JP2021102423A - Passenger compartment front structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a mechanism which inhibits movement of an airbag during vehicle frontal collision at low cost.SOLUTION: A passenger compartment front structure of a vehicle includes: an airbag 30 which is supported by an instrument panel reinforcement at a lower part of an instrument panel of a vehicle; and a brake bracket 54 being attached to a dash panel which partitions an engine room of the vehicle from a passenger compartment, being located at the vehicle front relative to the airbag 30, and supporting a brake pedal 52. A duct 43 of an air conditioner which includes a load receiving part 450 is disposed between the airbag 30 and the brake bracket 54.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention is attached to an airbag supported by an instrument panel at the lower part of the instrument panel of the vehicle and a dash panel that separates the engine room and the vehicle interior, and is operated in front of the airbag. The present invention relates to the front structure of the passenger compartment of a vehicle provided with a bracket for a pedal that supports the pedal.

Patent Document 1 describes a technique relating to the front structure of the passenger compartment of a vehicle. In the vehicle interior front structure described in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 7, an instrument panel reinforcement 101 that supports steering (not shown) is provided in the instrument panel so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. The instrument panel reinforcement 101 supports an airbag 103 below the steering wheel (not shown). The airbag 103 is arranged in front of the knees of an occupant seated on a seat (not shown), and is connected to the instrument panel reinforcement 101 via a support bracket 104 and a floor brace 105.

As shown in FIG. 8, a brake bracket 107b for supporting the brake pedal 107 is provided in front of the airbag 103, and the brake bracket 107b is attached to a dash panel 108 that separates the engine room and the vehicle interior of the vehicle. Has been done. A pressure receiving base 103p projecting forward at a position facing the brake bracket 107b is provided on the front surface 103f of the airbag 103.

When the airbag 103 operates during a frontal collision of the vehicle, a collision load due to the collision of the occupant's body from behind is applied to the airbag 103 in the front direction of the vehicle. As a result, the airbag 103 moves forward. However, since the airbag 103 is provided with the pressure receiving base 103p, the collision load can be received by the brake bracket 107b and the dash panel 108 via the pressure receiving base 103p. As a result, the forward movement of the airbag 103 and the occupant is suppressed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-207417

In the vehicle interior front structure of the vehicle described above, a pressure receiving base 103p projecting forward is provided on the front side of the airbag 103, and the pressure receiving base 103p suppresses the forward movement of the airbag 103 in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. is there. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a dedicated mechanism on the front surface of the airbag for suppressing the forward movement of the airbag 103, which increases the cost.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a mechanism for suppressing the movement of the airbag in the event of a vehicle front collision at low cost.

The above-mentioned problems are solved by each invention. The first invention is attached to an airbag supported by an instrument panel at the lower part of an instrument panel of a vehicle and a dash panel that separates an engine room and a vehicle compartment, and is located in front of the airbag. It is a vehicle interior front structure including a pedal bracket for supporting an operation pedal, and an air conditioner duct having a load receiving portion is arranged between the airbag and the pedal bracket. ..

According to the present invention, an air conditioner duct having a load receiving portion is arranged between the airbag and the pedal bracket. Therefore, when the occupant's body collides with the airbag from behind during a vehicle collision, the collision load in the vehicle front direction applied to the airbag is applied by the pedal bracket and the dash panel via the load receiving portion of the duct. You will be able to receive it. As a result, the movement of the airbag in the front direction of the vehicle is suppressed, and the forward movement of the occupant is stopped. In addition, since the airbag is supported from the front by a duct, a pedal bracket, and a dash panel, a dedicated mechanism (pressure receiving stand 103p, etc.) for supporting the airbag from the front becomes unnecessary, and cost reduction can be achieved. ..

According to the second invention, the duct of the air conditioner extends in the vehicle width direction along the case of the airbag, and the load receiving portion at the tip of the duct is installed between the airbag and the bracket for pedals.

According to the third invention, the load receiving portion of the duct includes a tubular body whose axial center extends in the load transmission direction, and the inside of the tubular body is partitioned by a plate wall along the axial center. .. Therefore, the strength of the load receiving portion of the duct is higher than that of other parts of the duct, and the collision load can be efficiently transmitted to the pedal bracket and the dash panel.

According to the fourth invention, the load receiving portion of the duct is connected to the pedal bracket by a connecting mechanism, and a certain gap is formed between the load receiving portion of the duct and the airbag. Therefore, it is possible to suppress noise and the like due to vibration when the vehicle is running.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a mechanism for suppressing the movement of the airbag in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle at low cost.

