JP6524622B2 - Vehicle side structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle side structure provided with a columnar center pillar extending vertically in the center of a vehicle body side and a roof side rail joined to the center pillar.

  On the side of a vehicle such as a car, a plurality of pillars (supports) supporting a roof are provided. Each pillar is called a front pillar, a center pillar, and a rear pillar from the vehicle front side. The upper end portion of each pillar is coupled to a roof side rail extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction. These members form the framework of the vehicle side, and each pillar and roof side rail require a corresponding rigidity to support the roof.

  Patent Document 1 describes a center pillar upper structure including a center pillar and a roof side rail joined to the center pillar. The roof side rail described in Patent Document 1 includes a roof side outer panel disposed outside the vehicle and a roof side inner panel disposed inside the vehicle of the roof side outer panel. Further, the center pillar has a center pillar inner panel, a center pillar outer panel, and a working hole.

  The center pillar inner panel of Patent Document 1 overlaps the roof side outer panel and the roof side inner panel. The center pillar outer panel is disposed outside the roof side outer panel. The work holes are formed in the center pillar outer panel and are openings for passing welding tools inserted from the vehicle outer side. The working hole is formed at a position facing the overlapping portion of the center pillar inner panel, the roof side outer panel, and the roof side inner panel in the center pillar outer panel.

  In the center pillar upper structure described in Patent Document 1, spot welding is performed only at one place by the welding tool passed through the working hole in the overlapping portion of the center pillar inner panel, the roof side outer panel and the roof side inner panel.

JP, 2013-230796, A

  In a vehicle, for example, when traveling, a rotational direction force with the overlapping portion acting as a fulcrum acts on a joint portion where the center pillar and the roof side rail are joined (welded), that is, the overlapping portion, and a torsional stress is generated. May. However, in the structure described in Patent Document 1, since only one welding is performed at the overlapping portion of the panels, a torsional stress may be concentrated at the joint, and the joint may be deformed. That is, the technique of Patent Document 1 does not consider increasing rigidity against torsional stress concentrated on the overlapping portion of the center pillar and the roof side rail.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to increase the number of joints by making the working holes formed in the center pillar outer panel larger than before, and widening the movable range of the welding tool to be welded through the working holes. However, in such a case, the rigidity of the center pillar outer panel is impaired by enlarging the working hole.

  In view of such problems, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle side structure that improves the rigidity of the overlapping portion of the center pillar and the roof side rail and does not impair the rigidity of the center pillar outer panel.

  In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of a vehicle side portion structure according to the present invention is a columnar center pillar extending vertically in the middle of a vehicle body side portion, and a front and rear portion of the vehicle joined to an upper end portion of the center pillar. In a vehicle side structure including a roof side rail extending in a direction, the roof side rail has a roof side reinforcement disposed on the vehicle exterior and a roof side inner panel disposed on the vehicle interior of the roof side reinforcement. The center pillars overlap the roof side reinforcement and the roof side inner panel, the center pillar inner panel overlapping between them, the center pillar reinforcement located outside the roof side reinforcement, and the roof side reinforcement overlap. Center pillar reinforcement at the position facing the part The roof side reinforcement, the center pillar inner panel, and the roof side inner panel have a cross section including two side surfaces that are convex inward as viewed from above the vehicle at the overlapping portion. It is characterized by

  Here, in the overlapping portion of the center pillar and the roof side rail, a force in the rotational direction with the overlapping portion acting as a fulcrum when the vehicle travels may act to generate a torsional stress. However, according to the above configuration of the present invention, in the overlapping portion of the roof side reinforcement, the center pillar inner panel and the roof side inner panel, a cross section consisting of two side surfaces is formed, thereby enabling joining on two surfaces. ing. As an example, when the center of rotation when receiving a force in the rotational direction is located near the boundary of the two sides, joining is performed on the two sides on both sides near the boundary, and the two joint points are spaced apart. If it is, it can disperse | distribute the torsional stress concentrated when joining only in one place is performed. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the rigidity of the overlapping portion of the center pillar and the roof side rail can be improved. Also, the two side surfaces are inclined with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction. Thus, the welding tool can contact the two sides simply by inserting and tilting it in the working hole. Therefore, there is no need to enlarge the working hole, and the rigidity of the center pillar reinforcement is not impaired.

