Vehicle side door structure

Abstract

To improve reliability of holding performance of a door latch reinforcement and a bracket for fixing an impact beam.SOLUTION: A side door 100 having a vehicular side door structure includes: a door body 1 having an inner panel 2 and an outer panel 3; a door latch 1b fixed through a door latch reinforcement 11; and an impact beam 10 having a rear end 10a fixed through a bracket 12. The inner panel 2 has: an annular wall 21; a main wall 22 at the inner side of the annular wall 21; a vertical wall 23 which connects the annular wall 21 with the main wall 22; and multiple beads B. The multiple beads B are provided spaced apart from each other in a vehicle vertical direction and extend in a wall height direction between the annular wall 21 and the main wall 22 in a portion, which is located between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the bracket 12, in a rear vertical wall 23a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle side door structure including a hinged door body having an inner panel and an outer panel, and a door latch and an impact beam provided within the door body. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, in a hinged vehicle side door, the hinge is attached to the front of the door body, and the door latch is disposed in the door body on the rear side of the inner panel and engages with a striker on the vehicle body to keep the door closed. The rear end of the impact beam is fixed to the inner panel via a bracket below the door latch. The bracket is fixed (held) to the inner panel by being spot welded to the inner panel.

[0003] One known example of a vehicle side door structure is the structure described in Patent Document 1. The structure described in Patent Document 1 aims to reduce the concentration of load on the door latch during a side collision by breaking the inner panel with a protrusion provided on the window regulator during the side collision. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-263135 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, the door latch is mainly formed of a resin member from the viewpoint of waterproofing. Therefore, the door latch may not have the strength to withstand the opening and closing of the door (particularly the closing of the door) or a side collision when directly fixed to the inner panel. For this reason, a door latch reinforcement that serves as a base for supporting the door latch may be provided between the door latch and the inner panel for reinforcement, that is, the door latch reinforcement may be provided at the door latch attachment portion on the back surface of the inner panel, and the door latch may be fixed to the inner panel via the door latch reinforcement. The door latch reinforcement is fixed (held) to the inner panel by, for example, joining the door latch reinforcement to the inner panel by spot welding and fastening with a fastener such as a bolt. Therefore, when the door is opened and closed (particularly the closing of the door), stress or load may be concentrated at the joining portion between the door latch reinforcement and the inner panel by spot welding or bolt fastening, which may cause peeling of the spot weld or cracks in the bolt insertion hole, leading to a decrease in the holding force of the door latch reinforcement to the inner panel. In this respect, the structure of Patent Document 1 has room for improvement. Similar problems also exist at joints between the bracket for fixing the impact beam and the inner panel, for example by spot welding.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle side door structure that can improve the reliability of the holding performance of a door latch reinforcement and the holding performance of a bracket for fixing an impact beam. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle side door structure, which includes a door body having an inner panel and an outer panel arranged on the outer side of the inner panel in a vehicle width direction, a hinge attached to a front part of the door body in a vehicle front-rear direction, a door latch fixed to a rear side of the inner panel in the vehicle front-rear direction within the door body via a door latch reinforcement, and an impact beam extending in the vehicle front-rear direction within the door body and having a rear end fixed to the inner panel via a bracket located below the door latch. In the vehicle side door structure, the inner panel has an annular wall facing the inside in the vehicle width direction and against which a weather strip abuts, a main wall facing the inside in the vehicle width direction inside the annular wall and positioned more inside in the vehicle width direction than the annular wall, a vertical wall connecting the annular wall and the main wall, and a plurality of beads that are spaced apart from each other in the vehicle vertical direction and extend in the wall height direction between the annular wall and the main wall in a portion of a rear vertical wall on the rear end side of the vertical wall in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction between the door latch reinforcement and the bracket in the vehicle vertical direction. Effect of the Invention

[0008] In the vehicle side door structure according to one aspect of the present invention, (1) the hinge is attached to the front part of the door body in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the inner panel has an annular wall facing the inside in the vehicle width direction and abutting against a weather strip, a main wall facing the inside in the vehicle width direction inside the annular wall and located inside the annular wall in the vehicle width direction, a vertical wall connecting the annular wall and the main wall, and a plurality of beads extending in a wall height direction between the annular wall and the main wall in a rear vertical wall on the rear end side of the vertical wall in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Therefore, the wall height direction between the annular wall and the main wall in the rear vertical wall, which is the extension direction of each bead, is approximately oriented in the rotation direction (movement direction) of the rear end of the door body with the hinge as a fulcrum. In other words, the plurality of beads extend so as to effectively brace against a load in the rotation direction with the hinge as a fulcrum, and the door body has a structure that is strong against a load in the rotation direction when the door is closed. As a result, when the door is closed, the load of the rear end of the outer panel, which tends to move toward the interior of the vehicle in the rotation direction about the hinge as a fulcrum due to inertia, and the load of the rear end of the impact beam, etc., can be effectively received by the rear vertical wall having the plurality of beads. (2) Furthermore, since the plurality of beads are provided at a distance from each other in the vehicle vertical direction in the portion of the rear vertical wall between the door latch reinforcement and the bracket in the vehicle vertical direction, the rigidity of the rear vertical wall between the door latch reinforcement and the bracket is improved, and the input load and the stress that may occur are distributed relatively uniformly. As a result, the concentration of the load and the stress at the joint between the door latch reinforcement and the inner panel and the joint between the bracket and the inner panel is effectively suppressed or prevented. As a result, the reliability of the holding performance of the door latch reinforcement and the holding performance of the bracket for fixing the impact beam is improved.

