vehicle door

Abstract

Motor vehicle door with an outer panel (12) having an opening (13), wherein a mirror base (40) of an exterior rearview mirror extends through the opening (13), an inner panel (14) which, together with the outer panel (12), defines a door shaft (26), a door reinforcement support (20) which extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction through the door shaft (26), and a reinforcing element (30) which is connected to the inner panel (14), the mirror base (40) of the external rearview mirror being fastened to the reinforcing element (30), characterized in that the reinforcing element (30) is firmly connected to the inner panel (14) via the door reinforcing support (20), wherein the reinforcing element (30) is fastened to the door reinforcing support (20) via a screw connection (25) and the door reinforcing support (20) is fastened to the inner panel (14) via a screw connection (24).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a motor vehicle door with an outer panel having an opening, wherein a mirror base of an exterior rearview mirror extends through the opening, an inner panel which, together with the outer panel, delimits a door shaft, a door reinforcement support which extends through the door shaft in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a reinforcement element which is fastened to the inner panel, wherein the mirror base of the exterior rearview mirror is fastened to the reinforcement element.

[0002] Motor vehicle doors typically have an outer panel and an inner panel which are connected to one another and define a door shaft. The inner panel and the outer panel are connected to one another in such a way that the door shaft is closed at the lower edge area and at the two lateral edge areas and is open at an upper edge area, whereby a lowerable side window, for example, can be lowered into the door shaft through the open end. To stabilize the motor vehicle door and increase the crash safety of the motor vehicle door, a door reinforcement beam is arranged in the door shaft. This beam is supported on the rigid edge areas of the motor vehicle door and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle or diagonally through the motor vehicle door. Furthermore, the inner panel usually comprises a door shaft reinforcement arranged in the door shaft and serves to reinforce and stiffen the motor vehicle door.The door shaft reinforcement is attached to a surface of the inner panel facing the door shaft and increases the rigidity of the vehicle door, particularly at the open end of the door shaft.

[0003] Furthermore, a reinforcing element is arranged in the door shaft, which serves to connect a mirror base of an exterior rearview mirror. The mirror base protrudes into the door shaft through an opening provided in the outer panel and is attached to the reinforcing element. The reinforcing element is attached to the inner panel or to the door shaft reinforcement of the inner panel. Such a motor vehicle door is disclosed in DE 10 2015 105 913 A1.

[0004] A disadvantage of such a motor vehicle door is that the reinforcement element does not provide the necessary stiffening of the exterior rear-view mirror, which means that the high and dynamic wind loads that occur when the motor vehicle is in operation cause the exterior rear-view mirror to swing or vibrate undesirably.

[0005] US9016747B2 discloses a vehicle door with a multi-part stiffening structure arranged in a door shaft. The multi-part stiffening structure includes, among other things, a stiffening element extending diagonally through the door shaft, an edge reinforcement, a load-bearing tube, a connecting element, and a transom reinforcement. All components are welded together and attached to an outer panel.

[0006] US 2010 / 0 019 533 A1 discloses that a rearview mirror is screwed to a mirror fastening element, wherein the screws of the screw connection extend through an opening in an outer panel of a vehicle door and an edge stiffening element of the outer panel.

[0007] The object of the invention is therefore to provide a motor vehicle door which has a particularly rigidly mounted exterior rearview mirror and which can reliably prevent swinging or shaking of the exterior rearview mirror.

[0008] This object is achieved by a motor vehicle door having the features of independent claim 1.

[0009] Because the reinforcement element is firmly connected to the inner panel and the door reinforcement support, the rigidity of the exterior rearview mirror connection is increased in a cost-effective and simple manner, reliably preventing unwanted swinging or shaking of the exterior rearview mirror caused by wind loads. The additional connection of the reinforcement element to the door reinforcement support, which has significantly higher rigidity than the inner panel, stiffens the reinforcement element and thus results in a more rigid connection of the exterior rearview mirror. This eliminates the need for additional components to stiffen the exterior rearview mirror connection, which would require additional installation space and incur additional costs during assembly and production.

[0010] Because the reinforcement element is attached to the door reinforcement beam via a screw connection, and the door reinforcement beam is attached to the inner panel via a screw connection, the reinforcement element can be connected to the door reinforcement beam in a simple and quick manner. Furthermore, the assembly of the inner panel to the door reinforcement beam can be facilitated, whereby the inner panel and the door reinforcement beam can be made of different materials that cannot be joined together using other joining methods.

