JP4587040B2 - Energy absorption structure for automobile occupant protection - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an energy absorbing structure for protecting an occupant of an automobile, and more particularly to an energy absorbing structure for protecting an occupant of an automobile provided on a vehicle body structural member constituting a part of the vehicle body.

Conventionally, as a vehicle occupant protection energy absorbing member, longitudinal ribs and lateral ribs disposed on the vehicle interior side such as front pillars, center pillars, roof side rails, etc., which are vehicle body structural members constituting a part of the vehicle body. A lattice-shaped rib member made of synthetic resin is known.
When the vehicle collides, a part (head) of the occupant's body abuts against the rib member, so that the abutting portion of the rib member is plastically deformed, thereby absorbing and reducing the impact force received by the occupant from the vehicle body. Like to do. Further, there is also known one that absorbs and reduces the impact force that the occupant receives from the vehicle body by destroying the rib member at the time of collision.

  However, as described above, the conventional energy absorbing member for protecting an occupant of an automobile is formed in a lattice shape composed of vertical ribs and horizontal ribs. When the load is applied at different positions, the amount of energy absorbed by the rib member is not necessarily constant depending on the angle and position, and the effective stroke amount is different even when the same level of impact is applied. was there.

  In order to solve such a problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-334508 (Patent Document 1) discloses that the cross section is substantially parallelogram-shaped and hollow on the side of the passenger compartment such as a roof side rail which is a vehicle body structural member of an automobile. Proposed is a cross-sectional energy absorbing member provided in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. In the energy absorbing member for protecting an occupant of an automobile disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the occupant's head comes into contact with the energy absorbing member, the cross section of the energy absorbing member is formed in a substantially parallelogram and is hollow. While collapsing the shape of the parallelogram, the energy of the collision is absorbed. At this time, since it is a substantially parallelogram, it is easily crushed and the deformation mode is stable, so that it is less dependent on the angle and position of impact.

JP-A-11-334508

  However, although the thing of the patent document 1 mentioned above is comparatively effective in reducing the dependence by the angle and position of a collision, there exists a request | requirement of the further improvement. For example, when a predetermined amount of collision energy is absorbed by the energy absorbing member, the stroke amount (deformation amount) of the energy absorbing member is preferably as short as possible due to the arrangement space and the like. At this time, in order to shorten the stroke amount, it is necessary to raise the initial load in a very short time when the head of the occupant contacts the energy absorbing member. Furthermore, it is necessary to keep the average load within a predetermined reference value so as not to deteriorate the head injury index (HIC). Further, it is necessary to stably obtain such optimum load characteristics. For example, in order to protect an occupant more reliably, it is necessary to more reliably reduce the dependence on the angle and position of impact.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to satisfy the above-described conventional demands, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automobile-occupant-protecting energy absorbing member with improved occupant-protecting performance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an energy absorbing member for protecting an occupant of an automobile that can stably obtain a preferable load characteristic.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an energy absorption structure for protecting an occupant of an automobile provided on a vehicle body structural member that constitutes a part of the vehicle body, and is provided on the vehicle compartment side of the vehicle body structural member. A hollow energy absorbing member having a closed cross section and a panel member provided so as to cover a side surface of the vehicle interior of the energy absorbing member, the panel member extending along the longitudinal direction of the energy absorbing member The energy absorbing member has at least one flange portion formed, and absorbs the collision energy of the occupant by deformation of the closed cross section when the occupant collides . It has the bending part bent toward the inner side of a closed cross section by contact | abutting .
In the present invention configured as described above, since the panel member covers the side surface of the hollow energy absorbing member, the force applied from the head of the occupant is different even if the collision position and angle of the occupant's head are different. As a result, the load characteristics of the energy absorbing member can be stabilized. Further, since the bent portion of the energy absorbing member having a closed cross section is bent toward the inside of the closed cross section by contact with the flange portion of the panel member at the time of a passenger collision, more energy absorbing portions can be obtained. The load can be absorbed more reliably. Furthermore, the optimum load characteristic can be obtained by adjusting the load characteristic due to the rigidity of the energy absorbing member itself and the load reduction characteristic due to the bending of the bent portion. In this way, the occupant protection performance can be improved.

Further, in the present invention, preferably, the flange portion of the panel member is between the bent portion of the energy absorbing member and the bent portion is flanged from the start of deformation of the closed cross section of the energy absorbing member at the time of a passenger collision. A gap that is set so that the initial load rises is formed in the energy absorbing member until it comes into contact with the portion .
In the present invention configured as described above, when the occupant collides between the flange portion of the panel member and the bent portion of the energy absorbing member, the bent portion starts from the start of deformation of the closed cross section of the energy absorbing member. A gap is set in the energy absorbing member so that the initial load rises until it comes into contact with the flange. Therefore, at the initial stage of the occupant's collision, the initial load is not brought into contact with the flange. Can be started up in a short time, and the load can be reduced by bringing the flange portion into contact with the bent portion after the startup. Therefore, the optimum load characteristic can be obtained more reliably.

In the present invention, preferably, the energy absorbing member has two wall surface portions extending from the outer side portion of the vehicle interior to the vehicle interior side, and one of these wall surface portions is located inside the energy absorbing member itself rather than the other. Inclined.
In the present invention configured as described above, one of the two wall surface portions is formed to be inclined with respect to the inner side of the energy absorbing member itself rather than the other, so that the one wall surface portion is securely attached to the energy absorbing member. It is possible to deform so as to fall inside the energy absorbing member itself. Therefore, even if the collision position and angle of the occupant's head are different, they can be deformed in a certain direction and stable load characteristics can be obtained.

