Door assembly for a vehicle and method of manufacturing a door assembly for a vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a door assembly for a vehicle and a method of manufacturing a door assembly for a vehicle. A door assembly for a vehicle includes a door inner base defining a door structure and a window frame, and a door outer cover secured to the door inner base below the window frame. The door inner base is formed from one of: a one-piece aluminum casting or a steel stamping having a plurality of steel patch inner reinforcements. Another door assembly for a vehicle includes a door inner base defining a door structure, a reinforcement member attached to the door inner base, and a door outer cover made of plastic and secured to the door inner base. The door inner base is formed from one of: a one-piece aluminum casting or a steel stamping having a plurality of steel patch inner reinforcements.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This invention patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 760,256, filed on February 19, 2025, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to the construction of doors for motor vehicles. Background Technology

[0004] Vehicle manufacturers, also known as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), are facing increasing cost pressures and lower profitability due to more demanding and volatile customer needs. To address these pressures, OEMs are looking for low-cost, integrated system solutions to address bill of materials (BOM) and manufacturing, processing, and capital investment costs. Traditional white-board door architectures for passenger vehicles such as cars and trucks consist of multiple stamped parts, which have a relatively large number of parts and high capital, processing, and manufacturing costs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a door assembly for a vehicle. The door assembly includes: an inner door base defining a door structure and a window frame; and an outer door cover fixed to the inner door base below the window frame. The inner door base is formed of one of the following: a one-piece aluminum casting or a steel stamping having multiple steel internal reinforcements.

[0006] This disclosure also provides a door assembly for a vehicle, comprising: an inner door base defining a door structure; a reinforcing member attached to the inner door base; and an outer door cover made of plastic and fixed to the inner door base. The inner door base is formed from one of the following: a one-piece aluminum casting or a steel stamping having multiple steel reinforcement pieces.

[0007] This disclosure also provides a method for manufacturing a door assembly for a vehicle. The method includes: forming a door inner base from an aluminum casting or a steel patch stamping; attaching a plurality of reinforcing members to the door inner base to define the door inner assembly; treating the door inner assembly with a powder coating process or in combination with other anti-corrosion coating processes; and after the powder coating process, attaching a color-coated door outer cover to the door inner assembly.

[0008] These and other aspects of this disclosure are made known in the following detailed description of the embodiments, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Further details, features, and advantages of the design of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the battery frame is disclosed.

[0010] Figure 1 The diagram illustrates the steps involved in manufacturing a door assembly for a motor vehicle using conventional construction techniques.

[0011] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the steps of manufacturing a first door assembly using a first construction technique according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 3 The diagram illustrates the steps of manufacturing a second door assembly using a second construction technique according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the steps involved in manufacturing and assembling a door assembly with an exterior mirror using conventional construction techniques.

[0014] Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the steps of manufacturing and assembling a door assembly having an integrated mirror mount for an exterior mirror assembly, according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 6 A flowchart is shown of steps in a method for manufacturing a door assembly for a vehicle according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0016] Repeating features are labeled with the same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings, which disclose exemplary embodiments. This disclosure provides construction details and architecture for manufacturing doors for motor vehicles such as buses or trucks.

[0017] The purpose of this disclosure includes providing a highly integrated offline painted door concept that allows for complete assembly of all components, thereby allowing for a one-time installation onto the painted vehicle. This disclosure also provides alternative white-body door architectures for cost reduction compared to conventional construction using multiple stamped parts. The alternative door architectures of this disclosure include: a one-piece cast A1 door interior component with plastic exterior door parts, and a multi-piece door interior component with a steel patch construction and plastic exterior door parts. This disclosure also provides a door architecture with a mirror mount integrated into the door structure for quick attachment to an exterior mirror, and the mirror mount includes anti-theft features.

[0018] Figure 1The diagram illustrates the steps involved in manufacturing a door assembly for a motor vehicle using conventional construction techniques. An inner door stamp 20 is attached to a stamped steel / aluminum inner window reinforcement 22. Several additional fittings 24, such as hinges, latches, and support plates, are attached to the inner door stamp 20 to define an inner door sub-assembly 30. Additional reinforcement members 34, 36, such as stamped waistline reinforcements and door beams, are welded or otherwise attached to the inner door sub-assembly 30 to define an inner door assembly 32. An outer door panel 38 is attached to the inner door assembly 32 to define a door in white (DIW) 40. The DIW 40 is treated with an electrodeposition (electroplated) process to define an electrocoated door 40, followed by spraying the electrocoated door 40 with one or more colored and / or clear coatings to provide a painted door 42.

