Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a mechanism for adjusting the casing of a door, in particular, but not exclusively an automotive door, relative to the body of the door. Background to the Invention

Automotive doors, and indeed certain other doors, such as those of other vehicles, for example trucks, are generally provided with internal trim in the form of a casing, such that the internal surface typically contrasts sharply with the exterior surface of the door.

The door casing typically includes at least one panel having various trim items attached to it, such as wooden styling components and leather padding, having a design which matches other parts of the interior of the vehicle, as well as arm rests door handles, and controls, such as electric window switches.

Door casings are often arranged to align with other parts of the interior, in particular the dashboard. For example, the top of a door casing is often intended to be arranged at the same height as the top of the dashboard where the two meet (at the front of the door casing); likewise styling components of the door casing are often intended to meet styling components of the dashboard, for example, a wooden styling element might be intended to run laterally across the door casing and align with a similar styling element running laterally across the dashboard/instrument panel. Similar concerns may found with alignment of the door casing with styling elements on the interior of the pillar to the rear of the door, but precise alignment in this region is generally considered of minor importance, because the driver will not often see that region as it would be difficult from the driver's seat to see that area which is almost directly behind, and the corresponding region on the passenger side is normally obscured by the passenger seat and (and vice versa, the passenger will not normally see that region on the driver' s side as it is obscured by the driver's seat).

Somewhat counterintuitively, misalignment of the front of the door casing with the instrument panel/dashboard on the passenger side is in fact most obvious from a driver's seat. To address this problem, of course, improvements are being made in machining accuracy, but the issue persists. Consequently a mechanism is provided to adjust the height of the door casing in which the rear of the casing is attached in a fixed position and shim is provided behind an access panel in the door casing, the shim offering a plurality of height options.

Figures la- Id show a prior art shim 1 which has a cross-shape, with limbs of unequal length. The shim 1 extends through the door casing 2 and into a hole in a fixed position in the body in white (BIW) 3. A cruciform slot 4 is provided in the door casing, which has a height equal to that of the length of the shim. As shown in figures lb to lc, by arranging the shim in different orientations, the distance between the projection (not shown) which clips into the BIW 3 and the top of the shim lean be adjusted between three different positions. The height of the casing 2 is determined by the height of the uppermost surface of the shim 1, so the relative height of the casing 2 can be adjusted between the three positions shown in figureslb to Id. To adjust the height, the door casing is initially set in the nominal position is shown in figure lc, the alignment of the casing with other elements is then checked and if it needs to be lowered, the shim is removed and re-inserted in the position of figure la which is 2.5mm lower than nominal. Similarly, if the casing needs to be raised from the nominal, the sim is removed, turned and re-inserted in the position shown in figure Id which is 2.5mm higher than nominal. This arrangement suffers certain drawbacks, in particular, it cannot adjust the height by less than 2.5mm (to provide very fine adjustment associated with the precision of a luxury automobile), or indeed by more than 2.5mm from the nominal position (to handle larger manufacturing tolerances). The present invention seeks to provide an improved door casing adjustment mechanism.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a mechanism for adjusting the height of a door casing relative to the body of a door to which it is attached; the mechanism comprising a door-attachment portion for attachment to the interior ofthe body of the door and a casing support portion for supporting the door casing; wherein, the mechanism is movable in-situ so as to adjust the height of the door casing.

Such an arrangement is advantageous in that owing to movability in-situ (whilst the door attachment portion is attached to the interior of the door and the casing support portion is supporting the door casing), it is not necessary to remove the mechanism, before turning and re-attaching it in order to adjust the height. This also allows for continuous, rather than incremental adjustment. Consequently, finer adjustment can be achieved and because there is no need to remove a shim the precise movement can be seen by the worker who is making the adjustment. This arrangement also makes it easier for dealerships/garages to line up the door casing with the instrument panel if it is removed for repairs or replaced.

It will be understood that the height may only be adjusted in the region of the mechanism, i.e. the entire door may not change in height, merely a part of it. Consequently, it may equally be said that the mechanism is for adjusting the inclination of a door casing.

The mechanism may be rotatable in-situ so as to adjust the height of the door casing. Rotation is a simple method of achieving continuous adjustment.