[0011] The inner panel preferably has an inner panel door shaft reinforcement to which the reinforcing element is attached. The inner panel door shaft reinforcement serves to stiffen and reinforce the motor vehicle door in the region of the door shaft, wherein the inner panel door shaft reinforcement is a formed sheet metal arranged on a surface of the inner panel facing the door shaft. The fact that the reinforcing element is attached to the inner panel door shaft reinforcement reliably prevents the exterior rearview mirror from vibrating or shaking, since the reinforcing element is attached to the inner panel, at least in sections, on the stiffened and reinforced section of the inner panel.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the inner panel door shaft reinforcement is attached directly to the inner panel in a first section and to the inner panel via the door reinforcement support in a second section. This increases the rigidity of the inner panel by supporting the inner panel door shaft reinforcement on the door reinforcement support, which has a relatively high rigidity and serves to absorb longitudinal loads on the vehicle door in a frontal crash with a small overlap. By increasing the rigidity of the inner panel, the rigidity of the exterior rearview mirror connection is also increased, since the reinforcement element is supported on the inner panel.

[0013] Preferably, the inner panel door shaft reinforcement is connected to the door reinforcement support via a screw connection. This facilitates the assembly of the inner panel door shaft reinforcement and the inner panel to the door reinforcement support, whereby the inner panel door shaft reinforcement, the inner panel, and the door reinforcement support can be made of different materials that cannot be joined together using other joining methods.

[0014] Preferably, the reinforcement element is attached to the inner panel via a screw connection. This allows the reinforcement element to be connected to the inner panel in a simple and quick manner.

[0015] Preferably, the screw connection is implemented by at least one self-tapping screw. All of the aforementioned screw connections, namely the screw connection between the inner panel and the door reinforcement support, the screw connection between the inner panel door shaft reinforcement and the door reinforcement support, the screw connection between the reinforcement element and the door reinforcement support, or the screw connection between the reinforcement element and the inner panel door shaft reinforcement, can be implemented as self-tapping screws. Self-tapping screws are screws that, thanks to a special thread geometry, form their own counter-thread without cutting when screwed in. This allows the screw connection to be manufactured easily and quickly.

[0016] The self-tapping screws can be screwed into pre-formed holes or can be designed as thin sheet screws, where the screws are screwed directly into the component without pre-formed holes. Thin sheet screws can further simplify and accelerate the assembly process.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the reinforcement element and / or the door reinforcement beam are designed as extruded profiles. This allows the door reinforcement beam and / or the reinforcement element to be manufactured simply and cost-effectively.

[0018] The reinforcing element is preferably designed as a hollow body with internal stiffening webs. This reduces the weight of the reinforcing element, while the stiffening webs ensure sufficient rigidity of the reinforcing element. The reinforcing element is preferably made of a light metal alloy, in particular an aluminum alloy.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, an outer panel door shaft reinforcement is provided, which is attached to the outer panel. This stiffens and reinforces the outer panel in the area of ​​the open end of the door shaft, preventing unwanted deformation in this area.

[0020] An embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawing.

[0021] The figure shows the cross-section of a section of a motor vehicle door of a motor vehicle.

[0022] The figure shows a motor vehicle door 10 for a motor vehicle, wherein the figure shows an upper section of the motor vehicle door 10. The motor vehicle door 10 has an outer panel 12, which is arranged on a side facing away from the vehicle interior and forms part of the outer skin of the motor vehicle. The outer panel 12 has a curved shape and is made of a formed sheet metal.

[0023] Furthermore, the motor vehicle door 10 has an inner panel 14, which is arranged on a side of the motor vehicle door 10 facing the vehicle interior. One or more interior trim elements are typically arranged on a surface of the inner panel 14 facing the vehicle interior. The inner panel 14 is also made of a formed sheet metal.

[0024] The inner panel 14 and the outer panel 12 are arranged at a distance from one another and thus define a door shaft 26. The inner panel 14 and the outer panel 12 abut one another at a lower and lateral edge region of the motor vehicle door 10 and are firmly connected to one another in this region. At an upper region of the motor vehicle door 10, the inner panel 14 and the outer panel 12 are spaced from one another and define an opening 28. A lowerable window pane 11 can be moved into the door shaft 26 through the opening 28 in its lowered position.

[0025] To reinforce the motor vehicle door 10, a door reinforcement member 20 is arranged in the door shaft 26. The door reinforcement member 20 has a rectangular cross-section and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle between the relatively rigid edge regions of the motor vehicle door 10. The door reinforcement member 20 is a crash tube that serves to absorb longitudinal loads on the motor vehicle door 10 in a frontal crash with a small overlap, also known as a small overlap. In a frontal crash with a small overlap, the collision forces are transmitted from the A-pillar via the door reinforcement member 20 to the B-pillar. In this way, the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant in a frontal crash with a small overlap is reduced.

[0026] To stiffen and reinforce the motor vehicle door 10 in the area of ​​the door shaft 26, an outer sheet door shaft reinforcement 16 is provided on the outer sheet 12 and an inner sheet door shaft reinforcement 18 is provided on the inner sheet 14.

[0027] The outer panel door shaft reinforcement 16 is arranged on a surface of the outer panel 12 facing the door shaft 26 and is made of a formed sheet metal. The outer panel door shaft reinforcement 16 is attached to the outer panel 12 at its edge regions via a welded joint. The outer panel door shaft reinforcement 16 has a cross-section such that the outer panel door shaft reinforcement 16 is spaced apart from the outer panel 12, thereby defining a cavity 17 between the outer panel 12 and the outer panel door shaft reinforcement 16. This stiffens and reinforces the outer panel 12 in the area of ​​the door shaft 26.

