Patent Description:
A typical vehicle is provided with a body side assembly on a door thereof, and the body side assembly generally includes an exterior panel, a reinforcement plate, and an interior panel. A window frame is provided at a lower portion of the exterior panel, and is connected to the exterior panel, and the window frame and the exterior panel are sealed by a side seal therebetween. The window frame is provided with an installation structure for installing a window frame seal, where the window frame seal is used to seal an upper side of a door glass.

With the existing structure of the body side assembly on the door, the side seal and the window frame are both exposed and visible from the side of the vehicle, which affects the aesthetics of the vehicle.

<CIT> discloses a one-piece retainer, which is preferably an injection molded that receives and retains a weatherseal therein. The retainer assembly includes first and second portions that are bonded together to form the one-piece retainer. Fasteners further aid in securing the portions together and also securing the assembly to the associated vehicle. An outer show surface portion overlies a door body side of the vehicle. The show surface covers a cavity that serves as a water management channel around the perimeter of the window opening.

<CIT> discloses a sealing and cover strip for the B-pillar of a passenger vehicle with a support cover and a decorative cover, which have a sealing profile for a lowerable side window on at least one of their common longitudinal sides. It is the object of the present invention to improve a sealing and cover strip of the type mentioned above in such a way that the assembly effort during production of the vehicle is reduced and also the optical appearance is improved so that the sealing profile consists of two sealing halves, one respective half being connected to the decorative cover and the respective other half to the support cover.

<CIT> discloses a structure of a roof-side portion of a motor vehicle having a roof-side garnish composed of a synthetic resin, which is attached to the roof-side portion including a front pillar. The garnish has a band-shaped main portion, and an attaching portion which protrudes inwardly from about a widthwise center of an inside surface of the main portion in a direction perpendicular thereto. The attaching portion is secured to a door-opening surface of the roof-side portion, which defines a door opening in a vehicle body, such that an upper part of the main portion covers a roof-side surface of the roof-side portion, and a lower part of the main portion extends downwardly of an outside end of the roof-side surface. A retainer is secured to the attaching portion of the garnish on the inner side of a closed door glass so as to face the lower part of the garnish through the closed door glass. And a roof-side weather strip is fitted between the lower part of the garnish and the retainer, and bonded to the attaching portion of the garnish in the position between the main portion of the garnish and the retainer.

<CIT> discloses a pillar outer garnish attachment structure. According to the present invention, a pillar outer garnish is attached along a front pillar inserted between door glasses and a front glass, and along a roof side rail inserted between the door glasses and a roof glass. The outer edges of the pillar outer garnish in the vehicle width direction are respectively fastened by a mechanical fastening means to the front pillar and the roof side rail via retainers that hold door glass seal rubbers contacting the door glasses. Therefore, the long pillar outer garnish, which is bent at the boundary between the front pillar and the roof side rail, can be easily and reliably fixed, and the thickness and weight of the pillar outer garnish can be reduced by using the stiffness of the retainer to reinforce the stiffness of the pillar outer garnish.

<CIT> discloses vehicle seal retainers, methods for making and methods for using vehicle seal retainers, and motor vehicles with pillar seal retainers. Disclosed, for example, is a seal retainer carrier for mounting a seal structure between the outer applique and body structure of a motor vehicle. The seal structure includes a flexible body with two seal lips. The outer applique has a tab and a flange. The seal retainer carrier includes a base attached to the vehicle's body structure. A first interface flange projects from the base and attaches to the outer applique's flange. A second interface flange projects from the base and includes a protruding rib attached to a second seal lip. This rib fits into a recessed groove of the seal structure such that the seal mounts between the outer applique and body structure with a hook of a first seal lip seated against the outer applique's tab. <CIT> discloses a vehicle according to the preamble of claim <NUM>.

In view of the above problems, the present invention is proposed in order to provide a vehicle which overcomes the above problems or at least partially solve the above problems.

