Vehicle door structure

Abstract

To prevent the side door from unintentionally unlocking while ensuring rigidity around the handle base on the door outer panel during a vehicle side collision. [Solution] The reinforcing member that reinforces the peripheral portion of the handle base 21 supporting the door handle 22 in the door outer panel 15 comprises a first portion 52, 55 fixed to the door outer panel 15, a second portion 54 spaced apart from the door outer panel 15, and ridge portions 61, 62 provided between the first portion 52, 55 and the second portion 54. The ridge portions 61, 62 are located below the handle base 21, and imaginary lines 61L, 62L extending linearly from this lower position toward the handle base 21 extend along a direction that intersects the lower edge portion 21d of the handle base 21.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle door structure including a handle base that supports a door handle and a door outer panel to which the handle base is attached.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, a vehicle door structure includes an operable handle mechanism and a lock mechanism that can open and lock the door with respect to the vehicle body. The handle mechanism includes a handle base attached to a door outer panel and a door handle supported by the handle base so as to be operable to open the door. The lock mechanism includes a door latch mechanism that can open and lock the door with respect to the vehicle body, and a lock mechanism including a rod that connects the side of the door handle and the door latch mechanism.

[0003] When the handle mechanism and the lock mechanism are operated by pulling the door outer handle to open, the rod moves downward, so that the latch release operating portion of the door latch rotates in the latch release direction, that is, downward, and the latched state of the door latch is released.

[0004] By the way, when the door provided in the door structure is a side door, in the case of a side collision of the vehicle (hereinafter, also referred to as "side impact"), as the deformation behavior of the peripheral portion of the handle base in the door outer panel, depending on the vehicle type, the collision load input below the peripheral portion is transmitted, so that the entire peripheral portion including the handle base is displaced inward in the vehicle width direction, or deformation wrinkles are generated in the peripheral portion in many cases.

[0005] Among the peripheral portions of the handle base in the door outer panel, depending on the deformation behavior of the peripheral portion during a side impact, such as when deformation wrinkles occur in the upper peripheral portion with respect to the handle base, due to the deformation of the peripheral portion, the rod provided in the lock mechanism is pushed downward as described above, so that the latched state of the door latch is released, and as a result, there is a concern that the side door may be unlocked against the intention during a side impact.

[0006] To address these challenges, as exemplified in Patent Document 1, a technique is known in which a reinforcing member is provided around the handle base of the door outer panel to increase the rigidity of the surrounding area and suppress the aforementioned deformation.

[0007] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 describes how a reinforcing member provided around the handle base can absorb the displacement of the surrounding area toward the vehicle body during a side collision, thereby dispersing the collision energy and, as a result, suppressing the deformation of the surrounding area.

[0008] However, simply increasing the rigidity of the entire area surrounding the handle base, as in Patent Document 1, does not necessarily mean that, depending on the vehicle class, it can actively suppress deformation behavior such as the rod moving downward and the side door unintentionally unlocking when the entire area including the handle base is displaced inward during a side collision. Therefore, there is room for further improvement when reinforcing the area surrounding the handle base. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] China Utility Model No. 219007553 Specification [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] This invention has been made in view of these problems, and aims to provide a vehicle door structure that can prevent the door from unlocking against the driver's will while ensuring the rigidity of the area around the handle base in the door outer panel during a side collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] This invention relates to a vehicle door structure comprising: a handle base that supports a door handle; a door outer panel to which the handle base is attached; a rod that is operated by the operation of the door handle; a latch release actuation mechanism for a door latch that is pushed down to unlatch by the operation of the rod; a beltline rain fixed to the door outer panel and extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction above the handle base; and a reinforcing member fixed to the door outer panel and cooperating with the beltline rain to reinforce the area around the handle base, wherein the reinforcing member comprises a first portion fixed to the door outer panel, a second portion spaced apart from the door outer panel, and a ridge portion provided between the first portion and the second portion, and the ridge portion is located below the handle base, and is configured to extend along a direction in which a virtual line extending linearly from this lower position toward the handle base intersects the lower edge of the handle base.

[0012] According to the above configuration, the ridge portion guides the deformation wrinkles that occur in the door outer panel during a side collision along the imaginary line toward the area below the handle base, thereby controlling the deformation behavior of the door outer panel during a side collision so that the rod can be displaced upward. This prevents the door latch from unintentionally unlatching and unlocking the door during a side collision, and maintains the door locked state.

[0013] In an embodiment of this invention, the reinforcing member may have multiple ridge portions due to comprising multiple first portions. As described above, by providing multiple ridge sections, the displacement behavior of the area around the handle base that pushes up the rod to prevent the door latch from unintentionally unlatching during a side collision can be more reliably achieved, thereby more reliably preventing unintentional door unlocking during a side collision.

[0014] Furthermore, by providing multiple ridge sections, the effect of providing the ridge sections can be enhanced while also enhancing the reinforcing effect of the reinforcing member on the area surrounding the handle base of the door outer panel.

[0015] In one aspect of this invention, at least one of the ridge portions may be configured such that the imaginary line extends in a direction that intersects the lower edge portion of the handle base, which is aligned with the vehicle's longitudinal direction, at approximately the midpoint of the lower edge portion.

