Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-28
2002-04-02
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C296S190050, C296S203010, C296S029000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06364405
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a rear end cross member of automobile, and more particularly to a rear end cross member reinforcement structure of automobile constructed to reinforce a structural strength to a joint area between both tip end portions of rear end cross member and a quarter panel to enable to fully withstand an external force even if the external force such as distortion or the like is applied thereto.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Generally, an automobile is composed of a body and a chassis, where the body comprising an external appearance of the automobile includes a plurality of various shapes of members, each appropriately combined therebetween. A rear body of an automobile equipped with a tailgate (T) at a rear end thereof includes a rear end cross member
10
and a quadrant panel
12
(hereinafter referred to as quarter panel) joining both tip end portions of the rear end cross member
10
, where a joined portion between the rear end cross member
10
and the quarter panel
12
is illustrated in
FIG. 2
showing “P” portion in FIG.
1
.
As illustrated in
FIG. 3
showing a sectional view taken along line A—A, the rear end cross member
10
is constructed to form a closed section by an upper rear end cross member
10
a,
a lower rear end cross member
10
b
and an outer rear end cross member
10
c,
where both tip end portion of the rear end cross member
10
are joined by the quarter panel
12
as shown in
FIG. 4
illustrating a sectional view taken along line B—B. The quarter panel
12
is constructed to include an inner lower quarter panel
12
a
joining a tip end portion of the lower rear end cross member
10
b
and an outer quarter panel
12
b
joining a tip end portion of the outer rear end cross member
10
c.
Furthermore, as illustrated in
FIG. 5
for showing a sectional view taken along line C—C of
FIG. 3
, the quarter panel
12
further includes an inner lower quarter extension panel
12
c
joining a tip end portion of the upper rear end cross member
10
a
and an inner quarter panel
12
d
joining a tip end portion of the inner lower quarter extension panel
12
c,
where a tip end of the lower rear end cross member
10
b
at the rear end cross member
10
is joined by the inner lower quarter panel
12
a
and a tip end portion of the inner lower quarter panel
12
a
is joined by the outer quarter panel
12
b.
Meanwhile, the rear end cross member
10
is joined by side members
14
, each member being lengthwise arranged along the body of the automobile at left and right side thereof.
However, there is a drawback in the rear portion of the body of the automobile comprising the quarter panel
12
joined by both tip end portions of the rear end cross member
10
and the rear end cross member
10
thus constructed according to the prior art in that the tip end portion of the inner lower quarter panel
12
a
of the rear end cross member
10
is directly joined by the inner lower quarter extension panel
12
c
of the quarter panel
12
, such that, when an external force such as torsion or the like is applied to the joined portion between the rear end cross member
10
and the quarter panel
12
, a crack or deformation can occur at the joined portion, thereby causing a structural problem of weakening a corner portion of the rear body.
Still worse, there is another drawback in that the weakened structural strength at the joined portion between the rear end cross member
10
and the quarter panel
12
causes the corner portion of the rear body to be twisted, thereby making it difficult to open and close the tailgate (T) when one wheel is placed on a non-planar location such as a hilly spot or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is disclosed to solve the aforementioned problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a rear end cross member reinforcement structure of automobile constructed to have respective members forming a rear end cross member join together to form a closed cross-sectional shape such that an external force applied from outside can be effectively diffused, and to have a structure at a joined portion between both tip end portions of the rear end cross member and a quarter panel changed to reinforce a structural strength relative to the rear end cross member, such that the rear end cross member can fully withstand an external force when the external force such as torsion or the like is applied thereto.
In accordance with the objects of the present invention, there is provided a rear end cross member reinforcement structure of automobile having a rear body including a rear end cross member arranged crosswise of the body and a quarter panel joining both tip end portions of the rear end cross member, wherein each tip end of an upper rear end cross member, a lower rear end cross member and an outer rear end cross member which form the rear end cross member is joined together to form a closed cross-sectional shape and both tip end portions of the rear end cross member is joined by the quarter panel to form another closed cross-sectional shape.
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Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Hyundai Motor Company
Pape Joseph D.
Patel Kiran B.
LandOfFree
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