JP2009143280A - Vehicle body structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle body structure with a center pillar capable of reducing an entering amount of a center pillar by preventing breakage of an inner panel from an opening even when side collision occurs to a vehicle and a tensile force is applied to the inner panel. <P>SOLUTION: An opening 21 for housing a seat belt retractor is formed on an inner panel 11 of a center pillar 1. An upper front flange 22A and an upper rear flange 22B are provided in an upper front corner and an upper rear corner of the opening 21, respectively. Strength is given to the upper corner of the opening 21 by the upper flanges 22A, 22B, and concentration of a stress is prevented, so as to prevent breakage of the opening 21. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle body structure, and more particularly to a vehicle body structure in which a hole is formed in a center pillar of a vehicle body.

Some inner panels of center pillars in vehicles have seat belt retractors attached thereto. As this type of center pillar, one having a hole for accommodating a retractor is known. The inner panel of the center pillar in which a rectangular hole for accommodating such a retractor is formed is reduced in rigidity by the hole, and the strength of the entire center pillar is reduced. Thus, there is a center pillar in which the peripheral edge of the hole for accommodating the retractor has a closed cross-sectional structure to reinforce the peripheral edge of the hole and improve the strength as a whole (for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-81190

  However, in the center pillar disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a side collision occurs in the vehicle and the outer panel of the center pillar is compressed and deformed by the collision vehicle, a tensile force is applied to the inner panel. When a tensile force is applied to the inner panel, stress concentrates on the corner of the hole (opening) formed in the inner panel, and the inner panel may break from the corner. When the inner panel is broken, the proof strength of the center panel is abruptly reduced, and there is a problem that the amount of the center pillar entering the vehicle interior increases.

  Therefore, the problem of the present invention is that even when a side collision or the like occurs in the vehicle and a tensile force is applied to the inner panel, the inner panel can be prevented from being broken from the opening, and the amount of intrusion of the center pillar can be reduced. The object is to provide a vehicle body structure including a center pillar.

  A vehicle body structure according to the present invention that has solved the above-described problems is a vehicle body structure that is provided along a vertical direction of a vehicle, includes a center pillar provided with an inner panel, and has an opening having a corner on the inner panel. And the flange which becomes larger in the protrusion amount than the part other than the corner | angular part in an opening part is formed in the corner | angular part in an opening part.

  In the inner panel of the center pillar in the vehicle body structure according to the present invention, an opening having a corner is formed, and a flange having a larger protruding amount than a portion other than the corner in the opening is formed in the corner of the opening. Is formed. The corners in the opening are reinforced by this flange. By reinforcing the corners of the opening in this way, even if a side collision occurs on the vehicle and a tensile force is applied to the inner panel, the inner panel is prevented from breaking from the opening, and the center pillar The amount of intrusion can be reduced.

  Here, the corner | angular part in an opening part can be made into the aspect made curved. Since the corner portion is curved, it is possible to prevent the pulling force from concentrating on the corner of the opening when a side collision occurs on the vehicle and a pulling force is applied to the inner panel. For this reason, the breakage of the inner panel from the opening can be prevented. Further, since the actual opening shape is formed at a corner having a large curvature by bending the corner portion, a sufficient opening portion for attaching the retractor can be secured.

  In addition, the opening may be a seat belt retractor mounting opening. Thus, as the opening formed in the inner panel, a seat belt retractor can be preferably cited.

  Further, the opening is disposed below the central portion in the height direction of the inner panel, the opening is formed with corners at the upper and lower portions, and the flange is provided at the upper portion of the opening. be able to. When the opening is disposed below the center in the height direction of the inner panel and the corners are formed at the upper and lower parts, the opening is likely to break from the upper part of the opening. For this reason, by providing the flange at the upper part of the opening, it is possible to more suitably prevent the inner panel from being broken from the opening and to reduce the amount of intrusion of the center pillar.

  Moreover, the flange can be made to protrude toward the outside of the vehicle. Thus, since the flange protrudes toward the vehicle outer side, the intrusion of the center pillar can be reduced by preventing the flange from entering the passenger compartment.

  Further, the opening is formed at a position shifted rearward when viewed from the center in the front-rear direction of the center pillar, the opening is formed with corners at the front and rear, respectively, and the flange is provided at the rear of the opening. It can be set as the aspect which is. The opening is formed at a position shifted rearward when viewed from the center in the front-rear direction of the center pillar, and when the opening is formed with corners at the front and the rear, breakage is likely to occur from the rear of the opening. Become. For this reason, by providing the flange at the rear portion of the opening, it is possible to more suitably prevent the inner panel from being broken from the opening, and to reduce the amount of intrusion of the center pillar.

