JP2004338683A - Shock absorbing structure in vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle that has a high EA characteristic at a collision time and can respond also to a request for short overhanging. <P>SOLUTION: A cross member 16 is disposed between front ends of side members 14 disposed on both right and left sides so as to interconnect them in the vehicle width direction. The tip of the front end of each side member 14 is provided with a crash box 18 as a kind of shock absorbing member so that it support a bumper 12 via the cross member 16. The vehicle front side of the cross member 16 is provided with crash boxes 24 as shock absorbing members. The vehicle front ends of the crash boxes 24 are separated from each other by a predetermined interval a not to contact with the bumpers 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a shock absorbing structure in a vehicle, and more particularly to a shock absorbing structure in a vehicle using a shock absorbing member such as a crash box.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In the event that a vehicle such as an automobile collides with another object, various impact absorbing structures for minimizing the impact on a passenger or a vehicle have been proposed. As such a shock absorbing structure, for example, there is one shown in FIG. 5 which is a schematic horizontal sectional view of a vehicle front. That is, a type in which a crash box 3 which is a kind of an impact absorbing member is interposed between a bumper 1 and a side member 2 has been proposed (see Patent Document 1 as a similar example). The radiator support frame 4 is provided so as to connect between the side members 2, and the radiator 5 is supported by the radiator support frame 4.
[0003]
In such a conventional shock absorbing structure, when a predetermined impact force of the bumper 1 is applied, the crash box 3 can be crushed or deformed to absorb the impact force, and thus is disposed behind the bumper 1. It is possible to reduce and prevent damage to the radiator 5 and the like.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-249008 (paragraphs 0011-0016, FIG. 1)
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional configuration as described above, when an impact force exceeding a predetermined level is applied, the bumper 1 reaches the radiator 5 and may be damaged. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a shock absorbing structure in which the efficiency of a collision energy absorbing characteristic (hereinafter referred to as “EA characteristic”) is further improved.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The shock absorbing structure in the vehicle according to the present invention includes a bumper provided at the front end of the vehicle, side members provided on both right and left sides of the vehicle, and a rear side provided from the bumper, between the side members on both sides. It is characterized by comprising a cross member that is horizontally mounted, and a first shock absorbing member that is provided between the bumper and the cross member and that absorbs a shock at the time of a vehicle collision. With this structure, when the vehicle collides, the impact can be absorbed by deformation of the first impact absorbing member, and when a stronger impact is received, the impact given by the bumper abutting on the cross member is absorbed and reduced. be able to.
[0007]
It is preferable that the first shock absorbing member is configured to absorb a shock from the bumper only when a shock larger than a predetermined magnitude is applied to the vehicle. With this structure, when the impact is smaller than a predetermined magnitude, there is no deformation of the impact absorbing member, so that the impact absorbing member does not need to be repaired after the collision, and can be repaired at low cost.
[0008]
Further, it is effective to provide a second shock absorbing member between the side member and the bumper. In this case, it is preferable to provide a predetermined space between the first shock absorbing member and the bumper or between the first shock absorbing member and the cross member. With this structure, the shock at the initial stage of the collision can be absorbed by the second shock absorbing member, and the larger shock can be absorbed and reduced by the first shock absorbing member and the cross member. It becomes possible.
[0009]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0010]
FIG. 1 is a schematic horizontal sectional view showing the shock absorbing structure of the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shock absorbing structure shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the vehicle is a saloon-type passenger vehicle. The same reference numerals are used for the same elements. Further, in this specification, the forward direction when the vehicle is traveling immediately before is defined as “forward”, and words representing directions such as “front”, “rear”, “left”, and “right” are used. In each case, illustrations of tires, engine parts, and the like are omitted.
[0011]
A bumper 12 is provided at a front end of the vehicle 10 to protect the vehicle 10 from a collision with another object. Vehicle side members 14 are provided on both left and right sides of the vehicle. The side members 14 constitute a body frame of the vehicle. The front end of the side member 14 and the bumper 12 are arranged at substantially the same height.
