Vehicle door structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle door structure capable of achieving both of weight saving and productivity enhancement of a door and securing of door strength at the time of collision.SOLUTION: A door inner panel 5 comprises: a resin door inner panel 10 which is made from resin; and a cabin side reinforcement member 30 which has tensile strength higher than that of the resin door inner panel 10 to reinforce the resin door inner panel 10. The resin door inner panel 10 includes: an inner surface part 11 which is separated from a metal door outer panel 4 toward the inside in a vehicle width direction and extends in a vertical direction and in a cross direction; and a wall part 16 which extends from a marginal part of the inner surface part 11 through a corner part 15 toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. The cabin side reinforcement member 30 is arranged at the inner side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the resin door inner panel 10 in a region over the wall part 16 and the corner part 15 of the resin inner panel 10 in a front view of the door, and a closed cross section 55f extending along the wall part 16 is configured between the cabin side reinforcement member 30 and the resin door inner panel 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle door structure including a metal door outer panel and a door inner panel disposed inward in a vehicle width direction from the door outer panel. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, a space is provided between the door inner panel and the door outer panel for incorporating auxiliary equipment such as a window glass lifting device, and therefore many door inner panels are configured with an inner surface portion that extends vertically and longitudinally away from the door outer panel inward in the vehicle width direction, and a wall portion that extends from the outer peripheral edge of the inner surface via a corner portion outward in the vehicle width direction.

[0003] When an object strikes such a door from the outside in the vehicle width direction, the inner surface portion located in the center of the door inner panel when viewed from the front will attempt to penetrate into the interior of the vehicle, causing a bending load to act on the wall portion located on the outer periphery of the door inner panel when viewed from the front, compressing the outer side in the vehicle width direction and pulling the inner side in the vehicle width direction.

[0004] Recently, a door structure has been known in which the door inner panel is made of resin in order to reduce the weight of the door and improve productivity. However, if the door inner panel is made of resin, during a collision, the above-mentioned bending load acts on the wall of the door inner panel, making it more likely that cracks will occur in the corners where stress is concentrated and in the wall parts supporting those corners, which could result in an increase in the amount of door deformation.

[0005] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 listed below proposes a technology for reinforcing a resin door inner panel attached to a door by including fibers such as carbon fibers in the resin that forms the base material of the door inner panel, and by providing a frame-shaped reinforcing member, particularly on the outer periphery of the door inner panel, from the outside in the vehicle width direction (door outer panel side) relative to the door inner panel.

[0006] However, Patent Document 1 does not mention the problem that the above-mentioned bending load acts on the outer periphery of the door during a collision, causing cracks in the resin door inner panel, nor does it mention any specific measures to address this problem.

[0007] That is, in order to provide the door inner panel with strength (rigidity) sufficient to withstand the bending load acting on the outer periphery during a collision, there is a risk of increasing material costs if the door inner panel itself is reinforced from the viewpoint of material, as in the door structure of Patent Document 1. Furthermore, there is a risk of increasing the thickness of the door inner panel by providing a reinforcing member on the outer periphery of the door inner panel, which increases the weight of the door.

[0008] Therefore, if measures are taken against the bending load acting on the outer periphery of the door during a collision based on the reinforcing structure of the door inner panel as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a concern that the benefits of making the door inner panel out of resin will be lost. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2019-526494 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a vehicle door structure that can achieve both weight reduction and improved productivity of the door while ensuring door strength in the event of a collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention relates to a vehicle door structure including a metal outer panel and an inner panel disposed inward in a vehicle width direction from the outer panel, wherein the inner panel includes a resin door inner panel and a reinforcing member having a tensile strength higher than that of the resin door inner panel and reinforcing the resin door inner panel, and the resin door inner panel includes an inner surface portion extending in the up-down and front-rear directions and spaced apart inward in the vehicle width direction from the outer panel, and a wall portion extending outward in the vehicle width direction from an edge portion of the inner surface via a corner portion, The resin door inner panel has the wall portion and the corner portion formed continuously along a front edge portion, a lower edge portion and a rear edge portion of the inner panel in a front view of the door, The reinforcing member is provided on at least one of the outer side and the inner side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the resin door inner panel in a region spanning the wall portion and the corner portion of the resin door inner panel in a front view of the door, and a closed cross section extending along the wall portion is formed between the reinforcing member and the resin door inner panel. The closed cross section is formed continuously along the front edge portion, the lower edge portion and the rear edge portion of the inner panel when viewed from the front of the door. It is characterized by:

[0012] Also, The present invention relates to a vehicle door structure including a metal outer panel and an inner panel disposed inward in a vehicle width direction from the outer panel, the inner panel including a resin door inner panel and a reinforcing member having a tensile strength higher than that of the resin door inner panel and reinforcing the resin door inner panel, the resin door inner panel including an inner surface extending in the up-down and front-rear directions and spaced apart inward in the vehicle width direction from the outer panel, and a wall portion extending from an edge of the inner surface via a corner portion to the outer side in the vehicle width direction, the reinforcing member being provided on at least one of the outer side and the inner side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the resin door inner panel in a region spanning the wall portion and the corner portion of the resin door inner panel in a front view of the door, and a closed cross section extending along the wall portion is formed between the reinforcing member and the resin door inner panel. The reinforcing member is joined to the resin door inner panel from the inside in the vehicle width direction, and the reinforcing member is a first reinforcing member. A second reinforcing member having a higher tensile strength than the resin door inner panel is joined to the region of the resin door inner panel spanning the wall portion and the corner portion from the outside in the vehicle width direction. The reinforcing member is provided with the second reinforcing member, and a closed cross section extending along the wall portion is formed between the second reinforcing member and the resin door inner panel. It is characterized by the fact that

[0013] According to the above-mentioned configuration, by forming the inner panel from the inner surface, corners, and wall portions with a resin door inner panel, the weight of the entire door can be reduced compared to when the entire inner panel is made of metal. Furthermore, since the resin door inner panel can be formed by molding such as injection molding, high productivity can be ensured.

[0014] Furthermore, by providing a closed cross section extending along the wall between the resin door inner panel and the reinforcing member, it is possible to increase the bending strength of the region between the corner where stress is most concentrated in the resin door inner panel and the wall supporting the corner when an object collides with the door (i.e., when a collision load is input to the inner panel). In other words, the strength of the region between the wall and the corner in the inner panel can be increased from the structural standpoint of having the inner panel have a closed cross section.

[0015] Therefore, even when the areas of the inner panel, including the wall portions and corner portions, which require high strength, are formed from a resin door inner panel, cracking of the resin door inner panel can be suppressed.

[0016] In short, it is possible to achieve both weight reduction and improved productivity of the door while ensuring the strength of the door in the event of a collision.

[0017] As described above, the reinforcing member is joined to the resin door inner panel from the inside in the vehicle width direction. When an object strikes the door from the outside in the vehicle width direction, a tensile load acts outward on the resin door inner panel in a front view of the door in a region spanning the corners and wall of the resin door inner panel.

[0018] Therefore, as described above, by joining the reinforcing member to the resin door inner panel from the inside in the vehicle width direction, the resin door inner panel, which is subjected to a tensile load in the event of a collision, can be effectively reinforced by the reinforcing member.

[0019] Furthermore, as described above, the reinforcing member is a first reinforcing member, and a second reinforcing member having a higher tensile strength than the resin door inner panel is joined from the vehicle width direction outer side to the region of the resin door inner panel spanning the wall portion and the corner portion of the resin door inner panel, so that when an object strikes the door from the vehicle width direction outer side, the first reinforcing member can effectively reinforce the resin door inner panel from the vehicle width direction inner side against tensile loads among loads acting on the resin door inner panel, as described above.In addition, the second reinforcing member can effectively reinforce the resin door inner panel from the vehicle width direction outer side against compressive loads among loads acting on the resin door inner panel.

[0020] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, a closed cross section can be formed between the second reinforcing member and the plastic door inner panel, i.e., on the outer side in the vehicle width direction (inner side when viewed from the front of the door) of the plastic door inner panel, so that the plastic door inner panel can be more effectively reinforced from the outer side in the vehicle width direction against compressive loads, among the loads acting on the plastic door inner panel during a collision.

[0021] In one aspect of the present invention, the resin door inner panel has an outer surface portion that extends from the outer edge of the wall portion in the vehicle width direction to the outside of the door (the side opposite to the inner surface portion located in the center of the door) when viewed from the front of the door, and the reinforcing member has a reinforcing member wall portion that extends in the vehicle width direction along the wall portion, a reinforcing member outer surface portion that protrudes from the outer edge of the reinforcing member wall portion in the vehicle width direction to the outside of the door (the side opposite to the inner surface portion), and a reinforcing member inner surface portion that extends from the inner edge of the reinforcing member wall portion in the vehicle width direction to the inside of the door (towards the inner surface portion) when viewed from the front of the door, and the reinforcing member outer surface portion is joined to the outer surface portion and the reinforcing member inner surface portion is joined to the inner surface portion so that the closed cross section is formed over the entire length in the vehicle width direction between the wall portion and the reinforcing member wall portion.

