) situated on an edge face
(14) of the door (10) facing the front of the vehicle in a region which is accessible
when the adjacent front door of the vehicle is open. |
[0001] The present invention concerns a rear side door assembly for a vehicle provided with a catch which can be opened both from the inside and the outside of the vehicle.
[0002] Usually, rear side doors of vehicles are provided with a safety device which, when engaged, prevents the door from being opened from inside the vehicle. This safety device is especially useful when children are travelling in the back seat as it prevents them from opening the rear doors when, for example, the vehicle is moving. The safety device can be engaged and released by means of a control member located in a region of the door which is inaccessible from inside the vehicle when the doors are closed to prevent the children releasing the safety device.
[0003] Safety devices for rear doors of vehicles of this type are, as has been demonstrated, rather inconvenient because - when the safety device is engaged - one of the occupants of the front seats always has to get out of the vehicle in order to open the door or doors from the outside.
[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a side door assembly for a vehicle provided with a safety device against accidental opening which is more convenient to use than the known devices.
[0005] According to the present invention, this object is achieved by a door assembly having the characteristics forming the subject of the main claim.
[0006] According to the present invention, the control member which enable the safety device to be engaged and released is located on an edge face of the door facing towards the front of the vehicle in a region which is accessible when the adjacent front door of the motor vehicle is opened.
[0007] In this way, the driver or front passenger can release the safety device without getting out of the vehicle. In fact, the push button or similar member controlling the safety device can be accessed simply by opening the front door.
[0008] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clear in the course of the following detailed description, given purely by way of non-limitative example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a door assembly according to the present invention;
- Figure 2 is a perspective view of the part indicated by the arrow II in Figure 1; and
- Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the locking mechanism located in the part of the door illustrated in Figure 2.
[0009] With reference to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates a rear side door for a vehicle formed, in known manner, from pieces of blanked, pressed sheet steel assembled by known techniques. The door 10 has an inner side 12, a front edge face 14 and a rear edge face 16, the lower part of which has a shape which follows that of the rear mudguard. The front edge face 14 is pivotally connected by a pair of hinges 18 to a pillar of the vehicle body (not shown).
[0010] The rear edge face 16 of the door 10 is provided with a catch 20 which is controllable both from inside and outside the vehicle. In Figure 1, the reference numeral 22 indicates an opening lever located on the face inside the vehicle and connected in a known way to the catch 20 by an operating member 24. A control handle, which may be of any known type, is disposed on the outside of the door 10.
[0011] The catch 20 is also provided with a locking device of known type which can be controlled by a locking push-button 26 on the inside of the door 10 or by a central, electrically-controlled door-locking mechanism.
[0012] The catch 20 also has a safety device 28 of known type that can be engaged and released by a manual control. A lever 30 associated with the safety device 28 is capable of assuming two operative positions corresponding to the engaged and released positions of the safety device. When the safety device 28 is released, the door can be opened both from inside and outside the vehicle. Of course, the door can be opened from outside the vehicle only when the door locking system controlled by the push button 26 or the central locking device has been released. When, however, the safety device 28 is engaged, the door 10 can be opened only from the outside.
[0013] According to the present invention, the engagement and release of the safety device 28 are actuated by a control member 32 located on the front edge face 14 of the door 10. The front edge face 14 faces the front of the vehicle and some parts of it are accessible when the corresponding front door is open. The control member 32 is located in a region which is accessible when the front door adjacent the door 10 is opened. The control member 32 may, for example, be a push button that moves between a projecting position and a withdrawn position.
[0014] The control member 32 is connected to the lever 30 of the safety device 28 by means of a connecting rod 34 constituted, for example, by a thin metal rod. The connecting rod 34 extends within the box-structure of the door 10 in a direction substantially parallel to the inner side 12 of the door. The movement of the control member 32 from one to the other of its operative positions, for example, from its projecting position to its withdrawn position and vice versa, causes the lever 30 to pivot from one to the other of its operative positions, corresponding to the engagement and release of the safety device 28. In order to engage or release the safety device 28, it is sufficient to open the front door and operate the control member 32, and this action may be taken even without the driver or the front passenger getting out of the vehicle.
1. A rear side door assembly for a vehicle, provided with a catch (20) which can be opened
from the inside and the outside of the vehicle and which has a safety device (28)
and associated control member (32) which enables the safety device (28) to be engaged
and released, the safety device, when engaged, preventing the door (10) from being
opened from inside the vehicle, the control member (32) being located in a region
of the door (10) which is inaccessible from inside the vehicle when the doors are
closed, characterised in that the control member (32) is located on an edge face (14)
of the door (10) facing the front of the vehicle in a zone which is accessible when
the adjacent front door of the vehicle is open.
2. A door assembly according to Claim 1, characterised in that the control member (32)
is connected to the safety device (28) by means of a connecting rod (34) substantially
parallel to the inner side (12) of the door (10).
3. A door assembly according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterised in that the control
member (32) is a push button which is manually operable and capable of assuming a
projecting position and a withdrawn position.