It is a schematic plan view which shows the front part structure (the left side of a vehicle) of the vehicle which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which looked at the front part structure of the passenger compartment of the vehicle from the left rear. It is a perspective view which shows the brake bracket which constitutes the front part structure of the passenger compartment of the vehicle. It is a side view of the front structure of the passenger compartment of the vehicle. It is a perspective view which shows the load receiving part of the duct for air conditioner which constitutes the front part structure of the passenger compartment of the vehicle. It is an overall side view of the duct for an air conditioner which constitutes the front structure of the passenger compartment of the vehicle. It is a front view which shows the front structure of the passenger compartment of a conventional vehicle. It is a side view which shows the front part structure of the passenger compartment of a conventional vehicle.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, the passenger compartment front structure of the vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. The passenger compartment front structure of the vehicle according to the present embodiment is an airbag support structure installed in front of the occupant's knees. Here, the front-rear, left-right, and up-down shown in the figure correspond to the front-rear, left-right, and up-down of the vehicle having the vehicle interior front structure according to the present embodiment.

<Overview of the front structure of the vehicle>
As shown in the schematic plan view of FIG. 1, the front part of the vehicle is provided with an engine room ER, and a vehicle compartment R is provided behind the engine room ER. Then, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the engine room ER and the vehicle interior R are partitioned by a vertical wall-shaped dash panel 12 extending in the vehicle width direction. Note that FIGS. 1 and 2 show only the left side of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, wheel houses 13 (only the left side is shown in FIG. 1) for accommodating the front wheels (not shown) of the vehicle are provided on the left and right sides of the engine room ER, and are located at the positions of the wheel houses 13. A suspension tower 14 that supports the upper end of the shock absorber (not shown) is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, left and right upper members 15 constituting the side walls of the engine room ER are provided on the outer sides of the left and right suspension towers 14 in the vehicle width direction. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, front pillars 16 which are columns are erected on both sides of the front portion of the passenger compartment R, and the engine room ER is provided to the front side walls of the left and right front pillars 16. The rear ends of the left and right upper members 15 are connected to each other. Further, the left end portion of the dash panel 12 is connected to the front pillar 16 on the left side, and the right end portion of the dash panel 12 is connected to the front pillar 16 on the right side. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a door opening D is formed on the rear side of the left and right front pillars 16. At the lower ends of the rear side walls of the left and right front pillars 16, as shown in FIG. 1, rocker rails 22 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction on both left and right sides (lower side of the door opening D) of the floor of the passenger compartment R are Each is connected.

<About the front structure of the passenger compartment>
In the passenger compartment R, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a pipe-shaped instrument panel reinforcement 24 is provided inside the instrument panel 20 (see FIG. 3) so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. The instrument panel reinforcement 24 is an aggregate that supports the steering wheel 21 and other members, and the left and right ends of the instrument panel reinforcement 24 are connected to the left and right front pillars 16 via brackets 24x (see FIG. 2), respectively. The vehicle shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a left-hand drive vehicle, and the steering wheel 21 is not shown in FIG. Further, in the instrument panel reinforcement 24, a portion supporting the steering 21 and an upper portion of the dash panel 12 are connected by a beam-shaped brace 25.

As shown in FIG. 2, an airbag bracket 32 is attached to the lower side of the instrument panel reinforcement 24 at a position where the steering 21 is sandwiched from the left-right direction, and the airbag bracket 32 allows the airbag 30 to the steering 21. It is supported below. The airbag 30 is arranged in front of the knees of an occupant (driver) seated on a seat (not shown) at the lower part of the instrument panel 20. The airbag 30 includes an airbag body that expands in a bag shape, an inflator that injects gas into the airbag body, an airbag body in a folded state, and a case 30c that houses the inflator.

<About the case 30c of the airbag 30>
As shown in FIG. 2, the case 30c of the airbag 30 is formed in a long box shape on the left and right, and the rear side (front side) lid of the case 30c can be opened. As a result, when the airbag body expands during a vehicle front collision, the rear lid of the case 30c opens, and the airbag body expands in the direction of the occupant (rear direction). In the airbag 30, the left end portion of the upper surface of the case 30c is connected to the instrument panel reinforcement 24 by the left vertical frame portion 32f of the airbag bracket 32, and is connected to the front pillar 16 by the left horizontal frame portion 32e. Further, in the airbag 30, the right end portion of the upper surface of the case 30c is also connected to the instrument panel reinforcement 24 by the right vertical frame portion 32r of the airbag bracket 32, and is connected to the center brace 33 by the right horizontal frame portion 32d. There is.