[0016] This invention allows the deformation wrinkles of the door outer panel that occur during a side collision to be more reliably guided by the ridge portion to the lower edge of the handle base, thereby further promoting the displacement of the area around the handle base inward towards the vehicle body. As a result, the displacement behavior of the area around the handle base that pushes up the rod to prevent the door latch from unintentionally unlatching during a side collision can be more reliably achieved.

[0017] In an embodiment of this invention, at least one of the first parts may be provided in the front peripheral portion of the handle base. This invention makes it possible to enhance the reinforcing effect of the front periphery of the handle base on the door outer panel during a side collision by providing the first portion located in the front periphery of the handle base.

[0018] Furthermore, the first portion can prevent deformation wrinkles that occur in the door outer panel during a side collision from being transmitted from the front peripheral portion to the upper peripheral portion of the handle base. This prevents the upper peripheral portion of the handle base from being displaced inward relative to the lower peripheral portion, thereby preventing the door latch from being unintentionally unlatched and causing the rod to be pushed down to unlock the door.

[0019] As an aspect of the present invention, at least one of the first parts may be provided in the immediate vicinity below the handle base. According to the present invention, during a side impact, the reinforcing effect of the immediate vicinity below the handle base in the door outer panel can be enhanced by the first part provided in the immediate vicinity below the handle base.

[0020] Furthermore, since the first part is provided in the immediate vicinity below the handle base, it is possible to easily guide the deformation wrinkles generated below the handle base in the door outer panel during a side impact to the lower side of the handle base by the ridge line between the first part and the second member.

[0021] Thereby, it is possible to more surely exhibit the displacement behavior of the peripheral portion of the handle base that pushes up the rod so that the door latch is not accidentally unlatched during a side impact.

[0022] As an aspect of the present invention, the reinforcing member may be fixed to the belt line rain and configured to surround the handle base from the front and lower peripheral portions. According to the present invention, the belt line rain and the reinforcing member fixed to the belt line rain cooperate to efficiently improve the rigidity of the door outer panel around the handle base during a side impact.

[0023] As an aspect of the present invention, the first part may be joined to the door outer panel via a filler. The filler is not particularly limited as long as it has an adhesive function. For example, a foamed filler having excellent cushioning function is preferable.

[0024] According to the present invention, by joining the first part to the door outer panel, the generation of abnormal noise during vehicle travel can be prevented by the sound absorption effect of the filler.

[0025] Furthermore, when joining the door outer panel and the reinforcing member, which has higher rigidity than the door outer panel, the presence of a filler between the two members can mitigate adverse effects such as deformation and wrinkles occurring in the door outer panel, which has relatively lower rigidity, due to the difference in rigidity between the two members. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to this invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle door structure that can prevent the door from being unintentionally unlocked while ensuring the rigidity of the area around the handle base in the door outer panel during a side collision. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0027] [Figure 1] A right side view showing the main part of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle door structure of this embodiment. [Figure 2] Front view of the vehicle door structure of this embodiment, with the door outer panel omitted. [Figure 3] Enlarged view of area a in Figure 2 [Figure 4] A perspective view of the area around the handle base, viewed from a position closer to the front of the vehicle compared to a front view of the door. [Figure 5] A perspective view of the area around the handle base, seen from the rear and slightly below the vehicle relative to a front view of the door. [Figure 6] Enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the vehicle door structure along line AA in Figure 2. [Figure 7] Enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main part of the vehicle door structure along line BB in Figure 2. [Figure 8] Enlarged end view showing the main part of the vehicle door structure along line CC in Figure 2. [Figure 9] This side view shows the results of a simulation analysis of the deformation behavior of the door outer panel of the vehicle door structure of this embodiment during a side collision. [Figure 10] This vertical cross-sectional view shows the results of a simulation analysis of the deformation behavior of the area around the handle base of the vehicle door structure of this embodiment during a side collision. [Figure 11]This is a side view showing the results of a simulation analysis of the deformation behavior of the door outer panel during a side collision in a conventional vehicle door structure. [Figure 12] This is a longitudinal section diagram showing the results of a simulation analysis of the deformation behavior of the area around the handle base of a conventional vehicle door structure during a side collision. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0028] One embodiment of this invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the diagram, arrow W indicates the vehicle width direction, arrow F indicates the front of the vehicle, and arrow Z indicates the top of the vehicle. Furthermore, arrow OUT indicates the outside in the vehicle width direction (also referred to as "outside of vehicle width"), and arrow IN indicates the inside in the vehicle width direction (also referred to as "inside of vehicle width"). In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the directions front, rear, left, right, up, and down refer to the front, rear, left, right, up, and down directions of the vehicle body, respectively, and these directions of the vehicle body are based on the occupant seated in the driver's seat. Furthermore, since the vehicle of this embodiment to which the vehicle door structure of the present invention (hereinafter abbreviated as "door structure") is applied has a substantially symmetrical shape, the description will be based on the configuration of the right side of the vehicle body. In the following description, "rain" refers to "reinforcement".

[0029] The following describes embodiments of the door structure of the present invention applied to vehicles of a certain class, such as SUVs, that is, automobiles with a relatively large body size and high ride height. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the door structure 1 of this embodiment includes a rear side door 10 as a door, a handle mechanism 20 that can open the rear side door 10, and a locking mechanism 30 that can open and lock the rear side door 10 relative to the vehicle body.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, the rear side door 10 is provided on the side of the vehicle body and has an opening 2 that can be opened and closed, which serves as an entry and exit point for rear-seat passengers. The rear side door 10 described above consists of a door body 11 and a door sash 12 provided above the door body 11.

