CN213322609U

CN213322609U - Door assembly for a vehicle and vehicle comprising said door assembly

Info

Publication number: CN213322609U
Application number: CN202021560837.9U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 魏玲
Original assignee: Volvo Car Corp
Current assignee: Volvo Car Corp
Priority date: 2020-07-31
Filing date: 2020-07-31
Publication date: 2021-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 2030-07-31

Abstract

The utility model discloses a vehicle door assembly for vehicle and include vehicle door assembly's vehicle, vehicle door assembly includes: a door outer panel including a lower edge section; and a door inner panel, the door inner panel and the door outer panel being connected together at a bottom of the lower edge section for forming an door inner chamber, wherein a lowest position of the door inner chamber is defined in the lower edge section in which a discharge hole is opened corresponding to the lowest position; and the door outer panel further includes a cover trim mounted to the lower edge section to form a closed space around the discharge hole so that liquid in the door inner chamber can be discharged to the closed space through the discharge hole to realize a one-way sealing drainage function of the door assembly. The utility model discloses a technical problem that will solve makes the car door module possess good drainage and gas tightness simultaneously.

Description

Door assembly for a vehicle and vehicle comprising said door assembly

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a vehicle manufacturing field, more specifically, the utility model relates to a door subassembly and vehicle including door subassembly.

Background

The door is a movable part of the vehicle, and is connected to the body of the vehicle by a hinge device. When the door is closed, the environment inside the vehicle and the environment outside the vehicle can be effectively isolated. Meanwhile, the side glass is arranged at the window frame of the vehicle door, can freely lift and is clamped between the inner water cutting strip and the outer water cutting strip in the lower edge of the window frame. However, liquid, such as rain, may enter the door inner chamber of the vehicle door through the gap between the side glass and the water cut strip. In the prior art, the liquid entering the inner chamber of the door is drained by arranging the drain hole at the bottom of the inner panel of the door, however, the completely opened drain hole causes a large amount of gas to leak into the inner chamber of the door, thereby affecting the air tightness and NVH (i.e., noise, vibration, and harshness) performance of the whole vehicle, and during the running of the vehicle, dust easily enters the inner chamber of the door through the drain hole, thereby causing abnormal sound of the glass lifting.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

An object of the utility model is to provide a door subassembly that possesses good drainage and gas tightness simultaneously.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a door assembly for a vehicle, comprising: a door outer panel including a lower edge section; and a door inner panel, the door inner panel and the door outer panel being joined together at a bottom of the lower edge section for forming a door inner chamber, a lowest position of the door inner chamber being defined in the lower edge section, a discharge hole being opened in the lower edge section corresponding to the lowest position; and the door outer panel further includes a cover trim mounted to the lower edge section to form a closed space around the discharge hole so that liquid in the door inner chamber can be discharged to the closed space through the discharge hole to realize a one-way sealing drainage function of the door assembly.

In an alternative embodiment, the covering trim includes: an exterior body attached to the lower edge section, an outer surface of the exterior body having a decorative function; and a first seal member and a second seal member that are immovable, the first seal member and the second seal member being connected to an inner surface of the exterior body and mated with the lower edge section to form a closed space.

In an alternative embodiment, the second seal member moves relative to the lower edge section to disengage from the lower edge section when a predetermined amount of liquid discharged through the discharge aperture into the enclosed space is reached, the enclosed space being opened.

In an alternative embodiment, the second seal is a sheet-like resilient one-way lip comprising a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side being connected to the inner surface of the outer body and the second side abutting the lower edge section below the discharge aperture such that the one-way lip is bent downwardly.

In an alternative embodiment, the first side portion has a thickness greater than a thickness of the second side portion.

In an alternative embodiment, the thickness of the first side portion is locally thinned at a root position of the first side portion, the root position being immediately adjacent to a connection position of the first side portion with the inner surface of the exterior body.

In an alternative embodiment, the first and second seals can be formed from elastomeric materials selected independently of one another from EPDM rubber, TPV, sponge rubber, solid rubber, and/or silicone rubber.

In an alternative embodiment, there is a gap between the lower edge of the exterior body and the lower edge section to enable manual drainage or manual cleaning of the interior surface of the sealed space.

In an alternative embodiment, the bottom of the lower edge section extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction such that the lowermost positions are distributed continuously in the lower edge section, and a plurality of discharge holes are opened in the lower edge section.

In an alternative embodiment, the bottom of the lower edge section extends obliquely with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction, so that the lowest position is provided at one end of the lower edge section in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a drain hole is opened at the end.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle including the above door assembly is provided.