[0009] In this way, the present invention can provide a vehicle side door structure that can improve the reliability of the holding performance of the door latch reinforcement and the holding performance of the bracket for fixing the impact beam. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a side door to which a vehicle side door structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, as viewed from the inside in a vehicle width direction. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an internal structure of the side door. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view including a main portion of the side door. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view including a door latch attachment portion of the side door. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. [Figure 6] 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a spot welding structure between an inner panel of the side door and a door latch reinforcement. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram of spot weld peeling in a side door of a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view of a side door 100 to which a vehicle side door structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the side door 100, as viewed from the outside in the vehicle width direction, for explaining the internal structure of the side door 100. In Fig. 2, an outer panel 3, which will be described later, has been removed. In the figure, the arrow Fr direction indicates the front of the vehicle in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the arrow O direction indicates the outside of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction (vehicle width direction), and the arrow U direction indicates the upper side of the vehicle in the vehicle vertical direction. In the following description, "front" and "rear" correspond to the front and rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and "upper" and "lower" correspond to the upper and lower in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0012] [Side door overview] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the side door 100 includes a door body 1, a hinge 1a, a door latch 1b, an impact beam 10, and a door outer center reinforcement 30, and is a hinge-type door that opens and closes a part of a door opening opened on a side of a vehicle body. In this embodiment, the side door 100 is a front side door. In the following, a case where the side door 100 is applied to a front side door on the left side when an occupant in the vehicle cabin looks forward in the front-rear direction of the vehicle will be described.

[0013] The door body 1 has an inner panel 2 and an outer panel 3 arranged on the outer side of the inner panel 2 in the vehicle width direction. Each panel (2, 3) is formed by pressing a thin metal steel plate. The door body 1 (in other words, the inner panel 2 and the outer panel 3) has a generally rectangular outer shape in a plan view seen from the vehicle width direction, and a window hole 1c for a slide glass is opened in the center of the upper half area. In addition, in a plan view seen from the vehicle width direction, each of the upper and lower corners (rear lower corner C1, rear upper corner C2) at the rear of the door body 1 is formed as a generally right angle corner, and the front lower corner C3 is rounded in an R shape. Although not shown in the figure, a resin trim is attached to the inner side of the door body 1 in the vehicle width direction (i.e., the inner panel 2).

[0014] The hinge 1a is attached to the front of the door body 1 in the vehicle front-rear direction, and connects the door body 1 to the front of the door opening on the side of the vehicle body so as to be rotatable in the vehicle width direction. In other words, the door body 1 has its front connected to the vehicle body (not shown) via the hinge 1a, and the side door 100 is connected to the vehicle body so as to be rotatable (openable and closable) in the vehicle width direction with the hinge 1a as a fulcrum. In detail, the two hinges 1a are attached to the front of the door body 1 spaced apart from each other in the vehicle up-down direction, and the rotation axis of each hinge 1a extends in the vehicle up-down direction.

[0015] The door latch 1b is a component that keeps the door body 1 in a closed state by engaging with a striker S provided at the front edge of the door opening on the side of the vehicle body, and is fixed to the rear side of the inner panel 2 in the vehicle front-rear direction within the door body 1 via a door latch reinforcement 11. Most of the door latch 1b is made of a resin member from the viewpoint of waterproofing. A door handle (not shown) is provided on the outer panel 3 of the door body 1, and when the door handle is operated, the door closed state is released.

[0016] The inner panel 2 is a member that constitutes the panel on the inside in the vehicle width direction of the door body 1, and has an outer edge portion that is connected to an outer edge portion of the outer panel 3. In Fig. 1, the inner surface 2a in the vehicle width direction of the inner panel 2 is mainly visible, and in Fig. 2, the outer surface 2b in the vehicle width direction of the inner panel 2 is visible. The detailed structure of the inner panel 2 will be described later.

[0017] The outer panel 3 faces the outer surface 2b of the inner panel 2 in the vehicle width direction, and is a member that constitutes the outermost wall (design surface) in the vehicle width direction of the side door 100. The outer edge of the outer panel 3 is hemmed to be integrated with the inner panel 2, and constitutes a closed cross-sectional structure in cooperation with the inner panel 2. In other words, the door body 1 is constituted by connecting the outer edge of the inner panel 2 and the outer edge of the outer panel 3 to each other.

