Vehicle door

Abstract

To provide a vehicle door which can prevent occurrence of a malfunction where a door is unexpectedly opened at the time of lateral collision of a vehicle and can reduce in-vehicle sound of wind noise at the time of vehicle travel.SOLUTION: At least a door latch mechanism 3 is accommodated in a space formed between an outer panel and an inner panel 2 where outer peripheral edges of the outer panel and the inner panel are bonded. A resin cover 4 is arranged in the inner panel 2 to cover a work hole formed in an inner panel 2 from a cabin side. An in-vehicle sound reduction structure of the vehicle door 1 in the resin cover 4 where a cable insertion hole 4a is formed into which a latch cables 6, 7 extending from the door latch mechanism 3 are inserted includes: a nonpermeable vinyl sheet (flexible sheet material) 10 which is attached to the resin cover 4 so as to cover the cable insertion hole 4a to block outflow of air from a vehicle inside to a vehicle outside; and an insertion part 10d which is arranged in the vinyl sheet 10 so that the latch cables 6, 7 are slidably inserted into the vinyl sheet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle door, and more particularly to a vehicle door having a structure that reduces interior wind noise generated inside the vehicle due to turbulence formed behind another vehicle traveling in front, while preventing the door from accidentally opening during a side collision. [Background technology]

[0002] When a vehicle is moving, air flows along the outer surface of the side door, causing the dynamic pressure of the air flow to reduce the static pressure near the outer surface of the side door, resulting in a negative pressure. This negative pressure causes the air inside the vehicle to flow out into the atmosphere through the gap in the side door.

[0003] The side door houses at least a door latch mechanism in a space formed between the outer and inner panels by joining their outer peripheral edges, and a plastic cover is attached to the inner panel to cover a service hole formed in the inner panel from the inside of the vehicle. The plastic cover is formed with a cable insertion hole through which a latch cable extending from the door latch mechanism is inserted. Therefore, when negative pressure is generated near the outer surface of the side door as the vehicle travels, the air inside the vehicle is drawn by the negative pressure and is discharged to the outside of the vehicle through the cable insertion hole of the plastic cover.

[0004] However, when another vehicle is traveling at high speed in front of the vehicle, air turbulence occurs behind the other vehicle, and this turbulence causes discontinuous fluctuations in the negative pressure generated near the outer surface of the side door of the vehicle. When such irregular fluctuations in negative pressure occur, the air flow inside the vehicle that passes through the cable insertion hole of the resin cover also fluctuates discontinuously due to the negative pressure, and this discontinuous fluctuation in the air flow generates an abnormal noise inside the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "wind noise"), causing discomfort to the occupants.

[0005] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a configuration in which a screen (vinyl sheet) that covers a service hole (work hole) formed in the inner panel of a door is attached to the indoor side of the inner panel, and a sheet-like valve body is attached to the inside of the door of an opening drilled in the screen, with its upper part welded and hanging down. Here, the valve body functions to pass air from the indoor side to the inside of the door through the screen, while preventing water from entering from the inside of the door to the indoor side.

[0006] Patent Document 2 also proposes an interior material that is attached to the inside of a door (car body) in which a service hole is formed. That is, a sealing material that fits around the service hole is provided on a cushioning material that is laminated on the interior material, and the cushioning material of the interior material seals and closes the service hole via this sealing material.

[0007] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses a configuration in which a grommet hole is provided at the opening edge of a service hole formed in a door inner panel for attaching a door latch mechanism, a hole cover is fixed using this grommet hole, and the service hole is sealed by this hole cover. Here, a cable and harness insertion portion is provided in a part of the hole cover for accommodating the cable and harness connected to the door latch mechanism parts.

[0008] Incidentally, in a vehicle door in which a cable insertion hole for passing a latch cable is formed in a resin cover (hole cover) that covers an access hole formed in an inner panel, a conventional configuration has been adopted in which a grommet is passed through the latch cable and the grommet is attached to the resin cover to fill the gap between the cable insertion hole and the latch cable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-086819 [Patent Document 2] JP 2003-002130 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2006-044635 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] However, if a conventional configuration is adopted in which a grommet is passed through the latch cable and the grommet is attached to a resin cover to fill the gap between the cable insertion hole and the latch cable, for example, when the vehicle is hit by a side collision, the grommet prevents the latch cable from being pulled out from the inside of the inner panel to the outside, causing the door to open inadvertently. This problem cannot be solved by the configurations disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