The door attachment portion may be arranged eccentrically with respect to the door casing support portion and rotatable in-situ, whereby the height of the casing support portion changes in response to rotation of the mechanism.

Providing the door attachment eccentric to the door casing support portion can allow for fine adjustment and result in a well-balanced mechanism, which will maintain the position of the door casing at least temporarily, not sink to the lowest position of the casing under the force of gravity.

The eccentricity of the door attachment portion relative to the casing support portion may be sufficient to allow movement of the door casing (at the position where it is supported) by at least 3mm upwards from a nominal position and movement of at least 3 mm downward from the nominal position.

The eccentricity may be sufficient to allow movement by at least 4mm both upward and downward of the nominal position.

This allows for adjustment to not only be finer than in the prior art, because ofthe lack of increments, but also to take account of larger discrepancies in height-alignment. In an incremental system, such large movements relative to the nominal position would lead to an unacceptable number of misaligned positions in between the nominal, upper and lower positions.

The door casing support portion may extend into (optionally through) an aperture in the door casing. The door casing may be attached to the body of the door in a fixed position towards the rear of the door.

The adjustment mechanism may be suitable for temporarily supporting the door casing and further fixings may be provided to permanently attach the door casing to the door, once the height has been adjusted by the adjustment mechanism. The door attachment portion may comprise a peg arranged to be fixed to the body of the door.

The door attachment portion may be arranged to be irrotatably fixed to the body of the door. The irrotatable fixation may be by means of a door attachment portion having a non-circular cross section arranged to engage with a hole of non-circular cross section. For example, the door attachment portion may comprise a square peg arranged to engage with a square hole in the body of the door.

The casing support portion may be rotatably connected to the door attachment portion.

The rotatable connection between the casing support portion and the door attachment portion may be a resistance fit. The casing support portion may be provided with tool receiving formations to receive a tool capable of rotating the casing support portion relative to the door attachment portion.

Provision of formations to receive a tool assists in easing adjustment and in particular in overcoming a resistance between the door attachment and casing support portions.

The casing support portion may have a cylindrical connector, which is co-axial with a cylindrical connector of the door attachment portion, and rotatable relative to the cylindrical connector of the door attachment portion. The casing support portion may have a casing support region, which extends into

(optionally through) an aperture to support a portion of the casing.

The casing support region may bear on a different part of the aperture in response to rotation. The casing support region may hold the casing in tension with a hard fixing between the casing and the body of the door. This can assist in resisting the urge of gravity to lower the casing.

The casing support region may be cylindrical.

The cylindrical casing support region may be larger than the cylindrical connector and the cylindrical connector may be provided opposite to the casing support region, within its circumference, but offset from its axis, to provide the eccentricity. The casing support portion may extend into, optionally through, a circular aperture in the door casing. The casing support portion comprise an arm carrying a casing support region, the casing support region being offset from the axis of the rotatable connection between the casing support portion and the door attachment portion.

The casing support region may comprise a cylindrical casing support region which may be entirely offset relative to the cylindrical connector, such that it does not overlap.

The aperture in the door casing may be a curved slot.

The radius of the curved slot may be such that its pivot point is neither coincident with the axis of rotation of the casing support portion, nor with a fixing between the casing and the body of the door.

The door attachment portion may comprise a shaft arranged to be rotatably fitted to the body of the door.

The shaft may be circular.

The shaft may be arranged to rotate in a slot in the door. Rotation in a slot in the door allows the door attachment portion to move fore and aft to accommodate the eccentricity of the door casing support region and the corresponding lateral movement of the door attachment portion that occurs in synchrony with movement up and down of the casing support region.

The slot may be provided in a bush which may be fitted into an aperture in the body of the door.

The slot may extend substantially horizontally (assuming the door is attached to a vehicle and the vehicle is on flat ground). The door casing may be provided with markings (optionally adjacent to the aperture) to indicate the level of adjustment.

A door may be provided with a door casing and a mechanism for adjusting the height of the door casing as set out above. The door may be a vehicular, e.g. automobile, door.

