Patent Application
20250135854
The present application relates to an applique arrangement for a vehicle which has a front door with a front door window and a rear door with a rear door window, the applique arrangement comprising an applique which is configured to be arranged between the front door window and the rear door window.
In document US 2020/0338966 A1, a front door has a first upright adjacent to a rear door, and the rear door has a second upright adjacent to the front door. The two uprights, together, form an applique arrangement between the front door window and the rear door window.
Document WO 2010/048619 A1 discloses a combined glass run and applique assembly for a vehicle, comprising an applique, a glass run for a receiving perimeter portions of a vehicle window, and a mechanical engagement assembly interconnecting the applique and the glass run.
An applique is typically a slightly curved or essentially planar metal, plastic or glass component or a component which is formed by an arbitrary combination of these materials. In each case, it typically follows the unique window curvature, and it is positioned in the area of a B-pillar or a C-pillar of the vehicle. The applique forms a cover for a B-pillar or a C-pillar, for example.
As shown in document WO 2010/048619 A1, the applique disclosed therein extends typically beyond an edge of an adjacent window in a longitudinal direction, so as to facilitate sealing of the window.
It is an object of the present application to provide an improved applique arrangement and an improved door arrangement for a vehicle.
The above object may be achieved by an applique arrangement for a vehicle which has a front door with a front door window and a rear door with a rear door window, the applique arrangement comprising a single applique which is configured to be arranged between the front door window and the rear door window, and an applique support to which the applique is mounted, wherein the applique support is configured to be rigidly connected to one of a rear door body work, a front door body work, or a B-pillar of a body of the vehicle.
Further, the above object may be achieved by a door arrangement for a vehicle, comprising a B-pillar of a body of the vehicle, a front door, a rear door and an applique arrangement, wherein the front door has a front door bodywork and a front door window, wherein the rear door has a rear door bodywork and a rear door window, wherein the applique arrangement is an applique arrangement according to the present disclosure.
The use of a single applique between the front door window and the rear door window allows to provide a clean appearance of the entire door arrangement, resulting in only three visible vertical lines on the outside in a closed window position. The single applique is mounted to an applique support, and the applique support itself is configured to be rigidly connected such that the single applique can be favorably applied to the vehicle, be it to the body of the vehicle itself (at the B-pillar), or to any of the rear door body work or the front door body work of the rear door or the front door, respectively.
The door arrangement may include not only parts of the front door bodywork and the rear door bodywork but also a part of a vehicle body, particularly in the area of the B-pillar.
Therefore, the object is achieved in full.
In a preferred embodiment, the applique support and the applique are configured so that an applique outer surface is flush with at least one of a front window outer surface or a rear window outer surface, preferably with both of the front window outer surface and the rear window outer surface.
The door arrangement to which the applique arrangement is applied may therefore have a clean and a flat surface which extends from the front window to the rear window.
In another preferred embodiment, the applique support and the applique are configured so that a front gap between a front edge of the applique and a rear edge of the front door window is smaller than 10 mm, preferably smaller than 8 mm, and particularly preferred smaller than 6 mm, or even smaller than 5 mm.
As an alternative or additionally, the applique support and the applique are configured so that a rear gap between a rear edge of the applique and a front edge of the rear door window is smaller than 10 mm, preferably smaller than 8 mm, and particularly preferred smaller than 6 mm, or even smaller than 5 mm.
This arrangement allows to make the gaps almost invisible when viewed from a distance. Further, it is easier to seal the gap between the respective edges. Each of the gaps is preferably larger than 3 mm, particularly larger than 4 mm.
According to another preferred embodiment, the applique support is a rigid element that provides sufficient structural stiffness for the applied applique and is preferably formed from a single layer sheet portion or from a multi-layer sheet portion. The sheet portion(s) may be made of metal, of plastics or of compound material, particularly carbon reinforced compound materials.
Further, it is preferred if the applique support comprises at least one reinforcing crimp which extends in a vertical direction.
