JP3947916B2 - Protection member mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mounting structure for mounting a protector member, which is disposed along a vehicle width direction at a lower front end of a vehicle, such as a front underrun protector, to a chassis frame.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a vehicle with a high vehicle height such as a large truck or tractor, a large space is formed between the lower surface of the front bumper and the ground. For example, if an accident such as a frontal collision occurs, the vehicle height of a small vehicle or a passenger vehicle There is a risk that a vehicle with a low height will sink into the space between the front bumper and the ground. For this reason, conventionally, a front under-run protector (hereinafter referred to as FUP) is provided along the vehicle width direction so as to block the front of this space, and the vehicle or the like enters the space between the front bumper and the ground. Is preventing.
[0003]
For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the FUP 101 is connected and fixed to a front end portion of a pair of side members 102 arranged on both sides in the vehicle width direction along the vehicle longitudinal direction via a bracket 103. It is combined with the rear surface and the side surface of the side member 102 (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-255050).
[0004]
In such a structure, when the FUP 101 is pressed rearward, the load is input to the side member 102 via the bracket 103. That is, the FUP 101 is firmly supported by the side member 102.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional mounting structure described above, the load from the protector member such as FUP acts in a concentrated manner at one portion where the bracket is coupled, that is, one portion of the chassis frame such as the side member that is coupled to the bracket. At this time, if the rigidity of the chassis frame is low, the support strength of the protector member is naturally low. For this reason, there is a possibility that the chassis frame is greatly deformed at the time of a collision with a passenger car or the like, and the passenger car or the like is allowed to sink.
[0006]
Here, it is possible to improve the support strength of the protector member by increasing the rigidity of the chassis frame so that it can sufficiently withstand the load input at the time of collision. As a method for increasing the rigidity of the chassis frame, for example, there is a method of attaching a large reinforcing plate to the chassis frame. However, in this method, the weight of the structure and the increase in cost cannot be denied.
[0007]
Further, in the structure in which the reinforcing plate is provided, the deformation of the chassis frame is suppressed by the reinforcing plate. For this reason, for example, at the time of a collision between tracks, the collision energy absorbed by the deformation of the chassis frame may be reduced, that is, the deformation mode of the chassis frame may be deteriorated, and the impact on the vehicle occupant may increase. Arise.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can suppress the increase in structure weight and cost, and can improve the support strength of the protector member without deteriorating the deformation mode of the chassis frame. An object of the present invention is to provide a mounting structure for a protector member.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the protector member mounting structure according to the present invention includes a bracket and a support member. A protector member is arrange | positioned along the vehicle width direction at the front-end lower part of a vehicle. The bracket has a first coupling portion coupled to the rear surface of the protector member and a second coupling portion coupled to the chassis frame, and connects the protector member and the chassis frame disposed above the protector member. The support member includes a third coupling portion that is coupled to the chassis frame at the rear of the vehicle relative to the second coupling portion of the bracket, and a receiving portion that is in contact with or close to the rear surface of the first coupling portion of the bracket. The receiving portion of the support member may be coupled to the rear surface of the first coupling portion of the bracket.
[0010]
In the above mounting structure, when the protector member receives a pressing load toward the rear of the vehicle, the load is input to the bracket and acts on the chassis frame from the second coupling portion of the bracket. As the bracket moves rearward, the rear surface of the bracket presses the receiving portion of the support member, and the pressing load acts on the chassis frame from the third coupling portion of the support member. In other words, the vehicle rearward pressing load acting on the protector member is distributed to the bracket and the support member, and is input to the chassis frame from two locations of the second coupling portion of the bracket and the third coupling portion of the support member. Accordingly, the pressure load applied to the rear of the vehicle acting on the chassis frame is not concentrated in one place but is distributed in two places, so that the support strength of the protector member can be improved without increasing the rigidity of the chassis frame.
[0011]
Moreover, since the support member is provided in addition to the bracket, the weight of the structure and the increase in cost can be suppressed.
[0012]
Furthermore, since it is not necessary to change the rigidity of the chassis frame, the deformation mode of the chassis frame does not deteriorate.
[0013]
In the mounting structure, the support member may be provided with an intermediate portion that linearly extends rearward and obliquely upward from the receiving portion toward the third coupling portion.
