JP7659232B2 - Vehicle side structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle side structure that includes a sliding side door (hereinafter referred to as "sliding door") that can open and close the boarding/alighting entrance on the side of the vehicle body.

Generally, a sliding door opens and closes the boarding/alighting opening on the side of the vehicle body by sliding along a rail extending on the side of the vehicle body. As an example of a vehicle side structure including such a sliding door, the side structure of an automobile disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In this side structure of Patent Document 1, the sliding door is positioned in a closed position where the boarding/alighting opening is fully closed by sliding forward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and is positioned in a closed position where the boarding/alighting opening is opened by sliding backward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and faces the outer surface of the vehicle side part rearward of the boarding/alighting opening. In such a sliding door, when sliding backward from the closed position, it is generally necessary to slide along a trajectory that avoids collision with the rear edge of the periphery of the boarding/alighting opening on the side of the vehicle body. Therefore, the rail generally has an inclined rail portion that extends at an angle along the periphery of the boarding/alighting opening on the side of the vehicle body so that the sliding door slides backward from the closed position and retreats outward in the vehicle width direction.

The inclined rail portion of the rail is generally provided with a gentle incline to allow the sliding door to move smoothly, so the dimension of the inclined rail portion in the vehicle's fore-aft direction tends to be relatively large. For this reason, when the sliding door is in the closed position, in a plan view seen from the vehicle width direction, the rear edge of the periphery of the boarding/alighting door and the inclined rail portion of the rail are likely to be exposed to the outside, making the boundary (partition) between the sliding door and the side of the vehicle body more noticeable. In contrast, in conventional vehicle side structures such as the side structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, a flange portion extending in the vertical direction is provided at the rear end of the sliding door, and this flange portion covers most of the portion of the periphery of the boarding/alighting door, including the rear edge and the inclined rail portion of the rail, from the outside in the vehicle width direction when in the closed position.

JP 2004-284539 A

However, with conventional vehicle side structures, when the sliding door slides forward along the inclined rail portion of the rail and then inward in the vehicle width direction, there is a risk that a foreign object may become caught between the flange portion of the sliding door and the rear edge of the periphery of the boarding/alighting door.

In more detail, in the conventional vehicle side structure, when the sliding door slides along the inclined rail portion of the rail toward the closed position, the distance (gap) between the inner flange surface on the inside in the vehicle width direction of the flange portion and the outer surface of the vehicle body side portion gradually narrows. This distance continues to decrease until the tip of the flange portion reaches a position corresponding to a corner that is the boundary between the rear edge of the periphery of the boarding/alighting door and the outer surface of the vehicle body side portion in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the open position side, and tends to be smallest at the position corresponding to this corner. After that, the sliding door continues to slide toward the closed position along the inclined rail portion, and in the closed position, a gap is provided between the flange portion and the rear edge of the periphery of the boarding/alighting door. In such a sliding door, a foreign object may be present near the flange portion during the process of decreasing the distance (gap) between the inner flange surface and the outer surface of the vehicle body side portion. In this case, as the sliding door slides further toward the closed position beyond the aforementioned corner in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the foreign object may be drawn toward the rear edge of the periphery of the boarding/alighting door and be caught in the gap between the flange portion and the rear edge. In many vehicles, the sliding door slides forward in the vehicle's fore-aft direction to fully close the boarding/alighting door. However, there are also vehicles in which the sliding door slides backward in the vehicle's fore-aft direction to fully close the boarding/alighting door, and even in these vehicles, there is the same problem of foreign objects getting caught.

The present invention aims to provide a vehicle side structure that can effectively prevent foreign objects from becoming caught between the flange of the sliding door and the target edge of the periphery of the entrance/exit opening that is covered by the flange.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle side structure is provided that includes a vehicle body side portion having an entrance formed therein, a sliding door, and at least one rail. The sliding door is positioned at a closed position where the entrance is fully closed by sliding to one side in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and is positioned at an open position where the entrance is opened by sliding to the other side in the vehicle longitudinal direction and faces the outer surface of the vehicle body side portion on the other side of the entrance. The at least one rail extends to the vehicle body side portion and supports the sliding door slidably between the closed position and the open position. The at least one rail includes a target rail having an inclined rail portion that extends at an angle around the periphery of the entrance on the vehicle body side portion so that the sliding door moves inward in the vehicle width direction while sliding from the open position on the other side to the one side. The other end of the sliding door constitutes a flange portion that covers at least a part of the target edge portion, which is the edge portion of the other side of the periphery, from the vehicle width direction outside in the closed position, and a gap is provided between the flange portion in the closed position and the target edge portion. The target edge portion has an opposing surface that faces at least a tip side portion of the flange inner surface on the vehicle width direction inside of the flange portion in the closed position, and a connection surface that connects the opposing surface and the outer surface. The target edge portion has a gap expansion portion in which a first distance, which is the distance in the vehicle front-rear direction between the flange portion in the closed position and the connection surface, is set to a predetermined value that is larger than a second distance, which is the distance in the vehicle width direction between the flange portion in the closed position and the opposing surface.

In the vehicle side structure according to one aspect of the present invention, the target edge portion has a gap enlargement portion in which the first distance, which is the distance in the vehicle longitudinal direction between the flange portion in the closed position and the connection surface, is set to a predetermined value greater than the second distance, which is the distance in the vehicle width direction between the flange portion in the closed position and the opposing surface. As a result, for example, compared to when the first distance is equal to or less than the second distance, the position where the distance between the flange inner surface and the outer surface is likely to be smallest (in other words, the corner reaching position where the tip of the flange portion reaches a position corresponding to the corner that is the boundary between the target edge portion and the outer surface of the vehicle body side portion in the vehicle longitudinal direction) can be shifted toward the open position. As a result, the distance between the flange inner surface and the outer surface at the corner reaching position, which may be the starting point for pinching a foreign object, is larger than when the first distance is equal to or less than the second distance. Therefore, in the vehicle side structure according to one aspect of the present invention, pinching of a foreign object between the flange portion of the sliding door and the target edge portion can be effectively suppressed compared to when the first distance is equal to or less than the second distance.

