Vehicular door

Abstract

To provide a vehicular door enabling simplification of a production process and reduction in production costs to be achieved.SOLUTION: A vehicular door 10 includes: an outer panel 20 constituting an outer wall surface of a vehicle; and an inner panel 22 disposed on a vehicular interior side with respect to the outer panel 20 and constituting an interior side surface of the vehicular door. The inner panel 22 comprises two or more panel members 24, 25, 26. Each of the two or more panel members 24, 25, 26 includes a non-overlapping portion 30b, 30c, 34a being a portion constituting an interior design surface of the vehicular door 10 and directly facing the outer panel 20 without overlapping any panel members between the non-overlapping portion and the outer panel 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle door. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, vehicle doors are mainly known to be configured with a door panel made of a metal outer panel and inner panel that form the exterior surface of the door, and a resin trim that forms the interior surface of the door. On the other hand, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, for example, a configuration is also known in which the inner panel is made of synthetic resin, and various functional parts are attached to the inner panel before it is assembled to the outer panel, with the aim of reducing the number of assembly steps and reducing manufacturing costs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-318532 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional vehicle doors, such as the vehicle door described in Patent Document 1, are often constructed by using thick members to ensure the rigidity of the metal door panel at the attachment portion to the vehicle body, and by welding the members to the main member that constitutes the plate surface. Furthermore, conventional vehicle doors are generally constructed by three plate-like members that overlap in the interior-exterior direction of the vehicle. Therefore, conventional vehicle doors have the problem of requiring a large number of parts, which increases the manufacturing process and manufacturing costs.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle door that can simplify the manufacturing process and reduce the manufacturing cost. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle door disclosed in the present application has the following structure. (1) an outer panel that constitutes the exterior wall surface of a vehicle; an inner panel attached to the inner side of the outer panel and constituting an interior side surface of the vehicle door, The inner panel is made up of two or more panel members, Each of the two or more panel members is a part that constitutes the interior design surface of the vehicle door, and has a non-overlapping portion that is a part that directly faces the outer panel without another panel member overlapping with the outer panel.

[0007] Conventional vehicle doors generally have a door panel consisting of a metal exterior panel and an interior panel, with a plastic door trim attached to the interior side of the vehicle. That is, conventional vehicle doors generally have a triple-layer structure (three plate-like components overlapping from the interior to the exterior of the vehicle). In contrast, the vehicle door disclosed in the present application can have a double-layer structure (two-layer structure) consisting of an outer panel and an inner panel for most of the interior design surface. This makes it easy to reduce the number of parts in the vehicle door. Furthermore, since there are no plate-like components inside the vehicle door, space can be secured, improving the flexibility of mounting functional components. This simplifies and simplifies the manufacturing process for the vehicle door and reduces manufacturing costs.

[0008] In the vehicle door disclosed in the present application, the outer panel may be made of metal or resin. Furthermore, the panel members constituting the inner panel are not limited to being made of resin, and may be partially made of metal. Specifically, one of the two or more panel members may be a metal base member, and a resin panel member may be attached to the interior side of the base member.

[0009] The vehicle door having the above-described structure can be configured in the following various ways.

[0010] (2) A first panel member, which is one of the panel members, includes a first panel main body portion whose plate surface faces the inside and outside of the vehicle and has the non-overlapping portion, and a front upright wall portion and a rear upright wall portion that stand from the front end and rear end of the first panel main body portion in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle toward the outside of the vehicle, the first panel body portion has an opening, The vehicle door according to item (1), wherein the panel member different from the first panel member is attached to the interior side of the first panel member so as to cover the opening of the first panel member.

[0011] The first panel member can be considered to be a member that forms the base of the inner panel, and by attaching another panel member to the interior side of the vehicle cabin of this base member, or by attaching functional components to the interior and exterior sides of the vehicle cabin, it is possible to achieve a configuration in which most of the components that form the vehicle door, excluding the outer panel, can be assembled to the first panel member. A vehicle door of this configuration makes it easy to ensure the rigidity of the inner panel, and therefore the rigidity of the vehicle door, and also makes it relatively easy to assemble the vehicle door.

[0012] (3) A vehicle door as described in (2), wherein the second panel member, which is a panel member different from the first panel member, covers the lower portion of the first panel main body portion and forms a space that opens upward between the first panel main body portion and the interior side surface of the first panel main body portion.

[0013] The vehicle door of this configuration allows small items to be stored in the space from the interior side. In other words, with the vehicle door of this configuration, the door pocket can be formed using two panel members, so there is no need to add new parts to form the door pocket, which contributes to cost reduction.