A vehicle, such as an automobile, may be provided with a door as set out above.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of adjusting the height of a door casing relative to a door the method comprising attaching a door-attachment portion of a height adjustment mechanism to the interior of the body of the door and attaching a casing to the body of the door, such that a casing support portion of the height adjustment mechanism supports the door casing; the door attachment portion being arranged eccentrically with respect to the door casing support portion; and rotating the mechanism in-situ, so as to adjust the height of the casing support portion and thereby adjust the height of the casing relative to the door in the region of the height adjustment mechanism.

The method may comprise the step of first fixedly attaching a portion of the door casing to the body of the door. The fixed attachment may be towards the rear of the door (i.e. towards the back of a vehicle comprising the door).

The method of adjusting the height may cause the casing to pivot about the fixed attachment.

The method may comprise the step of adjusting the height of the casing support portion so as to align the door casing with another part of the interior of a vehicle comprising the door. The other part of the vehicle may be a dashboard or instrument panel.

The method may comprise the step of subsequently, when the door is aligned, affixing a further fastener to fasten the casing to the door in the aligned position. The further fastener may for example be a screw, screwing a portion of the casing remote from the fixed attachment (for example a portion that will be arranged behind an armrest) to a portion of the body of the door.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure la is a view of the front of an interior side door of a vehicle showing a prior art shim;

Figure lb is a schematic diagram of the shim of figure 1 a in the aperture of a casing, in a lowered position;

Figure 1 c is a schematic diagram of the shim of figure 1 a in the aperture of a casing, in a middle position;

Figure Id is a schematic diagram of the shim of figure 1 a in the aperture of a casing, in an upper position; Figure 2 shows a side view of the interior of an automobile door;

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the interior of a vehicle in the region where the front of the door of figure 3 meets the instrument panel; Figure 4a shows a plan view of part of the casing of an automotive door intended to be attached to the body of the door and being supported by a mechanism according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 4b shows a partial perspective view of the back of the casing of figure 4a with the mechanism therein;

Figure 4c shows a perspective view of the mechanism of figures 4a and 4b attached to the body of a door, with the casing shown transparent;

Figure 5a shows a perspective view of part of the back of the casing of an automotive door supported by a mechanism according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 5b shows a partial perspective view of the mechanism of figure 5a attached to the body of an automotive door, with the casing shown transparent;

Figure 6a shows a plan view of part of the casing of an automotive door intended to be attached to the body of the door and being supported by a mechanism according to a third embodiment of the invention;

Figure 6b shows a partial perspective view of the back of the casing of figure 6a with the mechanism therein;

Figure 6c shows a perspective view of the mechanism of figures 6a and 6b attached to the body of a door, with the casing shown transparent; Referring to figures 2 and 3, a door 5 of a vehicle (in this case an automobile) 6 comprises a casing 7 attached to the body 8 of the door. The casing 7 comprises styling elements such as a wood veneer 9, which is arranged to align with a wooden veneer 10 on the instrument panel 11 of the automobile 6. Similarly, the leather upholstered top 12 of the casing 7 is arranged to align with the leather upholstered upper surface 13 of the instrument panel 11. The casing 7 is fixedly attached to the body 8 of the door towards the upper part of the rear of the door as indicated at X by conventional means (not shown) and a height adjustment mechanism according to any of the embodiments of the invention as discussed below, is arranged behind the wood veneer panel 9 as indicated at Y to allow for height adjustment of the casing in the region of the height adjustment mechanism.

A first embodiment of the invention is shown in figures 4a to 4c in which it can be seen that casing 7 is provided with a circular aperture 20, having a backwardly extending lip 21. The mechanism/device 22 for supporting the door casing 7 includes a door casing support portion 23 and a door attachment portion 27. The door casing support portion includes a cylindrical casing support region 24, which extends into the circular aperture and bears against the lip 21. At the back of the cylindrical casing support region 24, an annular plate 25 is formed and extending back from the annular plate 25, a cylindrical connector 26 is formed. The axis of the cylindrical connector 26 is offset with respect to the axis of the cylindrical casing support region 24, but it is arranged within the circumference of the cylindrical casing support region 24. The door attachment portion 27, best seen in figure 4b comprises a square peg 28 for engagement with a corresponding square hole (not shown) in the body 8 of the door 5. Snap fit clips 29 are provided on each side of the square peg to engage with the edge of the hole and keep the door attachment portion 27 in a fixed position and a fixed orientation, whereby it extends inwardly from the interior of the body 8 of the door 5.

