Patent Application
20240109401
The present disclosure relates to structural members and beams, and more particularly relates to vehicle components, such as for use as structural and reinforcement beams on rocker assemblies, battery trays, and other vehicle frame structures and the like.
Vehicle frames and body structures are designed to support the vehicle and undergo and absorb certain levels of impact forces, such as to prevent distances of inboard intrusion into the vehicle in accordance with insurance requirements and other regulatory and legal requirements. Side impacts to a vehicle are commonly tested with side pole impact testing, which direct significant side impact forces to the vehicle. Vehicle frames primarily absorb these side impacts at rocker sections that run longitudinally between the front and rear wheels along the lower outboard portions of the vehicle frame.
With the incorporation of battery trays in electric and hybrid electric vehicles in the lateral inboard area between opposing rocker sections, it is desirable for the side impact forces to be mitigated to reduce the associated intrusion distance from the side impact. For example, it is generally known to increase stiffness of a vehicle sill assembly, such as by adding a rocker insert within the vehicle sill assembly.
The disclosure provides a vehicle beam component, such as a rocker component or assembly, with a plurality of stiffening members that are disposed transverse to a corresponding beam and secured relative to the beam to provide the overall component with improved bending strength and crush resistance along its length. The stiffening members may also be spaced in intervals that are designed to cooperatively under impact loading by distributing impact loads across multiple adjacent stiffening members. In some examples, the beam assembly may be a vehicle rocker assembly that includes a stiffening member disposed within the hollow interior of a rocker assembly. The beam may have a top wall, a bottom wall, and a side wall, such as to form a C-shape cross-section or channel along the length of the beam. The transverse wall sections of the stiffening members may each include an upper portion engaged with the top wall of the channel and a lower portion engaged with the bottom wall of the channel. The beam and stiffening members function cooperatively in side impact energy management, such as by having the top and bottom walls of the beam supported away from each other by the array of stiffening members when undergoing the inboard lateral impact force to increase lateral bending strength of the rocker insert. The transverse wall sections of the array of stiffening member are also configured to align with the lateral impact load to provide high crush resistance and stiffness to the rocker section. The combined properties of the beam and stiffening members, along with the predetermined spaced arrangement of the transverse stiffening members, provides enhanced resistance to intrusion as a result of side impacts along the length of the beam component.
According to one aspect of the disclosure, a vehicle beam component includes an elongated beam having a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall interconnecting the first and second walls to define a channel along a length of the elongated beam. The vehicle beam component also includes an array of stiffening members secured in the channel and disposed along the elongated beam in a spaced arrangement that is configured to stiffen the elongated beam from a laterally directed impact at a majority section of the length. Each stiffening member of the array of stiffening members extends between and is secured to the first and second walls of the elongated beam. Each stiffening member of the array of stiffening members comprises a wall portion that is disposed orthogonal to the third wall of the elongated beam and transverse to the length of the beam, such that the wall portion is configured to axially absorb the laterally directed impact.
Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some examples, the elongated beam comprises a sill inner or a sill outer of a rocker assembly. Also, in some examples, the elongated beam and the array of stiffening members comprises a rocker insert, such that the rocker insert may be configured to be disposed within a hollow interior of a sill assembly having at least one of a sill outer and a sill inner defining the hollow interior. In some instances, each of the array of stiffening members are configured to carry a load path of the laterally directed impact between the inboard and outboard wall portions of the sill assembly.
In some implementation, each stiffening member of the array of stiffening members includes a flange portion protruding from the wall portion, where the flange portion is coupled to the first wall of the elongated beam. Also, in some examples, each stiffening member of the array of stiffening members may include a second flange portion that protrudes from the wall portion, where the second flange portion is coupled to the second wall of the elongated beam. Further, in some examples, each stiffening member of the array of stiffening members may include a third flange portion that protrudes from the wall portion, such that the third flange portion may be coupled to the third wall of the elongated beam.
The spaced arrangement of the array of stiffening members, in some implementations, is substantially equidistantly from each other. In some examples, the spaced arrangement of the array of stiffening members comprises a distance between each of the array of stiffening members along the length of the elongated beam, such that the distance of the spaced arrangement may be less than twice a depth dimension the array of stiffening members that is taken orthogonal to the length of the elongated beam.
