JP2010095038A - Vehicle structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce bending damage to a side member, when a bumper stay 4 interposed between the side member 1 and a bumper reinforce 3 is tilted outside in the vehicle lateral direction, in a vehicle frontal collision. <P>SOLUTION: A body 5 of the bumper stay 4 is formed in a columnar shape in the longitudinal direction. A longitudinal directional line R on the innermost side in the vehicle lateral direction in the columnar body 5 in a plan view, is inclined to a vehicle straightly advancing line so as to be gradually biased outside in the vehicle lateral direction toward a front side part in the plan view up to a longitudinal intermediate part from a rear end part of at least the columnar body 5. The buckling neutral axis C up to the longitudinal intermediate part from the rear end part of at least the columnar body 5, is inclined to the vehicle straightly advancing line so as to be gradually biased outside in the vehicle lateral direction toward the front side part in the plan view. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle structure in which a bumper stay is interposed between a side member arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction and a bumper reinforcement, and relates to an improvement of the bumper stay.

In general, bumper reinforcements for reinforcing a bumper provided at the front and rear of a vehicle of an automobile are connected to a side member via a bumper stay.
Each of the bumper reinforcement, bumper stay, and side member is provided to absorb the collision energy in the case of a frontal collision or a rearward collision and reduce the impact of the collision. Designed to crush in the order of side members.
Conventionally, a bumper stay having a structure shown in Patent Document 1 is known. That is, in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the front flange 13, the rear flange 14, the intermediate flange 15, a pair of inner and outer front webs 16 and 17 that connect the front flange 13 and the intermediate flange 15, and the intermediate flange 15 and the rear A bumper stay 11 comprising a pair of inner and outer rear webs 18 and 19 for connecting the flange 14 is formed, and the inner front web 16 is inclined so as to be outward in the vehicle width direction toward the front side, and the rear flange 14 and the intermediate flange 15 are arranged. 5 in which the rear webs 18 and 19 in the rear hollow structure portion 11b composed of the left and right rear webs 18 and 19 are configured in parallel to a straight line of the vehicle (a line along the straight direction), or a bumper stay 51 of FIG. In addition, the inner rear web is parallel to the straight line of the vehicle, the outer rear web 59 is inclined toward the vehicle inner side as the front side, and the outer front web is formed parallel to the front-rear direction line. Further, like the bumper stay 41 of FIG. 5, the inner and outer rear webs are extended forward in parallel with the vehicle forward line, and the inner and outer front webs 46 and 47 in the front hollow structure portion 41a are moved to the left and right. The structure of the bumper stay such as a shape inclined outward is shown.

  The front webs 16 and 17 and the rear webs 18 and 19 are formed so that the front webs 61 and 17 are thinner than the rear webs 18 and 19.

By configuring the bumper stay as described above, the front hollow structure portion 11a and the rear hollow structure portion 11b are set to be crushed in the order of collision with an obstacle on the front surface. That is, in Patent Document 1, the front web 16 (FIG. 1) on the inner side of the front webs 16 and 17 or the front webs 46 and 47 (bumper stay 41 in FIG. 5) on the left and right sides of the front side of the vehicle are located on the front side. Therefore, when a front-to-rigid barrier / full-wrap collision that collides with the front of the straight line of the vehicle, the hollow structures 11a and 41a on the front side are crushed outward. As the front hollow structure portion 11a is crushed outward, the rear hollow structure portion 11b is considered to collapse so as to fall outward as shown in FIG.
JP 2005-254829 A

However, in the bumper stay 11 shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1 and the bumper stay 41 shown in FIG. 5, the rear web is parallel to the straight line of the vehicle on both the left and right sides. Is parallel to the straight line of the vehicle and the buckling load increases. In addition, bumper stays of these structures are crushed outward in the left-right direction during a frontal collision, but the obstacles at the time of the collision are greatly offset laterally, the collision line is shifted obliquely outward, and small. The bumper stay is easily crushed inward only by receiving a collision external force from an oblique front angle. In the bumper stay 51 shown in FIG. 5, the rear web inside the rear hollow structure portion is parallel to the straight line of the vehicle. In addition, the outer rear web has a forward outward inclination that is biased toward the left and right sides of the vehicle toward the front side. Therefore, if the collision line is obliquely shifted outward, only a collision external force from an oblique front surface at a smaller angle is received. As a result, the bumper stay is easily crushed inward, and the side member may be deformed inward with a small collision energy.
Further, in the bumper stay 51 shown in FIG. 5, the inner rear web is parallel to the front-rear direction line, and the outer rear web 59 is inclined forward inwardly offset inward toward the front side. Since the buckling axis is also inclined forward and inward, in the bumper stay of this structure, as described in paragraph No. 0018 of Patent Document 1, the rear hollow structure portion is crushed inward even in frontal collision, The bumper stay is deformed inward with a small collision energy.

