Vehicle frame structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9764766-B2
Application number	US-201514733103-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2015
Priority date	Jun 13, 2014
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle frame structure including: an elongated inner panel that is disposed at a vehicle cabin inner side of a vehicle body side section; an elongated outer panel that is disposed at the vehicle cabin outer side of the inner panel, and that, together with the inner panel, configures a frame by being joined to the inner panel; an elongated reinforcement member that is disposed at the vehicle cabin outer side or the vehicle cabin inner side of the outer panel, and that reinforces the outer panel by being joined to plural locations of the outer panel along the length direction; and a first excess length portion that is formed at the reinforcement member between adjacent joining portions between the reinforcement member and the outer panel, and that has excess length in a direction linking the joining portions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle frame structure comprising:
an elongated inner panel that is disposed at a vehicle cabin inner side of a pillar that couples together, in a vehicle up-down direction, (i) a rocker that is disposed running along a vehicle front-rear direction at a lower end portion of a vehicle body side section and (ii) a roof side rail that is disposed running along the vehicle front-rear direction at an upper end portion of the vehicle body side section;
an elongated outer panel that is disposed at a vehicle cabin outer side of the inner panel, and that, together with the inner panel, configures a frame by a second flange portion formed running along a length direction of the outer panel being joined to a first flange portion formed running along a length direction of the inner panel, at a plurality of locations along the length direction of the inner and outer panels;
an elongated reinforcement member that is disposed at the vehicle cabin outer side or the vehicle cabin inner side of the outer panel, and that overlaps a part of the outer panel and is joined to the outer panel at a plurality of locations along the length direction of the outer panel to reinforce the outer panel;
a first excess length portion that is formed at the reinforcement member between adjacent joining portions of the reinforcement member to the outer panel, and that has excess length in a direction linking the joining portions; and
a second excess length portion that is formed between adjacent joining portions of the first flange portion and the second flange portion, and that has excess length in a direction linking the joining portions of the first and second flange portions.

2. The vehicle frame structure of claim 1 , wherein:
at least parts of the first excess length portion are disposed at positions overlapping at least parts of the second excess length portion as viewed along a vehicle width direction.

3. The vehicle frame structure of claim 2 , wherein:
the joining portions between the reinforcement member and the outer panel, and the first excess length portion, are disposed further to a vehicle width direction inner side than a neutral axis of the frame formed by the inner panel and the outer panel.

4. The vehicle frame structure of claim 3 , wherein:
the inner panel, the outer panel, and the reinforcement member are each configured by a high-strength steel plate.

5. The vehicle frame structure of claim 2 , wherein:
the inner panel, the outer panel, and the reinforcement member are each configured by a high-strength steel plate.

6. The vehicle frame structure of claim 1 , wherein:
the joining portions between the reinforcement member and the outer panel, and the first excess length portion, are disposed further to a vehicle width direction inner side than a neutral axis of the frame formed by the inner panel and the outer panel.

7. The vehicle frame structure of claim 6 , wherein:
the inner panel, the outer panel, and the reinforcement member are each configured by a high-strength steel plate.

8. The vehicle frame structure of claim 1 , wherein:
the inner panel, the outer panel, and the reinforcement member are each configured by a high-strength steel plate.

9. The vehicle frame structure of claim 1 , wherein:
the joining portions between the first flange portion and the second flange portion are disposed at positions that do not overlap the first excess length portion as viewed along a vehicle width direction.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yoshida Eiji

Classifications

• B62D25/04

  Door pillars {; windshield pillars} · CPC title

• B62D21/157 Primary

  for side impacts · CPC title