DE102022117542A1 - Vehicle door assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle door assembly includes a vehicle door structure having an upper portion and a lower portion. Furthermore, the vehicle door assembly includes a side impact beam and a support, the support being connected to the upper and lower regions and being intended and suitable for coming into contact with the side impact beam in the event of a side impact. The side impact beam has a front end and a rear end. A contact area of the side impact beam and the support is arranged between the front and rear ends and the courses of the side impact beam and the support intersect in the contact area.

Description

The present application relates to a vehicle door assembly. More specifically, the present application relates to supporting a side impact beam of a vehicle door assembly and a vehicle body assembly with such support, as well as a method for dissipating force in a side impact.

With conventional side impact beams, buckling in the direction of loading of the side impact beam during the penetration of the side impact barrier and especially the barrel of the static equivalent load case is a problem, since the buckling means that the penetrating force is only dissipated very late in the course of the side impact and therefore the Door deformed far into the vehicle interior.

Against this background, it is an object of the invention to create a vehicle door arrangement in which an early dissipation of the forces and reduced penetration of the vehicle door into the vehicle interior during a side impact is possible.

This task is solved by the attached independent claims. The dependent claims relate to advantageous further training.

In connection with the present application, directional information such as longitudinal direction, transverse direction, (vehicle) front, (vehicle) rear, as well as above and below are to be understood as referring to a vehicle door in its closed installed state in the vehicle and a vehicle with such a vehicle door when it is on a on a flat, horizontal surface in the usual position of use with the doors closed. The longitudinal direction corresponds to a direction parallel to the direction of travel of the vehicle and a transverse direction corresponds to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (e.g. “through the front doors”). (Vehicle) front and (vehicle) rear are also directional information or relative position information of, for example, one feature in relation to another in relation to the above.

Usage position. If an x,y,z coordinate system is used in connection with this application, then the x-axis is parallel to the longitudinal direction (direction of travel), the y-axis is parallel to the transverse direction, and the z-axis is parallel to a vertical axis (vehicle height) to understand. If (component) parts are described as connected, this can also include intermediate structures that are not described or mentioned.

According to one aspect of the present application, a vehicle door assembly includes a vehicle door structure (e.g., door inner panel) having an upper portion and a lower portion, a side impact beam, and a support. The support is connected to the upper and lower areas and is intended and suitable for coming into contact with the side impact beam in the event of a side impact. This also includes that the support and the side impact beam are already in contact in the resting state, this can also include a connection with a flexible mass or an adhesive, which is arranged between the support and the side impact beam. The upper area can, for example, be the so-called be parapet. The side impact beam generally has a front end and a rear end. In general, the side impact beam runs at least partially and essentially parallel to a direction of travel of the vehicle. A contact area of the side impact beam and the support is arranged between the front and rear ends and the courses of the side impact beam and the support intersect in the contact area. Since both the side impact beam and the support are essentially elongated bodies, their course means the alignment of the longitudinal extension in the installed state in space and, if necessary, the projection into a common plane. The installation condition can be such that the side impact beam is in front of the support when viewed from the outside of the vehicle in the transverse or y direction. The support can be made in one piece or separately with the upper and/or lower area. The support can also be made in one piece with the side impact beam.

A side impact in the sense of this application is the impact of a body on the vehicle door or the vehicle comprising the vehicle door assembly from a direction that is at least partially in the transverse direction of the vehicle. The above arrangement can have the advantage that in the event of a side impact, the side impact support comes into contact with the support as early as possible in the timing of the side impact and thus the side impact force is at least partially introduced into the upper and lower areas of the vehicle door. This at least reduces buckling of the side impact beam inwards or in the direction of the impact.

According to one aspect of the present application, the support has an extension in one transverse direction which is smaller in the upper region and/or in the lower region than in the contact region. This can have the advantage that material and installation space can be saved.

According to one aspect of the present application, an inside door handle attachment is associated with the support. This can have the advantage that force (e.g. closing the door) can be safely introduced into the vehicle door.

According to one aspect of the present application, the support of the vehicle door assembly is at least partially a cup-shaped element. This can have the advantage that weight can be saved and production can be simplified.

According to one aspect of the present application, the support runs between two pane connection points of a window lifting device. Usually the door panes are connected at two points to a window lifting device, which then moves the door pane up and down. Arranging the support between the window connection points can have the advantage that a currently little-used installation space or area of a vehicle door arrangement is used and the assembly of the window lifting device is not impaired.

