VEHICLE BODY SIDE PORTION STRUCTURE

• US 20140232138A1
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kanaguichi, Yutaka, Suzuki, Youichirou
• Granted Patent: US 9,308,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/187.12
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/157 for side impacts
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/04 Door pillars ; windshield pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/2036 the subunits being side panels, sills or pillars B62D21/157 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 27/023 Assembly of structural joints
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 29/005 preformed metal and synthetic material elements being joined together, e.g. by adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/02 Joining sub-units or components to, or positioning sub-units or components with respect to, body shell or other sub-units or components

Abstract

In a vehicle body side portion structure, a center pillar includes an upper pillar section joined to a roof side rail and a lower pillar section joined to a side sill, the upper pillar section including a metallic pipe having a high-strength steel plate, has a substantially constant cross-sectional shape, and is convexly curved outwardly in a vehicle width direction, the lower pillar section is formed by two pressed components including a steel plate having lower strength than the steel plate of the hollow metallic pipe of the upper pillar section and are joined to each other into a closed cross-sectional shape, and the upper pillar section is joined to the two pressed components such that the lower edge part of the upper pillar section is inserted within a section configured by the two pressed components of the lower pillar section and having the closed cross-sectional shape.

Claims

1. A vehicle body side portion structure in which a roof side rail provided at a side portion of a roof and a side sill provided at a side portion of a floor are connected by a center pillar, wherein:

the center pillar includes an upper pillar section having an upper end joined to the roof side rail and a lower pillar section having a lower end joined to the side sill;

the upper pillar section is formed by a hollow metallic pipe which is constituted by a high-strength steel plate, has a substantially constant cross-sectional shape, and is convexly curved outwardly in a vehicle width direction;

the lower pillar section is formed by two pressed components which are constituted by a steel plate having lower strength than the steel plate of the hollow metallic pipe of the upper pillar section and are joined to each other in the vehicle width direction into a closed cross-sectional shape; and

a circumference of a lower edge part of the upper pillar section is joined to the two pressed components in a state where the lower edge part of the upper pillar section is inserted within a section configured by the two pressed components of the lower pillar section and having the closed cross-sectional shape.

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

an upper end part of the upper pillar section is joined to surfaces of the inside and outside in the vehicle width direction of the roof side rail via a joint member which is formed by two pressed components constituted by a steel plate and connected to each other in the vehicle width direction into a closed cross-sectional shape;

each of the joint member and the lower pillar section is provided with a joint flange that joins the pressed components together;

the center pillar further includes an outer panel which faces outward of the vehicle; and

an upper part of the outer panel is joined to the joint flange of the joint member, and a lower part of the outer panel is joined to the joint flange of the lower pillar section.

3. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 1, wherein a groove along an extending direction of the hollow metallic pipe is continuously formed on at least any one of the outer side and the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the hollow metallic pipe.

4. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 1, wherein the hollow metallic pipe is a hollow metallic pipe which is formed by forming a linear metallic pipe using roll forming, pultrusion, extrusion, or UO forming, and then bending the linear metallic pipe using hot three-dimensional bending.

5. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 1, wherein the hollow metallic pipe is a hollow metallic pipe which is formed by forming a linear metallic pipe using roll forming, pultrusion, extrusion, or UO forming, then forming the linear metallic pipe into a curved shape using cold three-dimensional bending, and then performing quenching by heating in an atmosphere furnace followed by rapid cooling.

6. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 1, wherein the hollow metallic pipe is a hollow metallic pipe which is formed by forming a linear metallic pipe using roll forming, pultrusion, extrusion, or UO forming, then performing heating after performing cold preliminary bending or without performing cold preliminary bending, and immediately after heating, performing quenching while performing profile forming using a metal mold.

7. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 1, wherein an attachment bracket of a door support component is connected to the hollow metallic pipe.

8. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 1, wherein the pressed component of inside in the vehicle width direction of the lower pillar section is provided with an opening so as to store a retractor of a seat belt.

9. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 1, wherein:

the center pillar includes an outer panel which faces outward of the vehicle; and

the outer panel is connected to a surface of the outside in the vehicle width direction of the hollow metallic pipe.

10. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 2, wherein a groove along an extending direction of the hollow metallic pipe is continuously formed on at least any one of the outer side and the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the hollow metallic pipe.

11. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 2, wherein the hollow metallic pipe is a hollow metallic pipe which is formed by forming a linear metallic pipe using roll forming, pultrusion, extrusion, or UO forming, and then bending the linear metallic pipe using hot three-dimensional bending.

12. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 2, wherein the hollow metallic pipe is a hollow metallic pipe which is formed by forming a linear metallic pipe using roll forming, pultrusion, extrusion, or UO forming, then forming the linear metallic pipe into a curved shape using cold three-dimensional bending, and then performing quenching by heating in an atmosphere furnace followed by rapid cooling.

13. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 2, wherein the hollow metallic pipe is a hollow metallic pipe which is formed by forming a linear metallic pipe using roll forming, pultrusion, extrusion, or UO forming, then performing heating after performing cold preliminary bending or without performing cold preliminary bending, and immediately after heating, performing quenching while performing profile forming using a metal mold.

14. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 2, wherein an attachment bracket of a door support component is connected to the hollow metallic pipe.

15. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 2, wherein the pressed component of inside in the vehicle width direction of the lower pillar section is provided with an opening so as to store a retractor of a seat belt.

16. The vehicle body side portion structure according to claim 2, wherein:

the center pillar includes an outer panel which faces outward of the vehicle; and

the outer panel is connected to a surface of the outside in the vehicle width direction of the hollow metallic pipe.