EP3024678A1

EP3024678A1 - Vehicle side door equipped with a reinforcing member, and corresponding motor vehicle

Info

Publication number: EP3024678A1
Application number: EP14738545.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Laurent Pruvost
Original assignee: Renault SAS
Current assignee: Renault SAS
Priority date: 2013-07-23
Filing date: 2014-06-02
Publication date: 2016-06-01
Also published as: FR3008931A1; FR3008931B1; WO2015011350A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle (2) side door (1) comprising: -an outer wall (3) and an inner wall (6) extending in a longitudinal direction (X), -an external door opening control (9) mounted on the outer wall (3); and -a reinforcing member (15) disposed between the inner wall and the outer wall (3), the reinforcing member (15) having an upper part that extends longitudinally in the direction (X) and a lower part provided with two tabs that extend in a vertical direction (Z) approximately perpendicular to the direction (X) and being fixed to an internal surface (5) of the outer wall (3) between an upper part of the outer wall (3) and the door opening control. According to the invention, the reinforcing member (15) comprises an intermediate part (18) located between the tabs forming at least one hollow (19, 19) between the outer wall (3) and the reinforcing member (15).

Description

VEHICLE LATERAL DOOR EQUIPPED WITH A REINFORCING MEMBER AND CORRESPONDING MOTOR VEHICLE

1. Field of the invention

The present invention relates to the field of motor vehicles. It relates to the means for mechanically reinforcing the doors of a motor vehicle, particularly in case of accident. In particular, it aims at reinforcing the side doors in the areas of the doors external opening controls.

2. Prior Art

Motor vehicle side doors are known comprising an outer wall and an inner wall extending in a longitudinal direction, in which an external door opening control mechanism (COE) is mounted on the outer wall and a reinforcing member is disposed between the inner wall and the outer wall. The external door opening control mechanism is generally made of plastic. The plastic does not allow the COE to resist bending during a side impact.

To partially limit this phenomenon, there is known a reinforcing member having an upper portion extending longitudinally (in the direction designated by the letter X) and a lower portion extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction X, the part upper and lower part being fixed on an inner surface that has the outer wall between an upper portion of the outer wall and the door opening control. Such a reinforcing member is described in the document FR1158645.

However, this reinforcement means being partial, it only makes it possible to limit vertical movement of the control door opening during a side impact on the vehicle door. In other words, this reinforcing member does not make it possible to limit the flexion experienced by the door at the opening control, to reduce the effect of the rotation of the opening control around an axis parallel to the door. longitudinal axis (X axis) of the vehicle, nor to reduce the resistance to depression of the opening control. Then, an inadvertent opening of the door can endanger the occupants of the vehicle.

3. Objectives of the invention

The invention particularly aims to overcome all or part of the disadvantages of the prior art.

An object of the invention is to provide a side door equipped with a reinforcing member for limiting the deformation thereof in the area of the door opening control without significantly increasing the vehicle.

More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a reinforcing member which limits the recoil movement and the vertical movement of the door opening control.

Another objective of the invention is to propose a solution that is simple, universal and inexpensive.

4. Summary of the invention

These objectives are achieved through a motor vehicle side door comprising an outer wall and an inner wall extending in a longitudinal direction,; an outer door opening control mounted on the outer wall; and a reinforcing member disposed between the inner wall and the outer wall, the reinforcing member having an upper portion extending longitudinally in the longitudinal direction and a lower portion provided with two lugs extending in a vertical direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the reinforcing member being fixed on an inner surface that has the outer wall between an upper portion of the outer wall and the door opening control. The invention being remarkable in that the reinforcing member comprises an intermediate portion located between the tabs and forming at least one hollow between the outer wall and the reinforcing member.

Thus, the deformation characteristics of the side door at the location of the door opening control are improved. In particular, this arrangement makes it possible to increase the mechanical strength of the side door during bending, which in particular limits the recoil phenomenon and the vertical displacement experienced by the door opening control. In this way, the invention makes it possible to limit or even eliminate the untimely openings of the doors in the event of a side impact.

