U.S. patent application number 13/798234 was filed with the patent office on 2014-09-18 for side impact upper leg pusher.
This patent application is currently assigned to FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. Invention is credited to Zhibing Deng, Shahram Haghi, Tahmidur Rahman, Paul Schryer, Satyanarayana Raju Vemulapati.
Application Number | 20140265429 13/798234 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51419245 |
Filed Date | 2014-09-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140265429 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Deng; Zhibing ; et
al. |
September 18, 2014 |
SIDE IMPACT UPPER LEG PUSHER
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.
Inventors: |
Deng; Zhibing; (Northville,
MI) ; Haghi; Shahram; (Waterford, MI) ;
Rahman; Tahmidur; (Canton, MI) ; Vemulapati;
Satyanarayana Raju; (Westland, MI) ; Schryer;
Paul; (Farmington Hills, MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC |
Dearborn |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES,
LLC
Dearborn
MI
|
Family ID: |
51419245 |
Appl. No.: |
13/798234 |
Filed: |
March 13, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
296/146.7 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60J 5/0451 20130101;
B60J 5/0461 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
296/146.7 |
International
Class: |
B60J 5/04 20060101
B60J005/04 |
Claims
1. Motor vehicle structure comprising: a panel for positioning
outboard of a seat in a vertical orientation; a structural
component outboard of the panel; and a pusher between the
structural component and the panel and having a lower-stiffness
portion adjacent to a first panel location and a higher-stiffness
portion adjacent to a second panel location, the first location
disposed further inboard than the second location.
2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the first location is outboard
of an upper thigh position of the seat, and the second location is
forward of the first location.
3. The structure of claim 1 wherein it is a door and the structural
component is a side impact beam.
4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the panel comprises a storage
pocket adjacent a lower edge thereof, and the second panel location
forms a recessed surface above the storage pocket.
5. The structure of claim 1 wherein the panel comprises an arm
rest, and the first panel location is below the arm rest.
6. The structure of claim 1 further comprising: a second structural
component between the structural component and the panel and having
an opening formed therein, the pusher projecting through the
opening to position a reaction surface of the pusher adjacent to
the structural component.
7. The structure of claim 1 wherein the pusher comprises: a
reaction surface adjacent to the structural component; a first
flange contacting the panel at the first location; a first pusher
wall extending between the reaction surface and the first flange; a
second flange contacting the panel at the second location; and a
second pusher wall extending between the reaction surface and the
second flange, the second pusher wall being less stiff than the
first pusher wall.
8. The structure of claim 1 wherein the pusher is formed integrally
with a second panel, the second panel extending forward of a
forward-most edge of the panel.
9. Motor vehicle side structure comprising: a panel for positioning
adjacent to a seat with a rear section of the panel aligned with an
upper thigh position of the seat and a forward section of the panel
offset outboard relative to the rear section; a structural
component outboard of the panel; and a pusher between the
structural component and the panel and having a lower-stiffness
portion adjacent to the rear section and a higher-stiffness portion
adjacent to the forward section.
10. The motor vehicle side structure of claim 9 wherein it is a
door.
11. The motor vehicle side structure of claim 9 wherein the forward
section forms a recessed area above a storage pocket.
12. The motor vehicle side structure of claim 9 further comprising:
a second structural component between the structural component and
the panel and having an opening formed therein, the pusher
projecting through the opening to position a reaction surface of
the pusher adjacent to the structural component.
13. The motor vehicle side structure of claim 9 wherein the pusher
comprises: a reaction surface adjacent to the structural component;
a first flange in planar contact with an outboard surface of the
rear section; a first pusher wall extending between the outboard
surface and the first flange; a second flange in planar contact
with an outboard surface of the forward section; and a second
pusher wall extending between the outboard surface and the second
flange, the second pusher wall being less stiff than the first
pusher wall.
14. The motor vehicle side structure of claim 9 wherein the pusher
is mounted to the panel.
15. The motor vehicle side structure of claim 9 wherein the pusher
is formed contiguously/integrally with a second panel, the second
panel extending forward of the panel.
