[TITLE OF INVENTION]

REAR DOOR OF VEHICLE

[Technical Field]

[0001]

The present invention relates to a rear door of a vehicle provided at a rear portion of a vehicle body in an openable and closable way.

[Background Art]

[0002]

As a rear door provided at a rear portion of a vehicle body in an openable and closable way, a type having a door inner panel positioned in a vehicle interior side and a door outer panel mounted on a vehicle exterior side of the door inner panel is known (for example, Patent Literature 1).

[0003]

In the rear door of this type, the door outer panel is attached to the vehicle exterior side of the door inner panel, whereby a frame part of a closed section is formed between outer peripheral edge portions of the two panels.

[Citation List]

[Patent Literature]

[0004]

[Patent Literature 1]

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2010-100162 [Summary of Invention]

[Technical Problem]

[0005] There is a rear door of a vehicle in which taillights are provided at both right and left side portions of a door body. In this rear door, recess portions for light mounting are formed on side edge portions of the door inner panel in order to mount deep taillights on the side portions of the door body. Since a recess portion for light mounting is designed in accordance with a specification such as a shape, a size, and the like of a taillight to be mounted, whenever the specification of a taillight is changed, it is necessary to separately make a new door inner panel. For this reason, production efficiency is not favorable.

[0006]

Aspects according to the present invention have been made in consideration of such circumstances, and aim to provide a rear door of a vehicle which can easily cope with changes in the specification of a taillight without requiring large changes in a shape of a door inner panel.

[Solution to Problem]

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following aspects.

(1) A rear door of a vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention is a rear door of a vehicle provided at a rear portion of a vehicle body in an openable and closable way, including: a door inner panel; a door outer panel which is mounted on a vehicle exterior side of the door inner panel; and taillights which are supported at both right and left side portions of the door inner panel; wherein openings which extend in a vertical direction are provided at both right and left side portions of the door inner panel, and a bracket for mounting of the taillight is coupled to an edge portion of each opening.

[0008] According to the aspect (1) mentioned above, when changing the specification of the taillight, only the bracket needs to be changed to one corresponding to the specification of the taillight. For this reason, even when specifications of taillights are different, the same door inner panel can be used. Also, a portion in the vicinity of the opening of the door inner panel can be reinforced by the bracket.

[0009]

(2) In the aspect (1) mentioned above, the bracket may have a recess portion for mounting the taillight.

[0010]

In the case of the above (2), by changing the shape and size of the recess portion of the bracket, it is possible to easily cope with changes in the specification of the taillight.

[0011]

(3) In the aspect (1) or (2) mentioned above, a door damper for alleviating the opening and closing impact of the rear door may be mounted on the bracket.

[0012]

In the case of the above (3), the number of parts can be reduced as compared with a case where members dedicated for attaching the door damper are additionally provided on the rear door. Also, in the case of the above (3), it is possible to easily secure the strength on the door side suitable for the door damper to be used by appropriately changing the thickness, shape, material, etc. of the bracket. Further, even in the case of a power tail gate in which an electric actuator is incorporated in the door damper, it is possible to easily secure the strength of the door side by changing the thickness, shape, material, etc., of the bracket.

[0013] (4) In any one of the aspects (1) to (3) mentioned above, the door inner panel has: an upper panel portion which extends from a roof portion obliquely downward in a rearward direction in a door closed state; and a lower panel portion which is connectedly provided at a lower end of the upper panel portion, wherein a main portion of the lower panel portion is bent downward with respect to an inclination of the upper panel portion from a bent portion, and the bracket is coupled to the vicinity of the bent portion.

[0014]

In the case of the above (4), the portion in the vicinity of the bent portion, where stress tends to concentrate when an impact load is input from the outside, is reinforced by the bracket. For this reason, the strength of the rear door can be efficiently increased by the bracket.

[Advantageous Effects of Invention]

[0015]

According to the aspects of the present invention, when changing the specification of the taillight, only the bracket needs to be changed to one corresponding to the specification of the taillight. For this reason, it is possible to easily cope with changes in the specification of the taillight without requiring a large change in the shape of the door inner panel.

Further, since the portion in the vicinity of the bent portion can be reinforced by the bracket, the strength of the portion in the vicinity of the opening of the door inner panel can be increased.

[Brief Description of Drawings]

[0016]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a rear door of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear view in which some components of the rear door of the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention are removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a bracket according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the rear door of the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a state in which the rear door of the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention is raised.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI- VI of FIG. 5 of the rear door of the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Description of Embodiments]

[0017]

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Also, in the following description, unless specifically stated otherwise, the terms“forward” and“rearward”,“up” and“down”, and“left” and“right” mean forward and rearward, up and down, and right and left in a vehicle. In addition, in appropriate places on the drawings, an arrow UP representing the upper side of the vehicle, an arrow FR representing the front side of the vehicle, and an arrow LH representing the left side of the vehicle are shown.

