KR20230101294A - Cowl Cross Member - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lightweight cowl cross member for vehicles. The lightweight cowl cross member for a vehicle of the present invention includes a main assembly formed by injecting predetermined parts into a main pipe; and a sub-assembly manufactured smaller than the main pipe and formed by injection molding of predetermined parts, wherein each of the main pipe and the sub-pipe includes a wall portion having a standard thickness formed to a predetermined thickness; A strength reinforcing wall portion that is connected to the standard thickness wall portion and is formed in the form of a reinforcing layer thicker than the wall thickness of the standard thickness wall portion to reinforce strength; and an undercut for resin filling provided on at least one side of the standard thickness wall part and the strength reinforcing wall part to prevent deformation due to injection pressure as the injection resin is filled during injection.

Description

Lightweight cowl cross member for vehicles {Cowl Cross Member}

The present invention relates to a lightweight cowl cross member for a vehicle, and more specifically, a lightweight cowl for a vehicle that can be easily applied to a recent electric vehicle, etc. It's about cross members.

Cowl Cross Member (or cowl cross part) is a part of the cockpit module of a vehicle (vehicle), fixed to the dash panel assembly, side inner/outer panel assembly, and center flow panel assembly of the vehicle. It protects passengers by acting as a shock absorber and support in case of a collision.

In addition, the cowl cross member plays a role in fixing and supporting interior parts to prevent secondary injuries caused by interior parts in case of a vehicle collision.

As described above, the cowl cross member plays a role in fixing and supporting cockpit module parts such as steering column, air conditioning system, head-up display unit, airbag, electric parts, wire harness, glove box, and crash pad.

As such, the cowl cross member is a part closely related to the vehicle's NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) performance as it is equipped with various parts and steering columns, so detailed design standards are applied.

On the other hand, as the global automobile trend reduces the proportion of internal combustion engine vehicles due to global warming and environmental regulations, and environmental regulations and laws are strengthened, countries around the world are strategically promoting the eco-friendly automobile industry led by governments.

In order to foster the eco-friendly automobile industry, it is important to reduce the weight of vehicles, and existing cowl cross members do not meet the weight reduction requirements due to their high steel material composition ratio.

Therefore, there is a need for a lightweight cowl cross member for vehicles that satisfies the functions and performance of existing steel cowl cross members.

Korean Intellectual Property Office Application No. 10-2015-0181567

An object of the present invention is to provide a lightweight cowl cross member for vehicles, which can be easily applied to recent electric vehicles, etc., which can be reduced in weight while maintaining component performance, and has excellent structural rigidity and durability.

The above object is, the main assembly formed by injection of a predetermined part into the main pipe; and a sub-assembly manufactured smaller than the main pipe and formed by injection molding of predetermined parts, wherein each of the main pipe and the sub-pipe includes a wall portion having a standard thickness formed to a predetermined thickness; A strength reinforcing wall portion that is connected to the standard thickness wall portion and is formed in the form of a reinforcing layer thicker than the wall thickness of the standard thickness wall portion to reinforce strength; and an undercut for filling resin provided on at least one side of the standard thickness wall portion and the strength reinforcing wall portion to prevent deformation due to injection pressure as the injection resin is filled during injection. Accomplished by a cowl cross member.

The resin-filled undercut is formed in a partial area of the standard thickness wall portion of the main and sub-pipes, and the resin-filled undercut includes: a recessed wall portion formed to be recessed in outer surfaces of the main pipe and the sub-pipe; an acute angle wall portion that is inclined at both corners of the recessed wall unit and forms an acute angle between the recessed wall unit and the recessed wall unit; and a corner rounding portion formed around a corner region of an exposed end of the acute-angled wall portion.

The strength reinforcing wall part forms a wall structure twice as thick as the standard thickness wall part, and the formation section of the standard thickness wall part is formed longer than the formation section of the strength reinforcement wall part along the circumferential direction of the main pipe and the sub pipe. The pipe connection portion is formed by injection of plastic and connects the main assembly and the sub-assembly on a non-collinear line, and both the main pipe and the sub-pipe may be formed in an octagonal cross-sectional structure.

