| Title of Invention | "VEHICLE BODY" |
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| Abstract | The invention relates to a vehicle body of a motor vehicle, comprising side members. Each side member exhibits pillars, to which a pillar covering is assigned. A roof side member (11) extends above the pillars of each side member. In the region of said roof side member there is a head airbag (18), which, when triggered in the region of the C pillar (18) [sic], impinges on the C pillar covering, assigned to the C pillar, and opens said C pillar covering along a desired opening line (21), formed by a material recess. According to the invention, the head airbag (18) is assigned a catch strap (22) where the one end of the catch strap (22) engages v^th the head airbag (18), and the opposite end of the catch strap engages with the C pillar (10). Moreover, the C pillar (10) or a component (17), adjacent to the C pillar (10), is assigned a guide element (23), which is intended for the head airbag (18) as well as the catch strap (22), and which, on triggering the head airbag (18), guides this head airbag as well as the catch strap (22). (Figure 2) |
| Full Text | Vehicle Body The invention relates to a vehicle body, as claimed in the preamble of claim 1. The DE 103 41 641 Al discloses a vehicle body of a motor vehicle, which exhibits side members with A pillars, B pillars, C pillars and D pillars. A roof side member extends above the pillars of each side member. Each pillar is assigned a pillar cladding. In the area of each roof side member there is a head airbag, which, when triggered, opens the pillar cladding along a desired opening line and/or bending line, which is formed by a material recess. The HP 1 216 891 Bl discloses an additional vehicle body of a motor vehicle, which comprises a deformation element in the region of a B pillar, in order to guide in a defined manner a head airbag, which extends in the region of a roof side member, when said head airbag is triggered and, in so doing, is unfolded. Therefore, the said disclosed deformation element, which is assigned to the B pillar, exhibits a ramp member with an inclined plane. In this case the inclined plane of the ramp member defines a direction for the head airbag, so that, when the head airbag is triggered and, thus, when it unfolds it can be guided into an optimal position relative to the head of an occupant. The solutions, known from the state of the art, already offer good guidance of a head airbag when it is triggered and/or unfolded in the region of the B pillar as well as the D pillar. However, to date there are no known solutions, which make possible a good guidance of the head airbag in the region of the C pillar. Against this background, the object of the present invention is to provide a novel vehicle body. This object is achieved by improving the aforementioned vehicle body with the features disclosed in the characterizing part of patent claim 1. According to the invention, the head airbag is assigned a catch strap. In this case the one end of the catch strap engages with the head airbag, and the opposite end of the catch strap engages with the C pillar. In this case the C pillar or a component, adjacent to the C pillar, is assigned a guide element, which is intended for the head airbag as well as the catch strap, and which, on triggering the head airbag, guides this head airbag as well as the catch strap. Within the scope of the present invention, when the head airbag is triggered and, in so doing, unfolded, the head airbag is guided in the region of the C pillar by way of a catch strap as well as by way of a guide element. The catch strap engages, on the one side, with the head airbag and, on the other side, with the C pillar and clamps the head airbag, when triggered, or rather, unfolded, in a predefined position. The guide element serves to guide the head airbag as well as the catch strap when the head airbag is triggered and, thus, unfolded, in order to prevent the head airbag from jamming or snagging when triggered, or rather, unfolded. Preferred further developments of the invention follow from the dependent claims and the following description. One embodiment of the invention is explained in detail below (without restricting the invention to this embodiment) with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a detail of an inventive vehicle body in the region of a C pillar together with a C pillar covering and an adjacent wheel house covering; Figure 2 is a detail from Figure 1 vetoed the C pillar covering and without an adjacent wheel house covering; Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the detail from Figures 1 and 2 along the cut line III-III; and Figure 4 is an additional cross sectional view of the detail from Figures 1 and 2 along the cut line FV-IV. The present invention that is described here relates to a vehicle body of a passenger -motor vehicle. This type of vehicle body usually comprises two side members, which exhibit a plurality of pillars and a roof side member, extending above the pillars. Figures 1 and 2 show a detail of an inventive vehicle body in the region of a C pillar 10 and a roof side member 11, extending above the C pillar 10. In Figure 1 the C pillar 10 is covered by a C pillar covering 12; and the roof side member 11 is covered by a molded headliner 13. Therefore, Figures 1 and 2 depict a detail, taken from the inventive