The at least one crimp enables increasing the bending stiffness of the applique support, particularly about an axis which is essentially parallel to a longitudinal direction of the door arrangement.
Preferably, the applique support comprises two or more reinforcing crimps which are arranged at a distance from each other in the longitudinal direction.
In a preferred embodiment of the door arrangement, the applique support is formed integrally with or is rigidly fastened to the front door bodywork or the rear door bodywork or the B-pillar of the body.
In particular, it is preferred if the applique support is formed integrally with the rear door bodywork, wherein the applique covers at least a part of the B-pillar, and wherein a rear door swivel axis is arranged between a front edge and a rear edge of the applique.
This embodiment allows the rear door to swivel (into an opened position) such that the applique support does not interfere with the B-pillar.
The B-pillar may have a regular shape wherein an outer surface of the B-pillar runs essentially along a straight line. In some preferred embodiments, the B-pillar may have an adjusted shape with an offset portion.
Preferably, the B-pillar further comprises an offset portion for allowing a front edge of the applique and of the applique support to swivel about the rear door swivel axis without colliding with the B-pillar.
In this case, it is particularly preferred if the offset portion is formed by a portion of the B-pillar above a belt line of the door arrangement.
Preferably, the front window and/or the rear window are sliding windows guided by a guide arrangement. The guide arrangement is preferably formed such that it is not visible from the outside. Thereby, a flush appearance may be achieved. Preferably the guide arrangement includes at least one guide shoe that is attached to an inner surface of the respective window.
Moreover, it is preferred in the door arrangement of the present disclosure if the rear door window is a sliding window which is guided by a guide arrangement, wherein the guide arrangement comprises a front guide shoe which is attached to an inner surface of the rear door window, and a front guide rail which guides the guide shoe for movement in the sliding direction.
Preferably, the guide arrangement holds the window in the transversal and/or in the longitudinal direction in a positively locking manner.
It is particularly preferred if the front guide rail is integrally connected with an intermediate layer element which at least partly is arranged between the applique and the applique support.
This allows to provide an improved stability of the applique and door arrangements.
Further, it is preferred in this case if the intermediate layer element extends at least from a rear edge to a front edge of the applique and includes a nose portion which extends in a transversal (lateral) direction. In addition, the intermediate layer element and or the applique itself may comprise further supporting portions which are configured to realize the connection, protection and/or optical coverage of the door bodywork.
The nose portion or another supporting portion of the applique or the intermediate layer element may be used for engagement by a sealing lip which extends from the front door, so as to seal a front gap between a front edge of the applique and a rear edge of the front door window but may be an isolated seal as well.
The sealing lip which extends from the front door is preferably part of a front door window sealing arrangement.
Further, it is preferred in the door arrangement of the present disclosure if a rear applique sealing is connected to an interior side of the applique and includes a sealing lip which engages a front edge of the rear door window.
The rear applique sealing allows to seal a rear gap between the front edge of the rear door window and a rear edge of the applique, and it is preferably part of a rear door window sealing arrangement but may be an isolated seal as well.
In general, the seals used for sealing the front gap and/or the rear gap, may be seals separate from the respective window sealing arrangement, but may be part of the respective window sealing arrangement as well. If the applique support is formed integrally with the rear door bodywork, it is preferred if the rear applique sealing is separate from the rear window sealing arrangement, as the rear applique sealing in this case is a static seal that does not have to cope with relative movements. The same is true for the front applique sealing if the applique support is formed integrally with the front door bodywork.
If the applique support is formed integrally with the rear door bodywork, the rear gap may be formed smaller (e.g. smaller than 6 mm) than the front gap due to smaller tolerances, and vice versa if the applique support is formed integrally with the front door bodywork.
It will be understood that the afore-mentioned features and to be described hereinafter cannot only be used in the respectively given combination, but also in different combinations or independently, without leaving the scope of the present invention.
Further features and advantages of the invention can be taken from the subsequent description of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the drawings:
In the following, embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail.
An automobile like a passenger car vehicle is schematically shown in
Further, the front door 14 and the rear door 16 together form a window frame 15.