[0011] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle door that can reduce wind noise inside the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling, while preventing the door from accidentally opening during a side collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a vehicle door according to one embodiment of the present invention has at least a door latch mechanism housed in a space formed between an outer panel and an inner panel by joining the outer edges of the two, and an access hole cover member is attached to the inner panel to cover an access hole formed in the inner panel from the passenger compartment side, and the access hole cover is formed with a cable insertion hole through which a latch cable extending from the door latch mechanism is inserted, and the access hole cover member is attached to the cable insertion hole cover member so as to cover the cable insertion hole, and the flexible sheet material has an insertion portion through which the latch cable can be inserted so as to slide in the extension direction. Effect of the Invention

[0013] The vehicle door of the present invention can prevent the door from opening inadvertently in the event of a side collision of the vehicle, and can suppress the generation of wind noise inside the vehicle, preventing discomfort to occupants. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of an inner panel of a vehicle door equipped with a wind noise reduction structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the vehicle interior side. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged detailed view of part A in FIG. [Diagram 3] 2, but showing a structure for reducing wind noise inside a vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a front view of an inner panel of a vehicle door equipped with a wind noise reduction structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from inside the vehicle, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged detailed view of part A in FIG. 1. In the following description, the right side of FIG. 1 will be referred to as the "front of the vehicle", the left side as the "rear of the vehicle", and the top and bottom as the "top and bottom of the vehicle".

[0017] A vehicle door (hereinafter, simply referred to as "door") 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a left front side door of a four-wheeled vehicle (passenger car). This door 1 is configured as a hollow structure with a substantially rectangular flange, in which the outer edges of an outer panel (not shown) located at the back of FIG. 1 and an inner panel 2 located on the inside (inside of the vehicle) of the outer panel are joined by welding. Here, the outer panel and the inner panel 2 are press-formed sheet metal products, and a latch mechanism 3 for unlocking and locking the door 1 is housed in the rear end (left end in FIG. 1) of the space (not shown) formed between the outer panel and the inner panel 2. In addition to the latch mechanism 3, the space formed between the outer panel and the inner panel 2 also houses various functional parts (none of which are shown), such as a lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering a window glass (not shown) and a speaker (none of which are shown).

[0018] The inner panel 2 is also formed with a plurality of service holes (not shown) for performing fitting and maintenance work on various functional parts such as the door latch mechanism 3 housed in the space formed between the inner panel 2 and the outer panel, and some of these service holes are covered by a vertically elongated resin cover 4 attached to the inner panel 2 from the inside. Specifically, the resin cover 4 is attached to the outer surface of the inner panel 2 (the surface on the near side in FIG. 1) at a plurality of locations (eight locations in the illustrated example) on its outer periphery by fasteners 5 such as screws and taps, and covers the service holes (not shown) formed in the inner panel 2 from the inside of the vehicle. Although not shown, the inner panel 2 is covered from the inside of the vehicle (the near side in FIG. 1) by a door trim, which is a design part.

[0019] Incidentally, a substantially rectangular cable insertion hole 4a is formed in the upper part of the resin cover 4, and two latch cables 6, 7 extending from the door latch mechanism 3 are passed through this cable insertion hole 4a. Specifically, the two latch cables 6, 7 extending from the door latch mechanism 3 housed in the space between the outer panel and the inner panel 2 are passed through an access hole (not shown) formed in the inner panel 2 from the space side, and are drawn out of the resin cover 4 from the cable insertion hole 4a formed in the resin cover 4. These latch cables 6, 7 are connected to a lever handle 8 arranged on the outside of the inner panel 2.

[0020] Next, the vehicle door according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 2, the cable insertion hole 4a opening at the top of the plastic cover 4 is covered by a thin rectangular vinyl sheet 10, which is a non-breathable flexible sheet material partially attached to the outer surface of the plastic cover 4, so as to be openable and closable from the inside of the vehicle. The vinyl sheet 10 has an area larger than the opening area of ​​the cable insertion hole 4a formed in the plastic cover 4, and of its four sides, a lower side 10a (the side hatched in Fig. 2) is attached to the outer surface of the plastic cover 4 by bonding with an adhesive or the like, and the remaining three sides, i.e., the left and right sides 10b, 10c and the upper side 10d, are not attached to the plastic cover 4 and are in a free state. Therefore, the vinyl sheet 10 can bend around the lower side 10a to open and close the cable insertion hole 4a of the plastic cover 4, but it also functions as a check valve that allows air to pass (inflow) from the outside of the vehicle to the inside of the vehicle through the cable insertion hole 4a, while preventing air from passing (outflow) from the inside of the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle through the cable insertion hole 4a.

