JP2001163255A - Automotive front pillar - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sufficiently moderate the impact to an obstacle collided to an automotive front pillar without largely extending a protective member to the front of a front pillar body. SOLUTION: This automotive front pillar 20 comprises a protective member 60 for absorbing the impact mounted on the front surface of the cylindrical sectional front pillar body 21. A recessed part 44 is formed on the front surface of the front pillar body 21, and the rear half part of the protective member 60 is stored in the recessed part 44. The protective member 60 is largely deformed by the portion of the protective member 60 being stored in the recessed part 44, whereby the impact can be absorbed more.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in an automobile front pillar.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A front pillar of an automobile is a member having high rigidity because it is a part of a vehicle body. For example, when an obstacle hits the front part of the front pillar, the impact on the obstacle is large. On the other hand, if the rigidity of the front pillar is made too small to give priority to protection of obstacles, the durability of the entire vehicle body cannot be secured. Therefore, there is a demand for a front pillar of an automobile that can sufficiently reduce the impact on an obstacle while maintaining the original rigidity of the front pillar. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-39833, entitled "Car Front Pillar" (hereinafter referred to as "prior art") is known as a front pillar of a car in consideration of the mitigation of an impact to an obstacle.

The above prior art is disclosed in FIG. 1 and FIG.
As shown in the figure, a pillar body 5 having a cylindrical cross section is formed by combining a pillar inner 6 with a pillar inner 6 (the number is cited in the gazette; the same applies hereinafter). This is a front pillar 1 of an automobile in which a buffer panel 8 is mounted and a resin garnish 9 is mounted on the front surface of the buffer panel 8. When an obstacle hits the front part of the front pillar 1, the impact on the obstacle can be reduced by plastic deformation of the resin garnish 9 and the buffer panel 8.

[0004]

In the above prior art, when an obstacle hits the front portion of the front pillar 1, the shock absorbing panel 8 absorbs an impact force corresponding to the amount of deformation. The maximum amount of deformation of the buffer panel 8 (corresponding to a protection member) is the distance from when the buffer panel 8 is crushed from the state shown in FIG. 2 of the publication to the front portion 7 a of the pillar outer 7. By the way, in order to sufficiently reduce the impact on the obstacle, it is desirable to increase the maximum deformation amount of the buffer panel 8 as much as possible. In order to increase the maximum deformation of the buffer panel 8, the buffer panel 8 must be extended forward of the pillar body 5. However, there is a limit in increasing the maximum deformation amount due to restrictions on the design of the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle front pillar technology capable of sufficiently reducing an impact on an obstacle without extending a protection member largely in front of a front pillar body. is there.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is to form a concave portion in the front surface of a front pillar body having a cylindrical cross section, and to accommodate a rear half portion of a protective member for absorbing an impact in the concave portion. And a protection member is attached to the front pillar body. When an obstacle hits the front part of the front pillar, the protection member is deformed to absorb the impact. In this case, the amount of deformation of the protection member is increased by the amount of the storage of the protection member in the recess. When the protective member is largely deformed, the impact force can be further absorbed. As a result, it is possible to sufficiently reduce the impact on the obstacle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the front pillar body is provided with a fragile portion for promoting deformation of the front pillar body. When an obstacle hits the front pillar, the fragile portion is deformed, and the front pillar body is also deformed from the fragile portion as a starting point, thereby absorbing an impact force from the obstacle. As a result, the impact on the obstacle is sufficiently reduced.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that "before", "after",
“Left”, “right”, “up”, and “down” follow the direction seen from the driver, and Fr is the front side, Rr is the rear side, L is the left side, R is the right side, and CL is the vehicle width center (body center). Is shown. Also, the drawings should be viewed in the direction of reference numerals.

