JP2532495Y2 - Connection structure between the center pillar of the car and the roof side rail - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION The present invention relates to a connection structure between a center pillar of a vertical frame member of a vehicle body and a roof side rail which is a side frame member of a roof.

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 4 to 6 show a conventional structure, in which 1 shows a center pillar formed in a closed cross section by a pillar outer 2 and a pillar inner 3, and this center pillar 1 has its lower end in front of and behind the floor 4 side. The upper end is connected to a roof side rail 7 which is a side frame member of the roof 6 while being connected to a side sill 5 which is a directional frame member. The connection between the center pillar 1 and the roof side rail 7 is specifically described as follows.
5, 6 As shown in FIG.
The connection piece 10 integrally formed in the shape of a letter
And fitted to the lower side of the rail outer 8
The upper end of the pillar inner 3 is overlapped and joined to the outer surface of the rail inner 9 to form the center pillar 1 and the roof side rail 7.
Are connected to each other. The inner surface of the pillar outer 2 is reinforced by joining a rainforce 11 having a substantially U-shaped cross section according to the inner surface shape. At the upper end of the rainfore 11, there is provided a connecting piece 12 integrally formed in a substantially T-shaped side surface similarly to the connecting piece 10 at the upper end of the pillar outer 2, and this connecting piece 12 is connected to the rail outer 8 together with the connecting piece 10 of the pillar outer 2. It is superposed and joined to the outer surface. This analogous structure is described in, for example,
No. 66, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-18042.

As described above, even if the rain pillar 11 is joined to the inner surface of the pillar outer 2 of the center pillar 1 to reinforce the center pillar 1, the rain pillar 11 can connect the connection piece 12 at the upper end to the roof. These center pillars 1 are only joined to the rail outer surface 8 of the side rails 7.
The degree of contribution of reinforcement at the joint between the roof section rails 7 and the closed cross section is not so high. For this reason, when a torsional force acts on the vehicle body during traveling of the vehicle, the corner angle θ of the joint between the center pillar 1 and the roof side rail 7 fluctuates,
Cracks may occur at the corners. Therefore, the present invention provides a connection between a center pillar and a roof side rail of an automobile, which can rationally connect the closed cross sections of the center pillar and the roof side rail with each other without using a special reinforcing member made of a separate member. It provides a partial structure.

Means for Solving the Problems The upper and lower flanges of the rail outer and the rail inner are joined to each other to form a roof side rail having a closed sectional structure, and the upper end of the pillar outer of the center pillar is joined to the rail outer of the roof side rail, and The upper end of the pillar inner of the pillar was joined to the rail inner of the roof side rail, these pillar outer and front and rear flanges of the pillar inner were joined to each other, and formed on the inner surface of the pillar outer of the center pillar according to the inner surface shape of the pillar outer. Abut and place the rainfours,
In the structure in which the front and rear flanges of the reinforcement are joined between the front and rear flanges of the pillar outer and the pillar inner, a shape change portion in which the height of the protrusion from the front and rear flanges gradually decreases as going upward is provided at the upper end of the reinforcement. Further, a substantially flat plate-like extending portion that crosses the inside of the closed cross section of the roof side rail in the vertical direction is integrally formed with the shape changing portion, and this extending portion is provided between the upper and lower flanges of the rail outer and the rail inner. It is sandwiched and joined.

The extension of the rainforce that extends within the closed cross section of the roof side rail is twisted against the angle fluctuation of the corner of the joint between the center pillar and the roof side rail due to the torsional deformation of the vehicle body during running of the vehicle. It functions as a strut that receives a load in the shear direction, and suppresses this angular variation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the above-described conventional configuration.