In this way, the present invention can provide a vehicle side structure that can effectively prevent foreign objects from becoming caught between the flange portion of the sliding door and the target edge portion of the periphery of the boarding/alighting opening that is covered by the flange portion.

1 is a side view of a vehicle to which a vehicle side structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. 4 is a side view for explaining a boarding/alighting entrance in the vehicle side structure. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. 2. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to FIG. 3 in a vehicle side structure of a comparative example. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining a modified example of the vehicle side structure. FIG. 10A to 10C are diagrams for explaining modified examples of the range of the enlarged gap portion of the vehicle side structure. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating another modified example of the range of the enlarged gap portion. 13 is a diagram for explaining still another modified example of the range of the enlarged gap portion. FIG.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a vehicle 100 to which a vehicle side structure according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a side view for explaining the boarding/alighting door 1a of the vehicle side structure. In the drawings, the arrow Fr direction indicates the front of the vehicle in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the arrow O direction indicates the outside of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction (vehicle width direction), and the arrow U direction indicates the top of the vehicle in the vehicle vertical direction. In the following description, "front" and "rear" correspond to the front and rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and "up" and "down" correspond to the top and bottom in the vehicle vertical direction.

[Vehicle side structure overview]
1 and 2, the vehicle 100 includes a vehicle body side portion 1 in which an entrance 1a is formed, a sliding door 2 which is a sliding side door provided on the vehicle body side portion 1, and at least one (here, multiple) rails (3, 4) for sliding the sliding door 2. Note that in Fig. 2, the sliding door 2 has been removed from the vehicle body side portion 1. In this embodiment, the vehicle 100 has a center rail 3 and a lower rail 4 as the multiple rails (3, 4).

The vehicle body side portion 1 is the outer portion of the vehicle body of the vehicle 100 in the vehicle width direction. In Figs. 1 and 2, the right side of the vehicle body when an occupant in the vehicle cabin is looking forward in the vehicle longitudinal direction is shown as the vehicle body side portion 1. The boarding/alighting door 1a is an opening formed in the vehicle body side portion 1 to allow access to the rear seats, and in addition to the rear seat boarding/alighting door 1a, the vehicle body side portion 1 also has a driver's seat boarding/alighting door 1b formed therein. The vehicle body side portion 1 is formed with a center pillar 1c extending in the vertical direction so as to separate the rear seat boarding/alighting door 1a from the driver's seat boarding/alighting door 1b. In addition, a quarter panel 1d is provided as part of the vehicle body side portion 1 behind the rear seat boarding/alighting door 1a in the vehicle longitudinal direction in the vehicle side portion 1.

The rear seat entrance 1a of the vehicle side portion 1 is opened and closed by a sliding door 2. The periphery 5 that forms the rear seat entrance 1a in the vehicle side portion 1 is formed in a shape that is visually recognized as a ring having a certain width in a plan view seen from the outside in the vehicle width direction as shown in FIG. 2, and surrounds the periphery of the entrance 1a. The vehicle 100 also has a front side door 6, which is a hinged side door for opening and closing the driver's seat entrance 1b. The front end of the front side door 6 is connected to the vehicle side portion 1 via a hinge (not shown), and the front side door 6 opens and closes the entrance 1b by rotating in the vehicle width direction around the hinge as a fulcrum.

As described above, the sliding door 2 is a sliding side door for opening and closing the rear seat entrance 1a of the vehicle body side portion 1. In other words, the sliding door 2 is a side door for opening and closing the rear entrance 1a of the two entrances 1a, 1b formed in the vehicle body side portion 1, and the vehicle side structure according to this embodiment is mainly applied to the structure of the portion including the rear (rear seat) entrance 1a and the sliding door 2 in the vehicle body side portion 1 of the vehicle 100. Note that, although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, the sliding door 2 is a manually opened and closed door that is opened and closed manually. However, the sliding door 2 is not limited to a manually opened and closed door, and may be an automatically opened and closed door that is opened and closed automatically.

The sliding door 2 is configured to be in a closed position (see the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 described later) where it fully closes the boarding/alighting opening 1a by sliding to one side in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle, and to be in an open position where it opens the boarding/alighting opening 1a by sliding to the other side in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle and faces the outer surface 1d1 on the other side of the boarding/alighting opening 1a of the vehicle body side portion 1.

In this embodiment, the "one side" of the sliding door 2 in the vehicle front-rear direction, which is the door closing direction, is the front side in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the "other side" of the sliding door 2 in the vehicle front-rear direction, which is the door opening direction, is the rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction. In other words, the sliding door 2 is located in the closed position by sliding forward in the vehicle front-rear direction, and is located in the open position by sliding backward in the vehicle front-rear direction. Specifically, in the closed position, the door outer surface 2a on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the sliding door 2, the outer surface 1d1 of the quarter panel 1d located rearward (the other side) of the boarding/alighting door 1a in the vehicle body side portion 1, and the pillar outer surface 1c1 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the center pillar 1c are aligned with each other without entering or exiting in the vehicle width direction, and these surfaces (2a, 1d1, 1c1) constitute part of the design surface of the side of the vehicle 100. In the open position, most of the sliding door 2 faces the outer surface 1d1 of the quarter panel 1d rearward of the boarding/alighting door 1a.

