Patent ID: 8366183
Filing Date: 2013-02-05
Classification: B62D

Abstract:
1. A vehicle-body structure of a vehicle, comprising: a reinforcement of a center pillar of the vehicle having a U-shaped cross section with an open portion at one side thereof, the reinforcement including a pair of flanges at both ends thereof and a pair of flange-ridgeline portions which is formed at respective inside ends of the pair of flanges; and an inner panel of the center pillar joined to the pair of flanges of the reinforcement at both end portions thereof so as to cover the open portion of the reinforcement, the inner panel being arranged on an inward side, in a vehicle width direction, of the reinforcement, wherein the vehicle-body structure has a closed cross section which is formed by the reinforcement and the inner panel of the center pillar and extends in a vertical direction of the vehicle, the vehicle-body structure comprises at least two parts which are formed at an upper portion and a lower portion of the center pillar, the reinforcement and the inner panel of the center pillar of the vehicle-body structure are configured to have respective shapes in a plane which is perpendicular to the vertical direction of the vehicle such that, at said upper portion of the center pillar, the inner panel of the center pillar is configured to have a substantially even shape so that a distance between the pair of flange-ridgeline portions of the reinforcement is substantially equal to a length of the inner panel from an inside end of one of the both end portions to an inside end of the other of the both end portions, whereas, at said lower portion of the center pillar, the inner panel of the center pillar is configured to have an uneven shape so that a length of the inner panel from the inside end of one of the both end portions to the inside end of the other of the both end portions is longer than a distance between the pair of flange-ridgeline portions of the reinforcement, the reinforcement of the center pillar comprises a pair of vertical-wall portions which extends continuously from the pair of flanges via the pair of flange-ridgeline portions, at least one of the vertical-wall portions of the reinforcement includes a slant portion which has a specified slant angle such that the vertical-wall portion stands up gradually from one of the pair of flanges, and the reinforcement is configured such that the specified angle of the slant portion of the reinforcement at said lower portion of the center pillar is gentler than that of the reinforcement at said the upper portion of the center pillar.