JP2015030390A - Latch unit attachment reinforcing structure of lift gate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a latch unit attachment reinforcing structure of a lift gate which prevents peeling of a reinforcement plate reinforcing an attachment part of a latch unit and secures the sealability when the lift gate is closed.SOLUTION: In an inner panel 61 of a lift gate 6, a seal surface 61g, which contacts with a seal member 16 provided at the vehicle body side, is formed at the vehicle rear side relative to a latch unit 15. In a latch reinforcement 18, welding parts WP1 to WP3 welded to the inner panel 61 are formed at the vehicle front side relative to the seal surface 61g. The latch reinforcement 18 includes an extension part 18d extending from the welding part WP3 to an outer panel 62. The extension part 18d is connected with the outer panel 62 and is separated from the inner panel 61 thereby forming a space part 19 with the inner panel 61.

Description

  The present invention provides a latch unit having a latch that is provided at the bottom of a lift gate supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to a vehicle body, and that engages with a striker provided on the vehicle body side when the lift gate is closed, and the latch unit It is related with the latch unit attachment reinforcement structure provided with the reinforcement board which reinforces the attachment part.

  Conventionally, in a lift gate that is supported to be openable and closable with respect to the vehicle body, in addition to the inner panel on the vehicle inner side and the outer panel on the vehicle outer side, a reinforcing plate for reinforcing the mounting portion of the latch unit provided at the bottom is provided. It has been known.

  However, when the reinforcing plate is provided, when the lift gate is closed, the latch is engaged with the striker on the vehicle body side to generate a shearing force on the reinforcing plate, which may cause the reinforcing plate to come off from the inner panel. Therefore, in order to improve the strength against the shearing force, a reinforcing plate is disposed along the inner panel, is extended to the outer panel, and its rear end is connected to the outer panel (the following patent is proposed). Reference 1).

JP 2006-56361 A

  By the way, in recent years, the thickness of the lift gate (inner panel, outer panel) may be set thin for the purpose of reducing the weight of the vehicle. In this case, a large difference occurs between the thickness of the reinforcing plate and the inner panel. Therefore, when the latch is engaged with the striker, a difference occurs in the vibration frequency between the reinforcing plate and the inner panel, and the vibration behaviors of the two. Will be inconsistent. For this reason, the reinforcing plate may be peeled off from the inner panel while the opening and closing of the lift gate is repeated.

  In Patent Document 1, the strength against the shearing force can be improved by disposing a reinforcing plate along the inner panel, but due to the difference in vibration frequency between the reinforcing plate and the inner panel. There is no disclosure about the peeling phenomenon of the reinforcing plate that occurs.

  Also, a seal member is generally provided at the edge of the vehicle body opening that is opened and closed by the lift gate, and this seal member contacts the seal surface formed at the inner panel edge when the lift gate is closed. However, in Patent Document 1, there is no disclosure of a sealing member, and there is no disclosure about the sealing performance when the lift gate is closed.

  In the case of Patent Document 1, since the reinforcing plate is disposed along the inner panel up to the outer panel as described above, the welded portion between the reinforcing plate and the inner panel increases, and as a result, the inner panel surface In this case, unevenness is formed over a wide range by the welded part and other parts. For this reason, even if the above-described sealing member is disposed at the edge of the vehicle body opening and the sealing surface is formed on the inner panel, the adhesiveness between the two may be insufficient due to the unevenness. It will be a structure that can not secure enough.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a lift gate latch unit mounting reinforcement structure capable of achieving both prevention of peeling of a reinforcing plate that reinforces a mounting portion of a latch unit and ensuring sealing performance when the lift gate is closed. To do.

