Abstract:
A vehicle door assembly includes a door inner panel having a hinge attachment portion on which is to be mounted a pair of door hinge devices and a lock attachment portion on which is to be mounted a door lock device. A base panel has four arm portions that connect the base panel to the door inner panel. The four arm portions include first and a second arm portions fixed to the hinge attachment portion of the door inner panel, and a third arm portion attached to the lock attachment portion of the door inner panel.

Description:
This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 with respect to Japanese Application No. 10(1998)-244975 filed on Aug. 31, 1998 and Japanese Application No. 10(1998)-244976 filed on Aug. 31, 1998, the entire content of both of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to a vehicle door. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a vehicle door assembly that includes a door inner panel attached to a pair of door hinge devices, a door lock device and a base panel. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A known type of vehicle door assembly is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 62(1987)-189921. This vehicle door assembly includes a door inner panel and a base panel. The door inner panel possesses a frame shape and the base panel possesses an X-shape having four arm portions. The four arms of the base panel are fixed by welding to the four corner portions of the door inner panel so that the base panel is united to the door inner panel by the four arms. Therefore, the strength of the vehicle door assembly is secured by the door inner panel and the base panel. 
     In the above-described vehicle door assembly, a pair of door hinge devices, a door lock device and the door outer panel are adapted to be mounted on the door inner panel. By virtue of this construction, the attachment strength of the door hinge devices and the lock device is secured by only the door inner panel. Because the four arms of the base panel are fixed to the four corner portions of the door inner panel, the thickness of the inner panel must be increased to provide sufficient strength. Therefore, the thickness of the door inner panel is increased. As a result, the weight of the vehicle door assembly is increased. 
     In light of the foregoing, a need exists for a vehicle door assembly having sufficient strength, but without a significant increase in weight. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, the vehicle door assembly includes a door inner panel and a base panel. The door inner panel possesses a hinge attachment portion on which is to be mounted a pair of door hinge devices and a lock attachment portion on which is to be mounted a door lock device. The base panel has four arm portions that connect the base panel to the door inner panel. The four arm portions include first and a second arm portions fixed to the hinge attachment portion of the door inner panel, and a third arm portion attached to the lock attachment portion of the door inner panel. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a vehicle door assembly includes a door inner panel having a hinge attachment portion and a lock attachment portion, a pair of door hinge devices mounted on the hinge attachment portion of the door inner panel by respective first securing devices, a door lock device mounted on the lock attachment portion by a second securing device, and a base panel having at least three arm portions connecting the base panel to the door inner panel. The three arm portions include a first arm portion connected to the hinge attachment portion of the door inner panel by one of the first securing devices, a second arm portion connected to the hinge attachment portion of the door inner panel by one of the first securing devices, and a third arm portion attached to the lock attachment portion of the door inner panel by the second securing device. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a vehicle door assembly includes a door inner panel having a hinge attachment portion and a lock attachment portion, a pair of door hinge devices mounted on the hinge attachment portion of the door inner panel by respective first securing devices, a door lock device mounted on the lock attachment portion by a second securing device, and a base panel having a plurality of arm portions connecting the base panel to the door inner panel. In addition, a door frame forming a window opening has one end connected to the hinge attachment portion of the door inner panel by one of the first securing devices and has another end connected to the lock attachment portion the door inner panel. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
     The foregoing and additional features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered with reference to the accompanying drawing figures in which like elements are designated by like reference numerals and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle door assembly according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the inner module of the vehicle door assembly illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the inner module of the vehicle door assembly illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of the inner module of the vehicle door assembly illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line V—V in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line VI—VI in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line VII—VII in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line VIII—VIII in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line IX—IX in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line X—X in FIG. 4 
     FIG. 11 is a front view of a window regulator device used in the vehicle door assembly according to the present invention; and 
     FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line XII—XII in FIG.  11 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle door  1  includes a door outer panel  2 , a door trim  3  and an inner module  4 . The door outer panel  2  provides the external appearance of the vehicle door  1  while the door trim  3  provides the internal appearance of the vehicle door  1 . The inner module  4  defines the skeleton of the vehicle door  1 . 
     The inner module  4  is arranged between the door outer panel  2  and the door trim  3 . The inner module  4  supports the door outer panel  2  at the side of the inner module  4  facing outwardly of the vehicle compartment and also supports the door trim  3  at the side of the inner module  4  facing inwardly of the vehicle compartment. 
