JP4570724B2 - Instrument panel reinforcement - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an instrument panel reinforcement installed from a driver side pillar to a passenger side pillar of a vehicle. Instrument panel is an abbreviation for instrument panel.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a conventional instrument panel reinforcement, for example, one shown in FIG. 7 is known. FIG. 7 (a) is a perspective view of a conventional instrument panel reinforcement, and FIG. 7 (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view when it is attached to a vehicle.
[0003]
The instrument panel reinforcement 100 is constructed from the driver side pillar to the passenger side pillar by connecting the large diameter pipe 101 arranged on the driver's seat side and the small diameter pipe 102 arranged on the passenger seat side. Is. The end of the large-diameter pipe 101 on the passenger seat side is reduced in diameter by necking to form a reduced-diameter portion 101a, and the small-diameter pipe 102 is inserted into the reduced-diameter portion 101a.
[0004]
A number of attachment members are attached to the instrument panel reinforcement 100, some of which are specifically shown.
The floor toe brace 103 connects a portion of the small-diameter pipe 102 close to the driver's seat and the vehicle floor. The floor toe brace 103 plays a role of increasing the strength and rigidity of the instrument panel reinforcement 100 by connecting to the floor of the vehicle. The floor toe brace 103 is bolted to the small diameter pipe 102.
[0005]
The brake pedal support mount 106 is arc welded to the vehicle front side of the instrument panel reinforcement 100. The brake pedal support mount 106 is bolted to a brake pedal support 107 that rotatably supports an arm portion of the brake pedal. The brake pedal support 107 is connected to the dash D of the vehicle body.
[0006]
The cowl brace 108 is a member substantially perpendicular to the large-diameter pipe 101 and is arc-welded to the instrument panel reinforcement 100. The cowl brace 108 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 108a on the front side of the vehicle, and is connected to the cowl C as a vehicle body and a bolt nut through the bolt insertion hole 108a to increase the strength and rigidity of the instrument panel reinforcement 100. To fulfill.
[0007]
The steering support 111 is arc welded to the lower surface side of the instrument panel reinforcement 100. The steering support 111 is provided with nuts 111a and 111a. The steering column SC is fixed by fastening bolts to the nuts 111a and 111a via the U band 112.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the conventional instrument panel reinforcement 100 uses the large-diameter pipe 101 and the small-diameter pipe 102, various attachment members must be retrofitted by arc welding or the like, and the assembly process is complicated. was there.
[0009]
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an instrument panel reinforcement provided with various attachment members by a simple assembly process.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention]
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is an instrument panel reinforcement that is constructed from a driver side pillar to a passenger side pillar of a vehicle and connected to the floor of the vehicle by a floor toe brace . It is formed by aligning the lower member integrally formed with the steering support portion by pressing the steel plate and the upper member obtained by pressing the steel plate , An intermediate member formed to cover the end face on the passenger seat side, the intermediate member on the driver seat side of the vehicle body connecting portion for connecting to the vehicle body on the front side of the vehicle and the small-diameter pipe forming the passenger seat side portion; A burring hole into which an end portion is fitted, and the intermediate member supports the floor toe brace on its side surface in an auxiliary manner .
[0011]
Since the present invention is formed by integrating the upper member and the lower member formed by pressing the steel plate to form the driver's seat side portion, compared to the case of using a large-diameter pipe as the driver's seat side portion as in the past, There is an advantage that the attached member can be integrally formed by pressing. That is, conventionally, when the steering support is attached to the instrument panel reinforcement as a single member (separate member), the steering support must be positioned and the like, but in the present invention, the steering support portion is the lower member. Therefore, such a complicated process becomes unnecessary.
[0012]
Therefore, according to the instrument panel reinforcement of the present invention, there is an effect that the attachment member can be provided by a simple assembly process.
