JP7531464B2 - Vehicle side door - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle side door.

Vehicle side doors may have reinforcing parts such as door beams placed inside a panel set consisting of an inner panel and an outer panel to improve their strength. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle side door with such a reinforcing structure.

JP 2014-162301 A

In vehicle side doors, the panel set and the door beam may be made of different materials due to weight, cost, and other constraints. In such cases, the difference in linear expansion coefficient between the two materials can cause differences in their elongation when heated, which can lead to thermal strain.

The objective of the present invention is to suppress thermal strain in a vehicle side door that includes a panel set and a door beam made of materials with different linear expansion coefficients.

The present invention relates to
a panel set including an outer panel constituting an outer panel of a vehicle body and an inner panel facing the outer panel and disposed more inwardly than the outer panel in a vehicle width direction;
a door beam disposed between the inner panel and the outer panel and extending in a vehicle front-rear direction, and a reinforcing part having a bracket connecting the door beam and the inner panel,
The bracket has a first connection portion connected to the inner panel, a second connection portion connected to the door beam, and an intermediate portion between the first connection portion and the second connection portion,
The intermediate portion has at least one bent portion,
The linear expansion coefficient of the material of the panel set is different from that of the material of the door beam.

With this configuration, the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the panel set and the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the door beam are different, so there is a difference in the expansion when the temperature rises. However, because a bent portion is provided in the middle of the bracket, the middle portion can bend starting from the bent portion. In other words, the bracket has flexibility. By using a flexible bracket in this way, the difference in expansion between the panel set and the door beam can be absorbed, which means that thermal strain can be suppressed.

The at least one bent portion may be disposed on the inner side of the second connection portion in the vehicle width direction. The at least one bent portion may be disposed on the outer side of the second connection portion in the vehicle width direction.

With these configurations, the desired layout can be achieved by specifying the position of the bend. In particular, if the bend is positioned on the inside of the second connection in the vehicle width direction, the middle section tends to be longer, ensuring greater flexibility.

The at least one bend may include multiple bends.

This configuration allows for greater flexibility in bending compared to when only one bending section is provided, allowing the bracket to deform flexibly.

One of the plurality of bent portions may be disposed inward in a vehicle width direction relative to the second connection portion,
Another one of the plurality of bent portions may be disposed outboard of the second connection portion in the vehicle width direction.

This configuration allows the middle section to be long and can be bent in various ways, improving the flexibility of the bracket.

The panel set may be made of an aluminum alloy;
The door beam may be made of steel.

With this configuration, since aluminum alloy and steel are practical materials for vehicle side doors, a practical vehicle side door can be constructed. Furthermore, if an inflexible bracket were used, the door beam, which has a small linear expansion coefficient, would resist the panel set, which has a large linear expansion coefficient, as it tries to stretch when the temperature rises during the manufacturing process. This would result in a tensile force being applied to the bracket, which would restrict the deformation of the panel set and cause thermal strain. However, by using a flexible bracket as in the above configuration, the bracket can be prevented from stretching and the deformation of the panel set from being restricted, thereby suppressing thermal strain.

The panel set may be made of steel;
The door beam may be made of an aluminum alloy.

With this configuration, since aluminum alloy and steel are practical materials for vehicle side doors, a practical vehicle side door can be constructed. Furthermore, if an inflexible bracket were used, when the door beam, which has a large linear expansion coefficient, tries to expand when the temperature rises during the manufacturing process, the panel set, which has a small linear expansion coefficient, acts as a resistance. As a result, a compressive force is applied to the bracket, which restricts the deformation of the door beam and generates thermal strain. However, by using a flexible bracket as in the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the bracket from bending and the deformation of the door beam from being restricted, thereby suppressing thermal strain.

The linear expansion coefficient of the material of the panel set may be more than twice or less than half the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the door beam.

This configuration makes it even more effective for combinations of materials that tend to cause the thermal distortion problem.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress thermal strain in a vehicle side door that includes a panel set and a door beam made of materials with different linear expansion coefficients.

1 is a perspective view of a vehicle side door according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle side door of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the bracket and its vicinity in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a bracket and its surroundings in a first modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a bracket and its vicinity in a second modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the bracket and its surroundings in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a bracket and its surroundings in a first modified example of the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a bracket and its surroundings in a second modified example of the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a bracket and its surrounding area in a third modified example of the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the bracket and its vicinity in the third embodiment.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

First Embodiment
1 shows a perspective view of a vehicle side door 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as side door 1) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Arrows FR, UP, and IN indicate the front side in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the upper side in the vehicle vertical direction, and the inside in the vehicle width direction, respectively. These will be indicated in the same manner in the subsequent figures.

