Automobile front pillar

Details Automobile front pillar Automobile front pillar

1999-12-30

2004-04-20

Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)

Land vehicles: bodies and tops

Bodies

Structural detail

C296S203020, C296S205000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06722729

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an improvement in an automobile front pillar with shock absorbing capability.
BACKGROUND ART
An example of conventional automobile front pillars is illustrated in enlarged cross-section in
FIG. 8
hereof. In the figure, reference characters Fr and Rr respectively represent front and rear directions of the automobile.
Front pillar
100
is composed of an inner frame
110
and an outer frame
120
joined with the inner frame
110
to provide a tubular configuration.
Inner frame
110
is formed of a sheet metal folded to provide a dish-shaped cross section and has a concave bottom portion
111
. At opposite ends, the bottom portion
111
has joining portions
112
,
113
in the form of flanges for joining with the outer frame
120
.
Outer frame
120
is formed from a sheet metal folded to provide a generally U-shaped cross section and has a front portion
121
forming a convex part of the U shape. At opposite open ends, the outer frame
120
has joining portions
122
,
123
in the form of flanges for joining with the companion joining portions
112
,
113
of the inner frame
110
.
Front pillar
100
has a tubular cross section provided by joining the joining portion
112
of the inner frame
110
with the joining portion
122
of the outer frame
120
and the joining portion
113
of the inner frame
110
with the joining portion
123
of the outer frame
120
. The front pillar
100
forms part of the skeleton of an automobile side body.
Door weather strip
132
is provided on a door sash
131
, carrying a door glass sheet
130
, for achieving seal between the door sash
131
and the front pillar
100
. A molding
133
is attached to the outer frame
120
of the front pillar
100
. A separate sealing weather strip
135
and sealant
136
are disposed between the outer frame
120
and a windshield
134
. An obstacle
140
is shown forwardly of the front pillar
100
by a two-dot-and-dash line.
Front pillar
100
has high rigidity because it forms part of the automobile side body as mentioned above. Due to the high rigidity of the front pillar
100
, the obstacle
140
is imparted with a large shock or impact upon collision against the front portion
121
of the outer frame
120
. Thus, where priority should be given to the protection of the obstacle
140
, it becomes necessary to decrease the rigidity of the front pillar
100
. However, decreasing the rigidity of the front pillar
100
results in an automobile body with decreased rigidity, which may therefore be easily deformed upon turnover of the body. Consequently, there has been a demand for an automobile front pillar which retains its initially required rigidity but can sufficiently buffer a collision shock to the obstacle.
An example automobile front pillar in which arrangements are made for damping a collision shock to an obstacle is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI9-39833 entitled “AUTOMOBILE FRONT PILLAR”. The disclosed automobile front pillar includes a shock damping panel provided at a front part of an outer frame forming part of a pillar body.
However, the front pillar is obtained by the mere addition of the shock damping panel to a conventional front pillar. Consequently, when the obstacle collides against the pillar body through the shock damping panel, shock energy arising from the collision is damped by only the deformed shock damping panel. There is no means left for absorbing shock energy arising after the collision reaches the pillar body. Hence, sufficient damping of the shock to the obstacle cannot be achieved in the disclosed front pillar structure. To sum up, the pillar body of the disclosed front pillar structure has rigidity as inherently required therein but no arrangements are provided in the pillar body for damping the collision shock, arising after collision of the obstacle against the pillar body, to the obstacle.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an automobile front pillar which has rigidity as inherently required therein and can sufficiently damp a shock, arising from the collision of an obstacle with the front pillar, from the obstacle.
According to the present invention, there is provided an automobile front pillar which includes, at a portion thereof positioned closely to a passenger compartment of an automobile, a weak portion for initiating the buckling of the front pillar upon application of a shock to that part of the front pillar positioned remotely from the compartment. In this arrangement, when an obstacle collides with the front pillar portion positioned remotely from the compartment, the weak portion collapses by the resulting collision shock to cause the front pillar to buckle. The collision shock is partly absorbed by the buckling front pillar. As a result, the shock applied to the obstacle is significantly damped. The weak portion is desirably covered by a cover so that it may not be exposed to view from the passenger compartment.
Preferably, the front pillar portion positioned remotely from the passenger compartment includes at its front part a flat portion having a protecting member with shock absorbing capability. The protecting member absorbs an initial part of the collision shock before the front pillar buckling begins, thereby effectively damping the shock applied to the obstacle. In addition, a shock damping member forte absorbing part of the shock may be provided within the front pillar so as to minimize the shock to the obstacle.
In a desired form, the front pillar comprises an inner frame positioned closely to the passenger compartment and an outer frame joined with the inner frame and having a portion positioned remotely from the passenger compartment. The weak portion may be provided in the inner frame. Alternatively, the weak portion may be provided in that part of the outer frame positioned closely to the passenger compartment.
It is preferred that the inner frame includes a reinforcing member attached thereto so that the front pillar can maintain its inherent rigidity. In a preferred form, the reinforcing member comprises a reinforcing pipe and a reinforcing plate attached to the inner frame.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3292969 (1966-12-01), Eggert, Jr.
patent: 3596979 (1971-08-01), Hablitzel et al.
patent: 5096254 (1992-03-01), Sparke
patent: 5163730 (1992-11-01), Welch
patent: 5213391 (1993-05-01), Takagi
patent: 5269585 (1993-12-01), Klages et al.
patent: 5564744 (1996-10-01), Frost
patent: 5575500 (1996-11-01), Mimura et al.
patent: 5836641 (1998-11-01), Sugamoto et al.
patent: 5988733 (1999-11-01), Kamo et al.
patent: 6042176 (2000-03-01), Ikeda et al.
patent: 40 16 730 (1991-11-01), None
patent: 9-39833 (1997-02-01), None

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