JP6384435B2 - Vehicle front structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure.

  Conventionally, a pipe-shaped instrument panel reinforcement is disposed between front pillars of a vehicle body. Some instrument panel reinforcements are supported by a cowl side brace disposed between the front pillar side on the vehicle width direction end side. One end of the cowl side brace is fastened to the front side pillar, and the other end is fastened to an instrument panel reinforcement (or a steering column support fixed to the instrument panel reinforcement).

  On the other hand, in a collision mode (so-called micro lap collision) in which the front side member of the front part of the automobile is in front of a collision object such as an oncoming vehicle with respect to a collision object such as an oncoming vehicle, the collision is caused by deformation of the front side member. It cannot absorb energy. In such a case, the front-side pillar on the collision side is deformed to the rear side of the vehicle by the load from the front wheel that moves backward.

  In order to prevent the instrument panel reinforcement spanned between the left and right front pillars from being bent at a portion where the thickness has changed in the middle in the vehicle width direction, the instrument panel reinforcement for the front pillar is There has been proposed a configuration in which a long hole for fastening is provided in the mounting bracket, and the deformation is absorbed by the bracket portion at the time of a minute lap collision (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-16718

  By the way, in a vehicle provided with a cowl side brace, when the front pillar is deformed at the time of a minute lap collision, the cowl side brace fastened to the front pillar is pushed upward, and the instrument panel reinforcement with the cowl side brace fastened upward. Moving. As a result, the design surface of the instrument panel fastened to the instrument panel reinforcement may move upward and approach the passenger.

  In consideration of the above facts, the present invention provides a vehicle front structure that suppresses the design surface of an instrument panel from approaching an occupant due to deformation of a front pillar in a vehicle equipped with a cowl side brace in the event of a minute lap collision. With the goal.

  The invention of claim 1 is a pair of left and right front pillars provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction, an instrument panel reinforcement spanned between the pair of left and right front pillars, and the front pillar on the driver's seat side. A cowl side brace having one end fastened below the instrument panel reinforcement and the other end fastened to the instrument panel reinforcement, and the other end of the cowl side brace is an axis of the cowl side brace with respect to the instrument panel reinforcement. A relative displacement permissible mechanism that is relatively displaceable along the direction.

  According to this configuration, when the front pillar is deformed by the micro lap collision and the cowl side brace is pushed up (deformed) along the axial direction in the vehicle upper side, the other end of the cowl side brace is allowed by the relative displacement allowance mechanism. Is displaced relative to the instrument panel reinforcement along the axial direction.

  Therefore, the amount of displacement of the instrument panel reinforcement to the vehicle upper side is suppressed relative to the amount of displacement of the cowl side brace to the vehicle upper side, and the design surface of the instrument panel fastened to the instrument panel reinforcement is on the vehicle upper side. Moving and approaching the occupant is suppressed.

  Since the vehicle front structure according to the first aspect of the present invention has the above-described configuration, it is possible to prevent the design surface of the instrument panel from approaching the occupant due to the deformation of the front pillar at the time of a minute lap collision.

It is a perspective view which shows the vehicle front part structure which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows the attaching part of the one end side of the cowl side brace which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (B) is a figure which shows the attaching part of the other end side. (A) is a figure which shows the bolt insertion state of the normal state with respect to the attachment hole of the other end side of the cowl side brace which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (B) is a figure which shows the bolt insertion state at the time of relative movement. is there.

  A vehicle front structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, each figure is typical and the illustration with a low relevance to the present invention is omitted. In FIG. 1, the arrow FR indicates the front of the vehicle, the arrow W indicates the vehicle width direction, and the arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle.

(Constitution)
As shown in FIG. 1, in the vehicle front part structure 10 for an automobile according to this embodiment, an instrument panel reinforcement 14 is disposed in the vehicle front part of a passenger compartment 12. The instrument panel reinforcement 14 is a long member extending in the vehicle width direction on the vehicle rear side of a dash panel (not shown) provided in the front portion of the vehicle compartment 12. One end of the instrument panel reinforcement 14 on the side of the driver seat in the vehicle width direction (outside in the vehicle width direction) is fastened to a front pillar 18L on the driver seat side via a bracket 22 described later. The other end side of the instrument panel reinforcement 14 is not shown.