[0031] The rear side door 10 described above is constructed by integrally connecting the door inner panel 14 shown in Figure 2 and the door outer panel 15 shown in Figure 1 through hemming or the like. Figure 2 is a front view of the door structure 1 with the door outer panel 15 removed, viewed from the outside of the vehicle width. The door outer panel 15 is an outer panel that forms the exterior design surface of the vehicle, and the entire panel, including the door sash 12 portion, is formed by press-forming a metal sheet material such as an aluminum plate, so that the main surface has a plate thickness in the vehicle width direction.

[0032] The door inner panel 14 is formed entirely by injection molding of thermoplastic resin such that the cross-sectional shape in the horizontal section along the vehicle width direction is approximately a hat shape that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction (see Figure 2).

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, the rear side door 10 has an internal door space 16 (see Figures 2, 6 to 8) which is configured as a closed cross-sectional space inside. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the rear side door 10 comprises a front edge portion 10A to which a pair of upper and lower door hinge brackets 17, 18 are attached, a lower edge portion 10B, and a rear edge portion 10C. The aforementioned rear side door 10 is attached to the center pillar (not shown) on the vehicle body side via the pair of upper and lower door hinge brackets 17, 18 so as to be able to open and close.

[0034] The interior space 16 of the rear side door 10 is equipped with various reinforcing members (rains) 4, mainly a hinge rain 41, a beltline rain 42, an upper door impact bar 43, an intermediate door impact bar 44, a lower door impact bar 45, a latch rain 46, a lower rain 47, and a handle area reinforcing member 50. At the joints of these various reinforcing members 4 to the door outer panel 15, they are appropriately joined and fixed to the door outer panel 15 from the inside of the vehicle width via an adhesive 6, which is a filler with adhesive properties (in this example, a foam filler).

[0035] The hinge rainbow 41 extends vertically to correspond to the door hinge brackets 17 and 18 and is joined and fixed to the door inner panel 14 at the front edge portion 10A from the side of the door interior space 16. The latch rainbow 46 is joined and fixed to the door inner panel 14 at the rear edge portion 10C from the side of the door interior space 16.

[0036] The beltline rain 42 extends along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and both ends are joined and fixed to the door inner panel 14 from the side of the door interior space 16, thereby connecting the upper part of the front part 10A and the upper part of the rear part 10C along the beltline BL between them.

[0037] Furthermore, the three door impact bars 43, 44, and 45 (upper door impact bar 43, middle door impact bar 44, and lower door impact bar 45) are arranged spaced apart vertically within the door interior space 16. Of these three door impact bars 43, 44, and 45, the two upper door impact bars 43 and 44 extend along the vehicle's longitudinal direction, and both ends are joined to the door inner panel 14 from the door interior space 16 side at the front edge 10A and rear edge 10C of the rear side door 10.

[0038] On the other hand, the lower door impact bar 45 has both ends in the extending direction joined to the door inner panel 14 from the side of the door interior space 16 at the front edge 10A and the lower edge 10B of the rear side door 10. The three door impact bars 43, 44, and 45 are joined to the door inner panel 14 at their front edges via hinge rain 41. The lower door impact bar 45 is joined to the door inner panel 14 at its rear end via lower rain 47.

[0039] As a result, the three door impact bars 43, 44, and 45 are configured to work in cooperation with the beltline rain 42 to absorb collision loads applied to the rear side door 10 from the outside in the vehicle width direction. The latch rail 46 and the handle area reinforcing member 50 will be described later.

[0040] Next, the handle mechanism 20 and the locking mechanism 30 will be described. Since both the handle mechanism 20 and the locking mechanism 30 have general-purpose structures, their respective structures will be briefly explained.

[0041] As shown in Figures 2 to 7, the handle mechanism 20 includes a handle base 21 located on the inside in the vehicle width direction of the door outer panel 15 (see Figure 1), that is, on the side of the door interior space 16, and a door handle 22 located on the outside in the vehicle width direction of the door outer panel 15.

[0042] The door handle 22 is positioned approximately horizontally so that its longitudinal direction aligns with the vehicle's front-to-rear direction. The door handle 22 is supported by a handle base 21, with its base 23 located at the front end in the vehicle's front-to-rear direction passing through the door outer panel 15, allowing the rear side door 10 to be opened from its normal position outwards across the vehicle width. Although not shown in the illustration, the handle base 21 is equipped with a return spring that constantly biases the door handle 22 to its normal position.

[0043] As shown in Figures 3, 4, 6, and 7, particularly Figures 6 and 7, the locking mechanism 30 comprises a bell crank 31 pivotally supported on the door handle 22, a rod 32 whose upper end is pivotally supported on the bell crank 31, a door latch 34, and a striker (not shown) provided on the vehicle body side opposite the door latch 34. The door latch 34 performs latching and latch release operations relative to the striker, and has a latch release lever 33 as a latch release actuation part that is locked to the lower part of the rod 32, and is attached to the latch rail 46.

[0044] When the door handle 22 is pulled outward from its normal position to open the door, the bell crank 31 rotates and the rod 32 moves downward, causing the latch release lever 33 of the door latch 34 to rotate in the latch release direction, i.e., downward, and the latch state of the door latch 34 is released. This makes the rear side door 10 ready to be opened.

