A SLIDING DOOR STOPPER

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a sliding door stopper which prevents the sliding door from opening and breaking fuel lid when the fuel lid is open during filling fuel in vehicles with sliding doors.

Background of the Invention

Sliding door systems are frequently used especially in light commercial vehicles due to the ease of loading goods and objects. Since these sliding doors are moved parallel to the side surface of the vehicle, it is inevitable that they interact with the components existing on the surface of the vehicle. Fuel filling process in vehicles is generally carried out through the fuel lids located on the side surface of the vehicle. The sliding doors in vehicles with sliding doors come over this fuel lids in open position. The sliding doors prevent the fuel lids from opening when they are in open position as well as opening sliding doors while the fuel lid is open causes the sliding door to hit fuel lid. This situation creates dangerous results such the fuel lid breaking the door and the lid being harmed or the fuel hose getting harmed during filling fuel.

The systems which partially or completely prevent the sliding door from opening when the fuel lid is open are used in order to solve this problem in the state of the art. An obstacle put on the slide mechanism of the sliding door or the door axis comes out and limits the movement of the sliding door upon the fuel lid is opened in these systems. In order to reopen the door, first the fuel lid should be closed and the obstacle mechanism should come to stand-by position, that is the obstacle limiting the movement of the sliding door should be eliminated. These systems preventing the sliding door from opening are activated when the fuel lid is opened while the sliding door is open. The obstacle that, is created is located in closing path of the door in this case and prevents the door from closing. In order to close the door, first the fuel lid should be closed and the obstacle mechanism should come to stand-by position, that is the obstacle limiting the movement of the sliding door should be eliminated. When the sliding door is tried to be closed without closing the fuel lid or eliminating the obstacle, the sliding door hits the obstacle and cannot close, it gets harmed and breaks the obstacle and makes it unusable.

Turkish Patent Document no TR201202342, an application known in the state of the art, discloses a sliding door stopper which prevents the said door to be opened from inside or outside the vehicle while the fuel lid is open in commercial or passenger vehicles wherein the sliding door is used. It comprises a main body on which a bearing hole is formed and a reliance on the said hole, a moving pin with a spring located in the said bearing hole, a latch on which the said spring applies pressure and/or which applies pressure to the spring and which is fixed at the lower end in the axial movement point, and a connection connected with the said latch.

Japanese Patent Document no JP2006348671, another application known in the state of the art, discloses an opening and closing control mechanism for a fuel lid and sliding door system. The mechanism is designed to save a, space via the fuel tank and the stopper piece which are interlocked to each other and the opening and closing mechanism on the sliding door and the fuel tank is constituted with a pull-push cable. The stopper piece stops the sliding door and the pull-push cable on the stopper piece in the intermediate section is moved back and forth and opening -closing is performed with a control mechanism installed in the intermediate section. The intermediate section control mechanism comprises housing, a lid slider sliding on the housing, a stopper and a spring mechanism. These applications used in the present technique cannot provide a sufficient solution for the problem of the stopper piece preventing the sliding door from closing and being damaged upon the fuel lid is opened when the sliding doors are open.

Summary of the Invention

The objective of the present invention is to provide a sliding door stopper which prevents the sliding door from opening when the fuel lid of the vehicles wherein sliding doors are used is open.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a sliding door stopper which allows the sliding door being closed in case the fuel lid is opened when the sliding doors of the of the vehicles wherein the sliding door is used are in open position.

Detailed Description of the Invention

A sliding door stopper developed to fulfill the objectives of the present application is illustrated in the accompanying figures, wherein Figure 1 is the cross sectional view of correct operation of the sliding door stopper in the state of the art.

Figure 2 is the cross sectional view of erroneous operation of the sliding door stopper in the state of the art.

Figure 3 is the cross sectional view of one embodiment of the inventive sliding door stopper.

Figure 4 is the cross sectional view of another embodiment of the inventive sliding door stopper.

The components shown in the figures are each given reference numbers as follows:

1. Sliding door stopper Stopper mechanism

Stopper pin

31. Lower pin

32. Moving upper pin

33. Rotating pin

34. Spring

Sliding door

Vehicle body

The inventive sliding door stopper (1), which allows the sliding door (K) to be closed by being activated upon the fuel lid is opened after the sliding door (K) is opened during fuel filling, essentially comprises

- at least one stopper mechanism (2) which is activated upon the fuel lid is opened, and which is provided between the sliding door (K) and the fuel lid on the vehicle body (G),

- at least one stopper pin (3) which is opened upon the stopper mechanism (2) is activated, and thus prevents the sliding door (K) from opening and also does not prevent the open sliding door from closing.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the stopper mechanism (2) is a system which detects that the fuel lid is opened and brings the stopper pin (3) to preventing position by being activated according to the information it receives.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the stopper mechanism (2) is connected to the fuel lid with a push-pull cable, and it is a system which is activated upon the fuel lid is opened and brings the stopper pin (3) to preventing position. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the stopper mechanism (2) detects that the fuel lid is opened via a sensor and brings the stopper pin (3) to preventing position with a drive system. In one embodiment of the invention, the stopper pin (3), which is opened in direction of the sliding door's (K) movement upon the activation of the stopper mechanism (2), has

- at least one lower pin (31) which enables the connection of the stopper pin (3) to the stopper mechanism (2),

- at least one moving upper pin (32) which can be bent such that the stopper pin (3) will not prevent the sliding door (K) in open position from closing,

- at least one rotating pin (33) which enables the connection between the lower pin (31) and the moving upper pin (32) and enables the moving upper pin (32) to rotate around its own axis,

- at least one spring (34) enables the moving upper pin (32) to become its previous vertical state after it is bent by rotating around the rotating pin (33) after the sliding door (K) is closed (Figure 3).

The moving upper pin (32) part of the stopper pin (3) which comes to preventing position upon the fuel lid is opened forms an obstruction for opening the sliding door (K), however it rotates around the axis of the rotating pin (33) and allows the sliding door (K) in open position to close.

In the preferred operating position, the lower pin (31) and the moving upper pin (32) remain parallel to each other by means of the force applied by the spring (34). The moving upper pin (32) can rotate in closing direction of the sliding door (K) only around the rotating pin (33) due to its shape.

In another embodiment of the invention, the stopper pin (3) has an inclined surface, the sliding door (K) applies force on the inclined surface of the stopper pin (3) when the sliding door (K) is wanted to be closed. The force which is applied has an angular effect since the surface is inclined, and brings the stopper pin (3) with inclined surface from preventing position to closed position. Therefore, the stopper pin (3) having an inclined surface allows the sliding door (K) to be closed without getting harmed while the sliding door (K) is closing (Figure 4).