Description:FORM 2

THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(Section 10 and Rule 13)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION
A Reinforcement Member for a Vehicle Door

APPLICANTS
MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA LIMITED, an Indian company, having its address at Mahindra Research Valley, Mahindra World City, Plot No:41/1, Anjur P.O., Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu – 603004, India

PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
 
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The invention relates to a reinforcement member for a vehicle door.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[001] Vehicle doors are mounted to a vehicle body via hinges and a latch is provided to lock the door with the vehicle body. Generally, vehicle doors comprise of a frame having an upper region with a window opening and a lower region which supports various components such as glass operating mechanism, speakers, door locks, etc.
[002] Figure 1 shows a vehicle door 10 as per prior-art. The vehicle door 10 illustrated is a rear door whereby the vehicle door 10 is mounted adjacent to a wheel arch of the vehicle. The vehicle door 10 comprises an inner panel 12 and an outer panel. The vehicle door 10 comprises one or more hinges 16 for mounting the vehicle door 10 to the vehicle. The one or more hinges 16 are mounted to at least one of the inner panel 12 and the outer panel. The vehicle door 10 further comprises a latch 18. The latch 18 is provided between the inner panel 12 and the outer panel. As shown, the latch 18 is disposed above a plane HS of the one or more hinges 16 – above the top hinge. The vehicle door 10 comprises one or more cut-outs on the inner panel 12, and at-least one cut-out 14 is a latch cut-out disposed adjacent to the latch 18 for providing access to the latch 18 for assembly and servicing. Due to the cut-out 14, the door section is comparatively weak in the area A of the latch cut-out 14 and is subject to twist during latching. This will cause the inner panel 12 around the latch cut-out 14 to be twisted/distorted, which is undesirable.
[003] In order to solve the afore-mentioned problem, a reinforcement panel is welded across the width of the vehicle door 10 to provide strength. However, the reinforcement panel adds to weight and cost of the vehicle door 10. Another option in prior art for solving the latch cut-out distortion is to increase the thickness of the inner panel 12 to reduce the panel deflection during torsion. However, increasing the thickness leads to substantial increase in weight of the vehicle door 10, which is undesirable. Reverse flange extending inwards around the cut-out 14 is another option to reduce distortion. However, it is not possible to provide continuous reverse flange, as it may cause injury to operator’s hand while assembling or servicing the latch 18 within the inner panel 12.
[004] Thus, there is a need in the art to addresses at least the aforementioned problems associated with latch cut-out area in a vehicle door.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[005] In one aspect, the present invention provides a reinforcement member for a vehicle door having one or more cut-outs on an inner panel. The reinforcement member includes a first member extending in a width direction of the vehicle door between a first mounting point and a second mounting point. The reinforcement member includes a second member extending in a length direction of the vehicle door from the second mounting point to a third mounting point. The reinforcement member includes a third member extending diagonally between the third mounting point and the first mounting point. The reinforcement member is adaptable to the cut-out whereby the first mounting point is adapted adjacent to a lower edge of the cut-out, the second mounting point is adapted adjacent to a side edge of the cut-out and the third mounting point is adapted adjacent to a top edge of the cut-out, thereby reinforcing the cut-out at multiple locations.
[006] In one embodiment, the cut-out is adjacent to a latch being disposed above a plane HS of at least one or more hinges disposed on the vehicle door.
[007] In one embodiment, the first member, the second member, and the third member are integrally formed.
[008] In one embodiment, the reinforcement member includes a fourth member. The fourth member extends away from the third member and opposite to the side edge of the cut-out to a fourth mounting point.
[009] In another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle door for a vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle door includes an inner panel and an outer panel. The vehicle door includes one or more hinges for mounting the door to the vehicle. The vehicle door includes a latch provided between the inner panel and the outer panel. The latch is disposed above a plane of the one or more hinges. The vehicle door includes a cut-out on the inner panel. The cut-out is disposed adjacent to the latch for providing access to the latch. The vehicle door includes a reinforcement member mounted around periphery of the cut-out. The reinforcement member includes a first member extending in a width direction of the vehicle door between a first mounting point and a second mounting point. The reinforcement member includes a second member extending in a length direction of the vehicle door from the second mounting point to a third mounting point. The reinforcement member includes a third member extending diagonally between the third mounting point and the first mounting point. The reinforcement member is adaptable to the cut-out whereby the first mounting point is adapted adjacent to a lower edge of the cut-out, the second mounting point is adapted adjacent to a side edge of the cut-out and the third mounting point is adapted adjacent to a top edge of the cut-out, thereby reinforcing the cut-out at multiple locations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[010] Reference will be made to embodiments of the invention, examples of which may be illustrated in accompanying figures. These figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Although the invention is generally described in context of these embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these particular embodiments.
Figure 1 shows a vehicle door as per prior-art.
Figure 2 shows an exploded view of a vehicle door, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 3 shows the vehicle door with a reinforcement member, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 4 shows the reinforcement member, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 5 shows a lower section of the inner panel of the vehicle door, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the reinforcement member, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[011] The present invention provides a reinforcement member for a vehicle door having one or more cut-outs. The reinforcement member is designed to support a latch cut-out to reduce deformation/deflection of the door in the area in and around the cut-out, and thereby increase the overall strength and integrity of the vehicle door.
