Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-18
2001-03-20
Pedder, Dennis H. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203099
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automobile body frame which is formed of a light metal such as aluminum alloy.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Applications No. Hei. 10-37200 and No. Hei. 10-312855, which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
An automobile body frame of a space frame type comprising welded hollow members in structure is generally such that front side frames are extendedly provided on the respective inner sides of front wheels; side sills are extendedly provided on the respective side ends of a passenger room flooring; and the rear sides of the front side frames and the front ends of the side sills are all connected to a dash board lower cross member. According to this type, the coupling ends at which the front side frame and the side sill are coupled to the dash board lower cross member are respectively set in offset positions in the width direction of an automobile. As a result, when the automobile undergoes a head-on collision, an input position where the crashing load applied from the front side frame and an input position where the counterforce load applied from the side sill are input to the dash board lower cross member are shifted from each other. Accordingly, a coupling portion where each front side frame and the dash board lower cross member are coupled together tends to easily bend toward the inside of the passenger room.
It is undesirable to cause the deformation of the automobile body to develop into the passenger room, so the rigidity of the passenger room flooring has been increased by enlarging the sectional areas of the dash board lower cross member and the side sills. However, if the sizes of the dash board lower cross member and the side sill are increased, comfortableness in the passenger room and boarding-alighting ease deteriorate.
Further, there is another problem in the case of a side impact. In order to protect a passenger from the side impact, a center pillar must be restrained from developing into a passenger room. Consequently, the bending rigidity of the coupling portion between the center pillar and a side sill should be increased. Hence, a relatively greater sectional area is normally secured for the side sill, which may result in sacrificing the boarding-alighting ease.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automobile body frame so designed as to increase rigidity in the longitudinal direction of flooring without incurring the deterioration of not only comfortableness in the passenger room but also boarding-alighting ease.
Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide an automobile body frame so designed as to increase the bending rigidity of the coupling portion between a center pillar and a side sill without incurring an increase of the size of the side sill.
In an automobile body frame according to the present invention, a hollow beam formed by extrusion molding from a light metal material is used for linearly coupling the rear end of each front side frame to the side end of a rear cross member. In consequence, the load applied to the front side frame at the time of a head-on collision is received by the hollow beam extendedly provided in the longitudinal direction of a passenger room portion, so that such deformation of the dash board lower cross member as to develop into the passenger room is avoided. Desired rigidity can be obtained without increasing the thickness of a passenger room flooring by making the hollow beam a quadrilateral having a cross sectional shape whose width is smaller than its height and joining the facing inner surfaces of upper and lower walls of the hollow beam with ribs. Moreover, the rigidity of the joint between the hollow beam and the rear cross member can be increased further by connecting the rear end of the hollow beam and the side end of the rear cross member to an outrigger.
Further, in an automobile body frame according to the present invention, a hollow beam formed by extrusion molding from a light metal material is used for coupling the rear end of each front side frame to the side end of a rear cross member on the inner side of a side sill and that a sheet rail bracket formed by die casting is used for coupling the adjoining region of the center-pillar coupling portion of the side sill to the hollow beam. With this arrangement, the sectional area of the side sill becomes reducible since the load applied to the center pillar is made receivable by the side sill and the hollow beam both. Moreover, no special high-rigid member is required as a coupling member since the side sill and the hollow beam are coupled together by means of the sheet rail bracket.
Features and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments described in conjunction with the attached drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2289470 (1942-07-01), Vincent
patent: 40481372 (1992-03-01), None
patent: 631925 (1995-01-01), None
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Pedder Dennis H.
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