     As shown in FIGS. 3-10, the inner module  4  includes a door inner panel  5 , a base panel  6 , a door frame  7 , and a door impact beam  8 . The door inner panel  5  is defined by a hinge side panel  51 , a lock side panel  52 , an upper reinforcement  53 , and a lower panel  54 . The hinge side panel  51  is arranged along a front edge of the door outer panel  2  (i.e., is located on the left-hand side with reference to the illustration in FIG.  4 ). The hinge side panel  51  is configured to possess a substantially L-shaped cross-section, including a vertical wall  51   a  and a lateral wall 51 lb. The vertical wall  51   a  of the hinge side panel  51  forms a front end wall of the vehicle door  1 , and the lateral wall  51   b  of the hinge side panel  51  extends to the inner edge of the vertical wall  51   a  and is parallel to the door outer panel  2 . A flange wall  51   c  is formed at the outer edge of the vertical wall  51   a  and extends in a direction opposite the lateral wall  51   b.    
     The lock side panel  52  is arranged along the rear edge of the door outer panel  2  (i.e., is located on the right-hand side with reference to the illustration in FIG.  4 ). The lock side panel  52  is configured to possess a substantially reverse L-shape cross-section, including a vertical wall  52   a  and a lateral wall  52   b . The vertical wall  52   a  of the lock side panel  52  forms the rear end wall of the vehicle door  1 . The lateral wall  52   b  of the lock side panel  52  extends to the inner edge of the vertical wall  52   a  and is parallel to the door outer panel  2 . A flange wall  52   c  is formed at the outer edge of the vertical wall  52   a  and extends in a direction opposite the lateral wall  51   b.    
     The upper reinforcement  53  is arranged along the upper edge of the door outer panel  2 . The front end of the upper reinforcement  53  is welded to the hinge side panel  51  while the rear end of the upper reinforcement  53  is welded to the lock side panel  52 . 
     The lower panel  54  is arranged along the lower edge of the door outer panel  2 . The front end of the lower panel  54  is welded to the hinge side panel  51  and the rear end of the lower panel  54  is welded to the lock side panel  52 . The lower panel  54  is configured to possess an L-shape cross-section that is generally the same as the hinge and lock side panels  51 ,  52 . A flange wall  54   a  that is generally the same as the flange walls  51   c ,  52   c  is formed at the outer edge of the lower panel  54 . The lower panel  54  forms the lower end wall of the vehicle door The hinge side panel  51 , the lock side panel  52 , the upper reinforcement  53  and the lower panel  54  define the door inner panel  5  configured to possess a frame shape. The flange walls  51   c ,  52   c ,  54   a  are fixed to the front, rear and lower edges of the door outer panel  2  respectively by a hemming roll process in which edges of the outer panel  2  are bent back on themselves to receive a portion of the flange walls  51   c ,  52   c ,  54   a  as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Therefore, the door outer panel  2  is united to the door inner panel  5 . An internal space A is formed between the door outer panel  2  and the door inner panel  5 . As described below in more detail, this internal space A is adapted to accommodate a window glass which moves up and down through an opening provided between the upper reinforcement and the door outer panel. 
     A pair of door hinge devices  9 ,  10  is attached to the hinge side panel  51  of the door inner panel  5 . A hinge attachment portion  51   d  to which is attached the door hinge device  9  is formed at the upper side portion of the vertical wall  51   a  of the hinge side panel  51  as seen in FIGS. 2 and 5. A hinge attachment portion  51   e  to which is attached the other door hinge device  10  is formed at the lower side portion of the vertical wall  51   a  of the hinge side panel  51 . The hinge devices  9 ,  10  rotatably support the vehicle door  1  on the vehicle body  12  (shown in FIG. 5) at the front end wall of the vehicle door  1 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the door hinge device  9  is arranged relative to the vertical wall  51   a  of the hinge side panel  51  so that the hinge device  9  is located exteriorly of or outside the internal space A of the vehicle door  1 . The door hinge device  9  is secured to the hinge attachment portion  51   d  of the vertical wall  51   a  by a securing device which in the illustrated embodiment is in the form of a bolt  91  and a nut  92 . The other door hinge device  10  is arranged relative to the vertical wall  51   a  of the hinge side panel  51  so that the hinge device  10  is located exteriorly of or outside the internal space A of the vehicle door  1 . The door hinge device  10  is secured to the hinge attachment portion  51   e  of the vertical wall  51   a  by a securing device which in the illustrated embodiment is in the form of a bolt  101  and a nut  102 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 4-9, a door lock device  11  is attached to the lock side panel  52  of the door inner panel  5 . A lock attachment portion  52   d  to which is attached to the door lock device  11  is formed in a center portion of the lateral wall  52   b  of the lock side panel  52  as shown in FIG. 9. A recessed portion  52   f  is formed in the vertical wall  52   a  of the lock side panel  52 . Also, a connecting portion  52   e  is formed in the upper side portion of the lateral wall  52   b  as depicted in FIG.  8 . 
