JPS63176715A - Air conditioning unit structure for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve safety, by connecting upper and bottom units of an air conditioning unit in the same height to a steering supporting member so that the upper and bottom units are separated at the time of collision, in the case of an automobile which provides the air conditioning unit to be arranged before the steering supporting member. CONSTITUTION:A heater unit 16 connects its upper and bottom units 18, 19 in almost the same height to the axial line of a steering supporting member 4. Here the heater unit 16 connects its upper and bottom units 18, 19 in their right and left both side surfaces by mounting two front and rear resin made plates 25 by machine screws 26 while forms connection surfaces of both the units 18, 19 into a rugged fitting structure. In this constitution, if collision takes place, tilt surfaces 23, 24 of the heater unit are adapted to the steering supporting member 4, and this pressing force, which results in pressing the bottom unit 19 to the bottom and the upper unit 18 to the upper through the tilt surfaces 23, 24, separates the upper and bottom units enabling a load to a steering member to be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to the construction of an air conditioning unit for an automobile, particularly,
The present invention relates to the structure of an air conditioning unit for an automobile that is disposed in front of a steering support member that supports a steering shaft and extends in the vehicle width direction.

(Conventional technology) Conventionally, the support structure for the upper part of the steering shaft was
A support structure is adopted in which a bracket extending toward the interior of the vehicle is provided on the dash panel located at the front of the single compartment, and the steering shaft is supported by this bracket. However, with this type of support structure, there is a limit to the support rigidity of the steering shaft, especially when driving at high speeds.In addition, when a vehicle crashes, when the dash panel moves backward due to the collision, the steering shaft along with the bracket also moves backward. The vehicle will be ejected, causing a shock to the occupants.

For this reason, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-4466, a steering support member extending in the vehicle width direction is provided in front of the front seats, and both ends of the steering support member are connected from the front edges of the left and right front door openings. By fixing it to a pair of cowl side panels extending forward and fixing a reinforcing member connecting the steering support member and the floor to the center of the steering support member, the support rigidity direction of the steering shaft can be adjusted. In addition, a support structure has been proposed in which the steering shaft can be supported regardless of the fact that the dash panel is retracted in the event of a vehicle collision.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in order to fully utilize the advantage of adopting such a steering support member extending in the vehicle width direction, it is necessary to simply It is not sufficient to improve only the support structure as described above.

In other words, an air conditioner is generally installed at the front of the vehicle interior, but if an air conditioning unit that constitutes a part of the air conditioner is located in front of the steering support member, the dash panel itself may be damaged in the event of a vehicle collision. Even if the air conditioning unit does not retreat to the position of the steering support member, it is conceivable that the air conditioning unit pushed back by the dash panel may collide with the steering support member and deform it. Therefore, from the viewpoint of improving safety in the event of a vehicle collision, it is desirable to provide impact countermeasures to the structure of the air conditioning unit as well as the steering support structure.

The present invention was developed in view of the above circumstances, and is designed to prevent the air conditioning unit from moving backward and colliding with the steering support member, deforming it, even if the dash panel moves backward due to a vehicle collision or the like. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a structure for an automobile air conditioning unit that can avoid this problem.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The structure of the air conditioning unit for an automobile according to the present invention is such that when a load of more than a predetermined value is applied from the front, such as during a vehicle collision, the air conditioning unit is separated into upper and lower parts. This is to prevent the steering support member from colliding with the steering support member and deforming it. That is, the structure of an air conditioning unit for an automobile is disposed in front of a steering support member extending in the vehicle width direction that supports a steering shaft, and the air conditioning units 1 to 1 have an upper unit and a lower unit that are arranged in front of a steering support member extending in the vehicle width direction. The upper unit and the lower unit are connected at substantially the same height as the steering support member, and are configured such that the upper unit and the lower unit are vertically separated when a load of more than a predetermined value is received from the front. It is something to do.

The above-mentioned "coupling" of the upper unit and the lower unit is not limited to a specific coupling method as long as they can be separated vertically when the air conditioning unit receives a predetermined load or more from the front.

In addition, the upper unit and lower unit
This may be done by the air conditioning unit coming into contact with the steering support member, or may be done regardless of the contact with the steering support member.In short, if the air conditioning unit When a load exceeding a predetermined value is applied, the air conditioning unit moves backward and collides with the steering support member, displacing the steering support member.

Any separation method that can avoid deformation may be used.

(Function) As shown in the above configuration, the upper unit and lower unit of the air conditioning unit are connected at approximately the same height as the steering support member, so the air conditioning unit does not function as an air conditioning unit during normal times. On the other hand, when a load exceeding a certain level is received from the front, such as during a vehicle collision, the upper and lower units separate vertically at approximately the same height as the steering support member, so the air conditioning unit collides with the steering support member. However, it is possible to avoid displacing or deforming it.

(Effects of the Invention) Therefore, according to the present invention, even if the air conditioning unit is disposed in front of the steering support member, there is no risk that the front unit will collide with the steering support member and deform the steering support member in the event of a vehicle collision. This makes it possible to fully utilize the function of the steering support member extending in the width direction of the vehicle, which is to hold the steering shaft in a predetermined position regardless of the rearward movement of the dash panel or the like, thereby improving safety.

(Example) An example of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of an air conditioning unit for an automobile according to this embodiment.