In the present invention, preferably, the energy absorbing member is a cylindrical member having a substantially rhombic cross-sectional shape.
In the present invention configured as described above, since the energy absorbing member is a cylindrical member having a substantially rhombic cross-sectional shape, the deformation mode is such that the four corners are bent in a certain direction and the rhombus is crushed. As a result, the load characteristic can be stabilized. Moreover, since the size of the four surfaces (sides) of the rhombus is the same, it is possible to improve the yield related to the attachment of the energy absorbing member by the operator.

In the present invention, preferably, the flange portion of the panel member is provided on at least one side of the panel member, and the bent portion is formed only on one wall surface portion of the energy absorbing member with which the flange portion abuts. Yes.
In the present invention configured as described above, since a bent portion that is bent by the flange portion is formed only on one wall surface portion of the energy absorbing member with which the flange portion abuts , a more reliable and stable load characteristic can be obtained. I can do it.

In the present invention, preferably, the flange portion of the panel member is provided on both sides of the panel member, and the flange portion provided on the other side of the panel member is provided on the other wall surface portion of the energy absorbing member. It is provided to be engaged with the vehicle interior side end.
In the present invention configured as described above, the flange portion provided on the other side of the panel member is provided so as to engage with the vehicle interior side end portion of the other wall surface portion of the energy absorbing member. Sometimes positioning of the panel member is facilitated. In addition, in the case where a gap is provided between the flange on one side and the bent portion, variation in the size of the gap can be almost eliminated, and in this respect as well, more stable load characteristics can be obtained. I can do it.

Further, in the present invention, preferably, a rib member for collision energy absorption provided to extend in the vehicle interior / exterior direction in the vicinity of the energy absorption member, and a portion of the rib member facing the energy absorption member However, it is formed so that it may extend along the inclination direction of the wall surface part of an energy absorption member.
In the present invention configured as described above, the portion of the rib member facing the energy absorbing member extends along the inclination direction of the wall surface of the energy absorbing member, so that the gap between the energy absorbing member and the rib member is reduced. I can do it. As a result, a region capable of absorbing the collision energy can be ensured more reliably. Further, when the worker is assembled, for example, it is possible to suppress erroneous assembly such as a mistake in the inclination direction of the energy absorbing member.

In the present invention, it is preferable that a pedestal member for attaching the energy absorbing member to the vehicle body structural member is further provided, and the pedestal member extends from the mounting surface to the vehicle body structural member. The spacer part which contacts a vehicle body structural member is provided.
In the present invention configured as described above, the energy absorbing member can be maintained at the optimum position (height) for energy absorption and the optimum angle with respect to the collision prediction direction by the spacer portion and the mounting surface. The collision energy of the occupant can be absorbed more reliably.

In the present invention, preferably, the energy absorbing member and the panel member are provided on an upper portion of a center pillar which is one member of the vehicle body structural member, and a trim is attached to the upper portion of the center pillar. The top sealing is sandwiched between the trim and the panel member.
In the present invention configured as above, since the top sealing is sandwiched between the trim and the panel member, the gap between the trim and the panel member can be eliminated, so that the head of the passenger collides with the upper part of the center pillar. In this case, the collision force can be transmitted to the panel member and the energy absorbing member without delay. As a result, the initial load of the energy absorbing member can be started more reliably and quickly. In addition, the top sealing can be positioned and fixed.

  According to the energy absorbing member for protecting an occupant of an automobile according to the present invention, the occupant protection performance can be improved. Moreover, according to the energy absorbing member for protecting an occupant of an automobile according to the present invention, preferable load characteristics can be stably obtained.

Next, an energy absorption structure for protecting an occupant of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, a schematic structure of a side surface of a vehicle to which the present embodiment is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is an external view of a side surface portion of a vehicle having an occupant protection energy absorbing structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the vehicle interior side, and FIG. 2 is applied to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the structure of the center pillar part and the roof side rail part, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged part of the structure of the center pillar part and the roof side rail part to which the present embodiment is applied. It is the side view seen from the vehicle interior side shown.
As shown in FIG. 1, a front pillar 2, a first center pillar 4, a second center pillar 6, and a rear pillar 8 extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body are formed on the side surface of the vehicle 1. , 6 and 8 are connected to a roof side rail 10 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. Each pillar 2, 4, 6, 8 is provided with a pillar trim 12, 14, 16, 18 made of synthetic resin as an interior material on the passenger compartment side. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a pillar trim 14 extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body is attached to the first center pillar 4, and hooks 14 a and 14 b, a positioning member 14 c and the like are integrally formed on the pillar trim 14. The pillar trim 14 is attached to the first center pillar 4 at the position shown in FIG. 3 by the hooks 14a, 14b and the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a top sealing 20 is provided as an interior material covering the vehicle compartment side from the roof side rail 10 to the roof portion (ceiling portion) above the vehicle compartment.

