JP2006205798A - Occupant's lower limb protecting structure for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain lower limbs of occupants from moving forward of a vehicle body at the time of head-on collision of the vehicle without giving a sense of incongruity to the occupants. <P>SOLUTION: A portion inside a cabin from a front end 14A of a floor panel 14 to an inclined part 16A of a dash panel 16 serves as a foot supporting part 26 supporting foot part 24 of an occupant 20 seating on the front seat. A tiptoe stopper 34 as a foot movement stop means projects toward the inside of the cabin at the front end of a tibia pad 30 mounted to the foot supporting part 26. When the foot part 24 moves forward of the vehicle body along an inclined part, namely a front part 30B of the tibia pad 30, the tiptoe stopper 34 stops the movement of the foot part 24 forward of the vehicle body along the front part 30B of the foot part 24 in contact with the tiptoe 24A of the foot part 24. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant leg protection structure, and more particularly to a vehicle occupant leg protection structure that protects an occupant's lower limb seated on a front seat of a vehicle such as an automobile in the event of a vehicle collision.

As a floor structure for automobiles, etc., a structure is known in which a metal bracket is attached to a portion near the dash panel of the floor panel below the accelerator pedal, and the upper part of the attachment part of this bracket is a saddle movement restriction part. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). The bracket movement restricting portion of the bracket is provided at a position spaced a predetermined distance forward from the contact point between the heel of the occupant's foot stepping on the accelerator pedal and the floor surface. When moving, the forward movement of the bag is restricted.
JP 2000-95150 A

  However, in the vehicle occupant lower limb protection structure of Patent Document 1, the bracket heel movement restricting portion rises below the occupant foot, so that the arrangement for restricting the heel movement without giving a sense of incongruity to the seated occupant The design such as size and size is complicated.

  In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle occupant lower limb protection structure that can prevent the occupant from feeling uncomfortable and can suppress the movement of the lower limb of the occupant forward of the vehicle body in the event of a vehicle front collision.

The vehicle occupant leg protection structure of the present invention according to claim 1 is provided in front of the passenger compartment, and an inclined portion that supports a foot portion of a seated occupant;
When the foot portion of the seated occupant that protrudes toward the vehicle interior side of the foot support portion of the slope portion toward the vehicle interior side and is supported by the slope portion moves forward of the vehicle body along the slope portion, A foot movement stop means for contacting the toes of the foot and stopping the movement of the foot toward the front of the vehicle body along the inclined portion;
It is characterized by having.

  As a result, when the foot of the seated occupant is on the foot support portion of the inclined portion, the foot of the seated occupant does not interfere with the foot movement stop means. On the other hand, if the seat occupant's foot moves forward along the inclined part in the front of the vehicle when the vehicle collides with another vehicle from the front, the foot movement stop means The movement toward the front of the vehicle body along the inclined portion of the foot portion stops. For this reason, the movement of the lower limbs of the occupant forward of the vehicle body is suppressed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicular occupant leg protection structure according to the first aspect, the foot movement stop means is integrally formed with a buffer member attached to the inclined portion.

  In addition to the contents of the first aspect, the foot movement stopping means is integrally formed with the buffer member attached to the inclined portion, and the foot movement stopping means is not a single member.

  Since the vehicular occupant leg protection structure according to the first aspect of the present invention has the above-described configuration, the occupant's lower limbs can be prevented from moving forward in the front of the vehicle without causing discomfort to the occupant.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle occupant lower limb protection structure according to the first aspect, the foot movement stopping means is integrally formed with the cushioning member attached to the inclined portion, so that the number of parts can be reduced. In addition, the assembly man-hour can be reduced.

  An embodiment of a vehicle occupant leg protection structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the figure, the arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle body, and the arrow FR in the figure indicates the front side of the vehicle body.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, an inclined portion 16 </ b> A that extends from the lower rear side of the vehicle body to the upper front side of the vehicle body is provided at the lower part of the dash panel 16 that partitions the vehicle compartment 10 and the engine room 18 of a vehicle such as an automobile. Is formed. A flange 16B is formed from the lower end of the inclined portion 16A toward the rear of the vehicle body. A front end portion 14A of the floor panel 14 constituting the floor portion of the passenger compartment 10 is joined to the upper surface of the flange 16B of the dash panel 16, and the front end portion 14A of the floor panel 14 extends from the lower end of the inclined portion 16A of the dash panel 16. Extends toward the rear of the car.

