JP2009179294A - Cowl-to-pillar brace - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cowl-to-pillar brace in which a stable driving brace is not broken by the adjustment of the mechanical strength, and an A-pillar is hardly twisted. <P>SOLUTION: The cowl-to-pillar brace 1 connected between a suspension tower A and an instrument panel reinforcing bracket B to connect them each other comprises: a suspension tower connection part 11 to be connected to the suspension tower A; a bracket connection part 12 to be connected to the instrument panel reinforcing bracket B; and an intermediate connection part 13 for connecting the suspension tower connection part 11 to the bracket connection part 12. A part of the suspension tower connection part 11 side to the instrument panel reinforcing bracket B side of the intermediate connection part 13 is cut by the predetermined amount in a recessed shape to form a strength-adjusting part 13a, and the other intermediate connection part 13 forms a strength stable part 13b so as to adjust the mechanical strength. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cowl-to-pillar brace that connects between a suspension tower and an instrument panel reinforcement bracket provided at an A-pillar base.

In a structure around a front wheel in an automobile, a suspension tower and an instrument panel force bracket (hereinafter simply referred to as a bracket) are connected by a cowl to pillar brace.
This cowl-to-pillar brace transmits the impact of the collision from the suspension tower (hereinafter simply referred to as the suspension tower) to the bracket during the frontal collision of the vehicle and releases it to the A-pillar to reduce the impact of the impact on the passenger compartment. At the same time, it reduces vehicle damage.

The suspension tower and the bracket connected by the cowl-to-pillar brace are not linear with respect to the vehicle front-rear direction, and are offset from each other in the vehicle lateral direction.
Such a conventional cowl to pillar brace 100 for connecting between the suspension tower and the bracket includes, as shown in FIG. 7A, a suspension tower connection portion 101 to be connected to the suspension tower A and a bracket connection portion 102 to be connected to the bracket B. It consists of the intermediate connection part 103 which connects between the suspension tower connection part 101 and the bracket connection part 102.
Specifically, the suspension tower connecting portion 101 is connected and fixed to a steering stability brace A1 (hereinafter referred to as a safety brace A1) provided in the suspension tower A. Further, the intermediate connection portion 103 is based on the bracket connection portion 102 side end of the suspension connection portion 101 on the suspension tower connection portion 101 side, on the vehicle front-rear direction of the bracket connection portion 102 on the bracket connection portion 102 side, and In the vehicle width direction, the end portion on the side far from the suspension tower connection portion 101 is used as a base portion, and is fixedly connected to the suspension tower connection portion 101 and the bracket connection portion 102, respectively.

  In the conventional cowl-to-pillar brace 100 fixed in this manner, as shown in FIG. 7 (b) showing the frontal collision of the vehicle, the cowl when the frontal collision occurs from the suspension tower A side, that is, the front side of the vehicle. By attempting to move the vehicle rear side from the to pillar brace 100 to the vehicle front side due to inertia, the steering brace A1 is relatively moved backward as it is toward the vehicle rear side, and the intermediate connection portion 103 of the cowl to pillar brace 100 is moved. Problem that the cowl to pillar brace 100 cannot efficiently transmit the load from the bracket B to the A pillar B1. Has a point. At the time of collision, a load is applied in the direction in which the bracket B is rotated, and a torsional stress is generated on the A pillar B1.

Therefore, the inventor devised a structure of the cowl to pillar brace 100 as shown in FIG. 8 as a structure for increasing the mechanical strength of the cowl to pillar brace 100 and efficiently transmitting the load at the time of impact to the A pillar B1. . 8A shows the cowl to pillar brace 100, and FIG. 8B shows the suspension tower connecting portion 101 and the bracket connecting portion 102 connected.
The intermediate connection portion 103 of the cowl-to-pillar brace 100 has a strong structure with a width as shown in FIG.

However, when the mechanical strength of the cowl to pillar brace 100 is increased, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the amount of retraction of the suspension tower A that retreats due to the initial impact at the time of collision is small, and the safety brace There arises a problem that A1 is crushed and destroyed.
Further, the distance between the fulcrum on the side of the steering brace A1 and the fulcrum on the bracket connecting portion 102 side of the cowl-to-pillar brace 100, which becomes the input point of the collision load depending on the shape, is longer than the conventional example shown in FIG. As a result, the A pillar B1 is twisted, and as a result, the retraction amount of the suspension tower A is increased.
If the A pillar B1 is actually twisted due to the stress, the bolt connecting the bracket connecting portion 102 and the A pillar B1 is broken, resulting in serious damage to the vehicle. The twist of B1 must be reduced absolutely.

