Pillar apparatus for use with vehicles
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorJustin E. DOMINIC
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Pillar apparatus for use with vehicles are disclosed. A disclosed vehicle includes a roof and a roof side rail including an inner panel that extends along a side of the roof. The vehicle also includes a pillar having an outer panel that extends along the side of the roof and is coupled between the roof and the inner panel. The pillar includes a structural feature positioned on the outer panel. The structural feature is configured to cause the outer panel to form a bend that distributes a first load onto an area of the inner panel to prevent the inner panel from tearing during a first vehicle impact event in which the first load is imparted on the outer panel.
Claims19
A vehicle, comprising:
- a roof
- a roof side rail including an inner panel that extends along a side of the roof and
- a pillar including an outer panel that extends along the side of the roof and is coupled between the roof and the inner panel, the pillar including a structural feature positioned on the outer panel, the structural feature configured to cause the outer panel to form a bend that distributes a first load onto an area of the inner panel to prevent the inner panel from tearing during a first vehicle impact event in which the first load is imparted on the outer panel.
A pillar for a vehicle, comprising:
- a first segment partially forming a roof side rail of the vehicle that is configured to provide support to a vehicle roof, the first segment configured to bend when a first load is applied to the first segment during a first vehicle impact event;
- a second segment connected to the first segment and extending away from the first segment along a window of the vehicle;
- and
- a structural feature positioned in the first segment, the structural feature configured to collapse while the first segment is bending to increase a bend radius associated with the first segment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.