JPH08219216A - Coupling jig structure of energy absorber having trigger in central area - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a coupling jig structure of an energy absorber having its trigger in the central area where much shock energy is stably absorbed by preventing a cylindrical hollow body staying around the trigger from its movement when it is crushed by pressure, while holding the development of the pressurized crush of the energy absorber having the trigger nearly in its central area. CONSTITUTION: An energy absorber consists of a coupling jig body 3 for touching and holding upper and lower parts around a trigger 5 by means of pints, lines and surfaces is provided on the inner surface of a cylindrical hollow body 2 made of fiber compound material reinforcing compound material having the hard trigger 5 nearly in its center, and on the upper and lower parts of the jig body 3, spring members 4, 4 having the same shapes and strength are arranged mutually oppositely along their axial direction. When any load is applied to this energy absorber 1, its pressurized crush starts from around the trigger 5, but the cylindrical hollow body 2 can be deformed without suffering from its lateral fall and vertical shift, by means of the coupling jig body 3. Thus, the shock energy can be absorbed stably.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an energy absorber connecting jig having a trigger at the central portion among energy absorbers provided in a structure such as a vehicle for absorbing impact energy at the time of collision. Regarding the structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A structure such as a vehicle which receives an impact force has conventionally been equipped with an energy absorber for absorbing impact energy at the time of collision. There are various types of this energy absorber, but it is disclosed in JP-A-6-307479.
An energy absorber 1h having a trigger 5 in the central portion as shown in Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) is cited (FIG. 14). This energy absorber 1h is composed of a cylindrical hollow body 2h whose upper and lower ends are open as shown in the figure, and a ring-shaped trigger 5 which is embedded in approximately the center thereof. The cylindrical hollow body 2h of FIG.
Is a hollow cylindrical body, and the trigger 5 is an annular rod having a substantially square cross section. The trigger 5 is arranged with the corners of the square oriented vertically and horizontally. The tubular hollow body 2h is made of a fiber reinforced composite material, and the trigger 5 is made of a material having higher hardness than the fiber reinforced composite material, and is preferably made of metal. When an external force acts on the energy absorber 1h to cause local destruction, first, the destruction starts from the portion of the trigger 5 and proceeds. With this, it is possible to perform crushing by the planned constant destruction mechanism, and because both ends are flat, there are no restrictions on attachment at the end of the member, and the target energy absorption capacity can be stably exhibited. Can be raised.

[0003]

When a compressive load P acts on the energy absorber 1h shown in FIG. 14, crushing as shown in FIG. 15 starts. That is, the tubular hollow body 2h is crushed at the corners of the trigger 5, and as shown by the dotted line, the tubular hollow body 2h.
A crush line 22 is generated in h. When the load P is further increased, as shown in FIG. 16, the tubular hollow body 2h is broken from the central portion surrounding the trigger 5 into two portions, and the fragments 23 are vertically generated. When the load P is a simple vertical load, the impact energy is absorbed by the crush, but if a lateral load acts or an eccentric load or a lateral load is generated as the crush progresses, it is shown in FIG. As described above, the cylindrical hollow body 2h is laid sideways, or is vertically displaced as shown in FIG.
There is a problem that impact energy cannot be stably absorbed.

In the case of the above-mentioned energy absorber 2h, the trigger 5 is formed as a separate component, but the trigger 5 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, there are energy absorbers 1i and 1j having a trigger 5i having a <-shaped groove and a trigger 5j having a C-shaped groove at approximately the center of the cylindrical hollow bodies 2i and 2j. Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the energy absorber 1 of FIG.
There is also an energy absorber 1k having a trigger 5k in which the groove of i is filled with a low-strength fiber composite material 21k. In the case of these energy absorbers 1i, 1j, 1k and similar energy absorbers (not shown), the above-mentioned FIG.
Problems similar to those of the energy absorber 1h shown in (1) occur.