  Accordingly, in the present invention, in view of the above problems, by optimizing the mechanical strength of the cowl to pillar brace, the steering brace A1 is not destroyed while the retracting amount of the suspension tower A is minimized, and the A pillar B1 is not broken. An object is to reduce twisting.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a cowl-to-pillar brace connected between a suspension tower and an instrument panel force bracket to connect the suspension tower and the instrument panel force bracket, a suspension tower connection portion for connecting to the suspension tower, and the instrument panel line. It consists of a bracket connection part to be connected to the force bracket and an intermediate connection part that connects between the suspension tower connection part and the bracket connection part, and is cut into a concave amount by a predetermined amount from the suspension tower connection part side of the intermediate connection part 103 to the instrument panel line force bracket side. A cowl-to-pillar brace characterized in that the strength adjusting portion is formed and the other intermediate portion forms a strength stabilizing portion and the mechanical strength can be adjusted.

  Further, as a means for determining the concave cut amount of the strength adjusting portion, there is a cowl to pillar brace connected between the suspension tower and the instrument panel force bracket and connecting the suspension tower and the instrument panel force bracket. A suspension tower connection portion to be connected to the tower, a bracket connection portion to be connected to the instrument panel reinforcement bracket, and an intermediate connection portion for connecting between the suspension tower connection portion and the bracket connection portion, and the instrument panel from the suspension tower connection side of the intermediate connection portion 103. A certain amount of concave cut to the reinforcement bracket side to form a strength adjustment part, and the other intermediate part forms a strength stabilization part. The concave cut amount of the strength adjustment part is the suspension tower retraction amount curve and concave shape with respect to the concave cut amount A pillar for the cut amount Providing cowl to the pillar brace, characterized in that up to the intersection with which the amount of curve.

  Accordingly, in the present invention, when a collision load is applied to the suspension tower from the front side of the vehicle, the strength adjusting portion is cut into a concave shape and the mechanical strength is inferior to the other portions. Due to the deformation and the suspension tower moving backward relatively, the steering stability brace also moves backward. At this time, the steering stability brace is not destroyed. Next, when the strength adjusting portion cut into the concave shape is crushed, the steering stability brace comes into contact with the strength stabilizing portion subsequent to the strength adjusting portion, and thereafter the relative backward movement of the suspension tower and the steering stability brace is finished. The steering stability brace abuts against the strength stabilizing portion, so that the impact caused by the subsequent collision is transmitted to the A pillar through the instrument panel force bracket through the cowl to pillar brace and absorbed. At this time, the strength adjustment unit and the strength stabilization unit transmit the collision load to the A pillar most efficiently by adjusting the strength adjustment unit so that the strength is just before the direct torsional load is applied to the A pillar due to the impact. Absorb.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, the concavely cut strength adjusting portion provided in the intermediate connection portion of the cowl-to-pillar brace is moved rearward by the suspension tower being broken by a collision load from the front side generated by a vehicle frontal collision or the like. To absorb the impact and protect the steering stability brace from being destroyed by the collision load, then the strength adjustment part is destroyed and crushed, the steering stability brace contacts the strength stabilization part of the intermediate connection part, and the strength stabilization part adjusts the strength Since the collision load that cannot be absorbed by the destruction of the portion is transmitted and absorbed to the A pillar via the instrument panel force bracket, the collision load from the front side of the vehicle can be efficiently transmitted to the A pillar.

  Further, by setting the concave cut amount of the strength adjusting portion to the intersection of the suspension tower retreat amount curve with respect to the concave cut amount and the A-pillar twist amount curve with respect to the concave cut amount, the retraction amount of the suspension tower is kept to a minimum. The collision-resistant load that reduces the twist of the A pillar without breaking the steering stability brace can be maximized.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan cross-sectional explanatory view of the bottom side viewed from above with the cowl to pillar brace attached to the vehicle, FIG. 2 is a side view explanatory view showing the cowl to pillar brace of the present invention, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the cowl to pillar brace showing the deformation | transformation by the load before and behind a collision, (a) represents before the collision load is applied, (b) represents the deformation when the collision load is applied, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a view for comparison with a conventional example, FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a combined state diagram, and (b) is a perspective view of a brace side mounting part. It is explanatory drawing (c) is a perspective explanatory drawing of bracket side attachment components.