[0018] The impact beam 10 extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction within the door body 1. The impact beam 10 is a linearly extending member for suppressing deformation of the side door 100 during a side collision, and is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape. The impact beam 10 extends over substantially the entire vehicle longitudinal direction in the lower region within the door body 1. A rear end 10a of the impact beam 10 is fixed to the inner panel 2 (the outer surface 2b in the vehicle width direction) via a bracket 12 located below the door latch 1b, and a front end 10b of the impact beam 10 is fixed, for example, to the outer surface 2b in the vehicle width direction of the inner panel 2 via another bracket 13. A plurality of holes 2c are opened in the inner panel 2, and in FIG. 1, a part of the impact beam 10 and a part of the door outer center reinforcement 30 are visible through the holes 2c.

[0019] The door outer center reinforcement 30 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction above the impact beam 10 inside the door body 1. The door outer center reinforcement 30 is a linearly extending member for preventing dents (deformations) in the outer panel 3 constituting the design surface of the side door 100, and is formed, for example, by press molding a thin metal steel plate. The door outer center reinforcement 30 extends over almost the entire vehicle front-rear direction in the lower region inside the door body 1, and is fixed to at least the vehicle width direction inner surface 3a of the outer panel 3. Specifically, the door outer center reinforcement 30 is joined to the vehicle width direction inner surface 3a of the outer panel 3 at multiple points in its longitudinal direction via hard sponge-like members (not shown). In addition, the front end of the door outer center reinforcement 30 is joined to the back surface of the front portion of the inner panel 2 (the outer surface 2b in the vehicle width direction) by spot welding, and the rear end of the door outer center reinforcement 30 is joined to the back surface of the rear portion of the inner panel 2 (the outer surface 2b in the vehicle width direction) by spot welding.

[0020] [Outline of the inner panel] The structure of the inner panel 2 will be described below with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5. Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view including a main part of the side door 100, Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view including a door latch attachment portion of the side door 100, and Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in Fig. 3.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the inner panel 2 has an inner annular wall 21 on the outer edge of the inner panel 2, and a main portion 2A consisting of a main wall 22 and a vertical wall 23 which occupy most of the area below the window hole 1c in the inner panel 2.

[0022] In addition to the above elements (21, 2A (22, 23)), the inner panel 2 has a panel peripheral edge 24 extending from its own outer edge to the annular wall 21, and a window edge 25 around the window hole 1c, and these (21, 22, 23, 24, 25) are integrally formed.

[0023] The annular wall 21 is a portion facing the vehicle width direction inside the panel peripheral portion 24, and extends in an annular shape. In other words, the annular wall 21 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction and the vehicle up-down direction inside the panel peripheral portion 24, and faces the vehicle width direction inside. The main portion 2A (main wall 22, vertical wall 23) and the window edge portion 25 are located inside the annular wall 21. The annular wall 21 has a flat annular surface facing the vehicle width direction inside (inside the passenger compartment). This annular surface constitutes a part of the vehicle width direction inner side surface 2a of the inner panel 2. An elastic annular weather strip 26 (sealing member) abuts against the annular wall 21 (the annular surface) from the vehicle width direction inside (see Figs. 4 and 5). Note that the weather strip 26 is omitted in Figs. 1 and 3.

[0024] In other words, the annular wall 21 is a portion that forms a contact surface with which the weather strip 26 comes into contact. In a plan view seen from the vehicle width direction, the annular wall 21 extends, for the most part, along the outer edge of the inner panel 2 near the inside of the outer edge. However, as shown in Fig. 1, a portion of the annular wall 21 on the inside of a rear lower corner C1 of the door body 1 extends so as to largely retreat (move away) from the outer edge (rear lower corner C1) forward and upward of the vehicle due to restrictions such as the structure of the vehicle side. The portion of the main part 2A (main wall 22 and vertical wall 23) on the side of the rear lower corner C1 is also formed so as to retreat in a similar manner.

[0025] Specifically, the rear annular wall 21a, which is the portion of the annular wall 21 at the rear of the vehicle, extends so as to bend toward the front of the vehicle at a bent portion 21a1 provided at a predetermined position between a middle position and a lower end position in the vertical direction of the vehicle and closer to the middle position. In other words, the rear annular wall 21a extends generally in the vertical direction from the rear upper corner C2 side toward the bent portion 21a1, and then bends in a smooth R-shape toward the front of the vehicle at the bent portion 21a1, and extends linearly from the bent portion 21a1 to the portion of the annular wall 21 below the vehicle.

