JPH10175566A - Shock resisting structure for center pillar of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide shock resisting structure for the center pillar of an automobile to increase strength and rigidity throughout a portion ranging from a belt line to the roof side without increasing the width in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle. SOLUTION: A closed space is formed by joining inner and outer panels, and with the vicinity of the belt line 8 of a vehicle M serving as a boundary, the sectional area of a closed space on the roof side 6 is decreased to a value lower than that of the floor side 7. A section factor change part 15 is formed such that a section factor is gradually increased from a position above the roof side 6 toward the floor side 7. The section factor change part 15 is constituted by the change in the direction of width of an inner panel surface and the mounting structure of a rod-form member to a closed space.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an impact-resistant structure for a center pillar of an automobile, more specifically, when a vehicle receives an impact load from the side, it is largely bent near a belt line and deformed inside the vehicle. Reinforced so that it does not
With a door that has increased strength and rigidity, especially without a sash,
The present invention relates to an impact-resistant structure in a center pillar of a vehicle, which is suitable for a pillar-type hard-top type vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to take advantage of the appearance characteristic of a pillar-type hardtop type automobile having a door without a sash as described above, a center pillar has an upper portion near a belt line which is a boundary between a door panel and a door glass. The cross section on the roof side is extremely thinner than that on the lower floor side. In other words, the change in cross-sectional area between the roof side and the floor side was remarkable. For this reason, the section modulus Z of the conventional center pillar of an automobile is extremely small as shown by a broken line N in FIG. Therefore, when the vehicle M is collided from the side and receives an impact load F as shown in FIG. 14, the center pillar 20 is deformed into a V-shape near the belt line 8 as shown by a broken line Lb due to bending stress. There was a risk of entering the room and damaging the upper body of the occupant H, such as the chest and head. In FIG. 14, reference numeral 9 denotes a door panel;
Indicates a door glass.

Therefore, by interposing a seat belt reinforcement, a door lower hinge reinforcement, or the like between the outer panel and the inner panel, the strength and rigidity are set so as to fall within a target value range O surrounded by hatching in FIG. Between the door lower hinge mounting part and the door upper hinge mounting part, or between the door lower hinge mounting part and the door striker mounting part, so that the center pillar bends at a position near the floor when a collision from the side occurs. There is an impact-resistant structure in the center pillar of an automobile provided with a fragile portion between them (JP-A-7-61368).
Reference).

Further, a shock-resistant structure in a center pillar of an automobile in which a deformed position is controlled by forming a plurality of profile chambers having different lengths in the height direction of the center pillar as a plurality of reinforcements by stepwise extrusion and controlling the deformation position is also known. (See Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-503778).

[0005]

However, the impact-resistant structure of the above-described conventional center pillar of an automobile has the following problems. In other words, the conventional reinforcement is effective if the cross-sectional area of the closed space formed by the outer panel and the inner panel of the center pillar is set relatively large to increase the strength and rigidity. Due to design restrictions above the belt line in a model car, if the area of the enclosed space is enlarged, the appearance of the center pillar becomes worse or the view of the center pillar is obstructed. There was a limit.

[0006] As a result, the intended purpose of reinforcement to increase the rigidity of the center pillar itself has not always been sufficiently achieved. In the case where the shape chamber was provided with steps in the height direction, the structure was complicated and the production was troublesome.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, and has a structure in which the strength and rigidity are increased from the belt line to the roof side without increasing the longitudinal width of the vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a shock-resistant structure in a center pillar of a vehicle which is simple and inexpensive.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a shock-resistant structure for a center pillar of an automobile, and is constituted as follows to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. That is, the center pillar of the automobile according to the present invention forms a closed space by joining the inner panel and the outer panel, and the cross-sectional area of the closed space on the roof side near the belt line of the vehicle is smaller than that on the floor side. In a shock-resistant structure of a center pillar of an automobile which is formed small, a section coefficient changing portion which changes so that the section coefficient gradually increases from above the roof side to the floor side is constituted.

According to the impact-resistant structure of the center pillar of an automobile of the present invention, an inner panel constituting the center pillar,
The outer panel is usually formed by pressing a steel plate, but an aluminum plate or an engineering plastic can be used as necessary. Needless to say, a closed space having a desired shape can be formed by selecting an appropriate shape as necessary for the cross-sectional shape. Further, it is preferable that the predetermined position on the floor side, which bends and deforms when receiving an impact load, is set as close as possible to the feet of the occupant, and is separated from the occupant's upper body such as the chest and head. Preferably, a fragile portion is provided at the predetermined position.

The center pillar of the vehicle according to the present invention is described in claim 2.
As described in, consists of the essential components described above,
This is true even if the components are specifically as follows. The specific component is preferably that the section modulus changing portion of the present invention gradually expands the inner panel in the vehicle width direction.

Further, the center pillar of the automobile according to the present invention is characterized in that the section modulus changing portion inserts a rod-shaped member into the closed space and fixes the rod-shaped member to an outer panel in the closed space. (Claim 3
Corresponding to). It is common to use a circular cross section for the rod-shaped member, but the cross-sectional shape of the rod-shaped member is appropriately V-shaped or the like in accordance with the cross-sectional shape of the outer panel forming the closed space on the roof side of the center pillar. Can be set.
Further, it is needless to say that a solid material or a hollow pipe-shaped material can be used.

