JPH10316044A - Car body structure of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain a decrease in the angle of an ankle of an occupant caused by forcedly driving a foot placing plate where the feet of the occupant on a front seat are placed backward according to the operation of collision load to a car body. SOLUTION: At the time of an automobile's collision, the vertical part Dv and an inclined lower end part (toe board part Dt) of a dash board D are sometimes deformed in such a manner that the toe corresponding part is pushed out backward by the deformation and backward displacement of a side frame or the like. In such a case, in response to the collision detection of a collision sensor, a power unit U of a driving means A can immediately drive foot placing plate 1 to be moved backward to a designated retreat limit, so that the foot placing plate 1 itself can be prevented from being deformed, and the heel part of an occupant is moved backward together with the foot placing plate 1. Thus, a decrease of the angle of an occupant's ankle caused by the deformation of the dash board D can be restrained without especially using a thick pad material and a reinforcement material so as to effectively lessen bending load applied to the ankle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle body structure of an automobile, and more particularly to a structure around a lower portion of a dashboard.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 4, a vehicle body structure in which a rear end of a side frame extending in the front-rear direction of a vehicle body in the front of a vehicle compartment is connected to a front surface of a dashboard has been widely known. (See, for example, Sankaido, “Automotive Engineering Complete Book, Vol. 13, Passenger Car Body,” pp. 20-23).

[0003]

In the above-mentioned automobile,
When a large collision load is applied to the vehicle body from the front due to a collision or the like, the portion corresponding to the toe at the bottom of the dashboard is deformed so as to protrude rearward due to deformation of the side frame or backward displacement, etc. In some cases, the occupant's toe is pushed back, and in this case, the occupant's ankle is subjected to a bending load so that the angle θ between the toe and the shin (hereinafter simply referred to as an ankle angle) decreases.

In order to suppress the decrease in the ankle angle,
It is conceivable to provide a thick pad material at the lower part of the dashboard, but in this case, there is a disadvantage that the use of the thick pad material narrows the foot space. In addition, in order to suppress the decrease in the ankle angle, the rigidity of the lower part of the dashboard and its surroundings may be specially increased by using reinforcing materials, but the use of such reinforcing materials will significantly increase the weight and cost of the vehicle. There are inconveniences such as an increase and a significant decrease in the foot space.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above circumstances, and even when a portion of a dashboard hit by a foot portion is deformed so as to protrude rearward due to a collision of an automobile, a thick pad material or the like can be used. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle body structure of a vehicle that can suppress a decrease in an ankle angle of a front seat occupant without using a reinforcing material and effectively reduce a bending load applied to the ankle. Aim.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is an automobile body structure in which a rear end portion of a side frame of a vehicle body at a front side of a vehicle compartment is connected to a front surface of a dashboard. A foot rest plate disposed behind the board for placing the feet of the front seat occupant; and drive means for forcibly driving the foot rest plate rearward in response to a collision load acting on the vehicle body from the front. It is characterized by. According to this feature, in the event of a collision of the vehicle, the driving means forcibly drives the footrest plate backward to avoid deformation of the footrest plate itself, and the heel of the occupant moves rearward together with the footrest plate. .
For this reason, even if the part of the dashboard that hits the toe part is deformed so as to protrude backward due to the vehicle collision,
The decrease in the ankle angle of the occupant is suppressed as much as possible, the bending load applied to the ankle is effectively reduced, and it is not necessary to use a special thick pad material or a reinforcing material to reduce the ankle angle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the features of the first aspect, a guide means for guiding the rearward movement of the footrest plate is provided between the vehicle body and the footrest plate. According to this feature, the rearward movement of the footrest plate at the time of a vehicle collision is performed extremely smoothly.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below based on embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a passenger side of a passenger side showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2, showing a deformed state at the time of a collision.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a vehicle body F of an automobile V is
It has a monocoque structure formed by welding and assembling steel plate panels, and the vehicle body F on the front side of the vehicle compartment C integrally has a pair of left and right side frames S extending in the front-rear direction on both left and right sides thereof. The left and right side frames S are each formed in a closed sectional structure to form a skeleton of a front vehicle body, and a rectangular sub-frame (not shown) supporting the engine is provided between the two side frames S. Are connected and supported at a plurality of locations.

A dashboard D which forms a part of the vehicle body F and forms a front end wall of the vehicle compartment C is disposed substantially vertically so as to partition the vehicle compartment C from the engine room. The lower end of the dashboard D is inclined rearward and downward to form a toe board portion Dt corresponding to the feet of the front passenger, and the lower edge thereof is integrated with the front end of the floor panel Fp of the vehicle body F. Is joined to. On the front surface near the lower end of the dashboard D, the rear ends of the left and right side frames S are inclined at the lower end D with the substantially vertical vertical portion Dv of the board D.
and are integrally connected with each other at intervals. The above is the conventional body structure.

On the rear side of the dashboard D on the passenger seat Se side, a footrest plate 1 formed separately from the board D is disposed adjacent to the dashboard D, and the foot of the occupant is placed on the upper surface of the footrest plate 1. L
Is to be placed. The footrest plate 1 includes a vertical plate portion 2 in contact with the rear surface of the vertical portion Dv of the dashboard D, a rearwardly inclined plate portion 3 connected to a lower end of the vertical plate portion 2,
The floor panel F of the vehicle body F connected to the lower end of the inclined plate portion 3
p, the rear surface of the inclined plate portion 3 is a toeboard surface directly facing the sole of the occupant, and the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion 4 is a heel of the occupant. A heel mounting surface on which the portion 6 is mounted is provided.