First, a front pillar of an automobile according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front half of an automobile (first embodiment) according to the present invention, and shows left and right front pillars 20 forming part of the body of an automobile 10. Hereinafter, the configuration of the left front pillar 20 will be described in detail. The right front pillar 20 has the same configuration as the left front pillar 20, and a description thereof will be omitted. In the figure, 11 and 11 are front fenders, 12 is a roof, 13 is a front bumper, 14
Is a hood, 15 is a windshield, 16 is a door, 1
7 is a door glass, 18 is a front wheel, and 19 and 19 are headlights.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and shows a plan sectional structure around the left front pillar 20. The front pillar 20 is a vehicle body component in which a protection member 60 is attached to a front portion of the front pillar body 21. The front pillar body 21 covers the inner frame 30 inside the vehicle compartment 25 (inside the vehicle) with the outer frame 40 outside the vehicle.
It is a pillar member formed in a cylindrical cross section.

The inner frame 30 is an integrally formed product comprising an inner body 31, a front flange 32 and a rear flange 33. More specifically, the inner main body 31 is a substantially U-shaped member in a plan cross section with the open side facing outward in the vehicle width direction (the side opposite to the vehicle body center CL), and the front flange 32 is integrally formed at the front edge. The rear flange 33 is formed integrally with the rear edge.

The cross-sectional shape of the inner frame 30 will be described in more detail. The straight portion 34 extends rearward from the base end of the front flange 32 with the flange surface of the front flange 32 facing the front of the vehicle body. The cabin 25
The bent portion 35 is bent inward, and a U-shaped portion 36 opened outward in the vehicle width direction is connected to the bent portion 35 to form a U-shaped portion 36.
The rear flange 33 is provided at the rear end. The bent portion 35 is a fragile portion that is easily buckled by a force from the front of the vehicle body, and plays a role of promoting the deformation of the front pillar body 21.

The outer frame 40 is a member having a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional plane as a whole by joining an outer rear portion 51 to an outer front portion 41 serving as a front surface of the front pillar main body 21. The inside (body center CL side) is open.

The outer front portion 41 is a member formed by bending a plate having a predetermined thickness. Specifically, the outer front portion 41
Overlaps the end flange 42 with the front flange 32 of the inner frame 30, extends the flange 42 outward in the vehicle width direction to form a flat plate portion 43, and bends the rear end of the flat plate portion 43 into a substantially arc-shaped cross section. The recess 44 is formed.
In this way, a recess 44 is formed on the front surface of the front pillar main body 21 so as to be recessed rearward of the vehicle. The distance from the flat plate portion 43 to the bottom of the concave portion 44, that is, the depth of the concave portion 44 is D
e1.

The outer rear portion 51 is provided with a front end front flange 5.
2 is superimposed on the rear surface of the end of the concave portion 44, and is bent substantially stepwise from the end of the front flange 52 to form a step 53. A rear flange 54 is formed at the end of the step 53, and the rear flange 54 is formed. The rear flange 33 of the inner frame 30 is overlapped.

A flange 42 of an outer front portion 41 is joined to a front flange 32 of the inner frame 30 so as to form an outer front portion 4.
The front flange 5 of the outer rear portion 51 is provided at the end of the first concave portion 44.
2 and the rear flange 33 of the inner frame 30 to the rear flange 54 of the outer rear 51,
The front pillar main body 21 having a cylindrical cross section can be formed. The joining method is, for example, spot welding.
The inner frame 30, the outer front portion 41, and the outer rear portion 51 are plate members such as a steel plate and an aluminum alloy plate. Note that these members 30, 41, and 51 may be extruded members having a predetermined thickness. Also, the outer front portion 41 and the outer rear portion 5
The outer frame 40 may be formed by integrally molding the outer frame 40 with the outer frame 40.

FIG. 1 shows that a protection member 60 for absorbing an impact from the front of the vehicle body is attached to a front portion of a front pillar body 21, that is, an outer front portion 41, and a protection member 6 is provided.
This indicates that the area around 0 is covered with a garnish (makeup cover) 71. The protection member 60 is a cylindrical cross-section member, and is made of a material such as an aluminum alloy material or a resin material that is easily buckled by a force from the front of the vehicle body. Further, this figure shows that the rear half of the protection member 60 is housed in the recess 44 of the front pillar body 21.

