JP7622681B2 - Vehicle luggage door - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a luggage door for a vehicle, and in particular to the structure of the sealant application area between two panels that cover the rear of the luggage door.

Passenger vehicles with a luggage compartment at the rear of the vehicle body are widely known. The opening of the luggage compartment is opened and closed by a luggage door that is pivotally attached to the vehicle body.

Patent Document 1 discloses a luggage door that includes a luggage outer panel upper that covers the upper part of the luggage compartment and the rear part of the upper part of the luggage compartment, a luggage outer panel lower that covers the rear part of the lower part of the luggage compartment, and an extension (panel) that is disposed between these panels. The luggage door in this document eliminates the need to apply a sealant between the panels by continuously joining the joint where the luggage outer panel upper and the extension are joined, and the joint where the luggage outer panel lower and the extension are joined, by laser welding or brazing, respectively.

JP 2009-90725 A

It is conceivable to modify the structure of the luggage door in Patent Document 1 to form a slanted wall extending upward and forward of the vehicle at the bottom of the luggage outer panel upper, join the tip of the slanted wall to the extension, and apply a sealer to the boundary between them. In this case, the sealer application area is invisible unless you look closely, so although the design of the vehicle is improved, it becomes difficult to apply the sealer to the desired location.

The object of the present invention is to make it possible to apply sealant to the desired sealant application area on a luggage door that has a structure in which the sealant application area between the luggage outer panel upper and the extension cannot be seen without looking into it.

The luggage door of the vehicle according to the present invention comprises a luggage outer panel upper that covers the upper part of the luggage compartment at the rear of the vehicle and has a diagonal wall portion formed at its lower part that extends forward and upward of the vehicle, a luggage outer panel lower that covers the lower part of the luggage compartment at the rear of the vehicle and has an upper end portion located further forward of the diagonal wall portion of the luggage outer panel upper, and an extension whose front end portion is connected to the upper end portion of the luggage outer panel lower and whose rear end portion is joined to the underside of the diagonal wall portion of the luggage outer panel upper or the portion extending therefrom toward the front of the vehicle, and the tip of the rear end portion of the extension is a guide portion that is bent downward, and the space extending in the vehicle width direction between the guide portion of the extension and the underside of the diagonal wall portion of the luggage outer panel upper is a sealer application portion.

The luggage door of the vehicle according to the present invention may further include a camera disposed below the extension and attached to the extension.

According to the present invention, the sealer tool can be applied by placing it against the guide part of the extension and moving it in the vehicle width direction, so that the sealer can be applied to the desired sealer application part.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a luggage door of the vehicle. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, showing the door structure according to the embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 1, showing the door structure according to the embodiment together with a sealer tool. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part C in FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a door structure according to a first comparative technique. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion D in FIG. 5 . FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a door structure according to a second comparative technique. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the door structure of the embodiment and the door structure of a second comparative technique side by side.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. The configuration described below is an example for the purpose of explanation, and can be modified as appropriate to suit the vehicle specifications, etc. The same elements are given the same reference numerals in all drawings, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

In the following description, unless otherwise specified, terms indicating directions and orientations such as front, back, left, right, up, down, etc., refer to directions and orientations related to the vehicle. In each figure, the arrow FR points forward, the arrow UP points upward, and the arrow LH points left.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the luggage door 12 of a vehicle 10, without showing the detailed panel shape and camera 80 (see Figure 2) shown in Figures 2 and 3. As shown in Figure 1, the luggage door 12 is formed with an overall L-shaped cross section and covers the opening of the luggage compartment located at the rear of the vehicle body. The luggage door 12 is attached to the vehicle body so that it can rotate around an axis above and in front of the luggage compartment, and the opening of the luggage compartment is opened and closed by the luggage door 12.

The luggage door 12 includes a luggage outer panel upper 16, a luggage outer panel lower 17, and an extension 18 (see FIG. 2). Hereinafter, the luggage outer panel upper 16 will be referred to as the outer panel upper 16, and the luggage outer panel lower 17 will be referred to as the outer panel lower 17.