A plurality of guide rollers R are provided in parallel between the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 4 and the floor panel Fp as guide means for guiding the rearward movement of the footrest plate 1. Is rotatably accommodated in a flat recess 20 formed in the floor panel Fp. According to the special configuration of the guide roller R, even when the front portion of the floor panel Fp is slightly deformed (see FIG. 3) at the time of a vehicle collision, the rearward movement of the footrest plate 1 by the driving means A described later is performed by the roller R There is an advantage that the vehicle can be guided more smoothly, and the backward movement can be performed more quickly and reliably.

A drive means A is connected to the footrest plate 1 for forcibly driving the footrest plate 1 backward, that is, below the seat in response to a collision load acting on the vehicle body F from the front. In the illustrated example, the driving means A includes a power unit U disposed and fixed between the passenger seat Se and the floor panel Fp;
A connecting member 7 such as a wire or a rod for connecting the unit U to the rear end of the footrest plate 1 and a vehicle body for operating the power unit U by detecting that a collision load is applied to the vehicle body F from the front. And a collision sensor G provided at an appropriate position (not shown) of F.

The power unit U has the same structure as a retracting mechanism used in a conventionally known belt pretensioner or the like which operates in the event of a vehicle collision to tension a seat belt. Explosion pressure, spring force of spring, etc. are used.

In addition, between the vertical plate portion 2 and the rear surface of the vertical portion Dv of the dashboard D, stopper means for normally holding the footrest plate 1 at the forward position (normal use position) is provided. In the illustrated example, an engaging claw 5 fixed to the rear surface of the vertical portion Dv of the dashboard D and engaged with the upper end of the vertical plate portion 2 is used as the stopper means. This engagement claw 5
Normally, the footrest plate 1 is held at the forward position by engagement with the upper end of the vertical plate part 2, and when the footrest plate 1 is forcibly driven rearward by the driving means A described later, the footrest plate 1 is deformed or broken and rearward. Allow movement.

Although not shown, the vehicle body F and the foot rest 1
Between them, a stopper means for regulating the retreat limit of the plate 1 is provided.

Next, the operation of each embodiment will be described. In a normal use state of the automobile V, the footrest plate 1 includes the vertical portion Dv of the dashboard D and the inclined lower end portion (toeboard portion D).
t) and the floor panel Fp, respectively, and are in a state where they hardly protrude toward the passenger compartment C, so that a foot space for the occupant is widely secured irrespective of the special arrangement of the footrest plate 1.

At the time of collision of the vehicle V, the vertical portion Dv of the dashboard D and the lower end portion of the dashboard D (toe board portion Dt)
As described above, due to the deformation of the side frame S, the backward displacement, or the like, there is a case where the portion corresponding to the forefoot protrudes rearward as shown in FIG. 3 in some cases. In such a case, in response to the collision detection by the collision sensor G, the power unit U of the driving means A can immediately retreat the footrest plate 1 to the predetermined retreat limit, so that the footrest plate 1 itself The deformation is avoided, and the heel portion 6 of the occupant moves rearward together with the foot rest 1. As a result, even when the thick pad material or the reinforcing material is not specially used, the decrease in the ankle angle θ of the occupant due to the deformation of the dashboard D is suppressed, and the bending load applied to the ankle is effectively reduced. .

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the footrest plate 1 is provided on the passenger seat side. However, in the present invention, the footrest plate 1 may be provided on the driver seat side.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, the foot rest plate disposed behind the dashboard and on which the front passenger's foot rests is forcibly driven rearward in response to the impact load acting on the vehicle body. As a result, in the event of a car collision, the rearward drive of the footrest plate avoids deformation of the footrest plate itself, and allows the heel of the occupant to move rearward with the footrest plate, Even if the part of the dashboard that hits the toe is deformed so as to protrude backward due to the collision, it is possible to minimize the decrease in the occupant's ankle angle,
The bending load applied to the ankle can be effectively reduced. Moreover, since it is not necessary to use a thick pad material or reinforcing material to suppress the decrease in the ankle angle, the weight and cost of the vehicle body can be reduced, and a sufficient foot space can be secured.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the guide means for guiding the rearward movement of the footrest plate is provided, the rearward movement of the footrest plate at the time of a vehicle collision can be easily and quickly performed. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a passenger side on a passenger seat side showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2, showing a deformed state at the time of a vehicle collision;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a dashboard showing a conventional example and its periphery.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: drive means C: cabin D: dashboard F: body Fp: floor panel L: foot R: roller as guide means S: side frame 1. ..Foot rest boards

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle body structure in which a rear end of a side frame (S) of a vehicle body (F) on a front side of a vehicle compartment (C) is connected to a front surface of a dashboard (D). A footrest plate (1) which is arranged to carry the front passenger's foot (L); and forcibly drives the footrest plate (1) rearward in response to a collision load acting on the vehicle body (F) from the front. And a drive means (A) for driving the vehicle. 2. A guide means (R) for guiding backward movement of the footrest (1) is provided between the vehicle body (F) and the footrest (1). Item 2. The vehicle body structure of the automobile according to item 1.