JP2004196087A - Pillar part structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pillar part structure of a vehicle capable of enhancing the pedestrian protecting performance at low cost. <P>SOLUTION: The pillar part structure of the vehicle is configured so that a hinge elevating/sinking mechanism 24 to lift the rear 20A of a hood 20 is actuated when the vehicle has gone in collision, the front extremity 76A of a cable 76 is elevated through a hook 74 formed on a hinge arm 22 when it rises, and that the whole cable 76 rotates the tail upward about the rotational center. As a result, a pillar outer garnish panel 88 where the cable 76 is engaged with a rib 100 moves upward together with the cable 76 and separates from a pillar skeleton member 82. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pillar structure of a vehicle, and more particularly to a pillar structure of a vehicle having a mechanism for lifting a rear portion of a hood to protect a pedestrian.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in a mechanism for lifting the rear part of the hood of a vehicle for pedestrian protection, a direct-acting lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the rear part of the hood, and a pedestrian advance detection unit that detects a collision with a pedestrian or the like in advance. Equipped with a controller that determines whether to raise the hood in response to a signal from the pedestrian advance detection means, and a taper portion that extends upward from the vehicle in a vehicle side view and a vehicle front view at an upper portion of the hood elevating arm portion. Provided, and has an inner shape corresponding to the taper of the upper portion of the arm portion, a guide portion through which the arm portion is inserted is provided on the vehicle body, the narrowest portion of the guide portion is wider than the narrowest portion of the arm portion, and a predetermined interval is provided. 2. Description of the Related Art A configuration in which an arm is housed via an intervening arm is known.
[0003]
In a mechanism for lifting the rear part of the hood of a vehicle to protect a pedestrian, when the danger of collision with a pedestrian is determined based on the detection operation of the collision detection means, the hood jumping means operates to activate the engine hood. The rear end is flipped up to enlarge the gap between the front windshield, and at the same time, the airbag module is operated to inflate the airbag from the gap, so that the front pillar extends from the base to the upper end on the front side of the front pillar. A configuration for expanding and deploying so as to cover the entire area is known (for example, see Patent Document 2).
[0004]
Further, in a mechanism for lifting a rear portion of a hood of a vehicle to protect a pedestrian, an airbag device is operated by pedestrian collision detection means for detecting a collision with a pedestrian, and the deployment force of the airbag causes the hood of the vehicle hood to expand. The rear portion is lifted by a predetermined amount and the hood holding means is operated to hold the hood at the lifted position to form a deformation area for absorbing impact with the hood and to place the pillar airbag on the pillar in a window. A configuration is known in which a tear prevention film is inflated and deployed on a shield (for example, see Patent Document 3).
[0005]
In addition, in a front pillar of an automobile having a cylindrical cross section, a configuration is known in which a fragile portion that promotes deformation of the front pillar is formed inside the interior of the automobile (for example, see Patent Document 4).
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-206245 A [Patent Document 2]
JP 2002-36986 A [Patent Document 3]
JP 2000-264146 A [Patent Document 4]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-342863
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in Patent Literature 1, there is no pedestrian protection structure in the front pillar, and in Patent Literatures 2 and 3, the size of the airbag bag is increased and the cost is increased. For this reason, the height of the protection member is restricted and the pedestrian protection performance is limited.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to obtain a vehicle pillar structure that can improve pedestrian protection performance at low cost.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention according to claim 1 is a pillar portion structure of a vehicle including a hood raising means for moving a rear portion of the hood upward of the vehicle at the time of a vehicle collision,
A pillar outer garnish arranged on the vehicle outer side of the pillar frame member;
Pillar outer garnish moving means for separating the pillar outer garnish from the pillar skeleton member,
Wherein the pillar outer garnish moving means is interlocked with the hood raising means.
[0010]
Therefore, when the vehicle collides with a collision object such as a pedestrian, the rear portion of the hood moves upward of the vehicle by the hood lifting means. At this time, the pillar outer garnish moving means moves the pillar outer garnish away from the pillar frame member in conjunction with the hood raising means. As a result, the deformation stroke of the pillar outer garnish increases. For this reason, the impact mitigation performance against a collision object that collides with the pillar is improved, and the pedestrian protection performance can be improved. Further, since the pillar outer garnish moving means is interlocked with the hood elevating means to separate the pillar outer garnish from the pillar skeleton member, the cost is lower than that of a structure in which the pillar is covered by an airbag bag.
