Patent Publication Number: US-6983978-B2

Title: Modular automotive door trim panel construction

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE 
     The present invention is related to U.S. Ser. No. 10/710,276, filed Jun. 30, 2004 and U.S. Ser. No. 10/711,119, filed Aug. 25, 2004. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application relates generally to automotive interiors, and more particularly to an automotive interior door trim assembly. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional automotive doors are manufactured in a modular fashion wherein an outer skin, or exterior panel, is secured to one side of a structural door frame, and an interior trim panel is secured to the opposite side of the door frame to define an interior space therebetween. To facilitate assembly in a manufacturing line environment, various door accessories may be mounted to the interior trim panel prior to securing the trim panel to the door frame so that the door accessories will be properly positioned on the door frame in a single manufacturing step. After the door accessories are in place on the door frame, additional fasteners, such as threaded fasteners, are installed to more securely attach the door accessories to the door frame. In order to install these additional fasteners, and to provide access to the interior of the door for service, conventional interior trim panels are provided with an access opening and a removable access panel, or bolster, covering the opening. 
     The access opening must be large enough to permit assemblers or service technicians to access the door accessories while the interior trim panel remains fixed to the door frame. Large access openings tend to weaken the interior trim panel and restrict styling options for the panel. Moreover, access to door accessories which are remote from the access opening is often cumbersome, requiring the use of additional fasteners installed directly through the interior trim panel. For example, manufacturers often secure an audio speaker directly to the door frame by fasteners installed through the interior trim panel. After the fasteners have been installed, a speaker grille is typically applied to the interior trim panel to hide the fasteners from view. 
     Requiring a separate bolsters and cover items such as a speaker grilles increases manufacturing cost and time to assemble the door. In addition, seals between the bolster and grille and the interior trim panel are typically required to reduce and/or eliminate wind and road noise from entering the passenger compartment. Providing these seals and applying them to the bolster and trim further increases manufacturing cost and time. A need therefore exists for an automotive door assembly which addresses various drawbacks of the prior art, such as those discussed above. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an automotive door assembly comprising a door frame, a trim panel removably secured to the door frame, and one or more door accessories secured to the door frame and interior trim panel in the space therebetween. The door assembly further includes connecting members disposed between the interior panel and the door frame to couple the interior trim panel and door accessories to the door frame. The connecting members have first engagement portions configured to be fixedly attached to the door frame, and second engagement portions configured to be releasably coupled to the trim panel. 
     During assembly, the door accessories are initially supported on the interior trim panel, whereby the first engagement portions of the connecting members are coupled to the door accessories, and the second engagement portions of the connecting members are releasably coupled to the trim panel. When the trim panel is installed on the door frame, the second engagement portions of the connecting members fixedly engage the door frame. When the interior trim panel is subsequently removed from the door frame by disengagement from the second engagement portions, the connecting members and door accessories remain firmly secured to the door frame. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, a door trim assembly for and automobile includes an interior door trim panel, as described above, for supporting one or more door accessories prior to initial installation on a door frame, and connecting members having first and second engagement portions that facilitate firmly securing the door accessories to the door frame such that the door accessories remain secured to the door frame after the trim panel is removed. 
     In yet another embodiment, a method of assembling an automotive door includes positioning a door accessory on an interior door trim panel, releasably securing the door accessory to the trim panel, coupling the trim panel to a door frame such that the door accessory is fixedly secured to the door frame, separating the trim panel from the door frame while retaining the door accessory on the door frame, and further securing the door accessory to the door frame with a fastener. 
     The features and objectives of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following Detailed Description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view depicting an automobile door assembly, including an interior trim panel according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the door assembly of  FIG. 1 , with the interior trim panel installed to the door frame; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the door assembly of  FIG. 2 , depicting the interior trim panel removed after initial installation to the door frame; 
         FIG. 4A  is a partial cross-sectional view of the door assembly of  FIG. 2 , taken along lines  4 A— 4 A; 
         FIG. 4B  is a partial cross-sectional view of the door assembly of  FIG. 3 , taken along lines  4 B— 4 B; and 
         FIG. 5  is a partial cross-sectional view, similar to  FIG. 4B , depicting another embodiment of a connecting member according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown an automotive door assembly  10  including an interior trim panel  12  according to the present invention. The trim panel  12  is configured to be installed to an interiorly facing or inboard side  14  of a door frame  16  and is depicted in this figure prior to initial installation to the door frame  16 . The trim panel  12  is supported on the door frame by several connecting members  18  secured to the interior trim panel  12  and extending outwardly from an outboard-facing side surface  20  thereof. Each connecting member  18  includes a first engagement portion  22  which extends outwardly from the interior trim panel  12  to engage corresponding apertures  24  formed into the door frame  16 , as best shown in  FIGS. 4A–4B . The connecting members  18  further include a second engagement portion  26  that is releasably attached to the interior door trim panel  12 . 