[0019] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the steps of manufacturing a first door assembly 62 using the first construction technique of this disclosure. A first door inner base 50 is formed from a one-piece aluminum casting defining a door structure including a window frame. The one-piece aluminum casting may be made of 100% aluminum metal or an alloy containing the majority of the components of aluminum and one or more additives such as copper, magnesium, silicon, zinc, and / or manganese. Reinforcing members 54, 56, such as stamped aluminum waistline reinforcements and steel door beams, are attached to the first door inner base 50 to define the first door inner assembly 52. ​​The first door inner assembly 52 is treated with a powder coating process to define a first powder-coated door inner assembly 58. A plastic, color-coated door outer cover 60 is attached below the window frame to the door inner base of the first powder-coated door inner assembly 58 to define the first door assembly 62.

[0020] Figure 3 A diagram illustrating the steps of manufacturing a second door assembly 76 using the second construction technique of this disclosure is shown. The inner base 70 of the second door includes a one-piece steel stamping with partial patch reinforcements that can be made of steel. Reinforcing members 54, 56, such as stamped steel waistline reinforcements and door beams, are attached to the inner base 70 to define the second door inner assembly 72. The second door inner assembly 72 is treated with a primer or electrocoating and powder coating process to define a coated door inner assembly 74. A color-coated plastic door exterior cover 60 is fixed below the window frame to the coated door inner assembly 74 to define the second door assembly 76.

[0021] Figure 4The diagram illustrates the steps of manufacturing and assembling a vehicle door assembly with a first exterior mirror assembly 100 using conventional construction techniques. The first exterior mirror assembly 100 is attached to a stamped interior door component 120 made of stamped steel. The first exterior mirror assembly 100 includes a mirror cover 122 attached to a turn signal light 124 and a mirror frame 126. The first exterior mirror assembly 100 also includes a wiring harness 128, a motor 130, a mirror mount 132, a mirror glass 134, a bracket 136, and a bottom cover 138 in which a camera 140 is disposed.

[0022] The mirror frame 126 has an integrated mirror mount that spacees the mirror cover 122 from the stamped door interior component 120. The mirror mount cover 142 covers the integrated mirror mount portion of the mirror frame 126 and defines the exterior Class A surface of the vehicle.

[0023] A noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) pad 144, made of an elastic material such as rubber or foam, is provided between the mirror frame 126 and the stamped door interior component 120 to prevent the generation and / or transmission of vibration. During door assembly, the first external mirror assembly 100 is attached to the stamped door interior component 120 manually using a set of screws.

[0024] Figure 5 A diagram illustrating the steps of manufacturing and assembling the third door assembly 170 of this disclosure is shown, and the third door assembly 170 has an integrated mirror mount for an exterior mirror assembly. The inner base 150 of the third door is formed of cast aluminum and includes an integrated mirror mount 152 configured to support the exterior mirror assembly. The integrated mirror mount 152 also includes a quick-connect retainer 154 for attaching the exterior mirror assembly without the use of tools. In some embodiments, and as shown... Figure 5 As shown, the quick-connect retainer 154 includes a spherical member configured to be held by a ball seat of the external mirror assembly. However, the quick-connect retainer 154 may have the opposite configuration, such as having a ball seat configured to receive the spherical member of the external mirror assembly. The quick-connect retainer 154 may also have a completely different configuration, such as a latch retainer.

[0025] Figure 5 A second exterior mirror assembly 160 for attachment to the third door assembly 170 is also shown. Except for the absence of the mirror mount, NVH pad 144 and mirror mount cover 142, the second exterior mirror assembly 160 may be similar to or the same as the first exterior mirror assembly 100.

[0026] exist Figure 6 The flowchart illustrates a method 200 for manufacturing a door assembly for a vehicle. As will be understood from this disclosure, the order of operations within this method is not limited to, for example... Figure 6The execution may be performed in the order illustrated herein, but may be performed in one or more different orders as applicable and in accordance with this disclosure.

