Vehicle slide door structure

Abstract

To improve durability of a spot welded part in a lower front portion of a door body.SOLUTION: A slide door 100 having a vehicle slide door structure includes: an impact beam 6 extending in a vehicle fore and aft direction in a door body 1 and having a front end joined to an inner panel 2 through a bracket 61; a plurality of contact parts 8 which are provided at positions spaced apart from each other in a vehicle vertical direction at a front wall lower portion 23a forming a lower portion of a panel front wall 23 and come in contact with a vehicle body side member when the door is closed; and a lower reinforcement 9 which is provided in the door body 1 and joined to the inner panel 2 by spot welding and thereby reinforces a portion including a seat part 25a of the inner panel 2. The lower reinforcement 9 has a side wall part 91 arranged along the front wall lower portion 23a of the panel front wall 23 and is joined to the seat part 25a and the bracket 61.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle sliding door structure including a sliding door body. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, the door body of a sliding door opens and closes the entrance / exit opening on the side of the vehicle body by sliding in the front-rear direction of the vehicle along a rail provided on the side of the vehicle body. As an example of a vehicle sliding door structure including such a door body, the sliding door structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In the conventional sliding door structure as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a lower rail is provided at the lower edge of the entrance / exit opening on the side of the vehicle body, and the front part of the lower part of the door body is connected to the side of the vehicle body via a lower connecting part so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle along the lower rail. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-39539 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, the lower front portion of the door body of a sliding door is connected to the vehicle body side portion of the door body via the lower connecting portion as described above. The impact force generated when the door is closed can be transmitted to this lower front portion of the door body via the lower connecting portion. In order to improve the strength of the lower front portion of the door body, it is considered to join a reinforcement to the back surface of the lower front portion of the door body by spot welding. In this case, since stress generated by the impact force generated when the door is closed tends to concentrate at the spot welded portion of the reinforcement in the lower front portion of the door body, it may be necessary to improve the durability of the spot welded portion.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle sliding door structure that can easily improve the durability of spot welded portions in the lower front portion of the door body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a door body is provided on a side portion of a vehicle body, and includes an inner panel and an outer panel arranged on the outer side of the inner panel in the vehicle width direction, and a lower connecting portion connecting a lower front portion of the door body to a lower rail provided on the side portion of the vehicle body so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle along the lower rail, the inner panel has a flange portion joined to an outer edge of the outer panel and a panel body bulging inward in the vehicle width direction inside the flange portion, the panel body has a panel front wall facing the front and a panel inner wall facing the inner side in the vehicle width direction, and the lower connecting portion is attached to a seat portion provided in a portion of the panel inner wall including a front lower corner portion. A dual-use sliding door structure comprising: an impact beam extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle inside the door body and having a front end joined to the inner panel via a bracket; a plurality of contact portions provided at positions spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction of the vehicle in a lower front wall portion that is a lower part of the front wall of the panel and which contact a member on the vehicle body side when the door is closed; and a lower reinforcement provided inside the door body and joined to the inner panel by spot welding to reinforce a portion of the inner panel including the seat portion, wherein the lower reinforcement has a side wall portion that follows the lower front wall portion of the front wall of the panel, and is joined to the seat portion and the bracket. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the vehicle sliding door structure according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle sliding door structure that can easily improve the durability of the spot welded points in the lower front portion of the door body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1]1 is a perspective view of a sliding door to which a vehicle sliding door structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, as viewed from the inside in a vehicle width direction. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view including a lower front portion of the sliding door as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view of a lower front portion of a door body from which a lower connecting portion has been removed, as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a plan view of a lower front portion of the sliding door as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view for illustrating the internal structure of a lower front portion of the sliding door. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view for illustrating the internal structure of a lower front portion of the sliding door. [Figure 7] 5 is a partial perspective view of a cut model taken along line AA shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a plan view for explaining a joining point of the lower reinforcement. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a sliding door 100 to which a vehicle sliding door structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction, and FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are partial perspective views including a lower front part of the sliding door 100, viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction. In FIG. 3, a lower connecting part 5 described later is removed, and a door weather strip S is omitted from the illustration. In the figure, the arrow Fr direction indicates the front of the vehicle in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the arrow O direction indicates the outside of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction (vehicle width direction), and the arrow U direction indicates the upper part of the vehicle in the vehicle vertical direction. In the following description, "front" and "rear" correspond to the front and rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and "upper" and "lower" correspond to the upper and lower in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0010] (Overview of sliding doors) 1 to 3, the sliding door 100 includes a door body 1, a door latch 1a, an upper connecting portion 4, a lower connecting portion 5, an impact beam 6, and a door outer center reinforcement 7. The sliding door 100 is a sliding door that is connected to a vehicle body side portion (not shown) so as to be slidable in the vehicle front-rear direction and opens and closes an entrance / exit opening in the vehicle body side portion. In this embodiment, the sliding door 100 is a rear sliding door. In the following, an example will be described in which the sliding door 100 is applied to a right rear sliding door when an occupant in the vehicle cabin looks forward in the vehicle front-rear direction.

