VEHICLE HAVING AN ENERGY ABSORBING ARRANGEMENT

Abstract

A vehicle having an energy absorbing arrangement. The arrangement includes a bracket and a component arranged on the underside of the vehicle. The bracket is arranged to transfer energy to said component in case of a collision. In an exemplary implementation, the vehicle has a sill and the bracket is attached to the sill

Claims

1. A vehicle having an energy absorbing arrangement, wherein the arrangement comprises a bracket and a component arranged on the underside of the vehicle, wherein the bracket is arranged to transfer energy to said component in case of a collision.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises a sill and the bracket is attached to the sill.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the bracket is arranged in the front part of the sill.

4. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the bracket is arranged on the underside of the sill.

5. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the bracket is arranged such that a front portion of the bracket is arranged in front of the sill.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle has an A-pillar, and the bracket is arranged such that a front portion of the bracket is arranged in front of the A-pillar.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the bracket is arranged in a position below the A-pillar.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the bracket is a lifting bracket providing a surface for a lifting equipment enabling the vehicle to be lifted in a workshop.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said component is arranged behind the bracket.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the bracket and said component are arranged adjacent to each other.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said component is part of a battery structure.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said component is a battery casing or a side collision protection for a battery.

13. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the bracket is arranged to transfer energy to a lateral outer portion of said component which outer portion extends longitudinally along a part of a side of the vehicle.

14. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement has a guiding means maintaining the mutual position of the bracket and said component in case of a collision.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the guiding means is arranged to counteract the bracket from moving to a position below said component in case of a collision.

16. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the guiding means has a hooking part attached to the bracket, the hooking part being arranged adjacent to an upward-facing surface of said component, whereby the bracket and said component are mechanically interconnected in case of impact.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] With reference to the appended drawings, below follows a more detailed description of embodiments of the invention cited as examples.

[0021] In the drawings:

[0022] FIG. 1A is a schematic side view of a vehicle,

[0023] FIG. 1B is an enlarged part of FIG. 1A,

[0024] FIG. 2A is a schematic view showing the vehicle from below,

[0025] FIG. 2B is an enlarged part of FIG. 2A, and

[0026] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a bracket of the vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0027] FIG. 1A is a schematic side view showing a part of a vehicle 1, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged part of the view in FIG. 1A.

[0028] In FIG. 1A also a cartesian coordinate system X, Y, Z, where all axes are orthogonal to each other, is introduced for facilitating the explanation of the vehicle. The directions and axes used in the cartesian coordinate system, i.e. the X-axis, Y-axis and the Z-axis, are arranged relative to the vehicle such that the X-axis is a horizontal axis in parallel with the longitudinal extension direction or normal driving direction of the vehicle, the Y-axis is a horizontal axis in parallel with the lateral extension of the vehicle, and the Z-axis is a vertical axis.

[0029] The vehicle 1 has a front wheel 2, an A-pillar 3, a passenger compartment 4 and a sill 5. The sill 5 can be made from two pieces; a front part 6 of a first material and a rear part 7 of a second material. The front part 6 can be a so called gap eater constituting an extension of the sill 5 for taking loads that otherwise would be instantly transferred to the A-pillar 3 in case of a frontal crash. The front part 6 is suitably made from a softer material than the rear part 7. Both the front part 6 and the rear part 7 of the sill 5 can be made from steel, aluminium or composite such as carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP), for instance.

[0030] The vehicle 1 has an energy absorbing arrangement 8 which comprises a bracket 9 and a component 10 arranged on the underside of the vehicle 1. The bracket 9 is arranged to transfer energy to said component 10 in case of a collision. In the example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the component 10 absorbing energy from the bracket 9 is a part of a battery structure arranged on the underside of the vehicle which component 10 can be attached to the sill 5.

