Vehicle tailgate structure

Abstract

In the present invention, a latch reinforcement comprises: a reinforcement main body plate part which is connected to a base surface part from above; a reinforcement inclined plate part which faces a sealing surface part on the vehicle rear side of the sealing surface part and the position of which gradually lowers from the vehicle rear end of the reinforcement main body plate part toward the rear side of the vehicle; and a reinforcement rear plate part which is connected to the vehicle rear end of the reinforcement inclined plate part and which is joined to a connection surface part from above. When viewed from the vehicle width direction, a closed cross section structure is formed between the sealing surface part of an inner panel and the reinforcement inclined plate part of the latch reinforcement.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tailgate structure for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] There is provided a vehicle having a luggage compartment at the rear of the passenger compartment, an opening at the rear of the vehicle for loading and unloading luggage into the luggage compartment, and a flip-up tailgate for opening and closing the opening. The tailgate is constructed by joining an inner panel and an outer panel, and the inner panel is provided with a latch mechanism that engages with a striker provided in the opening, as well as a latch reinforcement that reinforces the portion of the inner panel where the latch mechanism is attached. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-163023 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, the specifications of the tailgate may change with a model change of the vehicle, and the dimension of the inner panel in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle in the vicinity of the location of the inner panel where the latch mechanism is attached may be set larger than before. In this case, the dimensions of the part of the inner panel where the latch mechanism is attached must be large, which reduces the strength and rigidity of the inner panel compared to conventional cases, making the inner panel more susceptible to deformation. In addition, by ensuring larger dimensions for the inner panel, the weight of the tailgate increases compared to conventional methods, and the inertial force generated in the tailgate when it runs over a curb increases, increasing the load input to the inner panel and latch reinforcement via the latch mechanism. Therefore, since the load input increases when running over a curb when the inner panel becomes more susceptible to deformation, if conventional latch reinforcements are used, the strength and rigidity of the inner panel and latch reinforcement will be insufficient, which will be disadvantageous in suppressing deformation of the inner panel and latch reinforcement when running over a curb. Therefore, it is possible to provide a reinforcing member separate from the latch reinforcement near the location of the inner panel where the latch mechanism is attached to suppress deformation of the inner panel and the latch reinforcement in response to the load input when running over a curb. However, this has the disadvantage of increasing the number of parts. The present invention has been devised in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle tailgate structure that is advantageous in improving the strength and rigidity of the inner panel and latch reinforcement against load input when driving over a curb, without increasing the number of parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of the present invention is a tailgate structure for a vehicle, the tailgate structure including an opening provided in a body panel at the rear of the vehicle, a lower edge portion of the body panel forming a lower edge of the opening and provided with a striker, a flip-up tailgate configured to include an inner panel and opening and closing the opening, a latch mechanism attached to the inner panel and engaged with the striker, and a latch reinforcement that reinforces a portion of the inner panel where the latch mechanism is provided, wherein the portion of the inner panel adjacent to the lower edge portion of the body panel in a state where the opening is closed by the tailgate includes a base surface portion to which the latch mechanism is attached, and a latch reinforcement that reinforces the portion of the inner panel adjacent to the lower edge portion of the body panel from a rear end of the base surface portion to which the latch mechanism is attached. The latch reinforcement is characterized in that it comprises a sealing surface portion that gradually displaces downward as it reaches both rear ends, and a connection surface portion that extends from the vehicle rear end of the sealing surface portion to the vehicle rear, and the latch reinforcement comprises a reinforcement main body plate portion that is connected from above to the base surface portion, a reinforcement inclined plate portion that gradually displaces downward as it reaches the vehicle rear end of the reinforcement main body plate portion and faces the sealing surface portion at the vehicle rear of the sealing surface portion, and a reinforcement rear plate portion that is connected to the vehicle rear end of the reinforcement inclined plate portion and joined from above to the connection surface portion, and when viewed from the vehicle width direction, a closed cross-sectional structure is formed between the sealing surface portion of the inner panel and the reinforcement inclined plate portion of the latch reinforcement. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the latch reinforcement is provided with a reinforcement main body plate portion that is joined from above to the base surface portion of the inner panel, a reinforcement inclined plate portion that faces the sealing surface portion of the inner panel at the vehicle rear of the sealing surface portion, and a reinforcement rear plate portion that is joined from above to the connecting surface portion of the inner panel, and when viewed from the vehicle width direction, a closed cross-sectional structure is formed between the sealing surface portion of the inner panel and the reinforcement inclined plate portion of the latch reinforcement. This is advantageous in increasing the strength and rigidity of the inner panel and the latch reinforcement where the latch mechanism is attached. Therefore, by setting the dimension of the connecting surface of the inner panel along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle to be long, even if the strength and rigidity of the inner panel decreases and the weight of the tailgate increases, this is advantageous in improving the strength and rigidity of the inner panel and latch reinforcement against load input when driving over a curb, without increasing the number of parts. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle to which a vehicle tailgate structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, as viewed from the rear of the vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view of an inner panel having a latch mechanism attached thereto, a latch reinforcement joined to the inner panel, and a lower edge portion of a body panel that forms the rear opening, as viewed from the rear of the vehicle, with the rear opening closed by the tailgate. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a view of a latch reinforcement joined to an inner panel, as viewed diagonally from below and rearward of the vehicle. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along line AA in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 1 is a perspective view of the latch reinforcement as viewed from the rear of the vehicle. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the symbol UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle, the symbol FR indicates the front side of the vehicle, and the symbol HL indicates the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 1, a luggage compartment 12 is provided at the rear of the passenger compartment of a vehicle 10, and a rear opening 14 for loading and unloading luggage into and from the luggage compartment 12 is provided in a body panel 18 at the rear of the vehicle 10. The rear opening 14 is opened and closed by a flip-up tailgate 16 that is swingably supported on the upper edge of the rear opening 14 via a hinge (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, the tailgate 16 includes an inner panel 20 located on the luggage compartment 12 side with the rear opening 14 closed, an outer panel 22 arranged opposite the outside of the inner panel 20, and a rear window glass 24 provided in the upper half of the tailgate 16. The tailgate 16 is provided in a hollow shape around the rear window glass 24, and the entire outer edge of the outer panel 22 is folded back and connected to the entire outer edge of the inner panel 20 by hemming.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 4, the lower edge of the rear opening 14 is formed by a lower edge portion 18A of the vehicle body panel 18 on the vehicle body side. The vehicle body side lower edge portion 18A includes a base surface portion 1802 located at the front of the vehicle, an inclined surface portion 1804 that displaces downward as it extends from the rear end of the base surface portion 1802 to the rear of the vehicle, and a connection surface portion 1806 that extends from the rear end of the inclined surface portion 1804 to the rear of the vehicle. The striker 26 is provided on the base surface portion 1802. A portion of the weatherstrip 30 extending around the entire periphery of the rear opening 14 is provided on the inclined surface portion 1804. An upper portion of the rear bumper 32 is located below the weatherstrip 30 at the rear of the vehicle body. A latch mechanism 28 that engages with and disengages from the striker 26 is provided on the inner panel 20 of the tailgate 16 .

