The present subject matter described herein relates to a reinforcement structure for a vehicle rear. In particular, the present subject matter relates to the reinforcement structure located at top corner radius of a vehicle rear for improving the torsional stiffness.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A rear edge of a roof panel, rear edges of a pair of side structures, and an upper edge of a rear panel constitute a rear frame portion of a vehicle body, which defines a rear opening area.
[0003] Generally, there is a location on the rear frame portion of the vehicle body where a back door comes and closes, also known as a backdoor opening area. It is important to maintain the rigidity of that location on the rear frame portion. In other words, sufficient torsional stiffness should be maintained at that location.
[0004] In the current design of backdoor opening area on the top corner radius, there is no reinforcement structure to strengthen the quarter inner panel which experiences high deformation when the vehicle body is under torsional loading. Due to the deformation, the torsional stiffness of the vehicle is reduced.
[0005] In other words, the rigidity of the top corner radius of the backdoor opening area is not sufficient to prevent deformation of the vehicle rear. Therefore, during the movement of the vehicle especially over potholes and speed breakers, the ride and handling of the vehicle is deteriorated.
[0006] Therefore, in order to improve the overall vehicle stiffness, following type of countermeasures are used as a standard practice. Out of some of the countermeasures, few are listed- such as increasing the thickness of panels. The disadvantage of increasing thickness is that the developing cost is high and it further adds weight to the vehicle.

[0007] Another countermeasure can be adding more spot welds. But by increasing the number of spot welds, the improvement to cost ratio is less. Furthermore, structural adhesive can be used but the improvement to cost ratio is less by adding the adhesive.
[0008] Therefore, it is required to provide a solution that improves rigidity of the vehicle rear and reduces the deformation.
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0009] It forms an object of the present disclosure to overcome the aforementioned and other drawbacks/limitations in the existing solutions available in the form of related prior arts.
[0010] It is a primary object of the present disclosure to provide a reinforcement structure that is designed to improve rigidity of a vehicle rear.
[0011] It is another object of the present disclosure to improve the torsional stiffness of top corner radius of the body door opening area.
[0012] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a cost effective way of improving the torsional stiffness.
[0013] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to enhance ride and handling of the vehicle.
[0014] These and other objects and advantages of the present subject matter will be apparent to a person skilled in the art after consideration of the following detailed description taken into consideration with accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present subject matter are illustrated.
SUMMARY
[0015] A solution to one or more drawbacks of existing technology and additional advantages are provided through the present disclosure. Additional features and

advantages are realized through the technicalities of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered to be a part of the claimed disclosure.
[0016] The present disclosure provides a solution in the form of a reinforcement structure for a vehicle rear. In particular, the reinforcement structure is provided at top corner radius of a vehicle backdoor opening area. The reinforcement structure includes a base portion formed with a plurality of embossed structures, a first longitudinal side formed with a radial flange, and a second longitudinal side formed with an L-shaped flange, wherein the radial flange and the L-shaped flange extend perpendicularly from a plane of the base portion in the same direction.
[0017] In an aspect, the first longitudinal side is a radial longitudinal side and the second longitudinal side is an L-shaped longitudinal side.
[0018] In an aspect, the first longitudinal side, the base portion, and the second longitudinal side form a U-shaped cross-section along a lateral direction of the reinforcement structure.
[0019] In an aspect, the first longitudinal side, the base portion, and the second longitudinal side are formed in three different planes.
[0020] In an aspect, the radial flange is spot welded in between radial faces of a quarter inner panel and a side body extension outer panel, at the top corner radius of the vehicle backdoor opening area.
[0021] In an aspect, the base portion is spot welded with the quarter inner panel.
[0022] In an aspect, the flat surface of the second longitudinal side is spot welded with the quarter inner panel.
[0023] In an aspect, the plurality of embossed structures include a first embossed structure formed at a top end of the base portion and a second embossed structure formed at a bottom end of the base portion.