[0045] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, when the rear side door 10 is viewed from the outside in the vehicle width direction (hereinafter referred to as "front view of the door"), the area on the door outer panel 15 that corresponds to the area above the handle base 21 of the handle mechanism 20 and is located on the door interior space 16 side is provided along the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0046] On the other hand, in a front view of the door, the door outer panel 15 (see Figure 1) is provided with the handle perimeter reinforcing member 50 in the area of ​​the door interior space 16 corresponding to the front and lower peripheral portion of the handle base 21 provided on the handle mechanism 20. That is, the handle perimeter reinforcing member 50 is provided together with the beltline rain 42 to surround the upper, front and lower peripheral portions of the handle base 21, and works in cooperation with the beltline rain 42 to reinforce the peripheral portion (periphery) of the handle base 21.

[0047] Next, we will describe the handle area reinforcing member 50 in detail. As shown in Figures 3 to 8, the handle area reinforcing member 50 is a metal plate made of a single elongated member, and includes a front first reinforcing part 55 that reinforces the front area of ​​the handle base 21 on the door outer panel 15, and a lower reinforcing part 52 that reinforces the lower area of ​​the handle base 21.

[0048] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the lower reinforcing portion 52 extends in a nearly straight line along the vehicle's longitudinal direction when viewed from the front of the door, with its height increasing towards the front of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction. More specifically, the lower reinforcing portion 52 comprises a lower first reinforcing portion 53 and a second reinforcing portion 54 located in front of the vehicle relative to the lower first reinforcing portion 53. As shown in Figures 5 to 8, the front first reinforcing portion 55 and the lower first reinforcing portion 53 are fixed to the door outer panel 15, while the second reinforcing portion 54 is spaced inward from the door outer panel 15 in the vehicle width direction.

[0049] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the front first reinforcing portion 55 is taller towards the front of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction and extends in a nearly straight line along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle when viewed from the front of the door, with a steeper slope than that of the lower reinforcing portion 52.

[0050] More specifically, the steering wheel area reinforcing member 50 is equipped with a rear lower mounting portion 51, a lower first reinforcing portion 53, a second reinforcing portion 54, a front first reinforcing portion 55, and a front upper mounting portion 56 in this order in series from rear to front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0051] The rear lower mounting portion 51 includes a rear lower flange portion 511 and a rear lower support leg portion 512, as shown in Figures 3 to 5, particularly Figure 5. The rear lower flange portion 511 is joined and fixed from the door interior space 16 side to the area directly below the rear of the handle base 21 on the door inner panel 14 at the rear edge portion 10C of the rear side door 10. The rear lower support leg portion 512 extends outward and forward relative to the base end (front end) of the rear lower flange portion 511 and is integrally connected to the rear end of the lower first reinforcing portion 53.

[0052] The lower first reinforcing portion 53 extends forward from the outer end (front end) of the rear lower support leg portion 512. The second reinforcing portion 54 includes a rear second reinforcing support leg portion 541 that extends inward from the front end of the lower first reinforcing portion 53 towards the front of the vehicle, a second reinforcing main surface portion 542 having plate thickness in the vehicle width direction extending forward from the front end of the rear second reinforcing support leg portion 541, and a front second reinforcing support leg portion 543 that extends outward from the front end of the second reinforcing main surface portion 542 towards the front of the vehicle.

[0053] As a result, the second reinforcing portion 54 is formed in a gate shape when viewed in cross-section along the extending direction. More specifically, of the rear second reinforcing support leg portion 541, the second reinforcing main surface portion 542, and the front second reinforcing support leg portion 543, the second reinforcing main surface portion 542 is positioned so that its main surface portion faces the door outer panel 15, with the entire structure spaced inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0054] Furthermore, the second reinforcing main surface portion 542 is connected and supported on one side (front side) in the extending direction by a front first reinforcing portion 55 fixed to the door outer panel 15 via a front second reinforcing support leg portion 543, and on the other side (rear side) in the extending direction by a rear second reinforcing support leg portion 541 fixed to the door outer panel 15 via a lower first reinforcing portion 53.

[0055] The front first reinforcing portion 55 extends forward and upward from the front end (upper end) of the front second reinforcing support leg portion 543 of the second reinforcing portion 54, and its upper end (front end) is integrally connected to the lower end of the front upper mounting portion 56.

[0056] As shown in Figure 5, the front upper mounting portion 56 includes a front upper flange portion 561 that is joined from the outside of the vehicle width to a mounting seat 42a formed near the front of the front end of the handle base 21 on the lower edge of the beltline rain 42.

[0057] As described above, both the lower first reinforcing portion 53 and the front first reinforcing portion 55 are positioned further outward in the vehicle width than the second reinforcing portion 54, that is, closer to the door outer panel 15, and their main surfaces are formed in a planar shape with plate thickness in the vehicle width direction. As a result, both the lower first reinforcing portion 53 and the front first reinforcing portion 55 are positioned along the door outer panel 15 near the inner side of the vehicle width of the door outer panel 15.