[0011] The door body 1 is provided on the side of the vehicle body and has an inner panel 2 and an outer panel 3 arranged on the outer side of the inner panel 2 in the vehicle width direction. Each panel (2, 3) is formed by pressing a thin metal steel plate. The door body 1 (in other words, the inner panel 2 and the outer panel 3) has a generally rectangular outer shape in a plan view seen from the vehicle width direction. A window hole 1b that is opened and closed by a window glass G is opened in an upper part of the door body 1 (generally the center of the upper half area in the illustrated example). Although not shown in the figure, a resin trim is attached to the inner side of the door body 1 in the vehicle width direction (i.e., the inner panel 2).

[0012] The door latch 1a is a part that keeps the door body 1 in a closed state by engaging with a striker provided at the rear edge of the entrance / exit on the side of the vehicle body (not shown), and is fixed to the rear of the inner panel 2 inside the door body 1. A door handle (not shown) is provided on the outer panel 3 of the door body 1, and when the door handle is operated, the door closed state set by the door latch 1a is released.

[0013] The inner panel 2 is a member that constitutes the panel on the inside in the vehicle width direction of the door body 1, and has a flange portion 2A that is joined to the outer edge of the outer panel 3, and a panel body 2B that bulges inward in the vehicle width direction inside the flange portion 2A. The structure of the inner panel 2 will be described in detail later.

[0014] The outer panel 3 faces the outer surface of the inner panel 2 in the vehicle width direction, and is a member that constitutes the outermost wall (design surface) in the vehicle width direction of the sliding door 100. The outer edge of the outer panel 3 is hemmed to be integrated with the inner panel 2, and forms a closed cross-sectional structure in cooperation with the inner panel 2. In other words, the door body 1 is formed by connecting the flange portion 2A of the inner panel 2 and the outer edge portion of the outer panel 3 to each other.

[0015] The upper connecting part 4 connects the upper front part of the door body 1 to the upper rail L1 provided on the side of the vehicle body so as to be slidable in the vehicle front-rear direction along the upper rail L1. The upper rail L1 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction at the upper edge of the periphery of the boarding / alighting opening on the side of the vehicle body. The upper connecting part 4 has an upper arm 41 attached to the upper front part of the sliding door 100, and an upper roller 42 that engages with the upper rail L1 and can roll (slide) along the inner wall of the upper rail L1. A base end of the upper arm 41 is attached to the upper surface of the upper front part of the door body 1, and the upper arm 41 extends from the base end generally inward in the vehicle width direction. The upper roller 42 is rotatably supported by the upper arm 41 and rolls along the inner wall of the upper rail L1.

[0016] The lower connecting part 5 connects the lower front part of the door body 1 to the lower rail L2 provided on the side of the vehicle body so as to be slidable in the vehicle front-rear direction along the lower rail L2. The lower rail L2 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction at a lower part of the periphery of the boarding / alighting opening on the side of the vehicle body. The lower connecting part 5 has a lower arm 51 attached to the lower front part of the sliding door 100, and a lower roller 52 that engages with the lower rail L2 and can roll (slide) along the inner wall of the lower rail L2. The base end of the lower arm 51 is attached to the lower front part of the door body 1 (in the illustrated example, the seat part 25a of the panel inner wall 25 described later), and the lower arm 51 extends from the base end generally inward in the vehicle width direction. The lower roller 52 is rotatably supported by the lower arm 51 and rolls along the inner wall of the lower rail L2. The detailed structure of the lower connecting part 5 will be described later.

[0017] The impact beam 6 extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction inside the door body 1. The impact beam 6 is a linearly extending member for suppressing deformation of the sliding door 100 during a side collision, and is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape. The impact beam 6 extends over substantially the entire vehicle longitudinal direction in a lower region inside the door body 1. The rear end of the impact beam 6 is joined to the rear back surface of the inner panel 2 via a bracket (not shown) or the like, and the front end of the impact beam 6 is joined to the front back surface of the inner panel 2 via a bracket 61 (see FIG. 4, etc., described later). In other words, the impact beam 6 has a rear end joined to the inner panel 2 via a rear bracket, and a front end joined to the inner panel 2 via a front bracket 61.

[0018] The door outer center reinforcement 7 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction above the impact beam 6 inside the door body 1. The door outer center reinforcement 7 is a linearly extending member for preventing dents (deformations) in the outer panel 3 constituting the design surface of the sliding door 100, and is formed, for example, by press forming a thin metal steel plate. The door outer center reinforcement 7 extends over almost the entire vehicle front-rear direction in the lower region inside the door body 1, and is fixed at least to the inner side surface in the vehicle width direction of the outer panel 3. Specifically, the door outer center reinforcement 7 is joined to the inner side surface in the vehicle width direction of the outer panel 3 at multiple points in its longitudinal direction by an adhesive or the like via a hard sponge-like member (not shown). In addition, the front end of the door outer center reinforcement 7 is joined to the back surface of the front part of the inner panel 2 by spot welding, and the rear end of the door outer center reinforcement 7 is joined to the back surface of the rear part of the inner panel 2 by spot welding.

[0019] Next, the structure of the inner panel 2 and the structure of the lower connecting portion 5 will be further described with reference to Figs.