     The connecting member  18  depicted in  FIGS. 4A and 4B  has a first engagement portion  22  including resilient, outwardly extending fingers  28  which are compressed when the first engagement portion  22  is installed through apertures  24  in the door frame  16 . The fingers  28  spring outwardly once they pass through apertures  24  to firmly engage the door frame  16  and thereby prevent the connecting member  18  from being removed from the door frame  16 . The second engagement portion  26  includes a series of parallel, spaced, resilient discs  30  having successively decreasing diameters such that the connecting member  18  tapers in a direction toward the distal end of the second engagement portion  26 . This tapered arrangement is often referred to as a “Christmas tree” configuration and facilitates removably securing the second engagement portion  26  in a properly sized aperture. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , there is shown another exemplary connecting member  18   a . In this embodiment, the first engagement portion  22  includes the same resilient fingers  28 , as described above with respect to the connecting member  18  of  FIGS. 4A and 4B . The second engagement portion  26   a  includes one or more outwardly extending resilient toggle members  52 . Each toggle member  52  has first and second elongate sections  54 ,  56  connected end-to-end and joined by a living hinge  58 . The ends of the elongate sections  54 ,  56  opposite the living hinge  58  are interconnected to form a radially collapsible structure on the connecting member  18   a  for releasably engaging the interior trim panel  12  when the second engagement portion  26   a  is selectively engaged and disengaged from the interior trim panel  12 . Specifically, the elongate sections  54 ,  56  pivot about living hinge  58  such that the toggle members  52  collapse toward one another when the second engagement portion  26   a  is installed through an aperture in the interior trim panel (not shown). The toggle members  52  spring outwardly once they pass through the aperture, in a manner similar to resilient fingers  28  of the first engagement portion  22 . The toggle members  52  may, however, be pulled back through the aperture when it is desired to remove the interior trim panel  12  from the connecting member  18   a.    
     While the connecting members  18 ,  18   a  have been shown and described herein as having resilient fingers  28 , resilient discs  30 , and toggle members  52 , it will be recognized that the connecting member may have various other configurations such that the first engagement portion  22  is suited to be fixedly attached to the door frame  16  and the second engagement portion  26 ,  26   a  is suited to be releasably coupled to the trim panel  12 . 
     Advantageously, the connecting members  18  are received in the apertures  24  in the door frame  16  when the interior trim panel  12  is initially installed to the door frame  16  whereafter the connecting members  18  become fixedly attached to the door frame  16  such that upon subsequent removal of the interior trim panel  12  from the door frame  16  the interior trim panel  12  is released from the second engagement portions  26  of the connecting members  18  and the connecting members  18  remained fixed on the door frame  16  by the first engagement portions  22 . The trim panel  12  may subsequently be reinstalled to and removed from the door frame  16 , as may be required, to facilitate access to those portions of the door frame  16  located within the space between the interior trim panel  12  and an exterior panel or skin member  32  secured to the opposite side of the door frame  16 . 
     As depicted in  FIG. 1 , the interior trim panel  12  initially supports several door accessories which are to be assembled within the interior region of the door frame  16 , such as an audio speaker  40 , a door lock actuator  42 , a window actuator  44 , a door release mechanism  46 , and a window regulator  48 . The door accessories  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  are releasably secured to the outboard-facing surface  20  of the interior trim panel  12  by the second engagement portions  26  of the connecting members  18 . Brackets (not shown) may be required to secure particular door accessories to the door frame  16  when the dimensions of the door accessory are greater than that which can be accommodated by the connecting member  18 . The connecting members  18  are arranged so that the first engagement portions  22  extending from the door accessories  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  engage corresponding apertures  24   a  formed in the door frame  16  such that the door accessories become fixedly mounted to the door frame  16  when the interior trim panel  12  is initially assembled to the door frame  16 , as described above and depicted in  FIGS. 2 and 4A . 
     Because the door accessories are fixedly attached to the door frame  16  by the first engagement portions  22  of the connecting members  18  and are only releasably coupled to the interior trim panel  12  by the second engagement portions  26  of the connecting members  18 , the door accessories remain secured to the door frame  16  when the interior trim panel  12  is removed or otherwise moved away from the door frame  16 , as depicted in  FIGS. 3 and 4B . Unhindered access to the interior space on the door frame  16 , between the exterior panel  32  and the interior trim panel  12  may be readily gained by moving the interior trim panel  12  away from the door frame in this manner. Thereafter, additional fasteners  50 , such as threaded fasteners, may be installed between the door accessories  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  and the door frame  16  to more permanently secure the door accessories to the door frame  16  without interference from the interior trim panel  12 . 
     It will be recognized that the interior trim panel  12  may be subsequently repositioned to engage the second engagement portions  26  of the connecting members  18  on the door frame  16 . Moreover, the interior trim panel  12  may be subsequently removed from the door frame  16  to provide access to the door accessories as may be required, for example, to service the door accessories. 
     Advantageously, the modular interior trim panel  12  described above facilitates quick and easy assembly of an automotive door  10 , including the door accessories, and is well suited for manufacturing assembly lines. Moreover, the interior trim panel  12  described above eliminates the need for a separate door bolster and thus the bolster section may be integrally formed with the interior trim panel  12 . In addition, the audio speaker  40  may be provided with a unitary speaker grille  40   a , eliminating the need to attach a separate grille to the interior trim panel  12 . 
     In another aspect of the invention, a method of assembling an automotive door  10  includes positioning a door accessory  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  on an interior trim panel  12 , securing the door accessory to the interior trim panel  12  with a connecting member  18  as described above, and coupling the interior door trim panel  12  to a door frame  16  such that the door accessory is fixedly secured to the door frame  16  while the interior door trim panel  12  is selectively releasably secured to the door frame  16 , separating the interior door trim panel  12  from the door frame  16  while retaining the door accessory on the door frame  16 , and further securing the door accessory to the door frame  16  with an additional fastener  50 . 
     While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of one or more embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, they are not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope or spirit of Applicant&#39;s general inventive concept.