[0014]
In such a configuration, the pressing load acting on the support member from the bracket is input to the chassis frame via the intermediate portion extending linearly from the receiving portion of the support member toward the third coupling portion. Load is efficiently transmitted to Accordingly, it is possible to reliably increase the ratio of the load acting on the chassis frame from the third coupling portion of the support member in the vehicle rearward pressing load acting on the protector member. As a result, the load input to the chassis frame can be effectively dispersed, and the support strength of the protector member can be further improved.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
1 is an external perspective view of a protector member mounting structure according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view of the structure of FIG. 1 viewed from the direction of arrow II, and FIG. 3 is a top view of the bracket and support member of FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the bracket and the support member as viewed from the rear of the vehicle. In the following description, the front-rear direction is the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the left-right direction is the left-right direction in a state of facing the front of the vehicle. Further, the arrow Ft in the figure represents the front of the vehicle.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of left and right side members 1 (only the left side is shown) as chassis frames extending along the vehicle front-rear direction on both left and right sides in the vehicle width direction are provided at the lower part of the vehicle body with a chassis frame. . Each side member 1 has a substantially U-shaped cross section that is laterally arranged so as to open inward in the vehicle width direction.
[0018]
The vehicle according to the present embodiment is a vehicle having a high vehicle height, such as a large truck or a tractor. A front underrun protector (hereinafter referred to as FUP) as a protector member is provided below the front end of the side member 1. 2 is supported by the side member 1 via the bracket 3. The FUP 2 is arranged along the vehicle width direction so as to block a large space formed between the lower surface of the front bumper (not shown) and the ground. For example, when an accident such as a frontal collision occurs, a small car, a passenger car, etc. This prevents a vehicle having a low vehicle height from entering the space between the front bumper and the ground.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 2, the bracket 3 includes an upper plate 6 as a second coupling portion, a pair of side plates 7 (see FIG. 3), a front plate 8, a rear plate 9, and a connecting plate 10. . The upper plate 6 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape having substantially the same width as the lower wall 5 of the side member 1, and is fastened and fixed to the lower wall 5 by bolts 11 and nuts 12 in surface contact with the lower surface 5 a of the lower wall 5. ing. Each side plate 7 has a substantially L shape when viewed from the vehicle width direction, and is further downward from the rear end of the front portion 7a and a front portion 7a that bends substantially vertically downward from both ends of the upper plate 6 in the vehicle width direction. And a rear portion 7b that extends. The front plate 8 is welded to the front end edge of the upper plate 6 and the front end edge of the front portion 7 a of the two side plates 7 and closes the front of the space defined by the upper plate 6 and the front portion 7 a of the side plate 7. The rear plate 9 and the connecting plate 10 are welded to the rear end edge and the front end edge of the rear portion 7b of the two side plates 7, respectively, and form a closed cross section extending in the vertical direction together with the rear portion 7b of the side plate 7. The rear plate 9, the connecting plate 10, and the rear portion 7b of the side plate 7 constitute a first coupling portion of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, both end portions in the vehicle width direction of the connecting plate 10 extend outward from the side plate 7, and a rear surface 13 a of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped spacer 13 is welded to the front surface of the connecting plate 10. One spacer 13 is provided on each of the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the FUP 2 is fastened and fixed to the bracket 3 via the spacer 13.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 5, the FUP 2 includes an upper wall 14, a front wall 15 that extends downward from the front end of the upper wall 14, a rear wall 16 that extends downward from the rear end of the upper wall 14, and the front wall 15 and the rear wall. 16 includes a bottom wall 17 that connects the lower ends of 16, and a reinforcing middle wall 18 that connects intermediate portions of the front wall 15 and the rear wall 16. The interior of the FUP 2 is divided into an upper chamber 29 and a lower chamber 30 by the middle wall 18, and the FUP 2 has a substantially θ-shaped closed section when viewed from the vehicle width direction.
