Reinforcing strut

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9586624-B2
Application number	US-201514732017-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2015
Priority date	Dec 7, 2012
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

A strut is provided for reinforcing a vehicle body of a vehicle, in particular an engine compartment, wherein the strut has a first fastening portion and a second fastening portion for fastening the strut to the vehicle body. Further fastening portions are, situated between the first and second fastening portion, for further fastening the strut to points on the vehicle. The strut has a profile with at least two vertices between the first fastening portion and the second fastening portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A strut for reinforcing a vehicle body of a vehicle, comprising:
a first fastening section of the strut and a second fastening section of the strut, the first and second fastening sections being configured to fasten the strut onto the vehicle body; and
one or more additional fastening sections of the strut configured to additionally fasten the strut to points in the vehicle, the one or more additional fastening sections being located between the first and second fastening sections, wherein
the strut has a profile including three vertices between the first fastening section and the second fastening section, at each one of which an additional one of the one or more additional fastening sections is located,
one of the three vertices forms a middle vertex through which an axis of symmetry of the strut passes,
first leg sections extend from the middle vertex in a direction of the remaining vertices, and
second leg sections extend from the remaining vertices to the first and second fastening sections, and
the first leg sections are dimensioned such that the additional fastening section provided at the middle vertex is fastenable onto a front end module of the vehicle, and the additional fastening sections located at the remaining vertices are fastenable in a region of suspension strut mounts of the vehicle, and
the second leg sections are dimensioned such that the first fastening section and the second fastening section are each fastenable onto a lateral support bracket of the vehicle body.

2. The strut according to claim 1 , wherein
further fastening sections are provided in the first leg sections between the middle vertex and the remaining vertices, and the strut is fastenable as intended by way of the further fastening sections onto a reference strut connecting the lateral support bracket.

3. The strut according to claim 1 , wherein the strut is formed by a base body which defines the profile and into which the first and second fastening sections and the additional fastening sections are integrated.

4. The strut according to claim 2 , wherein the strut is formed by a base body which defines the profile and into which the first and second fastening sections and the additional fastening sections are integrated.

5. The strut according to claim 2 , wherein the strut is formed from a base body, which defines the profile and into which the first and second fastening sections, the further fastening sections and the additional fastening sections are integrated.

6. The strut according to claim 3 , wherein the base body is formed in one piece from a fiber-plastic composite material.

7. The strut according to claim 5 , wherein the base body is formed in one piece from a fiber-plastic composite material.

8. The strut according to claim 1 , wherein the strut is configured to reinforce an engine compartment of the vehicle body.

9. A front end module for a vehicle, comprising:
a strut according to claim 1 , wherein
the strut having the additional fastening section located on the middle vertex is fastened onto a front cross strut of the front end module.

10. A strut for reinforcing a vehicle body of a vehicle, comprising:
a first fastening section of the strut and a second fastening section of the strut, the first and second fastening sections being configured to fasten the strut onto respective left and right lateral support brackets of the vehicle body;
a first additional fastening section of the strut configured to additionally fasten the strut to a separate front end module that is fastenable to the vehicle body, wherein
the strut has a profile in an installed state that, projected onto an X-Y plane, comprises at least two vertices between the first fastening section and the second fastening section, wherein the X direction corresponds to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the Y direction corresponds to a transverse direction of the vehicle, and
the first, second and first additional fastening sections are discreet, non-continuous, releasable fastening points.

11. The strut according to claim 10 , wherein the profile of the strut comprises three vertices, at each one of which a further additional fastening section is located.

12. The strut according to claim 11 , wherein:
one of the three vertices forms a middle vertex through which an axis of symmetry of the strut passes,
first leg sections extend from the middle vertex in a direction of the remaining vertices, and
second leg sections extend from the remaining vertices to the first and second fastening sections.

13. The strut according to claim 12 , wherein
the first leg sections are dimensioned such that the additional fastening section provided at the middle vertex is fastenable onto the front end module of the vehicle, and the additional fastening sections located at the remaining vertices are fastenable in a region of suspension strut mounts of the vehicle.

14. The strut according to claim 13 , wherein further fastening sections are provided in the first leg sections between the middle vertex and the remaining vertices, and the strut is fastenable by way of the further fastening sections onto a cross strut connecting the left and right lateral support brackets of the vehicle body.

15. A strut for reinforcing a vehicle body engine compartment of a vehicle, comprising:
a first fastening section of the strut and a second fastening section of the strut, the first and second fastening sections being configured to fasten the strut onto the vehicle body engine compartment; and
one or more additional fastening sections of the strut configured to additionally fasten the strut to points in the vehicle, the one or more additional fastening sections being located between the first and second fastening sections, wherein
the strut has a profile which in an installed condition extends in an X-Y plane of the vehicle and includes at least two vertices between the first fastening section and the second fastening section, and
the first, second and one or more additional fastening sections are discreet, non-continuous, releasable fastening points.

16. The strut according to claim 15 , wherein third and fourth fastening sections of the one or more additional fastening sections are each located at one of the at least two vertices, respectively.

17. The strut according to claim 15 , wherein
the profile of the strut comprises three vertices, at each one of which an additional one of the one or more additional fastening sections is located,
one of the three vertices forms a middle vertex through which an axis of symmetry of the strut passes,
first leg sections extend from the middle vertex in a direction of the remaining vertices, and
second leg sections extend from the remaining vertices to the first and second fastening sections.

18. The strut according to claim 17 , wherein
the first leg sections are dimensioned such that the additional fastening section provided at the middle vertex is fastenable onto a front end module of the vehicle, and the additional fastening sections located at the remaining vertices are fastenable in a region of suspension strut mounts of the vehicle, and
the second leg sections are dimensioned such that the first fastening section and the second fastening section are each fastenable onto a lateral support bracket of the vehicle body.

19. The strut according to claim 18 , wherein
additional fastening sections are provided in the first leg sections between the middle vertex and the remaining vertices, and the strut is fasten

Assignees

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Riedl Wilhelm

Classifications

• B62D25/085

  Front-end modules · CPC title

• B62D25/082 Primary

  Engine compartments · CPC title

• B62D25/084

  Radiator supports · CPC title

• B62D29/043

  Superstructures (B62D25/161 takes precedence) · CPC title