[0020] 1 to 3, the inner panel 2 has a flange-shaped flange portion 2A joined to the outer edge of the outer panel 3, and a panel body 2B that bulges generally inward in the vehicle width direction inside the flange portion 2A. The flange portion 2A is a portion that is joined to the outer edge of the outer panel 3 that has been hemmed, and faces generally inward in the vehicle width direction. The panel main body 2B has a panel upper wall 21 extending in the fore-and-aft direction continuous with the upper edge of the flange portion 2A and facing upward, a panel lower wall 22 extending in the fore-and-aft direction continuous with the lower edge of the flange portion 2A and facing downward, a panel front wall 23 extending from the front end of the panel upper wall 21 to the front end of the panel lower wall 22 and facing forward, a panel rear wall 24 extending from the rear end of the panel upper wall 21 to the rear end of the panel lower wall 22 and facing rearward, and a panel inner wall 25 surrounded by these walls (21, 22, 23, 24), occupying most of the area of ​​the inner panel 2 and facing generally inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0021] The panel main body 2B has an annular bulge 1c against which a door weatherstrip S attached to a side of the vehicle body abuts from the inside in the vehicle width direction. The annular bulge 1c bulges inward in the vehicle width direction at the panel inner wall 25 and is formed in an annular shape in a plan view. The annular bulge 1c extends in an annular shape generally along the outer edge of the panel inner wall 25. The annular bulge 1c has a flat annular surface (sealing surface) facing the inside in the vehicle width direction (inside the vehicle compartment), and the elastic annular door weatherstrip S (sealing member) abuts against this annular surface from the inside in the vehicle width direction.

[0022] The lower connecting part 5 is attached to a seat part 25a provided in a portion including a lower front corner of the panel inner wall 25 of the panel main body 2B so as to connect the lower front part of the door main body 1 to the lower rail L2. That is, the base end part of the lower connecting part 5 is attached to the seat part 25a of the panel main body 2B, and the tip part of the lower connecting part 5 engages with the lower rail L2. Specifically, the lower arm 51 of the lower connecting part 5 is fastened to the door main body 1 via a first fastener 53 and attached to the lower front part of the door main body 1 (the seat part 25a of the panel main body 2B). In the illustrated example, the first fastener 53 is a bolt.

[0023] Specifically, the lower arm 51 is composed of a vertical plate portion 51a that is aligned with the seat portion 25a and a horizontal plate portion 51b that extends from the lower end of the vertical plate portion 51a toward the inside in the vehicle width direction, and is bent generally in an L-shape as a whole in a side view seen from one side in the vehicle front-rear direction. The seat portion 25a is formed in a generally triangular shape in a plan view, and the vertical plate portion 51a is formed in a shape that generally matches the shape of the seat portion 25a, abutting against the seat portion 25a and covering most of the seat portion 25a. The horizontal plate portion 51b extends diagonally forward.

[0024] Here, an impact force generated when the door is closed can be transmitted to the lower front portion of the door body 1 (a portion including the seat portion 25a of the inner panel 2) via the lower arm 51 of the lower connecting portion 5. In this regard, the sliding door 100 includes a lower reinforcement 9 that is provided inside the door body 1 and joined to the inner panel 2 by spot welding, thereby reinforcing the lower front portion of the door body 1. The following mainly describes in detail the structure of the lower reinforcement 9 and its surroundings.

[0025] [Details of the sliding door structure] Next, the detailed structure of the sliding door 100 will be mainly described. Figures 4 to 8 are diagrams for explaining the internal structure of the lower front part of the door body 1 of the sliding door 100. Figure 4 is a plan view of the lower front part of the door body 1 as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction, and the internal structure is shown by a broken line. Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower front part of the door body 1 from which the inner panel 2 has been removed as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction, Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower front part of the door body 1 from which the outer panel 3 has been removed as viewed from the outside in the vehicle width direction, Figure 7 is a partial perspective view of a cut model taken along the line AA shown in Figure 4, and Figure 8 is a plan view for explaining the joining points of the lower reinforcement 9 to the inner panel 2 by spot welding. The door weather strip S is omitted in Figures 4, 7, and 8.

[0026] 4 to 8, the sliding door 100 further includes a plurality of contact portions 8 and a lower reinforcement 9.

[0027] The contact portions 8 are provided at positions spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction of the vehicle in the front wall lower portion 23a, which is the lower portion of the panel front wall 23 of the panel main body 2B, and come into contact with a member on the vehicle body side when the door is closed. In the illustrated example, two contact portions 8 are attached to the panel front wall 23 at the front wall lower portion 23a of the panel front wall 23, spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction.

[0028] In this embodiment, the multiple (two in the illustrated example) contact portions 8 include an impact buffer member 8a made of an elastic member, and a shut stopper 8b that maintains the door body 1 in a closed state.

