JPH10329762A - Body structure for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively absorb and mitigate the shock to feet at the time of a collision by forming a recess opened to the car room side at a footrest portion mounted with the feet of a front seat occupant, and providing an energy absorber for absorbing and mitigating the shock applied to the feet from a car body by the collision of an automobile on the recess. SOLUTION: A toe corresponding portion below a dashboard D could be deformed protrusively backward by the retreat displacement of a front car body at the time of a collision of an automobile. An energy absorber 2 has multiple small chambers 3 and is formed with a synthetic resin integrally connected to the inner face of a recess 1. The rigidity of a car body footrest portion can be increased without sharply increasing the weight, and the deformation of the car body footrest portion can be suppressed to the utmost by the energy absorber 2. The load burden to the feet of the occupant at the time of the collision is further reduced, the reduction of the ankle angle can be suppressed to the utmost, and the bending load applied to the ankles can be reduced.

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 in an automobile, and more particularly to a vehicle body structure near a foot of a front passenger.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an automobile, a floor carpet is laid all over a foot portion of a vehicle body (ie, an inclined portion called a toe board at a lower portion of a dashboard or a front portion of a floor panel connected to the foot portion), or Placing floor mats has been widely known in the past.

[0003]

When a large collision load acts on the vehicle body from the front due to the collision of the automobile, the lower part of the dashboard or the front end of the floor panel is caused by the deformation or the backward displacement of the front vehicle body (for example, the side frame). The part may be deformed and an impact may be applied to the feet of the occupant placed thereon, but this impact can be reduced by the cushioning action of the relatively soft floor carpet or floor mat.

In order to sufficiently reduce the impact and reduce the burden on the occupant's foot in the event of a collision, for example, it is conceivable to provide a thick pad material at the foot portion of the vehicle body.
In this case, there is an inconvenience that the thick pad material protrudes to the side of the vehicle compartment to a considerable extent, thereby narrowing the foot space.

[0005] The present invention has been proposed in view of such circumstances, and it is possible to effectively absorb and reduce the impact on the foot at the time of collision and reduce the burden on the foot while avoiding the above-mentioned inconvenience. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automobile body.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a recess is formed in a foot portion of a vehicle body on which a front occupant places a foot, and the recess is opened toward a passenger compartment. An energy absorber is provided in the recess to absorb and reduce the impact applied to the foot from the vehicle body due to the collision of the automobile. According to this feature, even if an impact acts on the foot of the vehicle body on which the front seat occupant puts a foot due to a sudden deformation or retreat displacement of the front body (for example, the side frame) at the time of the collision of the car, the impact (load) , Deformation speed) is absorbed and reduced by the energy absorber, so that the burden on the foot is reduced accordingly. In addition, since the energy absorber is provided in the concave portion of the foot portion of the vehicle body, it is possible to prevent the energy absorber from protruding toward the passenger compartment in a normal use state. Can be

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the features of the first aspect of the present invention, the energy absorber has a plurality of small chambers and is integrally formed with the inner surface of the recess. According to this feature, the rigidity of the foot portion of the vehicle body on which the front seat occupant can put the foot is increased without a significant increase in weight, and the deformation of the vehicle body foot portion is suppressed as much as possible. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the foot portion of the vehicle body on which the front seat occupant places his or her feet has a double panel structure, and at least a part of the upper surface is made of a punch metal having a number of small holes. According to this feature, the rigidity of the foot portion of the vehicle body on which the front seat occupant can put a foot is improved, and the shock absorbing performance is exhibited in the punched metal portion. Even if an impact is applied, deformation of the foot portion of the vehicle body is effectively suppressed while absorbing and relaxing the impact.

[0009]

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.

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 1 is a partially omitted perspective view of a foot on a passenger seat side of a passenger compartment, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2, showing a deformed state at the time of a vehicle collision. 4 to 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 4 is a partially omitted perspective view of the passenger side of the passenger side of the passenger compartment, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5, showing a deformed state at the time of a vehicle collision.

First, in FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the first embodiment, a vehicle body F of an automobile V has a monocoque structure formed by welding and assembling steel plate panels.
Has a pair of left and right side frames S integrally extending in the front-rear direction on both right and left 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 sub-frame (not shown) for 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 part of the dashboard D is inclined backward and downward, and constitutes a toe board part Dt corresponding to the feet of the front seat occupant,
The lower edge is integrally connected to the front end of the floor panel Fp of the vehicle body F. On the front surface near the lower end of the dashboard D, the rear ends of the left and right side frames S straddle the substantially vertical portion Dv of the board D and the inclined lower end (toe board portion Dt). In addition, they are integrally connected at intervals. The above is the conventional body structure.

