JP3159208B2 - Fixed structure of hollow shock absorber - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hollow shock absorber fixing structure. The shock absorber is disposed in the cabin of a structural member of a vehicle body such as a pillar, a roof side rail, and a header of an automobile, and receives shock energy applied through an interior material that covers the shock absorber such as a pillar garnish and a roof lining. Absorb.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An impact absorber is disposed in a space between a structural member of a vehicle body, particularly a passenger car body, and an interior material, and when an impact load is applied from the interior material to the structural member, the impact absorber is removed. It is deformed to absorb the impact energy of the impact load. Usually, a lattice-shaped rib, urethane pad, or a thin steel plate which is bent so as to have a hat-shaped cross section is used as the shock absorber. However, as separately filed, a metal pipe made of a metal material that can be extruded can be used (Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 9-176594: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-5503), or a metal foil core material, A so-called hybrid pipe formed of a sheet of a material other than metal that is superimposed on the front and back surfaces of the core material, and formed by continuously deforming the core material and the front and back sheets into irregularities in the axial direction. It may be used (JP-A-10-29482).

[0003] A metal pipe having a desired cross-sectional shape can be easily obtained by extrusion molding, and a hybrid pipe can be easily obtained by applying necessary deformation after molding. Furthermore, in the case of changing the thickness of the metal pipe, or the radial thickness from the outermost surface of the convex portion of the hybrid pipe to the innermost surface of the concave portion, so-called apparent thickness (thickness), or in the case of the hybrid pipe, By changing the pitch between adjacent convex portions (between concave portions),
The energy characteristics to be absorbed can be adjusted. Thus, hollow shock absorbers such as extruded metal pipes and hybrid pipes have excellent properties as shock absorbers.

[0004]

However, depending on the place where the vehicle body is installed, the structural member of the vehicle body is formed into a three-dimensional bent shape in order to satisfy strength and design requirements. Therefore, it is preferable to bend the shock absorber so that the substantially straight shock absorber at the time of molding is adapted to the three-dimensional bending shape of the structural member. However, this bending is time-consuming and costly. Disadvantageous. Therefore, a plurality of shock absorbers having the same cross-sectional shape or size may be used as a whole as a whole by screwing both ends of each shock absorber to a structural member.

[0005] Further, the size of the space required for energy absorption between the structural member and the interior material disposed inside the cabin of the structural member may vary in the longitudinal direction of the structural member. In this case, the cross-sectional shapes or dimensions of the individual shock absorbers are the same, but a plurality of shock absorbers having different cross-sectional shapes or dimensions are screwed to the structural members at both ends of each shock absorber. , Used as a whole.

In any case, the work of individually fixing a plurality of shock absorbers to a structural member is complicated.

The present invention provides a fixing structure for a hollow shock absorber, which can utilize the excellent properties of a hybrid pipe as a hollow shock absorber and can simplify fixing to a structural member. .

The present invention also provides a three-dimensionally bent portion,
Alternatively, there is provided a hollow shock absorber that can be applied to a portion where the size of the interval required for energy absorption changes.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a structure in which a plurality of hollow shock absorbers are connected to each other and fixed to a structural member of a vehicle body. A joint member is provided having a mating end that mates with each of the opposing ends of the body and is attached to the structural member. The shock absorber is a hybrid pipe comprising a core material of a metal foil and a sheet of a material other than metal superimposed on the front and back of the core material,
This hybrid pipe is formed by continuously deforming the core material and the front and back sheets into an uneven shape in the axial direction. The joint member and the shock absorber are slidably fitted in the axial direction of the shock absorber.

[0010] One of the two fitting ends of the joint material is fitted to one of the opposing ends of two adjacent shock absorbers, and the other of the opposing ends of the shock absorber. , The other of the two fitting ends of the joint material is fitted. Then, by attaching the joint material to the structural member, the shock absorber is fixed to the structural member and becomes usable.

[0013] The fitting end of the joint material and the end of the shock absorber are fitted to each other so as to be positioned adjacent to each other.
Since the two shock absorbers can be connected to each other and the two shock absorbers connected by attaching the joint material to the structural member can be fixed to the structural member, it is possible to form a fixing hole in the shock absorber and apply an adhesive. There is no need to perform post-processing, and the plurality of shock absorbers can be easily and quickly fixed to the structural member, and the workability of the fixing can be greatly improved.

