Underbody Structure for Absorbing Energy to Improve Roof Structure Integrity During Side Impact

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016332672-A1
Application number	US-201514709006-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 11, 2015
Priority date	May 11, 2015
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle body assembly including a frame with an outrigger secured to the frame below a passenger compartment. The passenger compartment includes a plurality of pillars supporting a roof, a first rocker assembly and a second rocker assembly disposed on opposite sides of the passenger compartment. The outrigger is secured to the frame below the passenger compartment, inboard of the rocker assembly and outboard of the roof to protect the roof in side impact collisions. The outriggers transfer the side impact loads to the frame rails that are disposed inboard of the roof rails.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle body assembly comprising:
a frame; a passenger compartment supported by the frame including a plurality of pillars supporting a roof, a first rocker assembly and a second rocker assembly disposed on opposite sides of the passenger compartment, and an outrigger secured to the frame below the passenger compartment, inboard of the rocker assembly and outboard of the roof that protects the roof during side impact collisions.

2 . The assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
a front bracket connecting a front end of the outrigger to the frame; and
a rear bracket connecting a rear end of the outrigger to the frame.

3 . The assembly of claim 2 wherein the front bracket and the rear bracket extend in a horizontal plane from the frame to the outrigger.

4 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein the plurality of pillars further comprise:
a first A-pillar and a second A-pillar provided on opposite sides of the passenger compartment;
a first B-pillar and a second B-pillar provided on opposite sides of the passenger compartment;
a right roof rail connecting one of the A-pillars and one of the B-pillars on a right side of the passenger compartment; and
a left roof rail connecting one of the A-pillars and one of the B-pillars on a right side of the passenger compartment, and wherein the outrigger is disposed parallel to and outboard of the right roof rail and the left roof rail.

5 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein the outrigger is connected to the frame by at least one bracket that is cantilevered from the frame.

6 . A vehicle body assembly comprising:
a pair of longitudinal frame rails; a floor pan supported on the frame rails; a pair of rockers each attached to a lateral side of the floor pan; a roof supported above the floor pan on a plurality of pillars and a right roof rail and a left roof rail, wherein the right and left roof rails are laterally inboard of the rockers; and a pair of reinforcement outriggers each attached to and cantilevered laterally outward from one of the frame rails, wherein the reinforcement outriggers extend laterally outboard of the roof rails and inboard of the rockers.

7 . The assembly of claim 6 further comprising:
at least one cross-vehicle reinforcement bar attached to the frame rails and extending in a transverse vehicle direction, connecting the pair of reinforcement outriggers together below the floor pan.

8 . The assembly of claim 6 wherein the outriggers further comprise:
a longitudinally extending side impact absorbing bar;
a forward bracket attaching one of the frame rails to a front end of the longitudinally extending side impact absorbing bar; and
a rearward bracket attaching the other one of the frame rails to a rear end of the longitudinally extending side impact absorbing bar.

9 . The assembly of claim 6 wherein the outriggers further comprise:
a planar plate attached to each one of the frame rails.

10 . The assembly of claim 9 wherein the planar plate defines a plurality of openings that reduce the weight of the planar plate.

11 . The assembly of claim 6 wherein the outriggers are spaced inwardly from the rockers.

12 . A side impact absorbing system for a vehicle including a pair of longitudinal frame rails, a floor pan supported on the frame rails, a pair of rocker assemblies each attached to a lateral side of the floor pan, and a roof supported above the floor pan on a plurality of pillars and a right roof rail and a left roof rail, the system comprising:
a pair of outriggers each attached to one of the frame rails to extend outboard of the frame rails and roof rails, the outriggers being spaced from the rocker assembly, wherein a side impact load applied to the rocker assemblies compress the rocker assemblies that are driven into the outriggers, and wherein the outriggers transfer the side impact loads to the frame rails that are disposed inboard of the roof rails.

13 . The impact absorbing system of claim 12 wherein the outriggers further comprise:
a front bracket connecting a front end of the outrigger to the frame; and
a rear bracket connecting a rear end of the outrigger to the frame.

14 . The impact absorbing system of claim 13 wherein the front bracket and the rear bracket extend in a horizontal plane from the frame to the outrigger.

15 . The impact absorbing system of claim 12 wherein the outrigger is disposed parallel to and outboard of the right roof rail and the left roof rail.

16 . The impact absorbing system of claim 12 further comprising:
at least one cross-vehicle reinforcement bar attached to the frame rails and extending in a transverse vehicle direction, connecting the pair of outriggers together below the floor pan.

17 . The impact absorbing system of claim 16 wherein impact loads applied to the frame rails by the rocker assemblies and the outriggers are partially absorbed by the cross-vehicle reinforcement bar and the floor pan.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Hamdoon Muhsin M
• Elbkaily Marwan Ahmad
• Abushawashi Yalla
• Wagner Darrin Neil
• Donabedian Edgar Edward

Classifications

• B62D21/157 Primary

  for side impacts · CPC title

• B62D25/20

  Floors or bottom sub-units {(sub-frames for mounting engine or suspensions B62D21/11; drip trays F16N31/006)} · CPC title