Description:FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a sheet metal structure in automobiles. In particular, the present invention relates to a quarter-panel inner-structure in an automobile. More particularly, the present invention relates to a unibody or integrated type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) in an automobile.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In an automobile manufacturing plant and/or the component manufacturing industry associated thereto, the sheet metal parts are welded at the interface thereof to form a conventional quarter panel inner structure.

As per Wikipedia, the quarter-panels are exterior metal body panels that define how the rear of your vehicle will look to the eye. Because the rear quarter-panels provide structural support, they are typically welded in place on vehicle assembly lines. Normally, the conventional quarter-panel inner-structure are in a split-type configuration. This conventional split type quarter-panel inner-structure has the following disadvantages:

o Increases the associated investment costs.

o Increases the associated product weight.

o Increases the no.of required tools and equipment.

o Increases the tool development time.

o Increases the manufacturing process time.

o Leads to unaesthetic appearance of the assembly structure.
In order to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages with the conventional split-type quarter-panel inner-structure, the present inventors have developed an improved configuration thereof, which offers the following advantages:

 Substantial reduction in quarter panel weight and thus vehicle weight.

 Significant savings in material costs.

 Reduction in no. of forming tools required.

 Substantially reduced die weight.

 Facilitates an easy and ergonomic handling of the quarter-panel.

 Offers improved sustainability thanks to reduced material wastage and lowered tool-development and process times.

 Reduces the number of joineries between various parts/components thereof.

 Significantly enhances the structural integrity and imparts higher strength to the quarter-panel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) is developed as a single part extending at the rear, for example from B-pillar to C-pillar or even to D-pillar of the automobile.

This QPIS is developed to accommodate substantially more complex components requirements. It offers a light-weight structure of lift-gate without affecting the performance of the automobiles.
The QPIS configured in accordance with the present invention offers the following unique features:

1) Structural stability:

It provide a vehicle quarter-panel inner-structure - load path.

2) Joineries:

The quarter panel inner structure has a front portion for the reinforcement panel for door-hinge mounting.

3) Critical wheel envelope:

Provided with a rear-wheel arch-line for an external wheel aperture.

4) Safety & regulation:

Provided with a mounting for seat-belt assembly and with a slot provided for anti-rotate of seat-belt buckle assembly.

5) Ergonomics:

The top portion is provided with a mounting for the grab handle.

6) Aesthetics:

Also provided with a cut-out for fixing the rear quarter-panel glass therein.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Some of the objects of the present invention - satisfied by at least one embodiment of the present invention - are as follows:

An object of the present invention is to provide an integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) for automobiles.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) configured in a single-part construction for automobiles.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) for automobiles, which has a light-weight construction.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) for automobiles, which offers substantial savings in the material costs thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) for automobiles, which reduces the requirements of forming tools for the manufacture thereof.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) for automobiles, which reduces the weight of the required dies for the manufacture thereof.

A yet further object of the present invention is to provide an integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) for automobiles, which reduces the requirements of forming tools for the manufacture thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) for automobiles, which is ergonomically easy to handle during manufacture and assembly thereof.

Yet further object of the present invention is to provide an integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) for automobiles, which substantially reduces the joineries required for the manufacture thereof.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) for automobiles, which is more sustainable due to lesser wastage of materials and reduced time required for the manufacture and assembly thereof.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description, when read with the accompanying figures of drawing, which are however not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a unibody/integrated quarter panel inner structure (QPIS) for automobiles, the QPIS comprises:
- a front portion for reinforcement panel for door-hinge mounting;

- a mounting adjacent front portion to fix a seat-belt assembly;

- a rear-profile for glass tinted backlite;

- a roof-liner for fixing the roof panel thereon;

- a rim for fixing a quarter glass therein;

- a rim for fixing a quarter rear trim therein;

- a rear-wheel arch-line for an external wheel aperture;

- a rear reinforcement for fixing tailgate on QPIS;

- a clip for fixing a rear bumper on QPIS;

- a liner for fixing QPIS on the underbody; and

- a mounting for fixing grab-handle thereon;
wherein the QPIS is configured in a single part to be fitted at the rear of the automobile to provide structural stability by a load-path extending from B-pillar to C-pillar and/or D-pillar thereof.