  A portion on the vehicle interior side that straddles the front end portion 14A of the floor panel 14 and the inclined portion 16A of the dash panel 16 is a foot support that supports the foot portion 24 of the occupant 20 seated in the front seat (driver seat in this embodiment). Part 26. Further, a tibia pad 30 as a buffer member is attached to the foot support portion 26.

  The tibia pad 30 is made of a resin material, and when the vehicle collides with another vehicle or the like from the front, the inclined portion 16A of the dash panel 16 is directed upward in the vehicle body (arrow A in FIG. 1). When the tibia pad 30 is compressed and deformed, the impact acting on the lower limb 20A of the occupant 20 from the inclined portion 16A of the dash panel 16 is reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rear portion 30 </ b> A of the tibia pad 30 has a rectangular plate shape whose longitudinal direction is along the vehicle width direction, and is widely formed in the vehicle width direction. The front portion 30B of the tibia pad 30 protrudes toward the front of the vehicle body on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the rear portion 30A, and the longitudinal direction thereof is a rectangular plate shape along the vehicle longitudinal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the rear portion 30 </ b> A of the tibia pad 30 is attached substantially horizontally, and the front portion 30 </ b> B of the tibia pad 30 is inclined from the front end of the rear portion 30 </ b> A of the tibia pad 30 toward the upper front side of the vehicle body. That is, the front portion 30B of the tibia pad 30 is inclined along the inclined portion 16A of the dash panel 16 from the lower rear side of the vehicle body toward the upper front side of the vehicle body.

  The rear portion 30A of the tibia pad 30 is attached to the upper surface of the front end portion 14A of the floor panel 14, and the front portion 30B of the tibia pad 30 is attached to the upper surface of the inclined portion 16A of the dash panel 16 with the lower portion 32A of the insulator 32 interposed therebetween. It has been. The insulator 32 is attached to substantially the entire region on the side of the interior of the dash panel 16 for sound insulation, vibration isolation, and heat insulation.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a mounting hole 33 is formed at a substantially central portion of the front portion 30 </ b> B of the tibia pad 30.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a fixing clip 35 is inserted into the attachment hole 33 from the vehicle compartment 10 side, and the attachment hole 33 is a stepped hole having a large diameter portion 33A on the vehicle compartment 10 side. Since the enlarged head 35A of the fixing clip 35 has a larger diameter than the shaft portion 35B, and the enlarged head 35A of the fixing clip 35 is accommodated in the large diameter portion 33A of the mounting hole 33, the front portion 30B. It does not protrude from the surface of the vehicle toward the compartment 10 side.

  The distal end locking portion 35C of the fixing clip 35 has a larger diameter than the shaft portion 35B, and the distal end locking portion 35C can be reduced in diameter by elastic deformation. In addition, the front end locking portion 35C of the fixing clip 35 penetrates the lower portion 32A of the insulator 32 and the inclined portion 16A of the dash panel 16 in a reduced diameter state, expands the diameter after the penetration, and in the inclined portion 16A of the dash panel 16 The tibia pad 30 is fixed to the inclined portion 16 </ b> A of the dash panel 16 by being locked to the surface on the engine room 18 side.

