WO1997006024A1

WO1997006024A1 - Method of manufacturing door module assembly

Info

Publication number: WO1997006024A1
Application number: PCT/US1996/012539
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard C. Wroblewski; Steve W. Bauer; Peter K. Voss; Robert B. Mooney
Original assignee: Atoma International, Inc.
Priority date: 1995-08-09
Filing date: 1996-08-06
Publication date: 1997-02-20
Also published as: CA2229080A1; AU6715996A

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a multiplicity of door module assemblies for a motor vehicle comprising forming a plurality of outer door panels (12); forming a plurality of inner door panels (14) and a plurality of door hardware mounting panels (16) from sheet metal, wherein i) the inner door panels (12) are each constructed from a portion of sheet metal formed to have a peripheral shape generally matching that of the outer door panels (12) and to define an area which is to constitute a major opening (18) in the inner door panel (14), and ii) each of said door hardware mounting panels (16) are simultaneously stamped with an associated one of said inner door (14) panels from a portion of sheet metal occupying at least a portion of the area which is to constitute the major opening (18) in an associated one of said inner door panels (14); separating the portions of sheet metal forming the door hardware mounting panels (16) from the associated portions of sheet metal forming the inner door panels (14) after the door hardware mounting panels (16) and the inner door panels have been stamped into their respective peripheral shapes; fixing each of the inner door panel (14) to a respective one of the outer door panels (12); mounting door hardware on said door hardware mounting panels (16); and mounting each of the door hardware mounting panels (16) on a respective one of the inner door panels (14) after the door hardware has been mounted on the door hardware mounting panels (16).

Description

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING DOOR MODULE ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to door module assemblies for motor vehicles, and more particularly to a method of manufacturing such assemblies in a more cost effective and efficient manner.

It is well known in the motor vehicle industry to provide a vehicle door assembly that is formed of an outer panel, and an inner panel stamped from sheet metal (preferably steel) in a sequence of stamping dies during a stamping operation. The inner and outer panels are assembled in spaced apart relation defining a cavity in which door hardware components, such as the window regulator, door handle, and latches are generally mounted.

In recent years there has been an increasing trend in providing a modularized vehicle door asεembly in which such components are mounted on a door hardware mounting panel prior to installation in the door. More particularly, the door hardware mounting panel and components mounted thereon constitute a stand alone door cartridge assembly that enables the components to be pre- assembled and pre-tested as a unit prior to the cartridge being installed in the door. For example, see U.S. Patent Nos. 4,648,208, 4,785,585, 4,924,630, 5,090,158, 5,095,659, 5,048,234 and 5,062,240, which are hereby incorporated by reference. The mounting panel is stamped from sheet metal in a sequence of stamping dies. The stamped mounting panel is mounted over a major opening in the inner door panel as one of the final assembly steps in completing the door assembly. Typically, the operation for stamping the mounting panel is separated from the operation for stamping the inner or outer door panels. In fact, in many instances, the stamping operation for forming the mounting panel takes place at a different facility from the stamping operation for forming the inner and outer door panels. While stamping is a relatively inexpensive method for forming sheet metal into the desired configuration of the inner door panel, the outer door panel, and the mounting panel, the cost-effectiveness of the stamping method is limited by the "off-all" which results and by the number of stamping operations which must be performed to complete the assembly. "Off-all" is a term of art, and refers to the excess metal which is a byproduct of stamping a particular part. In manufacturing the aforementioned modular vehicle door assembly by conventional stamping, a significant amount of off- all results from the metal material occupying the area which will constitute the major opening in the inner door panel. The metal material which is removed from the sheet metal to form the major opening in the inner door panel is oftentimes discarded or sold at scrap value. As an alternative, more cost-effective approach, the off- all may be used in a subsequent stamping operation to form other small components. Even with this more cost-effective approach, however, the amount of off- all that has been salvaged by use in subsequent stamping operations has been limited by the shape and size of the other components to be stamped therefrom.

The present invention stems from the recognition that it would be advantageous to develop a more cost-effective method of manufacturing door module assemblies that minimizes the amount of scrap metal wasted and that minimizes the number of stamping operations needed to complete the assemblies. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a multiplicity of door module assemblies for a motor vehicle. The door module assemblies comprise an outer door panel, an inner door panel, and a door hardware mounting panel each having a predetermined desired configuration. The method comprises forming a plurality of outer door panels; forming a plurality of inner door panels and a plurality of door hardware mounting panels from sheet metal during a stamping operation in which i) the inner door panels are each stamped from a portion of the sheet metal so as to be at least partially formed into its predetermined desired configuration and to define an area which is to constitute an opening therein, and ii) each of said door hardware mounting panels are stamped so as to be at least partially formed into its predetermined desired configuration simultaneously with an associated one of said inner door panels from a portion of sheet metal occupying at least a portion of the area which is to constitute the opening in an associated one of said inner door panels; separating the portions of sheet metal forming the door hardware mounting panels from the associated portions of sheet metal forming the inner door panels after the door hardware mounting panels and the inner door panels have been at least partially stamped into their respective predetermined desired configurations; fixing each of the inner door panels to a respective one of the outer door panels; mounting door hardware on said door hardware mounting panels; and mounting each of the door hardware mounting panels on a respective one of the inner door panels after the door hardware has been mounted on the door hardware mounting panels.