[0029] The shock absorbing member 8a is a member that, when the door is closed, comes into contact with and is pressed against a side wall of the door opening peripheral portion of the vehicle body side facing the rear of the vehicle, thereby mitigating the impact force when the door is closed. The shock absorbing member 8a is made of hard rubber formed into a roughly cylindrical shape, for example, and is fixed to the panel front wall 23 by an appropriate fastener such as a bolt. In the illustrated example, the shock absorbing member 8a is disposed in the vicinity of the upper end height position of the seat portion 25a in the vehicle up-down direction on the panel front wall 23. In this way, the shock absorbing member 8a constitutes a part of the contact portion 8 that comes into contact with the side wall of the door opening peripheral portion of the vehicle body side as a member on the vehicle body side when the door is closed, and receives the impact force in the vehicle front-rear direction.

[0030] Although not shown in the drawings, another shock absorbing member similar to the shock absorbing member 8a is also provided in the vertical center and upper portion of the panel front wall 23. In this specification, the shock absorbing member 8a as the contact portion 8 provided in the front wall lower portion 23a of the panel front wall 23 is distinguished from the other shock absorbing member provided in the vertical center and upper portion of the panel front wall 23.

[0031] The shut stopper 8b has, for example, a base plate 8b2 fixed to the panel front wall 23 by a second fastener 8b1, and a holding portion 8b3 extending forward from the base plate 8b2. In the illustrated example, the second fastener 8b1 is a bolt. Although not particularly limited, the holding portion 8b3 is configured to, for example, engage with a protruding member Z (see Figs. 2 and 4) attached to the side wall of the vehicle body side when the door is closed, and to maintain the engaged state with the protruding member Z by using a magnetic force or the like, thereby maintaining the door closed state. The holding portion 8b3 of the shut stopper 8b has an abutment surface 8b4 that faces forward and abuts against the protruding member Z when the door is closed. The shut stopper 8b is disposed in a position above the impact buffering member 8a in the front wall lower portion 23a. In this way, the shut stopper 8b constitutes a part of the contact portion 8 that contacts the protruding member Z as a member on the vehicle body side when the door is closed, and receives an impact force in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0032] The lower reinforcement 9 is a reinforcing member that reinforces a portion of the lower part of the door body 1 to which the base portion (vertical plate portion 51a) of the lower arm 51 of the lower connecting portion 5 is attached, that is, a lower front portion of the door body 1. More specifically, the lower front portion of the panel body 2B is the fastening portion of the lower connecting portion 5 by the first fastener 53 (that is, the portion including the seat portion 25a of the inner panel 2), and the lower front portion of the panel body 2B is reinforced from the back surface side by the lower reinforcement 9.

[0033] As described above, the lower reinforcement 9 is a reinforcing panel that is provided inside the door body 1 and joined to the inner panel 2 to reinforce a portion of the inner panel 2 including the seat portion 25a (the lower front portion of the door body 1). The lower reinforcement 9 is formed by performing press forming or the like on a thin metal steel plate. The lower reinforcement 9 is joined to the inner panel 2 by spot welding. Note that in FIG. 8, spot welding locations (spot points), which are joining points W of the lower reinforcement 9 to the inner panel 2 by spot welding, are appropriately and appropriately indicated by circles. The joining points W are set at a plurality of locations, and each joining point W will be described later.

[0034] The lower reinforcement 9 has a side wall portion 91 that fits along the front wall lower portion 23 a of the panel front wall 23 , and is joined to the seat portion 25 a of the inner panel 2 and the bracket 61 of the impact beam 6 .

[0035] Specifically, referring to Figure 6, the lower reinforcement 9 is bent so as to generally follow the front wall lower portion 23a of the panel front wall 23 of the inner panel 2, the panel inner side wall 25, and the portion of the flange portion 2A that continues to the panel front wall 23.

[0036] In this embodiment, the lower reinforcement 9 has the above-mentioned side wall portion 91, a main body wall portion 92, a lower wall portion 93, and a flange wall portion 94.

[0037] The side wall portion 91 extends generally in the up-down direction along the front wall lower portion 23a of the panel front wall 23. The side wall portion 91 extends from the lower end of the panel front wall 23 (front wall lower portion 23a) to a portion of the panel front wall 23 to which the uppermost contact portion 8 (shut stopper 8b) is attached.

[0038] The main body wall portion 92 extends along the seat portion 25a of the panel inner wall 25 and to the inside of the annular bulge portion 1c in a plan view. The main body wall portion 92 extends from the inner end of the side wall portion 91 in the vehicle width direction toward the rear of the vehicle, and its rear end is located inside the annular bulge portion 1c.

[0039] The lower wall portion 93 extends generally in the front-rear direction along the panel lower wall 22. The lower wall portion 93 extends rearward from the front end of the panel lower wall 22.

[0040] The flange wall portion 94 extends in the up-down direction along a front edge portion 2A1 of the flange portion 2A of the inner panel 2. The flange wall portion 94 extends from an outer end of the side wall portion 91 in the vehicle width direction toward the front of the vehicle.

[0041] Here, in this embodiment, the front lower corner 1c1 of the annular bulge 1c of the inner panel 2 is curved to avoid the seat portion 25a. The seat portion 25a is formed as a flat surface that is recessed (concave) toward the outside in the vehicle width direction with respect to the annular surface of the annular bulge 1c. The seat portion 25a is continuous with the curved front lower corner 1c1 of the annular bulge 1c and is adjacent to the front lower corner 1c1. The main body wall portion 92 of the lower reinforcement 9 extends along the seat portion 25a, the curved front lower corner 1c1 of the annular bulge 1c, a front straight portion 1c2 of the annular bulge 1c described later, and a region of a predetermined width inside the annular bulge 1c of the panel inner wall 25.

