Vehicle side doors

By setting a bracket and welding structure of a specific shape between the inner panel of the vehicle side door and the door beam, the connection rigidity is enhanced, which solves the problem of insufficient occupant safety during a side collision and achieves higher safety and impact resistance.

JP7846568B2Active Publication Date: 2026-04-15SUBARU CORP
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2022-06-03
Publication Date
2026-04-15

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing technologies are insufficient to further improve occupant safety during side collisions, especially regarding the inadequate rigidity and impact resistance of the connection between the door beam and the inner panel.

Method used

A bracket with a specific shape is set between the inner panel wall and the door beam, and the connection is made by surface contact welding. A welding structure is set on the bracket to the outer peripheral wall of the door beam and the inner panel to increase the connection rigidity. A structure is set on the bracket to prevent the latch from being released in the event of a side impact.

Benefits of technology

It improves occupant safety during side collisions by enhancing the connection rigidity and impact resistance between the door beam and the inner panel, preventing the latch from being accidentally released during a side collision and ensuring that the door does not open.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

To provide a vehicle side door which enables improvement of occupant's safety against a side collision.SOLUTION: A vehicle side door 5 includes: an inner panel 10 including a wall part (an outer periphery side wall part 18) extending in a direction intersecting with a panel body 15 extending in a fore and aft direction of a vehicle body 2; a door beam 12 extending in the fore and aft direction of the vehicle body 2 and joined to a front part and a rear part of the inner panel; and a bracket 13 disposed between the inner panel 10 and a rear end part of the door beam 12. The bracket 13 has: a beam joint part 13a which is welded to the rear end part of the beam part 12, making surface contact therewith; and a panel joint part 13b which is welded to the outer periphery side wall part 18 of the inner panel 10, making surface contact therewith.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle side door provided with a reinforcing door beam between an outer panel and an inner panel.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, an impact beam (door beam) is provided inside a vehicle side door. The door beam contributes to the protection of passengers by suppressing deformation of the door panel toward the passenger compartment side during a side collision of the vehicle or the like. Such a door beam is joined to an inner panel constituting the side door by welding or the like.

[0003] Regarding the attachment structure of the door beam to the inner panel, various techniques have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for joining the rear end of a door beam, which requires particularly high durability, to an inner panel via a bracket. In the technique of Patent Document 1, the bracket has a flange formed in a cross-sectional mountain shape with a ridge line formed along the extension line of the door beam. This flange is joined in a state of surface contact with the bracket installation area of the inner panel. By this joining, in the technique of Patent Document 1, local stress concentration at the joining portion is prevented, and the attachment rigidity of the rear end side of the door beam to the inner panel is increased. And by increasing the attachment rigidity of the door beam in this way, in the technique of Patent Document 1, the durability against the impact load when opening and closing the side door and the collision load during a side collision of the vehicle or the like is increased.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Incidentally, in recent years, there has been a growing demand for a higher level of safety for occupants in the event of side collisions and other impacts. To achieve this higher level of safety, various improvements are required, such as further enhancing the mounting rigidity of the door beam to the inner panel.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a vehicle side door that can improve occupant safety against side impacts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A vehicle side door according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an inner panel having a wall portion extending in a direction intersecting a panel body portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, a door beam extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and joined to the front and rear portions of the inner panel, respectively, and a bracket interposed between the inner panel and the door beam. The wall portion has an inner circumferential wall portion extending from the edge of the panel body portion in a direction intersecting the panel body portion, and an outer circumferential wall portion extending from the edge of a stepped portion extending from the end of the inner circumferential wall portion in a direction parallel to the panel body portion in a direction intersecting the panel body portion. The aforementioned bracket is A flat beam joint portion that is welded in surface contact with the end of the door beam and the stepped portion, and at the same end of the door beam, the outer circumference side It is welded in surface contact with the wall. flat Panel joint and Furthermore, the beam joint and the panel joint are connected at an angle to each other by a portion that is bent along the corner formed between the stepped portion and the outer peripheral side wall portion. A vehicle side door according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an inner panel having a wall portion extending in a direction intersecting a panel body portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, a door beam extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and joined to the front and rear portions of the inner panel, respectively, and a bracket interposed between the inner panel and the door beam, wherein the wall portion has an inner circumferential side wall portion extending from the edge of the panel body portion in a direction intersecting the panel body portion, and an outer circumferential side wall portion extending from the edge of a stepped portion extending from the end of the inner circumferential side wall portion in a direction parallel to the panel body portion in a direction intersecting the panel body portion, and the bracket The ratchet has a beam joint portion welded to the end of the door beam and the stepped portion in surface contact, a panel joint portion welded to the outer peripheral side wall portion in surface contact, and a projection portion extending from the beam joint portion, and is equipped with a ratchet that can engage with a striker provided in the door opening of the vehicle body, and further comprises a ratchet mechanism attached to the wall portion at the rear of the inner panel, wherein the projection portion faces the ratchet mechanism in the normal state of the side door and deforms to a position that obstructs the rotation of the ratchet in the event of a side collision with the vehicle, thereby preventing the ratchet from releasing the striker. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The vehicle side door of the present invention can improve the safety of occupants in the event of a side collision. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Side view of the vehicle [Figure 2] Side view of the side door with the outer panel removed. [Figure 3] Cross-sectional view of the main part of the side door along line III-III in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Side view of the door beam, seen from the outside in the vehicle width direction. [Figure 5] VV section view in Figure 4 [Figure 6] Figure 4, section VI-VI [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 4 [Figure 8] Perspective view of the rear end portion of the door beam and the bracket as viewed from the outside in the vehicle width direction [Figure 9] Perspective view of the rear end portion of the door beam and the bracket as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction [Figure 10] Perspective view showing the relationship between the ratchet mechanism and the bracket when the door is locked [Figure 11] Perspective view showing the relationship between the ratchet mechanism and the bracket when the door lock is released [Figure 12] (原内容此处无具体翻译内容,推测是格式保留,可根据实际需求补充说明) Perspective view showing the relationship between the ratchet mechanism and the bracket during a side impact

