JP4493819B2 - Step member for vehicle - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle step member, and more particularly, to a vehicle step member that is attached to a lower portion of a side surface of a vehicle body and that is used when an occupant gets on and off.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in a vehicle in which the passenger compartment is at a high position, such as a recreational beagle (so-called “RV”) vehicle, as shown in FIG. 9, a side step (step member) 50 that can be used to get on and off the passenger compartment. Is mounted on the lower side of the vehicle body 58. Since the side step 50 needs to have sufficient strength to support the weight of an occupant getting on and off, it generally has a main body member 52 made of an extruded product made of aluminum or the like. In such a main body member 52, a necessary and sufficient strength can be obtained by making the cross-sectional shape appropriately bent, and as shown in FIG. 10, the bracket 59 fixed to the vehicle body 58 is fixed with a bolt 60 or the like. By doing so, it is provided for implementation as a side step 50.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the above-described side step 50, the following problems are inherent. First, since the extrusion molding method for molding the main body member 52 can only mold the one having the same cross-sectional shape along the longitudinal direction depending on the molding mode, the side step 50 can thus be shaped by the outer shape, design, etc. Are subject to significant restrictions. Therefore, in order to increase the degree of freedom in designing the side step 50, a method of mounting a resin cover 54 or the like separately formed on the upper surface or side surface of the main body member 52 is employed. As a result, the manufacturing cost increases and the weight also increases. In addition, since the cross-sectional shape of the main body member 52 is exposed as it is, the both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the main body member 52 cause deterioration in appearance and deterioration in texture. It is necessary to attach to each end, and the cost increase and weight increase due to this need to be ignored. Furthermore, since the extrusion molding method requires a large molding apparatus and equipment, there is a problem that the equipment cost increases, and this is also a major obstacle to cost reduction.
[0004]
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been proposed in order to suitably solve the above-mentioned problems, and comprises a body member blow-molded from a parison and a reinforcing member attached to the lower side of the body member, thereby reducing rigidity. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle step member that can be reduced in weight and reduced in cost without coming.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the intended purpose, the present invention provides:
In a vehicle step member that is attached to the lower part of the outer surface of the vehicle body and is used when a passenger gets on and off,
The body member is composed of a hollow plate that is blow molded from a parison ,
The main body member has an outer surface on the upper side as a footrest surface, and a concave portion is provided on the lower outer surface so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the main body member and open downward .
The concave portion includes a side wall that is spaced apart and opposed in the lateral direction of the main body member, and the side wall extends in a vertical direction so as to be orthogonal to the footrest surface,
In the concave portion, and said to HamagoSo wearing reinforcing rod-like member so that the both side walls face contact.
[0006]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, a preferred embodiment of the vehicle step member according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in an Example, it illustrates about the side step for the passenger | crew who gets on and gets off as the vehicle step member mounted on the lower part of the side of the vehicle body.
[0007]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the side step 10 according to the embodiment includes a hollow main body member 12 that entirely constitutes the side step 10 and a rod-like reinforcement attached to the lower surface side of the main body member 12. The member 14 is comprised.
[0008]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the main body member 12 is a hollow plate-like body blow-molded from a parison P made of, for example, polypropylene (PP) mixed with about 20% glass fiber. A base portion 16 fixed to the vehicle body 58 along the lower edge of the vehicle body and a footrest portion 18 having a required thickness on which an occupant puts his / her foot have an outer shape integrally connected in a substantially L-shaped side surface. The overall length L in the longitudinal direction is about 600 mm, the overall width W in the short direction is about 150 mm, and the thickness H of the footrest 18 is about 50 mm. Further, the thickness t of the main body member 12 is desirably about 3 to 5 mm on the premise of achieving both high rigidity and light weight.
