The present invention generally relates to a vehicle door having an emergency opening system.

Systems for the emergency opening of a vehicle door, in particular the tailgate of a motor vehicle, using a dedicated key, by means of which the user locked inside the vehicle is able, by acting on a door lock, to open the door from the inside, are generally known. An example of such an opening system is known from DE 10 2007 062 217 Al .

Such known systems require the user to store and keep the key available, but in emergency or urgent conditions the user may not be able to find the key easily.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a system for the emergency opening of a vehicle door which allows a person inside the vehicle to open the door from the inside in case of an emergency, for example in the event of an accident, accidental closing, seizure, or accidental locking of the door, and which does not have the disadvantages of the known art discussed above; in particular, it ensures an immediate and safe availability of the key required to open the door.

This and other objects are fully achieved according to the present invention by a vehicle door as defined in the appended independent claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims, the content of which is to be understood as an integral part of the description which follows.

In short, the invention is based on the idea of providing the door with an emergency opening system with a lock and a key insertable in the lock to control the opening of the door, wherein the key is made of plastic, integrally with a support structure that is arranged on the inside of the door, and is connected to the support structure by means of plastic connecting elements that may be manually broken by the user in case of the need to separate the key from the support structure. Due to such a configuration of the door, it is possible to ensure that the key is always available in case of need, without the risk of it being lost before the first use.

Secondly, due to the fact that the key is made of plastic integrally with the support structure of the emergency opening system, it is possible to reduce costs and time for production and installation on the vehicle. Preferably, the door further comprises a cover element detachably fixed to the support structure to cover the key and the door lock.

Advantageously, the support structure has a seat for receiving the key after a first use thereof, that is after the connecting elements made of plastic material have been broken.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description that follows, provided purely by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front view of a vehicle door according to an example embodiment of the present invention, from the inside of the door;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the emergency door opening system of Figure 1 ; and

Figures 3 to 5 are perspective views of the emergency opening system in Figure 2 wherein the key is shown in an initial position, in a use position and a final position, respectively.

With reference initially to Figure 1, a vehicle door according to the invention is indicated collectively at 10.

In the example shown in Figure 1, the door 10 is a tailgate, that is, a trunk door of a vehicle. However, the invention is not limited to this example embodiment but may also be applied, for example, to a side door for access to the passenger compartment of a vehicle or to a door for access to the load compartment of a commercial vehicle.

The door 10 is provided on an inner side of the vehicle, i.e. on one of the sides thereof facing the inside of the .vehicle, with an emergency opening system, indicated collectively at 12, adapted to allow the door 10 to be opened from inside the vehicle in case of emergency.

With reference now also to Figures 2 to 5, the emergency opening system 12 basically comprises a support structure 14, a lock 16 carried by the sheet metal structure (not shown) of the door 10, and a key 18 insertable from inside the vehicle into the lock 16 to enable the opening of the door 10.

The support structure 14 is made of plastic, in particular by means of an injection molding process, preferably integrally with an internal trim panel 20 (shown in Figure 1) of the door 10.

According to the invention, the key 18 is also made of plastic, integrally with the support structure 14.

In an initial condition, the key 18 is connected to the support structure 14 by means of a plurality of breakable connecting elements 22, i.e. adapted to be manually broken by a person inside the vehicle to enable the key 18 to be separated from the support structure 14, said connecting elements 22 also being made of plastic, integrally with the support structure 14 and the key 18.

Optionally, the emergency opening system 12 may also comprise a cover element 24 (Figure 2) detachably fixed to the support structure 14 to cover the lock 16 and the key 18 before use. In particular, the cover element 24 may have a notch 26 adapted to facilitate the removal of the cover element 24 from the support structure 14 by a person inside the vehicle, for example with one’s fingers or with the aid of a tool.

Advantageously, the support structure 14 has a seat 28 adapted to receive the key 18 after a first use thereof, i.e. after the plurality of connecting elements 22 has been broken, as shown in Figure 5. The seat 28 may be fitted with retaining elements adapted to hold the key 18 and/or have a shape adapted to hold the key 18 in a firm position. The operation of the emergency opening system described above is as follows.

In an emergency, the person locked inside the vehicle provides for removing, when present, the cover element 24 so as to be able to access the key 18. In the initial condition, i.e. before the first use, the key 18 is still connected to the support structure 14 by means of the plurality of connecting elements 22. The person must therefore proceed by forcing or pulling the key 18 until the connecting elements 22 are broken, whereby the key 18 is released from the support structure 14. At this point, the person may insert the key 18 into the lock 16 to open the door 10. After use, the key 18 will be expediently stored in the seat 28 so that it may be easily found in case of further need.

As is clear from the preceding description, a door according to the invention provides a number of advantages over the prior art. Firstly, due to the presence of the breakable connecting elements with which the key is connected to the support structure, it is impossible for the key to be lost before the first use. Secondly, the key is easily identifiable, and immediately usable, being stored close to the lock. Moreover, the key and the support structure of the emergency opening system may be made in one piece with the internal trim panel of the door, through a single production process, thus reducing costs and production times.

Naturally, without altering the principle of the invention, the embodiments and the details of construction may vary widely with respect to those that have been described and illustrated purely by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.