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings relate to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a left side view of a vehicle, and FIG. 2 is a side view of a side door with the outer panel removed. In the drawings used in the following description, in order to make each component recognizable on the drawing, the scales are different for each component. Therefore, the present invention is not limited only to the quantity of the components described in these drawings, the shape of the components, the ratio of the sizes of the components, and the relative positional relationship of each component.

[0011] In the following description, as an example of the configuration of a vehicle side door, the configuration of the front side door 5 (hereinafter simply referred to as "door 5") will be described.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body 2 of the vehicle 1 has a door opening 3 on the side of the front seat. A door 5 for opening and closing the door opening 3 is provided in the door opening 3.

[0013] The door 5 is, for example, a swing door that can swing in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle body 2. For this reason, the front portion of the door 5 is supported at the front portion of the door opening 3 via a pair of upper and lower hinges 6. Further, the rear portion of the door 5 can be locked to the rear portion of the door opening 3 via a ratchet mechanism 7 described later.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the door 5 has an inner panel 10, an outer panel 11, and a door beam 12.

[0015] The inner panel 10 is constituted by a sheet metal member made of a steel plate or the like having a predetermined plate thickness. The inner panel 10 has a panel main body portion 15, an inner peripheral side wall portion 16, a stepped portion 17, an outer peripheral side wall portion 18, and a flange portion 19. These panel main body portion 15, inner peripheral side wall portion 16, stepped portion 17, outer peripheral side wall portion 18, and flange portion 19 are formed, for example, by press molding a sheet metal member.

[0016] The panel main body portion 15 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 2 when the door 5 closes the door opening 3.

[0017] The inner peripheral side wall portion 16 extends in a tapered shape from the edge portion of the panel main body portion 15 in a direction intersecting the panel main body portion 15. That is, the inner peripheral side wall portion 16 extends from the edge portion of the panel main body portion 15 with a predetermined inclination angle toward the outside in the vehicle width direction (the thickness direction of the door 5) when the door 5 closes the door opening 3.

[0018] The stepped portion 17 extends from the end portion of the inner peripheral side wall portion 16 toward the outside of the inner peripheral side wall portion 16. That is, the stepped portion 17 extends in a direction substantially parallel to the panel main body portion 15 from the end portion of the inner peripheral side wall portion 16.

[0019] The outer peripheral wall portion 18 extends in a tapered shape from the edge of the stepped portion 17 in a direction intersecting the stepped portion 17 (panel body portion 15). That is, when the door 5 is closed to the door opening 3, the outer peripheral wall portion 18 extends outward in the vehicle width direction from the edge of the stepped portion 17 at a predetermined inclination angle. In this embodiment, this outer peripheral wall portion 18 corresponds to a specific example of a wall portion that extends in a direction intersecting the panel body portion 15.

