JP2522798B2 - Car steering support structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a steering support structure for an automobile.

(Prior Art) As a steering support structure of an automobile, it is desirable to ensure the safety of the driver by suppressing the backward movement of the steering, that is, the backward movement of the steering during a frontal collision. It is desirable that the supporting rigidity be high and that the steering vibration part during traveling on a bad road can be suppressed. From this point of view, JP-A-57-4466
As seen in the publication, a steering support member extending in the vehicle width direction is arranged, and the end of the steering support member is fixed to the cowl side panel, while the steering support member and the tunnel portion of the floor panel are connected. There has been proposed a structure in which a connecting member extending in the vertical direction is used for connection.

According to such an automobile steering support structure,
Since the cowl side panel is one of the vehicle body strength members and is not easily affected by the deformation of the dash panel due to the frontal collision, it is possible to effectively suppress the steering backward. Further, since the steering support member that supports the steering shaft is connected to the tunnel portion of the floor panel via the connecting member, it is possible to increase the steering support rigidity as compared with the case where this connecting member is not provided. It

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, since the tunnel portion of the floor panel has a cross-sectional shape that opens downward, the opening end of the tunnel portion is affected by changes in the posture of the vehicle. Since it is easy to expand and contract in the width direction, it is difficult to secure sufficient steering support rigidity even if the steering support member is connected to such a tunnel portion that is easily deformed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a steering support structure for an automobile, which suppresses steering wheel retreat at the time of a frontal collision and positively enhances steering support rigidity.

(Means and Actions for Solving Problems) In order to achieve the above technical problem, in the present invention, steering is performed by a steering support member that extends in the vehicle width direction and one end of which is fixed to a cowl side panel. A shaft is supported, and the steering support member is connected to a tunnel portion of the floor panel via a vertically extending connecting member. A cross member extending across the tunnel portion and extending in the vehicle width direction is fixed, and the cross member is fixed to an upper surface of the floor panel and is coupled to a floor frame extending in the front-rear direction to connect the cross member with the connecting member. The lower end portions are joined together.

With such a configuration, first, the steering support member that supports the steering shaft is fixed to the cowl side panel, so that it is possible to effectively suppress the steering wheel backward movement at the time of a frontal collision.
Further, since the steering support member is connected to the cross member fixedly provided across the tunnel portion of the floor panel, it is possible to surely enhance the steering support rigidity. Furthermore, since this cross member is connected to the floor frame, it is possible to increase the rigidity of the vehicle body itself. Since the cross member and the floor frame are arranged on the upper surface of the floor panel, the provision of the cross member and the floor frame does not affect the minimum ground clearance of the vehicle.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment (FIGS. 1 and 2) In FIG. 1, 10 is a frame arranged in an instrument panel, and 10 is a steering support frame.
This steering support frame 12 is made of a hollow pipe, extends in the vehicle width direction, and has a bracket 14 fixed to the driver seat side (the right side in this embodiment) from the middle portion thereof. The steering shaft 16 can be attached to the. Above the steering support frame 12, an upper sub-frame 18 is disposed obliquely forward of the steering support frame 12, and the upper sub-frame 18 is made of a hollow pipe like the steering support frame 12, and is different from the steering support frame 12. It is extended in the vehicle width direction at intervals. Four stays 20 extending vertically are provided between the upper sub-frame 18 and the steering support frame 12, the upper end of the stay 20 is welded to the upper sub-frame 18, and the lower end is welded to the steering support frame 12. There is. The upper sub-frame 18 is also welded with three support plates 22 extending forward in the center and left and right thereof, and the support plates 22 are
The mounting portion 22a is formed by bending the front end portion upward, and the mounting portion 22a is provided with a bolt hole 22b so that the mounting portion 22a can be mounted on the vehicle body using the bolt 24.

A lower sub-frame 26 is disposed below the steering support frame 12, and the lower sub-frame 26 is also formed of a hollow pipe like the upper sub-frame 18 and the like,
It is extended in the vehicle width direction. This lower subframe 26
Lower right subframe 26a and lower left subframe 2 arranged in series
6b, a space is provided between the lower left and right sub-frames 26a, 26b, and the inner end thereof is welded to the connecting plate 28. An upper end of the connecting plate 28 is welded to the steering support frame 12 and a bolt hole 28a is provided at a lower end thereof so that the connecting plate 28 can be attached to the vehicle body using a bolt 30. On the other hand, the outer end of the lower sub-frame 26 is welded to the side plate 31 together with the outer ends of the steering support frame 12 and the upper sub-frame 18, and the side plate 31 has a bolt hole 31a.
The side plate 31 is attached to the vehicle body by using the bolt 32.

