Side door for a motor vehicle

The side door design with a carrier and profile part enhances accident behavior by introducing a bending moment to increase rigidity, preventing frame penetration and maintaining structural integrity during collisions.

DE102023121184B4Active Publication Date: 2025-07-10BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AG
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Patent Information

Application Number
DE102023121184
Authority / Receiving Office
DE · DE
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-08-09
Publication Date
2025-07-10
Estimated Expiration
2043-08-09

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In side doors of motor vehicles, particularly long ones, a central barrier impact can cause the side impact beam to be pushed through the door frame, leading to collapse of the lateral edge regions, which fail to provide support, resulting in inadequate accident behavior.

Method used

A side door design with a carrier having a profile part connected via bearing parts to the edge regions, introducing a bending moment to increase longitudinal rigidity, preventing the door inner part from spreading and maintaining overlap with the door frame components during a collision, using a clamping part to generate the bending moment via screws.

Benefits of technology

The design enhances accident behavior by preventing the side door from being pressed through the frame, maintaining structural integrity, and absorbing more load in the door pillars, reducing intrusion and penetration.

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Abstract

A side door for a motor vehicle, comprising an inner door part (3) which is covered on the outside with a door panel (16), and comprising a support (15) which extends between a front edge region (4) and a rear edge region (5) of the inner door part (3) and is connected to these edge regions (4, 5), wherein the support (15) has a profile part (19) which is connected to the edge regions (4, 5) of the inner door part (3) via respective bearing parts (20) and into which a bending moment is introduced, characterized in that the bending moment for prestressing the profile part (19) is introduced by a tensioning part (21) which connects the bearing parts (20) and is arranged at a distance from the profile part (19), - wherein respective through-openings (22) are provided in the bearing parts (20), which are penetrated by the clamping part (21), and - wherein respective threads are provided at respective ends of the clamping part (21), and the clamping part (21) is designed to be clamped by screwing nuts between the bearing parts (20), so that the bending moment is generated via the bearing parts (20) with a resultant force acting in the transverse direction of the vehicle.
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Description

