JP2005022598A - Bumper device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bumper device capable of prevent or suppressing the generation of bending moment in each side member irrespective of a colliding form to a bumper. <P>SOLUTION: The bumper device 10 is installed crosswise between ends of side members 14 installed on right and left sides of a vehicle and equipped with the bumper 16 and couplings 18 installed between the bumper and the ends of the side members. Each coupling is composed of a first coupling member 20 fixed to the bumper and a second coupling member 22 fixed to the end of each side member, and the first and second coupling members are connected to each other rotatably approximately in the horizontal direction. In this constitution, the first coupling member rotates relative to the second coupling member in accordance with the colliding form to the bumper, and it is possible to absorb a force in the direction across the vehicle width which generates bending moment in the side member. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly to a bumper device.

  A vehicle such as an automobile is provided with a bumper to mitigate and absorb the impact of a collision with an oncoming vehicle and other obstacles. A conventional general bumper is horizontally mounted between at least front end portions of left and right side members constituting a body frame of a vehicle. The bumper is fixed to the front end portion of the side member by bolts, welding, or the like. For this reason, when an obstacle collides with the bumper, a bending moment may be generated in the side member depending on the collision mode. For example, when an impact is applied to the central portion of the bumper, a bending moment is generated in which the front end portion (joint portion with the bumper) of the side member is bent toward the center line side of the vehicle. It is ideal that the side member is compressed (buckled) in the axial direction at the time of collision. Accordingly, there is a demand for a configuration that prevents the generation of a bending moment or reduces the bending moment even if it occurs.

Therefore, conventionally, for example, means as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below have been proposed. The means disclosed in this patent document 1 is to interpose a member called a bumper stay matched to the shape of the bumper between the bumper and the side member.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-238591

  However, the means described in Patent Document 1 as described above is also a rigid connection between the bumper stay and the bumper, and between the bumper stay and the side member. Depending on the form of collision with the bumper, the side member May cause a large bending moment.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a bumper device capable of preventing or suppressing the occurrence of a bending moment with respect to a side member regardless of the collision mode with respect to the bumper.

  In order to achieve the above object, a bumper device according to the present invention as set forth in claim 1 is provided between the end portions of side members disposed on the left and right sides of a vehicle, And a coupler disposed between the bumper and the end portion of the side member. Further, according to the present invention, the connecting tool is connected to the first connecting member fixed to the bumper and the end portion of the side member, and is connected to the first connecting member so as to be rotatable in a substantially horizontal direction. It is characterized by comprising a second connecting member.

  In this configuration, the first connecting member rotates with respect to the second connecting member in accordance with the collision mode with respect to the bumper, and absorbs the force in the vehicle width direction that generates a bending moment on the side member. As a result, most of the force acting on the side member is a compressive force along the axial direction.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the 1st connection member and 2nd connection member in a connection tool are mutually fixed by the fixing means which cancels | releases fixation by a predetermined load. This is because the bumper is stably supported during normal vehicle travel. In addition, by appropriately determining the predetermined load, at the time of collision, the fixing by the fixing means is released, and the operation of the connecting member as described above can be obtained.

  Furthermore, it is effective that both or one of the first connecting member and the second connecting member is configured to be more easily deformed than the side member. This is because the impact energy can be absorbed by the deformation of the first and second connecting members.

  The bumper device according to the present invention preferably further includes an impact absorbing member that buckles and deforms and absorbs an impact when the vehicle collides between the second connecting member and the end of the side member. In this case, a bending moment is not generated in the impact absorbing member, and the buckling deformation is appropriately performed, so that the impact energy absorption characteristic is further improved.

  Moreover, it is preferable to connect the 1st connection member and the 2nd connection member so that a movement in a vehicle width direction is mutually possible. This is to cope with various collision modes.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, no bending moment is generated in the side member regardless of the bumping type against the bumper, and even if it occurs, the size thereof is considerably small. Therefore, only the compressive load acts on the side member at the time of collision, and the side member is crushed in an ideal form. This improves the impact energy absorption characteristics of the entire vehicle.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the figure, the same reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding parts.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a first embodiment of a bumper device according to the present invention. A vehicle to which the bumper device according to the present invention is applied is not particularly limited, but is assumed to be a general passenger vehicle in the following embodiments. Further, in the present specification and the appended claims, the terms “horizontal” and “vertical” are used in a state where the vehicle is placed on a horizontal plane, and the forward direction when the vehicle is moving forward is defined as “forward”. “,” “Rear,” “left,” “right,” etc.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bumper device 10 according to the present embodiment is provided between the front end portions of the left and right side members 14 constituting the body frame of the vehicle 12. In FIG. 1, only the right side member 14 is shown, but the left side member has the same configuration. The bumper device 10 includes a bumper 16 that extends in the vehicle width direction in front of the left and right side members 14. The bumper 16 does not need to be a special one, and a conventionally known general bumper can be used.