The rear end (i.e., rear end) of the sliding door 2 in the vehicle longitudinal direction constitutes a flange portion 21 that covers at least a part of the target edge portion 51, which is the rear edge portion (i.e., rear edge portion) of the periphery 5 of the entrance/exit 1a in the vehicle longitudinal direction, from the outside in the vehicle width direction in the closed position. In the vehicle 100, a gap is provided between the flange portion 21 of the sliding door 2 in the closed position and the target edge portion 51 of the periphery 5 of the entrance/exit 1a. A door handle 2b is provided on the door outer surface 2a of the sliding door 2. Specifically, when the sliding door 2 is in the closed position, a striker (not shown) provided on the vehicle body side portion 1 engages with a door latch (not shown) provided on the sliding door 2, thereby maintaining the door closed state. When the door handle 2b is operated, the door closed state is released.

The flange portion 21 protrudes rearward from the rear end of the door body portion 22, which constitutes the majority of the sliding door 2, and is formed with a thickness (thin wall) that is thinner than the thickness (width) of the door body portion 22 in the vehicle width direction. This door body portion 22 has a predetermined width in the vehicle width direction. In addition, the target edge portion 51 of the vehicle body side portion 1 is formed to retreat to the inside in the vehicle width direction, so that most of the target edge portion 51 is located inward in the vehicle width direction from the inner surface on the inside in the vehicle width direction of the sliding door 2 in the closed position. The end of the target edge portion 51 on the boarding/alighting door 1a side is located inward in the vehicle width direction from the innermost surface in the vehicle width direction of the door body portion 22 of the sliding door 2. The structure of the sliding door 2 and the target edge portion 51 will be described in more detail later.

The center rail 3 and the lower rail 4 each extend to the vehicle body side portion 1 and are rails that support the sliding door 2 so that it can slide between a closed position and an open position. In this embodiment, at least one of the rails (center rail 3, lower rail 4) includes a target rail 3A having an inclined rail portion 31 that extends at an incline at the periphery 5 of the boarding/alighting opening 1a at the vehicle body side portion 1 so that the sliding door 2 moves inward in the vehicle width direction while sliding from the open position on the rear side (the other side) in the vehicle front-rear direction to the front side (the one side) in the vehicle front-rear direction, and here, the target rail 3A is the center rail 3. In other words, the inclined rail portion 31 extends at an incline at the periphery 5 of the boarding/alighting opening 1a at the vehicle body side portion 1 so that the sliding door 2 slides from the closed position to the rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction and retreats outward in the vehicle width direction. The starting end of the inclined rail portion 31 constitutes the end of the center rail 3 in the door closing direction (the front end in this embodiment).

3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 2. However, in Fig. 3, the outer shape of the centre rail 3 is shown by a two-dot chain line to simplify the drawing. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the centre rail 3 extends from an outer surface 1d1 (i.e., the outer surface 1d1 of the quarter panel 1d) rearward in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the boarding/alighting opening 1a in the vehicle body side section 1 at a midpoint in the vehicle vertical direction to a target edge section 51 on the rear side in the vehicle longitudinal direction of the periphery 5 of the boarding/alighting opening 1a, with the portion on the target edge section 51 side (i.e., the end on the closing direction side) deflecting inward in the vehicle width direction. More specifically, the center rail 3 extends linearly in the vehicle longitudinal direction within a recess that is recessed inward in the vehicle width direction on the outer surface 1d1 of the quarter panel 1d of the vehicle side portion 1 and extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and then curves toward the vehicle width direction inward as it approaches the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction at a portion corresponding to the target edge portion 51, and the inclined rail portion 31 extends so as to extend continuously from the curved curved rail portion 32. In other words, in this embodiment, the center rail 3 is disposed at a midpoint between the rear door glass and the rear wheel house in the vehicle side portion 1, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As a result, the outer surface 1d1 of the vehicle side portion 1 is divided into upper and lower portions by the center rail 3, and as a result, the surface vibration of the vehicle side portion 1 can be efficiently suppressed. The center rail 3 can be disposed at a desired height position in the vehicle side portion 1.

The lower rail 4 extends to the lower edge 52 of the periphery 5 of the boarding/alighting entrance 1a in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the portion of the periphery 5 on the front edge 53 side (i.e., the end on the closing direction side) is deflected inward in the vehicle width direction. More specifically, the lower rail 4 has a curved rail portion 41 that extends linearly in the vehicle front-rear direction of the lower edge 52, and then curves inward in the vehicle width direction as it heads forward in the vehicle front-rear direction at the portion on the front edge 53 side.

The vehicle 100 has a first connecting unit 7 that connects the door body 22 of the sliding door 2 to the center rail 3, and a second connecting unit 8 that connects the door body 22 to the lower rail 4. In FIG. 2, each connecting unit (7, 8) is removed together with the sliding door 2. Each connecting unit (7, 8) has, for example, a similar structure. Referring mainly to FIG. 3, the first connecting unit 7 has an arm 71 attached to the inner surface of the door body 22, a roller 72 that engages with the center rail 3 and can roll (slide) along the center rail 3, and a swinging part 73 that connects the shaft part 72a of the roller 72 to the tip of the arm 71 so as to be swingable around a swinging shaft 73a extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[Details of vehicle side structure]
In the vehicle 100, the target edge 51 (here, the rear edge) of the periphery 5 of the boarding/alighting opening 1a in the vehicle body side portion 1 is divided into an inner edge 51a having an inclined rail inclined surface 511 along which the inclined rail portion 31 of the center rail 3 extends, and an outer edge 51b that is closer to the outer surface 1d1 of the vehicle body side portion 1 than the inner edge 51a. The sliding door 2 has the flange portion 21 and the door main body portion 22 as described above.

The inner edge 51a of the target edge 51 is the portion that essentially forms the boarding/alighting opening 1a in the target edge 51, and the front end of the inner edge 51a forms part of the opening contour of the boarding/alighting opening 1a. The rail inclined surface 511 is inclined so as to approach the door outer surface 2a of the sliding door 2 as it moves from the front to the rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

The outer edge 51b of the target edge 51 has an opposing surface 512 that faces at least the tip end of the inner flange surface 21a on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the flange portion 21 when in the closed position, and a connection surface 513 that connects the opposing surface 512 to the outer surface 1d1 of the vehicle body side portion 1.