Using the metal material that occupies at least a portion of the area which is to constitute the opening in the inner door panel for the door hardware mounting panel is advantageous because the size and shape of the mounting panel is similar to the size and shape of the opening formed in the inner panel, and thus, a large percentage of the off-all can be effectively salvaged. In addition, because the door hardware mounting panels are simultaneously stamped with an associated one of the inner door panels, the number of steps required to complete each door assembly is reduced.

It is a further object of the present invention to apply the principles above in order to provide a method of manufacturing components for a door module assembly including an inner door panel having an opening therein of a specified area and a door hardware mounting panel for being mounted on an inner door panel and having a periphery defining an area smaller that the specified area of the opening in the inner door panel. The method comprises the steps of stamping a portion of sheet metal in a stamping operation such that metal material constituting the sheet metal is formed into a shape generally corresponding to the desired shape of the inner door panel having the opening, and simultaneously stamping the portion of sheet metal such that at least a portion of the metal material thereof occupying the area which is to constitute the opening in the inner door panel is formed into the desired shape of the door hardware mounting panel; and subsequently removing the metal material occupying the area which is to constitute the opening in the inner door panel from the metal material formed into the shape generally corresponding to the desired shape of the inner door panel so as to provide the opening in the inner door panel, and so that the metal material formed into the desired shape of the door hardware mounting panel and removed as at least a portion of the area constituting the opening in the inner door panel can be used as a door hardware mounting panel for a door module assembly and so that the metal material generally shaped corresponding to the desired shape of the inner door panel can be used as an inner door panel for a door module assembly.

These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent during the course of the following detailed description and claims.

The invention may be best understood with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein an illustrative embodiment is shown.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a door module assembly manufactured in accordance with the method of the present invention. FIGURE 2 is a schematic plan view, partly in cross-section, showing the relative positions of the sheet metal used to stamp the inner door panel and the door hardware mounting panel before and after the stamping operation used in manufacturing the door module assembly in accordance with the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the door module assembly 10 manufactured in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The door module assembly includes an outer door panel 12, an inner door panel 14, and a door cartridge assembly generally indicated at 16. The outer door panel 12 is preferrably stamped as one piece from sheet steel and is hemmed and spot welded to the inner door panel 14 in conventional fashion. It is understood, however, that in some vehicles the outer door panel can be made from fibreglass or hardened plastic.

The inner door panel 14 is also a one piece assembly stamped from sheet steel and is provided with a major opening 18. The outer door panel 12 and inner door panel 14 may optionally be stamped to form a window frame 20 defining a window opening 22, depending upon the particular type of vehicle door assembly to be manufactured. The inner door panel 14 may also be stamped to have other openings or the like, which permit components to be mounted thereon, such as opening 24 for mounting a stereo speaker. The door cartridge assembly 16 includes a door hardware mounting panel 26, which mounts door components, εuch as an inner door release handle 28, a window regulator 30, a door latch 32 (shown mounted on the panel 26 for shipment) , and a wiring harness 34. It can be appreciated that the mounting panel 26 can also be used to mount a multiplexing computer box, a motor for a power window, an outside door release handle, a window guide, and other components which are not shown in the Figures. It can also be appreciated from Figure 1 that the hardware mounting panel is preferably stamped with an appropriate predetermined desired configuration, which includes a multiplicity of recesses, mounting holes, channels, and the like to accommodate the mounting of such components.

