Abstract:
To effectively absorb a side impact in a motor vehicle, a transverse modular unit is provided in the vehicle. This unit includes a beam element and profile parts arranged on ends of the beam element.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims the priority of German application 10 2005 051 948.2, filed Oct. 29, 2005, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.  
       BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates to a device for absorbing lateral forces upon a side impact of a motor vehicle having a transverse reinforcing modular unit arranged in a vehicle body in the transverse direction of the vehicle, in which the modular unit includes a transverse beam element and a supporting element connected at each end of the transverse beam element, and in which each supporting element is arranged in an area of a B pillar or a corresponding body area.  
         [0003]     European Patent EP 0 943 530 B1 describes a vehicle having a device for absorbing lateral forces in a side impact via a transverse reinforcing modular unit, which consists of a tubular construction having two upright reinforcing tubes on the outside laterally and a tubular reinforcing element running the width of the vehicle body. The upright reinforcing tubes are attached to nodular plates incorporated into the vehicle body.  
         [0004]     One object of the patent invention is to create a device in a motor vehicle for side impact protection and/or for absorbing lateral forces such that it will ensure optimum lateral force absorption and permit simple assembly, so that a targeted introduction of force into the vehicle body is made possible and optimum occupant protection is achievable.  
         [0005]     This object is achieved according to this invention way of a supporting element which includes a profile part protruding upward in a vertical plane from the transverse beam element, with the profile part including first horizontal fastening sections and second vertical fastening sections, attached via the first horizontal fastening sections on the beam element, and attachable to an interior connecting part held on the vehicle chassis via the second vertical fastening sections. Additional advantageous features are also claimed.  
         [0006]     A primary advantage achieved by the inventive device is that, in the event of a side impact and/or with forces acting laterally on a vehicle in the area of a B pillar or an area of the body behind a door cutout, the vehicle is additionally reinforced in this area, so that the occupants are protected in a crash or the like and this area of the body cannot be deformed inwardly to such an extent that the occupants are injured. According to this invention, this is achieved by having the supporting element be a profile part extending upward in a vertical plane from the beam element running transversely. The profile part is attached to the beam element via first adjusted fastening sections, and with second fastening sections, the profile part is attached to an interior connecting part secured inside on the vehicle body. According to this invention, the profile part is designed in the shape of a box and has two side walls connected via a connecting web. The walls are opposite one another at a distance, and the first fastening sections are arranged to run horizontally on each of the side walls and accommodate the beam element between them. Due to this design of the profile part, side impact forces can be transmitted optimally to the transverse beam element, which may be designed as a tube or as a sheet metal beam of any geometric shape.  
         [0007]     The profile part is fastened to the transverse beam element as well as to the vehicle body via relatively long fastening sections so that separation is prevented. According to this invention, the profile part has the second fastening sections on its side walls in a vertical plane, and the second fastening sections are designed as bent legs on the side walls and fixedly attached to the connecting part of the vehicle body extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.  
         [0008]     The profile part is attached to a wall of the beam part with its first fastening sections, and a lower border of the fastening sections is arranged at least in the area between a lower bordering plane and an upper bordering plane of the beam part arranged above that. In order for the profile part not to protrude downward toward the beam element, resulting in a deformation that might possibly have a negative effect on the transverse beam element, the profile part with its first horizontal fastening sections is attached to the end tube section at least in a central transverse plane of the tube or below that plane, so that the end edges of the profile part go beyond the transverse central plane of the tube and end before a lower tube transverse plane bordering the tube and/or the beam element toward the bottom. As a result, no area of the profile part extends beneath the beam element, thus ensuring that a lever arm is formed only upward via the profile part that extends upward, and the beam element is deformed accordingly, absorbing energy, ensuring a survival space up to a certain height of the lateral force.  
         [0009]     The beam element is a transverse tube. One end tube section on each side of the vehicle is attached to the profile part, and another connected transverse central tube section is attached to the end tube section via a sliding sleeve. The tube of the beam element may have a polygonal, round, ellipsoidal, or similar cross-sectional shape. The beam element may also be integrated as a beam into the undercarriage of the vehicle body or attached as a welded or riveted beam.  
         [0010]     In order for the lateral forces to be absorbed optimally in a specified side impact situation, the profile part which is fixedly attached to the connecting part of the vehicle body is arranged above a vehicle side reinforcement and at a distance from a lateral outside wall of the vehicle body. The connecting part is attached at one end to a shaped sheet metal part forming a side reinforcement and at the other end to an inside wall of the vehicle body.  
         [0011]     For adaptation to a vehicle having a central tunnel, the central tube section has a trapezoidal area extending beyond a central tunnel of the vehicle body, and the connected tube sections, extending transversely, are situated at a lower level and run coaxially with the end tube sections. When a lateral force is to be absorbed, the transverse tube sections and/or beam element sections may be supported partially on the central tunnel over the trapezoidal area so that the transverse beam element with a profile part does not break through to the other side of the vehicle.  
