STRUCTURE AND METHOD FOR MOUNTING FLAG-TYPE SIDE MIRROR

Abstract

A structure and method for mounting a flag-type side mirror securely fastens the flag-type side mirror on a door panel of a vehicle. The method includes: passing a wiring mounted to the flag-type side mirror through through-holes formed in an outer belt rail, a quadrant reinforce, and an inner panel of the door; placing the flag-type side mirror at a position to be installed; arranging a mirror neck of the flag-type side mirror to abut on the quadrant reinforce through an outer panel of the door; passing a fastening member through the outer belt rail and the quadrant reinforce; and fastening the fastening member to an end of the mirror neck by operating a tool in a direction from inside to outside of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of mounting a flag-type side mirror to a door of a vehicle, where a mirror neck of the flag-type side mirror is fastened to the door formed by a plurality of panels bonded to each other, the method comprising: passing a wiring mounted to the flag-type side mirror through through-holes formed in an outer belt rail, a quadrant reinforce, and an inner panel of the door; placing the flag-type side mirror at a position to be installed; arranging the mirror neck of the flag-type side mirror to abut on the quadrant reinforce through an outer panel of the door; passing a fastening member through the outer belt rail and the quadrant reinforce; and fastening the fastening member to an end of the mirror neck by operating a tool in a direction from inside to outside of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after fastening the fastening member is performed, fixing the wiring by mounting a grommet provided in the wiring to one side of the door.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0030] In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0031] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a flag-type side mirror is mounted;

[0032] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a portion to which a conventional flag-type side mirror is mounted;

[0033] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 2;

[0034] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 2;

[0035] FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a portion to which a structure for mounting a flag-type side mirror according to one form of the present disclosure is applied;

[0036] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG. 5;

[0037] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of FIG. 5;

[0038] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a load path in the structure for mounting a flag-type side mirror according to one form of the present disclosure;

[0039] FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a through-hole is formed in the structure for mounting a flag-type side mirror according to one form of the present disclosure;

[0040] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E of FIG. 9;

[0041] FIGS. 11A and 11B are perspective views sequentially illustrating a method of mounting a flag-type side mirror according to one form of the present disclosure; and

[0042] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the method of mounting a flag-type side mirror according to another form of the present disclosure.

[0043] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

[0045] Exemplary forms of the present disclosure will be described below in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the forms set forth herein. Rather, these forms are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Throughout the disclosure, like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various figures and forms of the present disclosure.

[0046] Hereinafter, a structure and method for mounting a flag-type side mirror according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] In the structure for mounting a flag-type side mirror, a mirror neck 11 of the flag-type side mirror is fastened to a door 20 of a vehicle, where the door is formed with a plurality of panels bonded to each other, and the mirror neck 11 has an end fastened to one panel among the plurality of panels of the door 20 and a portion of the panel to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is circumferentially bonded to another panel of the plurality of panels of the door 20.

[0048] The plurality of panels forming the door structure for the door 20 includes: an outer panel 21, an inner panel 24, and a panel for reinforcing the strength of the door 20. These panels are bonded to each other by welding W to form a basic door structure.

[0049] The outer panel 21 and the inner panel 24 are provided, at the respective upper ends thereof, with an outer belt rail 22 and an inner belt rail (not illustrated) in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle for strength reinforcement.

[0050] A quadrant reinforce 23 is provided between the inner panel 24 and the outer belt rail 22 to reinforce the strength of the front end of the door 20.

[0051] In the flag-type side mirror 10, the end of the mirror neck 11 is fastened to one of the plurality of panels of the door 20.

[0052] A portion adjacent to the end of the mirror neck 11 passes through the outermost panel, namely the outer panel 21, of the door 20 so that the end of the mirror neck 11 is fastened to one of the plurality of panels of the door 20.

[0053] In particular, the panel to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is circumferentially bonded to an adjacent another panel. The panel to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is circumferentially bonded to another panel adjacent to the panel, so that a portion of the panel to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is closed in cross-section to have improved rigidity.

[0054] The panel to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened may be the quadrant reinforce 23, and the panel abutting on the quadrant reinforce 23 may be the inner panel 24.

[0055] Specifically, the mirror neck 11 is fastened to the quadrant reinforce 23 for reinforcing the front structure of the door 20, and a portion of the quadrant reinforce 23 to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is circumferentially bonded to the inner panel 24.

[0056] The portion of the quadrant reinforce 23 to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is convex outward of the vehicle, and the convex outward portion is circumferentially bonded to the outer surface of the inner panel 24.

[0057] Since the portion of the quadrant reinforce 23 to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is circumferentially bonded to the inner panel 24, the portion of the quadrant reinforce 23 to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is closed in cross-section, which has improved rigidity for supporting the mirror neck 11 compared to when it is open in cross-section.

[0058] The portion of the quadrant reinforce 23 bonded to the inner panel 24 will be described in detail.

[0059] The portion of the quadrant reinforce 23 to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is bonded, at the front and rear ends thereof (based on the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle), to the inner panel 24. Particularly, the portion of the quadrant reinforce 23 to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened has bent portions 23b and 23c formed at positions spaced at predetermined distances from the respective front and rear ends of thereof. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the horizontal portion of the quadrant reinforce 23 to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is closed in cross-section to have improved rigidity.