[0022] According to the above configuration, a closed cross section can be formed over the entire length in the vehicle width direction between the wall portion and the reinforcing member wall portion, thereby effectively suppressing damage to the resin door inner panel when an object collides with the door.

[0023] As an aspect of this invention, the outer surface portion of the reinforcing member and the outer surface portion can be joined to each other in a surface contact state, and the inner surface portion of the reinforcing member and the inner surface portion can be joined to each other in a surface contact state.

[0024] According to the above-mentioned configuration, by joining the outer surface portions of the reinforcing members and the inner surface portions of the reinforcing members in a surface-to-surface contact state, the contact area between the reinforcing member and the resin door inner panel can be increased, and they can be firmly joined together on the outer periphery of the door. Therefore, the increased thickness at the joint between the resin door inner panel and the reinforcing member can improve rigidity and vibration suppression.

[0025] In one aspect of this invention, the reinforcing member is made of metal, and the outer surface of the reinforcing member has a reinforcing member outer flange portion that extends outside the door beyond the joint with the plastic door inner panel so as to form the outer peripheral edge of the inner panel, and a hem portion that crimps and connects the reinforcing member outer flange portion can be provided on the outer peripheral edge of the outer panel.

[0026] According to the above configuration, the outer panel and the plastic door inner panel can be joined to each other at the outer peripheral edge of the door via a metal reinforcing member. Therefore, even though the main parts of the inner panel (inner surface, wall portion and outer protrusion portion) are formed from resin, the joining strength between them can be increased by crimping the outer peripheral edge of the outer panel and the outer flange portion of the reinforcing member, both of which are made of metal.

[0027] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the reinforcing member can cooperate with the outer panel to sandwich the inner panel in the vehicle width direction in the region spanning the wall portion and corner portion of the resin inner panel, thereby effectively suppressing damage to the resin door inner panel when a side impact load is input to the door. 。

[0028] child As an aspect of the invention, the second reinforcing member may be provided at a mounting portion of the door hinge to the resin door inner panel, and may be formed as a door hinge reinforcement that reinforces the mounting portion.

[0029] According to the above configuration, by forming the second reinforcing member as a door hinge reinforcement, it is possible to suppress an increase in door weight compared to a case in which the second reinforcing member is provided separately from the door hinge reinforcement, and it is possible to more effectively reinforce the resin door inner panel from the outside in the vehicle width direction while reducing the number of parts.

[0030] As an aspect of the present invention, the first reinforcing member and the door hinge reinforcement can be configured to be fastened together to the resin door inner panel by fastening means that fastens the door hinge to the resin door inner panel.

[0031] According to the above configuration, the attachment portion of the door hinge to the resin door inner panel can be reinforced (from both sides in the plate thickness direction) by the door hinge reinforcement and the first reinforcing member.

[0032] Furthermore, by fastening the first reinforcing member and the door hinge reinforcement to the plastic door inner panel using a fastening means that fastens the door hinge to the plastic door inner panel, the door hinge reinforcement and the first reinforcing member can be firmly attached to the plastic door inner panel without the need for any other attachment means.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reinforcing member is made of aluminum.

[0034] According to the above-described configuration, by combining the resin door inner panel and the aluminum reinforcing member as described above, it is possible to achieve both a lighter weight and higher strength.

[0035] Furthermore, when the base resin of a resin door inner panel does not contain, for example, carbon fiber, galvanic corrosion can be prevented at the contact points between the resin door inner panel and an aluminum cabin-side reinforcement member.

[0036] Furthermore, unlike resin, which breaks with small deformation, aluminum has excellent ductility. Therefore, by joining the aluminum reinforcing member to the resin door inner panel, particularly from the inside in the vehicle width direction, the reinforcing member can take advantage of aluminum's excellent ductility to effectively reinforce the resin door inner panel from the inside in the vehicle width direction against tensile loads acting on the resin door inner panel.

[0037] As an aspect of the present invention, the resin door inner panel is preferably formed of a thermoplastic resin.

[0038] According to the above configuration, cracking and deformation of the resin door inner panel during a side collision can be suppressed even when a thermoplastic resin, which is generally inexpensive among resins, is used as the material for forming the resin door inner panel.

[0039] In one aspect of the present invention, the corner portion is formed in a protruding (convex) shape that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the inner surface portion, and the closed cross section can be configured to extend inward in the vehicle width direction beyond the vehicle width inner edge of the wall portion, up to the vehicle width inner edge of the protruding corner portion.

[0040] According to the above configuration, by forming the corners formed along the outer periphery of the inner surface portion in a protruding shape, the corners can be formed in a bead shape extending along the outer periphery of the inner surface portion, thereby increasing the strength of the outer periphery of the door inner panel.

[0041] Furthermore, by extending the closed cross section inward in the vehicle width direction from the inner edge of the wall portion to the inner edge of the protruding corner portion in the vehicle width direction, the closed cross section can be formed longer in the vehicle width direction, thereby further increasing the strength of the inner panel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0042] According to the above-described configuration, it is possible to achieve both a reduction in the weight of the door, improvement in productivity, and ensuring the strength of the door in the event of a collision. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0043] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a front side door as viewed from the outside in the vehicle width direction, with the door outer panel shown in imaginary lines. [Figure 2] A side view of Figure 1 with various reinforcements removed. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a side view showing the main part of a front side door as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction, with the door outer panel shown in phantom lines. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of a front side door as viewed from the front of the vehicle and from the inside in the vehicle width direction. [Figure 5] Side view of the resin door inner panel seen from the inside in the vehicle width direction [Figure 6] Enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the arrow AA in Figure 1 [Figure 7] Enlarged cross-sectional view of arrow BB in Figure 1 [Figure 8] Enlarged cross-sectional view of CC in Figure 1 [Figure 9] Enlarged cross-sectional view of Fig. 1 taken along the arrow DD [Figure 10] Enlarged cross-sectional view of the arrow EE in Figure 1 [Figure 11] (a) is a cross-sectional view of the FF arrow in Figure 1, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the GG arrow in Figure 1. [Figure 12] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a front side door according to a modified example, corresponding to FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0044] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the rear side of the vehicle has a substantially symmetrical shape, and therefore the description will be based on the door structure on the right side of the vehicle. In the drawings, arrow F indicates the front of the vehicle, arrow U indicates the upper side of the vehicle, arrow R indicates the right side of the vehicle, arrow L indicates the left side of the vehicle, arrow OUT indicates the outer side in the vehicle width direction (outside the passenger compartment), and arrow IN indicates the inner side in the vehicle width direction (inside the passenger compartment).

[0045] The door structure of the present invention is applied to a front side door 1 that opens and closes a front opening for passengers to get in and out of a vehicle side. As shown in Fig. 1, the front side door 1 of this embodiment is composed of a door main body 2 and a door sash 3 provided above the door main body 2. Although not shown, the front side door 1 is provided with weather strips, for example, on the outer periphery of the door body 2 and the door sash 3 as appropriate.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 1, the door sash 3 has a generally arch-like shape in a side view that protrudes above the belt line BL when the front side door 1 is viewed from the front (i.e., when viewed from the outside in the vehicle width direction) (hereinafter abbreviated as "door front view") and connects the front and rear of the door inner panel 5 through a position above the belt line BL.

[0047] The door sash 3 has a door sash front edge portion 3f that extends at an angle from the front of the door inner panel 5 so that the upper part is positioned more rearward, and a door sash rear edge portion 3r that extends upward from the rear of the door inner panel 5 to the rear edge (upper edge) of the door sash front edge portion 3f.

[0048] A door sash front-edge reinforcement 98 is joined to the door sash front edge portion 3f, and a door sash rear-edge reinforcement 99 is joined to the door sash rear edge portion 3r, each joined to the resin door inner panel 10 from the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The door sash rear-edge reinforcement 99 has a downward extending portion 99a whose lower edge extends downward beyond the door sash 3 to reach the upper part of the rear portion of the door main body 2. A window opening 6A is formed in the door sash 3, and the window opening 6A is opened and closed by a window glass (not shown) that is raised and lowered by a lifting device (not shown) provided inside the door main body 2.

[0049] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the front side door 1 is configured by combining a door outer panel 4 (shown by imaginary lines in Figures 1 to 3) located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and a door inner panel 5 (see Figures 2 to 4) located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. The door main body 2 is configured so that the cross-sectional shape along the vehicle width direction is a closed cross-section due to the door outer panel 4 and the door inner panel 5 (see Figures 6 to 10).