  The lift gate latch unit mounting reinforcement structure according to the present invention is provided at the bottom of the lift gate supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the vehicle body, and engages with a striker provided on the vehicle body side when the lift gate is closed. And a reinforcing plate for reinforcing the mounting portion of the latch unit, wherein the lift gate includes an inner panel positioned on the vehicle inner side and an outer panel positioned on the vehicle outer side. The inner panel is formed with a seal surface in contact with a seal member provided on the vehicle body side behind the latch unit, and the reinforcing plate is welded to the inner panel. A portion is formed in front of the vehicle from the sealing surface, and the reinforcing plate extends from the welded portion toward the outer panel. Has, the extension unit, along with being connected to the outer panel, by being spaced apart from the inner panel, and forms a space between said inner panel.

  According to this configuration, by extending the extension so as to form a space with the inner panel, a tensile force is generated in the extension that suppresses the separation of the reinforcing plate when the latch is engaged with the striker. Can be made. Thereby, it can prevent that a reinforcement board peels from an inner panel.

  Then, by forming the welded portion forward of the vehicle from the seal surface and extending the extended portion from the welded portion toward the outer panel, the seal surface is positioned at a space portion spaced apart from the welded portion toward the rear of the vehicle. Will be formed. That is, in this case, unevenness can be prevented from being formed on the seal surface by welding with the reinforcing plate, and the adhesion between the seal surface and the seal member can be improved. Thereby, the sealing performance when the lift gate is closed can be ensured.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the space portion is provided with operating means for releasing the engagement between the latch and the striker when the lift gate is opened.

  According to this configuration, since the open switch is disposed at the bottom of the lift gate, when the lift gate is viewed from the rear of the vehicle, compared to the case where the open switch is provided on the outer surface (design surface) of the lift gate. Can improve the appearance. And the space part formed for the purpose of coexistence with peeling prevention of a reinforcement board and sealing performance ensuring can be effectively utilized as an installation space of an open switch.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the extension portion extends in parallel with the engagement direction of the latch and the striker.

  According to this configuration, the tension force when the latch is engaged with the striker can be more effectively exhibited. For this reason, it can prevent more reliably that a reinforcement board peels from an inner panel.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the extension portion is connected to the outer panel with an adhesive.

  According to this configuration, the appearance of the lift gate can be ensured. Specifically, for example, when the extension portion is connected to the outer panel by welding, unevenness due to welding appears on the outer surface portion (design surface) of the outer panel, which may reduce the appearance when the lift gate is viewed from the rear of the vehicle. However, when the extension portions are connected with an adhesive, the outer surface portion (design surface) of the outer panel does not appear uneven. For this reason, the appearance of the lift gate can be ensured.

  Even when the inner panel and the outer panel are displaced and deformed due to the vibration of the lift gate when the vehicle is traveling or the impact during the opening and closing operation of the lift gate, the extension portion and the outer panel The relative displacement between can be absorbed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lift gate latch unit mounting reinforcement structure capable of achieving both prevention of peeling of the reinforcing plate that reinforces the mounting portion of the latch unit and ensuring sealing performance when the lift gate is closed. it can.

The perspective view which shows the rear part of the vehicle provided with the latch unit attachment reinforcement structure of the lift gate which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. The principal part expanded sectional view of FIG. The perspective view which shows a latch reinforcement. The principal part expanded sectional view which shows the latch unit attachment reinforcement structure of the lift gate which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rear portion of a vehicle V provided with a latch unit mounting reinforcement structure for a lift gate 6 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of FIG. A vehicle V shown in FIG. 1 is a hatchback type vehicle, and a roof panel 1 serving as a roof portion constituting an upper portion of the vehicle V is provided at a rear portion thereof. A roof side rail 2 (only the left side is shown in FIG. 1) is provided.

  And in the rear part of the vehicle V, a rear pillar 3 continuous to the roof side rail 2, a rear header (not shown) extending between the rear parts of the roof side rail 2 in the vehicle width direction, and a rear end part 4 (FIG. 2, FIG. 3), and the opening 5 is covered with a lift gate 6 so as to be opened and closed.