  Moreover, the flange can be made into the aspect which is made into the shape where protrusion amount increases toward the vertex of the corner | angular part in an opening part. The stress when a tensile force is applied to the inner panel increases as it approaches the top of the corner. For this reason, the flange has a shape in which the amount of protrusion increases toward the apex of the corner portion of the opening, thereby more suitably preventing the inner panel from breaking from the opening, and the amount of penetration of the center pillar. Can be reduced.

  And it can also be set as the aspect by which the flange is formed over the perimeter in an opening part. Thus, the strength of the entire opening can be improved by forming the flange over the entire circumference of the opening.

  According to the vehicle body structure of the present invention, even when a side collision or the like occurs in the vehicle and a tensile force is applied to the inner panel, the inner panel can be prevented from breaking from the opening, and the amount of intrusion of the center pillar can be reduced. Can do.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. For the convenience of illustration, the dimensional ratios in the drawings do not necessarily match those described.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of a center pillar in a vehicle body structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the center pillar. As shown in FIG. 1, the center pillar 1 includes an inner panel 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the center pillar 1 includes an outer panel 12, and the outer panel 12 is disposed outside the inner panel 11.

  The upper end portion of the inner panel 11 is connected to the roof side rail 2 as shown in FIG. 1 and is connected to the roof line reinforcement 4 via the bracket 3 as shown in FIG. Here, the inner panel 11 is fixed to the roof line reinforcement 4 by a bolt B. Further, the upper end portion of the outer panel 12 is connected to the roof panel 5.

  Further, the lower end portion of the inner panel 11 is connected to the rocker 6, and the lower end portion of the outer panel 12 is fixed to the surface of the rocker 6 by welding. The rocker 6 is connected to the floor cloth 7 and the floor panel 8.

  A seat belt retractor mounting opening (hereinafter referred to as an “opening”) 21 for housing a seat belt retractor (not shown) is provided at the lower part of the center pillar 1 which is located below the center in the height direction of the inner panel 11 of the center pillar 1. Is formed. The opening 21 has a shape in which each corner of a substantially rectangular shape becomes a curved curved portion. Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, among the upper front corner 21A, the upper rear corner 21B, the lower front corner 21C, and the lower rear corner 21D in the opening 21, the upper front corner 21A and the upper An upper front flange 22A and an upper rear flange 22B are provided on the rear corner portion 21B, respectively.

  Of these, the flanges 22A and 22B both protrude toward the vehicle outer side. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the upper rear flange 22B has a shape in which the protruding amount increases toward the corner apex. Specifically, the apex of the corner has the largest protruding amount. The protrusion amount gradually decreases as the distance from the apex increases. Similarly to the upper rear flange 22B, the upper front flange 22A has a shape in which the protruding amount increases toward the apex of the corner.

  Next, the effect of the vehicle body structure according to the present embodiment will be described. Consider a case in which another vehicle M collides with the vehicle having the vehicle structure according to the present embodiment as shown in FIG. At this time, when a side collision occurs when the other vehicle M collides with the side of the vehicle, the inner panel 11 is provided on the center pillar 1, so that the outer panel 12 is less likely to buckle. When the outer panel 12 becomes difficult to buckle, the center pillar 1 is in a reverse-sliding state centering on a position closer to the outer side from the center of the center pillar 1, a compressive force is generated in the outer panel 12, and a tensile force is applied to the inner panel 11. appear.

  When a pulling force is generated in the inner panel 11, stress concentration due to the pulling force is generated in the upper corner portions 21A and 21B in the opening 21 formed in the lower portion of the center pillar 1, and the upper corner portions 21A and 21B are broken. It becomes easy. Here, in the opening part 21 in the inner panel 11 according to the present embodiment, upper flanges 22A and 22B are provided for the upper corner parts 21A and 21B. Since these upper flanges 22A and 22B provide strength to the upper corner portions 21A and 21B, the opening 21 can be prevented from being broken. Moreover, since the upper flanges 22A and 22B have a shape in which the amount of protrusion increases toward the apex of the corner, stress concentration is dispersed from the corner. For this reason, stress concentration can be avoided and the occurrence of breakage can be prevented.

