Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Body shell
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-20
2002-09-17
Patel, Ken (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Body shell
C296S146600, C296S146700, C296S146500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06450565
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the art of vehicle body construction of a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly, to a side wall construction of a vehicle body reinforced against a longitudinal clashing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A vehicle such as an automobile generally has a side wail construction such as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, wherein
FIG. 2
shows a section along line II—II in FIG.
1
. As shown in these figures, the conventional side wall construction generally designated by
10
includes an annular frame portion generally designated by
12
composed of a first pillar portion (front pillar)
14
, a second pillar portion (center pillar)
16
displaced rearward from the first pillar portion, a roof side portion
18
connecting an upper end of the second pillar portion with an upper end of the first pillar portion, and a locker portion
20
connecting a lower end of the second pillar portion with a lower end of the first pillar portion, so as to define a framed door opening
22
, and a door (front door)
24
adapted to selectively open or close the framed door opening
22
.
The door
24
has an upper half portion
24
U providing a window opening
26
, and a lower half portion
24
L having an upper edge
24
E defining a lower edge of the window opening
26
. Generally, the lower half portion
24
L of the door is assembled from an outer door panel
28
and an inner door panel
30
. Rim members
32
and
34
are mounted along upper edges of the outer and inner door panels
28
and
30
, respectively, to form the lower edge
24
E of the window opening
26
, with rubber seal members
36
and
38
fastened to the rim members
32
and
34
, respectively, to define a slit opening through which a window glass
40
diagrammatically shown in
FIG. 2
is guided. The inside surface of the lower half portion of the door is covered with a cushion layer
42
.
A strip plate member formed into a channel shape such as shown by
44
is generally conventionally attached to the inside of the outer door panel
28
along the upper edge thereof by spot welding or the like, so as to increase the firmness of the door configuration.
A front side member
46
for suspending a front wheel
48
is firmly connected to a lower portion of the first pillar portion
14
at its rear end, while a front fender apron
50
is mounted on the front side member
46
. A construction for a firm connection of the front side member
46
to the first pillar portion
14
is shown in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication 4-126678 assigned to the same assignee as the present application.
When the vehicle having a side wall construction such as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
collides with an obstacle at its front end, a collision force such as shown by an arrow Fa is transmitted through the front side member
46
to the first pillar portion
14
, and further, after a small deformation of the side wall construction, the collision force Fa is partly diverted to a force such as shown by an arrow Fb transmitted to the first pillar member
14
via the front fender apron
50
as shown in FIG.
1
.
In the conventional side wall construction, a larger part of the collision force Fa is transmitted to the locker portion
20
as shown by an arrow Fc and to the roof side portion
18
as shown by an arrow Fd than to the door
24
as shown by an arrow Fe. In other words, the door
24
of the conventional construction does not much support the collision force Fa because of its low strength against the longitudinal compression. This is due to a generally rounded configuration of the door provided by an assembly of the outer door panel and the inner door panel, each being a relatively thin metal plate moderately curved when viewed in a horizontal section along the side planar contour of the vehicle body, thereby presenting a longitudinally flexible construction against a longitudinal compression. The channel shaped strip plate member
44
in the conventional construction, alone or in combination with a corresponding part of the outer door panel
28
with which it forms a tubular construction, does not much effectively support a compression force applied to the door because of its poor firmness by itself due to a thin wall construction partly provided by the outer door panel
28
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In reviewing such a conventional side wall construction of the vehicle body, it is contemplated that if the longitudinal strength of the door against a longitudinal collision force is increased so as to bear a larger force Fe, the force Fd transmitted through the roof side portion
16
is decreased, so that the head portion of the driver or the passenger is more effectively protected from being damaged by a collision causing a rearward clashing of the roof portion of the vehicle body.
In view of the above, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved side wall construction of a vehicle body in which a longitudinal collision force is more effectively supported by a door.
According to the present invention, such a primary object is accomplished by a side wall construction of a vehicle body, comprising an annular frame structure composed of a first pillar portion, a second pillar portion displaced rearward from the first pillar portion, a roof side portion connecting an upper end of the second pillar portion with an upper end of the first pillar portion, and a locker portion connecting a lower end of the second pillar portion with a lower end of the first pillar portion, so as to define a framed door opening, and a door adapted to selectively open or close the framed door opening, wherein the door is longitudinally reinforced by a longitudinal reinforcement so that, when the first pillar portion is biased toward the second pillar portion by a force longitudinal to the vehicle body, a larger part of the force is transmitted through the door than through the roof side portion.
When the door is so longitudinally reinforced by a longitudinal reinforcement that, when the first pillar portion is biased toward the second pillar portion by a force longitudinal to the vehicle body, a larger part of the force is transmitted through the door than through the roof side portion, the door operates more effectively to support the longitudinal force applied to the side wall construction by a longitudinal collision, thereby decreasing the rearward clash shifting of the roof portion of the vehicle body, so that the danger of the driver and the passenger sitting aside to the driver being damaged at their heads is effectively decreased.
In this connection, it will be appreciated that the condition of a larger part of the force being transmitted through the door than through the roof side portion according to a biasing of the first pillar portion toward the second pillar portion is satisfied when the longitudinal compression strength of at least the longitudinal reinforcement is larger than that of the roof side portion.
When the side wall construction is so constructed that the door is assembled substantially from an outer door panel and an inner door panel, the longitudinal reinforcement may incorporates a tubular type member extending substantially longitudinally of the vehicle body, the tubular type member having an annular cross section separate from the outer and inner door panels.
Since a tubular type member is highly resistive against a compression under a twisting, when such a tubular type longitudinal reinforcement is incorporated into the door separately from the outer and inner door panels, so as to extend substantially longitudinally of the vehicle body, a longitudinally compressive force applied to the door, which is liable to twist when longitudinally compressed thereby more readily subjecting to a compression clashing, is effectively supported so as to let the door be a more effective structural component of the side wall construction of the vehicle to bear such a longitudinal force applied thereto due to a longitudinal collision of the vehicle.
When the
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Patel Ken
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
LandOfFree
Side wall construction of vehicle body with door reinforced... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Side wall construction of vehicle body with door reinforced..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Side wall construction of vehicle body with door reinforced... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2880457