According to a feature of the invention, the side door may further comprise a belt reinforcement fixed in the upper part of the inner surface of the outer wall, the first end of the reinforcing member being fixed to the belt reinforcement. This configuration also contributes to the strength of the side door.

According to one embodiment, the reinforcing member and belt reinforcement may be formed in one piece, which involves fewer parts to facilitate the assembly of the side door.

In order to limit the compression and bending of the reinforcing member, the intermediate portion may have a wall provided with bosses and / or a periphery with a dropped edge. According to another embodiment of the invention, the tabs extend substantially vertically between the outer wall and the door opening control. The reinforcing member then serves as a "shield" to the external door opening control and to create a rigid connection to the door opening control and the belt reinforcement.

According to this embodiment, the reinforcing member may present a folding under the door opening control so as to provide additional reinforcement to the reinforcing member and the door opening control by flanking it.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the reinforcing member extends to the inner wall so as to provide additional resistance to deformation.

The invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising a side door having the characteristics as mentioned above.

5. List of figures

Other characteristics and innovative advantages will emerge from the following description, provided for information only and in no way limitative, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a partial schematic representation of a left lateral side of a motor vehicle comprising at least one side door according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a sectional view of an embodiment of a side door according to the invention;

Figures 3 and 4 are variants of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2.

FIG. 4 represents a sectional view of a variant of the assembly according to the invention.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate other embodiments of the invention,

FIGS. 7 to 9 represent various embodiments of a reinforcing member according to the invention, and

Figure 10 is a perspective view and the inner surface of the outer wall of a side door according to the invention.

6. Detailed description

The present invention relates to a side door 1 of vehicle 2 which is partially shown in FIG. 1, in particular is shown the left side of the vehicle 2.

In the following description, to further facilitate understanding of the invention, it is considered that the vehicle extends in a longitudinal direction X. Is also shown the transverse direction Y which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X and a direction vertical Z so that these three directions X, Y, Z form a direct orthogonal reference.

The terms "lower", "upper", "up", "down" and "lateral" are defined with respect to the vertical direction Z and the terms "before" and "backward" are defined with respect to the direction X.

The side door 1 as can be seen in Figures 1 to 6 comprises an outer wall 3 which has an outer surface 4 facing the outside of the vehicle and an inner surface 5 facing the inside of the door 1. The door also comprises an inner wall 6 which is turned towards the interior of the vehicle 1 (the passenger compartment). The inner wall 6 and the outer wall 3 form a box which partially ensures the rigidity of the door. The inner 6 and outer 3 walls extend longitudinally in the direction X and vertically in the direction Z. They are opposite one another. A frame 7 is disposed between the inner 6 and outer 3 walls to allow the guiding of a window 8 in the Z direction inside the door 1.

The latter also comprises an external door opening control 9 mounted on the outer wall 3. The door outer opening control 9 is housed in the lower part of the door and is situated substantially in a median zone of the height ( along the direction Z) of the side door 1. In particular, the outer door opening control 9 is mounted opposite to the articulation of the side door 1.

Note that the remainder of the description relates to the lower part of the door where the outer door opening control is located, the terms "lower" and "upper" therefore applying to this lower part (the box).

The outer door opening control 9 has a handle 10 accessible from the outer surface 4 of the outer wall 3 and an outer opening control mechanism 11 mounted on the inner surface 5 of the outer wall 3. This mechanism 11 is immobilized on the outer wall 4 by a fastener type rivet, screw or other. Sealing means are provided at the location where is fixed the external opening control mechanism 11, in particular, in front of and behind this mechanism 11. These sealing means are two seals (not shown). A locking means 13 (fixed part) is put in place by the outside of the box formed by the inner wall and the outer wall, and clamped on the inner surface 5 of the outer wall 3 of the side door 1 via an opening in the edge 29 of the door (see Figure 10). This means allows immobilization of the opening control mechanism on the outer panel 3.

In normal operation of the vehicle, the pulling of the outer opening control handle 9 sets in motion a cable 14 or a rod which transmits an opening command to the lock of the door which comprises the outer opening control 9 .

In an accidental side impact, it is no longer an intentional manual pulling of the handle on the handle that acts on the lock, but an inadvertent movement of the handle 10, which is caused mainly by deformations of the wall outside 3 around the outside opening control.