[0021]
The rear wall 16 is formed with two upper and lower engaging grooves 19 and 20 extending substantially in parallel along the vehicle width direction. Each engagement groove 19, 20 opens at the end surface in the vehicle width direction of the rear wall 16, and rectangular plate-like engagement plates 21, 22 are inserted into the engagement grooves 19, 20 from the openings, respectively. 22 is slidably engaged with the engagement grooves 19 and 20. That is, the internal dimensions of the engagement grooves 19 and 20 are set slightly larger than the external dimensions of the engagement plates 21 and 22. Two hollow cylindrical pins 23 and 24 projecting from the rear surfaces of the engagement plates 21 and 22 are integrally formed. Between the respective engagement grooves 19 and 20 and the outer surface of the rear wall 16 (the rear surface 2a of the FUP 2), an opening groove 25 for allowing the movement of the cylindrical pins 23 and 24 as the engagement plates 21 and 22 slide. , 26 are formed.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 2, relay holes 27 and 28 are formed in the engagement plates 21 and 22 so as to be continuous with the inner diameter surfaces of the cylindrical pins 23 and 24 and open to the front surfaces of the engagement plates 21 and 22. Bolt insertion holes 31 and 32 communicating with the upper chamber 29 or the lower chamber 30 of the FUP 2 are provided at predetermined positions in the vehicle width direction of the upper and lower engagement grooves 19 and 20, respectively. The engagement plates 21 and 22 inserted into the upper and lower engagement grooves 19 and 20 are slid and moved temporarily to positions where the relay holes 27 and 28 and the bolt insertion holes 31 and 32 are aligned. As a temporary fixing method, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, holes 61 and 62 (holes on the rear wall 16 are not shown) are formed at predetermined positions on the engagement plates 21 and 22 and the rear wall 16, respectively. There is a method of fitting a pin 63 (only a pin fitted to the hole 62 of the engagement plate 22 is shown in FIG. 5) into the holes 61 and 62. Thus, with the engagement plates 21 and 22 temporarily fixed at predetermined positions of the engagement grooves 19 and 20, the cylindrical pins 23 and 24 pass through the opening grooves 25 and 26 and protrude from the rear surface 2a of the FUP 2.
[0023]
In the connecting plate 10 and the left and right spacers 13 of the bracket 3, pin insertion holes 33 and 34 are respectively formed at two positions on the upper and lower sides (only the left side is shown in FIG. 2) to be inserted from the rear surface of the connecting plate 10 to the front surface of the spacer 13. ing. The relative positions of the pin insertion holes 33 and 34 are set in accordance with the positions of the cylindrical pins 23 and 24 protruding from the rear surface 2a of the FUP 2. The inner diameter dimensions of the pin insertion holes 33 and 34 are the same as those of the cylindrical pins 23 and 24. It is formed slightly larger than the outer dimensions. The connecting plate 10 of the bracket 3 and the lower portion 7b of the side plate 7 are connected by left and right reinforcing plates 45, and the reinforcing plate 45 suppresses the deformation of the connecting plate 10 with respect to the side plates 7 from falling.
[0024]
When attaching the FUP 2 to the bracket 3, first, the engagement plates 21 and 22 are inserted into the engagement grooves 19 and 20 of the FUP 2, and are slid to a predetermined position for temporary fixing. Next, the cylindrical pins 23 and 24 protruding from the rear surface 2a of the FUP 2 are inserted into the corresponding pin insertion holes 33 and 34, respectively. At this time, the protruding amount of the cylindrical pins 23, 24 from the rear surface 2a of the FUP 2 is set to the thickness of the spacer 13 so that the tips of the cylindrical pins 23, 24 do not protrude backward from the rear surface of the connecting plate 10. It is set smaller than the total thickness including the thickness. Then, the screw portions of the bolts 35 and 36 are inserted into the inner diameter portions of the cylindrical pins 23 and 24 from the inside of the upper chamber 29 and the lower chamber 30 of the FUP 2 through the bolt insertion holes 31 and 32, and protrude from the rear surface of the connecting plate 10. The nuts 37 and 38 are screwed into the screw portions of the bolts 35 and 36 and tightened. Thus, the FUP 2 is fastened and fixed to the connecting plate 10 of the bracket 3 with the rear surface 2 a of the FUP 2 being in surface contact with the front surface of the spacer 13. In this state, the FUP 2 is positioned below the front portion 7 a of the side plate 7 of the bracket 3 and in front of the connecting plate 10.
