Vehicle structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle structure which can inhibit a gap from occurring between an upper part at a rear part of a slide door and a vehicle body when an excessive load acts on the slide door from the inner side of a passenger compartment.SOLUTION: A vehicle structure includes a slide door disposed at a side part of a vehicle body. The slide door includes: a body in which window glass is stored; a guide member which guides the window glass in a vertical direction at the body; a lock device which fixes the body to the vehicle body in a state that the slide door is closed; and a center roller which supports the slide door on the vehicle body. The center roller is provided at the lower side relative to the lock device. When the slide door is viewed from the side of a vehicle, the lock device is provided so as to intersect with a longitudinal direction of the guide member. The guide member has a fragile part at a position overlapping with the lock device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle structure provided with a sliding door on a side portion of a vehicle body.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose a vehicle door including a door body and a window portion provided above the door body. A window glass is provided in the window portion so as to be movable up and down. The window glass can be stored in the door body. The door of Patent Document 1 is a sliding door including a roller movable along a rail provided on a side surface of a vehicle body and a door lock device. This sliding door has an upper roller attached to an upper portion of the sliding door, a lower roller attached to a lower portion of the sliding door, and a center roller attached to an intermediate portion in a vertical direction of the sliding door. Each of the upper roller, the lower roller, and the center roller is attached to each of an upper rail, a lower rail, and a center rail. The upper roller and the lower roller are provided at a front portion of the sliding door. The center roller and the lock device are provided at a rear portion of the sliding door. The door lock device is located above the center roller. Further, in this sliding door, a reinforcing member is not provided in a specific region of an inner panel. The door of Patent Document 2 is provided with a guide member for guiding a window glass that moves up and down within the door body.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When the sliding door is closed, if a load or a passenger in the vehicle compartment collides with the sliding door, causing an excessive load to act on the sliding door from the inside of the vehicle compartment, a gap may occur between the upper part of the sliding door and the side surface of the vehicle body. It is desirable to reduce this gap.

[0005] At the front part of the closed sliding door, it is difficult for the above-mentioned gap to occur at the upper part of the sliding door during the above-mentioned collision. This is because at the front part of the sliding door, each roller of the upper roller and the lower roller is supported by each rail of the upper rail and the lower rail, respectively, so it is difficult for the upper and lower parts of the sliding door to separate from the vehicle body.

[0006] On the contrary, at the rear part of the closed sliding door, the above-mentioned gap is likely to occur at the upper part of the sliding door during the above-mentioned collision. This is because at the rear part of the sliding door, due to the positional relationship between the center roller and the door lock device, the upper part of the sliding door is likely to rotate in a direction away from the vehicle body with the center roller as a fulcrum. Therefore, a sliding door in which the center roller is located below the door lock device has a problem that a large gap is likely to occur between the upper part of the sliding door and the vehicle body at the rear part of the sliding door.

[0007] Regarding such a problem, Patent Document 1 describes that the sliding door is deformed so as to bend at an intermediate portion in the vertical direction. When the intermediate portion of the sliding door bends outward of the vehicle, it becomes difficult for the upper part of the sliding door to separate from the vehicle body, and it becomes difficult for a large gap to occur between the upper part of the sliding door and the vehicle body. The sliding door of Patent Document 1 is configured such that a reinforcing member is not provided in a region above the center roller in the inner panel. This sliding door is easily deformed so as to bend during the above-mentioned collision by reducing the rigidity above the center roller.

[0008] However, as shown in Patent Document 2, when a guide member for guiding the window glass is provided, since this guide member itself serves as a reinforcing member, there is a possibility that the sliding door cannot be effectively bent. In that case, it is difficult to reduce the gap generated between the upper part of the sliding door and the vehicle body at the rear part of the sliding door.

[0009] One object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle structure capable of reducing the gap generated between the upper part and the vehicle body at the rear part of the sliding door when an excessive load acts on the sliding door from the vehicle interior side.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] A vehicle structure according to an aspect of the present invention is a vehicle structure including a sliding door disposed on a side portion of a vehicle body, wherein the sliding door includes a main body portion in which a window glass is housed, a guide member for guiding the window glass in the vertical direction in the main body portion, a locking device for fixing the main body portion to the vehicle body in a state where the sliding door is closed, and a center roller for supporting the sliding door on the vehicle body, and the center roller is provided below the locking device, when the sliding door is viewed from the side of the vehicle, the locking device is provided so as to intersect the longitudinal direction of the guide member, and the guide member has a fragile portion at a position overlapping the locking device.