<About the duct 43 of the air conditioner 40>
On the front side of the case 30c of the airbag 30, that is, on the back side of the case 30c, as shown in FIG. 2, a duct 43 of the air conditioner 40 provided in the center of the front portion of the passenger compartment R is along the case 30c of the airbag 30. It is provided so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. As shown in the overall view of FIG. 6, the duct 43 includes a duct main body portion 44 through which air flows, and a bracket portion 45 formed at the tip end portion (left end portion) of the duct main body portion 44. The duct main body 44 is formed with an air conditioner side opening 44k connected to the air conditioner 40 at the right end. Further, on the lower side of the duct main body 44, a plurality of (4 in FIG. 6) air outlets 44n are formed from the tip end (left end portion) to the base end portion (right end portion).

As shown in FIG. 5, the bracket portion 45 of the duct 43 connects the tip end portion (left end portion) of the duct 43 to the brake bracket 54 (described later), and as shown in FIG. 3, airbags in the event of a vehicle collision. It is a portion that supports the left end portion of the case 30c of 30 from the back side (front side). As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the bracket portion 45 of the duct 43 is composed of a bolt receiving portion 45u having a bolt slot 45h and a load receiving portion 450 with which the front surface of the case 30c of the airbag 30 abuts. There is. The load receiving portion 450 is a square tubular body whose axial center extends in the front-rear direction, and the inside of the square tubular body is divided into four equal parts by a horizontal wall plate 452 and a vertical wall plate 451 extending in the front-rear direction. ..

<About the brake pedal device 50>
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a brake pedal device 50 is provided on the front side (back side) of the load receiving portion 450 of the duct 43. Further, an accelerator pedal device 60 is provided on the right side of the brake pedal device 50 and behind the duct main body 44 of the duct 43. As shown in FIG. 3, the brake pedal device 50 includes a brake pedal 52 and a brake bracket 54 that rotatably supports the brake pedal 52.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the brake bracket 54 is a reinforcing bracket that supports the bracket main body 540 that supports the brake pedal 52 and the rear end 542 (protruding end 542) of the bracket main body 540 from above. It is composed of 545. The bracket main body 540 has a configuration in which the brake pedal 52 is supported by the protruding end 542, and the front end 544 (base end 544) is fixed to the inner wall surface of the dash panel 12 on the indoor side. The reinforcing bracket 545 is a strip-shaped bracket extending in the vertical direction, and the upper end side is joined to the instrument panel reinforcement 24 by welding or the like. As shown in FIG. 5, a first receiving portion 546 and a second receiving portion 547 in which bolt holes are formed are formed at the lower end portion of the reinforcing bracket 545.

Then, the first receiving portion 546 of the reinforcing bracket 545 and the protruding end portion 542 of the bracket main body portion 540 are connected by bolts B1 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Further, the second receiving portion 547 of the reinforcing bracket 545 and the bolt receiving portion 45u of the duct 43 (bracket portion 45) are connected by the bolt B2 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In this state, the load receiving portion 450 of the bracket portion 45 of the duct 43 is arranged on the back side (front side) of the left end portion of the airbag 30 (case 30c) as shown in FIG. 3 and the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the clearance dimension between the end surface 450u of the load receiving portion 450 of the duct 43 (bracket portion 45) and the front surface 30x of the case 30c of the airbag 30 is set to the dimension S. Here, the dimension S is set to, for example, 20 mm.

<About the function of the passenger compartment front structure of the vehicle according to this embodiment>
When a vehicle having the front structure of the passenger compartment according to the present embodiment collides forward, the inflator of the airbag 30 injects gas into the airbag body, and the airbag body expands and exits the case 30c to the front side of the occupant. Expand with. In addition, due to the front collision of the vehicle, the occupant's body moves forward by inertial force and collides with the deployed airbag body. As a result, a collision load F (see FIG. 4) due to the collision of the occupant's body toward the front of the vehicle is applied to the case 30c of the airbag 30. As a result, the case 30c of the airbag 30 moves forward. Then, the front surface 30x of the case 30c collides with the end surface 450u of the load receiving portion 450 of the duct 43 (bracket portion 45).

As a result, the collision load F applied to the case 30c of the airbag 30 is transmitted to the bracket main body 540 via the load receiving portion 450 of the duct 43, the second receiving portion 547 of the reinforcing bracket 545, and the first receiving portion 546. It is transmitted from the bracket main body 540 to the dash panel 12. That is, the case 30c of the airbag 30 is supported from the front by the load receiving portion 450 of the duct 43, the reinforcing bracket 545, the bracket main body portion 540, and the dash panel 12. As a result, the amount of forward movement of the case 30c of the airbag 30 is reduced, and the forward movement of the occupant is suppressed.