[0060] In addition, the portion of the quadrant reinforce 23 to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is bonded, at the upper and lower ends thereof (based on the vertical direction of the vehicle), to the inner panel 24 (see FIG. 7). The vertical portion of the quadrant reinforce 23 to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is closed in cross-section.

[0061] Particularly, the portion of the quadrant reinforce 23 to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is closed in cross-section, thereby defining a load path as indicated by the arrow in the FIG. 8. A door hinge 29 is installed at a portion of the door 20 fastened to the mirror neck 11 so that the load path is defined at a portion in which the door 20 is hinged to a vehicle body, thereby improving connection rigidity.

[0062] In addition, since the portion to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is closed in cross-section to secure rigidity, the conventional mirror bracket or auxiliary bracket may be removed therefrom.

[0063] Moreover, since the portion to which the mirror neck 11 is fastened is closed in cross-section to have improved rigidity, the panels positioned at the portion can be reduced in thickness, resulting in a reduction in the weight of the vehicle.

[0064] Furthermore, due to the strong fastening of the side mirror 10, the vibration of the side mirror 10 can be reduced when the door 120 is opened or closed or while the vehicle is traveling at a high speed.

[0065] The side mirror 10 is equipped with a heating wire, an angle adjustment motor, a rear lateral warning lamp, and the like, and includes a wiring 13 for operating them. To connect the wiring 13 to a connector positioned within the door 20, the outer belt rail 22, the quadrant reinforce 23, and the inner panel 24 have through-holes 22a, 23a, and 24a, respectively, through which the wiring 13 passes (see FIG. 9).

[0066] In addition, the outer belt rail 22 and the quadrant reinforce 23 have fastening holes (not illustrated) through which the fastening member passes.

[0067] FIG. 12 illustrates a method of mounting a flag-type side mirror according to the present disclosure.

[0068] The method of mounting a flag-type side mirror according to the present disclosure includes a step of passing a wiring 13 mounted to a side mirror 10 through through-holes 22a, 23a, and 24a formed in an outer belt rail 22, a quadrant reinforce 23, and an inner panel 24 (S110), a step of placing the side mirror 10 at a position to be installed such that a mirror neck 11 of the side mirror 10 abuts on the quadrant reinforce 23 through an outer panel 21 (S120), and a step of fastening a fastening member, having passed through the outer belt rail 22 and the quadrant reinforce 23, to an end of the mirror neck 11 by operating a tool in a direction from inside to outside of a vehicle (S130).

[0069] In step S110, the wiring 13 mounted to the side mirror 10 passes through the constituent panels of a door 20. The constituent panels of the door 20, particularly, the outer belt rail 22, the quadrant reinforce 23, and the inner panel 24 are formed with the through-holes 22a, 23a, and 24a, respectively, through which the wiring 13 passes. The wiring 13 passes through the through-holes 22a, 23a, and 24a in the direction from outside to inside of the door, i.e., in the direction toward the inner panel 24 from the outer panel 21.

[0070] In step S120, the side mirror 10 is placed at a position to be fastened. The front end of the mirror neck 11 of the side mirror 10 is positioned at the fastening portion of the quadrant reinforce 23 through the outer panel 21.

[0071] In step S130, the fastening member is fastened in the direction from inside to outside of the door, i.e., in the direction toward the outer panel 21 from the inner panel 24. By fastening the end of the fastening member to the end of the mirror neck 11 through the fastening holes formed in the quadrant reinforce 23 and the outer belt rail 22 using the tool T, the side mirror 10 is fastened by the fastening member. In one form, the fastening member is a fastening bolt.

[0072] In this case, even when the fastening bolt falls during the fastening of the side mirror 10, the fastening bolt does not fall to the bottom of the door but remains between the quadrant reinforce 23 and the outer belt rail 22 since the quadrant reinforce 23 and the outer belt rail 22 are circumferentially bonded to each other. Therefore, the fastening bolt may be used for refastening after it is easily removed.

[0073] In addition, since the fastening of the side mirror 10 is performed inside the door 20, a mirror neck cover for covering the mirror neck 11 is unnecessary. Moreover, since a door trim or the like is finally mounted inside the door 20, a separate finishing operation for covering the fastening member is not required.

[0074] As described above, when the fastening of the side mirror 10 is completed, a step of fixing the wiring (S140) is performed so that a grommet 13a installed in the middle of the wiring 13 is fixed to one of the panels of the door 20, e.g., the inner panel 24 to place the wiring 13 at a predetermined position.

[0075] In accordance with the structure and method for mounting a flag-type side mirror of the present disclosure having the above configuration, the portion to which the side mirror neck is fastened can be closed in cross-section to have improved rigidity.

[0076] Since a mirror bracket, an auxiliary bracket, a mirror neck cover, etc. are unnecessary, the panel such as the outer belt rail can be reduced in thickness, thereby reducing weight and cost.

[0077] Since the side mirror can be mounted from the inside of the door, it is possible to reduce the number of processes and improve productivity compared to the assembly from the outside of the door.

[0078] While the present disclosure has been described with respect to the specific forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.