[0025]
A support member 4 is disposed behind the bracket 3. The support member 4 includes an upper plate 39 as a third coupling portion, a pair of side plates 40 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), a front plate 41 as a receiving portion, and a swash plate 42. The upper plate 39 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape having substantially the same width as the lower wall 5 of the side member 1, and is in surface contact with the lower surface 5 a of the lower wall 5 of the side member 1 behind the upper plate 6 of the bracket 3. The bolt 43 and the nut 44 are fastened and fixed to the lower wall 5. The front plate 41 is welded while being in surface contact with the lower rear surface of the rear plate 9 of the bracket 3 (the rear surface of the first joint portion of the bracket 3). The swash plate 42 is bent obliquely rearward from the upper end of the front plate 41 and extends to the vicinity of the rear end of the upper plate 39. Each side plate 40 bends substantially vertically downward from both ends in the vehicle width direction of the upper plate 39 and extends toward the front lower side as viewed from the vehicle width direction. Both end edges of the front plate 41 and the swash plate 42 are welded to the inner surfaces of the side plates 40 facing each other. That is, in this embodiment, the side plate 40 and the swash plate 42 constitute an intermediate portion that linearly extends rearward and obliquely upward from the receiving portion (front plate 41) toward the third coupling portion (upper plate 39). Yes.
[0026]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
[0027]
For example, when an accident such as a frontal collision occurs and a vehicle with a low vehicle height such as a small car or a passenger car tries to dive into the space between the front bumper and the ground, the vehicle with the low vehicle height comes into contact with the FUP 2 and the FUP 2 To the rear of the vehicle.
[0028]
When the FUP 2 receives a pressing load toward the rear of the vehicle, the load is input to the bracket 3 that supports the FUP 2, and acts on the lower wall 5 of the side member 1 from the upper plate 6 of the bracket 3. As the bracket 3 moves rearward of the vehicle, the rear surface of the rear plate 9 of the bracket 3 presses the front plate 41 of the support member 4, and the pressing load is applied from the upper plate 39 of the support member 4 to the side member 1. It acts on the lower wall 5. That is, the pressure load applied to the rear of the vehicle acting on the FUP 2 is distributed to the bracket 3 and the support member 4, and is input to the side member 1 from two places before and after the upper plate 6 of the bracket 3 and the upper plate 39 of the support member 4. Is done. Accordingly, the pressure load applied to the rear side of the vehicle acting on the side member 1 is not concentrated in one place and is distributed in two places, so that the supporting strength of the FUP 2 can be improved without increasing the rigidity of the side member 1. Further, it is possible to reliably prevent a vehicle having a low vehicle height from entering the vehicle.
[0029]
Further, since the support member 4 is provided in addition to the bracket 3, the weight of the structure and the increase in cost can be suppressed.
[0030]
Furthermore, since it is not necessary to change the rigidity of the side member 1, the deformation mode of the side member 1 is not deteriorated, and a desired deformation mode can be set. Therefore, for example, at the time of a collision between tracks, the collision energy is reliably absorbed by the deformation of the side member 1, and the impact on the occupant of the vehicle is favorably reduced.
[0031]
Further, since the support member 4 is provided with the side plate 40 and the swash plate 42 that linearly extend rearward and obliquely upward from the front plate 41 toward the upper plate 39, the pressing load acting on the support member 4 from the bracket 3 is It is input to the side member 1 through the side plate 40 and the swash plate 42, and the load is efficiently transmitted from the support member 4 to the side member 1. Therefore, the proportion of the load acting on the side member 1 from the upper plate 39 of the support member 4 in the pressing load to the rear of the vehicle acting on the FUP 2 can be reliably increased. As a result, it is possible to effectively distribute the load input to the side member 1 and to further improve the support strength of the FUP 2.
[0032]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the weight of the structure and the increase in cost can be suppressed, and the supporting strength of the FUP 2 can be improved without deteriorating the deformation mode of the side member 1.
[0033]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0034]
The support structure according to the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the support member is arranged without being fixed to the bracket.
[0035]
That is, the bracket 50 of the present embodiment includes the upper plate 6, the pair of side plates 7, and the connecting plate 52 as the second coupling portion, as in the first embodiment. The connecting plate 52 of this embodiment constitutes a first coupling part alone. Note that the front plate 8 and the rear plate 9 (both see FIG. 2) are not provided.
[0036]
As in the first embodiment, the support member 51 of the present embodiment includes an upper plate 39 as a third coupling portion, a pair of side plates 40, a front plate 41 as a receiving portion, and a swash plate 42. The side plate 40 and the swash plate 42 constitute an intermediate portion. Unlike the first embodiment, the front plate 41 of the present embodiment is not fixed to the bracket 50 and is inserted from the rear between the side plates 7 of the bracket 50 and is in contact with or close to the rear surface of the connecting plate 52. Is arranged.
