The present subject matter described herein, relates to a rear lower corner structure of a vehicle to absorb impact force during slow speed impact. The present subject matter, in particular, relates to an absorption structure provided at the rear lower corner structure which can act as a primary surface to interact with an object and delays the movement of the object in inward direction.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
[002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention.
[003] As per the IS-15901, during slow speed rear impact, the impactor or in real world it can be replaced with an object should not hit Rear combination lamp (RCL).
[004] To achieve this technical objective and requirement and to avoid damage of Rear combination lamp during slow speed rear impact additional parts are added to prevent the hitting of the object with the RCL. These additional parts are added with the existing absorbers provided at the rear end of the vehicle for absorbing the impact force of the slow speed impact.
[005] Generally, during slow speed rear impact test, an Impactor or an object in real world scenario hits the side and rear of the vehicle body in an inclined direction in other words it can be referred as rear corner of the vehicle. Referring to Fig.l, in order to avoid the impactor or the object hits the RCL (rear combination lamp) in this scenario, an additional part 201 is welded on the rear panel which is adjacent to the corner 601 of the vehicle. The additional part 201 can be a hat shaped body absorbing structure, which collapses or deforms in case of impactor hitting at the predefined location.
[006] However, addition of the additional part is associated with technical issues such as increase in the cost and increase in the assembly time that is required during fixing of the part on the assembly line.

[007] Considering the motive of Automotive manufacturers which are trying hard to reduce cost and weight of the vehicle, the present solution does not seem wise and acceptable.
[008] Therefore, there is a need for a solution or structure that can be provided at rear end of the vehicle to avoid the object hitting the Rear Combination Lamp without addition of an additional part.
[009] The information disclosed in this background of the subject matter section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
[0010] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfy, are listed herein below.
[0011] It is therefore an object of the present subject matter is to overcome the aforementioned and other drawbacks in the solutions available in state-of-the-art.
[0012] The principal objective of the present subject matter is to provide a rear lower corner structure of a vehicle having absorption structure to absorb the impact force during slow speed impact.
[0013] Another object of the present subject matter is to protect Rear Combination lamp during slow speed rear impact.
[0014] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide an absorption structure at corner of the vehicle to act as an absorber and to delay the movement of the object toward inward direction during the slow speed impact.
[0015] 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 OF THE INVENTION:
[0016] Solutions to one or more drawbacks of existing technology and additional advantages are provided through the present subject matter. Additional features and advantages are realized through the technicalities of the present subject matter. Other embodiments and aspects of the subject matter are described in detail herein and are considered to be a part of the claimed subject matter.
[0017] The present subject matter relates to a rear lower corner structure of a vehicle to absorb impact force during slow speed rear impact. The rear lower corner structure comprising a rear panel that is extending in vehicle width direction (X) forming rear body of the vehicle and defines a mounting provision for Rear Combination lamp. Further the rear lower corner structure comprises a side body outer panel that is extending in vehicle length direction (Z) forming side body of the vehicle. The side body outer panel and the rear panel join with each other to form a rear corner of the vehicle. The side body outer panel join with a wheel house panel to define wheel house area of the vehicle. A portion of the side body outer panel that is defined in between the rear panel and the wheel house area comprises an absorption structure that extends outward in the rear corner direction. The absorption structure includes a first slant protruded surface that extends from mounting flange of the side body outer panel in outward direction and a second slant protruded surface extends from mounting flange of the side body panel in rearward direction and merges with the first slant protruded surface to define a hump shape protruded surface at the rear corner to absorb the impact force.
[0018] In an aspect, a merging portion of the first slant protruded surface and the second slant protruded surface acts as a primary surface to receive impact from an object and delays movement of the object in inward direction.
[0019] In an aspect, the absorption structure is deformable structure and deforms in direction of movement of the object.

[0020] 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:
[0021] 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 invention 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:
[0022] Fig. 1 illustrates a rear perspective view of the rear lower corner structure of a vehicle illustrating a rear panel, a side body outer panel joined with each other to form a rear lower corner structure of the existing vehicle;
[0023] Figs. 2 illustrate a rear isometric view of the rear lower corner structure having an absorber structure on side body outer panel, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0024] Fig. 3 illustrates cross section view along line AA of Fig. 2 with impactor direction;
[0025] Fig. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the rear lower corner structure of the vehicle as shown in Fig. 2; and
[0026] Fig. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the absorber structure on the rear lower corner structure of Fig. 2.
[0027] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the purposes of 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 subject matter described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
[0028] 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 clearly 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 scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0029] 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.
[0030] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes" and/or "including" when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
[0031] 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, in fact, be executed concurrently or may

sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0032] In addition, the descriptions of "first", "second", "third", and the like in the present invention are used for the purpose of description only, and are not to be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defining "first" and "second" may include at least one of the features, either explicitly or implicitly.
[0033] 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.
[0034] Corner of a vehicle: Corner structure of the vehicle is formed by joining rear panel and side body outer panel.
[0035] Hump shape profile: A hump shape is a raised profile defining a shape of hill.
[0036] The present subject matter relates to a provision in side body outer panel of a vehicle, which acts as a safeguard measure to avoid hitting of the Rear Combination Lamp in case of slow speed rear impact. The side body outer panel is adjacent to the merging flange, i.e., the merging flange with the rear body panel.
[0037] As shown in the fig. 4, arrow marked with 'X' indicates vehicle width direction or transverse direction, arrow marked with 'Z' indicates vehicle height direction or vertical direction, and arrow marked with ' Y' indicates vehicle length direction or longitudinal direction.
[0038] Referring to Fig. 2, illustrating a rear perspective view of the vehicle showing a rear lower corner structure 600 of a vehicle to absorb impact force