The door cartridge assembly 16 is mounted on the inner door panel 14 via appropriate fasteners 38, such as bolts, which extend through mounting holes 39 provided in the mounting panel 26 and aligned mounting holes 41 provided in the inner door panel 14. By mounting the door cartridge assembly 16 over the major opening 18, the strength of the entire door assembly is increased. Preferably, an appropriate foam material, such as polyurethane foam, s provided inboard of the outer door panel 12, e.g., within the space between the outer door panel and the inner door panel to enhance the impact absorption characteristics of the door assembly. FIGURE 2 is a schematic view, partly in section, showing an outline of sheet metal which has been stamped to form the front inner door panel 14 , and the door hardware mounting panel 26 mounted on the front inner door panel 14. FIGURE 2 also shows a rear inner door panel 40 and an associated door hardware mounting panel 42 mounted thereon. While it may be possible for the inner door panel 14 and the mounting panel 26 of the front door assembly to be stamped in the same stamping die as the inner door panel 40 and mounting panel 42 of the rear door assembly, this is largely impractical due to the size of door assemblies. Thus, the front inner door panel 14 and mounting panel 26 are preferably stamped in a different set of stamping dies than those used to stamp rear inner door panel 40 and mounting panel 42. As shown, the front and rear inner door panels are stamped so as to be provided with respective window openings 22 and 44, and respective major openings 18 and 46. The mounting panels 26 and 42 are shown mounted over the respective major openings 18 and 46 in the inner door panels 14 and 40.

In FIGURE 2, the dashed line configurations 50 and 52 represent the relative positions of mounting panels 26 and 42, respectively, relative to the associated inner door panels 14 and 40, respectively, before the stamping operation. More specifically, referring only to the front inner door panel 14 and its associated mounting panel 26 for the sake of simplicity, it can be appreciated that the mounting panel 26 is formed from the metal material removed from the position outlined by the dashed line configuration 50 and formerly occupying a portion of the area which has been removed from the front inner door panel 14 in order to form opening 18. For the sake of convenience, the metal material formerly occupying the area outlined by the dashed line configuration 50 has been designated by reference numeral 54, it being understood that this metal material 54 is removed from the opening 18 and repositioned to form the mounting plate 26. As a result, the metal material which is removed during the stamping operation to form opening 18, and which would otherwise constitute scrap metal or "off-all", is economically and efficiently used to form the mounting panel 26. In embodiment shown, a relatively small amount of metal material designated for convenience by reference numeral 56, it being understood that this metal material 56 is removed from the opening 18 as a result of the stamping operation of the present invention, occupies the area between the edge defining opening 18 and the metal material 54 to be formed into the mounting panel 26 before the stamping step which removes the metal material 54 and 56 to form opening 18. This metal material 56 is disposed of or used for some other purpose. Because the metal material 54 occupies a significant percentage of the shape and size of the metal material which is to be removed in forming the opening 18, only a small amount of additional metal material 56 must be dealt with.

Even more significantly, the metal material 54 is stamped in a stamping operation substantially simultaneously with the front inner door panel 14. More specifically, the sheet material used to form the front inner door panel 14 and the mounting panel 26 is moved through a series of stamping dies which progressively form the sheet material so that the sheet metal is formed into a shape generally corresponding to a predetermined desired configuration of the inner door panel 14 and substantially simultaneously formed such that the metal material 54 takes the predetermined desired configuration of the door hardware mounting panel 26. In other words, at least some, if not all, of the stamping dies used in the stamping operation have cooperating stamping surfaces that correspond to configurations to be impressed or embossed on both the portion of sheet metal that is to form the inner door panel and the portion of metal that is to form the mounting panel. Thus, the inner door panel and the mounting panel are both at least partially formed at the same time in the same stamping stroke of at least one stamping die. While it is possible for the mounting panel 26 to be formed from the entire amount of metal material which is removed to form the opening 18 (e.g., metal portions 54 and 56), this is not likely to be the case because the desired peripheral shape of the mounting panel 26 is unlikely to have the identical desired shape for opening 18.

While in FIGURE 2 the mounting panel 26 is mounted on the same inner door panel 14 from which it has been removed, the present invention contemplates that the mounting panel which is mounted on any particular inner door panel need not be formed from the material which is removed from the very inner door panel on which it is to be mounted. For example, it is possible for the mounting panel 26 to be formed from the metal material removed from the rear inner door panel 40 when forming the major opening 46 therein. Similarly, the mounting panel 42 for the rear inner door panel 40 can be formed from the metal material occupying the area which is to form the opening 18 in the front inner door panel 14.

While it is also possible for the mounting panels 26 and 42 to be stamped from the metal material which is removed to form window openings 22 and 44 (in the instance in which a window frame is provided) , it is preferred for the mounting panels to be stamped from the metal material occupying major openings 18 and 46 because the size, shape, and overall configuration of the mounting panels conform better to the size, shape and overall configuration of the metal material removed from the inner door panels to form the major openings than the metal material removed to form the window openings. During the stamping operation, the metal material 54 is preferably formed into its final shape, including all recesses and mounting holes, before it is finally punched and separated from the surrounding metal material. While additional forming operations may be performed on such metal material 54 after it has been separated, and before it constitutes the final configuration for the mounting panel 26, it is desirable to have as many steps of formation as possible occur while it constitutes part of the sheet material assembly in order to reduce the total number of steps required.