  The above-mentioned vehicle side structure may further include a connecting surface connecting the two side inner side ends. According to the above configuration, in the overlapping portion of the roof side reinforcement, the center pillar inner panel and the roof side inner panel, a cross section consisting of the connecting surface and the two side surfaces is formed, thereby enabling joining on three surfaces. ing. As an example, when the center of rotation when receiving a force in the rotational direction is in the vicinity of the connection surface, bonding is performed not only on the connection surface but also on the two side surfaces on either side. If it is, it can disperse | distribute the torsional stress concentrated when joining only in one place is performed. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the rigidity of the overlapping portion of the center pillar and the roof side rail can be improved.

  Further, on two side surfaces inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a part of torsional stress along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle may act in the direction of peeling off the joint. Even in such a case, the connecting surfaces are joined in the shear direction with respect to the torsional stress. That is, according to the above configuration, since the overlapping portion includes the connecting surface in addition to the two side surfaces, stronger bonding is possible.

  The roof side reinforcement, the center pillar inner panel and the roof side inner panel described above are joined to each other at the connecting surface and the two side surfaces, and the first connecting point at the connecting surface and the second connecting point at the two side surfaces are The work hole may be offset in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the work hole may have a shape that overlaps the first junction and reaches the height of the second junction.

  Thus, when the first joint point is offset in the vehicle vertical direction with respect to the second joint point, the twist concentrates on the overlapping portion of the center pillar and the roof side rail as compared with the case where the first joint point is not offset. Stress can be more easily dispersed, and stronger bonding can be performed. Also, the working hole has a shape that overlaps the first joint point and reaches the height of the second joint point. Therefore, the welding tool can be brought into contact with the second joint point simply by inserting and tilting the welding tool into the working hole at the height of the second joint point. Therefore, the rigidity of the center pillar reinforcement can be maintained without the working hole becoming unnecessarily large.

  The two perpendicular lines perpendicular to the above two side surfaces may intersect at the work hole when viewed from above the vehicle. That is, the two side surfaces are inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle such that the two perpendicular lines intersect at the working hole. For this reason, only by moving the welding tool inserted into the working hole along the perpendicular perpendicular to the working hole, the two sides can be brought into contact. Therefore, there is no need to enlarge the working hole.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while improving the rigidity of the overlapping part of a center pillar and a roof side rail, the vehicle side structure which does not lose the rigidity of a center pillar outer panel can be provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows roughly the vehicle by which the vehicle side structure in this embodiment is applied. It is a figure which shows the vehicle side part structure of FIG. It is a figure which expands and shows a part of vehicle side part structure of Fig.2 (a). FIG. 4 is a cross section of the vehicle side structure of FIG. 3; It is a figure which shows the vehicle side part structure of a comparative example. It is a figure which shows the DD cross section of FIG.5 (b). It is a figure which shows typically the cross section of the vehicle side part structure of a modification. It is a figure which shows the vehicle side structure of another modification.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values and the like shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the invention, and the invention is not limited except as otherwise described. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals to omit repeated description, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. Do.

  FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a vehicle 102 to which a vehicle side structure 100 in the present embodiment is applied. FIG. 1A schematically shows the vehicle 102 as viewed obliquely from the rear on the right side of the vehicle. FIG. 1B shows a state in which the vicinity of the center of the vehicle body side portion of the vehicle 102 in FIG. 1A is viewed from the right side of the vehicle. Arrows X, Y, and Z shown in the drawings below indicate the vehicle front side, the vehicle upper side, and the vehicle outer side, respectively.

  Vehicle side structure 100 is provided with center pillar 104 and roof side rail 106, as shown in Drawing 1 (a). The center pillar 104 is a member extending vertically in the middle of the side portion of the vehicle body and supporting a roof (not shown) of the vehicle 102. The roof side rail 106 is joined to the upper end portion 108 of the center pillar 104, and extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction along the side edge of the roof.

