JPH09254824A - Cross member - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable weight lightening of a cross member supporting a steering gear box to be pertinently designed without causing inconvenience as the steering gear box mounting part being directly hit by a stone while a vehicle is running. SOLUTION: The cross member includes a front plate 10 and a backplate 11 facing each other and an upper plate 12 connecting the upper ends of both plates 10, 11 and the backplate 11 is fitted with a bracket 2 for mounting a steering gear box 3. The bracket 2 is fitted to the backplate 11 so that its lower part 2b is positioned lower than the lower end 10b of the front plate 10 and the lower end 11b of the backplate 11 of the area where the bracket 2 is fitted is extended further below the lower end 10b of the front plate 10 so that it may face the front surface side of the lower part 2b of the bracket 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a technique for appropriately mounting a steering gear box on a cross member that is mounted so as to extend in the vehicle width direction of a vehicle such as an automobile while reducing the weight of the cross member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, a steering gear box of a vehicle converts a rotating operation of a steering wheel into a reciprocating operation in a vehicle width direction and transmits the reciprocating operation to a steering wheel. It must be fixed and attached to the. Therefore, conventionally, there are various means for fixing the steering gear box to the vehicle body, and one example thereof is, for example, the actual flat opening 3-43077.
There is a means shown in FIG. 5 of the publication.

In this conventional means, as shown in FIG. 7 of the present application, brackets 2e, 2e are attached to a rear plate portion 11e of a cross member 1e which is a constituent part of a subframe 9 of a vehicle. It is a means for attaching the steering gear box 3e to the cross member 1e via 2e. From the viewpoints of reducing the weight of the cross member 1e and ensuring the strength, it is preferable that the cross member 1e is formed in, for example, a channel shape (a U-shaped cross section) or a hollow square pipe shape. The cross member 1e is composed of such a member.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned conventional means have the following problems.

That is, even if the cross member 1e is formed of, for example, a channel-shaped or square pipe-shaped member, from the viewpoint of reducing the weight of the vehicle body described above, the respective parts are required to be the minimum necessary. It is required to set the dimensions. In order to meet such a demand, in the conventional case, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, if the vertical width H of the cross member 1e is made smaller than the vertical width H1 of the bracket 2e, the bracket 2e is positioned above the cross member 1e. Unless it is largely projected, the lower portion of the bracket 2e will protrude below the cross member 1e. This is not appropriate because the stone m and other objects bounced when the vehicle is running may directly hit the bracket portion protruding downward of the cross member 1e, and the mounting portion of the steering gear box 3e may be damaged.

Therefore, as a result, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the vertical width Ha of the cross member 1e is prevented so that the bracket 2e does not protrude below the cross member 1e.
Has to be formed larger than the vertical width H1 of the bracket 2e. On the other hand, there is a certain limit to miniaturization of the steering gear box 3e attached to the cross member 1e, and it is difficult to sufficiently reduce the vertical width H1 of the bracket 2e for attaching the steering gear box 3e. as a result,
Conventionally, the cross member 1e has to be formed large in correspondence with the size of the bracket 2e, which causes a problem that the weight of the cross member 1e increases.

The present invention has been devised under such circumstances, and the steering wheel can be operated without causing a problem that stones bounced off when the vehicle is running directly hit the mounting portion of the steering gear box. The problem is to make it possible to appropriately reduce the weight of the cross member that supports the gear box.

[0008]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical means.

That is, the present invention has a front plate part and a rear plate part facing each other, and an upper plate part connecting the upper ends of these plate parts, and the rear plate part has a steering gear box. A cross member to which a mounting bracket is mounted, wherein the bracket is mounted such that its lower portion is located below the lower end portion of the front plate portion, and the bracket is The lower end of the region where the bracket is attached is characterized in that it extends below the lower end of the front plate so as to face the front side of the lower part of the bracket.

In the present invention, the lower portion of the bracket for mounting the steering gear box is mounted so as to be located below the lower end portion of the front plate portion of the cross member, but a predetermined area of the rear plate portion of the cross member. Since the lower end portion of the rear plate portion extends below the lower end portion of the front plate portion and faces the front surface side of the lower portion of the bracket, the lower end portion of the rear plate portion protects the lower portion of the bracket. be able to. That is, even if a stone on the ground bounces in the direction in which it collides with the lower portion of the bracket when the vehicle is traveling, the stone is blocked by the lower portion of the rear plate portion of the cross member, and the bracket is directly hit. There is no such thing. Therefore, the bracket can be properly protected and the mounting portion of the steering gear box can be protected.

On the other hand, according to the present invention, since the lower portion of the bracket for mounting the steering gear box is set to be positioned lower than the lower end portion of the front plate portion, the vertical width of the front plate portion is the same as that of the bracket. The width may be smaller than the vertical width. Further, regarding the rear plate portion, it is sufficient to partially extend the lower end portion downward only in a certain area where the bracket is attached, and it is not necessary to increase the vertical width over the entire length of the rear plate portion. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to reduce the vertical width of the front plate while preventing the rear plate from becoming unnecessarily large, and thus it is possible to reduce the weight of the entire cross member.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to protect the mounting portion of the steering gear box and to reduce the weight of the cross member, which is a special effect not seen in the conventional means. .