The door attachment portion 27 includes a cylindrical connector 30, arranged to fit within the cylindrical connector 26 of the door casing support portion 23. The cylindrical connectors are arranged coaxially and with a tight, resistance fit.

The offset between the cylindrical connector 26 of the door casing support portion 23 and the cylindrical casing support region 24, combined with the co-axial arrangement of the cylindrical connector 30 of the door attachment portion 27 and the cylindrical connector 26 of the door casing support portion 23 , results in the door attachment portion 27 being arranged eccentrically with respect to the door casing support portion 23.

Tool receiving formations 31 are formed in the door casing support portion 23 in the form of depressions in the front of the annular plate 25, into which a tool can be inserted from the interior side through the aperture 20 in the door casing 7 this allows a tool to be used to rotate the mechanism in-situ, so as to adjust the relative position of the cylindrical casing support region 24 and the door attachment portion 27, so as to change the height of the door casing support portion 23.

Markings 32 are provided around the aperture 20 in the door casing 7 to indicate the level of adjustment.

Figures 4a to 4c all show the mechanism 22 in neutral position, with the axis of the cylindrical casing support region 24 in the same horizontal plane as the axis of the cylindrical connector 30 of the door attachment portion 27. In this position, the casing 7 is held in a nominal/neutral position in tension between the edge of the aperture 20 and the fixed connection to the body 8 of the door indicated at X. Rotation of the door casing support portion 23 in one direction (clockwise in figures 4a and 4c) lowers the height of the uppermost part of the door casing support portion 23, such that it bears on a lower part of the aperture 20 (and lip 21 of the door casing 7, thereby lowering the overall height of the door casing in the region of the height adjustment mechanism 22. Conversely, rotation in the opposite direction (anticlockwise in the figures 4a and 4c) raises the height of the uppermost part of the door casing support portion 23 causing it to bear on a higher part of the aperture 20 and lift the height of the casing 7.

A worker will carry out this adjustment operation using a tool (not shown), such as a large flat-headed screwdriver, which fits the formations 31 in the door casing support portion 23 until the elements 9, 12 of the door casing 7 are aligned with corresponding elements 10, 13 of the instrument panel 11 , opening the door if necessary to carry out the adjustment and closing it to check alignment. Once the desired alignment is achieved, the resistance fit between the cylindrical connectors 26, 31 will hold it in position temporarily, but would not hold up the casing 7 over a sustained period. Accordingly, hard fixings (not shown), such as screws will be driven through a portion of the casing 7 that is not visible in use, into the body 8 of the door behind the casing 7, to more permanently fix the position of the casing 7 relative to the body 8 of the door.

Installing the mechanism, prior to the adjustment discussed above is straightforward. The two cylindrical connectors 26, 30 are attached, then the peg 28 is clipped into the body 8 of the door. Subsequently, the casing is attached to the door in the normal way, with a conventional hard-fixing at the upper rear region marked X in figure 2 and the lip 21 of the aperture 20 fits over the cylindrical casing support region 24 of the door casing support portion 23. As set out above, the arrangement is advantageous in that owing to the eccentric arrangement of the two portions and the rotatability in-situ (whilst the door attachment portion is attached to the interior of the door and the casing support portion is supporting the door casing), it is not necessary to remove the mechanism in order to adjust the height. It also allows for continuous, rather than incremental adjustment.

With reference to this description and the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will readily determine suitable offsets between axis of the cylindrical casing support region 24 and that of the door attachment portion 27 to determine the eccentricity of the door attachment portion 27 relative to the casing support portion 23 and obtain the desired movement of the door casing 7 (at the position where it is supported). Desirably, the eccentricity may be sufficient to allow movement by at least 4mm both upward and downward of the nominal position in the region of the mechanism 22.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in figures 5a and 5b in which it can be seen that casing 7 is provided with two apertures 33, 34, the first aperture 33 is circular and is an access aperture 33 to allow a tool to access the mechanism/device 35 for supporting the door casing 7. The second aperture 34 is a curved slot, and is an adjustment aperture 34, the upper surface of which is supported by the mechanism 35, so as to change height as the mechanism 35 is adjusted.

