Vehicle door assembly with hidden door handle and vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle door assembly with a hidden door handle and a vehicle comprising the vehicle door assembly. The vehicle door assembly (D) comprises a vehicle door outer plate (10) and a vehicle door inner plate (20), wherein the vehicle door outer plate (10) comprises an appearance surface (14) and a handle mounting part (15) which is concave inwards relative to the appearance surface (14); the handle cover plate (50) is immovably assembled to the outer side of the handle mounting part (15) relative to the vehicle door outer plate (10), and the outer surface (501) of the handle cover plate (50) is flush with the appearance surface (14); the door lock mechanism (40) is arranged between the handle cover plate (50) and the handle mounting part (15) and is assembled to the handle mounting part (15). According to the hidden door handle structure of the vehicle door assembly, it can be ensured that the gap and the surface difference between the handle cover plate and the vehicle door outer plate are strictly controlled, and therefore the appearance quality of the vehicle door is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of motor vehicle body construction. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle door assembly with a concealed door handle, and to a vehicle including such a vehicle door assembly. Background Art

[0002] Door handles are important functional parts of vehicle appearance and directly affect consumers' satisfaction with vehicle appearance. Currently, some vehicle manufacturers have adopted hidden door handle designs for more and more models. This design is favored by more and more consumers because it can fully preserve the integrity and smoothness of the door shape curve.

[0003] In the prior art, the hidden door handles of some car models include a door lock mechanism and a cover plate connected to the outside of the door lock mechanism and flush with the door outer panel. When the door needs to be opened, the user pulls the cover plate outward, which can rotate the cover plate outward relative to the door outer panel to unlock the door lock mechanism. However, the disadvantage of this design is that due to assembly tolerance and other reasons, the gap and surface difference between the outer surface of the cover plate and the outer surface of the door outer panel are difficult to strictly control, which directly affects the appearance quality of the door. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle door assembly with a hidden door handle to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned defects in the prior art. More specifically, the hidden door handle structure of the vehicle door assembly according to the present invention can ensure that the gap and surface difference between the handle cover plate and the vehicle door outer panel are strictly controlled, thereby ensuring the appearance quality of the vehicle door.

[0005] To this end, a first aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle door assembly, comprising: a vehicle door outer panel, the vehicle door outer panel including an appearance surface and a handle mounting portion recessed inwardly relative to the appearance surface; a handle cover plate, the handle cover plate is immovably assembled to the outer side of the handle mounting portion relative to the vehicle door outer panel, and the outer surface of the handle cover plate is flush with the appearance surface; and a door lock mechanism, the door lock mechanism is arranged between the handle cover plate and the handle mounting portion and assembled to the handle mounting portion.

[0006] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the handle cover has a first edge and a second edge opposite to each other, and includes a plurality of first mounting portions arranged along the first edge and a plurality of second mounting portions arranged along the second edge, so as to be assembled to the handle mounting portion through the plurality of first mounting portions and the plurality of second mounting portions.

[0007] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the plurality of first mounting portions is snap-connected to the handle mounting portion.

[0008] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the door assembly further includes a first sealing strip, which is assembled to the door outer panel along the first edge and is provided with at least one clip, wherein at least one of the plurality of first mounting portions is snap-connected to the corresponding clip.

[0009] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the plurality of second mounting portions is assembled to the handle mounting portion by a rivet.

[0010] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle door assembly further includes a second sealing strip, which is assembled to the vehicle door outer panel and covers the rivet.

[0011] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle door assembly further includes a first sealing foam, which is assembled to the inner surface of the handle cover and fills a gap between the handle cover and the door lock mechanism.

[0012] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle door assembly further comprises at least one second sealing foam, and the at least one second sealing foam is assembled to the inner surface of the handle cover along at least one edge of the handle cover.

[0013] A second aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle including a side panel and a door assembly according to the first aspect of the present invention mounted to the side panel.

[0014] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle further includes an exterior trim panel, which is mounted to an outer side of the side outer panel and includes a recessed portion recessed inwardly adjacent to the handle cover.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the vehicle door assembly with a hidden door handle according to the present invention has multiple beneficial technical effects, especially: the door lock mechanism is fixed to the vehicle door outer panel, and the handle cover is fixed to the vehicle door outer panel in a relatively non-movable manner and covers the door lock mechanism. The user can put his hand behind the handle cover to unlock the door lock mechanism, and pull the handle cover outward to open the vehicle door. This structure can therefore ensure that the gap and surface difference between the handle cover and the vehicle door outer panel are strictly controlled, thereby improving the appearance quality of the vehicle door. In addition, this handle cover has a simple structure, is easy to install, and has a low cost, and can be widely used on various types of vehicles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood through the following preferred embodiments described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same or similar components.

[0017] Figure 1is a partial schematic diagram of the outer side of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An enlarged schematic diagram of a handle cover area in a vehicle;

[0019] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The schematic diagram after the handle cover is hidden in the middle;

[0020] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the outer side of a handle cover in a vehicle;

[0021] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the inside of a handle cover in a vehicle;

[0022] Figure 6 It is along Figure 2 and Figure 4 A schematic cross-sectional view of section AA in FIG.