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional plan view showing an example of a cross member 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view thereof. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line X1-X1 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line X2-X2 of FIG. In these figures, the arrow Fr indicates the front of the vehicle.

1 and 2, the cross member 1 has a front plate portion 10 and a rear plate portion 11 facing each other, and an upper plate portion 12 connecting the upper ends of the both plate portions 10 and 11. The cross-sectional shape of each part in the longitudinal direction is basically formed in a lower open channel shape (lower open cross-section U-shape), as shown in FIG. The cross member 1 having such a shape can be formed by pressing a metal plate having an appropriate thickness. Further, the cross member 1 may be formed by welding a plurality of metal plates press-molded into a channel shape, instead of a means for press-molding a single metal plate into a channel shape. Is.

The cross member 1 has two end portions 1a,
By attaching 1a to the desired body frame member,
It is configured so that it can be used as a suspension member. Specifically, both ends 1 of this cross member 1
A and 1a are bolt insertion holes 1 through which the cross member 1 is bolted to the vehicle body frame in a vertical direction.
3, 13 are provided. In addition, of the front plate portion 10 and the rear plate portion 11, both end portions 1 of the cross member 1
Holes 14 and 14 are provided to face each other in the vicinity of a and 1a. These holes 14, 14 are for supporting one end of the suspension arm 4 described later.

A steering gear box 3 to be described later is provided at a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the rear plate portion 11 of the cross member 1.
The two brackets 2 and 2 for mounting are mounted at appropriate intervals. Each of these brackets 2
Is, for example, formed by bending a metal plate in a U-shape in plan view, and the side plate portions 21 and 2 facing each other.
1 and a back plate portion 20 connecting the side plate portions 21 and 21 to each other.
Is provided. In each of the brackets 2, the end portions of the side plate portions 21 and 21 are welded to the cross member 1. Further, nuts 23 and 23 having screw holes 22 for bolting are welded to upper and lower two positions of the back plate portion 20 of each bracket 2.

From the viewpoint of ensuring the strength of the mounting portions of the brackets 2 and 2, the width W1 of the cross member 1 to which these brackets 2 and 2 are attached in the vehicle longitudinal direction at the substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction is the suspension arm. Is formed to be larger than the width W2 of the portion supporting the.

The front plate portion 10 of the cross member 1 is formed such that the vertical width S of the substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction is smaller than the vertical width Sa of each bracket 2. Therefore, each bracket 2 having a larger vertical width than the front plate portion 10
The upper portion 2a is attached so as to project upward from the upper plate portion 12 of the cross member 1 by an appropriate size. Further, the lower portion 2b of each bracket 2 is set to project downward by an appropriate dimension L from the height of the lower end portion 10b of the front plate portion 10.

The rear plate portion 11 of the cross member 1 is basically formed such that the vertical width thereof is equal to or smaller than the vertical width of the front plate portion 10 over the entire area in the longitudinal direction. A mounting area of one bracket 2, 2 and a constant area A (see FIG. 2) between the two brackets 2, 2 have a larger vertical width than the front plate portion 10. That is, as well shown in FIG.
In the region A, the lower end portion 11b of the rear plate portion 11 extends downward from the lower end portion 10b of the front plate portion 10 by a predetermined dimension L1, and the lower end portion 11b is located on the front side of the lower portion of each bracket 2. It is arranged to face each other. The dimension L1 is the same as or larger than the dimension L in which the lower portion 2b of each bracket 2 projects downward from the lower end portion 10b of the front plate portion 10.

As described above, the cross member 1 is basically in the shape of a lower open channel, but as shown in FIG. 3, the bottom plate 15 is provided at the substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the cross member 1. Are welded, and the downward opening of the cross member 1 is partially blocked. In this bottom plate 15,
A downwardly facing substantially circular truncated cone-shaped protrusion 16 is formed.
The protrusion 16 serves as a jack-up point when the vehicle is jacked up. For example, the bottom plate 1
It is formed integrally with the bottom plate 15 by subjecting 5 to stamping work.

Incidentally, of the lower end portion 10b of the front plate portion 10 of the cross member 1, a portion of the lower end portion 10b on the side of the protrusion portion 16 which protrudes slightly below the bottom plate 15 is projected.
7 are formed. The protrusion 17 is the protrusion 1
When you jack 6
It plays a role as a locking part to prevent it from coming off easily from 6. Further, the protrusion 17 is appropriately bent,
Alternatively, it is formed in a curved shape.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an essential part showing an example of a state in which the cross member 1 is incorporated in a vehicle body. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line X3-X3 of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cross member 1
Is attached to, for example, the side member 6 as one member of the vehicle body frame, and is set and used so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the attachment to the side member 6 is performed by arranging the end portions 1a below the side member 6 and then inserting the bolt 1 into the bolt insertion holes 13 and 13.
8 may be screwed into the screw hole 60 of the side member 6.
Thus, at least both ends 1a of the cross member 1,
If 1a is formed in the shape of a lower open channel, it can be easily attached to the vehicle body. Further, a pin 19 that supports one end of the suspension arm (lower arm) 4 is inserted into and attached to each of the holes 14, 14 of the cross member 1. This allows the cross member 1 to be properly used as a suspension member.