[0020] The flange portion 19 extends from the end of the outer peripheral wall portion 18 toward the outside of the outer peripheral wall portion 18. That is, the flange portion 19 extends from the end of the outer peripheral wall portion 18 in a direction substantially parallel to the panel body portion 15 and the stepped portion 17.

[0021] At the rear of the inner panel 10 configured in this way, a ratchet mechanism 7 is fixed to the inner circumferential side wall portion 16 by screws or the like.

[0022] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the ratchet mechanism 7 has a ratchet 26 inside the housing 25. The ratchet 26 is a member that can engage with a striker 27 provided at the rear of the door opening 3. The ratchet 26 is pivotably supported inside the housing 25 via a shaft portion 25a. A portion of the ratchet 26 is exposed to the outside of the housing 25 through an opening 25b provided in the housing 25.

[0023] The ratchet 26 is essentially held in a rotational position that engages with the striker 27 by being biased by a return spring (not shown). This engagement allows the ratchet 26 to maintain the closed state of the door opening 3 by the door 5.

[0024] On the other hand, when the door handle 30 (described later) attached to the outer panel 11 of door 5, or the door handle (not shown) attached to the inner panel, is operated, the ratchet 26 rotates against the biasing force of the return spring to a position that releases the striker 27. This release allows the ratchet 26 to open door 5.

[0025] Here, the amount of protrusion of the ratchet 26 from the opening 25b is set to be greater when the ratchet 26 is in the rotational position that disengages from the striker 27 than when the ratchet 26 is in the rotational position that engages with the striker 27. This adjustment of the ratchet 26's protrusion can be done, for example, by adjusting the arrangement of the ratchet 26 and the shaft portion 25a relative to the housing 25.

[0026] Furthermore, a weatherstrip 28 is provided on the inner surface of the inner panel 10 in the vehicle width direction to ensure watertightness with the door opening 3. This weatherstrip 28 is, for example, held in a stepped portion 17 along the outer surface of the inner circumferential side wall portion 16.

[0027] The outer panel 11 is formed by press-forming a sheet metal member, such as a steel plate having a predetermined thickness. The outer edge of this outer panel 11 is joined to the flange portion 19 of the inner panel 10 by hemming or the like. The joining of these outer panel 11 and inner panel 10 forms the outer shell of the door 5, which has an internal space.

[0028] A door handle 30 is attached to the rearward side of the outer panel 11. This door handle 30 is connected to a ratchet mechanism 7 inside the door 5 via a rod (not shown).

[0029] The door beam 12 is made of a sheet metal member, for example, a high-tensile strength steel plate that is thicker than the inner panel 10.

[0030] The door beam 12 is formed, for example, by press forming a sheet metal member. In this embodiment, specifically, the door beam 12 is formed by hot pressing a sheet metal composite of high-tensile steel plate, which comprises a sheet metal body 35 and a reinforcing sheet metal 36 that overlaps a portion of the sheet metal body 35 in the longitudinal direction.

[0031] As shown in Figures 2 to 7, the door beam 12 has a basic shape with a roughly hat-shaped cross-section, with a raised portion 12a in the center in the width direction that protrudes toward the outer panel 11 side (outward in the vehicle width direction). Furthermore, a roughly U-shaped bead 12b is formed at appropriate locations on the raised portion 12a, protruding toward the inner panel 10 side. In addition, a flat flange 12c is formed at the tip of the door beam 12.

[0032] As described above, the door beam 12 in this embodiment is formed by hot pressing. This hot pressing process involves shaping the sheet metal material, which has been heated to a high temperature, in only one step. Therefore, the uneven shape of the door beam 12 in this embodiment is basically formed only by bending in the width direction of the sheet metal composite (bending in which the bend line extends along the longitudinal direction).

[0033] The door beam 12 configured in this way is positioned along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2, from the stepped portion 17 provided at the front of the inner panel 10 to the stepped portion 17 provided at the rear of the inner panel 10.

[0034] The front end of the door beam 12 is joined to the inner panel 10 by welding the flange 12c to the stepped portion 17. In Figures 2 and 3, reference numeral 40 indicates the welded joint between the front end of the door beam 12 and the inner panel 10.

