Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Body shell
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-16
2001-10-16
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Body shell
C296S146700, C296S039100, C280S751000, C280S808000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302477
ABSTRACT:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. HEI 10-358852 filed on Dec. 17, 1999 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an impact energy absorbing structure for an upper part of a body of a motor vehicle, especially of a passenger car, and to an energy absorber.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an upper part of a body of a motor vehicle that is equipped with a structural member that extends in the longitudinal direction and an inner trim member that is disposed toward the interior of a cabin and spaced apart from the structural member by a certain distance, then is proposed a construction wherein an extruded metal hollow body is disposed within the distance so as to absorb impact energy.
This impact energy absorbing structure cam be manufactured easily because the extruded metal hollow body is used as an energy absorber. Also, the energy absorber exhibits a load-displacement energy absorption characteristic wherein the load rises abruptly. Besides, the effect of adjusting the energy absorption characteristic can mainly be achieved by changing a thickness of the hollow body.
For example the hollow body can be disposed inside a structural member such as a vehicular center pillar which may receive an impact load from the front, the rear or the side, with a view to absorbing impact energy. However, in such a case, it is necessary to arrange separately formed hollow bodies at three locations for attachment to the structural member or the inner trim member. This complicates the manufacturing and mounting processes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an impact, energy absorbing structure for an upper part of a body of a motor vehicle and an energy absorber which can be realized in the one where an impact load may act in a plurality of different directions and can prevent complication of the manufacturing and mounting processes.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, am impact energy absorbing structure for an upper part of a body of a motor vehicle comprises a structural member extending in a longitudinal direction, an inner trim member disposed toward an interior of a cabin and spaced apart from the structural member by a certain distance, and in energy absorber disposed within the distance. The energy absorber has a plurality of hollow tubular body portions whose axis extend in the longitudinal direction and a coupling portion for coupling adjacent ones of the tubular body portions. The tubular body portions are formed integrally with the coupling portion and the energy absorber is fixed to the structural member or the inner trim member by the coupling portion.
The energy absorber, which has been formed with the tubular body portions so located as to correspond to an impact load that may act in a plurality of directions, is attached to the structural member or the inner trim member. In this construction, no matter where the impact load comes, a suitable one of the tubular body portions mainly undergoes compressive deformation and thereby absorbs impact energy.
Because the single energy absorber provides protection against an impact load which may act in a plurality of different directions, and because the energy absorber can be made by extrusion molding or the like, the manufacturing process is made easier. In addition because the energy absorber can be attached securely to the structural member or the inner trim member, the mounting process is also made easier.
Because the hollow tubular body portions are used as the energy absorber, the energy absorption characteristic can be adjusted by changing thicknesses of the tubular body portions. Further, if the energy absorber is made of a metal suited for extrusion molding such am aluminium or aluminium alloy, it is possible to obtain a load-displacement energy absorption characteristic wherein the load rises abruptly.
If the structural member it at center pillar which is made by laying a flange of an outer panel on a flange of an inner panel and bonding the flanges and which has two corner portions that are spaced apart in the fore-to-aft direction in the cabin, the energy absorber may be designed to have two tubular body portions which are so disposed as to cover the two corner portions respectively and which are formed with polygonal cross-sectional shapes.
An impact load from the front acts an the tubular body portion covering the front corner portion and an impact load from the rear acts on the tubular body portion covering the rear corner portion, whereby the tubular body portions are plastically deformed and impact energy is absorbed. In this case, since the respective tubular body portions have polygonal cross-sectional shape, one or a plurality of sides forming a polygon buckle and thereby absorb energy. This guarantees a good energy absorption efficiency.
Preferably, the two tubular body pardons are famed such that when they are cut along a fictitious plane crossing the longitudinal direction it distance between the tubular body portions inside the cabin is smaller than a distance between the tubular body portions outside the cabin.
If an impact load acting sideways in applied to the two tubular body portions, the tubular body portions mainly undergo flexural deformation and absorb impact energy. In the case of flexural deformations, the reaction lead can be made smaller in comparison with the case of compressive deformation. Further, it is also possible to select thicknesses and shapes of the respective tubular body portions such that the tubular body portion covering the front corner portion and the tubular body portion covering the rear corner portion exhibit different energy absorption characteristics. Thus, it is possible to obtain an impact energy absorbing structure which provides different energy absorption for an impact load from the front, the side and the rear.
Because the energy absorber is fixed to the structural member or the inner trim member by the coupling portion, then is no need to provide the tubular body portions of the energy absorber serving to absorb energy with attachment holes. Therefore, there is no possibility of the energy absorption characteristic of the energy absorber being affected by such attachment holes. Also, since the tubular body portions are coupled to each other by the coupling portion, the number of attachment holes to be provided for attachment of the energy absorber can be reduced in comparison with the case where the tubular body portions are not coupled to each other. Further, if the energy absorber is fixed using tapping screws or the like, the number of tapping screws required is small, which leads to a reduction in cost.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, an energy absorber comprises two hollow tubular body portions, whose axes extend substantially in a snoop direction and a coupling portion for coupling the tubular body portions to each other. The energy absorber is formed by extrusion molding of a metal suited for extrusion molding.
The energy absorber, which in formed by extrusion moulding, can be manufactured easily. Also, since the energy absorber is made of a metal, it is possible to obtain an energy absorption characteristic wherein the load rises abruptly. Besides, by merely attaching the energy absorber to the center pillar, the impact energy absorbing structure for the upper part of the body of the motor vehicle can be realized.
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patent: 5
Blankenship G
Oliff & Berridge.PLC
Pape Joseph D.
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
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