[0022] In this embodiment, the upper side 10d of the vinyl sheet 10 forms an insertion portion between the resin cover 4 and the resin cover 4, and the latch cables 6, 7 are slidably inserted through this insertion portion. In other words, the two latch cables 6, 7 are pulled out to the outside of the resin cover 4 from the insertion portion, which is the gap between the cable insertion hole 4a opening in the resin cover 4 and the upper side 10d to which the vinyl sheet 10 is not attached. In this embodiment, the lower side 10a of the vinyl sheet 10, which is opposite to the upper side 10d that forms the insertion portion between the vinyl sheet 10 and the resin cover 4, is attached to the outer surface of the resin cover 4 by adhesion or the like.

[0023] In this embodiment, as shown in detail in Fig. 2, a non-breathable cushioning material 11 (shown by hatching in Fig. 2) is interposed between the resin cover 4 and the latch cables 6, 7 in the vicinity of the upper side 10d constituting the insertion portion of the vinyl sheet 10. Note that in this embodiment, the vinyl sheet 10 is used as the flexible sheet material, but any other material can be used as long as it is a non-breathable flexible film-like sheet. Also, in this embodiment, a closed-cell foam sheet, which is a non-breathable elastic material, is used as the cushioning material 11, but any other material can be used as long as it exhibits a cushioning effect.

[0024] As described above, in this embodiment, the wind noise reduction structure in the vehicle is composed of the openable vinyl sheet 10 that covers the cable insertion hole 4a of the resin cover 4 from the inside of the vehicle, and the insertion portion (upper side 10d) formed in a part of the vinyl sheet 10. The effects of this vehicle door will be described below.

[0025] For example, even if the negative pressure generated near the outer surface of the door 1 of the vehicle fluctuates due to turbulence occurring behind another vehicle traveling at high speed ahead of the vehicle, the vinyl sheet 10 adheres to the periphery of the cable insertion hole 4a opening in the resin cover 4 due to the negative pressure and blocks the cable insertion hole 4a, so that the air flow inside the vehicle passing through the cable insertion hole 4a and flowing out of the vehicle is appropriately suppressed. Therefore, even if the negative pressure fluctuates discontinuously near the outer surface of the door 1 of the vehicle due to turbulence occurring behind the other vehicle traveling ahead, the generation of wind noise inside the vehicle caused by the air irregularly passing through the cable insertion hole 4a opening in the resin cover 4 is suppressed, and discomfort to the occupants is prevented.

[0026] Furthermore, at least one side of vinyl sheet 10 is an unfixed side that is not fixed to resin cover 4, and the other side is fixed to the outer surface of resin cover 4, with the unfixed side forming the cable insertion portion. With this configuration, the insertion portion for pulling out the latch cable can be formed simply by providing an unfixed side that is not fixed to the outer surface of resin cover 4, and there is no need to form a special insertion structure. Furthermore, even if at least one side is unfixed, vinyl sheet 10 is attracted to the outer surface of resin cover 4 due to the generation of negative pressure, so the suppression effect of wind noise is ensured.

[0027] Furthermore, because an insertion portion that allows sliding (relative movement) of the latch cables 6, 7 is provided between the upper edge 10d of the vinyl sheet 10 and the resin cover 4, the movement of the latch cables 6, 7 being pulled from the inside to the outside of the inner panel 2 is not impeded in the event of a side collision of the vehicle, preventing the door 1 from accidentally opening. Note that in reality, the vinyl sheet 10 may be pulled and torn off by the latch cables 6, 7 as they are pulled out to the outside of the vehicle during a side collision.

[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a non-breathable cushioning material 11 is interposed between the resin cover 4 and the latch cables 6, 7 in the vicinity of the upper side 10d that constitutes the insertion portion of the vinyl sheet 10. This prevents abnormal noises (slapping sounds) from being generated by the latch cables 6, 7 intermittently contacting the resin cover 4 due to vibrations caused when the vehicle is traveling. In other words, the vibrations transmitted to the latch cables 6, 7 are absorbed by the cushioning material 11, and the latch cables 6, 7 do not come into direct contact with the resin cover 4, but the cushioning material 11 is interposed between the two, preventing the generation of abnormal noises (slapping sounds) caused by the latch cables 6, 7 intermittently contacting the resin cover 4.

[0029] As described above, the vehicle door according to this embodiment has the effect of reducing wind noise inside the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling, while preventing the door 1 from accidentally opening during a side collision.

[0030] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a vehicle door according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the same elements as those shown in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations of those elements will be omitted below.

