GB2278624A

GB2278624A - A vehicle door window

Info

Publication number: GB2278624A
Application number: GB9311491A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Tatum; Melvyn Pettard; Ian Edward Bennett
Original assignee: Ford Motor Co
Current assignee: Ford Motor Co
Priority date: 1993-06-03
Filing date: 1993-06-03
Publication date: 1994-12-07
Also published as: GB9311491D0

Abstract

A vehicle door formed by inner and outer panels 10 and 12 which also form the window frame has a laterally outwardly directed flange 34 along the top edge of the door which supports a glass run channel 40. Corresponding glass run channels extend along the side edges of the window aperture and are secured to flanges (30, Fig 4) which are directed inwardly in substantially the same plane as the flange 46. <IMAGE>

Description

A VEHICLE DOOR This invention relates to vehicle doors and in particular to the arrangement of moveable glass windows in vehicle doors.

Vehicle doors conventionally have a lower, closed area with a window frame extending above the lower closed area and defining a frame for a moveable window pane. In some door constructions the window frame is manufactured separately from the lower portion of the door, and is subsequently fixed to the lower portion, for example by welding, riveting or bolting, during assembly of the door. In other door constructions the window frame and the lower door portion are all made from the same pieces of material which are continuous across the junction between the lower door portion and the window frame.

This invention is concerned with doors made in accordance with the latter method which has advantages in economy of production and in stiffness of the resulting door/window frame structure.

For aerodynamic reasons, it is known to be desirable to make the outer surface of the window pane as near to flush with the surrounding bodywork as possible.

It is also desirable for aesthetic reasons to make the window frame present a "sharp" corner at the top of the window frame, at least at that corner of the frame adjacent the B-pillar of the car body.

According to the present invention there is provided a vehicle door which comprises an inner door panel, part of which surrounds a window aperture in the door and an outer door panel, part of which also surrounds the window aperture in the door, wherein the window aperture is bounded on its side edges by an inwardly directed flange on which a glass run channel is secured, and wherein the top edge of the door includes a laterally outwardly directed flange on which a further glass run channel is secured.

By providing a laterally outwardly directed flange along the top edge of the door, and securing a glass run channel to this flange it becomes possible to provide a window which is close to flush with the surrounding bodywork, which has a sharp corner in the top corner of the window frame adjacent the B- pillar, and which presents a relatively large glass area.

The inwardly directed flange on the side edges of the window aperture is preferably formed by spot welded co-planar flanges of the inner and outer door panels, and the glass run channel is a push fit onto this flange and presents a glass guide which is close to flush with the outer surface of the outer door panel.

The laterally outwardly directed flange at the top edge of the door is preferably formed by overlapping edges of both the inner and outer door panels. The flange preferably extends generally horizontally and may include an upwardly directed lip at its outer edge, for retention of the upper glass run channel.

The upper glass run channel is preferably supported against a face of the outer door panel which is set back from the lip mentioned above, and provides a glass guide which is substantially flush with the lip. The area of the upper glass run channel which is overlain by the window when the window is closed may be coloured matt black.

The upper glass run channel may extend to the peripheral edge of the door which, in use, will lie adjacent the Bpillar. The side and upper glass run channels are married to one another by a suitable jointing technique.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded view of a vehicle door with an inner and an outer door panel; Figure 2 shows the top corners of front and rear doors in accordance with the invention, where the doors meet in the area of the B- pillar; Figure 3 is a cross-section through a door in accordance with the invention, on the lines III-III from Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a cross-section through the same door on the lines IV-IV from Figure 1.

The door of Figure 1 has an outer door panel 10 and an inner door panel 12. The two panels both have a lower, continuous portion 14, 16 and an upper frame portion 18, 20. The lower part of the inner panel 12 is dished to form a cavity in which internal door components such as window winders and door locks can be accommodated. The two panels 10, 12 are formed as single sheet metal pressings. They are connected by spot welding together inwardly directed flanges on the inner periphery of the window opening, and by clinched flanges around the external periphery of the whole door.

In Figure 2, a front door 22 and a rear door 24 are shown, with the doors taking up the relative positions which they will have when the doors are closed. The doors meet along a line 26 and overlie and therefore conceal a B- pillar onto which the doors will actually close.

In Figure 2 only the outer panel of each door is visible although the inner panels will be in place behind the outer panels.

Referring particularly to the front door 22, the window aperture 28 is bounded by an inwardly directed flange 30 along both the vertical, side edges of the aperture 28 and the horizontal, top edge. The top edge 32 of the door (as opposed to the top edge of the window aperture 28) has a laterally outwardly directed flange 34 which ends in an upwardly directed lip 36. The flange 34 forms the topmost edge of the complete door.

