Claims:We claim:
1. A reinforcement structure (100) to strengthen a hinge mounting area (101) of an inner panel (103) of a vehicle rear door, the reinforcement structure (100) comprising of:
a first portion (201) and a second portion (202),
wherein the first portion (201) includes a lower continuous bead (203) and an upper continuous bead (204),
wherein each of the lower and the upper continuous beads (203, 204) connects a first flange (205) of the reinforcement structure (100) with a second flange (206) of the reinforcement structure (100),
wherein the hinge mounting area (101) is provided within the first portion (201) having a first step shaped structure (207).

2. The reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second portion (202) includes a second step shaped structure (208) starting from the first flange (205) to the second flange (206) of the reinforcement structure (100).

3. The reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the upper continuous bead (204) is provided at one end of the second step shaped structure (208) thereby providing a continuous bead to the second step shaped structure (208).

4. The reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the lower continuous bead (203) is parallel to the upper continuous bead (204)

5. The reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first flange (205) and the second flange (206) running across the sides of the reinforcement structure (100) are spot welded to the inner panel (103) of the vehicle rear door.

6. The reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first portion (201) has a plurality of mounting holes (211) to mount a hinge.

7. The reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second portion (202) has a plurality of mounting holes (407) to mount the stop comp.
, Description:A REINFORCEMENT STRUCTURE TO STRENGTHEN A HINGE MOUNTING AREA

TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter described herein relates to a hinge mounting area on an inner panel of a side door of a vehicle. In particular, the present subject matter relates to a reinforcement structure to reinforce a hinge mounting area on the inner panel of the vehicle door to improve the vertical rigidity of the vehicle door.

BACKGROUND
[0002] In a vehicle, a side door is mounted to a vehicle body at two locations where the door is hinged, i.e. an upper mounting location and a lower mounting location. Both of the upper and lower mounting locations are provided with a gusset. The gussets are provided to reinforce the area around the hinge upper and lower mounting locations.
[0003] In an existing design, an upper gusset is provided at the upper mounting location and a lower gusset is provided at the lower mounting location. A stop comp mounting area is also incorporated in the lower gusset. The stop comp is used to restrict the vehicle door from opening fully unless the user applies force.
[0004] In the existing design of the lower gusset, which has flanges that are connected to the vehicle door. The lower gusset includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion of the lower gusset covers three surfaces, i.e. the vehicle door flange, wire harness surface, and the stop comp mounting area, creating a three-step area to make passage for ED solution to provide rust-free coating. Similarly, in the lower portion of the lower gusset as there is no stop comp mounting, an additional step is not given.
[0005] Therefore, it is required to merge the three-step area into the lower step area (of the lower portion of the lower gusset) because it generates an irregular shape and accumulates stress at a particular region. For example, if a downward vertical load is applied on the vehicle door hinge mounting area, the door rotates in a way that the vertical load is transferred to the lower gusset and as the gusset is having an irregular shape, there is a stress accumulation creating deformation in the lower gusset. This results in stress concentration in this zone of irregularity when the vertical load is applied to the vehicle door at the hinge mounting area, which in turn decreases the vertical rigidity of the door structure.
[0006] Therefore, it is required to provide an improved design in the lower gusset to eliminate the discontinuity in the steps and provide a reinforcement structure to encapsulate the hinge mounting area.

OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0007] It forms an object of the present disclosure to overcome the aforementioned and other drawbacks/limitations in the existing solutions available in the form of related prior arts.
[0008] It is a primary object of the present disclosure is to provide horizontal beads above and below the hinge mounting area to increase the rigidity and eliminate the irregular surface.
[0009] It is another object of the present disclosure to eliminate the stress concentration zone thereby increasing the rigidity of the reinforcement structure.
[0010] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a cost-effective way of improving the rigidity of the reinforcement structure.
[0011] These and other objects and advantages of the present subject matter will be apparent to a person skilled in the art after consideration of the following detailed description taken into consideration with accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present subject matter are illustrated.