[0050] The door outer panel 4 is an exterior panel that forms the exterior design surface of the vehicle, and is formed by press-forming a steel plate or an aluminum plate so that the entire door, including the door sash 3, has a thickness in the vehicle width direction (in other words, extends in the up-down and front-to-rear directions) when viewed from the front of the door. The peripheral edge of the door outer panel 4, excluding the upper edge of the door body 2, is joined to the edge of the door inner panel 5 by hemming, which will be described later.

[0051] 2 to 4, the door inner panel 5 includes a resin door inner panel 10 and a passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30 that has a higher tensile strength than the resin door inner panel 10 and reinforces the resin door inner panel 10. For clarity of the drawings, the passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30 is indicated by dots in FIGS.

[0052] The resin door inner panel 10 is entirely formed by injection molding using a thermoplastic resin so that the cross-sectional shape in a horizontal cross section along the vehicle width direction is a generally hat-shaped cross section that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0053] In this way, the resin door inner panel 10 is formed to have a cross section that is approximately hat-shaped, and in cooperation with the door outer panel 4, it has a door internal space 7 (see Figures 6 to 11(a)(b)) that is configured as a closed cross-sectional space inside.

[0054] Specifically, as shown particularly in Figure 5, the resin door inner panel 10 has an inner surface portion 11 that forms the main surface in the approximately inner area (central area) of the door body 2 when viewed from the front, a front edge portion 12 that forms the front edge of the door inner panel 5, a rear edge portion 13 that forms the rear edge, and a bottom edge portion 14 that forms the bottom edge.

[0055] As shown in Figures 1, 6 and 8, the front side door 1 is supported on the vehicle body so as to be able to be opened and closed freely via two door hinges 80U, 80D fastened to upper and lower door hinge base portions 18 (see Figures 5, 6 and 8) at the front edge portion 12 of the resin door inner panel 10.

[0056] As shown in Figures 6 and 8, each of the upper and lower door hinges 80U, 80D (upper door hinge 80U, lower door hinge 80D) is composed of a door-side hinge bracket 81 that is fastened to the front edge 12 with a bolt B and a nut N, and a vehicle-side hinge bracket 83 that is pivotally supported on the door-side hinge bracket 81 via a pivot pin 82 and is fastened to the vehicle body.

[0057] As shown in Figures 1 and 6, at the front edge 12 of the resin door inner panel 10, an upper door hinge reinforcement 95U is joined to the resin door inner panel 10 from the outside in the vehicle width direction (strictly speaking, from the rear of the vehicle) at the portion corresponding to the upper door hinge 80U of the pair of upper and lower door hinges 80U, 80D.

[0058] As shown in Figures 1 and 8, at the front edge 12 of the resin door inner panel 10, of the pair of upper and lower door hinges 80U, 80D, a lower door hinge reinforcement 95D is joined to the resin door inner panel 10 from the outside in the vehicle width direction (strictly speaking, from the rear of the vehicle) at the location corresponding to the lower door hinge 80D.

[0059] In addition, the upper and lower door hinge reinforcements 95 (upper door hinge reinforcement 95U and lower door hinge reinforcement 95D) (abbreviated as "hinge reinforcements") are both made of iron or aluminum, which have higher tensile strength and compressive strength than the resin door inner panel 10.

[0060] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, a belt line reinforcement 91 that connects the upper part of the front edge portion 12 and the upper part of the rear edge portion 13 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle along the belt line BL is joined to the resin door inner panel 10 from the outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0061] Furthermore, two door impact bars 92, 93 (an upper door impact bar 92 and a lower door impact bar 93) are arranged at a distance in the vertical direction on the resin door inner panel 10, connecting the front edge portion 12 and the rear edge portion 13 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. These two door impact bars 92, 93 cooperate with the belt line reinforcement 91 to withstand a collision load input to the front side door 1 from the outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0062] The upper door impact bar 92 extends in the front-to-rear direction along the lower edge of the beltline reinforcement 91 directly below the beltline reinforcement 91, and its front edge is joined to the resin door inner panel 10 via an upper hinge reinforcement 95U. In addition, the rear edge of the upper door impact bar 92 is joined to the resin door inner panel 10 via a downward extending portion 99a of a door sash rear edge reinforcement 99 provided on the door sash rear edge portion 3r.

[0063] The lower door impact bar 93 extends at an angle below the upper door impact bar 92 so that it is positioned lower toward the rear, and its front edge is joined to the resin door inner panel 10 via an upper hinge reinforcement 95U. In addition, the lower door impact bar 93 has its rear edge joined to the resin door inner panel 10 via a reinforcement 94.

[0064] 1 denotes a latch reinforcement provided on the resin door inner panel 10 from the outer side in the vehicle width direction at the vertical intermediate position of the rear edge portion 13 of the resin door inner panel 10.

[0065] Next, the resin door inner panel 10 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 6 to 10. Note that Figure 10 omits the illustration of the lower door impact bar 93 and the reinforcement 94, Figure 11(a) omits the illustration of the door sash front-edge reinforcement 98, and Figure 11(b) omits the illustration of the door sash rear-edge reinforcement 99.

[0066] 6 to 10, the inner surface portion 11 of the resin door inner panel 10 is disposed inward in the vehicle width direction with a space therebetween with respect to the door outer panel 4, and is formed in a generally flat plate shape with a thickness in the vehicle width direction. As shown in Fig. 1, the inner surface portion 11 is provided with a pair of front and rear guide rails 8 provided as part of a lifting device that raises and lowers a window glass (not shown). Each of the pair of front and rear guide rails 8 extends in the vehicle up-and-down direction from the door inner panel 5 to the door sash 3, and is disposed spaced apart from each other in the front-to-rear direction by a predetermined distance.

[0067] As shown in Figures 5 to 8, the front edge portion 12 is formed by a front wall portion 16f that extends outward in the vehicle width direction from the front edge portion 11f of the inner surface portion 11 via the front corner portion 15f and defines the front surface of the door interior space 7, and a front outer surface portion 17f that protrudes from the outer edge of the front wall portion 16f in the vehicle width direction toward the front of the vehicle (outward when viewed from the front of the door (i.e., the opposite side to the inner surface portion 11)).

[0068] 5, 6, and 8, flat door hinge seats 18, to which door hinges 80U, 80D can be attached, are formed at positions on the front wall 16f of the front edge 12, spaced a predetermined distance apart in the vehicle up-down direction. The door hinge seats 18 extend substantially parallel to the vehicle width direction to form the outer portions of the front wall 16f in the vehicle width direction, and are formed to protrude forward via a step 16fb relative to the inner portion 16fa of the front wall 16f in the vehicle width direction. The door hinge seats 18 correspond to the attachment locations of the corresponding door hinges 80U, 80D on the upper and lower sides, and have bolt insertion holes 18a formed therethrough.

[0069] The upper and lower hinge reins 95 are joined from the outside in the vehicle width direction to regions spanning the front wall portion 16f and the front corner portion 15f of the front edge portion 12 of the resin door inner panel 10. As shown in Figures 6 and 8, bolt insertion holes 95a are formed through the upper and lower hinge reins 95 at locations corresponding to the bolt insertion holes 18a.

[0070] As shown in Figures 5 and 9, the lower edge portion 14 is formed by a lower wall portion 16d that extends outward in the vehicle width direction from the lower edge portion 11d of the inner surface portion 11 via the lower corner portion 15d and defines the lower surface of the door interior space 7, and a lower outer surface portion 17d that protrudes outward from the outer edge of the lower wall portion 16d in the vehicle width direction below the vehicle (when viewed from the front of the door).

[0071] As shown in Figure 9, the lower wall portion 16d of the door inner panel 5 in this embodiment extends in the vehicle width direction, and its vehicle width direction outer portion 22 is integrally formed with an upper outer step portion 24 extending downward from the vehicle width direction outer edge of the vehicle width direction inner portion 23, a lower wall upper outer portion 25 extending outward in the vehicle width direction from the lower edge of the upper outer step portion 24, a lower outer step portion 26 extending downward from the vehicle width direction outer edge of the lower wall upper outer portion 25, and a lower wall lower outer portion 27 extending outward in the vehicle width direction from the lower edge of the lower outer step portion 26. The outer edge of the lower wall lower outer portion 27 in the vehicle width direction corresponds to the outer edge of the lower wall portion 16d in the vehicle width direction, and is integrally connected to the upper edge of the lower outer surface portion 17d.

[0072] As shown in Figures 5 and 10, the rear edge portion 13 has a rear wall portion 16r that extends outward in the vehicle width direction from the rear edge portion 11r of the inner surface portion 11 via the rear corner portion 15r and defines the rear surface of the door interior space 7.

[0073] As shown in Figure 10, the rear wall portion 16r of the door inner panel 5 in this embodiment is integrally formed of a vehicle width direction inner portion 28 extending outward in the vehicle width direction from the rear edge of the rear corner portion 15r, a step portion 29 extending rearward from the vehicle width direction inner portion 28, and a vehicle width direction outer portion 19 extending outward in the vehicle width direction from the rear edge of the step portion 29.