The front door 14 has a front door window 18. The rear door 16 has a rear door window 20.
The front door 14 and the rear door 16 are each preferably hingedly mounted at their respective forward edges. The body 12 includes an A-pillar region 22 in the area of the forward edge of the front door 14, and a B-pillar region 24 which is arranged essentially in an area between the front door 14 and the rear door 16. Preferably, the rear door 16 is hingedly mounted to the B-pillar region 24, and a rear edge of the rear door 16 is adjacent to a C-pillar region 25.
The front door 14 has a front door window sealing arrangement 26 for the front door window 18. The rear door 16 has a rear door window sealing arrangement 28 for the rear door window 20.
The body 12 defines a first direction X which is preferably a longitudinal direction of the vehicle 10. In addition, the body 12 defines a second direction Y, which is preferably a transversal/lateral direction of the vehicle 10. Further, the body 12 defines a third direction Z which is preferably a vertical direction of the vehicle 10. The three directions are also used to describe a door arrangement 13.
The vehicle 10 includes an applique arrangement 33 which is provided in the B-pillar region 24 between the front door window 18 and the rear door window 20. The applique arrangement 33 includes an applique 30 which has a front edge 31 which is adjacent to the front door window 18. The applique 30 is arranged above a belt line 32 of the door arrangement 13.
The front door 14 is pivotably mounted to the body 12 by means of hinges 34a, 34b which define a front door swivel axis 35, which is arranged in the A-pillar region 22.
The rear door 16 is mounted to the body 12 by means of hinges 36a, 36b which are arranged in the B-pillar region 24 and define a rear door swivel axis 37.
A rear edge of the applique 30 is shown at 38 and is adjacent to the rear door window 20.
Each one of the front door window 18 and the rear door window 20 is a sliding window. The front door window 18 is guided for this purpose by means of a front guide arrangement 40 and a rear guide arrangement 42. Similarly, the rear door window 20 is guided by a front guide arrangement 44 and a rear guide arrangement 46.
The guide arrangements 40 to 46 are in each case arranged on an inside I (
The rear door 16 has a rear door panel 48 which is arranged essentially below the belt line 32 of the body 12 and faces to the outside O (
The body 12 is typically made from sheet material, particularly metal sheet material. The metal can be steel or aluminum. The body 12 may, at least partially, be formed from compound materials like fiber reinforced materials etc.
On the other hand, the rear door 16 includes a rear door body work 52, and the front door 14 includes a front door body work 53. The rear and front door body works 52, 53 may each be made from the same materials as the body 12 but can be made from different materials as well.
As is shown in
Further, the applique 30 is configured and mounted such that its front edge 31 protrudes forwardly with respect to the front edge 50 of the rear door panel 48 by a lower protrusion amount PI. Preferably, the lower protrusion amount PI is larger than 20 mm, particularly larger than 30 mm. Preferably, the lower protrusion amount PI is smaller than 150 mm, particularly smaller than 120 mm.
As can be seen in
Particularly, the rear door body work 52 includes a rear door body work protrusion 54 which forms an applique support. The rear door body work protrusion 54 protrudes forwardly from the rear door 16 in the first (longitudinal) direction X and at least partially covers a B-pillar 56 of the body 12. Preferably, the rear door body work protrusion 54 covers the entire B-pillar 56.
The rear door body work protrusion 54 is preferably formed from sheet metal and has a plate like shape that extends essentially in a plane defined by the first direction X and the third direction Z. The applique 30 is mounted to the outer surface of the rear door body work protrusion 54. A fastening arrangement that is suitable for this purpose is schematically shown at 58. The fastening arrangement may be realized by a variety of different fastening concepts.
Details of the front guide arrangement 40 of the front door 14 and details of the rear guide arrangement 46 of the rear door 16 are not shown in
The front door window 18 has a front window outer surface 68. The rear door window 20 has a rear window outer surface 70. The outer surfaces 68, 70 share a common outer surface plane 72.
An outer surface 74 of the applique 30 is preferably arranged within the same outer surface plane 72.