[0011]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the pillar structure of the vehicle according to the first aspect, the pillar outer garnish moving means is provided along the pillar between the pillar outer garnish and the pillar frame member. The rear end is fixed to the upper part of the pillar, and the front end is a wire connected to the hood raising means.
[0012]
Therefore, when the vehicle collides with a collision object such as a pedestrian, the rear portion of the hood moves upward of the vehicle by the hood lifting means. At this time, the wire rod is disposed along the pillar between the pillar outer garnish and the pillar frame member, the rear end is fixed to the upper part of the pillar, and the front end is connected to the hood raising means. In conjunction with, the pillar outer garnish is separated from the pillar skeleton member. As a result, the deformation stroke of the pillar outer garnish increases. For this reason, the impact mitigation performance against a collision object that collides with the pillar is improved, and the pedestrian protection performance can be improved. Further, since the wire is interlocked with the hood raising means and the pillar outer garnish is separated from the pillar skeleton member, the cost is lower than the structure in which the pillar is covered with the airbag bag.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
One embodiment of a pillar structure of a vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0014]
In the drawings, the arrow FR indicates the vehicle forward direction, the arrow UP indicates the vehicle upward direction, and the arrow IN indicates the vehicle width inside direction.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, a sensor 14 is incorporated near the surface of the front bumper 12 of the vehicle 10, and the sensor 14 detects the contact of the collision body S. The sensor 14 is connected to a control device 18. The control device 18 transmits a vehicle speed signal, for example, a signal indicating that the vehicle is traveling at a predetermined speed (e.g., 20 km / h) or more, and a signal from the sensor 14. When it is determined that the contact is during traveling in combination with the output signal, current is supplied to the motor 26 of the hinge up-and-down mechanism 24 as hood raising means connected to the hinge arm 22 of the hood 20 covering the engine room. Has become.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 1, the left and right hinge arms 22 (only the right side of the vehicle is shown in FIG. 1) are fixed by bolts 32 near both ends in the vehicle width direction on the lower surface side of the rear portion 20A of the hood 20. The left and right apron upper members 30, which are front skeletal members, are attached via a hinge up / down mechanism 24.
[0017]
A rear end 22A of the hinge arm 22 is rotatably connected to an end 34A on the hood 20 side of the link 34 of the hinge up-and-down mechanism 24 by a pin 36 in the front-rear direction. , And is connected to the upper part of the movable plate 38 by a pin 37 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction. A front end portion 40A of the auxiliary link 40 is connected to a middle portion of the link 34 by a pin 42 so as to be vertically rotatable. A rear end portion 40B of the auxiliary link 40 is connected to a hinge mount bracket by a stepped bolt 44. The rear part of the hinge arm 22 below the rear end part 22A of the hinge arm 22 is rotatably connected in the vertical direction.
[0018]
A base portion 46A of the hinge mount bracket 46 is disposed along the vehicle width direction inner side wall portion 30A of the apron upper member 30, and includes a base portion 46A of the hinge mount bracket 46 and a flange formed at an upper edge of the base portion 46A. 46B are fixed to the apron upper member 30 by bolts 47.
[0019]
The movable plate 38 is screwed to a threaded shaft 48, and is movable in the vehicle front-rear direction along the shaft 48. The shaft 48 is rotatably supported by a front bracket 50 and a rear bracket 52 fixed to the hinge mount bracket 46, respectively, and the front end of the shaft 48 is connected to the motor 26 by a joint 54. . Therefore, when the motor 26 rotates forward or backward by the current from the control device 18, the movable plate 38 moves backward (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1) or forward (in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1). Has become.