[0032] 3, the flexible sheet material is made of a closed-cell foam sheet 20, the outer periphery of which is attached to the outer surface of the resin cover 4, and a slit 21 is formed in a part of the closed-cell foam sheet 20 in a straight line in the horizontal direction (i.e., approximately the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle) to serve as an insertion portion. Here, the entire periphery of the closed-cell foam sheet 20, which is a flexible sheet material, is attached to the outer surface of the resin cover 4 with an adhesive or the like, and two latch cables 6, 7 are pulled out from the slit (insertion portion) 21 formed in the closed-cell foam sheet 20 in a straight line in the horizontal direction.

[0033] In the vehicle door constructed as described above, even if the negative pressure generated near the outer surface of the door 1 of the vehicle fluctuates due to turbulence generated behind another vehicle traveling at high speed ahead of the vehicle, the cable insertion hole 4a opening in the resin cover 4 is blocked by the closed cell foam sheet 20 which is a flexible sheet material, and the closed cell foam sheet 20 is pulled toward the outside of the vehicle by the negative pressure, narrowing the width of the slit 21 formed in the closed cell foam sheet 20, thereby preventing the air inside the vehicle from passing through the cable insertion hole 4a. Therefore, even if the negative pressure fluctuates discontinuously near the outer surface of the door 1 of the vehicle due to turbulence generated behind the other vehicle traveling ahead, the generation of wind noise inside the vehicle caused by the air irregularly passing through the cable insertion hole 4a of the resin cover 4 is suppressed, and discomfort to the occupants is prevented.

[0034] Furthermore, because the latch cables 6, 7 are slidably (relatively movable) inserted through the slits 21 formed in the closed-cell foam sheet 20, the movement of the latch cables 6, 7 pulled out from the inside to the outside of the inner panel 2 is not impeded in the event of a side collision of the vehicle, preventing the door 1 from accidentally opening. In this embodiment, the closed-cell foam sheet 20, which functions as a buffer material, is interposed between the resin cover 4 and the portions of the latch cables 6, 7 pulled out of the slits 21 in the closed-cell foam sheet 20, so that abnormal noises (banging sounds) caused by intermittent contact of the latch cables 6, 7 with the resin cover 4 due to vibrations while the vehicle is traveling are prevented.

[0035] Although the above description is directed to a left front side door of a passenger vehicle, the present invention can be applied to a right front side door and left and right rear side doors as well as to doors of any vehicle other than passenger vehicles.

[0036] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the application of the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims and the technical ideas described in the specification and drawings.

[0037] For example, in the above embodiment, the flexible sheet material (vinyl sheet material) is made of a film-like sheet, but there is no particular limitation as long as it is a non-breathable material, and it is also possible to make it from a cloth material, paper material, etc. that has excellent flexibility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 Vehicle door 2 Inner Panel 3 Door latch mechanism 4 Resin cover 4a Cable insertion hole 5 Fasteners 6,7 Latch Cable 8 Lever Handle 10 Vinyl sheet (flexible sheet material) 10a Bottom edge of the vinyl sheet 10b, 10c Left and right edges of the vinyl sheet 10d Upper edge of vinyl sheet (insertion part) 11 Cushioning material 20 Independent foam sheet (flexible sheet material) 21 Slit (insertion part)

Claims

1. A vehicle door in which at least a door latch mechanism is housed in a space formed between an outer panel and an inner panel by joining the outer peripheral edges of the two, an access hole cover is attached to the inner panel to cover an access hole formed in the inner panel from the passenger compartment side, and a cable insertion hole is formed in the access hole cover to insert a latch cable extending from the door latch mechanism, A vehicle door characterized in that a non-breathable flexible sheet material is attached to the access hole cover so as to cover the cable insertion hole, and the flexible sheet material has an insertion portion through which the latch cable can be inserted so as to be slidable in the extension direction.

2. The vehicle door according to claim 1, characterized in that the flexible sheet material is attached to the work hole cover by having at least one side thereof as an unfixed side that is not fixed to the work hole cover, and the other side being fixed to the outer surface of the work hole cover, and the unfixed side forming the insertion portion.

3. 3. The vehicle door according to claim 1, wherein a buffer material is interposed between the latch cable pulled out from the cable insertion hole of the access hole cover and the outer surface of the access hole cover.

4. 3. The vehicle door according to claim 1, wherein the flexible sheet material is made of a closed-cell foam sheet, the outer peripheral edge of which is attached to the outer surface of the access hole cover, and the insertion portion is made of a slit formed in a part of the closed-cell foam sheet through which the latch cable is inserted.

5. 3. The vehicle door according to claim 1, wherein the flexible sheet material is a film-like sheet.

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