Vehicle structural assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12459576-B2
Application number	US-202217963349-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2022
Priority date	Oct 11, 2022
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

A structural assembly of a vehicle includes a pair of hinge pillars, a pair of channel members and a pair of rails. Each channel member of the pair of channel members includes a vertical wall, a top wall, and a bottom wall. The vertical wall is secured to a respective hinge pillar of the pair of hinge pillars and the bottom wall is spaced apart from and below the top wall to define a cavity therebetween. A longitudinal portion of each rail of the pair of rails is secured to a respective channel member of the pair of channel members and at least partially received in the cavity. The longitudinal portion of the rail extends along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle above a respective wheel well of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A structural assembly of a vehicle comprising:
a left hinge pillar and a right hinge pillar; a left channel member and a right channel member, wherein the left channel member includes a left vertical wall, a left top wall, and a left bottom wall, wherein the left vertical wall is secured to the left hinge pillar, wherein the left top wall and the left bottom wall extend outboard from the left vertical wall, the left bottom wall being spaced apart from and below the left top wall to define a left cavity therebetween, the right channel member includes a right vertical wall, a right top wall, and a right bottom wall, wherein the right vertical wall is secured to the right hinge pillar, wherein the right top wall and the right bottom wall extend outboard from the right vertical wall, the right bottom wall being spaced apart from and below the right top wall to define a right cavity therebetween; and a left upper rail and a right upper rail, wherein a longitudinal portion of the left upper rail is secured to the left channel member and at least partially received in the left cavity, the longitudinal portion of the left upper rail extending from a rear end of the left channel member toward a front end of the left channel member along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle above a left wheel well of the vehicle, wherein a longitudinal portion of the right upper rail is secured to the right channel member and at least partially received in the right cavity, the longitudinal portion of the right upper rail extending from a rear end of the right channel member toward a front end of the right channel member along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle above a right wheel well of the vehicle.

2 . The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein the left upper rail and the right upper rail are tubular members.

3 . The structural assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a cross beam extending in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the cross beam being secured to the left and right upper rails forward of the left and right wheel wells.

4 . The structural assembly of claim 3 , wherein the cross beam is a tubular member.

5 . The structural assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a cowl panel extending in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and wherein the left channel member is secured to the cowl panel and the right channel member is secured to the cowl panel.

6 . The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein the left upper rail is welded to the left top wall and the left bottom wall to inhibit movement of the left upper rail relative to the left channel member and the right upper rail is welded to the right top wall and the right bottom wall to inhibit movement of the right upper rail relative to the right channel member.

7 . The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein the left vertical wall defines a plurality of access holes formed therethrough and the right vertical wall defines a plurality of access holes formed therethrough.

8 . The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein the left upper rail is mechanically fastened to the left top wall and the left bottom wall to inhibit movement of the left upper rail relative to the left channel member and the right upper rail is mechanically fastened to the right top wall and the right bottom wall to inhibit movement of the right upper rail relative to the right channel member.

9 . The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein the left upper rail defines a plurality of access holes formed therein and the right upper rail defines a plurality of access holes formed therein.

10 . The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the right and left channel members has a substantially U-shape.

11 . The structural assembly of claim 1 , wherein the left upper rail and the right upper rail each include:
a riser portion extending in a vertical direction of the vehicle; and a transition portion extending inwardly from the longitudinal portion to the riser portion.

12 . The structural assembly of claim 11 , further comprising a cross beam extending in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and secured to the riser portions of the left and right upper rails.

13 . A structural assembly of a vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body having a pair of hinge pillars; a pair of channel members, each channel member secured to a respective hinge pillar and defining a cavity; and a front subframe comprising a pair of rails, each rail of the pair of rails extending above a portion of a respective wheel well and comprising a first end portion extending along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a second end portion extending in a vertical direction of the vehicle, the first end portions of the pair of rails having a first distance between each other and the second end portions of the pair of rails having a second distance between each other that is less than the first distance, wherein the first end portion of each rail is secured to a respective channel member and is at least partially received in the cavity of the respective channel member, wherein the first end portion extends from a rear end of the respective channel member toward a front end of the respective channel member.

14 . The structural assembly of claim 13 , wherein each channel member of the pair of channel members includes a vertical wall and a pair of flanges extending outwardly from a respective end of the vertical wall.

15 . The structural assembly of claim 14 , wherein the vertical wall comprises a plurality of access holes formed therein.

16 . The structural assembly of claim 14 , wherein each rail is mechanically fastened to the pair of flanges of the respective channel member to inhibit movement of the rail along a plurality of axes.

17 . The structural assembly of claim 13 , wherein each rail of the pair of rails comprises a plurality of access holes formed therein.

18 . The structural assembly of claim 13 , wherein the front subframe further comprises a cross beam extending in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and secured to the second end portions of the pair of rails.

19 . A method for securing a front subframe to a vehicle body of a vehicle, the method comprising:
securing a pair of channel members to respective hinge pillars of the vehicle body; securing a pair of rails of the front subframe to respective channel members of the pair of channel members, each rail extending above a portion of a respective wheel well and including a longitudinal portion that extends from a rear end of the respective channel member toward a front end of the respective channel member; assembling one or more electrical modules to a front end of the vehicle between the pair of rails; and securing a cross beam to the pair of rails of the front subframe after the one or more electrical modules have been assembled to the front end of the vehicle, the cross beam extending in a transverse direction relative to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the one or more electrical modules includes at least one of an electronic brake booster, a continuously variable transmission, and a power distribution box.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Stojkovic Dragan B
• Antoni Joseph
• Jurkiewicz Andre
• Nuler Karen

Classifications

• B62D25/04

  Door pillars {; windshield pillars} · CPC title

• B62D27/023

  Assembly of structural joints · CPC title

• B62D21/12

  assembled from readily detachable parts · CPC title

• B62D24/00

  Connections between vehicle body and vehicle frame (B62D23/00, B62D33/077 take precedence) · CPC title

• B62D25/081

  Cowls (ventilating openings situated directly in front of the vehicle front window B60H1/28) · CPC title