[0012]
The bumper 12 in this embodiment uses polyurethane having high shock absorption inside and is connected to the side member 14 via a bumper reinforcement, but in addition, the bumper is formed of resin and the bumper stay is formed. This is a concept including one connected to a side member via the like.
[0013]
Between the front ends of the left and right side members 14, a cross member 16 is laid in the vehicle width direction. A crush box 18 is interposed between the bumper 12 and the cross member 16 on the extension of the front end of the side member 14.
[0014]
The crash box 18 is a well-known shock absorbing member, and is a hollow polygonal member extending in the vehicle front-rear direction so as to be easily buckled by a strong external force from the front. As shown in FIG. 2, the crash box 18 is provided with a groove 18a so that impact energy from the front due to the buckling deformation action can be more easily absorbed. The groove 18a may be a hole.
[0015]
The width b of the crash box 18 in the vehicle vertical direction is preferably substantially the same as the width c of the side member 14 in the vehicle vertical direction, as shown in FIG. Further, the width d of the cross member 14 in the vehicle vertical direction is smaller than the width b and the width c. As a result, the deformation of the crash box 18 at the time of a collision can be increased, and a greater impact can be absorbed.
[0016]
A radiator 20 is provided behind the bumper 12. The radiator 20 air-cools cooling water circulating through the engine to prevent overheating of an engine (not shown) provided behind the radiator 20. In order to support the radiator 20, a radiator support frame 22 laid between the left and right side members 14 is used. That is, the radiator 20 is supported on a horizontal portion of the radiator support frame 22 by a so-called floating structure. In FIG. 2, the radiator 20 is not shown.
[0017]
The cross member 16 is provided with two crash boxes 24 at a predetermined interval on the front side of the vehicle. A predetermined interval a is provided on the front side of the crash box 24 so as not to contact the bumper 12.
[0018]
Next, in the vehicle 10 using the shock absorbing structure according to the present embodiment, an action against a collision will be described with reference to FIG. When the vehicle collides at a medium or high speed, the crash box 18 first buckles and deforms in the early stage of the collision, thereby absorbing the impact from the bumper 12. Then, when an impact larger than a predetermined magnitude is received, the bumper 12 deforms and reaches the crash box 24 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Due to the deformation of the crash box 24, the impact from the bumper 12 is absorbed. Therefore, since the impact is absorbed not only by the crash box 18 but also by the crash box 24, the impact on the radiator 20, the engine and the like disposed behind the cross member 16 is reduced, and the damage to these is reduced or prevented. And EA characteristics are further improved. Shock around the cabin is also reduced.
[0019]
Further, since a predetermined distance a is provided between the front end of the crash box 24 and the bumper 12, when the collision occurs at a low speed, even if the bumper 12 is deformed, the bumper 12 does not reach the crash box 24. There is. In such a case, since the crash box 24 does not deform, it is not necessary to repair the crash box 24, and it is sufficient to repair the deformed minimum necessary parts.
[0020]
In the case of an offset collision in which the obstacle collides with one side of the front end of the vehicle, for example, the right side, the impact is transmitted from the right side member 14 to the left side member 14 via the cross member 16, so that the left and right side member 14, the impact can be reduced and absorbed by the crash boxes 18, 24 and the side members 14.
[0021]
Further, it is possible to respond to shortening of FR overhang (short overhang) required in vehicle design. The FR overhang is a distance S from the center of the front wheel tire 26 to the tip of the vehicle 10 as shown in FIG. Since the collision energy E is the kinetic energy of the colliding object, it is proportional to the mass of the object and to the square of the velocity. Further, since the vehicle 10 receives the collision energy E by the FR overhang S, if the load applied at the time of the collision is F, it can be expressed by E = F × S. Therefore, if the distance S is shortened due to the short overhang, the load F to be received is further increased, so that further improvement in the EA characteristics is required. Therefore, by applying the shock absorbing structure of the present invention, it is possible to meet the demand for shortening the FR overhang S (short overhang) in the vehicle design while securing high EA characteristics by improving the EA characteristics described above. Can be done.
