Cross car beam assembly with tapered joint

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11345402-B2
Application number	US-202017069198-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2020
Priority date	Oct 13, 2020
Publication date	May 31, 2022
Grant date	May 31, 2022

Abstract

A cross car beam assembly for use with a vehicle includes first and second beam sections that are connected together by a tapered joint. The tapered joint includes an engagement structure formed on the first beam section, and a socket formed on the second beam section that receives the engagement structure. Furthermore, the engagement structure is tapered in a first direction and a second direction different than the first direction, and the socket is also tapered in the first direction and the second direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cross car beam assembly for use with a vehicle, the cross car beam assembly comprising:
first and second beam sections that are connected together by a tapered joint, wherein the tapered joint includes an engagement structure formed on the first beam section, and a socket formed on the second beam section that receives the engagement structure, wherein the engagement structure is tapered in a first direction and a second direction different than the first direction, and the socket is also tapered in the first direction and the second direction.

2. The cross car beam assembly of claim 1 wherein the engagement structure comprises a projection that is tapered in the first direction and the second direction.

3. The cross car beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the projection is tapered in the first direction at an angle in the range of 1 to 10°, and the projection is tapered in the second direction at an angle in the range of 10 to 45°.

4. The cross car beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the first and second beam sections each include an opening, and the openings are aligned with each other, and wherein the cross car beam assembly further includes a fastener that extends into the aligned openings.

5. The cross car beam assembly of claim 2 wherein the tapered joint further includes one of an additional projection and an additional socket on the first beam section, and the other of the additional projection and the additional socket on the second beam section, wherein the additional projection is tapered in two different directions, and the additional socket is also tapered in the two different directions, and wherein the additional projection is received in the additional socket.

6. The cross car beam assembly of claim 5 wherein the first and second beam sections each include an opening, and the openings are aligned with each other, and wherein the cross car beam assembly further includes a fastener that extends into the aligned openings.

7. The cross car beam assembly of claim 6 wherein the aligned openings and the fastener are positioned between the projection and the additional projection.

8. The cross car beam assembly of claim 1 wherein the engagement structure includes first and second projection parts, and wherein the socket receives the first and second projection parts.

9. The cross car beam assembly of claim 8 wherein an outer surface of the first projection part and an outer surface of the second projection part define an angle in the first direction in the range of 1 to 10°, and wherein the socket is tapered in the first direction at an angle in the range of 1 to 10°.

10. The cross car beam assembly of claim 9 wherein the outer surface of the first projection part and the outer surface of the second projection part define an angle in the second direction in the range of 10 to 45°, and wherein the socket is tapered in the second direction at an angle in the range of 10 to 45°.

11. The cross car beam assembly of claim 8 wherein the first beam section includes an opening positioned between the first and second projection parts, and the second beam section includes an opening that is aligned with the opening of the first beam section, and wherein the cross car beam assembly further includes a fastener that extends into the aligned openings.

12. The cross car beam assembly of claim 1 wherein the first beam section is configured to be attached to the second beam section by sliding the first beam section relative to the second beam section in the first direction.

13. The cross car beam assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second beam sections comprises plastic.

14. The cross car beam assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second beam sections comprises a composite material.

15. The cross car beam assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second beam sections comprises metal.

16. A cross car beam assembly for use with a vehicle, the cross car beam assembly comprising:
an intermediate beam section; and
first and second side beam sections positioned on opposite sides of the intermediate beam section, wherein each side beam section is connected to the intermediate beam section by a tapered joint that includes one of an engagement structure and a socket formed on the side beam section, and the other of the engagement structure and the socket formed on the intermediate section, and wherein, for each tapered joint, a respective socket receives a respective engagement structure, and the respective socket and the respective engagement structure are each tapered in two different directions.

17. The cross car beam assembly of claim 16 wherein, for at least one of the tapered joints, the engagement structure comprises a projection, and wherein the projection is tapered in a first direction at an angle in the range of 1 to 10°, and the projection is tapered in a second direction different than the first direction at an angle in the range of 10 to 45°.

18. The cross car beam assembly of claim 16 wherein, for at least one of the tapered joints, the engagement structure comprises a projection, and wherein the projection is tapered in a first direction at an angle in the range of 2 to 5°, and the projection is tapered in a second direction different than the first direction at an angle in the range of 10 to 30°.

19. The cross car beam assembly of claim 16 wherein, for at least one of the tapered joints, the engagement structure comprises first and second projection parts that are received in the respective socket.

20. The cross car beam assembly of claim 19 wherein, for the at least one tapered joint, an outer surface of the first projection part and an outer surface of the second projection part define an angle in a first direction in the range of 1 to 10°, and the outer surface of the first projection part and the outer surface of the second projection part define an angle in a second direction in the range of 20 to 40°.

Assignees

• Polestar Performance Ab

Inventors

• Kelk Ross
• Cashman Lee

Classifications

• B62D29/041

  Understructures · CPC title

• B62D27/065

  using screwthread (connection of crossbeam to A- pillars B62D25/147; mounting load bearing surfaces B62D21/09; securing mudguards B62D25/163; connections for synthetic parts B62D29/048) · CPC title

• B62D21/03 Primary

  transverse members providing body support · CPC title

• B62D29/04

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

• B62D27/06

  readily releasable · CPC title