     The door lock device  11  is adapted to engage and disengage the vehicle door  1  to the vehicle body  12  (as shown in FIG. 9) at the rear end wall of the vehicle door  1 . As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the door lock device  11  is arranged in the recessed portion  52   f  of the vertical wall  52   a  of the lock side panel  52  from outside the internal space A of the vehicle door  1 . The door lock device  11  is screwed to the lock attached portion  52   d  of the lateral wall  52   b  of the lock side panel  52  by a bolt  111  and a nut  112 . Therefore, the vehicle door  1  is supported with respect to the vehicle body  12  for opening and closing movement by the door hinge devices  9 ,  10  and the door lock device  11 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 5,  6 ,  8 ,  9  and  10 , a weather strip  14  which is sealed between the vehicle door  1  and the vehicle body  12  is fixed to the vertical walls of the hinge and lock side panel  51 ,  52  and the lower panel  54  of the door inner panel  5 , and the door frame  7 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 3-10, the base panel  6  is X-shaped, having four arm portions  62 ,  63 ,  64 ,  65  which extend from a center portion  61  of the base panel  6 . The base panel  6  is arranged in parallel to the door outer panel  2 . The arm portion  62  extends toward the front upper corner of the door outer panel  2 . As shown in FIG. 5, a fixing portion  62   a  is formed at the end of the arm portion  62 . This fixing portion  62   a  of the arm portion  62  is arranged in parallel to the vertical wall  51   a  of the hinge side panel  51  and is adapted to be opposite the hinge attachment portion  51   d  of the vertical wall  51   a  of the hinge side panel  51  of the door inner panel  5 . Thus, the fixing portion  62   a  of the arm portion  62  is located opposite the hinge attachment portion  51   d  to which is attached the door hinge device  9 . The fixing portion  62   a  is welded to the vertical wall  51   a and the lateral wall  51   b  of the hinge side panel  51  forming the inner space A of the vehicle door  1 . The fixing portion  62   a  is also fixed to the hinge attached portion  51   d  of the vertical wall  51   a  by the same bolt  91  and nut  92  which secure the door hinge device  9  to the hinge attachment portion  51   d  of the vertical wall  51   a.    
     The arm portion  63  extends toward the front lower corner of the door outer panel  2 . As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a fixing portion  63   a  is formed at the end of the arm portion  63 . The fixing portion  63   a  of the arm portion  63  is arranged in parallel to the vertical wall  51   a  of the hinge side panel  51  and is opposite the hinge attached portion  51   e  of the vertical wall  51   a  of the hinge side panel  51  of the door inner panel  5 . Thus, the fixing portion  63   a  of the arm portion  63  is arranged opposite the hinge attached portion  51   e  of the vertical wall  51   a  to which is attached the door hinge device  10 . The fixing portion  63   a  is welded to the vertical wall  51   a , the lateral wall  51   b  and the flange wall  51   c  of the hinge side panel  51  forming the inner space A of the vehicle door  1 . The fixing portion  63   a  is also fixed to the hinge attached portion  51   e  of the vertical wall  51   a  by the same bolt  101  and nut  102  which secure the door hinge device  10  to the hinge attachment portion  51   e  of the vertical wall  51   a.    