The side door 1 shown in the figure constitutes the side of a vehicle body (not shown). Note that there is no particular limitation on the type of vehicle body.

The side door 1 includes an upper window frame 10 and a lower panel set 20.

A door glass (not shown) is arranged in the window frame 10 so that it can be raised and lowered.

The panel set 20 has an outer panel 21 that constitutes the outer panel of the vehicle body (not shown), and an inner panel 22 that faces the outer panel 21 and is positioned inside the outer panel 21 in the vehicle width direction.

Figure 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the side door 1 in Figure 1.

In this embodiment, the outer panel 21 is a generally flat plate, and is hemmed at its peripheral edge 21a so as to sandwich the peripheral edge 22a of the inner panel 22 (see FIG. 3 for details). The inner panel 22 has a shape in which the central portion 22b is recessed inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the peripheral edge 22a, and is joined to the outer panel 21 at the peripheral edge 22a.

A reinforcing part 30 is disposed between the inner panel 22 and the outer panel 21. The reinforcing part 30 has a door beam 31 that extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a bracket 40 that connects the door beam 31 and the inner panel 22.

The door beam 31 is a member that reinforces the panel set 20. In this embodiment, the door beam is a pipe shape with a circular cross section. The door beam 31, together with the bracket 40, extends over almost the entire side door 1 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. A mounting portion 23 having a shape complementary to the door beam 31 is provided at the rear of the inner panel 22 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. For example, the mounting portion 23 is a resin member separate from the inner panel 22, and is screwed to the inner panel 22. The rear end 31a of the door beam 31 in the vehicle longitudinal direction is mounted and fixed on the mounting portion 23. The front end 31b of the door beam 31 in the vehicle longitudinal direction is connected to the bracket 40.

Figure 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the bracket 40 and its surroundings in the first embodiment. Figure 3 shows a cross-section of the side door 1 perpendicular to the vehicle vertical direction.

In this embodiment, the bracket 40 is in the shape of a bent plate. The bracket 40 has a first connection portion 41 that is connected to the inner panel 22, a second connection portion 42 that is connected to the door beam 31, and an intermediate portion 43 between the first connection portion 41 and the second connection portion 42. The inner panel 22 and the first connection portion 41 are mechanically joined using rivets or the like, fused jointed, or joined using an adhesive. Similarly, the door beam 31 and the second connection portion 42 are mechanically joined using rivets or the like, fused jointed, or joined using an adhesive. As described below, various materials can be selected for each portion of the side door 1, and the joining method can be appropriately selected depending on the selected material.

The boundary between the first connection portion 41 and the intermediate portion 43 is defined by a ridge portion 41a formed by bending. The ridge portion 41a is included in the first connection portion 41. Similarly, the boundary between the second connection portion 42 and the intermediate portion 43 is defined by a ridge portion 42a formed by bending. The ridge portion 42a is included in the second connection portion 42.

In this embodiment, the intermediate portion 43 has two bent portions 44a and 44b (which are also referred to simply as bent portion 44 without distinction). Note that although the ridge portions 41a and 42a have a bent shape, they are different from the bent portion 44 because they are not provided in the intermediate portion 43 as described above.

In this embodiment, the two bent portions 44a, 44b are disposed on the inside in the vehicle width direction from the second connection portion 42. The two bent portions 44a, 44b are both bent at approximately 90 degrees so as to form a convex shape toward the inside in the vehicle width direction.

The following are examples of materials used for each part of the side door 1 of this embodiment, which has the above configuration.

The panel set 20 is made of, for example, an aluminum alloy, that is, both the inner panel 22 and the outer panel 21 are made of an aluminum alloy, the linear expansion coefficient of which is about 2.36×10 ⁻⁵ .

The door beam 31 is made of, for example, steel, which has a linear expansion coefficient of about 1.1×10 ⁻⁵ .

In this embodiment, the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the panel set 20 (aluminum alloy) is more than twice the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the door beam 31 (steel).

In this embodiment, the material of the bracket 40 is metal, such as steel or aluminum alloy, but is not limited to this and may be made of resin, for example.

According to this embodiment, the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the panel set 20 and the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the door beam 31 are different, so there is a difference in the expansion when the temperature rises. However, because the bent portion 44 is provided in the middle portion 43 of the bracket 40, the middle portion 43 can bend from the bent portion 44. In other words, the bracket 40 has flexibility. By using the bracket 40 that has such flexibility, the difference in expansion between the panel set 20 and the door beam 31 can be absorbed, that is, thermal strain can be suppressed.