[012] Figure 2 shows an exploded view of a vehicle door 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The vehicle door 100 is a rear door of a vehicle. As can be seen, the vehicle door 100 has a curved profile to accommodate/align with a wheel well of the vehicle. The shape and configuration of the vehicle door can vary depending upon design of the vehicle. As shown in figure 2, the vehicle door 100 comprises an inner panel 120 and an outer panel 200. The inner panel 120 and the outer panel 200 are structurally connected to each other. The vehicle door 100 comprises one or more hinges 160 for mounting the vehicle door 100 to the vehicle. The one or more hinges 160 are mounted to at least one of the inner panel 120 and the outer panel 200. The vehicle door 100 further comprises a latch 180. The latch 180 is provided between the inner panel 120 and the outer panel 200. The latch 180 is disposed above a plane HS of the one or more hinges 160 (refer Figure 5). The plane HS refers to a hinge span of the one or more hinges 160. The vehicle door 100 further comprises a reinforcement member 400.
[013] Figure 3 shows the reinforcement member 400 disposed in the inner panel 120 of the vehicle door 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The vehicle door 100 comprises a cut-out 140 on the inner panel 120. The cut-out 140 is a latch cut-out disposed adjacent to the latch 180 for providing access to the latch 180 for assembly and servicing. As mentioned hereinbefore, the cut-out 140 is subject to twist during latching causing the inner panel 120 around the latch cut-out 140 to be twisted/distorted, which is undesirable. Furthermore, due to the curve in the vehicle door due to the wheel arch and placement of the latch 180 about the hinge 160 further weakens the area A adjacent the cut-out 140.
[014] Figure 4 shows the reinforcement member 400, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The reinforcement member 400 is mounted around periphery of the cut-out 140. The reinforcement member 400 comprises a first member 402 extending in a width/horizontal direction of the vehicle door 100 between a first mounting point 400A and a second mounting point 400B. The reinforcement member comprises a second member 404 extending in a length/vertical direction of the vehicle door 100 from the second mounting point 400B to a third mounting point 400C. The reinforcement member 400 comprises a third member 406 extending diagonally between the third mounting point 400C and the first mounting point 400A.
[015] The reinforcement member 400 is adaptable to the cut-out 140, whereby the reinforcement member 400 is mounted using fastening means, welding, and the like. The first mounting point 400A is adapted adjacent to a lower edge of the cut-out 140. The second mounting point 400B is adapted adjacent to a side edge of the cut-out 140. The third mounting point 400C is adapted adjacent to a top edge of the cut-out 140. The first through third mounting points 400A, 400B, 400C thereby reinforce the cut-out 140 at multiple locations through the reinforcement member 400. As a result, the cut-out 140 is capable of withstanding torsional forces acted upon the cut-out 140 due to opening and closing of the vehicle door 100 and providing structural rigidity, strength, and integrity to the cut-out 140. The reinforcement member 400 aids in improving noise, vibration and harshness and an overall signature of the vehicle door 100 during opening and closing of the vehicle door 100. Further, the first member 402, the second member 404 and the third member 406 form an opening at the centre of the reinforcement member 400, thereby reducing weight and manufacturing cost of the reinforcement member 400.
[016] In an embodiment, the first member 402, the second member 404 and the third member 406 have S-shaped section for maximum stiffness. In another embodiment, the first member 402, the second member 404 and the third member 406 have one of U-shaped and W-shaped sections. In another embodiment, the reinforcement member 400 is integrally formed i.e., the first member 402, the second member 404 and the third member 406 are integrally formed. In one non-limiting example, the reinforcement member 400 is made of one of cold rolled steel, aluminium, or similar materials. In another non-limiting example, the reinforcement member 400 has minimum of 2 mm thickness.
[017] Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the reinforcement member 500, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The reinforcement member 500 is similar to the reinforcement member 400 and further comprises a fourth member 408. The fourth member 408 extends away from the third member 406 and opposite to the side edge of the cut-out 140 towards a fourth mounting point 400D. In an embodiment, the fourth member 408 is perpendicular to the third member 406. The fourth member 408 along with the first member 402, the second member 404 and the third member 406 is configured to provide additional structural rigidity, strength, and integrity to the cut-out 140.
[018] Advantageously, the present invention provides a reinforcement member for reinforcing the cut-out in the inner panel of the vehicle door. The reinforcement member is integrally formed, light weight, low cost and does not require any external/additional panels for mounting to the vehicle door. The reinforcement member also does not require variation in thickness of the inner panel of the vehicle door.
[019] While the present invention has been described with respect to certain embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
, C , C , Claims:WE CLAIM:
1. A reinforcement member (400) for a vehicle door (100) having one or more cut-outs (140) on an inner panel (120), the reinforcement member (400) comprising: a first member (402) extending in a width direction of the vehicle door (100) between a first mounting point (400A) and a second mounting point (400B), a second member (404) extending in a length direction of the vehicle door (100) from the second mounting point (400B) to a third mounting point (400C), and a third member (406) extending diagonally between the third mounting point (400C) and the first mounting point (400A), the reinforcement member (400) adaptable to the cut-out (140) whereby the first mounting point (400A) is adapted adjacent to a lower edge of the cut-out (140), the second mounting point (400B) is adapted adjacent to a side edge of the cut-out (140) and the third mounting point (400C) is adapted adjacent to a top edge of the cut-out (140), thereby reinforcing the cut-out (140) at multiple locations.

