JP2022150954A - vehicle structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique of releasing a collision load applied to a cover panel toward a vehicle rear and downward side.SOLUTION: A cover panel of a vehicle structure includes a main body part constituting a contour, and a mount part 242 provided on an inner surface of the main body part and mounted with an on-vehicle apparatus. The mount part has a pedestal part 242a facing a back face of the on-vehicle apparatus, a bottom part 242b extending toward the vehicle front from the pedestal part and connecting the pedestal part with the main body part, and a rib part 242c extending between the pedestal part and the bottom part. In the mount part, the rigidity of a portion on a vehicle front and upward side of the rib part is weaker than that of the rib part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The technology disclosed in this specification relates to vehicle structures.

2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle structure is known that includes an in-vehicle device that protrudes upward from the upper surface of an instrument panel, and a cover panel that covers the in-vehicle device. An example of such a vehicle structure is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

JP 2019-147490 A

When an accident occurs in which a vehicle contacts a pedestrian, the pedestrian's head may collide with the windshield of the vehicle. At this time, in the vehicle structure as described above, since the windshield and the cover panel that covers the in-vehicle equipment are close to each other, there is a possibility that the head will hit the cover panel over the broken windshield. At this time, a collision load is applied to the cover panel toward the rear lower side of the vehicle. Therefore, in such a vehicle structure, a technique is required to alleviate the collision load applied to the cover panel toward the rear and downward direction of the vehicle.

A vehicle structure disclosed in the present specification includes a windshield, an instrument panel provided below the windshield of the vehicle, and an instrument panel that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the instrument panel. and a cover panel covering the on-vehicle device so that the front surface of the on-board device is exposed to the interior of the vehicle. The cover panel may have a main body portion forming an outer shape, and a mounting portion provided on the inner surface of the main body portion and to which the in-vehicle device is mounted. The mounting portion includes a pedestal facing the rear surface of the in-vehicle device, a bottom extending forward from the pedestal and connecting the pedestal and the main body, and a portion between the pedestal and the bottom. and a rib portion extending therebetween. The mounting portion is configured such that a portion of the mounting portion located above the rib portion in front of the vehicle has lower rigidity than the rib portion.

In the vehicle structure disclosed in the present specification, since the portion of the mounting portion located in the upper front portion of the vehicle is weaker in rigidity than the rib portion, the collision load is applied to the cover panel toward the rear lower portion of the vehicle. When the force is applied, the main body portion of the cover panel can be easily deformed rearward and downward of the vehicle. Thereby, in the vehicle structure disclosed in this specification, the collision load applied to the cover panel toward the rear lower side of the vehicle can be alleviated.

1 is a diagram schematically showing an exploded perspective view of a vehicle structure 10; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view that is perpendicular to the vehicle width direction and schematically shows a cross-sectional view of essential parts including a clip 36 provided on an instrument panel and a clip 142 provided on an upper panel portion 140. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross section perpendicular to the vehicle width direction and schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a main part including an insertion hole 53 formed in a fixing bracket 52 provided in the vehicle-mounted device 50. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view that is perpendicular to the vehicle width direction and schematically shows a cross-sectional view of essential parts including a front clip 342 and a rear clip 344 provided on a side panel portion 340. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a perspective view of a mounting portion 242 provided on a lower panel portion 240; FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section perpendicular to the vehicle width direction and including a rib portion 242c of the mounting portion 242. FIG.

An embodiment of the vehicle structure disclosed in the present specification includes a windshield, an instrument panel provided below the windshield of the vehicle, and an instrument panel that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the instrument panel. and a cover panel covering the on-vehicle device so that the front surface of the on-vehicle device is exposed to the interior of the vehicle. The cover panel may have a main body portion forming an outer shape, and a mounting portion provided on the inner surface of the main body portion and to which the in-vehicle device is mounted. The mounting portion includes a pedestal facing the rear surface of the in-vehicle device, a bottom extending between the pedestal and the main body, and a rib extending between the pedestal and the bottom. can have The mounting portion is configured such that a portion of the mounting portion located above the rib portion in front of the vehicle has lower rigidity than the rib portion. A portion of the mounting portion that is above the rib portion in front of the vehicle may have any form as long as the portion is configured to have lower rigidity than the rib portion. In addition, in the specification of the present application, a hollow form is also included as a form having low rigidity. Therefore, in the mounting portion, the portion above the rib portion toward the front of the vehicle is hollow, so that the portion above the rib portion toward the front of the vehicle is configured to have lower rigidity than the rib portion. may The type of the vehicle-mounted device is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a display that displays various measured values (e.g., speed, number of revolutions of an engine or motor), or a camera module that captures images of the interior or exterior of the vehicle. good too.

