Crossmember

• US 7,284,789 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2003
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Company KG (MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Company KG (MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH)
• Inventors: Wolf, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Kiran B.
• Application Number:
  US10/512,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20050253423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 296/208, 296/192, 296/193.02, 296/70, 180/90
• US Class Current: 296/208
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/145 having a crossbeam incorporated therein
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 29/001 characterised by combining metal and synthetic material
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 29/004 the metal being over-moulded by the synthetic material, e.g. in a mould

Abstract

The invention relates to a crossmember for a motor vehicle. Said crossmember (1) is composed of a base body (2) and a reinforcement (3) and has at least one wall (22) running transversally to the crossmember (1).

Claims

1. A crossmember for a motor vehicle, comprising

a basic body having an elongated shape adapted for installation across a forward portion of a motor vehicle passenger compartment, the basic body having a shell of bent sheet metal forming an internal volume and a longitudinal axis extending along the elongated shape;

a reinforcement member comprising a plurality of rib elements that are attached to the basic body within the internal volume along the longitudinal length of the basic body and at least one wall member positioned within the internal volume of the basic body and extending at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the crossmember basic body,

wherein the wall member is manufactured from a metal sheet, is connected to the basic body and comprises at least one connection for connecting the crossmember to a portion of the motor vehicle.

2. The crossmember as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one wall member is configured in such a way as to form a passage between the wall member and the basic body.

3. The crossmember as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rib elements are formed of sheet metal and comprise a three-dimensional pattern that forms a passage between the ribs and the basic body.

4. The crossmember as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pattern of the rib elements forms intersections at an angle of 45°

+/−

10°

with respect to the longitudinal direction of the crossmember.

5. The crossmember as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rib elements are V-shaped and are fixed to the basic body at the ends of their V-limbs and to each other at their central vertex regions.

6. The crossmember as claimed in claim 3, further comprising an air duct arranged between the basic body and the reinforcement member, the air duct passing through the passages formed between the at least one wall member and the basic body and through passage formed between the rib elements pattern and the basic body.

7. The crossmember as claimed in claim 6, wherein the airduct is made of a plastic material.

8. The crossmember as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reinforcement member further comprises additional elements selected from the group consisting of tension elements, compression elements and combinations thereof.

9. The crossmember as claimed in claim 1, wherein the basic body comprises substantially a U-shape in its cross-section transverse to the longitudinal axis.

10. The crossmember as claimed in claim 9, wherein the two longitudinal edges of the U-shape are bent outward forming an edge region extending longitudinally along each side of the U-shape.

11. The crossmember as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one wall member comprises a flanged wall portion that extends parallel to the two edge regions of the basic body, and the at least one wall member is secured to the basic body at the flanged wall portion.

12. The crossmember as claimed in claim 1, wherein the basic body comprises a channel-shaped depression for the insertion of an airduct.

13. The crossmember as claimed in claim 2, wherein the reinforcement member of the crossmember comprises at least two of said wall members positioned within the internal volume of the basic body and extending at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the crossmember, wherein the wall members are arranged parallel to one another.