[0009]
In the footrest 18, the outer surface (upper surface) directed upward when mounted on the vehicle body is formed in a substantially flat plate shape, and the outer surface (lower surface) directed downward is formed in an uneven corrugated plate shape. . That is, the upper surface of the footrest portion 18 is a footrest surface 20 on which an occupant getting on and off directly puts his / her foot, and a plurality of (four in the embodiment) projecting pieces 20a extending in the longitudinal direction are required in the width direction. Projections are formed at intervals. Each of these protrusions 20a mainly functions as a slip stopper, but also has a function of making it difficult to bend and deform the footrest surface 20 in the longitudinal direction. On the other hand, the lower surface of the footrest portion 18 is formed with an elongated concave portion extending in parallel in the longitudinal direction between the convex portions. In the embodiment, two of the three concave portions are formed on the reinforcing member 14. It is set as the installation part 22. That is, each installation part 22 has a vertical side wall 22a, 22a facing the short side direction of the main body member 12 and extending in the longitudinal direction, and an upper wall 22b closely joined to the back side of the footrest surface 20. It is formed from the above, and is in the shape of an inverted U-shaped groove that opens downward.
[0010]
Thereby, in the main body member 12 of the embodiment, the base portion 16 and the footrest portion 18 have an L-shaped side surface, and the lower surface of the footrest portion 18 is formed in an uneven shape due to the formation of the concave portion (installation portion 22). As a result, it has an appropriate rigidity in itself and is difficult to bend in the longitudinal direction. And since the main body member 12 is a hollow body, weight reduction is achieved compared with the external size.
[0011]
The reinforcing member 14 is a rectangular pipe material having a rectangular longitudinal section made of a metal such as iron or aluminum, for example, and is formed to have a length on the premise of the entire length of the installation portion 22. It has an appropriate rigidity and is difficult to bend and deform in the longitudinal direction. Then, each of the installation portions 22 provided in the main body member 12 is fitted and mounted from the outside. In the main body member 12 of the embodiment, the two installation portions 22 are formed in parallel. However, as shown in FIG. 2, the reinforcing members 14 and 14 may be installed in the respective installation portions 22 and 22. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 1, the reinforcing member 14 may be installed only in one of the installation portions 22. For example, when priority is given to the strength of the side step 10, it can be dealt with by installing the reinforcing members 14 in both installation portions 22, and when it is necessary to consider weight reduction, This can be dealt with by installing the reinforcing member 14 only in the installation portion 22.
[0012]
The width dimension D of the reinforcing member 14 is the same as the width dimension E in the short direction of each of the installation portions 22 (the distance between the side walls 22a, 22a facing each other in the short direction of the main body member 12). Or it is set slightly large. Therefore, when the reinforcing member 14 is attached to the corresponding installation portion 22, the side surfaces 14 a and 14 a of the reinforcing member 14 and the side walls 22 a and 22 a of the installation portion 22 can come into contact with each other. For this reason, for example, when a load is applied from above to the distal end side of the footrest 18 of the main body member 12, the reinforcing member 14 deforms the footrest 18 in the lateral direction. It is difficult to further improve the rigidity of the footrest 18. In addition, the direction which installed the reinforcement member 14 in each installation part 22 and 22 can anticipate the further rigidity improvement of the footrest part 18, respectively.
[0013]
In the side step 10 of the embodiment, assuming that the texture of the main body member 12 is improved, a parting line is formed at the upper end edge of the footrest 18 (position that can be seen from above when mounted on the vehicle body). It is necessary to avoid parting and to place the parting line PL at the lower edge of the tip of the footrest 18 (a position where it cannot be seen from above when mounted on the vehicle body). Therefore, in the blow molding of the main body member 12, as shown in FIG. 6, the first molding die 32 and the first molding die 32 in which the parting line P.L is located at the upper end edge of the base portion 16 and the lower end edge of the footrest portion 18. A blow molding die 30 comprising two molding dies 34 is used, and blow molding is performed in an inclined state in consideration of demolding after molding. However, when the parting line P.L is set at the above-mentioned position, as is apparent from FIG. Since the demolding becomes impossible, the blow molding die 30 of the embodiment includes a slide mechanism 36 for forming each installation portion 22.