The discharge hole of the door assembly in the utility model is arranged on the outer door plate, and the outer door plate also comprises a covering ornament, on one hand, when no liquid enters the inner door chamber through the gap between the side glass and the water cutting strip, the covering ornament seals the discharge hole by forming a sealing space so as to prevent undesired gas and dust from entering the inner door chamber; on the other hand, when the liquid discharged to the closed space through the discharge hole reaches a preset amount, the closed space is opened to smoothly discharge the liquid to the environment outside the vehicle. Furthermore, since the cover trim itself can decorate the door, the drain hole and the seal are not visible to the user, and the aesthetic appearance of the door is not affected.

Other features of the present invention and advantages thereof will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a vehicle including a door assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the lower part of a vehicle door assembly according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the covering trim forms a closed space with the first lower edge section.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a covering trim according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the first lower edge section is removed, but still assuming that the covering trim is subjected to the force of the first lower edge section.

Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a lower portion of a vehicle door assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the point of weakness of the one-way lip is schematically shown.

Detailed Description

Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It should be noted that: the drawings presented are not to scale and the claims are not limited to the shapes and sizes of the parts, components and structures in the drawings; like reference numbers and letters indicate like items in the figures, and thus, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures; unless specifically stated otherwise, the relative arrangement of parts, components and structures, numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention.

Techniques, methods, apparatuses, and systems known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate.

For purposes of clarity, with respect to a vehicle door assembly that has been installed, the terms "lower", "bottom" refer to being toward the ground in the vertical direction of the vehicle, "upper", "top" refer to being away from the ground in the vertical direction of the vehicle, "inner" refers to being toward the in-vehicle environment in the lateral direction of the vehicle, and "outer" refers to being away from the in-vehicle environment in the lateral direction of the vehicle. In addition, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle refers to the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

The vehicles described in the present disclosure include a variety of motor vehicles used in conjunction with door assemblies, such as automobiles, electric vehicles, construction vehicles, and the like, particularly, family cars that require a high driving experience. In summary, a vehicle defines an in-vehicle environment with a vehicle body and a door assembly that is connected to the vehicle body by a hinge device, and a passenger can access the in-vehicle environment by opening the door and isolate the in-vehicle environment from the out-vehicle environment by closing the door. The vehicle includes at least one door, typically a sedan car includes four doors, only one of which, or door assembly, is described for clarity.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a vehicle door assembly 10 includes: a door inner panel 10a facing the vehicle interior environment; a door outer panel 10b facing the environment outside the vehicle. The edges of the door inner panel 10a and the edges of the door outer panel 10b are crimped, welded, and/or otherwise joined together to define the door inner chamber 18. For example, the lower edge of the door outer panel 10b may be bent inward to form a notch, while the lower edge of the door inner panel 10a is nipped by the notch to perform a crimping operation.

The door inner panel 10a and the door outer panel 10b are also referred to as "door metal plates" and are generally formed of a metal plate material such as a steel plate, a copper plate, an aluminum alloy plate, or a plate material of another material and have sufficient rigidity to resist deformation. The door inner chamber 18 defined by the door inner panel 10a and the door outer panel 10b includes: various forms of reinforcement for increasing the structural rigidity of the vehicle door assembly 10; various forms of hole grooves and receiving seats for receiving liftable side glasses 11b, car locks, and vehicle accessories such as electronic devices.

Referring to fig. 2, in an alternative embodiment, the outer door panel 10b includes a first lower edge section 16, the first lower edge section 16 including: a lower sub-section 16a, the lower sub-section 16a being a bottom of the first lower edge section 16, the door inner panel 10a and the door outer panel 10b being connected together at the lower sub-section 16a for forming the door inner chamber 18; and an upper subsection 16b adjacent to the lower subsection 16 a. The door inner panel 10a includes a second lower edge section 17 in a similar manner. The lowest position of the door inner chamber 18 is defined in the first lower edge section 16 of the door outer panel 10b, generally speaking, the bottom of the lowest position is located at the intersection of the lower and

upper subsections

16a, 16b, and the lowest position is defined in the upper subsection 16b of the first lower edge section 16. The arrangement of the second lower edge section 17 relative to the first lower edge section 16 will ensure that the lowest position is defined in the first lower edge section 16.