[0074] That is, as shown in Figure 5, the resin door inner panel 10 has an inner surface portion 11 and a wall portion 16 extending outward in the vehicle width direction from the front edge portion 11f, rear edge portion 11r and lower edge portion 11d of the inner surface portion 11 via a corner portion 15. As a result, the wall portion 16 is formed by the above-mentioned front wall portion 16f, rear wall portion 16r, and lower wall portion 16d, which are continuous with each other along the outer periphery of the inner surface portion 11 except for the upper edge. Similarly, the corner portion 15 is also formed by the above-mentioned front corner portion 15f, rear corner portion 15r, and lower corner portion 15d, which are continuous with each other along the outer periphery of the inner surface portion 11 except for the upper edge. That is, the wall portion 16 and the corner portion 15 are formed in a substantially U-shape from the front edge, rear edge, and lower edge of the resin door inner panel 10 in a front view of the door. Also, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 10 , the cross section of the corner portion 15 orthogonal to the extension direction thereof protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction in an arc shape relative to the inner surface portion 11.

[0075] 5 and 11(a) and (b), the corners 15 are formed not only on the door main body 2 but also on the door sash 3. The corners 15B of the door sash 3 are continuous along the extension direction of the door sash 3 (the door sash front edge 3f and the door sash rear edge 3r), and are formed to protrude inward in the vehicle width direction of the door sash 3, similar to the corners 15A of the door main body 2.

[0076] 5, the corner 15A of the door body 2 and the corner 15B of the door sash 3 are integrally connected to each other at the upper edge of the front edge 12 of the door body 2 and the lower edge of the front edge 3f of the door sash, and are also integrally connected to each other at the upper edge of the rear edge 13 of the door body 2 and the lower edge of the rear edge 3r of the door sash. As a result, the corner 15 extends continuously in a closed loop along the outer peripheral edge of the resin door inner panel 10.

[0077] As shown in Figures 2, 6 to 8, the leading edge 17ff (see Figure 5) of the resin door inner panel 10 (front outer surface portion 17f) is located rearward of the leading edge 5ff of the door inner panel 5 (compartment-side reinforcement member 30), and as shown in Figures 2 and 9, the lower edge 17dd (see Figure 5) of the resin door inner panel 10 (lower outer surface portion 17d) is located above the lower edge 5dd of the door inner panel 5 (compartment-side reinforcement member 30), and as shown in Figures 2 and 10, the rear edge 16rr (see Figure 5) of the resin door inner panel 10 (rear outer surface portion 17r) is located forward of the rear edge 5rr of the door inner panel 5 (compartment-side reinforcement member 30).

[0078] That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the outer peripheral edge of the door body 2, excluding the upper edge, of the resin door inner panel 10 is formed slightly smaller than the outer peripheral edge of the door inner panel 5 when viewed from the front of the door.

[0079] The entire cabin-side reinforcing member 30 is made of aluminum, which has a higher tensile strength (excellent ductility in tension) than the plastic door inner panel 10, and as shown in Figures 3 and 4, when viewed from the front of the plastic door inner panel 10, it is provided from the inside in the vehicle width direction to reinforce not only the door body 2 but also the door sash 3.

[0080] Specifically, the passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30 includes a door body reinforcing portion 31 that reinforces the door body 2 and a door sash reinforcing portion 36 that reinforces the door sash 3.

[0081] As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 11(a) and (b), the door sash reinforcing portion 36 abuts almost the entirety of the plastic door inner panel 10 of the door sash 3 from the inside in the vehicle width direction with no gaps, thereby increasing the thickness of the plastic door inner panel 10 and, as a result, reinforcing the door sash 3 to increase its rigidity (mainly its rigidity against vibration).

[0082] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the door body reinforcement portion 31 is integrally formed and includes a front edge reinforcement portion 32 that reinforces the front edge portion 12, a rear edge reinforcement portion 33 that reinforces the rear edge portion 13, a bottom edge reinforcement portion 34 that reinforces the bottom edge portion 14, and a belt line reinforcement portion 35.

[0083] The belt line reinforcement portion 35 extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle along the belt line BL so as to connect the upper portion of the front edge reinforcement portion 32 and the upper portion of the rear edge reinforcement portion 33, and reinforces the area around the belt line BL of the resin door inner panel 10.

[0084] As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 6 to 8, the front edge reinforcement portion 32 includes an inner surface front edge reinforcement portion 41f that reinforces the front edge of the inner surface portion 11, a front corner reinforcement portion 45f that reinforces the front corner portion 15f of the resin door inner panel 10, a front wall reinforcement portion 46f that reinforces the front wall portion 16f, and a front outer surface reinforcement portion 47f that reinforces the front outer surface portion 17f.

[0085] As shown in Figures 3 and 6 to 8, the front corner reinforcement portion 45f extends forward from the front edge 41fa of the inner surface portion front edge reinforcement portion 41f so as to cover the front corner 15f from the inside in the vehicle width direction. The front corner reinforcement portion 45f is formed to protrude inward in the vehicle width direction in accordance with the shape of the front corner 15f that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction. As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the front corner reinforcement portion 45f is joined from the outside in the vehicle width direction without a gap to at least a portion (a portion adjacent to the inner surface portion 11) rearward of the apex 15ft (the inner edge in the vehicle width direction) of the front corner 15f that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0086] The front wall reinforcing portion 46f extends forward and outward in the vehicle width direction from the front edge of the front corner reinforcing portion 45f so as to cover the front wall portion 16f from the front.

[0087] Furthermore, the front outer surface reinforcing portion 47f protrudes forward from the outer edge of the front wall reinforcing portion 46f in the vehicle width direction, and the base portion 48f is joined in surface contact with the front outer surface portion 17f from the inner side in the vehicle width direction.

[0088] Here, as shown in Figures 3 and 6 to 8, the front outer surface reinforcement portion 47f, as described above, protrudes toward the front of the vehicle from the vehicle widthwise outer edge of the front wall reinforcement portion 46f, but is provided with a reinforcing member front flange portion 49f that protrudes further toward the front of the vehicle (outward when viewed from the front of the door) than the base 48f of the front outer surface reinforcement portion 47f, i.e., the joint portion with the front outer surface portion 17f.

[0089] The front flange portion 49f of the reinforcing member is formed offset (displaced) outward in the vehicle width direction relative to the base 48f of the front outer surface reinforcing portion 47f via the step portion 50f, and extends linearly forward of the vehicle beyond the front edge 17ff of the front outer surface portion 17f of the resin door inner panel 10 until its front edge is positioned at the front edge 5ff of the door inner panel 5.

[0090] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the reinforcing member front flange portion 49f is crimped and joined by a front edge hem portion 6f (a portion where the front edge of the door outer panel 4 is hemmed and bent so as to approximately fold back from the inside in the vehicle width direction) provided on the front edge of the door outer panel 4.

[0091] As described above, the front edge reinforcement portion 32 straddles the front wall portion 16f of the resin door inner panel 10 in the vehicle width direction, with the front outer surface reinforcement portion 47f (base portion 48f) joined to the outer surface portion 17 and the inner surface front edge reinforcement portion 41f joined to the inner surface portion 11 (see Figures 6 and 8).

[0092] As shown in Figures 4, 6, and 8, the front wall reinforcement portion 46f of the front edge reinforcement portion 32 is joined in a surface contact state from the front (outside the door internal space 7) to the door hinge base portions 18 on each of the upper and lower sides, at portions corresponding to the door hinge base portions 18 on each of the upper and lower sides.

[0093] For this reason, as shown in Figures 6 and 8, the upper and lower door-side hinge brackets 81 are attached to the door hinge base portion 18 from the front (outside the door internal space 7) via the front edge reinforcement portion 32. The upper and lower door-side hinge brackets 81 each have a bolt insertion hole 81a formed therethrough for mounting to the door hinge base portion 18 (see FIGS. 6 and 8).

[0094] As shown in Figures 4, 6, and 8, bolt insertion holes 47a are formed in the areas corresponding to the door hinge base portions 18 on the upper and lower sides of the front wall reinforcement portion 46f, at locations that coincide with the bolt insertion holes 18a of the door hinge base portions 18.

[0095] As described above, the hinge rain 95 is joined to the door hinge base portion 18 from the rear (door interior space 7 side) in a surface contact state (see FIGS. 6 and 8).

[0096] Therefore, as shown in Figures 6 and 8, the front wall reinforcement portion 46f and the upper and lower hinge rains 95U, 95D are arranged in a superimposed state in surface contact with the door hinge base portion 18 on each of the upper and lower sides, sandwiching them from both the front and rear.

[0097] When the door side hinge bracket 81 of the door hinges 80U, 80D is fastened to the door hinge base portion 18, the front wall reinforcement portion 46f and the hinge rain 95 are fastened together to the door hinge base portion 18 using bolts B and nuts N in the interconnected bolt insertion holes 81a, 18a, 47a, 95a.