In addition, because the first connection portion is positioned outside the second connection portion 42 in the vehicle width direction and the bent portion 44 is positioned inside the second connection portion 42 in the vehicle width direction, the intermediate portion 43 can be made long, ensuring greater flexibility.

In addition, because two bending portions 44a and 44b are provided, the degree of freedom of bending is improved compared to when only one bending portion is provided. Therefore, the bracket 40 can be flexibly deformed.

In addition, since the panel set 20 is made of aluminum alloy and the door beam 31 is made of steel, a practical side door 1 can be constructed. If an inflexible bracket 40 were used, when the panel set 20, which has a large linear expansion coefficient, tries to expand during the manufacturing process as the temperature rises, the door beam 31, which has a small linear expansion coefficient, acts as a resistance. As a result, a tensile force is applied to the bracket 40, which restricts the deformation of the panel set 20 and generates thermal strain. However, by using a flexible bracket 40 as in this embodiment, the bracket 40 can be prevented from expanding and restricting the deformation of the panel set 20, thereby suppressing thermal strain.

In addition, the linear expansion coefficient of aluminum alloys is more than twice that of steel, so unless some special measures are taken, the problem of thermal strain is likely to become apparent. Therefore, the flexible bracket 40 of this embodiment can function even more effectively.

Alternatively, the panel set 20 may be made of an aluminum alloy and the door beam 31 may be made of steel. In this case, the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the panel set 20 is less than half the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the door beam 31.

When the panel set 20 is made of steel and the door beam 31 is made of an aluminum alloy, a practical vehicle side door can be constructed. In this case, if an inflexible bracket 40 is used, when the door beam, which has a large linear expansion coefficient, tries to expand during the manufacturing process as the temperature rises, the panel set, which has a small linear expansion coefficient, acts as a resistance. As a result, a compressive force is applied to the bracket 40, which restricts the deformation of the door beam 31 and generates thermal strain. However, by using a flexible bracket 40 as in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the bracket 40 from bending and restricting the deformation of the door beam 31, thereby suppressing thermal strain.

Figure 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of bracket 40 in a first modified example of the first embodiment.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the middle portion 43 has one bent portion 44c (also simply referred to as bent portion 44). The bent portion 44c is bent at an acute angle toward the inside in the vehicle width direction.

Figure 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of bracket 40 in the second modified example of the first embodiment.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the middle portion 43 has four bent portions 44d to 44g (which are also referred to simply as bent portion 44 without distinction). Each of the four bent portions 44d to 44g is bent at an obtuse angle toward the inside in the vehicle width direction.

As shown in the first and second modified examples, the number and shape of the bent portions 44 in the intermediate portion 43 are not particularly limited, and it is sufficient that at least one bent portion is provided.

Second Embodiment
The vehicle side door 1 of the second embodiment shown in Fig. 6 is different from that of the first embodiment in the shape of the bracket 40. Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the description of the parts shown in the first embodiment may be omitted.

In this embodiment, the intermediate portion 43 has one bent portion 44h (also simply referred to as bent portion 44). The bent portion 44h is disposed outward in the vehicle width direction from the second connection portion 42. The bent portion 44h is bent at an obtuse angle so as to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction. In the illustrated example, the bent portion 44h is formed approximately in the center of the intermediate portion 43 in the vehicle front-rear direction.

Figure 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of bracket 40 in a first modified example of the second embodiment.

In the example of FIG. 7, the middle portion 43 has three bent portions 44i to 44k (these are simply referred to as bent portion 44 without distinction). The bent portions 44i and 44j are aligned with the second connection portion 42 in the vehicle width direction. The bent portions 44i and 44j are both bent at an obtuse angle so as to convex toward the inside in the vehicle width direction. The bent portion 44k is disposed further outboard in the vehicle width direction than the second connection portion 42. The bent portion 44k is bent at an acute angle so as to convex toward the outside in the vehicle width direction.

Figure 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of bracket 40 in the second modified example of the second embodiment.

In the example of FIG. 8, the middle portion 43 has two bent portions 44l, 44m (which are also referred to simply as bent portion 44 without distinction). The two bent portions 44l, 44m are aligned in the vehicle width direction and are both positioned further outboard in the vehicle width direction than the second connection portion 42. The bent portion 44l is bent at an obtuse angle so as to convex toward the inside in the vehicle width direction. The bent portion 44m is bent at an obtuse angle so as to convex toward the outside in the vehicle width direction.

Figure 9 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of bracket 40 in the third modified example of the second embodiment.