[0010] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, when the rear opening 14 is blocked by the tailgate 16, the portion of the inner panel 20 adjacent to the vehicle body side lower edge portion 18A includes an inner panel main body portion 34, a base surface portion 36, a sealing surface portion 38, a connection surface portion 40, a hem surface portion 42, and an inner panel side bead 44.

[0011] The base surface portion 36 is adjacent to the vehicle front portion of the vehicle body side lower edge portion 18A. When the tailgate 16 closes the rear opening 14, the base surface portion 36 extends in the vehicle width direction along a substantially horizontal plane and faces the vehicle front portion of the vehicle body side lower edge portion 18A. 4, a rectangular inner panel side through hole H1 for disposing the latch mechanism 28 is provided in the middle of the base surface portion 36 in the vehicle width direction. The latch mechanism 28 is attached to the base surface portion 36. The inner panel main body portion 34 stands up from the vehicle front end of the base surface portion 36 and faces the outer panel 22 .

[0012] As shown in FIG. 4, the sealing surface portion 38 is connected to the vehicle rear end of the base surface portion 36 via an inner panel side front bent portion 3802, and extends at an incline that gradually displaces downward toward the vehicle rear. With the rear opening 14 closed by the tailgate 16, the weather strip 30 elastically contacts the sealing surface portion 38 to prevent rainwater from entering the luggage compartment 12.

[0013] 5, the connection surface portion 40 is connected to the vehicle rear end of the sealing surface portion 38 via an inner panel side rear bent portion 3804 and extends toward the rear of the vehicle, and in this embodiment, the connection surface portion 40 extends with an inclination that gradually displaces downward toward the vehicle rear. The inclination of the connection surface portion 40 is gentler than the inclination of the sealing surface portion 38.

[0014] 4, the hem surface portion 42 extends downward from the vehicle rear end of the connection surface portion 40. The edge portion 22A of the outer panel 22 is folded back by hemming and joined to the hem surface portion 42 for connection.

[0015] As shown in Figs. 3 and 8, the inner panel side bead 44 is provided in a portion located in the middle of the connection surface portion 40 in the vehicle width direction. In this embodiment, six inner panel side beads 44 are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction, extending in the vehicle front-rear direction from the vehicle front end to the vehicle rear end of the connecting surface portion 40 as shown in Fig. 5. The inner panel side beads 44 are provided in an upwardly convex shape. As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 8, the latch mounting portion 46 includes an inner panel main body portion 34, a base surface portion 36, a sealing surface portion 38, a connection surface portion 40, an inner panel side bead 44, and a latch reinforcement 48 attached across these portions.

[0016] 3, 4, and 8, the latch reinforcement 48 is a member that reinforces the portion of the inner panel 20 where the latch mechanism 28 is provided. More specifically, the latch reinforcement 48 is a member that reinforces the inner panel main body portion 34, the base surface portion 36, the seal surface portion 38, the connection surface portion 40, and the inner panel side bead 44. As shown in Figures 8 and 10, the latch reinforcement 48 includes a reinforcement main body plate portion 50, a reinforcement front plate portion 52, a pair of step plate portions 54, a reinforcement inclined plate portion 56, a reinforcement rear plate portion 58, a first reinforcement side bead 60, and a second reinforcement side bead 62.