On the passenger seat side, the foot portion of the vehicle body F on which the front occupant places his / her feet, straddles the toe board portion Dt of the dashboard D and the front end of the floor panel Fp, and extends toward the passenger compartment. An open rectangular shallow recess 1 is formed, in which an energy absorber 2 for absorbing and mitigating the impact applied to the foot from the vehicle body F due to the collision of the automobile.
Is stored and installed. The energy absorber 2 is composed of a synthetic resin molded body having a plurality of small chambers 3 and integrally connected to the inner surface of the recess 1. In the present embodiment, as such a synthetic resin molded body, a large number of walls arranged in a lattice pattern in a vertical and horizontal direction are integrated with each other (therefore, a large number of small spaces formed between the walls correspond to the small chamber 3). A box made of polypropylene with a cross-girder structure is selected.

The energy absorber 2 is also bent in a V-shape corresponding to the fact that the recess 1 in the foot portion of the vehicle body is bent in a shape along the toeboard portion Dt and the floor panel Fp. The upper surface of the inclined front half of the energy absorber 2 is formed as a toe board surface facing the sole of the occupant, and the upper surface of the horizontal rear half is formed as a heel portion 6 of the occupant.
And the heel mounting surface. The energy absorber 2
May be integrally formed as a whole, and a plurality of components (for example, a first half portion corresponding to the toe board portion Dt,
It may be formed by dividing into the latter half portion corresponding to the floor panel Fp).

A plurality of mounting bosses 1a are formed on the bottom surface of the recess 1 so as to protrude toward the passenger compartment and cross the recess 1, and are integrally formed at intervals from each other. On the lower surface of the energy absorber 2, a concave groove 2a is formed. When attaching the energy absorber 2, a concave groove 2a is fitted into the boss 1a, and the lower surface of the absorber 2 is connected to the bottom surface of the concave 1 by bonding means such as bonding. By engaging the concave groove 2a with the boss 1a in this manner, the relative movement of the energy absorber 2 with respect to the bottom surface of the concave portion 1 in the front-rear direction can be effectively restricted, and the mounting strength of the absorber 2 can be increased.

A floor carpet 5 is laid all over the rear surface of the dashboard D and the upper surface of the floor panel Fp. Therefore, the upper surface of the energy absorber 2 is also covered by the floor carpet 5.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. In a normal use state of the automobile V, the energy absorber 2 is housed in the concave portion 1 of the foot portion of the vehicle body and does not protrude toward the cabin C. Therefore, even if the absorber 2 is specially provided, the foot of the front seat occupant can be attained. The space is not reduced, that is, a foot space similar to that of a normal automobile is secured.

At the time of an automobile collision, a sudden deformation or a backward displacement of the front body (for example, the side frame S) causes
An impact may be applied to the foot portion of the vehicle body on which the front occupant puts his / her foot, but the impact is effectively absorbed and alleviated by the energy absorber 2 located at the foot portion of the vehicle body. It is reduced.

In addition, with the rearward displacement of the front body (eg, side frame S) at the time of the collision of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower part of the dashboard D is deformed so as to protrude rearward. May be. In this case, the energy absorber 2 is made of a synthetic resin material having a plurality of small chambers 3 and integrally connected to the inner surface of the concave portion 1, thereby increasing the rigidity of the foot portion of the vehicle body and significantly increasing the weight. Therefore, the deformation of the foot portion of the vehicle body can be suppressed as much as possible by the absorber 2, whereby the load on the occupant's foot during a collision can be further reduced, and the ankle angle (to the shin portion and the shin portion) can be further reduced. A decrease in the angle formed by the toe portion) can be suppressed as much as possible, and the bending load applied to the ankle can be reduced.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the foot portion of the vehicle body F on which the front occupant places his or her feet is the toe board portion D of the dashboard D.
A double-panel structure W is formed straddling t and the front end of the floor panel Fp connected thereto, and at least a part of the upper surface of the double-panel structure portion has a punch metal 7 having a large number of small holes 7a (ie, (A porous metal plate).

