CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0041429, filed on Apr. 6, 2020, which application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a device for enhancing rigidity of a vehicle body.

BACKGROUND

During traveling of a vehicle, particularly at the time of cornering, torsion occurs in the entire vehicle body. In particular, an opening portion for a door is most vulnerable to the torsion of the vehicle body.

However, a door is just recognized as a part mounted on a vehicle body, and thus development of a technology related to rigidity of a vehicle body has not been properly conducted.

However, since the opening portion for the door is necessary for a vehicle body, a method for improving rigidity of a vehicle body by utilizing a door part has been demanded.

The matters described as the related art have been provided only for assisting in the understanding for the background of the present disclosure and should not be considered as corresponding to the related art known to those skilled in the art.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a device for enhancing rigidity of a vehicle body. Particular embodiments relate to a device for enhancing rigidity of a vehicle body, in which the device reinforces connection between the vehicle body and a door by using a matching structure between a pin and a holder to suppress torsion at an opening portion for the door.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a device for enhancing rigidity of a vehicle body includes a pin holder provided at a portion of the vehicle body closed with a door, or at the door, and a rigid pin having a shape corresponding to the pin holder, provided at the door or the portion of the vehicle body closed with the door, and press-fitted into the pin holder in a process in which the door is closed to the vehicle body.

The pin holder may be mounted at a lower portion of a center pillar of the vehicle body.

The device may further include a buffer member provided at a contact portion between the pin holder and the rigid pin to absorb an impact.

A head portion formed at one end of the rigid pin may protrude toward the pin holder, and the buffer member may be formed to enclose the head portion and be coupled to the rigid pin.

A flange portion may be formed at a middle portion of the rigid pin, a locking groove may be formed along a circumferential direction of an outer circumferential surface of one end of the head portion that is adjacent to the flange portion, and a locking protrusion having a shape corresponding to the locking groove may be formed along a circumferential direction of an inner circumferential surface of one end of the buffer member, and be coupled to the locking groove.

A first fitting portion having a cone shape may be formed at the other end of the buffer member, and a second fitting portion having a groove shape corresponding to the first fitting portion may be formed at a middle portion of the pin holder.

An angle of a side surface of the first fitting portion may be 25° to 35° with respect to an axis of the rigid pin.

A maximum outer diameter of the buffer member may be 20 mm to 24 mm around the axis of the rigid pin.

The other end of the head portion of the rigid pin may have a shape corresponding to the cone shape of the first fitting portion, and a thickness of the side surface of the first fitting portion may be 3 mm to 5 mm.

The buffer member may be formed of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) having a hardness of 70 Hs to 80 Hs.

A position of the buffer member in an axial direction may be adjusted so that a pressed length of the side surface of the first fitting portion that is pressed against an inner wall surface of the groove of the second fitting portion in a state in which the buffer member is fitted into the pin holder is 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.

A gap having a predetermined size may be formed between a distal end of the first fitting portion and an inner distal end of the second fitting portion that faces the distal end of the first fitting portion, in a state in which the buffer member is fitted into the pin holder.

A pin stiffener may be assembled to a back surface of a door inner panel included in the door, and the rigid pin may be assembled while penetrating through a pin mounting hole formed in the pin stiffener at a front surface of the door inner panel.

A washer may be inserted onto a body portion formed at the other end of the rigid pin so as to be interposed between a flange portion formed at a middle portion of the rigid pin and the front surface of the door inner panel, and the body portion may penetrate through the pin mounting hole and be engaged by a fixing nut at a back surface of the pin stiffener.

The pin stiffener may have a plate shape and be in close surface-contact with the back surface of the door inner panel, one end of the pin stiffener may be bonded to a lower protruding surface formed at the back surface of the door inner panel, and the other end of the pin stiffener may be bonded to a side protruding surface formed at the back surface of the door inner panel.

The pin stiffener may have a plate shape and be in close surface-contact with the back surface of the door inner panel, and one end of the pin stiffener may be bonded to a lower protruding surface formed at the back surface of the door inner panel.

The pin stiffener may have a circular plate shape and be in close surface-contact with the back surface of the door inner panel, and a part of an edge of the pin stiffener may be bonded to a corner protruding surface where a side protruding surface and a lower protruding surface meet each other at the back surface of the door inner panel.

The pin stiffener may have a plate shape having a thickness of 1 mm to 1.4 mm.

A holder stiffener may be assembled to a back surface of a side outer panel included in the vehicle body, and the pin holder may be assembled while penetrating through a holder mounting hole formed in the holder stiffener at a front surface of the side outer panel.

A second fitting portion into which the rigid pin is fitted may be formed at the center of the pin holder, an edge portion surrounding the second fitting portion may have a plate shape and be in close surface-contact with the front surface of the side outer panel, and the pin holder may be bolted to the side outer panel and the holder stiffener by bolting structures at the edge portion of the pin holder.

The edge portion of the pin holder may have a rhombus shape with diagonals having different lengths and the pin holder may be bolted at opposite vertices connected by a diagonal having a longer length.

The edge portion of the pin holder may have a regular triangle shape or a square shape and the pin holder may be bolted at each vertex.

The edge portion of the pin holder may have a plate shape having a thickness of 1.2 mm to 2 mm.

The holder stiffener may have a rectangular plate shape and is in close surface-contact with the back surface of the side outer panel, and the holder stiffener may be bolted to the side outer panel by the bolting structures at an edge portion of the holder stiffener.

The holder stiffener may have a plate shape having a thickness of 1 mm to 1.4 mm.

The pin holder may be mounted at a middle portion of a front pillar of the vehicle body or an upper portion of the center pillar.

An axial direction of the rigid pin may be a tangential direction with respect to a radius of rotation of the door.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a device for enhancing rigidity of a vehicle body includes a rigid pin provided at a portion of the vehicle body closed with a door, and a pin holder into which the rigid pin is press-fitted in a state in which the door is closed to the vehicle body.