[0027] Method 200 includes forming an inner base of a vehicle door from an aluminum casting or a steel patch stamping at step 202. In some embodiments, step 202 further includes attaching a plurality of steel or aluminum reinforcements to the inner base of the vehicle door. In some embodiments, step 202 further includes forming the aluminum casting or steel patch stamping to have an integrated mirror mount configured to support an external mirror assembly.

[0028] Method 200 further includes attaching a plurality of reinforcing members to the inner base of the door at step 204 to define the inner door assembly.

[0029] Method 200 also includes treating the interior door components with a powder coating process at step 206.

[0030] Method 200 further includes, at step 208, attaching the color-coated exterior door cover to the interior door assembly after the powder coating process.

[0031] In one aspect, this disclosure provides a door assembly having an inner door base made of cast aluminum (Al) and an outer door component made of plastic. This cast Al inner door assembly + plastic outer door assembly includes several features, including:

[0032] • Functional integration with the interior components of the one-piece AI-cast door;

[0033] • Cast Al door interior components reduce the number of parts and assembly costs;

[0034] • Recycled aluminum alloys can be used to reduce CO2 emission footprint;

[0035] • Black / neutral powder coating, acrylic coating, or other coatings / paints on interior door components;

[0036] • Color-coated plastic outer panel;

[0037] • For example, using adhesives or bolts to attach the outer panel to the interior door components; and

[0038] • The outer panel of the door cannot be removed; maintainability is achieved by the door module carrier.

[0039] On the other hand, this disclosure provides a door assembly having an inner door base with a stamped steel patch structure and an outer door component made of plastic. This steel patch inner door assembly + plastic outer door assembly includes several features, including:

[0040] • Low-cost steel patch internal components with integrated internal reinforcement;

[0041] • Patch-welded interior door components reduce the cost of stamping dies / fixtures / assembly;

[0042] • Black / neutral powder coating, acrylic coating, or other coatings / paints on interior door components;

[0043] • Color-coated plastic outer panel;

[0044] • Use bolts, clips, or adhesive to attach the outer panel to the interior door components; and

[0045] • The outer panel of the door cannot be removed; maintainability is achieved by the door module carrier.

[0046] On the other hand, this disclosure provides a door assembly with an integrated mirror mount. The integrated mirror mount may include a mirror mount integrated into an aluminum casting within an inner base. The integrated mirror mount may include quick-connect features and / or anti-theft features. The integrated mirror mount may provide a snap-fit ​​attachment for the exterior rearview mirror assembly for easy assembly.

[0047] This disclosure provides a door assembly for a vehicle. The door assembly includes: an inner door base defining a door structure and a window frame; and an outer door cover fixed to the inner door base below the window frame. The inner door base is formed of one of the following: a one-piece aluminum casting or a steel stamping having multiple steel internal reinforcements.

[0048] In some embodiments, the inner base of the door is formed of a steel stamping with multiple steel patch inner reinforcements, and the multiple steel patch inner reinforcements include steel reinforcements surrounding the window frame.

[0049] In some implementations, the inner base of the door is formed from a one-piece aluminum casting.

[0050] In some embodiments, the door assembly also includes a plurality of reinforcing members attached to the inner base of the door.

[0051] In some embodiments, the inner base of the door also includes an integrated cast aluminum mirror mount that extends outward perpendicular to the window opening, wherein the integrated mirror mount is configured to support an external mirror assembly.

[0052] In some implementations, the integrated lens mount is defined as a quick-connect retainer for attaching external lens assemblies without the use of tools.

[0053] In some implementations, the quick-connect retainer includes a spherical element configured to be held by a ball seat of the external mirror assembly.

[0054] In some implementations, the integrated mirror mount defines an anti-theft feature to prevent the exterior mirror assembly from being removed from the integrated mirror mount without the use of special tools. For example, the integrated mirror mount may include a latch or other structure to prevent the exterior mirror assembly from being removed from the integrated mirror mount. The latch or other structure may be recessed or otherwise prevent its actuation without the use of special tools. Alternatively or additionally, the latch or other structure cannot be accessed from the outside of the door or without removing the door assembly.

[0055] In some implementations, the exterior door panel is made of plastic. However, the exterior door panel may be made of metal, composite materials, or two or more different materials.