[0022]
Although the present invention has been specifically described based on the preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. .
[0023]
For example, FIG. 4A is a schematic horizontal sectional view showing a shock absorbing structure according to another embodiment. In this embodiment, the crash box 24 is sufficiently long in the vehicle longitudinal direction so that the front end of the crash box 24 on the vehicle front reaches the bumper 12, and the crash box 24 and the bumper 12 are connected. In this case, even in the case of a low-speed collision, the crash box 24 is deformed and is subject to repair. However, since the crash box 24 works together with the crash box 18 to absorb the impact, the EA characteristics are significantly improved. become.
[0024]
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4B, the side member 14 may be extended without providing the crash box 18 so that the bumper 12 is directly supported by the side member 14a. At this time, the cross member 16 may be connected so as to be sandwiched between the side members 14 and 14a from both sides in the vehicle front-rear direction. Thus, the connection may be made so as to sandwich the continuous side members 14 and 14a.
[0025]
In the above-described embodiment, the crash box 24, which is an impact absorbing member, is connected to the cross member 16, but instead the vehicle front end of the crash box 24 is joined to the bumper 12, and the vehicle rear end of the crash box 24 is A space may be provided between the section and the cross member 16.
[0026]
The position where the crush box 24 is arranged on the cross member 16 can be adjusted as appropriate. Further, the number of crash boxes 24 provided on the vehicle front side of the cross member 16 is not limited to two shown in the above embodiment, but may be one or three or more. Alternatively, the crash box 24 may be disposed on the entire front surface of the cross member 16 on the vehicle front side.
[0027]
Further, in the above embodiment, the crash boxes 18 and 24 as the shock absorbing members are hollow polygonal members (see FIG. 2), but the shape of the crash boxes 18 and 24 is not limited to this, and the crash boxes 18 and 24 are cylindrical or porous. The shape and the material are not particularly limited as long as the material is a material that can absorb impact.
[0028]
Furthermore, the width d of the cross member 16 in the vehicle vertical direction may be substantially the same as or larger than the width b of the crash box 18 in the vehicle vertical direction and the width c of the side members 14 in the vehicle vertical direction.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
According to the shock absorbing structure of the present invention, since the shock at the time of collision is absorbed by the shock absorbing member provided between the bumper and the cross member, the EA characteristics are improved, and the safety of the occupant can be further secured. It is possible to respond to the request of the conversion.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic horizontal sectional view showing a shock absorbing structure according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shock absorbing structure shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a side view of a vehicle front part for explaining an FR overhang.
FIG. 4 is a schematic horizontal sectional view showing another shock absorbing structure according to the present invention, in which (a) is a schematic horizontal sectional view of a structure in which a crash box reaches a bumper, and (b) is a side sectional view of the bumper; It is a schematic horizontal sectional view of the structure supported by the member.
FIG. 5 is a schematic horizontal cross-sectional view showing a conventional shock absorbing structure.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Bumper, 2 ... Side member, 3 ... Crash box, 4 ... Radiator support frame, 5 ... Radiator, 10 ... Vehicle, 12 ... Bumper, 14, 14a ... Side member, 16 ... Cross member, 18 ... Crash box (No. 2, a radiator; 22, a radiator support frame; 24, a crash box (first shock absorbing member); 26, a front wheel tire.

Claims (3)

A bumper provided at the front end of the vehicle,
Side members provided on both left and right sides of the vehicle,
A cross member provided on the rear side of the bumper and laid between the side members on both sides;
A first shock absorbing member provided between the bumper and the cross member, for absorbing a shock when the vehicle collides;
A shock absorbing structure for a vehicle, comprising: The shock absorbing structure according to claim 1, wherein the shock absorbing member absorbs the shock from the bumper only when a shock larger than a predetermined magnitude is applied to the vehicle. The shock absorbing structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a second shock absorbing member is provided between the side member and the bumper.

Images