JP2020050007A - Support structure of steering mechanism part - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a support structure of a steering mechanism part which is suitable for improving support rigidity of a steering bracket while inhibiting increase in costs and weight.SOLUTION: A support structure of a steering mechanism part includes: a P-P member 10 extending in a vehicle width direction; a side bracket 20 provided at an end part 11 as seen in a vehicle width direction W of the P-P member 10 and coupled to a vehicle body; a steering bracket 40 supporting the steering mechanism part 60; and a reinforcement bracket 50 having an opening 51, formed into a closed cross sectional shape by the opening 51 being joined to the P-P member 10, joined to the steering bracket 40 and the side bracket 20, and extending in the vehicle width direction W so as to bridge the steering bracket 40 and the side bracket 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a support structure for a steering mechanism.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a conventional support structure for a steering mechanism in a vehicle. As shown in the figure, a pillar-to-pillar member 91 (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as a “PP member 91”) is provided near the front of the vehicle. The PP member 91 extends in the vehicle width direction W, and both ends are fixed to side surfaces of the vehicle body via side brackets 92. A floor brace 93 is provided at the center of the PP member 91, and the floor brace 93 extends downward to the floor. On the other hand, a steering bracket 94 is provided at a position away from the center of the PP member 91 to one side in the vehicle width direction W, and a component related to a steering mechanism (hereinafter referred to as a “steering mechanism section”) is provided on the steering bracket 94. 96 "). The steering mechanism 96 includes, for example, a steering shaft, a steering column, a steering wheel, an electric power steering device (an electric motor or a reduction gear mechanism), and the like.

  In the support structure of the steering mechanism shown in FIG. 7, the load in the vertical direction H by the steering mechanism 96 is transmitted to the floor brace 93 via the PP member 91. The input load to the steering mechanism 96 in the front-rear direction L of the vehicle is received by the PP member 91. In such a configuration, it is possible to support the load by increasing the pipe diameter and thickness of the PP member 91 and increasing the rigidity. However, in the corresponding method of increasing the pipe diameter and the thickness of the PP member 91, the weight of the PP member 91 itself increases, which causes an increase in the weight of the entire vehicle.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a plurality of small-diameter pipe frames (35) are used and a steering bracket (49) is attached to these pipe frames so as to increase the support rigidity of the steering bracket. It has been disclosed. However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, in order to secure rigidity by using a plurality of small-diameter pipes, it is necessary to assemble these pipes with high positional accuracy, which hinders mass production. In addition, twisting and bending tend to occur between pipes, and it is difficult to sufficiently suppress steering vibration. In order to increase the rigidity of the component, the component tends to be large, so that the weight increases.

JP-A-5-170010

  The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and provides a support structure of a steering mechanism suitable for increasing the support rigidity of a steering bracket while suppressing cost increase and weight increase. That is the main task.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical means.

  The support structure of the steering mechanism provided by the present invention includes a pillar-to-pillar member extending in the vehicle width direction, a side bracket provided at an end of the pillar-to-pillar member in the vehicle width direction, and connected to a vehicle body; A steering bracket for supporting the mechanism, an opening, and the opening is joined to the pillar-to-pillar member to form a closed cross-section, and is joined to the steering bracket and the side bracket; And a reinforcing bracket extending in the vehicle width direction so as to bridge the steering bracket and the side bracket.

  Preferably, the side bracket includes a main plate to which a vehicle width direction end portion of the pillar-to-pillar member and a vehicle width direction end portion of the reinforcing bracket are joined, and a pair of bends that are bent inward from the periphery of the main plate in the vehicle width direction. And a pair of the extending pieces are arranged so as to sandwich the reinforcing bracket from the outside in a cross section perpendicular to the vehicle width direction, and each is joined to the reinforcing bracket.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a support structure of a steering mechanism according to the present invention, as viewed obliquely from the rear right of the vehicle. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the support structure shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a view of a main part of the support structure shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the right side of the vehicle. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing another example of the support structure of the steering mechanism according to the present invention, as viewed obliquely from the rear right of the vehicle. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of the support structure shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional support structure for a steering mechanism, viewed from diagonally left rear of the vehicle.

  1 to 3 show an example of a support structure for a steering mechanism according to the present invention. The support structure A1 of the steering mechanism according to the present embodiment includes a pillar-to-pillar member 10 (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as a "PP member 10"), a side bracket 20, a floor brace 30, a steering bracket 40, and a reinforcing bracket 50. It is configured.

  The PP member 10 is provided near the front of the vehicle, and is formed of a substantially cylindrical metal pipe. The PP member 10 extends in the vehicle width direction W.

