Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Body shell
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-30
2003-04-29
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Body shell
C296S203020, C296S203030, C296S205000, C280S751000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06554350
ABSTRACT:
The disclosures of the following priority application(s) are herein incorporated by reference:
The disclosures of Japanese Patent Application Nos. HEI 10-205982 filed on Jul. 22, 1998, and HEI 10-333885 filed on Nov. 25, 1998, including the specifications, drawings and abstracts, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an impact energy absorbing structure formed in an upper portion of a body of a motor vehicle, and to an impact energy absorbing component. More particularly, the invention relates to an impact energy absorbing structure formed in an upper vehicle body portion including a vehicle body structural member, such as a pillar, a roof side rail, a header or the like, and an interior trim, such as a pillar garnish, a roof lining or the like, that is spaced from the structural member by an interval extending toward the interior of a passenger compartment, wherein an energy absorbing member is disposed within the interval, and also relates to an impact energy absorbing component for use in the impact energy absorbing structure.
2. Description of Related Art
In motor vehicles, particularly, in passenger cars, an energy absorbing member is disposed in a space between an interior trim and a structural member of a vehicle body. Therefore, if an impact load is applied in a direction from the interior trim to the structural member, the energy absorbing member deforms to absorb energy of the impact load. Normally employed energy absorbing members are, for example, a grid rib member, a urethane pad, a steel member formed by bending a thin steel sheet so as to have a hat-like sectional shape, and the like. Also employed as an energy absorbing member is a generally-termed hybrid pipe (as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,886) that is made up of a metal foil core member and sheets of a material other than metal that are laid on opposite side surfaces of the core member. In the hybrid pipe, the core member and the sheets on the opposite side surfaces of the core member are corrugated so that ridges and grooves alternate in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the pipe.
A hybrid pipe, after being formed, can easily be changed into a desired sectional shape by correspondingly shaping the pipe. Furthermore, the energy absorption characteristics of a hybrid pipe can be adjusted by changing a thickness of the hybrid pipe measured between an outermost point in the curved outer surface of a ridge or protruded portion and an innermost point in the curved inner surface of a groove or recessed portion, that is, the generally-termed apparent plate thickness of the hybrid pipe, or by changing the pitch between adjacent protruded portions (or recessed portions), or the like. Thus, a hollow-shaped energy absorbing member represented by a hybrid pipe or the like has good properties desirable for an energy absorbing member.
Vehicle body structural members to be installed at certain locations in a vehicle body are formed into three-dimensionally bent shapes in order to meet strength and design requirements. In some locations, therefore, it is difficult to dispose an energy absorbing member so as to extend precisely conforming to the shape of an adjacent structural member. Interior trims are normally formed mainly to meet design needs, and the need to conform an interior trim to a local shape of an adjacent structural member is rather minor. Therefore, if a hybrid pipe or a different hollow pipe is disposed in an interval between a structural member and an interior trim, there may be a gap formed between the structural member and the energy absorbing member or between the energy absorbing member and the interior trim, the gap extending in directions of the length of the structural member and varying in size with progress in those lengthwise directions.
An energy absorbing member preferably starts deforming during an initial period following occurrence of an impact load, and absorbs a designed amount of energy as it is displaced to a predetermined amount of displacement. However, if there is a gap between the energy absorbing member and an interior trim or a structural member, the energy absorbing member does not deform until the gap is eliminated. The aforementioned predetermined amount of displacement of an energy absorbing member means an amount of displacement to which the energy absorbing member can be displaced while being deformed by an impact load. The predetermined amount of displacement is substantially constant. Therefore, if there is a gap between the energy absorbing member and the structural member or the interior trim, an impact load will move the energy absorbing member to an amount of displacement corresponding to the size of the gap without deforming the energy absorbing member, so that the effective displacement of the energy absorbing member caused by the impact load decreases and the amount of energy absorbed correspondingly decreases. Thus, if a gap exists between an energy absorbing member and an interior trim or a structural member, and the size of the gap varies in directions of length of the structural member, the amount of energy absorbed becomes likely to greatly vary depending on the site of impact load.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an impact energy absorbing structure in an upper vehicle body portion that makes full use of the excellent properties of a hollow member, such as a hybrid pipe, and actually accomplishes energy absorption as designed.
It is another object of the invention to provide an impact energy absorbing component for use in an impact energy absorbing structure.
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, an impact energy absorbing structure in an upper vehicle body portion includes a vehicle body structural member extending in a lengthwise direction, an interior trim spaced from the structural member by an interval extending inwardly from the structural member, and an energy absorbing member disposed in the interval between the interior trim and the structural member and extending along the structural member in the lengthwise direction. The energy absorbing member is formed so that a section of the energy absorbing member taken on an imaginary plane perpendicular to the lengthwise direction has a substantially uniform shape along the lengthwise direction. The impact energy absorbing structure further includes a spacer filling a gap that is formed at least either between the energy absorbing member and the structural member or between the energy absorbing member and the interior trim, at a first location along the vertical structural member.
In this impact energy absorbing structure, the energy absorbing member and the spacer are disposed in the interval between the structural member and the interior trim. The spacer may be formed in accordance with the size of the gap that is formed at least either between the energy absorbing member and the structural member or between the energy absorbing member and the interior trim, at a first location along the vertical structural member. Since the spacer substantially fills the gap, the energy absorbing member starts to undergo compression deformation substantially immediately when an impact load occurs in a direction from the interior trim to the structural member.
The spacer substantially filling the gaps makes it possible for the energy absorbing member to immediately start compression deformation and thereby absorb energy upon application of an impact load. If there is a gap, substantial energy absorption does not start until the interior trim or the energy absorbing member is displaced to fill the gap. This displacement is useless in terms of energy absorption. However, in the impact energy absorbing structure of the invention, such a useless displacement does not occur. That is, in the invention, the energy absorbing member can undergo compression deformation over the entire designed displacement upon an impact, and the amount of energy absorbabl
Gordon Stephen T.
Gutman H.
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
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