[0017] As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the reinforcement main body plate portion 50 is a portion that is overlapped and joined to the base surface portion 36 from above. The reinforcement main body plate portion 50 is provided with a rectangular reinforcement side through hole H2 that matches the inner panel side through hole H1 of the base surface portion 36. 4, the latch mechanism 28 includes a latch 28A that can be engaged with and disengaged from the striker 26, a drive mechanism 28B that engages and disengages the latch 28A with the striker 26, and an attachment plate 28C. When the latch 28A engages with the striker 26, the tailgate 16 is locked in a closed state. The latch mechanism 28 is attached to the base surface portion 36 by inserting the latch mechanism 28 from below into the inner panel side through hole H1 and the reinforcement side through hole H2, and with the mounting plate 28C overlapping the lower surface of the base surface portion 36 around the inner panel side through hole H1, a nut N1 is screwed onto a bolt B1 that penetrates the reinforcement main body plate portion 50, the base surface portion 36, and the mounting plate 28C. In this way, the reinforcement main body plate portion 50 is joined to the base surface portion 36. The mounting structure of the latch mechanism 28 is not limited to that in the embodiment, and various mounting structures known in the art can be used.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 10 , the reinforcement front plate portion 52 is located at the front end of the reinforcement main body plate portion 50 . As shown in FIG. 10, the reinforcement front plate portion 52 includes a middle protrusion 52A, a pair of joint portions 52B, and a pair of outer protrusions 52C. The intermediate convex portion 52A is provided in the middle of the reinforcement front plate portion 52 in the vehicle width direction, and is provided in a convex shape toward the rear of the vehicle in a plan view with a central plate portion 5202 rising from the center of the front end of the reinforcement main body plate portion 50 and inclined plate portions 5204 on both sides. The pair of joints 52B includes side plate portions 5206 rising from the front ends of the reinforcement main body plate portion 50 on both sides of the intermediate convex portion 52A, and inclined plate portions 5208 connected to the outer sides in the vehicle width direction of the side plate portions 5206, and the inner sides in the vehicle width direction of the side plate portions 5206 are connected to the inclined plate portions 5204. The side plate portions 5206 and the inclined plate portions 5204, 5208 on both sides are provided in a convex shape toward the front of the vehicle in a plan view. The pair of outer convex portions 52C are respectively connected to the inclined plate portions 5208 of the pair of joint portions 52B. The pair of outer convex portions 52C and the inclined plate portion 5208 are provided in a convex shape toward the rear of the vehicle in a plan view. As shown in Figures 3, 6, 8 and 10, a pair of joints 52B are overlapped on the inner panel main body portion 34 near the base surface portion 36 from the rear of the vehicle, and the side plate portions 5206 of the pair of joints 52B are joined to the inner panel main body portion 34 by spot welding. In Figures 3, 8 and 10, the symbol * indicates the location of the spot welding. As shown in Figs. 4 and 7, gaps are provided between the inner panel main body 34 and the middle protrusion 52A and the pair of outer protrusions 52C in the vehicle front-rear direction.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 10, a pair of step plate portions 54 are provided on both sides of the reinforcement main body plate portion 50 in the vehicle width direction. The pair of step plate portions 54 includes an inclined portion 54A that gradually displaces upward from both sides of the reinforcement body plate portion 50 in the vehicle width direction toward the outside in the vehicle width direction, and an extending portion 54B that extends outward in the vehicle width direction from the upper end of the inclined portion 54A. The vehicle front end of the extending portion 54B is connected to the lower end of the outer protrusion 52C. As shown in FIG. 7, a gap is provided between the base surface portion 36 of the inner panel 20 and the step plate portion 54 in the vertical direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 10, the vehicle front end 5402 of the inclined portion 54A and the inclined plate portion 5208 of the joint portion 52B of the reinforcement front plate portion 52 are connected to inclined surfaces 5002 on both sides of the vehicle front end of the reinforcement main body plate portion 50.

[0020] As shown in Figures 5, 9, and 10, the reinforcement inclined plate portion 56 is connected to the vehicle rear ends of the reinforcement main body plate portion 50 and the step plate portion 54 via the reinforcement side front bend portion 5602, and extends at an incline that gradually displaces downward as it reaches the rear of the vehicle. The reinforcement inclined plate portion 56 faces the sealing surface portion 38 of the inner panel 20 at a distance from the sealing surface portion 38 on the vehicle rear side of the sealing surface portion 38 . In this specification, the phrase "the reinforcement inclined plate portion 56 and the seal surface portion 38 facing each other" refers to a state in which the reinforcement inclined plate portion 56 and the seal surface portion 38 face each other with a gap between them, and is not limited to a state in which the reinforcement inclined plate portion 56 and the seal surface portion 38 are parallel to each other. 5, the reinforcement-side front bent portion 5602 is located at approximately the same height as the inner panel-side front bent portion 3802. In addition, the reinforcement-side front bent portion 5602 is provided at a location spaced away from the inner panel-side front bent portion 3802 toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0021] As shown in Figures 5, 9, and 10, the reinforcement rear plate portion 58 is connected to the vehicle rear end of the reinforcement inclined plate portion 56 via the reinforcement side rear bend portion 5604, and is a portion that is joined from above to the connection surface portion 40. In this embodiment, the reinforcement rear plate portion 58 is a portion that is joined from above to the inner panel side bead 44 provided on the connection surface portion 40.