16. A motor vehicle door comprising: a panel adapted for
positioning outboard of a seat with a rear section of the panel
directly outboard of an upper thigh position of the seat, and a
forward section of the panel further outboard than the rear
section; and a pusher outboard of the panel and having a relatively
low stiffness adjacent to the rear section and a relatively high
stiffness adjacent to the forward section.
17. The door of claim 16 wherein the forward section forms a
recessed area above a storage pocket.
18. The door of claim 16 further comprising: a first structural
component outboard of the panel; and a second structural component
between the first structural component and the panel and having an
opening formed therein, the pusher projecting through the opening
to position a reaction surface of the pusher adjacent to the first
structural component.
19. The door of claim 18 wherein the pusher comprises: a reaction
surface adjacent to the first structural component; a first flange
contacting an outboard surface of the rear section; a first pusher
wall extending between the reaction surface and the first flange; a
second flange contacting an outboard surface of the forward
section; and a second pusher wall extending between the reaction
surface and the second flange, the second pusher wall being less
stiff than the first pusher wall.
20. The door of claim 16 wherein the pusher is formed integrally
with a second panel, the second panel extending forward of the
panel.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to occupant protection systems
for motor vehicles, and more specifically to an upper leg pusher to
reduce injuries to the pelvis during a side impact.
BACKGROUND
[0002] It is known to employ a pelvis-pusher installed in a door or
body side panel immediately outboard of a seat to reduce injury to
a seated occupant during a side impact event. Pelvis-pushers have
typically taken the form of a relatively stiff, unyielding block
installed in the door or side panel to fill what would otherwise be
empty "crush space" so as to contact the outboard side of the
occupant's pelvis earlier during a side impact event. This contact
loads the pelvis and pushes the occupant inwardly or inboard
relative to the vehicle as a whole.
[0003] To optimize injury protection, the pelvis-pusher should have
a stiffness that is compatible with the occupant pelvis. Since
protection must be provided for occupants of a wide range of sizes
and weights, this has been addressed by assuming the occupant is a
50.sup.th percentile adult (based on size/weight). For an occupant
of smaller/lighter stature, however, a pelvis-pusher designed for
the 50.sup.th percentile adult may be too stiff for optimum injury
prevention.
[0004] To provide optimum protection for a 5.sup.th percentile
occupant generally requires a softer (less stiff) pelvis-pusher to
reduce the likelihood of damaging the pelvis. When such a
less-stiff pusher is used, the shock-absorption distance must be
increased to achieve sufficient movement of the occupant's lower
torso away from the impact zone, with a corresponding decrease in
the width available in the seating area.
SUMMARY
[0005] In a first disclosed embodiment, structure for a
passenger-carrying vehicle comprises a panel positioned outboard of
a seat in a substantially vertical orientation, a structural
component outboard of the panel, and a pusher between the
structural component and the panel. The pusher has a
lower-stiffness portion adjacent to a first panel location and a
higher-stiffness portion adjacent to a second panel location. The
first location of the panel is disposed further inboard than the
second location of the panel. This places the lower-stiffness
portion of the pusher more inboard, closer to an occupant of the
seat, and the higher-stiffness portion more outboard, farther from
the occupant. When the structural component is urged inboard during
a side impact event, the higher-stiffness portion begins to urge
the second panel location inboard before (earlier in the event
than) the lower stiffness portion begins to urge the first panel
location inboard.
[0006] In a further disclosed embodiment, the first panel location
is outboard of an upper thigh position of the seat, and the second
panel location is forward of the first location. This places the
pusher alongside an upper thigh of the occupant, so that during a
side impact it begins to push against the upper thigh relatively
early in the event.
[0007] In a further disclosed embodiment, the panel comprises a
storage pocket adjacent a lower edge thereof and an armrest, and
the second panel location forms a recessed surface above the
storage pocket and the first panel location is below the arm
rest.