That is, in this double panel structure, a square opening 8 is formed at the foot of the vehicle body, that is, at the toeboard portion Dt and the front end of the floor panel Fp.
A flat plate-shaped lower panel 9 made of a metal plate that closes the opening 8 from below, and a punch metal 7 that closes the opening 8 from above are integrally connected to the edge of the opening 8 by welding means or the like. . The lower panel 9 is formed in a dish shape bulging toward the opposite side of the vehicle compartment C, and is bent in a V-shape along the toeboard portion Dt and the floor panel Fp.

According to the second embodiment, the foot portion of the vehicle body on which the front occupant places his or her feet is formed of a double panel structure W.
As a result, the rigidity is increased and the punch metal portion 7 on the upper surface exhibits the shock absorbing performance,
The same operation and effect as the first embodiment can be expected. That is, even if the impact acts on the foot of the vehicle body at the time of collision of the automobile, the deformation of the foot of the vehicle body can be effectively suppressed while absorbing the impact. In this embodiment, even if the foot portion of the vehicle body has a double panel structure W, especially the upper surface thereof (punch metal 7)
Is flattened and the lower surface (lower panel 9) is swelled downward, so that the foot portion of the vehicle body is prevented from protruding toward the passenger compartment, and a decrease in the foot space is avoided.

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 first embodiment, the energy absorber 2 is provided at the foot of the vehicle body on the passenger seat side. However, in the present invention (claims 1 and 2), the foot of the vehicle body on the driver seat side is similarly provided. It may have a structure. As the energy absorber 2, other structures having the same buffering function, for example, a honeycomb structure made of synthetic resin, paper, or aluminum, a hard urethane molded body, a polypropylene foam molded body, or the like is selected. do it,
It may be provided in the concave portion 1 at the foot portion of the vehicle body.

Further, in the second embodiment, the vehicle body foot portion on the passenger seat side has a double panel structure W. However, in the present invention (claim 3), the vehicle body foot portion on the driver seat side is provided with a double panel structure W. A double panel structure may be used.

[0025]

According to each of the first and second aspects of the present invention, an impact is applied to a foot portion of a vehicle body on which a front seat occupant puts a foot due to deformation of a front vehicle body (for example, a side frame) or backward displacement at the time of collision of an automobile. Even if the force acts, the impact can be absorbed and reduced by the energy absorber provided at the foot portion of the vehicle body, so that the burden on the foot can be reduced accordingly. Moreover, since the energy absorber is provided in the concave portion of the foot portion of the vehicle body, it is possible to prevent the absorber from protruding toward the passenger compartment,
Reduction of the foot space due to the special provision of the absorber is suppressed, and the foot space can be widened.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the energy absorber is made of a synthetic resin material having a plurality of small chambers and integrally connected to the inner surface of the concave portion, the energy absorbing member is formed of a foot portion of the vehicle body. Rigidity can be improved without a significant increase in weight. Therefore, while avoiding an increase in the weight of the vehicle body, deformation of the foot portion of the vehicle body can be suppressed as much as possible, and the burden on the foot can be further reduced.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the foot portion of the vehicle body on which the front occupant rests his / her feet has a double panel structure, so that the rigidity of the foot portion can be improved, and the upper surface thereof can be further improved. At least a part of the body is made of punched metal so that the shock absorbing performance is exhibited, so that even if the impact acts on the foot of the vehicle body at the time of a collision of the car, the impact is effectively absorbed and reduced while effectively absorbing and mitigating the impact. Deformation can be effectively suppressed, and the burden on the foot can be further reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially omitted perspective view of a passenger side on a passenger side showing a first 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 partially omitted perspective view of a passenger side of a passenger side showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5, showing a deformed state at the time of a vehicle collision;

[Explanation of symbols]

 C ・ ・ ・ Car room F ・ ・ ・ Car body W ・ ・ ・ Double panel structure 1 ・ ・ ・ Recess 2 ・ ・ ・ Energy absorber 3 ・ ・ ・ Small chamber 7 ・ ・ ・ Punch metal

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A recessed portion (1) opened toward the vehicle compartment (C) is formed in a foot portion of a vehicle body (F) on which a front occupant places a foot, and the recessed portion (1) is formed by collision of an automobile. Body (F)
An automobile body structure, comprising: an energy absorber (2) for absorbing and mitigating a shock applied to a foot from a vehicle. 2. The energy absorber (2) is made of a synthetic resin material having a plurality of small chambers (3) and integrally connected to an inner surface of the recess (1). A vehicle body structure according to claim 1. 3. A punched metal body (F) having a double-panel structure (W) as a foot portion on which a front occupant places a foot, and having at least a part of an upper surface thereof having a number of small holes (7a). 7) A body structure of an automobile, comprising: