Vehicle rear gate

A vehicle rear gate includes a gate panel, a garnish disposed on the gate panel, and a gate handle provided to the garnish. The gate handle can be turnable backward of a vehicle to open the gate panel. There is a stop lamp provided to the garnish, and a stop lamp attaching portion that reinforces the garnish.

This Nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 2003-106034 filed in JAPAN on Apr. 10, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a rear gate for enclosing a rear portion of a rear body of a pickup truck or the like to open and close the portion, and more particularly to a rear gate to a back surface of which a closing handle is provided.

2. Description of the Related Art

As illustrated inFIG. 1andFIG. 6, in a pickup truck1, a garnish5made of resin is attached to a gate panel4of a conventional rear gate3that encloses the rear side of a rear body2, and a gate handle6is incorporated into the garnish5such that the gate handle6can be turned backward of the vehicle on a supporting point as indicated with a chain double-dashed line inFIG. 6. The rear gate3can be opened backward of the vehicle by turning the gate handle6backward.

When the gate handle6is operated backward of the vehicle, the gate handle6is turned by the reaction caused by pushing the thumb of the operator against an upper end surface8of the garnish5. Therefore, it is possible that the garnish5is damaged by a relatively large load applied to the upper end surface8.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention intends to prevent damage of a garnish by enhancing rigidity of the garnish even though a closing handle is provided to a rear gate of a pickup truck or the like via the garnish.

According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle rear gate including: a gate panel; a garnish disposed on the gate panel; a gate handle provided to the garnish and being turnable backward of a vehicle to open the gate panel; a stop lamp provided to the garnish; and a stop lamp attaching portion that reinforces the garnish.

Such a structure in which the gate handle and the stop lamp are provided to the garnish has not been proposed. This structure is a new structure.

Since the gate handle and the stop lamp are incorporated into a single garnish that is attached to the gate panel of the rear gate, an assembling man-hour required for attaching the gate handle and the stop lamp to the vehicle can be reduced easily. Also, since the garnish is reinforced by the stop lamp attaching portion, when the gate handle is turned backward of the vehicle to open the rear gate and when a relatively large load is applied to the rear end portion of the garnish by the opening motion of the operator, the rear end portion can sufficiently support the load.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter while members and portions corresponding to those in the related art are denoted by the same reference numerals.

InFIG. 1toFIG. 4, a rear gate3is provided at the back of a rear body2of a pickup truck1, and a garnish5made of resin is attached to a gate panel4of the rear gate3from the backside of the vehicle.

A gate handle6is incorporated into a lower portion of the garnish5in such a manner that the gate handle6can be turned about a supporting point7to the backward of the vehicle as indicated by a chain double-dashed line inFIG. 3. The rear gate3can be opened backward by turning backward the gate handle6.

Also, a lateral window10is provided to an upper portion of the garnish5. A rib11is formed around the window10. Stud bolts12,13are provided to the lower portion of the garnish5and both sides of the window10on the vehicle front side respectively. A stud bolt15is provided to a lower side of the window10on the vehicle front side, i.e., on the vehicle front side of a rear end portion14formed in the garnish5adjacent to an upper area of the lower portion of the garnish5. In addition, clips16are molded integrally on both sides of the vehicle front side in the lower portion of the garnish5respectively.

Therefore, a high mounted stop lamp20can be fixed to the garnish5by fitting the stop lamp20into the window10from the vehicle front side, then inserting the stud bolt15into a lower bolt hole21formed in an attaching piece20aof the stop lamp20, and then screwing a nut22. Then, the garnish5can be fixed to the gate panel4by pushing the clips16provided to the lower portion of the garnish5into fitting holes30of the gate panel4, then inserting the stud bolts12of the garnish5into bolt holes31of the gate panel4and then screwing nuts32, and also inserting the stud bolts13of the garnish5sequentially into side fitting holes23of the stop lamp20and into bolt holes33of the gate panel4respectively, and then screwing nuts34.

As shown inFIG. 5, the stud bolt15may be replaced with a stud nut122, and then a bolt115may be inserted into the lower bolt hole21and screwed into the stud nut122.

Since the gate handle6and the stop lamp20are incorporated into a single garnish5, an assembling man-hour required for attaching the gate handle6and the stop lamp20to the vehicle can be reduced easily, and thus cost reduction of the vehicle can be achieved as a whole.

Also, the stud bolt15for fixing the stop lamp20is provided to the vehicle front side of the rear end portion14of the garnish5, and thus a thickness of the rear end portion14is increased inevitably. Therefore, rigidity of the garnish5can be enhanced automatically and also rigidity of the neighborhood of the rear end portion14can be enhanced by the ribs11provided around the window10of the garnish5.

Therefore, when the gate handle6is turned backward of the vehicle to open the rear gate3, such gate handle6is turned by the reaction caused by pushing the thumb of the operator against the rear end portion14of the garnish5. Even when a relatively large load is applied to the rear end portion14, the rear end portion14can sufficiently support the load. Thus, it is possible to surely prevent the damage of the garnish5.

As was described above, in the vehicle rear gate according to the present invention, since the gate handle and the stop lamp are incorporated into the garnish that is attached to the gate panel of the rear gate, the assembling man-hour of the gate handle and the stop lamp to the vehicle can be reduced easily and thus the cost reduction of the vehicle can be achieved. Also, the rigidity of the rear end portion formed adjacent to the upper area of the gate handle of the garnish can be enhanced. Therefore, even when the relatively large load is applied to the rear end portion by the motion of the operator who opens the rear gate, the rear end portion can support sufficiently the load and thus it is possible to prevent the damage of the garnish without fail.