[0022] As shown in Figures 3, 6, 8 and 10, the first reinforcement side beads 60 are provided in a plurality of positions spaced apart in the vehicle width direction at the vehicle width central portion of the latch reinforcement 48, and in this embodiment, two are provided. The first reinforcement side bead 60 is convex upward and extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle from the rear of the reinforcement main body plate portion 50, through the reinforcement side front bend portion 5602, the reinforcement inclined plate portion 56, and the reinforcement side rear bend portion 5604 to the rear end of the reinforcement rear plate portion 58. 9 and 10, when viewed from the vehicle width direction, the first reinforcement side bead 60 and the step plate portion 54 overlap on the reinforcement main body plate portion 50. In detail, when viewed from the vehicle width direction, a portion of the first reinforcement side bead 60 on the reinforcement main body plate portion 50 facing the front of the vehicle and a portion of the step plate portion 54 facing the rear of the vehicle overlap on the reinforcement main body plate portion 50.

[0023] As shown in Figures 3, 4 and 10, the second reinforcement side bead 62 is convex upward and extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle on the reinforcement rear plate portion 58, and is provided in multiple numbers at intervals in the vehicle width direction; in this embodiment, three are provided. 3, 6 and 10, the second reinforcement side bead 62 includes an extension portion 60A of two first reinforcement side beads 60 formed on the reinforcement rear plate portion 58. A total of five second reinforcement side beads 62 are provided. As shown in Figs. 3, 8 and 10, the inner panel side bead 44 and the reinforcement rear plate portion 58 except for the second reinforcement side bead 62 are joined by welding.

[0024] Therefore, as shown in Figures 5 and 9, the reinforcement side front bend portion 5602 of the latch reinforcement 48 is located at a location spaced away from the inner panel side front bend portion 3802 of the inner panel 20 toward the rear of the vehicle, and when viewed from the vehicle width direction, a long and narrow closed cross-sectional structure that is inclined in the vertical direction is formed between the sealing surface portion 38 of the inner panel 20 and the reinforcement inclined plate portion 56 of the latch reinforcement 48.

[0025] Next, the effects will be described. Conventionally, the dimension in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction of the connection surface portion 40 connected to the rear end of the sealing surface portion 38 of the inner panel 20 is extremely short, and the vehicle rear end of the latch reinforcement 48 only extends to the sealing surface portion 38 of the inner panel 20. Here, if a change in the specifications of the tailgate 16 following a model change of the vehicle 10 causes the dimension of the connection surface portion 40 of the inner panel 20 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle to be set longer than before, the strength and rigidity of the inner panel 20 will decrease, making it more susceptible to deformation, and the weight of the tailgate 16 will increase. When the weight of the tailgate 16 increases, the inertial force in the opening and closing direction of the tailgate generated when the vehicle 10 runs up a curb increases, and the load applied to the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48 via the latch mechanism 28, i.e., the load input in the direction that deforms the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48, also increases. The load input when running up a curb is extremely large compared to the load input to the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48 when the tailgate 16 is opened or closed. In order to ensure the strength and rigidity of the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48 in response to such an increase in load input, it could be considered to provide a reinforcing member separate from the latch reinforcement 48 near the location of the inner panel 20 where the latch mechanism 28 is attached, in order to suppress deformation of the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48; however, this has the disadvantage of increasing the number of parts.

