Vehicle reinforcement member and vehicle center pillar

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11377153-B2
Application number	US-201816765939-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2018
Priority date	Nov 21, 2017
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

An elongate vehicle reinforcement member having a U-shaped cross section, wherein the member is disposed inside and welded to a vehicle structural member, wherein the vehicle structural member includes opposite base lateral walls, the vehicle reinforcement member including: opposite reinforcement lateral walls extending in vehicle height and width directions, each having an outward edge on an outer side in vehicle width direction and an inward edge on an inner side; and a reinforcement connecting wall connecting the outward edges of the lateral walls, each lateral wall together with the connecting wall forming a ridge, each lateral wall including a row of welding projections, each protruding outward over the entire width of the lateral wall, each welding projection having a raised welding surface wherein the reinforcement lateral wall is welded to the base lateral wall, the welding projections in each row being arranged at intervals along vehicle height direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An elongate vehicle reinforcement member having a U-shaped cross section, wherein the vehicle reinforcement member is disposed inside a vehicle structural member and welded to the vehicle structural member, wherein the vehicle structural member comprises opposite base lateral walls,
the vehicle reinforcement member comprising:
opposite reinforcement lateral walls extending in vehicle height and width directions, each having an outward edge on an outer side in vehicle width direction and an inward edge on an inner side in vehicle width direction, wherein the reinforcement lateral walls are placed along inner sides of the base lateral walls of the vehicle structural member; and
a reinforcement connecting wall connecting the outward edges of the reinforcement lateral walls,
each reinforcement lateral wall together with the reinforcement connecting wall forming a ridge,
each reinforcement lateral wall comprising a row of welding projections, each welding projection protruding outward over the entire width of the reinforcement lateral wall from the ridge to the inward edge of the reinforcement lateral wall,
each welding projection having a raised welding surface at which the reinforcement lateral wall is welded to the base lateral wall,

the welding projections in each row being arranged at intervals along vehicle height direction.

2. The vehicle reinforcement member according to claim 1 ,
the raised welding surface extending from the inward edge to a center of the reinforcement lateral wall in vehicle width direction, and
the welding projection having a clearance area, the clearance area having an outward raising height, the raising height of the clearance area being smaller than the raising height of the raised welding surface, the clearance area being on a side of the raised welding surface proximate to the ridge.

3. The vehicle reinforcement member according to claim 2 ,
the welding projection having a ridge side edge proximate to the ridge,
the raised welding surface having an outward edge on the outer side in vehicle width direction, and
the clearance area comprising an inclined surface inclined inward, the inclined surface extending from the outward edge of the raised welding surface to the ridge side edge of the welding projection.

4. The vehicle reinforcement member according to claim 2 ,
the welding projection having a ridge side edge proximate to the ridge,
the raised welding surface having an outward edge on the outer side in vehicle width direction, and
the clearance area comprising a step surface recessed inward by a height difference, the step surface extending from the outward edge of the raised welding surface to the ridge side edge of the welding projection.

5. The vehicle reinforcement member according to claim 1 ,
the welding projection having a sideways trapezoidal front shape, with a ridge side edge proximate to the ridge and an inward edge on the inner side in vehicle width direction, and
the welding projection having a first width at the ridge side edge and a second width at the inward edge as measured in vehicle height direction, wherein the first width is smaller than the second width.

6. The vehicle reinforcement member according to claim 1 ,
the reinforcement connecting wall having an outward surface on the outer side in vehicle width direction,
the welding projection having an end surface on the ridge side, the end surface being formed by the outward surface of the reinforcement connecting wall extended coplanarly outward beyond the ridge.

7. The vehicle reinforcement member according to claim 1 ,
the welding projection having a ridge side edge proximate to the ridge, the ridge side edge being chamfered obliquely along the ridge.

8. A vehicle center pillar vertically arranged on a side of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle reinforcement member according to claim 1 , is disposed inside.

Assignees

• Toyota Tekko Kk
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd
• Hino Motors Ltd

Inventors

• Kosaka Hiroyasu
• Teramoto Daisuke
• Izumoto Masanori
• Igarashi Katsuya

Classifications

• B62D25/04 Primary

  Door pillars {; windshield pillars} · CPC title

• B23K11/00

  Resistance welding; Severing by resistance heating · CPC title

• B23K11/11

  Spot welding · CPC title

• B23K2103/04

  Steel {or steel} alloys · CPC title

• B62D21/157

  for side impacts · CPC title