Since the length of the fitting end of the joint material can be arbitrarily selected, even if the shock absorber to which an impact load is applied is deformed, the shock absorber comes off the fitting end of the joint material. Can be prevented, and the plurality of shock absorbers can be kept fixed to the structural member.

When a hybrid pipe receives an impact load in a direction crossing its axis, it has the property of expanding in the axial direction while being compressed and deformed. However, since the hybrid pipe and the joint material are slidably fitted in the axial direction, even if an arbitrary hybrid pipe is subjected to an impact load in a direction crossing the axis and the hybrid pipe is compressed and deformed, the hybrid pipe is deformed. The axial elongation of the pipe is absorbed by the joint material and does not affect another adjacent hybrid pipe. Therefore, even if a situation occurs in which an impact load is applied again to a different portion, the hybrid pipes at the different portions exhibit their original functions and absorb the impact.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the two
The cross-sectional shapes orthogonal to the axes of the opposing ends of the two shock absorbers are different from each other, and each fitting end of the joint material is provided with a corresponding one of the shock absorbing bodies to which the fitting ends are fitted. It has a cross-sectional shape substantially similar to the cross-sectional shape of the end.

Since the fitting end of the joint member has a cross-sectional shape substantially similar to the cross-sectional shape of the end of the shock absorber,
The fitting end of the joint material and the end of the shock absorber can be easily fitted together while maintaining the adhesion. Therefore, it is possible to provide a shock absorbing member only by preparing in advance a joint material having a fitting end having a cross-sectional shape substantially similar to the cross-sectional shape of the end of the two shock absorbers to be positioned adjacent to each other. The body can be connected with high precision. As a result, a plurality of shock absorbers connected in the longitudinal direction can be arranged such that the one at one site has a larger cross-sectional shape or size than the one at another site.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The fixing structure is shown in FIG.
Referring to FIG. 9, which schematically shows the structural members of the vehicle body,
This is a structure in which a plurality of hollow shock absorbers are connected and fixed to a structural member of a vehicle body. In the illustrated embodiment, three shock absorbers 20, 22, and 24 are fixed to a front pillar 26 and a roof side rail 28 of a vehicle body, which are structural members.

2 in which the joint members 30 are located adjacent to each other
Between the two shock absorbers 20, 22 and the joint material 3
2 are arranged between two shock absorbers 22 and 24 located adjacent to each other. Each joint member 30, 32 has a fitting end that fits with each of the opposing ends of the two shock absorbers, and is attached to the structural members 26, 28.

The joint member 30 is shown in an exploded perspective view in FIG.
With reference to FIG. 2, it has two mating ends 34 and 35. The two shock absorbers 20, 22 to be interconnected by the joint member 30 have different cross-sectional dimensions. Therefore, the fitting end 34 of the joint material 30 is fitted to the end of the shock absorber 20, and the fitting end 35 of the joint material 30 is fitted to the end of the shock absorber 22. Is formed.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the fitting end 34 fits within the end 21 of the shock absorber 20 and the fitting end 35 fits within the end 23 of the shock absorber 22. . Instead, by making the joint member 30 hollow, the end 21 of the shock absorber 20 fits in the fitting end 34, and the end 23 of the shock absorber 22 fits in the fitting end 35. It can also be set to fit. Fitting means both.

When the joint member is formed in a hollow shape, accessories such as a wire harness and a duct can pass through the interior of the joint member and the shock absorber. The joint material also functions as an accessory protector. When the joint member is capable of absorbing shock, a continuous and efficient shock absorbing structure can be obtained.

As shown in the illustrated embodiment, when two adjacent shock absorbers 20 and 22 have different cross-sectional shapes orthogonal to the axes of the opposing ends, each fitting of the joint member 30 is performed. The ends 34 and 35 are formed in a cross-sectional shape substantially similar to the cross-sectional shape of the end of each shock absorber to which the fitting ends are fitted. That is, the fitting end 34 has a sectional shape substantially similar to the sectional shape of the end 21, and the fitting end 35 has a sectional shape substantially similar to the sectional shape of the end 23. The shock absorbers 20 and 22 are hollow bodies having a square cross section as a whole, and the cross sections of the ends 21 and 23 are also square. On the other hand, the fitting ends 34, 3 of the joint material 30
5 has a U-shaped cross section. However, when the U-shaped openings are connected by a virtual surface, the opening becomes a square, and this square is similar to the cross-sectional shape of each of the end portions 21 and 23. The term “substantially similar” includes a case as shown in FIG.