In the present invention, when the upper member and the lower member are combined, it is preferable that the brake pedal support mount portion is formed on the front side of the vehicle in the driver's seat side portion. Here, the brake pedal support mount is a member for connecting to a brake pedal support that rotatably supports the brake pedal. In this case, as compared with the conventional case where the brake pedal support mount is attached to the instrument panel reinforcement as a single member (separate member), the driver seat side portion is formed and the brake pedal support mount portion is also formed. Therefore, the assembly process is simplified.
[0013]
In the present invention, it is preferable that the upper member and the lower member are laser-welded in a state where the flanges integrally formed on both edges are in surface contact with each other. Laser welding is preferably performed at a pitch of several mm to several cm with a length of several mm to several cm, for example. In this case, both members are reliably joined. In order to perform laser welding, the mold is designed so that there is no gap between the mating surfaces, so there is no need to tune the welding surfaces in-situ.
[0014]
Further, in the present invention, the driver seat side portion has the flange of the upper member connected to the driver side pillar for one edge of both edges, and the flange of the lower member to the driver side pillar for the other edge. Preferably they are connected. If both the edges of the driver's seat side are connected to the driver's side pillar by overlapping the flanges of the upper member and the lower member, it will cause an increase in weight. If the flange is connected to the driver's seat side pillar and the other edge is connected to the driver's seat side pillar by the flange of the lower member, such an increase in weight can be prevented.
[0015]
Furthermore, in the present invention according to claim 1, an intermediate member formed so as to cover an end surface of the driver's seat on the passenger seat side is provided, and the intermediate member is connected to the vehicle body on the vehicle front side. It has a connecting part and a burring hole into which an end part on the driver's seat side of the small-diameter pipe forming the passenger seat side part is fitted . Thereby , a driver's seat part and a passenger seat part can be connected easily and reliably.
[0016]
The intermediate member is an auxiliary supporting the floor-to-brace connecting the floor of the instrument panel reinforcement and the vehicle at its sides. This increases the rigidity and strength of the instrument panel reinforcement and reduces the vibration level.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is an overall perspective view of the instrument panel reinforcement of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an upper member, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lower member, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the instrument panel reinforcement according to this embodiment attached to the vehicle body.
[0018]
The instrument panel reinforcement 1 of the present embodiment includes an upper member 2, a lower member 3, an intermediate member 4, a small diameter pipe 5, and a floor toe brace 6. In this instrument panel reinforcement 1, a driver seat side portion 1a formed by combining an upper member 2 and a lower member 3 is connected to a small diameter pipe 5 forming a passenger seat side portion 1b via an intermediate member 4. As a result, it is constructed from the driver side pillar to the passenger side pillar. The instrument panel reinforcement 1 is for the US specification, that is, for a vehicle having a driver's seat on the left side.
[0019]
First, the upper member 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. The upper member 2 is formed by pressing a steel plate so that the schematic shape when viewed from above extends from the driver side pillar toward the passenger side pillar and then spreads toward the front of the vehicle. Here, in the upper member 2, a substantially semicircular section extending from the driver side pillar toward the passenger side pillar is referred to as an upper long portion 21, and a portion extending to the front side of the vehicle is referred to as an upper wide portion 22. I will call it. The upper wide area 22 has a gentle downward slope toward the front side of the vehicle, and a bolt insertion hole 23 constituting the brake pedal support mount portion 7 is provided at a position from the driver's seat on the front side of the vehicle.
[0020]
The upper member 2 is provided with a first flange 24, a second flange 25, and a third flange 26 along the periphery.
The first flange 24 is formed along the edge on the passenger seat side.
The second flange 25 is formed along the edge on the front side of the vehicle. Specifically, the second flange 25 extends from the driver side pillar toward the passenger side pillar and then bends to the front side of the vehicle.
[0021]
The third flange 26 is formed along an edge on the rear side of the vehicle. Specifically, the third flange 26 extends from the driver side pillar toward the passenger side pillar and then the flange width is increased from the middle. . The third flange 26 is formed with a pillar attachment portion 26a having an insertion hole into which a bolt or a rivet for attachment to the driver's seat side pillar can be inserted. The pillar mounting portion 26a is formed in a shape twisted counterclockwise when the third flange 26 is viewed from the passenger seat toward the driver seat.