The applique 30 is arranged and mounted to the applique support 54 such that a front gap 76 between a front edge 31 of the applique 30 and a rear edge of the front door window 18 is smaller than 10 mm.
Similarly, the applique 30 is configured and mounted to the applique support 54 such that a rear gap 78 between a rear edge 38 of the applique 30 and a front edge of the rear door window 20 is smaller than 10 mm. The front and rear gaps 76, 78 are preferably smaller than 8 mm, and larger than 3 mm, preferably larger than 4 mm. Preferably, the rear gap 78 is smaller than the front gap 76 and is preferably smaller than 6 mm.
The inside of the front guide arrangement 44 of the rear door 16 is preferably covered by a cover portion 80 which may be part of the rear door body work 52. The cover portion 80 itself may be covered by a covering made from a softer material.
The rear door body work protrusion 54 essentially extends between the rear guide rail 61 and the front guide rail 65 and is arranged essentially parallel to the longitudinal direction X.
The rear door swivel axis 37 is arranged between the front edge 31 and the rear edge 38 of the applique 30 in the longitudinal direction X. In the second transversal direction Y, the rear door swivel axis 37 is preferably arranged on the inside of the rear door body work protrusion 54.
A distance between the rear door swivel axis 37 and the front edge 31 of the applique 30 is defined by a front protrusion amount Pf as shown in
The front protrusion amount Pf, together with the combined thickness of the rear door body work protrusion 54 and the applique 30, defines a pivot radius R. The pivot radius R is dimensioned such that a swivel movement of the rear door 16 does not interfere with the B-pillar 56.
To this purpose, as shown in
The offset portion 82 of the B-pillar 56 is preferably arranged above the belt line 32 of the door arrangement 13, particularly preferred only above the belt line 32. The dimension of the offset portion depth D is preferably larger than 10 mm, particularly larger than 15 mm, preferably larger than 20 mm, preferably larger than 40 mm, preferably larger than 50 mm. Further, it is preferred if the dimension of the offset portion depth D is smaller than 150 mm, particularly smaller than 120 mm, and also preferably smaller than 100 mm.
In any case, the offset portion depth D is chosen such that it is larger than the front swivel radius R of the rear door 16. This allows that a front edge 31 of the applique 30 and the applique support 54 may swivel about the rear door swivel axis 37 without colliding with the B-pillar 56.
As is shown in
Further, it can be seen in
The intermediate layer 92 extends from the front guide rail 65 in the longitudinal direction X to the front door 14.
The intermediate layer 92 comprises a nose portion 94 at its forward end. The nose portion 94 is located close to the front edge 31′ of the applique 30′ and extends to the inside I in the transversal direction. The nose portion 94 may be used to fasten the intermediate layer 92 to the rear door body work protrusion 54′. Further, the nose portion 94 extends such that it can be engaged by a front applique sealing 96 which extends from the front door 14 and may be part of the front door window sealing arrangement 26.
The element which forms the intermediate layer 92 and the front guide rail 65′ can be connected rigidly to the applique 30′. The applique 30′ and this element may be mounted in advance before the installation in a production line of the vehicle. The combined arrangement of the applique 30′ and the element which forms the intermediate layer 92 and the front guide rail 65′, may be fastened to the rear door body work protrusion 54′ by any suitable fastening arrangement, e.g. by latching, screwing, by means of an adhesive, etc.
Similarly, the attachment between the applique 30′ and the intermediate layer 92 may be any suitable attachment, e.g. by means of an adhesive.
While the front applique sealing 96 assists in sealing the inside I against the outside O in the area of the front gap 76, there is additionally provided a rear applique sealing 98 which is used for sealing the inside I against the outside O in the area of the rear gap 78. The rear applique sealing 98 may be fixedly attached to the applique 30′ and/or to the intermediate layer 92 and/or to the front guide rail 65′. A sealing lip 100 of the rear applique sealing 98 extends from the applique 30′ to the front edge of the rear door window 20.