[0026] The main part 2A is composed of a main wall 22 and a vertical wall 23, and is located below the window edge part 25, continuous with the window edge part 25, and inside the annular wall 21. In other words, the main part 2A occupies most of the area below the window edge part 25 in the inner panel 2. The main part 2A is formed so as to bulge significantly toward the inside in the vehicle width direction as a whole. When viewed toward the vehicle width direction outer surface 2b of the inner panel 2, the main part 2A is formed so as to have a shape that is recessed toward the inside in the vehicle width direction as a whole, and cooperates with the outer panel 3 to form a storage chamber that stores various components and equipment such as the impact beam 10.

[0027] The main wall 22 of the main portion 2A faces inward in the vehicle width direction inside the annular wall 21 and is located more inward in the vehicle width direction than the annular wall 21, and occupies most of the area of ​​the inner surface 2a of the inner panel 2 in the vehicle width direction.

[0028] The vertical wall 23 of the main portion 2A is a portion that connects the annular wall 21 and the main wall 22. In other words, the vertical wall 23 connects between the inner edge of the annular wall 21 and the outer edge of the main wall 22, and is provided so as to fill in the step portion between the annular wall 21 and the main wall 22 in the vehicle width direction.

[0029] The main part 2A has an inner part of the rear lower corner C1 of the door body 1 formed to be largely retracted from the rear lower corner C1 toward the front and upper part of the vehicle in accordance with the shape of the rear annular wall 21a. Therefore, the rear vertical wall 23a, which is the rear end part of the vertical wall 23 of the main part 2A in the vehicle front-rear direction, is bent in accordance with the shape of the rear annular wall 21a. That is, the rear vertical wall 23a extends so as to be bent toward the front of the vehicle at a bent part 23a1 provided at a predetermined position corresponding to the bent part 21a1 of the rear annular wall 21a. Specifically, the rear vertical wall 23a extends in a substantially vertical direction from the rear upper corner C2 side toward the bent part 23a1, and then bends in a smooth R-shape toward the front of the vehicle at the bent part 23a1, and extends linearly from the bent part 23a1 to the lower part of the vertical wall 23.

[0030] The portion including the bent portion 23a1 of the rear vertical wall 23a is continuously connected to the portion including the bent portion 21a1 of the rear annular wall 21a. Therefore, the bent portion region W, which is a region corresponding to the bent portion 23a1 of the rear vertical wall 23a in the valley line V, which is a corner where the annular wall 21 and the vertical wall 23 intersect, is bent not only in the vehicle width direction but also in the vehicle front-rear direction. Therefore, in the door body 1, stress and load tend to be concentrated in the bent portion region W of the valley line V during opening and closing of the door (particularly when the door is closed) or during a side collision.

[0031] The panel peripheral portion 24 is a portion extending from the outer edge of the inner panel 2 to the annular wall 21. The overall thickness of the door body 1 in the vehicle width direction (door thickness) is thick at the main portion 2A and thin at the panel peripheral portion 24. In other words, the outer panel 3 of the door body 1 is formed flat without any irregularities in the vehicle width direction, and the inner panel 2 of the door body 1 is configured to be thin at the panel peripheral portion 24 in the vehicle width direction.

[0032] In addition, a portion of the panel peripheral portion 24 including the rear lower corner C1 spreads over a larger area than other portions, and forms a retraction surface portion 24a that is generally in the shape of a right-angled triangle in a plan view seen from the vehicle width direction. The retraction surface portion 24a is located at the rear end side of the door body 1 that rotates in the vehicle width direction around the hinge 1a as a fulcrum, on the opposite side to the hinge 1a, and is thinner in the vehicle width direction than other portions of the door body 1. Therefore, this retraction surface portion 24a is a portion that is likely to sway and vibrate in the vehicle width direction, etc., when the door is opened or closed, etc.

[0033] In this embodiment, the retraction surface portion 24 a is continuous with the inner annular wall 21 and forms a part of the annular wall 21 .

[0034] The window edge portion 25 constitutes the opening edge of the window hole 1c and is a portion located inside the annular wall 21 in a plan view seen in the vehicle width direction.

[0035] [Details of the side door structure] Next, the detailed structure of the side door 100 will be mainly described.

[0036] [Door latch mounting structure] A cutout 2d is formed at a rear corner of the main part 2A of the inner panel 2, extending from the rear vertical wall 23a to the main wall 22, and a striker engagement opening 1b1 of the door latch 1b fits into the cutout 2d. The striker S enters the striker engagement opening 1b1 and engages with the door latch 1b. The cutout 2d of the inner panel 2 is located approximately in the center of the vehicle up-down direction on the rear side (rear vertical wall 23a) of the inner panel 2 in the vehicle front-rear direction.

[0037] As described above, the door latch 1b is fixed to the rear side of the inner panel 2 in the vehicle front-rear direction within the door main body 1 via the door latch reinforcement 11. The door latch reinforcement 11 is formed by performing press molding or the like on a thin metal steel plate. The door latch reinforcement 11 is a base member that supports the door latch 1b, and is provided between the door latch 1b and the inner panel 2 for reinforcement. In other words, the door latch reinforcement 11 is provided at a door latch attachment location (location location) on the back surface of the inner panel 2 (the inner surface of the door main body 1 including the outer surface 2b of the inner panel 2 in the vehicle width direction), and the door latch 1b is fixed to the inner panel 2 via the door latch reinforcement 11.