The upper outer panel 16 is an exterior plate that covers the upper part of the luggage compartment and the rear part of the upper part of the luggage compartment. The upper outer panel 16 is made of aluminum, for example, and is press-formed into an L-shaped cross section. The lower outer panel 17 is an exterior plate that covers the rear part of the lower part of the luggage compartment. The lower outer panel 17 is made of aluminum, for example, and its lower edge is located above the bumper when the luggage door 12 is closed.

Tail lamps 84L, 84R are arranged at both ends in the vehicle width direction between the outer panel upper 16 and the outer panel lower 17 at the rear of the luggage door 12. The characteristic part of this embodiment is the part between the two tail lamps 84L, 84R.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1, showing a cross-section at approximately the center of the rear of the luggage door 12 in the vehicle width direction. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 1, showing a cross-section to the left of line A-A at the rear of the luggage door 12. Note that the cross-section to the right of line A-A at the rear of the luggage door 12 (a cross-section symmetrical in the vehicle width direction to line B-B with respect to line A-A) also has a shape similar to the cross-section shown in Figure 3. Figures 2 and 3 show the door structure 14 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper end 40 of the outer panel lower 17 is located forward of the lower part 20 of the outer panel upper 16. The extension 18 is provided between the lower part 20 of the outer panel upper 16 and the upper end 40 of the outer panel lower 17. The extension 18 is an outer plate that extends in the vehicle width direction (the direction penetrating the paper surface of FIG. 2) and is made of, for example, aluminum.

The luggage door is located approximately in the center in the vehicle width direction (the position of line A-A in Figure 1), and is equipped with a camera 80 arranged on the underside of the extension 18 as shown in Figure 2. The camera 80 is arranged on the vehicle body to capture images of the rear of the vehicle. Images captured by the camera 80 are displayed on a display arranged inside the vehicle near the driver's seat. The camera 80 has a claw, and the camera 80 is attached to the extension 18 by inserting the claw into a hole provided in the extension 18 and fixing the claw and its surrounding area to the extension 18 with adhesive.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the upper end 40 of the outer panel lower 17 is joined to the front end 50 of the extension 18 by spot welding.

The lower portion 20 of the outer panel upper 16 is formed with a slanted wall portion 21 extending forward and upward. At the tip of the slanted wall portion 21, a forward portion 23 extending forward is formed. The forward portion 23 is disposed above the rear end portion 52 of the extension 18. The forward portion 23 is provided longer on the left side (position of line B-B in FIG. 1, FIG. 3) and the right side than at approximately the center in the vehicle width direction (position of line A-A in FIG. 1, FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 3, the left front portion 23 of the outer panel upper 16 is joined to the rear end portion 52 of the extension 18 by spot welding. Although not shown, the right front portion of the outer panel upper 16 is also joined to the rear end portion 52 of the extension 18 by spot welding. The forward portion 23 at approximately the center in the vehicle width direction of the outer panel upper 16 may also be joined to the rear end portion 52 of the extension 18. Also, instead of the front portion 23 of the outer panel upper 16, the inclined wall portion 21 of the outer panel upper 16 may be joined to the rear end portion 52 of the extension 18 (the upper portion of the guide portion 56).

The tip of the rear end 52 of the extension 18 forms a guide section 56 that is bent downward. Figure 4 is an enlarged view of part C in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 4, the space extending in the vehicle width direction (the direction penetrating the paper of Figure 4) between the guide section 56 of the extension 18 and the lower surface 22 of the inclined wall section 21 of the outer panel upper 16 forms a sealer application section 72.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the sealer application section 72 is located in a position that cannot be seen unless one looks down from below. The sealer 70 is applied to the sealer application section 72 along the vehicle width direction. The sealer 70 is applied by discharging the sealer 70 from the tip of a nozzle 91 of a sealer tool 90 (see Figure 3) while touching the tip of the nozzle 91 against the guide section 56 and moving it along the vehicle width direction as shown in Figure 4. The sealer 70 seals the gap between the outer panel upper 16 and the extension 18, preventing water from entering the inside of the vehicle from the outside through the gap.