[0022]
Next, the lower member 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. The lower member 3 is formed by pressing a steel plate so that the schematic shape when viewed from above extends from the driver side pillar toward the passenger side pillar and then spreads toward the front of the vehicle. Here, in the lower member 3, a substantially semicircular section extending from the driver side pillar toward the passenger side pillar is referred to as a lower long portion 31, and a portion extending to the front side of the vehicle is a lower wide area. It will be referred to as part 32.
[0023]
The lower wide area portion 32 has a gentle upward slope toward the front side of the vehicle, and a bolt insertion hole 33 constituting the brake pedal support mount portion 7 is provided at a position from the driver's seat on the front side of the vehicle. . A steering support portion 38 having a pair of nuts 38a and 38a is provided at a position closer to the passenger seat on the rear side of the lower wide area portion 32.
[0024]
The lower member 3 is provided with a first flange 34, a second flange 35, and a third flange 36 along the periphery.
The first flange 34 is formed along the edge on the passenger seat side.
The second flange 35 is formed along an edge on the front side of the vehicle. Specifically, the second flange 35 extends from the driver side pillar toward the front passenger side pillar and then bends to the front side of the vehicle. The second flange 35 is formed with a pillar attachment portion 35a having an insertion hole through which a bolt or a rivet for attachment to the driver side pillar can be inserted. The pillar mounting portion 35a is formed in a shape twisted counterclockwise when the second flange 35 is viewed from the passenger seat toward the driver seat.
[0025]
The third flange 36 is formed along an edge on the rear side of the vehicle. Specifically, the third flange 36 extends from the driver side pillar toward the front passenger side pillar and then slightly bends to the rear side of the vehicle. .
Next, the driver seat side portion 1a will be described. The driver seat side portion 1a of the instrument panel reinforcement 1 brings the second flange 25 of the upper member 2 and the second flange 35 of the lower member 3 into surface contact, and the third flange 26 of the upper member 2 and the lower member. In a state where the third third flange 36 is in surface contact, the mating surface is formed by laser welding. Laser welding is performed at a pitch of 50 to 100 mm with a length of 15 to 20 mm. Further, an opening is formed by the upper wide area portion 22 of the upper member 2 and the lower wide area portion 32 of the lower member 3 on the front side of the vehicle near the passenger seat in the driver side portion 1a.
[0026]
Of the driver's seat side portion 1a, a portion extending from the driver's seat side pillar toward the passenger's seat side pillar (i.e., the upper elongated portion 21 of the upper member 2 and the lower elongated portion 31 of the lower member 3). 2 (a) and 2 (b) are substantially circular in cross section, and one of the two front and rear edges of the vehicle has the second flange 25 and the lower member 3 of the upper member 2. The second flange 35 of the lower member 3 is overlapped with the third flange 26 of the upper member 2 and the other edge.
[0027]
Further, the vehicle one edge of the front and rear both edges are connected to the driver's seat side pillar through the pillar mounting portion 26a provided at an end portion of the third flange 26 of the upper member 2, the other edge lower The pillar 3 is connected to the driver side pillar via a pillar mounting portion 35 a provided at the end of the second flange 35 of the member 3.
[0028]
Further, a portion of the driver seat side portion 1a that extends to the front side of the vehicle (that is, a portion formed by the upper wide area portion 22 of the upper member 2 and the lower wide area portion 32 of the lower member 3) is the driver seat on the front side of the vehicle. The brake pedal support mount portion 7 is formed so that the bolt insertion holes 23 and 33 coincide with each other at a position closer to the front. As shown in FIG. 6, the brake pedal support mount portion 7 is fastened to the rear end (end portion on the vehicle rear side) of the brake pedal support 107 that rotatably supports the brake pedal BP by a bolt and nut.