[0031] The bracket 9 is attached to the sill 5, and suitably arranged in the front part of the sill 5 and on the underside of the sill 5, as shown in FIG. 1A. The bracket 9 can be made from a relatively soft material such as aluminium. The bracket 9 can be attached to the sill 5 by bolt joints 11. Preferably, the component 10 is arranged behind the bracket 9 in the longitudinal extension direction of the vehicle. The bracket 9 and the component 10 are arranged adjacent to each other, i.e. arranged with a small gap relative to each other or to abut each other (in the X-direction). In case the bracket is loaded and displaced backwards, any gap is eliminated and the bracket will abut to the component.

[0032] The bracket 9 is suitably arranged such that a front portion 12 of the bracket 9 is arranged in front of the sill 5 and such that the front portion 12 of the bracket 9 is arranged in front of the A-pillar 3. The bracket 9 is preferably arranged in a position below the A-pillar 3 in the vertical direction.

[0033] By the bracket 9, intrusion of a front wheel or the chassis into the passenger compartment 4 can be counteracted, since load from a collision can be transferred to the battery structure 10 and the sill 5, thereby increasing the load capacity of the entire structure in this area and lowering the force on the A-pillar 3.

[0034] For example, the component 10 can be a battery casing or a side collision protection for a battery or a combination thereof. The bracket 9 can advantageously be arranged to transfer energy to a lateral outer portion 13 of said component 10 which outer portion 13 extends longitudinally along a part of a side 14 of the vehicle.

[0035] See also FIGS. 2A and 2B showing the vehicle 1 comprising the energy absorbing arrangement 8 from below.

[0036] Hereby, the battery casing or the side collision protection can be used for absorbing energy at the same time as any battery cells arranged inside the battery casing in the centre of the vehicle can remain unaffected.

[0037] FIG. 3 shows the bracket 9 in a perspective view. The front portion 12 of the bracket 9 can extend in the vertical direction in front of the sill 5. The width 15 (along Y-axis) and height 16 (along Z-axis) and the position of the front portion 12 can be adapted to the dimensions and the position of the sill 5. The front portion 12 can be arranged to cover a front surface 17 of the sill 5. The front portion 12 of the bracket 9 can also cover the lower part of the A-pillar. See also FIG. 1A.

[0038] In addition to transfer force to the remaining part of the bracket 9 and further to the component 10, the front portion 12 will contribute to distribute force evenly over the cross section surface of the sill 5. Although the bracket 9 illustrated in FIG. 3 is made by the (vertical) front portion 12 and a (horizontal) rear portion 12b which are welded together, in another embodiment the bracket can be made in one piece, by moulding for instance.

[0039] The bracket 9 illustrated in FIG. 3 is a lifting bracket providing a surface 18 for a lifting equipment enabling the vehicle 1 to be lifted in a workshop. The lifting surface 18 is suitably directed downwards.

[0040] At a rear end 19 of the bracket 9, the bracket 9 has a rear surface 20 facing backwards in the X-direction. As shown in FIG. 2B, at a front end 21 of the component 10, the component 10 has a front surface 22 facing forward. The rear surface 20 of the bracket 9 and the front surface 22 of the component 10 are arranged to abut to each other for transferring energy from the bracket 9 to the component 10 in case of a collision.

[0041] Further, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 3, the arrangement 8 has a guiding means 23 maintaining the mutual position of the bracket 9 and said component 10 in case of a collision. The guiding means 23 is arranged to counteract the bracket 9 from moving to a position below said component 10 in case of a collision. The guiding means 23 has a hooking part 24 attached to the bracket 9 at the rear end 19 of the bracket 9, preferably at the upper edge of the rear surface 20 of the bracket 9.

[0042] The hooking part 24 is arranged adjacent to the component, i.e. arranged with a small gap relative to an upward-facing surface 25 of said component or to abut an upward-facing surface 25 of the component (in the Z-direction), whereby the bracket 9 and said component 10 are mechanically interconnected such that a motion of the rear end 19 of the bracket 9 downwards in the vertical direction relative to the component 10 is prevented or at least counteracted. In other words; the guiding means 23 is arranged to keep the rear surface 20 of the bracket 9 and the front surface 22 of the component 10 in contact with each other when energy is transferred. Such a form fit connection between the bracket and the component is also favourable since demounting of the component from the vehicle is still possible without any additional measures.

[0043] It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.