Next, the effects of the door structure 14 of this embodiment will be explained.

In the door structure 14 of this embodiment, the sealer application area 72 between the outer panel upper 16 and the extension 18 is located in a position that cannot be seen without looking closely, but when assembling the luggage door, the worker can apply the sealer 70 from the tip of the nozzle 91 of the sealer tool 90 while placing the tip of the nozzle 91 against the guide portion 56 of the extension 18. Therefore, the sealer 70 can be applied accurately to the position of the sealer application area 72.

In addition, the door structure 14 of this embodiment provides advantageous effects in terms of design, extension rigidity, and luggage compartment capacity, as described below.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the door structure 114 according to the first comparative technique, and Figure 6 is an enlarged view of part D in Figure 5. The door structure 114 adopts a step portion 158 instead of the guide portion 56 of the door structure 14 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the step portion 158 is formed at the rear end portion 152 of the extension 118. The front portion 123 of the outer panel upper 116 is in contact with the underside of the portion of the extension 118 that extends rearward from the step portion 158. The boundary between the portion of the extension 118 that extends rearward from the step portion 158 and the front portion 123 of the outer panel upper 116 is the sealant application portion 172. In the door structure 114 according to the first comparative technique, as shown in Figure 6, the worker can apply the sealant 70 from the tip of the nozzle 91 of the sealer tool 90 while applying the tip of the nozzle 91 to the step portion 158 of the extension 18.

However, in the case of the door structure 114 relating to the first comparative technology, as shown in FIG. 5, the step 158 lowers the position of the part of the extension 118 to which the camera 80 is attached, so the amount by which the camera 80 protrudes (L21) from the lower end 126 of the outer panel upper 116 becomes large. In this case, there is a risk that the appearance of the rear of the vehicle will be poor.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the door structure 14 according to this embodiment does not have a step, so the position of the portion of the extension 18 to which the camera 80 is attached does not drop, and the amount by which the camera 80 protrudes (L2) from the lower end portion 26 of the outer panel upper 16 can be reduced. Therefore, the door structure 14 according to this embodiment can improve the design compared to the door structure 114 according to the first comparative technology.

In addition, in the door structure 114 (see FIG. 5) according to the first comparative technique, the step height of the step portion 158 cannot be increased in order to reduce the protrusion amount (L21) of the camera 80. On the other hand, in the door structure 14 (see FIG. 2) according to the present embodiment, the tip of the guide portion 56 is extended downward to easily increase the vertical length (height) of the guide portion 56. By increasing the vertical length of the guide portion 56, the second moment of area of the rear end portion 52 of the extension 18 can be improved, and distortion of the rear end portion 52 of the extension 18 can be suppressed. Therefore, the positional deviation of the camera 80 attached to the extension 18 can be suppressed. In addition, since the displacement of the rear end portion 52 of the extension 18 is suppressed, uneven application of the sealer 70 and breakage of the sealer 70 can be suppressed. In this way, the door structure 14 according to the present embodiment can increase the rigidity of the extension 18 compared to the door structure 114 according to the first comparative technique.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a door structure 214 according to the second comparative technique. In the door structure 214, the inclined wall portion 221 of the outer panel upper 216 is made longer than the door structure 114 according to the first comparative technique (see Figure 5), and the rear end portion 252 of the extension 218 is moved upward (in the U direction), thereby reducing the amount (L22) that the camera 80 protrudes from the lower end portion 226 of the outer panel upper 216.

However, in the door structure 214 relating to the second comparative technology, the rear end 252 of the extension 218 moves upward (in the U direction) and also moves forward at the same time. This is because, due to limitations imposed by press molding, it is difficult to reduce the angle θ (inner angle) of the inclined wall portion 221 of the outer panel upper 216, and the rear end 252 of the extension 218 moves in a direction (FU direction) along the inclined wall portion 221, which extends at a relatively large angle θ. Therefore, in the door structure 214 relating to the second comparative technology, the length L12 in the fore-aft direction becomes longer.