[0024] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0025] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the present disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods or structure in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a reinforcement structure on a top corner radius of a vehicle backdoor opening area of vehicle rear according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates an isometric view of the reinforcement structure located on the rear frame portion of the vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0028] FIG. 3 A illustrates a first perspective view of the reinforcement structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0029] FIG. 3B illustrates a top view of the reinforcement structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0030] FIG. 3C illustrates a second perspective view of the reinforcement structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG. 3D illustrates a third perspective view of the reinforcement structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0032] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided herein is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0034] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof
[0035] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further

understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should
be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the
context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly
formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0037] In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
[0038] Hereinafter, a description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0039] The present invention discloses a reinforcement structure for a vehicle rear. In particular, the reinforcement structure is provided at top comer radius of backdoor opening area. The reinforcement structure is provided to strengthen the quarter inner panel that usually have high stresses at the comer radius due to torsional loading in the vehicle body.
[0040] Referring to FIG. 1, which shows a reinforcement structure 100 located at a top comer radius 104 of a vehicle body backdoor opening area. The reinforcement structure 100 is located in between a quarter inner panel 101 and a side body extension outer panel 103 to improve torsional rigidity of vehicle rear structure.
[0041] Referring to FIG. 2, which shows the reinforcement structure 100 provided at two sides, i.e., left side and right side, at the top comer radius 104 of

the vehicle body backdoor opening area so that the torsional rigidity of the vehicle rear structure is improved.
[0042] Referring to FIG. 3A and 3B, the reinforcement structure 100 has a base portion 301, a first longitudinal side 304 on one end, and a second longitudinal side 306 on another end of the base portion 301. The first longitudinal side 304 is a radial longitudinal side and the second longitudinal side 306 is an L-shaped longitudinal side. Further, the reinforcement structure 100 is having embossed structures 302 in the base portion 301 to resist the deformation when vehicle is subjected to torsional loading. Further, as can be seen, a plurality of spot welds is provided on the first longitudinal side 304, the base portion 301, and the second longitudinal side 306, so as to connect the reinforcement structure 100 with the quarter inner panel 101 and the side body extension outer panel 103.
[0043] Further, the base portion 301 of the reinforcement structure 100 includes a pair of embossed structures 302. The embossed structures 302 are two in number and these embossed structures 302 are placed end-to-end longitudinally from each other on the base portion 301. Although only two embossed structures 302 are shown in figures, more than two embossed structures can also be formed depending on the requirement.
[0044] The embossed structures 302 provided on the base portion 301 include a first embossed structure (X) that is formed at a top end of the base portion 301 and a second embossed structure (Y) that is formed at a bottom end of the base portion 301. The base portion 301 is spot welded with the quarter inner panel 101 to provide rigjdness in the vertical direction to reduce the deformation during torsional loading.
[0045] The base portion 301 is formed between the first longitudinal side 304 on one end and the second longitudinal side 306 on the other end. In other words, the first longitudinal side 304 and the second longitudinal side 306 are separated by the base portion 301. The base portion 301, the first longitudinal side 304, and the second longitudinal side 306 are formed in three different planes.

[0046] The first longitudinal side 304 has the radial flange 303 that has a radial longitudinal side that connects with the top corner radius 104 of the vehicle body backdoor opening area. The radial flange 303 is perpendicular to the plane of the base portion 301 and extends vertically in a same direction as that of the height of the embossed structures 302. The radial flange 303 is sandwiched between the side body extension outer panel 103 and the quarter inner panel 101. Further, the three parts including the side body extension outer panel 103, the quarter inner panel 101, and the radial flange 303 of the reinforcement structure 100 are connected via spot welds. Due to the joinery between the three parts, the rigidity at top corner radius of the backdoor opening area is improved thus reducing the deformation during torsional loading.
[0047] Further, on the second longitudinal side 306, the L-shaped flange 305 is provided. The L-shaped flange 305 is a running flange and makes an L shape to further incorporate strength in the vertical direction. The L-shaped flange 305 also extends vertically in the direction same as that of the radial flange 303.
[0048] The L-shaped flange 305 is connected to the base portion 301 through a flat surface 308 of the second longitudinal side 306. The flat surface is spot welded with the quarter inner panel (101) to reduce deformation along the vertical direction.
[0049] Referring to FIGS. 3C and 3D, the radial flange 303 of the first longitudinal side 304 extends in the direction same as that of the L-shaped flange 305. The radial flange 303 is spot welded in between radial faces of the quarter inner panel 101 and the side body extension outer panel 103, at the top corner radius 104 of the vehicle backdoor opening area at multiple locations.
[0050] The base portion 301 has a plurality of embossed structures 302. The embossed structures 302 are located end-to-end longitudinally from each other. The purpose of the embossed structures 302 is to increase the lateral stiffness of the reinforcement structure 100. Further, the embossed structures 302 facilitate in reducing the lateral deformation of the reinforcement structure 100 along the vertical axis of the base portion 301.

