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A space frame for an motor vehicle having hydroformed upper and lower longitudinal members and hydroformed cross-members. Each upper longitudinal member is connected to a corresponding lower longitudinal member in the front and at the rear of the frame by members formed of stamped sheet metal. The s

A space frame for an motor vehicle having hydroformed upper and lower longitudinal members and hydroformed cross-members. Each upper longitudinal member is connected to a corresponding lower longitudinal member in the front and at the rear of the frame by members formed of stamped sheet metal. The stamped components can form part of the front and rear wheel wells. The use of stamped members to connect hydroformed members can permit the use of hydroformed members in motor vehicles with minimum amounts of space for frame members.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A space frame for a motor vehicle, comprising:a pair of hydroformed longitudinally extending lower side rail members;a pair of hydroformed upper longitudinal members, each of said pair of said upper longitudinal members including a rear, pillar-forming portion and a rail-forming portion, each of

1. A space frame for a motor vehicle, comprising:a pair of hydroformed longitudinally extending lower side rail members;a pair of hydroformed upper longitudinal members, each of said pair of said upper longitudinal members including a rear, pillar-forming portion and a rail-forming portion, each of said pillar-forming portions being coupled to an end of a respective one of said lower side rail members and extending upwardly from said respective lower side rail member to define a rearward-most pillar of said motor vehicle, each of said rail-forming portions extending forwardly from said pillar-forming portion to define a roof support rail of said motor vehicle;a pair of forward-most pillar assemblies, each of said pair of forward-most pillar assemblies being coupled a respective one of said pair of lower side rail members and extending upwardly from said respective lower side rail member and being coupling with a respective one of said upper longitudinal members, and each of said forward-most pillar assemblies being formed from stamped sheet metal; anda laterally extending connecting structure mounted between said pair of lower side rail members, said connecting structure being constructed and arranged to hold said pair of lower side rail members in laterally spaced relation to one another. 2. A space frame as defined in claim 1, wherein each hydroformed upper longitudinal member further includes a forward pillar-forming portion extending from a forward end of an associated roof support rail, the forward pillar forming portion of each said upper longitudinal member being coupled to an associated forward-most pillar assembly to define a pair of A pillars of said motor vehicle, each forward-most pillar assembly defining a lower portion of the associated A pillar and the forward pillar-forming portion of each upper longitudinal member defining an upper portion of the associated A pillar. 3. A space frame as defined in claim 1, wherein each forward-most pillar structure is coupled to a forward end of the rail-forming portion of the associated upper longitudinal member, each of said forward-most pillar assemblies defining an A pillar of said motor vehicle. 4. A space frame as defined in claim 3, wherein a forward portion of each of said pair of lower side rail members defines a first portion of a respective front wheel well. 5. A space frame as defined in claim 4, wherein a lower portion of each of said forward-most pillar structures forms a second portion of said respective front wheel well. 6. A space frame as defined in claim 3, wherein each of said forward-most pillar assemblies is connected to an exterior side portion of said respective lower side rail member. 7. A space frame as defined in claim 6, wherein an intermediate portion of each lower side rail member defines a portion of a rocker panel on a respective side of said motor vehicle and wherein the forward portion of each lower side rail member curves inwardly from the respective intermediate portion thereof to define each said front wheel well, each forward most pillar assembly being coupled to the intermediate portion of the associated lower side rail member of such that each forward-most pillar assembly defines a forward portion of the associated rocker panel. 8. A space frame as defined in claim 7, wherein the A pillar defined by each forward-most pillar assembly has a closed cross section. 9. A space frame as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said lower side rail members includes three, individual pieces. 10. A space frame for a motor vehicle, comprising:a pair of hydroformed longitudinally extending lower side rail members;a pair of hydroformed upper longitudinal members, each of said pair of said upper longitudinal members including a rear pillar-forming portion and a rail-forming portion, each of said pillar-forming portions being coupled to an end of a respective one of said lower side rail members and extending upwardly from said respective lower side rail me mber to define a rearward-most pillar of said motor vehicle, each of said rail-forming portions extending forwardly from said rear pillar-forming portion to define a roof support rail of said motor vehicle;a pair of pillar support structures, each pillar support structure being of stamped sheet metal construction and each said pillar support structure being connected to a respective lower side rail member at the location to support a forward-most pillar structure;a pair of forward-most pillar structures, each pillar structure being coupled at a lower end thereof to an associated pillar support structure and being coupled at an upper end thereof to an associated upper longitudinal member; anda laterally extending connecting structure mounted between said pair of lower side rail members, said connecting structure being constructed and arranged to hold said pair of lower side rail members in laterally spaced relation to one another. 