vehicle body, as seen from the interior of the motor vehicle. The C pillar covering 12 exhibits a front covering section 14 and a rear covering section 15. In this case a so-called wheel house covering 16 extends below the front covering section 14 of the C pillar covering. Said wheel house covering, which is shown in Figure 2, is fastened to a wheel house covering holder 17. According to Figure 2, a head airbag 18 extends in the region of the roof side member 11 as well as in the region of the C pillar 10. The head airbag 18 may be triggered or ignited by a gas generator 19 and, thus, may unfold. On triggering and/or unfolding the head airbag 18, the head airbag 18 impinges on an inner surface 20 of the front covering section 14 of the C pillar covering 12 and opens the said covering along a desired opening line 21, formed by a material recess (see Figure 4). Within the scope of the present invention, described here, the head airbag 18 is assigned a catch strap 22. In this case the one end of the catch strap 22 engages with the head airbag 18; and the opposite end of the catch strap engages with the C pillar 10. That is, the catch strap is connected in an articulated manner with the corresponding ends to the head airbag 18 and/or the C pillar 10. When the head airbag 18 is triggered or rather unfolded, the head airbag is clamped in a precisely predefined position with the aid of the catch strap 22. Then the catch strap 22 is rotated clockwise by approximately 90 deg. in relation to the position (shown in Figure 2), in which the head airbag 18 is not triggered. In order to prevent the head airbag 18 and the catch strap 22 from snagging and/or jamming when triggering and, thus, unfolding the head airbag, the inventive vehicle body has additionally a guide element 23. In the illustrated embodiment the guide element 23 is assigned to the wheel house covering holder 17. The guide element 23 provides a sliding surface and/or ramp plane for the head airbag 18 as well as the catch strap 22 in the region of the C pillar 10, in order to prevent the head airbag from jamming or snagging in the region of the C pillar when the head airbag is triggered and, in so doing, unfolded. In the illustrated embodiment the guide element 23 is assigned to the wheel house covering holder 17, which is located adjacent to the C pillar 10. In contrast, it is also possible to assign the guide element directly to the C pillar 10 or to another component adjacent to the C pillar 10. List of Reference Numerals 10 C pillar 11 roof side member 12 C pillar covering 13 molded headliner 14 front covering section 15 rear covering section 16 wheel house covering 17 wheel house covering holder 18 head airbag 19 gas generator 20 inner surface 21 desired opening line 22 catch strap 23 guide element Patent Claims 1. Vehicle body of a motor vehicle, comprising side members, each side member exhibiting pillars, to which a pillar covering is assigned; a roof side member extending above the pillars of each side member; in the region of said roof side member a head airbag being assigned, which, when triggered in the region of the C pillar, impinges on the C pillar covering assigned to the C pillar, and opens said C pillar covering along a desired opening line, formed by a material recess, characterized in that the head airbag (18) is assigned a catch strap (22) where the one end of the catch strap (22) engages with the head airbag (18), and the opposite end of the catch strap engages with the C pillar (10); and that the C pillar (10) or a component (17), adjacent to the C pillar (10), is assigned a guide element (23), which is intended for the head airbed (18) as well as the catch strap (22), and which, on triggering the head airbag (18), guides this head airbag as well as the catch strap (22). 2. Vehicle body, as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the guide element (23) prevents the head airbag (18) from jamming or snagging when said head airbag is triggered. 3. Vehicle body, as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the guide element (23) is assigned to a wheel house covering holder (17). 4. Vehicle body, as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the guide element (23) is arranged behind a wheel house covering (16), which is assigned to the wheel house covering holder (17); the wheel house covering (16) being situated adjacent to the C pillar covering (12), which is to be opened on triggering the head airbag (18). 5. Vehicle body, as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the catch strap (22) clamps the head airbag (18) in a defined position when the head airbag is triggered. |
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| Patent Number | 279415 | ||||||||
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| Indian Patent Application Number | 629/CHE/2008 | ||||||||
| PG Journal Number | 04/2017 | ||||||||
| Publication Date | 27-Jan-2017 | ||||||||
| Grant Date | 20-Jan-2017 | ||||||||
| Date of Filing | 13-Mar-2008 | ||||||||
| Name of Patentee | DR. ING. H.C.F. PORSCHE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT | ||||||||
| Applicant Address | PORSCHEPLATZ 1,70435 STUTTGART | ||||||||
Inventors:
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| PCT International Classification Number | B 60 R 21/00 | ||||||||
| PCT International Application Number | N/A | ||||||||
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