Specifically, the facing surface 512 extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction and the vehicle vertical direction, and is parallel to the flange tip portion 211 of the flange inner surface 21a of the flange portion 21, which will be described later. The front portion of the facing surface 512 in the vehicle longitudinal direction faces a part of the flange inner surface 21a of the flange portion 21 (flange tip portion 211). The facing surface 512 is located at a position retreated a predetermined depth β' inward in the vehicle width direction from the outer surface 1d1 of the vehicle body side portion 1 (quarter panel 1d). In other words, the facing surface 512 is located at a position retreated a predetermined distance (= predetermined depth β') inward in the vehicle width direction from the door outer surface 2a of the sliding door 2 in the closed position.

The connection surface 513 connects the rear end of the opposing surface 512 in the vehicle longitudinal direction to the front end of the outer surface 1d1, which is rearward of the boarding/alighting entrance 1a of the vehicle body side portion 1 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The intersection of this connection surface 513 and the outer surface 1d1 forms a corner C, which is the boundary between the target edge portion 51 and the outer surface 1d1. In a plan view seen from the vehicle width direction, this corner C can be seen as a line extending over the entire range in the vehicle vertical direction in which the target edge portion 51 exists (see Figures 1 and 2).

In this embodiment, the flange portion 21 of the sliding door 2 has a flange tip portion 211 having a tip facing the connection surface 513 of the target edge portion 51 (outer edge portion 51b) in the closed position, and a flange base end portion 212 having a widening portion 212a that extends forward (toward the door body portion 22) in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the flange tip portion 211 and is located inward in the vehicle width direction from the surface (flange inner surface 21a) of the flange tip portion 211 facing surface 512 side of the flange tip portion 211. The flange tip portion 211 has a predetermined tip thickness in the vehicle width direction and is formed thinner than the flange base end portion 212. The flange base end portion 212 is located rearward in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the flange tip portion 211 and in a region in the vehicle longitudinal direction corresponding to the inner edge portion 51a of the target edge portion 51 in the closed position. The flange base end portion 212 is formed thicker than the flange tip portion 211 by the widening portion thickness in the vehicle width direction of the widening portion 212a.

The door body 22 of the sliding door 2 is formed continuously with the flange 21. The door body 22 has a connection portion 221 that connects to the flange 21. The connection portion inner surface 221a, which is the surface on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the connection portion 221, is inclined outward in the vehicle width direction toward the flange 21 side, so that the thickness (width) of the connection portion 221 becomes smaller toward the flange 21 side. In the closed position, the connection portion inner surface 221a faces the rail inclined surface 511 of the inner edge 51a of the target edge 51 at a distance and is inclined to the same extent as the rail inclined surface 511.

In this embodiment, the connection surface 513 of the target edge portion 51 is formed as an inclined surface that moves away from the tip of the flange portion 21 (flange tip portion 211) in the closed position as it moves from the front side to the rear side (from the one side to the other side) in the vehicle longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the connection surface 513 extends in the same inclination direction as the inclined rail portion 31 of the center rail 3 as the target rail 3A. In other words, the connection surface 513 extends in a direction that matches the inclination direction (degree of inclination) of the rail start end side portion of a predetermined length including the end of the door closing direction in the center rail 3 (here, the front end in the vehicle longitudinal direction). Specifically, the connection surface 513 is inclined at the same inclination angle (degree of inclination) as the inclination angle formed by the opposing surface 512 and a virtual line connecting the start point f1 of the closed position in the movement trajectory M of the tip inner corner of the flange portion 21 of the sliding door 2 moving along the inclined rail portion 31 and a predetermined point f2 that is at least a predetermined depth β' away from the start point f1 to the outside in the vehicle width direction. In addition, here, the movement trajectory M is set so that the predetermined point f2 is located on the vehicle front side (the one side) of the connection point X (see FIG. 3) between the opposing surface 512 and the connection surface 513 in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

In this embodiment, the target edge portion 51 has a protruding portion 514 that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction on the front side (the one side) of the opposing surface 512 in the vehicle front-rear direction. The protruding portion 514 has, for example, a mountain-shaped cross section.

In this embodiment, the tip of the protrusion 514 is located within a predetermined region R that corresponds to the widened portion 212a of the flange base end 212 in the closed position in the vehicle width direction and corresponds to the flange tip 211 in the closed position in the vehicle front-rear direction (see the dashed line in FIG. 3). In other words, the protrusion 514 is located within a region recessed in the vehicle width direction in the flange portion 21 by the widened portion 212a. In other words, when the sliding door 2 is in the closed position, the tip (tip surface) of the protrusion 514 is located outside the flange inner surface 21a of the widened portion 212a and inside the flange inner surface 21a of the flange tip 211 in the vehicle width direction, and is located in a position facing the flange inner surface 21a of the flange tip 211 in the vehicle width direction in the vehicle front-rear direction.

In the vehicle 100 configured as described above, the target edge 51 in the vehicle body side portion 1 has a gap enlargement portion 51A in which the first distance α, which is the distance in the vehicle longitudinal direction between the flange portion 21 in the closed position and the connection surface 513, is set to a predetermined value greater than the second distance β, which is the distance in the vehicle width direction between the flange portion 21 in the closed position and the opposing surface 512. In other words, when the sliding door 2 is in the closed position, in the gap enlargement portion 51A, the first distance α is set to a predetermined value (dimension) greater than the second distance β, and the second distance β is set to a predetermined value (dimension) smaller than the predetermined value for the first distance α (α>β).