Further comprising a pipe connection part connecting the main assembly and the sub assembly, wherein the pipe connection part includes: a connection body part manufactured by plastic injection; and an extruded bar connection module made of aluminum extrusion and provided to be integrally inserted into the connection body, and forming a place where the main assembly and the sub-assembly are connected, wherein the connection body A plurality of hollow portions are formed in the portion to reduce weight, and one side of the hollow portion forms a blocked structure, and the extruded bar connection module includes a module body; a main bar fitting coupling portion provided on one side of the module body and mechanically coupled while the main pipe of the main assembly is fitted; and a sub-bar fitting part disposed adjacent to the main bar fitting part in the module body and mechanically coupled while the sub pipe of the sub assembly is inserted.

The main assembly may include: a first cowl cross mounting connection bracket coupled to one end of the main pipe, made of plastic, and mounted on one side of the vehicle body; a dummy reinforcing bracket formed by plastic injection, disposed adjacent to the first cowl cross mounting connection bracket, integrally connected to the main pipe, and connected to one side of the vehicle body; and a dash mounting bracket manufactured by press processing of steel, disposed adjacent to the dummy reinforcing bracket and mechanically bonded to the main pipe, wherein the sub assembly is at one end of the sub pipe. a second cowl cross mounting connection bracket made of plastic and mounted on the other side of the vehicle body; and a dummy connection bracket having a plurality of multi-directional connection members to be connected to the vehicle body in various directions.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the weight while maintaining the performance of parts as it is, and in particular, there is an effect that can be easily applied to electric vehicles and the like due to excellent structural rigidity and durability.

1 is a perspective view of a lightweight cowl cross member for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a front view of Figure 1;
4 is a perspective view of a main pipe;
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 4;
6 is a perspective view of a sub pipe;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 6;
8 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1;
Figure 9 is a front view of Figure 8;
10 is an enlarged perspective view of the main assembly.
11 is an enlarged perspective view of a sub-assembly.
12 is a perspective view of a pipe connection.
13 is a view emphasizing the extruded bar connection module in FIG. 12;
Figure 14 is a rear perspective view of Figure 12;
15 is an image of a state in which a first reinforcing insert panel is connected to a main pipe in a lightweight cowl cross member for a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention.
16 is an image of a state in which a second injection reinforcement insert panel is connected to a sub pipe in a lightweight cowl cross member for a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and methods for achieving them, will become clear with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and will be implemented in various different forms.

In this specification, this embodiment is provided to make the disclosure of the present invention complete, and to completely inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention to which the present invention belongs. And the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

Thus, in some embodiments, well-known components, well-known operations and well-known techniques have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the interpretation of the present invention.

Like reference numbers designate like elements throughout the specification. And the terms used (mentioned) in this specification are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

In this specification, the singular form also includes the plural form unless otherwise specified in written phrases. Also, components and operations (actions) referred to as 'include (or include)' do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components and operations.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification may be used in a meaning commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs.

In addition, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not interpreted ideally or excessively unless they are defined.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a lightweight cowl cross member for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main pipe, FIG. 5 is FIG. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the sub pipe, Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 6, Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 1, Figure 9 is a front view of Figure 8, Figure 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the main assembly, Figure 11 is a sub An enlarged perspective view of the assembly, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the pipe connection portion, FIG. 13 is a view emphasizing the extruded bar connection module in FIG. 12, and FIG. 14 is a rear perspective view of FIG.

Referring to these drawings, according to the lightweight cowl cross member 100 for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the weight while maintaining the performance of parts, and in particular, it has excellent structural rigidity and durability, so it is easily applied to recent electric vehicles. can do.

The lightweight cowl cross member 100 for a vehicle according to the present embodiment capable of providing such an effect may include a main assembly 110, a sub assembly 140, and a pipe connection part 170.

That is, the main assembly 110 as shown in FIG. 10 and the sub-assembly 140 as shown in FIG. 11 are made and the main assembly 110 and the sub-assembly 140 are connected by the pipe connection part 170 as shown in FIGS. 12 to 14. Thus, the lightweight cowl cross member 100 for vehicles according to the present embodiment can be made.

The main assembly 110 may include a main pipe 120 made of extruded aluminum. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional structure of the main pipe 120 is manufactured in a circular structure.