In front of the driver's seat, a steering support member 4 that supports the upper part of the steering shaft 1 via brackets 2 and 3 extends in the vehicle width direction. It is fixed from the rear by a fixing member 9 to a pair of left and right mounting brackets 8 located at the lower part of the pillar 7 of the cowl side panel 6 extending forward from the front edge 5 of the door opening and fixed to the cowl side panel 6. It is becoming more and more supported. Further, a pair of reinforcing members 10 extending downward is fixed to the center portion of the steering support member 4, and both reinforcing members 10 have a tunnel portion 1 formed by protruding upward from the floor panel 11.
2 is secured by bolts 13 on both left and right sides. One end of a pair of stem members 14 is fixed near both ends of the steering support member 4. These stem members 14 are formed into a shape that cannot be bent freely under a load exceeding a predetermined value, and the other end is fixed to the cowl inner panel 15. By providing these steering members 14 to bridge the steering support member 4 and the cowl inner panel 15, vibration of the steering support member 4 can be suppressed. On the other hand, the steering member 14 is easily bent in response to a collision load such as a vehicle collision, so that the impact force is not transmitted to the steering support member 4.

A heater unit 1G, which is an air conditioning unit constituting a part of the air conditioner, is disposed in front of the steering support member 4 in the central portion of the steering support member 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heater unit 1G is disposed between the steering support member 4 and the dash panel 17 with a predetermined distance therebetween, and is approximately at the same height as the axis of the steering support member 4. It consists of an upper unit 18 and a lower unit 19 that are coupled together at. The lower unit 19 is provided with a heater core 20, and the upper unit 18 is provided with an air outlet 21 that opens rearward and diagonally upward, so that air sent from a blower (not shown) is directed through the heater core 20. Air outlet 2 after being heated
J, which is blown out into the passenger compartment from 1, is turning into a sea urchin. Further, a bulging portion 22 is formed in the upper part of the rear end surface of the lower unit 19 to bulge out rearward, and is located below the upper slope portion 23 of the bulging portion 22 and the air outlet 21 of the upper unit 18. The lower slope portion 24 covers the steering support member 4 from the front in a dogleg shape.

3 and 4 are diagrams showing a state in which the upper unit 18 and lower unit 19 of the heater unit 16 are connected.

As shown in FIG. 3, the heater unit 16 is connected to an upper unit 18 and a lower unit 19 by screws 26 via resin plates 25 at two places, front and rear, on both left and right sides.
A combination has been made. Also, as shown in Figure 4,
The coupling surface between the upper unit 18 and the lower unit 19 has a concave and convex fitting structure, so that the upper unit 18
This is to prevent horizontal positional displacement between the lower unit 19 and the lower unit 19.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

In Figure 2, the dash panel 17 is damaged due to a vehicle collision, etc.
When the heater unit 1G moves backward, the heater unit 1G is also pushed by the dash panel 17 and moves backward. Heater unit 1
6 moves back, the heater unit 1G comes into contact with the steering support member 4. However, the upper unit 18 and the lower unit 19 are connected at approximately the same level as the steering support member 4, and the upper unit 18 Since the lower unit 19 is provided with a lower slope part 24 and an upper slope part 23 above and below the coupling surface, these lower slope parts 2
4 and the upper slope portion 23 abut against the steering support member 4 . As a result, the upper unit 18, where the steering support member 4 is in contact with the lower slope portion 24, receives a load in a forward and diagonal upward direction, and the lower unit 19, where the steering support member 4 is in contact with the upper slope portion 23, is subjected to a load in a forward and diagonal downward direction. Under load. Therefore, a vertical tensile load acts on the plate 25 that connects the upper unit 18 and the lower unit 19. When the tensile load acting on the plate 25 exceeds a predetermined value, the plate 25 breaks.
The upper unit 18 and the lower unit 19 are separated into upper and lower parts. In this way, when the heater unit 1G receives a load greater than a predetermined value from the steering support member 4, in other words, the heater unit 16
When a load is applied to the heater unit 16 from the front to displace it rearward, the heater unit 16 moves up and down by
1, this heater unit 16
It is possible to create a structure in which the steering support member 4 does not receive a load greater than the reaction force received from the heater unit 16 when separating the parts.

Therefore, even if the heater unit 16 moves backward and collides with the steering support member 4 during a vehicle collision, the force that the steering support member 4 receives from the heater unit 16 will be as large as required to break the plate 25. The maximum load is Therefore, by appropriately setting the tensile strength of the plate 25, it is possible to prevent the steering support member 4 from being deformed even in the event of a vehicle collision, etc., and it can also function as the heater unit 16 in normal times. It becomes possible to ensure strength.

In this embodiment, the heater unit 16 is vertically separated by contacting the steering support member 4, but in addition to this, for example, the upper unit 18 and the lower unit 19 can be separated. By connecting the lower parts to the vehicle body, when a predetermined load or more is applied to the heater unit 16 from the front, stress is concentrated on the plate 26 provided at the center of the heater unit 1G, and the upper unit 18 and the lower unit are connected to each other. It is possible to adopt a structure that aims to separate it from 19.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of an air conditioning unit for an automobile according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-I in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the air conditioning unit alone; 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3. 1... Steering shaft 4... Steering support member 16... Heater unit 18... Upper unit 19... Lower unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] A structure of an air conditioning unit for an automobile disposed in front of a steering support member extending in the vehicle width direction that supports a steering shaft, the air conditioning unit comprising an upper unit and a lower unit. is connected to the steering support member at approximately the same height, and is configured such that the upper unit and the lower unit are vertically separated when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied from the front. Features of the structure of automobile air conditioning units.