  By the way, in the vehicle side structure 100, when the vehicle 102 travels, in a portion 110 where the center pillar 104 and the roof side rail 106 overlap, as shown in FIG. Forces Fa and Fb may act. In such a case, a torsional stress is generated on the overlapping portion 110. Since the center pillar 104 and the roof side rail 106 are members forming a framework of the vehicle side, corresponding rigidity is required to support the roof. So, in this embodiment, even if it is a case where it receives torsional stress accompanying the force Fa of a rotation direction, and Fb, the structure which suppresses a deformation | transformation is employ | adopted by raising the rigidity of the overlapping part 110. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the roof side rail 106 has a roof side rail outer panel 112 disposed outside the vehicle, and further has a roof side reinforcement 114 and a roof side inner panel 116 inside the vehicle. (See FIG. 2 (b)). The center pillar 104 has a center pillar outer panel 118 forming a side wall of the vehicle, and further has a center pillar reinforcement 120 and a center pillar inner panel 122 inside the vehicle (see FIG. 2B).

  FIG. 2 is a view showing the vehicle side structure 100 of FIG. FIG. 2A is a view showing the roof side rail outer panel 112 and the center pillar outer panel 118 omitted from the vehicle side structure 100 of FIG. 1B. FIG. 2 (b) is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle side structure 100 of FIG. 2 (a).

  The roof side inner panel 116 of the roof side rail 106 is disposed inside the roof side reinforcement 114, as shown in FIG. 2 (b). The center pillar inner panel 122 of the center pillar 104 is disposed to overlap the roof side reinforcement 114 and the roof side inner panel 116 therebetween. The center pillar reinforcement 120 is disposed outside the roof side reinforcement 114. The vehicle side structure 100 shown in FIG. 2A is formed by assembling such members as indicated by arrows in the drawing.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a part of the vehicle side structure 100 of FIG. 2 (a). 3 (a) and 3 (b) show the vehicle side structure 100 as viewed from the vehicle outer side and the vehicle inner side, respectively. FIG. 4 is a view showing a cross section of the vehicle side structure 100 of FIG. Fig.4 (a) is a figure which shows the BB cross section of FIG.3 (b). FIG. 4 (b) is a view schematically showing a cross section shown in FIG. 4 (a).

  The vehicle side structure 100 further has a working hole 124, as shown in FIG. 3 (a). The working hole 124 is formed in the center pillar reinforcement 120 and is an opening for passing a welding tool such as a welding gun 126 (see FIG. 4A) inserted from the outside of the vehicle. The working hole 124 is formed at a position facing the overlapping portion 110 of the center pillar reinforcement 120, as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 4 (a). Here, as shown in FIG. 4A, the roof side reinforcement 114, the center pillar inner panel 122, and the roof side inner panel 116 overlap each other, and these members can be joined by the welding gun 126. Area.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the roof side reinforcement 114, the center pillar inner panel 122 and the roof side inner panel 116 in the overlapping portion 110 have a trapezoidal wave-like cross section which is convex inward when viewed from above the vehicle. have. The trapezoidal wave-like cross section includes two side surfaces 128a and 128b and a connecting surface 130 connecting the in-vehicle end portions 128c and 128d of the side surfaces 128a and 128b. The connecting surface 130 and the two side surfaces 128 a and 128 b each include a junction point to which spot welding or the like is applied by the welding gun 126. That is, the connection surface 130 is a surface including the first joint point 132. The side surfaces 128a and 128b are surfaces including the second junction points 134a and 134b, respectively. Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, the center pillar reinforcement 120, the roof side reinforcement 114 and the roof side inner panel 116 are subjected to spot welding or the like at the joint points 136a and 136b at locations other than the overlapping portion 110. It is done.

  According to the trapezoidal wave-shaped cross section, as schematically shown in FIG. 4B, two side surfaces located on both sides of the connection surface 130 including the first junction 132 and further inclined with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction Second junctions 134a, 134b are present at 128a, 128b. For this reason, in the vehicle side structure 100, even if the fulcrum A, which is the rotation center when receiving the forces Fa and Fb in the rotational direction shown in FIG. Not only 130, but also two side surfaces 128a, 128b on both sides thereof are joined. That is, in the vehicle side structure 100, since the first joint point 132 and the second joint points 134a and 134b, which are the three joint points, are spaced apart, only one joint is performed. It can disperse the torsional stress concentrated on the In addition, since the junction points 136a and 136b are at positions away from the overlapping portion 110, they do not easily contribute when dispersing the torsional stress concentrated on the overlapping portion 110.