[0008] In a further disclosed embodiment, a motor vehicle side
structure comprises a panel for positioning adjacent to a seat with
a rear section of the panel aligned with an upper thigh position of
the seat and a forward section of the panel offset outboard
relative to the rear section, a structural component outboard of
the panel, and a pusher between the structural component and the
panel and having a lower-stiffness portion adjacent to the rear
section and a higher-stiffness portion adjacent to the forward
section.
[0009] In a further disclosed embodiment, the pusher comprises a
reaction surface adjacent to the structural component, a first
flange in planar contact with an outboard surface of the rear
section, a first pusher wall extending between the outboard surface
and the first flange, a second flange in planar contact with an
outboard surface of the forward section, and a second pusher wall
extending between the outboard surface and the second flange, the
second pusher wall being less stiff than the first pusher wall.
[0010] In a further disclosed embodiment, a door for a motor
vehicle comprises a panel adapted for positioning outboard of a
seat with a rear section of the panel directly outboard of an upper
thigh position of the seat and a forward section of the panel
further outboard than the rear section, and a pusher outboard of
the panel and having a relatively low stiffness adjacent to the
rear section and a relatively high stiffness adjacent to the
forward section.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a partial view of a motor vehicle side body panel
having an upper thigh pusher.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a view of the outboard surface of a door trim
panel showing the upper thigh pusher;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a side body panel and thigh
pusher showing alignment with a small occupant.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of
FIG. 1 in a pre-impact condition;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a view showing the structure of FIG. 4 in a
post-impact condition;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a thigh pusher;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing a second
embodiment of a thigh pusher.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention
are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the
disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that
may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are
not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or
minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore,
specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not
to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis
for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present
invention.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 1, a portion of motor vehicle body side
structure 12 is oriented vertically and immediately outboard of an
occupant seat 14 (shown in phantom lines). Throughout this
disclosure, the terms "inboard" and "outboard" are with reference
to a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle. The terms "vertical"
and "vertically" as used herein (including in the claims) is meant
to describe an orientation that forms a lateral surface of the
vehicle, and therefore is not limited to a precisely vertical
orientation. Motor vehicle body side structure 12 is illustrated as
a door having an armrest 12a at an appropriate height relative to
seat 14 and a storage pocket 12b at the forward lower portion. The
structure may, however, be any type of fixed or movable body side
structure located outboard of a seat or seating position.
[0020] Body side structure 12 comprises an interior panel 18
immediately adjacent to seat 14. Interior panel 18 is that portion
of body side structure forming the surface visible to a vehicle
occupant, and is sometimes referred to as a trim panel. It may
comprise any number of separate components, but for simplicity will
be described as a single component. An upper leg pusher 16 is
located within body side structure 12 immediately outboard of
interior panel 18, as best seen in FIG. 2. Upper leg pusher 16 may
be attached to the back (outboard) surface of panel 18 by any
appropriate type of fastening means, such as push-in fasteners
19.
[0021] As best seen in FIG. 3, upper leg pusher 16 is located in
horizontal and longitudinal alignment with an upper thigh area of a
seat occupant 20. This upper thigh area is located somewhat forward
of the H-point of the seating position. A pelvis-pusher block 21 of
the general type known in the prior art may be located in body side
structure 12 in alignment with the H-point, so as to function in
the well-known manner during a side impact event.
[0022] As best seen in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, body
side structure 12 further comprises at least one structural
component 22 behind (outboard of) and spaced from interior panel
18. FIG. 4 depicts structural component 22 as a thin, plate-like
element but it may be any load-bearing component within side
structure 12, such as a portion of a side impact beam. Side impact
beams may be of any cross-section necessary to provide adequate
strength and protection against intrusion during a side impact
event, while maintaining relatively light weight, as is well known
in the art.
[0023] Upper leg pusher 16 is disposed between interior panel 18
and structural component 22 and preferably completely fills any
existing lateral space between those components.
[0024] For purposes of description, interior panel 18 may be
divided into a first or rear portion 18a and a second or forward
portion 18b. Rear portion 18a is positioned relatively far inboard
and therefore closer to seat 14, while forward portion 18b is
positioned relatively farther outboard and therefore farther from
the seat. In the embodiment depicted, forward portion 18b forms a
recessed area above storage pocket 12b (see FIG. 1), and rear
portion 18a is immediately below arm rest 12a.