  The instrument panel reinforcement 14 includes a reinforcement main body 20 made of a long metal pipe material, and a bracket 22 for fastening to the front pillar 18L at the end of the reinforcement main body 20.

  The reinforcement main body 20 has a large-diameter portion 20A on the side of the driver's seat that requires strength (in the present embodiment, the left side), and is located at the center in the vehicle width direction and on the passenger's seat side where strength is not required compared to the driver's seat side. Is a small diameter portion 20B having a smaller diameter than the large diameter portion 20A. The large-diameter portion 20A and the small-diameter portion 20B are joined by welding at a position closer to the driver's seat than the center in the vehicle width direction by the joint portion 20C.

  The bracket 22 includes a semicircular portion 22A that covers half of the side surface (outer peripheral surface) of the large diameter portion 20A of the reinforcement main body 20, and a pair of flange portions 22B that extend radially outward from both ends of the semicircular portion 22A. , 22C. The flange portions 22B and 22C are brought into contact with the vehicle rear side surface 26 of the front pillar 18L, and are fastened with bolts 24 and nuts (not shown).

  A steering column support 28 is fixed to the large diameter portion 20A of the instrument panel reinforcement 14.

  A cowl side brace 30 is disposed between the front pillar 18L and the steering column support 28. The cowl side brace 30 is a columnar bar, and flat mounting portions 30A and 30B are provided at both ends.

  An attachment hole 32 is formed in the attachment portion 30A, and an attachment hole 34 is formed in the attachment portion 30B. As shown in FIG. 2 (A), the mounting hole 32 has a longitudinal direction in the axial direction of the cowl side brace 30 and a width in the lateral direction so that a shaft body 36A of a bolt 36 described later can be inserted. It is oval.

  On the other hand, the mounting hole 34 includes a substantially circular portion 34A and an oval oval portion 34B formed continuously from the circular portion 34A on the inner side in the axial direction of the circular portion 34A. The circular portion 34A has a substantially circular shape that can be inserted into a shaft 38A of a bolt 38, which will be described later, and exceeds a semicircle. Further, the shaft body 38A of the bolt 38 inserted into the circular portion 34A of the mounting hole 34 by the projection 34C forming the boundary between the circular portion 34A forming the mounting hole 34 and the elliptical portion 34B is an oval in a normal state. It is impossible to move to the part 34B side (see FIG. 3A).

  Further, the oval part 34 </ b> B has a longitudinal direction in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the cowl side brace 30. Further, the oval portion 34B is formed so that the width in the short direction is shorter than the diameter of the shaft body 38A of the bolt 38, and the shaft body 38A of the bolt 38 cannot be inserted.

  The mounting portion 30A of the cowl side brace 30 is disposed below the instrument panel reinforcement 14 on the vehicle rear side surface 26 of the front pillar 18L, and the shaft body 36A of the bolt 36 is inserted into the mounting hole 32 of the mounting portion 30A. Fastened to the rear side surface 26.

Further, the mounting portion 30B of the cowl side brace 30 is disposed on the vehicle rear side surface 28A of the steering column support 28, and the shaft body 38A of the bolt 38 is inserted into the mounting hole 34 of the mounting portion 30B and fastened to the vehicle rear side surface 28A. ing.
Note that the mounting hole 34 and the shaft body 38A of the bolt 38 in this embodiment correspond to the relative displacement permissible mechanism of the present invention.

  Further, the case where the cowl side brace 30 is fastened to the steering column support 28 fixed to the instrument panel reinforcement 14 as in the present embodiment is also included in the case where the cowl side brace 30 is fastened to the instrument panel reinforcement 14. Shall be.