Typically, the seat belt assembly comprises a seat/safety belt looped through a seat-belt guide and a seat-belt anchorage (36) and the seat-belt is attached with a hook to be latched to the automobile Body-In-White (BIW).

Typically, the seat belt assembly comprises an Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) with a cover therefor.

Typically, the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) is configured as a seat belt retractor for locking the safety belt webbing therefrom only in response to a rapid deceleration of the automobile or a rapid spooling out of the safety belt to increase the comfort of seat belt assembly.

Typically, the seat-belt assembly comprises an anti-rotation slot for the buckle-assembly of the seat belt assembly.

Typically, the first end of the safety-belt is fixed to the QPIS and the other end of the safety-belt is fixed to the seat-belt retractor.

Typically, the rear bumper is assembled by means of the clip at the middle portion of the quarter rear panel of the QPIS.

Typically, the seat belt assembly comprises:

- a seat/safety belt looped through a seat-belt guide and a seat-belt anchorage;

- a hook attached to the seat-belt to be latched to the automobile Body-In-White (BIW);
- an Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) or seat belt retractor with a cover therefor;

- an anti-rotation slot for the buckle-assembly of the seat belt assembly;

- the safety-belt comprises a first end fixed to the QPIS and a second end thereof fixed to the seat-belt retractor;

wherein the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) is configured as a seat belt retractor for locking the safety belt webbing therefrom only in response to a rapid deceleration of the automobile or a rapid spooling out of safety belt to increase the comfort of seat belt assembly.

Typically, the QPIS has a maximum length (L), a maximum width (W) and a maximum height (H), and the critical section-lines (A-A), (B-B), (C-C), and (D-D) thereof are configured for forming different parts thereof, such as the wheelhouse area having more depth and the roof area having less depth.

Typically, the QPIS is configured as a single integrated part at the rear of the automobile to extend from B-pillar to C-pillar or D-pillar of the automobile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The present invention will be briefly described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a conventional split-type quarter-panel inner-structure for an automobile.

Figure 2 shows an integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) configured in accordance with the present invention for an automobile, and marked with section-lines A-A, B-B, C-C, and D-D therein.
Figure 3 shows the sections across the respective section-lines A-A, B-B, C-C, and D-D as marked on the QPIS shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows the front (a), side (b) and top (c) views of the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure shown in Figure 2.

Figure 5 shows an exploded view of different parts assembled on an integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure shown in Figure 2.

Figures 6a-6e show the different views of the safety-belt for the front seat of an automobile and rear quarter trim thereof, assembled to the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure of Figure 2.

Figure 7a shows the exterior trims for the assembly of bumper with the rear quarter-panel inner-structure of Figure 2.

Figure 7b shows the rear portion of the quarter-panel inner-structure of Fig. 2.

Figure 7c shows the bumper to be clipped to the rear quarter-panel inner-structure of Fig. 2.

Figure 7c shows the clipping of the bumper to the rear portion of the quarter-panel inner-structure of Fig. 2.

Figure 8a shows the details of mounting of the grab handle near the roof liner of the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure configured in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 8b shows an enlarged view of the mounting of the grab handle near the roof liner of the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure configured in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 8c shows the front portion of the reinforcement panel for door-hinge mounting on the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure configured in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 8d shows an enlarged view of the reinforcement panel for door-hinge mounting of Figure 8c.

Figure 9a shows the details of the safety-belt assembly mounting on the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure configured in accordance with the present invention for an automobile.

Figure 9b shows an enlarged view of the upper seat anchorage and a slot in the integrated or unibody-type of QPIS of Figure 9a, and provided for anti-rotate of seat-belt buckle assembly.

Figure 9c shows another enlarged view of the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure attached with the upper seat anchorage thereon.

Figure 9d shows the cut-out for assembling the rear quarter glass on the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure configured in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 10 shows external wheel aperture fitted on the rear wheel arch-line in the quarter-panel inner-structure shown in Figure 2.

Figure 11 shows the result of the CFD analysis on the quarter-panel inner-structure shown in Figure 2.