2. The reinforcement member (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cut-out (140) is a latch cut-out provided adjacent to a latch (180) disposed above a plane HS of at least one or more hinges (160) disposed on the vehicle door (100).

3. The reinforcement member (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first member (402), the second member (404), and the third member (406) are integrally formed.

4. The reinforcement member (400) as claimed in claim 1 comprising a fourth member (408), the fourth member (408) extending away from the third member (406) and opposite to the side edge of the cut-out (140) to a fourth mounting point (400D).

5. A vehicle door (100), comprising:
an inner panel (120) and an outer panel (200);
one or more hinges (160) for mounting the vehicle door (100) to the vehicle;
a latch (180) provided between the inner panel (120) and the outer panel (200), the latch (180) being disposed above a plane HS of the one or more hinges (160);
a cut-out (140) on the inner panel (120), the cut-out (140) being disposed adjacent to the latch (180) for providing access to the latch (180); and
a reinforcement member (400) mounted around periphery of the cut-out (140), the reinforcement member (400) comprising:
a first member (402) extending in a width direction of the vehicle door (100) between a first mounting point (400A) and a second mounting point (400B), a second member (404) extending in a length direction of the vehicle door (100) from the second mounting point (400B) to a third mounting point (400C), and a third member (406) extending diagonally between the third mounting point (400C) and the first mounting point (400A), the reinforcement member (400) adaptable to the cut-out (140) whereby the first mounting point (400A) is adapted adjacent to a lower edge of the cut-out (140), the second mounting point (400B) is adapted adjacent to a side edge of the cut-out (140) and the third mounting point (400C) is adapted adjacent to a top edge of the cut-out (140), thereby reinforcing the cut-out (140) at multiple locations.

6. The vehicle door (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first member (402), the second member (404), and the third member (406) are integrally formed.

7. The vehicle door (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the door (100) is a rear door of a vehicle.

8. The vehicle door (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the reinforcement member (400) comprising a fourth member (408), the fourth member (408) extending away from the third member (406) and opposite to the side edge of the cut-out (140) to a fourth mounting point (400D).

Dated this 3rd day of July 2023
MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA LIMITED
By their Agent & Attorney

(Janaksinh Jhala)
of Khaitan & Co
Reg No IN/PA-2193