[0042] 4 to 7, in this embodiment, the lower reinforcement 9 has a bead portion 92a that bulges outward in the vehicle width direction and extends along a part of the annular bulging portion 1c in a plan view. In other words, the bead portion 92a bulges in the opposite direction to the bulging direction of the annular bulging portion 1c. In the illustrated example, the bead width of the bead portion 92a is set to be approximately the same as the width of the annular bulging portion 1c in a plan view. The bead portion 92a is formed in the main body wall portion 92 of the lower reinforcement 9.

[0043] In the illustrated example, the bead portion 92a extends generally along the curved front lower corner 1c1 of the annular bulge portion 1c and a front straight portion 1c2 extending in the vertical direction above the seat portion 25a of the annular bulge portion 1c. The front straight portion 1c2 extends upward continuously from the upper end of the curved front lower corner 1c1 of the annular bulge portion 1c. The main body wall portion 92 of the lower reinforcement 9 further has an inner flange portion 92b that protrudes inward from the bead portion 92a. The inner flange portion 92b has a width approximately equal to the bead width of the bead portion 92a and extends along the bead portion 92a.

[0044] In this embodiment, the front straight portion 1c2 of the annular bulge 1c extending in the vertical direction above the seat portion 25a is disposed so as to be continuous with and adjacent to the front wall lower portion 23a of the panel front wall 23. In other words, the front straight portion 1c2 of the annular bulge 1c and the front wall lower portion 23a are adjacent to each other to form a bent corner as a whole.

[0045] Next, referring to Fig. 8 and other figures, a description will be given mainly of the joining portion and joining structure of the lower reinforcement 9 to the inner panel 2. In Fig. 8, the lower connecting portion 5, the impact buffer member 8a, and the shut stopper 8b have been removed, and the door weather strip S has been omitted from the illustration.

[0046] The lower reinforcement 9 is joined to the inner panel 2 by spot welding at a plurality of locations. In the illustrated example, in the lower reinforcement 9, each of the side wall portion 91, the main body wall portion 92, the lower wall portion 93, and the flange wall portion 94 is joined to the inner panel 2 by spot welding. In other words, the side wall portion 91 is joined at a plurality of joining points W (two joining points, one above and one below, in the illustrated example) set in the front wall lower portion 23a of the panel front wall 23, the main body wall portion 92 is joined at a plurality of joining points W (six joining points W, in the illustrated example) set in the panel inner side wall 25, the lower wall portion 93 is joined at a plurality of joining points W (two joining points W, in the illustrated example) set in the panel lower wall 22, and the flange wall portion 94 is joined at a plurality of joining points W (four joining points W, in the illustrated example) set in the front edge portion 2A1 of the flange portion 2A of the inner panel 2.

[0047] In this embodiment, in the front wall lower portion 23a of the inner panel 2, the joint point W is set at one point between two second bolt insertion holes 23a1 that open in the front wall lower portion 23a and through which the second fastener 8b1 is inserted, and at one point at the lower end portion of the front wall lower portion 23a.

[0048] In this embodiment, in the panel inner wall 25 of the inner panel 2, the joint points W (joint points W formed by spot welding the main body wall portion 92 of the lower reinforcement 9 to the panel inner wall 25) include an outer joint point W1 and an inner joint point W2. The outer joint point W1 is a joint point set in the seat portion 25a, and the inner joint point W2 is a joint point set on the inside of the annular bulge portion 1c of the panel inner wall 25.

[0049] Specifically, the outer joint points W1 on the panel inner wall 25 are set at a plurality of locations (two locations in the illustrated example) within an area surrounded by a plurality of (three locations in the illustrated example) first bolt insertion holes 25b that open in the seat portion 25a and through which the first fasteners 53 are inserted. Also, the inner joint points W2 on the panel inner wall 25 are set at a plurality of locations (three locations in the illustrated example). Note that the joint points W on the panel inner wall 25 are set outside the annular bulge portion 1c and at a location rearward of the seat portion 25a, in addition to the outer joint point W1 set on the seat portion 25a and the inner joint point W2 set inside the annular bulge portion 1c.

[0050] In this embodiment, the inner joint point W2 is provided on the inner seat portion 25c formed to bulge in the vehicle width direction inside the annular bulging portion 1c of the panel inner wall 25. In the illustrated example, the inner seat portion 25c has a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) first inner seats 25c1 adjacent to the annular bulging portion 1c and a second inner seat portion 25c2 located above the plurality of first inner seats 25c1. Each inner seat portion 25c (25c1, 25c2) bulges in a circular shape in a plan view. The first inner seat portion 25c1 bulges outward in the vehicle width direction in a region facing the inner flange portion 92b of the panel inner wall 25. An end face of the first inner seat portion 25c1 is abutted against and joined to the inner flange portion 92b of the lower reinforcement 9. The second inner seat portion 25c2 bulges outward in the vehicle width direction in a region facing the upper portion of the panel inner wall 25. An end face of the second inner seat portion 25c2 is in contact with and joined to a leg portion 92c protruding rearward from a portion that bulges inward in the vehicle width direction above the bead portion 92a of the lower reinforcement 9. The first inner seat portion 25c1 and the second inner seat portion 25c2 are each continuously connected to the annular bulging portion 1c.