Although not particularly limited, the first distance α (the above-mentioned predetermined value) in the gap enlargement portion 51A is set to a predetermined dimension of, for example, 2 cm or less. The predetermined depth β' is set to be smaller than the first distance α and larger than the second distance β (α>β'>β). In this embodiment, the opposing surface length α1, which is the length of the opposing surface 512 in the vehicle longitudinal direction, is set to be larger than the connection surface length α2, which is the length of the connection surface 513 in the vehicle longitudinal direction (α1>α2), and the value obtained by adding the opposing surface length α1 to the connection surface length α2 is set to be larger than the first distance α (α1+α2>α). Note that, as long as the condition α1+α2>α is satisfied, the opposing surface length α1 may be equal to or smaller than the connection surface length α2, not limited to the condition α1>α2. The longer the inclined connection surface length α2, the less likely turbulence will occur around the target edge portion 51 when the vehicle 100 is traveling, and the running resistance caused by air resistance will be reduced.

In this embodiment, the door handle 2b is provided on the door outer surface 2a of the sliding door 2 as described above (see FIG. 1). The door handle 2b is provided in the middle part of the sliding door 2 in the vertical direction of the vehicle and on the front end part of the sliding door 2 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In relation to the door handle 2b, the gap enlargement part 51A of the target edge part 51 is provided in an area that overlaps with an area of the target edge part 51 corresponding to the door handle 2b in the vertical direction of the vehicle. In addition, the range of the gap enlargement part 51A of the target edge part 51 in the vertical direction of the vehicle is set to be wider than the range of the door handle 2b in the vertical direction of the vehicle, for example.

In this embodiment, the target edge portion 51 has a gap reduction portion 51B on both sides of the gap expansion portion 51A in the vehicle vertical direction, in which the first distance α is set to a value smaller than the predetermined value in the gap expansion portion 51A (see Figures 1 and 2). That is, the target edge portion 51 has an upper gap reduction portion 51B in which the first distance α is set relatively narrow, a gap expansion portion 51A in which the first distance α is set relatively wide, and a lower gap reduction portion 51B in which the first distance α is set relatively narrow. Therefore, in a plan view seen from the outside in the vehicle width direction, in the gap expansion portion 51A, the boundary (partition) between the sliding door 2 and the vehicle body side portion 1 (quarter panel 1d) is more noticeable than in the gap reduction portion 51B, and in the gap reduction portion 51B, the boundary between the sliding door 2 and the vehicle body side portion 1 is not more noticeable than in the gap expansion portion 51A (see Figure 1). Specifically, the second distance β in the gap narrowing section 51B is set to the same dimension as the gap widening section 51A, and the first distance α in the gap narrowing section 51B is set to a value that is smaller than the first distance α (the above-mentioned predetermined value) in the gap widening section 51A and smaller than the second distance β.

In this embodiment, the target edge portion 51 has an upper intermediate portion 51C that connects the upper gap reduction portion 51B and the gap expansion portion 51A, and a lower intermediate portion 51D that connects the lower gap reduction portion 51B and the gap expansion portion 51A. The part of the corner portion C that is the boundary between the target edge portion 51 and the outer surface 1d1, which corresponds to the upper intermediate portion 51C, and the part of the corner portion C that corresponds to the lower intermediate portion 51D, spread apart toward the boarding/alighting door 1a in a plan view seen from the vehicle width direction (see Figures 1 and 2).

Next, the operation of the vehicle side structure applied to the vehicle 100 according to this embodiment will be described mainly with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of the vehicle 100' according to the comparative example, which corresponds to FIG. 3. The target edge portion 51 in the vehicle side structure of the vehicle 100' according to this comparative example does not have a portion corresponding to the gap enlargement portion 51A in the vehicle 100 (vehicle side structure) according to this embodiment. In the target edge portion 51 of the vehicle 100' (vehicle side structure) according to the comparative example, (1) the first distance α is set to a predetermined value equal to or less than the second distance β, (2) the connection surface 513 is curved rather than inclined, and (3) it does not have a protrusion 514, and the structure other than these ((1) to (3)) is the same as the vehicle 100 (vehicle side structure) according to this embodiment.

First, in the vehicle 100' (vehicle side structure) according to the comparative example shown in FIG. 4, when the sliding door 2 slides toward the closed position along the inclined rail portion 31 of the center rail 3 (in other words, when moving toward the closed position near the closed position), the distance (gap) d between the flange inner surface 21a of the flange portion 21 and the outer surface 1d1 of the vehicle body side portion 1 gradually narrows. This distance d continues to decrease until the tip of the flange portion 21 reaches a position corresponding to the corner C in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the open position side, and is minimum at the position corresponding to the corner C (the position where the flange inner surface 21a and the corner C overlap in the vehicle longitudinal direction). After that, the sliding door 2 continues to slide toward the closed position along the inclined rail portion 31, and at the closed position, a gap is provided between the flange portion 21 and the target edge portion 51. At this time, the flange inner surface 21a is positioned inward in the vehicle width direction from the corner C by the thickness (β'-β) of the flange tip portion 21a. In such a sliding door 2, as shown in FIG. 4, there is a risk that a foreign object may be present near the flange portion 21 during the process of decreasing the distance d between the flange inner surface 21a and the outer surface 1d1. In this case, as the sliding door 2 subsequently slides further toward the closed position beyond the corner C in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the foreign object may be drawn toward the target edge portion 51 of the periphery 5 of the entrance 1a and become caught in the gap between the flange portion 21 and the target edge portion 51.