While it has been stated that the mounting panel 26 and inner door panel 14 are stamped "simultaneously", it should be appreciated that this term is used to mean that the inner door panel 14 and the mounting panel 26 are both stamped in a common stamping operation so that each are at least partially formed into their predetermined desired configuration before they are separated from one another.

It, thus, will be seen that the objects of this invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It will be realized, however that the foregoing preferred specific embodiment has been shown and described for the purpose of this invention, and it is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method of manufacturing components for a door module assembly including an inner door panel having an opening therein of a specified area, and a door hardware mounting panel for being mounted on an inner door panel and having a periphery defining an area smaller than that of the specified area of the opening in said inner door panel, said method comprising the steps of: stamping a portion of sheet metal in a stamping operation such that metal material constituting said sheet metal is substantially simultaneously i) formed into a shape generally corresponding to the desired shape of said inner door panel having said opening, and ii' formed such that at least a portion of the metal material occupying the area which is to constitute the opening in the inner door panel generally takes the desired shape of said door hardware mounting panel; and subsequently removing the metal material occupying the area which is to constitute the opening in the inner door panel from the metal material formed into the shape generally corresponding to the desired shape of said inner door panel so as to provide said opening in the inner door panel, and so that said metal material formed generally into the desired shape of said door hardware mounting panel and removed as at least a portion of the area constituting the opening in the inner door panel can be used as a door hardware mounting panel for a door module assembly and so that said metal material generally shaped corresponding to the desired shape of said inner door panel can be used as an inner door panel for a door module assembly.

2. The method of manufacturing components for a door module assembly according to claim 1, wherein said stamping step includes the step of sequentially moving the sheet metal through a plurality of stamping dies so that the metal material which is formed into the shape generally corresponding to the desired shape of said inner door panel and the metal material formed into the desired shape of said door hardware mounting panel are sequentially stamped into their desired configuration prior to the removal of the metal material occupying the area which is to constitute the opening in the inner door panel from the metal material formed into the shape generally corresponding to the desired shape of said inner door panel.

3. The method of manufacturing components for a door module assembly according to claim 2, wherein said opening constitutes a major opening in a lower portion of the inner door panel, and further comprising the step of removing a portion of material disposed above the metal material occupying the area which is to constitute the major opening in the lower portion of the inner door panel so as to form a window frame portion defining a window opening disposed above said major opening in said inner door panel.

4. A method of manufacturing a multiplicity of door module assemblies for a motor vehicle, said door module assemblies comprising an outer door panel, an inner door panel, and a door hardware mounting panel each having a predetermined desired configuration, said method comprising: forming said plurality of outer door panels; forming said plurality of inner door panels and said plurality of door hardware mounting panels from sheet metal, wherein i) said inner door panels are each stamped from a portion of sheet metal so as to be at least partially formed into its predetermined desired configuration and to define an area which is to constitute an opening in the inner door panel, and ii) each of said door hardware mounting panels are stamped so as to be at least partially formed into its predetermined desired configuration simultaneously with an associated one of said inner door panels from a portion of sheet metal occupying at least a portion of the area which is to constitute said opening in the associated one of said inner door panels; separating the portions of sheet metal forming said door hardware mounting panels from the associated portions of sheet metal forming said inner door panels after said door hardware mounting panels and said inner door panels have been at least partially stamped into their respective predetermined desired configurations; fixing each of said inner door panels to a respective one of said outer door panels; mounting door hardware on said door hardware mounting panels; and mounting each of said door hardware mounting panels on a respective one of said inner door panels after said door hardware has been mounted on said door hardware mounting panels.

5. The method of manufacturing a multiplicity of door module assemblies according to claim 4, wherein said step of forming a plurality of inner door panels and a plurality of door hardware mounting panels includes the step of sequentially moving the sheet metal through a plurality of stamping dies so that the metal material which is formed into the shape generally corresponding to the predetermined desired configuration of said inner door panels and the metal material formed into the predetermined desired configuration of said door hardware mounting panels are sequentially stamped at least partially into their predetermined desired configurations prior to the removal of the metal material occupying the area which is to constitute the opening in the inner door panels from the metal material formed at least partially into the configuration generally corresponding to the predetermined desired configuration of said inner door panels.

6. The method of manufacturing a multiplicity of door module assemblies according to claim 5, wherein said opening in each of said inner door panels constitutes a major opening in a lower portion of the inner door panels, and further comprising the step of removing a portion of material disposed above the metal material occupying the area which is to constitute the major opening in the lower portion of each of the inner door panels so as to form a window frame portion defining a window opening disposed above said major opening in each of said inner door panels.