Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Door or window with specified vehicle feature
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-22
2001-06-05
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Door or window with specified vehicle feature
C296S146500, C296S076000, C296S056000, C296S106000, C049S502000, C052S656500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06241307
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tailgate of an automotive vehicle, and more particularly to a tailgate structure for automotive vehicle and manufacturing method thereof adapted to change a tailgate structure for reduction of manufacturing cost and for shortened manufacturing process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a tailgate
10
mounted at a rear end of a passenger car, openable/closeable for accommodation of various freights, is hinged at an upper end thereof to a rear tip end of a roof panel
2
of a body
1
of an automotive vehicle (hereinafter referred to as vehicle body), such that the tailgate
10
is vertically rotated, and opened and closed.
Furthermore, the tailgate
10
includes, as illustrated in
FIG. 2
, an inner panel
12
centrally cut in rectangular shape and formed with an opening
13
, an outer panel
14
centrally formed with an opening
15
to be coupled to the inner panel
12
and a door glass
16
fixedly installed on the openings
13
and
15
of the inner panel
12
and the outer panel
14
.
At this locations, the inner panel
12
is coupled at left and right sides thereof with reinforcing panels
18
respectively, where each reinforcing panel
18
is outwardly bent from a hinge point
12
a
provided for hinge with the roof panel
2
of vehicle body
1
while each hinge point is located on an upper left and right side of the inner panel
12
. The reinforcing panel
18
is also extended to a lower corner area
12
b
of the opening
13
at the inner panel
12
to again be inwardly bent. The reinforcing panel
18
serves to reinforce a structural strength at a part weak to bending force and torsional strength received by the tailgate
10
when the tailgate
10
is opened and closed.
Meanwhile, manufacturing process of the tailgate
10
comprising the inner panel
12
, outer panel
14
, door glass
16
and the reinforcing panel
18
will be described.
The tailgate
10
is manufactured by the following processes, the processes comprising the steps of: separately manufacturing the inner panel
12
, outer panel
14
and reinforcing panel
18
through respective pressing processes; spot-welding and joining the reinforcing panel
18
from upper left/right hinge points
12
a
of the inner panel
12
to the lower corner area
12
b
; hemming a marginal area of the outer panel
14
about a marginal area of the inner panel
12
to thereby join with sealant; and assembling the door glass
16
through the openings
13
and
15
of the inner panel
12
and outer panel
14
via a glass molding material (not shown).
However, there is a problem in the tailgate
10
thus manufactured through the above-mentioned processes in that the opening
13
is formed through a steel panel cut in approximate rectangular shape in the forming of the inner panel
12
out of the press-utilized forming processes to thereby result in an unnecessary waste as much as the cut portion (generally called as scrap).
There is another problem in that the tailgate
10
is lengthily extended from a hinge point
12
a
of the inner panel
12
to the lower corner area
12
b
of the opening
13
, such that the reinforcing panel
18
is additionally joined for structural strength reinforcement of the tailgate
10
, thereby increasing the manufacturing cost due to additional consumption of raw material and assembly processes.
There is still another problem in that the reinforcing panel
18
joined from the upper left/right points
12
a
to the lower corner are
12
b
of the inner panel
12
is spot-welded for coupling, such that a general spot welding generates a concentration of stress to a junction part and brings forth a weakness of welding strength around the junction part, thereby deteriorating durability of the tailgate
10
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is disclosed to solve the aforementioned problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a tailgate structure for automotive vehicle and manufacturing method thereof adapted to cut an inner panel of a tailgate into a plurality of different thickness of fragmentary panels to join same by way of laser welding to thereby eliminate waste of necessary raw material.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tailgate structure for automotive vehicle and manufacturing method thereof adapted to prevent a concentration of stress by way of uniformality of joined part and to promote reinforcement of structural strength for raw material.
In accordance with the objects of the present invention, there is provided a tailgate structure for automotive vehicle and manufacture method thereof, the tailgate having an inner panel centrally forming an opening, an outer panel coupled to the inner panel to centrally form an opening and a door glass installed on the openings of the inner panel and the outer panel, wherein the inner panel comprises lateral members having a relatively heavy thickness and corresponding to left and right portions of the opening; and
upper and lower members vertically connecting the lateral members and each having a relatively thinner in thickness thereof than those of the lateral members.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4206944 (1980-06-01), Kumagai et al.
patent: 4275915 (1981-06-01), Koritnok
patent: 4413854 (1983-11-01), Hirshberg
patent: 4664437 (1987-05-01), Queveau
patent: 4799730 (1989-01-01), Harasaki
patent: 4822098 (1989-04-01), Vigt et al.
patent: 6015182 (2000-01-01), Weissert et al.
patent: 6039384 (2000-03-01), Schutle
patent: 6053562 (2000-04-01), Bednarski
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Hyundai Motor Company
Pape Joseph D.
Patel Kiran B.
LandOfFree
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