Patent ID: 6725606
Filing Date: 2004-04-27
Classification: B60J,E05Y,Y10T

Abstract:
A vehicle door for a vehicle, the vehicle door comprising an outer door panel, an inner door panel, and a plastic mounting panel, the inner door panel having a main wall portion extending in a lengthwise direction of the vehicle and a rear wall portion bent and extending toward the outer door panel from a rear end of the main wall portion, the inner door panel being formed with an aperture in the main wall portion, the plastic mounting panel being installed to the inner door panel to cover up the aperture of the inner door panel and having inner and outer surfaces, wherein functional devices of the vehicle door are mounted on the outer surface of the plastic mounting panel adjacent to the outer door panel, the functional devices including at least a door lock and unlock mechanism having at least three sides and a bottom surface, wherein a first one of the three sides of the door lock and unlock mechanism is secured to the rear wall portion of the inner door panel and a second one of the three sides of the door lock and unlock mechanism is mourned to the outer surface of the plastic mounting panel, the door lock and unlock mechanism being operative to lock and unlock the vehicle door, the vehicle door further comprising:a sealing member disposed between the plastic mounting panel and the inner door panel so as to seal off the aperture of the inner door panel; an inner door handle installed on the inner surface of the plastic mounting panel remote from the outer door panel and positioned ahead of the door lock and unlock mechanism in the lengthwise direction of the vehicle; an inner door handle linking member operationally connecting the inner door handle to the door lock and unlock mechanism, the inner door handle linking member extending from the inner door handle along the inner surface of the plastic mounting panel, passing through a guide hole formed in the plastic mounting panel at a position that is remote from the rear end of the main wall portion and close to the door lock and unlock mechanism, and then further extending to the door lock and unlock mechanism along the outer surface of the plastic mounting panel; and a cover member attached to the plastic mounting panel so as to cover the third and remaining sides of the door lock and unlock mechanism and to cover the guide hole and part of the inner door handle linking member which extends from the guide hole formed in the plastic mounting panel to the door lock and unlock mechanism along the outer surface of the plastic mounting panel in order to prevent unauthorized access from outside of the vehicle to the door lock and unlock mechanism and to the inner door handle linking member; wherein said plastic mounting panel has as an integral part thereof a mounting extension extending between the inner door panel and the cover member and positioned behind the guide hole in the lengthwise direction of the vehicle, and the second one of the three sides of the door lock and unlock mechanism is pre-mounted to the mounting extension.