[0056] In some implementations, the exterior door panel is secured to the interior base of the door using non-repairable attachments. For example, the exterior door panel may be secured to the interior base of the door using adhesives and / or material deformation (e.g., ultrasonic welding) or clips. The exterior door panel may not be removable by non-destructive means. Repairability may only be possible from the inside of the door assembly, such as through the door module carrier.

[0057] This disclosure also provides another door assembly for a vehicle, the other door assembly comprising: an inner door base defining a door structure; a reinforcing member attached to the inner door base; and an outer door cover made of plastic and fixed to the inner door base. The inner door base is formed of one of the following: a one-piece aluminum casting or an aluminum casting with a steel patch inner reinforcing member.

[0058] In some embodiments, the inner base of the door is formed of a steel stamping with multiple steel patch inner reinforcements, and the multiple steel patch inner reinforcements include steel reinforcements for the window frame surrounding the inner base of the door.

[0059] In some implementations, the inner base of the door is formed from a one-piece aluminum casting.

[0060] In some embodiments, the inner base of the door also includes an integrated mirror mount made of cast aluminum, wherein the integrated mirror mount is configured to support an external mirror assembly.

[0061] A prior description of embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. This prior description is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of this disclosure. Elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but are interchangeable where applicable and can be used in selected embodiments, even if not specifically shown or described. Elements or features of a particular embodiment may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not considered to depart from this disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A door assembly for a vehicle, comprising: The inner base of the door defines the door structure and the window frame; as well as The exterior door cover is fixed to the inner base of the door below the window frame. The inner base of the door is formed by one of the following: a one-piece aluminum casting or a steel stamping with multiple steel patch reinforcements.

2. The door assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The inner base of the door is formed by the steel stamping member having the plurality of steel patch inner reinforcements, wherein the plurality of steel patch inner reinforcements include steel reinforcements surrounding the window frame.

3. The door assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The inner base of the door is formed from a one-piece aluminum casting.

4. The door assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a reinforcing member attached to the inner base of the door.

5. The door assembly according to claim 1, wherein the inner base of the door further includes an integrated cast aluminum mirror mount extending outward perpendicular to the window opening, and wherein, The integrated mirror mount is configured to support the external mirror assembly.

6. The door assembly according to claim 5, wherein, The integrated lens mount is defined as a quick-connect retainer for attaching the external lens assembly without the use of tools.

7. The door assembly according to claim 6, wherein, The quick-connect retainer includes a spherical member configured to be held by the ball seat of the external mirror assembly.

8. The door assembly according to claim 5, wherein, The integrated mirror mount is designed to prevent the external mirror assembly from being removed from the integrated mirror mount without the use of special tools.

9. The door assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The exterior door cover is made of plastic.

10. The door assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The exterior door cover is secured to the interior base of the door using non-repairable attachments.

11. A door assembly for a vehicle, comprising: The inner base of the door defines the door structure; A reinforcing member is attached to the inner base of the door. as well as A door exterior cover, the door exterior cover being made of plastic and fixed to the inner base of the door. The inner base of the door is formed by one of the following: a one-piece aluminum casting or a steel stamping with multiple steel patch reinforcements.

12. The door assembly according to claim 11, wherein, The inner base of the door is formed by the steel stamping member having the plurality of steel patch inner reinforcements, wherein the plurality of steel patch inner reinforcements include steel reinforcements for the window frame surrounding the inner base of the door.

13. The door assembly according to claim 11, wherein, The inner base of the door is formed from a one-piece aluminum casting.

14. The door assembly of claim 11, wherein the inner base of the door further comprises an integrated mirror mount made of cast aluminum, and wherein, The integrated mirror mount is configured to support the external mirror assembly.

15. A method of manufacturing a door assembly for a vehicle, the method comprising: The inner base of the car door is formed from aluminum castings; A reinforcing member is attached to the inner base of the door to define the inner door assembly; The interior components of the vehicle door are treated with a powder coating process; as well as Following the powder coating process, the colored exterior door cover is attached to the interior door assembly.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, Forming the inner base of the door also includes casting the inner base of the door from the aluminum casting and casting the inner base of the door as a one-piece aluminum casting.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein, Forming the inner base of the door also includes forming the aluminum casting with an integrated mirror mount, the integrated mirror mount being configured to support an external mirror assembly.

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