Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Door or window with specified vehicle feature
Patent
1996-10-15
1998-04-21
Pape, Joseph D.
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Door or window with specified vehicle feature
296188, B60J 504
Patent
active
057409935
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vehicle door with a longitudinally oriented collision-protection body which extends from a forward to a rear door post and the ends of which will be supported by the door posts in case of a collision.
2. The Prior Art
According to the state of the art, such collision-protection bodies are rigidly mounted into the interior space of the door as an integral component thereof and are constituted, for example, as tubes, folded steel profiles or other shaped elements which in case of a force laterally impacting the door absorb kinetic energy by elastic or plastic deformation for the protection of passengers. In some instances they are also adapted, in case of a collision in the forward section of the vehicle, to transmit longitudinal forces from the front door post to the rear door post in order to limit the deformation of the passenger cabin in the region of the dashboard, as well as in the forward roof structure and the rocker panel or door sill. They can only fulfill these requirements, if deflection of the door into the interior of the vehicle is also prevented. To this end, the door posts, on their side facing the interior of the vehicle, are provided with shoulders protruding into the door opening and the collision-protection bodies are often configured such that in case of a collision they are supported on the door posts of the vehicle body.
Collision-protection bodies are known from German patent specifications DE-C 22 15 674 and DE-A 41 25 299 the ends of which under the effect of a lateral impact will protrude from the door and engage, or penetrate into, the door posts. In the first place, this is disadvantageous because of the fact that in case of a deformation of the car body, these components will penetrate, or be jammed, into the door frame with such a force that after an accident the door can be opened either only by very large forces and mechanical tools or usually not at all.
A further disadvantage of such elements resides in the fact that as a single longitudinally disposed profile strip their effectiveness in a frontal collision is limited, and that, if at all, they can reinforce the door post at one point only, which is insufficient. Because of this they can prevent neither a parallelogrammic deformation of the door in its plane, nor an upward bending of the rocker panel or door sill and of the roof beam, thus also resulting in the door being jammed to the door opening, in case of a frontal collision. Such conditions are particularly disadvantageous in convertibles since they are not provided with a roof beam.
A further disadvantage common to all reinforcements rigidly fitted into the interior of a door is that they complicate production and assembly of the door, not least because other functional components have also to be fitted and mounted within the interior of the door.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the invention with simple means to construct a vehicle door in such a way that while in case of a frontal collision it will reinforce the vehicle body without penetrating into the interior of the vehicle, the door may yet be opened with little effort after a collision to permit rescuing any passengers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention this is accomplished by a collision-protection body structured as a unit releasably connected to the door and constituting, in vertical section normal to the direction of travel, a part of the contour of the door, so that in case of a collision the door of the vehicle may be opened and the collision-protection body may remain in the door opening.
As part of the door contour, the collision-protection body may in both directions be formed with considerable cross sectional dimensions, so that it will provide for an omni-directionally effective reinforcement of the door and of the body of the car, as well as a frictional connection between door and door posts capable of absorbing impacts of the kind resulting in deformation. In th
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Hormann Karl
Pape Joseph D.
Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG
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