[0051] In this embodiment, the inner seat portion 25c is formed at a plurality of locations as described above. Some of the inner seats 25c are disposed behind the impact buffer member 8a. In the illustrated example, the upper first inner seat portion 25c1 of the two first inner seats 25c1 is disposed directly behind the impact buffer member 8a. In other words, the position of some of the inner seats 25c in the vehicle vertical direction is aligned with the position of the impact buffer member 8a in the vehicle vertical direction. In addition, the lower first inner seat portion 25c1 is disposed directly behind the seat portion 25a. In other words, the position of some of the inner seats 25c in the vehicle vertical direction is aligned with the position of the seat portion 25a in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0052] In this embodiment, some of the inner seats 25c are disposed behind the shut stopper 8b. In the illustrated example, the second inner seat 25c2 is disposed behind the shut stopper 8b. In other words, the positions of some of the inner seats 25c in the vehicle vertical direction are aligned with the position of the shut stopper 8b in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0053] In the panel lower wall 22 of the inner panel 2, the joining points W are set at multiple locations (two locations in the illustrated example) near the rear end of the panel lower wall 22. The joining points W of the panel lower wall 22 are located below the joining points W at the rear locations of the seat portions 25a of the panel inner side walls 25.

[0054] In the front edge portion 2A1 of the flange portion 2A of the inner panel 2, the joining points W are set at multiple locations (three locations in the illustrated example) near the upper end and one location near the lower end in the area of ​​the front edge portion 2A1 facing the flange wall portion 94.

[0055] In this embodiment, the front upper portion of the lower reinforcement 9 is sandwiched between the flange portion 2A of the inner panel 2 and the bracket 61 of the impact beam 6. Specifically, the flange wall portion 94 of the lower reinforcement 9 is sandwiched between a portion of the front edge portion 2A1 of the flange portion 2A near the upper end and the front edge portion of the bracket 61. A plurality of joining points W are set in the portion of the front edge portion 2A1 that sandwiches the flange wall portion 94. As a result, the front upper portion (flange wall portion 94) of the lower reinforcement 9, the flange portion 2A (front edge portion 2A1) of the inner panel 2, and the bracket 61 are joined to each other while overlapping each other. Therefore, the flange wall portion 94, the front edge portion 2A1 of the flange portion 2A, and the bracket 61 are joined by spot welding in a three-ply configuration at a plurality of joining points W.

[0056] In this embodiment, the bracket 61 is disposed behind the shut stopper 8b. In other words, the bracket 61 is disposed directly behind the shut stopper 8b. More specifically, the position of the bracket 61 in the vertical direction of the vehicle is aligned with the position of the shut stopper 8b in the vertical direction of the vehicle. In addition, the bracket 61 is located between the shut stopper 8b and the second inner seat portion 25c2 in a plan view seen from one side in the vehicle width direction, and the shut stopper 8b, the bracket 61, the second inner seat portion 25c2, and the impact beam 6 are generally aligned in a row.

[0057] As described above, with the lower reinforcement 9 joined to the inner panel 2 by spot welding at multiple joining points W, the lower connecting portion 5, the impact buffer member 8a and the shut stopper 8b are attached to the inner panel 2 via fasteners.

[0058] Specifically, for the lower connecting part 5, a bolt as a first fastener 53 is inserted through a bolt insertion hole opened in the lower arm 51, a first bolt insertion hole 25b (see Figs. 3 and 8) opened in the seat portion 25a, and a bolt insertion hole 92d (see Fig. 5) opened in the main body wall portion 92 of the lower reinforcement 9, and is screwed into a weld nut N (see Fig. 6) welded to the back surface of the main body wall portion 92, thereby fastening the lower connecting part 5 to the seat portion 25a of the inner panel 2. At this time, the lower arm 51, the seat portion 25a, and the lower reinforcement 9 are fastened together in a triple stack.

[0059] With regard to the impact cushioning member 8a, a bolt serving as a third fastener 8a1 (see Figures 2 to 4) is inserted into a bolt insertion hole opened in the impact cushioning member 8a and a third bolt insertion hole 23a2 (see Figure 8) opened in the panel front wall 23 of the inner panel 2, and the impact cushioning member 8a is fastened to the panel front wall 23 of the inner panel, for example, by screwing it into a weld nut welded to the back surface of the panel front wall 23.

[0060] With regard to the shut stopper 8b, a bolt serving as a second fastener 8b1 is inserted through a bolt insertion hole opened in the base plate 8b2, a second bolt insertion hole 23a1 (see FIG. 8) opened in the panel front wall 23 of the inner panel 2, and a bolt insertion hole 91a (see FIG. 5) opened in the side wall portion 91 of the lower reinforcement 9, and is screwed into a weld nut N (see FIG. 6) welded to the back surface of the side wall portion 91, whereby the shut stopper 8b is fastened to the panel front wall 23 of the inner panel. At this time, the base plate 8b2 of the shut stopper 8b, the panel front wall 23, and the lower reinforcement 9 are fastened together in a triple-layered configuration.

