Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Door or window with specified vehicle feature
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-05
2001-12-25
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Door or window with specified vehicle feature
C296S182100, C296S146900, C296S204000, C296S210000, C296S202000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332641
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a side door structure for a vehicle and, more particularly, to a side door structure for a vehicle in which a double-leafed hinged door type side door is provided to the side portion of a car body.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, a vehicle provided with a side door, also called a double-leafed hinged door type side door, at the side portion of the car body has been put into practical use. In the double-leafed hinged door type vehicle, side openings with center pillars are respectively formed on two side surfaces of the car body. A front hinge is arranged at the front end of each side opening, so one can open and close the front door about this hinge. A rear hinge is arranged at the rear portion of each side opening, so one can open and close the front door about this hinge. The front and rear doors are locked by strikers provided to the center pillar, so they remain closed.
For example, according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-109662, double-leafed hinged door type front and rear doors are assembled at a side portion of a car body. In this vehicle, in order that one can open and close the front door with the rear door being closed, the whole car body is composed of a skeleton member. A side surface opening is formed of side skeleton members. A front door whose front end is installed to a front skeleton member to form the side surface opening through hinges is provided. A rear door whose its rear end is installed to a rear skeleton member to form the side surface opening through hinges is also provided.
In recent years, a technique is proposed with which automobile components having complicated shapes can be obtained by hydroforming. According to this technique, a pipe-shaped material is prepared, is set in a mold, and is shaped or formed along the contour of the female die of the mold by increasing the inner pressure of the material. According to the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-150752, an aluminum alloy pipe is bent three-dimensionally to form hoops. The hoops are subjected to warm blow forming to obtain frame bodies. These frame bodies are combined to complete a car body frame. Therefore, little scraps are generated from a given amount of material, so the yield improves.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the proposal of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-109662 described above, since the front door is opened/closed with the rear door being closed, doors must be opened and closed in a predetermined order, which is inconvenient for passengers who get on and off the vehicle. When front and rear doors are mounted at a side opening provided with a center pillar in each side surface of the car body, although the front and rear doors can be opened and closed independently of each other, the center pillar becomes an obstacle. As a result, for example, a passenger using a wheelchair cannot get on and off the vehicle or a large-size luggage cannot be loaded or unloaded through the side opening. In this manner, the side opening cannot be used effectively.
It is possible to assemble double-leafed hinged door type front and rear doors without using a center pillar in the side opening. When, however, the center pillar is omitted in this manner, the rigidity of the car body may be impaired. With a center-pillar-less structure, in the case of a side collision, the colliding vehicle bores this vehicle more, and accordingly passengers cannot be protected. As a measure against this, reinforcing members may be incorporated in or fixed to door sash portions which form joint surfaces for the front and rear doors. Since the front and rear doors near the joint surfaces have -complicated shapes, it is rather difficult to mount reinforcing members on them.
The present invention has been made in view of the problems described above, and has as its object to provide a side door structure for a vehicle in which, when using double-leafed hinged door type front and rear doors without a center pillar in a side opening, the front and rear doors can be opened and closed independently of each other, a sufficiently large car body rigidity can be ensured, and the degree with which another vehicle bores the vehicle compartment, in case a of side collision, is reduced, thereby realizing passenger protection.
In order to solve the above problems and to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a side door structure for a vehicle, comprising a front door having a front end openably/closeably supported by a front hinge disposed at a front portion of a side opening of a car body, and a rear door having a rear end openably/closeably supported by a rear hinge disposed at a rear portion of the side opening, characterized in that a reinforcing member obtained from high tensile steel by hydroforming is fixed to one or both of the front and rear doors along joint-surfaces of the front door and the rear door in a vertical direction.
The side door structure for a vehicle is also characterized in that a side impact bar is provided to one or both of the front door and the rear door in a back-and-forth direction of the car body, and an end of the side impact bar is fixed to the reinforcing member.
The side door structure for a vehicle is also characterized in that a belt line member is provided to one or both of the front door and the rear door in a back-and-forth direction of the car body, and an end of the belt line member is fixed to the reinforcing member.
The side door structure for a vehicle is also characterized in that a ceiling cross member obtained from high tensile steel by hydroforming is provided to a ceiling of the car body to extend in a widthwise direction of the car body, and an upper end of the reinforcing member overlaps an end face of the ceiling cross member.
The side door structure for a vehicle is also characterized in that a floor surface cross member obtained from high tensile steel by hydroforming is provided to a floor surface of the car body to extend in a widthwise direction of the car body, and a lower end of the reinforcing member overlaps an end face of the floor surface cross member.
The side door structure for a vehicle is also characterized in that hollow portions of the reinforcing member, ceiling cross member, and floor surface cross member are filled with a filler.
The side door structure for a vehicle is also characterized by comprising door handles respectively provided to the front and rear doors, locking means for unlocking the front and rear doors upon operation of the door handles, front strikers provided to upper and lower edges of the side opening at substantially central portions, and rear strikers provided behind the front strikers, wherein the locking means are operated independently of each other to allow the front and rear doors to be openable and closeable independently of each other. The side door structure for a vehicle is also characterized in that the front and rear strikers are fixed by using plate members.
As described above, according to the invention described in claim
1
, in a side door structure for a vehicle, comprising a front door having a front end openably/closeably supported by a front hinge disposed at a front portion of a side opening of a car body, and a rear door having a rear end openably/closeably supported by a rear hinge disposed at a rear portion of the side opening, a reinforcing member obtained from high tensile steel by hydroforming is fixed to one or both of the front and rear doors along joint surfaces of the front door and the rear door in a vertical direction. Therefore, when using double-leafed hinged door type front and rear doors without a center pillar in the-side opening, the front and rear doors can be opened/closed independently of each other, and the reinforcing members having a complicated shape can be provided near the joint surfaces of the front and rear doors. Hence, a sufficiently large car body rigidity can be ensured.
According to the invention described in claim
2
, a side impact bar is pro
Blankenship Greg
Gordon Stephen T.
Mazda Motor Corporation
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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