JP2005319846A - Vehicular pillar structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To maintain the falling strength of a front pillar 3 when a vehicle overturns even if a pillar outer 11 is formed of upper and lower separate portions, in a vehicular pillar structure 1 comprising the pillar outer 11 arranged on the outer side of a vehicle body, a pillar inner 21 arranged on the inner side of the vehicle body of the pillar outer 11, and a reinforcing pillar reinforcement 31 arranged therebetween. <P>SOLUTION: A reinforcing pipe 41 extending in the axial direction of the front pillar 3 to prevent falling of the front pillar 3 when a vehicle overturns is arranged between the pillar outer 11 and the pillar inner 21, and a part thereof is fixed to the pillar reinforcement 31. The pillar outer 11 comprises a pillar outer panel 13 to form an outer plate on the upper side of the vehicle body, and a lower pillar outer 15 extending from a lower end of the pillar outer panel 13 to the lower side of the vehicle body. The pillar reinforcement 31 is arranged so as to be across the pillar outer panel 13 and the lower pillar outer 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a pillar structure of a vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a vehicle pillar structure including a pillar outer that constitutes a vehicle body outer plate, a pillar inner that is disposed inside the pillar outer body, and a reinforcing member that is disposed therebetween.

For example, in Patent Document 1, in order to reinforce the front pillar, a reinforcing pipe is provided in the pillar as a reinforcing member, and is fastened together with an end portion of the instrument panel reinforcement to thereby reinforce the mounting bracket. It is fixed. This reduces the vibration of the reinforcing pipe.
JP 2000-177629 A

  However, in the conventional pillar structure of a vehicle, the lower side of the pillar outer is integrated with a lower pillar outer having a reinforcing member (hinge reinforcement) for reinforcing the hinge portion of the side door in order to reduce productivity and the number of parts. It is molded into.

  Therefore, especially in the case of an open car, the header portion connecting the pillar outer and the left and right pillars is formed separately from the restriction in press molding. For this reason, it is necessary to weld the pillar outer shape | molded separately and the header part. Since the appearance of the welded portion is poor, it is necessary to perform surface treatment, but there is a problem that the man-hour is enormous and the productivity is poor.

  On the other hand, if the pillar outer and the header portion are formed integrally, the pillar outer and the lower pillar outer must be formed separately from each other due to molding restrictions. Then, when a load in the bending direction is applied to the pillar at the time of overturning the vehicle, there is a problem in that separation occurs at the joint portion between the pillar outer and the lower pillar outer, the tensile force does not work, and the falling strength of the pillar becomes weak.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and the object of the present invention is when the pillar outer is formed separately at the top and bottom by adding a device to the configuration of the reinforcing member inside the pillar. It is also to maintain the falling strength of the pillar at the time of capsize.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the reinforcing member is disposed so as to straddle the pillar outer formed separately.

  Specifically, in the first invention, a pillar outer disposed outside the vehicle body, a pillar inner disposed inside the pillar outer body, and a reinforcing pillar reinforcement disposed therebetween are provided. Targeted vehicle pillar structure.

  Between the pillar outer and the pillar inner, there is disposed a rod-like reinforcing member that extends in the axial direction of the pillar and prevents the pillar from collapsing when the vehicle rolls over, and a part of the reinforcing member is fixed to the pillar reinforcement. On the other hand, the pillar outer is composed of a pillar outer panel forming an outer plate on the upper side of the vehicle body and a lower pillar outer extending from the lower end portion of the pillar outer panel to the lower side of the vehicle body. The pillar reinforcement includes the pillar outer panel and the lower pillar outer. It is set as the structure arrange | positioned so that it may straddle.

  That is, at the time of rollover, if a load acts on the pillar rearward and in the vehicle width direction, a tensile force acts on the outside of the pillar. That is, when the pillar outer panel and the lower pillar outer, which are conventionally integrated, are divided, a force is applied between the panels in a direction in which the panels are separated (separated).