  A floor carpet 36 is laid on the side of the vehicle compartment 10 of the tibia pad 30. Further, the floor carpet 36 is laid on the vehicle compartment 10 side of the floor panel 14, and is also laid on the vehicle compartment 10 side of the inclined portion 16 </ b> A of the dash panel 16 across the lower portion 32 </ b> A of the insulator 32.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a toe stopper 34 as a foot movement stop means is integrally formed at the front end portion of the front portion 30B of the tibia pad 30 on the vehicle body front side of the foot support portion 26.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the toe stopper 34 is bent toward the vehicle compartment 10 with respect to an extension line L of the front side 30C of the vehicle interior side of the tibia pad 30 toward the vehicle body front side (inclination angle θ1). The stopper 34 protrudes toward the vehicle interior side with respect to the vehicle interior side surface 30 </ b> C in the front portion 30 </ b> B of the tibia pad 30.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, when the foot 24 of the occupant 20 seated in the front seat moves from the foot support 26 to the front of the vehicle body along the inclined portion that is the front 30B of the tibia pad 30, the toe The stopper 34 comes into contact with the toe 24A across the floor carpet 36, and stops moving forward of the vehicle body (in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2) along the inclined portion that is the front portion 30B of the tibia pad 30 of the foot portion 24. It has become.

  In the normal operation state, as shown in FIG. 1, the heel 24B of the occupant's foot 24 placed on the foot support 26 is on the rear 30A of the tibia pad 30, and the toes 24A of the foot 24 are Located behind the toe stopper 34 in the vehicle body. Therefore, in the normal driving state, as shown in FIG. 1, the foot support portion 26 does not have a protruding portion toward the vehicle interior side, so that when the occupant 20 is seated in the front seat, the occupant 20 may feel uncomfortable. There is no such thing. Further, when the foot portion 24 is moved in the vehicle width direction, the foot portion 24 and the toe stopper 34 do not interfere with each other, so that pedal operations such as a clutch pedal are not hindered.

  A thick portion 32B of the insulator 32 is disposed between the upper portion 16C of the inclined portion 16A of the dash panel 16 and the toe stopper 34 and between the floor carpet 36, and from the side of the vehicle body of the thick portion 32B. The viewed cross-sectional shape is a convex shape protruding toward the vehicle interior side, and supports the toe stopper 34.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a lower part 39 </ b> A of an instrument panel 39 is attached to the vehicle body front side of a lower limb (knee part) 20 </ b> A seated on the front seat. A column cover 40 is attached to the front side of the occupant 20 seated in the front seat (driver's seat) from the diagonally lower front side of the vehicle body toward the diagonally upper rear side of the vehicle body. A steering column tube 42 is inserted into the column cover 40, and the steering column tube 42 is attached to a bracket 48 fixed to an instrument panel reinforcement 46 with a bolt 50 and a nut 52 via a steering column bracket 44. It has been.

  A steering shaft 43 is inserted into the steering column tube 42, and a front end 43A of the steering shaft 43 is connected to a gear box (not shown) via an intermediate shaft 45.

  The column cover 40 passes between the left and right lower limbs 20 </ b> A of the occupant 20. On the other hand, since the steering column bracket 44 is long in the vehicle width direction, the vehicle width direction end portion 44A is on the vehicle body front side of the lower limb 20A of the occupant 20, and the vehicle width direction end portion 44A is covered by the lower portion 39A of the instrument panel 39. It has been broken.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, a tibia pad attached to a foot support portion 26 straddling the inclined portion 16A of the dash panel 16 and the front end portion 14A of the floor panel 14 that partitions the vehicle compartment 10 and the engine room 18. The toe stopper 34 at the front end of the front portion 30B of the 30 projects toward the vehicle interior side. For this reason, since the foot | leg part support part 26 does not have a protrusion part, when the passenger | crew 20 sits in a front seat, the passenger | crew 20 does not give a discomfort. Further, when the foot portion 24 is moved in the vehicle width direction, the foot portion 24 and the toe stopper 34 do not interfere with each other, so that pedal operations such as a clutch pedal are not hindered.

  On the other hand, the toe stopper 34 protrudes toward the vehicle interior side with respect to the vehicle interior side surface 30 </ b> C of the front portion 30 </ b> B of the tibia pad 30. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the foot portion 24 of the occupant 20 seated in the front seat moves forward of the vehicle body along the inclined portion that is the front portion 30 </ b> B of the tibia pad 30 (arrow B in FIG. 2). 2), the toe stopper 34 comes into contact with the toe 24A and moves to the front of the vehicle body (in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2) along the inclined portion that is the front portion 30B of the tibia pad 30 of the foot portion 24. Stop.