An objective in a first aspect of the present invention is to provide a side trim assembly which can improve the aesthetics of the vehicle.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a side trim structure in which an installation function for installing a window frame seal is integrated.

An objective in a second aspect of the present invention is to provide a vehicle including the above side trim assembly, which has good aesthetics.

Another objective in the second aspect of the present invention is to reduce the manufacturing cost and increase the production efficiency of the vehicle by means of an installation structure of the side trim assembly to a body side assembly of the vehicle.

In particular, according to an aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle as defined in claim <NUM>.

Optionally, the limit rib extends towards an inner and lower side of the vehicle.

Optionally, the interior trim panel is provided with a boss that protrudes towards the body side assembly, and a first installation hole is provided on a top surface of the boss for a first fastener to pass through, such that the side trim assembly is fixed to the body side assembly.

Optionally, a second installation hole is provided at the bottom for a second fastener to pass through, such that the side trim assembly is fixed to the body side assembly.

Optionally, the interior trim panel is fixed to the exterior trim panel by bonding.

Optionally, the exterior trim panel completely covers the installation structure and the window frame seal on a side of the vehicle.

Optionally, the body side assembly includes a front door side assembly, and the front door side assembly includes a front exterior panel, a front reinforcement plate, and a front interior panel sequentially provided in the direction from the outer side to the inner side of the door. A lower end of the front exterior panel is configured in a shape matching a bottom of the interior trim panel, and is provided with a third installation hole aligned with a second installation hole at the bottom of the interior trim panel for a second fastener to pass through.

Optionally, the second fastener includes an expansion nut and a screw matching each other. The expansion nut passes through the third installation hole and a cap of the expansion nut is provided between the front exterior panel and the interior trim panel. The screw passes through the second installation hole of the interior trim panel from a side of the interior trim panel away from the front exterior panel and is tightened with the expansion nut.

Optionally, the body side assembly includes a rear door side assembly, and the rear door side assembly includes a rear exterior panel, a rear reinforcement plate, and a rear interior panel sequentially provided in the direction from the outer side to the inner side of the door. An upper portion of the rear exterior panel is configured in a shape matching a boss of the interior trim panel, and is provided with a fourth installation hole aligned with a first installation hole in the boss for a first fastener to pass through.

Optionally, the first fastener includes a metal nut, a sealing gasket, and a bolt matching each other, and the bolt passes through the first installation hole in the boss, the sealing gasket, and the fourth installation hole in the rear exterior panel in sequence, and is tightened with the metal nut.

The present invention proposes a new side trim assembly including an exterior trim panel and an interior trim panel fixedly connected to each other, where the interior trim panel is connected to a body side assembly, and a lower end of the exterior trim panel and a lower end of the interior trim panel together define an installation structure for installing a window frame seal. The above structure eliminates the original window frame and side seal to reduce the number of components and parts and the costs, and avoids the aesthetic problems caused by the original window frame and side seal being exposed, to reflect a simple, novel and beautiful styling.

Further, according to the present invention, the limit rib of the exterior trim panel forms the installation structure together with the bottom and the hook of the interior trim panel, and the limit rib is provided on the inner side of the exterior trim panel and corresponding to the hook, such that the entire installation structure is hidden inside the exterior trim panel, which further improves the aesthetics of the structure while ensuring the installation of the window frame seal.

Further, the installation structure for installing the window frame seal is integrated into the side trim assembly according to the present invention, and the side trim assembly can be installed and fixed to the body side assembly only through the first fastener and the second fastener. Therefore, compared with the structure provided with the window frame and the side seal in the related art, the number of assembly processes is reduced during assembly, the production cost and the production time are reduced, and the production efficiency is improved, while reducing the probability of production rework and scrap and improving the quality of the whole vehicle. Due to the elimination of the window frame and the side seal, the management cost is reduced.

The foregoing description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to enable a clearer understanding of the technical means of the present invention to be implemented in accordance with the contents in the description, and in order to make the above and other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, particular embodiments of the present invention will be exemplified below.