[0020]
A lower stop switch 58 for stopping the movable plate 38 is disposed on the front bracket 50, and the lower stop switch 58 is connected to the control device 18. An upper stop switch 60 for stopping the movable plate 38 is disposed on the rear bracket 52, and the upper stop switch 60 is connected to the control device 18. Therefore, when the lower stop switch 58 detects the movable plate 38 and when the upper stop switch 60 detects the movable plate 38, the current from the control device 18 stops and the motor 26 stops. ing.
[0021]
An elastic body 62 such as rubber is fixed to the front end of the rear bracket 52. When the upper stop switch 60 is turned on, the motor 26 stops, but the shaft 48 rotates by inertia. Therefore, the movable plate 38 is disengaged from the screw portion 48A of the shaft 48, and enters the idling state. At this time, the elastic body 62 is compressed by the movable plate 38. Thereafter, the movable plate 38 is pushed back by the elastic body 62, and stops at a position where the movable plate 38 is screwed with the screw portion 48A of the shaft 48. The elastic body 62 is also provided at the rear end of the front bracket 50 in the same manner.
[0022]
When the movable plate 38 is at the stop position on the front bracket 50 side, the pin 36 serving as the rotation axis of the hinge arm 22 is screwed into the movable plate 38 and the screw portion 48A of the shaft 48 in FIG. As shown in the normal use position. Further, in this normal use position, the upper end 64A of the stopper 64 cut and raised above the hinge mount bracket 46 comes into contact with and supports the end 34A of the link 34 on the hood 20 side.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 2, when the movable plate 38 is at the stop position on the rear bracket 52 side, the pin 36 serving as the rotation axis of the hinge arm 22 is connected to the screw portion 48A of the shaft 48 of the movable plate 38. 2 is held at the raised position shown in FIG. Further, in this raised position, the front surface 64B of the stopper 64 cut and raised above the hinge mount bracket 46 comes into contact with and supports the auxiliary link 40.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 5, the hood 20 is long in the front-rear direction, and the rear portion 20A moves upward with a rotation portion about a meshing portion between the striker 70 disposed at the front end portion 20B and the hood lock 72 on the vehicle body side. Has become.
[0025]
In the present embodiment, a hook 74 is formed obliquely rearward and downward at a rear end portion 22A of the hinge arm 22. The hook 74 has a front end portion of a cable 76 which is a wire as a pillar outer garnish moving means. 76A is engaged.
[0026]
The cable 76 is provided along a front pillar 78 of the vehicle 10, and a rear end portion 76 </ b> B is fixed to an anchor 80 fixed above the front pillar 78.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 3, the pillar frame member 82 of the front pillar 78 is composed of a pillar outer panel 84 and a pillar inner panel 86. The pillar outer panel 84 has a substantially U-shape with an opening directed substantially inward in the vehicle width direction, and a flange 84B formed rearward at a vehicle width direction inner end of the rear wall portion 84A. . The pillar inner panel 86 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape with the opening directed substantially outward in the vehicle width direction. A flange 86B is formed rearward at the vehicle width direction outer end of the rear wall portion 86A. I have. The flange 84B of the pillar outer panel 84 and the flange 86B of the pillar inner panel 86 are joined and welded to each other.
[0028]
On the other hand, a flange 84D is formed substantially forward in the vehicle width direction inner end of the front wall portion 84C of the pillar outer panel 84. Further, the front portion of the vehicle width direction inner side wall portion 86C of the pillar inner panel 86 is joined and welded to the flange 84D of the pillar outer panel 84, and is attached to the front end portion of the vehicle width direction inner wall portion 86C of the pillar inner panel 86. Has a flange 86D formed outwardly in the vehicle width direction.
[0029]
A pillar outer garnish 88 is provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the pillar outer panel 84, and the pillar outer garnish 88 is made of resin. Further, the outer rear portion of the pillar outer garnish 88 in the vehicle width direction overlaps with the outer wall portion 84E of the pillar outer panel 84, and forms an overlap portion 88A.