In contrast, in the vehicle 100 (vehicle side structure) according to this embodiment, the target edge portion 51 has a gap enlargement portion 51A in which the first distance α, which is the distance in the vehicle longitudinal direction between the flange portion 21 and the connection surface 513, is set to a predetermined value greater than the second distance β, which is the distance in the vehicle width direction between the flange portion 21 and the opposing surface 512. As a result, compared to the comparative example shown in FIG. 4 in which the first distance α is equal to or less than the second distance β, as shown in FIG. 3, the position where the distance between the flange inner surface 21a and the outer surface 1d1 of the vehicle body side portion 1 is likely to be minimum (in other words, the corner reaching position where the tip of the flange portion 21 reaches the corner C in the vehicle longitudinal direction) can be shifted toward the open position. As a result, the distance d between the flange inner surface 21a and the outer surface 1d1 of the vehicle body side portion 1 at the corner reaching position that may be the starting point for pinching a foreign object becomes greater than the case in which the first distance α is equal to or less than the second distance β (the comparative example shown in FIG. 4). Therefore, in the vehicle 100 (vehicle side structure) according to this embodiment, it is possible to effectively prevent foreign objects from being caught between the flange portion 21 of the sliding door 2 and the target edge portion 51, compared to when the first distance α is equal to or less than the second distance β.

In this way, the vehicle 100 according to this embodiment can provide a vehicle side structure that can effectively prevent foreign objects from getting caught between the flange portion 21 of the sliding door 2 and the target edge portion 51 of the periphery 5 of the boarding/alighting opening 1a that is covered by the flange portion 21.

In this embodiment, the connection surface 513 is formed as an inclined surface that is farther away from the tip of the flange portion 21 in the closed position as it moves from the front side to the rear side (from the one side to the other side), and extends in the same inclined direction as the inclined rail portion 31. As a result, for example, when the sliding door 2 in the closed position moves in the opening direction along the inclined rail portion 31, the distance between the tip of the flange portion 21 and the connection surface 513 of the target edge portion 51 does not narrow, so that even when moving from the closed position to the opening direction, the pinching of foreign matter between the flange portion 21 and the target edge portion 51 is effectively suppressed. Specifically, the connection surface 513 is preferably inclined at least at the same inclination angle as the inclination angle between the virtual line connecting these points (f1 and f2) and the opposing surface 512 during the movement (section) between the start point f1 of the movement trajectory M of the inner corner of the tip of the flange portion 21 and a predetermined point f2 that is a predetermined depth β' away from the start point f1 in the vehicle width direction. The connection surface 513 is not limited to the same inclination direction as the inclined rail portion 31, and may extend in a more gentle inclination direction in the vehicle width direction than the inclined rail portion 31, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3. As a result, for example, when moving from the closed position to the open direction, the distance between the tip of the flange portion 21 and the connection surface 513 gradually increases, so that pinching of foreign objects during movement from the closed position to the open direction is more effectively suppressed. In addition, from the perspective of movement in the closing direction near the closed position, by inclining the connection surface 513 more gently than the inclined rail portion 31 as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3, the corner arrival position can be shifted toward the open position, compared to when the connection surface 513 is inclined in the same inclination direction as the inclined rail portion 31, so that pinching of foreign objects during movement in the closing direction is more effectively suppressed.

In this embodiment, the movement trajectory M is set so that the specified point f2 is located on the vehicle front side (the one side) of the connection point X (see FIG. 3) between the opposing surface 512 and the connection surface 513 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. This increases the minimum distance between the flange portion 21 and the connection surface 513 at the position of the specified point f2 (more specifically, the distance between the specified point f2 and the corner C in FIG. 3, i.e., the length of the line linearly connecting the specified point f2 and the corner C), and thus more effectively prevents foreign objects from getting caught.

Here, in the vehicle 100 (vehicle side structure) according to this embodiment, the gap expansion portion 51A can effectively prevent foreign objects from being caught between the flange portion 21 and the target edge portion 51, but by providing the gap expansion portion 51A, the possibility of foreign objects, rainwater, etc. entering through the gap expansion portion 51A may be higher than in the comparative example structure shown in FIG. 4, which does not have the gap expansion portion 51A.

In this embodiment, the target edge portion 51 has a protrusion 514 that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction at the front side (the one side) of the opposing surface 512 to prevent the intrusion of the foreign objects, rainwater, etc. As a result, the protrusion 514 is located on the rear side (the entrance 1a) of the opposing surface 512 and functions as a barrier against foreign objects. As a result, the protrusion 514 effectively prevents foreign objects from intruding into the gap (space) between the opposing surface 512 and the flange portion 21 when the sliding door 2 is moved from the open position to the closed position. In addition, even if water such as rainwater or muddy water intrudes through a relatively wide gap (gap of the first distance α) between the tip of the flange portion 21 and the connection surface 513 of the target edge portion 51 in the gap enlargement portion 51A, most of the rainwater, etc. that intrudes into this gap collides with the protrusion 514, and the intrusion of rainwater, etc. toward the entrance 1a side of the protrusion 514 is effectively prevented.

In addition, the outer surface of the protruding portion 514 (i.e., the tip surface in the protruding direction) is located closer to the door body portion 22 in the vehicle front-rear direction than the tip of the flange portion 21 (flange tip portion 211). This prevents foreign objects from becoming caught between the outer surface of the protruding portion 514 and the flange portion 21.

In this embodiment, the tip of the protrusion 514 is located within a predetermined region R that corresponds to the widened portion 212a of the flange base end 212 in the closed position in the vehicle width direction, and corresponds to the flange tip 211 in the closed position in the vehicle front-rear direction. As a result, even if rainwater or the like infiltrates through the gap between the flange tip 211 and the protrusion 514, the widened portion 212a is located ahead of the flow direction of the infiltrating rainwater, and the rainwater or the like hits this widened portion 212a, effectively preventing further infiltration of the rainwater or the like into the boarding/alighting door 1a side.

