JP2000302058A - Pillar structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To bend an inclined part of a pillar at the time of vehicle collision certainly into a V-shape toward outside the cabin. SOLUTION: A coupling part 32 of the top 28A of an A-pillar reinforcement 28 with the front extremity 14B of a roof side rail reinforcement 14 is provided approx. in the center about vertical direction of an A-pillar 18. Outside the cabin of this coupling part 32, the top 28A of the A-pillar reinforcement 28 and the front extremity 14B of the roof side rail reinforcement 14 are overlapped, and inside the cabin of the coupling part 32, they 28A and 14B are positioned apart so that a gap 30 is formed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle pillar structure, and more particularly, to a vehicle pillar structure forming four corners of a cabin of a vehicle such as an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an example of a vehicle pillar structure forming four corners of a cabin of a vehicle such as an automobile is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-1.
No. 75565.

As shown in FIG. 5, in this vehicle pillar structure, an A pillar (front pillar) 70 is composed of an outer panel 72, an inner panel 74, and a reinforcement 76, and has a closed sectional structure. Further, as shown in FIG.
In the vicinity, as shown in FIG.
A cutout (cutout) 78 is formed by cutting off a part of each of the joining flanges 74A, 76A of the reinforcement 4 and the reinforcement 76. Further, at the joint flange 72A of the outer panel 72 corresponding to the notch 78,
Small notches 80 and 82 are formed to enhance the shock absorption of these portions.

[0004]

However, when the vehicle collides forward, it is necessary to secure a sufficient space for the occupants to survive. Therefore, the inclined portion 70B of the A pillar 70 is bent toward the outside of the cabin. In this vehicle pillar structure, the joining flanges 74A and 76A having the notches 78 and the joining flanges 72A having the small notches 80 and 82 are easily deformed. The closed cross section itself is not easily deformed.
Further, the vicinity of the base 70A of the A pillar 70 is easily deformed, but the middle part in the vertical direction of the A pillar 70 is not easily deformed. As a result, the roof side rail portion connected to the upper end of the A pillar 70 may be bent,
It is difficult to reliably bend the A-pillar into a V-shape with the inclined portion facing outside of the cabin.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle pillar structure capable of reliably bending an inclined portion of a pillar toward the outside of a passenger compartment in a collision at the time of a collision.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pillar structure for a vehicle, which is formed substantially at the center of the inclined portion of the pillar in the vertical direction. It is characterized in that it has a bending guide portion that serves as a starting point for bending in the shape of a letter toward the direction.

Therefore, at the time of collision from the front and rear of the vehicle body,
Starting from a bending guide portion formed substantially at the center in the vertical direction of the inclined portion of the pillar, the inclined portion of the pillar bends in a V shape toward the outside of the vehicle compartment. As a result, at the time of collision, the inclined portion of the pillar can be reliably bent into a V-shape facing the outside of the passenger compartment, and a sufficient occupant's living space can be secured.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle pillar structure, a connecting portion between an upper end portion of the A pillar reinforcement and a front end portion of the roof side rail reinforcement is provided at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction of the inclined portion of the A pillar. Arrange,
The connecting portion is a bending guiding portion serving as a starting point for bending the inclined portion toward the outside of the vehicle compartment in a frontal collision.

Therefore, when the vehicle collides forward, the inclined portion of the A-pillar is formed to be outwardly shaped outside the vehicle compartment starting from the bending guide portion formed substantially at the center in the vertical direction of the inclined portion of the A-pillar. To bend. As a result, at the time of a front collision, the inclined portion of the A-pillar can be reliably bent in a V-shape toward the outside of the vehicle compartment, and a sufficient living space for the occupant can be secured.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle pillar structure according to the second aspect, an upper end portion of the A pillar reinforcement and a front end portion of the roof side rail reinforcement are formed outside the cabin of the connecting portion. The upper portion of the A-pillar reinforcement and the front end of the roof side rail reinforcement are separated from each other at the vehicle compartment side portion of the connecting portion.

