Vehicle side door structure

Abstract

To obtain a vehicle side door structure that suppresses the phenomenon of the door outer panel lowering during a side collision and prevents unintentional door opening. [Solution] The vehicle side door structure includes a door outer panel 16 disposed on the outside of the vehicle side door in the vehicle width direction, a door inner panel 18 disposed on the inside of the door outer panel 16 in the vehicle width direction, a door outside handle 26 provided on the upper surface of the door outer panel 16, a door edge molding provided on the outer peripheral end of the door outer panel 16, and a connecting member 30 provided between the vehicle side doors, positioned inside the vehicle width direction of the door edge molding within a circle with a radius of 300 mm, centered approximately at the center of the door outside handle 26 in the vehicle vertical direction, in the range from the front end 26A to the rear end 26B of the door outside handle 26, and having a fastening portion with the door outer panel 16, and connecting the door inner panel 18 and the door outer panel 16.

Description

Technical Field

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[0005] , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a side door structure for a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a vehicle side door structure has been proposed that includes a mechanism to prevent the side door from accidentally opening during a side collision (hereinafter referred to as a "side collision").

[0003] As an example, in Patent Document 1, the phenomenon of door opening caused by the downward displacement of the door outside handle along with the deformation of the door outer panel during a side collision is prevented. An insertion port is provided in the impact beam, and a branched engaging portion (first part) is provided at the middle portion in the height direction of a rod that moves up and down in conjunction with the door outside handle. When a side collision occurs, the engaging portion of the rod enters the insertion port of the impact beam, and further downward movement of the rod is restricted. As a result, the unlocking of the door is inhibited, and accidental opening of the door is prevented.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the above prior art, it is impossible to suppress the downward displacement of the door outside handle due to the deformation of the door outer panel, which is a more fundamental factor, and there is room for improvement.

[0006] In consideration of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle side door structure that can suppress the phenomenon of the door outer panel dropping during a side collision and prevent accidental door opening. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vehicle side door structure according to claim 1 comprises: a door outer panel disposed on the outside in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle side door; a door inner panel disposed inward in the vehicle width direction from the door outer panel; a door outside handle provided on the upper surface of the door outer panel; a door edge molding provided on the outer peripheral end of the door outer panel; and a connecting member provided between the vehicle side doors, located within a circle with a radius of 300 mm, centered approximately at the center of the door outside handle in the vehicle vertical direction, and positioned onward in the vehicle width direction of the door edge molding, having a fastening portion with the door outer panel and connecting the door inner panel and the door outer panel.

[0008] According to the present invention as described in claim 1, the door outer panel and the door inner panel of a vehicle side door are connected in the vehicle width direction by a connecting member. Furthermore, this connecting member is located within a circle with a radius of 300 mm, centered approximately at the center of the door outside handle in the vehicle vertical direction, and extending from the front end to the rear end of the door outside handle.

[0009] In this case, when a collision load is applied to the area near the lower side of the door outside handle on the door outer panel during a side collision, the door outer panel deforms inward in the vehicle width direction and attempts to displace downward. However, in this invention, a connecting member is fastened to the door outer panel at a fastening portion, and the door outer panel and the door inner panel are connected by this connecting member. Therefore, when the door outer panel attempts to displace downward, the connecting member takes a reaction force at the connection point to the door inner panel, exerting a resistance force against the displacement at the fastening portion, which is the connection point to the door outer panel. As a result, the downward displacement of the door outer panel during a side collision is suppressed. Consequently, the operation that would lead to the door lock release operation of the door outside handle due to the downward displacement of the door outer panel is suppressed.

[0010] The vehicle side door structure according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is formed in a substantially U-shape in plan view and includes a front mounting leg positioned on the front side of the vehicle and a rear mounting leg positioned on the rear side of the vehicle, and the connecting member is attached to the door inner panel by welding at the front mounting leg and the rear mounting leg.

[0011] According to the present invention as described in claim 2, by arranging the mounting legs separately in the front and rear, the load applied to the door inner panel side during a side collision is distributed, and it is possible to adequately respond even if the input point of the side collision load is slightly shifted in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0012] In the vehicle side door structure according to claim 3, in the invention described in claim 2, the front mounting leg is longer in the vehicle width direction and has more welding points than the rear mounting leg.

[0013] According to the present invention as described in claim 3, the welding at the front mounting leg portion is strengthened, which further suppresses the detachment of the connecting member from the door inner panel, and further suppresses the phenomenon of the door outer panel sagging due to the detachment of the connecting member.

[0014] In the vehicle side door structure according to claim 4, in the invention according to claim 1 or claim 2, the fastening point of the connecting member to the door outer panel is located on the upper side of the vehicle than the welding point of the connecting member to the door inner panel.

