IP Library Granted Patent US 12,060,110
Granted Patent B2
US 12,060,110 · App. 17/597,695 · Granted Aug 13, 2024

Vehicle body structure

Inventors: Shota Tsubaki (Kobe, JP); Kenichi Watanabe (Kobe, JP); Kazuya Yasui (Kobe, JP); Sadao Miyazawa (Kobe, JP); Keisuke Nakato (Kobe, JP)
Assignee: KOBE STEEL, LTD.
B62D25/025B60K1/04B62D21/15B62D21/157B62D25/20B62D29/007B62D29/008
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,060,110
App. No.
17/597,695
Granted
Aug 13, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A vehicle body structure includes: a battery disposed at a vehicle body central lower portion, i.e., at a central lower portion of the vehicle body; a side sill of a hollow shape, the side sill disposed at an outer side of the battery in a vehicle width direction and extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction; a reinforcement member disposed inside the side sill, having a closed cross section of a polygonal shape, and having a continuous cylindrical structure where a plurality of the closed cross sections are continuous when viewed in the vehicle width direction; and a deformation control member attached to the reinforcement member and configured to control a deformation of the continuous cylindrical structure of the reinforcement member in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

Claims (41)

1. A vehicle body structure comprising:

a battery disposed at a central lower portion of a vehicle body;

a side sill of a hollow shape, the side sill disposed at an outer side of the battery in a vehicle width direction and extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction;

a reinforcement member disposed inside the side sill, having a closed cross section of a polygonal shape, and having a continuous tubular structure where a plurality of the closed cross sections are continuous when viewed in the vehicle width direction; and

a deformation control member attached to the reinforcement member and configured to control a deformation of the continuous tubular structure of the reinforcement member in the vehicle longitudinal direction; wherein

each of the plurality of closed cross sections has a pair of opposing sides extending in the vehicle width direction and has a height, and adjacent pairs of the closed cross sections share one of the opposing sides;

the continuous tubular structure consists of a single row of the closed cross sections having said height extending in the vehicle front-rear direction;

the deformation control member is attached to the reinforcement member at outside peripheral surfaces of each of the plurality of the closed cross sections; and

the deformation control member is separate from the side sill.

2. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 , wherein

the deformation control member is attached to an end portion of the reinforcement member in the vehicle width direction.

3. The vehicle body structure according to claim 2 , wherein

the end portion of the reinforcement member in the vehicle width direction corresponds to an outer end portion of the reinforcement member in the vehicle width direction.

4. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 , wherein

the reinforcement member is formed of two or more plate materials attached to each other, each of the two or more plate materials made of an aluminum alloy or a steel.

5. A vehicle body structure, comprising:

a battery disposed at a central lower portion of a vehicle body;

a side sill of a hollow shape, the side sill disposed at an outer side of the battery in a vehicle width direction and extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction;

a reinforcement member disposed inside the side sill, having a closed cross section of a polygonal shape, and having a continuous tubular structure where a plurality of the closed cross sections are continuous when viewed in the vehicle width direction; and

a deformation control member attached to the reinforcement member and configured to control a deformation of the continuous tubular structure of the reinforcement member in the vehicle longitudinal direction; wherein

the reinforcement member is formed of two or more plate materials attached to each other, each of the two or more plate materials made of an aluminum alloy or a steel,

the deformation control member is plate shaped and is bonded to the reinforcement member as the two or more plate materials in a state of being sandwiched between the two or more plate materials, and

when viewed in the vehicle width direction, the deformation control member has a wavy portion formed in a wave shape.

6. The vehicle body structure according to claim 5 , wherein

when viewed in the vehicle width direction, the deformation control member having the wavy portion may have a linear length increased to 1.2 times or more a linear length that the deformation control member of a straight line shape has.

7. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 , wherein

the reinforcement member or the deformation control member is bonded to the side sill at an outer end portion of the reinforcement member in the vehicle width direction or at an outer end portion of the deformation control member in the vehicle width direction.

8. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 , wherein

each of the plurality of closed cross sections is formed in a hexagonal or octogonal polygonal shape.

9. The vehicle body structure according to claim 2 , wherein

the reinforcement member is formed of two or more plate materials attached to each other, each of the two or more plate materials made of an aluminum alloy or a steel.

10. The vehicle body structure according to claim 3 , wherein

the reinforcement member is formed of two or more plate materials attached to each other, each of the two or more plate materials made of an aluminum alloy or a steel.

11. The vehicle body structure according to claim 2 , wherein

the reinforcement member or the deformation control member is bonded to the side sill at an outer end portion of the reinforcement member in the vehicle width direction or at an outer end portion of the deformation control member in the vehicle width direction.

12. The vehicle body structure according to claim 3 , wherein

the reinforcement member or the deformation control member is bonded to the side sill at an outer end portion of the reinforcement member in the vehicle width direction or at an outer end portion of the deformation control member in the vehicle width direction.

13. The vehicle body structure according to claim 5 , wherein

the deformation control member is attached to an end portion of the reinforcement member in the vehicle width direction.

14. The vehicle body structure according to claim 13 , wherein

the end portion of the reinforcement member in the vehicle width direction corresponds to an outer end portion of the reinforcement member in the vehicle width direction.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 18, 2022
From: TSUBAKI, SHOTA; WATANABE, KENICHI; YASUI, KAZUYA; MIYAZAWA, SADAO; NAKATO, KEISUKE
To: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (KOBE STEEL, LTD.)
Reel/Frame 058684/0471 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2019-141931 · Aug 1, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220258802A1 · Aug 18, 2022
Cited By (1)
US 12,509,156