  Therefore, the movement of the lower limb 20A of the occupant 20 seated in the front seat to the front of the vehicle body (in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2) can be suppressed. As a result, the amount of interference between the lower limb 20A of the occupant 20 and the lower portion 39A of the instrument panel 39 can be suppressed. Therefore, the lower limb 20A of the occupant 20 can be prevented from coming into contact with the vehicle width direction end portion 44A of the steering column bracket 44 across the lower portion 39A of the instrument panel 39, and the obstacle value of the limb 20A of the occupant 20 can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the toe stopper 34 is integrally formed with the front end portion of the front portion 30 </ b> B of the tibia pad 30. As a result, it is not necessary to make a toe stopper as a foot movement stop means as a dedicated member and attach it to the vehicle body. For this reason, the number of parts can be reduced and the number of assembly steps can be reduced.

  In the above, the present invention has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, in the above embodiment, the toe stopper 34 as the foot movement stop means is protruded toward the vehicle interior side by bending the front end portion of the front portion 30B of the tibia pad 30 toward the vehicle interior 10 side. Thus, the toe stopper 34 may be protruded toward the vehicle compartment 10 with another configuration such as increasing the thickness of the front end portion of the front portion 30B.

  In the above embodiment, the toe stopper 34 as the foot movement stop means is integrally formed with the tibia pad 30 as the buffer member. However, the member to which the toe stopper 34 as the foot movement stop means is integrally formed is the tibia pad 30. Other members may be used as long as they are members that are attached to the foot support portion 26 of the dash panel 16.

  In the above embodiment, the toe stopper 34 as the foot movement stop means is integrally formed with the tibia pad 30, but instead, the toe stopper 34 as the foot movement stop means is used as a dedicated member separate from the tibia pad 30. You may attach to a vehicle body.

  Further, the foot movement stop means is not limited to the toe stopper 34, and protrudes toward the vehicle interior side of the foot support portion 26 in the inclined portion 16A of the dash panel 16 toward the vehicle interior side, and is supported by the inclined portion 16A. When the foot 24 of the occupant 20 moves along the inclined portion 16A forward of the vehicle body, it is a means for contacting the toes 24A of the foot portion 24 and stopping the movement of the foot 24 along the inclined portion 16A forward of the vehicle body. For example, other configurations may be used. For example, a part of the inclined portion 16A of the dash panel 16 may be cut and raised to serve as the toe stopper 34.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the vehicle occupant leg protection structure of the present invention is applied to the driver seat side of the front seat, but the vehicle occupant leg protection structure of the present invention may be applied to the front passenger seat side. .

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 1-1 of FIG. It is sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 1 which shows the deformation | transformation state of the passenger | crew lower limb protection structure for vehicles which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the vehicle body diagonally back except the floor carpet and floor panel which show the crew member lower limb protection structure for vehicles concerning one embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Car compartment 14 Floor panel 14A Front end part of floor panel 16 Dash panel 16A Dash panel inclination part 16B Dash panel flange 18 Engine room 20 Passenger seated in front seat 20A Passenger's lower leg 24 Passenger foot 24A Foot toe 24B foot heel 26 foot support 30 tibia pad (buffer member)
30A Rear part of tibia pad 30B Front part of tibia pad (inclined part)
34 Toe stopper (Foot movement stop means)
39 Instrument panel 44 Steering column bracket

Claims (2)

An inclined portion provided in front of the passenger compartment and supporting the feet of the seated occupant;
When the foot portion of the seated occupant that protrudes toward the vehicle interior side of the foot support portion of the slope portion toward the vehicle interior side and is supported by the slope portion moves forward of the vehicle body along the slope portion, A foot movement stop means for contacting the toes of the foot and stopping the movement of the foot toward the front of the vehicle body along the inclined portion;
A vehicle occupant leg protection structure characterized by comprising: The vehicle occupant leg protection structure according to claim 1, wherein the foot movement stop means is integrally formed with a buffer member attached to the inclined portion.

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