Vehicle doors including door trim assemblies and vehicles including same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10399513-B2
Application number	US-201715483184-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2017
Priority date	Apr 10, 2017
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A vehicle includes a vehicle body and a vehicle door connected to the vehicle body. The vehicle door includes an interior trim panel including an upper board and an ornament member that is connected to an interior surface of the upper board. The ornament member has a front edge, a rear edge and side edges that extend from the front edge to the rear edge. The ornament member includes an interference member that extends outwardly from at least one of the front edge, the rear edge and the side edges and extends under the upper board to interface with the upper board during a side impact event.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body, and
a vehicle door connected to the vehicle body, the vehicle door including an interior trim panel comprising an upper board and an ornament member that is connected to an interior surface of the upper board, the ornament member having a front edge, a rear edge and side edges that extend from the front edge to the rear edge, the ornament member including an interference member that extends outwardly of the rear edge and extends rearward in a vehicle longitudinal direction outward under the upper board to interface with the upper board during a side impact event.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the interference member extends outwardly beyond the rear edge and under the upper board at a space between the upper board and a window frame of the vehicle door.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the space is provided by a cutout region formed in the upper board.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the cutout region is located at an outboard edge of the upper board that faces the window frame.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the upper board includes an ornament connection location that is located at an interior upper facing surface portion of the upper board where the upper board extends outboard in a vehicle lateral direction toward a window frame.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the interior trim panel comprises a door handle attachment location, the ornament member separated from the door handle attachment location.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the upper board comprises a substrate body and an outer covering that covers the substrate body, the interference member located adjacent an outboard surface of the substrate body.

8. The vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the ornament member comprises a material that is more rigid than a material forming the substrate body.

9. An interior trim panel for a vehicle door, the interior trim panel comprising:
an upper board; and
an ornament member connected to an interior surface of the upper board, the ornament member having a front edge, a rear edge and side edges that extend from the front edge to the rear edge, the ornament member including an interference member that extends outwardly of the rear edge and extends rearward in a vehicle longitudinal direction outward under the upper board to interface with the upper board during a side impact event.

10. The interior trim panel of claim 9 , wherein the interference member extends outwardly beyond the rear edge and under the upper board at a space provided by a cutout region formed in the upper board.

11. The interior trim panel of claim 10 , wherein the cutout region is located at an outboard edge of the upper board that faces a window frame of the vehicle door.

12. The interior trim panel of claim 9 , wherein the upper board includes an ornament connection location that is located at an interior upper facing surface portion of the upper board where the upper board extends outboard in a vehicle lateral direction toward a window frame of the vehicle door.

13. The interior trim panel of claim 9 comprising a door handle attachment location, the ornament member separated from the door handle attachment location.

14. The interior trim panel of claim 9 , wherein the upper board comprises a substrate body and an outer covering that covers the substrate body, the interference member located adjacent an outboard surface of the substrate body.

15. The interior trim panel of claim 14 , wherein the ornament member comprises a material that is more rigid than a material forming the substrate body.

16. A method of assembling an ornament member to an interior trim panel of a vehicle door, the method comprising:
connecting the ornament member to an upper board of the interior trim panel at an ornament connection location located on an interior surface of the upper board; and
locating an interference member that extends outwardly of a rear edge of the ornament member and extends rearward in a vehicle longitudinal direction outward under the upper board to interface with the upper board during a side impact event.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising providing the upper board with a cutout region, wherein the step of locating the interference member includes locating the interference member under an edge of the cutout region.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of locating the interference member includes locating the interference member adjacent an outboard surface of the upper board.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the ornament connection location is located at an interior upper facing surface of the upper board where the upper board extends outboard in a vehicle lateral direction toward a window frame of the vehicle door.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the ornament connection location is separated from a door handle attachment location.

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Gillay Daniel F

Classifications

• B60R2013/0293

  Connection or positioning of adjacent panels · CPC title

• B60R2013/0287

  integrating other functions or accessories · CPC title

• B60R2013/0281

  made of a plurality of visible parts · CPC title

• B60R13/0243 Primary

  Doors · CPC title

• B60J5/0413

  Inner panel, e.g. characterised by carrying components · CPC title