The garnish 71 is a cover member made of a material that can be easily deformed by an impact from the front of the vehicle body. The garnish 71 is attached to the front surface of the protection member 60 to enhance the appearance around the front pillar 20.

The inner frame 30 has a reinforcing pipe 76 stacked on a rear inner surface of the U-shaped portion 36 via a reinforcing plate 75 and attached by welding or the like. Reinforcement plate 7
5 is a thick plate and therefore has relatively high rigidity. Reinforcement pipe 7
6 also has a high rigidity because it is a cylindrical section member. The inner frame 30 has a fragile bent portion 35 formed in the front half, and the rear half is reinforced by the reinforcing plate 75 and the reinforcing pipe 76 to maintain the original rigidity of the inner frame 30. .

The reinforcing plate 75 and the reinforcing pipe 76 passing through the inside of the front pillar body 21 having a cylindrical cross section also serve as a core material. By increasing the rigidity of the rear half of the front pillar main body 21 by the reinforcing plate 75 and the reinforcing pipe 76, the original rigidity of the front pillar main body 21 as a part of the vehicle body can be maintained. In addition, since there is no reinforcing member in the front half of the front pillar body 21, the bent portion 3
5 does not hinder the deformation action. In this manner, the front pillar main body 21 is divided into the first half shock absorbing portion 21F that absorbs a shock from the front of the vehicle body and the second half high rigidity portion 21R that maintains the original rigidity of the front pillar main body 21. is there.

FIG. 2 shows that the interior of the inner frame 30 in the passenger compartment 25 is covered with an interior cover 78. The indoor side cover 78 is a cover member that enhances the appearance of the passenger compartment 25 and has a function as a protector for the front pillar body 21. In particular, since the bent portion 35 is provided inside the vehicle compartment 25 and is covered with the indoor side cover 78 and is blindfolded, the appearance is enhanced. In the figure, 81 is an adhesive molding, 82 is a weather strip, 83 is a sealant, 8
4 is a door sash, 85 is a weather strip outside the door, 8
Reference numeral 6 denotes a weather strip inside the door, and 87 denotes a weather strip for a door window.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a front pillar (first embodiment) of an automobile according to the present invention. The inner frame 30 and the outer frame 40 are elongated members having a substantially U-shaped cross section. 75 and the reinforcing pipe 76
This indicates that the member is an elongated member along the front pillar body 21. The concave portion 44 is an elongated groove along the front surface of the front pillar body 21, and the protection member 60 in which the rear half portion is stored is an elongated bellows tube.

Further, in this figure, the rear part of the protection member 60
A plurality of clips 61... Extending to the rear of the vehicle body (... indicate a plurality, the same applies hereinafter) are integrally formed, and the clips 6
.. Indicate that a plurality of fitting holes 45 into which... Can be inserted. Fitting hole 45 of front pillar body 21
The protective member 60 can be easily attached to the front surface of the front pillar body 21 by snap-fitting only by fitting the clips 61. No separate parts such as screws for attaching the protection member 60 to the front pillar body 21 are required.

Next, the operation of the front pillar 20 in the first embodiment having the above configuration will be described in the order of the drawings with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a front pillar (first embodiment) according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a first operation diagram of the embodiment of the present invention, and shows that an obstacle S has hit the front pillar 20 from the front of the vehicle body as indicated by an arrow. The impact force from the obstacle S is transmitted to the front pillar main body 21 via the garnish 71 and the protection member 60. Next, the operation proceeds to the operation of FIG.