According to the shock-resistant structure of the center pillar of the automobile of the present invention, the section modulus is increased as shown by the thick line P in FIG. 13, and when the vehicle receives an impact load from the side, the front door and the rear door are crushed. At the same time, it is bent at a predetermined position on the floor side of the center pillar. At that time, the roof is bent as shown by the imaginary line La in FIG. 14, and the center pillar is not largely bent and deformed toward the room near the belt line 8 as in the related art. Therefore, the safety of the upper body such as the occupant's chest and head is ensured.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be illustratively described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified, and are merely illustrative examples. Only. Hereinafter, an impact-resistant structure in a center pillar of an automobile according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a side portion of a component of a body M of a vehicle of an automobile. A center pillar of the automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention is indicated by reference numeral 20.
The cross section of the center pillar taken along the line II-II to VII-VII in FIG. 1 is shown in FIGS. FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the inner panel of the center pillar 20 of the present invention, and FIGS. 8B and 8C are perspective views of the reinforcement of the inner panel. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a rod-shaped member as a reinforcing member.

FIG. 10 shows a cross section of the center pillar with a seat belt and a weather strip attached. FIG.
Is a monocoque body M in which components formed by pressing a steel plate or the like are fixed by welding or the like. 2 to 5, the center pillar 20 is formed by joining the inner panel 1 and the outer panel 2 by welding W or the like, and forms a closed space 3 therein. The inner panel 1 has a substantially U-shaped cross section. 8A, the inner panel 1 has a shape whose width gradually increases toward the floor side 7, and a lower end 1a is attached to a mounting base 5a of the side sill 5, and an upper end 1a.
b is attached to the roof rail 4.

The center pillar 20 has a cross-sectional area of the closed space 3 on the roof side 6 above the belt line 8 and the floor side 7 below the belt line 8 which is the boundary between the door panel 9 and the door glass 10, and the roof side 6 is on the floor side. 7 are formed relatively smaller. On the roof side 6, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1, and FIGS.
4, which is a sectional view taken along the line IV, FIG. 5, which is a sectional view taken along the line VV, and FIG. 6 which is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI, the height of the inner panel 1 is h1 from above to the belt line 8. From h5 to h5, and the section of the inner panel 1 rapidly changes greatly from the belt line 8 to the floor side 7 below, so that the inner surface of the inner panel 1 gradually moves outward in the vehicle width direction as shown in FIG. By recessing (by changing the inner surface of the inner panel 1 in the vehicle width direction), the section coefficient of the pillar at a portion straddling the belt line 8 above and below is changed from the roof side 6 to the floor side 7.
To increase gradually.

As a result, the substantial cross-sectional area formed by the inner panel 1 and the outer panel 2 increases, and this substantial cross-sectional area is gradually located away from the neutral axis, so that the center pillar 20 moves toward the belt line 8. The section coefficient changing section 15 in which the section coefficient Z gradually changes greatly is formed. A substantially U-shaped inner reinforcement 11a shown in FIG. 8 (b) is welded to the closed space 3 side of the inner panel 1 so as to cover the inner panel 1 on the outer surface thereof. The outer reinforcement 11b shown in FIG. In addition, these reinforcements 11a and 11b are attached to the roof side 6 of the center pillar 20, as is clear from FIGS.

The cross section of the outer panel 2 has a substantially V-shaped cross section, and its height and width do not change up to the vicinity of the belt line 8 and have the same cross section. An outer reinforcement 16 is attached to the outer panel 2 on the closed space 3 side. The lower end is attached to the attachment base 5 a of the side sill 5, and the upper end is attached to the roof rail 4, similarly to the inner panel. Further, in the present embodiment, the closed space 3 surrounded by the outer panel 2 and the inner panel 1 has a structure shown in FIG.
Insert a rod-shaped member 12 having a circular cross section having a shape as shown in FIG.
The rod-shaped member 12 is fixed to the inner surface of the outer panel 2 by welding W. The bar-shaped member 12 extends to the floor side 7 of the center pillar 20 beyond the belt line 8 and is a constituent member of the section modulus changing portion 15.

By attaching the bar-shaped member 12 as described above, the section modulus changing portion 15 can further increase the strength and rigidity. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the center pillar 20 corresponding to FIG. 4, and includes a seat belt anchor bolt 13, a weather strip 14, and a door glass 1.
0 is attached.

On the floor side 7 of the center pillar 20, FIG.
6 and VII, which are sectional views taken along line VI-VI of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7 which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII, the cross section of the center pillar 20 gradually expands downward, and openings 17a and 17b are formed inward in the vehicle width direction. The upper door upper hinge 21 can be attached to the portion 17a, and the lower door lower hinge 22 can be attached to the opening 17b. Also, two sides of the outer reinforcement 16
The cuts 18a and 18b are provided as shown by the dashed line, and when a shock is applied to the center pillar 20 from the side, the cuts 18a and 18b form a fragile portion where bending deformation occurs in the center pillar 20. ing. In addition,
The fragile portion can also be formed by reducing the section modulus by forming the inner panel 1 into a cross-sectional shape that penetrates into the closed space 3 instead of the cuts 18a and 18b described above.

