JP3275643B2 - Dash lower panel peripheral structure of automobile - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure around a dash lower panel of an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional structure around a dash lower panel of an automobile, for example, a structure shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is known (as a similar technique, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-338560).
Reference). In the following description, A is the outside in the vehicle width direction and B is the inside in the figure.

[0003] Reference numeral 1 denotes a dash lower panel, which separates an engine room E and a vehicle interior R from each other. Reference numeral 2 denotes a front side member, which is disposed in a pair on the left and right sides in the engine room E (only the right side structure is shown as a representative in the figure). The front side member 2 has a closed cross-sectional structure due to the connection of the closing plate 3, and the rear end thereof is connected to the front surface of the dash lower panel 1 in an abutting state.

A dash lower cross member 4 is connected to a lower end of the front of the dash lower panel 1.
A suspension member 5 is provided in front of the dash lower cross member 4. A suspension bracket 7 is attached to a lower portion of the suspension member 5 via a suspension reinforcement 6. The suspension bracket 7 supports a suspension member (not shown). Further, a floor panel 8 is continuously connected to a lower end of the dash lower panel 1.

[0005] A through hole 1a for a steering column is formed in the dash lower panel 1 at a position inside the connecting portion S of the front side member 2. The dash lower panel 1 has a vibration damping reinforcement 9 superposed inward from the area where the through hole 1a is formed. The reinforce 9 is provided only in a relatively flat area of the dash lower panel 1 which is necessary for vibration isolation, and is not provided in an area near the connection portion S of the front side member 2. The through-hole 9a corresponding to the through-hole 1a is also formed in the reinforce 9, and the through-hole 9a of the reinforce 9 is provided on the R side in the vehicle cabin in order to increase the support strength of a steering column (not shown). The protruding portion 10 protrudes.

Further, a wheel house 11 is formed at the outer end of the dash lower panel 1 so as to protrude toward the vehicle cabin R side. The wheel house 11 has an inclined surface 11a with respect to the vehicle width direction, and an embossed portion 12 having a flat rear surface is integrally formed on the inclined surface 11a. A pedal 14 is mounted. This accelerator pedal 14
Are a retainer 14a, a lever portion 14b, and a pedal portion 14c.
The lever portion 14b is rotatably supported at a position displaced inward by d from the center of the retainer 14a.

[0007]

However, in such a conventional technique, since the connecting portion S of the front side member 2 is formed by only one dash lower panel 1, a frontal collision of an automobile or the like occurs. Therefore, when an excessive input F is applied to the front end of the front side member 2, the input F may not be effectively absorbed. That is, in the above-described structure, the dash lower panel 1 retreats due to the input F transmitted from the front side member 2 (see the portion shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5), and the front side member 2
Is formed in the middle part of. Originally, the front side member 2 can perform effective energy absorption by causing “axial crush” that is crushed only in the front-rear direction.
The axial crush does not occur and effective energy absorption cannot be performed.

Therefore, as a countermeasure, it is necessary to add a reinforcing plate (not shown) from the closing plate 3 to the outer surface of the wheel house 11 in order to increase the strength of the connecting portion S of the dash lower panel 1. However, when such a reinforcing plate is added, the number of steps for connecting the front side member 2 increases, and rust prevention treatment of the added reinforcing plate must be performed, which is very troublesome.

The lever portion 14 of the accelerator pedal 14
Since “b” is displaced inward from the center of the retainer 14 a by “d”, the pressing force of the pedal portion 14 c is unevenly applied to the bracket 13. Then, such uneven tread force is affecting the durability of the bracket 13, just in order to increase the durability of the bracket 13, it is necessary to take measures such as increasing the plate thickness, correspondingly, This has led to an increase in cost and weight.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a conventional technique, and relates to a structure around a dash lower panel of an automobile which can effectively absorb input applied to a front side member and reduce the number of parts. To provide.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
Rear end of front side member in dash lower panel
There is a protruding part on the inside of the vehicle width direction from the connection part
Attaching the gusset of a substantially hat-shaped in the vehicle interior side of the dash lower panel with the formed reinforcement polymerized in a state straddling the connecting portions of the front side member rear substantially vehicle width direction, and the upper flange of the gusset Connect the lower flanges to the upper and lower parts of the connection part , and gusset
The inner flange in the vehicle width direction is connected to the projection .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the gusset attached to the dash lower panel can form a closed cross section near the connecting portion of the dash lower panel. Therefore, since the strength near the connection portion of the dash lower panel is improved, even if an input is applied from the front side member, the dash lower panel does not retreat, and the front side member is securely axially crushed, and the input applied to the front side member is reduced. Can be effectively absorbed. Also in the gusset
Connect the side flanges to the rigid
As a result, the mounting strength of the gusset is increased, and as a result
It contributes to the improvement of the strength of the connection part of the lower panel.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a wheel house is formed on an outer portion of the dash lower panel in the vehicle width direction so as to bulge into the vehicle interior, and the wheel house is formed with an inclined surface with respect to the vehicle width direction. The outer flange in the vehicle width direction is connected to an inclined surface of a wheel house.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the outer flange of the gusset is connected to the wheel house, the mounting strength of the gusset is increased, and the strength of the connecting portion of the dash lower panel is improved. Moreover, since the outer flange is connected to the inclined surface of the wheel house, even if the input applied from the front side member is applied to flatten the closed section formed by the dash lower panel and the gusset, the flattening is performed. The desired force acts between the outer flange of the gusset and the inclined surface in the shear direction, and as a result, a sufficient reaction force can be generated against the input. Therefore, the deformation of the closed section is prevented, and the strength near the connecting portion of the dash lower panel is further increased.