Effects of the Invention

[0011] When an excessive load acts on the sliding door from the vehicle interior side, the vehicle structure can reduce the gap that occurs between the upper part at the rear of the sliding door and the vehicle body. When an excessive load is input to the sliding door from the vehicle interior side with the sliding door closed, the locking device moves to the outside of the vehicle and enters the guide member. Stress is applied from the locking device to the vulnerable part, and the guide member is likely to bend starting from the vulnerable part. Since the guide member easily bends, the sliding door is likely to deform so as to bend. According to the above vehicle structure, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a large gap between the upper part of the sliding door and the vehicle body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] A specific example of the vehicle structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the figures, "FR" indicates the front of the vehicle, "RR" indicates the rear of the vehicle, "LH" indicates the left side of the vehicle, "RH" indicates the right side of the vehicle, "UP" indicates the upper side of the vehicle, and "LWR" indicates the lower side of the vehicle. Hereinafter, they will be simply referred to as the front, the rear, etc.

[0014] [Embodiment] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the vehicle structure according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a side view of the vehicle seen from the right side. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle structure includes a slide door 2 on the side portion of the vehicle body 1. The slide door 2 is a rear door of the vehicle. In FIG. 1, the state where the slide door 2 is closed is shown. As shown in FIG. 2, the slide door 2 includes a main body portion 10, a guide member 30, a locking device 40, and a center roller 50. One of the features of the vehicle structure is that, as shown in FIG. 4, it has a vulnerable portion 31 at a specific position of the guide member 30. Hereinafter, the configuration of the vehicle structure will be described in detail.

[0015] (Slide Door) As shown in FIG. 1, the slide door 2 has a main body portion 10 and a window portion 20. The window portion 20 is an opening where the window glass 3 is provided. The window portion 20 is opened and closed by the window glass 3 that moves up and down. In FIG. 1, the state where the window portion 20 is closed by the window glass 3 is shown. The main body portion 10 is a portion below the lower end of the window portion 20. In the present embodiment, the slide door 2 has a window frame 21 provided above the main body portion 10. The window portion 20 is an area surrounded by the upper end of the main body portion 10 and the window frame 21. The window frame 21 has a front frame portion 21a, an upper frame portion 21b, and a rear frame portion 21c. The front frame portion 21a is provided along the front edge portion of the window glass 3. The upper frame portion 21b is provided along the upper edge portion of the window glass 3. The rear frame portion 21c is provided along the rear edge portion of the window glass 3. The window frame 21 is provided with grooves into which the front edge portion, the upper edge portion, and the rear edge portion of the window glass 3 are fitted. A glass run is fitted into this groove. The glass run is made of, for example, rubber. The illustration of the above groove and glass run is omitted.

[0016] 〈Window Glass〉 The window glass 3 can be moved up and down by a lifting device (not shown). The window glass 3 is housed in the main body portion 10 by descending. The lifting device is provided inside the main body portion 10. The lifting device may be electric or manual. As shown in FIG. 2, a guide member 30 is provided in the main body portion 10. The window glass 3 moves up and down along the guide member 30. The description of the guide member 30 will be given later.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, the sliding door 2 is composed of an inner panel 11 arranged on the vehicle interior side and an outer panel 12 arranged on the vehicle exterior side. The inner panel 11 and the outer panel 12 are joined at their respective edges. The interior of the main body 10 is hollow.

[0018] (Center roller) The sliding door 2 is supported so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle body 1 shown in FIG. 1. In the present embodiment, the sliding door 2 includes a center roller 50, an upper roller 51, and a lower roller 52. The center roller 50 is attached to the vertical intermediate portion of the sliding door 2. The upper roller 51 is attached to the upper portion of the sliding door 2. The lower roller 52 is attached to the lower portion of the sliding door 2. The center roller 50 is provided at the rear portion of the sliding door 2. The upper roller 51 and the lower roller 52 are provided at the front portion of the sliding door 2. The center roller 50 and the lower roller 52 are attached to the main body 10 via brackets (not shown). The upper roller 51 is attached to the upper frame portion 21b of the window frame 21 via a bracket (not shown). Each roller is attached to the inner panel 11 of the sliding door 2 shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 1, the attachment positions of the respective rollers are schematically shown by broken lines. FIG. 2 is a side view of the sliding door 2 as viewed from the right side, and the illustration of the outer panel 12 shown in FIG. 1 is omitted. In FIG. 2, the illustrations of the upper roller 51 and the lower roller 52 are omitted.

