Vehicle bed edge manufacturing process
US6347454B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 6, 2000 |
| Grant date | Feb 19, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 6, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/49798
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A vehicle bed assembly, and process of manufacture, which involves formation of a one-piece floor pan by roll forming. The floor pan has a central pan portion and secondary portions positioned forwardly and rearwardly of wheelwell openings formed in the pan adjacent opposite side edges thereof. Strengthening ribs extend longitudinally throughout the entire length of the pan and terminate at the front and rear edges. The strengthening ribs also extend longitudinally of the secondary portions and terminate at front and rear edges of the wheelwell openings. The one-piece floor pan has the wheelwell openings formed therein, as by a controlled notching operation, after the pan has been roll formed from flat sheet material, and the notching operation provides a series of flanges around the periphery of the wheelwell opening, both along the longitudinal inner edge and on the front and rear edges. Some of the flanges are coplanar with top walls of the stiffening ribs, and others are coplanar with the base wall of the pan between the stiffening ribs. The roll-formed pan is subjected to a subsequent forming operation which causes the flanges to be wiped downwardly generally into a perpendicu…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.