The invention relates to a side door for a motor vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1.From the prior art, a plurality of side doors with a carrier in the form of a side impact carrier is known. An example of this can be seen in DE 20 2005 018 612 U1, in which a side door is provided with an inner door part which is covered on the outside with a door cladding, and with a side impact beam which extends between a front edge region and a rear edge region of the inner door part and is connected to these edge regions.In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,228 A discloses a construction for absorbing impact energy at a side door, in which a profile part is likewise prestressed. The profiled part comprises an outer profiled element in the transverse direction of the vehicle and an inner profiled element which are connected to one another at respective ends of their elongate direction of extent and as a result of which the two profiled elements are assembled in one piece to form the profiled part.Furthermore, DE 41 25 299 A1, DE 10 2006 060 052 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 2022 / 0314755 A1 disclose further structures in need of mention for side doors which are designed to absorb impact energy.Especially in the case of long side doors, there is the problem that, in the event of a side collision, a barrier acting centrally on the side door has the result that the side impact beam can be pushed through the door frame, which is formed in particular by the door pillars and a roof frame part and a side sill, as a result of the centrally acting forces. In particular, it is problematic here that the lateral edge regions of the side door collapse into thus no longer providing support on the door frame. For this reason, there are already concepts in which the edge regions of the side door or of the door inner part are brought into interlocking engagement with the door pillars of the door frame, and the like is brought into interlocking engagement, so that the side impact beam can then act as a tension strap.It is an object of the invention to provide a side door in which improved accident behavior can be realized in the event of a side collision.This object is achieved according to the invention by a side door having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims and the description.A side door according to the invention for a motor vehicle comprises a door inner part which is clad on the outside with a door cladding, and a carrier which extends between a front edge region and a rear edge region of the door inner part and is connected to these edge regions.In order to create a side door with an improved accident behavior, the carrier has a profile part which is connected via respective bearing parts to the edge regions of the door inner part and in which a bending moment is introduced. As a result of the bending moment introduced into the profile part of the carrier, spreading of the door inner part is thus achieved in the event of an accident-induced loading and penetration of a barrier, in particular centrally into the side door, with the result that the latter remains, in particular with its edge regions, in overlapping relationship with the components of the door frame lying behind it in the force application direction, and folding-up and pressing-through of the side door by the door frame is avoided for as long as possible. The introduced bending moment thus achieves a prestress of the carrier, by means of which the longitudinal rigidity thereof is increased, as a result of which it is once again the effect that the mutually opposite lateral edge region of the door inner part, in the event of an accident-induced introduction of force during a side collision, does not move towards one another for as long as possible and the outer contour of the side door is therefore not reduced in such a way that said side door can be pressed through the door frame.The bending moment acting on the profile part can be introduced, for example, by means of a clamping part. Likewise, a profiled part which is bent outwards in the transverse direction of the vehicle or is curved in the same way would theoretically also be conceivable, in which the longitudinal rigidity is increased or the profiled part stretches out in the direction of the edge regions of the door inner part in the event of an accident-induced force application as a result of a side impact and by means of corresponding transverse forces.The profiled part, for example a tube, which is arranged, for example, close to the door cladding, thus forms the blocking element in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The introduced bending moment achieves the effect that the profile part becomes more efficient-analogously to a clamped leaf spring, for example. This has the result that, in comparison with other systems, the profile part subsequently collapses during the course of the accident and, as a result, spreads the side door in the vehicle longitudinal direction for a longer time, and therefore activates the door cladding and the door inner panel and more load can be absorbed in the door pillars. As a result, a deeper intrusion and a penetration of the profile element through the door frame may not occur at all.According to the invention, it is provided that the bending moment for prestressing the profile part is introduced through a clamping part which connects the bearing parts and is arranged at a distance from the profile part, wherein respective through-openings are provided in the bearing parts, through which the clamping part passes, and wherein respective threads are provided at respective ends of the clamping part, and the clamping part is designed to be clamped between the bearing parts by screwing on nuts, with the result that the bending moment is generated with a resultant force acting in the transverse direction of the vehicle via the bearing parts. As a result, the profile part is activated in a particularly advantageous manner in order to increase its longitudinal rigidity.In a further embodiment of the invention, a resulting force of the bending moment acting on the profile part is directed outwards in the vehicle transverse direction. As a result, the profile part counteracts in an optimum manner a force which is introduced through a barrier in the event of a side collision.It is also advantageous if the clamping part is arranged on the inside of the profile part in the vehicle transverse direction. This advantageously results in the desired prestress of the profile part.In a further embodiment of the invention, it has been shown to be advantageous if the carrier extends between a lower front edge region and a lower rear edge region of the door inner part. Especially in this area, side doors have hitherto been susceptible to excessive intrusion.Finally, it has been shown to be advantageous if the profile part is arranged close to an inner side of the door cladding. As a result, the profile part is activated particularly quickly after an accident-induced application of force and can fulfil the function described above.Further features of the invention are evident from the claims, the figures and the description of the figures. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description and the features and combinations of features mentioned below in the description of the figures and / or shown alone in the figures can be used not only in the respectively specified combination but also in other combinations or alone.The invention will now be explained in more detail on the basis of a preferred exemplary embodiment and with reference to the drawings. The following are shown: FIG. 1 shows a side view of a front and a rear side door of a motor vehicle with respective side impact beams, wherein a position of the beam according to the invention, which extends between a front edge region and a rear edge region of the door inner part and is connected to these edge regions, is symbolically indicated, FIG. 2 shows a detail and schematic perspective view from the outside of the front side door according to FIG. 1, wherein the door inner part, the carrier according to the invention extending between its front and rear edge regions, and a side pane arrangement with respective window guides and a side pane can be seen, FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional view through the front side door according to FIG. 1 along the sectional plane indicated by the plane III-III in FIG. 1 and running in the transverse direction of the vehicle and in the vertical direction of the vehicle, wherein the door inner part, the carrier according to the invention, the side window arrangement and a door outer cladding are shown, and, FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the carrier according to the invention and an exploded illustration of the components of the carrier.FIG. 1 shows a side view of a passenger car with a front and a rear side door 1, 2 with the door cladding omitted in each case.The example of the front side door 1 illustrates an inner door part 3 which is formed, for example, from one or more sheet metal parts. This door inner part 3 is in the present case substantially rectangular and frame-like and comprises a front frame region or edge region 4 and a rear frame region or edge region 5, which merge in respective front corner regions 6, 7 and rear corner regions 8, 9 in an upper frame region or edge region 10 running at the height of a curb 12 and a rear frame region or edge region 11 above a side sill arranged behind it.Between the front and rear edge regions 4, 5 extend in the present case two side impact beams 13, 14, which are provided in the present case merely by way of example and can optionally also be omitted.A further carrier 15 according to the invention is indicated by dashed lines on the example of the front side door 1, which is arranged instead of or in addition to at least one of the side impact carriers 13, 14.This carrier 15 is arranged in a lower region of the door inner part 3 of the side door 1, which is shown in FIG. 2 in a detail and schematic perspective view from the outside.FIG. 2 here essentially shows a side window arrangement with respective window guides 17 of a side window 18 of the side door 1, below which corresponding installation space is present in order to arrange the carrier 15.The carrier 15 is symbolically indicated in FIG. 3 in a schematic sectional view along the sectional plane shown by the plane III-III in FIG. 1 and running in the transverse direction of the vehicle and in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The carrier 15 extends in the vicinity on the inside of an outer door cladding 24.In conjunction with FIG. 4, which shows the assembled carrier 15 in a perspective view and in an exploded illustration of the components of the carrier 15, it can be seen that the carrier 15 comprises, as essential components, a profile part 19 which is formed, for example, as a tube or the like from a metal material. The profiled part 19 is connected in the region of its ends to respective bearing parts 20 and is connected via these-as can be seen schematically from FIGS. 1 and 2-to the edge regions 4, 5 of the door inner part 3. The two bearing parts 20, which are formed from a metal material, for example, have respective receptacles 23, which are substantially semicircular in cross section and on which the profile part 19 is received with a lateral protrusion. The bearing parts 20 and the profile part 19 are, for example, braced with one another.Furthermore, it is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 that the profile part 19 extends near the inner side of the outer door cladding 24 between the edge regions 4, 5 or the corner regions 6, 8 in a lower region of the inner door part 3. Preferably, the profile part extends approximately horizontally in the vehicle longitudinal direction.The two bearing parts 20 are connected to the door inner part 3 for example by joining, in particular welding, and / or by mechanical connecting means.In order that a bending moment is introduced into the profile part 19 of the carrier 15, the two bearing parts 20 are connected to one another via a clamping part 21 which is arranged on the inside of the profile part 19 and runs, for example, at a distance and parallel to the profile part 19. For this purpose, respective through-openings 22 are provided in the bearing parts, through which the clamping part 21 passes. Respective threads are provided at the end of the clamping part 21, which has a circular cross section, for example, so that the clamping part 21 is clamped between the bearing parts 20 by screwing on nuts and a bending moment with a resulting force acting in the transverse direction of the vehicle is thus generated via the bearing parts 20.As a result, the profiled part 19 becomes more efficient with a higher longitudinal rigidity, analogous to a leaf spring. As a result of the bending moment introduced into the profile part 19 of the carrier 15, in the event of an accident-induced loading and penetration of a barrier, in particular centrally into the side door 1, the door inner part 3 is spread apart, such that the latter remains, in particular with its edge regions 4, 5, in overlapping relationship with the components of the door frame lying behind it in the force application direction for as long as possible, and folding-up and pressing-through of the side door 1 by the door frame is avoided for as long as possible.The introduced bending moment thus achieves a prestress of the carrier 15, by means of which the longitudinal rigidity thereof is increased, as a result of which it is once again brought about that the mutually opposite lateral edge regions 4, 5 of the door inner part do not move towards one another for as long as possible in the event of an accident-induced introduction of force during a side collision, and the outer contour of the side door 1 is therefore not reduced in such a way that said lateral edge region can be pressed through the door frame. The profiled part 19 close to the door cladding 16 thus forms the blocking element in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.The introduced bending moment achieves the effect that the profile part becomes more efficient-analogously to a clamped leaf spring, for example. This has the result that the profiled part 19 subsequently collapses during the course of the accident and as a result spreads the side door 1 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle longer, in comparison with other systems, and consequently activates the outer door cladding 24 and the inner door part 3 and more load can be absorbed in the door pillars. As a result, a deeper intrusion and a penetration of the profile element through the door frame may not occur at all.List of reference characters1 Front side door 2 Rear side door 3 Door inner part 4 Edge region 5 Edge region 6 Corner region 7 Corner region 8 Corner region 9 Corner region 10 Edge region 11 Edge region 12 Edge 13 Side impact beam 14 Side impact beam 15 Beam 16 Side window arrangement 17 Window guides 18 Side window 19 Profile part 20 Bearing parts 21 Clamping part 22 Passage openings 23 Receptacles 24 Door outer cladding