SUMMARY
[0012] A solution to one or more drawbacks of existing technology and additional advantages are provided through the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the technicalities of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered to be a part of the claimed disclosure.
[0013] The present disclosure provides a solution in the form of a reinforcement structure to strengthen a hinge mounting area of an inner panel of a vehicle rear door. It has a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion includes a lower continuous bead and an upper continuous bead, wherein each of the lower and the upper continuous beads connects a first flange of the reinforcement structure with a second flange of the reinforcement structure, wherein the hinge mounting area is provided within the first portion having a first step-shaped structure.
[0014] In an aspect, the second portion includes a second step-shaped structure starting from the first flange to the second flange of the reinforcement structure.
[0015] In an aspect, the upper continuous bead is provided at one end of the second step-shaped structure thereby providing a continuous bead to the second step-shaped structure.
[0016] In an aspect, wherein the lower continuous bead is almost parallel to the upper continuous bead.
[0017] In an aspect, the first flange and the second flange running across the sides of the reinforcement structure are spot welded to the inner panel of the vehicle rear door.
[0018] In an aspect, the first portion has a plurality of mounting holes to mount a hinge.
[0019] In an aspect, the second portion has a plurality of mounting holes to mount the stop comp.
[0020] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0021] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the present disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods or structure in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0022] Fig. 1 illustrates an exploded view of a reinforcement structure according to the present disclosure;
[0023] Fig. 2 illustrates the reinforcement structure according to the present disclosure;
[0024] Fig. 3 illustrates a sectional view A-A of an upper step area located on an upper portion of the reinforcement structure according to the present disclosure;
[0025] Fig. 4 illustrates spot welding surfaces on the reinforcement structure according to the present disclosure;
[0026] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0027] The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided herein is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0028] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
[0029] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0030] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0031] In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
[0032] Hereinafter, a description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0033] The present invention discloses about a reinforcement structure to reinforce a hinge mounting area of an inner panel of a vehicle rear door. The hinge mounting area is encapsulated in the reinforcement structure to improve the vertical rigidity of the inner panel of the vehicle rear door.
[0034] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 shows the reinforcement structure (100) to reinforce a hinge mounting area (101) of the inner panel (103) of the vehicle rear door. The reinforcement structure (100) covers the hinge mounting area (101) and the stop comp mounting area (102). The reinforcement structure (100) has a first portion (201) and a second portion (202).
[0035] The first portion (201) houses the hinge mounting area (101) and has a first step shaped structure (207). The second portion (202) houses the stop comp mounting area (102) and also includes a second step shaped structure (208).
[0036] A lower continuous bead (203) is provided below the hinge mounting area (101) and an upper continuous bead (204) is provided above the hinge mounting area (101) encapsulating the hinge mounting area (101). Both of the lower and the upper continuous beads (203, 204) connect a first flange (205) of the reinforcement structure (100) with a second flange (206) of the reinforcement structure (100).
[0037] The lower continuous bead (203) and the upper continuous bead (204) are connected to the first flange (205) and the second flange (206) that are located at the hinge mounting area (101).
[0038] The reinforcement structure (100) is divided between the first portion (201) and the second portion (202). The reinforcement structure (100) has the first flange (205) and the second flange (206).
[0039] The first and second flanges (205, 206) extend in a perpendicular direction to the reinforcement structure (100). The first flange (205) and the second flange (206) are extended perpendicularly towards the inner panel (103)
[0040] The first portion (201) houses the hinge mounting area (101). The hinge mounting area (101) includes the lower continuous bead (203) and the upper continuous bead (204). The lower continuous bead (203) and the upper continuous bead (204) are parallel to each other. In an embodiment, the lower continuous bead (203) and the upper continuous bead (204) are almost parallel to each other.
[0041] The upper continuous bead (204) is located above the hinge mounting area (101) and divides the first portion (201) of the reinforcement structure (100) from the second portion (202). The upper continuous bead (204) is provided at one end of the second step-shaped structure (208) thereby providing a continuous bead to the second step-shaped structure (208).
[0042] The upper continuous bead (204) is slightly slanted to accommodate the stop comp mounting area (102) present on the inner panel (103). The upper continuous bead (204) is formed with a provision of clearance with respect to stop comp mounting area (102).
[0043] The first portion (201) has the first step-shaped structure (207) and the first step-shaped structure (207) provides a gap in between the inner panel (103) and the reinforcement structure (100) to facilitate a passage for ED solution during paint process to improve rust resistance performance. The first portion (201) also has mounting holes (211) to mount a hinge.
[0044] The lower continuous bead (203) is located below the hinge mounting area (101). Both the lower continuous bead (203) and the upper continuous bead (204) have a continuous surface that gets connected to the first and the second flanges (205, 206).
[0045] This layout of the lower and the upper continuous beads (203, 204) forms a rigid connection between the first and the second flanges (205, 206). As the lower and the upper continuous beads (203, 204) have continuous surface, it eliminates inflection point that is created on the upper continuous bead area. When the upper continuous bead (204) is not present, the merging of the second step-shaped structure (208) and the first step-shaped structure (207) creates an inflection point.
[0046] The lower and the upper continuous beads (203, 204) also place the hinge mounting area (102) in an enclosure or a cup shape structure thus increasing the rigidity of the hinge mounting area (102).
[0047] Referring to FIG. 3, the second portion (202) houses the stop comp mounting area (102) and the transition between the first and second flanges (205, 206) includes a second step shaped structure (208). The purpose of the second step shaped structure (208) is to connect the stop comp mounting area (102) to form a single reinforcing structure which also reinforces the stop comp mounting area (102).
[0048] The second step-shaped structure (208) provides a gap in between the inner panel (103) and the reinforcement structure (100) to facilitate a passage (301) for ED solution during the paint process to improve rust resistance performance.
[0049] Referring to FIG. 4, illustrates the first flange (205) has spot welds (405) and the second flange (206) has spot welds (406) on their surfaces to weld the reinforcement structure (100) onto the inner panel (103) of the vehicle rear door. The second portion (202) has mounting holes (407) to mount the stop comp.
[0050] The upper continuous bead (204) connects both the first flange (205) and the second flange (206) having the spot welds (405) and the spot welds (406), hence strengthening the stop comp mounting area (102).
[0051] Similarly, the lower continuous bead (203) is continuous and connects both the first flange (205) and the second flange (206) having the spot welds (405) and the spot welds (406), hence strengthening the hinge mounting area (101). The spot welds (405) and the spot welds (406) also provide additional rigidity to the reinforcement structure (100).

TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
[0052] With the help of the solution as proposed herein in the context of the present disclosure, the inflection point or the region of discontinuity is not present between the first step shaped structure and the second step shaped structure, thereby stress concentration is avoided.
[0053] The design of the present disclosure has strength to withstand greater amount of vertical load which is turn increases the vertical rigidity of the vehicle rear door.
[0054] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to disclosures containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Also, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
[0055] It will be further appreciated that functions or structures of a plurality of components or steps may be combined into a single component or step, or the functions or structures of one-step or component may be split among plural steps or components. The present disclosure contemplates all of these combinations. Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the disclosure, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. Also, while a feature of the present disclosure may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present disclosure. The present disclosure also encompasses intermediate and end products resulting from the practice of the methods herein. The use of “comprising” or “including” also contemplates embodiments that “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the recited feature.