Next, the structure of the roof side rail, which is a vehicle body structural member, and the structure of the center pillar will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG.
First, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the roof side rail 10 has a roof rail outer panel 30 (not shown in FIG. 2) provided outside the vehicle and a roof rail inner panel 32 provided on the vehicle compartment side. These panels 30 and 32 extend from the upper end of the front pillar 2 (see FIG. 3) to the upper end of the rear pillar 8 (see FIG. 1) in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. 4, the upper edge portion of the roof rail outer panel 30 and the upper edge portion of the roof rail inner panel 32 are fixed to each other by welding. A lower portion of the roof rail outer panel 30 is bent toward the inner side of the vehicle body, and a door 5 (see FIG. 1) is provided below the bent portion. Further, a first roof rail reinforcement 34 extending substantially along the roof rail outer panel 30 is provided inside the roof side rail 10, and a lower edge portion of the first roof rail reinforcement 34 and the roof rail outer panel 30 are provided. The lower edge portion of the roof rail and the lower edge portion of the roof rail inner panel 32 are fixed to each other by welding.
Next, a rubber weather strip 38 mainly serving as a seal for the door 5 (see FIG. 1) is attached to the lower edges of the panels 30 and 32 and the reinforcement 34. 38, an outer edge portion in the vehicle width direction of the top sealing 20 (see FIG. 1) is attached.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, in the vicinity of the connection portion between the first center pillar 4 and the roof side rail 10, the upper edge portion of the roof rail outer panel 30 and the upper edge portion of the first roof rail reinforcement 34 are mutually connected. It is fixed by welding, and the upper edge of the first roof rail reinforcement 34 is welded to the roof rail inner panel 32. On the other hand, the lower part of each panel 30 and 32 is diagonally extended toward the vehicle body lower side so that the surface continuous with each panel 40 and 42 of the 1st center pillar 4 may be comprised. In addition, a second roof rail reinforcement 35 and a third roof rail reinforcement 36 are provided inside each of the panels 30, 32, and an upper edge portion and a lower edge portion of the roof rail inner panel 32 are respectively provided. It is fixed by welding.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the first center pillar 4 includes a pillar outer panel 40 (not shown in FIG. 2) provided outside the vehicle and a pillar inner panel 42 provided on the vehicle compartment side. Although these panels 40 and 42 are not shown in figure, they form the closed cross section by welding each edge part extended in the vehicle body up-down direction mutually. The panels 40 and 42 are fixed to each other by welding to the outer panel 30 or the inner panel 32 of the roof side rail 10, and the panels 40 and 42 are connected to the vehicle body from the joint portion to the side sill 9 (see FIG. 2). It extends in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 5, a first pillar reinforcement 44 and a second pillar reinforcement 46 are provided inside each panel 40, 42, and an upper edge portion of the first pillar reinforcement 44. Are fixed to the first roof rail reinforcement 34 by welding.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a hole 42a is formed in the upper portion of the pillar inner panel 42, and the pillar trim 14 is attached to the pillar trim 14 by fitting the hook 14a of the pillar trim 14 into the hole 42a. It can be attached to the inner panel 42. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 2, the hooks 14b and the positioning members 14c are fitted into the holes 42b and 42c.

  Here, when the pillar trim 14 is attached to the upper portion of the first center pillar 4 in this way, the top sealing 20 is sandwiched between the panel member 70 attached to the energy absorbing tube 60 described later and the pillar trim 14. A part of the outer edge in the vehicle width direction is fixed. In the present embodiment, the top sealing 20 is pressed against the panel member 70 by the elastic force of the pillar trim 14. Further, in the present embodiment, when the occupant's head collides with the pillar trim 14 by eliminating the gap between the panel member 70 and the pillar trim 14 in this way, the panel member 70 and the energy absorption are not delayed. This is transmitted to the tube 60. As a result, the initial load of the energy absorbing tube 60 described later can be started more reliably and quickly.

Next, the occupant protection energy absorbing structure of this embodiment will be described in detail.
The energy absorbing structure for occupant protection of this embodiment is applied to the upper portions of the first and second center pillars 4 and 6 and the roof side rail 10. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, as an occupant protection energy absorbing structure of the present embodiment, a cushioning material (rib member) 50 that extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body along the roof side rail 10 and each center pillar 4. , 6 are provided with energy absorbing tubes (hollow energy absorbing members) 60 and the like (see FIG. 1), respectively.

First, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the structure of the cushioning material 50 and its mounting structure to the vehicle body will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cushioning member (rib member) 50 is provided in a space between the roof rail inner panel 32 and the top sealing 20. The buffer material 50 is formed by integrally molding a synthetic resin, and is formed in a lattice shape by a plurality of vertical ribs (rib members) 52 and a plurality of horizontal ribs (rib members) 54, as shown in FIG. 4 and 5 show a part of the longitudinal rib 52 and the lateral rib 54. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the vertical ribs 52 and the horizontal ribs 54 are both formed so as to extend in and out of the vehicle body, and when the passenger collides, the ribs 52 and 54 are deformed. As a result, the collision energy of the occupant is absorbed. As shown in FIG. 5, in the vicinity of the connecting portion between the first center pillar 4 and the roof side rail 10, the cushioning material 50 is formed along the roof rail inner panel 32 so as to be curved toward the vehicle compartment as a whole. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the cushioning material 50 is attached to the surface of the roof rail inner panel 32 on the passenger compartment side by a clip 56. A plurality of such clips 56 are provided as shown in FIG. Note that the cushioning material 50 is configured in the same manner as described above also in the portion of the roof side rail 10 to which the second center pillar 6 is connected.

Next, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the structure of the energy absorption tube 60 and the like and the structure for mounting them on the vehicle body will be described. 6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part of FIG. 5 in an enlarged manner, and FIG. 7 shows a panel member (a), an energy absorbing tube (b), and an energy absorbing tube attached to the energy absorbing tube. It is a perspective view which shows the pedestal member (c) which supports each.
In the embodiment of the present invention, separately from the cushioning material 50, an energy absorbing tube 60 for more reliably absorbing the collision energy of the occupant's head, a flanged panel member 70 attached to the energy absorbing tube 60, And the base member 80 for supporting them on the vehicle body side is provided. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the energy absorption tube 60 and the like are provided on the upper portions of the center pillars 4 and 6. In addition, since the structure of the energy absorption tube 60 etc. provided in the 2nd center pillar 6 is the same as that of what was provided in the 1st center pillar 4, only the structure provided in the 1st center pillar 4 is demonstrated here. Description of the structure related to the second center pillar 6 is omitted.

