Patent Publication Number: US-2006001294-A1

Title: Rocker assembly for vehicles

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims the benefit of copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/584,877, filed Jul. 1, 2004. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
      The present invention relates generally to vehicles and, more particularly, to a rocker assembly for a vehicle.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      It is known to provide a vehicle such as a pick-up truck with a vehicle body having a door opening. It is also known to provide at least one door pivotally connected to the body to open and close the door opening. Typically, the door is pivotally mounted on a vertical pillar through hinges. The door has an inner panel and outer panel which are joined together to form a space therebetween.  
      It is also known to provide a rocker in the vehicle body of the vehicle to form a lower portion of the door opening. However, these rockers have encountered large column loads as a result of front offset barrier loads. To increase the strength of the rockers, additional reinforcements have to be added, thereby increasing mass and cost.  
      Therefore, it is desirable to provide a rocker assembly for a vehicle that has increased strength. It is also desirable to provide a rocker assembly for a vehicle that has a closed or continuous section. It is further desirable to provide a rocker assembly for a vehicle that has reduced cost and mass. Thus, there is a need in the art to provide a rocker assembly for a vehicle that meets these desires.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a new rocker assembly for a vehicle.  
      It is another object of the present invention to provide a rocker assembly for a vehicle that has increased strength.  
      To achieve the foregoing objects, the present invention is a rocker assembly for a vehicle. The rocker assembly includes a roll formed rocker inner panel adapted to be connected to a vehicle body of the vehicle. The rocker assembly also includes a roll formed rocker outer panel connected to the rocker inner panel to form a closed section.  
      One advantage of the present invention is that a new rocker assembly is provided for a vehicle. Another advantage of the present invention is that the rocker assembly is made using a roll forming process to produce a closed section. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the rocker assembly has increased strength per unit mass, enabling improvements in impact performance and strength related loading conditions with less material and added parts. Still another advantage of the present invention is that the rocker assembly has reduced cost and mass. A further advantage of the present invention is that rocker assembly improves noise and vibration performance of the vehicle body. Yet a further advantage of the present invention is that the rocker assembly has a continuous section that deals effectively with increased requirements driven by higher speed and raised barrier side impact loading conditions. Still a further advantage of the present invention is that the rocker assembly has a roll formed section, incorporating much higher strengths in a less costly fabrication process with less material scrap.  
      Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood, after reading the subsequent description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a vehicle incorporating a rocker assembly, according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a partial side elevational view of the vehicle of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Referring to the drawings and in particular  FIGS. 1 and 2 , one embodiment of a vehicle  10 , such as a motor vehicle, is shown incorporating a rocker assembly, generally indicated at  12  and according to the present invention. The vehicle  10  includes a vehicle body  14  having a forward end  16 , a rear end  18 , and a pair of sides  20  (one shown) spaced laterally and extending longitudinally between the forward end  16  and the rear end  18 . The vehicle body  14  also includes a roof  22  and a floor  24  ( FIG. 3 ) attached to the sides  20  to form an occupant compartment therein.  
      The vehicle body  14  also includes an aperture or door opening  26  formed through its side  20 . The vehicle body  14  includes a roof rail  28 , forming a top portion of the door opening  26 . The vehicle body  14  also includes the rocker assembly  12  forming a lower portion of the door opening  26 . It should be appreciated that vertical pillars form side portions of the door opening  26 . It should also be appreciated that the door opening  26  is a continuous aperture extending longitudinally between the vertical pillars and vertically between the roof rail  28  and the rocker assembly  12 .  
      The vehicle  10  also includes a side door, generally indicated at  30 , disposed in and closing the door opening  26 . The side door  30  faces rearward or toward the rear end  18  of the vehicle body  14  and may be attached at its forward end to the forward vertical pillar. It should be appreciated that the side door  30  is hinged with pivot hinges (not shown) to the forward vertical pillar to allow the side door  30  to swing outward and forward with respect to the forward end  16  of the vehicle  10 . It should also be appreciated that the vehicle  10  further includes a latch (not shown) or latch member (not shown) attached to a rear of the side door  30  for engagement and disengagement with a latch member (not shown) or latch (not shown) on the rear vertical pillar of the vehicle body  14 . It should further be appreciated that the pivot hinges, latch member, and latch are conventional and known in the art.  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , the side door  30  includes a door inner panel  32  and a door outer panel  34  joined to the door inner panel  32  and forming a space  36  therebetween. The door inner panel  32  and door outer panel  34  are joined together by a hem flange to form a bottom marginal lip or edge  38  at a lower end thereof. The side door  30  also includes a lower portion  39  that extends downwardly to overlap a portion of the rocker assembly  12 . It should be appreciated that the side door  30  is conventional and known in the art.  