[0023] Figure 7 It is along Figure 2 and Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a cross section taken at section BB or section CC.

[0024] All components in the accompanying drawings are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to exact scale. It can be understood that the accompanying drawings can not only be used for specific explanation and description of the present invention, but also help to define the present invention when necessary. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The implementation and use of specific embodiments are discussed in detail below. However, it should be understood that the specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to implement and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0026] In this specification, when describing the structural position of each component, expressions indicating directions such as "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", "rear", "top", "bottom" are not absolute, but relative. When the components are arranged as shown in the figure, these expressions indicating directions are appropriate, but when the positions of the components in the figure change, these expressions indicating directions should also change accordingly. In addition, "inside" and "outside" are defined with reference to the inside and outside directions of the vehicle, for example, "inside" refers to the side facing the inside of the vehicle, and "outside" refers to the side facing the outside of the vehicle.

[0027] In addition, in this specification and the drawings, the X direction corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (i.e., the front-to-back direction, also indicating the driving direction of the vehicle), the Y direction corresponds to the lateral direction of the vehicle (i.e., the left-right direction at a 90-degree angle to the driving direction), and the Z direction corresponds to the vertical direction of the vehicle (i.e., the up-down direction).

[0028] The following uses Figures 1 to 7 A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0029] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the vehicle body side rear structure of the vehicle V according to the present invention includes a side wall outer panel 60 and a door assembly D and a C-pillar outer panel 70 assembled to the side wall outer panel 60 , wherein the door assembly D has a hidden door handle.

[0030] More specifically, the vehicle door assembly D includes a vehicle door outer panel 10, a door lock mechanism 40, and a handle cover plate 50, wherein the vehicle door outer panel 10 includes an appearance surface 14 and a handle mounting portion 15 that is recessed inwardly relative to the appearance surface 14 behind a rear quarter window region W of the vehicle door outer panel 10, the handle cover plate 50 is immovably mounted to the outer side of the handle mounting portion 15 relative to the vehicle door outer panel 10, and an outer surface 501 of the handle cover plate 50 is substantially flush with the appearance surface 14 of the vehicle door outer panel 10, and the door lock mechanism 40 is arranged between the handle cover plate 50 and the handle mounting portion 15 and is fixed thereto by screws 41 (e.g., Figure 3 The two screws 41 shown in FIG. 4 are assembled to the handle mounting portion 15. Thus, the door lock mechanism 40 can be covered by the handle cover 50 so as not to be visible from the outside of the vehicle V.

[0031] The C-pillar outer trim 70 is assembled to the outer side of the side outer panel 60 behind the handle cover 50, and includes an appearance surface 72 that is substantially flush with the outer surface 501 of the handle cover 50 and a recess 71 that is adjacent to the handle cover 50 and is recessed inward relative to the outer surface 501 thereof. Therefore, the user can extend his hand from the recess 71 on the C-pillar outer trim 70 into the back of the handle cover 50 to unlock the door lock mechanism 40, and pull the handle cover 50 outward to open the door. It can be understood that since the handle cover 50 is fixed to the door outer panel 10 in a non-movable manner and is not a component of the door lock mechanism 40, it is possible to ensure that the gap and face difference between the handle cover 50 and the door outer panel 10 are strictly controlled, effectively improving the appearance quality of the door.

[0032] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the handle cover 50 has a front edge 51 and a rear edge 52, and an upper edge 53 and a lower edge 54 that are opposite to each other, and includes a plurality of first mounting portions arranged along the front edge 51 and a plurality of second mounting portions arranged along the rear edge 52 on the inner surface 502 of the handle cover 50, so as to be assembled to the outer side of the handle mounting portion 15 of the door outer panel 10 through these first mounting portions and second mounting portions. In the embodiment shown, the handle cover 50 includes three first mounting portions 55, 56, 57 arranged in sequence from bottom to top along the front edge 51 and two second mounting portions 58, 59 arranged in sequence from bottom to top along the rear edge 52.

[0033] More specifically, if Figures 2 to 7 As shown, the door assembly D also includes a first sealing strip 20, which is assembled to the rear of the rear corner window area W of the door outer panel 10 along the front edge 51 of the handle cover 50 and is provided with at least one clip 21, such as two clips 21 embedded in the first sealing strip 20 made of rubber and protruding backward, and the three first mounting portions 55, 56, and 57 are all clips protruding from the inner surface 502 of the handle cover 50. Among them, the first mounting portion 55 arranged at the bottom of the handle cover 50 (i.e., passed through by section AA) is directly snap-connected to the snap-in hole 12 on the handle mounting portion 15 of the door outer panel 10, and the door assembly D also includes a sealing member 96 arranged around the snap-in hole 12 to play a waterproof and noise-proof role; and the two first mounting portions 56 and 57 respectively arranged at the middle and lower part (i.e., passed through by section BB) and the top (i.e., passed through by section CC) of the handle cover 50 are snap-connected to the snap-in holes 22 on the corresponding snap-in members 21, so that the handle cover 50 is assembled to the door outer panel 10 along its front edge 51.