First, the energy absorption tube 60 will be described.
As shown in FIG.7 (b), the energy absorption tube 60 has the hollow structure in which the cross section was formed in the substantially rhombus, and the hollow part is extended along the longitudinal direction. Both ends of the energy absorption tube 60 are open. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the energy absorption tube 60 is arranged on the upper side of the center pillar 4 and on the passenger compartment side of the joint portion with the roof side rail 10. The longitudinal axis is provided so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body along the roof side rail 10. The length of the energy absorbing tube 60 is substantially the same as the width of the pillar inner panel 42 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.
The energy absorption tube 60 is a polymer composed of three layers of an outer layer material, an intermediate layer material, and an inner layer material in order from the outside, and absorbs collision energy by deformation thereof. Of these, kraft paper is used for the outer layer material and the inner layer material, and a hard aluminum foil is used for the intermediate layer material. Note that a thin metal plate such as an iron foil may be used as the intermediate layer material.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7B, the energy absorbing tube 60 having a rhombus cross section has four surfaces 62a to 62d, and among these, the lower surface portion 62d is welded to a pedestal member 80 described later by hot melt. ing. The wall surface portions 62a and 62c extend from both edge portions of the mounting surface 62d to the outside of the vehicle interior. Then, the wall surface portion 62a on one side thereof is inclined at an angle of 10 degrees toward the inner side of the energy absorption tube 60 itself, and the other wall surface portion 62c is inclined at an angle of 10 degrees toward the outer side. The passenger compartment side surface 62b extends parallel to the mounting surface 62d. The thickness and size of the energy absorption tube 60 formed in this way are adjusted so as to have a predetermined rigidity for obtaining load characteristics described later.

  Here, as will be described later, the energy absorption tube 60 is deformed so that the rhombus is crushed by the collision of the head of the occupant. That is, the corners (ends of the surfaces 62a to 62d) 64a to 64d are further bent and the wall surfaces 62a and 62c are deformed to be inclined. Reference numeral 66 in the drawing indicates a bent portion 66 where a flange 74 of a panel member 70 (to be described later) abuts and bends during the deformation.

Next, the flanged panel member 70 attached to the energy absorbing tube 60 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 7 (a), the panel member 70 is a substantially rectangular steel plate member, and extends along the longitudinal direction at the flat portion 72 formed on the flat surface and the left and right edges thereof. It is comprised with the flange parts 74 and 76 formed in this. Each of the flanges 74 and 76 protrudes in the same direction with respect to the plane portion 72. The length of each flange 74, 76 is the same as the length of the panel member 70 in the longitudinal direction, and the length of the panel member 70 in the longitudinal direction is substantially the same as the length of the energy absorbing tube 60. On the other hand, the relative distance between the flanges 74 and 76 is larger than the width of the upper surface portion 62 b of the energy absorption tube 60. These flanges 74 and 76 increase the rigidity of the panel member 70, and as described below, one flange 74 serves to control the load characteristics of the energy absorbing tube 60, and the other flange 76 is It plays a role of positioning the panel member 70 to the energy absorbing tube 60. The panel member 70 may be made of aluminum or synthetic resin as long as its rigidity can be maintained.

Next, an assembly structure of the flanged panel member 70 and the energy absorbing tube 60 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 6, the panel member 70 covers the energy absorption tube 60 so that the energy absorption tube 60 is located on the side from which the flanges 74 and 76 protrude and covers the surface 62 b on the vehicle interior side. It is attached to the tube 60. Specifically, the flat portion 72 of the panel member 70 is fixed to the surface 62b of the energy absorption tube 60 on the passenger compartment side with a double-sided tape. In addition, you may attach by other methods, such as an adhesive material.
As shown in FIG. 6, a predetermined gap S is formed between the flange 74 of the panel member 70 and one vertical surface 62 a of the energy absorption tube 60. Furthermore, the longitudinal direction of the panel member 70 and the longitudinal direction of the energy absorption tube 60 coincide with each other, so that the flange 74 extends along the longitudinal direction of the energy absorption tube 60.

  Here, at the time of attachment, the other flange 76 is placed on the vehicle interior side of the other vertical surface 62c of the energy absorbing tube 60 so that the panel member 70 can be easily positioned with respect to the energy absorbing tube 60. The end portion 64c (the corner portion between the wall surface portion 62c and the upper surface portion 62b) and a part of the wall surface portion 62c are engaged (contacted). Therefore, in the present embodiment, the predetermined gap S described above is almost the difference between the relative distance between the flanges 74 and 76 and the width of the upper surface portion 62b of the energy absorbing tube 60. In this way, the error of the predetermined gap S due to the assembly error is reduced. In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the flange 76 substantially coincides with the shape of the end portion 64c, and it is easy to perform such positioning. In the present embodiment, the flanges 74 and 76 are formed in the same shape as each other. For this reason, any one of the flanges 74 and 76 may be used for load control (or positioning) at the time of attachment work. As a result, the yield can be improved.

Next, the base member 80 to which the energy absorbing tube 60 is attached will be described.
The pedestal member 80 allows the energy absorption tube 60 (and the panel member 70) to be optimally positioned (height) so that the energy absorption tube 60 can reliably absorb the collision energy of the head of the occupant. It is provided to maintain an optimum angle with respect to the collision prediction direction.
As shown in FIG. 6, the pedestal member 80 includes an attachment surface 82 for attaching the energy absorption tube 60 and a spacer portion 84 provided so as to extend from the attachment surface 82 to the vehicle body structural member side. . The pedestal member 80 is provided at a lower portion of the vehicle body of the cushioning material 50, and is integrally molded with the cushioning material 50 in this embodiment. That is, the pedestal member 80 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 7C, the spacer portion 84 is integrally formed in a lattice shape by a plurality of vertical ribs 84a and horizontal ribs 84b, like the cushioning material 50. The mounting surface 82 is integrally formed in a flat plate shape so as to cover the plurality of ribs 84a and 84b.