11. A space frame for a motor vehicle as defined in claim 10, wherein each upper longitudinal member further includes a forward pillar-forming portion, each forward pillar-forming portion extending from a forward end of the rail portion of the associated upper longitudinal member, each forward pillar-forming portion being connected at a lower end thereof to a respective pillar support structure, to provide a forward-most pillar structure on a respective side of said motor vehicle. 12. A space frame for a motor vehicle as defined in claim 10, wherein each upper longitudinal member further includes a forward pillar-forming portion and each forward pillar-forming portion extends from the forward end of the rail portion of the associated upper longitudinal member and wherein each forward-most pillar structure is of stamped sheet metal construction and is coupled to the forward pillar-forming portion of the associated upper longitudinal member, each forward-most pillar structure and the associated forward pillar-forming portion of each upper longitudinal member thereby defining an A pillar on a respective side of said motor vehicle. 13. A space frame for a motor vehicle as defined in claim 12 wherein said forward-most pillar structure has a closed cross section. 14. A space frame for a motor vehicle as defined in claim 10, wherein each forward most pillar structure is of stamped sheet metal construction, each said forward most pillar structure being connected at an upper end thereof to the rail forming portion of the associated upper longitudinal member, each forward most pillar structure thereby defining an A pillar on a respective side of said motor vehicle. 15. A space frame for a motor vehicle as defined in claim 14 wherein said forward-most pillar structure has a closed cross section. 16. A space frame for a motor vehicle, comprising:a pair of hydroformed longitudinally extending lower side rail members;a pair of hydroformed upper longitudinal members, each of said pair of said upper longitudinal members including a rear pillar-forming portion and a rail-forming portion, each of said pillar-forming portions being coupled to an end of a respective one of said lower side rail members and extending upwardly from said respective lower side rail member to define a rearward-most pillar of said motor vehicle, each of said rail-forming portions extending forwardly from said pillar-forming portion to define a roof support rail of said motor vehicle;a pair of forward pillar structures, each of said forward pillar structures being coupled with a forward portion of a respective one of said lower side rail members and extending upwardly therefrom to form a forward-most pillar of said motor vehicle, an upper end of each forward-most pillar structure being coupled to a respective upper longitudinal member;a hydroformed intermediate U-shaped cross-member having a cross portion and a pair of leg portions, each leg portion extending from a juncture at each end of said cross portion; anda pair of pillar support structur es, each of said pair of pillar support structures being formed of stamped sheet metal material and being connected to a respective intermediate portion of a respective one of said lower side rail members, each of said leg portions of said intermediate cross member being coupled to a respective one of said pair of pillar support structures and extending upwardly therefrom to form a pair of intermediate pillars of said motor vehicle. 17. A space frame as defined in claim 16, wherein a rearward portion of each lower side rail member curves inwardly to define a rear wheel well, and wherein each of said pillar support structures is located at one of said rear wheel wells. 18. A space frame as defined in claim 16, whereineach of said forward-most pillars has a lower end connected to said respective lower side rail member and extends upwardly to form said A pillar and forms a portion of a respective front wheel well together with said respective lower side rail member. 19. A space frame as defined in claim 16, wherein each of said pair of lower side rail members is of three piece construction. 20. A space frame as defined in claim 16, wherein each of said pair of forward pillar structures is formed of stamped sheet metal material. 21. A space frame as defined in claim 16, further comprising:a pair of quarter panel extensions formed of stamped sheet metal material, each of said quarter panel extensions being coupled to a respective one of said leg portions of said U-shaped cross-member. 22. A method of forming a motor vehicle space frame, comprising:forming each of a pair of hydroformed upper longitudinal members in a respective hydroforming procedure, each upper longitudinal member including a pillar forming portion and a rail forming portion;forming each of a pair lower side rail members in respective hydroforming procedures;stamping metal material to form a plurality of components constructed and arranged to be assembled into a pair of forward-most pillar assemblies;providing an elongated connecting structure; andassembling said components, said hydroformed members and said connecting structure such that (a) the pillar-forming portion of each upper longitudinal member is connected to a respective one of said lower side rail members to form a rearward most pillar thereon, (b) the rail-forming portion of each upper longitudinal member extends forwardly from the associated pillar forming portion thereof to define a roof support rail on a respective side of said motor vehicle, (c) each forward-most pillar assembly is connected between a respective one of said lower side rail members and an associated upper longitudinal member and (d) said connecting structure is connected between said pair of lower side rail members to hold said lower side rail members in laterally spaced relation to one another. 