Floor Support
AssigneeNissan North America, Inc.
InventorsJason Lyman, Sami Dukovic, Caleb Yacks
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A floor support for a vehicle may include a panel configured to bear weight and to cover a portion of a floor structure of the vehicle. The panel may include an upper surface and a lower surface opposite the upper surface. The floor support may include a standoff disposed on the lower surface of the panel. The standoff may be configured to space a portion of the lower surface of the panel from the portion of the floor structure. The standoff may include legs extending away from the lower surface of the panel. The legs may be configured to bend to control movement of the panel relative to the portion of the floor structure in response to a force applied to the panel.
Claims20
A floor support for a vehicle, comprising:
- a panel configured to bear weight and to cover a portion of a floor structure of the vehicle, the panel including an upper surface and a lower surface opposite the upper surface;
- and
- a standoff disposed on the lower surface of the panel, the standoff configured to space a portion of the lower surface of the panel from the portion of the floor structure, the standoff comprising:
- legs extending away from the lower surface of the panel, wherein the legs are configured to bend to control movement of the panel relative to the portion of the floor structure in response to a force applied to the panel.
A trim panel configured to cover a portion of a vehicle body inside a passenger compartment of a vehicle, the trim panel comprising:
- an interior surface configured to face the passenger compartment of the vehicle;
- an exterior surface opposite the interior surface and configured to face the portion of the vehicle body;
- standoffs spaced along the exterior surface, each of the standoffs comprising:
- discrete supports extending from the exterior surface and configured to contact the portion of the vehicle body, wherein the discrete supports are configured to deform to resist movement of the trim panel relative to the portion of the vehicle body.
A vehicle, comprising:
- a portion of a vehicle body having a geometry;
- and
- a panel covering the portion of the vehicle body, wherein at least a portion of the panel has a panel geometry that substantially matches the geometry of the portion of the vehicle body;
- and
- standoffs spaced on a rear surface of the panel and defining a gap between the rear surface of the panel and the portion of the vehicle body, wherein the standoffs are configured to deform in response to a force applied to the panel to move the panel relative to the vehicle body while maintaining the gap defined by the one or more standoffs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.