[0014] (4) A vehicle door according to (2) or (3), wherein a reinforcing member is provided on the exterior side of the inner panel, extending along the front-to-rear direction and spanning the front vertical wall portion and the rear vertical wall portion.

[0015] In a vehicle door having this configuration, the reinforcing member can increase the strength of the vehicle door. Two or more reinforcing members may be provided. If the reinforcing member is disposed at the center of the inner panel in the vertical direction, it can function as an impact beam to absorb impacts from the outside of the vehicle door.

[0016] (5) The vehicle door according to any one of (2) to (4), wherein the first panel member is made of aluminum die-cast.

[0017] Unlike conventional vehicle doors, this vehicle door does not require welding of multiple metal components, which simplifies the manufacturing process and contributes to reducing manufacturing costs. Compared to doors made of synthetic resin, this door can easily ensure rigidity, and a novel vehicle door using metal for the interior of a vehicle is realized.

[0018] (6) The inner panel is attached to the vehicle body via a hinge, so that the vehicle door can swing open and close freely. The vehicle door according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the outer panel is detachable from the inner panel in a state where the inner panel is attached to the vehicle main body.

[0019] In this configuration, the outer panel can be detachably attached to the inner panel by, for example, hooking the upper end of the outer panel onto the inner panel and then engaging the side and lower ends, or by sliding the outer panel laterally relative to the inner panel. With a vehicle door of this configuration, for example, if a large scratch or dent occurs on the outer surface of the outer panel, it is possible to replace only the outer panel without replacing the inner panel, which makes up the majority of the vehicle door, thereby contributing to simplifying repair work and reducing costs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle door that can simplify the manufacturing process and reduce manufacturing costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a side door according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the interior side. [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view showing the side door from the rear side [Figure 3] An exploded perspective view of the side door [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view of the hinge mechanism around the side door [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view of the hinge mechanism around the side door DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The vehicle door according to the embodiment of the present invention is a front side door of an automobile (vehicle) as a vehicle. The side door 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5. In each drawing, the directions indicated by the arrows are FR (front of the vehicle), RR (rear of the vehicle), IN (inside the vehicle), and OUT (outside the vehicle).

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1 , the side door 10 of this embodiment is provided with, on its interior surface, a door pocket 11, an armrest 12 as an elbow rest for the occupant, an inside handle 13 for opening and closing the side door 10, a pull handle 14 that the occupant can place (grasp) to open or close the side door 10, and a switch base 15 equipped with operation switches for opening and closing the window and locking and unlocking the side door 10. The side door 10 is also provided with a side mirror 16 on its exterior surface. The side door 10 is also provided with a window 17 that can be raised and lowered, and a locking device 18 (see FIG. 3 ) that locks and unlocks the side door 10 to the vehicle body, which is the main body of the vehicle. The side door 10 of this embodiment is attached at its front portion to the vehicle body Bd (see FIGS. 4 and 5 ) via a hinge mechanism 19, allowing the side door 10 to swing open and close freely.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 2, the side door 10 is configured by assembling two panels, an outer panel 20 and an inner panel 22. The outer panel 20 is the outermost panel of the automobile that constitutes the exterior of the automobile and is made of steel plate. The inner panel 22 also serves as an interior component, that is, a panel that has a portion that constitutes the interior appearance (interior design surface) of the automobile. No other panel components are interposed between the outer panel 20 and the inner panel 22, and the side door 10 is configured so that the outer panel 20 and the inner panel 22 face each other.

[0025] In this embodiment, the outer panel 20 is made of steel plate, but it may be made of other metals or resin. Examples of resins that can be used for the outer panel 20 include fiber-reinforced resins (thermosetting resins such as unsaturated polyester, epoxy resin, polyamide resin, phenolic resin, etc., blended with glass fiber, carbon fiber, aramid fiber, polyethylene fiber, etc.), as well as polyacetal resin, polyamide resin, polycarbonate resin, polyimide resin, ultra-high molecular weight polyolefin (polyethylene) resin, etc. As will be described in detail later, most of the components of the side door 10 are attached to the inner panel 22, and the outer panel 20 is configured such that almost no components of the side door 10 are attached to it.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3 , the inner panel 22 is broadly composed of four panel members 24, 25, 26, and 27. The first panel member 24 is generally frame-shaped and includes the outer periphery of the inner panel 22. The other panel members 25, 26, and 27 are attached to the first panel member 24, and the first panel member 24 also functions as a base member for attaching various functional components. In this embodiment, the other panel members 25, 26, and 27 are made of resin, whereas the first panel member 24 is made of aluminum alloy and is aluminum die-cast. However, the first panel member 24 may also be made of resin. Examples of resins used for the inner panel 22 include polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin, polystyrene resin, polyester resin, and resins obtained by blending these resins with natural fibers.