Figure 12 shows the oil-canning diagram for the deformation of the sheet metal of the quarter-panel inner-structure shown in Figure 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

In the following, the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure configured in accordance with the present invention will be described in more details with reference to the accompanying drawings without limiting the scope and ambit of the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a conventional split-type quarter-panel inner-structure 10 for an automobile. It includes at least five parts (shaded differently), i.e. rear portion 01 for tailgate and rear bumper assembly, a roof supporting portion 02, a wheel-arch line 03, a middle portion 04 supporting the rim-quarter glass, and a front portion 05 for safety-belt assembly. However, due to this split-type configuration of the conventional QPIS, it has several disadvantages in terms of material wastages, more time required for tool development as well as for manufacture thereof, higher weight, more investment for tooling and yet it has not sufficiently aesthetic appearance in the final product (QPIS).

Figure 2 shows an integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) 50 configured in accordance with the present invention for an automobile. A number of section-lines A-A, B-B, C-C, and D-D are also marked for elaborating on the further details of this QPIS 50.

Figure 3 shows the sections across the respective section-lines A-A, B-B, C-C, and D-D as marked on the QPIS 50 shown in Figure 2. These sections are critical from the point of view of forming different parts of the QPIS 50. For example, the wheelhouse area has more depth and roof area has less depth.

Figure 4 shows a front view (a), side view (b) and top view (c) view of the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) 50 shown in Figure 2. It has a maximum length L, maximum width W, and height H.
Figure 5 shows an exploded view of the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure shown in Figure 2. It comprises an integrated or unibody configuration having a front portion 10 for reinforcement panel for door-hinge mounting, a glass tinted backlite 12, a roof liner 14 supporting the roof R, a rim 15 correspondingly profiled for fixing a rear quarter glass trim 16, a rim correspondingly profiled for fixing a quarter glass 16, a rim correspondingly profiled for fixing a quarter rear trim 18, a cover 20 for an Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) or a seat-belt retractor 38, a wheel-arch line 22, a rear bumper 24, a tailgate 26, and a safety-belt assembly 30 respectively. The Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) is a seat belt retractor 38 that locks only in response to the rapid deceleration of a vehicle or rapid spooling out of the seat belt webbing from the retractor and increases the comfort of the seat belt assembly.

Figure 6a shows a detailed view of the safety-belt assembly 30 for the front seat of an automobile and attached to the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure QPIS 50 of Figure 2. Here, safety-belt 32 is shown looped through a seat-belt guide 34 and attached with a hook 35 to be latched to Body-In-White (BIW) not shown.

Figure 6b shows another detailed view of the seat-belt anchorage 36 with the safety-belt 32 for the front seat of an automobile. , as fixed in the integrated or unibody-type of QPIS 50 of Figure 2. Here, safety-belt 32 is shown looped through the seat-belt anchorage 36 and a hook 35 attached thereto can be fixed to the Body-In-White (BIW), both not shown.

Figure 6c shows the seat-belt retractor 38 assembled to QPIS 50 of Figure 2. Here, the first end 31 of the safety-belt 32 is shown fixed to the QPIS 50 and the other end 33 of the safety-belt 32 is fixed to the seat-belt retractor 38.

Figure 6d shows a different view of QPIS 50 with seat-belt anchorage 36 with a safety-belt 32 for the front seat of an automobile and looped through a seat-belt anchorage 36 and a hook 35 attached to be fixed to BIW (not shown).

Figure 6e shows the rear quarter trim 18 assembled via a correspondingly profiled rim 17 to the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) 50.

Figure 7a shows a detailed view of the assembly of the exterior trim of the quarter inner panel 52 and the rear bumper 24 fitted on QPIS 50 of Figure 2. It includes a quarter inner panel 52 and rear bumper 24 assembled together by means of a clip 54 (Fig. 7d) in the portion 55 encircled in this Figure.

Figure 7b shows the rear portion of the quarter inner panel 52 to be clipped to the rear bumper 24 (Fig. 7c).

Figure 7c shows the inner portion of the rear bumper 24 to be attached to the rear portion of the quarter inner panel 52 of Fig. 7b.