[0058] As described above, in the direction of extension along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the rear lower mounting portion 51 and the front upper mounting portion 56 of the rear lower mounting portion 51, the lower first reinforcing portion 53, the second reinforcing portion 54, the front first reinforcing portion 55, and the front upper mounting portion 56 are joined and fixed to the door inner panel 14 from the side of the door interior space 16 by welding or the like. In contrast, in the direction of extension along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, only the lower first reinforcing portion 53 and the front first reinforcing portion 55 of the elements 51, 53, 54, 55, and 56 of the handle area reinforcing member 50 are joined and fixed to the door outer panel 15 from the inside of the vehicle width via adhesive 6 as a filler.

[0059] The handle area reinforcing member 50 has stepped portions 57 formed on both sides in the width direction of the plate, where the portion between the edges is raised one step towards the side of the door outer panel 15 (outside the vehicle width). Both stepped portions 57 on both sides in the width direction of the plate extend continuously along the entire length of the handle area reinforcing member 50, excluding the front upper flange portion 561 and the rear lower flange portion 511.

[0060] The first reinforcing portions 53 and 55, namely the lower first reinforcing portion 53 and the front first reinforcing portion 55, are provided on each side of the handle area reinforcing member 50 in the extending direction, separated by the second reinforcing portion 54. The first reinforcing portions 53 and 55 are each provided with ridge portions 61 and 62 between them and the second reinforcing portion 54. Thus, the handle area reinforcing member 50 is provided with multiple (two in this example) ridge portions 61 and 62, as it is provided with multiple (two in this example) first reinforcing portions 53 and 55.

[0061] More specifically, the handle area reinforcing member 50 includes a lower first reinforcing portion 53 fixed to the door outer panel 15 and a lower ridge portion 61 provided between a second reinforcing portion 54 not fixed to the door outer panel 15, as well as a front first reinforcing portion 55 fixed to the door outer panel 15 and a front ridge portion 62 provided between a second reinforcing portion 54 not fixed to the door outer panel 15.

[0062] Furthermore, when such a handle-peripheral reinforcing member 50 is joined to the door outer panel 15, the portion of the door outer panel 15 corresponding to the lower ridge portion 61 in a front view of the door corresponds to the boundary between the portion corresponding to the lower first reinforcing portion 53 to which the handle-peripheral reinforcing member 50 is joined and the portion corresponding to the second reinforcing portion 54 to which the handle-peripheral reinforcing member 50 is not joined. As a result, the difference in rigidity is higher compared to other portions.

[0063] Similarly, in a front view of the door, the portion of the door outer panel 15 corresponding to the front ridge 62 is at the boundary between the portion corresponding to the front first reinforcement portion 55 to which the handle area reinforcing member 50 is joined, and the portion corresponding to the second reinforcement portion 54 to which the handle area reinforcing member 50 is not joined. Therefore, the rigidity difference is higher compared to other portions.

[0064] Thus, in a front view of the door, the lower ridge portion 61 and the portion corresponding to the lower ridge portion 61 of the door outer panel 15 have a higher rigidity difference compared to other portions. As a result, during a side collision, the impact energy (deformation wrinkles) transmitted to, for example, the area around the handle reinforcing member 50 of the door outer panel 15 can be guided to flow along the lower ridge portion 61 and the front ridge portion 62.

[0065] As shown in Figure 3, both the lower ridge portion 61 and the front ridge portion 62 are located below the handle base 21, and imaginary lines 61L and 62L extending in the direction toward the handle base 21 from this lower position extend in a straight line so as to intersect with the lower edge portion 21d of the handle base 21.

[0066] More specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the lower ridge portion 61 is located in the area directly below the handle base 21, and a virtual line 61L extending from the lower ridge portion 61 toward the handle base 21 along the direction in which the lower ridge portion 61 extends linearly so as to intersect the lower edge portion 21d of the handle base 21, which is aligned with the vehicle's longitudinal direction, at approximately the midpoint 21dm of the lower edge portion 21d. In other words, the lower ridge portion 61 extends linearly so as to be directed toward approximately the midpoint 21dm of the 21d of the handle base 21. Note that approximately the midpoint 21dm of the lower edge portion 21d of the handle base 21 includes not only the midpoint of the lower edge portion 21d of the handle base 21, but also the portion between the front end and the rear end in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, excluding these two points.

[0067] The front ridge portion 62 is located in the lower front area of ​​the handle base 21, and a virtual line 62L extending from the front ridge portion 62 toward the handle base 21 along the direction in which the front ridge portion 62 extends linearly so as to intersect the lower edge portion 21d of the handle base 21, which is aligned with the vehicle's longitudinal direction, at a position forward of the approximately intermediate position 21dm of the lower edge portion 21d, in this example, at the front end position 21df of the lower edge portion 21d of the handle base 21. In other words, the front ridge portion 62 extends linearly so as to be directed toward the front end position 21df of the lower edge portion 21d of the handle base 21.

[0068] Next, the deformation behavior of the door structure 1 of this embodiment during a side impact will be explained using Figures 9, 10(a)(b)(c), 11, and 12(a)(b)(c), in comparison with that of the conventional door structure 100. Figures 9 and 11 both show the results of a simulation analysis of the stress distribution of the door outer panel 15 during a side impact, and also show the strain wrinkles remaining after the door outer panel 15 has deformed. Figure 9 is a front view of the door structure 1 of this embodiment, and Figure 11 is a front view of a conventional door structure 100. The dots in these figures represent an image of the stress distribution, with darker dots indicating higher stress (collision energy).