  The upper part of the lift gate 6 is disposed at a position corresponding to the rear header, and is supported to be openable and closable with respect to the vehicle body by a hinge (not shown) provided on the rear header side. The lift gate 6 has a window opening, and a rear window shield 7 is disposed so as to cover the window opening. A high mount stop lamp 8 is provided above the rear window shield 7 in the center in the vehicle width direction.

  The vehicle V is provided with a rear fender 9 (only the left side is shown in the figure) continuous to the left and right rear pillars 3, and a resin rear bumper 10 is provided between the left and right rear fenders 9, 9. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the rear bumper 10 is disposed at the rear of the rear end portion 4 and covers it from the rear of the vehicle. A license plate mounting surface 10a that is recessed toward the front of the vehicle is formed at the center of the rear bumper 10 in the vehicle width direction, and a flange 10b that relatively protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle is formed above the license plate mounting surface 10a. Yes.

A license plate holder 11 is attached to the license plate attachment surface 10a, and the flange portion 10b covers a license plate (not shown) attached to the license plate holder 11 from above. A license lamp (not shown) for illuminating the license plate is attached to the lower surface of the flange portion 10b.
The member 12 shown in FIG. 1 is a tail lamp, and the member 13 is a fuel lid.

  By the way, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lift gate 6 mainly includes an inner panel 61 located on the inner side of the vehicle and an outer panel 62 located on the outer side of the vehicle. The inner panel 61 includes an inner surface forming portion 61 a extending in the vertical direction and a bottom portion forming portion 61 b extending rearward from the lower end of the inner surface forming portion 61 a toward the lower end of the outer panel 62. While the outer surface portion (design surface) of the gate 6 is formed, the inner surface portion and the bottom portion of the lift gate 6 are formed by the inner surface forming portion 61a and the bottom portion forming portion 61b of the inner panel 61.

  The lift gate 6 has a hemming portion 6a at the lower end thereof. In the hemming portion 6a, a hemming process is performed so that the lower end of the outer panel 62 is folded inside the vehicle so as to cover the rear end of the bottom portion forming portion 61b.

  The rear end portion 4 on the vehicle body side includes an inner panel 41 positioned on the vehicle inner side, an outer panel 42 positioned on the vehicle outer side, and a reinforcement 43 positioned between the inner panel 41 and the outer panel 42. The inner panel 41 and the outer panel 42 form a closed section 44 that extends in the vehicle width direction.

  Among these, the outer panel 42 of the rear end portion 4 is joined with a bumper attachment rain 45 having a substantially inverted L shape in a side view. The rear bumper 10 is formed with a vehicle body mounting flange portion 10c that protrudes rearward of the vehicle at the rear end of the upper surface of the flange portion 10b. The rear bumper 10 is attached to the vehicle body (rear end portion 4) by being attached to the upper portion of the attachment rain 45.

  A striker 14 that is substantially U-shaped in a side view is disposed at the center of the inner panel 41 in the vehicle width direction, while a latch corresponding to the striker 14 is latched at the center of the bottom forming portion 61b in the vehicle width direction. A unit 15 is provided.

  The latch unit 15 has a latch 15a that can be engaged with the striker 14 when the lift gate 6 is closed, and the lift gate 6 can be locked in the closed state by engaging the striker 14 with the latch 15a. It can be done. In the present embodiment, the direction in which the latch 15a enters the striker 14 when the lift gate 6 is closed, that is, the direction in which the striker 14 and the latch 15a are engaged, is shown by thick arrows in FIGS. The vehicle is set in front and below.

  In the rear end portion 4, the flange portion 41 a at the upper end of the inner panel 41, the flange portion 42 a at the upper end of the outer panel 42, and the flange portion 43 a at the upper end of the reinforcement 43 are joined to the rear end of the striker 14. . And the rubber-made sealing member 16 is provided in the upper end of the rear end part 4, and this is attached so that the junction part of flange parts 41a-43a may be straddled. The seal member 16 extends along the edge of the opening 5 and seals the cargo compartment of the vehicle V by contacting the edge of the lift gate 6 when the lift gate 6 is closed.

