Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Body shell
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-14
2001-02-20
Pedder, Dennis H. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Body shell
C296S203030, C296S204000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189952
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Passenger cars basically have the problem of being relatively poorly protected against a collision from the side, since only a slight collapsible zone is available here. Especially vehicles, in which the B column is disposed within the vertical extent of a side wall of the car body forming the occupants' space below a window breast, have the peculiarity that the B column ends below the window breast and that therefore neither a transverse beam, spanning the occupants' space in the form of a roll bar in the case of a convertible nor a lashing to the roof of the B columns in the case of a closed vehicle, is present. As a result, the stability of the side walls is relatively slight, so that, in the case of a side collision, considerable intrusion can occur and endanger the occupants.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to improve the safety of passenger cars, especially of vehicles, in which the B column ends below the window breast, from the point of view of collisions with laterally acting forces.
Pursuant to the invention, an essentially vertical reinforcing profile is used in the region of the B column. Due to this use, a large part of the height of the side wall is reinforced, so that the forces introduced at different heights, in collisions with sports cars, on the one hand, and with higher sports utility vehicles, on the other, can be intercepted effectively. A cantilever arm, connected with the reinforcing profile, conducts the forces introduced into an averted region of the car body, which thereby participates in the deformation and thus brings about an effective distribution of the conversion of the impact energy.
If the cantilever arm, according to a further distinguishing feature, extends transversely from the reinforcing profile in the direction of the longitudinal center plane of the vehicle, a part of the force, when a lateral force is acting, is introduced into a central region of the floor group of the vehicle, so that this participates in the deformation.
If the cantilever arms are stressed in torsion by a side collision, an additional dissipation of energy is achieved; moreover, the cantilever arms can be displaced into easily accessible regions of the car body, without having to penetrate transversely through the occupants' space.
In the case of a preferred construction of the reinforcing profile and/or of the cantilever arm or arms as pipe sections, the manufacture of such side impact protection is simplified, since special reinforcing profile cross sections, fitted to the respective vehicle, do not have to be produced.
Further distinguishing features and advantages of the invention arise out of the following description of several examples of the object of the invention, illustrated in the drawings.
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Alsago Holger
Brockhoff Franz-Josef
Schmidt Joachim
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Pedder Dennis H.
Wilhelm Karmann GmbH
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