1 is a cowl to pillar brace. As shown in FIG. 1, the cowl to pillar brace 1 is fixed so as to connect the suspension tower A and the bracket B located in front of the vehicle. The cowl-to-pillar brace 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as the pillar brace 1) has one end forming a suspension tower connecting portion 11 that is connected and fixed to the suspension tower A, and the other end forming a bracket connecting portion 12 that is connected and fixed to the bracket B. Further, the suspension connection portion 11 and the bracket connection portion 12 are connected and connected by an intermediate connection portion 13 so as to be integrally formed.
The suspension tower connection portion 11 to the intermediate connection portion 13 may be formed separately or integrally, and each part, that is, a part of the suspension tower connection portion 11 and the intermediate connection portion 13. The pillar brace 1 may be formed by integrally forming the other portion of the intermediate connecting portion 13 and the bracket connecting portion 12 and fixing them together.

The suspension tower connecting portion 11 is provided with a hole (not shown) through which a bolt (not shown) provided in the safety brace A1 of the suspension tower A can be inserted, and is connected and fixed to the suspension tower A with a nut while the bolt is inserted. .
The bracket connecting portion 12 is formed with a hole (not shown) through which a bolt (not shown) provided on the bracket B can be inserted, and fixed with a nut in a state where the bolt is inserted.
The intermediate connecting portion 13 forms a strength adjusting portion 13a that is notched in a concave shape with a predetermined width from the boundary portion with the suspension tower connecting portion 11 to the bracket connecting portion 12 side, which is the rear end side, to reduce the mechanical strength. Further, the intermediate connecting portion 13 other than the strength adjusting portion 13a is formed so that the bracket connecting portion 12 side, which is the rear end side, is formed wide so that the mechanical strength is increased, and the strength adjusting portion 13a side is narrowed to the heel width. It forms so that mechanical strength may become less than the connection part 12 side. The strength adjusting portion 13a notched in a concave shape is formed by leaving the bracket B side of the suspension tower connecting portion 11 fixed to the safety brace A1 and notching the opposite side of the suspension tower connecting portion 11 from the bracket B side. By forming the strength adjusting portion 13a so as to be connected on the bracket B side of the suspension tower connecting portion 11, the load flow transmitted from the suspension tower A at the time of a vehicle front side collision is connected until the initial strength adjusting portion 13a is destroyed. When the connecting side is not able to endure the load and breaks, the flow of the load is applied to the ridge portion 13c side that is the suspension tower A side of the load transmitting portion 13b that is the remaining strength stabilizing portion other than the strength adjusting portion 13a. And transmitted to the bracket B side.

The concave strength adjusting portion 13a provided in the intermediate connecting portion 13 is determined as described below.
The amount by which the suspension tower A moves backward is determined by the size of the notch amount (width viewed from the side surface) of the strength adjusting unit 13a. If the concave notch amount is large, the suspension tower A moves rearward when the strength adjustment portion 13a is bent and broken when the rearward load on the suspension tower A, that is, the load on the bracket B side, is applied. The amount to do increases. The larger the amount of retraction, the better the load absorption at the time of collision by the strength adjusting portion 13a, the less the influence on the bracket B side, and the less the twist amount of the A pillar B1, resulting in an increase in strength. A graph representing the notch amount of the strength adjusting unit 13a and the retraction amount of the suspension tower A at this time is obtained.

  On the other hand, the amount of retreat of the suspension tower A changes depending on the magnitude of the notch amount of the strength adjusting portion 13a. Since this change absorbs the impact at the time of collision, the amount of twist of the A pillar B1 also becomes large. The notch amount of the strength adjusting portion 13a and the twist amount of the A pillar B1 are also obtained by graphs.