[0027] The first panel member 24 includes a first panel main body 30, whose plate surface faces the interior and exterior of the vehicle, a front upright wall 31 extending from the front end of the first panel main body 30 toward the exterior, and a rear upright wall 32 extending from the rear end of the first panel main body 30 toward the exterior. The first panel main body 30 has an opening 30a, giving it a generally rectangular frame shape. However, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , a front upper portion 30b and an upper edge portion 30c of the opening 30a are exposed to the interior and form the interior design surface. Meanwhile, these portions 30b and 30c are not overlapped by other panel members on the exterior side and directly face the outer panel 20, corresponding to the non-overlapping portions of the first panel member 24.

[0028] The second panel member 25 is attached to the interior side of the first panel member 24 and covers a lower portion of the first panel member 24. More specifically, the second panel member 25 includes a second panel main body 34 whose plate surface faces the interior and exterior of the vehicle, a front standing wall portion 35 that stands from the front end of the second panel main body 34 toward the exterior side, and protruding portions 36 that protrude from the lower and rear ends of the second panel main body 34. The rear portion 34a of the second panel main body 34 covers the rear and lower portions of the opening 30a, and is a portion that directly faces the outer panel 20 without overlapping with other panel members on the exterior side, and corresponds to the non-overlapping portion of the second panel member 25.

[0029] Also, as shown in Figure 2, when the second panel member 25 is attached to the first panel member 24, the front portion 34b of the second panel main body 34 is positioned away from the front lower portion 30d of the first panel main body 30 toward the interior of the vehicle, and a space that opens upward, i.e., a door pocket 11, is formed between the front lower portion 30d of the first panel main body 30 and the second panel main body 34.

[0030] The front upright wall portion 35 of the second panel member 25 has a shape that extends upward and is configured to overlap and contact the front upright wall portion 31 of the first panel member 24, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 . These front upright wall portions 31, 35 are attached to the vehicle body Bd via a hinge mechanism 19. Since the force involved in opening and closing the door is concentrated in the hinge mechanism 19, it is necessary to improve the assembly strength. In this embodiment, the front upright wall portion 35 of the second panel member 25 is fastened together with the front upright wall portion 31 of the first panel member 24 that constitutes the inner panel 22 by the hinge mechanism 19. Specifically, the front upright wall portion 31 of the first panel member 24 and the front upright wall portion 35 of the second panel member 25 are supported from the outside by a hinge plate 40 and fastened together from the inside by a screw 42 with one hinge bracket 41 that constitutes the hinge mechanism 19 sandwiched therebetween. 5, the other hinge bracket 44 across the rotation shaft 43 is supported by the vehicle body Bd, thereby allowing the side door 10 to swing open and close freely relative to the vehicle body Bd. In other words, the side door 10 of this embodiment is configured such that, of the outer panel 20 and the inner panel 22, only the inner panel 22 is attached to the vehicle body Bd via the hinge mechanism 19.

[0031] As mentioned above, the first panel member 24 is made of die-cast aluminum, which makes it easier to ensure rigidity compared to resin-made panels. Furthermore, because the first panel member 24 is made of die-cast aluminum, its thickness can be easily varied at different positions, which in turn makes it easy to vary its rigidity at different positions. Therefore, the front standing wall portion 31 is made thicker than the first panel main body portion 30, thereby increasing its rigidity. Furthermore, because the second panel member 25 is made of resin, the rigidity of the front standing wall portion 35 is also increased.

[0032] Furthermore, the protruding portion 36 of the second panel member 25 is fixed to the rear standing wall portion 32 of the first panel member 24 in a state where it overlaps with the rear standing wall portion 32 so as to cover the entire rear standing wall portion 32. When the side door 10 of this embodiment is in an open state, the rear end portion of the side door 10, i.e., the protruding portion 36 of the second panel member 25, is exposed and becomes visible to the occupant. Here, the protruding portion 36 that can be visible to the occupant when the door is open can be given a surface with excellent design by applying a processing such as a graining process.

