Motor vehicle support structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9428223-B2
Application number	US-201414184798-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2014
Priority date	Feb 20, 2013
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A support structure is provided for a motor vehicle that has a front wheel ( 8 ). The support structure includes an A pillar ( 5 ) having a slide-off surface ( 40 ) for the front wheel. The slide-off surface for the front wheel ( 8 ) is inclined so that the front wheel ( 8 ) slides out along the slide-off surface ( 40 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A support structure for a motor vehicle that has a front wheel, the support structure comprising:
an A pillar arranged rearward of the front wheel, the A pillar having a front end facing the front wheel, a back end opposite the front end, and opposite outer and inner sides extending between the front and back ends with the inner side facing a center of the vehicle, the A pillar being formed by first and second profiles, the first profile defining the front end, the outer side and a part of the back end of the A pillar, the second profile defining the inner side and a part of the back end of the A pillar, the first and second profiles being joined to one another at front and rear flanges, the front flange being arranged at a region of the front end of the A pillar aligned with the inner side and projecting forward at the front end, the rear flange being at the back end of the A pillar;
a front bulkhead having a front end forward of the A pillar and closer to the center of the vehicle than the A pillar and a rear end;
a bulkhead flange extending rearward from the rear end of the front bulkhead and fastened with the first and second profiles at the front flange of the A pillar; and
a wheel arch defining a continuous concave surface facing toward the front wheel, the wheel arch extending from a position on a front surface of the front bulkhead forward of the A pillar and closer to the center of the vehicle than the A pillar and being sloped rearward continuously across the front flange and toward the outer side so that the wheel arch, the front bulkhead and the A pillar cooperate to define a slide-off surface, wherein
the front wheel slides out along the slide-off surface away from the center of the vehicle in the event of a front on crash.

2. The support structure of claim 1 , wherein the front end of the front bulkhead is combined with a longitudinal structure.

3. A motor vehicle having the support structure of claim 1 .

4. The support structure of claim 1 , wherein the rear end of the front bulkhead is aligned with a front end of the front flange of the A pillar.

5. The support structure of claim 1 , wherein the front end of the A pillar is inclined rearward at a first angle from the inner side to the outer side of the A pillar, and wherein the front bulkhead is inclined rearward at a second angle from the front end of the front bulkhead to the rear end thereof, the second angle being greater than the first angle.

6. The support structure of claim 1 , wherein the front bulkhead is inclined so that, in the event of a front-on crash, the front wheel slides out along the front bulkhead.

7. The support structure of claim 6 , wherein the front bulkhead and a front face surface of the A pillar jointly form the slide-off surface for the front wheel.

Assignees

• Porsche Ag
• Porsche Ag

Inventors

• Gilbert Tassilo
• Kellner Philipp
• Junginger Michael
• Kunert Frank
• Steinruecken Sebastian

Classifications

• B62D25/04 Primary

  Door pillars {; windshield pillars} · CPC title

• B62D25/16

  Mud-guards or wings; Wheel cover panels (equipped with means for freeing wheels or tyres from foreign matter B60S) · CPC title

• B62D24/00 Primary

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

• B62D21/15

  having impact absorbing means, e.g. a frame designed to permanently or temporarily change shape or dimension upon impact with another body (bumpers B60R19/02; shock absorbers in general F16F) · CPC title