[0015]

[0016]

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the mounting surface of the accelerator pedal is set on the gusset.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the mounting surface of the accelerator pedal is set to a stiff gusset, the durability of the mounting surface is reduced even if uneven pressing force is applied from the accelerator pedal. I will not do it. Therefore, there is no need for a separate component such as a conventional bracket to mount the accelerator pedal, and the number of components can be reduced accordingly.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the mounting surface of the air conditioning unit is set on the gusset.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the mounting surface of the air conditioning unit is set on the gusset, the air conditioning unit can be securely mounted.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a bead portion is formed on the gusset along the vehicle width direction.

According to the invention of claim 5, wherein, for forming the bead portion along the vehicle width direction to the gusset, increasing the strength of the gusset, it is possible to reinforce the vicinity of the connection portion of the dash lower panel more reliably by gusset .

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to portions common to the related art, and overlapping description will be omitted.

A gusset 15 for reinforcement is attached to the dash lower panel 1 of this embodiment on the vehicle cabin R side in such a manner that the connecting portion S at the rear end of the front side member 2 is straddled in the vehicle width direction. The gusset 15 has a hat-shaped cross section having a predetermined height h with respect to the dash lower panel 1. Outer flange 15a, inner flange 15b, upper flange 15c,
The lower flange 15d is formed in a continuous state.
The outer flange 15a is joined to the inclined surface 16a of the wheel house 16 in a state following the surface shape thereof up to the surface position of the dash lower panel 1, and the inner flange 15b
Are also joined to the surface position of the reinforce 9 while following the surface shape of the projection 10 of the reinforce 9.
The upper flange 15c and the lower flange 15d are connected to upper and lower portions of the dash lower panel 1, respectively.

The outer flange 15 of the gusset 15
A flat mounting surface 17 is formed in the vicinity of a along the vehicle width direction, and a mounting hole 17a with a welding nut for mounting the accelerator pedal 14 is provided on the mounting surface 17. On the R side surface of the gusset 15, two bead portions 18 extending in the vehicle width direction are formed from the mounting surface 17 to the inner flange 15 b in order to increase the rigidity of the gusset 15 itself. . An air conditioning unit (for example, a blower unit) or the like may be attached to the mounting surface of the gusset 15 on the passenger seat (not shown) in the same manner as the accelerator pedal 14 on the driver's seat.

Next, the operation will be described.

According to this embodiment, the gusset 15 and the dash lower panel 1 can form a closed section H (see FIG. 2) having a height h at the connection portion S thereof. Therefore, the strength of the dash lower panel 1 in the vicinity of the connection portion S is increased, and even if an excessive input F is applied from the front side member 2, the dash lower panel 1 does not retreat. The input F causes the front side member 2 to be axially broken only in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the input F can be effectively and sufficiently absorbed by the front side member 2, and the occupant protection function of the vehicle body is improved.

The outer flange 15a of the gusset 15
And the inner flange 15b are connected to the high-rigidity wheel house 16 and the projection 10 of the reinforce 9, respectively, thereby improving the mounting strength of the gusset 15.
This point also contributes to the improvement of the strength of the connecting portion S of the dash lower panel 1.

Further, as shown in FIG.
5a is connected to the inclined surface 16a of the wheel house 16, so that the input F applied from the front side member 2
Is added to flatten the closed cross section H formed by the dash lower panel 1 and the gusset 15 in the front-rear direction.
The flattening force is applied to the outer flange 15a.
Acting in the shear direction between the dashed lower surface 1a and the inclined surface 16a. As a result, the deformation of the closed section H is prevented, and this also contributes to the improvement of the strength near the connecting portion S of the dash lower panel 1. That is, if the outer flange 15a is connected to a surface along the vehicle width direction, the input F is applied in a direction in which the two are separated, but if it is connected to the inclined surface 16a with respect to the vehicle width direction as described above, The input F acts between them in the shear direction. In particular, the outer flange 15a and the inclined surface 16a are connected by spot welding, but at such a spot welding point, the connection strength with respect to the force acting in the shearing direction is stronger than the force acting in the peeling direction. It is suitable for a structure in which spot welding is frequently used, such as an automobile body.