[0030]
As shown in FIG. 4, a U-shaped notch 89 is formed in the overlapping portion 88 </ b> A of the pillar outer garnish 88, with the opening directed downward toward the rear side of the vehicle.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 3, the outer peripheral portion of the notch 89 of the pillar outer garnish 88 is fixed to an outer wall portion 84E of the pillar outer panel 84 by a fixing member 90 such as a screw or a nut. Further, the front of the overlapping portion 88A is an extended portion 88B extending toward the windshield glass 92 side, and the distal end of the extended portion 88B is provided with an engaging portion 88C substantially directed rearward of the vehicle. Is formed. An engagement claw 88E is formed at the tip of the engagement portion 88C of the pillar outer panel 84, and the engagement claw 88E is engaged with the flange 86D of the pillar inner panel 86.
[0032]
Therefore, the notch 89 of the pillar outer garnish 88 is detached from the fixing member 90, and the engaging claw 88E is broken or detached from the flange 86D of the pillar inner panel 86, so that the pillar outer garnish 88 is easily separated from the pillar frame member 82. I can do it.
[0033]
As shown in FIG. 1, ribs 100 are formed on the inner peripheral portion of the pillar outer garnish 88 at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the pillar outer garnish 88 (vehicle longitudinal direction).
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 3, the rib 100 is in contact with the front wall portion 84C of the pillar outer panel 84, and a cable is provided substantially at the center of the contact side 100A of the rib 100 with the front wall portion 84C of the pillar outer panel 84. An opening 102 is formed to pass through the opening 76. The width of the opening 102 is gradually reduced toward the back, and a circular hole 103 for holding the cable 76 is formed at the bottom.
[0035]
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, when the hinge up / down mechanism 24 is operated and the hinge arm 22 is raised, the front end portion 76A of the cable 76 is raised via the hook 74 formed on the hinge arm 22, and the cable is lifted. The whole 76 rotates the rear end portion 76B above the center of rotation. As a result, the outer pillar garnish 88 in which the cable 76 is engaged with the rib 100 is separated from the pillar frame member 82 together with the cable 76 and moves upward (in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2).
[0036]
A vehicle width direction end portion 92A of the windshield glass 92 is fixed to the flange 86D of the pillar inner panel 86 by an adhesive 94. A pillar inner garnish 104 made of a resin material is disposed on the vehicle interior side of the pillar inner panel 86, and a front end portion 104 </ b> A of the pillar inner garnish 104 is connected to a vehicle width direction end of the windshield glass 92. It is engaged between the portion 92A and the flange 86D of the pillar inner panel 86.
[0037]
Further, the rear end portion 104B of the pillar inner garnish 104 is engaged via a weather strip 106 with a joining flange formed by a flange 84B of the pillar outer panel 84 and a flange 86B of the pillar inner panel 86.
[0038]
Reference numeral 110 in FIG. 3 indicates a weather strip disposed on the frame 112A of the front side door 112. The windshield glass 92 has a three-layer structure in which an intermediate resin film 92B is sandwiched between glasses 92C and 92D.
[0039]
Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
[0040]
In this embodiment, when the control device 18 determines in step (hereinafter, referred to as S) 200 from the vehicle speed signal that, for example, the vehicle is traveling at a predetermined speed (eg, 20 km / h) or more, In S201, it is determined whether or not the contact of the collision body S is detected by the sensor 14 built in the front bumper 12 of the vehicle 10. When the control device 18 determines in S201 that the contact of the collision object S is detected, in S202, the control device 18 supplies a current to the motor 26 of the hinge vertical mechanism 24 connected to the hinge arm 22 disposed on the hood 20 covering the engine room. And the motor 26 is rotated forward.
[0041]
As a result, since the threaded shaft 48 rotates, the movable plate 38 moves rearward (in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 1) from the stop position on the front bracket 50 side. By the movement of the movable plate 38, the link 34 in which the end 34B on the vehicle body side is rotatably connected to the movable plate 38 and the auxiliary link 40 connected to the link 34 rotate, and the end of the link 34 on the hood 20 side. The hinge arm 22 connected to 34A moves upward, and the rear portion 20A of the hood 20 is lifted to the raised position shown in FIG.
