GB2371070A

GB2371070A - Single piece trim strip for a vehicle window frame

Info

Publication number: GB2371070A
Application number: GB0100608A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Martin Halliwell
Original assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2001-01-10
Filing date: 2001-01-10
Publication date: 2002-07-17
Also published as: GB0100608D0

Abstract

A door assembly for a motor vehicle comprises an inner panel 8 and an outer panel 10, together forming a lower door structure (2, figure 1) and an upper window frame (4, figure 1). A single piece trim strip or frame finisher 7 is attached to the sides and top of the window frame for decoration. The trim strip may be a thin sheet of metal and may be secured to the frame by deformable tabs 6a, 6b located along its long edges. These tabs may be bent around a flange 11, 12 formed by the inner and outer door panels. The trim strip may be used in conjunction with a U-shaped window seal, an arm of which may be used to hide from view the tab nearest the window. A method of making such a door assembly is also disclosed.

Description

A Door Assembly for a Motor Vehicle

This invention relates to a door assembly for a motor vehicle. It is known to provide a motor vehicle with a door assembly with a door assembly having an inner door panel and an outer door panel joined together to define a lower door structure and a window frame defining three sides of a window aperture, the fourth side of the window aperture being defined by an upper edge of the lower door structure.

It is sometimes desirable to produce such a door assembly in which the window frame is painted or provided with a decorative finish that is different from the rest of the door structure. The use of adhesively backed plastic film often referred to as decals to produce such decorative finish is generally unsatisfactory as the extremes of temperature to which a motor vehicle is subjected often result in peeling of the decal from the window frame.

To produce a two coloured door assembly by painting is a time consuming operation due to the need to mask the lower door structure when the window frame is being painted and vice versa when the door structure is being painted. In addition, it will be appreciated that the first applied paint must be allowed to dry before the second paint is applied. In a modern high volume vehicle manufacturing environment such a time consuming process is generally undesirable and impractical.

It is an object of this invention to overcome the problems associated with the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a motor vehicle door assembly having an inner door panel and an outer door panel joined together to define a lower door structure and a window frame defining three sides of a window aperture, wherein a one-piece frame finisher is attached to the window frame to provide a decorative finish to the window frame.

The frame finisher may be made from a thin sheet of metal.

A number of deformable tabs may be formed along inner and outer peripheral edges of the frame finisher for use in securing the frame finisher to the window frame.

A part of the inner door panel forming the window frame may be bent over to form an outer flange extending around an outer periphery of the window frame over which the tabs along the outer peripheral edge of the frame finisher may be bent to secure the outer peripheral edge of the frame finisher to the window frame.

The outer door panel forming the window frame may be bent over to form two limbs defining therebetween a U-shaped window run channel, one of the limbs forming the flange used to secure the inner peripheral edge of the frame finisher to the window frame.

A U-shaped window seal is fitted into the U-shaped channel to provide a seal between the window frame and a movable window.

Advantageously, the window seal may have first and second arms one of which overlies the tabs around the inner periphery of the window frame so as to conceal the tabs from view.

The frame finisher may be made from aluminium or stainless steel or from steel coated with a decorative paint.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of making a motor vehicle door assembly the method comprising making and joining together an inner door panel and an outer door panel to form a door sub-assembly having a. lower door structure and a window frame defining three sides of a window aperture, painting the door sub-assembly, pressing from a sheet of metal a window

frame finisher having a number of tabs along respective inner and outer peripheral edges of the window frame finisher, and attaching the frame finisher to the window frame by bending the tabs over part of the window frame so as to form a mechanical joint therebetween.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Fig. 1 is a pictorial representation of a motor vehicle including a door assembly according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a pictorial representation of a door assembly shown in Fig. 1 in a partassembled condition; Fig. 3 is a cross-section along the line X-X on Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a cross-section similar to that of Fig. 3 showing only the door assembly in a part-assembled state.

With reference to Figs. 1 to 4 there is shown a motor vehicle 1 having a door assembly 2 pivotally connected to a body structure 1 B of the motor vehicle 1.

The door assembly 2 comprises a lower door structure 3 and a window frame 4, the window frame 4 defining three sides of a window aperture 9. The first side of the window aperture 9 is defined by inner and outer upper edges 14A, 14B of the lower door structure 3. The door assembly 2 is formed by joining together outer and inner door panels 8,10 to define a cavity in which is mounted a movable window pane 20.

The window pane 20 is slidable into and out of the cavity through an aperture 13 defined between the inner upper edge 14A and the outer upper edge 14B of the lower

door structure 3 and is guided by a U-shaped window run channel 5 that extends around the inner peripheral edge of the window frame 4.

A U-shaped window seal 21 is fitted into the window run channel 5 to provide a seal between the window pane 20 and the window frame 4 when the window pane 20 is in a raised or closed position.

