Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-07
2002-04-02
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C296S029000, C296S182100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06364401
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a front pillar portion of an automobile, and more particularly to a reinforcement structure for front pillar portion of automobile constructed and arranged to additionally attach a reinforcement member between a lower end of a pillar portion and a dash panel to thereby provide a structural strength to the front pillar portion, reducing deformation of the front pillar portion during front and side collision accidents for enhanced safety of passengers in the automobile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a front body of an automobile includes as illustrated in
FIG. 1
, a hood portion
1
openably and closeably arranged at an engine room for mounting various parts of engine and power transmission system, a fender portion
3
encompassing wheels
2
from left/right sides of the hood portion
1
and a front pillar portion
5
lengthily extended upward for mounting a front door
4
positioned at a rear side of the fender portion
3
, where a lower portion of the front pillar portion
5
is featured in
FIG. 2
for illustrating an interior of the “A” section of FIG.
1
.
In other words, the front pillar portion
5
contacts a seal side portion
6
vertically extended and arranged in the direction of an automobile body, where the seal side portion
6
touches a floor portion
7
inside the automobile, the floor portion
7
in turn contacts a dash panel
8
for partitioning an inside of the automobile and the engine room.
Meanwhile, the front pillar portion
5
is such constructed that an inner pillar panel
10
, a pillar reinforcement panel
11
and an outer pillar panel
12
respectively form a closed sectional shape, as illustrated in
FIG. 3
depicting a section along line A—A in FIG.
2
.
Furthermore, the inner pillar panel
10
is coupled by a bolt to a hood release lever
13
connected via a hood latch and a cable (not shown) for opening a hood, such that a driver, when opening the hood, pulls the hood release lever
13
to release coupling of the hood latch. The inner pillar panel
10
of the front pillar portion
5
is joined by a tip end of the dash panel
8
.
Meanwhile, the inner pillar panel
10
should be designed to have a sufficient strength to stand a manipulating force applied from the hood release lever
13
when the lever
13
is manipulated because the inner pillar panel
10
at the front pillar portion
5
is mounted via a bolt with the hood release lever
13
where manipulation is performed when the hood is opened. The inner pillar panel according to the prior art is therefore processed thereon with grooves and the like for reinforced structural strength of recessed and protruded shape.
However, even though the inner pillar panel
10
is formed thereon with grooves for reinforced structural strength, the inner pillar panel
10
tends to be deformed due to manipulation power applied thereto by frequent manipulation of the hood release lever
13
, which makes it impossible to perform a normal operation when the hood release lever
13
is manipulated and causes an exterior appearance deteriorated.
Furthermore, the deformation generated at the inner pillar panel
10
of the front pillar portion
5
by frequent manipulation of the hood release lever
13
can hardly absorb shock transmitted to the body during front and lateral collision accidents, thereby threatening safety of passengers in the automobile.
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 reinforcement structure for front pillar portion of automobile constructed and arranged to additionally attach a reinforcement member between a lower end of front pillar portion and a dash panel to thereby provide a structural strength to the front pillar portion, minimizing deformation of the front pillar portion during front and side collision accidents for safety of passengers in the automobile.
In accordance with the object of the present invention, there is a provided a reinforcement structure for a front pillar portion of an automobile in a front body of the automobile having a front pillar portion bent and coupled to form a closed sectional shape by an inner pillar panel, a pillar reinforcement and an outer pillar panel and a dash panel for partitioning an engine room and an inside of the automobile by being coupled to the inner pillar panel at the front pillar portion, therein the inner pillar panel is joined by one end of a first reinforcement bracket and the dash panel is coupled by one end of a second reinforcement bracket, while the other ends of the first and second reinforcement bracket, while the other ends of the first and second reinforcement brackets are so constructed that a closed sectional shape is formed between the inner pillar panel and the dash panel by reinforcement members respectively overlapped and coupled.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5061009 (1991-10-01), Harasaki et al.
patent: 5562329 (1996-10-01), Srock et al.
patent: 5586799 (1996-12-01), Kanemitsu et al.
patent: 1754554 (1992-08-01), None
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Hyundai Motor Company
Pape Joseph D.
LandOfFree
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