US 5,685,599 AGranted

Structural member of vehicle body

AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.

InventorYuichi Kitagawa

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Abstract

In the structure of a vehicle, torque boxes are provided for coupling extension sideframes and sidesills on right and left sides in the front of the vehicle cabin. The rear end portions of the suspension member are coupled to rear coupling portions provided in the torque boxes, and coupling points for coupling thereat with the suspension member of the rear coupling portions are provided outside in a widthwise direction of the vehicle relative to the center of a section of the extension sideframes, and inside in the car width direction than the center of a section of the sidesills. With this structure, a load to the rearward of the vehicle of the suspension member at the time of a front-end collision and a front-end offset collision of the vehicle can be efficiently dissipated and transmitted to the extension sideframe and the sidesill via the torque box, and any retreat of the suspension member can be suppressed with a light and simple structure.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A structural member of a vehicle body, for distributing an impact load experienced by the vehicle in a front-end collision, comprising:

right and left extension sideframes extending from an engine room, where an engine is installed, to the lower side of a cabin;
right and left sidesills extending outwardly of said extension sideframes rearwardly of the vehicle;
coupling members for coupling said extension sideframes and said sidesills on right and left sides of a front portion of said cabin;
and
a cross frame having two rear end portions, arranged laterally between said extension sideframes,
wherein said cross frame is arranged on a cabin side of said engine room so as to come into contact with said engine when a front-end of the vehicle collides and said engine retreats rearwardly of the vehicle body,
both rear end portions of said cross frame are coupled to correspondingly located frame coupling portions provided in at least one of said extension sideframes, sidesills, or coupling members, and
coupling points of said frame coupling portions for coupling thereat with said cross frame are laterally outwardly of the center of a section of said extension sideframes and laterally inwardly of the center of a section of said sidesills.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.