Therefore, in addition to the contents described in claim 2, the conventional roof side rail reinforcement may be extended forward, and only the respective connecting portions between the A pillar reinforcement and the roof side rail reinforcement may be changed. Therefore, as compared with the case where the reinforcing component is added to the outside of the vehicle compartment of the connecting portion, the inclined portion of the A pillar can be reliably bent into a V-shape toward the outside of the vehicle compartment at the time of a front collision with a simple configuration, Vibration characteristics and noise characteristics are also improved.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a vehicle pillar structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The arrow UP in the figure indicates the upward direction of the vehicle, the arrow FR in the figure indicates the forward direction of the vehicle, and the arrow IN in the figure.
Indicates the inside direction of the vehicle width.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the vehicle pillar structure according to the present embodiment, left and right roof side rails 12 are disposed at both ends in the vehicle width direction of a roof portion of a vehicle body 10 along the vehicle longitudinal direction. ing. These roof side rails 12 have a well-known configuration, and have a closed cross-sectional structure including a roof side rail outer panel and a roof side rail inner panel. A roof side rail reinforcement 14 is disposed in the closed cross section along the vehicle front-rear direction, and a rear end 14A of the roof side rail reinforcement 14 is located rearward of a B pillar (center pillar) 16. Is set in the part. On the other hand, the front end portion 14B of the roof side rail reinforcement 14 reaches a substantially central portion in the vertical direction of the inclined portion 18A of the A pillar (front pillar) 18.

As shown in FIG. 3, the A-pillar 18 has a well-known structure and has a closed cross-sectional structure including an A-pillar outer panel 20 and an A-pillar inner panel 22. A
The pillar outer panel 20 and the A-pillar inner panel 22 are joined to each other at joining flanges 24 and 26, and the A-pillar reinforcement 2 is included in the closed cross-sectional structure.
8 and A pillar reinforcement 2
The upper end 28 </ b> A of the 8 is set substantially at the center in the vertical direction of the inclined portion 18 </ b> A of the A pillar 18.

Therefore, the A pillar reinforcement 2
A connection portion 32 between the upper end portion 28A of the rear end 8 and the front end portion 14B of the roof side rail reinforcement 14 is disposed substantially at the center of the A pillar 18 in the vertical direction. Further, in the connecting portion 32, an upper end portion 28A of the A pillar reinforcement 28 and a front end portion 14B of the roof side rail reinforcement 14 are each cut into a triangular shape in a side view. As a result, the connecting portion 32
The upper end portion 28A of the A-pillar reinforcement 28 and the front end portion 14B of the roof side rail reinforcement 14 overlap with each other at the outside of the vehicle compartment, and the upper end of the A-pillar reinforcement 28 at the inside of the connecting portion 32 inside the vehicle compartment. The portion 28A and the front end 14B of the roof side rail reinforcement 14 are separated from each other to form a gap 30. Therefore, the connecting portion 32 is a bending guiding portion, and the inclined portion 18A of the A pillar 18 is located outside the vehicle cabin starting from the connecting portion 32 at the time of a front collision (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2).
It is designed to bend in a V-shape toward.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

In the present embodiment, when the vehicle collides forward, the upper end 18A of the A pillar reinforcement 28 formed substantially at the center in the vertical direction of the inclined portion 18A of the A pillar 18 and the roof side rail reinforcement 14 are provided. Starting from the connecting portion 32 with the front end portion 14B of the
The inclined portion 18A of the pillar 18 is bent in a V-shape toward the outside of the cabin (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2). As a result, at the time of a front collision, the inclined portion 18A of the A-pillar 18 can be reliably bent in a V-shape toward the outside of the vehicle compartment, so that a sufficient living space for the occupant 42 seated on the front seat 40 can be secured. it can.

In this embodiment, the upper end 28A of the A pillar reinforcement 28 and the roof side rail reinforcement 14
And the front end 14B of the connecting portion 32
The upper end portion 28A of the A-pillar reinforcement 28 and the front end portion 14B of the roof side rail reinforcement 14 are separated from each other at the inside of the vehicle cabin to form a gap 30. For this reason, the conventional roof side rail reinforcement may be extended forward, and only the respective connection portions of the A pillar reinforcement and the roof side rail reinforcement may be changed. As compared with the case of adding to the above, the inclined portion 18A of the A-pillar 18 can be reliably bent in a V-shape toward the outside of the vehicle compartment at the time of a front collision with a simple configuration, and the vibration characteristics and noise characteristics are also improved.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, a load acts on the roof side rail 12 via the B pillar 16 inwardly in the vehicle width (in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 4) due to a side collision. Also in this case, the inclined portion 18A of the A pillar 18 bends with the connecting portion 32 as a starting point. As a result, the rear side 12A of the roof side rail 12 rotates around the connecting portion 32 in the vehicle interior (the direction of the arrow C in FIG. 4), and changes from the state shown by the two-dot chain line to the state shown by the solid line in FIG. . Therefore, as compared with the case where the vicinity of the connection portion 12B with the B pillar 16 in the roof side rail 12 is broken, the portion 12 of the roof side rail 12 facing the head 42A of the occupant 42
The amount of movement L of C into the vehicle interior can be reduced, and a sufficient living space for the occupant 42 seated on the front seat can be ensured even in the case of a side collision.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail with respect to a specific embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various other embodiments are included within the scope of the present invention. It is clear to a person skilled in the art that is possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the upper end 2 of the A-pillar reinforcement 28 is provided outside the cabin of the connecting portion 32.
8A and the front end 14B of the roof side rail reinforcement 14 are overlapped, and the upper end 28A of the A pillar reinforcement 28 and the roof side rail reinforcement 14
Instead, the upper end 28A of the A-pillar reinforcement 28 and the front end 14B of the roof side rail reinforcement 14 are overlapped with each other on the outside of the cabin of the connecting portion 32. The upper end 28A of the A pillar reinforcement 28 and the front end 14B of the roof side rail reinforcement 14 may be abutted with each other on the vehicle cabin inner side of the connecting portion 32. Furthermore, at the approximately vertical center of the inclined portion of the conventional A-pillar reinforcement extending to the upper end of the A-pillar, the outer portion of the vehicle compartment is reinforced with a reinforcing component such as a reinforcing plate, and is provided on the side portion of the vehicle compartment. A configuration in which a notch is formed may be used.

