Movable or removable closures – Panel with closure feature – With means to accommodate window accessory; e.g.,...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-08
2003-09-09
Redman, Jerry (Department: 3634)
Movable or removable closures
Panel with closure feature
With means to accommodate window accessory; e.g.,...
C049S352000, C296S146700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06615546
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automotive door construction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a door construction of this type is configured, for example, as shown in
FIG. 7
, so that flanges formed at the outer peripheries of an inner panel
1
and an outer panel
2
, are joined to each other, by which a door space
3
is formed between the panels
1
and
2
.
The inner panel
1
is formed with a plurality of openings
4
which are used as installation work holes to arrange parts in the door space
3
. The openings
4
are formed as small as possible in order to secure predetermined composition of the inner panel
1
, and, in turn, the door construction itself.
Through this opening
4
, a glass elevating mechanism
7
that is not fitted with a door glass
6
is slipped into the door space
3
. After an attachment hole
8
a
provided in a guide rail
8
constituting the glass elevating mechanism
7
is caused to coincide with an attachment hole
1
a
provided in the inner panel
1
, a screw
8
c
or the like is screwed in the attachment holes
8
a
and
1
a
, by which the glass elevating mechanism
7
is installed to the inner panel
1
. In this case, the glass elevating mechanism
7
has a glass mount
8
b
disposed slidable in the guide rail
8
and a motor
10
for driving a wire
9
for sliding the glass mount
8
b
, so that the rotation of the motor
10
is transmitted to the wire
9
, and thereby the glass mount
8
b
is slid along the guide rail
8
, thereby the door glass
6
being moved up or down. Since the guide rail
8
and the motor
10
are connected to each other by the wire
9
, the whole of the glass elevating mechanism
7
can be slipped into the door space
3
through one opening
4
by bending the wire
9
.
Further, by screwing a screw or the like in an attachment hole
10
a
in the motor
10
and a motor attachment hole
2
a
formed in the inner panel
1
, the motor
10
is mounted on the inner panel
1
.
After the glass elevating mechanism
7
is installed to the inner panel
1
, the lower end side of the glass
6
is inserted through an upper opening
5
of the door space
3
so that the glass
6
can move up and down in a sash
12
installed so as to extend into the interior of the door space
3
. Holes y in a lower end mounting portion
6
a
of the glass
6
are caused to coincide with holes x in a glass mounting portions
8
b
slidably provided on the guide rails
8
, and the glass
6
is fixed to the glass mounting portions
8
b
using screws or the like by inserting a screwdriver or the like through holes k.
The guide rail
8
is installed to the inner panel
1
as shown in FIG.
8
. Specifically, the upper and lower ends of the guide rail
8
are attached to the inner panel
1
via rail bracket
11
in such a manner as to float so that the door
6
can move up and down smoothly. Thereby, the glass mounting portion
8
b
can slide in the guide rail
8
so as to follow the elevating path of the curved glass
6
.
After the glass elevating mechanism
7
and the like are mounted in the door space
3
as described above, a sealing screen
13
is affixed to substantially the whole area of the inner panel
1
to close the openings
4
by the sealing screen
13
. After that, a door trim
14
is installed to the inner panel
1
by using trim clips
14
a
or partially using screws or the like.
However, in the conventional automotive door construction configured as described above, the plural openings
4
provided in the inner panel
1
cannot be formed as too large openings from the viewpoint of the rigidity of the door construction provided by the inner panel
1
.
For this reason, the installation of the glass elevating mechanism
7
to the inside of the inner panel
1
requires work in which while the glass elevating mechanism
7
is held by one hand of the worker inserted into the opening
4
, the attachment holes la and
8
a
are caused to coincide with each other and screws are put into the holes by the other hand, by which the glass elevating mechanism
7
is fixed to the inner panel
1
by using a power tool. In this installation work, not only the insertion of the screw into the attachment hole
8
a
requires blind work, but also the holding of the glass elevating mechanism
7
with a considerably heavy weight performed by one hand requires very difficult work. Also, since the guide rail
8
and the motor
10
are connected to each other by the wire
9
, the handling of the glass elevating mechanism
7
in the door space
3
is very inconvenient. Thus, the installation work is done under a considerably bad condition.
Further, since the inner panel
1
is provided with only small openings
4
to prevent a decrease in rigidity thereof, which increases the weight significantly, causing hindrance to the decrease in weight of the automotive door construction.
Also, the installation of the glass
6
to the guide rails
8
requires work in which the worker inserts the glass
6
gripped by one hand through the upper opening
5
of the door space
3
, holds the lower end of the glass
6
by the other hand, makes the holes x in the glass mounting portions
8
b
and the holes y in the lower end mounting portions
6
a
of the glass
6
coincide with each other, and fixes the glass
6
using screws or the like by inserting a screwdriver through the through holes k. This glass installation work is also blind work inevitably, so that the workability is low in this respect as well.
Further, in the conventional construction, the elevating unit, harness, trim, and the like are installed with the vehicle body panel being a base. Therefore, it is necessary to provide clearances in laying out these elements, so that the volume of a door pocket and a joint portion cannot be increased greatly, which places restrictions on the degree of freedom of design and the ease of use of the pocket and an armrest.
The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and accordingly an object thereof is to provide an automotive door construction which significantly increases the workability of installing a glass elevating mechanism and the like and the degree of freedom of interior layout.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an automotive door construction configured so that a door space is formed by joining outer edges of an outer panel and an inner panel, and the inner panel side of the door space is finely dressed up with a door trim, wherein the door trim is made up of two divided trims of an upper trim and a lower trim; at least a glass elevating mechanism is installed on the side of the lower trim in advance by subassembling; the upper and lower end portions of a guide rail constituting the glass elevating mechanism project from the upper and lower end side of the lower trim; the guide rail is connected to the inner panel in a state of being disposed in the door space so as to lie across an opening, which is formed in the central portion of the inner panel and is open to the door space, and the lower trim is mounted to the inner panel; and after a door glass moved up and down by the glass elevating mechanism is installed to the guide rail, the upper trim is mounted to the inner panel.
According to the present invention, the elevating unit, trim, harness, and the like are subassembled, and are mounted collectively to a vehicle body panel. For this purpose, a large opening is provided in the vehicle body panel, so that installation work done by inserting the glass elevating mechanism can be performed by utilizing this large opening, by which the installation workability can be improved greatly.
Also, according to the present invention, the door trim is made up of two divided trims of the upper trim and the lower trim, and after at least the glass elevating mechanism is subassembled to the lower trim, the subassembly is installed to the inner panel, and then the door glass is installed to the glass elevating mechanism, thereafter the uppe
Furuyama Junichi
Saito Masayuki
Foley & Lardner
Kasai Kogyo Co. Ltd.
Redman Jerry
LandOfFree
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