The door assembly 10 further includes a sash 11 for mounting a side glass 11b that can be lifted and lowered, and as shown in fig. 1, the sash 11 may be integrally formed with the door inner panel 10a and the door outer panel 10b, respectively, or may be separately formed and mounted to the door inner panel 10a and the door outer panel 10b that are joined together by welding, screwing, or other means. An inner water cut strip facing the environment inside the vehicle and an outer water cut strip facing the environment outside the vehicle are provided at the lower edge 11a of the window frame 11, and the side glass 11b is sandwiched between the inner water cut strip and the outer water cut strip to scrape off foreign materials such as moisture and dust on the surface of the glass by the water cut strips during the lifting of the side glass 11 b. However, liquid, such as rainwater, may enter the door inner chamber 18 through a gap between the side glass 11b and the water cut strip. The presence of excess liquid, such as excess moisture, is undesirable because the door inner chamber 18 also contains vehicle accessories such as vehicle locks and electronics.

To this end, in an alternative embodiment, a drain hole 30 is opened in the first lower edge section 16 of the door outer panel 10b in correspondence with the lowest position of the door inner chamber 18 to completely drain the liquid entering the door inner chamber 18. The drain hole 30 may have various shapes, for example, the drain hole 30 may have a rectangular shape, a circular shape, or any other shape suitable for draining liquid. The exhaust holes 30 may also be of various numbers and sizes to meet the drainage requirements of the door assembly depending on the particular application.

Alternatively, when the bottom of the first lower edge section 16 extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction a (i.e., parallel to the horizontal direction) such that the lowest positions are continuously distributed at the first lower edge section 16, a plurality of drain holes 30 may be opened at the first lower edge section 16, and the plurality of drain holes 30 may be distributed in the first lower edge section 16 in any number and at any interval distance.

Alternatively, when the bottom of the first lower edge section 16 extends obliquely with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction a such that the lowest position is provided at one end of the first lower edge section 16 in the vehicle longitudinal direction a, only one drain hole 30 may be opened at the end.

It will be appreciated that the one discharge hole 30 may also be adjusted to other positions of the first lower edge section 16 by changing the inclination of the bottom of the first lower edge section 16 with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction a.

Subsequently, in order to prevent fluid and dust such as air from entering the inner door chamber 18 again through the discharge hole 30 facing the environment outside the vehicle, the door assembly 10 is further provided with a covering trim 32, and the covering trim 32 is mounted to the first lower edge section 16 of the outer door panel 10b by rivet connection, screw connection, or other means to form a closed space around the discharge hole 30 so that liquid in the inner door chamber 18 can be discharged to the closed space through the discharge hole 30. One or more cover trims 32 may be provided according to the number and positions of the discharge holes 30. For example, in the case where there are a plurality of the discharge holes 30, it is possible to cover all the discharge holes 30 with one elongated covering trim 32, or to cover the plurality of discharge holes 30 with a plurality of covering trims 32, respectively.

Referring to fig. 3, in an alternative embodiment, the covering trim 32 includes a trim body 34, the trim body 34 including an outer surface 34a facing the user and an inner surface 34b facing the first lower edge section 16. The shape and outer surface 34a of the exterior body 34 may be designed as desired to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the door, and to provide a decorative effect. For example, for aesthetic and manufacturability, and mounting requirements, the interior surface 34b is formed by a support member, such as plastic, and the exterior surface 34b is formed by a chrome or other decorative molding, which may be form-fit or otherwise joined together as a unitary exterior body 34. In fact, the user can only see the outer surface 34a of the exterior body 34, and the structure on the inner surface 34b of the exterior body 34 is not visible to the user.

While the inner surface 34b of the exterior body 34 is provided with a connection fitting to connect the exterior body 34 to the first lower edge section 16. For example, two columnar receiving holes 50 are provided at both ends of the exterior body 34 at the top of the inner surface 34b to receive two screws passing through the door outer panel 10b, thereby fixing the exterior body 34 to the door outer panel 10 b. It is to be understood that the exterior body 34 may be fixed to the door outer panel 10b with other forms of connecting fittings.

The covering trim 32 further includes a first seal member and a second seal member that are immovable and integrally formed with the exterior body 34, or particularly the support of the exterior body 34, by integral two-color injection molding or three-color injection molding. Alternatively, it is also possible to mold separately and then attach the separate first and second seals to the inner surface 34b of the exterior body 34. The first and second seals mate with the first lower edge section 16 to form a closed space. The first seal and the second seal are matched to the first lower edge section 16 means that, when the exterior body 34 is fixed to the door outer panel 10b, the first seal and the second seal in any cross section form a substantially closed shape or have only a very small gap at the abutting position of the first seal and the second seal so as not to hinder the movement of the second seal, while both the first seal and the second seal are in close abutment with the first lower edge section 16.