According to one aspect of the present application, the abutment area is arranged in an area between the front end and the rear end in which the side impact beam would buckle without the support in a side impact. This can have the advantage that with such an arrangement the side impact beam is stabilized in the event of a side impact.

According to one aspect of the present application, a vehicle body assembly includes a vehicle door assembly according to at least one of the above aspects and a sill assembly which extends parallel to the lower region in the vehicle body assembly in a closed state of the vehicle door assembly, as is known. In the event of a side impact, the support brings the lower area at least partially into contact with the sill arrangement. Due to the partial force introduction of a side impact force in the event of a side impact into the side impact beam and thus partially into the lower area, this is deformed in such a way that it comes into contact with the sill arrangement and thus part of the side impact force is introduced into a structurally resistant part of the vehicle body. In other words, the vehicle door assembly is supported at an early stage on the sill assembly and thus directs the side impact force into the vehicle body, where it can be further dissipated. This initiation can take place via force and/or positive locking. This can have the advantage that a penetration depth of the vehicle door arrangement into an interior or passenger compartment is reduced.

According to one aspect of the present application, the vehicle body assembly includes a brace which extends transversely in the vehicle body assembly and is connected to the rocker assembly. This can have the advantage that the introduction of part of the side impact force into the vehicle body arrangement is improved. The bracing can also be a bracing arrangement.

According to one aspect of the present application, the strut is connected to the sill assembly in an area in which the support is connected to the lower area when the vehicle door assembly is closed. In other words, when the vehicle door is closed, a lower end of the support lies in an area in which the strut ends in the sill, so that in the event of a side impact, the support can push into the strut via the lower area and the sill arrangement in the most direct way possible. This can have the advantage that the introduction of part of the side impact force into the vehicle body arrangement is improved.

According to one aspect of the present application, in the event of a side impact when the vehicle door arrangement is closed, the lower region gets at least partially caught with the sill arrangement and/or the strut. Since the side impact occurs in the y-direction, the support and the sill arrangement and, if necessary, the strut overlap in the z-direction (seen in the y-direction) in order to achieve the catch. This can have the advantage that the interlocking can divert even more of the side impact force into the vehicle body and prevent the vehicle door from penetrating into the passenger compartment.

• - Inanlagebringen einer Unterstützung einer Fahrzeugtüre mit einem Seitenaufprallträger;
• - Teilweises Einleiten einer Seitenaufprallkraft in einen oberen Bereich und einen unteren Bereich einer Fahrzeugtüre via der Unterstützung. Dies kann den Vorteil haben, dass ein Ausknicken des Seitenaufprallträgers zumindest reduziert wird.

According to one aspect of the present application, a method for dissipating force in a side impact comprises the steps:

• - Installing a support for a vehicle door with a side impact beam;
• - Partial introduction of a side impact force into an upper area and a lower area of a vehicle door via the support. This can have the advantage that buckling of the side impact beam is at least reduced.

According to one aspect of the present application, a method includes the subsequent step of introducing a portion of the side impact force into a sill assembly of a vehicle vehicle body arrangement. This can have the advantage that a penetration depth of the vehicle door arrangement into an interior or passenger compartment is reduced.

According to one aspect of the present application, introducing the portion of the side impact force into the sill assembly includes at least partially interlocking a lower portion with the sill assembly and/or a brace. This can have the advantage that a penetration depth of the vehicle door arrangement into an interior or passenger compartment is reduced.

• 1 zeigt eine schematische Darstellung einer Fahrzeugtüranordnung (Fahrzeugtüre).
• 2 zeigt einen Detailausschnitt (unteren Teil) der Fahrzeugtüranordnung aus 1.
• 3 zeigt einen Ausschnitt einer schematischen Querschnittsansicht einer Fahrzeugkarosserieanordnung aufweisend eine Fahrzeugtüranordnung nach 1.
• 4 zeigt ein Ablaufdiagramm zum zumindest teilweisen Einleiten einer Seitenaufprallkraft in eine Schwelleranordnung.

Further advantages and possible applications of the invention result from the following description in connection with the figures. In the figures, the same reference numbers designate the same or (functionally) similar parts or arrangements/assemblies.

• 1 shows a schematic representation of a vehicle door arrangement (vehicle door).
• 2 shows a detailed section (lower part) of the vehicle door arrangement 1 .
• 3 shows a detail of a schematic cross-sectional view of a vehicle body assembly having a vehicle door assembly 1 .
• 4 shows a flow chart for at least partially introducing a side impact force into a sill arrangement.