  The number of the ribs 84a, 84b of the spacer portion 84 per unit area is larger than that of the cushioning material 50, and the rigidity thereof is enhanced. As described above, the pedestal member 80 has a function of reliably supporting the energy absorbing tube 60 rather than a function of absorbing an impact like the cushioning material 50. The bottom surface of the pedestal member 80, that is, the surface on the outside of the vehicle, has a substantially U-shaped cross section, and such a bottom surface is formed on the roof side rail 10 (the third roof rail reinforcement 36 or the roof rail inner panel). 32) and the center pillar 4 (pillar inner panel 42) in advance, and the load received by the energy absorption tube 60 is reliably supported by these vehicle body structural members.

Further, the cross-sectional shape and height of the spacer portion 84 are determined so that the mounting surface 82 has a predetermined position and angle. Ribs 82 a and 82 b for positioning the energy absorbing tube 60 are integrally formed on the mounting surface 82. In FIG. 6, it can be seen that the energy absorbing tube 60 is disposed so as to contact the positioning rib 82 a. The rib 82b is for positioning the energy absorbing tube 60 in the longitudinal direction. The surface 62d of the energy absorbing tube 60 is welded by heating the mounting surface 82, or is welded by frictional heat by vibrating the energy absorbing tube 60 against the mounting surface 82.
Here, the energy absorption tube 60 of the present embodiment is substantially rhombus having the same length of the four sides (four surfaces 42a to 42d) of the cross section. You may fix to the base member 80, the workability | operativity at the time of an assembly | attachment can be improved, and a yield can be improved.

  The pedestal member 80 may be formed as a separate member without being integrally molded with the cushioning material 50 as in the present embodiment. In this case, the third roof rail reinforcement 36 or the roof rail inner panel 32, It is preferable to adhere to the pillar inner panel 42 or the like. Also in this embodiment, the base member 80 may be bonded to the third roof rail reinforcement 36, the roof rail inner panel 32, the pillar inner panel 42, or the like.

Next, the effects of the energy absorbing tube 60 and the flanged panel member 70 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the energy absorbing tube and the panel member according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the concept of the load characteristics of the energy absorbing tube and the panel member according to the present embodiment. is there.
First, FIG. 8A shows a time when a passenger's head H comes into contact with the pillar trim 14 and a force starts to be transmitted to the panel member 70 (point A in FIG. 9) at the time of a side collision of the automobile. . As shown in FIG. 9, the load of the energy absorption tube 60 starts to rise from this point.
In such a case, in the present embodiment, since the upper surface portion 62b of the energy absorption tube 60 on the passenger compartment side is covered with the highly rigid panel member 70 reinforced by the flanges 74 and 76, the occupant's head The force applied from H is distributed relatively uniformly on the upper surface portion 62b of the energy absorbing tube 60 through the panel member 70. Therefore, even if the collision position and angle of the occupant's head are different, the collision force is dispersed by the panel member 70, so that the initial load of the energy absorption tube 60 can be started up stably. Furthermore, the subsequent deformation of the energy absorption tube 60 becomes stable, and stable load characteristics with very small variations in load characteristics can be obtained. Further, by providing such a panel member 70, even if the length of the energy absorbing member is long, the shock absorbing performance does not vary greatly between the center portion and the end portion. Load characteristics can be obtained.

  Here, the energy absorption tube 60 has its thickness, material, etc. adjusted in order to raise the initial load in a very short time. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 9, the rise angle of the load from the point A is adjusted. It is assumed to be larger than a conventional energy absorbing member (indicated by a broken line in the figure). Such a large rising angle is also obtained by the action of the panel member 70. That is, as described above, the collision force is effectively transmitted to the energy absorption tube 60 by the panel member 70, and the rising angle of the load is increased.

  Next, FIG. 8B shows a case where the deformation of the energy absorption tube 60 proceeds and the flange 74 of the panel member 70 comes into contact with one wall surface portion 62a of the energy absorption tube 60 (point B in FIG. 9). is there. In this embodiment, since the cross section of the energy absorption tube 60 is formed in a substantially rhombus shape, the energy absorption tube 60 is further bent at its four corners 46a to 46d and deformed so that the rhombus is crushed to absorb the collision energy. As a result, the generated load increases. In this case, the wall surface portion 62a is inclined at an angle toward the inner side of the energy absorption tube 60 itself, while the other wall surface portion 62c that is opposed is inclined toward the outer side. Even if the collision position and angle of the head are different, the head can be deformed in a certain direction and a stable load characteristic can be obtained. And since the wall surface part 62a inclines inside reliably, as shown in FIG.8 (b), the bending part 66 and the flange 74 of the wall surface part 62a contact | abut.

Here, the amount of collision energy absorbed by the occupant's head is determined by the product (integrated value) of the load applied to the occupant's head (the product of the head weight and acceleration) and the stroke amount (deformation amount). On the other hand, as shown by the head injury index HIC defined in the US standard (FMVSS201), the head injury index is the magnitude of the load when the head hits and the time (stroke amount) applied. It is known that it is necessary to reduce the average load (average acceleration) below a predetermined reference value in order to reduce injury to the head due to such a relationship.
Considering both the amount of absorbed energy and the head injury index, the smaller the average load, the smaller the injury to the head. On the other hand, a larger amount of stroke is required to obtain the required amount of absorbed energy. . However, in order to secure such a stroke amount, there is a limit due to the arrangement space and the like. Therefore, the ideal load characteristic is to start up the initial load in a time as short as possible (increase the rising angle of the load), and then change at a target load that satisfies the criteria for the head injury index.