[0069] Furthermore, Figures 10(a)(b)(c) and 12(a)(b)(c) both show the processes from the initial stage to the later stage of a side collision in chronological order. Figure 10(a)(b)(c) shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the handle base 21 and its surrounding area of ​​the door structure 1 of this embodiment, as viewed from the front of the vehicle, while Figure 12(a)(b)(c) shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the handle base 21 and its surrounding area of ​​the conventional door structure 100, as viewed from the front of the vehicle.

[0070] The conventional door structure 100, although not shown in the figures, includes a handle-peripheral reinforcing member that extends substantially along the front and lower peripheral portion of the handle base, similar to the L-shaped reinforcing member in front view provided around the handle base of the door structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Chinese Utility Model No. 219007553), and is joined to the door outer panel. In other words, the handle-peripheral reinforcing member of the conventional door structure 100 does not have a lower ridge portion 61 and a front ridge portion 62 like the handle-peripheral reinforcing member 50 of the door structure 1 of this embodiment.

[0071] In this simulation, it was assumed that during a side collision, the impacting object struck the area below and in front of the handle base 21 on the door outer panel 15 of the rear side door 10, with the vertically extending center pillar positioned approximately midway along the vehicle's longitudinal direction. The area enclosed by the dashed line in Figure 1 shows a portion of the collision region CZ defined in this simulation.

[0072] In the conventional door structure 100, in the initial stages of a side impact, as shown in Figure 11, the collision load is transmitted so as to spread upward and backward from the collision area CZ (see Figure 1) across the entire door outer panel 15. Consequently, deformation wrinkles occur in the door outer panel 15. Among the deformation wrinkles around the handle base 21, vertical wrinkles 110t extending upward from the collision area CZ were observed in front of the handle base 21, and horizontal wrinkles 110s extending backward from the collision area CZ along the wheel arch ridge of the rear wheel house were observed below the handle base 21.

[0073] Then, the area around the handle base 21 of the door outer panel 15 is gradually displaced inward in the vehicle width direction, as shown in Figures 12(a), (b), and (c), due to the deformation wrinkles 110t and 110s that occur in front of and below the handle base 21.

[0074] More specifically, the rear side door 10 is displaced inward in the vehicle width direction with the collision area CZ as the center. As a result, the area around the handle base 21, which is located at the rear and upper part, is displaced inward in the vehicle width direction, including the handle base 21. However, the front lower part, which is closer to the collision area CZ, is displaced relatively more inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0075] In the door interior space 16, the rod 32 provided in the locking mechanism 30 has a portion in the vertical direction positioned between the door latch 34 and the handle base 21 in the vehicle width direction. As described above, when the door outer panel 15 is displaced inward in the vehicle width direction during a side collision, the handle base 21 attached to the door outer panel 15 is also gradually displaced inward in the vehicle width direction, as shown in Figures 12(a), (b), and (c). Consequently, the portion of the vertically extending rod 32 is gradually compressed between the handle base 21 and the door latch 34 in the vehicle width direction, and the lower part of the rod 32, which is locked to the latch release lever 33, exhibits a deformation behavior in which it is pushed downward (escaping) (see arrow d32 in Figure 12(c)).

[0076] On the other hand, since the latch release lever 33 is provided so as to be able to move up and down relative to the main body of the door latch 34, as described above, the lower part of the rod 32 moves downward, the latch release lever 33 is pushed downward. As a result, the latch state of the door latch 34 is released, and as a result, the rear side door 10 may be unlocked unintentionally in the event of a collision.

[0077] In contrast, in the door structure 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, although vertical wrinkles 110t are generated in front of the handle base 21 on the door outer panel 15 and horizontal wrinkles 110s are generated below the handle base 21, causing the entire periphery of the handle base 21 to be displaced inward in the vehicle width direction, these deformation wrinkles 110t and 110s can be guided to the periphery directly below the handle base 21 by the multiple ridges 61 and 62 (see Figure 3) provided on the handle periphery reinforcing member 50, that is, they can be extended toward the periphery directly below the handle base 21.

[0078] More specifically, the multiple ridge sections 61 and 62 can guide at least a portion of the transverse wrinkles 110s that occur toward the wheel arch ridge towards a higher position, i.e., the area directly below the handle base 21, as shown by the vertical wrinkles 111t and 112t in Figure 9. In Figure 9, the vertical wrinkle 111t indicates a vertical wrinkle induced by the front ridge portion 62, and the vertical wrinkle 112t indicates a vertical wrinkle induced by the lower ridge portion 61.

[0079] In this way, the multiple ridges 61 and 62 provided on the steering wheel surrounding reinforcing member 50 induce deformation wrinkles in the area directly below the steering wheel base 21. As shown in Figures 10(a), (b), and (c), this not only causes deformation behavior in which the entire area around the steering wheel base 21 is displaced inward in the vehicle width direction, but also causes deformation behavior in which the lower part of the steering wheel base 21 is gradually displaced inward relative to the upper part in a counterclockwise direction in a longitudinal cross-sectional view seen from the front of the vehicle (see arrow d20 in Figures 10(a), (b), and (c)). In other words, the upper part of the steering wheel base 21 can be gradually displaced outward relative to the lower part in the vehicle width.