Since the joint member 30 connects the opposite ends 21 and 23 of the two shock absorbers 20 and 22 after all, the joint members 30 are connected to the ends 21 and 23 of the two shock absorbers 20 and 22. It has a cross-sectional shape and dimensions that fit.
Similarly, the joint material 32 includes two shock absorbers 22,
The cross-sectional shapes and dimensions that fit the ends are such that the opposite ends of the 24 can be connected.

The joint members 30 and 32 may be capable of absorbing shocks themselves or may not be capable of absorbing shocks. However, the former is intended to absorb the shock at the joint between the two shock absorbers. preferable. In this case, the joint members 30, 32 can be resin ribs or urethane foam.

In the embodiment shown in FIG.
0 is a resin rib. That is, the plurality of ribs 36 are integrally protruded from the base 37, and can be formed by injection molding a hard resin such as ABS. The joint material 30 is hollow with both ends closed by ribs 36,
One or more additional ribs 39 are provided in the hollow according to the required amount of energy absorption.

The joint member 30 connects the two adjacent shock absorbers 20 and 22, and the joint member 32 connects the two adjacent shock absorbers 2 and 22.
After connecting 2, 24, the through hole 3 provided in itself
For example, a tapping screw is passed through 8 and screwed into a structural member of the vehicle body to be attached. Thereby, the shock absorber 2
0, 22, 24 are fixed to the structural member.

According to the present invention, a plurality of shock absorbers are connected by a joint material, and the plurality of shock absorbers are fixed by attaching the joint material to a structural member of a vehicle body. The length, the cross-sectional shape and the size can be taken according to the portion where the shock absorber is to be arranged, and an appropriate hollow body can be selected.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the shock absorber 22
Has a larger cross-sectional dimension than the shock absorbers 20 and 24. The three shock absorbers 20, 22, and 24 are made of hybrid pipes.

In FIG. 3 in a perspective state, two shock absorbers 4
0 and 42 are connected by a joint member 46, and the two shock absorbers 42 and 44 are connected by a joint member 48. The shock absorber 42 has a larger cross-sectional dimension than the shock absorbers 40 and 44. The three shock absorbers 40, 42, 44 are made of metal pipes.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, another shock absorber can be connected to the shock absorbers 20 and 40 via a joint member 50. Also, the shock absorbers 24, 44
Can be connected to another shock absorber via a joint member 52.

After the fitting end of the joint material and the end of the shock absorber are fitted together, it is not necessary to adhere them to each other, and to prevent slippage due to friction so that one does not come off from the other. May be fitted. Since the fitting end of the joint material and the end of the shock absorber are substantially similar in shape, in the fitted state, the adhesion is high and sufficient friction is obtained.

In FIG. 4 in a front view, two shock absorbers 54 and 56 having the same cross-sectional shape and dimensions are connected by a joint member 58. The two shock absorbers 54 and 56 are made of a metal pipe. Fitting end 59 of joint material 58
Are fitted in the insertion dimension L and are slidable. Here, by appropriately selecting the length of L, the expansion or bending in the axial direction when the shock absorbers 54 and 56 are compressed and deformed can be absorbed by entering and exiting the fitting end 59.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 in a sectional view, two shock absorbers 60 and 62 having the same sectional shape and size, a shock absorber 64 having a larger size, and two joint members 66 are provided. ing. Three shock absorbers 60, 6
2 and 64 are hybrid pipes. Shock absorber 6
Reference numeral 4 denotes a tapered shape at both ends thereof, and the cross-sectional shape and dimensions orthogonal to the axis of the end 65 are equal to the cross-sectional shapes and dimensions of the shock absorbers 60 and 62. Therefore, the two fitting ends 67 of the joint material 66 have the same shape and dimensions, are fitted to the end 65 with the insertion dimension L, and are slidable.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 in a sectional state, the shock absorbers 70 and 72 composed of two hybrid pipes having different sectional dimensions are connected by a joint member 74, but the joint member 74 has a special form. Has become. That is, the two fitting ends 76 and 77 of the joint member 74 are connected to the shoulders 78 and 79, respectively, and have a reduced diameter. As a result, the fitting end 76 is moved to the end 7 of the shock absorber 70.
1, the shoulder 78 abuts against the end face of the shock absorber 70. When the fitting end 77 is fitted to the end 73 of the shock absorber 72, the shoulder 79 abuts against the end face of the shock absorber 72.