[0051] Further, the first embossed structure (X) is formed at a top end of the base portion 301 and the second embossed structure (Y) is formed at a bottom end of the base portion 301.
[0052] Yet further, the L-shaped flange 305 of the second longitudinal side 306 extends in a vertical direction in the vehicle rear. Also, as can be seen from FIGS. 3C and 3D, the first longitudinal side 304, the base portion 301, and the second longitudinal side 306 form a U-shaped cross-section along a lateral direction of the reinforcement structure 100.
[0053] In an embodiment, the base portion 301 is spot welded with the quarter inner panel 101.
[0054] Further, the radial flange 303 and the flat surface 308 of the second longitudinal side 306 are spot welded with the quarter inner panel (101) for improving torsional stiffness of the vehicle rear.
TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
[0055] With the help of the solution as proposed herein in the context of the present disclosure, the overall torsional stiffness of vehicle rear is improved
[0056] The design of the present disclosure is able to meet the required torsional stiffness performance requirement by adding minimum weight.
[0057] The present disclosure provides that the deformation on the top corner radius of the vehicle body backdoor opening area is reduced considerably.
[0058] With the help of the present disclosure, the ride and handling of the vehicle is increased.
[0059] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be

interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to disclosures containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should typically be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Also, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the

description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."
[0060] It will be further appreciated that functions or structures of a plurality of components or steps may be combined into a single component or step, or the functions or structures of one-step or component may be split among plural steps or components. The present disclosure contemplates all of these combinations. Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the disclosure, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. Also, while a feature of the present disclosure may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present disclosure. The present disclosure also encompasses intermediate and end products resulting from the practice of the methods herein. The use of "comprising" or "including" also contemplates embodiments that "consist essentially of or "consist of the recited feature.

WE CLAIM:

1. A reinforcement structure (100) for a vehicle rear, the reinforcement
structure (100) comprising:
a base portion (301) formed with a plurality of embossed structures (302);
a first longitudinal side (304) formed with a radial flange (303);
a second longitudinal side (306) formed with an L-shaped flange (305), wherein the radial flange (303) and the L-shaped flange (305) extend perpendicularly from a plane of the base portion (301) in the same direction.
2. The reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first longitudinal side (304) is a radial longitudinal side and the second longitudinal side (306) is an L-shaped longitudinal side.
3. The reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first longitudinal side (304), the base portion (301), and the second longitudinal side (306) form a U-shaped cross-section along a lateral direction of the reinforcement structure (100).
4. The reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first longitudinal side (304), the base portion (301), and the second longitudinal side (306) are formed in three different planes
5. The reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the radial flange (303) is spot welded in between radial faces of a quarter inner panel (101) and a side body extension outer panel (103), at the top corner radius (104) of the vehicle backdoor opening area.
6. The reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the base portion (301) is spot welded with the quarter inner panel (101).
7. The reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the flat surface (308) of the second longitudinal side (306) is spot welded with the quarter inner panel (101).

8. The reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of embossed structures (302) include a first embossed structure (X) formed at a top end of the base portion (301) and a second embossed structure (Y) formed at a bottom end of the base portion (301).