  However, according to the configuration of the present invention, since the pillar reinforcement is provided so as to straddle between the pillar outer panel and the lower pillar outer, the pulling force acting between the two panels can be received by this pillar reinforcement. Can do.

  Further, since the pillar reinforcement member is fixed to the pillar reinforcement to prevent the pillar from falling down, the bending rigidity and tensile strength of the pillar reinforcement are further improved, and the rigidity of the entire pillar is also improved.

  For this reason, even if the force which falls a pillar at the time of overturning etc. is applied, generation | occurrence | production of peeling between a pillar outer panel and a lower pillar outer is prevented.

  In the second invention, the bar-shaped reinforcing member is disposed so as to straddle at least the pillar outer panel and the lower pillar outer.

  According to said structure, since the rigidity of the junction part of a pillar outer panel and a lower pillar outer is further improved with a rod-shaped reinforcement member, generation | occurrence | production of peeling between a pillar outer and a pillar reinforcement is further prevented effectively.

  In the third invention, when the pillar reinforcement is cut by a plane parallel to the vehicle body, the cross-sectional shape extends over a region where the rod-shaped reinforcing member of the pillar reinforcement is fixed. It extends in a straight line so as to substantially coincide with the falling direction of the pillar.

  According to the above configuration, there is no bending point where stress concentration occurs due to a load that tries to collapse the pillar at the time of vehicle overturning in any cross section of the region where the rod reinforcement member of the pillar reinforcement is fixed. The rod-shaped reinforcing member is prevented from being bent in the middle.

  In the fourth invention, the pillar outer and the pillar inner are fastened to each other by a plurality of fastening members, and the fastening members are arranged so as to sandwich the rod-like reinforcing member in the vertical direction of the vehicle body.

  According to said structure, when a pillar tries to fall down at the time of vehicle overturning, since a rod-shaped reinforcement member contacts the fastening member provided in the upper and lower sides, it is prevented that a pillar falls down.

  In 5th invention, the edge part of the instrument panel reinforcement extended in a vehicle width direction is connected with the area | region pinched | interposed into the said fastening member.

  According to said structure, since the load transmitted to the fastening member from the rod-shaped reinforcement member at the time of vehicle overturning is also transmitted to the instrument panel reinforcement, the effect of preventing the falling of the pillar is further improved.

  In the sixth invention, the pillar outer panel is formed integrally with a header portion connecting the left and right pillars.

  According to the above configuration, since the pillar outer panel and the header portion are integrally formed, a joining surface does not appear between the pillar outer panel and the header portion as in the prior art, and it is necessary to perform surface treatment of the welded portion. Absent.

  As described above, according to the pillar structure of the vehicle according to the first aspect of the present invention, the pillar reinforcement is provided between the pillar outer and the pillar inner so as to straddle the pillar outer panel and the lower pillar outer, and the pillar reinforcement is strengthened in a rod shape. A part of the member is fixed. For this reason, the bending rigidity and tensile strength of the pillar reinforcement are improved, and the occurrence of peeling between the pillar outer panel and the lower pillar outer is prevented even when a force is exerted to fall the pillar at the time of rollover. . As a result, the pillar outer can fulfill the function of resisting the fall of the entire pillar, and as a result, the fall strength of the entire pillar when the vehicle is overturned can be improved. Therefore, even when the pillar outer is formed separately at the top and bottom, the safety of the occupant during vehicle rollover can be ensured.

  In the said 2nd invention, the rigidity between a pillar outer panel and a lower pillar outer is further improved by the rod-shaped reinforcement member arrange | positioned so that it may straddle a pillar outer panel and a lower pillar outer. For this reason, generation | occurrence | production of peeling between a pillar outer and a lower pillar outer can be prevented effectively.

  In the third aspect of the invention, the horizontal section of the vehicle body extends so as to substantially coincide with the falling direction of the pillar when the vehicle rolls over the region where the rod-shaped reinforcing member in the pillar reinforcement is fixed. For this reason, even if a force is applied in a direction in which the pillar is to be overturned when the vehicle is overturned, stress concentration does not occur, and the collapse strength of the pillar at the time of overturn is reliably improved.