[0015] According to the present invention as described in claim 4, the impact load due to the downward displacement of the door outer panel during deformation is transmitted via the connecting member to the weld point of the door inner panel as a compressive force that presses downward toward the vehicle side, and does not act as a peeling load. By receiving the compressive force at the weld point to the door inner panel, the connecting member prevents the downward displacement of the door outer panel at the fastening point. As a result, the downward displacement of the door outer panel is effectively suppressed.

[0016] In the side door structure according to claim 5, the vehicle side door is a rear side door in the invention described in claim 4.

[0017] According to the present invention as described in claim 5, the door edge molding positioned on the rear side door prevents the exposure of the fastening portion between the door outer panel and the connecting member, thereby preventing an impact on the design and protecting the fastening portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] As described above, the vehicle side door structure according to the present invention has the excellent effect of suppressing the phenomenon of the door outer panel lowering during a side collision and preventing unintentional door opening. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This is an enlarged perspective view showing the main structure of the vehicle side door structure according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the main exterior parts showing the area around the door outside handle of a rear side door to which the vehicle side door structure shown is applied. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the joining structure of the connecting member to the door panel. [Figure 4] It is a graph showing the effects of the side door structure for a vehicle according to this embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, the side door structure for a vehicle according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. In these figures, the arrow FR appropriately shown indicates the front side of the vehicle, the arrow OUT indicates the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and the arrow FR indicates the front side of the vehicle.

[0021] (Overall Structure of the Side Door Structure 10 for a Vehicle) In FIG. 2, an appearance of a predetermined range centered on a door outside handle 26, which will be described later, of a rear side door 12 as a side door for a vehicle is shown enlarged. As shown in this figure, the rear side door 12 is provided on the rear side of the side portion of the vehicle body so as to be openable and closable around a door hinge. A door outside handle 26 that is operated by a passenger when the door is opened is provided on the rear side of the door body 14 of the rear side door 12. A side outer panel 20, which is an outer panel of the vehicle, is continuously arranged on the rear side of the vehicle of the rear side door 12.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the rear side door 12 is formed in a bag shape by a door outer panel 16 disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and a door inner panel 18 disposed on the inner side in the vehicle width direction with respect to this door outer panel 16. The outer peripheral end portion of the door outer panel 16 is folded back on the outer peripheral end portion of the door inner panel 18 by hemming.

[0023] Furthermore, the aforementioned door outer panel 16 bulges outward in the vehicle width direction at its lower part before hanging down towards the lower side of the vehicle. Hereinafter, this bulging outward portion in the vehicle width direction will be referred to as the "bulge portion 16A," and the vertical portion of the bulge portion 16A on the vehicle side of the door outer panel 16 will be referred to as the "vertical wall portion 16B." On the outer side in the vehicle width direction of these bulge portion 16A and vertical wall portion 16B, a strip-shaped door edge molding 22 (see Figure 2) is attached, extending from the lower edge of the rear side door 12 to the side outer panel 20, surrounding the rear wheel 24 from the upper side of the vehicle.

[0024] On the other hand, at the lower part of the door inner panel 18, an opposing wall portion 18A is formed that is substantially opposite to the bulging portion 16A of the door outer panel 16 in the vehicle's vertical direction. Furthermore, at the lower part of the door inner panel 18, a bottom wall portion 18B is formed that extends in a direction (vehicle width direction) that intersects substantially perpendicularly with the vicinity of the lower end of the vertical wall portion 16B. The inner end of the opposing wall portion 18A and the outer end of the bottom wall portion 18B are connected by a vertical wall 18C that extends in the vehicle's vertical direction.

[0025] The door outside handle 26 described above is configured such that when pulled outwards in the vehicle width direction against a biasing force by an occupant's operation, the engagement between a striker (not shown) provided on the rear pillar side and a hook of a door lock mechanism (not shown) provided inside the rear side door 12 is released via a link (not shown).

[0026] (Main structure of vehicle side door structure 10) Next, the main structural components of the vehicle side door structure 10 will be described in detail.

[0027] In the vehicle side door structure 10 described above, a connecting member 30 is provided below the door outside handle 26 to connect the door outer panel 16, which constitutes the outer panel of the rear side door 12, and the door inner panel 18, which constitutes the inner panel of the rear side door 12, to each other in the vehicle width direction at the bottom, in order to prevent the rear side door 12, which is provided on the side of the vehicle, from opening unintentionally in the event of a side collision.