[0098] On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the front side reinforcing portion 32 extends in the vehicle width direction at a distance forward from the front wall portion 16f, except for the portions corresponding to the door hinge base portions 18 on the upper and lower sides.

[0099] As a result, a closed cross section 55f is formed between the front edge reinforcing portion 32 and the front edge portion 12, extending along the front wall portion 16f, except for the portions corresponding to the door hinge base portions 18 on both the upper and lower sides.

[0100] In this embodiment, the front edge reinforcement portion 32 of the door inner panel 5 is arranged so that the front wall reinforcement portion 46f and the front wall portion 16f are not joined to each other over the entire length in the vehicle width direction, except for the portions corresponding to the door hinge base portions 18 on each of the upper and lower sides, and are spaced apart from each other in the fore-and-aft direction.

[0101] For this reason, the closed cross section 55f is configured to extend continuously in the vehicle width direction between the outer surface portion 17 and the inner surface portion 11, as shown in Figure 7, except for the portions corresponding to the door hinge base portions 18 on each of the upper and lower sides.

[0102] 8, the closed cross section 55f extends inward in the vehicle width direction from a line 11i along the inner surface of the inner surface portion 11 to an apex 15ft (an inner edge in the vehicle width direction) of a front corner 15f protruding inward in the vehicle width direction. This allows the length of the closed cross section 55f in the vehicle width direction to be set longer inward in the vehicle width direction by the length by which the corner 15f protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the inner surface portion 11. With these configurations, the closed cross section 55f of this embodiment is configured to have as long a length as possible in the vehicle width direction.

[0103] As shown in Figures 6 and 8, the closed cross section 55f is configured along the vehicle width direction between the front edge reinforcement portion 32 and the front wall portion 16f in a portion of the front wall portion 16f corresponding to the door hinge base portion 18 in the vertical direction, at a portion inward in the vehicle width direction from the door hinge base portion 18.

[0104] As shown in Figure 9, the lower edge reinforcement portion 34 includes a lower corner reinforcement portion 45d that reinforces the lower corner portion 15d of the resin door inner panel 10, a lower wall reinforcement portion 46d that reinforces the lower wall portion 16d, and a lower outer surface reinforcement portion 47d that reinforces the lower outer surface portion 17d.

[0105] Lower corner reinforcement portion 45d extends in the vertical direction to cover lower corner 15d from the inside in the vehicle width direction, and is formed to protrude inward in the vehicle width direction in accordance with the shape of lower corner 15d that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction. Lower corner reinforcement portion 45d is joined without a gap from the outside in the vehicle width direction to at least a portion (portion adjacent to inner surface portion 11) above apex 15dt (inner edge in the vehicle width direction) of lower corner 15d that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0106] The lower wall reinforcing portion 46d extends downward and outward in the vehicle width direction from the lower edge of the lower corner reinforcing portion 45d so as to cover the lower wall portion 16d from below.

[0107] Furthermore, the lower outer surface reinforcement portion 47d protrudes downward from the vehicle width direction outer edge (lower edge) of the lower wall reinforcement portion 46d, and the base portion 48d is joined in surface contact with the lower outer surface portion 17d from the vehicle width direction inner side.

[0108] Here, as described above, the lower outer surface reinforcement portion 47d protrudes downward from the vehicle widthwise outer edge of the lower wall reinforcement portion 46d, and is provided with a reinforcing member lower flange portion 49d that protrudes further downward (outward when viewed from the front of the door) from the base 48d of the lower outer surface reinforcement portion 47d, i.e., the joint portion with the front outer surface portion 17f.

[0109] The lower flange portion 49d of the reinforcing member is formed by bending inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the base 48d of the lower outer surface reinforcing portion 47d via the bending portion 50d, and extends along the door outer panel 4 below the vehicle below the lower edge 17dd of the lower outer surface portion 17d of the resin door inner panel 10 until its lower edge is positioned at the lower edge 5dd of the door inner panel 5.

[0110] The lower flange portion 49d of the reinforcing member is crimped and joined by a lower edge hem portion 6d (a portion where the lower edge of the door outer panel 4 is hemmed and bent so as to be folded back approximately from the inside in the vehicle width direction) provided on the lower edge of the door outer panel 4. That is, the resin door inner panel 10 is joined to the outer peripheral edge of the door outer panel 4 via the cabin-side reinforcing member 30 made of aluminum.

[0111] Here, the vehicle width directional outer edge of the vehicle width directional inner region 46da of the lower-wall reinforcement portion 46d is joined to the upper outer step 24 of the lower wall portion 16d, and the vehicle width directional inner edge of the lower-wall reinforcement portion 46d is joined to a region above at least the apex 15dt (vehicle width directional inner edge) of the lower corner 15d of the lower wall portion 16d, as described above. The vehicle width directional inner region 46da of the lower-wall reinforcement portion 46d is disposed below and spaced apart from the vehicle width directional inner region 23 of the lower wall portion 16d. As a result, a closed cross section 55d is formed between the lower wall portion 16d and the lower side reinforcing portion 34, extending along the vehicle width direction inner portions 23, 46da.

[0112] On the other hand, the vehicle width direction outer portion 46db of the lower wall reinforcement portion 46d is joined without any gaps to the vehicle width direction outer portion 22 of the lower wall portion 16d (upper outer step portion 24, lower wall upper outer portion 25, lower outer step portion 26 and lower wall lower outer portion 27).

[0113] As shown in Figure 10, the rear edge reinforcement portion 33 includes a rear corner reinforcement portion 45r that reinforces the rear corner portion 15r of the resin door inner panel 10, a rear wall reinforcement portion 46r that reinforces the rear wall portion 16r, and a rear rear protrusion portion 47r that protrudes rearward and outward in the vehicle width direction from the outer edge of the rear wall portion 16r in the vehicle width direction.

[0114] The rear corner reinforcement portion 45r extends in the front-rear direction so as to cover the rear corner 15r from the inside in the vehicle width direction. The rear corner reinforcement portion 45r is formed to protrude inward in the vehicle width direction in correspondence with the shape of the rear corner 15r that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction. The rear corner reinforcement portion 45r is joined without gaps to the apex 15rt (the inner edge in the vehicle width direction) of the rear corner 15r that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction and the front and rear peripheral portions of the apex 15rt from the outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0115] The rear wall reinforcing portion 46r extends rearward and outward in the vehicle width direction from the inner edge of the rear wall portion 16r in the vehicle width direction so as to cover the rear wall portion 16r from behind. Here, the vehicle width directional inner edge of the rear wall reinforcement portion 46r is joined to the vehicle width directional inner edge of the vehicle width directional inner region 28 of the rear wall portion 16r, and the vehicle width directional outer region 46rc of the rear wall reinforcement portion 46r is joined to the vehicle width directional outer region 19 of the rear wall portion 16r. The vehicle width directional inner region 46ra of the rear wall reinforcement portion 46r is disposed rearward and spaced apart from the vehicle width directional inner region 28 of the rear wall portion 16r, and the step 46rb of the rear wall reinforcement portion 46r is disposed widthwise and spaced apart from the vehicle width directional inner region 29 of the rear wall portion 16r.

[0116] As a result, a closed cross section 55r is formed between the rear side reinforcing portion 33 and the rear side portion 13, and extends continuously across the vehicle width direction inner portions 28, 46ra and the step portions 29, 46rb.

[0117] On the other hand, the vehicle width direction outer region 46rc of the rear wall reinforcing portion 46r is joined in surface contact with the vehicle width direction outer region 19 of the rear wall portion 16r without any gap.

[0118] As described above, the rear-side rearward protruding portion 47r protrudes rearward and outward in the vehicle width direction from the vehicle width directional outer edge (rear edge) of the rear-wall reinforcing portion 46r. Specifically, the rear-side rearward protruding portion 47r includes a base portion 48r that extends mainly outward in the vehicle width direction from the vehicle width directional outer edge of the rear-wall reinforcing portion 46r, and a reinforcing-member rear-side flange portion 49r that extends mainly rearward in the vehicle direction via a bent portion 50r.

[0119] The reinforcing member rear flange portion 49r extends along the door outer panel 4 rearward of the vehicle beyond the rear edge 16rr of the rear wall portion 16r of the resin door inner panel 10 until its rear edge is positioned at the rear edge 5rr of the door inner panel 5.

[0120] The reinforcing member rear flange portion 49r is crimped and joined by a rear edge hem portion 6r (a portion where the rear edge of the door outer panel 4 is hemmed and bent so as to approximately fold back from the inside in the vehicle width direction) provided on the rear edge of the door outer panel 4. That is, the resin door inner panel 10 is joined to the outer peripheral edge of the door outer panel 4 via the cabin-side reinforcing member 30 made of aluminum.