FIG. 5 shows a front pillar (first embodiment) according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a second operation diagram of Embodiment 2), and shows that the protective member 60 and the garnish 71 are plastically deformed in the direction of the arrow by the impact force from the obstacle S. This stage is the first stage in which the protective member 60 and the garnish 71 buckle to absorb the impact force. The protection member 60 is deformed and effectively absorbs the impact force from the obstacle S. As a result, the impact on the obstacle S can be reduced. The front pillar body 21 includes a protective member 60 and a garnish 71.
It is not deformed at this stage because it is stiffer than it is. Next, the operation proceeds to the operation of FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a front pillar (first embodiment) according to the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a third operational diagram of the embodiment), wherein when the impact force from the obstacle S is even greater, the protection member 6 is moved by the impact force.
0 indicates the second stage of further plastic deformation rearward (in the direction of the arrow). The protection member 60 is further deformed to further absorb the impact force from the obstacle S. As a result, the impact on the obstacle S can be sufficiently reduced.

As described above, not only the front half of the protection member 60 is deformed from the state before deformation shown by the imaginary line, but also the rear half of the protection member 60 accommodated in the recess 44 can be deformed. That is, the protection member 60 can be greatly deformed by the amount of the rear half portion stored in the concave portion 44. The maximum deformation amount of the protection member 60 at this time is a distance X1 from a position before deformation indicated by an imaginary line to a position indicated by a solid line. This distance X1
Is extremely large as compared with the case where only the first half of the protection member 60 is deformed. By deforming the protection member 60 by the distance X1, a large impact force corresponding to the distance X1 can be absorbed.

Therefore, when the obstacle S hits the front pillar 20, the protection member 60 can further absorb the impact force. As a result, the impact on the obstacle S can be sufficiently reduced. After the second stage, the front pillar body 21 starts plastic deformation in the direction of the arrow. That is, the bending portion 35 which is fragile due to a large impact force.
Starts plastic deformation. Next, the operation proceeds to the operation of FIG.

FIG. 7 shows a front pillar (first embodiment) according to the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a fourth operation diagram of the third embodiment), and shows a third stage in which the front pillar body 21 is plastically deformed in the direction of the arrow by a greater impact force from the obstacle S. In the third stage, the fragile bent portion 35 is plastically deformed by the impact force when the obstacle S hits the front pillar 20. At the same time, the front half of the inner frame 30 is plastically deformed with the bent portion 35 as a starting point, and the front half of the outer frame 40 is also plastically deformed. In this way, the entire front half impact absorbing portion 21F of the front pillar main body 21 is buckled and deformed to absorb the impact force from the obstacle S. As a result, the impact on the obstacle S can be sufficiently reduced.

On the other hand, the high rigidity portion 21R in the rear half of the front pillar main body 21 apart from the bent portion 35 does not deform much. Therefore, the original rigidity of the front pillar body 21 as a part of the vehicle body can be maintained.

Next, a front pillar of an automobile according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The same components as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 8 is a plan sectional view of a front pillar (second embodiment) of an automobile according to the present invention, and corresponds to the configuration shown in FIG. The front pillar 20 is a front pillar body 2
1 is a vehicle body component in which a protection member 100 is attached to a front portion.

The outer frame 40 is a member having a substantially U-shaped cross section in plan view by joining an outer rear portion 51 to an outer front portion 91 serving as a front surface of the front pillar main body 21. The inside (the vehicle body center CL side) is opened.

The outer front portion 91 is a member formed by bending a plate material having a predetermined thickness. Specifically, the outer front portion 91
Is overlapped with the front flange 32 of the inner frame 30, and the flange 92 is extended outward in the vehicle width direction to form a first flat plate portion 93. A second flat portion 95 is formed by bending the second flat portion 95 from the end of the step portion 94 further outward in the vehicle width direction.
Accordingly, a space surrounded by the step portion 94 and the second flat plate portion 95 was provided, and this space was used as the recess 96. In this way, a recess 96 that is recessed rearward of the vehicle is formed on the front surface of the front pillar body 21. From the first flat plate portion 93 to the second
The distance to the flat plate portion 95, that is, the depth of the concave portion 96 is De
2.