Once again, the mechanism/device 35 for supporting the door casing 7 includes a door casing support portion 36, and a door attachment portion 40. The door casing support portion 36 includes a cylindrical casing support region 37, the cylindrical casing support region 37 of this embodiment, extends into the adjustment aperture 34 so as to support the upper surface of the aperture 34. Behind the cylindrical casing support region 37, a plate 38 is formed. The plate 38 is of a broadly triangular shape, but with a slightly curved apex, where the cylindrical casing support region is formed, and a curved base. Extending back from the body ofthe plate 38 towards the curved base (away from the curved apex), a cylindrical connector 39 is formed. The axis of the cylindrical connector 39 is completely offset with respect to the axis of the cylindrical casing support region 37, such that there is no axial overlap between it and the cylindrical casing support region 24. In this particular embodiment, the plate 38 acts as an arm spacing the cylindrical connector 39 from the cylindrical casing support region 37 by at least 1cm, but once again, those skilled in the art will, in light of this disclosure, be able to adjust relative dimensions as necessary to achieve the desired adjustment.

The door attachment portion 40, best seen in figure 5a comprises a square peg 41 for engagement with a corresponding square hole (not shown) in the body 8 of the door 5. Snap fit clips 42 are provided on each side of the square peg 41 to engage with the edge of square hole and keep the door attachment portion 40 in a fixed position and a fixed orientation, whereby it extends inwardly from the interior of the body 8 of the door 5.

The door attachment portion 40 includes a cylindrical connector 43, arranged to fit within the cylindrical connector 39 of the door casing support portion 36. The cylindrical connectors 43, 39 are arranged coaxially and with a tight, resistance fit.

The offset between the cylindrical connector 39 of the door casing support portion 36 and the cylindrical casing support region 37, combined with the co-axial arrangement of the cylindrical connector 43 of the door attachment portion 40 and the cylindrical connector 39 of the door casing support portion 36, results in the door attachment portion 40 being arranged eccentrically with respect to the door casing support portion 36.

Tool receiving formations 44 are formed in the door casing support portion 36 in the form of depressions in the front of the plate 38, into which a tool can be inserted from the interior side through the access aperture 33 in the door casing 7 this allows a tool to be used to rotate the mechanism in-situ, so as to adjust the relative position of the cylindrical casing support region 37 and the door attachment portion 40, so as to change the height of the cylindrical casing support region 37 of the door casing support portion 36, such that it moves along the adjustment aperture 34 and adjusts the height of the casing 7.

The adjustment aperture 34 as mentioned above is formed as a curved slot. The radius of the curve of the slot is such that its pivot point is neither co-incident with the rotational axis of the door casing support portion 36 (i.e. that of the cylindrical connector 39) nor coincident with a position (marked "X" in figure 2) where the casing is attached, and about which it rotates. If the pivot point was coincident with the rotational axis of the door casing support portion 36, no vertical movement would be achieved by movement of the casing support region 37 along the slot, and if the pivot point was coincident with the pivot point of the entire casing 7 (i.e. the position "X" where it is fixed to the body 8), gravity would tend to act on the casing to bring it to the lowest position despite the provision of the adjustment mechanism 35.

Markings 45 (shown in figure 5b) are provided alongside the adjustment aperture 34 in the door casing 7 to indicate the level of adjustment. Figures 5a and 5b showthe mechanism 35 in neutral position, with the axis of the cylindrical casing support region 37 at about the position of an hour hand at "5.00". In this position, the casing 7 is held in a nominal/neutral position.