  The object of the present invention is to simply improve the bumper stay, which can reduce the buckling load and receive external impact force not only from the front collision but also from a slightly oblique front where the obstacle is offset to the left or right side. However, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bumper stay mounting structure that can reduce the influence of the load on the vehicle (side member) by causing the bumper stay to be crushed outward in the lateral direction of the vehicle.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle structure in which a bumper stay is interposed between a side member disposed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a bumper reinforcement, and the body of the bumper stay is formed in a column shape in the longitudinal direction. The front-rear direction line on the inner side in the vehicle left-right direction in the columnar body in plan view is gradually biased outward in the vehicle left-right direction in the front side portion in plan view at least from the rear end of the columnar body to the front-rear intermediate portion. The vehicle straight line so that at least the buckling neutral axis from the rear end of the columnar body to the front-rear intermediate part is gradually biased outward in the left-right direction in the plan view in plan view. It is made to incline with respect to.

[Effects of the invention]
According to the present invention, the front-rear direction line on the innermost side in the vehicle left-right direction of the columnar body of the bumper stay is at least between the rear end portion of the columnar body and the front-rear intermediate portion, that is, from the rear end portion of the columnar body to the front-rear intermediate portion. Between the rear end of the columnar body and the middle part of the columnar body, or the entire length of the columnar body. Since the buckling neutral axis is inclined with respect to the straight line of the vehicle so as to gradually deviate outward in the left-right direction of the vehicle, the bumper stay receives a compressive load to the rear of the vehicle due to a forward collision. As a result, the impact caused by the collision is reduced and the front side of the columnar body is easily buckled outward in the left-right direction with respect to the mounting base with the side member. On the other hand, the bumper and the bumper reinforcement for reinforcing the bumper are generally formed in an arch shape in which the left and right end portions of the vehicle are curved rearward, as is well known, so that the bumper connected to the left and right bumper stays by a collision. Since the space between the left and right connecting portions of the reinforcement increases, the left and right connecting portions move slightly outward, so even if the bumper stay is crushed and buckled outward, the side member tries to bend outward. External force is relieved and damage to the vehicle can be reduced. Therefore, apart from a collision that causes the vehicle to be severely damaged, the side member is less likely to be damaged by a slight collision.

  In the present invention, the buckling neutral axis of the columnar body is inclined with respect to the straight line of the vehicle so as to be biased outward in the vehicle lateral direction from the rear end of the columnar body toward the front side in a plan view. Therefore, even when the obstacle is offset to the left and right sides and collides with an obstacle located near the left and right ends of the vehicle body, the bumper stay is easily buckled and collapsed outward, and the side members On the other hand, there is an advantage that the external force to be bent can be relaxed, and damage to the side member (vehicle) can be reduced even in an offset frontal collision.