[0121] As described above, the passenger compartment side reinforcement member 30 includes corner reinforcement portions 45 (front corner reinforcement portion 45f, lower corner reinforcement portion 45d, and rear corner reinforcement portion 45r) that reinforce the corners 15 (front corner portion 15f, lower corner portion 15d, and rear corner portion 15r) of the resin door inner panel 10, and wall reinforcement portions 46 (front wall reinforcement portion 46f, lower wall reinforcement portion 46d, and rear wall reinforcement portion 46r) that reinforce the wall portion 16 (front wall portion 16f, lower wall portion 16d, and rear wall portion 16).

[0122] The corner reinforcement portion 45 is formed by a front corner reinforcement portion 45f, a lower corner reinforcement portion 45d, and a rear corner reinforcement portion 45r, which are continuous with one another. Similarly, the wall reinforcement portion 46 is formed by a front wall reinforcement portion 46f, a lower wall reinforcement portion 46d, and a rear wall reinforcement portion 46r, which are continuous with one another. That is, the wall reinforcement portion 46 and the corner reinforcement portion 45 are formed by a front edge portion, a lower wall reinforcement portion 46d, and a rear wall reinforcement portion 46r of the door inner panel 5. under It is formed in a continuous U-shape along the edge and rear edge of the door when viewed from the front.

[0123] Correspondingly, the closed cross section 55 (55f, 55d, 55r) also has a front edge portion of the door inner panel 5, under It is formed in a continuous U-shape along the edge and rear edge of the door when viewed from the front.

[0124] As described above, the plastic door inner panel 10 is crimped to the hem portions (e.g., 6f, 6d, 6r) provided on the outer peripheral edge of the door outer panel 4 via the aluminum compartment-side reinforcing member 30. As a result, the compartment-side reinforcing member 30 is provided in the region spanning the wall portion 16 and the corner portion 15 of the plastic door inner panel 10, and cooperates with the door outer panel 4 to sandwich the door inner panel 5 in the vehicle width direction.

[0125] In addition, a closed cross section 55 extending along the wall portion 16 is formed between the passenger compartment side reinforcement member 30 and the resin door inner panel 10, thereby increasing the bending strength of the area extending from the corner portion 15, where stress is most concentrated in the resin door inner panel 10, to the wall portion 16 that supports the corner portion 15 when an object strikes the front side door 1 from the outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0126] In the door inner panel 5 of this embodiment, the contact portions between the passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30 and the resin door inner panel 10 are joined by a joining means such as friction stir spot welding or adhesive. However, the joining means at these locations is not particularly limited, and either friction stir spot welding or adhesive may be used, or other joining means may be adopted.

[0127] The vehicle side body structure of the present embodiment described above is a door structure for a vehicle including a metal door outer panel 4 (see FIGS. 1 to 3, 6 to 11(a)(b)), and a door inner panel 5 (see FIGS. 1 to 4, 6 to 11(a)(b)) arranged on the vehicle width direction inside of the door outer panel 4, and the door inner panel 5 includes a resin door inner panel 10 (see FIGS. 1 to 11(a)(b)), and a passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30 (see FIGS. 2 to 4, 6 to 11(a)(b)) that has a tensile strength higher than that of the resin door inner panel 10 and reinforces the resin door inner panel 10. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 to 10, The inner panel 10 has an inner surface portion 11 that extends in the up-down and front-rear directions, spaced apart from the door outer panel 4 toward the inside in the vehicle width direction, and wall portions 16 that extend from edge portions (11f, 11d, 11r) of the inner surface portion 11 toward the outside in the vehicle width direction via corner portions 15.As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 6 to 10, the passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30 is provided on the inside in the vehicle width direction with respect to the resin door inner panel 10 in a region spanning the wall portions 16 and the corner portions 15 of the resin door inner panel 10 when viewed from the front of the door, and a closed cross section 55 (55f, 55d, 55r) (see Figures 6 to 10) that extends along the wall portions 16 is formed between the passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30 and the resin door inner panel 10.

[0128] According to the above-described configuration, by forming the door inner panel 5 from the resin door inner panel 10 across the inner surface portion 11, corner portions 15, and wall portions 16, the weight of the entire door can be reduced compared to when the entire door inner panel 5 is made of metal. In addition, since the resin door inner panel 10 can be formed by molding such as injection molding, high productivity can be ensured.

[0129] In addition, by providing a closed cross section 55 extending along the wall portion 16 between the resin door inner panel 10 and the passenger compartment side reinforcement member 30, the bending strength of the area extending from the corner portion 15 where stress is most concentrated in the resin door inner panel 10 to the wall portion 16 supporting the corner portion 15 can be increased during a side collision with the front side door 1 (i.e., when a collision load is input to the door inner panel 5).

[0130] That is, unlike conventional methods in which, for example, the resin door inner panel or the passenger compartment side reinforcing member itself is formed from a higher strength material, or the passenger compartment side reinforcing member and the resin door inner panel are overlapped without any gaps to thicken and reinforce the door inner panel, the front side door 1 of the present embodiment reinforces the resin door inner panel 10 from a structural standpoint by providing a closed cross section 55f extending along the wall portion 16 between the resin door inner panel 10 and the passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30.

[0131] Therefore, in the front side door 1 of this embodiment, by forming a portion of the door inner panel 5 from the resin door inner panel 10, an increase in material costs and mass is suppressed, while the areas including the wall portions 16 and corner portions 15, which require high strength, are reinforced by providing a closed cross section 55f extending along the wall portions 16 between the resin door inner panel 10 and the passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30, thereby suppressing cracking of the resin door inner panel 10.

[0132] Furthermore, as described above, the front side door 1 of this embodiment has a closed cross section 55f between the resin door inner panel 10 and the passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30, which allows these elements 10, 30 to be overlapped without any gaps, thereby reducing the area where they are joined.

[0133] Therefore, the front side door 1 of this embodiment does not require the cross-sectional shapes of the resin door inner panel 10 and the passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30 to be perfectly matched to each other, which has the advantage that it is easier to tolerate the formability (variations in precision during molding) of the passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30 and the resin door inner panel 10.

[0134] In short, the front side door 1 of this embodiment can achieve both a reduction in door weight and improved productivity, while ensuring door strength in the event of a collision.

[0135] As shown in FIG. 7, in an embodiment of the present invention, the resin door inner panel 10 is formed with a front outer surface portion 17f (outer surface portion) that protrudes from the outer edge of the front wall portion 16f in the vehicle width direction to the door outer side (the side opposite to the side of the inner surface portion 11 located at the center of the door) in a front view of the door, and the passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30 is formed with a front wall reinforcing portion 46f (reinforcing member wall portion) that extends in the vehicle width direction along the front wall portion 16f, and a front outer surface portion 17f that extends from the outer edge of the front wall reinforcing portion 46f in the vehicle width direction to the door outer side (the side opposite to the side of the inner surface portion 11). The front outer surface reinforcement portion 47f is joined to the front outer surface portion 17f, and the inner surface front edge reinforcement portion 41f is joined to the inner surface portion 11, so that a closed cross section 55f is formed over the entire length in the vehicle width direction between the front wall portion 16f and the front wall reinforcement portion 46f.

[0136] According to the above configuration, the closed cross section 55f can be formed over the entire length in the vehicle width direction between the front wall portion 16f and the front wall reinforcement portion 46f, thereby effectively suppressing damage to the resin door inner panel 10 during a side collision with the front side door 1.

[0137] Specifically, during a side collision with the front side door 1, a compressive load (a load directed toward the center of the door in a horizontal cross section along the front-rear direction) acts on the vehicle width outer side of the vehicle width center position (see symbol C in FIG. 7 ) of the closed cross section 55f extending in the vehicle width direction, and a tensile load (a load directed toward the door outer side (the opposite side of the door center) in the horizontal cross section) acts on the vehicle width inner side. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7 , by forming the closed cross section 55f over the entire vehicle width length of the front wall portion 16f and the front wall reinforcement portion 46f, the vehicle width length of the closed cross section 55f can be maximized, effectively increasing the bending strength of the door inner panel 5 (particularly the region between the wall portion 16 and the corner portion 15 of the resin door inner panel 10) against a collision load input to the front side door 1 from the vehicle width outer side. Therefore, damage to the resin door inner panel 10 can be effectively suppressed.

[0138] Needless to say, the configuration in which the closed cross section 55 extends over the entire length in the vehicle width direction between the front wall portion 16f and the front wall reinforcement portion 46f is not limited to the closed cross section 55f and its surrounding area shown in Figure 7, but may also be applied to other closed cross sections 55, such as the closed cross sections 55d and 55r shown in Figures 9 and 10.

[0139] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, in this embodiment of the present invention, the front outer surface reinforcing portion 47f (outer surface reinforcing portion) and the front outer surface portion 17f (outer surface portion) are joined to each other in a surface contact state, and the inner surface portion front edge reinforcing portion 41f (inner surface portion of the reinforcing member) and the inner surface portion 11 are joined to each other in a surface contact state.