  The bottom portion forming portion 61b of the inner panel 61 constituting the lower edge portion of the lift gate 6 includes a latch unit mounting portion 61c having a latch unit mounting hole 61d, and a rear and lower side of the vehicle from the rear end of the latch unit mounting portion 61c. The seal portion 61e having a slope portion 61e and a horizontal portion 61f extending substantially horizontally from the rear end of the slope portion 61e to the hemming portion 6a, and the seal surface 61g that comes into contact with the seal member 16 is a latch unit mounting portion 61c. It is formed in the inclined part 61e behind the vehicle from the (latch unit 15).

  An open switch 17 is disposed at the center of the horizontal portion 61f in the vehicle width direction as operation means for releasing the engagement between the striker 14 and the latch 15a when the lift gate 6 is opened.

  And the recessed part 10d dented below corresponding to the open switch 17 is formed in the vehicle width direction center part upper surface of the collar part 10b of the rear bumper 10, as shown in FIG.

  The above-described latch unit 15 is a so-called electromagnetic latch unit including a solenoid for operating the latch 15a, and accesses and operates the open switch 17 from the gap between the bottom forming portion 61b and the recess 10d. As a result, the solenoid is energized. By energizing the solenoid, the striker 14 and the latch 15a can be engaged, that is, the lift gate 6 can be unlocked.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a latch reinforcement 18 is disposed on the bottom forming portion 61b of the inner panel 61 as a reinforcing plate for reinforcing the latch unit mounting portion 61c. 2 to 4, the latch reinforcement 18 includes a front end portion 18a extending in the vertical direction along the inner surface forming portion 61a of the inner panel 61, and a latch unit mounting portion 61c from the rear end of the front end portion 18a. A reinforcing portion 18b extending along the slope, an inclined portion 18c inclined backward and downward along the inclined portion 61e from the rear end of the reinforcing portion 18b, and an extended portion 18d extending backward from the rear end of the inclined portion 18c. And have.

  The latch reinforcement 18 is joined to the inner panel 61 by spot welding. Specifically, the front end portion 18a, the reinforcing portion 18b, and the inclined portion 18c of the latch reinforcement 18 are indicated by crosses in FIGS. The welded portions WP1 to WP3 are spot welded to the inner surface forming portion 61a, the latch unit mounting portion 61c of the bottom portion forming portion 61b, and the inclined portion 61e, respectively. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the welds WP <b> 1 to WP <b> 3 are all formed in front of the vehicle with respect to the seal surface 61 g of the inner panel 61.

  The reinforcing portion 18b has a latch unit disposing hole 18e corresponding to the latch unit disposing hole 61d of the latch unit attaching portion 61c. In a state where the latch reinforcement 18 is joined to the inner panel 61, the positions of the two latch unit disposing holes 61d and 18e substantially coincide as shown in FIGS. The unit is arranged in a state of being fitted into the unit arrangement holes 61d and 18e.

  The latch unit 15 fitted in the latch unit arrangement holes 61d and 18e is fastened to the reinforcing portion 18b and the latch unit mounting portion 61c by a fastening member (not shown) made of a bolt and a nut. 4 are insertion holes for inserting the bolts, and in the latch unit mounting portion 61c of the inner panel 61, there are insertion holes corresponding to the insertion holes 18f and 18f. Is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the extension portion 18d extends substantially horizontally from the welded portion WP3 toward the outer panel 62, and is spaced upward from the horizontal portion 61f of the bottom portion forming portion 61b. As a result, a space 19 is formed between the inner panel 61 and the latch reinforcement 18 behind the welded portion WP3 in the vehicle.

  An open switch 17 is disposed in the space portion 19, and a switch disposition hole 18 g for avoiding interference with the open switch 17 disposed in the space portion 19 is provided in the extension portion 18 d. Is formed.