  A connecting tool 18 is provided between the rear surface of the bumper 16 and the front end of each side member 14 to connect them. As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the connector 18 includes a first connecting member 20 and a second connecting member 22. In the illustrated embodiment, the first connecting member 20 and the second connecting member 22 are both hollow members having a square cross section made of steel, and one end of the first connecting member 20 is welded or bolted to the rear surface of the bumper 16. It is fixed by appropriate means. Also, one end of the second connecting member 22 is fixed to the front end portion of the side member 14 by appropriate means such as welding or bolts.

  The other ends of the upper plate portions 20a, 22a and the lower plate portions 20a, 22b of the first and second connecting members 20, 22 protrude from the side plate portions 20c, 20d; 22c, 22d. Moreover, the space | interval between the upper surface of the upper board part 20a in the 1st connection member 20 and the lower surface of the lower board part 20a is the lower surface of the upper board part 22a in the 2nd connection member 22, and the upper surface of the lower board part 22b. It is equivalent to the interval between. Accordingly, the upper and lower protrusions of the first connecting member 20 can be inserted between the upper and lower protrusions of the second connecting member 22, and both are connected by the pins 24 in this inserted state. . The pin 24 is inserted in a substantially vertical direction into the through holes 26 and 28 provided in the protruding portions of the first and second connecting members 20 and 22, and is prevented from being removed by an appropriate means, with the pin 24 as the center. The first and second connecting members 20 and 22 are allowed to rotate in the substantially horizontal direction.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A, for example, between the side plate portions 20c and 20d of the first connecting member 20 and the side plate portions 22c and 22d of the second connecting member 22, Stays (fixing means) 30 and 32 made of steel plates are fixed, thereby restricting the movement of the connecting members 20 and 22. The stays 30 and 32 are configured to break when a predetermined tensile load is applied. In addition, when a compressive load as large as the tensile load is applied, the stays 30 and 32 are bent or bent or crushed to lose their original fixing function. The magnitude of this load will be described later.

  Next, the operation of the bumper device 10 according to the first embodiment as described above will be described.

  First, in a normal running state, the first connecting member 20 in the connecting member 18 of the bumper device 10 is fixed to the second connecting member 22 and thus the side member 14 by the stays 30 and 32, and is in an immobile state. (See FIG. 1A). As a result, the bumper 16 does not swing left and right with respect to the side member 14, and the vehicle 12 can stably travel.

  Further, when an obstacle collides with the bumper 16 during traveling at an extremely low speed or the like, if the load generated by the collision is small enough to deform only the bumper 16, the stays 30 and 32 are There is no breakage or crushing, and the state of FIG. 1A is maintained. In this case, only the bumper 16 is damaged, and repair is only required by replacing the bumper 16.

  Next, consider a case where the obstacle 50 collides with the bumper 16 from the front while the vehicle 12 is traveling at a relatively high speed. Although there are various types of collisions, for example, when the obstacle 50 collides at the position shown in FIG. 1B, the front surface of the bumper 16 is usually curved backward toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. Even if the collision surface of the obstacle 50 is orthogonal to the traveling direction of the vehicle 12, the load acting on the bumper 16 is different in position. For this reason, the first connecting member 20 of the connecting tool 18 joined to the bumper 16 tends to rotate in the direction of arrow A in FIG. At this time, a tensile load acts on the outer stay 30 and a compressive load acts on the inner stay 32. If these loads generated by the collision are larger than a predetermined load, in other words, If the impact energy cannot be absorbed by the deformation of the bumper 16 alone, the stays 30 and 32 are broken or crushed and lose their fixing function.