  Further, in the trapezoidal wave-like cross section, two perpendiculars 138a and 138b perpendicular to the two side surfaces 128a and 128b and passing through the second junctions 134a and 134b are shown at a point C near the work hole 124 when viewed from above the vehicle. Crosses. In other words, the two side surfaces 128a, 128b are inclined with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction at an angle such that the two perpendiculars 138a, 138b intersect near the work hole 124. For this reason, the welding gun 126 inserted into the working hole 124 can be brought into contact with the second joint points 134a and 134b of the two side surfaces 128a and 128b only by tilting them along the perpendicular lines 138a and 138b.

  FIG. 5 is a view showing a vehicle side structure 200 of a comparative example. 5 (a) and 5 (b) show the vehicle side structure 200 viewed from the outside and the inside of the vehicle, respectively. FIG. 6 is a view showing a cross section taken along a line DD in FIG. 5 (b).

  The vehicle side structure 200 of the comparative example has a small work hole 204 formed in the center pillar reinforcement 202 and is welded at only the joint point 208 included in the overlapping portion 206 as shown in FIG. It differs from the above-mentioned vehicle side structure 100. As shown in FIG. 6, the overlapping portion 206 here is a region where the roof side reinforcement 210, the center pillar inner panel 212 and the roof side inner panel 214 overlap, and these members can be joined by the welding gun 126. is there. In such a vehicle side structure 200, since welding is performed at only one location of the joint point 208 in the overlapping portion 206 of each member, a torsional stress may be concentrated at this welding location and may be deformed.

  Further, in the vehicle side structure 200, as shown in FIG. 5A, spot welding may be performed at junctions 218a and 218b located on the flanges 216a and 216b formed on the center pillar reinforcement 202. However, since the junctions 218 a and 218 b are located apart from the overlapping portion 206, it is difficult to disperse the torsional stress concentrated on the overlapping portion 206.

  On the other hand, in the vehicle side structure 100 of the present embodiment, the overlapping portion 110 of the center pillar 104 and the roof side rail 106 has a trapezoidal wave-like cross section which is convex inward when viewed from above the vehicle. In addition, the trapezoidal wave-like cross section includes two side surfaces 128a and 128b and a connection surface 130, and can disperse torsional stress concentrated on the overlapping portion 110. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the rigidity of the overlapping portion 110 can be improved.

  In addition, part of the torsional stress along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle may act on the two side surfaces 128a and 128b in the direction of peeling off the joint. However, even in such a case, the coupling surface 130 is joined in the shear direction with respect to the torsional stress. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, since the overlapping portion 110 of the center pillar 104 and the roof side rail 106 is a trapezoidal wave-like cross section including the connecting surface 130 in addition to the two side surfaces 128a and 128b, a stronger bonding is achieved. Is possible.

  Furthermore, since the two trapezoidal side surfaces 128a and 128b are inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, it is possible to contact the two side surfaces 128a and 128b simply by inserting and tilting the welding gun 126 into the working hole 124. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to make the working hole 124 formed in the center pillar reinforcement 120 large, and the rigidity of the center pillar reinforcement 120 is not impaired.

  In the above embodiment, the cross section of the overlapping portion 110 of the center pillar 104 and the roof side rail 106 has a trapezoidal wave shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this. May be adopted. That is, the cross section of the overlapping portion 110 may have a shape including two side surfaces that are convex inward when seen from above the vehicle. The modification will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

  FIG. 7 is a view schematically showing a cross section of a vehicle side portion structure 100A of a modification. The vehicle side structure 100A of the modification has a triangular wave-shaped cross section which is convex inward when viewed from above the vehicle in a portion 110A where the roof side reinforcement 114A, the center pillar inner panel 122A and the roof side inner panel 116A overlap. doing. The triangular cross-section includes two side surfaces 140a, 140b as shown, with an apex 142 near its boundary.

  In the vehicle side structure 100A, junctions 144a and 144b are present on two side surfaces 140a and 140b sandwiching the triangular top 142. For this reason, according to the vehicle side structure 100A, even when the fulcrum A, which is the rotation center when receiving the force in the rotation direction, is located near the crest 142 of the triangular wave, it is spaced from the crest 142 The two joint points 144a and 144b can disperse the torsional stress concentrated on the overlapping portion 110A and improve the rigidity of the overlapping portion 110A.