[0042]
At this time, the movable plate 38 reaches the rear bracket 52 and turns on the upper stopping point switch 60. When the control device 18 determines in S203 that the upper stopping point switch 60 has been turned on, the current to the motor 26 is determined in S204. Is stopped, and the driving of the motor 26 is stopped. At this time, even when the motor 26 is stopped, the shaft 48 rotates by inertia, so that the movable plate 38 is disengaged from the screw portion 48A of the shaft 48 and becomes idle, and the elastic body 62 is compressed by the movable plate 38. Thereafter, the movable plate 38 is pushed back by the elastic body 62, screwed into the screw portion 48A of the shaft 48, and stopped.
[0043]
Further, in the present embodiment, when the hinge up / down mechanism 24 is operated and the hinge arm 22 is raised, the front end portion 76A of the cable 76 is raised via the hook 74 formed on the hinge arm 22, and the entire cable 76 is moved rearward. The end 76B is rotated above the center of rotation. As a result, the pillar outer garnish 88 in which the cable 76 is engaged with the rib 100 moves upward together with the cable 76 (in the direction of arrow C in FIGS. 2 and 3), and is separated from the pillar skeleton member 82 in FIGS. At the rising position indicated by the two-dot chain line.
[0044]
That is, in the present embodiment, when the vehicle 10 collides with the collision body S such as a pedestrian, the rear portion 20A of the hood 20 is moved upward by the hinge up / down mechanism 24, and the pillar outer garnish 88 is connected to the pillar frame member. Separated from 82.
[0045]
As a result, the deformation stroke of the pillar outer garnish 88 increases, and when the head of the collision body S collides with the pillar outer garnish 88 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Deformation such as bending of the link 34 of the mechanism 24 and extension of the cable 76 occurs. Thereby, the impact mitigation performance for the collision body S can be improved. At the same time, when the degree of collision is light, the deformation of the pillar skeleton member 82 can be eliminated.
[0046]
Further, in the present embodiment, the cable 76 is interlocked with the hinge up-and-down mechanism 24 to separate the pillar outer garnish 88 from the pillar frame member 82 of the front pillar 78, so that the airbag bag covers the front pillar. Low cost.
[0047]
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 possible within the scope of the present invention. It is clear to a person skilled in the art that For example, in the above embodiment, the cable 76 that is a wire is used as the pillar outer garnish moving means, but the wire is not limited to the cable, and the pillar outer garnish moving means is not limited to the wire.
[0048]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention according to claim 1 is a pillar structure of a vehicle provided with a hood raising means for moving a rear portion of a hood upward of the vehicle at the time of a vehicle collision, and a pillar outer provided on a vehicle outer side of a pillar frame member. A garnish and a pillar outer garnish moving means for separating the pillar outer garnish from the pillar frame member, and the pillar outer garnish moving means is linked with the hood raising means, so that it is possible to improve pedestrian protection performance at low cost. Has the effect.
[0049]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the pillar structure of the vehicle according to the first aspect, the pillar outer garnish moving means is disposed along the pillar between the pillar outer garnish and the pillar frame member, and the rear end thereof Since the portion is fixed to the upper part of the pillar and the front end is a wire connected to the hood raising means, it has an excellent effect that the pedestrian protection performance can be improved at low cost.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a normal use state of a pillar structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a hood lifting state of a pillar structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing a front portion of a vehicle body to which the pillar structure of the vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the pillar structure of the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
24 Hinge up / down mechanism (hood raising means)
76 Cable (pillar outer garnish moving means, wire rod)
78 front pillar 80 anchor 82 pillar frame member 88 pillar outer garnish

Claims (2)

A pillar structure of a vehicle including a hood raising unit that moves a rear portion of the hood upward of the vehicle at the time of a vehicle collision,
A pillar outer garnish arranged on the vehicle outer side of the pillar frame member;
Pillar outer garnish moving means for separating the pillar outer garnish from the pillar skeleton member,
Wherein the pillar outer garnish moving means is interlocked with the hood elevating means. The pillar outer garnish moving means is disposed along the pillar between the pillar outer garnish and the pillar skeleton member, a rear end portion is fixed to an upper portion of the pillar, and a front end portion is the hood raising means. The vehicle pillar structure according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a wire connected to the vehicle.

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