In addition, the main assembly 110 is coupled to one end of the main pipe 120 but is made of plastic and is formed by a first cowl cross mounting connection bracket 131 mounted on one side of the vehicle body and plastic injection molding. A dummy reinforcing bracket 132 disposed adjacent to the cowl cross mounting connection bracket 131, integrally connected to the main pipe 120, and connected to one side of the vehicle body, and manufactured by press processing of steel. And, a dash mounting bracket 133 disposed adjacent to the dummy reinforcing bracket 132 and mechanically bonded to the main pipe 120 may be further included.

The sub-assembly 140 is provided independently of the main assembly 110 and includes a sub-pipe 150 made of extruded aluminum. The sub pipe 150 has a smaller volume than the main pipe 120, and the cross-sectional structure of the sub pipe 150 is also manufactured in a circular structure.

In addition, the sub-assembly 140 is coupled to one end of the sub-pipe 150 but is made of plastic and is mounted on the other side of the vehicle body. The second cowl cross mounting connection bracket 161 is connected to the vehicle body in various directions A dummy connection bracket 162 having a plurality of multi-directional connection members 163 may be further included.

Meanwhile, as described above, the main assembly 110 may be manufactured by injecting various parts into the main pipe 120, and the sub assembly 140 may be manufactured by injecting various parts into the sub pipe 150.

At this time, when the main assembly 110 and the sub-assembly 140 are made by injection molding, the main pipe 120 and the sub-pipe 150 may have a deformation problem due to the injection pressure. This deformation problem is eliminated and product quality is improved. In order to increase, the main pipe 120 and the sub pipe 150 are manufactured in the following structure.

That is, in this embodiment, the main pipe 120 and the sub pipe 150 are all formed in an octagonal cross-section structure, and the main pipe 120 and the sub pipe 150 are standard wall parts formed with a certain thickness. (121, 151) and the standard thickness wall portion (121, 151), but connected to the wall thickness of the standard thickness wall portion (121, 151) formed in the form of an overlay to reinforce strength reinforcement wall portion (122, 152).

At this time, the strength reinforcing wall parts 122 and 152 form a wall structure twice as thick as the standard thickness wall parts 121 and 151 . Therefore, for example, when the thickness of the standard thickness wall parts 121 and 151 is 2 mm, the thickness of the strength reinforcing wall parts 122 and 152 becomes 4 mm to reinforce the strength.

In addition, along the circumferential direction of the main pipe 120 and the sub-pipe 150, the formation section of the standard thickness wall parts 121 and 151 may be formed longer than the formation section of the strength reinforcing wall parts 122 and 152, due to this structure. It is possible to solve a deformation problem caused when the main assembly 110 and the sub-assembly 140 are injected.

On the other hand, in addition to this, in the case of the present embodiment, resin filling undercuts 125 and 155 are formed on the outer surfaces of the main pipe 120 and the sub pipe 150 to prevent deformation due to injection pressure as the injection resin is filled during injection. do.

At this time, the first and second resin filling undercuts 125 and 155 are formed on both the outer surfaces of the main pipe 120 and the sub pipe 150, and in particular, are formed in a portion of the area of the standard thickness wall parts 121 and 151.

All of the first and second resin-filled undercuts 125 and 155 include recessed wall portions 125a and 155a formed to be recessed in the outer surfaces of the main pipe 120 and the sub-pipe 150, and the recessed wall portion 125a. , 155a) are formed obliquely at the corners of both sides, but the acute angle wall portions 125b and 155b forming an acute angle between the recessed wall portions 125a and 155a and the exposed end corner area of the acute angle wall portions 125b and 155b are two It may include corner rounding portions 125c and 155c formed to be large.

As in the present embodiment, first and second resin filling undercuts 125 and 155 are formed on the outer surfaces of the main pipe 120 and the sub pipe 150, so that the injection operation is performed through the main pipe 120 and the sub pipe 150. In this case, injection resin can be filled in the first and second resin filling undercuts 125 and 155, and the rigidity of the main pipe 120 and the sub pipe 150 increases due to the action of the injection resin, thereby preventing deformation from occurring. there is.