According to the present embodiment, the section modulus Z gradually increases toward the belt line 8 as shown by the thick line P in FIG. 13, so that when the vehicle receives an impact load from the side, the front door, At the same time as the rear door is crushed, it is bent at a predetermined position on the floor side 7 of the center pillar 20. At this time, on the roof side, the center pillar does not largely bend and deform toward the room near the belt line 8 as shown by the imaginary line La in FIG. In addition, the center pillar does not impair the appearance of the automobile by the section modulus changing portion 15 nor hinder the occupant's view.

Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the width of the side surface of the outer panel 2a on the roof side 6 is formed to be slightly larger than the conventional one 2 indicated by an imaginary line by a width m and used in the above-described embodiment. Instead of the rod member 12 having a circular cross section, a rod member 12 a having a substantially V-shaped cross section is fixed to the inner surface of the outer reinforcement 16 in close contact. Known means such as welding and screwing are used for the fixing. Then, the inner panel 1 is gradually expanded greatly inward in the vehicle width direction (in the interior direction), and the sectional area of the closed space 3 on the roof side 6 of the center pillar is gradually enlarged from the upper side to the floor side. The coefficient changing unit 15 is configured.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 10 in which a seat belt anchor bolt 13 is attached to the inner panel 1, and a weather strip 14 and a door glass 10 are attached to the outer panel 2. It should be noted that increasing the width of the outer panel as described above is not an indispensable requirement of the present invention, and a conventional V-shaped one as shown by a two-dot chain line is used, and a cross section that matches this V-shape is used. A rod-shaped member may be used. The operation according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, and the description of the operation will be omitted. Further, in the above two embodiments, the rod-shaped members 12, 12a are inserted and fixed in the closed space 3, but the rod-shaped members 12 and 12a are simply used from the roof side 6 to the floor side 7 without using the rod-shaped members. The section modulus changing portion 15 is provided by gradually increasing the section modulus Z, or the section coefficient changing portion 15 is formed only by gradually expanding the inner panel 1 in the vehicle width direction on the roof side. It goes without saying that it is possible.

[0023]

As described above, according to the impact-resistant structure of the center pillar of an automobile according to the present invention, the section modulus change portion that changes so that the section modulus gradually increases from above the roof side to the floor side. Because it was provided,
When the vehicle receives an impact load from the side, when the center pillar bends and deforms at a predetermined position on the floor side, the center pillar does not bend and deform in the cabin direction at the position of the belt line, and the occupant cannot move the chest or head. Thus, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from being damaged, and to provide a vehicle with excellent safety.

Also, on the floor side, it is only necessary to gradually expand the inner panel in the vehicle width direction, that is, in the room direction.
The intended purpose of improving safety can be achieved without impairing the appearance of the car or hindering the view. Furthermore, when the rod-shaped member is inserted and fixed in the enclosed space, the strength and rigidity of the center pillar on the roof side are further increased, coupled with the increase in the section modulus of the center pillar, and the intended purpose is reliably and effectively achieved. Can be achieved. In addition, since the structure is simple, it can be implemented at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial side view of a vehicle body constituting an impact-resistant structure in a center pillar of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the shock-resistant structure of the center pillar along the line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the center pillar taken along line III-III in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the center pillar taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the center pillar taken along line VV in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the center pillar taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the center pillar taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of an inner panel, and FIG.
And (c) is a perspective view of the inner reinforcement.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a rod-shaped member inserted into a closed space of the center panel.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4 of the center pillar in a state where a seat belt anchor bolt, a weather strip, and the like are attached.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an outer panel used in another embodiment of the center pillar of an automobile according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 10 of another embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing a bent state of the center pillar when an impact load is applied to the vehicle body from the side.

FIG. 14 is a comparison diagram showing changes in the section modulus of the center pillar of the present invention and a conventional center pillar.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inner panel 2 Outer panel 3 Closed space 6 Roof side 7 Floor side 8 Belt line 12, 12b Bar-shaped member 15 Section coefficient change part 20 Center pillar

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An automobile in which an inner panel and an outer panel are joined to form a closed space, and a cross-sectional area of the closed space on a roof side is formed smaller than a floor side with respect to a vicinity of a belt line of the vehicle. An impact-resistant structure for a center pillar of an automobile, wherein a section-coefficient-changing portion that changes so that the section modulus gradually increases from above the roof side to the floor side in the impact-resistant structure of the center pillar. 2. The impact-resistant structure in a center pillar of an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the section modulus changing section is configured by changing the inner panel surface in a vehicle width direction. 3. The section modulus changing section includes a rod-shaped member inserted into the closed space, and the rod-shaped member is fixed to an inner wall portion in the closed space. Shock-resistant structure in the center pillar of a Japanese car.