[0018]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a rear door 1 of a vehicle as seen obliquely from above a left side of a rear side of a vehicle. In the vehicle according to the present embodiment, the rear door 1 is mounted in a door opening, which is not shown, at a rear portion of a vehicle body such that it can be pivotally raised up and down. The rear door 1 is provided with a door inner panel 10, and a door outer panel 11 mounted on a vehicle exterior side of the door inner panel 10. Also, in FIG. 1, components other than the door inner panel 10 are indicated by virtual lines.

[0019]

The door inner panel 10 is provided with, an upper panel portion 10U which extends from a roof portion (not shown) of the vehicle body obliquely downward in a rearward direction in a door closed state, and a lower panel portion 10L which is connectedly provided at a lower end of the upper panel portion 10U. A main portion of the lower panel portion 10L is bent downward with respect to an inclination of the upper panel portion 10U from a bent portion 10B.

[0020]

The upper panel portion 10U mainly constitutes a window frame portion. In the lower panel portion 10L, electrical components such as a door lock device, taillights, etc., which are not shown, are mounted below the window frame portion. An outer peripheral edge portion of the door outer panel 11 is integrally joined using hemming or the like to an outer peripheral edge portion of the door inner panel 10. While being joined to the door outer panel 11, the door inner panel 10 forms a frame portion of a substantially closed section between itself and the door outer panel 11.

[0021]

The door outer panel 11 has a window frame portion 1 la on an upper side thereof, and a panel body portion 1 lb to which a license plate or the like is attached is connectedly provided on a lower side of the window frame portion 1 la. A rear glass window 12 is mounted in the window frame portion 1 la. A rear spoiler 13 is integrally attached to an upper end portion of the window frame portion lla of the door outer panel 11. Also, notches 15 on which taillights 14 are disposed are provided on right and left side edge portions near an upper portion of the panel body portion 1 lb. [0022]

In the vicinity of the bent portion 10B in both right and left side portions of the door inner panel 10, openings 16 which extend substantially along the rear door 1 in the closed state in a vertical direction are provided. The openings 16 open outward in a vehicle width direction of the door inner panel 10. Brackets 17 for mounting base portions of the taillights 14 are disposed on the right and left openings 16. Each of the brackets 17 is integrally joined using welding or the like to an edge portion of the corresponding opening 16 on the right and left sides.

[0023]

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a left half part of the door inner panel 10 with the brackets 17 attached.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer peripheral edge portion of the door inner panel 10 has a base wall lOa which is spaced apart from the door outer panel 11, a peripheral wall portion lOb which rises from an outer end of the base wall 10a toward the rear side of the vehicle body (the rear side of the vehicle body in the door closed state), and a flange portion lOc which is provided to be bent outwardly at an end portion of the peripheral wall portion lOb. The right and left openings 16 are formed by cutting the peripheral wall portion lOb of the door inner panel 10 and a portion of the flange portion lOc.

[0024]

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bracket 17 mounted at the left side portion of the door inner panel 10. Also, the bracket 17 mounted on the left side of the door inner panel 10 and the bracket 17 mounted to the right side of the door inner panel 10 are formed in a shape of right and left symmetry.

The bracket 17 has a base coupling wall 17a which has a substantially constant width and is connected to the base wall 10a at the outer peripheral edge portion of the door inner panel 10, a peripheral wall complement wall l7b which rises from an end of the base coupling wall l7a and is continuous with the peripheral wall portion lOb of the door inner panel 10, and a flange portion l7c which is provided to bend outward from an end portion of the peripheral wall complement wall l7b. The flange portion l7c is formed to be continuous with the flange portion lOc of the door inner panel 10. In a state in which the bracket 17 is mounted on the door inner panel 10, the outer peripheral edge portion of the door outer panel 11 is coupled by a hemming process or the like to the flange portion l7c together with the flange portion lOc of the door inner panel 10.

[0025]

The bracket 17 is formed in an elongated shape to extend in an extending direction of the opening 16 of the door inner panel 10. A damper support box portion l7d is integrally formed on one end side (the side which becomes an upper end in the door closed state) of the peripheral wall complement wall l7b of the bracket 17 in the longitudinal direction. The damper support box portion l7d is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a face facing forward and a face facing outward in the vehicle width direction open in the door closed state. The damper support box portion 17d is formed at an extension position of the base coupling wall 17a. A damper support hole 18 is formed in a side wall l7d-s which rises from an end portion on an inner side in the vehicle width direction of the damper support box portion 17d.