  In the fourth aspect of the invention, the fastening member that fastens the pillar outer and the pillar inner to each other is disposed so as to sandwich the reinforcing member in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. For this reason, it can prevent that a rod-shaped reinforcement member contact | abuts to a fastening member at the time of vehicle overturning, and a pillar falls down, and can ensure a passenger | crew's safety.

  In the fifth aspect of the invention, the end portion of the instrument panel reinforcement is connected to the region sandwiched between the fastening members, and the load transmitted from the rod-shaped reinforcing member to the fastening member when the vehicle overturns is transmitted to the instrument panel reinforcement. ing. For this reason, the effect of preventing the falling of the pillar is further improved.

  In the sixth aspect of the invention, the pillar outer panel is formed integrally with the header portion connecting the left and right pillars so that the finishing of the welded portion is unnecessary. For this reason, compared with the past, the number of work steps can be greatly reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the following embodiment is an essentially preferable illustration, Comprising: It does not intend restrict | limiting the range of this invention, its application thing, or a use.

  FIG. 1 shows a vehicle body in front of a driver's seat of an open car provided with a vehicle pillar structure 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the vehicle pillar structure 1, left and right front pillars 3 and a header portion 5 connecting the left and right front pillars 3 are formed so as to surround a front window (not shown).

  2 and 3, the lower portion of the front pillar 3 is coupled to a lower pillar 9 joined to a side sill 8 extending rearward on the side of the vehicle body. The lower pillar 9 includes a lower pillar outer 15 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and a lower pillar inner 16 on the inner side.

  The front pillar 3 includes a pillar outer 11 disposed on the outer side of the vehicle body and a pillar inner 21 disposed on the vehicle body inner side of the pillar outer 11.

  The pillar outer 11 includes a pillar outer panel 13 that forms an outer plate on the upper side of the vehicle body, and a lower pillar outer 15 that extends from the lower end of the pillar outer panel 13 to the lower side of the vehicle body. That is, a joint surface 19 is formed between the pillar outer panel 13 and the lower pillar outer 15. In this embodiment, the joint surface 19 is a fender or front door (both shown in the figure) that forms the outer plate of the vehicle body. Is not conspicuous on the external appearance.

  The header 5 and the pillar outer panel 13 of the pillar outer 11 are integrally formed by punching. That is, no joint surface is formed between the header portion 5 and the pillar outer panel 13. Further, a hinge reinforcement 17 for supporting an upper hinge portion (both not shown) of the front door is joined to the lower pillar outer 15.

  The pillar inner 21 has a shape corresponding to the pillar outer panel 13 at an upper portion thereof, and a shape corresponding to the lower pillar inner 16 at a lower portion thereof, and is joined to the lower pillar inner 16.

  A pillar reinforcement 31 for reinforcing the front pillar 3 is disposed between the pillar outer 11 and the pillar inner 21 so as to straddle the joint surface 19 between the pillar outer panel 13 and the lower pillar outer 15. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the pillar reinforcement 31 has a shape corresponding to the upper portion of the lower pillar 9, and its rear edge is welded and fixed between the pillar outer 11 and the pillar inner 21. The lower part of the front edge is fixed to the lower pillar outer 15. As shown in FIG. 5, the pillar reinforcement 31 is continuously provided with an arc-shaped concave groove 33 in the extending direction of the front pillar 3.