In the vehicle structure of the above embodiment, the rib portion may have a plate shape substantially perpendicular to the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the rib portion may be configured such that its height increases toward the rear of the vehicle. When the rib portion having such a shape is provided, the mounting portion can stably hold the vehicle-mounted device. Therefore, in this vehicle structure, it is possible to achieve both stable holding of the vehicle-mounted device and reduction of the collision load.

In the vehicle structure of the above embodiment, the base portion may have a plate shape substantially perpendicular to the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the bottom portion may have a plate shape substantially perpendicular to the vehicle vertical direction. In this case, the rib portion has a vehicle upper end connected to a vehicle upper end of the pedestal portion, and a vehicle front end connected to a vehicle front end of the bottom portion. may be In this vehicle structure, the mounting portion can stably hold the vehicle-mounted device.

In the vehicle structure of the above embodiment, the pedestal portion may have a fitting hole into which a clip is fitted. The clip may be directly or indirectly fixed to the vehicle-mounted device. The clip may be directly provided on the vehicle-mounted device, or may be provided on another member fixed to the vehicle-mounted device. In this vehicle structure, the in-vehicle device is fixed to the instrument panel via the pedestal by inserting the clip into the fitting hole of the pedestal.

Hereinafter, the vehicle structure 10 provided on the front side of the vehicle will be described with reference to each drawing. As shown in FIG. 1 , the vehicle structure 10 includes an instrument panel reinforcement 20 , a windshield WS, an instrument panel 30 , a cover panel 40 and onboard equipment 50 . In FIG. 1, each component is shown in a simplified form for the purpose of clarity of illustration. etc. are omitted in the illustration. Also, in this example, the cover panel 40 is configured separately from the instrument panel 30 , but the cover panel 40 may be configured integrally with the instrument panel 30 .

(About instrument panel reinforcement)
As shown in FIG. 1 , the instrument panel reinforcement 20 is provided behind the instrument panel 30 (on the lower front side of the vehicle than the instrument panel 30 ) and supports the instrument panel 30 . The instrument panel reinforcement 20 extends along the vehicle width direction, has a right end fixed to a right front pillar (not shown), and a left end fixed to a left front pillar (not shown). Thus, the instrument panel reinforcement 20 is fixed to the frame of the vehicle. A steering support 22 for supporting a steering column (not shown) and a steering wheel (not shown) is attached to the instrument panel reinforcement 20 . A bracket is fixed to each of the left and right ends of the steering support 22, and each of the brackets has an insertion hole 24 (FIGS. 1 and 3) into which a fastener such as a bolt for fixing the in-vehicle device 50 is inserted. ) are formed.

(About the instrument panel)
As shown in FIG. 1, the instrument panel 30 is provided in front of the vehicle in the vehicle interior and extends along the vehicle width direction. Although the instrument panel 30 is not particularly limited, the surface exposed to the interior of the vehicle may be configured in two stages. and an instrument lower panel portion 34 that constitutes the lower portion of the instrument panel 30 . The instrument upper panel portion 32 is formed of a substantially flat surface that is slightly inclined from the front of the vehicle toward the lower rear of the vehicle. The instrument lower panel portion 34 is formed of a curved surface that curves from the front of the vehicle toward the rear of the vehicle, and is convex toward the rear of the vehicle. An opening 39 formed in the instrument lower panel portion 34 is a portion where a steering column (not shown) is arranged. Note that the instrument upper panel portion 32 and the instrument lower panel portion 34 may be configured separately or integrally.