[0061] Next, the operation of the vehicle sliding door structure according to this embodiment will be described.

[0062] The sliding door 100 to which the vehicle sliding door structure as described above is applied includes a lower connecting portion 5 attached to a seat portion 25a provided in a portion including a lower front corner portion of the panel inner wall 25, an impact beam 6 extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle inside the door body 1 and having a front end portion joined to the inner panel 2 via a bracket 61, a plurality of contact portions 8 provided at positions spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction of the vehicle in the front wall lower portion 23a, which is the lower portion of the panel front wall 23, and which come into contact with a member on the vehicle body side when the door is closed, and a lower reinforcement 9 provided inside the door body 1 and joined to the inner panel 2 by spot welding to reinforce the portion of the inner panel 2 including the seat portion 25a, and the lower reinforcement 9 has a side wall portion 91 that follows the front wall lower portion 23a of the panel front wall 23, and is joined to the seat portion 25a and the bracket 61. As a result, the sliding door 100 can stably receive the impact force in the vehicle front-rear direction from the vehicle body side when the door is closed by the multiple contact parts 8 provided at positions spaced apart from each other in the vehicle up-down direction in the front wall lower part 23a of the inner panel 2, thereby reducing the concentration of the impact load on the lower connecting part 5 when the door is closed. The impact force received by the multiple contact parts 8 is transmitted to the door body 1 via the front wall lower part 23a where the multiple contact parts 8 are provided, and is efficiently transmitted to the lower reinforcement 9 via the side wall part 91 along the front wall lower part 23a. Furthermore, since the lower reinforcement 9 is joined to the seat part 25a and the bracket 61, the lower reinforcement 9 is connected to the lower connecting part 5 via the seat part 25a and is connected to the front end part of the impact beam 6 via the bracket 61, so that the impact force transmitted to the lower reinforcement 9 can be received mainly by the impact beam 6 and the lower connecting part 5 separately. As a result, stress concentration at the joining point W of the lower reinforcement 9 to the inner panel 2 is reduced, and durability of the spot welded portion of the lower reinforcement 9 to the lower front portion of the door body 1 can be easily improved.

[0063] In this way, the sliding door 100 according to this embodiment can provide a vehicle sliding door structure that can easily improve the durability of the spot welded portions in the lower front portion of the door body 1.

[0064] In this embodiment, the lower reinforcement 9 has a bead portion 92a that bulges outward in the vehicle width direction and extends along a part of the annular bulging portion 1c in a plan view. This improves the rigidity in the vehicle width direction of the panel inner wall 25 to which the lower connecting portion 5 is attached, and the load (force) in the vehicle width direction when the door is closed can be distributed along the annular bulging portion 1c and the bead portion 92a. As a result, the stress concentration at the joint point W of the lower reinforcement 9 with respect to the lower front portion of the door body 1 is further reduced.

[0065] In this embodiment, the front straight portion 1c2 of the annular bulge 1c, which extends in the vertical direction above the seat portion 25a, is disposed so as to be continuous with and adjacent to the front wall lower portion 23a of the panel front wall 23. This allows the front wall lower portion 23a, which is provided with the multiple contact portions 8, to be integrally formed with the front straight portion 1c2, which is a part of the highly rigid annular bulge 1c, in the vicinity of the front straight portion 1c2. As a result, the impact force generated when the door is closed is more stably received by the door main body 1, and stress concentration at the joint point W can be more effectively reduced.

[0066] In this embodiment, the front lower corner 1c1 of the annular bulge 1c of the inner panel 2 is curved to avoid the seat portion 25a, the lower reinforcement 9 has a main body wall portion 92 that is aligned with the seat portion 25a of the panel inner wall 25 and extends to the inside of the annular bulge 1c in a plan view, and the joint point W of the main body wall portion 92 to the panel inner wall 25 by spot welding includes an outer joint point W1 set at the seat portion 25a and an inner joint point W2 set on the inside of the annular bulge 1c of the panel inner wall 25. This allows the joint point W of the main body wall portion 92 to the panel inner wall 25 to be set on the inside and outside of the annular bulge 1c in the vicinity of the highly rigid annular bulge 1c, effectively improving the durability of the joint point W in the panel inner wall 25 against the impact force when the door is closed.

[0067] In this embodiment, the inner joint point W2 is provided on the inner seat portion 25c formed to bulge in the vehicle width direction inside the annular bulge portion 1c of the panel inner wall 25. This allows the inner joint point W2 to be set on a single inner seat portion 25c with higher rigidity inside and near the highly rigid annular bulge portion 1c, and the durability of the joint point W is improved more effectively.

[0068] In this embodiment, some of the inner seats 25c are disposed behind the shock absorbing member 8a. This allows the impact force input to the shock absorbing member 8a to be received reliably and efficiently by the inner seats 25c with high rigidity at the rear. As a result, stress concentration at the joint W around the shock absorbing member 8a can be significantly reduced.

