Reinforcement Patents (Class 296/146.6)
  • Patent number: 9150084
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a rocker panel and a pillar reinforcement extending in a direction transverse to the rocker panel. The vehicle further includes a door having a bracket disposed over an intersection of the rocker panel and the pillar reinforcement when the door is in a closed position. The bracket is configured to reduce intrusion propagation of the door toward a passenger compartment and redirect an impact load laterally along the rocker panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Matthew B. Makowski, Zhibing Deng, Tahmidur Rahman, Moises Blancas Galicia
  • Patent number: 9039067
    Abstract: This disclosure relates an attachment structure of a door sash of the vehicle door. The vehicle door of this disclosure includes: a door sash; a bracket, which joins the door sash to an inner panel; and a patch, which is joined to the bracket and the door sash and which sandwiches the door sash in cooperation with the bracket, thereby reinforcing the bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: SHIROKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Otake, Takayasu Bito
  • Patent number: 9033396
    Abstract: A door opening preventing apparatus for a vehicle includes an outer door handle mounted on an outer surface of a door panel, a door opening lever mounted on an interior of the door panel to angularly rotate and interlocking with the outer door handle when the outer door handle is opened, and a latch cable connected to the door opening lever, wherein a separate balance weight is disposed at an upper end of the door opening lever to contact the door opening lever, and the door opening lever is pushed by the balance weight outward due to a forward inertial force during a side collision of a vehicle, and only the balance weight is angularly rotated inward by a reverse inertial force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Jin Woo Nam
  • Publication number: 20150123423
    Abstract: A load-transmitting member attached to an inner panel includes an inside load-transmitting member serving as a first load-transmitting member and an outside load-transmitting member serving as a second load-transmitting member. Engagement holes are provided to an attachment plate formed at the inside load-transmitting member and serving as a first attachment plate, and engagement pawls are provided to an attachment plate formed at the second load-transmitting member and serving as a second attachment plate. The inside load-transmitting member and the outside load-transmitting member are engaged together to form an integral unit by engaging the engagement structures with the engagement structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2013
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventors: Takahiro Hasegawa, Tatsuya Sekine, Atsushi Tamada
  • Patent number: 9016747
    Abstract: At least two reinforcing members are provided apart from each other in a vertical direction, a connecting member formed integrally with or separately from a door mirror reinforcement is provided, and the connecting member interconnects the two reinforcing members vertically at a position which is located in back of front ends of the two reinforcing members. Accordingly, the better visibility can be provided, the attachment rigidity can be increased, and the door strength can be properly improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Daishi Kuroki
  • Patent number: 9010839
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a side door for a vehicle can comprise: a structure comprising a plastic inner shell comprising a fiber strip, and a plastic outer shell comprising an outer shell support beam positioned across a width of the outer shell. The outer shell support beam can comprise a fiber strip with ?50 wt. % fibers oriented at an angle of less than or equal to ±45° to a main axis. In an embodiment, a method for making the side door for a vehicle can comprise: flow molding a fiber-reinforced polymer over a fiber strip to form a plastic inner shell; flow molding a fiber-reinforced polymer over a fiber strip deposited to form a plastic outer shell, wherein the outer shell comprises an outer shell support beam positioned across a width of the outer shell; and joining the inner shell and the outer shell together to form a composite structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Sabic Global Technologies B.V.