[0026] Therefore, in this embodiment, the latch reinforcement 48 is provided with a reinforcement main body plate portion 50 that is connected to the base surface portion 36 from above, a reinforcement inclined plate portion 56 that gradually displaces downward as it extends from the vehicle rear end of the reinforcement main body plate portion 50 to the vehicle rear and faces the sealing surface portion 38 at the vehicle rear of the sealing surface portion 38, and a reinforcement rear plate portion 58 that is connected to the vehicle rear end of the reinforcement inclined plate portion 56 and joined to the connection surface portion 40 from above, and when viewed from the vehicle width direction, a closed cross-sectional structure is formed between the sealing surface portion 38 of the inner panel 20 and the reinforcement inclined plate portion 56 of the latch reinforcement 48. This is advantageous in increasing the strength and rigidity of the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48 at the location where the latch mechanism 28 is attached. Furthermore, when the reinforcement side front bent portion 5602 of the latch reinforcement 48 and the inner panel side front bent portion 3802 of the inner panel 20 are in the same position in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, the latch reinforcement 48 and the inner panel 20 are likely to deform at the bent portions 5602, 3802. In contrast to this, in the present embodiment, the reinforcement side front bend portion 5602 of the latch reinforcement 48 is located at a location spaced away from the inner panel side front bend portion 3802 of the inner panel 20 toward the rear of the vehicle, and when viewed from the vehicle width direction, a closed cross-sectional structure is formed between the seal surface portion 38 of the inner panel 20 and the reinforcement inclined plate portion 56 of the latch reinforcement 48. Therefore, compared to when the two bent portions 5602, 3802 are in the same position and the sealing surface portion 38 and the reinforcement inclined plate portion 56 are overlapped, deformation is less likely to occur, which is advantageous in increasing the strength and rigidity of the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48 and suppressing deformation of the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48 in response to load input. Therefore, by setting the dimension of the connection surface portion 40 of the inner panel 20 along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle to be long, even if the strength and rigidity of the inner panel 20 is reduced and the weight of the tailgate 16 is increased, this is advantageous in improving the strength and rigidity of the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48 against the load input when driving over a curb, without increasing the number of parts.

[0027] In addition, in this embodiment, a plurality of first reinforcement side beads 60 are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction, each of which is convex upward and extends along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle across the reinforcement main body plate portion 50 and the reinforcement inclined plate portion 56. Therefore, the first reinforcement side bead 60 is more advantageous in increasing the strength and rigidity of the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48, and is more advantageous in improving the strength and rigidity of the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48 against load input when driving over a curb.

[0028] In the present embodiment, step plate portions 54 are provided on both sides of the reinforcement main body plate portion 50 in the vehicle width direction, and when viewed from the vehicle width direction, the first reinforcement side bead 60 and the step plate portions 54 are overlapped on the reinforcement main body plate portion 50. In detail, the portion of the first reinforcement side bead 60 facing the front of the vehicle and the portion of the step plate portion 54 facing the rear of the vehicle are overlapped on the reinforcement main body plate portion 50, and rigidity is ensured without interruption from the front end to the rear end of the latch reinforcement 48. Therefore, it is more advantageous in increasing the strength and rigidity of the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48 and improving the strength and rigidity of the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48 against the load input when driving over a curb.

[0029] Moreover, in this embodiment, the first reinforcement side bead 60 passes through the reinforcement inclined plate portion 56 and extends to the vehicle rear end of the reinforcement rear plate portion 58. Therefore, the first reinforcement side bead 60 increases the strength and rigidity of the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48, which is more advantageous in improving the strength and rigidity of the inner panel 20 and the latch reinforcement 48 against load input when driving over a curb.

[0030] In addition, the plate thickness of the latch reinforcement 48 is generally formed to be larger than the plate thickness of the portion of the inner panel 20 where the latch reinforcement 48 is overlapped and joined, resulting in a difference in rigidity between the rigidity of the latch reinforcement 48 and the rigidity of the inner panel 20. As this difference in rigidity increases, there is a concern that the durability of the welded portion between the latch reinforcement 48 and the inner panel 20 will decrease against the load input via the latch mechanism 28 when the tailgate 16 is opened or closed. In contrast to this, in the present embodiment, a plurality of inner panel side beads 44 that are upwardly convex and extend in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction at the portion (connection surface portion 40) of the inner panel 20 where the reinforcement rear plate portion 58 is overlapped, thereby reducing the rigidity difference between the reinforcement rear plate portion 58 and the portion of the inner panel 20 where this reinforcement rear plate portion 58 is overlapped and welded, which is advantageous in increasing the durability strength of the welded portion between the latch reinforcement 48 and the inner panel 20. In addition, this is not only advantageous in increasing the rigidity of the welded points and improving the durability of the welded points against the load input when the tailgate 16 is opened and closed, but it is also advantageous in suppressing deformation of the inner panel 20 due to the load input when driving over a curb.