[0025] Referring again to FIG. 4, upper leg pusher 16 generally
comprises a reaction surface 26 located adjacent to the surface of
structural component 22 and first and second pusher walls 28, 30
respectively. First pusher wall 28 extends inboard from a rear
portion of reaction surface 26 such that an inboard end 28a is
adjacent to a relatively inboard location of first panel portion
18a. Second pusher wall 30 extends inboard from a forward portion
of reaction surface 26 such that an inboard end 30a is adjacent to
a location on panel portion 18b. The location of second pusher wall
inboard end 30a is farther outboard than the location of first
pusher wall inboard end 28a. Inboard ends 28a, 30a of the pusher
walls may be flat, flange-like surfaces to provide a desired area
of contact surface with interior panel 18.
[0026] In the FIG. 4 embodiment, side body panel 12 further
comprises at least one second structural component 34a, 34b
disposed inboard of structural component 22. An opening, gap, or
window 36 may exist such that upper leg pusher 16 projects through
the opening. Second structural component 34 may constitute, for
example, an inner sheet-metal panel and/or one or more window guide
rails.
[0027] FIG. 5 depicts the condition of upper leg pusher 16 and
panel 18 during or after a side impact event involving intrusion
into the structure of side body panel 12. Such intrusion results in
an inboard-directed force (indicated by arrow A) being applied to
structural component 22. Force A urges structural component 22
against reaction surface 26 and they are both forced inboard. Rear
pusher wall 28 is purposely engineered to be less stiff than
forward pusher wall 30 so that the rear pusher wall yields more
than the forward pusher wall. Forward pusher wall 30 therefore
maintains a larger portion of its pre-impact length than does rear
pusher wall 28, and therefore the location 30a is forced inboard a
greater distance than the location 28a where rear pusher wall 28
contacts the panel 18. The more forward location 30a is therefore
forced inboard relatively early in the side impact event. In
comparison, the less-stiff rear pusher wall 28 yields or deforms so
that the location 28a at which it contacts panel section 18a is not
urged inboard as far as the location 30a.
[0028] An upper leg pusher may be of any shape necessary to meet
packaging requirements inside of body side panel 12. In the FIG. 6
embodiment, for example, pusher 16 further comprises an upper
pusher wall 38, a lower pusher wall 40, and a peripheral flange 42
with holes 46 located as necessary to secure the pusher to interior
panel 18.
[0029] Upper leg pusher 16 may further comprise a secondary
reaction surface 32 offset from longitudinally and/or vertically
from reaction surface 26 so as to be positioned between panel 18
and second structural component 34.
[0030] Slots 44 may be formed at locations in the pusher walls to
create the desired variation in stiffness between rear pusher wall
28 and forward pusher wall 30. Slots 44 are formed on or adjacent
to rear pusher wall 28 and thereby reduce the stiffness in that
area of the pusher 16. Any appropriate known method (or combination
of methods) for creating variations in stiffness over the vertical
and/or longitudinal dimensions of pusher 16 may be employed. Such
methods may include variations in material thickness and/or
properties, stiffening ribs, holes, etc.
[0031] FIG. 7 illustrates a second embodiment of a body side panel
112 in which pusher 116 is formed integrally with a second interior
panel 119. A first interior panel 118 has a forward-most edge 118A
that overlaps with second interior panel 119 as shown. This second
embodiment may have advantages in terms of manufacturability and
ease of assembly of the overall side panel structure.
[0032] FIG. 7 illustrates a second embodiment of a body side panel
112 in which pusher 116 is formed integrally with a second interior
panel 119. A first interior panel 118 has a forward edge 118A that
overlaps with second interior panel 119 as shown. This second
embodiment may have advantages in terms of manufacturability and
ease of assembly of the overall side panel structure.
[0033] While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not
intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the
invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of
description rather than limitation, and it is understood that
various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various
implementing embodiments may be combined to form further
embodiments of the invention.
* * * * *