    Inventors: Warden Schijve, Harold van Aken
  • Patent number: 9010840
    Abstract: An exterior module of a motor vehicle has an exterior panelling for a modularly constructed housing component. The exterior module has a multilayer construction, which includes an inner surface layer and an outer surface layer with an exterior skin arranged thereon, which forms the exterior panelling. At least the inner surface layer is a thermoplastic FRP surface layer having stiffening elements on the side facing away from the outer surface layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Daimler AG
    Inventors: Wojciech Brymerski, Michael Fuetterer, Eckhard Reese
  • Patent number: 9004529
    Abstract: A vehicle side door structure has: a door outer panel; a door inner panel having a service hole; a door trim mounted to a vehicle transverse direction inner side of the inner panel; an inner pad provided, between the inner panel and the trim, spanning, in a vehicle longitudinal direction, over an outer peripheral edge of the hole as seen in a vehicle side view; and an outer pad between the outer and inner panels overlapping a vehicle transverse direction outer side of the inner pad as seen in a vehicle side view, and having a first region that, at a side collision, is pushed by the outer panel and passes through the hole and pushes the inner pad toward the trim side, and a second region that, at a side collision, separates from the first region and pushes the inner pad toward the trim side via the inner panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuyuki Torii
  • Publication number: 20150097390
    Abstract: An arrangement of a side door on a body of a motor vehicle is provided. The side door is held on the body in a closed position that closes a door opening corresponding to the side door with respect to the transverse direction of the vehicle with at least regional overlapping with a side sill of the body. The side door has a reinforcing element, with which the side door can be supported on the side sill in the event of an application of force, caused by an accident, acting on the side door from the outside in at least substantially in the transverse direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2012
    Publication date: April 9, 2015
    Applicant: Daimer AG
    Inventors: Gerald Dettling, Michael Eggersdorfer, Wolfgang Fassnacht, Holger Kerschagel
  • Patent number: 8998688
    Abstract: An exhauster baffle is provided that may be used to prohibit fluid flow through a cavity except when a pressure on one side of the exhauster baffle is greater than a pressure on another side of the exhauster baffle. The exhauster baffle includes a body portion defining an opening, a sealer disposed on the body portion, and a flap disposed over the opening for regulating fluid flow through the opening. In one embodiment, the flap exposes the opening of the body portion to allow fluid to flow through the cavity when the pressure on one side of the exhauster baffle greater than the pressure on another side of the baffle to equalize pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Sika Technology AG
    Inventors: Michael C. Niezur, Robert B. Davis
  • Patent number: 8991898
    Abstract: To provide an opening/closing body structure for a vehicle that can improve the fitting performance of an opening/closing body for a vehicle. A lock reinforcement is fixed to a lock mechanism mounting portion at a door inner panel. A pair of left and right hinge reinforcements are fixed to regions from left and right upper end portions to lower portions at vehicle transverse direction outer side end portions at an outer peripheral portion of the door inner panel. At wires, whose mounting portions at one end sides thereof are fixed to the lock reinforcement, mounting portions at other end sides are fixed to vertical direction intermediate portions of the hinge reinforcements, and the wires are tensed rectilinearly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Iwano
  • Patent number: 8973971
    Abstract: A door for selectively opening and closing at least a portion of an opening in a vehicle includes an outer door panel and an inner door panel. The inner panel is attached to the outer panel thus defining a space between the inner and outer panels. The door also includes a tubular reinforcement beam disposed in the space between the inner and outer door panels. The tubular reinforcement beam is attached to the door and has varying material thicknesses. A vehicle having a vehicle body that defines an opening and a subject door configured to selectively open and close at least a portion of the opening is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Fritz R. Henke, Carlos A. Lopes
  • Patent number: 8960768
    Abstract: A structure for a side portion of a vehicle, the structure having a bulkhead provided within a closed cross-section of a center pillar. The bulkhead is disposed so as to be superposed on the lapping section of a lower door beam in the width direction of the vehicle and has a movement restriction section capable of supporting the lapping section. When the lower door beam is moved by a load inputted in the lower door beam from a side of the vehicle, the movement restriction section supports the lapping section of the lower door beam to restrict the movement of the lapping section in the vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiichi Kato, Noritaka Kobayashi, Hideaki Kojima
  • Patent number: 8955900