The two obtained graphs are represented by two curves in one graph as shown in FIG. 4, the intersection of both curves is obtained, and the notch amount corresponding to the intersection is set as the notch amount of the strength adjusting unit 13a.
That is, in the graph shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal axis represents the notch amount of the strength adjusting unit 13a, and the notch amount increases toward the right in the figure. The left vertical axis represents the amount of retreat of the suspension tower A, and the retreat amount increases as it goes upward. The notch amount and the retraction amount are represented by a curve L1. Also, the vertical axis on the right side in the figure represents the twist amount of the A pillar B1, and the twist amount increases as it goes upward. The notch amount and the twist amount are represented by a curve L2.
Then, the notch amount P2 of the strength adjusting portion 13a corresponding to the intersection P1 between the curve L1 and the curve L2 in FIG. 4 is obtained, and the suspension connection portion 11 side of the intermediate connecting portion 13 is notched so as to be the notch amount.

  In the cowl-to-pillar brace 1 formed as described above, when there is no collision or the like, and particularly when no load is applied to the suspension tower A, the suspension tower A and the bracket B (A pillar B1), as shown in FIG. The cowl to pillar brace 1 is also connected in a normal form without any particular change in the positional relationship.

When a collision load is applied, the cowl to pillar brace 1 moves to the rear side of the vehicle, where the strength adjusting portion 13a is deformed and broken by the collision load, as shown in FIG. Eventually, the safety brace A1 of the suspension tower A comes into contact with the load transmitting portion 13b of the intermediate connecting portion 13. At this time, the collision load has already been weakened by the deformation breakage of the strength adjusting portion 13a.
When the safety brace A1 comes into contact with the load transmission portion 13b, the collision load is transmitted to the bracket B through the load transmission portion 13b. At this time, the flow of the transmitted load is mainly transmitted to the ridge 13c side.

The load transmitted from the safety brace A1 works in the direction in which the A pillar B1 is twisted by the bracket B and causes the A pillar B1 to twist. However, a certain amount of collision load is absorbed in advance by the strength adjusting portion 13a.
Further, the torsional stress acting on the A pillar B1 is generated by a distance in the vehicle vertical direction orthogonal to the vehicle longitudinal direction, that is, from the contact point between the steering brace A1 and the load transmitting portion 13b shown in FIG. This is caused by the offset amount OS expressed by the distance in the vehicle vertical direction to the A pillar B1 and the collision load transmitted when the steering brace A1 and the load transmitting portion 13b come into contact with each other. As a result, the offset amount OS when the steering brace A1 and the load transmitting portion 13b contact each other is that the steering brace A1 contacts the load transmitting portion 13b by the deformation of the strength adjusting portion 13a. Since the offset amount OS due to the strength adjusting portion 13a is reduced, the stress for causing the A pillar B1 to be twisted becomes smaller than that of the cowl to pillar brace.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram comparing this with a conventional cowl to pillar brace. FIG. 5 shows a state after 45 [msec] on the left side and a state after 85 [msec] on the left side, and (a) is a case of a conventional cowl to pillar brace with only increased strength. (B) is a case of a cowl to pillar brace in which the strength of the suspension tower A is increased by reducing the conventional strength, and (c) is a case of the cowl to pillar brace 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention.
According to FIG. 5, at 45 [msec] after the collision, it can be seen that the collapse of the steering brace of the cowl to pillar brace having the increased strength shown in (a) is large, and the steering brace has already been damaged. . Further, in the case of reducing the strength of the cowl to pillar brace in order to increase the movement amount of the suspension tower A (b), and in the case of the cowl to pillar brace 1 of the present invention (c), a particularly large deformation ridge is generated. Not done.
Then, at 85 [msec] after the collision, the A pillar B1 is twisted in (a) and the entire vehicle moves rearward. That is, as shown by the dotted line in the figure, the cowl to pillar brace 1 of the present invention is moving from the position of the suspension tower A to the right side in the figure, that is, the vehicle rear side. In (b), the cowl to pillar brace is bent greatly, and the amount of movement of the suspension tower A toward the vehicle rear side is larger than that in (c). In (b), the cowl-to-pillar brace is further greatly deformed and destroyed, and the steering brace A1 is further moved to the rear side of the vehicle, so that the A-pillar is directly deformed by contacting the A-pillar. .
However, in (c), the operation brace A1 provided in the suspension tower A is already in contact with the load transmitting portion 13b after the deformation of the strength adjusting portion 13a is completed, and the load generated by the load transmitting portion 13b is received by the bracket. Transmit to B side. That is, in the subsequent transmission of the load, since the offset amount OS is smaller than that of the example in which the contact position of the control brace A1 is (a), the torsional stress acting on the A pillar B1 is reduced and the A pillar B1. It is possible to reduce the amount of twisting of the material. In addition, after 85 [msec], the steering brace A1 is already in contact with the load transmitting portion 13b, so that the reverse amount of the suspension tower A (movement toward the rear of the vehicle) despite being in the same state as (a). It can be seen that the amount is kept small. That is, in (a), the suspension tower A is twisted and is moved to the right in the figure as a whole.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing an embodiment of the cowl to pillar brace 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the cowl to pillar brace 1 is separated from the brace side mounting part 2 and the bracket side mounting part 3. Make up. The brace-side mounting component 2 and the bracket-side mounting component 3 are formed by pressing, and the flange portion 4 is fixed by spot welding or the like in a state of being combined with each other. With this configuration, when the two parts 2 and 3 are combined, the interior becomes a space when combined, so that the vehicle weight can be reduced. When the brace-side mounting part 2 and the bracket-side mounting part 3 are combined, the gap between the suspension tower connecting part 11 of the brace-side mounting part 2 and the bracket-side mounting part 3 forms a strength adjusting part 13a, and the bracket-side mounting The component 3 forms the load transmission portion 13b.

