Vehicle exterior body structure
The vehicle body structure with a protector covering fastening members and integrated with the resin outer panel addresses the vulnerability of easy detachment, enhancing security by obstructing access to fastening members and door locks.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
- Filing Date
- 2024-10-29
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-15
AI Technical Summary
The existing vehicle outer panel structures, which use resin panels attached to metal frames with bolts/nuts or clips, are vulnerable to theft due to easy detachment, posing a security risk.
A vehicle body structure with a metal frame, resin outer panel, and a protector that covers fastening members, protruding into the frame to obstruct access, and optionally integrated with the outer panel, making it difficult to detach the panel.
The structure effectively prevents unauthorized access to fastening members and door lock mechanisms with a simple configuration, enhancing vehicle security.
Smart Images
Figure 2026078951000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to an outer panel structure for a vehicle having a resin outer panel and a metal frame.
Background Art
[0002] Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose anti-theft devices that cover a connector connected to an electronic control device of a vehicle and prevent the vehicle from being stolen by making the connector non-removable.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Patent Document 2
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] By the way, in recent years, an outer panel structure for a vehicle in which a resin outer panel is attached to a metal frame has been used. The outer panel is attached to the frame with bolts / nuts, clips, etc. so that it can be easily attached and detached. Therefore, there is a possibility that the outer panel may be removed or the vehicle may be stolen.
[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to make it difficult to access a fastening member that fastens a resin outer panel to a frame with a simple configuration.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] The vehicle body structure of the present disclosure comprises a metal frame, a resin outer panel attached to the outside of the frame, and a protector that covers at least a portion of fastening members that fasten the outer panel to the frame, wherein the protector is provided on the outer panel, penetrates the frame and protrudes to the inside of the frame, and covers at least a portion of the fastening members on the inside of the frame.
[0007] In this way, the protector covers the fastening member, making it difficult to access the fastening member.
[0008] In the vehicle body structure of this disclosure, the outer panel includes a bracket fastened to the frame by the fastening member, the protector protrudes from the bracket toward the frame, and the frame may include a hole through which the protector passes.
[0009] This allows the protector to be placed near the fastening member, making it more difficult to access the fastening member.
[0010] In the vehicle body structure of this disclosure, the bracket and the protector may be integrally molded with the outer panel.
[0011] This makes it possible to make access to the fastening members difficult with a simple configuration.
[0012] In the vehicle body structure of the present disclosure, the frame is a door frame, the outer panel is a door outer panel, and a door lock mechanism is provided in the space between the door frame and the door outer panel, and the door outer panel may have a lock protector that extends toward the door frame from the surface facing the door frame and covers at least a portion of the door lock mechanism.
[0013] This makes it difficult to access the door lock mechanism.
[0014] In the vehicle body structure of this disclosure, the door frame may include a flange that protrudes toward the door outer panel from a surface facing the door outer panel and supports the end of the lock protector.
[0015] This makes the lock protector less prone to deformation and makes access to the locking mechanism more difficult.
[0016] The vehicle body structure of the present disclosure comprises a metal door frame, a resin door outer panel attached to the outside of the door frame, and a door lock mechanism disposed in the space between the door frame and the door outer panel, wherein the door outer panel has a lock protector that extends toward the door frame from the surface facing the door frame and covers at least a portion of the door lock mechanism.
[0017] This makes it difficult to access the door lock mechanism. [Effects of the Invention]
[0018] This disclosure makes it possible to make it difficult to access the fastening members that fasten the resin outer panel to the frame with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0019] [Figure 1] This is a side view of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle body structure of an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle exterior panel structure of the embodiment, which is the AA section shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle body structure according to the embodiment, and is the BB cross-section shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a side view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle exterior structure of another embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle exterior panel structure of another embodiment, which is the CC cross-section shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6]Cross-sectional view of the outer panel structure for a vehicle according to another embodiment, taken along the D-D section shown in FIG. 4 [Figure 7] Rear view of a vehicle including the outer panel structure for a vehicle according to another embodiment. [Figure 8] Cross-sectional view of the outer panel structure for a vehicle according to another embodiment, taken along the E-E section shown in FIG. 7 [Figure 9] Rear view of a vehicle including the outer panel structure for a vehicle according to another embodiment.
Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention
[0020] Hereinafter, the outer panel structure for a vehicle according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, as an example of the outer panel structure for a vehicle, the configurations of the front door 20 and the rear door 30 of the vehicle 100 will be described. FIG. 1 is a right side view of the vehicle 100 including the front door 20 according to the embodiment. Note that FR, UP, and RH shown in each figure indicate the front side, the upper side, and the right side of the vehicle 100, respectively. Also, the opposite directions of FR, UP, and RH indicate the rear side, the lower side, and the left side. Hereinafter, when simply describing the directions of front and rear, left and right, and up and down, unless otherwise specified, they indicate the front and rear, left and right, and up and down of the vehicle 100.
[0021] First, the configuration of the vehicle 100 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the vehicle 100 includes a body 10, a front door 20, and a rear door 30. The body 10 is configured by attaching outer panels such as a resin front fender panel 11 and a resin rear fender panel 12 to the outside of a metal frame (not shown). The front fender panel 11 and the rear fender panel 12 are attached to the frame by bolts 41 and nuts 42. The outer surface 11A of the front fender panel 11 constitutes the design surface of the front fender panel 11, and the outer surface 12A of the rear fender panel 12 constitutes the design surface of the rear fender panel 12. The metal frame may be a folded plate member or a casting of a metal such as aluminum.
[0022] Next, the front door 20 will be described. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the front door 20 is a hinged door in which the front end is rotatably attached to the body 10 by a hinge, and the rear end opens and closes toward the side of the vehicle 100. The front door 20 consists of a metal front door frame 26 and a resin front door outer panel 21. As shown in Figure 2, the front door frame 26 is a metal corrugated sheet metal member and has a flat panel portion 27 and a flange 28 on the outer circumference of the panel portion 27. As shown in Figure 3, the flange 28 is provided with a hole 29 through which a protector 25 provided in the front door outer panel 21, which will be described later, passes. The front door frame 26 may be a metal casting such as aluminum.
[0023] The resin front door outer panel 21 comprises a panel portion 22, an outer peripheral portion 23, a bracket 24, and a protector 25. The panel portion 22, the outer peripheral portion 23, the bracket 24, and the protector 25 are integrally molded from resin. The panel portion 22 is a flat plate-shaped portion whose outer surface 22A constitutes the design surface of the front door 20. The outer peripheral portion 23 is the outer periphery of the panel portion 22 that extends inward in the vehicle width direction. The bracket 24 is positioned at the corner between the outer peripheral portion 23 and the inner surface 22B of the panel portion 22. The bracket 24 consists of a flange 24A and a rib 24B. The flange 24A is a plate-shaped member that protrudes from the outer peripheral portion 23 toward the center of the front door 20. The rib 24B is a trapezoidal plate member that connects the flange 24A, the outer peripheral portion 23, and the inner surface 22B of the panel portion 22. As shown in Figure 3, the protector 25 is a plate-shaped member that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper end of the flange 24A.
[0024] The flange 24A of the bracket 24 of the front door outer panel 21 is fastened onto the flange 28 of the front door frame 26 by bolts 41 and nuts 42. This mounts the front door outer panel 21 to the outside of the front door frame 26. At this time, the protector 25 of the front door outer panel 21 passes through a hole 29 provided in the flange 28 and protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction of the flange 28 above the bolts 41.
[0025] As a result, the protector 25 covers the bolt 41 from above, making it difficult to access the bolt 41 from above. Additionally, the protector 25 makes it difficult to locate the bolt 41.
[0026] Furthermore, the panel portion 22, the outer peripheral portion 23, the bracket 24, and the protector 25 of the front door outer panel 21 are integrally molded from resin, making it difficult to access the bolts 41 with a simple configuration.
[0027] Furthermore, the protector 25 protrudes from the upper end of the bracket 24 toward the front door frame 26. This allows the protector 25 to be positioned near the bolt 41, making access to the bolt 41 more difficult.
[0028] Note that the bolt 41 is just one example of a fastening member; for example, the front door outer panel 21 may be attached to the outside of the front door frame 26 using a clip or the like, and the protector 25 may be configured to cover the clip.
[0029] Furthermore, although the above description has assumed that the protector 25 is provided on the upper end of the bracket 24, it is not limited to this. For example, the protector 25 may be provided on the upper end, front end, and rear end of the bracket 24 to cover the top, front, and rear of the bolt 41. Alternatively, the protector 25 may not be provided on the bracket 24, but rather erected from the inner surface 22B of the panel portion 22.