[0038] The door latch reinforcement 11 is joined to the rear surface of the inner panel 2 by spot welding and is fixed (held) to the inner panel 2 by fastening with a fastener T (see Figs. 3 and 4) consisting of, for example, a bolt. A fastener (bolt) insertion hole is opened in both portions of the notch 2d in the rear vertical wall 23a of the inner panel 2 in the vehicle up-down direction and in the door latch reinforcement 11. A threaded portion that screws with the fastener T is formed in the door latch 1b. With the end face of the door latch 1b on the inner panel 2 side abutted against the door latch reinforcement 11 joined to the inner panel 2, the fastener T inserted through the fastener insertion hole screws into the threaded portion of the door latch 1b. As a result, the door latch 1b is fixed to the rear portion of the inner panel 2 in the vehicle front-rear direction via the door latch reinforcement 11.

[0039] In this embodiment, the door latch reinforcement 11 is fixed to the rear vertical wall 23a and the main wall 22 (see Figs. 2 to 4). Specifically, the door latch reinforcement 11 is formed so as to surround the periphery of the cutout portion 2d in the inner panel 2 and to follow the rear vertical wall 23a and the main wall 22 from the back surface side of the inner panel 2, and is bent to match the rear side corner portion of the main portion 2A. In Figs. 3 and 4, the spot welding points between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the inner panel 2 are typically indicated by filled-in circles.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, the door latch reinforcement 11 (in other words, the door latch 1b and the striker S) is located above the bent region W of the valley V where stress and load are likely to concentrate in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0041] [Installation structure for rear end of impact beam] As described above, the rear end 10a of the impact beam 10 is fixed to the inner panel 2 (the outer surface 2b in the vehicle width direction) via the bracket 12 located below the door latch 1b. The bracket 12 is formed by subjecting a thin metal steel plate to press molding or the like. The bracket 12 is fixed (held) to the inner panel 2 by being joined to the back surface of the inner panel 2 by spot welding.

[0042] In this embodiment, the bracket 12 is fixed to the rear vertical wall 23a and the annular wall 21 (see FIG. 2). Specifically, the bracket 12 is formed below the door latch 1b and the door latch reinforcement 11 so as to follow the rear vertical wall 23a and the annular wall 21 from the back side of the inner panel 2, and is bent to match the corner where the rear vertical wall 23a and the annular wall 21 intersect. In detail, the bracket 12 is joined to the annular wall 21 by being joined by spot welding to the retreat surface portion 24a of the panel peripheral portion 24 that is continuous with the annular wall 21 and forms a part of the annular wall 21. In addition, a curved portion curved to match the cross-sectional shape of the impact beam 10 is formed in the portion of the bracket 12 that is joined to the annular wall 21 (the retreat surface portion 24a), and the rear end portion 10a of the impact beam 10 is fixed to the inner panel 2 via the bracket 12 by being welded to the curved portion of the bracket 12.

[0043] 3, the bracket 12 (in other words, the rear end 10a of the impact beam 10) is located lower than the bent region W in the vehicle up-down direction. In other words, the bent region W is located between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the bracket 12 in the vehicle up-down direction.

[0044] [Details of the door structure] The inner panel 2 of the door body 1 has the following elements (structures) in addition to the above-mentioned elements (21, 22, 23, 24, 25).

[0045] The inner panel 2 has a plurality of beads B that are provided at a distance from each other in the vehicle up-down direction in a portion of the rear vertical wall 23a between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the bracket 12 in the vehicle up-down direction. That is, in this embodiment, the plurality of beads B are provided in a portion of the rear vertical wall 23a that corresponds to the bent portion region W in the vehicle up-down direction. Although not particularly limited, four beads B are formed in the figure.

[0046] The beads B extend in the vehicle up-down direction in a portion of the rear vertical wall 23a between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the bracket 12 in the wall height direction between the annular wall 21 and the main wall 22. Therefore, the wall height direction between the annular wall 21 and the main wall 22 in the rear vertical wall 23a, which is the direction in which each bead B extends, is generally oriented in the rotation direction (movement direction) of the rear end portion of the door body 1 with the hinge 1a as a fulcrum.

[0047] In this embodiment, each bead B extends from the end of the rear vertical wall 23a on the main wall 22 side to just before the contact portion of the weatherstrip 26. That is, the bead B extends from the rear side corner of the main portion 2A of the inner panel 2 (in other words, the mountain portion where the rear vertical wall 23a and the main wall 22 intersect) to a position just before the contact portion (contact range) of the weatherstrip 26 with the rear vertical wall 23a. Therefore, the bead B is not formed in the range from the valley V, which is the corner where the annular wall 21 and the vertical wall 23 intersect (more specifically, the bent portion region W, which is the region of the valley V corresponding to the bent portion 23a1 of the rear vertical wall 23a), to the upper end of the contact portion of the rear vertical wall 23a with the weatherstrip 26.