Rotation of the door casing support portion 36 in one direction (clockwise in figure 5b), towards "6.00", lowers the height of the uppermost part of the door casing support region 37 slightly, but moves it substantially horizontally rearward. The curve of the adjustment aperture 34 is slanted upwards from the rear to the front, such that the horizontal motion causes the support region 37 to bear on a lower part of the aperture 34, which in consequence raises the height of the casing 7. For example, the cylindrical door casing support region may become 2mm lower, but bear on a portion of the aperture 34 that, in the neutral position, was 6mm lower down. Consequently, the overall movement of the casing 7 is 4mm higher in the region of the height adjustment mechanism 35. Conversely, rotation in the opposite direction (anticlockwise in the figure 5b) slightly raises the height of the uppermost part of the door casing support region 37 causing it to bear on a higher part of the aperture 34 and a part further forward, but the slant of the aperture 34 is such that the forward part of the aperture is higher up the casing. Thus, for example, whilst the movement from "5.00" to "4.00" may result in an increase in the height of the casing support region by 3mm, it may bear on a portion of the aperture 34 that, in the neutral position, was 7mm higher up. Consequently, the overall movement of the casing 7 is 4mm lower in the region of the height adjustment mechanism 35.

Again, a worker will carry out this adjustment operation using a tool (not shown), such as a large flat-headed screwdriver, which fits the formations 43 in the door casing support portion 36 so as to align elements 9, 12 of the door casing 7 with corresponding elements 10, 13 of the instrument panel 11 , opening the door if necessary to carry out the adjustment and closing it to check alignment. Once the desired alignment is achieved, the resistance fit between the cylindrical connectors 39, 43 will hold it in position temporarily, but would not hold up the casing 7 over a sustained period. Accordingly, hard fixings (not shown), such as screws will be driven through a portion of the casing 7 that is not visible in use, into the body 8 of the door behind the casing 7, to more permanently fix the position of the casing 7 relative to the body 8 of the door.

Installing the mechanism, prior to the adjustment discussed above is straightforward. The two cylindrical connectors 39, 43 are attached, then the peg 41 is clipped into the body 8 of the door. Subsequently, the casing is attached to the door in the normal way, with a conventional hard-fixing at the upper rear region marked X in figure 2 and the adjustment aperture 34 is slotted over the cylindrical casing support region 37 of the door casing support portion 36.

As set out above, the arrangement is advantageous in that owing to the eccentric arrangement of the two portions 36, 40 and the rotatability in-situ (whilst the door attachment portion 40 is attached to the interior of the door 5 and the casing support portion 40 is supporting the door casing 7), it is not necessary to remove the mechanism 35 in order to adjust the height. It also allows for continuous, rather than incremental adjustment.

A third embodiment of the invention is shown in figures 6a to 6c in which it can be seen that casing 7 is provided with a circular aperture 46, a backwardly extending lip 47 is shown in figure 6b, which is provided radially outward of the aperture 46, to strengthen the region of the casing 7, rather than to interact with the mechanism/device 48. The mechanism/device 48 for supporting the door casing 7 includes a door casing support portion 49 and a door attachment portion 50. The door casing support portion 49 includes a cylindrical casing support region 51, which extends through the circular aperture 46 bears against its inner wall.

At the back of the cylindrical casing support region 51, and concentric therewith, a tubular part 52 is formed, which (in use) extends backwards from the cylindrical support region 51.

In contrast to the previous embodiments, in which the door attachment portion was formed as a separate article rotatably connected to the door casing support portion, in this embodiment, the door attachment portion 50 is formed integrally with the door casing support portion 49, as a shaft 53 eccentrically offset relative to the tubular part 52 of the door casing support portion 49, extending back therefrom. At the end of the shaft, a frustoconical peg 54 is provided.

The frustoconical peg 54 of the door attachment portion 50 is arranged to pass through, and clip into, a horizontally extending slot 55 formed in the body 8 of the door 5.

In this embodiment, the slot 55 is formed in a reinforcing bush 56 which is fixed to the body 8 of the door 5. Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the door attachment portion could be inserted directly into a slot in the body of the door, but the provision of a bush 56 reinforces the slot and provides a greater depth/thickness to better support the shaft 53 of the door attachment portion 50.

The frustoconical peg 54 snap-fits through the slot 55 in the bush 56, which has a height equal to that of the shaft 53, but a longer width, such that the shaft 53 can slide from side to side in the slot 55 (i.e. fore and aft in relation to the door 5). The fit between the door attachment portion 50 and the bush 56 is a tight, resistance fit.