[0069] In this embodiment, the bracket 61 that joins the front end of the impact beam 6 to the inner panel 2 is disposed behind the shut stopper 8b. As a result, the bracket 61 that joins the highly rigid impact beam 6 extending in the front-rear direction to the inner panel 2 and the shut stopper 8b are aligned in front-rear, and the impact force when the door is closed is received reliably and efficiently by the impact beam 6. As a result, stress concentration at the joining point W around the bracket 61 can be significantly reduced.

[0070] In this embodiment, the front upper portion of the lower reinforcement 9, the flange portion 2A of the inner panel 2, and the bracket 61 are joined together in an overlapping manner. This increases the rigidity of the portion including the front upper portion of the lower reinforcement 9, and can significantly reduce stress concentration at the joining point W around the front upper portion.

[0071] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and further modifications and changes are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention.

[0072] For example, the number of joining points W of the lower reinforcement 9 to the inner panel 2 is not particularly limited and can be set appropriately. In addition, in this embodiment, the sliding door 100 is applied to a right rear sliding door, but it may be applied to a left rear sliding door. In this case, a structure opposite to the above-mentioned structure in the left and right direction in the vehicle width direction is applied. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1...door body, 1a...door latch, 1b...window hole, 1c...annular bulge, 1c2...front straight portion, 2...inner panel, 2A...flange portion, 2A1...front edge portion, 2B...panel body, 23...panel front wall, 23a...front wall lower part, 25...panel inner wall, 25a...seat portion, 25c...inner seat portion, 3...Outer panel, 4...Upper connecting part, 5...lower connection part, 6…Impact beam, 61…Bracket, 7…Door outer center reinforcement, 8... contact portion, 8a... shock absorbing member, 8b... shut stopper, 9...lower reinforcement, 91...side wall portion, 92...main body wall portion, 92a...bead portion, S…Door weather strip, L1: Upper rail, L2: Lower rail, W1: Outer joint, W2: Inner joint

Claims

1. a door body provided on a vehicle body side portion and having an inner panel and an outer panel disposed on the vehicle width direction outer side of the inner panel; a lower connecting portion that connects a lower front portion of the door body to the lower rail provided on the vehicle body side so as to be slidable in the vehicle front-rear direction along the lower rail; a vehicle sliding door structure including: the inner panel having a flange portion joined to an outer edge of the outer panel and a panel main body bulging inward in a vehicle width direction inside the flange portion, the panel main body having a panel front wall facing forward and a panel inner wall facing the inside in the vehicle width direction, and the lower connecting portion being attached to a seat portion provided in a portion including a front lower corner portion of the panel inner wall, an impact beam extending in a vehicle front-rear direction inside the door body and having a front end joined to the inner panel via a bracket; a plurality of contact portions provided at positions spaced apart from each other in the vehicle up-down direction in a front wall lower portion that is a lower portion of the front wall of the panel and that come into contact with a member of a vehicle body when the door is closed; a lower reinforcement provided inside the door body and joined to the inner panel by spot welding to reinforce a portion of the inner panel including the seat portion; Including, A vehicle sliding door structure, characterized in that the lower reinforcement has a side wall portion that fits along the lower part of the front wall of the panel front wall, and is joined to the seat portion and the bracket.

2. the panel main body has an annular bulge portion that bulges inward in the vehicle width direction at the panel inner wall and is formed into an annular shape in a plan view, the annular bulge portion being in contact with a door weather strip, The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 1 , wherein the lower reinforcement has a bead portion that bulges outward in a vehicle width direction and extends along a portion of the annular bulging portion in a plan view.

3. 3. The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 2, wherein a front straight portion of the annular bulge portion extending in the vertical direction above the seat portion is arranged so as to be continuous with and adjacent to the front wall lower portion of the panel front wall.

4. the panel main body has an annular bulge portion that bulges inward in the vehicle width direction at the panel inner wall and is formed into an annular shape in a plan view, the annular bulge portion being in contact with a door weather strip, A front lower corner of the annular bulge is curved to avoid the seat portion, the lower reinforcement has a main body wall portion that is aligned along the seat portion of the panel inner wall and extends to an inside of the annular bulge portion in a plan view, 2. The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 1, wherein the joint points of the main body wall portion of the lower reinforcement to the panel inner wall by spot welding include an outer joint point set in the seat portion and an inner joint point set inside the annular bulge portion of the panel inner wall.

5. 5. The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 4, wherein the inner joint point is provided on an inner seat portion of the panel inner wall that is formed to bulge in the vehicle width direction on the inner side of the annular bulging portion.

6. the plurality of contact portions include shock absorbing members made of elastic material, The inner seat is formed in a plurality of locations, The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 5 , wherein some of the inner seat portions are disposed rearward of the impact buffer member.

7. The plurality of contact portions include a shut stopper that maintains a door closed state of the door main body, The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 1 , wherein the bracket is disposed rearward of the shut stopper.

8. a front upper portion of the lower reinforcement is sandwiched between the flange portion of the inner panel and the bracket, 8. The vehicle sliding door structure according to claim 1, wherein the front upper portion of the lower reinforcement, the flange portion of the inner panel, and the bracket are joined to each other in an overlapping manner.

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