The present invention solves the above problems and is capable of stably absorbing a large amount of impact energy irrespective of the acting direction of a load, and at the same time, crushing starts from the trigger portion in the central portion. An object of the present invention is to provide a connecting jig structure for an energy absorber having a trigger in the central portion, which can form a constant destruction mechanism.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is an energy absorber comprising a tubular hollow body made of a fiber composite reinforced composite material and provided with a trigger substantially at the center in the axial direction thereof. A connecting jig structure fitted around the trigger of the tubular hollow body so as to hold the upper and lower parts of the tubular hollow body defined by the trigger, the inner surface of the tubular hollow body and And / or a trigger is provided in the central portion provided with a connecting jig main body that makes point contact, line contact or surface contact with the outer surface, and spring members arranged above and below the connecting jig main body so as to face each other along the axial direction. And a connecting jig structure of the energy absorber having the above. More specifically, the connecting jig main body is configured to fixedly connect an upper member that contacts an upper part and a lower member that contacts a lower part of the trigger mounting position, and the like. A connecting tool arranged along the axial direction, the connecting jig main body, a plurality of contact rods arranged along the axial direction centering on the arrangement position of the trigger and contacting the cylindrical hollow body, It is characterized in that it comprises a connecting member of the contact rods, and at least three contact rods are arranged at substantially equal intervals along the circumferential direction.

[0007]

The upper and lower parts of the cylindrical hollow body having the trigger at the center are supported by the connecting jig body which makes point, line and surface contact with the hollow body. Since the upper and lower parts of the connecting jig body are connected to each other and have an integral structure, the upper and lower parts of the tubular hollow body support each other. Therefore, unlike the related art, it is unlikely that lateral collapse or vertical displacement due to crushing occurs. This makes it possible to stably absorb a large amount of impact energy. Further, since the central central portion of the trigger is still most easily crushed in the tubular central body, crushing starts around the trigger.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is an axial sectional view of an energy absorber according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a connecting jig body in FIG. 1, and FIG.
Is an axial sectional view showing a collapsed state of the energy absorber of FIG. 1,
4 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the connecting jig body, FIG. 5 is an axial sectional view of an energy absorber having another connecting jig body, and FIG. 6 is an embodiment of the connecting jig body of FIG. FIG. 7 is an axial sectional view of an energy absorber in which a connecting jig body is provided on the outer surface side of a cylindrical hollow body, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the connecting jig body in FIG. 9 is an axial sectional view of an energy absorber provided with a connecting jig body that makes point contact with the outer surface side of the cylindrical hollow body, FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the connecting jig body in FIG. 9, and FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view showing an embodiment of the energy absorber of the present invention having a trigger different from FIG.
2 is a partial axial sectional view showing an energy absorber of the present invention having a trigger different from that of FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 shows an embodiment of the energy absorber of the present invention having a trigger filled with a low-strength fiber composite material. It is a partial axial sectional view.

As shown in FIG. 1, the energy absorber 1 includes a cylindrical hollow body 2, a connecting jig body 3 fitted to the inner periphery of the hollow body 2, and spring members 4 arranged above and below the connecting jig body 3. , 4 etc. An annular trigger 5 having a square cross section is embedded in the center of the tubular hollow body 2. The tubular hollow body 2 is made of a fiber composite material reinforced composite material, and the trigger 5 is made of, for example, an iron material having a higher hardness. Further, the material of the connecting jig body 3 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the material is a fiber composite material reinforced composite material or a resin material, for example, because it is preferable that the connection jig main body 3 has followability with the tubular hollow body 2. Further, as the spring members 4 and 4, coil springs having the same shape and the same strength are used in this embodiment. Further, the trigger 5 is arranged so that the corners of the square are directed vertically and horizontally.