[0080] This deformation behavior allows the handle base 21 to displace the rod 32, whose upper end is connected via the bell crank 31, in an upward direction. This prevents the lower part of the rod 32 from being pushed downward, i.e., the latch release lever 33 from moving downward, and the deformation behavior of the handle base 21 can be controlled so that the latch state of the door latch 34 is not released unintentionally. This was confirmed by the results of this simulation.

[0081] As shown in Figures 1 to 8, particularly Figures 3, 4, 6, and 7, the door structure 1 of this embodiment comprises a handle base 21 that supports the door handle 22, a door outer panel 15 (see Figure 1) to which the handle base 21 is attached, a rod 32 that is operated by the operation of the door handle 22, a latch release lever 33 which is a latch release operating part of the door latch 34 that is pushed down by the operation of the rod 32 to unlatch, i.e., unlock the door, a beltline rain 42 fixed to the door outer panel 15 and extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction above the handle base 21, and a handle perimeter reinforcing member 50 fixed to the door outer panel 15 and working in cooperation with the beltline rain 42 to reinforce the area around the handle base 21.

[0082] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 to 8, the handle area reinforcing member 50 comprises a first reinforcing portion 53, 55 as a first part fixed to the door outer panel 15, a second reinforcing portion 54 as a second part spaced apart from the door outer panel 15, and ridge portions 61, 62 provided between the first reinforcing portions 53, 55 and the second reinforcing portion 54. As shown in Figure 3, the ridge portions 61, 62 are located below the handle base 21, and are characterized in that imaginary lines 61L, 62L extending linearly from this lower position toward the handle base 21 extend along a direction that intersects the lower edge portion 21d of the handle base 21.

[0083] According to the above configuration, the deformation behavior of the area around the handle base 21 of the door outer panel 15 during a side collision can be controlled so that the rod 32 can be displaced upward. Therefore, even during a side collision, it is possible to prevent the door from unlocking unintentionally and maintain the door locked state.

[0084] More specifically, the handle area reinforcing member 50 and the beltline rain 42 reinforce the area around the handle base 21 of the door outer panel 15. Furthermore, the ridges 61 and 62 guide the deformation wrinkles that occur in the door outer panel 15 during a side collision to the area around the lower edge 21d of the handle base 21 along the imaginary lines 61L and 62L. This promotes a deformation behavior in which the lower part of the handle base 21 displaces in the vehicle width direction relative to the upper part when the area around the handle base 21 is displaced in the vehicle width direction during a side collision (see arrow d20 in Figures 10(a), (b), and (c)).

[0085] In other words, the upper part of the handle base 21 is displaced outward relative to its lower part in the direction of the vehicle width, which promotes a deformation behavior that pushes up the rod 32 so that the door latch 34 is not unintentionally unlatched.

[0086] Therefore, as described above, the ridges 61 and 62 guide the deformation wrinkles that occur in the door outer panel 15 during a side collision along the imaginary lines 61L and 62L toward the lower edge 21d of the handle base 21, thereby controlling the deformation behavior of the door outer panel 15 during a side collision so that the rod 32 is displaced upward. This prevents the door from unlocking unintentionally during a side collision and maintains the door locked state.

[0087] In an embodiment of this invention, as shown in Figures 3 to 5 and 8, the handle area reinforcing member 50 is provided with multiple ridge sections 61 and 62, along with multiple first reinforcing sections 53 and 55. As described above, by providing multiple ridge sections 61 and 62, the displacement behavior of the area around the handle base 21 that pushes up the rod 32 to prevent the door latch 34 from unintentionally unlatching during a side collision can be more reliably achieved, thereby more reliably preventing unintentional door unlocking during a side collision.

[0088] Furthermore, by providing multiple ridge sections 61 and 62, and by providing multiple first reinforcing sections 53 and 55, the reinforcing effect of the handle area reinforcing member 50 around the handle base 21 on the door outer panel 15 can be enhanced, while the aforementioned effect of providing the ridge sections 61 and 62 can also be enhanced.

[0089] In one aspect of this invention, as shown in Figure 3, the lower ridge portion 61 of the multiple ridge portions 61, 62 is configured such that the imaginary line 61L extends in a direction that intersects with the lower edge portion 21d of the handle base 21, which is aligned with the vehicle's longitudinal direction, at approximately the midpoint 21dm of the lower edge portion 21d.

[0090] This configuration allows the deformation wrinkles of the door outer panel 15 that occur during a side collision to be guided by the lower ridge portion 61 to the portion directly below the handle base 21, thereby further promoting the inward displacement of the periphery of the handle base 21 in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the displacement behavior of the periphery of the handle base 21 that pushes up the rod 32 to prevent the door latch 34 from unintentionally unlatching during a side collision can be more reliably achieved.

[0091] In this embodiment of the invention, as shown in Figures 3 to 6, of the first reinforcing parts 53 and 55, the front first reinforcing part 55 is provided on the front peripheral part of the handle base 21. This configuration enhances the reinforcing effect of the front periphery of the handle base 21 in the door outer panel 15 during a side collision, thanks to the front first reinforcing portion 55 provided around the front periphery of the handle base 21.