    Abstract: A door for selectively opening and closing at least a portion of an opening in a vehicle includes an outer door panel and an inner door panel. The inner panel is attached to the outer panel thus defining a space between the inner and outer panels. The inner panel is characterized by height and length. A reinforcement beam having a length substantially equal to the length of the inner panel is attached to the inner panel such that the beam is disposed in the defined space. A reinforcement bracket having a height and a length is attached to the inner panel intermediate the first and second ends of the length of the inner panel such that the beam is disposed in the space between the inner and outer panels. The length of the bracket is smaller than the length of the reinforcement beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Shunmugam Baskar, Salman A. Khan, Stephen D. Rusnak
  • Patent number: 8943753
    Abstract: A vehicle door frame includes a door sash, a belt-line reinforcement member, and a bracket which connects the door sash and the belt-line reinforcement member to each other and is fixed to a door panel. The bracket is welded to the belt-line reinforcement member at a plurality of welding portions, each of the welding portions defining a welding line, where an extension of each of the welding lines are not aligned with one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Shiroki Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Okada, Jun Kimura
  • Publication number: 20150008697
    Abstract: In a vehicle door, a door panel is formed by joining an inner panel and an outer panel together, and the door panel is provided with a front door sash. The vehicle door includes a door front edge of the door panel, a sash front edge at a front end of the front door sash, and a step extending from the sash front edge to an upper end of the door front edge. In the step, an inner step portion of the inner panel and an outer step portion of the outer panel are joined together by hemming.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yohei Inai, Osamu Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20150001878
    Abstract: A structural door beam for vehicles, and a method for making the same, is provided. The structural door beam has an elongate multiple channel structure defined by a central web of given thickness and known material composition, and includes end mounting-flanges integrally formed therewith. The elongate multiple channel structure comprises two outer channels separated one from the other in a lateral direction, and a third channel disposed between the two outer channels. The third channel defines a trough within the medial region between the two outer channels. A first one of the two outer channels is drawn to a peak of known height and the trough is drawn to a known depth, such that the trough to peak distance exceeds a maximum distance that is achievable in a single cold forming operation for the given thickness and material composition of the web.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventor: FRANK RAKEI
  • Patent number: 8919859
    Abstract: A vehicle door includes an elongated upper door beam and an elongated lower door beam each fixed horizontally to an inner surface of a door outer panel. Respective ends of the door beams are fixed to the inner surface of the door outer panel by fixing members. A portion of the upper door beam at an intermediate position between the ends in a longitudinal direction is coupled to the inner surface of the door outer panel by a first coupling bracket and a second coupling bracket with a seal member (a mastic sealer) interposed between the coupling brackets and the inner surface. A harness for a window regulator and a wire harness for an outer handle are installed inside a door main body. The wire harness is mounted on the first coupling bracket and the second coupling bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryo Suesada, Kazutaka Imamura
  • Publication number: 20140375078
    Abstract: A vehicle side door structure is equipped with a door inner panel and a door outer panel. An impact beam is disposed between the door inner panel and the door outer panel. The impact beam is disposed in such a way that its lengthwise direction coincides with the vehicle front and rear direction. An impact beam extension is disposed on a front end portion of the impact beam. The impact beam extension is overlaid on a first opposing wall portion formed on a vehicle front and rear direction front end portion side of the door inner panel, is welded to the first opposing wall portion. Furthermore, the impact beam extension overlaps at least part of a through hole serving as an example of a weak portion formed in a second opposing wall portion of the door inner panel as seen from the outer side in the vehicle width direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akito Fujihara, Nobuyuki Torii
  • Patent number: 8910999
    Abstract: A vehicle door assembly comprises an inner panel integrally formed by upper and lower horizontal beams interconnected by front and rear upright beams, and an outer panel bonded to the inner panel. The frame portion comprises opposite front and rear U-shaped side frame members non-detachably attached to each other by upper and lower intermediate frame members so as to form a continuous perimeter. The side frame members are made of a first steel material and the intermediate frame members made of a second steel material, which is different from the first steel material. A method for manufacturing the inner panel comprises the steps: providing U-shaped sheets of the first steel material, providing top and bottom sheets of the second steel material, non-detachably connecting the U-shaped sheets to the top and bottom sheets so as to form a blank, and stamping the blank into the frame portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: ArcelorMittal Investigacion y Desarrollo, S.L.