[0028] More specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the connecting member 30 is located inside the rear side door 12 and on the lower side of the vehicle. More specifically, the connecting member 30 is located within a circle S with radius Z, whose center O (see Figure 2) is set approximately at the center of the door outside handle 26 in the vehicle's longitudinal direction (door longitudinal direction) from the front end 26A to the rear end 26B of the door outside handle 26, and approximately at the center of the door's vertical direction (door vertical direction) of the door outside handle 26. This radius Z is set to 300 mm. However, it is not necessarily required that the entire outer shape of the connecting member 30 be contained within this 300 mm radius circle S when viewed from the side of the vehicle. If the outer shape of the connecting member 30 is substantially contained within the 300 mm radius circle S, the effect should be sufficiently obtained, and such configurations are also included in the present invention. Furthermore, since the connecting member 30 is located inside the rear side door 12, it is naturally positioned on the inside in the vehicle width direction of the door edge molding 22.

[0029] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the specific structure of the connecting member 30 can be described as follows: The connecting member 30 is formed in a substantially L-shape when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and includes an outer side wall portion 30A that has height in the vehicle vertical direction and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction along the vertical wall portion 16B of the door outer panel 16, and a front mounting leg portion 30B and a rear mounting leg portion 30C that are bent inward in the vehicle width direction from the front and rear ends of the lower end of the outer side wall portion 30A, respectively. In other words, the connecting member 30 is formed in a substantially U-shape that is open inward in the vehicle width direction when viewed from above the vehicle, and the front mounting leg portion 30B and the rear mounting leg portion 30C function as the inner side wall portion of the connecting member 30. Furthermore, the front mounting leg portion 30B extends approximately twice as long as the rear mounting leg portion 30C. Furthermore, the front mounting leg portion 30B is formed in an L-shape when viewed from the side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, thereby increasing the rigidity of the front mounting leg portion 30B.

[0030] A boss 30D is integrally molded in the longitudinal middle of the outer side wall portion 30A of the connecting member 30 described above, and serves as a fastening portion that bulges toward the door outer panel 16. The outer side wall portion 30A is fastened to the door outer panel 16 at two points, front and rear, by bolts 34 at this boss 30D. The bolts 34 are screwed into weld nuts 36 welded to the back surface of the boss 30D from the door outer panel 16 side.

[0031] On the other hand, the front mounting leg 30B is spot-welded to the door inner panel 18 at two points along its longitudinal direction, and the rear mounting leg 30C is spot-welded to the door inner panel 18 at one point approximately in the middle of its longitudinal direction. A reinforcing member 38 with an L-shaped cross-section when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle is welded to the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 18B of the door inner panel 18, and the front mounting leg 30B and rear mounting leg 30C of the connecting member 30 are spot-welded to this reinforcing member 38.

[0032] As an example, the front mounting legs 30B and rear mounting legs 30C of the connecting member 30 can be spot-welded to the reinforcing member 38 in advance, and after hemming the door outer panel 16 of the rear side door 12 to the door inner panel 18, the bolts 34 can be fastened from the outside of the door outer panel 16 to the weld nuts 36 of the boss 30D of the connecting member 30.

[0033] In the assembled state of the connecting member 30, the boss 30D, which serves as the fastening point, that is, the fastening point of the connecting member 30 to the door outer panel 16, is located on the upper side of the vehicle relative to the spot-welded joint 40 of the connecting member 30 to the door inner panel 18.

[0034] (Operation and effects of this embodiment) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0035] According to this embodiment, the door outer panel 16 and the door inner panel 18 of the rear side door 12 are connected in the vehicle width direction by a connecting member 30. Furthermore, this connecting member 30 is located within a circle S with radius R (=300 mm) that extends from the front end 26A to the rear end 26B of the door outside handle 26 and has its center O set approximately at the center of the door outside handle 26 in the vehicle vertical direction, and is positioned on the inside of the door edge molding 22 in the vehicle width direction.

[0036] In this case, when a collision load is applied to the door outer panel 16 near the lower side of the door outside handle 26 during a side collision, the door outer panel deforms inward in the vehicle width direction and attempts to displace downward (in the direction of arrow A in Figure 3). However, in this embodiment, the connecting member 30 fastens the outer side wall portion 30A to the door outer panel 16 with a boss 30D acting as a fastening part, and the door outer panel 16 and the door inner panel 18 are connected by this connecting member 30. Therefore, when the door outer panel 16 attempts to displace downward, the connecting member 30 takes a reaction force (force in the direction of arrow B in Figure 3) at the connection point to the door inner panel 18 (the joint point 40 of the front mounting leg portion 30B and the joint point 40 of the rear mounting leg portion 30C) and exerts a resistance force against the displacement at the boss 30D of the outer side wall portion 30A, which is the connection point to the door outer panel 16. As a result, the downward displacement of the door outer panel 16 during a side collision is suppressed. As a result, the downward displacement of the door outer panel 16 is suppressed, which would otherwise lead to the door lock release operation of the door outside handle 26.

