FR3056546A1 - PERIPHERAL STRUCTURE FOR STEERING SUPPORT MEMBER - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention includes a steering support member (3) disposed in an instrument panel (1) with a counter (2) attached and a strut (4) extending from the member (3) forwardly. a vehicle for connecting the member (3) to a dashboard (5). An upper surface (41) of the strut has a first surface (41A) extending from the board (5) toward the rear of the vehicle, a second surface (41B) inclined downwardly with respect to a horizontal plane while extending from the rear of the first surface towards the rear of the vehicle, and a third surface (41C) inclined upwardly relative to the horizontal plane while extending from the rear of the second surface towards the rear of the vehicle. A counter back side (13) of the instrument panel and a corner (C) at the bottom of the counter overlap the third surface of the strut.

Description

056 546

58727 ® FRENCH REPUBLIC

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY © Publication number:

(to be used only for reproduction orders)

©) National registration number

COURBEVOIE © Int Cl ⁸ : B 62 D 25/08 (2017.01)

PATENT INVENTION APPLICATION

A1

©) Date of filing: 21.09.17. © Applicant (s): SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION - © Priority: 23.09.16 JP 2016185673. JP. @ Inventor (s): WAKIZAKA YUKI. ©) Date of public availability of the request: 30.03.18 Bulletin 18/13. ©) List of documents cited in the report preliminary research: The latter was not established on the date of publication of the request. (© References to other national documents ® Holder (s): SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION. related: ©) Extension request (s): © Agent (s): CABINET PLASSERAUD.

P4) PERIPHERAL STRUCTURE FOR STEERING SUPPORT.

FR 3 056 546 - A1 _ The invention comprises a steering support member (3) arranged in an instrument panel (1) with a counter (2) attached and a forestay (4) extending from the member (3) towards the front of a vehicle to connect the member (3) to a dashboard (5). An upper surface (41) of the forestay comprises a first surface (41 A) extending from the table (5) towards the rear of the vehicle, a second surface (41 B) inclined downward relative to a horizontal plane while extending from the rear of the first surface towards the rear of the vehicle, and a third surface (41 C) inclined upward relative to the horizontal plane while extending from the rear of the second surface towards the rear of the vehicle. A counter rear side (13) of the instrument panel and a corner (C) at the bottom of the counter overlap the third surface of the forestay.

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PERIPHERAL STRUCTURE FOR STEERING SUPPORT MEMBER

The present invention relates to a peripheral structure for a steering support member.

In the associated art, instrument panels for installing various elements are mounted in vehicles. In such an instrument panel, a steering support member, for supporting for example a steering wheel and a steering shaft, is arranged across the width of a vehicle. Each of the right end and the left end of a typical widthwise steering support member of a vehicle is attached to a side panel on one side of a vehicle body. Thus, if the steering support member has low rigidity, vibrations received by the vehicle body are transmitted to the steering wheel through the side panels, which causes inconvenience for the driver.

To solve this problem, a vehicle front structure for an automobile comprises an additional stay which extends from a steering support member towards the front of a vehicle so as to connect the steering support member and a dashboard located near the front of the vehicle (see for example patent document 1). If the center of the steering support extending across the width of the vehicle is connected to the dashboard near the front of the vehicle through Tétai, stiffness can be improved.

Patent document 1: JP 2014-210 548 A

However, when the dashboard near the front of the vehicle moves rearward, the steering support member with increased rigidity by the associated art can be moved inward in a form fixed. It is therefore necessary to reduce the influence of a rearward movement of the dashboard while ensuring the rigidity of the steering support member and by suppressing vibrations on the steering wheel.

In addition, in the structure comprising an additional Tétai extending from the steering support member to the dashboard near the front of the vehicle, Tétai has a fragile part. The fragile part is deformed when receiving a load from the front of the vehicle so as to move the dashboard to the rear, thereby bending the forestay. However, insufficient bending of the forestay can move the steering support member backwards. If the forestay has a large fragile part, the forestay may lose the function of connecting the steering support member and the dashboard near the front of the vehicle.

The present invention has been developed with these circumstances in mind. An object of the present invention is to provide a peripheral structure for a steering support member capable of suppressing backward movement of the steering support member, etc. by absorbing a load while deforming a Z-shaped forestay, where a part for receiving the load between a dashboard and the steering support member is distinguished from a folded part when receiving the load which moves the dashboard backwards from the front of a vehicle.