    Inventors: Paul Schurter, Timothy Lim, Paul Dolan, Hamed Sharifi
  • Publication number: 20140361576
    Abstract: A motor-vehicle door comprises a structure including an inner panel (3), a carrier (5) fixed to the inner panel (3), for supporting a plurality of auxiliary members of the door, and a trimming panel (6, 7) which covers the carrier (5) and the inner panel (3) on the inner side of the door. The carrier (5) is made of fibre-reinforced synthetic material and it is rigidly connected to the inner panel (3) and it is configured to also serve as a structural reinforcement for said inner panel. The carrier (5) also has at least one portion (50, 52) exposed to view, not covered by said trimming panel (6, 7) and having a structure and a configuration such to directly serve the function of trimming panel at the exposed portions thereof. In a variant, the inner panel is constituted by a quadrangular framework constituted by one or more C-section elements defining an upper crosspiece, a lower crosspiece and two uprights which connect the ends of said crosspieces to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2012
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventors: Angelo Storgato, Giorgio Masoero, Andrea Caroli, Marco Biasiotto, Franco Tosco
  • Publication number: 20140361575
    Abstract: A support component for a motor vehicle, in particular for a motor vehicle door is provided. The support component defines a support plane and defines two opposed side faces for the arrangement of functional components of a motor vehicle window lifter, wherein the support component includes at least one reinforcing structure for reinforcing the support component, which on both side faces extends along the support plane and along a direction of extension, wherein the support component forms at least two surface segments which on both side faces are arranged in the direction of extension along the support plane. The reinforcing structure is formed such that on the one side face it extends in a manner protruding with respect to both surface segments transversely to the support plane and on the other side face extends in a manner set back with respect to a surface segment of the two surface segments and protruding with respect to the other surface segment of the two surface segments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventors: Horst Weber, Heike Wolf, Kai Müller, Eberhard Pleiss
  • Patent number: 8899658
    Abstract: A reinforcement assembly for a liftgate system includes vertical and horizontal portions. The horizontal portion includes a protuberant portion that includes a top wall configured to be affixed to an outer panel of the liftgate system, and to form a space with an inner panel of the liftgate system. The vertical portion is configured to be affixed to a vertical portion of an inner panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Maneesh Gangal, Rajinder P. Singh, Pinak Dave
  • Patent number: 8894128
    Abstract: An assembly consisting of an opening panel of a motor vehicle and at least two reinforcing elements. Each reinforcing element has an elongate shape and two ends, the panel comprising at least two connecting elements, each reinforcing element being connectable to the panel in such a way that each end of the reinforcing elements is at least partially superposed on one of the connecting elements, the reinforcing elements and connecting elements forming at least one continuous frame when the reinforcing elements and the panel are connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Compagnie Plastic Omnium
    Inventors: Denis Barral, Jerome Fillon
  • Patent number: 8876195
    Abstract: A shock absorber includes a first shock absorbing member formed of a foam, and a second shock absorbing member formed of a foam and having hardness greater than the first shock absorbing member. The first shock absorbing member and the second shock absorbing member are arranged in adjacent to each other and connected to each other such that a part of one of the first shock absorbing member and the second shock absorbing member is surrounded by another one of the first shock absorbing member and the second shock absorbing member, thereby the first shock absorbing member and the second shock absorbing member are connected integrally with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Fumitaka Hirose, Yoshiaki Maesoba, Isao Yamanaka
  • Publication number: 20140319869
    Abstract: A door for selectively opening and closing at least a portion of an opening in a vehicle includes an outer door panel and an inner door panel. The inner panel is attached to the outer panel thus defining a space between the inner and outer panels. The inner panel is characterized by height and length. A reinforcement beam having a length substantially equal to the length of the inner panel is attached to the inner panel such that the beam is disposed in the defined space. A reinforcement bracket having a height and a length is attached to the inner panel intermediate the first and second ends of the length of the inner panel such that the beam is disposed in the space between the inner and outer panels. The length of the bracket is smaller than the length of the reinforcement beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Shunmugam Baskar, Salman A. Khan, Stephen D. Rusnak
