A side vehicle-body structure of a vehicle capable of efficiently absorbing side collision energy while downsizing an energy absorbing material. The side vehicle-body structure includes a center pillar in which a lower end side is positioned on a vehicle-width-direction outer side with respect to an upper end thereof. The center pillar includes a breakage inducing portion that is provided to be close to a lower portion of an outer wall of the center pillar and induces breakage at time of a side collision, and a step-down portion provided in a corner portion of a center pillar outer wall of the breakage inducing portion. An energy absorbing material is disposed between the step-down portion 3 and an inner panel.

An opposed type sliding door device includes a center rail mounted on a center of a door in a longitudinal direction of the door. A center roller is mounted on a vehicle body and a lower rail is mounted on a lower portion of the vehicle body. A lower roller is mounted on the door and moves along the lower rail to pivot the door toward the outside of the vehicle. The lower roller includes a pinion gear which engages in a rack gear mounted on a lower portion of the lower rail, a planetary gear reducer coupled to an upper portion of the pinion gear, a swing bracket moving the door toward the outside with rotation of the pinion gear, and a mounting bracket having one end coupled to the door and another end coupled to the swing bracket.

A rigidity reinforcing structure for B-pillarless opposite sliding doors may include a column impact beam which is vertically mounted at one side of the door to support the door in an up-down direction of a vehicle; a center rail which is horizontally mounted at a center portion of the door to support the door in a front-rear direction of the vehicle and allows the door to slide; and a lower impact beam which is horizontally mounted at a lower side of the door to support the door in the front-rear rear direction and has one end portion where an intersection portion between the lower impact beam and the column impact beam is formed.

An automatic door system for a vehicle may comprise a hinged door in connection with the vehicle configured to selectively enclose a continuous opening formed between a first and a second pillar of the vehicle, wherein the sliding door and the hinged door are configured to enclose the continuous opening without an intermediate support pillar. The system may also comprise the hinged door in a hinged position and controlled by a first power actuator. The system may also comprise the sliding door in connection with the vehicle configured to selectively enclose the continuous opening, wherein a second power actuator controls a sliding position of the sliding door. The system may further comprise proximity sensors and interference sensors to detect interfering obstructions, objects, and/or persons located within the interference zone.

A vehicle door structure that can displace inward a region directly above a lower end of a door built-in center pillar while preventing displacement of a door lower surface to absorb lateral collision energy immediately after lateral collision is provided. In the vehicle door structure including a door built-in center pillar extending from an upper end to a lower end at a front end in a rear door of a biparting door system, a reinforcement is provided on a door lower surface below the door built-in center pillar, a part of the lower end of the door built-in center pillar is mounted to the reinforcement, and a low rigidity portion having lower rigidity than an upper part the door built-in center pillar is provided directly above the lower end of the door built-in center pillar.

A structure can provide separation strength of an opposed sliding door. The structure includes a rail configured to be mounted to a vehicle body in a longitudinal direction thereof, a first bracket configured to be fixedly connected to the vehicle body at a first side of the rail and having a hook receiver, a slider inserted into the rail and coupled thereto, a swing arm configured rotatably connected to a sliding door and to the slider, and a second bracket fixedly connected to the swing arm. The second bracket has on a first side thereof a hook to be received in the hook receiver. The hook is received in the hook receiver when a load is applied to the sliding door in a direction from an inside to an outside of the vehicle body with the sliding door being closed.

A locking device for a door includes a first latch unit including a catching unit positioned at a lateral side of the first door and rotatably coupled to a first plate, a pawl unit rotatably coupled to the first plate to rotate the catching unit or restrict the rotation of the catching unit, and a first release lever configured to assist in rotating the pawl unit about a rotating shaft for the pawl unit. A second latch unit is positioned at a lateral side of the second door so as to face the first latch unit and includes a second release lever rotatably coupled to a second plate, and a striker unit configured to be caught by or released from the rotating catching unit.

An upper vehicle-body structure including: a pair of left and right roof side rails; strikers to which upper portions of rear doors are engaged; a second roof reinforcement that couples the roof side rails to each other at substantially same locations as the strikers; striker mounting members on which the strikers are mounted; and reinforcement members that overlap with the roof side rails from vehicle-width-direction outer sides at substantially same locations as the striker mounting members, in which the reinforcement members each have a lower end located on a vehicle upper side than a joining location between each of the striker mounting members and each of the roof side rails and are joined to the roof side rails overlapping with the reinforcement members in a vehicle up-down direction.

A closure system includes a closure panel assembly and a hinge assembly configured to connect the closure panel assembly to a body. The hinge assembly includes a first hinge and a second hinge configured to be pivotably secured to the body and to the closure panel assembly in parallel, the hinge assembly establishing a four-bar linkage. The closure system includes a hinge cover configured to be fixed to the first hinge and pivotably connected to the closure panel assembly. The closure panel assembly is movable between a closed position and an open position via pivoting of the first hinge and the second hinge, the closure panel assembly at least partially covering the opening in the closed position and at least partially uncovering the opening in the open position. The hinge cover articulated alongside the first hinge and at least partially covers the first hinge in the closed position.

A vehicle door actuator assembly includes a base plate having a first portion and a second portion, a first gear disposed proximate the first portion of the base plate, a second gear disposed proximate the second portion of the base plate, a third gear connected to the base plate, and a linkage engaging the first, second, and third gears. The base plate of the vehicle door actuator assembly is rotatable between a first position and a second position. As the base plate rotates between the first and second positions, the vehicle door actuator assembly maintains an outer surface of the vehicle door substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle at all points along a travel path of the vehicle door.