  The side brackets 20 are provided at both ends of the PP member 10 in the vehicle width direction W. Each side bracket 20 is connected and fixed to a side surface portion (not shown) of the vehicle body. Details of the side bracket 20 will be described later.

  The floor brace 30 is provided at the center of the PP member 10 in the vehicle width direction W. The upper part of the floor brace 30 is joined to the PP member 10 by, for example, welding. The floor brace 30 extends downward to the floor, and supports the PP member 10 on the floor side. Here, the “center in the vehicle width direction W” of the PP member 10 does not mean only exactly the center in the vehicle width direction W, but also includes a state where the PP member 10 is deviated from the center in the vehicle width direction W. In FIG. 1, the mounting position of the floor brace 30 with respect to the PP member 10 is slightly from the center of the PP member 10 in the vehicle width direction W to the driver's seat side (the right side in the drawing) where the steering mechanism 60 is provided. Biased.

  The steering bracket 40 is a component to which the steering mechanism 60 is attached, and directly supports the steering mechanism 60. The steering bracket 40 includes a pair of locking portions 41, and the locking portions 41 are locked to the reinforcing bracket 50 and the PP member 10. In addition, an appropriate position of the steering bracket 40 is joined to the reinforcing bracket 50 and the PP member 10 by welding. The mounting position of the steering bracket 40 is located away from the floor brace 30 in the vehicle width direction W.

  The reinforcing bracket 50 extends in the vehicle width direction W so as to bridge the steering bracket 40 and the side bracket 20. As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the reinforcing bracket 50 has a substantially U-shaped cross section and has an opening 51. The reinforcing bracket 50 having such a shape is formed by pressing a metal plate such as a steel plate. In addition, the reinforcing bracket 50 may be provided with a rib (not shown) as appropriate in order to increase rigidity.

  The reinforcing bracket 50 is joined to the PP member 10 by welding. In the present embodiment, the reinforcing bracket 50 is addressed to the PP member 10 so as to cover the opening 51, and is welded and joined over the entire circumference of the opening 51 (in FIG. 3, a welded portion is denoted by reference numeral 71). ). With such a configuration, the reinforcing bracket 50 has a closed cross-sectional shape between the reinforcing bracket 50 and the PP member 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a floor brace 30 is joined to one end 52 of the reinforcing bracket 50 in the vehicle width direction W by, for example, welding.

  The side bracket 20 is joined to the other end 53 of the reinforcing bracket 50 in the vehicle width direction W. In the present embodiment, the side bracket 20 has a main plate 21 and a pair of extending pieces 22. The end portion 11 of the PP member 10 in the vehicle width direction W and the end portion 53 of the reinforcing bracket 50 in the vehicle width direction W are joined to the main plate 21 by, for example, welding (an end portion with respect to the main plate 21 in FIG. 4). 53 is denoted by reference numeral 72).

  The pair of extending pieces 22 are portions that are bent inward in the vehicle width direction W from the peripheral edge of the main plate 21. As understood from FIGS. 1, 2, 4, etc., the pair of extending pieces 22 are arranged so as to sandwich the reinforcing bracket 50 from the outside in a cross section perpendicular to the vehicle width direction W. In the present embodiment, the pair of extending pieces 22 sandwich the end 53 of the reinforcing bracket 50 from the vertical direction H. Each extension piece 22 is joined to the end 53 of the reinforcing bracket 50 by, for example, welding (in FIGS. 2 and 4, welds of the extension piece 22 to the end 53 are denoted by reference numerals 73 and 74). The welded portion 73 and the welded portion 74 extend along the vehicle width direction W. With the above configuration, the PP member 10, the reinforcing bracket 50, the side bracket 20, the floor brace 30, and the steering bracket 40 are integrally joined.

  The steering mechanism 60 is a component or device related to steering that is supported by the steering bracket 40 by being attached to the steering bracket 40. The steering mechanism 60 includes, for example, a steering shaft, a steering column, a steering wheel, an electric power steering device (an electric motor or a reduction gear mechanism), and the like. In FIG. 1, the steering mechanism 60 is shown by imaginary lines.

  Next, the operation of the support structure A1 of the steering mechanism having the above configuration will be described.

  The support structure A1 of the present embodiment includes a reinforcing bracket 50. The reinforcing bracket 50 has an opening 51 and the opening 51 is joined to the PP member 10 to have a closed cross-sectional shape. The reinforcing bracket 50 extends in the vehicle width direction W so as to bridge the steering bracket 40 and the side bracket 20.