      The rocker assembly  12 , according to the present invention, is a box section having a rocker inner panel  40  and a rocker outer panel  42  joined to the rocker inner panel  40  to form a space  44  therebetween. It should be appreciated that a portion of the rocker inner panel  40  overlaps and is secured to a portion of the floor  24  by a suitable mechanism such as welding.  
      The rocker inner panel  40  is roll formed, for example, as a hat member including two lateral sides  46  extending longitudinally and a web  48  therebetween extending vertically and longitudinally. The web  48  and sides  46  define a generally U-shaped cross-section. The rocker inner panel  40  also includes marginal flanges  50  extending vertically and longitudinally from the sides  46  and generally parallel to the web  48  to form a generally inverted “hat” shaped section or configuration. The rocker inner panel  40  is made of an ultra high strength material, for example, a metal material. The rocker inner panel  40  is formed by a roll forming process. The rocker inner panel  40  is a monolithic structure being integral, unitary, and one-piece. It should also be appreciated that the rocker inner  40 , could have added features protruding in or out of the section.  
      The rocker outer panel  42  is formed, for example, as a hat member including two lateral sides  52  extending longitudinally and a web  54  therebetween extending vertically and longitudinally. The web  54  and sides  52  define a generally U-shaped cross-section. The rocker outer panel  42  also includes marginal flanges  56  extending vertically and longitudinally from the sides  52  and generally parallel to the web  54  to form a generally inverted “hat” shaped section or configuration. The rocker outer panel  42  is made of an ultra high strength material, for example, a metal material. The rocker outer panel  42  is formed by a roll forming process. The rocker outer panel  42  is a monolithic structure being integral, unitary, and one-piece. It should be also appreciated that the rocker outer panel  42 , could have added features protruding in or out of the section.  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , the rocker outer panel  42  is disposed in abutting relationship with the rocker inner panel  40 . The rocker outer panel  42  is fixedly secured to the rocker inner panel  40 . More specifically, the flanges  56  of the rocker outer panel  42  are welded to the flanges  50  of the rocker inner panel  40  at predetermined points along the longitudinal expanse thereof. It should be appreciated that the flanges  50  and  56  may be bonded together.  
      The rocker assembly  12  further includes a body side outer panel  58  covering or closing the rocker outer panel  42 . In one embodiment, the body side outer panel  58  is formed, for example, as a hat member including two lateral sides  60  extending longitudinally and a web  62  therebetween extending vertically and longitudinally. The web  62  and sides  60  define a generally U-shaped cross-section. The body side outer panel  58  may also include marginal flanges  64  extending vertically and longitudinally from the sides  60  and generally parallel to the web  62  to form a generally inverted “hat” shaped section or configuration. The web  62  may include a rib portion  66  extending laterally inward and/or a rib portion  66  extending laterally outward. The body side outer panel  58  is generally made of a metal material. The body side outer panel  58  is a monolithic structure being integral, unitary, and one-piece. The flanges  64  of the body side outer panel  58  are disposed in abutting relationship with the flanges  56  of the rocker outer panel  42 . The body side outer panel  58  is secured to the rocker outer panel  42  by suitable means such as welding the flanges  64  of the body side outer panel  58  to the flanges  56  of the rocker outer panel  42  at predetermined points along the longitudinal expanse thereof. It should be appreciated that the flanges  64  and  56  could be bonded together. It should also be appreciated that the flanges  50 ,  56 , and  64  could have an orientation other than vertical such as angled or horizontal. It should also be appreciated that the body side outer panel  58  could be secured to the rocker outer panel  42  at locations other than the rocker outer flanges  56 .  
      Accordingly, the rocker assembly  12  provides the combination of a roll forming process and ultra high strength material to produce a closed section comprised of two roll formed hat shaped sections incorporated into the rocker section of the vehicle body  14 . The combination of the lower cost forming process and ultra high strength materials results in a rocker assembly  12 , which minimizes investment, maximizes strength per unit mass, and results in a lighter, lower cost, and significantly higher strength structural member. Because the rocker assembly  12  is roll formed, much higher strengths can be incorporated in a less costly fabrication process with less material scrap.  
      The present invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used, is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.  
      Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.