Vehicular body structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11235817-B2
Application number	US-202016915329-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2020
Priority date	Jun 29, 2020
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

A vehicular body structure includes a polymeric deck panel. The deck panel includes an adjacent ridge and valley with a leg shared therebetween, a crossbeam footprint crosswise to the adjacent ridge and valley, and a rib extending along the adjacent ridge and valley. Outside the crossbeam footprint, the rib extends along the ridge, approaching the crossbeam footprint, the rib extends along the leg into the valley, and across the crossbeam footprint, the rib extends along the valley.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicular body structure, comprising:
a polymeric deck panel, the deck panel including an adjacent ridge and valley with a leg shared therebetween, a crossbeam footprint crosswise to the adjacent ridge and valley, and a rib extending along the adjacent ridge and valley, wherein outside the crossbeam footprint, the rib extends along the ridge, approaching the crossbeam footprint, the rib extends along the leg into the valley, and across the crossbeam footprint, the rib extends along the valley.

2. The vehicular body structure of claim 1 , wherein the rib has a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

3. The vehicular body structure of claim 1 , wherein the ridge includes an angular transition into the leg shared with the valley, and outside the crossbeam footprint, the rib extends along the transition, and projects normally to the deck panel past the ridge to continuously deepen the valley as a continuous extension of the leg.

4. The vehicular body structure of claim 1 , wherein across the crossbeam footprint, the rib has a cross-sectional height substantially the same as or less than the depth of the valley.

5. The vehicular body structure of claim 1 , wherein outside the crossbeam footprint, the rib has a first cross-sectional height, across the crossbeam footprint, the rib has a second cross-sectional height, and the first cross-sectional height is substantially the same as or greater than the second cross-sectional height.

6. The vehicular body structure of claim 1 , wherein outside the crossbeam footprint, the rib has a first cross-sectional thickness, across the crossbeam footprint, the rib has a second cross-sectional thickness, and the second cross-sectional thickness is greater than the first cross-sectional thickness.

7. The vehicular body structure of claim 1 , wherein the rib includes at least one of a fillet into the ridge and a fillet into the leg.

8. The vehicular body structure of claim 1 , wherein the adjacent ridge and valley correspond to an adjacent valley and ridge.

9. The vehicular body structure of claim 1 , further comprising:
a hat-shaped crossbeam secured to the deck panel along the crossbeam footprint, the crossbeam including a base, upturned sides extending from the base, and outturned rests respectively extending from the sides, the rests engaged with the ridge.

10. A vehicular body structure, comprising:
a polymeric deck panel, the deck panel including adjacent ridges and valleys with legs shared therebetween, the ridges including angular transitions into the legs shared with adjacent valleys, crossbeam footprints crosswise to the adjacent ridges and valleys, and ribs extending along the adjacent ridges and valleys, wherein outside the crossbeam footprints, the ribs extend along the transitions, approaching the crossbeam footprints, the ribs extend along the legs into the valleys, and across the crossbeam footprints, the ribs extend along the valleys.

11. The vehicular body structure of claim 10 , wherein the ribs have rectangular cross-sectional shapes.

12. The vehicular body structure of claim 10 , wherein outside the crossbeam footprints, the ribs project normally to the deck panel past the ridges to continuously deepen the valleys as continuous extensions of the legs.

13. The vehicular body structure of claim 10 , wherein across the crossbeam footprints, the ribs have cross-sectional heights substantially the same as or less than the depths of the valleys.

14. The vehicular body structure of claim 10 , wherein outside the crossbeam footprints, the ribs have first cross-sectional heights, across the crossbeam footprints, the ribs have second cross-sectional heights, and the first cross-sectional heights are substantially the same as or greater than the second cross-sectional heights.

15. The vehicular body structure of claim 10 , wherein outside the crossbeam footprints, the ribs have first cross-sectional thicknesses, across the crossbeam footprints, the ribs have second cross-sectional thicknesses, and the second cross-sectional thicknesses are greater than the first cross-sectional thicknesses.

16. The vehicular body structure of claim 10 , wherein the ribs include at least one of fillets into the ridges and fillets into the legs.

17. The vehicular body structure of claim 10 , wherein the adjacent ridges and valleys correspond to adjacent valleys and ridges.

18. The vehicular body structure of claim 10 , further comprising:
hat-shaped crossbeams secured to the deck panel respectively along the crossbeam footprints, each crossbeam including a base, upturned sides extending from the base, and outturned rests respectively extending from the sides, the rests engaged with the ridges.

19. A vehicular body structure, comprising:
a polymeric deck panel, the deck panel including adjacent ridges and valleys with legs shared therebetween, the ridges including angular transitions into the legs shared with adjacent valleys, crossbeam footprints crosswise to the adjacent ridges and valleys, and ribs extending along the adjacent ridges and valleys, wherein outside the crossbeam footprints, the ribs extend along the transitions and have first cross-sectional heights and first cross-sectional thicknesses, approaching the crossbeam footprints, the ribs extend along the legs into the valleys, across the crossbeam footprints, the ribs extend along the valleys and have second cross-sectional heights and second cross-sectional thicknesses, wherein the second cross-sectional heights are substantially the same as or less than the depths of the valleys, the first cross-sectional heights are substantially the same as or greater than the second cross-sectional heights, and the second cross-sectional thicknesses are greater than the first cross-sectional thicknesses.

20. The vehicular body structure of claim 19 , further comprising:
hat-shaped crossbeams secured to the deck panel respectively along the crossbeam footprints, each crossbeam including a base, upturned sides extending from the base, and outturned rests respectively extending from the sides, the rests engaged with the ridges.

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Higgins Christopher M
• Jansma Matthew A

Classifications

• B62D33/02 Primary

  Platforms; Open load compartments {(flat wagons including posts or standards B61D3/08)} · CPC title

• B62D29/04

  predominantly of synthetic material (working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29) · CPC title

• B62D25/2054

  Load carrying floors for commercial vehicles · CPC title

• B62D29/043

  Superstructures (B62D25/161 takes precedence) · CPC title