As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting jig body 3 of this embodiment comprises a disk-shaped upper member 6, a lower member 7 having the same shape, and a cylindrical hollow body for connecting these members. 2 and a rod-shaped connecting tool 8 arranged along the axial direction of 2 are integrally connected. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper member 6 and the lower member 7 are arranged in vertically symmetrical positions with the trigger 5 as the center, and are mechanically fixed by fitting or adhesive fixing in the cylindrical hollow body 2. With the above structure, the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical hollow body 2 is in surface contact with the circumferential surfaces of the upper member 6 and the lower member 7, and supports the inner surfaces.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the lower surface of the energy absorber 1 of this embodiment is fixed and a load P is applied to the upper surface by the structure 24, the energy absorber 1 is compressed and deformed. When the load P exceeds a certain value, crushing occurs around the trigger 5 and fragments 23 are generated. When the load P increases, an eccentric load or a lateral load is generated, or when another lateral load acts, the crushed tubular hollow body 2 is likely to move in the sideways direction or the vertical direction. However, the connecting jig body 3 functions to suppress this phenomenon. That is, for the lateral fall of the upper side as shown in FIG. 17, the connecting member 8 is attached to the lower member 7.
The upper member 6 held via the roller resists and acts to prevent the sideways movement. In addition, a similar suppressing action occurs also with respect to the vertical shift shown in FIG. On the other hand, since the connecting jig body 3 is vertically supported by the spring members 4 and 4 having the same shape and strength, it is always positioned and held at the central position. Therefore, the trigger 5 is always located at the center of the upper member 6 and the lower member 7. With the above structure, the energy absorber 1 is displaced in the vertical state and is crushed from around the trigger 5 in the central portion to stably absorb the impact energy.

FIG. 4 shows another connecting jig body 3a fitted in the cylindrical hollow body 2 shown in FIG. The connecting jig body 3a has a cross-shaped upper member 6a having four contact points 9.
And a lower member 7a having the same shape as this and a rod-shaped connector 8a for integrally connecting these members. The connecting jig body 3 shown in FIG. 2 supports the cylindrical hollow body 2 by surface contact, but the connecting jig body 3a of this embodiment supports the cylindrical hollow body 2 by point contact at the contact point 9. Is. By the point contact, the pressing force is concentrated at the contact point, and the cylindrical hollow body 2 is locally and firmly supported, and it has an effect of preventing deformation.

FIG. 5 shows the same trigger 5 as in FIG. 1 and the inner surface of the cylindrical hollow body 2, which is different from the above embodiment, in the connecting jig body 3.
The energy absorber 1b provided with b is shown. The spring members 4 and 4 are arranged above and below the connecting jig body 3b as in the above-described embodiment. This connecting jig body 3b is used for the cylindrical hollow body 2
It has three or more contact rods 10 that make line or surface contact with each other along the axial direction of the inner surface and the connecting tool 11 thereof, and the shape thereof is not particularly limited. FIG. 6 shows an embodiment thereof, which comprises four rod-shaped contact rods 10 and connecting tools 11, 11 for connecting them. In this embodiment, the contact rod 10 has a round bar shape, and is in line contact with the inner surface of the tubular hollow body 2 along the axial direction. Of course, the number of contact rods 10 is not limited to four.
Although not shown, the contact rod 10 may be brought into surface contact with the inner surface of the tubular hollow body 2 by forming an arcuate surface having the same radius as the inner surface of the tubular hollow body 2 in the contact portion of the contact rod 10. It is possible. With the above structure, it is possible to obtain substantially the same effect as that of the above embodiment.

The energy absorber 1c shown in FIG. 7 has the same trigger 5 as that shown in FIG. 1 and the connecting jig body 3c fitted on the outer surface of the tubular hollow body 2. In addition, the spring members 4, 4 having the same shape and strength are provided above and below the connecting jig body 3c.
Is arranged. This connecting jig body 3c is a hollow cylindrical body 2
It has three or more contact rods 12 in line or surface contact with each other along the axial direction of the outer surface and the connecting tool 13 thereof, and the shape thereof is not particularly limited. FIG. 8 shows an embodiment thereof, which is composed of four round bar-shaped contact rods 12 and ring-shaped connecting tools 13 and 13 for connecting them. The contact rod 12 makes line contact with the outer surface of the tubular hollow body 2 along the axial direction to support the tubular hollow body 2. In addition, the upper and lower ring-shaped connecting tools 13, 13 also support the outer periphery of the cylindrical hollow body 2. With the above structure, the energy absorber 1c can achieve substantially the same effect as that of the above embodiment. The contact rod 12
The tubular hollow body 2 is formed by forming an arcuate surface having the same radius as the outer circumference of the tubular hollow body 2 in the portion in contact with the tubular hollow body 2.
And the contact rod 12 are in surface contact with each other along the axial direction. Thereby, it is supported more firmly.