The above and other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention will be better understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the detailed description of particular embodiments of the present invention in connection with the accompanying drawings below.

Some particular embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below in an exemplary, but not limiting, manner with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals in the accompanying drawings indicate like or similar parts or portions. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these accompanying drawings are not necessarily to scale.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided for a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

<FIG> is a schematic cross-sectional view of a side trim assembly <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in <FIG>, in an embodiment, the side trim assembly <NUM> includes an exterior trim panel <NUM> and an interior trim panel <NUM> sequentially provided in a direction from an outer side to an inner side of a door of a vehicle and fixedly connected to each other. The interior trim panel <NUM> can be fixed to the exterior trim panel <NUM>, for example, by bonding through a structural adhesive. A side of the interior trim panel <NUM> away from the exterior trim panel <NUM> is connected to a body side assembly <NUM>. The body side assembly <NUM> generally includes at least an exterior panel and an interior panel. Herein, the interior trim panel <NUM> may be connected to the exterior panel. A lower end of the exterior trim panel <NUM> and a lower end of the interior trim panel <NUM> together define an installation structure <NUM> for installing a window frame seal <NUM>.

The present embodiment proposes a new side trim assembly <NUM> including an exterior trim panel <NUM> and an interior trim panel <NUM> fixedly connected to each other. The interior trim panel <NUM> is connected to a body side assembly <NUM>, and a lower end of the exterior trim panel <NUM> and a lower end of the interior trim panel <NUM> together define an installation structure <NUM> for installing a window frame seal <NUM>. The above structure eliminates the original window frame and side seal to reduce the number of components and parts and the costs, and avoids the aesthetic problems caused by the original window frame and side seal being exposed, to reflect a simple, novel and beautiful styling.

In the embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, the lower end of the exterior trim panel <NUM> is provided with a raised limit rib <NUM> on an inner side thereof. The lower end of the interior trim panel <NUM> includes a bottom <NUM> extending inwardly and a hook <NUM> bent towards the exterior trim panel <NUM> from an end of the bottom <NUM> away from the exterior trim panel <NUM>. The hook <NUM> is arranged opposite to the limit rib <NUM>. The limit rib <NUM>, the bottom <NUM> and the hook <NUM> together define the installation structure <NUM> for catching the window frame seal <NUM>. Optionally, the limit rib <NUM> extends towards an inner and lower side of the vehicle.

In the present embodiment, the limit rib <NUM> forms the installation structure <NUM> together with the bottom <NUM> and the hook <NUM>, and the limit rib <NUM> is provided on the inner side of the exterior trim panel <NUM> and corresponding to the hook <NUM>, such that the entire installation structure <NUM> is hidden inside the exterior trim panel, which further improves the aesthetics of the structure while ensuring the installation of the window frame seal <NUM>.

In an even further embodiment, the exterior trim panel <NUM> completely covers the entire installation structure <NUM> and window frame seal <NUM> on the side of the vehicle, making the installation structure <NUM> and the window frame seal <NUM> completely invisible to the user from outside the vehicle, thereby further improving the aesthetics of the structure.

<FIG> is a schematic cross-sectional view of a side trim assembly <NUM> in an assembled state with a first fastener <NUM> according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in <FIG>, in this embodiment, the interior trim panel <NUM> is provided with a boss <NUM> that protrudes towards the body side assembly <NUM>, and a first installation hole <NUM> is provided on a top surface of the boss <NUM> for the first fastener <NUM> to pass through, such that the side trim assembly <NUM> is fixed to the body side assembly <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the bottom <NUM> is provided with a second installation hole <NUM> for a second fastener <NUM> to pass through, such that the side trim assembly <NUM> is fixed to the body side assembly <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the side trim assembly <NUM> shown in <FIG> is installed to the body side assembly <NUM> at a front door, and the side trim assembly <NUM> shown in <FIG> is installed to the body side assembly <NUM> at a rear door. The exterior trim panel <NUM> in <FIG> can be a single sheet metal part, or can be formed by splicing multiple parts. The interior trim panel <NUM> in <FIG> can be an integrally formed sheet metal part with the boss <NUM> and the first installation hole <NUM> formed in different positions, or can be formed by combining and splicing multiple parts.