  The extension 18 d has a rear end 18 h that extends upward along the outer panel 62. The rear end portion 18h is bonded to the inner surface side of the outer panel 62 by an adhesive 20 applied to both ends in the vehicle width direction, and the extension portion 18d is connected to the outer panel 62 by bonding of the rear end portion 18h. Yes.

  As described above, the latch unit mounting reinforcement structure of the lift gate 6 according to the present embodiment is provided at the bottom portion (bottom portion forming portion 61b) of the lift gate 6 supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the vehicle body. A latch unit 15 having a latch 15a that engages with a striker 14 provided on the vehicle body side when the vehicle is closed, and a latch reinforcement 18 that reinforces the latch unit mounting portion 61c. The inner panel 61 is located on the outer side of the vehicle, and the outer panel 62 is located on the outer side of the vehicle. The inner panel 61 has a seal surface 61g in contact with the seal member 16 provided on the vehicle body side behind the latch unit 15. At the same time, the latch reinforcement 18 has welds WP1 to WP3 to the inner panel 61. The latch reinforcement 18 has an extension 18d extending from the welded portion WP3 toward the outer panel 62. The extension 18d is connected to the outer panel 62 and is connected to the inner panel 62. A space 19 is formed between the inner panel 61 and the inner panel 61 by being separated from the inner panel 61.

  According to the latch unit mounting reinforcement structure of the lift gate 6 described above, when the extension portion 18d is extended so as to form the space portion 19 with the inner panel 61, the latch 15a is engaged with the striker 14, A tension force that suppresses the peeling of the latch reinforcement 18 can be generated in the extension portion 18d. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the latch reinforcement 18 from being peeled off from the inner panel 61.

  The welded portions WP1 to WP3 are formed in front of the vehicle from the seal surface 61g, and the extension portion 18d is configured to extend from the welded portion WP3 toward the outer panel 62, so that the seal surface 61g extends from the welded portion WP3 to the vehicle. It will be formed at the position of the space 19 that is spaced rearward. That is, in this case, it is possible to prevent the unevenness of the seal surface 61g from being formed by welding with the latch reinforcement 18, and the adhesion between the seal surface 61g and the seal member 16 can be improved. Thereby, the sealing performance when the lift gate 6 is closed can be secured.

  In particular, in the case of the present embodiment, the sealing surface 61g is formed on the rear side of the vehicle with respect to the latch unit 15. Therefore, by improving the adhesion between the sealing surface 61g and the sealing member 16 as described above, the latch unit 15 is It can be reliably protected from rainwater.

  Further, in the latch unit mounting reinforcement structure of the lift gate 6 of the present embodiment, the space 19 is provided with an open switch 17 for releasing the engagement between the latch 15a and the striker 14 when the lift gate 6 is opened. Yes.

  According to the latch unit mounting reinforcement structure of the lift gate 6 described above, since the open switch 17 is disposed in the bottom portion forming portion 61b, the open switch 17 is provided on the outer surface portion (design surface) of the lift gate 6. In comparison, the appearance when the lift gate 6 is viewed from the rear of the vehicle can be improved. Then, the space 19 formed for the purpose of satisfying both prevention of peeling of the latch reinforcement 18 and securing of sealing properties can be effectively used as a space for disposing the open switch 17.

Further, in the latch unit mounting reinforcement structure of the lift gate 6 of the present embodiment, the extension 18 d is connected to the outer panel 62 by the adhesive 20.
According to the latch unit mounting reinforcement structure of the lift gate 6 described above, the appearance of the lift gate 6 can be ensured. Specifically, for example, when the extension portion 18d is connected to the outer panel 62 by welding, unevenness due to welding appears on the outer surface portion (design surface) of the outer panel 62, so that the appearance when the lift gate 6 is viewed from the rear of the vehicle. However, when the extension 18 d is connected by the adhesive 20, unevenness does not appear on the outer surface (design surface) of the outer panel 62. For this reason, the appearance of the lift gate 6 can be ensured.