  FIG. 9 shows such a target load. In the present embodiment, as described above, the rising angle of the load is increased, and the initial load higher than the target value is obtained as indicated by point B in FIG. On the other hand, if the load changes as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 9 with this initial load, the average load greatly exceeds the target load, and the head injury index is increased. In other words, conventionally, when the rigidity of the energy absorbing member is increased in an attempt to increase the rising slope of the generated load, the subsequent load itself also increases, and therefore, to keep the head injury index within the reference value, As a result, the rising angle could not be increased.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the initial load that is once largely raised is reduced by the flange 74. That is, as shown in FIG. 8C, when the energy absorbing tube 60 is further deformed, the flange 74 in contact with the bent portion 66 of the wall surface portion 62a bends the bent portion 66 in this way. By bending the bent portion 66, the rigidity of the energy absorption tube 60 itself decreases, and as a result, the generated load decreases. When the bent portion 66 is bent to some extent, the generated load changes at a constant value. In this embodiment, the generated load changes at the target load. In this embodiment, the target load can be reached earlier than in the prior art (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 9).

Here, in the present embodiment, a bent portion 66 that is bent by the flange 74 is formed only on one wall surface portion 62 a of the energy absorbing member 60. In other words, a bent portion is not formed on the wall surface portion 62c facing the wall surface portion 62a (the flange 76 is not in contact with the wall surface portion 62c), and as described above, each surface 62a. The energy absorption tube 60 is tilted to one side due to such inclination, and the flange 74 and the bent portion 66 of the wall surface portion 62a come into contact with each other. Thus, in this embodiment, there is no part which bends other than four corners 64a-d and the bending part 66, As a result, a load characteristic can be controlled reliably. In particular, even when the collision position and angle of the occupant's head are different, the flange 74 always comes into contact with the bent portion 66, so that stable load characteristics can be obtained more reliably.
As a result, according to the present embodiment, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 9, it is possible to stably obtain a more optimal load characteristic that allows the head injury index to fall within the reference value.

Further, the bent portion 66 increases the number of deformation points in the energy absorption tube 60 by one in addition to the four corners 64a to 64d. That is, if a part of the wall surface portion 62a is bent by the flange 74, the energy absorption amount of the head of the occupant can be further increased.
Further, the load characteristic can be easily adjusted by providing the panel member 70 having the flange 74. For example, in this embodiment, while increasing the thickness of the energy absorption tube 60, the load characteristic may be controlled by bringing the flange 74 into contact with the wall surface 62a from the initial stage of deformation. Specifically, the gap S between the flange 74 and the wall surface portion 62a may be made smaller, or the flange 74 may be brought into contact with the wall surface portion 62a in advance. In such a case, the number of deformation points increases from the initial stage, so that energy absorption can be performed more reliably.

Next, the effect of the energy absorption structure of this embodiment including the buffer material 50 will be described.
At the time of a side collision of an automobile, the passenger's body is greatly shaken in the vehicle width direction due to the impact. In particular, the head easily collides with the roof side rail 10 as shown in FIG. 4, and in this case, the shock absorbing material 50 protruding in a convex shape with respect to the passenger compartment absorbs the collision energy. At that time, the head absorbs energy while moving to either side of the vertical direction of the vehicle body. Therefore, the thickness of the cushioning material 50 (the amount of deformation stroke) often does not need to be so large.
On the other hand, in the portion where the center pillars 4 and 6 of the roof side rail 10 are connected as shown in FIG. 5, the head of the passenger collides with the center pillars 4 and 6 or the roof side rail 10 above the center pillars 4 and 6. In such a case, the head is fitted into the corner space between the roof side rail 10 and the pillars 4 and 6 when viewed from the passenger compartment side, and a larger collision load is applied. Become. In this case, if all the energy is absorbed by the cushioning material 50, the cushioning material 50 must be thickened to increase the amount of deformation stroke. However, in this case, the cushioning material 50 is formed by the plurality of rib members 52 and 54, and the load increases as it is crushed, so that the head injury index increases. In some cases, it is not possible to earn a large stroke due to the arrangement space.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the energy absorption tube 60 and the like having excellent energy absorption characteristics as described above are provided on the upper portions of the center pillars 4 and 6 (near the joint portion with the roof side rail 10). The collision energy of the passenger's head can be effectively absorbed only by the energy absorption tube 60 or the like, or the collision energy that cannot be absorbed by the buffer material 50 can be absorbed. Therefore, the occupant can be protected more reliably.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6 illustrating a part of the energy absorption structure of the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the structure of the vehicle body structural member (center pillar 4 and the like) and the energy absorption tube 60 and the like are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, and only the shape of the cushioning material 50 is different.
As shown in FIG. 10, in 2nd Embodiment, the part (lower edge part) 52a which opposes the energy absorption tube 60 of the rib member (vertical rib) 52 of the shock absorbing material 50 is a vehicle interior compared with 1st Embodiment. The edge portion 52b on the passenger compartment side has a height that is substantially flush with the panel member 70. Further, the lower edge portion 52 a of the cushioning material 50 extends along the inclination direction of the wall surface portion 62 a of the energy absorption tube 60. More specifically, the lower edge 52a extends in parallel with the wall surface 62a.