Figure 7d shows an enlarged view of the middle portion 55 of Figure 7a with a detailed view of the assembly of the quarter inner panel 52 and the rear bumper 24 by a clip 54 for this assembly to be fitted on QPIS 50.

Figure 8a shows a detailed view of the wheel-arch line 22 assembled to the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) 50 of Fig.2. It also shows the roof-liner encircled therein for the grab handle mounting 40 on the QPIS 50.

Figure 8b shows an enlarged view of the encircled portion of Figure 8a to show the detailed view of the grab handle mounting 40 on QPIS 50.
Figure 8c shows the detailed view of the safety-belt assembly 30 encircled on the QPIS 50 of Figure 2.

Figure 8d shows another view of the safety-belt assembly 30 of Figure 8c encircled on the QPIS 50.

Figure 9a shows the safety-belt assembly 30 of QPIS 50 of Figure 2, with the safety-belt 32 inside the cabin and connected between seat-belt anchorage 36 and retractor 38 and with a slot provided for anti-rotate of seat-belt buckle assembly.

Figure 9b shows an enlarged view of the upper seat belt-anchorage and a slot provided for anti-rotate of seat-belt buckle assembly. The safety-belt assembly 30 has its safety-belt 32 fixed inside BIW and the first and second ends 31, 33 thereof respectively connected to QPIS 50 and retractor 38. There is also a slot provided for anti-rotate of seat-belt buckle assembly.

Figure 9c shows another enlarged view of the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure 50 attached with the upper seat belt anchorage 36 thereon. It also shows the rim 15 having a profile corresponding to the quarter glass 16 to be fixed therein.

Figure 9d shows the cut-out for assembling the rear quarter glass 16 on the integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) 50 configured in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 10 shows external wheel aperture 28 fitted on the rear wheel arch-line 22 in the quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) 50 shown in Figure 2.

Figure 11 shows the result of the CFD analysis on the quarter-panel inner-structure (QPIS) 50 shown in Figure 2.
Figure 12 shows the oil canning diagram of QPIS. This Oil canning is a deformation or buckling of the sheet material. With this unique Quarter inner panel structure (QPIS) 50, there is no buckling observed since it is integrated. Therefore, this quarter inner panel structure is better than the conventional split type of quarter panel inner structure, because it can accommodate more complex components and offers a light-weight lift-gate structure.

TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES AND ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE

The integrated or unibody-type of quarter-panel inner-structure configured in accordance with the present invention offers the following advantages:

 Reduced vehicle weight.

 Material cost savings.

 Reduced number of forming tools.

 Reduced die weight.

 Easy and ergonomic handling of QPIS.

 Sustainable structure due to reduced material wastage and lesser time required for tool-development and manufacturing process.

 Reduces the number of joineries between various parts/components thereof.

 Significantly enhances the structural integrity and imparts higher strength to the quarter-panel.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments.

It is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation. The exemplary embodiments described in this specification are intended merely to provide an understanding of various manners in which this embodiment may be used and to further enable the skilled person in the relevant art to practice this invention.

Although, the embodiments presented in this disclosure have been described in terms of its preferred embodiments, the skilled person in the art would readily recognize that these embodiments can be applied with modifications possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention as described in this specification by making innumerable changes, variations, modifications, alterations and/or integrations in terms of materials and method used to configure, manufacture and assemble various constituents, components, subassemblies and assemblies, in terms of their size, shapes, orientations and interrelationships without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

The numerical values given of various physical parameters, dimensions and quantities are only approximate values and it is envisaged that the values higher or lower than the numerical value assigned to the physical parameters, dimensions and quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure unless there is a statement in the specification to the contrary.

Throughout this specification, the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, shall be understood to imply including a described element, integer or method step, or group of elements, integers or method steps, however, does not imply excluding any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or method steps.

The use of the expression “a”, “at least” or “at least one” shall imply using one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as used in the embodiment of the disclosure in order to achieve one or more of the intended objects or results of the present invention.

The description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In the description, relative terms such as “lower”, “upper”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “above”, “below”, “up”, “down”, “top”, and “bottom” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g. “horizontally”, “inwardly”, “outwardly”; “downwardly”, “upwardly” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion.