[0034] like Figures 3 to 7 As shown, the door assembly D further includes a second sealing strip 30 assembled to the rear edge of the door outer panel 10 and a sealing strip frame 31 for supporting the second sealing strip 30. The two second mounting portions 58, 59 both protrude from the inner surface 502 of the handle cover 50 and are provided with rivet holes, and the rear edge portion 11 of the handle mounting portion 15 of the door outer panel 10 is provided with two mounting holes 13 corresponding to the rivet holes of the two second mounting portions 58, 59, so that the handle cover 50 is assembled to the handle mounting portion 15 of the door outer panel 10 along its rear edge 52 through two rivets 80 that pass through the rivet holes and the mounting holes 13 and can be covered by the second sealing strip 30.

[0035] It can be understood that the number, position, structure and assembly method of the first mounting part and the second mounting part described above are all schematic and can be changed according to the needs of different assembly environments, and the present invention does not limit this.

[0036] Preferably, if Figure 5As shown, the door assembly D further includes a first sealing foam 91, which is adhered to the middle of the inner surface 502 of the handle cover 50 and fills the Y-direction gap between the handle cover 50 and the door lock mechanism 40 to achieve waterproof and noise-proof effects.

[0037] Also preferably, if Figure 5 As shown, the door assembly D also includes at least one second sealing foam, for example, two second sealing foams 92 and 93 respectively adhered to the inner surface 502 of the handle cover 50 along the upper edge 53 and the lower edge 54 of the handle cover 50, and two second sealing foams 94 and 95 respectively adhered to the inner surface 502 of the handle cover 50 along the bottom of the front edge 51 and the bottom of the rear edge 52, so as to cooperate with the first sealing strip 20 and the second sealing strip 30 to jointly play a role in waterproofing and noise prevention.

[0038] The technical content and technical features of the present invention have been disclosed above. However, it can be understood that under the creative ideas of the present invention, technicians in this field can make various changes and improvements to the above-disclosed concepts, but all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

[0039] The description of the above embodiments is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. The protection scope of the present invention is determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle door assembly (D), characterized in that: include: A vehicle door outer panel (10), the vehicle door outer panel (10) comprising an exterior surface (14) and a handle mounting portion (15) recessed inwardly relative to the exterior surface (14); a handle cover plate (50), the handle cover plate (50) being immovably mounted to the outer side of the handle mounting portion (15) relative to the vehicle door outer panel (10), and the outer surface (501) of the handle cover plate (50) being flush with the exterior surface (14); and A door lock mechanism (40) is arranged between the handle cover plate (50) and the handle mounting portion (15) and assembled to the handle mounting portion (15).

2. The vehicle door assembly (D) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The handle cover (50) has a first edge (51) and a second edge (52) opposite to each other, and includes a plurality of first mounting portions (55, 56, 57) arranged along the first edge (51) and a plurality of second mounting portions (58, 59) arranged along the second edge (52), so as to be assembled to the handle mounting portion (15) through the plurality of first mounting portions (55, 56, 57) and the plurality of second mounting portions (58, 59).

3. The vehicle door assembly (D) according to claim 2, characterized in that: At least one of the plurality of first mounting portions (55, 56, 57) is snap-connected to the handle mounting portion (15).

4. The vehicle door assembly (D) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The vehicle door assembly (D) also includes a first sealing strip (20), which is assembled to the vehicle door outer panel (10) along the first edge (51) and is provided with at least one clip (21), wherein at least one of the plurality of first mounting portions (55, 56, 57) is clip-connected to the corresponding clip (21).

5. The vehicle door assembly (D) according to claim 2, characterized in that: At least one of the plurality of second mounting portions (58, 59) is assembled to the handle mounting portion (15) by a rivet (80).

6. The vehicle door assembly (D) according to claim 5, characterized in that The door assembly (D) further comprises a second sealing strip (30), wherein the second sealing strip (30) is assembled to the outer side of the door. The plate (10) covers the rivet (80).

7. The vehicle door assembly (D) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The vehicle door assembly (D) further comprises a first sealing foam (91), wherein the first sealing foam (91) is assembled to the inner surface (502) of the handle cover (50) and fills a gap between the handle cover (50) and the door lock mechanism (40).

8. The vehicle door assembly (D) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The vehicle door assembly (D) also includes at least one second sealing foam (92, 93, 94, 95), and the at least one second sealing foam (92, 93, 94, 95) is assembled to the inner surface (502) of the handle cover (50) along at least one edge (51, 52, 53, 54) of the handle cover (50).

9. A vehicle (V), characterized in that A vehicle door assembly (D) according to any one of claims 1 to 8 comprises a side panel outer panel (60) and the side panel outer panel (60).

10. The vehicle (V) according to claim 9, characterized in that The vehicle (V) further includes an exterior trim panel (70) which is mounted on the outer side of the side outer panel (60) and includes a recessed portion (71) which is recessed inwardly adjacent to the handle cover (50).

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