[0026]

In addition, on the other end side of the flange portion l7c of the bracket 17 and the peripheral wall complement wall l7b in the longitudinal direction (on a side becoming a lower end in the door closed state), a recess portion 19 that is recessed toward a side becoming the side toward the front of the vehicle in the door closed state is formed. In the recess portion 19, as shown in FIG. 2, a base portion l4a of the taillight 14 is mounted using bolt fastening or the like. Further, a lamp, a reflector, a translucent cover, etc., which are not shown, of the taillight 14 are held in the base portion l4a.

[0027]

FIG 4 is a side view of the rear door 1 in the door closed state, and FIG. 5 is a side view of the rear door 1 in a door open state. Also, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI- VI of FIG. 5.

As shown in these figures, a vehicle exterior side of the bracket 17 together with the door inner panel 10 is covered by the door outer panel 11. In this state, the peripheral wall complement wall l7b of the bracket 17 and the side wall 17 d-s of the damper support box portion l7d are disposed to face the outside of the rear door 1 in the vehicle width direction. Also, one end portion of a door damper 20 is coupled to the damper support hole 18 formed in the side wall l7d of the damper support box portion 17d. The other end portion of the door damper 20 is rotatably supported by a door opening portion of the rear portion of the vehicle body. The door damper 20 is a damper device for alleviating an opening and closing shock of the rear door 1 , and is formed of, for example, an air damper.

[0028]

Also, the door damper 20 may incorporate an electric actuator that is not shown, and control the extension/contraction (the opening and closing of the rear door 1) using a control unit 21 as shown in FIG. 6. In the door damper 20 used in such a power tail gate, a large load is input to the bracket 17 that supports the end portion of the door damper 20. However, in that case, it is possible to cope with this by increasing the thickness of the bracket 17 or by changing the material thereof.

[0029] As described above, in the rear door 1 of the present embodiment, the openings

16 which extend in the vertical direction are formed on the right and left side portions of the door inner panel 10, and the brackets 17 for mounting of the taillights are coupled to the edge portions of the respective openings 16. In addition, in the rear door 1 of the present embodiment, when changing the specification of the taillight 14, only the bracket

17 needs to be changed to one corresponding to the specification of the taillight 14. For this reason, in the case of the rear door 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to easily cope with changes of the specification of the taillight 14 without requiring large changes in the shape of the door inner panel 10.

Therefore, when the rear door 1 of the present embodiment is adopted, the same door inner panel 10 can be used even when specifications of taillights 14 are different.

[0030]

In addition, in the case of the rear door 1 of the present embodiment, since the vicinity of the opening 16 of the door inner panel 10 is reinforced by the bracket, there is an advantage that the strength of the rear door 1 is increased.

[0031]

Further, in the rear door 1 of the present embodiment, the recess portion 19 for mounting the taillight 14 is formed in the bracket 17. For this reason, in manufacturing the bracket 17, by changing only the shape and size of the recess portion 19, it is possible to easily cope with changes in the specification of the taillight 14.

[0032]

Furthermore, in the rear door 1 of the present embodiment, the door damper 20 that alleviates the opening and closing shock of the rear door 1 is attached to the bracket 17. For this reason, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with a case where members dedicated for attaching the door damper 20 are additionally provided on the rear door 1. Also, in the case of the rear door 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to easily secure the strength of the door side suitable for the door damper 20 to be used by appropriately changing the thickness, shape, material, etc. of the bracket 17.

[0033]

Moreover, in the rear door 1 of the present embodiment, in the case of a power tail gate in which an electric actuator is incorporated in the door damper 20, it is also possible to easily secure the strength of the door side by changing the thickness, shape, material etc. of the bracket 17.

[0034]

In addition, in the rear door 1 of the present embodiment, the bracket 17 having high rigidity for mounting of the taillight is coupled to the vicinity of the bent portion 10B between the upper panel portion 10U and the lower panel portion 10L of the door inner panel 10. For this reason, the portion in the vicinity of the bent portion 10B, where stress tends to concentrate when an impact load is input from the outside, is reinforced by the bracket 17 having high rigidity. Therefore, when the present configuration is adopted, the strength of the rear door 1 can be efficiently increased by the bracket 17.

[0035]

Also, it should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design changes are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Reference Signs List]

[0036]

1 Rear door

10 Door inner panel 10U Upper panel portion 10L Lower panel portion 10B Bent portion 11 Door outer panel 14 Taillight

16 Opening

17 Bracket

19 Recess portion

20 Door damper