  According to the energy absorbing structure according to the second embodiment formed as described above, the following operation is obtained in addition to the operation of the first embodiment described above. First, since the lower edge portion 52a extends along the inclination direction of the wall surface portion 62a of the energy absorption tube 60, the gap between the energy absorption tube 60 and the buffer material 50 is reduced, and the energy absorption tube 60 and the buffer material 50 The space between can be reduced. As a result, a region capable of absorbing the shock near the upper portions of the center pillars 4 and 6 can be more reliably secured. And since the edge part 52b by the side of the compartment of the shock absorbing material 50 becomes the height located in the substantially same surface shape as the panel member 70, a passenger | crew's head is a position between the shock absorbing material 50 and the energy absorption tube 60. In the event of a collision, energy absorption can be reliably performed by both of them. Further, the lower edge portion 52a of the cushioning material 50 extends along the inclination direction of the wall surface portion 62a of the energy absorption tube 60. In particular, by allowing the lower edge portion 52a to extend in parallel with the wall surface portion 62a, for example, When the operator installs the energy absorbing tube 60 after the cushioning material 50 is provided, an error in the mounting direction of the energy absorbing tube 60, that is, the inclination direction of the energy absorbing tube 60 (the direction in which the wall surface portion 62a is inclined) is made. It is possible to prevent erroneous assembly.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the energy absorbing structure according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and FIG. 11 shows a cross section at the same position as the cross section shown in FIG.
In the third embodiment, the pillar trim 114 is relatively located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the first embodiment described above. Therefore, the shape of the energy absorbing tube 160 provided on the base member 180 is a pentagon. Formed. Specifically, the wall surface portions 162a and 162c, the upper surface portion 162b, and the lower surface portion 162d of the energy absorption tube 160 are formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above in terms of the inclination angle. An inclined surface portion 162e is formed between the wall surface portion 162b and the upper surface portion 162c. The inclined surface portion 162e is formed so as to extend along the shape of the pillar trim 114.

In the panel member 170 of the third embodiment, the flat surface portion 172 is attached to the upper surface portion 162b of the energy absorption tube 160, and the flange 174 on the wall surface portion 162a side is formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. On the other hand, the flange portion as in the first embodiment is not formed on the other side of the flat surface portion 172, and its edge portion is located at a corner portion 164e between the upper surface portion 162b and the inclined surface portion 162e. ing. Note that the panel member 170 may extend from the edge portion along the corner portion 164e and the inclined surface portion 162e. Moreover, you may extend so that it may extend along the corner | angular part 164c and the wall surface part 162c from the edge. In such a case, the rigidity of the panel member 170 can be ensured more reliably.
Also in the third embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, a portion (lower edge portion) 152a of the cushioning material 150 facing the energy absorption tube 160 is formed to extend along the inclination direction of the wall surface portion 162a. ing.

  According to the energy absorbing structure according to the third embodiment formed as described above, basically the same load characteristics as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained. In particular, since the energy absorption tube 160 is formed in a pentagon as described above, the energy absorption tube 160 can be provided without interfering with the pillar trim 114 even when the arrangement space is narrow. In particular, this is effective when the adjustment allowance in the height direction by the base member 180 cannot be taken. Further, since the flange 174 is formed only on one side of the panel member 170, only the bent portion 166 is reliably bent by the flange 174, and the load characteristics of the energy absorption tube 160 are described in the first embodiment. It can be obtained in the same way as the action of the form. Moreover, since the lower edge 152a of the cushioning material 50 extends along the inclination direction of the wall surface portion 162a as in the second embodiment, energy absorption is performed more reliably as in the second embodiment, Assembly errors can also be suppressed.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the energy absorbing structure according to the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and FIG. 12 shows a cross section at the same position as the cross section shown in FIG.
In the fourth embodiment, the energy absorption tube 260 has a trapezoidal cross section. The wall surface portion 262a and the lower surface portion 262d are configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the wall surface portion 262c is inclined inside the energy absorption tube 260 itself, and accordingly, the width of the upper surface portion 262b becomes small. ing. The inclination angle of one wall surface portion 262a with respect to the lower surface portion 262d is 10 degrees as in the first embodiment, and the inclination angle of the other wall surface portion 262c with respect to the lower surface portion 262d is 5 degrees. In addition, the inclination angle of each wall surface part 262a, 262c should just be what the wall surface part 262a which has the bending part 266 inclines by the inner side of the energy absorption tube 260 itself rather than the other wall surface part 262c.

  Further, the panel member 270 of the fourth embodiment has the flat surface portion 272 attached to the upper surface portion 262b, and the flange 274 on the side of the wall surface portion 262a provided with the bent portion 266 is the same as that of the first embodiment. It is formed similarly. On the other hand, the flange is not provided on the other side as in the third embodiment. Similarly to the second embodiment, the lower edge 252a of the cushioning material 250 is formed to extend along the inclination direction of the wall surface portion 262a.

  According to the energy absorbing structure according to the fourth embodiment formed as described above, basically the same load characteristics as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained. That is, in the fourth embodiment, the energy absorption tube 260 is formed in a trapezoidal shape, but the wall surface portion 262a having the bent portion 266 is more inside the energy absorption tube 260 itself than the other wall surface portion 262c. It is inclined by. Therefore, similarly to the first embodiment, the energy absorption tube 260 can be deformed so that the wall surface portion 262a is inclined further inward. As a result, the bent portion 266 is reliably deformed by the flange 274 of the panel member 270, whereby the same load characteristics as in the first embodiment described above can be obtained. Further, the energy absorbing tube 260 is trapezoidal in cross section, so that it can be easily provided so as not to interfere with the pillar trim 214 or the like even in a relatively narrow space in relation to the arrangement space or the like.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the energy absorbing structure according to the fifth embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and FIG. 13 shows a cross section at the same position as the cross section shown in FIG.
In the fifth embodiment, the energy absorption tube 360 has a substantially elliptical cross section. Specifically, a portion 362d attached to the base member 380 and a portion 362b to which the panel member 370 is attached are formed in a planar shape, and the other portions 362a and 362c are formed in an arc shape. At the time of a collision, the arc-shaped portions 362a and 362c are deformed as a whole and absorb energy. In the fifth embodiment, the energy absorption tube 360 may have a substantially circular cross section.