  As a result, the first connecting member 20 rotates in the arrow A direction around the pin 24. As a result, only a load in the rear (arrow B) parallel to the central axis direction of the vehicle, that is, along the axial direction of the side member acts on the pin 24, and this load passes through the second connecting member 22 to the side member 14. To be told. Therefore, the side member 14 is compressed in the axial direction without generating a bending moment, but this is an ideal form in the vehicle design. Mitigation will take place.

  Even in other collision modes, the degree and direction of rotation of the first connecting member 20 may be different from those described above, but the first connecting member 20 rotates with respect to the second connecting member 22. Thus, no bending moment is generated in the side member 14, and even if it occurs, it is the same as described above.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing a second embodiment of the bumper device according to the present invention. The bumper device 100 according to the second embodiment is related to the first embodiment only in that the first connecting member 20 and the second connecting member 22 of the connector 18 are movable in the vehicle width direction. Different from the bumper device 10. That is, one of the through holes 26 and 28 provided in the first connecting member 20 and the second connecting member 22 (through hole 26 in the illustrated embodiment) is a long hole extending in the vehicle width direction. When the stays 30 and 32 between the first connecting member 20 and the second connecting member 22 are broken, the first connecting member 20 rotates with respect to the second connecting member 22. It is also possible to slide in the vehicle width direction (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3).

  In this configuration, the load acting in the vehicle width direction can be absorbed by the movement of the first connecting member 20 in the vehicle width direction, and the side member 14 is further combined with the rotation of the first connecting member 20. Therefore, the effect of preventing or suppressing the generation of bending moment with respect to is improved.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described in detail, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the said embodiment.

  For example, in the first and second embodiments described above, the second connecting member 22 of the connector 18 is directly fixed to the side member 14, but between the second connecting member 22 and the side member 14. Further, an impact absorbing member that absorbs an impact by buckling deformation, a so-called crash box may be interposed. In this case, since the load transmitted from the bumper 16 through the connector 18 is applied to the crash box along the axial direction thereof, the crash box is stably buckled and a desired impact energy absorption characteristic is obtained. .

  Further, the first connecting member 20 and the second connecting member 22, or one of them (preferably the second connecting member 22) may have the same function as the crash box. That is, when the connecting members 20 and 22 are made of a material that easily deforms, such as aluminum, or the upper plate portion, the lower plate portion, and the side plate portions are formed with slits or grooves to easily cause buckling deformation. It is also possible to absorb impact energy in the connecting member.

  Further, as the fixing means for fixing the first connecting member 20 and the second connecting member 22 to each other, the stays 30 and 32 are used in the above embodiment, but the fixing function is released when a predetermined load is applied. Any means may be used as long as it is possible.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the bumper device is provided at the front portion of the vehicle, but a similar bumper device may be provided at the rear portion of the vehicle.

  The present invention is applicable not only to passenger cars but also to special vehicles such as trucks and buses and other vehicles in general.

It is a top view which shows roughly 1st Embodiment of the bumper apparatus by this invention, (a) is a figure which shows the state at the time of normal driving | running | working, (b) is a figure which shows the collision state with an obstruction. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the coupling tool in the bumper apparatus of FIG. It is a top view which shows schematically 2nd Embodiment of the bumper apparatus by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,100 ... Bumper device 12 ... Vehicle 14 ... Side member 16 ... Bumper 18 ... Connection tool 20 ... 1st connection member 22 ... 2nd connection member 24 ... Pin 30, 32 ... Stay (fixing means)

Claims (5)

In the bumper device placed horizontally between the ends of the side members arranged on the left and right sides of the vehicle,
With bumpers,
A connector disposed between the bumper and the end of the side member;
Comprising
A first connecting member fixed to the bumper; and a second connecting member fixed to the end of the side member and connected to the first connecting member so as to be rotatable in a substantially horizontal direction. And a connecting member.   2. The bumper device according to claim 1, wherein the first connecting member and the second connecting member are fixed to each other by fixing means for releasing the fixing by a predetermined load.   3. The bumper device according to claim 1, wherein one or both of the first connecting member and the second connecting member are configured to be more easily deformed than the side member. 4.   The bumper device according to claim 1, further comprising an impact absorbing member interposed between the second connecting member and the end portion of the side member. The bumper device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first connecting member and the second connecting member are connected to each other so as to be movable in the vehicle width direction.

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