[0140] According to the above configuration, by joining the front outer surface reinforcement portion 47f and the front outer surface portion 17f, and the inner surface leading edge reinforcement portion 41f and the inner surface portion 11 in a surface contact state, the contact area between the passenger compartment side reinforcement member 30 and the resin door inner panel 10 can be increased, and they can be firmly joined to each other on the door outer periphery side. Therefore, even though the resin door inner panel 10 is made of resin, the increased thickness caused by joining it to the passenger compartment side reinforcement member 30 can improve rigidity and vibration suppression function when the vehicle is running.

[0141] In one embodiment of the present invention, the cabin-side reinforcing member 30 is made of metal (aluminum in this example), and as shown in Figures 6 to 10, the outer surface reinforcing portion 47 is provided with a reinforcing member front flange portion 49f (see Figures 6 to 8), a reinforcing member lower flange portion 49d (see Figure 9), and a reinforcing member rear flange portion 49r (see Figure 10) as reinforcing member outer flange portions that extend outward from the joint with the resin door inner panel 10 to the door outside so as to form the outer peripheral edge of the door outer panel 5, and a front edge hem portion 6f (see Figures 6 to 8), a lower edge hem portion 6d (see Figure 9), and a rear edge hem portion 6r (see Figure 10) as hem portions that crimp and connect these reinforcing member outer flange portions 49f, 49d, 49r are provided on the outer peripheral edge of the door outer panel 4.

[0142] According to the above configuration, although the resin door inner panel 10 is made of a different material from the metal door outer panel 4, the metal members 4, 30 can be joined to each other at the outer peripheral edge of the front side door 1 by using the metal passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30.

[0143] Therefore, while the main parts of the door inner panel 5 (the inner surface 11, the corners 15 and the wall parts 16) are made of resin, the joint strength with the door outer panel 4 can be increased by crimping the joint with the reinforcing member outer flange parts 49f, 49d and 49r.

[0144] In addition, the passenger compartment side reinforcement member 30 can cooperate with the door outer panel 4 to clamp the plastic door inner panel 10 in the vehicle width direction in the area spanning the wall portion 16 and the corner portion 15, thereby effectively suppressing damage to the plastic door inner panel 10 due to side impact loads input to the front side door 1.

[0145] As shown in Figs. 3, 4, 6 to 11(a) and (b) as an embodiment of the present invention, the cabin-side reinforcing member 30 is joined to the resin door inner panel 10 from the inside in the vehicle width direction.

[0146] According to the above configuration, in the event of a side collision with the front side door 1, a tensile load acts on the resin door inner panel 10 in the area spanning the corner portion 15 and the wall portion 16 of the resin door inner panel 10 toward the outside of the front side door 1 when viewed from the front of the door.

[0147] Therefore, as described above, by joining the passenger compartment side reinforcement member 30 to the resin door inner panel 10 on the inside in the vehicle width direction, i.e., on the passenger compartment side, in other words, in a horizontal cross section along the fore-and-aft direction or a vertical cross section along the up-and-down direction, from the outside of the door internal space 7, the resin door inner panel 10, which is subjected to a tensile load in the event of a side collision, can be effectively reinforced by the passenger compartment side reinforcement member 30.

[0148] In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 1, 6, and 8, the reinforcing member is a cabin-side reinforcing member 30 as a first reinforcing member, and an upper hinge rein 95U and a lower hinge rein 95D as second reinforcing members having a tensile strength higher than that of the resin door inner panel 10 are joined from the outside in the vehicle width direction to the area spanning the wall portion 16 and the corner portion 15 of the resin door inner panel 10.

[0149] According to the above configuration, as described above, in the event of a side collision with the front side door 1, the resin door inner panel 10 can be effectively reinforced from the inside in the vehicle width direction by the passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30 against tensile loads among the loads acting on the resin door inner panel 10. In addition, the resin door inner panel 10 can be reinforced from the outside in the vehicle width direction by the second reinforcing members (95U, 95D) against compressive loads among the loads acting on the resin door inner panel 10.

[0150] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, by forming the second reinforcing member as the hinge rain 95U, 95D, it is possible to suppress an increase in the weight of the front side door 1 and reduce the number of parts compared to when the second reinforcing member is provided separately from the hinge rain 95U, 95D.

[0151] In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 6 and 8, the cabin side reinforcement member 30 and the hinge reins 95U, 95D are fastened together to the plastic door inner panel 10 by bolts B and nuts N, which serve as fastening means for fastening the door hinges 80U, 80D to the plastic door inner panel 10.

[0152] According to the above configuration, at the upper and lower attachment portions of the door hinges 80U, 80D to the resin door inner panel 10, the hinge reinforcements 95U, 95D and the passenger compartment side reinforcing member 30 can reinforce the resin door inner panel 10 from both sides in the plate thickness direction.

[0153] In addition, by using fastening means (bolts B and nuts N) to fasten the door hinges 80U, 80D to the plastic door inner panel 10, the hinge rains 95U, 95D and the passenger compartment side reinforcement member 30 are fastened to the plastic door inner panel 10 on both the upper and lower sides, so that the hinge rains 95U, 95D and the passenger compartment side reinforcement member 30 can be firmly attached to the plastic door inner panel 10 without the need for any other attachment means.

[0154] In one embodiment of the present invention, the cabin-side reinforcing member 30 is made of aluminum. According to the above-described configuration, by combining the resin door inner panel 10 and the aluminum cabin-side reinforcing member 30 as described above, it is possible to achieve both weight reduction and high strength.

[0155] Furthermore, when the resin door inner panel 10 does not contain conductive materials such as carbon fiber in the base resin, galvanic corrosion can be prevented at the contact points between the resin door inner panel 10 and an aluminum cabin side reinforcing member 30.

[0156] Furthermore, unlike resin, which breaks with small deformation, aluminum has the property of excellent ductility. By joining the aluminum interior-side reinforcing member 30, which has such properties, particularly to the resin door inner panel 10 from the inside in the vehicle width direction, the interior-side reinforcing member 30 can take advantage of aluminum's property of excellent ductility to effectively reinforce the resin door inner panel 10 from the inside in the vehicle width direction against tensile loads acting on the resin door inner panel 10 during a collision.

[0157] In one embodiment of the present invention, the resin door inner panel 10 is formed from a thermoplastic resin. According to the above configuration, even though the resin door inner panel 10 is made of thermoplastic resin, which is generally inexpensive among resins, cracking and deformation of the resin door inner panel 10 during a side collision can be suppressed.

[0158] More specifically, the door inner panel 5 is known to be made of resin for the purposes of weight reduction and improved productivity, but is generally made of thermosetting resin, which is stronger than thermoplastic resin. However, thermosetting resin tends to take longer to harden than thermoplastic resin, resulting in a longer cycle time (manufacturing time) and higher costs. On the other hand, while it is possible to use inexpensive thermoplastic resin as the material for forming the door inner panel 5, there is a risk that cracks will occur around the periphery of the door during a side collision, increasing the amount of deformation of the door.

[0159] In contrast to this, as in the present embodiment described above, by providing a closed cross section 55 extending along the wall portion 16 between the resin door inner panel 10 and the passenger compartment side reinforcement member 30, the bending strength of the resin door inner panel 10 can be increased in the event of a collision.

[0160] Therefore, even if a thermoplastic resin, which is inexpensive among resins, is used as the material for forming the resin door inner panel 10, cracking and deformation of the front side door 1 in the event of a side collision can be suppressed.

[0161] As shown in Figures 6 to 10, in an embodiment of the present invention, the corner portion 15 is formed in a protruding shape that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the inner surface portion 11, and as shown in Figure 8, the closed cross section 55f extends inward in the vehicle width direction beyond the inner edge of the wall portion 16 in the vehicle width direction, up to the inner edge of the protruding corner portion 15 in the vehicle width direction.

[0162] According to the above configuration, the corners 15 formed along the outer peripheral edge of the inner surface 11 of the resin door inner panel 10 are formed to protrude inward in the vehicle width direction, so that the corners 15 can be formed into a bead shape extending along the outer peripheral edge of the inner surface 11. This increases the strength of the outer peripheral edge of the resin door inner panel 10.

[0163] Furthermore, by extending the closed cross section 55f inward in the vehicle width direction from the inner edge of the wall portion 16 in the vehicle width direction to the apex 15ft (inner edge in the vehicle width direction) of the protruding corner portion 15, the closed cross section 55f can be formed longer in the vehicle width direction, thereby further increasing the strength of the door inner panel 5.