In the present invention,
(1) It is desirable that the longitudinal cross-sectional area perpendicular to the straight line of the vehicle in the columnar body gradually decreases from the rear end part of the columnar body to the front and rear intermediate part as the front side part. In this way, when the columnar body is crushed, it begins to crush from the front side in the front-rear direction, and the shock absorption due to the crushing of the bumper stay becomes smooth.
(2) It is desirable to form an intermediate flange inside the columnar main body at the front and rear intermediate portion. The intermediate flange is not necessarily provided, but by providing the intermediate flange, the crush resistance can be increased even with the same thickness, and the hollow columnar body is less prone to crushing due to the expansion of the front and rear intermediate parts. It becomes easy to crush in the state where it fell outside.
(3) The left and right innermost front and rear direction lines and the outermost front and rear direction lines of the front hollow structure part forming the columnar body on the front side of the front and rear intermediate part are formed in parallel with the vehicle straight line in plan view, And it is desirable to make the longitudinal cross-sectional area of a front hollow structure smaller than the longitudinal cross-sectional area of the back hollow structure part which forms the columnar main body of the back side rather than the said front-back intermediate part. The innermost front-rear direction line and the outermost front-rear direction line of the front hollow structure part do not necessarily have to be formed in parallel with the straight line of the vehicle in plan view. The base surface (rear flange surface) and the outer surface of the columnar main body or the front and rear flange end surfaces are perpendicular to each other, making it easy to fit and handle components.
(4) As shown in FIG. 5, the front-rear direction line on the innermost side in the vehicle left-right direction of the columnar body in plan view is gradually biased outward in the vehicle left-right direction toward the front side portion over the entire length in the front-rear direction of the columnar body. The buckling neutral axis may be inclined with respect to the straight line of the vehicle so as to be gradually biased outward in the left-right direction of the vehicle toward the front side portion.
If it does in this way, a structure becomes simple and it can comprise so that it may be crushed from the front even if the plate | board thickness of the columnar main body is also the same thickness over the full length.
The front-rear direction line on the innermost side in the vehicle left-right direction may not be a straight line, and the outward inclination angle with respect to the vehicle straight line of the front-rear direction line on the innermost side in the vehicle left-right direction of the rear hollow structure part Both outward inclination angles may be made different, for example, by making it larger than the outward inclination angle with respect to the vehicle straight line on the innermost longitudinal direction line. If it does in this way, it can set so that a desired crushing state may be obtained so that it may crush sequentially from the front side, making the board thickness of the hollow structure part before and behind the same.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 are side views of a vehicle such as a passenger car or a commercial vehicle in which a bumper reinforcement 3 that supports a bumper (not shown) is connected to front ends of a pair of left and right side members 1 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The figure and the top view are shown, and the bumper reinforcement 3 is provided in the right and left of the front part of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bumper reinforcement 3 is press-worked or roll-formed with sheet metal in an arch shape in which the left and right end portions are curved backward in plan view.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a bumper stay 4 is interposed between the side member 1 and the bumper reinforcement 3 to alleviate an impact when a frontal collision occurs during traveling.

  The bumper stay 4 is made of an aluminum alloy material, and the main body 5 is formed in the shape of a hexagonal column having a longitudinal cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle over its entire length.

  3 is a longitudinal side view, FIG. 4 is a transverse plan view, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bumper stay 4, and FIG. 6 is a view taken along arrow VI-VI in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the bumper stay 4 is provided with a front flange 6 as a front fixing portion at the front end of the columnar body 5 and a rear flange 7 as a rear fixing portion at the rear end. The flange 6 and the rear flange 7 are formed with screw holes 9 for connecting to the side member 1 and the bumper reinforcement 3 with bolts 8. The front flange 6 is fixed to the mounting plate 10 of the bumper reinforcement 3, and the rear flange 7 Is fixed to a mounting plate 11 formed at the front end of the side member 1.

An intermediate flange 12 is disposed inside the columnar main body 5 between the front flange 6 and the rear flange 7 of the bumper stay 4, and the intermediate flange 12, the columnar main body 5 portion ahead of the intermediate flange 12, and the formation surface of the front flange 6 The front hollow structure body portion 13 is formed, and the rear hollow structure body portion 14 is formed by the intermediate flange 12, the columnar main body 4 portion behind the intermediate flange 12, and the rear flange 7.
The front hollow structure portion 13 has a hexagonal column shape having the same cross-sectional shape in the front-rear direction, and the rear hollow structure portion 14 is formed in a hexagonal column shape whose cross-sectional area decreases toward the front side.

In the mounted state, the left end position LP of the peripheral wall of the columnar body 5 of the left bumper stay 4 is positioned on the outermost side in the vehicle left-right direction, and in the mounted state, the right end position RP is mounted on the innermost side in the vehicle left-right direction.
In the mounted state, the front-rear direction line L of the left end position LP is parallel to the rectilinear direction when the vehicle is traveling straight, and the front-rear direction line R of the right end position RP of the rear hollow structure portion 14 is the left side toward the front side. It is inclined in the direction of inclination. Specifically, among the faces of the hexagonal column forming the rear hollow structure portion 14, the left two faces and the two upper and lower faces are parallel to the front-rear direction, and the right two faces are inclined such that the ridge line is inclined to the left as it is in the plan view. Formed on the surface.