The present invention provides a vehicle including the body side assembly <NUM> and the above side trim assembly <NUM>.

The vehicle includes the side trim assembly <NUM>. The side trim assembly <NUM> includes an exterior trim panel <NUM> and an interior trim panel <NUM> fixedly connected to each other. The interior trim panel <NUM> is connected to a body side assembly <NUM>, and a lower end of the exterior trim panel <NUM> and a lower end of the interior trim panel <NUM> together define an installation structure <NUM> for installing a window frame seal <NUM>. The above structure eliminates the original window frame and side seal to reduce the number of components and parts and the costs, and avoids the aesthetic problems caused by the original window frame and side seal being exposed.

<FIG> is a front view of a door of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. <FIG> is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in <FIG>. <FIG> is a partial enlarged view of part B in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, the body side assembly <NUM> includes a front door side assembly <NUM>, i.e., the body side assembly <NUM> located at a front door. The front door side assembly <NUM> includes a front exterior panel <NUM>, a front reinforcement plate <NUM>, and a front interior panel <NUM> sequentially provided in the direction from the outer side to the inner side of the door. A lower end of the front exterior panel <NUM> is configured in a shape matching the bottom <NUM> of the interior trim panel <NUM>, and is provided with a third installation hole <NUM> aligned with the second installation hole <NUM> for a second fastener <NUM> to pass through. As shown in <FIG>, optionally, the second fastener <NUM> includes an expansion nut <NUM> and a screw <NUM> matching each other. The expansion nut <NUM> passes through the third installation hole <NUM> and a cap of the expansion nut <NUM> is located between the front exterior panel <NUM> and the interior trim panel <NUM>. The screw <NUM> passes through the second installation hole <NUM> in the interior trim panel <NUM> from a side of the interior trim panel <NUM> away from the front exterior panel <NUM>, and is tightened with the expansion nut <NUM>. Optionally, the expansion nut <NUM> can be a square plastic expansion nut, and accordingly, the third installation hole <NUM> is a square hole.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in <FIG>. <FIG> is a partial enlarged view of part D in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, the body side assembly <NUM> further includes a rear door side assembly <NUM>. The rear door side assembly <NUM> includes a rear exterior panel <NUM>, a rear reinforcement plate <NUM>, and a rear interior panel <NUM> sequentially provided in the direction from the outer side to the inner side of the door. An upper portion of the rear exterior panel <NUM> is configured in a shape matching the boss <NUM> of the interior trim panel <NUM>, and is provided with a fourth installation hole <NUM> aligned with the first installation hole <NUM> in the boss <NUM> for the first fastener <NUM> to pass through. Optionally, as shown in <FIG>, the first fastener <NUM> includes a metal nut <NUM>, a sealing gasket <NUM>, and a bolt <NUM> matching each other. The bolt <NUM> passes through the first installation hole <NUM> in the boss <NUM>, the sealing gasket <NUM>, and the fourth installation hole <NUM> in the rear exterior panel <NUM> in sequence, and is tightened with the metal nut <NUM>.

The front/rear exterior panel in <FIG> and <FIG> may be an integrally formed sheet metal part with structures matching the side trim assembly <NUM> formed in different positions, or can be divided into multiple parts combined and spliced together. The front/rear interior panel in <FIG> and <FIG> can be an integrally formed sheet metal part, or can be divided into multiple parts combined and spliced together. Similarly, the front/rear reinforcement plate in <FIG> and <FIG> can be an integrally formed sheet metal part, or can be divided into multiple parts combined and spliced together.

As shown in <FIG> or <FIG>, the installation structure <NUM> at the lower end of the side trim assembly <NUM> is configured to install the window frame seal <NUM> for sealing a window glass <NUM>.