In some examples, the wall portion of each stiffening member includes at least one stiffening rib that extends orthogonal to the third wall of the elongated beam.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, a rocker insert that is disposed within a hollow interior of a sill assembly is disclosed. The sill assembly including at least one of a sill outer having an outboard wall portion and a sill inner having an inboard wall portion defining the hollow interior. The rocker insert includes a first stiffening member that has a top wall, a bottom wall disposed parallel to the top wall, and a side wall extending between the top wall and the bottom wall, where the top wall, the bottom wall, and the side wall define a channel. A second stiffening member is disposed at least partially within the channel and comprises an array of transverse members that are coupled to the top wall and the bottom wall of the first stiffening member. Each of the transverse members are configured to carry a load path laterally between the inboard and outboard wall portions.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a rocker insert which is disposed with a hollow interior of a sill assembly is disclosed. The sill assembly including at least one of a sill outer having an outboard wall portion and a sill inner having an inboard wall portion defining the hollow interior. The rocker insert includes a first stiffening member having a top wall, a bottom wall disposed parallel to the top wall, and a side wall extending between the top wall and the bottom wall. Moreover, the top wall, the bottom wall, and the side wall define a channel. The rocker insert also includes a second stiffening member disposed at least partially within the channel and comprising an array of transverse members coupled to the top wall and the bottom wall of the first stiffening member. Each of the transverse members are configured to carry a load path laterally between the inboard and outboard wall portions.
The details of one or more implementations of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other aspects, advantages, purposes, and features will be apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.
Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depicted therein, a beam component is provided for a vehicle 100, such as for a body structure or frame 101 as shown in
The beam component disclosed herein may be a rocker insert, a B-pillar, or a battery tray side member or another structural component that would benefit from the impact energy management properties provided and disclosed herein. The vehicle rocker component includes a sill panel or panels, such as a sill inner panel 12 and sill outer panel 14 that attach together around an interior area 16, where the terms “inner” and “outer” are made in reference to inboard or inward facing and outboard or outward facing directions on the vehicle, such oriented in
When designing the vehicle rocker assembly with a rocker insert disclosed herein, the outer dimensions of the vehicle rocker assembly may be reduced and the overall weight of the vehicle rocker assembly may be reduced while meeting the required impact and loading conditions. The rocker insert may span a partial section of the vehicle rocker assembly or the entire length of the rocker assembly, such as to extend beyond the rocker assembly into and to also reinforce an adjacent component. The rocker insert disclosed herein may comprise the entire vehicle component or may be joined to additional reinforcements or parts of the vehicle component, such as at desired sections of the vehicle component. Further, in some examples the rocker assembly may be embodied as a subassembly or as part of a corresponding vehicle component, such as a structural component or a battery tray component and as such may be designed to undergo various impact forces and to support and sustain different loading conditions.
Moreover, the rocker insert disclosed herein may be formed with one or more pieces of sheet material, such as by roll forming a metal sheet, to provide the structure with a relatively high strength (for shear and axial loading) and low weight in comparison to common rocker panels, such as to allow the sill panels of the corresponding vehicle component (if provided) to use less material, occupy a smaller packaging space, and have greater flexibility in the outer shape design. The cross-sectional shape of different examples of the vehicle component and rocker insert may include various shapes and thicknesses for the desired application of the vehicle component. In addition, some implementations of the rocker insert may include an aluminum extrusion that is assembled with a metal sheet material.
Unless specified to the contrary, it is generally understood that additional implementations of the rocker component may have an opposite orientation from the examples shown and described, such as where the sill panels identified as an inner panel may be used as the outer panel and the sill panels identified as an outer panel may be used as the inner panel. The cross-sectional shape of the inner and outer panels may vary along the rocker, such as, for example, by flaring outward at the ends.
Referring now to the vehicle rocker assembly 10 shown in
As further shown in
The first sill panel 12, or inner panel of the vehicle rocker assembly 10, has an inner wall 26 that is substantially planar. The inner wall 26 integrally interconnects with a corner transition to an upper wall 28 and a lower wall 30 at the respective upper and lower ends. The corner transitions are approximately 90 degrees between the inner wall 26 and the upper and lower walls 28, 30. Also, the corner transitions are defined by the longitudinal bends to a sheet material that forms the first sill panel 12, such as a metal sheet (e.g., an advanced high strength steel sheet or aluminum sheet). Similarly, the upper and lower walls 28, 30 each have a corner transition of approximately 90 degrees to the upper flange 18 and the lower flange 20, respectively. The corner transitions are also defined by longitudinal bends in the sheet material of the first sill panel 12, such as formed by a roll form process. As also shown in
As also shown in
As shown in
As further shown in
In one example, the top wall 80 and the bottom wall 82 are generally flat parallel extending surfaces, however various other implementations have been contemplated including corrugation disposed on one or more of the top wall 80 and the bottom wall 82. In the example shown, the top wall 80 and the bottom both have flange portions 88 which extend at an angle from the top wall 80 and the bottom wall 82. The angle between the flange and the top or bottom wall 82 may be approximately ninety degrees, however, various other angles have been contemplated including but not limited to angles in the range of 25-125 degrees, angles in the range of 35-115 degrees, angles in the range of 45-105 degrees, angles in the range of 60-100 degrees, angles in the range of 80-100 degrees, and angles in the range of 85-95 degrees.