The side door 1 further comprises a reinforcing member 15 disposed between the inner wall 6 and the outer wall 3. This reinforcing member 15, according to the invention, is an insert intended to be housed between the outer wall 3 and the wall It is understood in the present invention that the term "insert" includes parts that are reported in the side door.

The reinforcing member 15, as represented in the various FIGS. 2 to 9 and more precisely in FIGS. 7 to 8, extends between an upper portion 31 of the outer wall 3 (upper part of the box) and the control of 9 outside door opening. The reinforcing member 15 is advantageously located at the location of the outer door opening control 9 so as to limit the movement (retreat) thereof to the vehicle interior in case of impact. The reinforcing member 15 has a substantially stair-shaped section. He introduces an upper part 16 and a lower part 17, at least one of which is fixed on the inner surface 5 which the outer wall 3 of the door has. The lower portion 17 advantageously comprises two lugs 27, 27 'fixed on the outer wall 3 above or opposite the outer door opening control 9. This reinforcing member 15 may comprise a metallic material such as aluminum, steel or a composite material. Advantageously, the material of the reinforcing member 15 is identical to the material of the outer wall 3 of the side door 1 to facilitate attachment between the two parts.

In order to reinforce the reinforcing member 15, the latter comprises bosses 23. For the same purpose, the reinforcing member 15 has a periphery 24 also comprising dropped edges 25 (a folding of the periphery at an angle of approximately 90 °).

The reinforcing member 15 comprises an intermediate portion 18 located between the tabs 27, 27 'and forming at least one recess 19 between the outer wall 3 and the reinforcement member 15. In particular, the intermediate portion 18 has a wall 30 This latter is facing the outer wall 3 (on the side of the inner surface 5) to form the recess 19.

The reinforcing member 15 is formed by folds 32

(actually by stamping) which also stiffen the reinforcing member itself. The hollow 19 (tubular hollow shape closed between the outer wall 3 and the intermediate portion 18 of the reinforcing member 15) improves the mechanical rigidity of the outer wall 3 during a side impact. In other words, the mechanical properties of the side door are increased, in particular at the location of the external opening control 9. the folds 32 of the reinforcing member 15 arrange at least two surfaces thereon according to the embodiments described below.

The side door 1 further comprises a belt reinforcement 20 fixed in the upper part 31 of the inner surface 5 of the outer wall 3. The belt reinforcement 20 is in the form of a metal profile extending substantially longitudinally along the X direction when it is mounted on the door. As can be seen in Figures 2 to 6, the belt reinforcement 20 has a substantially V-shaped section defined by a first upper end 21 and a second lower end 22 fixed on the inner surface 5 of the outer wall 3. This V-shape and a part of the inner surface 5 of the outer wall 3 also form a recess 28. The fixing of the lower 22 and upper ends 21 on the inner surface 5 of the outer wall 3 may advantageously be a weld or a glue . The belt reinforcement 20 has an upper surface SU and a lower surface S12 resulting from its substantially V-shaped. In particular, the upper part 16 of the reinforcing member 15 is fixed to the upper surface SU of the belt reinforcement 20. Fixing between the upper surface SU and the upper part 16 of the reinforcing member 15 can be achieved by any fastening means for creating a flush connection. These fasteners can be chosen from the group of: welding, rivets, glues, screws, etc.

According to a variant of this embodiment described above, the reinforcing member 15 and the belt reinforcement 20 may be formed in one piece.

According to the various embodiments of the reinforcing member 15, the fold or folds 32 form surfaces oriented according to different plan. The folds extend in directions parallel to the direction X when the reinforcing member is mounted on the door 1. More specifically, in Figures 2 to 6, the upper portion 16 and lower 17 are shaped by folds of the reinforcement member 15 to form surfaces S1, S2 and S3. The first surface S1 corresponds to the upper part 16 which extends substantially along a plane whose direction is substantially parallel to the vertical direction Z. The second surface S2 is oriented in a plane facing the upper portion 31 of the box. This surface S2 of the wall of the intermediate part forms with a part of the internal surface the hollow 19.