  Even when the inner panel 61 and the outer panel 62 are displaced or deformed due to vibrations of the lift gate 6 when the vehicle travels, impacts when the lift gate 6 is opened or closed, etc., the elasticity of the adhesive 20 The relative displacement between the extension 18d and the outer panel 62 can be absorbed. In particular, this effect becomes more conspicuous when the inner panel 61 and the outer panel 62 are set to be thin in order to reduce the weight of the vehicle.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the extension portion 18d is extended substantially horizontally so that the size thereof is set as short as possible to reduce the weight, and the latch reinforcement 18 is prevented from being peeled off and the sealing property is ensured. Can be achieved.

  FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the latch unit mounting reinforcing structure of the lift gate 6 according to the present invention. In FIG. 5, the same components as those in the previous embodiment shown in FIGS.

  In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the extension 58 d extends in parallel with the engaging direction of the striker 14 and the latch 15 a, and extends rearward and upward from the welded portion WP 3 toward the outer panel 62.

  The extension portion 58d extends rearward and upward of the vehicle, so that the extension portion 58d and the open switch 17 are separated from each other in the vertical direction. The extension portion 58d has a switch disposition hole 18g (FIGS. 2 to 4). The portion corresponding to (see) is omitted.

As described above, in the latch unit mounting reinforcement structure of the lift gate 6 of the present embodiment, the extension portion 58d extends in parallel with the engagement direction between the striker 14 and the latch 15a.
According to the latch unit mounting reinforcement structure of the lift gate 6 described above, the tension force when the latch 15a is engaged with the striker 14 can be more effectively exhibited. For this reason, it can prevent more reliably that the latch reinforcement 18 peels from the inner panel 61. FIG.

In correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment,
The bottom part of the lift gate of the present invention corresponds to the bottom part forming part 61b,
Similarly,
The reinforcement plate corresponds to the latch reinforcement 18,
The operating means corresponds to the open switch 17,
The present invention is not limited only to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and many embodiments can be obtained.
For example, the operation means is not necessarily limited to the above-described open switch 17, and may be, for example, a touch sensor that can release the engagement between the striker 14 and the latch 15a by a touch operation. .

6 ... lift gate 14 ... striker 15 ... latch unit 15a ... latch 16 ... seal member 17 ... open switch 18 ... latch reinforcement 18d, 58d ... extension 19 ... space 20 ... adhesive 61 ... inner panel 61b ... bottom formation Part 61c ... Latch unit mounting part 61g ... Seal surface 62 ... Outer panel WP1, WP2, WP3 ... Welding part

Claims (4)

A latch unit provided at the bottom of a lift gate supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the vehicle body, and having a latch that engages with a striker provided on the vehicle body side when the lift gate is closed;
A latch unit mounting reinforcement structure comprising a reinforcing plate for reinforcing a mounting portion of the latch unit,
The lift gate is composed of an inner panel located inside the vehicle and an outer panel located outside the vehicle,
In the inner panel, a seal surface that comes into contact with a seal member provided on the vehicle body side is formed on the vehicle rear side from the latch unit, and
In the reinforcing plate, a welded portion to the inner panel is formed in front of the vehicle from the seal surface,
The reinforcing plate has an extension extending from the welded portion toward the outer panel,
The extension is connected to the outer panel,
A lift gate latch unit mounting reinforcing structure that forms a space with the inner panel by being spaced apart from the inner panel. The lift gate latch unit mounting / reinforcing structure according to claim 1, wherein the space portion is provided with operating means for releasing the engagement between the latch and the striker when the lift gate is opened. The lift gate latch unit mounting reinforcement structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the extension portion extends in parallel with an engagement direction of the latch and the striker. The lift gate latch unit mounting reinforcement structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the extension portion is connected to the outer panel by an adhesive.

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