Both, the front applique sealing 96 and the rear applique sealing 98 may comprise respective additional sealing lips which engage on inner surfaces of the front door window 18 and the rear door window 20. Particularly, a rear window sealing 102 includes additional sealing lips which engage the inner surface of the rear door window 20. Similarly, a front window sealing 104 engages an inner surface of the front door window 18. The rear window sealing 102 is mounted to a carrier element 106 which may be integrally connected to the front guide rail 65′.
On the other hand, the front window sealing 104 is mounted to a carrier element 108 which may be formed integrally with the rear guide rail 61 of the rear guide arrangement 42 of the front door 14.
As is shown in
In the following, embodiments are described which correspond to the above embodiment of
The applique arrangement 33″ may correspond in its structure and function to either the applique arrangement 33 or the applique arrangement 33′ described above.
In contrast thereto, the applique arrangement 33″ includes an applique 30″ which is supported by a front door body work protrusion 114 of the front door body work 53. As shown in
The front door body work protrusion 114 may be formed and shaped similarly to the rear door body work protrusion 54, but is part of the front door body work 53, so that the applique 30″ is a single applique which is configured to be arranged between the front door window 18 and the rear door window 20, wherein an applique support is formed by the front door body work protrusion 114.
In the applique arrangement 33″′, a single applique 30″′ is configured to be arranged between the rear door window 20″′ and a front door window 18 (not shown in
As in the embodiments of
Preferably, the front guide rail 65″′ of the front guide arrangement 44″′ of the rear door 16 is formed integrally with a carrier element 106″′ to which the rear window sealing 102″′ is mounted.
In addition, an additional carrier element 116 of the rear door 16 is attached to a part of the rear door body work 52″′. A rear applique sealing 98″′ is formed by a sealing lip which is fixedly attached to the additional carrier element 116. A second front window sealing 110″′ may be connected to the additional carrier element 116 and/or to the element which forms the front guide rail 65.
Preferably, the rear guide rail 61″′ of the rear guide arrangement 44″′ of the front door 14 is formed integrally with a carrier element 108″′ to which the front window sealing 104″′ is mounted.
In addition, an additional carrier element 117 of the front door 14 is attached to a part of the front door body work 53″′. A front applique sealing 96″′ is formed by a sealing lip which is fixedly attached to the additional carrier element 117. A second front window sealing 111″′ may be connected to the additional carrier element 117 and/or to the element which forms the rear guide rail 61″′.
The applique 30″′ is attached to an applique carrier 118, either with or without an intermediate layer 92′″. The applique carrier is rigidly attached to the B-pillar 56″, as is schematically shown at 120. Any attachment arrangement 120 can be used to achieve this function.
The applique arrangement 33′″ allows for a visual appearance as typically realized in frameless door constructions, but it is also applicable for framed doors. Further, cameras or other electronic devices may be integrated underneath the B-pillar applique. In this case, or for other reasons, the B-pillar applique can also be realized as a glass design (rather than for example high gloss plastic). These features and advantages may be realized in any of the above describes embodiments.
It is to be understood that the foregoing is a description of one or more preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. The invention is not limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed herein, but rather is defined solely by the claims below. Furthermore, the statements contained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodiments and are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention or on the definition of terms used in the claims, except where a term or phrase is expressly defined above. Various other embodiments and various changes and modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will become apparent to those skilled in the art. All such other embodiments, changes, and modifications are intended to come within the scope of the appended claims.
As used in this specification and claims, the terms “for example,” “e.g.,” “for instance,” “such as,” and “like,” and the verbs “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and their other verb forms, when used in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or other items, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that the listing is not to be considered as excluding other, additional components or items. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in a context that requires a different interpretation.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 181 762.0 | Jun 2022 | EP | regional |
This is a Continuation application of International patent application PCT/EP2023/066727, filed 21 Jun. 2023, which claims the priority of European patent application EP 22 181 762.0, filed 29 Jun. 2022.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/EP2023/066727 | Jun 2023 | WO |
| Child | 18985353 | US |