[0028] The inner panel door shaft reinforcement 18 is arranged on a surface of the inner panel 14 facing the door shaft 26 and is made of a formed sheet metal. The inner panel door shaft reinforcement 18 has a cross-section such that the inner panel door shaft reinforcement 18 is spaced from the inner panel 14, whereby a cavity 19 is defined by the inner panel 14 and the inner panel door shaft reinforcement 18. This stiffens and reinforces the inner panel 14 in the region of the door shaft 26.

[0029] The inner panel door shaft reinforcement 18 is integrally connected to the inner panel 14 by a first, upper section 21 via a welded joint, and is firmly connected to the inner panel 14 by a second, lower section 23 via the door reinforcement support 20. The inner panel door shaft reinforcement 18 is connected to the door reinforcement support 20 via a plurality of self-tapping screws 22 arranged next to one another in the longitudinal direction of the door reinforcement support 20. The door reinforcement support 20 is connected to the inner panel 14 via a plurality of self-tapping screws 24 arranged next to one another in the longitudinal direction of the door reinforcement support 20. In the cross-sectional view of the figure, only one self-tapping screw 22, 24 is shown in each case.By attaching the inner panel door shaft reinforcement 18 to the inner panel 14 via the relatively rigid door reinforcement support 20, the rigidity of the inner panel 14 in the area of ​​the door shaft 26 is increased in a simple and cost-effective manner.

[0030] The motor vehicle door 10 is designed as a driver's or passenger door, so that the motor vehicle door 10 has an exterior rearview mirror. The exterior rearview mirror has a mirror base 40, which extends through an opening 13 provided in the outer panel 12 and via which the exterior rearview mirror is fastened to a reinforcing element 30 arranged in the door shaft 26. The mirror base 40 is fastened to the reinforcing element 30 via at least one screw 42.

[0031] The reinforcement element 30 is a hollow extruded profile made of an aluminum alloy. To stiffen the reinforcement element 30, several stiffening webs 34 are provided in the cavity of the reinforcement element 30. The reinforcement element 30 rests against the inner panel door shaft reinforcement 18.

[0032] According to the invention, the reinforcing element 30 is fastened with an upper section to the inner sheet metal door shaft reinforcement 18 via a thread-forming screw 32 and with a lower section to the reinforcing support 20 via a thread-forming screw 25.

[0033] By connecting the reinforcement element 30 to the inner panel door shaft reinforcement 18 and the door reinforcement support 20, the connection of the reinforcement element 30 to the inner panel 14 is reinforced, whereby the high rigidity and strength of the door reinforcement support 20 is utilized to reinforce the connection of the reinforcement element 30. This achieves the necessary stiffening of the exterior rearview mirror, so that the swinging or shaking of the exterior rearview mirror that occurs during driving of the motor vehicle due to high and dynamic wind loads can be reliably prevented.

[0034] Other structural embodiments than those described are also possible, which fall within the scope of protection of the main claim.

Claims

[1] Motor vehicle door with an outer panel (12) having an opening (13), wherein a mirror base (40) of an exterior rearview mirror extends through the opening (13), an inner panel (14) which, together with the outer panel (12), defines a door shaft (26), a door reinforcement support (20) which extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction through the door shaft (26), and a reinforcing element (30) which is connected to the inner panel (14), the mirror base (40) of the external rearview mirror being fastened to the reinforcing element (30), characterized by , that the reinforcing element (30) is firmly connected to the inner panel (14) via the door reinforcing support (20), wherein the reinforcing element (30) is fastened to the door reinforcing support (20) via a screw connection (25) and the door reinforcing support (20) is fastened to the inner panel (14) via a screw connection (24). [2] Motor vehicle door according to claim 1, characterized by that the inner panel (14) has an inner panel door shaft reinforcement (18) to which the reinforcing element (30) is fastened. [3] Motor vehicle door according to claim 2, characterized by that the inner panel door shaft reinforcement (18) is fastened directly to the inner panel (14) in a first section and is fastened to the inner panel (14) via the door reinforcement support (20) in a second section. [4] Motor vehicle door according to claim 3, characterized by that the inner sheet metal door shaft reinforcement (18) is connected to the door reinforcement support (20) via a screw connection (22). [5] Motor vehicle door according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized by that the reinforcing element (30) is fastened to the inner sheet metal door shaft reinforcement (18) via a screw connection (32). [6] Motor vehicle door according to claim 1, 4 or 5, characterized bythat the screw connection (22, 24, 25, 32) is made by at least one thread-forming screw. [7] Motor vehicle door according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the reinforcing element (30) and / or the door reinforcing support (20) are designed as an extruded profile. [8] Motor vehicle door according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the reinforcing element (30) is designed as a hollow body with internal stiffening webs (34).

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