The panel member 370 has a flange 374 formed only on one side thereof. Therefore, when the energy absorbing tube 360 is further deformed, it comes into contact with the bent portion 366 provided on one arcuate portion 362a, and the load characteristics can be controlled as in the first embodiment. ing. That is, according to the energy absorbing structure according to the fifth embodiment, even with the energy absorbing tube 360 having an elliptical cross section, the load characteristics similar to those of the first embodiment are obtained mainly by the action of the bent portion 366 and the flange 374. can get. In particular, since the flange 374 is formed only on one side of the panel member 370, the optimum energy absorption characteristic can be obtained more reliably.
Further, a flange is not formed on the other side of the panel member 370, and an edge portion of the panel member 370 projects downward from the attachment portion with the upper surface portion 362b. Therefore, the flat portion 372 of the panel member 370 is in contact with the protruding portion and the portion on the flange 374 side so that the contact area increases with the energy absorbing tube 360 as the deformation of the energy absorbing tube 360 proceeds. Can be more reliably dispersed in the energy absorption tube 360.

It is the external view which looked at the side part of the vehicle provided with the energy absorption structure for passenger | crew protection which is 1st Embodiment of this invention from the vehicle interior side. It is a perspective view which expands and shows a part of structure of the center pillar part and roof side rail part to which 1st Embodiment was applied. It is the side view seen from the vehicle interior side which expands and shows a part of structure of the center pillar part and roof side rail part to which 1st Embodiment was applied. It is sectional drawing seen along the IV-IV line of FIG. It is sectional drawing seen along the VV line of FIG. It is a partially expanded sectional view which expands and shows a part of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the panel member (a) attached to an energy absorption tube, the energy absorption tube (b), and the base member (c) which supports an energy absorption tube, respectively. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the effect | action of the energy absorption tube and panel member by 1st Embodiment. It is a diagram which shows the concept of the load characteristic of the energy absorption tube and panel member by 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing shown similarly to FIG. 6 which shows a part of energy absorption structure by 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows a part of energy absorption structure by 3rd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows a part of energy absorption structure by 4th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows a part of energy absorption structure by 5th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

4 First Center Pillar 6 Second Center Pillar 10 Roof Side Rails 12, 14, 16, 18 Pillar Trim 20 Top Sealing 30, 32 Roof Rail Outer Panel, Roof Rail Inner Panels 34, 35, 36 Roof Rail Reinforcement 34
40, 42 Pillar outer panel, Pillar inner panel 44, 46 Pillar reinforcement, Pillar reinforcement 50 Cushioning material (rib member)
52, 54 Vertical rib, Horizontal rib 60, 160, 260, 360 Energy absorption tube (energy absorption member)
60a, 160a, 260a, 360a Wall part 66, 166, 266, 366 Bent part 70, 170, 270, 370 Panel member 74, 76, 174, 274, 374 Flange part 80, 180, 280, 380 Base member 82 Base Mounting surface 84 of member Spacer part S of base member Clearance H Passenger's head

Claims (9)

An energy absorbing structure for protecting an occupant of an automobile provided on a vehicle body structural member constituting a part of the vehicle body,
A hollow energy absorbing member having a closed cross section provided on the vehicle compartment side of the vehicle body structural member;
A panel member provided so as to cover the vehicle interior side of the energy absorbing member,
The panel member has at least one flange portion formed so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the energy absorbing member,
The energy absorbing member absorbs the collision energy of the occupant by deformation of the closed cross section when the occupant collides, and inward of the closed cross section by contact with the flange portion when the closed cross section is deformed. An energy absorbing structure for protecting an occupant of an automobile, comprising a bent portion that is bent toward the vehicle. When the occupant collides with the flange portion of the panel member, the bent portion comes into contact with the flange portion from the start of deformation of the closed section of the energy absorption member. 2. The energy absorbing structure for protecting an occupant of an automobile according to claim 1, wherein a gap is set so that an initial load rises in the energy absorbing member .   The energy absorbing member has two wall surface portions extending from the vehicle exterior side portion toward the vehicle interior side, and one of these wall surface portions is formed to be inclined more inside the energy absorbing member itself than the other. The energy absorbing structure for protecting an occupant of an automobile according to claim 1 or 2.   4. The energy absorbing structure for protecting an occupant of an automobile according to claim 3, wherein the energy absorbing member is a cylindrical member having a substantially rhombic cross section. The flange part of the said panel member is provided in the at least one side of the panel member, The said bending part is formed only in one wall surface part of the said energy absorption member with which the said flange part contact | abuts. Energy absorption structure for passenger protection of automobiles.   The flange portion of the panel member is provided on both sides of the panel member, and the flange portion provided on the other side of the panel member is engaged with the vehicle interior side end portion of the other wall surface portion of the energy absorbing member. 6. The energy absorbing structure for protecting an occupant of an automobile according to claim 5, wherein the energy absorbing structure is provided so as to match.   Furthermore, a rib member for collision energy absorption is provided in the vicinity of the energy absorption member so as to extend in the vehicle interior / exterior direction, and a portion of the rib member facing the energy absorption member is a portion of the energy absorption member. 4. The energy absorbing structure for protecting an occupant of an automobile according to claim 3, wherein the energy absorbing structure is formed so as to extend along an inclination direction of the wall surface.   Furthermore, it has a pedestal member for attaching the energy absorbing member to the vehicle body structural member, and the pedestal member extends from the mounting surface to the vehicle body structural member and contacts the vehicle body structural member. The energy absorbing structure for protecting an occupant of an automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a spacer portion.   The energy absorbing member and the panel member are provided on an upper portion of a center pillar which is one member of the vehicle body structural member, and a trim is attached to the upper portion of the center pillar. The trim and the panel member The energy absorbing structure for protecting an occupant of an automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the top sealing is sandwiched between the two.

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