Further, in the above embodiment, the vehicle pillar structure of the present invention is applied to the A pillar, but the vehicle pillar structure of the present invention is also applicable to the C pillar (quarter pillar).

[0023]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle pillar structure which is formed substantially at the center in the vertical direction of an inclined portion of a pillar, and has a starting point which bends the inclined portion toward the outside of the vehicle compartment in the event of a collision. Because of the bending guide part, the inclined part of the pillar can be reliably bent in a V-shape toward the outside of the cabin at the time of a collision, and the excellent effect that sufficient living space for the occupant can be secured can be obtained. Have.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle pillar structure, a connecting portion between an upper end portion of the A pillar reinforcement and a front end portion of the roof side rail reinforcement is provided substantially at the center in the vertical direction of the inclined portion of the A pillar. Arrange,
Since the connecting portion is a bending guide portion that serves as a starting point for bending the inclined portion toward the outside of the vehicle compartment at the time of a front collision, the inclined portion of the A pillar is directed to the outside of the vehicle compartment at the time of a front collision. It has an excellent effect of being able to bend and sufficiently securing the occupant's living space.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle pillar structure according to the second aspect, the connecting portion is provided with A
The upper end of the pillar reinforcement and the front end of the roof side rail reinforcement overlap, and the upper end of the A pillar reinforcement and the front end of the roof side rail reinforcement are separated from each other in the cabin side of the connection. As compared with the case where the reinforcing parts are added to the outside of the cabin of the connecting portion, the inclined portion of the A pillar can be reliably bent to the outside of the cabin at the time of a front collision with a simple configuration. In addition to this, there is an excellent effect that vibration characteristics and noise characteristics are also improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a vehicle pillar structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a deformed state at the time of a front collision in the vehicle pillar structure according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part of a vehicle pillar structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a partial cross-sectional view as viewed from the front inside a vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a deformed state at the time of a side collision in the vehicle pillar structure according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a vehicle pillar structure according to a conventional embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing a vehicle pillar structure according to a conventional embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 Roof Side Rail 14 Roof Side Rail Reinforcement 14A Rear End of Roof Side Rail Reinforcement 14B Front End of Roof Side Rail Reinforcement 16 B Pillar (Center Pillar) 18 A Pillar (Front Pillar) 18A Slope of A Pillar 20 A-pillar outer panel 22 A-pillar inner panel 28 A-pillar reinforcement 28A Upper end of A-pillar reinforcement 32 Connection part (bend guide part) between upper end of A-pillar reinforcement and front end of roof side rail reinforcement 30

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Tanaka 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Motor Corporation F term (reference) 3D003 AA05 BB02 CA33 CA40

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A bending guide portion formed at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction of an inclined portion of a pillar and serving as a starting point for bending the inclined portion toward the outside of the vehicle compartment in the event of a collision in a vehicle longitudinal direction. A pillar structure for a vehicle, characterized in that: 2. A connecting portion between an upper end portion of the A-pillar reinforcement and a front end portion of the roof side rail reinforcement is disposed substantially at the center in the vertical direction of the inclined portion of the A-pillar, and the connecting portion is provided at the time of a front collision. A vehicle pillar structure, which is a bend guiding portion serving as a starting point for bending an inclined portion outwardly in a vehicle shape. 3. An upper end portion of the A pillar reinforcement and a front end portion of the roof side rail reinforcement overlap with each other outside the cabin of the connecting portion,
3. An upper end portion of the A pillar reinforcement and a front end portion of the roof side rail reinforcement are separated from each other in a vehicle cabin inner side portion of the connection portion.
The vehicle pillar structure as described in the above.