The flange 92 of the outer front portion 91 is joined to the front flange 32 of the inner frame 30, and the outer front portion 9
The front pillar 52 of the outer rear portion 51 is joined to the end of the second flat plate portion 95, and the rear flange 33 of the inner frame 30 is joined to the rear flange 54 of the outer rear portion 51. 21 can be formed. The outer front part 91 is a plate material such as a steel plate or an aluminum alloy plate. Note that the outer front portion 91 may be an extruded material having a predetermined thickness. Further, by integrally molding the outer front portion 91 and the outer rear portion 51, the outer frame 40 is formed.
It may be.

This figure shows that a protection member 100 for absorbing an impact from the front of the vehicle body is attached to the front part of the front pillar body 21, that is, the second flat plate part 95. The protection member 100 is a substantially rectangular tubular cross-sectional member made of an extruded material such as an aluminum alloy material or a resin material, and has bent portions 101 at least on left and right sides.
The bent portions 101 are fragile portions that are easily buckled by a force from the front of the vehicle body. The protection member 100 according to the second embodiment is more easily buckled than the protection member 60 made of the bellows tube shown in FIG. 2, and therefore, it is easier to absorb a shock from the front. Further, this figure shows that the rear half of the protection member 100 is housed in the recess 96 of the front pillar body 21.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a front pillar (second embodiment) of an automobile according to the present invention. The outer frame 40 is an elongated member having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and the protection member 100 is a front pillar. It shows that the member is an elongated member along the main body 21. Further, FIG.
A plurality of clips 102 extending rearward of the vehicle body are provided at the rear of the vehicle.
Are formed integrally, and fitting holes 97 into which the clips 102 can be inserted are opened in the front surface of the front pillar body 21, that is, in the second flat plate portion 95. By simply attaching the clips 102 of the protection member 100 to the fitting holes 97 of the front pillar body 21, the protection member 100 is easily attached to the front surface of the front pillar body 21 by snap fitting. be able to. No separate parts such as screws for attaching the protection member 100 to the front pillar body 21 are required.

Next, the operation of the front pillar 20 in the second embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a first operation diagram of the front pillar (second embodiment) according to the present invention, and shows that the obstacle S has hit the front pillar 20 from the front of the vehicle body as indicated by an arrow. Impact force from obstacle S is garnish 7
1 and the front pillar body 2 via the protection member 100
Transfer to 1. Next, the operation proceeds to the operation of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a second operation view of the front pillar (second embodiment) according to the present invention. The protection member 100 and the garnish 7 are subjected to an impact force from an obstacle S.
1 indicates that it was plastically deformed in the direction of the arrow. This stage is the first stage in which the garnish 71 and the protection member 100 buckle to absorb the impact force. Protective member 1
00 is deformed to effectively absorb the impact force from the obstacle S. As a result, the impact on the obstacle S can be reduced. Since the front pillar body 21 has higher rigidity than the garnish 71 and the protection member 100, it does not deform at this stage. Next, the operation proceeds to the operation of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a third operation view of the front pillar (second embodiment) according to the present invention. When the impact force from the obstacle S is further increased, the protection member 100 is moved backward by the impact force. The second stage, in which the plastic deformation is further performed in the direction of the arrow, is shown. The protection member 100 is further deformed to further absorb the impact force from the obstacle S. As a result, the impact on the obstacle S can be sufficiently reduced.

As described above, the protection member 100 not only deforms the front half from the state before deformation shown by the imaginary line, but also
The rear half accommodated in the recess 96 can also be deformed.
That is, the protection member 100 can be greatly deformed by the amount of the rear half portion stored in the concave portion 96. The maximum deformation amount of the protection member 100 at this time is the distance X2 from the position before deformation indicated by the imaginary line to the position indicated by the solid line. This distance X2 is much larger than when only the first half of the protection member 100 is deformed. By deforming the protection member 100 by the distance X2, a large impact force corresponding to the distance X2 can be absorbed.

