Pillar for a vehicle body

[0002] This application is a Continuation-In-Part application of International Patent Application No. PCT/SE98/01123, filed on Jun. 10, 1998, which claims priority from Swedish Patent Application No. 9702234-7, filed on Jun. 10, 1997. International Application No. PCT/SE98/01123 was pending as of the filing date of the above-cited application. The United States was an elected state in International Application No. PCT/SE98/01123.

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates to a pillar or support for a vehicle body, comprising two beams of sheet steel joined together to form the pillar. At least one of the beams is a hat profile that has its flanges joined to the other beam.

[0005] 2. Background Information

[0006] The demands on side impact energy absorption increase continuously and the pillars are important for this energy absorption. At the same time as the demands on impact energy absorption increase, the demands on weight reduction are also increased.

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide an energy absorbing pillar or support that is both less costly and lighter in weight than conventional pillars with corresponding energy absorption properties.

[0008] This object is fulfilled in principle in that the one of the beams making up the pillar that is adjacent the interior of the vehicle body is a hat profile beam that has its flanges on the outer third of the thickness of the pillar and preferably at the very outermost part of the pillar. This hat beam will then be the major energy absorbing part of the pillar and it will utilize a major part of the space available for the pillar. The present invention has been given the characteristics defined in the claims.

[0009] In particular when the pillar is a B-pillar, it is advantageous that the other beam making up the pillar extends into the hat profile beam. Then the hinges for the rear door can be mowed to this other beam and located inside the hat beam. Then the front edge of the rear door can swing into the part of the other beam that is located in the hat profile beam. Then, the hat beam utilizes the available space ultimately.

[0010] In other words, the second beam can preferably extend into the hat profile beam. The hinges for the rear door of the vehicle can be attached to the other beam. The front edge of the rear door can thus rotate into the region of the hat profile beam. This effectively utilizes the available space.

[0011] Since the hat profile beam adjacent the interior of the vehicle body has its opening outwardly directed, it can be formed as one piece with a cross beam in the form of a hat profile or with a first part of such a cross beam which can then be extended by having another part jointed, for example welded to it. Then, the cross beam can be arranged to take support on or be fixed to a central tunnel of the vehicle floor so that input forces can be transmitted to this central tunnel.

[0012] The above discussed embodiments of the present invention will be described further hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying figures. When the word “invention” is used in this specification, the word “invention” includes “inventions”, that is, the plural of “invention”. By stating “invention”, the Applicants do not in any way admit that the present application does not include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention, and maintains that this application may include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention. The Applicants hereby assert that the disclosure of this application may include more than one invention, and, in the event that there is more than one invention, that these inventions may be patentable and non-obvious one with respect to the other.

[0013] The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show an example of the invention, in which:

[0014] FIG. 1 is a transparent perspective view of the major beam that forms a B-pillar and it shows also upper and lower cross beams jointed to the pillar;

[0015] FIG. 2 is a section taken along FIG. 1, and it shows the complete pillar and also parts of a front door and a rear door;

[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a detail of the pillar or support; and

[0017] FIG. 4 shows a vehicle in which the present invention may be utilized.

[0018] FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show a B-pillar of a vehicle in the form of, for example, a passenger car, which pillar comprises a hat profile beam 12 having a deep profile and a hat profile beam 20 having a lower profile.

[0019] The deep profile beam 12 has two side flanges 13, 14 with bent edges 15, 16 and the low profile beam 20 has two side flanges 21, 22. The hat profile beams 12, 20 face in the same direction so that the beam 20 is located substantially within the beam 12. The beams of the hat profiles, that is, the side flanges 13, 14 and 21, 22 are jointed in pairs by spot welding. In FIG. 2, the front door 25 and the rear door 26 of the car are also shown. The hinge 30 of the rear door 26 has a part 31 fixed to the beam 20. At the part 31, the beam 20 is reinforced at its back by a plate 28 that is connected, for example spot welded, to the beam 20. FIG. 3 shows a modified reinforcing plate 28. The beam 20 has an intrusion 29 as deep as the thickness of the plate 28 and the plate 28 follows the profile of the beam 12 under the flanges of the beam 12.

[0020] The hat profile beam 20 is thus preferably adjacent the exterior of the vehicle body whereas the main profile beam 12 is adjacent the interior of the vehicle body and both beams have concave sides facing outwardly. As shown by the dotted circle, the rear edge 27 of the rear door 26 will swing into the profile beam 20 when the door is opened, which means that the distance between the side flanges 13, 14 of the hat profile beam 12 and the outer panels of the doors can be reduced as compared to conventional B-pillars. The beam 12 can thus have a deeper profile and utilize the available space more efficiently, which makes the pillar more efficient. This is a preferred and most efficient design. Alternatively, the outer beam 20 can be a flat plate or even be a hat profile beam with its crown outwardly directed. In the later design, the flanges should be at least at the outer third or at the outer fourth of the thickness of the pillar, otherwise the efficiency in energy absorption will be reduced.