1 to 3, a connecting piece 10 integrally formed on an upper end portion of a pillar outer 2 of a center pillar 1 is externally fitted to and joined to a lower portion of a rail outer 8 of a roof side rail 7. The upper end of the center inner 3 is overlapped and joined to the outer surface of the rail inner 9 to connect the closed cross sections of the center pillar 1 and the roof side rail 7 together, and the inner surface of the pillar outer 2 has an inner surface. The point that the Rainforce 11, which has a U-shaped cross section according to the shape, is reinforced by abutting,
The basic structure, such as that the front and rear flanges 11a, 11a of 11 are joined between the front and rear flanges 2a, 3a of the pillar outer 2 and the pillar inner 3, is the same as the above-mentioned conventional one.

Here, at the upper end of the rainfall 11, a flat plate-shaped extending portion 13 which is integrally formed in a substantially T-shaped side surface and crosses the closed cross section of the roof side rail 7 in a vertical direction is provided. The upper and lower flanges 13a, 13a of the installation portion 13 are joined between the upper and lower flanges 8a, 9a of the rail outer 8 and the rail inner 9, respectively.

In addition, the front and rear flanges are
A shape change portion 20 is provided in which the height of the protrusion from 11a gradually decreases as going upward, and the extending portion 13 is connected to the shape change portion 20.

According to the structure of the embodiment described above, when the vehicle body is twisted and deformed during running of the vehicle, the center pillar 1 and the roof side rail 7
The angle θ of the corner of the connecting portion tends to fluctuate, but at this time, the flat extending portion 13 of the rainforce 10 exists vertically across the closed cross section of the roof side rail 7, and Since the extending portion 13 is sandwiched between the upper and lower flanges 8a, 9a of the rail outer 8 and the rail inner 9, the extending portion 13 operates at the connecting portion between the center pillar 1 and the roof side rail 7. The torsional force is received in a shear direction that is advantageous in strength, and the extension portion 13 functions as a strut. As a result, it is possible to suppress a change in the corner angle θ of the joint between the center pillar 1 and the roof side rail 7 and to reliably prevent a crack from being generated in the corner.

As described above, according to the present invention, the extended portion at the upper end of the rainforce for reinforcing the center pillar is arranged vertically across the roof side rail closed cross section, and the upper and lower flanges of the rail outer and the rail inner are provided. Since it is sandwiched and joined, the extended portion receives a torsional load acting on the joint portion between the center pillar and the roof side rail in a shear direction that is advantageous in terms of strength, and functions as a strut. The load can be distributed and borne by the skeleton portions of the roof side rail and the center pillar, and the roof side rail and the center pillar can be rationally connected in terms of strength. As a result, there is an advantage that a change in the corner angle of the joint portion between the center pillar and the roof side rail due to the torsional force is suppressed, and the generation of a crack in the corner portion is surely prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an area A in FIG. 4 showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an upper end portion of the rainforce of the embodiment, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an automobile to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an area in FIG. 4A showing a conventional structure, and FIG. FIG. 5C
It is sectional drawing which follows the -C line. 1 ... Center pillar, 2 ... Pillar outer, 3 ... Pillar inner, 7 ... Roof side rail, 8 ... Rail outer, 8a ... Top and bottom flange of rail outer, 9a ... Top and bottom flange of rail inner, 11 ... Rainforce, 13
…… Extended part.

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] An upper and lower flange of a rail outer and a rail inner are joined to each other to form a roof side rail having a closed sectional structure, and an upper end of a pillar outer of a center pillar is joined to a rail outer of a roof side rail. The upper end of the pillar inner is joined to the rail inner of the roof side rail, the pillar outer and the front and rear flanges of the pillar inner are joined to each other, and the inner surface of the pillar outer of the center pillar is formed on the inner surface of the pillar outer according to the inner surface shape of the pillar outer. In the structure in which the front and rear flanges of the reinforcement are sandwiched between the front and rear flanges of the pillar outer and the pillar inner, the upper and lower ends of the reinforcement are gradually raised as the height of the protrusion from the front and rear flanges increases. Smaller shape change A substantially flat extension extending vertically in the closed cross section of the roof side rail is formed integrally with the shape changing portion, and the extension is formed by the upper and lower flanges of the rail outer and the rail inner. A connection structure between the center pillar of an automobile and the roof side rail, which is sandwiched and joined.