To solve the problem of associated art, according to the present invention, a peripheral structure for a steering support member includes an interior instrument panel with an attached meter, the steering support member being disposed in the panel. instruments so as to extend in the width direction of a vehicle, and a forestay which extends from the steering support member towards the front of the vehicle so as to connect the support support steering and a dashboard located near the front of the vehicle, in which the top surface of the forestay has a first surface which extends from the dashboard towards the rear of the vehicle, a second surface which is inclined down from a horizontal plane while extending from the rear of the first surface towards the rear of the vehicle, and a third surface which is inclined upward from the horizontal plane while extending from the back of the second surface towards the rear of the vehicle, and a counter rear side of the instrument panel in the form of a mounting surface for the counter and a corner at the bottom of the counter overlap the third forestay surface.

As mentioned above, the peripheral structure for the steering support member according to the present invention comprises an interior instrument panel to which the meter is attached, the steering support member being disposed in the steering instrument panel so as to extend across the width of the vehicle, and the forestay which extends from the steering support member towards the front of the vehicle so as to connect the steering support member and the switchboard edge located near the front of the vehicle, in which the upper surface of the forestay comprises the first surface which extends from the dashboard towards the rear of the vehicle, the second surface which is inclined downwards with respect to in the horizontal plane while extending from the rear of the first surface towards the rear of the vehicle, and the third surface which is inclined upward relative to the horizontal plane while extending from the rear of the second surface towards the rear of the vehicle, and the counter back side of the instrument panel in the form of a counter mounting surface and the bottom corner of the counter overlap the third forestay surface. This can have the following effects:

Specifically, in the peripheral structure for the steering support member according to the present invention, a load receiving portion (a load resistant portion) between the dashboard and the steering support member is distinguished from folded part when receiving the load which moves the dashboard to the rear from the front of a vehicle. Thus, the third forestay surface is firmly received by the compression resistance of the instrument panel and the meter near the rear of the vehicle, thereby suppressing a movement of the forestay towards the rear of the vehicle. In addition, a boundary between the first surface and the second surface of the forestay is folded to facilitate deformation. Thus, the forestay is deformed in a Z shape between the dashboard and the steering support member. The Z-shaped deformation can effectively absorb a load and suppress backward movement of the steering support member located near the rear of the vehicle. In addition, when the meter is attached to the instrument panel, the third forestay surface integrated with the steering support member supports the meter rear side of the instrument panel from the rear of the vehicle, by attaching therefore a fixing, for example a bolt, on a stable surface.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a peripheral structure for a steering support member according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which an instrument panel with an attached meter is seen from the rear of a vehicle;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the steering support member and the prop of the peripheral structure according to the embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a plan view showing the steering support member and the forestay of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Figure 3;

Figures 5 (a) to 5 (c) are cross-sectional views showing the process of deformation of the Z-shaped forestay when a dashboard moves backwards in the peripheral structure for the organ steering support according to the embodiment of the present invention, seen from the side of a vehicle.

