Vehicle door with door beam

• US 8,210,596 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2008
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Tate, Kenta
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLACK, MELISSA ANN
• Application Number:
  US12/177,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20090026795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 296/146.6, 296/187.12, 296/187.03, 296/1.03, 296/193.05
• US Class Current: 296/146.6
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/0429 the elements being arranged diagonally
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/0437 characterised by the attachment means to the door, e.g. releasable attachment means

Abstract

A bracket is fixed to a door beam which is fixed to an inner panel between the inner panel and an outer panel of the door. The bracket extends from the door beam toward the outer panel and includes at an end thereof a curved part protruding toward the outer panel. The bracket is connected at the end thereof to the outer panel through the vibration damping member. The bracket has a predetermined length and is fixed to the inner panel at an angle between the inner panel reference plane and the extending direction. The angle is determined on the basis of a distance between the door beam and the outer panel.

Claims

1. A door for a vehicle and a jig temporarily used to position a bracket with reference to a beam body of the door, the door comprising:

an inner panel;

an outer panel, fixed to the inner panel, disposed outside the inner panel with respect to the vehicle;

a door beam between the inner panel and the outer panel, the door beam being fixed to the inner panel, the door beam comprising the beam body having a front end at one end and a rear end at the other end, and a circular ring shape on a cross section thereof;

a vibration damping member; and

the bracket, which is fixable to the door beam and extends from the door beam toward the outer panel, said bracket including;

a bracket fixing part configured to fix the bracket to the beam body at one end of the bracket;

a connecting part at the other end of the bracket opposite to the fixing part protruding toward the outer panel, the connecting part having an arc that is a part of a circle on cross section thereof, the circle having a center and the connecting part extending along an axis on the center in parallel to an axis of the door beam; and

an elongated hole therein, having an opening extending from a side of the door beam toward the outer panel, configured to determine a position of the bracket relative to the beam body in a longitudinal direction of the beam body wherein the bracket is connectable at the connecting part to the outer panel through the vibration damping member;

wherein the elongated hole allows a reference pin of the jig to penetrate therethrough to determine the position of the bracket relative to the beam body in the longitudinal direction of the beam body with clearances between the elongated hole and the reference pin in a longitudinal direction of the elongated hole, the jig comprising a base configured to allow the beam body to be placed thereon, a positioning pin configured to control at least one of positions of the front end and the rear end while the beam body is placed on the base to fix the bracket to the beam body, and the reference pin.

2. The door as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bracket has a first length in the longitudinal direction of the door beam at the one end and a second length at the other end in the longitudinal direction, and the first length is greater than the second length.

3. The door as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bracket extends from the door beam toward the outer panel in an extending direction with a predetermined width, the bracket is fixed to the inner panel at a fixing angle between the extending direction and a reference plane defined by fixing the door beam to the inner panel, and the fixing angle is determined on the basis of a distance between the door beam and the outer panel.

4. The door as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bracket is fixed to an approximately middle of the door beam to connect the door beam to the outer panel through the bracket and the vibration damping member, and a part of the door beam near a front end or a rear end is fixed to another vibration damping member which is fixed to the outer panel.

5. The door as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bracket has a first length in the longitudinal direction of the door beam at the one end and a second length at the other end in the longitudinal direction, and the first length is greater than the second length.

6. The door as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bracket extends from the door beam toward the outer panel in an extending direction with a predetermined width, the bracket is fixed to the inner panel at a fixing angle between the extending direction and a reference plane defined by fixing the door beam to the inner panel, and the fixing angle is determined on the basis of a distance between the door beam and the outer panel.

7. The door as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bracket is fixed to an approximately middle of the door beam to connect the door beam to the outer panel through the bracket and the vibration damping member, and a part of the door beam near a front end or a rear end is fixed to another vibration damping member which is fixed to the outer panel.

8. The door as claimed in claim 1, wherein a portion of the beam body to which the bracket is affixed is spaced a distance from the vibration damping member and the outer panel.