Instrument panel 30 has a pair of clips 36 for fixing cover panel 40 . The pair of clips 36 may be provided on a wall portion extending between the instrument upper panel portion 32 and the instrument lower panel portion 34, although not particularly limited thereto. The instrument panel 30 is further formed with a pair of insertion holes 37 into which fasteners such as bolts are inserted and a pair of fitting holes 38 into which clips are fitted, although the details will be described later.

(About the cover panel)
As shown in FIG. 1, the cover panel 40 is a cover member provided so as to surround the rear surface, upper surface, and side surfaces of the in-vehicle device 50 so that the front surface of the in-vehicle device 50 is exposed to the interior of the vehicle. The cover panel 40 is fixed to the upper surface of the instrument panel 30 in front of the steering wheel (not shown). Cover panel 40 has a top panel portion 140 , a bottom panel portion 240 and a pair of side panel portions 340 . Of the upper panel portion 140, the lower panel portion 240, and the pair of side panel portions 340, the portion forming the outer shape of the cover panel 40 is referred to as the "main body portion" in this specification.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the upper panel portion 140 is provided so as to face the back, top and side surfaces of the upper portion of the in-vehicle device 50 and covers the upper portion of the in-vehicle device 50 . The upper panel portion 140 is fixed to the in-vehicle device 50 with fasteners (not shown) such as screws. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper panel portion 140 further has a clip 142 extending toward the front of the vehicle at a position facing the rear surface of the in-vehicle device 50, and the lower panel portion 240 is attached via the clip 142. is fixed to Two clips 142 are provided on the upper panel portion 140 along the vehicle width direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lower panel portion 240 is provided to face the rear and side surfaces of the lower portion of the in-vehicle device 50 and covers the lower portion of the in-vehicle device 50 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a recess is formed in a portion of the rear wall of the lower panel portion 240, and a pair of fitting holes 244 are formed in the recess. As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of clips 36 of the instrument panel 30 are fitted into the pair of fitting holes 244, respectively. Each of the pair of clips 36 has an elastic piece 36a provided at its tip. The peripheral wall defining the aperture 244 is engaged by the resilient piece 36a. Thus, the lower panel portion 240 is fixed to the instrument panel 30 via a fitting mechanism composed of the clips 36 and fitting holes 244 . The type of clip 36 is not particularly limited, and other types of clips may be employed. Also, other clips 142, 342, and 344, which will be described later, are of the same type as the clip 36, but other types of clips may be used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower panel portion 240 has a pair of mounting portions 242 to which the in-vehicle device 50 is mounted on the upper portion of the inner surface of the main body forming the outer shape. A fitting hole 246 is formed in each of the pair of mounting portions 242 . As shown in FIG. 2, a clip 142 of the top panel portion 140 is fitted in each of the pair of fitting holes 246 . As described above, the upper panel portion 140 is fixed to the in-vehicle device 50 by fasteners (not shown) such as screws, so that the in-vehicle device 50 can be attached to the mounting portion 242 of the lower panel portion 240 via the upper panel portion 140. attached to the Bottom panel portion 240 may be formed by, but not limited to, injection molding. For this reason, the lower panel portion 240 is integrally formed with a main body portion that forms the outer shape and a mounting portion 242 to which the in-vehicle device 50 is mounted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, each of the pair of side panel portions 340 extends toward the rear of the vehicle from the in-vehicle device 50, and is not particularly limited, but may be an instrument lower panel portion. It may have a curved form corresponding to the shape of 34 . Each of the pair of side panel portions 340 has a front clip 342 and a rear clip 344 . The front clip 342 is provided so as to protrude forward of the vehicle from the end face of the side panel portion 340 in front of the vehicle, and is fixed to the in-vehicle device 50 . The rear clip 344 is provided so as to protrude forward and downward of the vehicle from the bottom surface of the side panel portion 340 located on the rear side of the vehicle. is mated to