[0021] In FIG. 1, the beam 12 is shown but not the beam 20. The beam 12 has a cross section that varies and it is wider and has a lower height at the threshold than in its middle portion. Suitably, the beam 12 is formed and hardened with the press-hardening method (hot-stamped and hardened in one operation in cooled tools) and it can be formed in one piece with a cross beam 35 that is to be fixed to the vehicle floor, suitably by spot welding, and take support against a central tunnel 36 in the vehicle floor so that forces from a side impact will be transmitted to the central tunnel 36. Suitably, a short piece of the cross beam 35 close to the pillar should be milder than the other parts of the cross beam 35 and the beam 12 so that it forms a deformation zone. It can be milder for example by being unhardened or annealed. The cross beam 35 can be jointed for example at 37 or 38 to the part of the cross beam that is adjacent the beam 12 and formed as an integral part therewith. In the same way, a short piece of a roof beam 40 can be formed as an integral part of the beam 12 and extended. The entire roof beam 40 can alternatively be formed separately and fixed to the upper part of the beam 12 at 41 suitably by spot welding or other suitable means of attachment.

[0022] In other words, and in conjunction with at least one embodiment of the present invention, the beam 12 can be designed as an integral piece extending over the opposing sides and the top and bottom of the vehicle. Alternatively, the beam 12 can be formed so that it attaches to separate top and/or bottom support beams, or can partially extend over the top and/or bottom.

[0023] The press-hardening method is not described in detail herein but reference is made to GB-1490535, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in its entirety herein.

[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates a vehicle, in this example an automobile 100, in which the present invention can be utilized. Embodiments of the present invention may also be used in conjunction with other vehicles, and are not intended to be limited for use in automobiles. The automobile shown shows a possible location of the beam 12 in the vehicle.

[0025] One feature of the invention resides broadly in the pillar for a vehicle body comprising two beams of sheet steel joined together, a first one 20 of the beams adjacent the outward side of the body and the second one 12 adjacent the interior of the body, and at least one of the beams 12 is a hat profile that has its flanges coupled to the other beam, characterized in that said second beam 12 is said hat profile-beam and the two beams 12, 20 have such a form that the flanges 13, 14 of the second beam 12 are at the outer third of the thickness of the pillar.

[0026] Another feature of the invention resides broadly in that said flanges 13, 14 are at the outer most part of the pillar.

[0027] Yet another feature of the invention resides broadly in that said first beam 20 extends into said second beam 12.

[0028] Still another feature of the invention resides broadly in that said first beam 20 is a hat profile beam.

[0029] A further feature of the invention resides broadly in that the hinges 30 for the rear door are mounted in said first beam 20.

[0030] Another feature of the invention resides broadly in that said second beam 12 is formed in one piece with a cross beam 35 or part of a jointed cross beam 35.

[0031] Yet another feature of the invention resides broadly in that takes support against a central tunnel 36 in the body floor.

[0032] Still another feature of the invention resides broadly in that said second beam 12 and the cross beam 35 are in hardenable steel and a part of the cross beam near the second beam 12 is not hardened or annealed so that it forms a deformation zone.

[0033] The components disclosed in the various publications, disclosed or incorporated by reference herein, may be used in the embodiments of the present invention, as well as, equivalents thereof.

[0034] The appended drawings in their entirety, including all dimensions, proportions and/or shapes in at least one embodiment of the invention, are accurate and to scale and are hereby included by reference into this specification.

[0035] All, or substantially all, of the components and methods of the various embodiments may be used with at least one embodiment or all of the embodiments, if more than one embodiment is described herein.

[0036] All of the patents, patent applications and publications recited herein, and in the Declaration attached hereto, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein.

[0037] The following U.S. patents, which may contain examples of vehicle pillars which may be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present invention, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein: U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,390, issued Sep. 21, 1999 to Kleinhoffer et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,451, issued Feb. 17, 1998 to White; U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,614, issued Oct. 19, 1999 to Reichenberger et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,407, issued Jan. 5, 1999 to Fukuda; U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,510, issued Feb. 24, 1998 to Daniel et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,385, issued Mar. 11, 1997 to Daniel et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,933, issued Aug. 13, 1996 to Shahab et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,071, issued Jan. 17, 1995 to Enning et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,504, issued Mar. 10, 1992 to Wurl; U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,778, issued Sep. 10, 1991 to Larsen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,359, issued Nov. 20, 1990 to Takahashi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,981, issued Apr. 12, 1988 to Barton et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,843, issued Oct. 26, 1982 to Murakami.

[0038] The following patents are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein: U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,812; European Patent No. EP 07 60 329; French Patent No. FR 75 62 86; and European Patent No. EP 07 53 450.

[0039] The corresponding foreign and international patent publication applications, namely, Swedish Patent Application No. 9702234-7, filed on Jun. 10, 1997, having inventor Martin Jonsson, and laid open Swedish Patent application No. 9702234-7 and published Swedish Patent Application No. 97702234-7 and PCT/SE98/01123 as well as their published equivalents, and other equivalents or corresponding applications, if any, in corresponding cases in Sweden and elsewhere, and the references cited in any of the documents cited herein, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein.

[0040] The details in the patents, patent applications and publications may be considered to be incorporable, at applicant's option, into the claims during prosecution as further limitations in the claims to patentably distinguish any amended claims from any applied prior art.

[0041] Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clause are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures.

[0042] The invention as described hereinabove in the context of the preferred embodiments is not to be taken as limited to all of the provided details thereof, since modifications and variations thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.