[0037] Furthermore, Figure 4 shows the amount of link sag of the rear side door in this embodiment compared to a case without the main structure of this embodiment. Graph P shows the displacement of the link of the rear side door 12 when this embodiment is applied, and graph Q shows the displacement of the link of the rear side door 12 when this embodiment is not applied. Also, R is the time of collision, and T is the threshold T set for the amount of link sag. Comparing the changes over time, it can be seen in graph P that the amount of link sag does not exceed the threshold T.

[0038] In this embodiment, by connecting the door outer panel 16 and the door inner panel 18 with a connecting member 30 provided within the predetermined range, it is possible to prevent the rear side door 12 from opening unintentionally due to the displacement of the door outer panel 16 downwards during a side collision.

[0039] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, by arranging the mounting legs separately into a front mounting leg 30B and a rear mounting leg 30C, the load on the door inner panel 18 is distributed during a side collision, and it is possible to adequately respond even if the input point of the side collision load is slightly shifted in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0040] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the connection point becomes stronger due to the increase in the number of joint points 40 in the front mounting leg portion 30B, which further suppresses the detachment of the connecting member 30 from the door inner panel 18, and further suppresses the phenomenon of the door outer panel 16 lowering due to the detachment of the connecting member 30.

[0041] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the impact load due to the downward displacement of the door outer panel 16 during deformation is transmitted via the connecting member 30 to the weld point of the door inner panel 18 as a compressive force in the direction of arrow A, which presses downward toward the vehicle side, and does not act as a peeling load. As a result, by receiving a compressive force at the weld point to the door inner panel 18, the connecting member 30 prevents the downward displacement of the door outer panel 16 at the outer side wall portion 30A. This effectively suppresses the downward displacement of the door outer panel 16.

[0042] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the door edge molding 22 positioned on the rear side door 12 prevents the bolt 34, which is a fastening member between the door outer panel 16 and the connecting member 30, from being exposed, thereby preventing an impact on the design and protecting the fastening portion.

[0043] In this embodiment, a single connecting member 30 is set within the circle S at the lower inner part of the rear side door 12. However, this is not limited to this, and if there is space within a predetermined circle (S) inside the vehicle's side door, multiple connecting members may be arranged, optimizing their size and structure.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the connecting member 30 is formed in a substantially U-shape in plan view, but the mounting leg portion may be made into a shape where the front and rear portions are not separated but connected.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the front mounting leg portion 30B of the connecting member 30 is formed to be longer in the vehicle width direction than the rear mounting leg portion 30C, and the number of joining points 40 is set. However, this is not limited to this, and if there is space at the mounting position of the connecting member inside the vehicle side door, the rear mounting leg portion may be made longer in the vehicle width direction than the front mounting leg portion, or the lengths of both may be made to be approximately the same. In addition, the welding points of the mounting leg portion to the door inner panel may be set to a total of four or more points depending on the shape and size of the mounting leg portion.

[0046] In addition, in this embodiment, the fastening point of the connecting member 30 to the door outer panel 16 is positioned higher on the vehicle side than the joining point 40 of the connecting member 30 to the door inner panel 18. However, the design is not limited to this, and the shape of the connecting member may be formed, for example, into a roughly T-shape when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle, so that fastening points are positioned on both sides in the vertical direction of the vehicle relative to the joining point to the door inner panel. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10. Vehicle side door structure 12 Rear side doors 16 Door Outer Panels 18 Door Inner Panel 22 Door Edge Molding 26 Door outside handles 26A Door outside handle front end 26B Door outside handle rear end 30 Connecting member 30B Front mounting leg 30C Rear mounting leg S yen O center Z radius

Claims

1. A door outer panel located on the outer side of the vehicle's side door in the vehicle width direction, A door inner panel is positioned inward in the vehicle width direction from the aforementioned door outer panel, A door outside handle provided on the upper surface of the door outer panel, The door edge molding provided on the outer peripheral edge of the door outer panel, A connecting member is provided between the vehicle side doors, within a circle with a radius of 300 mm, centered approximately at the center of the door outside handle in the vehicle's vertical direction, and located on the inside of the door edge molding in the vehicle's width direction, having a fastening portion with the door outer panel, and connecting the door inner panel and the door outer panel, A vehicle side door structure having the following features.

2. The connecting member is formed in a substantially U-shape in plan view and includes a front mounting leg positioned on the front side of the vehicle and a rear mounting leg positioned on the rear side of the vehicle. The connecting member is attached to the door inner panel by welding at the front mounting leg and the rear mounting leg. The vehicle side door structure according to claim 1.

3. The front mounting leg is longer in the vehicle width direction and has more welding points than the rear mounting leg. The vehicle side door structure according to claim 2.

4. The fastening point of the connecting member to the door outer panel is located on the upper side of the vehicle than the welding point of the connecting member to the door inner panel. The vehicle side door structure according to claim 1 or claim 2.

5. The aforementioned vehicle side door is designated as a rear side door. The vehicle side door structure according to claim 4.

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