[0031] This application is based on Japanese patent application No. 2021-048275 filed on March 23, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 10 Vehicles 12 Luggage compartment 14 Rear opening 16 Tailgate 18 Body Panel 18A Lower edge of vehicle body side 20 Inner Panel 22 Outer Panel 26 Striker 28 Latch mechanism 34 Inner panel main body 36 Base surface 38 Seal surface 3802 Front bend on inner panel side 40 Connection surface 42 Hem surface 44 Inner panel side bead 46 Latch mounting part 48 Latch Reinforcement 50 Reinforcement body plate 52 Reinforcement front panel 54 Step plate section 56 Reinforcement inclined plate section 5602 Reinforcement side front bend 58 Reinforcement rear plate 60 First reinforcement bead 60A extension part 62 Second reinforcement side bead

Claims

1. An opening provided in a body panel at a rear of the vehicle; a lower edge portion of the vehicle body panel that forms a lower edge of the opening and has a striker provided thereon; A flip-up tailgate including an inner panel for opening and closing the opening; a latch mechanism attached to the inner panel and engaged with the striker; A latch reinforcement that reinforces a portion of the inner panel where the latch mechanism is provided; A tailgate structure for a vehicle comprising: a portion of the inner panel adjacent to a lower edge of the vehicle body panel when the opening is closed by the tailgate, the portion comprising: a base surface portion to which the latch mechanism is attached; a sealing surface portion which gradually displaces downward from the vehicle rear end of the base surface portion toward the vehicle rear; and a connecting surface portion which extends toward the vehicle rear from the vehicle rear end of the sealing surface portion, The latch reinforcement includes a reinforcement main body plate portion that is joined to the base surface portion from above, a reinforcement inclined plate portion that gradually displaces downward as it extends from the vehicle rear end of the reinforcement main body plate portion to the vehicle rear and faces the seal surface portion at the vehicle rear of the seal surface portion, and a reinforcement rear plate portion that is connected to the vehicle rear end of the reinforcement inclined plate portion and joined to the connection surface portion from above, When viewed from the vehicle width direction, a closed cross-sectional structure is formed between the seal surface portion of the inner panel and the reinforcement inclined plate portion of the latch reinforcement, A first reinforcement side bead extending along the vehicle front-rear direction and projecting upward across the reinforcement main body plate portion and the reinforcement inclined plate portion is provided at intervals in a middle portion of the latch reinforcement in the vehicle width direction, Step plate portions are formed on both sides of the reinforcement body plate portion in the vehicle width direction, rising upward and extending outward in the vehicle width direction, The first reinforcement side bead is formed at a position sandwiched between the step plate portion on the reinforcement main body plate portion, A vehicle tailgate structure comprising:

2. When viewed from the vehicle width direction, the first reinforcement side bead and the step plate portion overlap on the reinforcement main body plate portion.

2. The vehicle tailgate structure according to claim 1.

3. The first reinforcement side bead extends from the reinforcement inclined plate portion to the vehicle rear end of the reinforcement rear plate portion.

3. The vehicle tailgate structure according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A plurality of inner panel side beads are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction at the connection surface portion to which the reinforcement rear plate portion is joined, the inner panel side beads being convex upward and extending in the vehicle front-rear direction.

4. The vehicle tailgate structure according to claim 1, wherein the tailgate structure is a lid.

5. A plurality of second reinforcement side beads, which are upwardly convex and extend in the vehicle front-rear direction, are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction on the reinforcement rear plate portion, The inner panel side bead and the reinforcement rear plate portion excluding the second reinforcement side bead are joined by welding.

5. The vehicle tailgate structure according to claim 4.

6. The second reinforcement side bead includes an extension portion of the first reinforcement side bead formed on the reinforcement rear plate portion, A tailgate structure for a vehicle according to claim 5 which is derived from claim 3.

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