[0035] On the other hand, the rear end of the door beam 12 is joined to the inner panel 10 via a bracket 13. This bracket 13 is made of a sheet metal member, such as a steel plate, which is thicker than the inner panel 10 but thinner than the door beam 12.

[0036] As shown in Figures 2-4 and 8-11, the bracket 13 has a beam joint portion 13a and a panel joint portion 13b. This bracket 13 is formed, for example, by performing normal press working (cold press working) on ​​a sheet metal member that is harder than the inner panel 10 but harder than the door beam 12. As is well known, cold press working allows for multiple molding processes, thus offering greater flexibility in processing than hot press working.

[0037] The beam joint portion 13a is formed in a shape that appropriately follows the curved shape of the rear end of the door beam 12. This beam joint portion 13a is welded in a state of surface contact with the rear end of the door beam 12. As a result, the beam joint portion 13a is Stepped portion 17 and It is joined to the door beam 12. In the figure, reference numeral 41 denotes the door beam 12 and the beam joint 13a. and stepped portion 17 This shows the welded joint.

[0038] The panel joint portion 13b is formed in a substantially flat shape that follows the shape of the outer peripheral side wall portion 18. , outside The panel joint 13b is welded in a state of surface contact with the circumferential side wall portion 18. As a result, the panel joint portion 13b is joined to the inner panel 10. In the figure, reference numeral 42 denotes the inner panel 10. (outside This shows the welded joint between the peripheral wall portion 18) and the panel joint portion 13b.

[0039] Here, the rear end of the door beam 12 can also be additionally welded directly to the inner panel 10 if necessary. In the figure, reference numeral 43 indicates the welded joint between the door beam 12 and the inner panel 10.

[0040] The door beam 12, with its front and rear ends connected to the inner panel 10 in this manner, is in contact with the outer panel 11 via a mastic sealant 45.

[0041] Furthermore, the bracket 13 has a projection 13c, which extends, for example, from the beam joint 13a and faces the opening 25b of the ratchet mechanism 7.

[0042] This projection 13c is designed to tilt towards the ratchet mechanism 7 when the door 5 is deformed by a side impact or the like. The tilted projection 13c then interferes with the ratchet 26 exposed through the opening 25b (see Figure 12). This interference causes the projection 13c to function as a stopper, preventing the ratchet 26 from rotating.

[0043] According to this embodiment, the vehicle side door 5 comprises an inner panel 10 having a wall portion (outer peripheral side wall portion 18) extending in a direction intersecting the panel body portion 15 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 2, a door beam 12 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 2 and joined to the front and rear of the inner panel, respectively, and a bracket 13 interposed between the inner panel 10 and the rear end of the door beam 12. Furthermore, the bracket 13 has a beam joint portion 13a that is welded in surface contact with the rear end of the door beam 12, and a panel joint portion 13b that is welded in surface contact with the outer peripheral side wall portion 18 of the inner panel 10. These features further improve occupant safety against side impacts.

[0044] In other words, a bracket 13, formed from easily moldable steel plate or the like, is interposed between the inner panel 10 and the rear end of the door beam 12. This increases the degree of freedom in the connection configuration between the inner panel 10 and the door beam 12, even when the door beam 12 is formed from high-tensile steel or the like, which is difficult to mold in a complex manner.

[0045] Furthermore, the beam joint portion 13a of the bracket 13 is welded in a state where it is in surface contact with the rear end of the door beam 12. This allows the bracket 13 to be firmly fixed to the door beam 12 by numerous weld points (weld portions 41).

[0046] Furthermore, the panel joint portion 13b of the bracket 13 is welded in a state of surface contact with the outer peripheral side wall portion 18 of the inner panel 10. This allows the shear direction of the welded portion 42, which is the substantial connection between the inner panel 10 and the rear end of the door beam 12, to substantially coincide with the direction of load input during side impacts and when the door 5 is opened and closed. Here, the strength of the welded portion 42 in the shear direction is significantly stronger than the strength of the welded portion 42 in the peeling direction. Therefore, the door beam 12, which is made of high-tensile strength steel or the like, can be connected to the inner panel 10 with high durability and impact resistance (rigidity).