[0037]
According to the present embodiment, when the FUP 2 receives a pressing load toward the rear of the vehicle, the load is input to the bracket 50 that supports the FUP 2 and acts on the lower wall 5 of the side member 1 from the upper plate 6 of the bracket 50. . As the bracket 50 moves rearward of the vehicle, the rear surface of the connecting plate 52 of the bracket 50 presses the front plate 41 of the support member 51, and the pressing load is applied from the upper plate 39 of the support member 51 to the side member 1. It acts on the lower wall 5. At this time, the front plate 41 of the support member 51 is inserted between the side plates 7 of the bracket 50, and the relative movement along the vehicle width direction between the front plate 41 and the connecting plate 52 is suppressed by the side plates 7, The front plate 41 is prevented from being detached from the connecting plate 52, and the pressing load from the FUP 2 is reliably transmitted to the side member 1.
[0038]
Therefore, similarly to the first embodiment, the supporting strength of the FUP 2 can be improved without suppressing the weight and cost of the structure and without deteriorating the deformation mode of the side member 1.
[0039]
In the above-described embodiment, the structure in which the bracket 3 and the support member 4 are connected to the side member 1 as the chassis frame is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, a cloth disposed in the vehicle width direction. You may comprise so that a bracket and a supporting member may be connected with a member.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the support strength of the protector member without suppressing the weight and cost of the structure and without deteriorating the deformation mode of the chassis frame.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a protector member mounting structure according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the structure of FIG. 1 viewed from the direction of arrow II.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the bracket and the support member of FIG. 1 viewed from above.
4 is a rear view of the bracket and the support member as viewed from the rear of the vehicle. FIG.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the FUP according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a side view of a bracket and a support member according to a second embodiment.
7 is a plan view of the bracket and the support member of FIG. 6 viewed from above.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a conventional structure.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Side member (chassis frame)
2 Front underrun protector (protector member)
3 Bracket 4 Support member 6 Upper plate of bracket (second coupling portion)
7b Rear part of bracket side plate (first coupling part)
9 Rear plate of bracket (first coupling part)
10 Bracket connection plate (first coupling part)
39 Upper plate of support member (third coupling part)
40 Side plate of support member (intermediate part)
41 Front plate of support member (receiving part)
42 Swash plate of support member (intermediate part)
50 Bracket 51 Support member 52 Bracket connection plate (third coupling portion)

Claims (4)

A protector member mounting structure for mounting a protector member disposed along a vehicle width direction at a lower front end of a vehicle to a chassis frame disposed above the protector member,
A first coupling part coupled to the rear surface of the protector member and a second coupling part coupled to the chassis frame; and a bracket for coupling the protector member and the chassis frame;
Surface contact in a state of being arranged along the vehicle width direction and facing the rear surface of the first coupling portion of the bracket, which is coupled to the chassis frame behind the second coupling portion of the bracket. Or a support member having a plate-shaped receiving portion adjacent thereto; and a mounting structure for a protector member. The protector member mounting structure according to claim 1,
The support member has an intermediate portion that linearly extends rearward and obliquely upward from the receiving portion toward the third coupling portion. The protector member mounting structure according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The bracket includes a side plate disposed along the vehicle front-rear direction between the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion, a coupling plate disposed along the vehicle width direction and coupled to the side plate, A reinforcing plate disposed along a direction crossing the side plate and the connecting plate, the reinforcing plate being coupled to the side plate and the connecting plate and suppressing the deformation of the connecting plate with respect to the side plate;
A mounting structure for a protector member. It is the attachment structure of the protector member in any one of Claims 1-3 ,
The protector member includes a protector main body, an engagement groove provided at a rear portion of the protector main body and extending along the vehicle width direction, an engagement plate slidably engaged with the engagement groove, and a spacer.
The engagement plate has a hollow cylindrical pin portion,
The engagement groove has an opening groove for allowing movement of the pin portion,
The spacer has a pin insertion hole into which the pin portion is inserted,
The protector body is fastened and fixed to the bracket via the spacer by a bolt inserted through the pin portion inserted into the pin insertion hole.
A mounting structure for a protector member.

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