The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figures 1 to 5 show a peripheral structure for a steering support member according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figures 1 to 5, an arrow Fr indicates the front of a vehicle.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, near the front of a vehicle interior R, an instrument panel 1, which is a large piece molded in resin to install various elements, is arranged across the width of the vehicle. A speedometer 2, which indicates information such as a speed, is attached to the front of the instrument panel 1 near the interior of vehicle R, in front of a driver's seat. The meter 2 is deep enough to accommodate electronic devices inside it and is attached to the back of the instrument panel 1 (near the front of the vehicle) depending on the depth. Thus, a meter mounting location for the instrument panel 1 is large enough to accommodate the meter 2 and has a concave shape covering the rear side, both sides, and the bottom of the meter 2. In addition, the panel 1, has an upper panel 11 and a lower panel 12.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the instrument panel 1 contains a steering support member 3, which is a vehicle body reinforcement member, along the width of the vehicle. Each of the two ends of the steering support member 3 across the width of the vehicle is attached to a side panel (not shown) on one side of a vehicle body by means of a connecting strip end 3a. The steering support member 3 supports, for example, a steering shaft and a steering wheel (not shown) near the driver's seat, as well as the instrument panel 1.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the steering support member 3 of this embodiment comprises first and second long and short support members 31 and 32 which are two pipes arranged parallel to a certain distance l one from the other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The first support member 31 is disposed across the width of the vehicle, while the second support member 32 is disposed in the region of a corresponding location in front of the driver's seat. As regards the first and second support members 31 and 32, the first support member 31 is disposed near the rear of the vehicle, while the second support member 32 is disposed near the front of the vehicle . The first support member 31 and the second support member 32 are connected to each other by means of a pair of right and left connection members 33.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the peripheral structure for the steering support member 3 of this embodiment is subjected to vibrations from a supported steering shaft (not shown). Thus, a forestay 4, which is a piece of rigid metal sheet, is provided to obtain the support rigidity and a capacity for suppressing vibrations of the steering support member 3 extended across the width of the vehicle. The strut 4 is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and it is extended from the steering support member 3 towards the front of the vehicle. The forestay 4 is configured in the form of a connection member which connects the first support member 31 of the steering support member 3 and a dashboard 5 (cf. FIG. 5) located near the front of the vehicle. In addition, the strut 4 has a substantially open channel shape at the bottom in cross section for the front of the vehicle. The strut 4 has an upper surface 41 extending across the width of the vehicle, sides 42 extending on the right and left sides of the upper surface 41 to below the vehicle, and a front surface 43 extending at the distal end of the upper surface 41 to below the vehicle. The front surface 43 is a vertical surface which is fixed to the dashboard 5 with a bolt (not shown) and a welded nut 6.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the upper surface 41 of the strut 4 according to the present invention comprises a first surface 41A which extends from the dashboard 5 towards the rear of the vehicle, a second surface 41B which is inclined downward relative to a horizontal plane while extending from the rear of the first surface 41A towards the rear of the vehicle, and a third surface 41C which is inclined upward relative to the horizontal plane while extending from the rear of the second surface 41B towards the rear of the vehicle. The angle of inclination of the third surface 41C is adjusted to be less than that of the second surface 41B, so that the third surface 41C has a less pronounced slope than that of the second surface 41B.

The width of the upper surface 41 of the strut 4 gradually increases towards the rear of the vehicle. The second surface 41B has a size greater than that of the first surface 41A and less than that of the third surface 41C in the direction of the width of the vehicle (the first surface 41A <the second surface 41B <the third surface 41C).

In addition, the third surface 41C is substantially parallel to the first surface 41A and is configured to stop a backward movement of the first surface 41A of the strut 4.

As shown in Figure 4, the instrument panel 1 on the rear side (front of the vehicle) of the meter 2 of this embodiment has a meter rear side 13 in the form of a mounting surface for counter 2. The rear side of counter 13 and a corner C at the bottom of counter 2 overlap the third surface 41C of the forestay 4 in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Thus, when receiving a load which moves the dashboard 5 rearwards from the front of the vehicle, the forestay 4 clearly has a receiving part and a folded part between the dashboard 5 and the steering support member 3. This part can firmly receive the third surface 41C in the instrument panel 1 and the counter 2 near the rear of the vehicle, thereby preventing movement of the forestay 4 towards the rear of the vehicle.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, at an intermediate portion of the second surface 41B of the strut 4 across the width of the vehicle, a notched portion 44 of square shape, except at the rear end, is provided in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The rear end of the notched portion 44 is configured in the form of a connection portion 44a to the third surface 41C. A raised portion 45 for fixing the instrument panel 1 (or the counter 2) is formed at the rear end of the notched portion 44. The raised portion 45 has a distal end 45a which is raised relative to the rear end of the notched portion 44 and is inclined upwards at a position between the front of the vehicle and the connection portion 44a at the rear end of the notched portion 44. This facilitates the deformation of the second surface 41B of Tétai 4 when the dashboard 5 moves towards Tarrière, thereby deforming Tétai 4 in the shape of a Z.

In addition, as shown in Figure 5 (a), the upper end of the distal end 45a of the raised portion 45 is raised higher than the upper end of a front end 44b of the notched portion 44 of a height H. Depending on the positional relationship, when Tétai 4 is considerably deformed by a movement towards the rear of the dashboard 5, the front end 44b of the notched portion 44 presses the raised portion 45, so that the raised portion 45 is supported from behind by the compression resistance on the rear side of meter 13 of the instrument panel 1 and of meter 2.

