Vehicle frame structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9227666-B2
Application number	US-201414573825-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2014
Priority date	Dec 25, 2013
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A vehicle frame structure includes a pair of hat-shaped panels that form a portion of a vehicle, each hat-shaped panel having a hat-shaped cross-section, the pair of hat-shaped panels facing each other and forming a closed sectional portion; a partition panel that is sandwiched by the pair of hat-shaped panels, and divides an inside of the closed sectional portion; and a laser welded portion where all of four or more plates including the pair of hat-shaped panels and the partition panel are overlapped and welded together at an identical position by laser welding.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle frame structure comprising:
a pair of hat-shaped panels that form a portion of a vehicle, each hat-shaped panel having a hat-shaped cross-section, the pair of hat-shaped panels facing each other and forming a closed sectional portion;
a partition panel that is sandwiched by the pair of hat-shaped panels, and divides an inside of the closed sectional portion; and
a laser welded portion where all of four or more plates including the pair of hat-shaped panels and the partition panel are overlapped and welded together at an identical position by laser welding, wherein
the pair of hat-shaped panels and the partition panel form a rocker that extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction at an end portion of a vehicle lower portion in a vehicle width direction;
the rocker includes:
i) a rocker outer panel that is arranged on a vehicle width direction outside, has a hat-shaped cross-section cut in the vehicle width direction, and corresponds to one of the pair of hat-shaped panels,
ii) a rocker inner panel that is arranged to a vehicle width direction inside of the rocker outer panel, that has a hat-shaped cross-section cut in the vehicle width direction, that corresponds to the other of the pair of hat-shaped panels, and in which a closed sectional portion is formed between the rocker inner panel and the rocker outer panel, and
iii) a rocker partition panel that divides the inside of the closed sectional portion, is arranged in an extending direction of the rocker, and corresponds to the partition panel,

the pair of hat-shaped panels forms a front pillar that is connected to a vehicle longitudinal direction front portion of the rocker and extends in a vehicle up-and-down direction, and a center pillar that is arranged to a vehicle longitudinal direction rear of the front pillar on the rocker, and extends in the vehicle up-and-down direction; and
the rocker partition panel is arranged from a joining portion where the front pillar is joined all the way to a joining portion where the center pillar is joined.

2. A vehicle frame structure comprising:
a pair of hat-shaped panels that form a portion of a vehicle, each hat-shaped panel having a hat-shaped cross-section, the pair of hat-shaped panels facing each other and forming a closed sectional portion;
a partition panel that is sandwiched by the pair of hat-shaped panels, and divides an inside of the closed sectional portion; and
a laser welded portion where all of four or more plates including the pair of hat-shaped panels and the partition panel are overlapped and welded together at an identical position by laser welding, wherein
the pair of hat-shaped panels and the partition panel form a rocker that extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction at a front portion of a vehicle lower portion in a vehicle width direction, a front pillar that is connected to a vehicle longitudinal direction front portion of the rocker and extends in a vehicle up-and-down direction, and a center pillar that is arranged to a vehicle longitudinal direction rear of the front pillar and extends in the vehicle up-and-down direction; and
at least the front pillar or the center pillar includes:
i) a pillar outer reinforcement that is arranged on a vehicle width direction outside, has a hat-shaped cross-section cut in a vehicle width direction, and corresponds to one of the pair of hat-shaped panels,
ii) a pillar inner reinforcement that is arranged to a vehicle width direction inside of the pillar outer reinforcement, that has a hat-shaped cross-section cut in the vehicle width direction, that corresponds to the other of the pair of hat-shaped panels, and in which a closed sectional portion is formed between the pillar inner reinforcement and the pillar outer reinforcement, and
iii) a pillar partition panel that divides an inside of the closed sectional portion, is arranged in an extending direction of the front pillar or the center pillar, and corresponds to the partition panel.

3. The vehicle frame structure according to claim 2 , wherein
the pair of hat-shaped panels and the partition panel form a rocker that extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction at an end portion of a vehicle lower portion in the vehicle width direction;
the rocker includes:
i) a rocker outer panel that is arranged on a vehicle width direction outside, has a hat-shaped cross-section cut in the vehicle width direction, and corresponds to one of the pair of hat-shaped panels,
ii) a rocker inner panel that is arranged to a vehicle width direction inside of the rocker outer panel, that has a hat-shaped cross-section cut in the vehicle width direction, that corresponds to the other of the pair of hat-shaped panels, and in which a closed sectional portion is formed between the rocker inner panel and the rocker outer panel, and
iii) a rocker partition panel that divides an inside of the closed sectional portion, extends in an extending direction of the rocker, and corresponding to the partition panel; and

the rocker partition panel and the pillar partition panel are integrally formed.

4. The vehicle frame structure according to claim 3 , wherein
the laser welded portion is such that all of the plates of a side outer panel arranged to a vehicle width direction outside of the rocker and the pillar, the pillar outer reinforcement, the rocker outer panel, the partition panel, the rocker inner panel, and the pillar inner reinforcement are welded together by laser welding at the identical position.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yoshioka Hideyuki
• Watanabe Akiyoshi
• Koreishi Norimasa
• Adachi Kentaro

Classifications

• B62D25/025

  Side sills thereof · CPC title

• B62D25/04 Primary

  Door pillars {; windshield pillars} · CPC title