  • Patent number: 8870261
    Abstract: [Object] It is an object of the present invention to provide a crash reinforcing member for a vehicle capable of preventing reduction in flexural rigidity as much as possible even if deformation progresses when a load at the time of crash of the vehicle is input. [Solution] A crash reinforcing member for a vehicle (e.g., door impact beam) includes a long body 10. The body 10 has a hat-shaped opened cross-sectional shape by connecting, with one another, a pair of walls 11, a pair of curved corners 12, a center flange 13, and a pair of outer flanges 14. The body 10 is divided into three sections P1, P2 and P3. A width (C1) of the center flange in the section P1 is wider than a width (C2) of the center flange in the section P2. A cross-sectional area of the curved corner 12 in the section P1 is narrower than a cross-sectional area of the curved corner in the section P2. A cross-sectional height (H1) of the section P1 is higher than a cross-sectional height (H2) of the section P2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Aisin Takaoka Co,. Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshinori Ito
  • Patent number: 8870262
    Abstract: In the case of a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger motorcar, with a body in which at least one opening, such as a door opening, a trunk opening or the like is provided, which can be closed off by a pivotably articulated covering element, such as a door, a tail gate, a trunk lid or the like, which has an outer skin and a support structure and at least one function element arranged in between, which is connected to the outer skin, the function element is provided to stiffening structures and directly connected to the support structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Armin Seitz, Wolfgang Rasel, Klaus Brandscheid
  • Patent number: 8857891
    Abstract: A supporting structure of a door impact beam for a vehicle mounted on an inner panel of a door for the vehicle, may include a coupling part formed with a coupling groove to which the impact beam may be coupled, a supporting part bent downwardly from the coupling part and supporting the coupling part, and mounting parts provided along side portions of the coupling part and the supporting part and mounted on the inner panel of the door, wherein the coupling part, the supporting part, and the mounting part may be integrally formed, and the coupling part and the supporting part may be protruded from the inner panel of the door to form a reinforcing part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Dong Min Jeon
  • Patent number: 8851553
    Abstract: A structural door beam for vehicles, and a method for making the same, is provided. The structural door beam has an elongate multiple channel structure defined by a central web of given thickness and known material composition, and includes end mounting-flanges integrally formed therewith. The elongate multiple channel structure comprises two outer channels separated one from the other in a lateral direction, and a third channel disposed between the two outer channels. The third channel defines a trough within the medial region between the two outer channels. A first one of the two outer channels is drawn to a peak of known height and the trough is drawn to a known depth, such that the trough to peak distance exceeds a maximum distance that is achievable in a single cold forming operation for the given thickness and material composition of the web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Magna Automotive Services GmbH
    Inventor: Frank Rakei
  • Publication number: 20140284961
    Abstract: This disclosure relates an attachment structure of a door sash of the vehicle door. The vehicle door of this disclosure includes: a door sash; a bracket, which joins the door sash to an inner panel; and a patch, which is joined to the bracket and the door sash and which sandwiches the door sash in cooperation with the bracket, thereby reinforcing the bracket.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Applicant: SHIROKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Otake, Takayasu Bito
  • Patent number: 8827350
    Abstract: Side structure for a motor vehicle includes an upper leg pusher located immediately outboard of a panel adjacent to a seat and inboard of a structural member such as a side impact beam. The upper leg pusher has a lower-stiffness portion adjacent to the rear section of the panel and aligned with an upper thigh position of the seat, and a higher-stiffness portion adjacent to the forward section of the panel, which is offset outboard relative to the rear section. When the structural component is urged inboard during a side impact event, the higher-stiffness portion of the pusher begins to urge the forward panel section inboard before the lower stiffness portion begins to urge the rear panel section inboard. The rear panel section may be located below an arm rest of a door, and the forward panel section may be forms a recessed surface above a storage pocket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Zhibing Deng, Shahram Haghi, Tahmidur Rahman, Satyanarayana Raju Vemulapati, Paul Schryer
  • Publication number: 20140246879