[0033] A locking device 18 is disposed in front of the rear standing wall portion 32 of the first panel member 24, on the exterior side of the rear end portion of the first panel main body 30. Therefore, since the side door 10 is locked to the vehicle body Bd at this location, the rear standing wall portion 32 of the first panel member 24 also needs to have increased rigidity, but like the front standing wall portion 31, the rigidity has been increased.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the third panel member 26 has a shape that bulges toward the interior of the vehicle. This shape forms the armrest 12 and pull handle 14 described above, as well as mounting portions for mounting the inside handle 13 and switch base 15. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 , the third panel member 26 has bulging portions 50, 51 that bulge toward the interior of the vehicle. The first bulging portion 50, which is located relatively higher, is formed forward from the center of the third panel member 26 in the fore-and-aft direction. The top surface of this first bulging portion 50 extends generally horizontally, and the switch base 15 is mounted thereon. Meanwhile, the second bulging portion 51, which is located relatively lower, is formed rearward from the center of the third panel member 26 in the fore-and-aft direction. This top surface forms the armrest 12, and a recess 52 is provided in front of the armrest 12 to form the pull handle 14. In addition, the portion between the first bulge portion 50 and the second bulge portion 51 in the vertical direction is recessed toward the outside of the room by the first bulge portion 50 and the second bulge portion 51, and the inside handle 13 is provided in this recess 53.

[0035] The third panel member 26 is attached to the first panel member 24 so as to cover the remaining portion of the opening 30a of the first panel member 24 that is not covered by the second panel member 25 (the front portion of the opening 30a). In other words, almost the entire third panel member 26 constitutes the interior design surface, and corresponds to a non-overlapping portion that is a portion that directly faces the outer panel 20 without overlapping with other panel members on the exterior side of the room.

[0036] The fourth panel member 27 is a longitudinal member extending in the front-rear direction and covers the upper edge of the first panel member 24. However, the first panel member 24 has an upward extension 60 at its front end that extends upward beyond the fourth panel member 27. This upward extension 60 is a mounting seat for attaching the side mirror 16, and the side mirror 16 is fixed by a fastener in a state where it extends toward the interior. A cover member 61 is attached to the interior side of the upward extension 60 to hide the fastener. In other words, the side mirror 16 is attached to the inner panel 22.

[0037] The inner panel 22 is provided on its exterior side with three longitudinal reinforcing members 62, 63, and 64 extending in the front-to-rear direction. Specifically, the three reinforcing members 62, 63, and 64 are disposed on the exterior side of the first panel member 24, spanning the front and rear upright wall portions 31 and 32 of the first panel member 24. That is, the front ends of the three reinforcing members 62, 63, and 64 are fixed to the front upright wall portion 31 and to the rear upright wall portion 32, respectively. The first reinforcing member 62 is disposed so as to extend parallel to the upper edge of the first panel main body 30. The second reinforcing member 63 is disposed below the first reinforcing member 62 and along the inner surface of the outer panel 20 near the center in the up-down direction (the portion that protrudes furthest toward the exterior). The third reinforcing member 64 functions as an impact beam to absorb the impact from the outside of the vehicle during a side collision, and is positioned inside the vehicle at approximately the height of the waist of an occupant seated inside the vehicle.

[0038] The outer panel 20 is detachably attached to the inner panel 22 so as to cover the inner panel 22 from the outside. Specifically, a folded portion 20a is formed at the upper edge of the outer panel 20, folded back toward the rear side (toward the interior), and a plurality of engagement portions 20b are provided at the lower end of the rear side of the outer panel 20, protruding from the rear side and engaging with through holes (not shown) formed in the inner panel 22 (more specifically, the lower end portion of the protruding portion 36 of the second panel member 25). Therefore, the outer panel 20 can be attached by engaging the engagement portions 20b with the through holes of the second panel member 25 with the folded portion 20a hooked onto the first reinforcing member 62.

[0039] A window 17 is disposed on the exterior side of the inner panel 22, on the interior side of the three reinforcing members 62, 63, and 64. The window 17 includes a plate-shaped window glass 70 and a regulator 71, which is a drive source for raising and lowering the window glass 70. To enable the window glass 70 to be raised and lowered, as shown in FIG. 2 , a weatherstrip 72 is provided on the exterior side of the upper edge of the first panel member 24 to fill the gap between the window glass 70 and allow the window glass 70 to be raised and lowered. Meanwhile, a similar weatherstrip 73 is provided on the interior side of the folded portion 20a at the upper edge of the outer panel 20, with the window glass 70 slidably interposed between these opposing weatherstrips 72 and 73.

[0040] Note that the wiring 74 connecting the regulator 71 and the switch base 15, the wiring 75 connecting the locking device 18 and the inside handle 13, and other wiring are held on the inner panel 22 side, and these wirings 74, 75 do not need to be removed when removing the outer panel 20 from the inner panel 22. Due to the above-mentioned configuration, when removing the outer panel 20 from the inner panel 22, the only part held on the outer panel 20 side is the weather strip 73 on the outside of the vehicle.