The mounting surface 17 of the accelerator pedal 14
Is set to a highly rigid gusset 15, even if the accelerator pedal 14 has a structure in which the lever portion 14b is displaced inward from the center of the retainer 14a by d, the uneven pedal force applied from the accelerator pedal 14 causes However, the durability of the mounting surface 17 does not decrease. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a separate component such as a conventional bracket to attach the accelerator pedal 14, and the number of components can be reduced accordingly.

Further, since the dash lower panel 1 can be reliably reinforced by simply attaching the gussets 15 having the above-mentioned shapes to the left and right connection portions S of the dash lower panel 1, the accelerator pedal 14 around the dash lower panel 1 can be securely reinforced. It does not limit the degree of freedom of layout of the air conditioner and the air conditioning unit (not shown).

[0032]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the gusset attached to the dash lower panel can form a closed cross section near the connecting portion of the dash lower panel. Therefore, since the strength near the connection portion of the dash lower panel is improved, even if an input is applied from the front side member, the dash lower panel does not retreat, and the front side member is securely axially crushed, and the input applied to the front side member is reduced. Can be effectively absorbed. Also, the gusset
Connects the inner flange to the rigid reinforcement projection
Increased gusset mounting strength and, as a result,
It contributes to improving the strength of the connecting part of the lower panel.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the outer flange of the gusset is connected to the wheel house, the mounting strength of the gusset is increased, and the strength of the connecting portion of the dash lower panel is improved. Moreover, since the outer flange is connected to the inclined surface of the wheel house, even if the input applied from the front side member is applied to flatten the closed section formed by the dash lower panel and the gusset, the flattening is performed. The desired force acts between the outer flange of the gusset and the inclined surface in the shear direction, and as a result, a sufficient reaction force can be generated against the input. Therefore, the deformation of the closed section is prevented, and the strength near the connecting portion of the dash lower panel is further increased.

[0034]

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the mounting surface of the accelerator pedal is set to a stiff gusset, the durability of the mounting surface is reduced even if uneven pressing force is applied from the accelerator pedal. I will not do it. Therefore, there is no need for a separate component such as a conventional bracket to mount the accelerator pedal, and the number of components can be reduced accordingly.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the mounting surface of the air conditioning unit is set on the gusset, the air conditioning unit can be securely mounted.

[0037] According to the invention of claim 5, wherein, for forming the bead portion along the vehicle width direction to the gusset, increasing the strength of the gusset, it is possible to reinforce the vicinity of the connection portion of the dash lower panel more reliably by gusset .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a structure around a dash lower panel of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line SA-SA shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line SB-SB shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a structure around a dash lower panel of a conventional automobile.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line SC-SC shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line SD-SD shown in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dash lower panel 2 Front side member 9 Reinforce 10 Convex part 14 Accelerator pedal 15 Gusset 15a Outer flange 15b Inner flange 15c Upper flange 15d Lower flange 16 Wheel house 16a Inclined surface 17 Accelerator pedal mounting surface 18 Bead portion S Connection portion R Car interior E Engine room

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-62-181976 (JP, A) JP-A-5-262263 (JP, A) JP-A-6-24358 (JP, A) 85419 (JP, A) JP-A-63-17186 (JP, A) JP-A-5-338560 (JP, A) JP-A-63-119179 (JP, U) JP-A-64-24682 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B62D 25/08

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A dash lower panel peripheral structure of a motor vehicle connected while butting each right and left rear end of each front side member in front of the dash lower panel, the front side members in the dash lower panel
Protruding toward the cabin inside the vehicle width direction from the connection at the rear end
A gusset having a substantially hat-shaped cross-section is attached to the dash lower panel in a state of straddling the connecting portion at the rear end of the front side member substantially in the vehicle width direction, while superimposing the rain force formed with the portion. An upper flange and a lower flange are respectively connected to upper and lower portions of the connection portion , and
A dash lower panel peripheral structure for an automobile, wherein an inner flange in a direction is connected to the convex portion . Wherein said dash wheel house on the outside portion in the vehicle width direction of the lower panel is inclined plane with respect to the vehicle width direction is formed in and the wheel house is bulged formed into the passenger compartment interior, vehicle width direction of the gusset <br/> claim 1 dash lower panel peripheral structure of an automobile according to the outer flange, characterized in that connected to the inclined surface of the wheel house in. 3. The peripheral structure of a dash lower panel of an automobile according to claim 2, wherein an attachment surface of an accelerator pedal is set on said gusset. 4. The method of claim 1 or claim 2 dash lower panel peripheral structure of an automobile, wherein a set of mounting surfaces of the air conditioning unit to the gusset. 5. A dash lower panel peripheral structure of an automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the formation of the bead portion along the vehicle width direction to the gusset.