Volkswagen Ag

Klaus Friedewald

Arnold Ensslen

Gert Heumann

Klaus-Dieter Morsch

Andreas Weiss

Uwe Hoffmann

Peter Pfeiffer

Joachim Klement

A front pillar arrangement for a motor vehicle body frame includes a front pillar with an outer part and an inner part and a door hinge attached to the outer part of the front pillar with one or more fastening elements along with at least one reinforcing element for mounting the door hinge on the outer part of the front pillar. A rigid connecting element extends between the outer part and the inner part of the front pillar and is attached to the reinforcing element by at least one fastening elements for the door hinge.

Front pillar arrangement for a motor vehicle body frame

A motor vehicle has a safety body structure and side doors, each side being fixed to a door pillar of the safety body structure by at least one door hinge. When the vehicle receives a frontal impact, the forces which are imparted to the front section of the safety body structure are transmitted to the door pillar and are transmitted by the door to other body parts further away from the point of impact when the side door remains closed or is supported against the door pillar in the area of the door hinge without swinging outwardly. In order to prevent the front end of the door from swinging outwardly, the front end is caused to move, upon frontal impact to the vehicle, parallel to or inwardly toward a longitudinal center line of the vehicle by a controlled orientation of the deformation of a door hinge part in relation to the door pillar.

Motor vehicle with safety body structure arrangement

A steering column arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a steering wheel, a telescoping steering spindle, and a telescoping jacket tube made up of a lower tube part and an upper tube part. The steering wheel is connected by way of the spindle to a steering gear and the spindle is rotatably mounted in the jacket tube, the lower tube part being supported by a lower steering column bearing on a first support component which projects the passenger compartment in the event of a frontal collision and the upper tube part being supported by an upper steering column bearing on a second support component which substantially retains its position in event of a frontal collision. An unlocking device normally couples the second support component and the upper tube part and is activatable to uncouple them in the event of a frontal collision, and a wedge member is movable in the event of a frontal collision to prevent and/or diminish an upward movement of the steering wheel. A deformation element cooperating with the wedge member enhances the action of the wedge member so that an upward movement of the steering wheel is diminished or prevented. The deformation element is arranged and configured so that, in the event of a frontal collision, the wedge member is movable into its operative start position by the second support component no later than the time of complete unlocking of the upper tube part from the second support component.

Steering column arrangement for a motor vehicle

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Braunschweig, Germany

Klaus Friedewald