[0014]
That is, the slide mechanism 36 includes slide protrusions 38 and 38 corresponding to the respective installation portions 22 and 22 and a fluid pressure cylinder 40 that slides these slide protrusions 38 so as to be able to advance and retract. The fluid pressure cylinder 40 is connected to the rod 40a. Each slide protrusion 38 protrudes from the molding surface of the second molding die 34 if it is controlled to move forward, and each slide projection 38 is controlled by the second molding die 34 if the fluid pressure cylinder 40 is controlled so that the rod 40a moves backward. It is designed to retreat from the molding surface. Accordingly, the side walls 22 a and 22 a forming the respective installation portions 22 and 22 can be formed substantially perpendicular to the footrest surface 20.
[0015]
When such a blow molding die 30 is used to mold the main body member 12 in the side step 10 of the embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. The mold 34 is kept protruding from the molding surface. Then, the parison P formed into a required shape by a molding machine (not shown) is sandwiched between the first molding die 32 and the second molding die 34 in the blow molding die 30, and air is fed into the parison P, so that the interior is defined. In the formed cavity 42, the main body member 12 in which the base portion 16 and the footrest portion 18 are integrated is formed (FIG. 6). In addition, each installation part 22 and 22 is simultaneously formed in the back side of the footrest part 18 by each slide protrusion 38 and 38 which protruded in the cavity 42. As shown in FIG.
[0016]
When the blow molding of the main body member 12 is completed, as shown in FIG. 7, the first molding die 32 and the second molding die 34 are opened, and each slide protrusion 38 is second molded by the fluid pressure cylinder 40. The mold 34 is retracted from the molding surface. As a result, demolding of the main body member 12 is allowed (FIG. 8).
[0017]
The reinforcing member 14 separately molded is attached to the respective installation portions 22 and 22 of the body member 12 blow-molded as described above (FIG. 3). Here, since the width dimension D of the reinforcing member 14 is set to be the same as or slightly larger than the width dimension E in the short direction of the installation portion 22, the reinforcement member 14 is press-fitted into the installation portion 22. The attached reinforcing member 14 is fixed to the main body member 12 without falling off with an appropriate engaging force. In addition, if an adhesive, a metal fitting, a screw, or the like is used, the strength of assembling the reinforcing member 14 to the main body member 12 can be further improved.
[0018]
In the side step 10 of the embodiment formed in this way, by configuring the hollow body member 12 blow-molded from the parison P and the reinforcing member 14 attached to the installation portion 22 of the body member 12, The rigidity can be improved while reducing the weight. Moreover, since the reinforcing member 14 is also made of a hollow square pipe material, the rigidity can be improved without increasing the weight. In addition, since the side surfaces 14a and 14a of the reinforcing member 14 and the side walls 22a and 22a of the installation portion 22 can be brought into contact with each other, bending deformation in the short direction of the main body member 12 can be suitably prevented. In addition, since the two installation portions 22 are provided in the short direction at a required interval, if the reinforcing member 14 is attached to each installation portion 22, the rigidity can be significantly improved.
[0019]
In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, an installation portion 22 having substantially the same length as the overall length of the footrest portion 18 in the main body member 12 is provided, and the reinforcing member 14 having substantially the same length as the overall length of the installation portion 22 is provided. The thing installed in this installation part 22 was illustrated. However, the installation portion 22 having a required length is provided at the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the footrest portion 18 where the amount of bending deformation becomes the largest, and the reinforcing member 14 having substantially the same length as the installation portion 22 is provided in the installation portion 22. You may make it install.
[0020]
Further, the reinforcing member 14 is not limited to the metal square pipe material described above. For example, if the reinforcing member 14 can be brought into contact with the side walls 22a and 22a of the installation portion 22, the U-shaped longitudinal section is formed, for example. Or H-shaped mold material .