  A reinforcing pipe 41 as a rod-shaped reinforcing member is inserted and fixed in the concave groove 33 of the pillar reinforcement 31. The reinforcing pipe 41 is made of a metal round pipe and extends in the axial direction of the front pillar 3. The lower side of the reinforcing pipe 41 is welded to the concave groove 33 of the pillar reinforcement 31 and is disposed so as to straddle the joint surface 19 between the pillar outer panel 13 and the lower pillar outer 15. Further, a locking bracket 43 formed by bending a rectangular plate-shaped steel plate is welded to the upper end portion of the reinforcing pipe 41, and the locking bracket 43 is fixed to the pillar inner 21 by welding. With such a configuration, the reinforcing pipe 41 plays a role of preventing the front pillar 3 from falling over when the vehicle is overturned.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cross-sectional shape when the pillar reinforcement 31 is cut in a plane parallel to the vehicle body extends over the region where the reinforcement pipe 41 of the pillar reinforcement 31 is fixed. The front pillar 3 extends in a straight line so as to substantially coincide with the falling direction of the front pillar 3 at the time of rollover (indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 5). The direction in which the front pillar 3 falls is usually the rear side of the vehicle body and the inner side of the vehicle body.

  In addition, two spacers 51 and 52 are joined to the pillar reinforcement 31 so as to sandwich the reinforcing pipe 41 in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. Each of the spacers 51 and 52 is a round pipe extending substantially horizontally. The upper spacer 51 is welded to the pillar reinforcement 31 in a state of passing through the pillar reinforcement 31, and the lower spacer 52 is shorter than the upper spacer 51 and does not pass through the pillar reinforcement 31. Welded to the side surface. The pillar outer 11, the pillar inner 21, and the pillar reinforcement 31 are fastened to each other by inserting a fastening member 53 made of, for example, a bolt and a nut into the two spacers 51 and 52.

  Further, the fastening member 53 also fastens the flange portion 57 provided at the end portion of the instrument panel reinforcement 55 extending in the vehicle width direction together with the pillar inner 21.

-Action-
Next, the effect | action which the vehicle pillar structure 1 concerning this embodiment supports a vehicle body at the time of vehicle overturn is demonstrated.

  First, when the vehicle overturns, a load is applied to the upper portion of the front pillar 3 in a direction in which the front pillar 3 is to be tilted toward the rear of the vehicle body and toward the vehicle body.

  Then, a bending load is applied to the front pillar 3. However, this bending load is supported by the reinforcing pipe 41 extending into the front pillar 3 and the pillar reinforcement 31 supporting the lower side of the reinforcing pipe 41.

  The bending moment is supported by a hinge reinforcement 17 provided on the lower pillar outer 15.

  Further, the bending moment applied to the reinforcing pipe 41 is transmitted from the pillar reinforcement 31 to the spacers 51 and 52 and the fastening member 53, and further to the instrument panel reinforcement 55.

  In this way, the load that tries to tilt the front pillar 3 at the time of overturning the vehicle is absorbed by the entire vehicle body.

-Effect of the embodiment-
Therefore, according to the pillar structure 1 of the vehicle according to the present embodiment, the pillar reinforcement 31 is provided between the pillar outer 11 and the pillar inner 21 so as to straddle the pillar outer panel 13 and the lower pillar outer 15, and the pillar reinforcement 31. A part of the reinforcing pipe 41 is fixed to the bottom. For this reason, the bending rigidity and the tensile strength of the pillar reinforcement 31 are improved, and even if a force to fall the front pillar 3 is applied at the time of overturning, the peeling between the pillar outer panel 13 and the lower pillar outer 11 is prevented. Generation | occurrence | production is prevented and the pillar outer 11 can fulfill | perform the function which resists the fall of the front pillar 3 whole, As a result, the fall strength at the time of the vehicle overturn of the front pillar 3 whole can be improved. Therefore, even when the pillar outer 11 is formed separately at the top and bottom, the safety of the occupant during vehicle overturning can be ensured.

  Further, the rigidity between the pillar outer panel 13 and the lower pillar outer 15 is further improved by the reinforcing pipe 41 disposed so as to straddle the pillar outer panel 13 and the lower pillar outer 15. For this reason, generation | occurrence | production of peeling between the pillar outer 11 and the pillar reinforcement 31 can be prevented effectively.

  Further, the cross section horizontal to the vehicle body extends so as to substantially coincide with the direction in which the front pillar 3 falls when the vehicle rolls over the region where the reinforcement pipe 41 of the pillar reinforcement 31 is fixed. For this reason, even if a force is applied in a direction in which the front pillar 3 is to be overturned when the vehicle is overturned, stress concentration does not occur, and the overturning strength of the front pillar 3 at the time of overturn is reliably improved.