[0048] In this embodiment, each bead B bulges out toward the front side in the vehicle front-rear direction at the bead forming portion of the rear vertical wall 23a, and is formed to be wider from the annular wall 21 side toward the main wall 22 side. That is, each bead B is recessed toward the inside of the door body 1 more than other parts of the rear vertical wall 23a on the vehicle width direction inner surface 2a side of the inner panel 2 (see Figs. 1 and 3), and protrudes toward the inside of the door body 1 more than other parts of the rear vertical wall 23a on the vehicle width direction outer surface 2b side of the inner panel 2. Also, when viewed from the inside of the door body 1, each bead B has, for example, a roughly trapezoidal cross section (mountain shape) protruding toward the inside of the door body 1, and is composed of a flat portion of the trapezoidal apex and side wall portions on both sides in the bead width direction. And the distance between the side wall portions on both sides in the bead width direction of each bead B increases from the annular wall 21 side toward the main wall 22 side. Although not particularly limited, the depth of each bead B is, for example, about 3 mm to 4 mm.

[0049] In addition, the portion of the rear vertical wall 23a to which the bracket 12 is joined is also formed to be slightly recessed toward the inside of the door body 1, similar to the bead B. Furthermore, the portion of the rear vertical wall 23a to which the door latch reinforcement 11 is joined is also formed to be slightly recessed toward the inside of the door body 1. This improves the strength of the portions of the rear vertical wall 23a to which the bracket 12 and the door latch reinforcement 11 are joined.

[0050] In this embodiment, the door body 1 has an impact mitigation member 27. The impact mitigation member 27 is attached to a predetermined location between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the bracket 12 in the vehicle up-down direction in a portion of the main wall 22 on the rear vertical wall 23a side (in other words, a portion on the rear side corner side of the main part 2A of the inner panel 2, or a portion on the mountain side where the rear vertical wall 23a and the main wall 22 intersect). The impact mitigation member 27 is one of the components for efficiently transmitting the inertial energy of the side door 100 with the hinge 1a as a fulcrum, which is generated when the side door 100 is closed, to the vehicle body side. The impact mitigation member 27 is made of a cylindrical member having elasticity, such as cushion rubber. When attached to the main wall 22, the impact mitigation member 27 protrudes toward the inside of the vehicle width direction (inside the vehicle cabin) from the main wall 22, and comes into contact with the vehicle body when the door is closed to mitigate the impact.

[0051] In this embodiment, a rear end portion 30a in the vehicle front-rear direction of the door outer center reinforcement 30 in the door body 1 is located between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the bracket 12 in the vehicle up-down direction.

[0052] Next, the operation of the vehicle side door structure according to this embodiment will be described.

[0053] In the side door 100 to which the above-mentioned vehicle side door structure is applied, (1) the wall height direction between the annular wall 21 and the main wall 22 in the rear vertical wall 23a, which is the extension direction of each bead B, is generally oriented in the rotation direction (movement direction) of the rear end of the door main body 1 with the hinge 1a as the fulcrum. Therefore, the multiple beads B extend so as to effectively brace against the load in the rotation direction with the hinge 1a as the fulcrum, and the door main body 1 has a structure that is strong against the load in the rotation direction when the door is closed. As a result, when the side door 100 is closed, the load of the rear end side part of the outer panel 3 that tries to move toward the passenger compartment in the rotation direction with the hinge 1a as the fulcrum due to inertia and the load of the rear end of the impact beam 10, etc., can be effectively received by the rear vertical wall 23a having the multiple beads B. (2) Furthermore, since the beads B are provided at a distance from each other in the vehicle vertical direction in the portion of the rear vertical wall 23a between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the bracket 12 in the vehicle vertical direction, a three-dimensional structure is formed in the rear vertical wall 23a between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the bracket 12, improving the rigidity of the rear vertical wall 23a and dispersing the input load and possible stress relatively uniformly. This effectively suppresses or prevents the concentration of load and stress at the joints (spot welded parts and bolt fastening parts) between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the inner panel 2 and the joints (spot welded parts) between the bracket 12 and the inner panel 2. As a result, the reliability of the holding performance of the door latch reinforcement and the holding performance of the bracket for fixing the impact beam is improved.

[0054] A durability test was conducted by repeatedly opening and closing the door for the side door 100 according to the present embodiment in which the bead B is formed on the rear vertical wall 23a and the side door 100' in which the bead B is not formed on the rear vertical wall 23a (hereinafter, referred to as the side door 100' according to the comparative example). FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the spot welding structure between the inner panel 2 and the door latch reinforcement 11 of the side door 100, and FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of spot welding peeling between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the inner panel 2 in the side door 100' of the comparative example. In FIG. 6, an example of the spot welding portion between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the inner panel 2 is shown by a circle. Similarly, in FIG. 7, an example of the spot welding portion is shown by a circle.