[0021]
In the above embodiment, the blow molding process of the main body member 12 and the mounting process of the reinforcing member 14 to the installation portion 22 of the molded main body member 12 are separate processes. 2 The body member 12 may be blow-molded with the reinforcing member 14 set in the mold 34 in advance. In this case, since the blow molding process of the main body member 12 and the mounting process of the reinforcing member 14 are performed in the same process, it is possible to expect rationalization of work and cost reduction related to manufacturing. Further, the blow molding die 30 need not be equipped with the slide mechanism 36.
[0022]
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the side step attached to the lower part of the side surface of the vehicle body is illustrated as the vehicle step member. However, as the vehicle step member, a rear step attached to the lower rear part of the vehicle body is also targeted. The
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the vehicle step member of the present invention, since it is composed of the hollow body member blow-molded from the parison and the reinforcing member attached to the concave portion provided in the body member, it is lightweight. There is an advantage that the rigidity can be improved while achieving the above. In addition, since the reinforcing member is made of a metal pipe material, the rigidity can be improved without increasing the weight. By the width of the reinforcing member, set the width and equal to or slightly larger concave portion also, since the side walls of the side surface and the concave portion of the reinforcing member is in contact, bending the lateral direction of the body member Deformation can also be suitably prevented. In addition, if a plurality of concave portions are formed at a required interval in the short direction, it is possible to significantly improve rigidity by attaching a reinforcing member to each concave portion.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a vehicle step member according to an embodiment of the present invention cut in a short direction intersecting with a longitudinal direction, wherein one reinforcing member is mounted on a concave portion.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a vehicle step member according to an embodiment of the present invention cut in a short direction intersecting with a longitudinal direction, wherein two reinforcing members are attached to respective concave portions. is there.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main body member and a reinforcing member constituting the vehicle step member in a state in which the reinforcing member is attached to a concave portion provided in the main body member.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a partially broken main body member.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of blow-molding a main body member in stages, showing a state before a parison is sandwiched between a first mold and a second mold of a blow mold.
6 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of blow-molding the main body member step by step, showing a state in which the main body member is molded by sandwiching the parison between the first mold and the second mold. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the step of blow-molding the main body member step by step, and shows a state in which the first mold is opened and each slide protrusion is retracted after the main body member is completely molded.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the step of blow-molding the main body member step by step, showing a state in which the molded main body member is removed from the second mold.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a side step as an example of a conventional vehicle step member in a use state.
10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the side step shown in FIG. 9;
[Explanation of symbols]
12 Body member 14 Reinforcement member 20 Footrest surface 22 Installation part (concave part)
22a Side wall 58 Car body D Reinforcement member width dimension E Recessed section width dimension P Parison

Claims (4)

In the vehicle step member, which is attached to the lower part of the outer surface of the vehicle body (58) and is used when a passenger gets on and off,
The body member in a hollow plate-shaped body obtained by blow molding from the parison (P) (12) is formed,
The main body member (12) has an outer surface on the upper side as a footrest surface (20), and extends in the longitudinal direction of the main body member (12) to the lower outer surface and is concave so as to open downward. Recessed part (22) ,
The concave portion (22) includes side walls (22a, 22a) that are spaced apart and opposed in the short direction of the main body member (12), and the side walls (22a, 22a) are orthogonal to the footrest surface (20). So that it extends vertically
Wherein the recessed portion (22), said side walls (22a, 22a) in the vehicle step member, characterized in that the rod-like reinforcing member (14) so as to surface contact the HamagoSo wear. The reinforcing member (14) is metallic made of square pipe member, longitudinal sectional U-shape or vehicle step member according to claim 1, wherein either H-shaped mold material. The width of the reinforcing member (14) (D), the vehicle step identical or slightly larger set Ru claim 1 or 2, wherein the widthwise direction of the width (E) of the concave portion (22) Element.   A plurality of the concave portions (22) are formed at a required interval in the short direction of the main body member (12), and the reinforcing member (14) is attached to each concave portion (22). The vehicle step member according to claim 3.

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