The energy absorber 1d shown in FIG. 9 is the same as that shown in FIG. 1 except that the connecting jig body 3d is attached to the outer surfaces of the trigger 5 and the cylindrical hollow body 2. Spring members 4 and 4 having the same shape and strength are arranged above and below the connecting jig body 3d. The connecting jig body 3d of the present embodiment includes an upper member 16 and a lower member 17 which are in point contact with each other at a plurality of points along the circumferential direction at vertically symmetrical positions on the outer periphery of the cylindrical hollow body 2 around the trigger 5. And a connecting tool 18 for connecting them.
FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of the connecting jig body 3d of this embodiment. The upper member 16 and the lower member 17 are of the same shape, and are formed by projecting a plurality of (four in the figure) pointed portions 19 on the inner surface side of the ring-shaped member.
The pointed portion 19 makes point contact with the outer surface of the cylindrical hollow body 2 and supports it. Further, the connecting member 18 is a rod-shaped member arranged along the axial direction so as to integrally connect the upper member 16 and the lower member 17. With the above structure, the energy absorber 1d of the present embodiment can also achieve substantially the same effect as that of the above embodiment. If the pointed portion 19 is directed outward,
The connecting jig body is in point contact with the inner surface of the cylindrical hollow body 2.

The energy absorber 1e of FIG. 11 has a cylindrical hollow body 2e in which a trigger 5e having a <-shaped groove is provided in place of the trigger 5 in the energy absorber 1 shown in FIG. The connecting jig body 3e and the spring member 4e are shown in FIG.
It is almost the same as that of. FIG. 12 shows a part of an energy absorber 1f having a cylindrical hollow body 2f having a trigger 5f of a C-shaped groove, and FIG. 13 shows a fiber composite material 21 of low strength in a <shaped groove 21. 2 shows an energy absorber 1g provided with a cylindrical hollow body 2g having a trigger 5g filled with. The energy absorbers 1f and 1g are provided with the same connecting jig body 3e as the energy absorber 1e. Also in the case of these energy absorbers 1e, 1f, 1g, it is possible to obtain substantially the same effect as in the above-mentioned embodiment.

As described above, by providing the connecting jig main body for supporting the upper and lower sides of the tubular hollow body around the trigger on the inner and outer surfaces of the tubular hollow body having the trigger provided at the substantially central portion thereof, it is possible to prevent the crushing during crushing. Deformation is prevented and stable impact energy is absorbed. In addition, although various shapes of triggers have been described in the above embodiments, the shape of the trigger is not limited to the above description. Further, the arrangement of the trigger of the tubular hollow body is not limited to the center, and may be any position apart from the upper and lower end faces of the tubular hollow body. In addition, the connecting jig body also has points, lines, and lines around the trigger on the inner and outer surfaces of the cylindrical hollow body.
Any surface contact may be used, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Further, the tubular hollow body is not limited to a cylindrical one, and may be a rectangular one.
The present invention can be applied to all of the embodiments described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 79.

[0018]

According to the present invention, the following remarkable effects are obtained. 1) By arranging the connecting jig main body which supports the cylindrical hollow body in point, line and surface contact around the trigger of the cylindrical hollow body of the energy absorber by engaging with the inner and outer surfaces of the cylindrical hollow body. It is possible to prevent the tubular hollow body from moving sideways, vertically displaced, or the like when it is crushed. Thereby, a large amount of impact energy can be stably absorbed. 2) Since the connecting jig body is vertically supported by the spring member, it is always arranged at the same position. As a result, the tubular hollow body is always supported by the connecting jig body at the same position. 3) Since the connecting jig body is arranged at symmetrical positions vertically with respect to the trigger, crushing of the energy absorber is always started around the trigger. As a result, the progress of crushing progresses in the same manner as in the conventional technique centering on the trigger, and the crushing progresses by a predetermined fixed fracture mechanism. 4) The connecting jig body can be attached to the existing energy absorber, and can be easily and inexpensively implemented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view of an energy absorber according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a connecting jig body in FIG.