Meanwhile, the pipe connection part 170 serves to connect the main assembly 110 and the sub assembly 140 . In particular, the pipe connection part 170 connects the main assembly 110 and the sub-assembly 140 while reinforcing the vehicle body by being connected to the vehicle body at the corresponding position.

The pipe connection part 170 connects the main assembly 110 and the sub assembly 140 on a non-collinear line. At this time, the pipe connection unit 170 takes a method in which an extruded bar connection module 190 formed by extrusion of plastic and extruded aluminum is inserted.

That is, in the present embodiment, the pipe connection part 170 is made of a connection body part 180 made of plastic injection and extruded aluminum and is integrally inserted into the connection body part 180, An extruded bar connection module 190 forming a place where the main assembly 110 and the sub assembly 140 are connected may be included.

The connection body part 180 serves to reinforce the vehicle body by being connected to the vehicle body at a corresponding position. A plurality of hollow parts 181 are formed in the connection body 180 to reduce weight. At this time, one surface of the hollow parts 181 forms a blocked structure.

In addition, the extruded bar connection module 190 is provided on one side of the module body 191 and the module body 191, and the main pipe 120 of the main assembly 110 is mechanically coupled while being inserted into the main bar fitting coupling. The part 192 and the sub-bar fitting part disposed adjacent to the main bar fitting part 192 in the module body 191 and mechanically coupled while the sub pipe 150 of the sub assembly 140 is inserted ( 193) may be included.

Hereinafter, a series of processes for manufacturing the lightweight cowl cross member 100 for a vehicle will be described.

First, a main assembly 110 having a main pipe 120 made of aluminum extrusion is manufactured.

Next, a sub-assembly 140 provided independently of the main assembly 110 and having a sub-pipe 150 manufactured by aluminum extrusion is manufactured. Then, the pipe connection part 170 is also manufactured.

The main assembly 110, the sub-assembly 140, and the pipe connection part 170 may be manufactured first.

Next, the main assembly 110 and the sub-assembly 140 are connected using the pipe connection part 170 formed by plastic injection. At this time, as described above, the main assembly 110 and the sub-assembly 140 connected through the pipe connection part 170 do not form the same line. That is, the main assembly 110 and the sub-assembly 140 are connected on a non-co-line.

Then, after three-dimensionally scanning the assembled product using a predetermined laser scanner (not shown), the finished product as shown in FIG. 1 may be released by checking the appearance quality of the assembled product based on the scanned information.

Here, the appearance quality may include factors such as whether elements such as bolts are accurate by location or by number, whether the shape is correct, whether there is damage, and the like.

According to the present embodiment, which acts as a structure as described above, it is possible to reduce the weight while maintaining the performance of parts, and in particular, it can be easily applied to recent electric vehicles due to excellent structural rigidity and durability.

15 is an image of a state in which a first injection-reinforcing insert panel is connected to a main pipe in a lightweight cowl cross member for a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 16 is a lightweight cowl cross member for a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention. It is an image of the state where the second injection reinforcing insert panel is connected to the sub pipe in .

Referring to these drawings, in the case of this embodiment, in the structure of the main assembly 110, the first side injection bracket 131 is injected to one side of the main pipe 120, and at this time, the first side injection bracket 131 A first injection reinforcing insert panel 225 for reinforcing the structural rigidity of the first side injection bracket 131 is inserted at the end of the main pipe 120 before being injected into the main pipe 120 as shown in FIG. 15 . That is, after the first injection reinforcing insert panel 225 is inserted at the end of the main pipe 120, the first side injection bracket 131 is injected thereon, thereby reinforcing the structural rigidity of the first side injection bracket 131. can do. Therefore, it is possible to prevent cracking during a collision, and further improve unsatisfactory collision performance.

Similarly, in the structure of the sub assembly 140, the second side injection bracket 161 is injected into one side of the sub pipe 150, before the second side injection bracket 161 is injected into the sub pipe 150. As shown in FIG. 16 , a second injection reinforcing insert panel 255 for reinforcing structural rigidity of the second side injection bracket 161 is inserted at the end of the sub pipe 150 . That is, after the second injection reinforcing insert panel 255 is inserted at the end of the sub pipe 150, the second side injection bracket 161 is injected thereon, thereby reinforcing the structural rigidity of the second side injection bracket 161. can do. Therefore, it is possible to prevent cracking during a collision, and further improve unsatisfactory collision performance.