Here, for example, there is a case where an occupant standing behind the rear end of the sliding door 2 outside the vehicle attempts to manually close a manually opened and closed sliding door 2 such as the present embodiment. In this case, the occupant may push forward the portion of the rear end of the sliding door 2 in the open position that corresponds to the door handle 2b in the vertical direction of the vehicle, thereby manually sliding the sliding door 2 in the closing direction. In other words, since the door handle 2b is often provided at a height that makes it easy to slide the sliding door 2 in consideration of the position of the center rail 3 and the center of gravity of the sliding door 2, the portion of the rear end of the sliding door 2 that corresponds to the door handle 2b in the vertical direction of the vehicle is likely to be a position that is frequently subjected to external forces when the sliding door 2 is manually closed. Therefore, the portion of the rear end of the sliding door 2 (i.e., the end of the sliding door 2 on the target edge portion 51 side) that corresponds to the door handle 2b in the vertical direction of the vehicle is an area where the possibility of a foreign object being caught is higher than other areas.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the gap expansion portion 51A of the target edge portion 51 is provided in an area that overlaps with an area of the target edge portion 51 in the vertical direction of the vehicle that corresponds to the door handle 2b. This narrows the area (gap expansion portion 51A) where the boundary (partition) between the sliding door 2 and the vehicle body side portion 1 stands out and the aesthetics tend to deteriorate, to an area that overlaps with an area where manual external force is likely to be applied. As a result, compared to a case where the gap expansion portion 51A is provided over the entire area of the target edge portion 51 in the vertical direction of the vehicle, it is possible to effectively prevent foreign objects from being trapped in areas where this is likely, while also preventing deterioration of the aesthetics.

More specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the target edge portion 51 has gap reduction portions 51B on both sides of the gap expansion portion 51A in the vehicle vertical direction, in which the first distance α is set to a value smaller than the predetermined value in the gap expansion portion 51A (specifically, a value smaller than the second distance β). As a result, the gap expansion portion 51A is provided only in the area where foreign objects are likely to become trapped, and the gap reduction portion 51B is provided in the other areas, thereby preventing deterioration of the aesthetic appearance.

In addition, in this embodiment, the portion of the corner C that is the boundary between the target edge portion 51 and the outer surface 1d1, which corresponds to the upper intermediate portion 51C, and the portion of the corner C that corresponds to the lower intermediate portion 51D, spread apart toward the boarding/alighting door 1a in a plan view seen from the vehicle width direction. As a result, at the joint between the upper gap reduction portion 51B and the gap expansion portion 51A (i.e., the upper intermediate portion 51C) and the joint between the lower gap reduction portion 51B and the gap expansion portion 51A (i.e., the lower intermediate portion 51D), the first distance α does not narrow suddenly but gradually decreases toward the gap reduction portion 51B. As a result, the entrapment of foreign objects is effectively suppressed even at the joints.

[Other variations]
Next, modified examples of the vehicle side structure applied to the vehicle 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8 etc.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the vehicle 100, the weather strip 515 that seals the gap between the target edge 51 and the sliding door 2 is provided on the target edge 51 at a portion closer to the entrance 1a than the protruding portion 514. This effectively prevents rainwater and the like from contacting the weather strip 515 by the protruding portion 514, and prevents deterioration of the weather strip 515 due to contact with rainwater and the like. In addition, the gap on the weather strip 515 side in the intrusion path of rainwater and the like is effectively narrowed in the vehicle width direction by the protruding portion 514, so that intrusion of rainwater and the like into the weather strip 515 side is more effectively prevented.

Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the surface of the widening portion 212a on the opposing surface 512 side may be inclined so as to move away from the opposing surface 512 in the vehicle width direction as it approaches the flange tip portion 211. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, at least a part of the protrusion 514 is located within the area in the vehicle front-rear direction corresponding to the flange base end portion 212 in the closed position. As a result, even if rainwater or the like infiltrates through the gap between the flange tip portion 211 and the protrusion portion 514, the infiltrating rainwater or the like is more likely to hit the widening portion 212a, and the infiltration of rainwater or the like into the weatherstrip 515 side is more effectively suppressed.

Also, as shown in Figs. 6 to 8, the gap enlargement portion 51A may be provided in a region of the target edge portion 51 that is offset from the region corresponding to the door handle 2b in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Specifically, the gap enlargement portion 51A may be provided in a region above the door handle 2b as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, or may be provided in a region below the door handle 2b as shown in Fig. 8. In these cases, the gap reduction portion 51B may be provided on both sides of the gap enlargement portion 51A in the vertical direction of the vehicle as shown in Fig. 6, or may be provided only on one side of the gap enlargement portion 51A in the vertical direction of the vehicle as shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

In addition, the connection surface 513 extends in an inclined direction and with an inclination degree based on the inclined rail portion 31 of the center rail 3, but is not limited to this. For example, an inclined rail portion may be provided at the end of the curved rail portion 41 of the lower rail 4, and the connection surface 513 may extend in an inclined direction and with an inclination degree based on the inclined rail portion of the lower rail 4. In this case, the target rail 3A becomes the lower rail 4. Although not shown, the connection surface 513 does not have to be formed as an inclined surface, and may be formed as a curved surface that is curved in an arc shape in cross section, for example, so as to be convex toward the flange tip portion 211 in the closed position or to be concave on the opposite side to the flange tip portion 211 in the closed position. In addition, the end of the connection surface 513 on the opposing surface 512 side may be curved in an arc shape in cross section so as to be concave on the opposite side to the flange tip portion 211 or to be convex toward the flange tip portion 211. Additionally, the flange inner surface 21a at the flange tip end 211 may be inclined so that it is positioned further outward in the vehicle width direction as it approaches the flange base end 212.

The sliding door 2 is not limited to a manual opening/closing type, but may be an automatic opening/closing type. Even in this case, for example, when closing the sliding door 2 in the event of a failure of the drive mechanism for automatic opening/closing, a manual external force may act on the rear end of the sliding door 2, increasing the possibility of a foreign object being trapped. Therefore, even in the case of an automatic opening/closing type sliding door 2, the vehicle side structure according to this embodiment is suitable.