In addition, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the second support member 32 of the steering support member 3 is arranged, near the front of the vehicle, below the connection portion 44a , which connects the second surface 41B and the third surface 41C of Tétai 4. Depending on the positional relationship, as Tétai 4 moves towards the rear according to a movement towards the rear of the dashboard 5, the second support member 32 can receive a load from Tétai 4 in a dispersed manner across the width of the vehicle. This reinforces the third surface 41C of Tétai 4 so as to suppress a movement towards the rear of the dashboard 5 when Tétai 4 is deformed into a Z shape.

In the peripheral structure for the steering support member 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the figure

5 (a), upon receiving a load which moves the instrument panel 5 rearward from the front of the vehicle, the instrument panel 5 and the forestay 4 move towards the rear of the vehicle as this is shown in Figure 5 (b). When the dashboard 5 and the strut 4 continue to move towards the rear of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 5 (c), the third surface 41C of the strut 4 is received by the rear side of counter 13 of the instrument panel 1, behind the counter 2. This limits the movements of the instrument panel 5 and the forestay 4.

Furthermore, when receiving a load which moves the dashboard 5 rearwards from the front of the vehicle, the forestay 4 begins to deform from a border serving as a bending portion between the first surface 41A and the second surface 41B. At this stage, a rearward movement of the dashboard 5 is capable of moving the complete steering support member 3 as well as the forestay 4 rearward, unless the receiving portion of the forestay 4 is not clarified.

In the peripheral structure of this embodiment, the third surface 41C of the forestay 4 overlaps the rear counter side 13 of the instrument panel 1, thereby limiting movement of the forestay 4. Furthermore, the The strut 4 cannot be deformed unless the instrument panel 1 is compressed. This causes a movement which further deforms the folded portion between the first surface 41A and the second surface 41B, thereby deforming the strut 4 in the form of a Z between the dashboard 5 and the steering support member 3. The deformation of the Z-shaped forestay 4 absorbs a load from the front of the vehicle and a rearward movement of the dashboard 5 is received by the deformation of the forestay 4, thereby preventing, by example, that a steering wheel located near the rear of the vehicle does not move towards the interior of vehicle R.

As described above, the peripheral structure for the steering support member 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention comprises the steering support member 3 which is arranged across the width of the vehicle in the instrument panel 1 and the forestay 4 which extends from the steering support member 3 towards the front of the vehicle so as to connect the steering support member 3 and the dashboard 5. The upper surface 41 of the strut 4 comprises the first surface 41A which extends from the dashboard 5 of air from the rear of the vehicle, the second surface 41B which is inclined downward relative to the horizontal plane while extending from the rear of the first surface 41A towards the rear of the vehicle, and the third surface 41C which is inclined upward relative to the horizontal plane while extending from the rear of the second surface 41B towards the rear of the vehicle. The rear side of counter 13 of the instrument panel 1 and the corner C at the bottom of counter 2 overlap the third surface 41C of the strut 4.

Thus, in the peripheral structure for the steering support member 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention, when receiving a load which moves the dashboard 5 rearward from the front of the vehicle , the prop 4 clearly has a receiving part and a folded part between the dashboard 5 and the steering support member 3. The receiving part can firmly receive the third surface 41C of the prop 4 with the resistance compression of the instrument panel 1 which is a resin part, thereby suppressing a movement of the forestay 4 towards the rear of the vehicle. In addition, the folded portion at the border between the first surface 41A and the second surface 41B of the forestay 4 is further deformed so as to firmly deform the forestay 4 in the form of a Z between the dashboard 5 and the steering support member 3. Thus, the Z-shaped deformation can effectively absorb a load from the front of the vehicle and prevent rearward movement of the steering support member 3. When the counter 2 is attached to the instrument panel 1, the third surface 41C of the forestay 4 supports the rear counter side 13 of the instrument panel 1 from the rear of the vehicle. This makes it possible to attach a fixing, for example a bolt, to a stable surface so as to mount the counter 2 with greater stability.

In addition, in the peripheral structure of this embodiment, the notched portion 44 is provided on the second surface 41B of the forestay 4, the rear end of the notched portion 44 is configured in the form of the connecting portion 44a at the third surface 41C, the raised portion 45 for fixing the instrument panel 1 is formed at the rear end of the notched portion 44, and the distal end 45a of the raised portion 45 is raised relative to the rear end of the notched portion 44. Thus, when the dashboard 5 moves backwards, the second surface 41B of the forestay 4 is more likely to be deformed so as to facilitate the deformation of the forestay 4 Z-shaped with improved load absorption capacity. In addition, the rear side of the instrument panel ίο 1 is attached to the forestay 4 which is a sheet metal part, thereby attaching the counter 2 with greater stability.