1 shows a simplified schematic view of a vehicle door assembly 10, the vehicle door assembly 10 being intended for installation as a front door. The invention can of course be equally applied to all vehicle door arrangements (eg also rear ones). The vehicle door assembly 10 is shown in an external view (view from the outside) of the door if it were installed on a vehicle. For left-hand drive vehicles, this is on the driver's side. The vehicle door assembly 10 comprises an upper region 20 and a lower region 22. The upper region 20 is the one from which a pane 60 is connected to the pane using a window lifting device 70 (not shown) which is connected to the pane via pane connection points 61 (not shown). can be extended in a known manner. The lower region 20 is shaped on an inside to fit a sill assembly 110, as is usual.

The vehicle door assembly 10 further includes a side impact beam 30 which includes a front end 31 and a rear end 32. The front and rear ends 31 and 32 are related to the direction of travel of a vehicle to which the vehicle door assembly 10 can be mounted. The side impact beam 30 runs transversely to a support 40, which in 1 is shown with a vertical course (z direction). The courses of the side impact beam 30 and the support 40 intersect in a contact area A as shown. However, the courses shown are purely exemplary. Essentially, the side impact beam extends along the direction of travel of the vehicle to which the vehicle door assembly 10 may be mounted, wherein one of the two ends may be spaced further from the lower portion 22 than the other. Shown is an equal distance from the front and rear ends 31 and 32 to the lower region 22. The support 40 runs essentially in the direction of a vehicle vertical axis (from top to bottom or the other way around) of the vehicle to which the vehicle door assembly 10 can be mounted. In 1 an equal distance of the connection to the upper area 21 and the lower area 22 from the front end 31 is shown for the support 40. However, this distance can also be different and this can result in an oblique course of the support 40.

From the outside and thus in the view of the 1 As seen, the support 40 runs behind the side impact support 30, so that in the event of a side impact in which a side impact force acts into the plane of the drawing (y direction), the side impact support 30 is brought into contact with the support 40. The side impact beam 30 and the support 40 can also be in contact before the side impact or an intermediate structure can bridge a distance between the side impact beam 30 and the support 40 (eg elastic mass). If the side impact beam 30 is deformed into the plane of the drawing by the side impact force, the support 40 absorbs part of the side impact force and directs it into the upper and lower regions 21 and 22 of the vehicle door assembly 10. The aim is for the side impact support 30 to come into contact with the support 40 as quickly or early as possible over the course of the side impact, so that part of the side impact force can be directed to the upper and lower areas 21 and 22 as early as possible. The support 40 can be arranged in an area of the side impact beam 30 in which the side impact beam 30 would buckle in the event of a side impact without the support 40. An inside door handle attachment (not shown) can be connected to the support 40 (also via intermediate structures), so that a load can be advantageously introduced into the vehicle door assembly from the passenger compartment of a vehicle by closing the vehicle door assembly.

2 shows a section of the 1 (lower part of the 1 ) in which the window lifting device 70 is shown, which is connected to the window 60 via the window connection points 61. The support 40 is arranged between the two disk connection points 61.

3 shows a section of a schematic cross-sectional view of a vehicle body assembly 100, with the X direction running in the plane of the drawing and the Y direction parallel to the arrow shown at the bottom of the figure. A section of the vehicle door assembly 10 in the vehicle body assembly 100 is shown, with the vehicle door assembly 10 shown in a closed state, which would also be expected in a side impact. The vehicle door assembly 10 includes the side impact beam 30 and the support 40, which has a greater extension in the Y direction in the abutment area A, as at its ends where it is connected to the upper and lower areas 21 and 22. The shape of the support 40 is purely exemplary, but there is a larger extension in the Y direction in the contact area compared to such an extension at at least one of the connections to the upper and / or lower area 21 and / or 22.

The vehicle door assembly 10 further includes a first hooking area B which includes the connection of the support to the lower area 22. The vehicle body assembly 100 further includes the sill assembly 110, which at least partially follows the contour of the vehicle door assembly 10. Furthermore, the vehicle body assembly 100 includes a strut 120, which extends at least partially in the Y direction and can, for example, be a strut to which a vehicle seat is connected. The sill arrangement 110 and/or the strut 120 have a second interlocking area C (the variant is shown in which both have the second interlocking area C).