The third surface S3 which corresponds to the lower part 17 extends substantially along a plane which is offset from the plane of SI and whose direction is substantially parallel to the vertical direction Z. In particular, the lower part 17 extends between the outer wall 3 and the outer door opening control 9. The plane of the surface of S3 is substantially parallel to the plane that presents the portion of the outer wall 3 facing the surface S3. In FIG. 2, in relation to FIG. 8, the two tabs 27, 27 'of the lower part 17 of the reinforcing member 15 thus form two surfaces S3 fixed between the inner surface 5 and the outer opening control of FIG. 9. The legs 27, 27 'are opposite the outer opening control 9.

According to another embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in relation to FIG. 9, the reinforcing member 15 is also provided with a fallen edge 25 below the outer door opening control 9 at the periphery 24. On the surface S2 one can see two bosses 23, 23 '.This reinforcing member 15 comprises a recess 26 to facilitate the mounting of the reinforcing member 15 on the outer door opening control 9. This also allows for weight gain.

In another embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, it differs from FIG. 3 in that a surface S4 can also be formed by folding the reinforcing member 15 under the external opening control 9 of FIG. door. In particular, this surface S4 extends in a plane whose direction is parallel to the Y direction (extension of the fallen edge 24). In particular the plane of this surface S4 is perpendicular to the plane of the surface S3. According to a variant (see Figure 6), the reinforcing member 15 extends to the inner wall 6. The surface S4 extends below the door opening control 9 to the inner wall.

According to yet another embodiment illustrated in Figures 5 and 7, the reinforcing member 15 has a fold 32 above the outer door opening control 9. In the context of Figure 7, the surface S3 of the tabs 27, 27 'formed is fixed on the inner surface 5. In Figure 5, the reinforcing member 15 extends to the inner wall 6. The fold 32 forms a surface S4 'which extends to the inner wall. In the context of the variant (Figure 6) and the embodiment (Figure 5), this configuration is only possible if the door has a fixed window or a window whose sliding is partial. The surfaces S2 and S4, S4 'thus form a hollow 19' further stiffening the door.

According to all the embodiments described above, the lower part 17 (surface S3) of the reinforcing member 15 is fixed by any fastening means such as welding, glue, rivet, screw, stud or other. Preferably, the fixing of the lower part 17 on the inner surface 5 is a weld or glue so that it is invisible from the outside.

The invention is described in the foregoing by way of example. It is understood that the skilled person is able to achieve different embodiments of the invention, for example by combining the various characteristics above taken alone or in combination, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

A vehicle side door (1) (2) comprising:

an outer wall (3) and an inner wall (6) extending in a longitudinal direction (X),

- an outer door opening control (9) mounted on the outer wall (3); and

- a reinforcing member (15) disposed between the inner wall and the outer wall (3), the reinforcing member (15) having an upper portion (16) extending longitudinally along the direction (X) and a lower portion (17) provided with two tabs (27, 27 ') extending in a vertical direction (Z) substantially perpendicular to the direction (X) and being fixed on an inner surface (5) that the outer wall (3) between an upper part (31) of the outer wall (3) and the door opening control (9),

characterized in that the reinforcing member (15) comprises an intermediate portion (18) located between the tabs and forming at least one recess (19) between the outer wall (3) and the reinforcing member (15).

2. Side door (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a belt reinforcement (20) fixed in the upper part (31) of the inner surface (5) of the outer wall (3), the upper part (16) of the reinforcing member (15) being fixed to the belt reinforcement (20).

3. Side door (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the reinforcing member (15) and the belt reinforcement (20) are formed in one piece.

4. Side door (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the intermediate portion (18) of the reinforcing member has a wall provided with bosses (23, 23 ').

5. Side door according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the reinforcing member (15) has a fold (32) under the external door opening control (9).

6. Side door according to claim 5 characterized in that the reinforcing member (15) extends to the inner wall (3).

7. Side door according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the reinforcing member (15) has a periphery (24) with a flanged edge (25).

8. Side door according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the reinforcing member (15) is fixed on the outer wall (4) by means of fasteners selected from the group comprising: welding, glue, screws , rivet.

9. Vehicle (2) automobile characterized in that it comprises a side door (1) according to claims 1 to 8.