Therefore, when the obstacle S hits the front pillar 20, the protection member 100 can further absorb the impact force. As a result, the impact on the obstacle S can be sufficiently reduced. After the second step,
The front pillar body 21 starts plastic deformation in the direction of the arrow. In other words, the bending portion 3 that is fragile due to a large impact force
5 starts plastic deformation. Next, the operation proceeds to the operation of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a fourth operation view of the front pillar (second embodiment) according to the present invention. The front pillar main body 21 is plastically deformed in the direction of the arrow by a larger impact force from the obstacle S. The third stage is shown. In the third stage, the fragile bent portion 35 is plastically deformed by the impact force when the obstacle S hits the front pillar 20. At the same time, the front half of the inner frame 30 is plastically deformed with the bent portion 35 as a starting point, and the front half of the outer frame 40 is also plastically deformed. In this way, the entire front half impact absorbing portion 21F of the front pillar main body 21 is buckled and deformed to absorb the impact force from the obstacle S. As a result, the impact on the obstacle S can be sufficiently reduced.

On the other hand, in the front pillar main body 21, the latter high rigid portion 21R apart from the bent portion 35 does not deform much. Therefore, the original rigidity of the front pillar body 21 as a part of the vehicle body can be maintained.

In the first and second embodiments, the protection members 60 and 100 only need to be able to deform and absorb shock when an obstacle hits the front part of the front pillar 1. The material, shape, and dimensions are arbitrary. Further, the recesses 44 and 96 formed on the front surface of the front pillar main body 21 may be any shapes as long as they can deformably store the rear half of the protection members 60 and 100, and may have any shape and dimensions.

[0045]

According to the present invention, the following effects are exhibited by the above configuration. According to the first aspect of the present invention, a concave portion is formed in the front surface of the front pillar body having a cylindrical cross section, the rear half portion of the protection member that absorbs an impact is housed in the concave portion, and the protection member is attached to the front pillar body. When an obstacle hits the front part, the amount of deformation of the protection member can be increased by an amount corresponding to the storage of the protection member in the recess. Therefore, when an obstacle hits the front pillar, the impact force can be further absorbed by the protection member. As a result, it is possible to sufficiently reduce the impact on the obstacle. In addition, since the rear half of the protection member is housed in the recess on the front surface of the front pillar main body, it is not necessary to extend the protection member greatly forward of the front pillar main body. Therefore, there is no restriction on the design of the vehicle, and the degree of freedom in design is increased.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the front pillar main body is provided with a fragile portion for promoting deformation of the front pillar main body. The front pillar body is also deformed, and can absorb the impact force from obstacles. As a result, the impact on the obstacle can be sufficiently reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front half of an automobile (first embodiment) according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a front pillar (first embodiment) of an automobile according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a first operation view of a front pillar (first embodiment) according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a second operational diagram of the front pillar (first embodiment) according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a third operational view of the front pillar (first embodiment) according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a fourth operation diagram of the front pillar (first embodiment) according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan sectional view of a front pillar (second embodiment) of an automobile according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a front pillar (second embodiment) of an automobile according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a first operation of a front pillar (second embodiment) according to the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a second operational view of the front pillar (second embodiment) according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a third operational view of the front pillar (second embodiment) according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a fourth operational view of the front pillar (second embodiment) according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Car, 20 ... Front pillar, 21 ... Front pillar main body, 35 ... Fragile part (bent part), 44 ... Concave part, 6
0: protection member, 96: recess, 100: protection member, S: obstacle.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A front pillar main body having a cylindrical cross section has a recess formed in the front surface thereof, a rear half of a protection member for absorbing impact is housed in the recess, and the protection member is attached to the front pillar body. And the front pillar of the car. 2. The front pillar of an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the front pillar body is provided with a fragile portion for promoting deformation of the front pillar body.