The flange portions 88 are configured to allow the rocker insert 40 to be coupled to another vehicle component such as a sill inner, a sill outer, or other vehicle component. In one example one or more of the flange portion 88 of the top wall 80 and the flange portion 88 of the bottom wall 82 are coupled to the sill inner 12. In this case, the rocker insert 40 replaces a traditional sill outer 14 such that a separate sill outer is not needed. In another example, one or more of the flange portion 88 on the top wall 80 and the flange portion 88 of the bottom wall 82 are coupled to a sill outer 14. In this case, the rocker insert 40 replaces a traditional sill inner 12 such that a separate sill inner is not needed. In one example, the coupling between the flange portion/portions 88 and the sill inner 12 or sill outer 14 is direct coupling done through welding. However, various other configurations have been contemplated including but not limited to indirect coupling such that another component is disposed between the flange portion(s) and the sill inner or sill outer.
Moreover, in the example shown, the side wall 84 curves outward from both the top wall 80 and the bottom wall 82 before curving back inwards, towards the channel, and meeting at a recessed portion 90. In some examples, the recessed portion 90 is curved such that it has a generally u-shape, however various other shapes have been contemplated. In some examples, one or more of the top wall 80 or the bottom wall 82 may include cut-outs to accommodate other vehicle components without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Referring still to the example shown in
Referring now to the example shown in
As shown in
In some examples, as shown in
Referring still to
In some examples, such as the example shown in
In the example shown in
In one example, each of the transverse members 44 are formed from a flat sheet, typically coiled steel or aluminum, which is then cut and/or roll-formed or otherwise bent into the desired shape. It is also contemplated that the transverse members 44 may be comprised of another material having the desired strength requirements and/or from non-coiled steel or aluminum. It is also contemplated that the transverse members 44 may be formed by another method.
In one example, transverse members 44 are configured to carry a load path laterally between the inboard and outboard wall portions. In other words, the transverse members 44 extend at least partially between the sill inner and the sill outer, if included. The lateral vehicle direction generally extends across the width dimension of the vehicle. In contrast, the longitudinal vehicle direction generally extends along the length dimension of the vehicle.
The top and bottom wall 80, 82 of the first stiffening member 41 are configured to be supported by the second stiffening member 42 when undergoing the inboard lateral impact force to increase lateral bending strength of the rocker insert 40. In other words, the integration of the first stiffening member 41 with the second stiffening member 42, in the configuration as described, provides a cooperative structural effect that increases lateral bending strength of the rocker insert 40 leading to a lower failure risk or buckling threshold of the rocker insert during the lateral impact force, which may in turn increase the battery package space, resulting vehicle range, and overall safety of the vehicle.
Referring now to the example shown in
Referring now to the example shown in
It is also contemplated that the internal reinforcements of the disclosed vehicle rocker assembly may be incorporated in other types of structural beams, such as in frames and structures of automotive and marine vehicles, buildings, storage tanks, furniture, and the like. With respect to vehicle applications, the vehicle component disclosed herein may be incorporated with various applications of different structural components. The vehicle component may be designed to support and sustain different loading conditions, such as for supporting certain horizontal spans or axial loading conditions. Also, the vehicle component may be designed to undergo various impact forces, such as for the illustrated rocker assemblies, pillar structures, and the like. The cross-sectional geometry, material type selections, and material thickness within the cross-sectional profile of the vehicle component may be configured for such a particular use and the desired loading and performance characteristics, such as the weight, load capacity of the beam, force deflection performance, and impact performance of the vehicle component.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of its forms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of two components (mechanical) directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature; may be achieved with the two components (mechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two components; and may be permanent in nature or may be removable or releasable in nature, unless otherwise stated.
Also for purposes of this disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements in the preceding descriptions. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional implementations that also incorporate the recited features. Furthermore, the terms “first,” “second,” and the like, as used herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to denote element from another.
Numbers, percentages, ratios, or other values stated herein are intended to include that value, and also other values that are “about” or “approximately” the stated value, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art encompassed by implementations of the present disclosure. A stated value should therefore be interpreted broadly enough to encompass values that are at least close enough to the stated value to perform a desired function or achieve a desired result. For example, the terms “approximately,” “about,” and “substantially” may refer to an amount that is within less than 15% of, within less than 5% of, within less than 1% of, and within less than 0.1% of a stated amount.
Further, it should be understood that any directions or reference frames in the preceding description are merely relative directions or movements. For example, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “inboard,” “outboard” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the orientation shown in
Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments may be carried out without departing from the principles of the present invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law. The disclosure has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings, and the disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
This application claims benefit and priority under 35 U.S.C § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/378,315, filed Oct. 4, 2022, the disclosure of which is considered part of this application and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63378315 | Oct 2022 | US |