The corner of a glass run channel arrangement is shown at 38. This corner may be moulded to the shape shown in Figure 2, in which case extruded channels having the crosssectional shapes shown will butt up and join with the corner. Alternatively extruded glass run channels may extend right up to the point where the "vertical" channel meets the "horizontal" channel and the two extruded strips can then be married together to form a neat corner.

The horizontal channel, the cross-sectional shape of which is shown at 40 in Figure 2, has a groove 42 which fits onto the flange 34 and a groove 44 which fits onto the flange 46.

The groove 44 should be flexible to aid assembly. The vertical channel, the cross-section of which is shown at 48 in Figure 2 a groove 50 which fits onto the flange 30.

A glass window pane 52 will be guided immediately behind the semi-rigid front guide lips 54 and 56, to take up a position in the door which is substantially flush with the door outer surface, and this arrangement will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 3 and 4. However it is to be noted that the top left hand corner of the glass pane 52 presents a sharp corner at 58.

Figure 3 shows a cross-section through the top edge of the door with the inner panel 12 and the outer panel 10 lying parallel with one another to form the flange 46 where the two panels are spot welded to one another and lying parallel with one another again to form the flange 34 where again the panels are spot welded together. The upwardly directed lip 36 is formed by the outer panel only, and in part of the section shown in Figure 3 the panels diverge from one another to form a hollow section which provides strength to the door frame.

The glass run channel 40 will be constructed according to general principles known for glass run channels. It is therefore likely to have a metal armature or armatures on which rubber or rubber-like material is formed. The metal armatures will particularly support the grooves 42, 44 where the channel engages on the metal door frame. The channel also has a fixed lip 54 which guides the edge of the glass pane 52, and a flexible lip 60 which provides a seal on the inner face of the window. A thin membrane 55 above the window glass is stressed when the window is in the 'up' position and pulls the lip 54 in to the glass surface. Some parts of the channel, eg the flexible lip 60 may have flocking or a slip coat where the glass moves relative to the channel.

With the window in the closed position as shown in Figure 3, a significant part of the glass run channel 40 will be visible through the top edge of the glass, and this part, which is perceived as part of the glasshouse area may be coloured black.

The top edge of the channel 40 also has a secondary seal portion 62 which can form a seal between the door and adjacent parts of the vehicle roof.

It will be seen that the outer surface of the pane 52 is only set back from the outer face of the door by the thickness of the guide lip 54.

Figure 4 shows the arrangement of the vertical channel 48.

This channel is fitted onto the flange 30 formed by the inner and outer panels 12, 10 and has a fixed guide lip 56 and a flexible inner sealing lip 64. Figure 4 shows that the distance that the outer surface of the pane 52 is set back from the outer surface of the door outer panel 10 is again substantially only the thickness of the guide lip 56.

Figure 4 also shows the clinch flange 66 at the peripheral edge of the door where the panels 10, 12 are joined together.

The door construction described here allows the achievement of substantially flush glazing together with a sharp upper corner appearance to the glass, in a door where the window frame is formed as part of a two panel door pressing.

Claims

1. A vehicle door which comprises an inner door panel, part of which surrounds a window aperture in the door and an outer door panel, part of which also surrounds the window aperture in the door, wherein the window aperture is bounded on its side edges by an inwardly directed flange on which a glass run channel is secured, and wherein the top edge of the door includes a laterally outwardly directed flange on which a further glass run channel is secured.

2. A vehicle door as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the inwardly directed flange on the side edges of the window aperture is formed by spot welded parallel flanges of the inner and outer door panels, and the glass run channel is a push fit onto this flange and presents a glass guide which is close to flush with the outer surface of the outer door panel.

3. A vehicle door as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the laterally outwardly directed flange at the top edge of the door is formed by overlapping edges of both the inner and outer door panels.

4. A vehicle door as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the outwardly directed flange extends generally horizontally and includes an upwardly directed lip at its outer edge, for retention of the upper glass run channel.

5. A vehicle door as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the upper glass run channel is supported against a face of the outer door panel which is set back from the upwardly directed lip and provides a glass guide which is substantially flush with the lip.

6. A vehicle door as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the area of the upper glass run channel which is overlain by the window when the window is closed is coloured matt black.

7. A vehicle door as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the upper glass run channel extends to the peripheral edge of the door which, in use, will lie adjacent the B-pillar.

8. A vehicle door as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the side and upper glass run channels are married to one another by a suitable jointing technique.

9. A vehicle door substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.