     The arm portion  64  extends toward the rear upper corner of the door outer panel  2 . As shown in FIG. 8, a fixing portion  64   a  is formed at the end of the arm portion  64 . This fixing portion  64   a  of the arm portion  64  is located opposite the connecting portion  52   e  of the lateral wall  52   b  of the lock side panel  52  of the door inner panel  5 . The fixed portion  64   a  is welded to the lateral wall  52   b  of the lock side panel  52  forming the inner space A of the vehicle door  1 . 
     The arm portion  65  extends toward the rear lower corner of the door outer panel  2 . As shown in FIG. 9, a fixing portion  65   a  is formed at the end of the arm portion  65 . This fixing portion  65   a  of the arm portion  65  is located opposite the lock attachment portion  52   d  of the lateral wall  52   b  of the lock side panel  52  of the door inner panel  5 . Thus, the fixing portion  65   a  of the arm portion  65  is located opposite the point of securement or attachment of the door lock device  11 . The fixed portion  65   a  is welded to the lateral wall  52   b  of the lock side panel  52  forming the inner space A of the vehicle door  1  and is fixed to the lock attached portion  52   d  of the lateral wall  52   b  by the same bolt  111  and nut  112  which secure the door lock device  11 . 
     The base panel  6  is provided with a rib portion  66  extending diagonally along the base panel  6 . The rib portion  66  extends between the two arm portions  63 ,  64  through the center portion  61  of the base panel  6 . The rib portion  66  advantageously reinforces the base panel  6  and so the twist strength of the vehicle door  1  is secured by the base panel  6 . The center portion  61  of the base panel  6  is also provided with a through hole  61   a  and a raised annular part of the rib portion  66  is disposed around the through hole  61   a  to reinforce the through hole  61   a.    
     The door frame  7  forms a window  1   a  above the door outer panel  2 . The door frame  7  includes a front roof pillar member  71  and a center pillar member  72 . The front roof pillar member  71  and the center pillar member  72  are welded to each other. As shown in FIG. 5, the end of the front roof pillar member  71  extends into the internal space A of the vehicle door  1  and is located opposite the hinge attachment portion  51   d  of the hinge side panel  51  of the door inner panel  5  to which is attached to the door hinge device  9 . The end of the front roof pillar member  71  is fixed to the hinge attachment portion  51   d  by the same bolt  91  and nut  92  which secure the door hinge device  9  in place. 
     As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the end of the center pillar member  72  extends into the internal space A of the vehicle door  1  along the vertical wall  52   a  of the lock side panel  52  of the door inner panel  5 . The end of the center pillar member  72  is welded to the two fixing portions  64   a ,  65   a  of the two arm portions  64 ,  65  of the base panel  6 . 
     A lower frame  73  is arranged in parallel to the center pillar member  72 . One end of the lower frame  73  is welded to the front roof pillar member  71  and the other end of the lower frame  73  extends into the internal space A of the vehicle door  1  and is welded to the arm portion  63  of the base panel  6 . A door window shield glass  17  is slidably supported on the lower frame  73  and the center pillar member  72 . As shown in FIG. 4, a bracket portion  51   f  is integrally formed on the hinge side panel  51 . The bracket portion  51   f  extends between the front roof pillar member  71  and the lower frame  73 , and is adapted to support a mirror device (e.g., a side mirror). 
     The door impact beam  8  is positioned within the internal space A of the vehicle door  1  and is arranged substantially parallel to the upper reinforcement  53  and the lower panel  54 . One end of the door impact beam  8  is connected to the hinge side panel  51  of the door inner panel  5  by a fixing bracket  81 . The other end of the door impact beam  8  is connected to the lock side panel  51  of the door inner panel  5  by a fixing bracket  82 . As shown in FIG. 7, the fixing bracket  81  is welded to the fixing portion  63   a  of the arm portion  63  of the base panel  6  at a position opposite the hinge attachment portion  51   e  of the hinge side panel  51  of the door inner panel  5  to which is attached the door hinge device  10 . The fixing bracket  81  to which is fixed the one end of the door impact beam  8  is fixed to the hinge attachment portion  51   e  by the same bolt  101  and nut  102  that secure in place the door hinge device  10 . As shown in FIG. 10, the fixing bracket  82  to which is fixed the other end of the door impact beam  8  is welded to the vertical wall  52   a  of the lock side panel  52  of the door inner panel  5  and the end of the center pillar member  72  of the door frame  7 . 