[0047] Furthermore, the thickness of the bracket 13 is greater than that of the inner panel 10. In addition, the hardness of the bracket 13 is set to be higher than that of the inner panel 10 and lower than that of the door beam 12. Therefore, it is possible to join the rear end of the door beam 12 to the inner panel 10 by welding between members whose plate thickness and strength change in stages. Such staged welding can achieve a higher joint strength compared to directly welding the door beam 12 and the inner panel 10, which have significantly different plate thicknesses and strengths. Therefore, in this respect as well, the door beam 12, which is made of high-tensile strength steel or the like, can be connected to the inner panel 10 with high durability and impact resistance.

[0048] Furthermore, the bracket 13 is equipped with a projection 13c that deforms during a side collision and interferes with the ratchet 26. Therefore, the opening of the door 5 during a side collision can be suppressed with a simple configuration without adding any new parts. Thus, the safety of occupants during side collisions can be ensured at a higher level.

[0049] The invention described in the above embodiments is not limited to those forms, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the gist of the invention. For example, in the above embodiments, a configuration was described in which the rear end of the door beam 12 is connected to the inner panel 10 via a bracket 13, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it is also possible to connect the front end of the door beam 12 to the inner panel 10 via a bracket 13.

[0050] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment described a configuration in which the door beam is formed by sheet metal forming, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it is also possible to use a pipe-shaped door beam.

[0051] Furthermore, the above embodiments include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriate combinations of the multiple constituent elements disclosed.

[0052] For example, if the problem described can be solved and the effects described can be obtained even if some of the constituent elements shown in the above-described embodiment are deleted, then the configuration with the deleted constituent elements can be extracted as an invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0053] 1 ... Vehicle 2… Vehicle body 3… Door opening 5… Front side door 6… Hinge 7. Ratchet mechanism 10… Inner panel 11… Outer panel 12… Door beam 12a … Protuberance 12b ... Bead 12c ... Flange 13… Bracket 13a ... Beam junction 13b ... Panel joint 13c...Protrusion 15… Panel main body 16 ... Inner circumferential side wall 17… Stepped section 18 … Outer perimeter side wall 19… Flange section 25… Cabinet 25a … Shaft part 25b … Opening 26… Ratchet 27… Striker 28… Weatherstrip 30… Door handle 35… Sheet metal body 36… Reinforcement sheet metal 40 ... Welded section 41 ... Welded section 42 ... Welded section 43... Welded section 45… Mastic Sheath

Claims

1. An inner panel having a panel body that extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body and a wall portion that extends in a direction intersecting it, A door beam extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and joined to the front and rear of the inner panel, respectively, The system includes a bracket interposed between the inner panel and the door beam, The aforementioned wall portion is An inner circumferential side wall portion extending from the edge of the panel body portion in a direction intersecting the panel body portion, It has an outer peripheral side wall portion that extends from the edge of a stepped portion that extends in a direction parallel to the panel body portion from the end of the inner peripheral side wall portion, in a direction intersecting the panel body portion, The aforementioned bracket is A flat beam joint portion is welded to the end of the door beam and the stepped portion in surface contact, The door beam has a flat panel joint portion that is welded to the outer peripheral wall portion at the same end, The beam joint and the panel joint are connected at an angle to each other by a portion that is bent along the corner formed between the stepped portion and the outer peripheral side wall portion. A vehicle side door characterized by the following features.

2. An inner panel having a panel body portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and a wall portion extending in a direction intersecting it, A door beam extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and joined to the front and rear of the inner panel, respectively, The system includes a bracket interposed between the inner panel and the door beam, The aforementioned wall portion is An inner circumferential side wall portion extending from the edge of the panel body portion in a direction intersecting the panel body portion, It has an outer peripheral side wall portion that extends from the edge of a stepped portion that extends in a direction parallel to the panel body portion from the end of the inner peripheral side wall portion, in a direction intersecting the panel body portion, The aforementioned bracket is A beam joint portion that is welded in surface contact with the end of the door beam and the stepped portion, A panel joint that is welded in surface contact with the outer peripheral side wall, It has a projection extending from the beam joint, The vehicle body is provided with a ratchet that can engage with a striker provided in the door opening, and further comprises a ratchet mechanism attached to the wall at the rear of the inner panel, The aforementioned projection is In the normal state of the side door, opposite the ratchet mechanism, In the event of a side collision with a vehicle, the ratchet deforms to a position that obstructs its rotation, thereby preventing the ratchet from releasing the striker. A vehicle side door characterized by the following features.

Citation Information

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