    Abstract: An impact bar includes a U-shaped portion formed by a vertical face portion and upper-and-lower lateral face portions at its front end. The impact bar further includes upper-and-lower outer face portions. A pair of first joint portions which are formed so as to extend upward and downward from respective front ends of the upper-and-lower lateral face portions are joined to a lateral face portion of a door inner panel. A pair of second joint portions which are formed so as to extend forward from respective front ends of the upper-and-lower outer face portions are joined to a longitudinal face portion of the door inner panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuyoshi ISHIGAME, Yuichi SUGIMURA, Hirotaka TAKAYA, Kyohei YUKITA
  • Patent number: 8808478
    Abstract: The present invention is predicated upon methods and devices for positively mounting structural members while preventing or substantially limiting exposure of such members to environmental conditions possibly leading to corrosion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Zephyros, Inc.
    Inventors: Olaf Nitsche, David Sheasley, John Gillespie, Jeanne Bednarski
  • Publication number: 20140217773
    Abstract: [PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED] To provide a vehicle door, in which the arrangement of the reinforcing bracket is not limited, and the strength of the joined portion between the door frame and the door panel can be improved. The vehicle door has a portion of a door frame that forms a window opening inserted into the inside of a door panel. The door frame is provided with a stepped portion which separates a surface area on the frame forming portion side and a surface area on the insertion portion side from each other; the surface area on the insertion portion side that is continuous with the stepped portion is formed as an inner-panel facing surface facing the inner panel; the inner-panel facing surface is shifted in a direction away from the inner panel by the stepped portion; and the reinforcing bracket is made to overlap the shifted inner-panel facing surface therealong.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: SHIROKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Shimizu, Hiroaki Yamazaki, Shigenobu Ohsawa
  • Publication number: 20140217771
    Abstract: The frontal crash load is transmitted from a front pillar to a center pillar in a reliable manner so that a bending moment caused by the frontal crash load is favorably supported, and the deformation of the door is avoided. A beam member attached to an inner panel includes a S shaped cross section member. An upper channel section of the S shaped cross section member extends along the lower edge of a window opening, and a lower channel section extends adjacent to and in parallel to the lower edge of a window opening in a rear part of the door and is offset toward a lower part of the vehicle body in a rear part of the door, with a front end being located at a same elevation as an upper door hinge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shigeto Yasuhara, Shingo Segawa
  • Publication number: 20140210230
    Abstract: To provide an opening/closing body structure for a vehicle that can improve the fitting performance of an opening/closing body for a vehicle. A lock reinforcement is fixed to a lock mechanism mounting portion at a door inner panel. A pair of left and right hinge reinforcements are fixed to regions from left and right upper end portions to lower portions at vehicle transverse direction outer side end portions at an outer peripheral portion of the door inner panel. At wires, whose mounting portions at one end sides thereof are fixed to the lock reinforcement, mounting portions at other end sides are fixed to vertical direction intermediate portions of the hinge reinforcements, and the wires are tensed rectilinearly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Iwano
  • Patent number: 8789872
    Abstract: A safety beam (11) in a vehicle door comprises an attachment end with a plurality of grooves (22, 23, 24) forming through channels to the underlying structure. The grooves have a height of 1-6 mm and an inner width of 3-7 mm and flat surfaces (18-21) between the grooves and to the outside of the outermost grooves have a width of 15-30 mm. Each of the flat surfaces comprises only one spot weld (26-29) to the underlying structure (12). The safety beam is immersed in a bath of anti-corrosive paint after assembly and is thus protected against crevice corrosion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Gestamp Hardtech AB
    Inventor: Joakim Johansson
  • Publication number: 20140191535
    Abstract: A vehicle body side structure includes a house reinforcing member mounted on a front upper portion of an inner wheel house, the house reinforcing member having a front connecting portion connected to a flange of the inner wheel house, a panel portion extending from the front connecting portion in an inclined manner, and a rear connecting portion connected to a rear bulkhead. A rear end of a door beam is provided outwardly of a striker in a vehicle width direction, and the rear end of the door beam, the striker, and the front connecting portion are provided in an overlapping manner from outside to inside in the vehicle width direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2013
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroto Sugiyama, Yusuke Takayama, Shigeyuki Nagai, Shouji Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 8764099