In addition, the vehicle side structure is applied as a side structure on the right side of the vehicle 100, but it may be applied as a side structure on the left side of the vehicle 100. In this case, a structure that is in the opposite direction to the left and right in the vehicle width direction to the structure described above is applied.

Although the sliding door 2 is a side door that is positioned in the closed position by sliding forward in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a side door that is positioned in the closed position by sliding backward in the vehicle longitudinal direction. In this case, the "one side" in the vehicle longitudinal direction, which is the door closing direction of the sliding door 2, is the rear side in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the "other side" in the vehicle longitudinal direction, which is the door opening direction of the sliding door 2, is the front side in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The flange portion 21 of the sliding door 2 is formed at the front end portion of the sliding door 2, and the target edge portion 51 is the front edge portion (front edge portion) of the periphery 5 of the boarding/alighting opening 1a in the vehicle body side portion 1. For example, a vehicle 100 having such an opening/closing form of the sliding door 2 is assumed to have a vehicle with a relatively large area of the vehicle body side portion 1. In such a vehicle 100, the vehicle side portion structure described above according to this embodiment may be applied. In this case, the structure described above is applied in the reverse direction in the vehicle longitudinal direction, which effectively prevents foreign objects from getting caught between the flange portion 21 at the front end of the sliding door 2 and the target edge portion 51, which is the front edge portion of the periphery 5 of the entrance/exit 1a.

Although the embodiments and variations of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and variations, and further modifications and changes are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention.

1...vehicle body side portion, 1a...entrance/exit, 1d1...outer surface, 2...sliding door, 2a...door outer surface,
2b...door handle, 21...flange portion, 21a...flange inner surface, 211...flange tip portion, 212...flange base end portion, 212a...widened portion, 3, 4...multiple rails, 3...center rail, 3A...target rail, 31...inclined rail portion, 4...lower rail, 5...periphery, 51...target edge portion, 51A...widened gap portion, 51B...narrowed gap portion, 51C...upper middle portion, 51D...lower middle portion, 512...opposing surface, 513...connecting surface, 514...projecting portion, 515...weather strip, C...corner portion, R...predetermined area, α...first distance, β...second distance

Claims (7)

A vehicle body side portion having a boarding/alighting entrance formed therein;
a sliding door that is positioned at a closed position where the boarding/alighting opening is fully closed by sliding toward one side in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and is positioned at an open position where the boarding/alighting opening is opened by sliding toward the other side in the vehicle longitudinal direction and faces an outer surface of the vehicle body side portion on the other side of the boarding/alighting opening;
at least one rail extending to the vehicle body side portion and supporting the sliding door slidably between the closed position and the open position;
Including,
the at least one rail includes a target rail having an inclined rail portion extending at an incline at a periphery of the boarding/alighting opening at the vehicle body side portion so that the sliding door moves inward in the vehicle width direction while sliding from the open position on the other side to the one side,
the other end of the sliding door forms a flange portion that covers at least a part of a target edge portion, which is an edge portion on the other side of the periphery, from an outer side in a vehicle width direction in the closed position,
A vehicle side structure, wherein a gap is provided between the flange portion in the closed position and the target edge portion,
The target edge portion has an opposing surface that faces at least a tip side portion of an inner flange surface on an inner side in the vehicle width direction of the flange portion in the closed position, and a connecting surface that connects the opposing surface and the outer surface,
The target edge portion has a gap enlargement portion, in which a first distance, which is a distance in the vehicle front-rear direction between the flange portion in the closed position and the connection surface, is set to a predetermined value larger than a second distance, which is a distance in the vehicle width direction between the flange portion in the closed position and the opposing surface,
The target edge portion has a protruding portion protruding outward in a vehicle width direction at the one side portion of the opposing surface,
the flange portion has a flange tip portion having a tip that faces the connection surface in the closed position, and a flange base end portion having a widened portion that extends continuously from the flange tip portion to the one side and is located more inward in the vehicle width direction than a surface of the flange tip portion on the facing surface side,
A vehicle side structure characterized in that the tip of the protrusion is located within a specified area which is an area corresponding to the widening portion of the flange base end when in the closed position in the vehicle width direction, and which is an area corresponding to the flange tip end when in the closed position in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction. The vehicle side structure according to claim 1, wherein the connection surface is formed as an inclined surface that is spaced apart from the tip of the flange portion in the closed position as it moves from the one side to the other side, and extends in the same inclined direction as the inclined rail portion or in a more gentle inclined direction in the vehicle width direction than the inclined rail portion. 2. The vehicle side structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a weather strip provided on a portion of the target edge closer to the entrance than the protruding portion, for sealing a gap between the target edge and the sliding door. The surface of the widening portion on the opposing surface side is inclined so as to move away from the opposing surface in the vehicle width direction toward the flange tip portion,
The vehicle side structure according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the protrusion is located within a region in the vehicle front-rear direction that corresponds to the flange base end in the closed position. A door handle is provided on the outer surface of the sliding door,
5. The vehicle side structure according to claim 1 , wherein the enlarged gap portion is provided in a region of the target edge portion that overlaps with a region corresponding to the door handle in the vehicle up-down direction. The vehicle side structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the target edge portion has a gap reduction portion on both sides of the gap expansion portion in the vehicle vertical direction, in which the first distance is set to a value smaller than the predetermined value in the gap expansion portion. The target edge portion has an upper intermediate portion that connects the upper gap narrowing portion and the gap widening portion, and a lower intermediate portion that connects the lower gap narrowing portion and the gap widening portion,
7. The vehicle side structure according to claim 6, wherein a portion of the corner portion that is a boundary between the target edge portion and the outer surface, which corresponds to the upper middle portion, and a portion of the corner portion that corresponds to the lower middle portion, spread apart from each other toward the boarding/alighting entrance side in a plan view seen from the vehicle width direction.

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