Vehicle body structure

A vehicle body structure, comprising:

• a door structure having an inner door panel and a reinforcement member installed to the inner door panel, the reinforcement member extending from a forward area of the door structure to a rearward area of the door structure, the door structure being movable to and from each of a closed orientation and an open orientation when installed to a vehicle;
• a latch mechanism installed to the rearward area of the inner door panel, the latch mechanism being configured such that in a latching orientation the latch mechanism retains the door structure in the closed orientation and in a release orientation the door structure can move to the open orientation, the latch mechanism being positioned such that at least a section of a rearward portion of the reinforcement member is outboard and level with a portion of the latch mechanism;
• and
• a secondary reinforcement portion fixedly attached to a central area of the reinforcement member spaced apart from a forward area of the inner door panel such that in response to an impact event where force is directed to a central area of the door structure, the reinforcement member deforms and contacts the latch mechanism retaining the latch mechanism in the latching orientation, the secondary reinforcement portion having a forward end and a rearward end, the forward end of the secondary reinforcement portion being spaced apart from the forward end of the reinforcement member by a first distance, and the rearward end of the secondary reinforcement portion being spaced apart from the rearward end of the reinforcement member by a second distance, the first distance being greater than the second distance.

A vehicle body structure, comprising:

• a door structure having an inner door panel and a reinforcement member installed to the inner door panel, the reinforcement member extending from a forward area of the door structure to a rearward area of the door structure, the door structure being movable to and from each of a closed orientation and an open orientation when installed to a vehicle;
• a latch mechanism installed to the rearward area of the inner door panel, the latch mechanism being configured such that in a latching orientation the latch mechanism retains the door structure in the closed orientation and in a release orientation the door structure can move to the open orientation, the latch mechanism being positioned such that at least a section of a rearward portion of the reinforcement member is outboard and level with a portion of the latch mechanism;
• and
• a secondary reinforcement portion fixedly attached to a central area of the reinforcement member spaced apart from a forward area of the inner door panel such that in response to an impact event where force is directed to a central area of the door structure, the reinforcement member deforms and contacts the latch mechanism retaining the latch mechanism in the latching orientation, the secondary reinforcement portion having a forward section having a first vertically oriented width and a rearward section having a second vertically oriented width that is greater than the first vertically oriented width.