[0055] As a result of the durability test, it was confirmed that in the side door 100 according to the present embodiment, the plastic strain at the joints (spot welded and bolted) between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the inner panel 2 was reduced compared to the side door according to the comparative example, and the plastic strain at the joints (spot welded) between the bracket 12 and the inner panel 2 was also reduced compared to the side door according to the comparative example. For example, after the durability test, spot weld peeling did not occur at the spot welded parts between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the inner panel 2 of the side door 100 according to the present embodiment as shown in FIG. 6. The same was true for the spot welded parts between the bracket 12 and the inner panel 2. On the other hand, in the side door according to the comparative example, spot weld peeling sometimes occurred at the spot welded parts between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the inner panel 2 as shown in FIG. 7.

[0056] In this way, according to the side door 100 of this embodiment, a vehicle side door structure can be provided that can improve the reliability of the holding performance of the door latch reinforcement 11 and the holding performance of the bracket 12 for fixing the impact beam.

[0057] In addition, the side door 100 has durability that can prevent cracks and peeling from occurring at the spot welded portion of the bracket 12 even if the door is repeatedly opened and closed. Therefore, in the event of a side collision, the bracket 12 is unlikely to break off from the inner panel 2, so that the impact energy at the time of a collision with a pole or the like can be reliably absorbed by the bending deformation of the impact beam 10, and the side door 100 has a structure that is effective against pole collisions. In addition, in general, once the design and configuration of the vehicle body is determined, unlike other parts, it is often difficult to move the position of the impact beam 10. However, in the side door 100, in the structure for improving the reliability of the holding performance of the door latch reinforcement 11 and the bracket 12, there is no need to change the position (layout) of the impact beam 10 itself, so there is no impact on the design and configuration of the vehicle body. In addition, the structure improves the reliability of the holding performance by simply changing the shape of the rear vertical wall 23a (the arrangement of the bead B), and there is no need to add new parts, so that the reliability can be improved at low cost and without increasing weight.

[0058] In this embodiment, the plurality of beads B are provided in the rear vertical wall 23a in a portion corresponding to the bent portion region W in the vehicle up-down direction. As a result, the plurality of beads B increase the rigidity of the bent portion region W, which is a weak portion where stress or load is likely to be concentrated in the valley line V during door opening / closing (particularly door closing) or a side collision.

[0059] In this embodiment, the door latch reinforcement 11 is fixed to the rear vertical wall 23a and the main wall 22, and the bracket 12 is fixed to the rear vertical wall 23a and the annular wall 21. That is, in the door latch reinforcement 11, the bead B reinforces the rear side corner portion (in other words, the mountain portion where the rear vertical wall 23a and the main wall 22 intersect) in the main portion 2A of the inner panel 2. On the other hand, the bracket 12 reinforces the valley line V (here, the bent portion region W, which is the region of the valley line V corresponding to the bent portion 23a1 of the rear vertical wall 23a) which is the corner portion where the annular wall 21 and the vertical wall 23 intersect. Therefore, the side door 100 has a structure in which the portion between both elements (11, 12) in the rear vertical wall 23a is reinforced by a plurality of beads B in a state in which both the door latch reinforcement 11 and the bracket 12 are joined to the rear vertical wall 23a and are spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction. As a result, a highly rigid structure is constructed in which the rear end portion of the door body 1 is three-dimensionally linked from the annular wall 21 to the main wall 22. This effectively suppresses bending deformation originating from the rear corner portion (ridge portion) of the main portion 2A or the valley V, which may occur in a conventional structure during a side collision or the like, in the side door 100 according to this embodiment, and allows the side door 100 to effectively absorb the collision energy during a side collision.

[0060] In addition, since the rear vertical wall 23a on which the multiple beads B are formed has joints (spot welded parts and bolted parts) with the door latch reinforcement 11, peeling of the spot weld between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the inner panel 2 is effectively prevented. As a result, in the case of a side collision, the opening deformation (see FIG. 7) of the L-shaped cross section of the door latch reinforcement 11 that may occur in the conventional structure is effectively suppressed in the structure according to this embodiment as shown in FIG. 6. Therefore, in the structure according to this embodiment, it is possible to effectively suppress the door latch 1b from falling off and the door opening in the case of a side collision.

[0061] In this embodiment, the bracket 12 is joined to the retraction surface portion 24a, which is continuous with the annular wall 21 and forms part of the annular wall 21, and therefore the shaking of the retraction surface portion 24a, which is prone to shaking when the door is opened and closed, etc., can be effectively suppressed.