[0041] As described above, the side door 10 of this embodiment has an inner panel 22 made up of multiple panel members, of which the first panel member 24, the second panel member 25, and the third panel member 25 constitute the interior design surface and have non-overlapping portions that directly face the outer panel 20 without any other panel member overlapping the outer panel 20. Therefore, the side door 10 of this embodiment can have a two-layer structure (double structure) of the outer panel 20 and the inner panel 22 in many of the areas that form the interior design surface, thereby reducing the number of parts required for the entire side door 10. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2 , the side door 10 does not have any plate-like components inside, ensuring a relatively large space and allowing for greater flexibility in the installation of functional components. Therefore, the side door 10 of this embodiment has a simplified and easy-to-manufacture process and reduced manufacturing costs.

[0042] <Other embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. For example, the following embodiments are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the inner panel 22 includes three panel members having non-overlapping portions, but it may include two, or four or more panel members.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the first panel member 24 constituting the inner panel 22 includes the front standing wall portion 31 and the rear standing wall portion 32 and serves as the base member of the inner panel 22. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a panel member having a front standing wall portion and a panel member having a rear standing wall portion may be assembled together.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the outer panel 20 is configured to be detachable from the inner panel 22, but the configuration is not limited to the above. For example, the outer panel may be configured to be detachable by sliding it laterally relative to the inner panel. With such a configuration, when the outer panel and inner panel are assembled, the outer panel can be removed by sliding it in a direction away from the hinge mechanism 19 (rearward) from the side opposite the hinge mechanism 19 (rear side) of the inner panel. Conversely, the outer panel 20 can be assembled by sliding it in a direction toward the hinge mechanism 19 (forward) from the side opposite the hinge mechanism 19 (rear side) of the inner panel to overlap the two panels.

[0046] In the above embodiment, an automobile is used as an example of a vehicle, but the vehicle door of the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to ground vehicles such as trains and recreational vehicles, flying vehicles such as airplanes and helicopters, and marine and underwater vehicles such as ships and submarines. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10...Side door (vehicle door), 11...Door pocket, 13...Inside handle, 15...Switch base, 17...Window, 18...Lock device, 19...Hinge mechanism, Bd...Vehicle body (vehicle main body), 20...Outer panel, 22...Inner panel, 24...First panel member, 25...Second panel member, 26...Third panel member, 30...First panel main body portion, 30a...Opening, 30b...Front upper portion (non-overlapping portion), 30c...Upper lip portion (non-overlapping portion), 31...Front standing wall portion, 32...Rear standing wall portion, 34...Second panel main body portion, 34a...Rear portion (non-overlapping portion), 62, 63, 64...Reinforcing member

Claims

1. an outer panel that constitutes an outer wall surface of the vehicle; an inner panel attached to the inner side of the vehicle compartment of the outer panel and constituting the interior side surface of the vehicle door, The inner panel is made up of two or more panel members, Each of the two or more panel members is a portion that constitutes the interior design surface of the vehicle door, and has a non-overlapping portion that is a portion that directly faces the outer panel without another panel member overlapping with the outer panel.

2. The first panel member, which is one of the panel members, includes a first panel main body portion having a plate surface facing the inside and outside of the vehicle and having the non-overlapping portion, and a front upright wall portion and a rear upright wall portion that stand upright from a front end and a rear end of the first panel main body portion in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle toward the outside of the vehicle, the first panel body portion has an opening, 2. The vehicle door according to claim 1, wherein the panel member different from the first panel member is attached to an interior side of the first panel member so as to cover the opening of the first panel member.

3. 3. The vehicle door according to claim 2, wherein the second panel member, which is a panel member different from the first panel member, covers a lower portion of the first panel main body portion and forms a space that opens upward between the second panel member and an interior side surface of the first panel main body portion.

4. 4. The vehicle door according to claim 2, wherein a reinforcing member is provided on an exterior side of the inner panel, the reinforcing member extending in the front-rear direction and spanning the front upright wall portion and the rear upright wall portion.

5. 4. The vehicle door according to claim 2, wherein the first panel member is made of aluminum die-cast.

6. The inner panel is attached to a vehicle body via a hinge, so that the vehicle door can swing open and close freely.

4. The vehicle door according to claim 1, wherein the outer panel is detachable from the inner panel while the inner panel is attached to the vehicle body.

Images