The portion of the outer door panel 8 forming the window frame 4 is bent over to produce inner and outer limbs 19,12 which define therebetween the window run channel 5. The outer limb 12 forms an outer flange extending around the inner peripheral edge of the window frame 4 and the inner limb 19 forms part of an inner flange 19 also extending around the inner peripheral edge of the window frame 4.

The portion of the inner door panel 10 forming the window frame is bent outwardly along one edge to from an outer peripheral flange 11 of the window frame 4 and is fixed to the outer door panel 8 along an opposite edge to form therewith the inner flange 19.

A pair of elongate seals 25,26 are provided to seal between the window frame 4 and an"A"post 15 forming part of the body structure 1 B of the motor vehicle 1.

To conceal the joint between the portions of the outer and inner door panels 8,10 forming the window frame and to provide a decorative finish to the window frame 4 a frame finisher 7 is attached to the window frame 4.

The frame finisher 7 is made from a single piece of pressed steel and is coated with a decorative finish in the form of black paint.

The. frame finisher 7 has an inner peripheral edge along which is provided a number of first fixings tabs 6A and has an outer peripheral edge along which is

provided a number of second fixing tabs 6B. The first and second fixing tabs 6A, 6B are used to secure the frame finisher 7 to the window frame 4.

To assemble the door assembly the outer and inner door panels 8,10 are first pressed from steel sheet and then connected together by welding or other suitable fastening means. The partly-assembled door assembly is then treated with rust preventative materials and primers before being painted all over with a decorative paint. The frame finisher 7 is then attached to the window frame 4 by placing it against an outer surface of the window frame 4 and bending the tabs 6A, 6B over the inner and outer flanges 12, 11 of the window frame 4.

As can best be seen in Fig. 4 the tabs 6A are bent over the flange 12 (as indicated by the dotted line on Fig. 4) and the tabs 6B are bent over the flange 11.

The U-shaped window seal 21 is then fitted into the window run channel 5 thereby concealing the tabs 6A around the inner peripheral edge of the frame finisher 7 from view. As can best be seen with reference to Fig. 3 the U-shaped window seal 21 has a first limb 23 engaged with the inner flange 19 and a second limb 22 overlying the tabs 6A and lipped over the inner peripheral edge of the frame finisher 7.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a frame finisher made from a single piece of pressed steel it will be appreciated that it could be made from other materials such as stainless steel or aluminium alloy or any other suitable metal.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A motor vehicle door assembly having an inner door panel and an outer door panel joined together to define a lower door structure and a window frame defining three sides of a window aperture, wherein a one-piece frame finisher is attached to the window frame to provide a decorative finish to the window frame.
2. A door assembly as claimed in Claim 1 in which the frame finisher is made from a thin sheet of metal.
3. A door assembly as claimed in Claim 1 or in Claim 2 in which a number of deformable tabs are formed along inner and outer peripheral edges of the frame finisher for use in securing the frame finisher to the window frame.
4. A door assembly as claimed in Claim 3 in which a part of the inner door panel forming the window frame is bent over to form an outer flange extending around an outer periphery of the window frame over which the tabs along the outer peripheral edge of the frame finisher are bent so as to secure the outer peripheral edge of the frame finisher to the window frame.
5. A door assembly as claimed in Claim 3 or in Claim 4 in which a part of the outer door panel forming the window frame is bent over to form a flange extending around an inner periphery of the window frame over which the tabs along the inner peripheral edge of the frame finisher are bent so as to secure the inner peripheral edge of the frame finisher to the window frame.
6. A door assembly as claimed in Claim 5 in which a U-shaped window seal is fitted into the U-shaped window run channel to provide a seal between the window frame and a movable window.
7. A door assembly as claimed in claim 6 in which the window seal has first and second arms one of which overlies the tabs around the inner periphery of the window frame finisher so as to conceal the tabs from view.
8. A door assembly as claimed in any of Claims 2 to 7 in which the frame finisher is made from an aluminium alloy.
9. A door assembly as claimed in any of Claims 2 to 8 in which the frame finisher is made from stainless steel.
10. A door assembly as claimed in any of Claims 2 to 8 in which the frame finisher is made from steel coated with a decorative paint.
11. A window frame finisher for use in a door assembly as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 11.
12. A method of making a motor vehicle door assembly the method comprising making and joining together an inner door panel and an outer door panel to form a door sub-assembly having a lower door structure and a window frame defining three sides of a window aperture, painting the door sub-assembly, pressing from a sheet of metal a window frame finisher having a number of tabs along respective inner and outer peripheral edges of the window frame finisher, and attaching the frame finisher to the window frame by bending the tabs over part of the window frame so as to form a mechanical joint therebetween.