[0092] Furthermore, the front first reinforcing portion 55 can prevent deformation wrinkles that occur in the door outer panel 15 during a side collision from being transmitted from the front peripheral portion to the upper peripheral portion of the handle base 21. This prevents the upper peripheral portion of the handle base 21 from being displaced inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the lower peripheral portion, i.e., in the opposite direction to arrow d20 in Figures 10(a),(b), and(c), which would cause the door latch 34 to be unintentionally unlatched and push down the rod 32 so that the rear side door 10 is unlocked.

[0093] In this embodiment of the invention, as shown in Figures 3 to 5, of the first reinforcing parts 53 and 55, the lower first reinforcing part 53 is provided in the area directly below the handle base 21. This configuration enhances the reinforcing effect around the area directly below the handle base 21 in the door outer panel 15 during a side collision, thanks to the lower first reinforcing portion 53 provided around the area directly below the handle base 21.

[0094] Furthermore, by providing a lower first reinforcing portion 53 around the area directly below the door handle 22, a lower ridge portion 61 can be formed between it and the second reinforcing portion 54. As described above, this lower ridge portion 61 makes it possible to easily guide the deformation wrinkles that occur below the handle base 21 on the door outer panel 15 during a side collision to the area directly below the handle base 21.

[0095] This makes it possible to more reliably achieve the displacement behavior of the area around the handle base 21 that pushes up the rod 32 to prevent the door latch 34 from unintentionally unlatching during a side collision.

[0096] In one aspect of this invention, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, the handle area reinforcing member 50 is fixed to the belt line rain 42 and is configured to surround the handle base 21 from the front and lower peripheral areas. This configuration allows the beltline rain 42 and the handle-peripheral reinforcing member 50 fixed to the beltline rain 42 to work together to efficiently improve the rigidity of the area around the handle base 21 when the door outer panel 15 is impacted from the side.

[0097] In this embodiment of the invention, as shown in Figures 2 to 8, the first reinforcing parts 53 and 55 are both joined to the door outer panel 15 via an adhesive 6 acting as a filler. With this configuration, by joining the first reinforcing parts 53 and 55 to the door outer panel 15, the generation of abnormal noise during vehicle operation can be prevented by utilizing the sound-absorbing function of the adhesive 6 used as a filler.

[0098] Furthermore, when joining the door outer panel 15 and the handle area reinforcing member 50, which has higher rigidity than the door outer panel 15, the presence of adhesive 6 as a filler between the two members 15 and 50 can mitigate adverse effects such as deformation and wrinkles occurring in the door outer panel 15, which has relatively lower rigidity, due to the difference in rigidity between the two members 15 and 50.

[0099] In the correspondence between the configuration of this invention and the embodiments described above, the latch release operating unit corresponds to the latch release lever 33, and so on. The reinforcing member corresponds to the handle area reinforcing member 50. The first part corresponds to the first reinforcing parts 53 and 55 (lower first reinforcing part 53 and front first reinforcing part 55), The second part corresponds to the second reinforcement part 54, The first portion provided around the front of the handle base 21 corresponds to the front first reinforcing portion 55, The first portion located directly below the door handle 22 corresponds to the lower first reinforcing portion 53. The filler corresponds to the adhesive 6, but this invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and many other embodiments can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0100] 1…Door structure 6…Adhesive (filler) 15… Door outer panel 21…Handle base 21d... Lower part of the handle base 21dm...Approximately midpoint of the bottom edge 22... Door handle 32…Rod 33...Latch release lever (latch release mechanism) 34... Door latch 42... Beltline Rain 50…Reinforcement member around the handle (reinforcement member) 53,55...1st reinforcement part (1st part) 53... Lower first reinforcement section (first section located directly below the handle base) 54...Second reinforcement part (second part) 55…Front first reinforcement section (first part provided around the front of the handle base) 61, 62… Ridge section 61L, 62L… virtual lines

Claims

1. A handle base that supports the door handle, The door outer panel to which the handle base is attached, A rod operated by the operation of the aforementioned door handle, The latch release mechanism of the door latch is pushed down to unlatch by the movement of the aforementioned rod, A beltline rain, fixed to the door outer panel and extending in the vehicle's longitudinal direction above the handle base, A vehicle door structure comprising a reinforcing member fixed to the door outer panel and cooperating with the beltline rain to reinforce the area around the handle base, The reinforcing member is The first part is fixed to the door outer panel, A second portion that is spaced apart from the aforementioned door outer panel, A ridge portion provided between the first portion and the second portion, The aforementioned ridge portion is located below the handle base, and a virtual line extending linearly from this lower position toward the handle base extends along a direction that intersects the lower edge of the handle base. Vehicle door structure.

2. The reinforcing member is provided with multiple ridges as a result of having multiple first portions. The vehicle door structure according to claim 1.

3. At least one of the ridge portions is configured such that the imaginary line extends in a direction that intersects the lower edge portion of the handle base, which is aligned with the vehicle's longitudinal direction, at approximately the midpoint of the lower edge portion. The vehicle door structure according to claim 2.

4. At least one of the first portions is provided in the forward periphery of the handle base The vehicle door structure according to claim 2.

5. At least one of the first parts is provided in the area directly below the handle base The vehicle door structure according to claim 2.

6. The reinforcing member is fixed to the beltline rain and is configured to surround the handle base from the front and lower periphery. The vehicle door structure according to claim 1.

7. The first portion is joined to the door outer panel via a filler. A vehicle door structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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