Even if this embodiment is applied, it is possible to reduce the weight while maintaining the performance of parts as it is, and in particular, it can be easily applied to recent electric vehicles because of its excellent structural rigidity and durability.

As such, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be said that such modifications or variations fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

100: lightweight cowl cross member for vehicle 110: main assembly
120: main pipe 121: standard thickness wall part
122: Strength reinforcement wall part 125: Undercut for resin filling
131: first cowl cross mounting connection bracket
132: dummy reinforcement bracket 133: dash mounting bracket
140: sub assembly 150: sub pipe
161: second cowl cross mounting connection bracket
162: dummy connection bracket 163: multi-directional connection member
170: pipe connection part 180: connection body part
181: hollow part 190: extruded bar connection module
191: module body 192: main bar fitting joint
193: sub-bar fitting part

Claims (5)

a main assembly formed by injecting a predetermined part into the main pipe; and
It includes a sub-assembly manufactured smaller than the main pipe and formed by injection of a predetermined part,
Each of the main pipe and the sub pipe,
Standard thickness wall portion formed to a certain thickness;
A strength reinforcing wall portion that is connected to the standard thickness wall portion and is formed in the form of a reinforcing layer thicker than the wall thickness of the standard thickness wall portion to reinforce strength; and
It is provided on at least one side of the standard thickness wall portion and the strength reinforcing wall portion, and includes an undercut for filling resin to prevent deformation due to injection pressure as the injection resin is filled during injection. cross member.
According to claim 1,
The undercut for resin filling is formed in a part of the area of the standard thickness wall portion of the main and sub pipes,
The undercut for filling the resin,
a recessed wall portion formed to be recessed in outer surfaces of the main pipe and the sub pipe;
an acute angle wall portion that is inclined at both corners of the recessed wall unit and forms an acute angle between the recessed wall unit and the recessed wall unit; and
A lightweight cowl cross member for a vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a corner rounding portion formed around the exposed end corner area of the acute-angled wall portion.
According to claim 1,
The strength reinforcing wall part forms a wall structure twice as thick as the standard thickness wall part,
Along the circumferential direction of the main pipe and the sub-pipe, the formation section of the standard thickness wall part is formed longer than the formation section of the strength reinforcing wall part,
The pipe connection part is formed by injection of plastic and connects the main assembly and the sub assembly on a non-collinear line,
A lightweight cowl cross member for vehicles, characterized in that both the main pipe and the sub-pipe are formed in an octagonal cross-sectional structure.
According to claim 1,
Further comprising a pipe connection portion connecting the main assembly and the sub assembly, wherein the pipe connection portion,
A connection body made of plastic injection; and
It is made of aluminum extrusion and provided to be integrally inserted into the connection body, and includes an extruded bar connection module forming a place where the main assembly and the sub assembly are connected,
A plurality of hollows are formed in the connection body to reduce weight, and one surface of the hollows forms a blocked structure,
The extruded bar connection module,
module body;
a main bar fitting coupling portion provided on one side of the module body and mechanically coupled while the main pipe of the main assembly is fitted; and
A lightweight cowl cross member for a vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a sub-bar fitting part disposed adjacent to the main bar fitting part in the module body and mechanically coupled while the sub pipe of the sub assembly is inserted.
According to claim 1,
The main assembly,
a first cowl cross mounting connection bracket coupled to one end of the main pipe, made of plastic, and mounted on one side of the vehicle body;
a dummy reinforcing bracket formed by plastic injection, disposed adjacent to the first cowl cross mounting connection bracket, integrally connected to the main pipe, and connected to one side of the vehicle body; and
A dash mounting bracket made by press processing of steel, disposed adjacent to the dummy reinforcing bracket and mechanically bonded to the main pipe,
The subassembly,
a second cowl cross mounting connection bracket coupled to one end of the sub-pipe, made of plastic, and mounted on the other side of the vehicle body; and
A lightweight cowl cross member for a vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a dummy connection bracket having a plurality of multi-directional connection members to be connected to the vehicle body in various directions.

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