         [0012]     An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and described in greater detail below. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic diagram of a device having a beam part and a profile part in the vehicle body (as seen partially from the outside toward the vehicle),  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  shows a vertical section through the device,  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  shows a schematic overall view of the device having a transverse beam element and profile parts on the end,  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  shows an enlarged diagram of one end of the device having a sliding sleeve,  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  shows a section through the profile part as seen along line V-V in  FIG. 6 ,  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  shows a front view of the profile part as seen in direction Z in  FIG. 5 ,  
         [0019]      FIG. 7  shows a top view of the profile part, and  
         [0020]      FIG. 8  shows a schematic diagram of the profile part attached to the beam element. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]     A device  1  for absorbing side impact forces in the direction of an arrow A in  FIG. 2  (the direction of force is represented symbolically) comprises essentially a beam element  4  running transversely in the vehicle body  2  of the vehicle  3  and a profile part  5  that is connected to the former and is attached at each end to the beam element  4 . The beam element  4  may be attached to the vehicle undercarriage and may have a shape adapted to the undercarriage, in particular over a central tunnel  6 , to which end the beam element  4  has a corresponding contour with a trapezoidal jump T corresponding thereto.  
         [0022]     The device  1  is designed so that a survival space for the occupants remains in the event of a side impact at a predetermined force. In other words, the device  1  is preferably arranged in the area of a B pillar and/or in a corresponding area of the vehicle which need not necessarily have a pronounced B pillar.  
         [0023]     The beam element  4  consists of a tube having a round cross section in the example illustrated here. Beam elements  4  consisting of tubes having a polygonal shape or other geometric cross sections, e.g., ellipsoidal or the like, are also conceivable. The beam element  4  may also be assembled from sheet metal parts that yield a sheet metal beam which may consist of an open or closed profile. Energy absorbing corrugated pipes and the like are also possible according to this invention.  
         [0024]     The profile part  5  of the device  1  consists of a so-called supporting element which protrudes only upward from a transverse beam element  4  in a vertical plane and ends with a free end  7  of the beam element  4 . By means of the first and second fastening sections  8  and  9  on the profile part  5 , a connection to the beam element  4  is established via the first fastening section  8 , and a connection to a connecting part  10  of the vehicle body  2  of the vehicle  1  is established via the second fastening section  9 ; this connecting part may be part of a B pillar and serves mainly to position the device  1  in the vehicle.  
         [0025]     The profile part  5  is designed to be approximately box-shaped and includes two side walls  11  and  12  arranged with a distance between them, connected to one another at the head end by a web  13 . The profile part  5  is designed to be triangular as seen from the side, with the web  13  designed to run obliquely and tapering toward the beam element  4 , as also shown in detail in  FIG. 8 .  
         [0026]     The side walls  11 ,  12  of the profile part  5  reach around the beam element  4  peripherally from the outside, as depicted in the exemplary embodiment shown here with a tube, and the side walls  11 ,  12  are attached to the tube  4  by means of first fastening sections  8  running in a horizontal plane Y-Y by welding or similar methods. The second fastening sections  9  are provided in a vertical plane X-X on an end face of the profile part  5 , this plane consisting of legs  14 ,  15  that lead away from the side walls  11 ,  12  and are fixedly attached to the connecting part  10  of the vehicle body  2 . The connecting part  10  is designed as a sheet metal part aligned in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and arranged at a distance from the outside side wall  16  of the vehicle  3  in the transverse direction of the vehicle.  
         [0027]     The side walls  11 ,  12  end with their lower edges  11   a ,  12   a  either in front of or in a lower bordering plane Z-Z of the beam element  4  and/or the tube or above it.  
         [0028]     The two fastening sections  8  and  9  are arranged approximately at right angles to one another so that there can be an optimum uptake of force in the event of a side impact.  FIG. 2  shows a barrier B with which a side impact with the vehicle  3  is simulated.  
         [0029]     In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the beam element  4 , which is designed as a tube, is subdivided for the purpose of assembly. Thus, the end tube sections  4   a  and  4   b  are attached to the profile part  5  on each side of the vehicle. A central tube section  4   c  of the device  1  is fixedly attached to each of the end tube sections  4   a ,  4   b  via a sliding sleeve S, which is pushed over the end tube sections  4   a ,  4   b  after assembly of a side part of the vehicle on the remaining vehicle body and then is welded in place.  
         [0030]     As shown in detail in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the device  1  is arranged with the profile part  5  and the beam element  4  above a side reinforcement  20  of the vehicle, whereby the connecting part  10  is held on the side reinforcement  20  and on an inside wall  21  of the vehicle body. The central tube section  4   c  extends beyond the central tunnel of the vehicle body  2  and is designed to be approximately trapezoidal in this area, and the connecting areas of the tube sections, in particular  4   a  and  4   b  as well as the areas of the central tube section  4   c  are situated at a lower level and are arranged so they run coaxially with the end tube sections  4   a  and  4   b.    
         [0031]     The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.