The other ends of the shock absorbers 70 and 72 are connected by a joint material having a shoulder similar to the joint material 74,
When the shock absorbers 70 and 72 are fixed to the structural members of the vehicle body, the axial expansion of the shock absorbers 70 and 72 is regulated by the joint material. Therefore, when the shock absorbers 70 and 72 are hybrid pipes as shown, the energy absorption characteristics of the hybrid pipes can be adjusted by the joint material.

As described above, the shock absorber can be a hybrid pipe or a metal pipe made of an extrudable metal material. The metal pipe can be easily made of aluminum or aluminum alloy by extrusion. In the above description, the metal pipes and the hybrid pipes are connected to each other by the joint material. Alternatively, the metal pipe and the hybrid pipe may be connected to each other by the joint material.

As shown in FIG. 7 in a perspective view and in FIG. 8 in a sectional view, the hybrid pipe 80 has a core material 8 made of metal foil.
2 and the core material 82 are superposed on the front and back of the core material 82 respectively.
2 and a sheet 84 made of a material other than metal. The hybrid pipe 80 is formed by deforming (for example, spirally) the core material 82 and the front and back sheets 84 so that the concave portions 86 and the convex portions 88 appear alternately in the axial direction.

In the embodiment shown, the core 82 is a hard aluminum foil and the sheet 84 is kraft paper. Aluminum foil has a thickness of 0.05 mm or more and a width of 30 mm or more, and kraft paper has a thickness of 0.2 mm or more and a width of 30 mm or more. The core 82 may be a stainless steel foil or a magnesium alloy foil, and the sheet 84 may be a resin. In FIG. 7, the uneven deformation is spiral. Instead, one recess 86 continues in the circumferential direction,
It is also possible to form a so-called wavy or bellows shape in which two independent convex portions 88 adjacent to the two concave portions 86 continue in the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIG. 9, at the portion where the front pillar 26 and the roof side rail 28 are connected, the front pillar 26 bends two-dimensionally as shown, and further bends in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. After all, it is bent three-dimensionally. Therefore, according to the present invention, the two shock absorbers 20 and 22 are connected by the joint material 30, and the two shock absorbers 22 and 24 are further connected by the joint material 32, and the through holes 38 provided in the joint materials 30 and 32 are provided.
This is attached to the front pillar 26 and the roof side rail 28 through a tapping screw, and the shock absorber 2
0, 22, and 24 are fixed. In this case, there is no need to prepare a shock absorber having a length extending from the front pillar 26 to the roof side rail 28 and to bend it three-dimensionally.

Further, by appropriately setting the cross-sectional shapes and dimensions of the shock absorbers 20, 22, 24 in accordance with the locations where the respective shock absorbers are arranged, each of the shock absorbers and the front pillar 26 or the roof side rail 28 can be used. Can be filled, or a gap between each shock absorber and a pillar garnish or roof lining (not shown) can be filled, so that shock can be efficiently absorbed.

When the length of the shock absorbers 20, 22, 24 is long, for example, the joint material 3 is attached to the shock absorber 20.
0 is fitted and fixed to the front pillar 26. Then
One end of the shock absorber 22 is fitted to the joint material 30, and the joint material 32 fitted to the other end in advance is fixed to the roof side rail 28. Furthermore, it is preferable from the viewpoint of workability to repeatedly connect the shock absorber and the joint material, such as fitting the end of the shock absorber 24 to the joint material 32, and fix the joint material.

In the above-described embodiment, the joint member is in the form of a resin rib having a U-shaped cross section and both ends closed by rib portions. Alternatively, the joint material may be formed in a hollow shape penetrating in the axial direction.