[0029]
The brake pedal support 107 has a front end (end on the front side of the vehicle) fastened to a dash D of the vehicle body by a bolt and nut. When the dash D of the vehicle body is pushed to the rear side of the vehicle at the time of a vehicle collision, the brake pedal support 107 connected to the brake pedal support mount portion 7 is the lower surface of the driver seat side portion 1a, that is, the lower side of the lower member 3 Since it slides down along the slope which inclines below toward the vehicle rear side of the wide area part 32, it can prevent a driver | operator being damaged by the brake pedal BP at the time of a vehicle collision.
[0030]
Furthermore, a steering support portion 38 is formed in the driver seat side portion 1a. As shown in FIG. 6, a U band 112 that supports the steering column SC is bolted to a pair of nuts 38a, 38a provided in the steering support portion 38.
[0031]
Next, the intermediate member 4 is demonstrated based on FIG.1, FIG2 and FIG.5. The intermediate member 4 is formed into a substantially boomerang shape by pressing a steel plate, and has one end extending toward the vehicle front side and the other end extending toward the vehicle floor. Further, the intermediate member 4 includes a flange 41 on the periphery thereof.
[0032]
The intermediate member 4 is welded to an end portion on the passenger seat side of the driver seat side portion 1a. That is, the passenger seat side end portion of the driver seat side portion 1 a has the first flange 24 of the upper member 2 and the first flange 34 of the lower member 3. It is welded to the member 4.
[0033]
This intermediate member 4 is provided with a burring hole 42 at substantially the center. The burring hole 42 has a shape in which a flange is raised from the driver seat side toward the passenger seat side at the periphery of the through hole. The small-diameter pipe 5 forming the passenger seat side portion 1b of the instrument panel reinforcement 1 is laser welded to the inner wall of the burring hole 42, that is, the inner wall of the flange while being fitted into the burring hole 42. The small-diameter pipe 5 is partially flattened at the end on the passenger seat side, and is provided with a bolt insertion hole 5a for connecting to the passenger seat side pillar. The upper end of the floor toe brace 6 that connects the instrument panel reinforcement 1 and the vehicle floor (not shown) is connected to the driver seat side of the small-diameter pipe 5 by a bolt and nut.
[0034]
A cowl connection portion 43 is provided at one end of the intermediate member 4. The cowl connecting portion 43 is a bolt insertion hole, and is bolted to a bracket BK attached to the cowl C of the vehicle body as shown in FIG. Therefore, the intermediate member 4 plays the role of a conventional cowl brace.
[0035]
At the other end of the intermediate member 4, an auxiliary support portion 44 for supporting the floor toe brace 6 as an auxiliary is provided. The auxiliary support portion 44 is also a bolt insertion hole, and is bolted to the floor toe brace 6 while being in contact with the side surface of the floor toe brace 6.
[0036]
The instrument panel reinforcement 1 of this embodiment described in detail above has the following operational effects.
(1) In this embodiment, since the upper member 2 and the lower member 3 formed by pressing a steel plate are integrated to form the driver seat side portion 1a, the driver seat as in the conventional example shown in FIG. Compared to the case where the large-diameter pipe 101 is used as the side portion, there is an advantage that the accessory member can be integrally formed by pressing. That is, as in the conventional example shown in FIG. 7, in the case where the steering support 111 is attached as a single member (separate member), the steering support 111 must be positioned and then joined, which is complicated. However, in this embodiment, since the steering support part 38 is integrally formed with the lower member 3, such a complicated process becomes unnecessary.
[0037]
{Circle around (2)} In the present embodiment, when the upper member 2 and the lower member 3 are combined, the brake pedal support mount portion 7 is formed on the front side of the vehicle in the driver seat side portion 1a. Thus, the assembly process is simplified compared to the case where the brake pedal support mount 106 is attached as a single member (separate member).
[0038]
(3) In this embodiment, the upper member 2 and the lower member 3 are laser-welded in a state where the second flanges 25 and 35 and the third flanges 26 and 36 which are integrally formed on both edges are in surface contact with each other. Therefore, it is joined securely. In order to perform laser welding, the mold is designed so that there is no gap between the mating surfaces, so there is no need to tune the welding surfaces in-situ.