  According to the present embodiment, the reinforcing bracket 50 has a cross-sectional structure in which the cross section is integrated with the PP member 10 and is closed. Further, the PP member 10, the reinforcing bracket 50, the side bracket 20, and the steering bracket 40 are integrally reinforced. According to such a configuration, the support rigidity of the steering mechanism 60 can be increased, which is suitable for suppressing steering vibration. In addition, since the rigidity of the reinforcing bracket 50 is increased in cooperation with the PP member 10, the side bracket 20, the steering bracket 40, and the like, an increase in the overall weight can be suppressed.

  The steering bracket 40 is joined to the reinforcing bracket 50 at a position apart from the floor brace 30 in the vehicle width direction W. According to such a configuration, the bending stress due to the load in the vertical direction H (see FIG. 1) by the 60 hardly acts on the PP member 10, and acts mainly on the reinforcing bracket 50 in a distributed manner. Therefore, the thickness of the PP member 10 can be reduced, which contributes to the weight reduction of the support structure A1. Further, since the reinforcing bracket 50 has the opening 51, the weight increase due to the provision of the reinforcing bracket 50 is relatively small, which is preferable in reducing the weight of the entire support structure A1.

  In the present embodiment, the side bracket 20 is formed by a truss structure (indicated by a chain line in FIG. 4) of the reinforcing bracket 50 having a closed cross section and the extension piece 22 bent inward from the side bracket 20 connected to the vehicle body. It has a stable structure and can increase rigidity.

  5 and 6 show another example of the support structure of the steering mechanism according to the present invention. In these drawings, the same or similar elements as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

  The support structure A2 of the steering mechanism of the present embodiment is different from the above embodiment in the structure of the side bracket 20 and the structure relating to the joining of the side bracket 20 and the end 53 of the reinforcing bracket 50.

  In the present embodiment, the side bracket 20 does not have the periphery of the main plate 21 bent, and does not include the pair of extending pieces 22.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the end 53 of the reinforcing bracket 50 is joined by, for example, welding (in FIG. 6, a welded portion of the end 53 to the main plate 21 is denoted by reference numeral 75). In the present embodiment, the main plate 21 covers the entire end surface of the end portion 53 of the reinforcing bracket 50, and a welded portion 75 is formed over the entire end surface of the end portion 53.

  Also in the present embodiment, the reinforcing bracket 50 has a cross-sectional structure in which the cross section is integrated with the PP member 10 and is closed. Further, the PP member 10, the reinforcing bracket 50, the side bracket 20, and the steering bracket 40 are integrally reinforced. According to such a configuration, the support rigidity of the steering mechanism 60 can be increased, which is suitable for suppressing steering vibration. In addition, also in the support structure A2 of the steering mechanism of the present embodiment, the same operation and effect as described with respect to the support structure A1 of the steering mechanism of the above embodiment can be obtained.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The specific configuration of each part of the present invention can be variously changed.

  In the above embodiment, the reinforcing bracket 50 has a substantially U-shaped cross section, but the shape of the reinforcing bracket 50 is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to employ a reinforcing bracket 50 having a substantially V-shaped or substantially horseshoe-shaped cross-sectional shape.

A1, A2 Support structure H (for steering mechanism) Vertical direction L Front-rear direction W Vehicle width direction 10 PP member (pillar-to-pillar member)
11 End part (of P-P member) 20 Side bracket 21 Main plate 22 Extension piece 30 Floor brace 40 Steering bracket 41 Locking part 50 Reinforcement bracket 51 Opening part 52 End part 53 End part 60 Steering mechanism part 71 Welding part 72 Welding Part 73 weld part 74 weld part 75 weld part

Claims (2)

A pillar-to-pillar member extending in the vehicle width direction;
A side bracket provided at an end of the pillar-to-pillar member in the vehicle width direction and connected to a vehicle body;
A steering bracket for supporting the steering mechanism,
It has an opening, and the opening is joined to the pillar-to-pillar member to form a closed cross-section, and is joined to the steering bracket and the side bracket and the steering bracket and the side bracket are A support structure for a steering mechanism, comprising: a reinforcing bracket extending in the vehicle width direction so as to bridge. The side bracket includes a main plate to which a vehicle width direction end of the pillar-to-pillar member and a vehicle width direction end of the reinforcing bracket are joined, and a pair of extensions that bend inward in the vehicle width direction from a periphery of the main plate. And a piece,
2. The support structure of the steering mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the pair of extending pieces are arranged so as to sandwich the reinforcing bracket from the outside in a cross section perpendicular to the vehicle width direction, and each is joined to the reinforcing bracket. 3. .

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