In the example of FIG. 9, the middle portion 43 has four bent portions 44n to 44q (these are also simply referred to as bent portions 44 without distinction). The positions of the bent portions 44n and 44o in the vehicle width direction are aligned. The positions of the bent portions 44p and 44q in the vehicle width direction are aligned. All of the four bent portions 44n to 44q are positioned further outboard in the vehicle width direction than the second connection portion 42. The bent portions 44n and 44p are bent at an obtuse angle so as to convex toward the inside in the vehicle width direction. The bent portions 44o and 44q are bent at an obtuse angle so as to convex toward the outside in the vehicle width direction.

In this embodiment, as shown in the first to third modified examples, the number and shape of the bent portions 44 in the intermediate portion 43 are not particularly limited, and there may be at least one.

Third Embodiment
The vehicle side door 1 of the third embodiment shown in Fig. 10 differs from the first and second embodiments in the shape of the bracket 40. Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first and second embodiments. Therefore, the description of the parts shown in the first and second embodiments may be omitted.

In this embodiment, the intermediate portion 43 has three bent portions 44r to 44t (these are also referred to simply as bent portion 44 without distinction). The bent portions 44r and 44s are disposed outboard of the second connecting portion 42 in the vehicle width direction. The bent portion 44t is disposed inboard of the second connecting portion 42 in the vehicle width direction. The bent portion 44r is bent at an obtuse angle so as to convex toward the inside in the vehicle width direction. The bent portion 44s is bent at an obtuse angle so as to convex toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. The bent portion 44t is bent at an acute angle so as to convex toward the inside in the vehicle width direction.

According to this embodiment, the intermediate portion 43 can be made long and bent in various ways, improving the flexibility of the bracket. In addition, in this embodiment, it is sufficient that the bent portions 44 are provided on the outer and inner sides of the second connection portion 42 in the vehicle width direction, and there are no particular limitations on the number or shape of the bent portions.

The above describes specific embodiments of the present invention and their variations, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the invention. For example, an appropriate combination of the contents of each embodiment may be one embodiment of the present invention.

1. Vehicle side door (side door)
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 window frame 20 panel set 21 outer panel 21a peripheral portion 22 inner panel 22a peripheral portion 22b central portion 23 mounting portion 30 reinforcing part 31 door beam 31a rear end 31b front end 40 bracket 41 first connection portion 41a ridge portion 42 second connection portion 42a ridge portion 43 intermediate portion 44, 44a to 44t bent portion

Claims (10)

a panel set including an outer panel constituting an outer panel of a vehicle body and an inner panel facing the outer panel and disposed more inwardly than the outer panel in a vehicle width direction;
a door beam disposed between the inner panel and the outer panel and extending in a vehicle front-rear direction; and a reinforcing part having a bracket connecting the door beam and the inner panel at a front end in the vehicle direction ,
The outer panel and the inner panel are joined at a peripheral portion,
the bracket has a first connection portion connected to the inner panel at a position different from the outer panel , a second connection portion connected to the door beam, and an intermediate portion between the first connection portion and the second connection portion,
the first connection portion and the second connection portion each have a ridge portion at a boundary with the intermediate portion,
The intermediate portion has at least one bent portion,
A vehicle side door, wherein the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the panel set is different from the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the door beam. The vehicle side door according to claim 1, wherein the at least one bent portion is disposed on the inner side of the second connection portion in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle side door according to claim 1, wherein the at least one bent portion is disposed outside the second connection portion in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle side door according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one bent portion includes a plurality of bent portions. One of the plurality of bent portions is disposed on the inner side of the second connection portion in a vehicle width direction,
The vehicle side door according to claim 4 , wherein another one of the plurality of bent portions is disposed outboard of the second connection portion in a vehicle width direction. the panel set is made of an aluminum alloy;
6. The vehicle side door according to claim 1, wherein the door beam is made of steel. the panel set is made of steel;
The vehicle side door according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the door beam is made of an aluminum alloy. The vehicle side door according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the panel set is at least twice or less than half the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the door beam. 9. The vehicle side door according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the bent portions is bent at an acute angle. a panel set including an outer panel constituting an outer panel of a vehicle body and an inner panel facing the outer panel and disposed more inwardly than the outer panel in a vehicle width direction;
a door beam disposed between the inner panel and the outer panel and extending in a vehicle front-rear direction, and a reinforcing part having a bracket connecting the door beam and the inner panel;
Equipped with
The bracket has a first connection portion connected to the inner panel, a second connection portion connected to the door beam, and an intermediate portion between the first connection portion and the second connection portion,
The intermediate portion has at least one bent portion,
At least one of the bent portions is bent at an acute angle,
A vehicle side door, wherein the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the panel set is different from the linear expansion coefficient of the material of the door beam.

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