The installation structure for installing the window frame seal is integrated into the side trim assembly <NUM> in the vehicle according to the present invention, and the side trim assembly <NUM> can be installed and fixed to the body side assembly <NUM> only through the first fastener <NUM> and the second fastener <NUM>. Therefore, compared with the structure provided with the window frame and the side seal in the related art, the number of assembly processes is reduced during assembly, the production cost and the production time are reduced, and the production efficiency is improved, while reducing the probability of production rework and scrap and improving the quality of the whole vehicle. Due to the elimination of the window frame and the side seal, the management cost is reduced.

Based on the structure of the side trim assembly <NUM> as described above, a simpler assembly method can be enabled. <FIG> is a flowchart of a method of assembling the side trim assembly <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method is applied to the vehicle as described above. In an embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, the method includes steps S10 to S40.

At step S10, the interior trim panel <NUM> and the exterior trim panel <NUM> are bonded through the structural adhesive to form the side trim assembly.

At step S20, the window frame seal <NUM> is installed in the installation structure <NUM>.

At step S30, the side trim assembly <NUM> provided with the second installation hole <NUM> is fixedly connected to the front door side assembly <NUM> through the second fastener <NUM>. The square plastic expansion nut in the second fastener <NUM> is first pre-assembled in the third installation hole <NUM> of the front exterior panel <NUM>. When the side trim assembly <NUM> is assembled with the front door side assembly <NUM>, the side trim assembly <NUM> is fixedly connected to the front door side assembly <NUM> by tightening the screw <NUM> with the square plastic expansion nut.

At step S40, the side trim assembly <NUM> provided with the boss <NUM> is fixedly connected to the rear door side assembly <NUM> through the first fastener <NUM>. The bolt <NUM> and the sealing gasket <NUM> in the first fastener <NUM> are pre-assembled at the first installation hole <NUM> in the boss <NUM>. When the side trim assembly <NUM> is assembled with the rear door side assembly <NUM>, the side trim assembly <NUM> is fixedly connected to the rear door side assembly <NUM> by tightening the bolt <NUM> with the metal nut <NUM>.

It should be noted that the order of the above step S20, step S30 and step S40 can be exchanged, which is not limited herein.

The installation structure <NUM> for installing the window frame seal <NUM> is integrated into the side trim assembly <NUM> according to the present invention. Therefore, compared with the structure provided with the window frame and the side seal in the related art, the number of assembly processes is reduced during assembly, the production cost and the production time are reduced, and the production efficiency is improved, while reducing the probability of production rework and scrap and improving the quality of the whole vehicle. Due to the elimination of the window frame and the side seal, the management cost is reduced.

Claim 1:
A vehicle, comprising a body side assembly (<NUM>) and a side trim assembly (<NUM>), wherein the side trim assembly (<NUM>) comprises an exterior trim panel (<NUM>) and an interior trim panel (<NUM>) sequentially provided in a direction from an outer side to an inner side of a door of the vehicle and fixedly connected to each other, wherein a side of the interior trim panel (<NUM>) away from the exterior trim panel (<NUM>) is connected to the body side assembly (<NUM>), and a lower end of the exterior trim panel (<NUM>) and a lower end of the interior trim panel (<NUM>) together define an installation structure (<NUM>) for installing a window frame seal (<NUM>),
wherein, the lower end of the exterior trim panel (<NUM>) is provided with a raised limit rib (<NUM>) on an inner side thereof;
the lower end of the interior trim panel (<NUM>) comprises a bottom (<NUM>) extending inwardly, characterized in that the lower end of the interior trim panel (<NUM>) comprises a hook (<NUM>) bent towards the exterior trim panel (<NUM>) from an end of the bottom (<NUM>) away from the exterior trim panel (<NUM>), the hook (<NUM>) being arranged opposite to the limit rib (<NUM>); and
the limit rib (<NUM>), the bottom (<NUM>) and the hook (<NUM>) together define the installation structure (<NUM>) for catching the window frame seal (<NUM>).