<Correspondence between the terms in the present embodiment and the terms of the present invention>
The brake pedal 52 in the present embodiment corresponds to the operation pedal of the present invention, and the brake bracket 54 corresponds to the pedal bracket of the present invention. Further, the vertical wall plate 451 and the horizontal wall plate 452 in the load receiving portion 450 of the duct 43 (bracket portion 45) correspond to the plate wall of the present invention. Further, the bolt B2 that connects the bracket portion 45 of the duct 43 and the brake bracket 54 corresponds to the connecting mechanism of the present invention.

<Advantages of the front structure of the passenger compartment of the vehicle according to this embodiment>
According to the vehicle interior front structure of the vehicle according to the present embodiment, a duct 43 provided with a load receiving portion 450 is arranged between the airbag 30 and the brake bracket 54 (pedal bracket). Therefore, when the airbag 30 operates and the occupant's body collides with the airbag body from behind at the time of a vehicle collision, the collision load F in the vehicle front direction applied to the airbag 30 is braked via the load receiving portion 450 of the duct 43. It is supported from the front by the bracket 54 and the dash panel 12. As a result, the amount of forward movement of the airbag 30 is reduced, and the forward movement of the occupant is suppressed. Further, since the airbag 30 is supported from the front by the duct 43, the brake bracket 54, and the dash panel 12, a dedicated mechanism (pressure receiving stand 103p or the like) for supporting the airbag 30 from the front becomes unnecessary. Therefore, the cost of the support structure of the airbag 30 can be reduced.

Further, the load receiving portion 450 of the duct 43 includes a tubular body whose axial center extends in the load transmission direction, and the inside of the tubular body is formed by a plurality of horizontal wall plates 452 and vertical wall plates 451 along the axial center. It is partitioned into. Therefore, the strength of the load receiving portion 450 of the duct 43 is increased, and the collision load can be efficiently transmitted to the brake bracket 54 and the dash panel 12. Further, since a constant gap S is formed between the load receiving portion 450 of the duct 43 and the airbag 30, noise and the like due to vibration during vehicle traveling can be suppressed.

<Change example>
Here, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the collision load F applied to the airbag 30 is applied to the brake bracket 54 and the dash panel 12 by the load receiving portion 450 of the bracket portion 45 formed at the tip end portion (left end portion) of the duct 43 of the air conditioner 40. An example of transmitting to is shown. However, it is also possible to provide a bracket portion 45 at an intermediate position of the duct 43 according to the shape and size of the duct 43, and transmit the collision load F applied to the airbag 30 to the brake bracket 54 and the dash panel 12. Further, although an example is shown in which the load receiving portion 450 of the bracket portion 45 is formed in a square tubular shape to partition the inside in a cross shape, the shape of the load receiving portion 450 can be changed as appropriate.

12 ... Dash panel 21 ... Steering 24 ... Instrument panel reinforcement 30 ... Airbag 30c ... Case 30x ... Front 32 ... Airbag bracket 40 ...・ Air conditioner 43 ・ ・ ・ ・ Duct 450 ・ ・ ・ Load receiving part 451 ・ ・ ・ Vertical wall plate (board wall)
452 ... Horizontal wall board (board wall)
52 ... Brake pedal (operation pedal)
54 ... Brake bracket (pedal bracket)
R ... Vehicle room ER ... Engine room S ... Gap B2 ... Bolt (connecting mechanism)

Claims (4)

It is attached to the airbag supported by the instrument panel at the bottom of the instrument panel of the vehicle and the dash panel that separates the engine room from the vehicle compartment, and is located in front of the airbag to support the operation pedal. It is a front structure of the passenger compartment of a vehicle equipped with a bracket for pedals.
A vehicle interior front structure in which an air conditioner duct having a load receiving portion is arranged between the airbag and the pedal bracket. The front structure of the passenger compartment of the vehicle according to claim 1.
The duct of the air conditioner extends in the vehicle width direction along the case of the airbag.
A vehicle interior front structure in which a load receiving portion at the tip of the duct is installed between the airbag and the pedal bracket. The front structure of the passenger compartment of the vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.
The load receiving portion of the duct includes a tubular body whose axial center extends in the load transmission direction, and the inside of the tubular body is divided into a plurality of parts by a plate wall along the axial center. Construction. The vehicle interior front structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The load receiving portion of the duct is connected to the pedal bracket by a connecting mechanism.
The front structure of the passenger compartment of a vehicle in which a certain gap is formed between the load receiving portion of the duct and the airbag.

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