    Abstract: A door frame for a vehicle includes a pillar portion, a main frame portion, an envelope portion provided at the main frame portion, serving as a framework of the main frame portion and opening to a vehicle outer side, a fixing portion, a bottom wall provided at the envelope portion and positioned at a vehicle inner side, an upper wall provided at the envelope portion and extending from an end portion of the bottom wall at a vehicle upper side towards the vehicle outer side, a lower wall provided at the envelope portion and extending from an end portion of the bottom wall at a vehicle lower side towards the vehicle outer side, and at least one reinforcement rib formed at the envelope portion, the reinforcement rib extending from the bottom wall towards the vehicle outer side and connecting the upper wall and the lower wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shunsuke Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8763308
    Abstract: A structural door module for a motor vehicle door, comprising of a carrier plate with a plurality of door hardware components mounted to the dryside and wetside surfaces of the carrier plate. The carrier plate includes a number of preformed components that allow door subsystems to be pre-mounted to the door module and tested prior to mounting the structural door module in the motor vehicle door body. An energy absorbing area is molded into the carrier plate. Additionally, a protruding arm rest support is designed to collapse during a side-impact collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Intier Automotive Closures Inc.
    Inventors: Pierre-Xavier Roy, Douglas G Broadhead, Ed Fortin, Traian Miu
  • Publication number: 20140152049
    Abstract: A door trim according to this invention includes a front trim and a rear trim. The front trim is to be arranged closer to a front side of a vehicle. The rear trim is to be arranged closer to a rear side of the vehicle. The door grip includes a first divided section included in the front trim and a second divided section included in the rear trim assembled together. With this configuration, the door grip can be formed using parts of the front trim and the rear trim while the front trim and the rear trim are provided for forming other part of the door trim. Therefore, the number of components can be reduced. In addition, dies and steps of forming the door grip are not required and thus the production efficiency is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2012
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshiya Tanizawa
  • Patent number: 8740290
    Abstract: A vehicle body side part structure having high strength against a load in a frontal collision and a load in a side collision. A side panel outer member (14) is provided with a front pillar lower section (31) which is formed from a high-tensile steel sheet, a front pillar upper section (37a) which is formed from a normal steel sheet, and a reinforcement member (38) which is disposed along the front pillar upper section. The upper end (31a) of the front pillar lower section (31) is joined to the inner surface of the lower end (37c) of the front pillar upper section. The front end (38a) of the reinforcement member (38) is joined to the inner surface of the upper end (31a) of the front pillar lower section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke Takayama, Hitoshi Mizohata, Takayuki Yamada, Kazunori Hida, Yasunori Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8733819
    Abstract: An energy-absorbing member is mounted within a vehicle door outboard of an interior panel adjacent to a seating position. The member is rotatable between a first position wherein a maximum-stiffness axis of the member is relatively more aligned with an impact vector of an occupant of the seating position during a crash, and a second position wherein the maximum-stiffness axis is relatively less aligned with the impact vector. A controller receives signals from safety-related systems and operates an actuator to move the member between the first and second positions. Selection between the first and second position may be made at the start of a driving cycle based upon signals from an occupant sensor, stored biometric data, and/or a command from the occupant. The selection may be updated after the start of the driving cycle based upon signals from an impact sensor, a vehicle dynamics sensor, and/or a pre-crash sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jialing Le, Manoharprasad K. Rao, Saeed David Barbat, Mangala A. Jayasuriya
  • Patent number: 8727421
    Abstract: A door beam assembly for a passenger vehicle comprises a roll formed longitudinally-swept tubular beam having a constant cross section defining a generally-orthogonal shape, with the outside wall having an integral channel rib formed into the wall to stiffen the wall. C-shaped mounting brackets are attached to beam ends, with opposing walls welded to and supporting walls of the beam, and with a transverse wall spaced from the adjacent wall of the beam. In one aspect, right and left door beam assemblies includes identical beams, front and rear mounting brackets attached to each end, and identical center brackets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Shape Corp.