In the present invention, it is not essential that the front hollow structure portion 13 is crushed before the rear hollow structure portion 14, and the rear hollow structure portion 14 is generally inclined outward even when an offset frontal collision occurs. While trying to collapse.
Therefore, the front-rear direction line L on the outer outer surface of the rear hollow part structure portion 14 does not have to be parallel to the straight line of the vehicle, and may be inclined outward as the front side is inclined, or may be slightly inclined inward. . The point is that the innermost (right end position) front-rear direction line R and buckling neutral axis C in plan view may be inclined outwardly toward the front side. The buckling neutral axis C here refers to the centroid of the longitudinal cross-sectional area perpendicular to the straight line of the vehicle.

In the present invention, the following (1) to (3) are desirable.
(1) At least from the rear end portion of the columnar body 5 to the front-rear intermediate portion, the longitudinal cross-sectional area perpendicular to the straight line of the vehicle in the columnar body 5 is gradually reduced toward the front side portion.
(2) The intermediate flange 12 is formed inside the columnar body 5 at the front and rear intermediate portion.
(3) The left / right innermost front / rear direction line R and the outermost front / rear direction line L of the front hollow structure portion 13 forming the columnar body 5 on the front side of the front / rear intermediate part are parallel to the straight line of the vehicle in plan view. And the vertical cross-sectional area of the front hollow structure 13 is smaller than the vertical cross-sectional area of the rear hollow structure part 14 that forms the columnar body 5 on the rear side of the front and rear intermediate portion.

In the above description, the bumper stay 4 is attached to the front end of the left side member 1, but the mounting structure of the bumper stay 4 attached to the front end of the right side member 1 is different from that for left attachment. The same bumper stay 4 may be attached symmetrically.
Further, when attaching to the side member 1 at the rear of the vehicle, the bumper stay 4 may be attached with the direction of the bumper stay 4 reversed.

[Another embodiment]
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view of the bumper stay 4 attached between the bumper reinforcement 3 and the side member 1 located on the front left side showing a first alternative embodiment. The bumper stay 4 shown in FIG. 7 is arranged with a hexagonal cross-sectional ridge line positioned on the left and right, and the front-rear direction line R that is the ridge line of the right-side position RP of the columnar body 5 Over the vehicle straight line, the front side part is inclined to the vehicle straight line so as to gradually deviate outward in the vehicle left-right direction, and the buckling neutral axis C is gradually deviated outward in the vehicle left-right direction toward the front part. It is inclined with respect to it. The bumper stay 4 shown in FIG. 7 is not provided with an intermediate flange at the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the columnar body 5, but one or more intermediate flanges may be provided.

  FIG. 8 is a front view showing a longitudinal section of the middle part in the front-rear direction of the bumper stay 4 attached between the bumper reinforcement 3 and the side member 1 located on the front left side showing a second alternative embodiment. The bumper stay 4 shown in FIG. 8 is arranged so that the ridgeline is located vertically and the hexagonal column faces are located on the left and right sides, and the right side of the columnar body 5 extends forward or in the middle of the columnar body 5 in the front-rear direction. The side part is inclined with respect to the straight line of the vehicle so as to be gradually deviated outward in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and the buckling neutral axis is gradually deviated outward in the left-right direction of the vehicle over the middle part or the entire length in the front-rear direction. The vehicle is inclined with respect to the straight line.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a third alternative embodiment. The bumper stay 4 shown in FIG. 9 includes a left component member 15 and a right component member 16 which are divided into left and right parts, and a left flange 17 and a right flange 18 formed on the upper and lower sides are joined to each other, The left and right component members 15 and 16 are formed by forming a plurality of bolt holes (not shown) in 18 and inserting the bolts into the holes and connecting them, or forming small holes in one flange 17 and spot welding. The bumper stay 4 may be configured by connecting the two.

  The best mode for carrying out the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 or the bumper stay 4 of the first and second alternative embodiments shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is also shown in FIG. Similarly to the embodiment, it may be divided into left and right and similarly connected by bolt connection or spot welding.

  The vertical cross-sectional shape of the columnar body 5 may be a regular hexagon or a vertically long hexagon, a square, a vertically long rectangle, other quadrilateral, a polygon such as a regular octagon or other octagon, or a circular or elliptical shape. A thing can also be adopted. Due to the relationship with the cross-sectional shape of the side member, the case where the cross-section is a rectangle that is long in the vertical direction is relatively easy to handle.