In FIG. 10 in a perspective state and FIG. 11 in a sectional state, the shock absorbers 100 and 102 are made of metal pipes.
The shock absorber 102 has a larger cross-sectional dimension than the shock absorber 100. The joint material 104 is formed by molding a resin so as to be able to absorb a shock, has a hollow shape, and penetrates in the axial direction. The joint material 104 is used for the structural member 10.
The grommet 108 is integrally provided at a portion facing the surface 6.
Therefore, the fitting ends 110 and 111 are fitted to the opposite ends of the shock absorbers 100 and 102, respectively, and the two shock absorbers 100 and 102 are connected to form the grommet 10.
By inserting 8 into the hole of the structural member 106, the two shock absorbers 100 and 102 and the joint member 104 are fixed to the structural member 106.

The joint member 1 shown in FIG.
12 is formed by molding a resin,
The mounting seat 113 is integrally provided at a portion facing the. A separately molded resin clip 114 is attached to the attachment seat 113, and is fixed to the structural member 106 by the clip 114. Since the clip 114 is generally used for attaching an interior material, a mass-produced product can be used.

Referring again to FIG. 8, the actual thickness (actual plate thickness) d of the hybrid pipe 80 is the thickness of the core material 82 and the front and back sheets 84 combined. On the other hand, the apparent thickness R is a radial distance from the outermost peripheral surface of the convex portion 88 to the innermost peripheral surface of the concave portion 86. In the manufacturing process of the hybrid pipe, first, an intermediate pipe having an actual thickness d is formed, and then, the unevenness is continuously formed on the intermediate pipe to make a hybrid pipe having an apparent thickness R.

The shock absorber can be formed such that one of the two ends is larger than the middle part, one end is smaller than the middle part, and the other end is the middle part. Can also be enlarged. When the hollow shock absorber is a square tube, the reduction or enlargement reduces or expands one side, reduces or expands two opposing sides, or reduces three or four sides. This can be done by reducing or enlarging the side. The shock absorber whose at least one end is reduced or enlarged can be connected to another shock absorber via a joint material to provide a shock absorbing structure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a hollow shock absorber fixing structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the fixing structure shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a fixing structure using a hollow metal pipe as a shock absorber.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing another example of a fixing structure using a hollow metal pipe as a shock absorber.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the fixing structure of the hollow shock absorber according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the fixing structure of the hollow shock absorber according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a hybrid pipe used for a structure for fixing a hollow shock absorber according to the present invention.

8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the hybrid pipe shown in FIG. 7 cut in a longitudinal direction.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a part of a vehicle body to which the hollow shock absorber fixing structure according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a joint material that can be used for the fixing structure of the hollow shock absorber according to the present invention.

11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 11, but showing another aspect.

[Explanation of symbols]

20, 22, 24, 60, 62, 64, 70, 80 Shock absorber 30, 32, 46, 48, 50, 52, 58, 66, 7
4 Joint material 104,112 Joint material 21,23,65,71,73 End 34,35,59,67,76,77,110,111
Mating end

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-10-29482 (JP, A) JP-A-9-67657 (JP, A) JP-A-53-17199 (JP, U) 2567 (JP, B1) Jiko 38-22152 (JP, Y1) Jiko 46-23533 (JP, Y1) Jiko 46-5718 (JP, Y1) Jiko 41-20942 (JP, Y1) (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60R 21/02-21/04 B62D 25/02-25/06 F16F ⁷ /00-7/14 F16B 7/20

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A structure in which a plurality of hollow shock absorbers are connected to each other and fixed to a structural member of a vehicle body, and each of the two shock absorbers located adjacent to each other is fitted to each of opposing ends. It has a mating end portion, and comprises a joint material attached to the structural member, wherein the shock absorber has a metal foil core material, and a front and back surface of the core material.
Each sheet of non-metallic material
This hybrid pipe
Is connected to the core and the front and back sheets in the axial direction.
A fixing structure for a hollow shock absorber, which is formed so as to be irregularly deformed, and wherein the joint member and the shock absorber are slidably fitted in the axial direction of the shock absorber. 2. The two shock absorbers located adjacent to each other.
The cross-sectional shapes perpendicular to the axes of the opposite ends of the body are different.
Each fitting end of the joint material is
The end of each shock absorber where the mating ends fit
The hollow shock absorber fixing structure according to claim 1 , having a cross-sectional shape substantially similar to a surface shape .