[0062] In this embodiment, the rear end 30a of the door outer center reinforcement 30 in the vehicle front-rear direction is located between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the bracket 12 in the vehicle up-down direction. In other words, the highly rigid rear vertical wall 23a on which the multiple beads B are formed is located on the passenger compartment side of the rear end 30a of the door outer center reinforcement 30. This allows the rear vertical wall 23a to effectively receive the load of the rear end 30a of the door outer center reinforcement 30, which tends to move toward the passenger compartment together with the outer panel 3 in the rotation direction about the hinge 1a as a fulcrum due to inertia when the door is closed. As a result, it is possible to effectively avoid the concentration of load and stress at the joints (spot welded parts and bolt fastening parts) between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the inner panel 2 and the joints (spot welded parts) between the bracket 12 and the inner panel 2.

[0063] In this embodiment, the impact absorbing member 27 is attached to a predetermined location between the door latch reinforcement 11 and the bracket 12 in the vehicle up-down direction in the portion of the main wall 22 on the rear vertical wall 23a side. As a result, even if an occupant or the like unintentionally closes the side door 100 with a strong force, the impact absorbing member 27 can absorb excess energy and more effectively prevent concentration of stress and load at the above-mentioned joints and the like in the inner panel 2.

[0064] In this embodiment, the bead B extends from the end of the rear vertical wall 23a on the main wall 22 side to just before the contact portion of the weatherstrip 26. This maintains the seal between the weatherstrip 26 and the rear vertical wall 23a, while suppressing deformation of the bent portion 23a1 of the rear vertical wall 23a and the bent portion 21a1 of the rear annular wall 21a, and the weatherstrip 26 comes into uniform contact with the contact surface on the vehicle body side without any gaps, resulting in more effective suppression of concentration of stress and load on the inner panel 2 side.

[0065] In this embodiment, the bead B is formed at a bead forming portion of the rear vertical wall 23a to bulge forward in the vehicle front-rear direction and to become wider from the annular wall 21 side toward the main wall 22 side. This makes it possible to form the rear vertical wall 23a having the bead B by press molding while effectively suppressing the occurrence of wrinkles.

[0066] The number of beads B is not limited to four. For example, the number of beads B may be any number equal to or greater than three. Although the side door 100 is applied to the left front side door, it may also be applied to the right front side door. In this case, a structure that is reversed to the left and right in the vehicle width direction from the above-mentioned structure is applied. The structure of the side door 100 may also be applied to the structure of a rear side door.

[0067] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and further modifications and changes are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1...door body, 1a...hinge, 1b...door latch, 2...inner panel, 3...outer panel, 10...impact beam, 10a...rear end, 11...door latch reinforcement, 12...bracket, 21...annular wall, 22...main wall, 23...vertical wall, 23a...rear vertical wall, 26...weather strip, 27...impact absorbing member, 30...door outer center reinforcement, 30a...rear end, B...bead

Claims

1. A vehicle side door structure including: a door body having an inner panel and an outer panel arranged on the outer side of the inner panel in a vehicle width direction; a hinge attached to a front part of the door body in a vehicle front-rear direction; a door latch fixed within the door body to a rear side of the inner panel in the vehicle front-rear direction via a door latch reinforcement; and an impact beam extending in the vehicle front-rear direction within the door body and having a rear end fixed to the inner panel via a bracket located below the door latch, The inner panel is an annular wall facing an inner side in a vehicle width direction and against which a weather strip abuts; a main wall facing inward in a vehicle width direction on an inner side of the annular wall and positioned more inward in the vehicle width direction than the annular wall; a vertical wall connecting the annular wall and the main wall; A plurality of beads are provided in a portion between the door latch reinforcement and the bracket in the vehicle up-down direction in a rear vertical wall of the vertical wall at a rear end side in the vehicle front-rear direction, the beads being spaced apart from each other in the vehicle up-down direction and extending in a wall height direction between the annular wall and the main wall; A vehicle side door structure comprising:

2. The door latch reinforcement is fixed to the rear vertical wall and the main wall, The vehicle side door structure according to claim 1 , wherein the bracket is fixed to the rear vertical wall and the annular wall.

3. A door outer center reinforcement extends in the vehicle front-rear direction above the impact beam in the door body and is fixed to at least an inner surface of the outer panel in the vehicle width direction, 3. The vehicle side door structure according to claim 1, wherein a rear end portion of the door outer center reinforcement in a front-rear direction of the vehicle is located between the door latch reinforcement and the bracket in a vertical direction of the vehicle.

4. 4. The vehicle side door structure according to claim 1, wherein the door body has an impact absorbing member attached to a predetermined location between the door latch reinforcement and the bracket in the vehicle up-down direction in the portion of the main wall on the rear vertical wall side.

5. 5. The vehicle side door structure according to claim 1, wherein the bead extends from an end of the rear vertical wall on the main wall side to just before a contact portion with the weather strip.

6. 6. The vehicle side door structure according to claim 1, wherein the bead bulges forward in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction at a bead forming location of the rear vertical wall, and is formed to become wider from the annular wall side toward the main wall side.

Images