In the event of a side impact, which occurs in the direction of the arrow, as the left edge of the 3 On the outside of the vehicle, the side impact support 30 comes into contact with the support 40. This means that part of the side impact force, which also acts on the vehicle door assembly 10 in the direction of the arrow, can be introduced into the upper area 21 and the lower area 22 of the vehicle door assembly 10. As the side impact progresses over time, the vehicle door assembly 10 moves in the direction of the arrow towards the sill assembly 110 and the strut 120. The first and second interlocking areas B and C come into contact and part of the side impact force can thus be introduced into the sill arrangement 110 and the strut 120. The two interlocking areas can be designed in any way, as long as interlocking is caused at least temporarily over the course of the side impact. The gap between the vehicle door assembly 10 and the sill assembly 110 is caused, for example, by at least one seal. The side impact beam 30 is already shown in engagement with the support 40, but a gap or an intermediate structure may also be present here. The interlocking is achieved in that the vehicle door assembly 10 in the lower region 22 at least partially overlaps the sill assembly 110 in its extension in the z direction, viewed in the y direction.

4 represents a procedure for dissipating force in the event of a side impact, as was already given in the context of the description of the figures above. In a step 10, a side impact beam is brought into contact with a support.

In step 20, a side impact force is introduced into an upper and a lower portion of a vehicle door by means of the support.

In step 30, the side impact force is at least partially introduced into a sill assembly of a vehicle body assembly. Optionally, this initiation can take place by at least temporarily hooking the vehicle door assembly with the sill assembly.

REFERENCE SYMBOL LIST

10

Vehicle door assembly

20

Vehicle door structure

21

upper area

22

lower area

30

Side impact beam

31

front end

32

rear end

40

Support

60

disc

61

Disc connection points

70

Window lifting device

100

Vehicle body assembly

110

Sill arrangement

120

Bracing

A

Investment area

b

first snagging area

C

second hooking area

X

Longitudinal direction

Y

Transverse direction

Z

High direction

Claims (13)

Vehicle door assembly (10) comprising a vehicle door structure (20) with an upper region (21) and a lower region (22), a side impact beam (30) and a support (40), the support (40) having the upper and lower regions ( 21, 22) is connected and is intended and suitable for coming into contact with the side impact beam (30) in the event of a side impact, and wherein the side impact beam (30) has a front end (31) and a rear end (32) and a contact area (A) of the side impact beam (30) and the support (40) is arranged between the front and rear ends (31, 32) and the courses of the side impact beam (30) and support (40) intersect in the contact area (A). Vehicle door arrangement (10). Claim 1 , wherein the support (40) has an extension in the transverse direction (Y), which is smaller in the upper area (21) and / or in the lower area (22) than in the contact area (A). Vehicle door arrangement (10). Claim 1 or 2 , wherein an inside door handle attachment is connected to the support (40). Vehicle door assembly (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the support (40) is at least partially a cup-shaped element. Vehicle door arrangement (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the support (40) runs between two window connection points (61) of a window lifting device (70). Vehicle door assembly (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the contact area (A) is arranged in an area between the front end (31) and the rear end (32), in which the side impact beam (30) in the event of a side impact without the support ( 40) would buckle. Vehicle body assembly (100) comprising a vehicle door assembly (10) according to one of the preceding claims and a sill assembly (110), which runs parallel to the lower region (22) in the vehicle body assembly (100) in a closed state of the vehicle door assembly (10), and wherein at In the event of a side impact, the support (40) brings the lower area (22) at least partially into contact with the sill arrangement (110). Vehicle body assembly (100). Claim 7 , further comprising a brace (120) which extends in the transverse direction (Y) in the vehicle body assembly (100) and is connected to the sill assembly (110). Vehicle body assembly (100). Claim 7 or 8th , wherein the strut (120) is connected to the sill arrangement (110) in an area in which the support (40) is connected to the lower area (22) when the vehicle door arrangement (10) is closed. Vehicle body assembly (100) according to one of the Claims 7 until 9 , wherein in the event of a side impact when the vehicle door assembly (10) is closed, the lower region (22) gets at least partially caught or caught in the sill assembly (110) and/or the strut (120). Method for dissipating force in the event of a side impact, comprising the steps: - Installing a support for a vehicle door with a side impact beam; - Partial introduction of a side impact force into an upper area (21) and a lower area (22) of a vehicle door via the support (40). Procedure according to Claim 11 , further comprising the subsequent step of introducing a portion of the side impact force into a sill assembly (100) of a vehicle body assembly (100). Procedure according to Claim 12 , wherein the introduction of the part of the side impact force into the sill arrangement (100) includes at least partial hooking of a lower region (22) with the sill arrangement (110) and / or a strut (120).

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