  Further, a fastening member 53 for fastening the pillar outer 11 and the pillar inner 21 to each other is disposed so as to sandwich the reinforcing pipe 41 in the vehicle body vertical direction. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the reinforcement pipe 41 from coming into contact with the fastening member 53 during the overturn of the vehicle and the front pillar 3 to fall down, thereby ensuring the safety of the passenger.

  Further, the end portion of the instrument panel reinforcement 55 is connected to a region sandwiched between the fastening members 53 so that the load transmitted from the reinforcing pipe 41 to the fastening member 53 at the time of vehicle overturning is transmitted to the instrument panel reinforcement 55 as well. Yes. For this reason, the effect of preventing the front pillar 3 from falling down is further improved.

  Further, the pillar outer panel 13 is formed integrally with the header portion 5 connecting the left and right front pillars 3 so that the finishing of the welded portion is unnecessary. For this reason, the number of work steps can be significantly reduced as compared with the conventional case, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention may be configured as follows with respect to the above embodiment.

  That is, in the above-described embodiment, the pillar structure 1 of an open car has been described, but it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a vehicle having an upper side frame that is not an open car.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the rod-shaped reinforcement member was comprised with the round pipe, it may be a square pipe or a steel bar. In short, what is necessary is just to extend in the closed cross-sectional shape strong against a bending load.

  As described above, the present invention is useful for a pillar structure of a vehicle such as an open car.

It is a perspective view showing a driver's seat front side body provided with a pillar structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the side view which looked at the front pillar from the vehicle body outside. It is the side view which looked at the front pillar from the vehicle body inside. It is a side view of pillar reinforcement. It is the VV sectional view taken on the line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle pillar structure 3 Front pillar 5 Header part 11 Pillar outer 13 Pillar outer panel 15 Lower pillar outer 17 Hinge reinforcement 21 Pillar inner 31 Pillar reinforcement 41 Reinforcement pipe (bar-shaped reinforcement member)
53 Fastening member 55 Instrument panel reinforcement

Claims (6)

A pillar structure of a vehicle including a pillar outer disposed outside the vehicle body, a pillar inner disposed inside the pillar outer body, and a reinforcing pillar reinforcement disposed therebetween,
Between the pillar outer and the pillar inner, there is disposed a rod-shaped reinforcing member that extends in the axial direction of the pillar and prevents the pillar from collapsing when the vehicle rolls over, and a part thereof is fixed to the pillar reinforcement. ,
The pillar outer is composed of a pillar outer panel that forms an outer plate on the upper side of the vehicle body, and a lower pillar outer that extends from the lower end of the pillar outer panel to the lower side of the vehicle body,
The pillar structure of a vehicle, wherein the pillar reinforcement is disposed so as to straddle the pillar outer panel and the lower pillar outer. The pillar structure of the vehicle according to claim 1,
The pillar structure of a vehicle, wherein the rod-shaped reinforcing member is disposed so as to straddle at least the pillar outer panel and the lower pillar outer. In the vehicle pillar structure according to claim 1 or 2,
The cross-sectional shape when the pillar reinforcement is cut in a plane parallel to the vehicle body extends over the region where the rod-shaped reinforcing member of the pillar reinforcement is fixed, A pillar structure of a vehicle characterized by being linearly extended so as to substantially coincide. In the pillar structure of the vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The pillar outer and the pillar inner are fastened to each other by a plurality of fastening members,
The vehicle pillar structure, wherein the fastening member is disposed so as to sandwich the rod-shaped reinforcing member in a vertical direction of the vehicle body. The pillar structure of the vehicle according to claim 4,
An end of an instrument panel reinforcement extending in the vehicle width direction is connected to a region sandwiched between the fastening members. In the pillar structure of the vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The pillar outer panel according to claim 1, wherein the pillar outer panel is formed integrally with a header portion connecting the left and right pillars.

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