The offset between the shaft 53 of the door attachment portion 50 and the tubular part 52 of the door casing support portion 49, combined with the co-axial arrangement of the cylindrical support region 51 and the tubular part 52, results in the door attachment portion 50 being arranged eccentrically with respect to the door casing support portion 49.

A tool receiving formation 57, in the shape of a hexagonal depression arranged to receive a hex key is formed in the front of the door casing support portion 49. Consequently, a tool can be inserted from the interior side of the vehicle through the aperture 46 in the door casing 7 this allows a tool to be used to rotate the mechanism in- situ, so as to adjust the relative position of the cylindrical casing support region 51 and the door attachment portion 50, so as to change the height of the door casing support portion 49 and consequently change the height of the casing. Markings 58 are provided around the aperture 46 in the door casing 7 to indicate the level of adjustment.

Figures 6a to 6c all show the mechanism 48 in neutral position, with the axis of the cylindrical casing support region 51 in the same horizontal plane as the axis of the shaft 53 of the door attachment portion 50. In this position, the casing 7 is held in a nominal/neutral position supported by the cylindrical casing support region 51 (held in position by the tight fit between the door attachment portion 50 and the bush 56) and by the fixed connection to the body 8 of the door indicated at X in figure 2. Rotation of the door casing support portion 49 in one direction (clockwise in figure 6c) lowers the height of the uppermost part of the door casing support portion 49. This is because (looking at the device 48 from the interior of the vehicle) the door attachment portion 50 is offset to the left and consequently, turning the cylindrical door casing support region 51 clockwise brings the axis of the door attachment portion 50 upwards in relation to the axis of the door casing support portion 49. This results in the shaft 53 moving horizontally (rightwards looking from the front, leftwards if looking from the rear, e.g. in figure 6a) and thus in the axis of the door casing support portion moving downwards.

Conversely, rotation in the opposite direction (anticlockwise in figure 6c) raises the height of the uppermost part of the door casing support portion 49 as the door attachment portion 50 again moves horizontally, causing it to lift the height of the casing 7.

A worker will carry out this adjustment operation using a tool (not shown), such as a large hex key, which fits the formation 57 in the door casing support portion 49 until the elements 9, 12 of the door casing 7 are aligned with corresponding elements 10, 13 of the instrument panel 11, opening the door if necessary to carry out the adjustment and closing it to check alignment. Once the desired alignment is achieved, the resistance fit between the door attachment portion 50 and the slot 55 will hold it in position temporarily, but would not hold up the casing 7 over a sustained period. Accordingly, hard fixings (not shown), such as screws will be driven through a portion of the casing 7 that is not visible in use, into the body 8 of the door behind the casing 7, to more permanently fix the position of the casing 7 relative to the body 8 of the door.

Installing the mechanism 48, prior to the adjustment discussed above is straightforward. The bushing 56 is attached to the body 8 of the door 5, for example by clipping it in, adhering or welding it into a corresponding slot (not shown) in the body 8 of the door 5; the mechanism 48 can be pre-installed in the aperture 46, then the door attachment portion 50 can be located into the slot 55 as the casing 7 is attached to the body 8 of the door 5. Subsequently, the casing is attached to the door in the normal way, with a conventional hard-fixing at the upper rear region marked X in figure 2.

As set out above, the arrangement is advantageous in that owing to the eccentric arrangement of the two portions and the rotatability in-situ (whilst the door attachment portion is attached to the interior of the door and the casing support portion is supporting the door casing), it is not necessary to remove the mechanism in order to adjust the height. It also allows for continuous, rather than incremental adjustment.

Again, the eccentricity may be sufficient to allow movement by at least 4mm both upward and downward of the nominal position in the region of the mechanism 48.

It will be appreciated that in all of the above examples, as the height of the casing is adjusted in the region of the height adjustment mechanism shown at "Y" in figure 2, the casing 7 will pivot about the fixed attachment shown at X. This is satisfactory for achieving a precise alignment at the forward end of the door, but if adjustment towards the rear is desired too, a height adjustment mechanism could also be used to attach the door casing 7 to the body 8 of the door 5 at the rear.

The above embodiments are described by way of example only. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.