  If the buckling neutral axis C satisfies the condition of inclining with respect to the straight line of the vehicle so as to gradually deviate outward in the left-right direction of the vehicle in plan view, the front hollow structure portion 13 and the rear hollow structure Both body parts 14 may have a truncated cone structure. In this case, the front and rear direction lines L and R located on the outermost side in the left-right direction and the innermost side in the left-right direction of the vehicle may not be straight.

  In the best mode for carrying out the invention described above, and in the first to third alternative embodiments, the bumper stay 4 has the same thickness as that of the bumper stay 4. The plate | board thickness of the front side peripheral wall 15 which comprises the outer peripheral surface of the structure part 13 is thinner than the plate | board thickness of the rear side peripheral wall 16 which comprises the outer peripheral surface of the back hollow structure part 14, and the plate | board thickness of the front side peripheral wall 15 is adjacent. The thickness may be the same except for the continuous portion, and the thickness of the rear peripheral wall 16 may also be the same thickness except for the continuous portion. If comprised in this way, it will be easy to set so that the front hollow structure part 13 may be crushed ahead of a back hollow main-body part.

  In the best mode for carrying out the invention described above, the intermediate flange 12 is provided, but the intermediate flange 12 can be omitted as in the first and second alternative embodiments. Conversely, in the first to third alternative embodiments, the intermediate flange 12 may be provided, or a plurality of intermediate flanges may be provided in the front-rear direction. The intermediate flange 12 may be blind or may have a hole formed in the center.

  In the best mode for carrying out the invention, the first to third alternative embodiments, both the front flange 6 and the rear flange 7 are provided outside the outer periphery of the columnar body. It is good also as a flange and it is good also as a donut shape which opened the opening inside the columnar main body.

  The front flange 6 and the rear flange 7 are fixing portions for fixing to the bumper reinforcement 3 and the side member 1, respectively. Among these fixed portions, the fixed portion fixed to the side member 1 is fitted to the upper and lower plates of the side member 1 and the outer or inner surfaces of the left and right plates, or both, and the upper and lower plates or the left and right plates of the side members. Alternatively, it may be configured to be directly fixed with a bolt or the like.

  In the best mode for carrying out the invention, the front surface of the front flange 6 is formed in a plane perpendicular to the straight traveling direction, and the mounting plate 10 is mounted to fix the front flange 6 on the bumper reinforcement 3 side. The surface is also formed in a plane perpendicular to the rectilinear direction line, and the front flange 6 is fixed to the mounting surface of the mounting plate 10 with bolts 8. The front flange 6 conforms to the shape of the arched bumper reinforcement 3. The outer side may be formed as an inclined surface rearward in a plan view.

Schematic side view of the front of the vehicle with a bumper stay interposed between the bumper reinforcement and the side member Schematic plan view of the front of the vehicle with a bumper stay interposed between the bumper reinforcement and the side member Vertical side view of the bumper stay attached between the bumper reinforcement and the side member located on the front left side Cross-sectional plan view of the bumper stay installed between the bumper reinforcement and the side member located on the front left side Bumper stay perspective view FIG. 3 VI-VI arrow view The cross-sectional top view of the bumper stay attached between the bumper reinforcement and the side member which are located in the front left side which shows 1st another embodiment The front view which shows the longitudinal cross-section of the front-back direction intermediate part of the bumper stay attached between the bumper reinforcement and the side member which are located in the front left side which shows 2nd another embodiment Exploded perspective view of a bumper stay showing a third alternative embodiment

Explanation of symbols

1 Side Member 3 Bumper Reinforce 4 Bumper Stay 5 Columnar Body C Buckling Neutral Axis R Rl.

Claims (1)

In the vehicle structure in which the bumper stay is interposed between the side member arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the bumper reinforcement,
The main body of the bumper stay is formed in a column shape in the front-rear direction, and the front-rear direction line in the vehicle left-right direction in the columnar main body in a plan view is at least between the rear end of the columnar main body and the front-rear intermediate portion in a plan view. The front side part is inclined with respect to the straight line so that it gradually deviates outward in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and at least the buckling neutral axis from the rear end of the columnar body to the front-rear intermediate part is frontward in plan view. A vehicle structure characterized by being inclined with respect to a straight line of a vehicle so that the portion gradually deviates outward in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

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