(About in-vehicle equipment)
As shown in FIG. 1 , the in-vehicle device 50 is provided so as to protrude upward in the vehicle from the upper surface of the instrument panel 30 . The in-vehicle device 50 is covered with a cover panel 40 so that its front surface is exposed to the interior of the vehicle, and has a screen portion 50a and a support portion 50b. The screen unit 50a is a display that displays, for example, various measured values (for example, speed, number of revolutions of the engine or motor). The support portion 50b is attached to the back surface of the screen portion 50a and is a member for supporting the screen portion 50a. The support portion 50b is not particularly limited, but may be made of resin. A pair of fixing brackets 52 are provided on the bottom surface of the support portion 50b, and a pair of fixing plates 54 are provided on the side surfaces of the support portion 50b. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, each of the pair of fixed brackets 52 is formed with an insertion hole 53 into which a fastener such as a bolt is inserted. 1 and 4, each of the pair of fixing plates 54 is formed with a fitting hole 55 into which the front clip 342 of the side panel portion 340 is fitted. The front clips 342 of the corresponding side panel portions 340 are fitted into the fitting holes 55 of each of the pair of fixing plates 54 as described above.

As shown in FIG. 3, bolts (an example of fasteners) passing through the insertion hole 53 of the fixing bracket 52, the insertion hole 37 of the instrument lower panel portion 34, and the insertion hole 24 of the steering support 22 of the instrument panel reinforcement 20, The fixing bracket 52, the instrument lower panel portion 34, and the instrument panel reinforcement 20 are fixed. Thus, the in-vehicle device 50 is fixed to the instrument panel reinforcement 20 , that is, the vehicle, via the fixing bracket 52 .

(Regarding mitigation mechanism)
As described above, in the vehicle structure 10 of this embodiment, the cover panel 40 that covers the on-vehicle equipment 50 is provided so as to protrude upward from the upper surface of the instrument panel 30, so that the windshield WS and the cover panel 40 are arranged close to each other. Therefore, if an accident occurs in which the vehicle contacts a pedestrian, the pedestrian's head may collide with the windshield WS of the vehicle, and the head may collide with the cover panel 40 over the damaged windshield WS. be. Since the windshield WS is slanted rearward and upward of the vehicle, when the head hits the cover panel 40 over the broken windshield WS, a collision load is applied to the cover panel 40 toward the rearward and downward of the vehicle. . In the vehicle structure 10 of this embodiment, the cover panel 40 is provided with a mitigation mechanism for mitigating the collision load applied toward the rear and downward direction of the vehicle. The mitigation mechanism will be described below.

(Mounting portion 242 of cover panel 40)
As shown in FIG. 1, a lower panel portion 240 that constitutes the cover panel 40 has a pair of mounting portions 242 to which the in-vehicle device 50 is mounted. A fitting hole 246 is formed in each of the pair of mounting portions 242, and a clip 142 (see FIG. 2) provided on the upper panel portion 140 is fitted into each fitting hole 246. As shown in FIG. The upper panel portion 140 and the in-vehicle device 50 are fixed by fasteners such as screws. Thereby, the in-vehicle device 50 is fixed to the instrument panel 30 via the upper panel portion 140 and the lower panel portion 240 .

As shown in FIG. 5, each of the pair of mounting portions 242 has a pedestal portion 242a, a bottom portion 242b, and a rib portion 242c. The pedestal portion 242 a has a plate shape extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to the vehicle front-rear direction, and faces the rear surface of the in-vehicle device 50 . The pedestal portion 242 a is configured such that the vehicle upper end portion is connected to the inner surface of the main body portion forming the outer shape of the lower panel portion 240 .

The bottom portion 242b has a plate shape extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction of the vehicle, and extends toward the front of the vehicle from the base portion 242a. The bottom portion 242b is configured such that a vehicle rear end portion is connected to a vehicle lower end portion of the pedestal portion 242a, and a vehicle front end portion is connected to an inner surface of a body portion that forms the outer shape of the lower panel portion 240. there is

The rib portion 242c has a plate shape extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to the vehicle width direction, and extends between the base portion 242a and the bottom portion 242b. The rib portion 242c has a vehicle lower end connected to an outer end in the vehicle width direction of the side surface of the bottom portion 242b, and a vehicle rear end connected to an outer end in the vehicle width direction of the side surface of the base portion 242a. configured to be connected to the end. In this way, one rib portion 242c is provided on each of the pair of mounting portions 242, but instead of this example, a plurality of rib portions 242c may be provided.