Claims

Side door for a motor vehicle, having a door inner part (3) which is clad on the outside with a door cladding (16), and having a carrier (15) which extends between a front edge region (4) and a rear edge region (5) of the door inner part (3) and is connected to these edge regions (4, 5), wherein the carrier (15) has a profile part (19) which is connected via respective bearing parts (20) to the edge regions (4, 5) of the door inner part (3) and into which a bending moment is introduced, characterized in that the bending moment for prestressing the profile part (19) is introduced through a clamping part (21) which connects the bearing parts (20) and is arranged at a distance from the profile part (19), - wherein respective through-openings (22) are provided in the bearing parts (20), through which the clamping part (21) passes, and - wherein respective threads are provided at respective ends of the clamping part (21), and the clamping part (21) is configured to be clamped between the bearing parts (20) by screwing nuts thereon, such that the bending moment is generated via the bearing parts (20) with a resulting force acting in the transverse direction of the vehicle.Side door according to Claim 1, characterized in that a resulting force of the bending moment acting on the profiled part (19) is directed outwards in the vehicle transverse direction.Side door according to either of Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the clamping part (21) is arranged on the inside of the profile part (19) in the transverse direction of the vehicle.Side door according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carrier (15) extends between a lower front edge region (4) and a lower rear edge region (5) of the door inner part (3).Side door according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the profiled part (19) is arranged close to an inner side of the door cladding (16).

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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