[0019] The vehicle body 1 includes a center rail 60, an upper rail 61, and a lower rail 62. Each rail is provided on the side surface of the vehicle body 1. Each rail extends in the front-rear direction. The center rail 60 is attached at a position corresponding to the center roller 50. The upper rail 61 is attached at a position corresponding to the upper roller 51. The lower rail 62 is attached at a position corresponding to the lower roller 52. In FIG. 1, the attachment positions of the respective rails are schematically shown by broken lines. Each of the center roller 50, the upper roller 51, and the lower roller 52 is slidably attached to each of the center rail 60, the upper rail 61, and the lower rail 62. By being attached to each rail, each roller supports the sliding door 2 on the vehicle body 1.

[0020] (Locking device) The locking device 40 is a device that fixes the main body 10 to the vehicle body 1 when the sliding door 2 is closed. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the locking device 40 is provided at the rear part of the sliding door 2. The locking device 40 is attached to the middle part in the vertical direction of the sliding door 2. In FIG. 1, the attachment position of the locking device 40 is schematically shown by a broken line. As shown in FIG. 2, the locking device 40 is attached to the inner panel 11 in the main body 10. The locking device 40 is attached above the attachment position of the center roller 50. That is, the center roller 50 is provided below the locking device 40.

[0021] Although detailed illustration is omitted, the locking device 40 has a latch that engages with a striker provided on the vehicle body 1, for example, when the sliding door 2 is closed. The locking device 40 locks the sliding door 2 by engaging the latch with the striker. The locking device 40 unlocks the sliding door 2 by releasing the engagement between the latch and the striker.

[0022] (Guide member) The guide member 30 is a member that guides the window glass 3 in the vertical direction in the main body 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the guide member 30 extends downward from the lower end of the rear frame portion 21c of the window frame 21 into the main body 10. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the guide member 30 is provided with a groove into which the rear edge portion of the window glass 3 fits. A glass run (not shown) is fitted into this groove. The glass run is made of, for example, rubber. The groove of the guide member 30 is formed so as to be continuous with the groove provided in the rear frame portion 21c. When the window glass 3 moves up and down, the window glass 3 is guided in the vertical direction along the guide member 30 while the rear edge portion of the window glass 3 is in sliding contact with the glass run. In the present embodiment, the main body 10 is provided with a guide member 30 that supports the rear edge portion of the window glass 3 at the rear portion thereof. The sliding door 2 may also be provided with a guide member (not shown) that supports the front edge portion of the window glass 3 at the front portion of the main body 10.

[0023] In the present embodiment, the guide member 30 is composed of a plate material having a U-shaped cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the guide member 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide member 30 has an inner surface 30a, an outer surface 30b, and a rear surface 30c. The inner surface 30a is disposed on the vehicle interior side, that is, the side closer to the inner panel 11. The outer surface 30b is disposed on the vehicle exterior side rather than the inner surface 30a. The inner surface 30a and the outer surface 30b face each other in the left-right direction. The rear surface 30c is disposed on the rear side of the inner surface 30a and the outer surface 30b and connects the inner surface 30a and the outer surface 30b. The rear edge portion of the window glass 3 shown in FIG. 2 is sandwiched between the inner surface 30a and the outer surface 30b. The distance between the inner surface 30a and the outer surface 30b is slightly larger than the thickness of the window glass 3.

[0024] The guide member 30 is attached to the inner panel 11 in the main body 10. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the guide member 30 is arranged so as to straddle the locking device 40. That is, when the sliding door 2 is viewed from the side, the locking device 40 is provided so as to intersect the longitudinal direction of the guide member 30. The locking device 40 is arranged on the vehicle interior side of the guide member 30. In the present embodiment, the guide member 30 includes mounting legs 35 shown in FIG. 2, and is attached to the inner panel 11 so as to straddle the locking device 40 vertically. The mounting legs 35 are fixed to the regions above and below the locking device 40 of the guide member 30, and are fastened to the inner panel 11.

[0025] 〈Weak portion〉 As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the guide member 30 has a weak portion 31 at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the guide member 30. The weak portion 31 is a portion where the rigidity is locally low with respect to the stress in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the guide member 30. The weak portion 31 may be constituted by, for example, either a through hole or a thin-walled portion. The thin-walled portion is a portion where the thickness of the plate material constituting the guide member 30 is thin. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the weak portion 31 is constituted by a through hole.