[0039]
(4) In the present embodiment, one pillar mounting portion 26a is composed of only the third flange 26 of the upper member 2, and the other pillar mounting portion 35a is composed of only the second flange 35 of the lower member 3. . For this reason, weight reduction is achieved compared with the case where each pillar attaching part is formed by overlapping 2nd flanges or 3rd flanges. Further, since both the upper member 2 and the lower member 3 are fixed to the driver's seat side pillar, it is preferable in terms of strength and rigidity as compared with the case where only one member is fixed to the driver's seat side pillar.
[0040]
(5) In this embodiment, a burring hole 42 is provided in the intermediate member 4 serving as a conventional cowl brace, and the small-diameter pipe 5 forming the passenger seat side portion 1b is fitted into the burring hole 42, so that the driver's seat The side portion 1a and the passenger seat side portion 1b can be easily and reliably connected.
[0041]
(6) In this embodiment, since the intermediate member 4 is fastened to the side surface of the floor toe brace 6 and supports the floor toe brace 6 as an auxiliary, the rigidity and strength of the instrument panel reinforcement 1 is increased. The vibration level is reduced.
(7) In this embodiment, since the floor toe brace 6 is supplementarily supported by the intermediate member 4, the steel plate having the same strength and thickness as those of the conventional pipe plate thickness or steel plate thickness shown in FIG. Stiffness is obtained. Therefore, weight reduction is achieved.
[0042]
Note that the embodiments of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the above embodiments, but may be embodied in various forms within the technical scope of the present invention without saying.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an instrument panel reinforcement according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 are various cross-sectional views of FIG. 1, wherein (a) is an AA cross-sectional view, (b) is a BB cross-sectional view, (c) is a CC cross-sectional view, and (d) is a DD cross-sectional view. It is sectional drawing.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an upper member.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lower member.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an intermediate member.
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view when the instrument panel reinforcement of the present embodiment is attached to a vehicle body.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of an instrument panel reinforcement of a conventional example.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Instrument panel reinforcement, 1a ... Driver seat side part, 1b ... Passenger seat side part, 2 ... Upper member, 3 ... Lower member, 4 ... Intermediate member, 5 ... Small diameter pipe, 6 ... Floor toe brace, 7 ... Brake pedal support mount part, 21 ... Upper long part, 22 ... Upper wide area part, 23 ... Bolt insertion hole, 24 ... 1st flange, 25 ... 2nd flange, 26 ... 3rd flange, 26a ... Pillar mounting part, 31 ... Lower long part, 32 ... Lower wide part, 33 ... Bolt insertion hole, 34 ... 1st flange, 35 ... 2nd flange, 35a ... Pillar attachment part, 36 ... 3rd flange, 38 ... Steering support part, 41. ..Flanges, 42 ... burring holes, 43 ... cowl coupling parts, 44 ... auxiliary support.

Claims (4)

In the instrument panel reinforcement that is installed from the driver side pillar of the vehicle to the passenger side pillar and is connected to the floor of the vehicle by floor toe brace,
The driver's seat side part is formed by combining the lower member integrally formed with the steering support portion by pressing the steel plate and the upper member obtained by pressing the steel plate,
In addition, an intermediate member is formed so as to cover an end surface on the passenger seat side of the driver seat portion, and the intermediate member forms a vehicle body connecting portion for connecting to the vehicle body on the vehicle front side, and a passenger seat side portion. With a burring hole into which the end on the driver's seat side of the small-diameter pipe is fitted,
And said intermediate member, in panel reinforcement, characterized by supplementary supporting the floor-to-brace at their sides.  2. The instrument panel interior according to claim 1, wherein a brake pedal support mount for connecting to a brake pedal support that rotatably supports a brake pedal is formed on the front side of the driver seat side portion. Horsement.  The instrument panel reinforcement according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper member and the lower member are laser-welded in a state in which flanges integrally formed on both edges are in surface contact with each other.  In the driver side portion, the flange of the upper member is connected to the driver side pillar for one edge of both edges, and the flange of the lower member is connected to the driver side pillar for the other edge. The instrument panel reinforcement according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

Images