  Further, the two side surfaces 140a and 140b are inclined with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction. The two perpendicular lines 146a and 146b orthogonal to the two side surfaces 140a and 140b intersect near the work hole 124 as shown at a point E when viewed from above the vehicle. Therefore, in the vehicle side structure 100A, the welding gun 126 inserted into the working hole 124 is brought into contact with the two side faces 140a and 140b simply by tilting it along the perpendiculars 146a and 146b intersecting near the working hole 124. be able to. Therefore, the vehicle side structure 100A also does not need to make the working hole 124 large, and the rigidity of the center pillar reinforcement 120 is not impaired.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing another modified vehicle side structure 100B, 100C. In the vehicle side structure 100B, 100C, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the second joint point 134a in the two side faces 128a, 128b is with respect to the first joint point 132 in the connection face 130. , 134b are respectively offset to the vehicle lower side and the vehicle upper side. Further, as illustrated, the work holes 124A and 124B of the vehicle side structure 100B and 100C overlap the first joint point 132 and have a shape that reaches the height of the second joint points 134a and 134b. There is.

  As described above, in the vehicle side structures 100B and 100C, the first joint point 132 is offset in the vehicle vertical direction with respect to the second joint points 134a and 134b. Therefore, in the overlapping portion 110 of the center pillar 104 and the roof side rail 106, concentrated torsional stress is more easily dispersed as compared with the case where the first joint point 132 and the second joint points 134a and 134b are not offset. Stronger bonding is possible. In addition, the working holes 124A and 124B overlap the first joint point 132 and have a shape that reaches the height of the second joint points 134a and 134b. Therefore, the welding gun 126 can be brought into contact with the second joint points 134a and 134b simply by inserting and tilting the welding gun 126 into the working holes 124A and 124B at the height of the second joint points 134a and 134b. Therefore, the rigidity of the center pillar reinforcement 120 can be maintained without the working holes 124A and 124B becoming unnecessarily large.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the appended claims, and of course these also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood.

  The present invention can be applied to a vehicle side structure including a columnar center pillar extending vertically in the center of a vehicle body side and a roof side rail joined to the center pillar.

100, 100A, 100B, 100C: vehicle side structure, 102: vehicle, 104: center pillar, 106: roof side rail, 108: upper end, 110, 110A: overlapping portion, 112: roof side rail outer panel, 114, 114A: roof side reinforcement, 116, 116A: roof side inner panel, 118: center pillar outer panel, 120: center pillar reinforcement, 122, 122A: center pillar inner panel, 124, 124A, 124B: working hole, 126: ... Welding gun, 128a, 128b, 140a, 140b ... Side surface, 128c, 128d ... Car inner end, 130 ... Coupling surface, 132 ... First joint point, 134a, 134b ... Second joint point 136a, 136b, 144a, 144b ... bonding , 138a, 138b, 146a, 146b ... perpendicular line, 142 ... top

Claims (2)

A vehicle side structure comprising: a columnar center pillar extending vertically in the center of a vehicle body side portion; and a roof side rail extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction joined to an upper end portion of the center pillar;
The roof side rail is
With a roof side reinforcement located outside the vehicle,
And a roof side inner panel disposed on the inner side of the roof side reinforcement.
The center pillar is
A center pillar inner panel overlapping the roof side reinforcement and the roof side inner panel therebetween;
A center pillar reinforcement disposed on the outside of the roof side reinforcement;
A working hole formed in the center pillar reinforcement at a position facing the overlapping portion of the roof side reinforcement;
The roof side reinforcement, the center pillar inner panel, and the roof side inner panel have a cross section including two side surfaces that are convex inward when viewed from above the vehicle at the overlapping portion,
The vehicle side structure further includes a connecting surface connecting the inboard end of the two sides,
The roof side reinforcement, the center pillar inner panel and the roof side inner panel are joined together at the connecting surface and the two side surfaces,
The first connection point in the connection surface and the second connection point in the two side surfaces are offset in the vehicle vertical direction,
The vehicle side structure according to claim 1, wherein the working hole is overlapped with the first joint point and reaches a height of the second joint point . The vehicle side structure according to claim 1, wherein two perpendicular lines perpendicular to the two side surfaces intersect at the work hole when viewed from above the vehicle.

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