[0030] Next, we will describe the rear door 30, which is another example of the vehicle exterior structure of the embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the rear door 30 has a similar configuration to the front door 20 and consists of a metal rear door frame (not shown) and a resin rear outer panel 31 attached to the outside of the rear door frame. The outer surface 32A of the panel portion 32 of the rear outer panel 31 constitutes the design surface of the rear door 30. The rear outer panel 31 is equipped with a bracket 34 and a protector 35 inside. The protector 35, like the protector 25 of the front door outer panel 21, protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction above the bolt 41 and covers the bolt 41 from above. This makes it difficult to access the bolt 41 from above.
[0031] The above describes the front door 20 and rear door 30, which are embodiments of the vehicle's exterior panel structure, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the front fender panel 11 may be provided with a bracket 24 and a bracket 74 and a protector 75 having a similar structure to the protector 25, making it difficult to access the bolts 41. Similarly, the resin rear fender panel 12 may be provided with a bracket 24 and a bracket 76 and a protector 77 having a similar structure to the protector 25, making it difficult to access the bolts 41.
[0032] Next, a vehicle 101 equipped with a vehicle exterior structure of another embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. The same parts as those of vehicle 100 described earlier with reference to Figures 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted.
[0033] As shown in Figure 4, the vehicle 101 has a front door 120 and a rear door 130, which are other embodiments of the vehicle body structure. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the front door 120 is equipped with a protector 25 and a lock protector 63. The front door 120 has a door lock mechanism 61 mounted at the rear of the space between the front door outer panel 21 and the front door frame 26. When the front door 120 is closed, a hook (not shown) of the door lock mechanism 61 engages with a striker 62 fixed to the center pillar 60. This causes the front door 120 to engage with the center pillar 60.
[0034] As shown in Figure 6, above the door lock mechanism 61 on the vehicle, a lock protector 63 is provided that protrudes from the inner surface 22B of the front door outer panel 21 toward the front door frame 26. The lock protector 63 is a plate-shaped member made of resin and is integrally molded with the front door outer panel 21. In addition, flanges 64 that support the ends of the lock protector 63 are provided on the outer surface 27A of the panel portion 27 and the outer surface 28A of the flange 28 of the front door frame 26. The flanges 64 are rib plates that protrude from the outer surfaces 27A and 28A toward the front door outer panel 21.
[0035] Similarly, the rear door 130, like the front door 120, is provided with a protector 25 and a lock protector 73 that covers the upper part of the door lock mechanism 61 located at the rear end.
[0036] The front door 120 and rear door 130 of vehicle 101 are equipped with lock protectors 63 and 73 that cover the top of the door lock mechanism 61, making it difficult to access the door lock mechanism 61 from above. In addition, the lock protectors 63 and 73 make it difficult to locate the door lock mechanism 61.
[0037] Next, we will describe a vehicle 102 equipped with a back door 50, which is an example of another embodiment of the vehicle's exterior panel structure. First, we will describe the rear structure of the body 10 of the vehicle 102 with reference to Figures 7 and 8.
[0038] As shown in Figure 7, the rear of the body 10 of the vehicle 102 is provided with an opening 16 whose sides are defined vertically and horizontally by the rear end of the roof panel 14, the upper end of the bumper 15, and the center ends in the vehicle width direction of the left and right rear side panels 13. The back door 50 is rotatably attached to the roof panel 14 of the body 10 by a hinge at its front end, and its lower end opens and closes vertically to open and close the opening 16.
[0039] As shown in Figure 8, a frame portion 17 recessed from the design surface is provided on the inner circumference of the opening 16 of the body 10. A striker 62 is provided on the frame portion 17. A metal rear inner panel 18 is provided inside the frame portion 17. A sealing rubber 19 is provided on the rear inner panel 18. Inside the sealing rubber 19, an inner opening (not shown) is provided that communicates with the interior of a rear compartment (not shown).
[0040] Next, the back door 50 will be described. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the back door 50 consists of a metal back door frame 55 and a resin back door outer panel 51. The back door frame 55 may be a metal corrugated sheet metal member or a metal casting such as aluminum.
