Vehicle structures and methods of assembling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9616935-B2
Application number	US-201514682789-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2015
Priority date	Oct 10, 2014
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

Vehicle structures and methods of assembling the same are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method of assembling a unibody structure of a vehicle includes assembling a door surround ring comprising a forward pillar portion, a roof rail portion, a rearward pillar portion, and a rocker portion. The method also includes, subsequent to assembling the door surround ring, installing the door surround ring into a vehicle side outer panel, coupling the door surround ring to the vehicle side outer panel. The method further includes, subsequent to installing the door surround ring into the vehicle side outer panel, coupling the door surround ring and the vehicle side outer panel to a vehicle interior structural member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A door surround sub-assembly comprising:
a door surround ring comprising:
a forward pillar component;
a rocker component welded to the forward pillar component;
a rearward pillar component welded to the rocker component; and
a roof rail component welded to the rearward pillar component;

a vehicle side outer panel welded to the door surround ring; and
a vehicle side inner panel coupled to the door surround ring; wherein the forward pillar component, the rocker component, the rearward pillar component, and the roof rail component are formed as separate components that are welded to one another before the door surround ring is welded to the vehicle side outer panel and the vehicle side inner panel.

2. The sub-assembly of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle side outer panel and the door surround ring are spaced apart from one another in an interior volume, the vehicle side outer panel encapsulating at least a portion of the door surround ring in the vehicle lateral direction.

3. The sub-assembly of claim 2 , wherein the vehicle side outer panel is free from welds at positions within the interior volume.

4. The sub-assembly of claim 1 , wherein the door surround ring further comprises a roof patch that is coupled to a side region of the forward pillar component and the roof rail component and extends along the forward pillar component and the roof rail component across a joint location at which the forward pillar component and the roof rail component are coupled to one another.

5. The sub-assembly of claim 4 , wherein the roof patch is welded to the forward pillar component and the roof rail component along a patch weld interface that is offset from a clamshell weld interface of the forward pillar component or the roof rail component evaluated in the vehicle lateral direction.

6. The sub-assembly of claim 5 , wherein the patch weld interface is positioned in the outboard direction relative to the clamshell weld interface and between the forward pillar component and the vehicle side outer panel in the vehicle lateral direction.

7. The sub-assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the forward pillar component overlaps at least a portion of the roof rail component.

8. A method of assembling a unibody for a vehicle comprising:
assembling a door surround ring comprising a forward pillar component, a roof rail component, a rearward pillar component, and a rocker component formed as separate components that are assembled together to form the door surround ring;
subsequent to assembling the door surround ring, installing the door surround ring into a vehicle side outer panel;
coupling the door surround ring to the vehicle side outer panel; and
subsequent to installing the door surround ring into the vehicle side outer panel, coupling the door surround ring and the vehicle side outer panel to a vehicle interior structural member.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising installing the door surround ring into a vehicle side inner panel subsequent to assembling the door surround ring and coupling the door surround ring to the vehicle side inner panel.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the door surround ring is assembled by:
welding the forward pillar component to the roof rail component and the rocker component; and
welding the rearward pillar component to the roof rail component and the rocker component.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the door surround ring further comprising a roof patch that is coupled to the forward pillar component and the roof rail component and extends along the forward pillar component and the roof rail component across a joint location at which the forward pillar component and the roof rail component are coupled to one another.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the roof patch is welded to the forward pillar component and the roof rail component along a patch weld interface that is offset from a clamshell weld interface of the forward pillar component or the roof rail component evaluated in a vehicle lateral direction.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the patch weld interface is positioned in an outboard direction relative to the clamshell weld interface and between the forward pillar component and the vehicle side outer panel in the vehicle lateral direction.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least a portion of the forward pillar component overlaps at least a portion of the roof rail component.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the forward pillar component is welded to the roof rail component from an inboard direction and from an outboard direction.

16. A unibody for a vehicle comprising:
a vehicle interior structural member;
a vehicle side outer panel coupled to the vehicle interior structural member; and
a door surround ring coupled to the vehicle side outer panel, the door surround ring comprising:
a forward pillar component;
a rocker component welded to the forward pillar component;
a rearward pillar component welded to the rocker component; and
a roof rail component welded to the forward pillar component and the rearward pillar component, wherein components of the door surround ring are formed as separate components that are welded to one another by welds that are applied in an inboard direction and an outboard direction relative to a vehicle lateral direction; and

a roof patch that is welded to the forward pillar component and the roof rail component along a patch weld interface that is offset from a clamshell weld interface of the forward pillar component or the roof rail component evaluated in the vehicle lateral direction.

17. The unibody of claim 16 , wherein the patch weld interface is positioned in the outboard direction relative to the clamshell weld interface and between the forward pillar component and the vehicle side outer panel in the vehicle lateral direction.

18. The unibody of claim 16 , wherein the vehicle side outer panel and the door surround ring are spaced apart from one another in an interior volume, the vehicle side outer panel encapsulating at least a portion of the door surround ring in the vehicle lateral direction.

19. The unibody of claim 16 , wherein at least a portion of the forward pillar component overlaps at least a portion of the roof rail component.

20. The unibody of claim 19 , wherein the vehicle side outer panel is free from welds at positions within the interior volume.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Eng & Mfg North America Inc

Inventors

• Schnug Tyler E
• Sun Kuo
• Clauser Mark D
• Fan Yizhou
• Maynard Donald E
• O'Beirne Kevin J

Classifications

• B62D25/04 Primary

  Door pillars {; windshield pillars} · CPC title

• B62D25/02

  Side panels {(B62D33/046 takes precedence; sideboards for open load compartments B62D33/023)} · CPC title

• B62D21/157

  for side impacts · CPC title

• B62D25/06

  Fixed roofs (non-fixed roofs or like shelters B60J7/00; roof liners B60R13/02; insulating elements B60R13/08) · CPC title

• B23K31/02

  relating to soldering or welding · CPC title