In the peripheral structure of this embodiment, the upper end of the distal end 45a of the raised portion 45 is raised higher than the upper end of the front end 44b of the notched portion 44. Thus, when the forestay 4 is considerably deformed by a movement towards the rear of the dashboard 5, the front end 44b of the notched portion 44 presses the raised portion 45. The pressed raised portion 45 can be firmly supported by the side counter back 13 of the instrument panel 1 and the counter 2 from the rear of the vehicle, thereby preventing a great deformation of the forestay 4 at the front of the steering support member 3 when the switchboard edge 5 moves backwards.

In the peripheral structure of this embodiment, the third surface 41C of the forestay 4 is substantially parallel to the first surface 41A so as to stop a backward movement of the first surface 41A of the forestay 4 when the table edge 5 moves backwards. The peripheral structure of this embodiment can therefore facilitate deformation of the Z-shaped forestay 4 between the dashboard 5 and the steering support member 3, thereby improving the absorption efficiency load from the front of the vehicle.

In the peripheral structure of this embodiment, the steering support member 3 comprises the first support member 31 near the rear of the vehicle and the second support member 32 near the front of the vehicle, and the second support member 32 is disposed below the connection portion 44a which connects the second surface 41B and the third surface 41C of the forestay 4. Thus, as the forestay 4 moves towards the 'rear as a function of a rearward movement of the dashboard 5, the second support member 32 can receive a load from the front of the vehicle in a dispersed manner across the width of the vehicle. This can reinforce the third surface 41C and facilitate deformation of the Z-shaped forestay 4 between the dashboard 5 and the steering support member 3.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment, which can be modified and changed in various ways based on the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the counter back side 13 of the instrument panel 1 is fixed to the raised portion 45. Instead, the counter 2 can be fixed to the raised portion 45.

In addition, in the embodiment described above, the steering support member 3 comprises the first support member 31 and the second support member 32. The steering support member 3 may include only the first support member 31.

List of reference signs

Instrument panel

Counter

Management support unit

Prop

Dashboard

Counter back side

First support member

Second support member

Top stay area

41A First surface

41B Second surface

41C Third surface

Stay side

Front surface

Notched portion

44a Portion of connection to the third surface

44b Front end

Relief portion

45a Distal end

C Corner

R Vehicle interior

Claims (6)

1. Peripheral structure for a steering support member (3), comprising an interior instrument panel (1) with a counter (2) attached, the steering support member (3) being disposed in the panel instruments (1) so as to extend in a width direction of a vehicle, and a forestay (4) which extends from the steering support member (3) towards a front of the vehicle so as to connect the steering support member (3) and a dashboard (5) located near the front of the vehicle, characterized in that an upper surface of the forestay (4) has a first surface (41 A) which extends from the dashboard (5) towards a rear of the vehicle, a second surface (41B) which is inclined downward relative to a horizontal plane while extending from a rear of the first surface (41A) towards the rear of the vehicle, and a third surface (41C) which is inclined upward relative to the horizontal plane while extending from a rear of the second su surface (41B) towards the rear of the vehicle, and a counter rear side (13) of the instrument panel (1) formed in the form of a mounting surface for the counter (2) and a corner (C) at a bottom of the counter (2) overlap the third surface (41C) of the forestay (4). 2. peripheral structure for a steering support member (3) according to claim 1, characterized in that the second surface (41B) of the stay (4) comprises a notched portion (44), the notched portion (44) has a rear end which is configured as a connection portion to the third surface (44a), the rear end of the notched portion (44) has a raised portion (45) for fixing the instrument panel ( 1) or the counter (2), and the raised portion (45) has a distal end (45a) which is raised relative to the rear end of the notched portion (44). 3. peripheral structure for a steering support member (3) according to claim 2, characterized in that the distal end (45a) of the raised portion (45) has an upper end which is located higher than a upper end of a front end (44b) of the notched portion (44). 4. Peripheral structure for a steering support member (3) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the third surface (41C) of Tétai (4) is substantially parallel to the first surface (41 A). 5. peripheral structure for a steering support member (3) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the steering support member (3) comprises a first support member (31) near Tarrière of the vehicle and a second support member (32) near the front of the vehicle, the 10 second support member (32) being disposed below a connection portion (44a) which connects the second surface (41B) and the third surface (41C). 1/3