23. A method for forming a motor vehicle space frame as defined in claim 22, wherein each said hydroformed upper longitudinal member includes a forward pillar-forming portion extending from a forward and of the rail-forming portion thereof and wherein each forward-most pillar assembly is connected to the forward pillar-forming portion of the associated upper longitudinal member, each forward-most pillar assembly and the associated forward pillar-forming portion defining an A pillar on a respective side of said motor vehicle. 24. A method for forming a motor vehicle space frame as defined in claim 22, wherein each forward-most pillar assembly is connected to the rail-forming portion of the associated upper longitudinal member, each forward-most pillar assembly defining an A pillar on a respective side of said motor vehicle. 25. A method for forming a motor vehicle space frame as defined in claim 22, wherein forming each upper longitudinal member includes providing an angularly shaped blank having a metallic wall, placing the blank in a die assembly having die surfaces defining a die cavity, providing pressurized fluid into an interior of the b lank to expand said wall into conformity with said die surfaces and wherein forming each lower side rail member includes (a) providing a plurality of blanks each having a metallic wall, (b) placing each said blank in a respective die assembly, each die assembly having die surfaces defining a die cavity, (c) providing pressurized fluid into an interior of each said blank to expand said wall into conformity with said die surfaces, each blank of said plurality of blanks of each lower side rail member forming a hydroformed portion of the respective lower side rail member and (d) joining the plurality of hydroformed portions of said lower side rail member. 26. A method of forming a motor vehicle space frame, comprising:forming a hydroformed cross member in a hydroforming procedure, said cross member including a cross portion and a pair of pillar forming leg portions, each leg portion extending from a juncture at a respective end of the cross portion;forming each of a pair of hydroformed upper longitudinal members in a respective hydroforming procedure, each upper longitudinal member including a pillar forming portion and a rail forming portion;forming each of a pair lower side rail members in a respective hydroforming procedure, forward and rearward portions of said lower side rail member defining forward and rearward wheel wells, respectively;stamping metal material to form a plurality of components constructed and arranged to be assembled into a pair of forward-most pillar assemblies;stamping metal material to form a plurality of components constructed and arranged to be assembled into a pair of pillar support assemblies;providing an elongated connecting structure; andassembling said components, said hydroformed members and said connecting structure such that (a) the pillar-forming portion of each upper longitudinal member is connected to a respective one of said lower side rail members to form a rearward most pillar thereon, (b) the rail-forming portion of each upper longitudinal member extends forwardly from the associated pillar forming portion thereof to define a roof support rail on a respective side of said motor vehicle, (c) each forward-most pillar assembly is connected between a respective one of said lower side rail members and an associated upper longitudinal member, (d) each pillar support assembly is connected to a respective lower side rail member adjacent the rear wheel well thereof, (e) each juncture of said cross member is connected to an intermediate portion of the roof rail portion of an associated upper longitudinal member and each leg portion of said intermediate cross member is coupled to a respective one of said pair of pillar support assemblies and extends upwardly therefrom to form an intermediate pillar of said motor vehicle and (f) said connecting structure is connected between said pair of lower side rail members to hold said lower side rail members in laterally spaced relation to one another. 27. A method of forming a motor vehicle space frame as defined in claim 26, wherein forming said cross member includes (a) providing an angularly shaped blank having a metallic wall, (b) placing the blank in a die assembly having die surfaces defining a die cavity and (c) providing pressurized fluid into an interior of the blank to expand said wall into conformity with said die surfaces, wherein forming each said upper longitudinal member includes (a) providing an angularly shaped blank having a metallic wall, (b) placing the blank in a die assembly having die surfaces defining a die cavity and (c) providing pressurized fluid into an interior of the blank to expand said wall into conformity with said die surfaces and wherein forming each lower side rail member includes (a) providing a plurality of blanks each having a metallic wall, (b) placing each said blank in a respective die assembly, each die assembly having die surfaces defining a die cavity, (c) providing pressurized fluid into an interior of each said bl ank to expand said wall into conformity with said die surfaces, each blank of said plurality of blanks of each lower side rail member forming a hydroformed portion of the respective lower side rail member and (d) joining the plurality of hydroformed portions of said lower side rail member.