  In addition, the opening 21 formed in the inner panel 11 has corners 21A to 21D as curved portions. For this reason, when a tensile force is applied to the inner panel 11, it is possible to prevent the tensile force from concentrating on the corner portions 21 </ b> A to 21 </ b> D of the opening 21. For this reason, the breakage of the inner panel 11 from the opening 21 can be prevented. Furthermore, since the actual opening shape is formed at a corner having a large curvature by bending the corner, the opening 21 for attaching the retractor can be sufficiently secured. Further, the flanges 22A and 22B both protrude toward the outside of the vehicle. For this reason, even when the center pillar 1 is bent inward, it is possible to prevent the flanges 22A and 22B from entering the passenger compartment.

  Next, a modified example of the present invention will be described. FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing a center pillar according to a modification, in which FIG. 5A is an enlarged perspective view near the opening, and FIG. 5B is an enlarged perspective view of a corner portion in the opening.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a flange 40 is provided around the opening 32 formed in the inner panel 31 of the center pillar 30 in the vehicle body structure according to the modification. The flange 40 is provided from the front of the opening 32 to the rear beyond the upper part. The flange 40 is constituted by a main flange 41 in the vicinity of the upper corner portions 32 </ b> A and 32 </ b> B in the opening 32 and a peripheral flange 42 around the main flange 41. The main flange 41 has the largest protrusion amount at the vertex, and the protrusion amount gradually decreases as the distance from the vertex of the upper corner portions 32A and 32B increases in the vicinity of the vertex of the upper corner portions 32A and 32B. Further, the peripheral flange 42 is smaller than the protrusion amount of the apex of the main flange 41 and has a substantially uniform protrusion amount.

  In the vehicle body structure according to the modified example having the above configuration, the upper corner portions 32A and 32B are given strength by the main flange 41 in which the protruding amounts of the upper corner portions 32A and 32B are increased, as in the above embodiment. Since concentration of stress is prevented, the opening 32 can be prevented from being broken. Further, in the vehicle body structure according to the modified example, a peripheral flange 42 is provided around the opening 32. The peripheral flange 42 can increase the strength of the opening 32 as a whole.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, since the opening 21 is formed at a position below the center pillar 1, the flanges 22A and 22B are provided in the upper corners 21A and 21B. For example, the opening is in the front-rear direction of the center pillar. In the case where the flange is formed at a position shifted rearward as viewed from the center portion, the flange may be provided at the rear corner portion. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the opening part 21 is made into the shape which used as the curved part each corner | angular part of a rectangle, it can also be made into the shape which used the corner | angular part of polygons other than a rectangle as a curved part. Furthermore, not all the corners of the polygon can be curved, but a part of the polygon can be curved. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although upper flange 22A, 22B is made into the shape where protrusion amount increases toward the vertex of a corner | angular part, the aspect which protrusion amount is partially constant in the vicinity position of a vertex. It can also be.

It is a front view of a center pillar. It is a sectional side view of a center pillar. (A) is a perspective view of the example of an opening part, (b) is a principal part expansion perspective view of (a). It is a side view which shows the state which the other vehicle collided. (A) is a perspective view of the example of another opening part, (b) is a principal part expansion perspective view of (a).

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Center pillar, 2 ... Roof side rail, 3 ... Bracket, 4 ... Loufrin reinforcement, 5 ... Roof panel, 6 ... Rocker, 7 ... Floor cross, 8 ... Floor panel, 11 ... Inner panel, 12 ... Outer panel, 21 ... Opening, 21D ... Lower rear corner, 21C ... Lower front corner, 21B ... Upper rear corner, 21A ... Upper front corner, 22B ... Upper rear flange, 22A ... Upper front flange, M ... Other vehicles.

Claims (8)

A vehicle body structure including a center pillar provided along an up and down direction of a vehicle and provided with an inner panel, wherein an opening having a corner is formed in the inner panel,
A vehicle body structure characterized in that a flange having a larger protrusion amount is formed at a corner of the opening than at a portion of the opening other than the corner.   The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein corners of the opening are curved.   The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein the opening is an opening for attaching a seat belt retractor. The opening is disposed below the center in the height direction of the inner panel, and the opening is formed with corners at the upper and lower parts,
The vehicle body structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the flange is provided at an upper portion of the opening.   The vehicle body structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the flange protrudes toward the outside of the vehicle. The opening is formed at a position shifted rearward when viewed from the center in the front-rear direction of the center pillar, and the opening is formed with corners at the front and rear, respectively.
The said flange is a vehicle body structure of any one of Claims 1-5 provided in the opening rear part.   The vehicle body structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the flange has a shape in which a protruding amount increases toward an apex of a corner portion in the opening.   The vehicle body structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a flange is formed over the entire circumference of the opening.

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