[0041] The front end of the back door frame 55 is rotatably connected to the roof panel 14 by a hinge. The outer edge 56 of the lower end of the back door frame 55 is provided with a door lock mechanism 61 that secures the back door 50 to the body 10. When the back door 50 is closed, the hook of the door lock mechanism 61 engages with a striker 62 fixed to the frame 17. As a result, the back door 50 engages with the frame 17 and is supported by the frame 17.
[0042] The outer surface 51A of the back door outer panel 51 constitutes the design surface of the back door 50. The back door outer panel 51 extends from the inner surface 51B facing the back door frame 55 toward the back door frame 55 and is provided with a lock protector 54 that covers the upper part of the door lock mechanism 61. The lock protector 54 is a plate-shaped member made of resin and is integrally molded with the back door outer panel 51.
[0043] Furthermore, the outer surface 55A of the back door frame 55 is provided with a flange 57 that supports the end of the lock protector 54. The flange 57 is a rib plate that protrudes from the outer surface 55A toward the back door outer panel 51.
[0044] Thus, the back door 50 is equipped with a lock protector 54 that covers the top of the door lock mechanism 61, making it difficult to access the door lock mechanism 61 from above. In addition, the lock protector 54 makes it difficult to locate the door lock mechanism 61.
[0045] Next, with reference to Figure 9, a vehicle 103 equipped with a back door 150, which is a vehicle exterior structure of another embodiment, will be described. As shown in Figure 7, the back door 150 of the vehicle 103 is equipped with a lock protector 154 with a groove-shaped cross section that covers the top and sides of the door lock mechanism 61.
[0046] This makes it difficult to access the door lock mechanism 61 from above, below, left, or right. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0047] 10 Body, 11 Front fender panel, 12 Rear fender panel, 13 Rear side panel, 14 Roof panel, 15 Bumper, 16 Opening, 17 Frame, 18 Rear inner panel, 19 Seal rubber, 20, 120 Front door, 21 Front door outer panel, 22 Panel section, 22A, 32A, 51A, 55A Outer surface, 22B, 51B Inner surface, 23 Outer perimeter, 24, 34, 74, 76 Bracket, 24A, 28, 57 Flange, 24B Rib, 25, 35, 75, 77 Protector, 26 Front door frame, 27 Panel section, 28 Flange, 29 Hole, 30, 130 Rear door, 31 Rear outer panel, 32 Panel section, 41 Bolt, 42 Nut, 50 Back door, 51 Back door outer panel, 54, 63, 73, 154; Lock protector, 55; Back door frame, 56; Outer edge, 61; Door lock mechanism, 62; Striker, 100, 101, 102, 103; Vehicle.
Claims
1. Vehicle exterior body structure, A metal frame, A resin outer panel is attached to the outside of the aforementioned frame, The system includes a protector that covers at least a portion of the fastening members that fasten the outer panel to the frame, The protector is provided on the outer panel, penetrates the frame, protrudes to the inside of the frame, and covers at least a portion of the fastening member on the inside of the frame. A vehicle exterior panel structure characterized by the following.
2. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, The outer panel includes a bracket that is fastened to the frame by the fastening member, The protector protrudes from the bracket toward the frame, The frame is provided with a hole through which the protector passes. A vehicle exterior panel structure characterized by the following.
3. The vehicle body structure according to claim 2, The bracket and the protector are integrally molded with the outer panel. A vehicle exterior panel structure characterized by the following.
4. A vehicle exterior panel structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The aforementioned frame is a door frame, The aforementioned outer panel is a door outer panel. The door lock mechanism is located in the space between the door frame and the door outer panel, The door outer panel has a lock protector that extends toward the door frame from the surface facing the door frame and covers at least a portion of the door lock mechanism. A vehicle exterior panel structure characterized by the following.
5. The vehicle body structure according to claim 4, The door frame is provided with a flange that protrudes toward the door outer panel from the surface facing the door outer panel and supports the end of the lock protector. A vehicle exterior panel structure characterized by the following.
6. Vehicle exterior body structure, A metal door frame, A resin door outer panel is attached to the outside of the aforementioned door frame, The door lock mechanism is located in the space between the door frame and the door outer panel, The door outer panel has a lock protector that extends toward the door frame from the surface facing the door frame and covers at least a portion of the door lock mechanism. A vehicle exterior panel structure characterized by the following.
7. The vehicle body structure according to claim 6, The door frame is provided with a flange that protrudes toward the door outer panel from the surface facing the door outer panel and supports the end of the lock protector. A vehicle exterior panel structure characterized by the following.