    Inventors: Aimee N. Cohoon, Corey J. Hoff
  • Patent number: 8727420
    Abstract: The frontal crash load is transmitted from a front pillar to a center pillar in a reliable manner so that a bending moment caused by the frontal crash load is favorably supported, and the deformation of the door is avoided. A beam member attached to an inner panel includes a S shaped cross section member. An upper channel section of the S shaped cross section member extends along the lower edge of a window opening, and a lower channel section extends adjacent to and in parallel to the lower edge of a window opening in a rear part of the door and is offset toward a lower part of the vehicle body in a rear part of the door, with a front end being located at a same elevation as an upper door hinge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeto Yasuhara, Shingo Segawa
  • Publication number: 20140132029
    Abstract: At least two reinforcing members are provided apart from each other in a vertical direction, a connecting member formed integrally with or separately from a door mirror reinforcement is provided, and the connecting member interconnects the two reinforcing members vertically at a position which is located in back of front ends of the two reinforcing members. Accordingly, the better visibility can be provided, the attachment rigidity can be increased, and the door strength can be properly improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Daishi KUROKI
  • Publication number: 20140125087
    Abstract: In an aspect, the invention is directed to a door assembly for a vehicle, that includes an outer panel, an inner panel and a carrier/intrusion member assembly. The outer panel and the inner panel are connected together to form a door panel structure, and together define a door cavity. The carrier/intrusion member assembly includes a carrier and an intrusion member connected to the carrier and mounted to the door panel structure. The carrier/intrusion member assembly further includes a plurality of door hardware components mounted to at least one of the carrier and the intrusion member. The hardware components extend into the door cavity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: Magna Closures Inc.
    Inventors: Eric V. Kalliomaki, Raymond Edward Fortin, James J. Ferri
  • Publication number: 20140117705
    Abstract: A front side of the rear slide door 2 is held with the hook 27 being engaged with the striker 41 when a load from inside of a vehicle interior is applied to the rear slide door 2, upper and lower-side reinforcement members 5 and 6 that are joined to panel surfaces 21a to 21c at the front portion of the door inner panel 21 are provided along an upper-lower direction around the hook 27, a lower portion of the upper-side reinforcement member 5 and an upper portion of the lower-side reinforcement member 6 are joined together in an overlapped state, and a position in the upper-lower direction of a joined portion W where the reinforcement members 5 and 6 are overlap is arranged at a same height as the member portion 24 in front view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventor: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
  • Publication number: 20140117706
    Abstract: In an example, a vehicle door module has a carrier carrying a plurality of functional door hardware components. The carrier defines a wet side facing towards a door cavity and a dry side facing away from the door cavity. The door includes an inner door panel having a front pocket and a rear pocket. The carrier includes front and rear latch presenters and carries front and rear door latches on the dry side thereof which seat in the front and rear door pockets. The latches are connected to reinforcement plates which are connected by fasteners at positions surrounding the door pockets thus enabling each latch to be easily accessed for service by simply removing the corresponding reinforcement plate, which may be located under an easily removed interior trim panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2013
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: Magna Closures Inc.
    Inventor: Raymond Edward Fortin