  The present invention is used for a cowl to pillar brace 1 that connects a suspension tower A and a bracket B of a vehicle.

Plan cross-sectional explanatory drawing in the state which attached the cowl to pillar brace which is an Example of this invention to the vehicle Side view explanatory drawing showing the cowl to pillar brace of this invention It is explanatory drawing showing the deformation | transformation by the load before and behind a collision, (a) represents before a collision load is added, (b) represents a deformation | transformation when a collision load is added. Graph to calculate the notch amount of the strength adjustment section Comparison with conventional examples BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing showing the Example of this invention, (a) is the state figure which combined, (b) is a perspective explanatory drawing of a brace side attachment component, (c) is a perspective explanatory drawing of a bracket side attachment component Explanatory drawing showing before and after the conventional collision Explanatory drawing showing conventional cowl to pillar brace Explanatory drawing showing another conventional example

Explanation of symbols

A Suspension tower (sus tower)
A1 Steering brace (steering brace)
B Instrument panel force bracket (bracket)
B1 A pillar 1 cowl to pillar brace (pillar brace)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Suspension tower connection part 12 Bracket connection part 13 Intermediate connection part 13a Strength adjustment part 13b Load transmission part 13c Ridge part 2 Brace side attachment part 3 Bracket side attachment part 4 Flange part

Claims (2)

  A cowl-to-pillar brace connected between a suspension tower and an instrument panel force bracket to connect the suspension tower and the instrument panel force bracket, and a suspension tower connection portion for connection to the suspension tower and a connection to the instrument panel force bracket. It consists of a bracket connection part, a suspension tower connection part, and an intermediate connection part that connects between the bracket connection parts. A predetermined amount is cut from the suspension connection part side of the intermediate connection part to the instrument panel reinforcement bracket side to form a strength adjustment part. The cowl-to-pillar brace is characterized in that the other intermediate connection part forms a strength stabilizing part and the mechanical strength can be adjusted.   A cowl-to-pillar brace connected between a suspension tower and an instrument panel force bracket to connect the suspension tower and the instrument panel force bracket, and a suspension tower connection portion for connection to the suspension tower and a connection to the instrument panel force bracket. It consists of a bracket connection part, a suspension tower connection part, and an intermediate connection part that connects between the bracket connection parts. A predetermined amount is cut from the suspension connection part side of the intermediate connection part to the instrument panel reinforcement bracket side to form a strength adjustment part. The other intermediate portion forms the strength stabilizing portion, and the concave cut amount of the strength adjusting portion is set to the intersection of the suspension tower retreat amount curve with respect to the concave cut amount and the A pillar twist amount curve with respect to the concave cut amount. Characteristic cowl to pillar Over the nest.