Description:A SIDE DOOR OF A VEHICLE

TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter described herein relates to a side door of a vehicle. The present invention is particularly related to a reinforcement structure placed inside the side door of the vehicle. The rigidity of the side door is improved to prevent door unlocking during a side impact.

BACKGROUND
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present subject matter. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] Referring to FIG. 1, an outer handle (104) is provided on a vehicle side door (100) for locking and unlocking from the outside. The vehicle side door (100) comprises of an inner panel (105) and an outer panel (101). The outer handle (104) is located on a door outer panel (101). On the outer panel (101), there is an embossed surface (102) for mounting the outer handle (104).
[0004] In an existing design, the outer panel (101), on the backside of the embossed surface (102), has no support or reinforcement structure. During side impact test, a barrier (not shown in fig.) comes and hits the outer panel (101) below the outer handle (104). This results in a sharp rise in the outer panel's (101) acceleration in the direction of the barrier's movement.
[0005] As a result, the barrier pushes the outer panel (101), as well as the handle mounting area (103) of the outer handle (104), inside the vehicle. However, due to the inertia of repose, the outer handle (104) tends to stay in place. As a result, the outer handle (104) is prompted to get open. But since the handle mounting area (103) has no support on the back, it will continue to bend till a sash (106), which is supported by a sash bracket (107) and further bolted to an inner panel (105).
[0006] The acceleration of the outer handle (104) will continue to increase. The damaged handle mounting area (103) will hit the sash (106) over a period of time, breaking a glass (108) supported by the sash (106) and the distortion will lessen as the structure takes support from the inner panel via the sash mounting bracket (107). At a later stage, a side body outer (109) will also give support. The outer handle (104) will be less accelerated as a result of this.
[0007] When the handle mounting area (103) is displaced inside by a distance, the support required to lessen the acceleration is given by the door inner panel (105). Until then, there is no support and the acceleration continues to rise.
[0008] If in case the rise in acceleration is prolonged, the flap of the outer handle (104) will open, thereby eventually leading to the unlocking of the outer handle (104) and opening of the side door during the impact which is dangerous for the person riding in the vehicle. Also, due to large gap between the outer panel and the sash region inside door, the acceleration of the door handle is high. As a result, due to inertia, the flap moves in upward direction unlocking the door latch and opening the door.
[0009] Therefore, it is required to provide a reinforced handle mounting area that can sustain the loads during the side impact and also reduces the acceleration of the handle mounting area during the side impact.

OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0010] 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.
[0011] It is a primary object of the present disclosure to provide a reinforcement structure behind a handle mounting area that reduces the acceleration of the handle during a side impact.
[0012] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a reinforcement structure that takes support from the inner panel of the side door and side body during early stage of deformation of outer panel thus increasing the strength of overall structure.
[0013] 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
[0014] 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.
[0015] The present disclosure provides a solution in the form of a side door with improved rigidity to prevent door unlocking during a side crash. The side door comprises an inner panel and an outer panel forming the side door panel of the vehicle, wherein a hollow space is provided between the inner panel and the outer panel. An outer handle mounted on an embossed surface is provided on the outer panel thereby forming a handle mounting area, wherein the embossed surface has fastening holes. The reinforcement structure is provided behind the handle mounting area in the hollow space between the inner panel and the outer panel and connects the outer panel with the inner panel. The reinforcement structure defines a Z shape configuration.
[0016] In an aspect, the reinforcement structure includes a first surface, a second surface and a third surface. The second surface connects the first surface and the third surface to define the Z shape configuration.
[0017] In an aspect, the first surface includes atleast one fastening hole to mount the first surface to the inner panel.
[0018] In an aspect, the third surface includes a plurality of fastening holes that match with the fastening holes of the embossed surface, wherein the third surface gets fastened to the embossed surface from the backside thereby forming a joinery with the handle.
[0019] In an aspect, a step shaped surface is provided on the first surface of the reinforcement structure.
[0020] In an aspect, at least a nut is welded on one part of the step surface.
[0021] In an aspect, the second surface is perpendicular to the first surface and the third surface.
[0022] In an aspect, the first surface is parallel to the third surface.
[0023] In an aspect, a plurality of fasteners are provided for locating and fastening the outer handle to the embossed surface.
[0024] In an aspect, the plurality of fasteners includes nuts and bolts.
[0025] 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
[0026] 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:
[0027] Fig. 1 illustrates a detailed view of a side door panel of the vehicle according to the prior art;
[0028] Fig. 2 illustrates a detailed view of the side door panel of the vehicle according to the present disclosure;
[0029] Fig. 3A illustrates the reinforcement structure according to the present disclosure;
[0030] Fig. 3B illustrates a isometric backside view of the outer panel along with a reinforcement structure as seen from vehicle inside according to the present disclosure.
[0031] 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
[0032] 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.
[0033] 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.
[0034] 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.
[0035] 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.
[0036] 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 of 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.
[0037] 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.
[0038] The present invention discloses a side door of a vehicle for reducing the acceleration of the outer handle area during a side impact. The present invention prevents the side door from opening during side impact in a vehicle. The acceleration is reduced by providing a reinforcement structure on the back of the handle mounting area of an outer panel that provides overall rigidity to the side door.
[0039] FIG. 2 discloses the side door (100) of the vehicle. The side door (100) includes an outer panel (101) and an inner panel (105). The inner panel (105) is joined to the outer panel (101) at ends but separated at middle region thereby forming a hollow space (203) therebetween. The outer panel (101) has an outer handle (104) that is mounted on an embossed surface (102). The embossed surface (102) basically provides a space for mounting the outer handle (104).
[0040] The inner panel (105) is connected to sash bracket (107) and the sash bracket (107) is further connected to a sash (106). The sash (106) covers or protects a glass (108) that is provided inside the inner panel (105).
[0041] In detail, the outer panel (101) has the embossed surface (102). The embossed surface (102) has a depression for housing the outer handle (104) on a front side (205). The embossed surface (102) has fastening holes (201a, 201b). The fastening holes (201a, 201b) are given at a distance from each other for locating and fastening the outer handle (104) to the embossed surface (102). The outer handle (104) is mounted onto the embossed surface (102) using fasteners (202a, 202b) such as nuts and bolts.
[0042] Further, a reinforcement structure (200) is mounted on a backside (204) of the handle mounting area (103) of the embossed surface (102). The reinforcement structure (200) is provided in the hollow space (203) between the inner panel (105) and the outer panel (101) and connects the outer panel (101) with the inner panel (105). As shown in FIG. 3A, the reinforcement structure (200) defines a Z shape configuration. The reinforcement structure (200) includes a first surface (301), a second surface (302) and a third surface (303). The first surface (301) of the reinforcement structure (200) is fastened to the inner panel (105) and the third surface (303) of the reinforcement structure (200) is fastened to the embossed surface (102) of the outer panel (101).
[0043] Referring further to FIG. 3A, the reinforcement structure (200) is mounted onto the outer panel (101) at a backside (204) of the embossed surface (102) of the outer panel (101). The reinforcement structure (200) has the Z shape configuration. The Z shape configuration has the first surface (301), the second surface (302) and the third surface (303). Further, the second surface (302) connects the first surface (301) and the third surface (303) to define the Z shape configuration.
[0044] The second surface (302) is perpendicular to the first surface (301) and the third surface (303) and the first surface (301) is positioned parallel to the third surface (303).
[0045] The first surface (301) of the reinforcement structure (200) has a step shaped surface. On one part (306a) of the step surface (306) a fastening hole (304) is provided. Further, underneath the fastening hole (304), a nut (307) is welded on the one part (306a) of the step surface (306). The nut (307) faces the outer panel (101). Further, the connection with the inner panel (105) is secured with a bolt.
[0046] The third surface (303) includes a plurality of fastening holes (305a, 305b) that match with the fastening holes (201a, 201b) of the embossed surface (102). The third surface (303) gets fastened to the embossed surface (102) from the backside (204) thereby forming a joinery with the handle (104).
[0047] Also, the third surface (303) of the reinforcement structure (200) is mounted on the outer panel (101) with the help of two nut which are used to tight the outer handle (104).
[0048] Therefore during the side crash, as the outer panel (101) starts to get deformed near the handle mounting area (103), this rigid connection provided by the reinforcement structure (200) reduces the deformation of the outer panel (101) near the handle mounting area (103).
[0049] This in turn will reduce the acceleration of the outer panel (101). Reduction in acceleration will reduce the tendency of flap of the outer handle (104) to open. Hence, the stroke of a latch of the outer handle (104) do not reach the open stroke during the side impact and this in turn helps in avoiding the opening of the side door panel during the side impact.
[0050] Referring to FIG. 3B, it shows isometric backside view of the outer panel (101) of the side door panel as seen from vehicle inside. For the sake of clarity, the inner panel (105) along with a sash (106) has not been shown. A reinforcement structure (200) is mounted on the backside of the embossed surface (102).

TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
[0051] With the help of the solution as proposed herein in the context of the present disclosure, the reinforcement structure provides significant support behind the outer handle mounting area.
[0052] The opening of the outer handle is avoided.
[0053] Lastly, the deformation of the side door panel is reduced considerably.
[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. , Claims:We claim:
1. A side door (100) of a vehicle, the side door (100) comprising:
an inner panel (105) and an outer panel (101) forming the side door panel of the vehicle, wherein a hollow space (203) is provided between the inner panel (105) and the outer panel (101); and
an outer handle (104) mounted on an embossed surface (102) provided on the outer panel (101) thereby forming a handle mounting area (103), wherein the embossed surface (102) has fastening holes (201a, 201b);
characterized in that
a reinforcement structure (200) is provided behind the handle mounting area in the hollow space (203) between the inner panel (105) and the outer panel (101) and connects the outer panel (101) with the inner panel (105), wherein the reinforcement structure (200) defines a Z shape configuration.

2. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reinforcement structure (200) includes a first surface (301), a second surface (302) and a third surface (303), wherein the second surface (302) connects the first surface (301) and the third surface (303) to define the Z shape configuration.

3. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first surface (301) includes at least one fastening hole (304) to mount the first surface (301) to the inner panel (105).

4. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the third surface (303) includes a plurality of fastening holes (305a, 305b) that match with the fastening holes (201a, 201b) of the embossed surface (102), wherein the third surface (303) gets fastened to the embossed surface (102) from the backside (204) thereby forming a joinery with the handle (104).

5. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein a step shaped surface (306) is provided on the first surface (301) of the reinforcement structure (200).

6. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least a nut (307) is welded on one part (306a) of the step shaped surface (306).

7. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second surface (302) is perpendicular to the first surface (301) and the third surface (303).

8. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first surface (301) is parallel to the third surface (303).

9. The side door (100)as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of fasteners (202a, 202b) are provided for locating and fastening the outer handle (104) to the embossed surface (102).

10. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the plurality of fasteners (202a, 202b) includes nuts and bolts.