Front-End Structure for a Vehicle

Abstract

Please substitute the new Abstract submitted herewith for the original Abstract:

A front-end structure for a vehicle has a wheelhouse, a rocker panel, a support carrier which is connected to the wheelhouse and the rocker panel and which extends at an angle, an A-pillar, a door flange and a connecting portion connecting the A-pillar to the door flange. The connecting portion extends, at least in portions, substantially parallel to the support carri er.

Claims

1-7. (canceled)

8. A front-end structure for a vehicle, comprising: a wheel housing; a sill; an oblique support member which is connected to the wheel housing and the sill; an A-pillar; a door flange; and a connecting portion connecting the A pillar to the door flange, wherein the connecting portion extends at least in portions substantially parallel to the support member.

9. The front-end structure according to claim 8, wherein the connecting portion has a length of at least 1 mm.

10. The front-end structure according to claim 8, further comprising: a lower door hinge mounted at the level of the support member in a vehicle longitudinal direction.

11. The front-end structure according to claim 10, wherein the lower door hinge is arranged below the connecting portion in a vehicle vertical direction.

12. The front-end structure according to claim 11, further comprising: an upper door hinge mounted at the same level as the lower door hinge in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

13. The front-end structure according to claim 10, further comprising: an upper door hinge mounted at the same level as the lower door hinge in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

14. The front-end structure according to claim 12, wherein the upper door hinge is arranged above the connecting portion in the vehicle vertical direction.

15. The front-end structure according to claim 13, wherein the upper door hinge is arranged above the connecting portion in the vehicle vertical direction.

16. The front-end structure according to claim 8, wherein above the connecting portion in a vehicle vertical direction, the A-pillar has an outward bulge towards the B-pillar in a vehicle longitudinal direction.

17. The front-end structure according to claim 14, wherein above the connecting portion in a vehicle vertical direction, the A-pillar has an outward bulge towards the B-pillar in a vehicle longitudinal direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0034] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a front-end structure according to the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a front-end structure 1 of a motor vehicle. A Cartesian coordinate system is also depicted, wherein the vehicle longitudinal direction is designated X, the vehicle transverse direction Y, and the vehicle vertical direction Z.

[0036] The front-end structure 1 has a wheel housing 2 and a sill 3, which both run parallel to the vehicle longitudinal direction X. A support member 4 connects the wheel housing 2 and the sill 3 together. The support member 4 runs obliquely to the vehicle longitudinal direction X in a YZ plane. Arrows marked with dotted lines indicate a load path in the case of a crash, wherein the load path runs from the wheel housing 2 via the support member 4 to the sill 3

[0037] Furthermore, the front-end structure 1 has a door entrance which in turn comprises an A-pillar 5, a door flange 6, a connecting portion 7 and a B-pillar 10.

[0038] The A-pillar 5 delimits the door entrance towards the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction X, and the B-pillar 10 delimits the door entrance towards the rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction X. The door flange 6 delimits the door entrance downward in the vehicle vertical direction Z (and a roof region delimits the door entrance upward in the vehicle vertical direction Z). The connecting portion 7 connects the A-pillar 5 to the door flange 6.

[0039] The connecting portion 7 and the support member 4 run parallel. They each enclose the same obtuse angle α with the vehicle longitudinal direction X. More precisely, the support member 4 encloses the angle α with the sill 3, and the connecting portion 7 also encloses the angle α with the door flange 6.

[0040] To achieve an improvement in access ergonomics, it may be sufficient for the connecting portion 7 to have a length L of 1 mm or more.

[0041] In the vehicle longitudinal direction X, a lower door hinge 81 for a (front) vehicle door (not shown) is arranged at the level of the support member 4. The lower door hinge 81 is arranged below the connecting portion 7 in the vehicle vertical direction Z.

[0042] The upper door hinge 82 is arranged above the lower door hinge 81 and the connecting portion 7 in the vehicle height direction Z. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the upper door hinge 82 is furthermore arranged at the same level as the lower door hinge 81 in the vehicle longitudinal direction X. This means that a straight line running parallel to the vehicle vertical direction Z necessarily intersects the upper door hinge 82 if it intersects the lower door hinge 81, and vice versa.

[0043] In the portion adjoining the connecting portion 7, the A-pillar 5 runs parallel to the vehicle vertical direction Z. Then the A-pillar 5 has a outward bulge 51. The outward bulge 51 is arranged above the connecting portion 7 in the vehicle vertical direction Z. The bulge 51 extends towards the B-pillar 10 in the vehicle longitudinal direction X. In the region of the bulge, a dashboard 9 may be arranged.

[0044] The front-end structure 1 has been described above with reference to FIG. 1, which shows a view of the front-end structure 1 according to the embodiment from one side in the vehicle transverse direction Y. It is found that the opposite side of the front-end structure 1 in the vehicle transverse direction Y may have the same configuration, and the description above applies accordingly to this side.

[0045] With this front-end structure 1, an entrance region may be provided which follows a foot 11 of a vehicle occupant, illustrated schematically in FIG. 1, and improves the access ergonomics for vehicles.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0046] 1 Front-end structure [0047] 2 Wheel housing [0048] 3 Sill [0049] 4 Support member [0050] 5 A-pillar [0051] 51 Outward bulge [0052] 6 Door flange [0053] 7 Connecting portion [0054] 81 Lower door hinge [0055] 82 Upper door hinge [0056] 9 Dashboard [0057] 10 B-pillar [0058] 11 Foot [0059] L Length of connecting portion [0060] α Obtuse angle [0061] X Vehicle longitudinal direction [0062] Y Vehicle transverse direction [0063] Z Vehicle vertical direction