Vehicle pillar structure

• US 10,457,331 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Komoriya, Kazuki, Sakabe, Motoya, Ikeda, Koki, Matsuo, Yasuhide
• Primary Examiner(s): Romain, Pinel E
• Application Number:
  US15/883,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20180273103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 29619306, 296191
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 1/10 fixedly mounted B60J1/085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/04 Door pillars ; windshield pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 27/04 resilient
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 29/005 preformed metal and synthetic material elements being joined together, e.g. by adhesives

Abstract

A vehicle pillar structure, including: a first pillar; a second pillar that is disposed a predetermined distance away from the first pillar substantially in a vehicle front-rear direction, with an upper end portion of the second pillar being coupled to an upper end portion of the first pillar and with a lower end portion of the second pillar being coupled to a lower end portion of the first pillar; a transparent member that spans between the first pillar and the second pillar to thereby cover an opening formed by the first pillar and the second pillar, and through which an area exterior to the vehicle can be seen; and a reinforcement member that couples a vehicle upper portion side of the first pillar to a vehicle upper portion side of the second pillar substantially in the vehicle front-rear direction.

Claims

1. A vehicle pillar structure, comprising:

a first pillar that configures a first part of a vehicle pillar and extends substantially along a vehicle vertical direction;

a second pillar that configures a second part of the vehicle pillar, is disposed a predetermined distance away from the first pillar substantially in a vehicle front-rear direction, and extends substantially along the vehicle vertical direction, with an upper end portion of the second pillar being coupled to an upper end portion of the first pillar and with a lower end portion of the second pillar being coupled to a lower end portion of the first pillar;

a transparent member that spans between the first pillar and the second pillar to thereby cover an opening formed by the first pillar and the second pillar, and through which an area exterior to the vehicle can be seen; and

a reinforcement member that couples a vehicle upper portion side of the first pillar to a vehicle upper portion side of the second pillar substantially in the vehicle front-rear direction.

2. The vehicle pillar structure according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement member is formed as a beam.

3. The vehicle pillar structure according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement member is formed as a plate, and end portions of the reinforcement member that abutthe first pillar and the second pillar are bent in the same direction.

4. The vehicle pillar structure according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement member is formed as a flexible wire.

5. The vehicle pillar structure according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the reinforcement member is transparent.

6. The vehicle pillar structure according to claim 5, further comprising a front pillar inner glass, wherein the reinforcement member is formed integrally with the front pillar inner glass.

7. The vehicle pillar structure according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement member is formed as a beam having a longitudinal direction that coincides substantially with the vehicle front-rear direction.