  Furthermore, what is indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 is a design surface 40 of the instrument panel.

(Action)
The operation of the vehicle front structure 10 configured as described above will be described.

  When a vehicle equipped with the vehicle front structure 10 has a micro lap collision, the front side member or the like does not support the collision load, so the front pillar 18L is deformed by the load from the front wheel that moves backward. Then, the cowl side brace 30 having one end (attachment portion 30A) fastened to the vehicle rear side surface 26 of the front pillar 18L is pushed up (deformed) along the axial direction of the cowl side brace 30. As a result, a load on the vehicle upper side along the axial direction of the cowl side brace 30 acts on the shaft body 38A of the bolt 38 from the mounting portion 30B of the cowl side brace 30 to the instrument panel reinforcement 14 (steering column support 28). A reaction force acts on the mounting hole 34 from the shaft body 38A of the bolt 38 that is fastened.

As a result, the shaft body 38A of the bolt 38 plastically deforms (pushes out) the projecting portion 34C constituting the mounting hole 34, and the ellipse on the mounting portion 30B from the circular portion 34A (see FIG. 3A). It moves relative to the part 34B (see FIG. 3B). That is, even if the cowl side brace 30 is pushed upward (deformed) along the axial direction by deformation of the front pillar 18L, the amount of deformation of the steering column support 28 (instrument reinforcement 14) can be suppressed. . In other words, in the mounting hole 34 of the mounting portion 30B of the cowl side brace 30, the bolt 38 (the shaft body 38A) relatively moves from the circular portion 34A to the oval portion 34B, so that the deformation amount of the cowl side brace 30 is absorbed. Thus, the amount of deformation of the instrument panel reinforcement 14 with respect to the amount of deformation of the cowl side brace 30 toward the upper side of the vehicle is suppressed. As a result, the design surface 40 of the instrument panel is suppressed from approaching the passenger side.
Further, the oval part 34B formed in the mounting hole 34 has a longitudinal direction in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the cowl side brace 30, so that the shaft body 38B of the bolt 38 is the axis of the cowl side brace 30. It is possible to allow the protrusion 34C to expand in a direction slightly inclined from the direction, and to move relatively from the circular portion 34A to the oval portion 34B.

  Further, the mounting hole 34 formed in the mounting portion 30B of the cowl side brace 30 cannot insert the shaft body 38A of the bolt 38 into the oval portion 34B and has a protruding portion between the circular portion 34A and the oval portion 34B. Since 34C is provided, the shaft body 38A of the bolt 38 cannot be inserted into the oval portion 34B before the mounting hole 34 is deformed. Therefore, erroneous assembly (insertion of the shaft body 38A of the bolt 38 into a portion other than the circular portion 34A of the mounting hole 34) at the time of fastening of the mounting portion 30B of the cowl side brace 30 to the vehicle rear side surface 28A of the steering column support 28 is prevented. it can.

  In this embodiment, as the relative displacement permissible mechanism of the present invention, the mounting hole 34 in which the circular portion 34A and the oval portion 34B are continuously formed is formed in the mounting portion 30B. It is not limited to. That is, the mounting hole 34 may have a shape that allows the shaft body 38A of the bolt 38 to move relative to the cowl side brace 30 along the axial direction when a load on the vehicle upper side is input to the cowl side brace 30. It ’s fine.

10, vehicle front structure 14 instrument panel reinforcement 18L front pillar 30 cowl side brace 34 mounting hole (relative displacement permissible mechanism)
38A Shaft (Relative displacement tolerance mechanism)

Claims (1)

A pair of left and right front pillars provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction;
Instrument panel reinforcement spanned between the pair of left and right front pillars;
In the front pillar on the driver's seat side, a cowl side brace having one end fastened below the instrument panel reinforcement and the other end fastened to the instrument panel reinforcement,
A relative displacement permissible mechanism in which the other end of the cowl side brace is relatively displaceable along the axial direction of the cowl side brace with respect to the instrument panel reinforcement;
A vehicle front structure comprising:

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