When no liquid enters the door inner chamber 18 through the gap between the side glass and the water cut strip, the covering decoration 32 seals the discharge hole 30, thereby effectively ensuring the insulation of the vehicle interior environment and improving the air tightness of the vehicle interior environment. When the liquid discharged to the enclosed space through the discharge hole 30 reaches a preset amount, the second seal is moved relative to the first lower edge section 16 to be disengaged from the first lower edge section 16, at which time the enclosed space is opened to discharge the liquid to the environment outside the vehicle.

In an alternative embodiment, the first seal comprises a top seal 37 and a side seal 40, the top seal 37 and the two side seals 40 being located above and to either side of the one-way lip 36, respectively. The top seal 37 and the side seal 40 are fixed relative to the first lower edge section 16.

The second seal is a sheet-like resilient one-way lip 36. For example, the unidirectional lip 36 includes a first side 38 and a second side 39 opposite the first side 38. As described above, the one-way lip 36 (and the top seal 37 and the side seal 40) may be injection-molded together with the exterior body 34 by two-shot molding or three-shot molding so that the first side portion 38 is connected to the inner surface 34b of the exterior body 34. Additionally or alternatively, the first side 38 may also be attached to the inner surface 34b by an adhesive or otherwise.

When only the one-way lip 36 is attached to the inner surface 34b of the exterior body 34 and the exterior body 34 is not mounted to the door outer panel 10b, the one-way lip 36 freely extends from the first side portion 38 toward the second side portion 39. When the top seal 37 and the two side seals 40 are also connected to the inner surface 34b of the exterior body 34 and the exterior body 34 is mounted to the door outer panel 10b, the second side 39 of the one-way lip 36 abuts against the first lower edge section 16 below the discharge hole 30, that is, against the lower sub-section 16a, so that the one-way lip 36 is bent downward from the first side 38 toward the second side 39. As the one-way lip 36 is elastically deformed, the one-way lip 36 will be loaded with an elastic restoring force tending to restore the straight extended state upwardly, such elastic restoring force being applied to the first lower edge section 16 below the discharge aperture 30 to maintain the second side 39 in mating engagement with the first lower edge section 16. Additionally, the top seal 37 is above the outlet opening 30 and the two side seals 40 are tightly applied to the first lower edge section 16 on both sides of the outlet opening 30, so that a closed space is finally formed.

Taking rainwater as an example, rainwater entering the door inner chamber 18 through the gap between the side glass 11b and the water cut strip flows downward to the lowest position of the door inner chamber 18 by gravity, and flows out to the sealed space through the drain hole 30 opened at the lowest position. Over a period of time, rain water will gradually converge in the enclosed space. When the converged rainwater reaches a preset amount, the gravity of the converged rainwater will be greater than the elastic restoring force of the one-way lip 36 at the second side portion 39, so that the second side portion 39 is disengaged from the first lower edge section 16, and the closed space is opened, and the rainwater is discharged to the environment outside the vehicle. Conversely, since the length of the one-way lip 36 from the first side 38 to the second side 39 is greater than the distance of the second side 39 of the one-way lip 36 to the first lower edge section 16, and the one-way lip 36 abuts against the first lower edge section 16, i.e., the lower sub-section 16a is bent downward, conventionally, although there may be some gas acting upward on the one-way lip 36 from the lower edge of the exterior body 34, it is insufficient to cause the one-way lip 36 to transition to bend upward and disengage from the first lower edge section 16, only causing the one-way lip 36 and the first lower edge section 16 to form a tighter seal.

The elastic restoring force of unidirectional lip 36 at second side 39 is influenced by a number of factors including the material, thickness, dimensions of length and width, and degree of deformation of unidirectional lip 36. In an alternative embodiment, the thickness of the first side portion 38 is greater than the thickness of the second side portion 39, which on the one hand facilitates a more secure attachment of the thicker first side portion 38 to the inner surface 34b of the outer sheathing body 34 and on the other hand facilitates a disengagement of the second side portion 39 from the first lower edge section 16. Referring to fig. 4, additionally or alternatively, the thickness of the first side portion 38 is locally thinned at a root position of the first side portion 38, which is immediately adjacent to a connection position of the first side portion 38 with the inner surface 34b of the exterior body 34. For example, where the thickness of first side 38 is maximized at the connection location, the thickness of first side 38 at the root location forms a depression 38a due to the localized thinning, which depression 38a acts as a point of weakness for unidirectional lip 36, making it easier for unidirectional lip 36 to be unmated from first lower edge section 16 under the influence of water. As another example, the unidirectional lip 36 may taper from the first side 38 toward the second side 39. It will be appreciated that the unidirectional lip 36 may also extend from the first side 38 toward the second side 39 in other variations as desired.