Next, prior to explaining the assembling of the frame 10 having the above-described structure, a floor panel forming the floor surface of the vehicle interior 40.
42 will be described. The floor panel 42 is FR
Due to the fact that it is a car (front engine, rear-drive vehicle), it has a tunnel portion 44 that bulges greatly upward in the central portion in the vehicle width direction. The drive shaft 46 (see FIG. 2) and the like are housed in the portion 44. A pair of left and right floor frames 48 extending in the front-rear direction are joined to the upper surface of the floor panel 42, and the first to third rear frames of the vehicle interior 40 are arranged in this order from the front to the rear.
A cross member 50 and a second cross member 52 are provided. The first and second cross members 50 and 52 are both hat-shaped in cross section and form a closed cross section with the floor panel 42. The first cross member 50 is
It extends in the vehicle width direction across the tunnel portion 44, and its end portion is fitted to the floor frame 48 here. On the other hand, the second cross member 52 has its inner end joined to the side wall of the tunnel portion 44 and its outer end joined to the side sill 54. For the vehicle body having such a configuration, the frame
In the assembly of 10, the downstream portion of the connecting plate 28 is joined to the first cross member 50 (see FIG. 2), and the side plate 31 of the frame 10 is attached.
Is coupled to the cowl side panel 56, and the support plate 22 of the frame 10 is coupled to the cowl inner panel (not shown).

The frame 10 thus assembled to the vehicle body is a frame for supporting the steering as a whole, and also serves as a bracket for the instruments 60 and 62.

That is, the space sandwiched between the steering support frame 12 and the upper sub-frame 18 serves as a storage space for the instruments 60 and 62, and the instruments 60 and 62 include the instrument 60 including a speedometer and the television 62. Composed of and these instruments 6
0 and 62 are bolted to the upper sub-frame 18 and the stay 20. Therefore, a heavy object such as the television 62 is firmly held. Incidentally, reference numeral 64 in FIG. 1 denotes a heater unit, and the conditioned air adjusted by the heater unit 64 is discharged from the defroster nozzle 66 and the like.

In the above structure, since the steering support frame 12 is connected to the cross member 50 via the connecting plate 28, it is possible to maintain the steering support rigidity at a high level. Further, according to this embodiment, since the sub-frames 18 and 26 are arranged above and below with the steering support frame 12 interposed therebetween, the steering support rigidity is further enhanced by the sub-frames 18 and 26. Further, since the cross member 50 to which the connecting plate 28 is coupled is provided across the relatively easily deformable tunnel portion 44, the rigidity of the entire vehicle body is enhanced and the vehicle body vibration is reduced when traveling on a rough road. It will be effective.

The drawings after FIG. 4 show other embodiments of the present invention. In the description of these embodiments, the same elements as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. However, only the characteristic part will be described below.

Second Embodiment (FIGS. 3 and 4) In this embodiment, the first cross member 50 extends through the floor frame 48, and its end portion is joined to the side sill 54. With such a configuration, the rigidity of the vehicle body can be further enhanced.

Third Embodiment (FIG. 5) In this embodiment, the lower portion of the steering column 70 is fixed to the dash panel 74 via the bracket 72, and the universal joint 76 is provided at the lower end of the steering shaft 16. There is.

With such a configuration, when the dash panel 74 is deformed toward the vehicle interior 40 side during a frontal collision, the lower portion of the steering column 70 is pushed toward the vehicle interior along with the deformation of the dash panel 74, resulting in steering. 78
Will be displaced upwards (arrow direction in FIG. 5). As a result, the steering 78 is restrained from moving in the direction approaching the driver at the time of a collision, and the impact on the driver is alleviated. Incidentally, when adopting such a configuration, it is preferable that a weak body portion is provided in the connecting plate 28 and the connecting plate 28 is disassembled vertically when a tensile force of a predetermined amount or more acts on the connecting plate 28.

(Effects of the Invention) As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, in addition to being able to prevent the steering wheel from moving backward in a frontal collision and improving the steering support rigidity, the vehicle body rigidity is also improved. The advantage is that

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is an overall view of a steering support structure according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an overall view of a steering support structure according to the second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an essential part of the steering support structure according to the third embodiment. 12: Steering support frame 16: Steering shaft 28: Connecting plate 42: Floor panel 44: Tunnel section 48: Floor frame 50: Cross member 56: Cowl side panel

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A steering shaft is supported by a steering support member whose one end is fixed to a cowl side panel and extends in the vehicle width direction. The steering support member extends vertically with respect to a tunnel portion of a floor panel. In a steering support structure for an automobile connected via a connecting member, a cross member extending in the vehicle width direction across the tunnel portion is fixedly provided on an upper surface of the floor panel, and the cross member is the floor panel. A steering support structure for an automobile, characterized in that the lower end portion of the connecting member is connected to the cross member by being fixed to an upper surface of the vehicle and extending in a front-back direction.