[0026] When the weak portion 31 is constituted by a through hole, the shape of the through hole is circular or polygonal. The circular shape includes an elliptical shape. The polygon is, for example, a triangle, a quadrilateral, a hexagon, or the like. The number of through holes may be 1 or 2 or more. The position of the through hole is preferably located at least in part on the rear surface 30c, and further, may be provided at one or both of the positions straddling the ridge line between the rear surface 30c and the inner surface 30a and the ridge line between the rear surface 30c and the outer surface 30b. In the present embodiment, the positions of the through holes are two in total, which are the positions straddling the ridge line between the rear surface 30c and the inner surface 30a and the ridge line between the rear surface 30c and the outer surface 30b. Also, the shape of each through hole is rectangular. When the weak portion 31 is constituted by a thin-walled portion, the thin-walled portion is preferably formed so as to extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the guide member 30. The thin-walled portion is preferably provided on the rear surface 30c, and may be further provided so as to be continuous from the inner surface 30a through the rear surface 30c to the outer surface 30b.

[0027] When viewed from the side, the weak portion 31 is provided at a position overlapping the locking device 40. In the present embodiment, the weak portion 31 is provided so as to straddle the upper surface 41 of the locking device 40 vertically. The position of the weak portion 31 is a position overlapping the outer edge of the upper surface 41 of the locking device 40. The position where the weak portion 31 overlaps the outer edge of the upper surface 41 means that when the sliding door 2 is viewed from the side, the outer edge of the upper surface 41 is located within the range of the weak portion 31 in the longitudinal direction of the guide member 30.

[0028] <<Function and Effect>> The vehicle structure of the present embodiment has the following function and effect.

[0029] When an excessive load acts on the sliding door 2 from the vehicle interior side with the sliding door 2 closed, the vehicle structure of the present embodiment is easily deformed so that the sliding door 2 bends at the middle portion in the vertical direction. When the above load is input to the sliding door 2, the inner panel 11 is pushed to the outside of the vehicle. Accordingly, the locking device 40 moves to the outside of the vehicle and enters the guide member 30. Stress is applied from the locking device 40 to the weak portion 31, and the guide member 30 is easily bent starting from the weak portion 31. Since the guide member 30 easily bends, the rear portion of the sliding door 2 bends so as to bulge outward at the middle portion. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a large gap between the upper and lower portions of the sliding door 2 and the vehicle body. According to the vehicle structure of the present embodiment, the gap generated between the upper portion of the sliding door 2 and the vehicle body 1 at the rear portion of the sliding door 2 can be reduced.

[0030] Furthermore, when the weak portion 31 is provided at a position overlapping the outer edge of the upper surface 41 of the locking device 40, stress is likely to be concentrated on the weak portion 31 when the locking device 40 enters the guide member 30. According to this configuration, the guide member 30 can be folded more effectively, so that the sliding door 2 can be folded more effectively. Therefore, it is easier to suppress the occurrence of a gap between the upper portion and the vehicle body 1 at the rear portion of the sliding door 2.

[0031] The guide member 30 may be fixed to the locking device 40. For example, the guide member 30 may be fastened at two upper and lower positions of the locking device 40. With this configuration, when the locking device 40 enters the guide member 30, it becomes difficult for the guide member 30 to bend. Therefore, the load is likely to be accurately transmitted to the fragile portion 31, and the guide member 30 can be folded more effectively.

[0032] Since the vehicle structure of the present embodiment can be realized with a simple configuration, it is advantageous in terms of cost, weight, and assembly productivity.

[0033] The present invention is not limited to these examples, and is shown by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

Explanation of Signs

[0034] 1 Vehicle body 2 Slide door 3 Window glass 10 Main body portion 11 Inner panel, 12 Outer panel 20 Window portion, 21 Window frame 21a Front frame portion, 21b Upper frame portion, 21c Rear frame portion 30 Guide member, 31 Fragile portion 30a Inner surface, 30b Outer surface, 30c Rear surface 35 Mounting leg 40 Locking device, 41 Upper surface 50 Center roller, 51 Upper roller, 52 Lower roller 60 Center rail, 61 Upper rail, 62 Lower rail

Claims

**Claim 1** A vehicle structure comprising a sliding door disposed on a side portion of a vehicle body, wherein the sliding door includes a main body portion for housing a window glass, a guide member for guiding the window glass in the vertical direction in the main body portion, a locking device for fixing the main body portion to the vehicle body in a state where the sliding door is closed, and a center roller for supporting the sliding door on the vehicle body, wherein the center roller is provided below the locking device, when the sliding door is viewed from the side of the vehicle, the locking device is provided so as to intersect the longitudinal direction of the guide member, and the guide member has a vulnerable portion at a position overlapping the locking device, a vehicle structure.

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