Terms concerning attachments, coupling and the like, such as “connected” and “interconnected”, refer to a relationship, wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise. , C , Claims:We claim:

1. A unibody/ quarter panel inner structure (QPIS) for automobiles, said QPIS (50) comprises:
- a front portion (10) for reinforcement panel for door-hinge mounting;

- a mounting adjacent to said front portion (10) to fix a seat-belt assembly (30);

- a rear-profile (11) for glass tinted backlite (12);

- a roof-liner (13) for fixing the roof panel (14) thereon;

- a rim (15) for fixing a quarter glass (16) therein;

- a rim (17) for fixing a quarter rear trim (18) therein;

- a rear-wheel arch-line (22) for an external wheel (W) aperture;

- a rear reinforcement (25) for fixing tailgate (26) on said QPIS (50);

- a clip (54) for fixing a rear bumper (24) on said QPIS (50);

- a liner (29) for fixing QPIS (50) on the underbody; and

- a mounting (40) for fixing grab-handle thereon;

wherein said QPIS (50) is configured in a single part to be fitted at the rear of the automobile to provide structural stability by a load-path extending from B-pillar to C-pillar and/or D-pillar thereof.

2. The unibody/integrated quarter panel inner structure (QPIS) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said seat belt assembly (30) comprises a seat/safety belt (32) looped through a seat-belt guide (34) and a seat-belt anchorage (36) and said seat-belt (32) is attached with a hook (35) to be latched to the automobile Body-In-White (BIW).
3. The unibody/integrated quarter panel inner structure (QPIS) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said seat belt assembly (30) comprises an Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) with a cover (20) therefor.

4. The unibody/integrated quarter panel inner structure (QPIS) as claimed in claim 3, wherein said Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) is configured as a seat belt retractor (38) for locking said safety belt (32) webbing therefrom only in response to a rapid deceleration of the automobile or a rapid spooling out of said safety belt (32) to increase the comfort of seat belt assembly (30).

5. The unibody/integrated quarter panel inner structure (QPIS) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said seat-belt assembly (30) comprises an anti-rotation slot (32) for the buckle-assembly of said seat belt assembly (30).

6. The unibody/integrated quarter panel inner structure (QPIS) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first end (31) of the safety-belt (32) is fixed to said QPIS (50) and the other end (33) of said safety-belt (32) is fixed to said seat-belt retractor (38).

7. The unibody/integrated quarter panel inner structure (QPIS) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said rear bumper (24) is assembled by means of said clip (54) at the middle portion (55) of the quarter rear panel (52) of said QPIS (50).

8. The unibody/integrated quarter panel inner structure (QPIS) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said seat belt assembly (30) comprises:

- a seat/safety belt (32) looped through a seat-belt guide (34) and a seat-belt anchorage (36);

- a hook (35) attached to said seat-belt (32) to be latched to the automobile Body-In-White (BIW);
- an Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) or seat belt retractor (38) with a cover (20) therefor;

- an anti-rotation slot (32) for the buckle-assembly of said seat belt assembly (30); and

- said safety-belt (32) comprises a first end (31) fixed to said QPIS (50) and a second end (33) thereof fixed to said seat-belt retractor (38);

wherein said Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) is configured as a seat belt retractor (38) for locking said safety belt (32) webbing therefrom only in response to a rapid deceleration of the automobile or a rapid spooling out of safety belt (32) to increase the comfort of seat belt assembly (30).

9. The unibody/integrated quarter panel inner structure (QPIS) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said QPIS (50) has a maximum length (L), a maximum width (W) and a maximum height (H), and the critical section-lines (A-A), (B-B), (C-C), and (D-D) thereof are configured for forming different parts thereof, such as the wheelhouse area having more depth and the roof area having less depth.

10. The unibody/integrated quarter panel inner structure (QPIS) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said QPIS (50) is configured as a single integrated part at the rear of said automobile to extend from B-pillar to C-pillar or D-pillar of said automobile.

Dated this 02nd day of November 2022.

Digitally / e-Signed by:

(SANJAY KESHARWANI)
APPLICANT’S PATENT AGENT
REGN. NO. IN/PA-2043.