3 is an axial sectional view showing a collapsed state of the energy absorber of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the connecting jig body in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an axial sectional view of an energy absorber provided with another connecting jig body.

6 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the connecting jig body of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an axial cross-sectional view of an energy absorber in which a connecting jig body is provided on the outer surface side of a cylindrical hollow body.

8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the connecting jig body in FIG.

FIG. 9 is an axial sectional view of an energy absorber provided with a connecting jig body that makes point contact with the outer surface side of a cylindrical hollow body.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the connecting jig body in FIG.

11 is an axial sectional view showing an embodiment of the energy absorber of the present invention having a trigger different from that in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a partial axial sectional view showing an energy absorber of the present invention having a trigger different from the trigger of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a partial axial sectional view showing an embodiment of the energy absorber of the present invention having a trigger filled with a low-strength fiber composite material.

FIG. 14 is an axial sectional view of a conventional energy absorber.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged partial axial cross-sectional view showing a state of the energy absorber of FIG. 14 in an initial crushing state.

16 is an axial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the energy absorber of FIG. 14 is being crushed.

FIG. 17 is an axial cross-sectional view for explaining a problem of the energy absorber shown in FIG.

18 is an axial cross-sectional view for explaining the problems of the energy absorber shown in FIG.

FIG. 19 is an axial cross-sectional view of a conventional energy absorber having a <-type trigger.

FIG. 20 is an axial cross-sectional view of a conventional energy absorber having a C-shaped trigger.

FIG. 21 is an axial cross-sectional view of a conventional energy absorber having a trigger formed by filling a low-strength fiber composite material in a concave groove of a mold.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Energy Absorber 1b Energy Absorber 1c Energy Absorber 1d Energy Absorber 1e Energy Absorber 1f Energy Absorber 1g Energy Absorber 2 Cylindrical Hollow Body 2e Cylindrical Hollow Body 2f Cylindrical Hollow Body 2g Cylindrical Hollow Body 3 Connection Jig main body 3a Connection jig main body 3b Connection jig main body 3c Connection jig main body 3d Connection jig main body 3e Connection jig main body 4 Spring member 4e Spring member 5 Trigger 5e Trigger 5f Trigger 5g Trigger 6 Upper member 6a Upper member 7 Lower Side member 7a Lower member 8 Connector 8a Connector 9 Contact point 10 Contact rod 11 Connector 12 Contact rod 13 Connector 16 Upper member 17 Lower member 18 Connector 19 Pointed portion 21 Fiber composite material 22 Crush line 23 Broken piece 24 Structure

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An energy absorber comprising a tubular hollow body made of a fiber reinforced composite material and provided with a trigger substantially at the center in the axial direction, holds upper and lower portions of the tubular hollow body defined by the trigger. A connecting jig structure which is fitted around the trigger of the tubular hollow body in order to make a point contact, a line contact or a surface contact with the inner surface and / or the outer surface of the tubular hollow body, A connecting jig structure for an energy absorber having a trigger in a central part, comprising spring members arranged above and below the connecting jig main body so as to face each other along an axial direction. 2. The connecting jig body fixedly connects an upper member that contacts an upper part of the trigger and a lower member that contacts a lower part of the trigger, in order to fixedly connect them. The connecting jig structure for an energy absorber having a trigger in the central portion according to claim 1, comprising a connecting tool arranged along the axial direction. 3. The connecting jig main body comprises a plurality of contact rods arranged along the axial direction centering on the arrangement position of the trigger and contacting the cylindrical hollow body, and a connecting tool for the contact rods. ,
2. The connecting jig structure for an energy absorber having a trigger at the center of claim 1, wherein at least three contact rods are arranged at substantially equal intervals along the circumferential direction.