     As shown in FIG. 5-10, a cover  15  is arranged between the door inner panel  5  and the door trim  3  and is bonded with seal material  16  to the door inner panel  5  at the side facing the inner side of the vehicle compartment of the door inner panel  5 . The cover  15  thus covers the base panel  6  and the internal space A of the vehicle door  1 . 
     The hinge attachment portions  5   d ,  51   e  of the hinge side panel  51  of the door inner panel  5  to which are attached the door hinge devices  9 ,  10  are reinforced by the fixing portions  62   a ,  63   a  of the arm portion  62 ,  63  of the base panel  6 , the end of the front roof pillar member  71  of the door frame  7 , and the fixing bracket  81  to which is fixed one end of the door impact beam  8 . The lock attachment portion  52   d  of the lock side panel  52  of the door inner panel  5  to which is attached the door lock device  11  is reinforced by the fixing portion  64   a  of the arm portion  64  of the base panel  6 . Therefore, the load of the door lock device is able to travel to the door hinge devices  9 ,  10  through the base panel  6 , is able to travel to the door hinge devices  9 ,  10  through the door frame  7 , and is able to travel to the door hinge devices  9 ,  10  through the door impact beam  8 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 3 and 12, a window regulator device  18  for regulating the window shield glass  17  is supported on the base panel  6  and is arranged in the internal space A of the vehicle door  1 . The window shield glass  17  is moved up and down along the lower frame  73  and the center pillar member  72  of the door frame  7  by operation of the window regulator device  18 . The window regulator device  18  causes the window shield glass  17  to move between a closed position in which the window shield glass  17  closes the window la of the vehicle door  1  and an open position in which the window shield glass  17  is located within the internal space A of the vehicle door  1  and opens the window  1   a  of the vehicle door  1 . 
     The window regulator device  18  is composed of a lift arm  181 , a drive mechanism  182 , a driven gear  183 , and a sub base plate  184 . The lift arm  181  is rotatably supported on the center portion  61  of the base panel  6  at the side of the base panel  6  facing away from the vehicle compartment and is arranged in the internal space A of the vehicle door  1 . A pivot pin  187  is fixed to one end of the lift arm  181 . The pivot pin  187  extends through the through hole  61   a  in the center portion  61  of the base panel  6 . The lift arm  181  is thus supported at the center portion  61  of the base panel  6  by the pivot pin  187 . The other end of the lift arm  181  is slidably supported on the guide rail  171  which is fixed to the lower edge of the window shield glass  17 . 
     The drive mechanism  182  is attached to the base panel  6  at the side of the base panel  6  facing toward the vehicle compartment in the manner shown in FIG. 12, with the cover  15  sandwiched between the drive mechanism  182  and the base panel  6 . The drive mechanism  182  is arranged outside the internal space A of the vehicle door and is attached to the base panel  6  by several bolts  189  each receiving a corresponding nut  190 . The drive mechanism  182  includes a motor  182   a  and an output pinion gear  182   b . The motor  182   a  and the output pinion gear  182   b  are connected to each other through a reduction gear mechanism to transmit drive power form the motor  182   a  to the output pinion gear  182   b . Respective opening holes  19  are formed in the center portion  61  of the base panel  6  and the cover  17 . The output pinion gear  182   b  is positioned in the internal space A of the vehicle door  1  through the opening hole  19 . A seal member  161  is arranged between the drive mechanism  182  and the base panel  6  around the output pinion gear  182   b  to prevent water from entering the internal space A. 
     The driven gear  183  is fixed to the one end of the lift arm  181  around the pivot pin  187 . The driven gear  183  possesses an arcuate or circular gear portion  183   a . The circular gear portion  183   a  of the driven gear  183  is engaged with the output pinion gear  182   b  of the drive mechanism  182 . 
     The sub base plate  184  is supported on the base panel  6  and is arranged at the side of the base panel  6  facing away from the vehicle compartment so that the driven gear  183  is sandwiched between the sub base plate  184  and the base panel  6 . One end of the sub base plate  184  is provided with a supporting portion  184   a  and the other end of the sub base plate  184  is provided with a supporting portion  184   b.    
     The supporting portion  184   a  which is formed at one end of the sub base plate  184  is screwed to the base panel  6  together with the drive mechanism  182  by the bolts  189  and the nuts  190 . An opening  183   c  is formed in the driven gear  183  and one of the bolts  189  extends through the opening  183   c  in the driven gear  183 . The opening  183   c  also advantageously reduces the weight of the driven gear  183 . 
     The supporting portion  184   a  is provided with an engaging portion  184   f  that is adapted to engage the base panel  6  by extending through a slot in the base panel  6  as shown in FIG.  12 . The nuts  190  are preferably fixed to the sub base plate  184  (e.g., by welding). The engagement of the engaging portion  184   f  with the base panel  6  temporarily supports the supporting portion  184   a  with respect to the base panel  6  to facilitate assembly of the various parts by helping to ensure that the holes in the sub base plate  184  which receive the bolts  189  are properly positioned. 
     A rib portion  184   d  is formed in the supporting portion  184   a  and projects toward the driven gear  183 . The rib portion  184   d  contacts the driven gear  183  so that the driven gear  183  is sandwiched between the rib portion  184   d  of the supporting portion  184   a  and the center portion  61  of the base panel  6  adjacent the gear portion  183   a  of the driven gear  183  as shown in FIG. 12. A rib portion  61   b  is also formed in the center portion  61  of the base panel  6  at a position substantially corresponding to the rib portion  184   d  of the supporting portion  184   a  of the sub base plate  184 . An aperture  184   c  is formed in the supporting portion  184   a  to rotatably support the output pinion gear  182   b  of the drive mechanism  182 . 
     The supporting portion  184   b  which is formed at the opposite end of the sub base plate  184  is screwed to the base panel  6  together with the lift arm  181  by the pivot pin  187  and a nut  188  located on the inner side of the vehicle compartment with respect to the base panel  6 . A rib portion  184 e is formed in the supporting portion  184   b  around the pivot pin  187  as shown in FIG.  12 . The rib portion  184   e  of the supporting portion  184   b  extends toward the driven gear  183  and contacts the driven gear  183  on the side facing the outer side of the vehicle compartment of the base panel  6 . The driven gear  183  and the one end of the lift arm  181  are sandwiched between the rib portion  184   e  of the supporting portion  184   b  and the center portion  61  of the base panel  6 . 
     Another rib portion  181   a  is also formed in the lift arm  181  around the pivot pin  187 . The rib portion  181   a  contacts the center portion  61  of the base panel  6 . Therefore, the lift arm  181  is in line contact with the center portion  61  of the base panel  6  rather than surface-to-surface contact. As a result, friction between the lift arm  181  and the base panel  6  is reduced so that the rotation of the lift arm  181  relative to the base panel  6  is relatively smooth. 
     The driven gear  183  is sandwiched between the sub base plate  184  and the base panel  6 . Therefore, movement of the drive mechanism  182  along the axis of the pivot pin  187  of the driven gear  183  relative to the output pinion gear  182   b  is prevented. As a result, the engagement between the driven gear  183  and the output pinion gear  182   b  of the drive mechanism  182  is reliably maintained. 
     A pair of equalizer arm  185 ,  186  are rotatably supported on the lift arm  181 . An end of the equalizer arm  185  is slidably supported on the guide rail  171  of the window shield glass  17 . The other end of the equalizer arm  186  is slidably supported in an oblong hole  61   c  formed in the center portion  61  of the base panel  6  and extending along the front and rear direction of the vehicle door  1 . The equalizer arms  185 ,  186  control the movement attitude of the window shield glass  17 . That is, when the drive mechanism  182  is operated, the driven gear  183  rotates and causes up and down movement of the guide rail  171  which supports the window glass. 
     By virtue of the construction of the vehicle door of the present invention, several structural characteristics of the vehicle door contribute to the attachment strength of the door hinge devices  9 ,  10  and the door lock device  11 . As noted above, loads applied to the door lock device are able to travel to the door hinge devices  9 ,  10  through the base panel  6 , through the door frame  7  and through the door impact beam  8 . Thus, superior attachment strength characteristics can be achieved without increasing the thickness of the door inner panel. 
     The principles, preferred embodiment and mode of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the invention which is intended to be protected is not to be construed as limited to the particular embodiment described. Further, the embodiment described herein is to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations and changes may be made by others, and equivalents employed, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is expressly intended that all such variations, changes and equivalents which fall within the spirit and scope of the invention be embraced thereby.