The one-way lip 36, top seal 37 and side seal 40 may be selected independently of one another to be formed from EPDM rubber, TPV, sponge rubber, solid rubber, silicone rubber and/or other suitable elastomeric material.

In an alternative embodiment, there is a gap between the first lower edge section 16 and the lower edge of the outer body 34, the gap being sized such that a user may effect manual drainage or manual cleaning of the interior surface of the sealed space. For example, the sealed space is actively cleaned by using a hand or a manually operated tool.

It will be appreciated that the force of opening and closing the door may also cause the one-way lip 36 to vibrate to assist in draining liquid from the interior chamber 18 of the door when the door is opened and closed. Therefore, in the case where it is desired to utilize the force for opening and closing the door more, the bottom of the first lower edge section 16 may be made to slightly slope downward from front to rear with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction a, whereby the lowest end of the first lower edge section 16 is away from the hinge position of the door with the vehicle body, with a larger arc length of movement when opening and closing the door.

It will also be appreciated that the first seal and in particular the second seal may also be made of other materials and/or have other different configurations. For example, the second seal may provide a one-way drain function through a combination of a hinge and a spring to seal the overlay trim from the drain hole when no liquid enters the door interior chamber and to drain the liquid to the environment outside the vehicle in time when liquid enters the door interior chamber.

Although some specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail by way of examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above examples are intended to be illustrative only, and not to limit the scope of the invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A door assembly for a vehicle, comprising:

a door outer panel including a lower edge section; and

a door inner panel, the door inner panel and the door outer panel being connected together at a bottom of the lower edge section for forming an inner door chamber, characterized in that,

a lowest position of the door inner chamber is defined in the lower edge section in which the discharge hole is opened corresponding to the lowest position; and is

The door outer panel further includes a cover trim mounted to the lower edge section to form a closed space around the discharge hole so that liquid in the door inner chamber can be discharged to the closed space through the discharge hole to achieve a one-way sealing water discharge function of the door assembly.

2. The vehicle door assembly of claim 1, wherein the cover trim comprises:

an exterior body attached to the lower edge section, an outer surface of the exterior body having a decorative function; and

a first seal member and a second seal member that are immovable, the first seal member and the second seal member being connected to an inner surface of the exterior body and mated with the lower edge section to form a closed space.

3. The vehicle door assembly of claim 2, wherein the sealed space is opened when the second seal moves relative to the lower edge section to disengage from the lower edge section when a predetermined amount of liquid discharged to the sealed space through the discharge port reaches a predetermined amount.

4. The vehicle door assembly of claim 3, wherein the second seal is a sheet-like resilient one-way lip, the one-way lip including a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side being connected to an interior surface of the outer body and the second side abutting the lower edge section below the exhaust aperture such that the one-way lip is bent downward.

5. The vehicle door assembly of claim 4, wherein a thickness of the first side portion is greater than a thickness of the second side portion.

6. The vehicle door assembly of claim 4, wherein the thickness of the first side portion is locally reduced at a root portion of the first side portion, the root portion being located immediately adjacent to a connection location of the first side portion with the inner surface of the exterior body.

7. The vehicle door assembly of any of claims 2-6, wherein the first and second seals are selectively formed from EPDM rubber, TPV, sponge rubber, solid rubber, or silicone rubber, independently of one another.

8. The vehicle door assembly of any of claims 2-6, wherein a gap exists between the lower edge of the outer cover body and the lower edge section to allow for manual drainage or manual cleaning of the interior surface of the sealed space.

9. The vehicle door assembly of any of claims 1-6, wherein a bottom of the lower edge section extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction such that the lowest positions are consecutively distributed in the lower edge section, and a plurality of exhaust holes are opened in the lower edge section.

10. The vehicle door assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a bottom of the lower edge section extends obliquely with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction such that the lowest position is provided at an end portion of the lower edge section in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a discharge hole is bored at the end portion.

11. A vehicle comprising the vehicle door assembly of any of claims 1-10.