during slow speed rear impact. The side rear lower structure 600 comprising a rear panel 200 extending in vehicle width direction 'X' forming rear body of the vehicle. The side body outer panel 100 defines a mounting provision for Rear Combination Lamp or rear lamp assembly 300. The rear panel 200 receives a rear bumper structure. The vehicle further comprises a side body outer panel 100 extending in vehicle length direction 'Z' forming side body of the vehicle. The rear panel 200 and the side body outer panel 100 define mounting flanges 200a, 100a respectively.
[0039] Referring to fig. 2 and fig. 4 together, the side body outer panel 100 and the rear panel 200 join with each other through mounting flanges 200a, 100a to form a rear corner 601 of the vehicle. Similarly, the same corner is formed at other side of the vehicle. The side body outer panel 100 and the rear panel 200 are joined with each other by known means, such as arc welding, spot welding or other known means. The side body outer panel 100 join with a wheel house panel 400 to define wheel house area 500 of the vehicle.
[0040] Referring to figs 2, 3, 4 and 5, a portion 102 of the side body outer panel 100 is defined in between the rear panel 200 and the wheel house area 500. The portion 102 defines an absorption structure 101 that extends outward away in the rear corner direction. As shown in fig. 5, the absorption structure 101 includes a first slant protruded surface 101a that extend from the mounting flange 100a of the side body outer panel 100 in outward direction along in vehicle width direction 'X' and a second slant protruded surface 101b extends from the mounting flange 100b of the side body outer panel 100 in rearward direction along vehicle length and merges with the first slant protruded surface 101a to define a hump shape protruded surface at the rear corner to the absorb impact force. The mounting flange 100b is provided to join with the wheel house inner panel to form the wheel house area.
[0041] Referring to fig. 5, the merging portion 101c of the first slant protruded surface 101a and the second slant protruded surface 101b acts as primary surface

to receive impact from the object 700 and delays movement of the object 700 in inward direction.
[0042] Referring to fig. 3 which illustrates cross section view along line AA of Fig. 2, the absorption structure 101 is adjacent to the merging flange i.e., joining of the mounting flange 100a, 200a of the rear panel 200 and the side body outer panel 100 forming the rear corner 601. The absorption structure 101 extends along the rear corner 601 and define deformable or collapsible structure.
[0043] The absorption structure 101 is deformable structure and deforms in direction of movement of the object 700 and absorbs the impact force during the slow speed impact. Further, the collapsible or deformable shape of the absorption structure 101 is deformed in the direction of the movement of the impactor or the object 700 and eventually, avoiding the Impactor or the object 700 hitting the RCL (Rear combination lamp) during slow speed impact.
[0044] In an aspect, the absorption structure 101 is formed by stamping process in the side body outer panel 100. In an embodiment, the side body outer panel 100 is made of sheet metal. In the slow speed impact, the speed of the impactor or the object is in range 2-7 Km/h.
[0045] Advantages of the Invention:
[0046] With the present subject matter, an absorption structure is provided in the side body outer panel 100 of the vehicle. The absorption structure 101 acts as a safeguard measure to avoid hitting of the Rear Combination Lamp by the object 700 in case of slow speed rear impact.
[0047] 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 inventions 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. In addition, 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 a 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 a 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."
[0048] 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 invention 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 invention, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. In addition, while a feature of the present invention 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 invention. The present invention 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 rear lower corner structure (600) of a vehicle to absorb impact force
during slow speed rear impact, the rear lower corner structure (600) comprising:
a rear panel (200) extending in vehicle width direction (X) forming rear body of the vehicle;
a side body outer panel (100) extending in vehicle length direction (Z) forming side body of the vehicle,
the side body outer panel (100) and the rear panel (200) join with each other to form a rear corner (601) of the vehicle, the side body outer panel (100) joins with a wheel house panel (400) to define wheel house area (500) of the vehicle;
characterized in that
a portion (102) of the side body outer panel (100) defined in between the rear panel (200) and the wheel house area (500) comprises:
an absorption structure (101) extends outward away along the rear corner direction, the absorption structure (101) includes a first slant protruded surface (101a) extended from mounting flange (100a) of the side body outer panel (100) in outward direction and a second slant protruded surface (101b) extending from mounting flange (100b) of the side body panel (100) in rearward direction and merges with the first slant protruded surface (101a) to define a hump shape protruded surface at the rear corner to absorb the impact force.
2. The rear lower corner structure (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein merging portion (101c) of the first slant protruded surface (101a) and the second slant protruded surface (101b) acts as primary surface to receive impact from an object (700) and delays movement of the object (700) in inward direction.
3. The rear lower corner structure (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the absorption structure (101) is deformable structure and deforms in direction of movement of the object (700).
4. The rear lower corner structure (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the absorption structure (101) is formed by stamping process.

5. The rear lower corner structure (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
side body outer panel (100) is made of sheet metal.