The rib portion 242c has a vehicle upper end portion connected to a vehicle upper end portion of the base portion 242a, that is, a portion where the main body portion forming the outer shape of the lower panel portion 240 and the base portion 242a are connected. is connected to the vehicle front end of the bottom portion 242b, that is, the portion where the main body portion forming the outer shape of the lower panel portion 240 and the bottom portion 242b are connected. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the rib portion 242c has a substantially right triangle shape when observed along the vehicle width direction. Further, the rib portion 242c is configured such that its height increases toward the rear of the vehicle. In this example, the rib portion 242c is configured such that the height increases linearly toward the rear of the vehicle, in other words, the oblique side of the right triangle is linearly formed. With such a shape, the rib portion 242c can increase the rigidity of the base portion 242a and the bottom portion 242b. Accordingly, the mounting portion 242 can stably hold the vehicle-mounted device 50 . Instead of this example, the rib portion 242c may be configured such that its height increases toward the rear of the vehicle in a curved line or in a stepped manner.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the mounting portion 242, a cavity 242d is formed above the rib portion 242c in front of the vehicle. As a result, the mounting portion 242 is configured such that a portion of the mounting portion 242 located above the rib portion 242c toward the front of the vehicle has lower rigidity than the rib portion 242c. Therefore, the cavity 242d of the mounting portion 242 prevents the body portion forming the outer shape of the cover panel 40 from deforming downwardly rearward of the vehicle when a collision load is applied to the cover panel 40 downwardly rearward of the vehicle. can be tolerated. Accordingly, in the vehicle structure 10 described above, the collision load applied to the cover panel 40 can be reduced.

In the above example, the portion above the rib portion 242c in front of the vehicle is formed as one cavity 242d, so that the rigidity of that portion is weaker than that of the rib portion 242c. Instead of this example, a plate member having a thickness thinner than that of the rib portion 242c may be provided at a vehicle front upper portion of the rib portion 242c. Alternatively, instead of one cavity 242d, a plurality of cavities, for example, a plurality of bar members or mesh members may be provided in areas corresponding to the cavities 242d.

Although specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described above in detail, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above. The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims as filed. The techniques exemplified in this specification or drawings can achieve a plurality of purposes at the same time, and achieving one of them has technical utility in itself.

10: Vehicle structure 20: Instrument panel reinforcement 30: Instrument panel 40: Cover panel 50: In-vehicle equipment 140: Upper panel portion 240: Lower panel portion 242: Mounting portion 242a: Base portion 242b: Bottom portion 242c: Rib portion 242d: Cavity 340 : Side panel part WS: Windshield

Claims (6)

windshield and
an instrument panel provided below the windshield of the vehicle;
an in-vehicle device provided to protrude upward from the upper surface of the instrument panel;
a cover panel covering the in-vehicle device so that the front surface of the in-vehicle device is exposed to the interior of the vehicle;
The cover panel is
a main body that forms an outer shape;
a mounting portion provided on the inner surface of the main body portion to which the in-vehicle device is mounted;
The mounting portion is
a pedestal facing the back surface of the in-vehicle device;
a bottom extending forward from the pedestal and connecting the pedestal and the main body;
a rib portion extending between the base portion and the bottom portion;
The vehicle structure, wherein the mounting portion is configured such that a portion of the mounting portion located above the rib portion in front of the vehicle has a lower rigidity than the rib portion. In the mounting portion, a portion above the rib portion toward the front of the vehicle is hollow, so that the portion above the rib portion toward the front of the vehicle is configured to have lower rigidity than the rib portion. A vehicle structure according to claim 1 . The rib portion has a plate shape extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to the vehicle width direction,
3. The vehicle structure according to claim 1, wherein said rib portion is configured such that its height increases toward the rear of the vehicle. The pedestal portion has a plate shape extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to the vehicle front-rear direction,
The vehicle structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bottom portion has a plate shape extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction of the vehicle. 5. The rib portion has a vehicle upper end connected to a vehicle upper end of the base portion, and a vehicle front end connected to a vehicle front end of the bottom portion. Vehicle construction as described. The pedestal has a fitting hole into which the clip fits,
The vehicle structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said clip is directly or indirectly fixed to said vehicle-mounted device.

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