In this way, when the length L12 in the front-rear direction is long, the following two problems arise. The first problem is that the luggage space that extends forward from the front end 250 of the extension 218 becomes narrower. The second problem is that the distance L32 from the lower end 226 of the outer panel upper 216 to the surface on which the license plate is attached (the rear side surface of the outer panel lower 17) becomes long. If the distance L32 is long, there is a possibility that the aesthetics will be inferior. (A shorter distance L32 will create a cleaner look in terms of design.)

On the other hand, the door structure 14 according to this embodiment (see FIG. 2) does not have a longer length L1 in the front-rear direction than the door structure 214 according to the second comparative technology, so the luggage space extending forward from the front end 50 of the extension 18 can be kept wide. In other words, the luggage capacity can be maintained. Also, the door structure 14 according to this embodiment can keep the distance L3 from the lower end 26 of the outer panel upper 16 to the surface where the license plate is attached (the rear side surface of the outer panel lower 17) shorter than the door structure 214 according to the second comparative technology.

Figure 8 shows door structure 14 according to this embodiment (lower side of Figure 8) and door structure 214 according to the second comparative technology (upper side of Figure 8) side by side. It can be seen from the figure that door structure 14 according to this embodiment is shorter in the front-to-rear direction by length DF compared to door structure 214 according to the second comparative technology.

Next, a modified example will be described. In the door structure 14 of the embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper end 40 of the outer panel lower 17 and the front end 50 of the extension 18 are joined by welding. However, the outer panel lower 17 and the extension 18 may be an integral panel. In other words, it is sufficient that the upper end 40 of the outer panel lower 17 and the front end 50 of the extension 18 are joined. In this specification, "joined" refers to separate members being joined together, or being integrated without being joined.

In addition, in the door structure 14 of the embodiment described above, the camera 80 is attached to the extension 18, but something other than the camera 80 (e.g., various sensors) may be attached to the extension 18.

10 vehicle, 12 luggage door, 14 door structure, 16 luggage outer panel upper (outer panel upper), 17 luggage outer panel lower (outer panel lower), 18 extension, 20 lower part, 21 inclined wall part, 22 lower surface, 23 front part (portion extending forward of vehicle), 24 lower surface, 26 lower end, 40 upper end, 50 front end, 52 rear end, 56 guide part, 70 sealer, 72 sealer application part, 80 camera, 84L, 84R tail lamp, 90 sealer tool, 91 nozzle, 114 door structure, 116 luggage outer panel upper (outer panel upper), 118 extension, 121 inclined wall part, 123 front part, 126 lower end, 152 rear end, 158 step part, 172 sealer application part, 214 Door structure, 216 luggage outer panel upper (outer panel upper), 218 extension, 221 inclined wall portion, 226 lower end, 250 front end portion, 252 rear end portion.

Claims (2)

A luggage door of a vehicle,
a luggage outer panel upper that covers an upper portion of the luggage compartment at the rear of the vehicle and has a sloped wall portion formed at a lower portion thereof that extends forward and upward of the vehicle;
a luggage outer panel lower covering a lower portion of the luggage compartment at a rear side of the vehicle and having an upper end portion located forward of the inclined wall portion of the luggage outer panel upper;
an extension having a front end portion connected to the upper end portion of the luggage outer panel lower and a rear end portion joined to a lower surface of the inclined wall portion of the luggage outer panel upper or a portion extending therefrom toward the front of the vehicle,
The tip of the rear end of the extension is a guide portion bent downward,
a space extending in the vehicle width direction between the guide portion of the extension and a lower surface of the inclined wall portion of the luggage outer panel upper serves as a sealer application portion;
A luggage door of a vehicle. 2. The vehicle luggage door according to claim 1,
Further comprising a camera disposed under and attached to the extension.
A luggage door of a vehicle.