[0164] Needless to say, the configuration in which the closed cross section 55 is extended inward in the vehicle width direction from the inner edge of the wall portion 16 in the vehicle width direction to the apex 15ft of the protruding corner portion 15 is not limited to the closed cross section 55f and its surrounding area shown in Figure 8, but may also be applied to other closed cross sections 55, such as the closed cross sections 55 shown in Figures 6, 7, 9, and 10.

[0165] The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, but can be formed in various other embodiments. For example, the reinforcing member provided in the present invention is not limited to a configuration in which it is provided on the inside of the vehicle width direction relative to the resin door inner panel 10, as in the case of the cabin side reinforcing member 30 in this embodiment, but can be a configuration in which it is provided on at least one of the outside and inside of the vehicle width direction.

[0166] Here, as shown in Figures 1, 6 and 8, the above-mentioned hinge rain 95 is provided on the outer side of the resin door inner panel 10 in the vehicle width direction in the area spanning the wall portion 16 and the corner portion 15 of the resin door inner panel 10 when viewed from the front of the door.

[0167] Therefore, in the present invention, when the reinforcing member provided in the present invention is provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the plastic door inner panel 10, a hinge rein 95U' (95') may be employed as a reinforcing member as shown in Fig. 12 as a modification of the above-described embodiment. That is, the hinge rein 95U' according to the modification shown in Fig. 12 is joined to the plastic door inner panel 10 from the outer side in the vehicle width direction so as to form a closed cross section 55f' extending along the wall portion 16 between the hinge rein 95U' and the plastic door inner panel 10.

[0168] According to the above configuration, a closed cross section 55f' (55') can be formed between the hinge rain 95' and the plastic door inner panel 10, i.e., on the inside (door internal space 7 side) of the plastic door inner panel 10 when viewed from the front of the door. Therefore, compared to the case where the above-mentioned hinge rain 95 (see Figures 6 and 8) is provided, the plastic door inner panel 10 can be more effectively reinforced from the outside in the vehicle width direction against compressive loads, among the loads acting on the plastic door inner panel 10 during a side collision.

[0169] In addition, the reinforcing member that forms a closed cross section 55' between the plastic door inner panel 10 and the plastic door inner panel 10 on the vehicle width outer side is not limited to the upper hinge rein 95U' according to the above-mentioned modified example, but may also be a lower hinge rein (not shown) or a panel member other than a hinge rein.

[0170] Furthermore, the door structure of the present invention is not limited to application to a front side door 1 installed on the side of the front of the vehicle body, but may also be applied, for example, to a rear side door (not shown) on the side of the vehicle body that opens and closes a rear opening for passengers to get in and out.

[0171] Furthermore, the door structure of the present invention is not limited to a sash door with a door sash, such as the side door of this embodiment, but may also be applied to a sashless door that does not have a door sash 3.

[0172] Although the resin door inner panel 10 of this embodiment is made of a thermoplastic resin, the resin door inner panel provided in the present invention is not limited to this and may be made of a thermosetting resin. Furthermore, the resin door inner panel provided in the present invention may be made of a fiber-reinforced resin in which reinforcing fibers such as carbon fibers are contained in the resin that serves as the base material, and either a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin may be used for the base material. [Explanation of symbols]

[0173] 4...Outer door panel 5...Door inner panel 10...Resin door inner panel 11...Inner surface 15...Corner 16...Wall part 16f...Front wall part 17...External part 6f... Leading edge hem (hem) 6d...Lower edge hem (hem) 6r... Trailing edge hem (hem) 30... Vehicle interior side reinforcing member (reinforcing member, first reinforcing member) 41f... Front edge reinforcement portion of inner surface (inner surface of reinforcement member) 46...Wall reinforcement portion (reinforcement member wall portion) 47... Outer surface reinforcement part (outer surface of reinforcement member) 49f... Front flange of reinforcing member (outer flange of reinforcing member) 49d... Lower flange of reinforcing member (outer flange of reinforcing member) 49r... Rear flange portion of reinforcing member (outer flange portion of reinforcing member) 55(55f,55f',55d,55r)...Closed section 95 (95U, 95D)... Hinge Rein (second reinforcing member) 95' (95U')... Hinge Rein (reinforcing member, second reinforcing member) 80U, 80D...Door hinges B, N...Bolts and nuts (fastening means)

Claims

1. A vehicle door structure including a metal outer panel and an inner panel disposed inward in a vehicle width direction from the outer panel, The inner panel includes a resin door inner panel made of resin and a reinforcing member having a tensile strength higher than that of the resin door inner panel and reinforcing the resin door inner panel, the resin door inner panel includes an inner surface portion extending in the up-down and front-rear directions and spaced apart from the outer panel toward the inside in the vehicle width direction, and a wall portion extending from an edge portion of the inner surface portion via a corner portion toward the outside in the vehicle width direction, The resin door inner panel has the wall portion and the corner portion formed continuously along a front edge portion, a lower edge portion and a rear edge portion of the inner panel in a front view of the door, The reinforcing member is provided on at least one of an outer side and an inner side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the resin door inner panel in a region spanning the wall portion and the corner portion of the resin door inner panel in a front view of the door, A closed cross section extending along the wall portion is formed between the reinforcing member and the resin door inner panel, The closed cross section is formed continuously along the front edge portion, the lower edge portion, and the rear edge portion of the inner panel in a front view of the door. Vehicle door structure.

2. A vehicle door structure including a metal outer panel and an inner panel disposed inward in a vehicle width direction from the outer panel, The inner panel includes a resin door inner panel made of resin and a reinforcing member having a tensile strength higher than that of the resin door inner panel and reinforcing the resin door inner panel, the resin door inner panel includes an inner surface portion extending in the up-down and front-rear directions and spaced apart from the outer panel toward the inside in the vehicle width direction, and a wall portion extending from an edge portion of the inner surface portion via a corner portion toward the outside in the vehicle width direction, The reinforcing member is provided on at least one of an outer side and an inner side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the resin door inner panel in a region spanning the wall portion and the corner portion of the resin door inner panel in a front view of the door, A closed cross section extending along the wall portion is formed between the reinforcing member and the resin door inner panel, The reinforcing member is joined to the resin door inner panel from the inside in the vehicle width direction, The reinforcing member is a first reinforcing member, a second reinforcing member having a tensile strength higher than that of the resin door inner panel is joined to the region spanning the wall portion and the corner portion of the resin door inner panel from an outer side in a vehicle width direction; The reinforcing member includes the second reinforcing member, A closed cross section extending along the wall portion is formed between the second reinforcing member and the resin door inner panel. Vehicle door structure.

3. The resin door inner panel has an outer surface portion formed thereon that extends from an outer edge of the wall portion in the vehicle width direction to the outside of the door in a front view of the door, The reinforcing member is formed with a reinforcing member wall portion extending in the vehicle width direction along the wall portion, a reinforcing member outer surface portion protruding from the vehicle width direction outer edge of the reinforcing member wall portion to the outside of the door, and a reinforcing member inner surface portion extending from the vehicle width direction inner edge of the reinforcing member wall portion to the inside of the door in a front view of the door, The outer surface portion of the reinforcing member is joined to the outer surface portion, and the inner surface portion of the reinforcing member is joined to the inner surface portion so that the closed cross section is formed over the entire length in the vehicle width direction between the wall portion and the reinforcing member wall portion. The vehicle door structure according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The outer surface portion of the reinforcing member and the outer surface portion are joined together in a surface contact state, and the inner surface portion of the reinforcing member and the inner surface portion are joined together in a surface contact state. The vehicle door structure according to claim 3.

5. the reinforcing member is made of metal, The reinforcing member outer surface portion is provided with a reinforcing member outer flange portion that extends outward from the joint portion with the resin door inner panel so as to form an outer peripheral edge of the inner panel, A hem portion for crimping and connecting the outer flange portion of the reinforcing member is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the outer panel. The vehicle door structure according to claim 3 or 4.

6. The reinforcing member is joined to the resin door inner panel from the inside in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle door structure according to claim 1.

7. The reinforcing member is a first reinforcing member, A second reinforcing member having a tensile strength higher than that of the resin door inner panel is joined from the outer side in the vehicle width direction to the region of the resin door inner panel that extends between the wall portion and the corner portion. The vehicle door structure according to claim 6.

8. The second reinforcing member is provided at a mounting portion of the door hinge to the resin door inner panel, and is formed as a door hinge reinforcement that reinforces the mounting portion. The vehicle door structure according to claim 2 or 7.

9. The first reinforcing member and the door hinge reinforcement are fastened together to the resin door inner panel by a fastening means that fastens the door hinge to the resin door inner panel. The vehicle door structure according to claim 8.

10. The reinforcing member is made of aluminum. The vehicle door structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The resin door inner panel is made of a thermoplastic resin. The vehicle door structure according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The corner portion is formed in a protruding shape that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the inner surface portion, The closed cross section extends inward in the vehicle width direction from the inner edge of the wall portion in the vehicle width direction to the inner edge of the protruding corner portion in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle door structure according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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