Further, a steering gear box 3 is attached to the two brackets 2 and 2. To mount the steering gear box 3, as shown in FIG. 6, a suitable holder 30 is fitted onto the small diameter portion of the steering gear box 3 and then both ends of the holder 30 are screwed into the screw holes 22 of the bracket 2. It may be tightened with the matching bolt 31. As a result, the steering gear box 3 can be arranged and fixed on the vehicle rear side of the cross member 1. The tie rods 3a at both ends of the steering gear box 3 are connected to the knuckle arms 33 connected to the wheels W.

In the vehicle body structure using the cross member 1, the lower portions 2b of the brackets 2 and 2 are located below the height of the lower end portion 10b of the front plate portion 10 of the cross member 1. However, on the front side of the lower portion 2b of the brackets 2 and 2, the lower end portion 11 of the rear plate portion 11 of the cross member 1 is
b exists in the form of extending downward. Therefore,
As shown in FIG. 6, even when the stone m on the ground jumps up to the rear side of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling, the stone m is blocked by the lower end portion 11b of the rear plate portion 11 and the bracket 2 You won't hit him directly. Moreover, the steering gear box 3 is not directly hit. Each of these parts is appropriately protected by the rear plate part 11 of the cross member 1.

On the other hand, the cross member 1 has a rear plate portion 1 in a fixed region A where the bracket 2 is attached.
Although the size of the vertical width of 1 is partially enlarged, the other portions of the rear plate portion 11 can be formed to the minimum necessary size. Also, the front plate portion 10
The vertical width of the substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction is smaller than the vertical width of the bracket 2, and the front plate portion 10 can have a smaller vertical width than the bracket 2 over substantially the entire length region of the cross member 1. . Therefore, it is possible to avoid making each part of the cross member 1 larger than necessary, and it is possible to reduce the weight of the cross member 1. Particularly, the weight reduction of the cross member 1 as the suspension member contributes to the weight reduction of the unsprung weight of the vehicle, which is more preferable.

Further, when jacking up the vehicle for maintenance and inspection of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 6, a projecting portion 16 of the bottom plate 15 in which the jack tool 8 having a dish shape is welded to the cross member 1 is provided. It is also possible to lift the vehicle body after fitting it to. At the location where the bottom plate 15 is welded, the cross member 1 has a closed cross-section structure and its rigidity is enhanced. The brackets 2 and 2 for mounting the steering gear box are mounted on this closed cross-section structure portion. Therefore, the strength of the mounting location of the brackets 2 and 2 can be efficiently increased. Further, as a result, the overall thickness of the cross member 1 can be reduced, and the weight can be further reduced.

In the above embodiment, the cross member configured as the suspension member attached to the side member of the vehicle has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, for example, similar to the one described in FIG. 7 as a conventional example, it may be used as a cross member forming a part of the sub-frame, and needless to say, a mounting means for the suspension arm is required. Nor.

The cross member according to the present invention may be any one that includes a front plate portion, a rear plate portion, and an upper plate portion, and the specific shapes of these portions are not limited to those in the above embodiment. Further, the specific configuration of the bracket for mounting the steering gear box and the specific difference in height between the lower part of the bracket and the lower end of the front plate are not limited. The specific configuration of each part can be modified in various ways.

Further, in the present invention, as a mode in which the lower end portion of the rear plate portion of the cross member faces the front surface side of the lower portion of the bracket, there is a state in which they are in face-to-face contact with each other.
There is a state where they are opposed to each other in a non-contact state, but the present invention may be in any form.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing an example of a cross member according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the cross member shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line X1-X1 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line X2-X2 of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an essential part showing an example of a state in which a cross member is incorporated in a vehicle body.

6 is a sectional view taken along line X3-X3 of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of a means for attaching a bracket for mounting a steering gear box to a conventional cross member.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another example of means for attaching a bracket for mounting a steering gear box to a conventional cross member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 cross member 2 bracket 2b lower part (of bracket) 3 steering gear box 10 front plate part 10b lower end part (of front plate part) 11 rear plate part 11b lower end part (of rear plate part) 12 upper plate part

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Akiyoshi Yamamoto 4-50 Hosoya-cho, Toyota-shi, Aichi Toyota Iron Works Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A bracket for mounting a steering gear box, comprising: a front plate portion and a rear plate portion facing each other; and an upper plate portion connecting upper ends of the both plate portions, and the rear plate portion. The bracket is attached such that the lower portion of the bracket is located below the lower end of the front plate portion, and the bracket is attached to the rear plate portion. The cross member is characterized in that the lower end of the area extending downwardly extends below the lower end of the front plate so as to face the lower front surface of the bracket.