JP3736865B2 - Instrument panel reinforcement and instrument panel manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
The present invention connects the large-diameter portion with a large plate thickness that supports the steering on the driver's seat side, the small-diameter portion with the thin plate thickness that supports the interior parts on the passenger seat side, and the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion. The present invention relates to a reinforcement for an instrument panel provided with a tapered portion , and a method for manufacturing the reinforcement for an instrument panel .
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Reinforcements for instrument panels in automobiles are made of a metal such as aluminum and made of a hollow material having a circular cross section, and have a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion aligned in the axial direction. This type of reinforcement is used, for example, as a member that is horizontally mounted in the width direction of an automobile and attaches an instrument panel to the body of the automobile. In addition, the boundary portion between the large diameter portion and the small diameter portion in this reinforcement is not formed as a stepped portion that is linearly bent stepwise, but is formed in a tapered shape because of strength.
[0003]
Such reinforcement has conventionally produced a hollow material constituting a large-diameter portion, a hollow material constituting a small-diameter portion, and a hollow material constituting a tapered portion, and then welding these hollow materials in combination. It was joined by.
However, since it was joined by welding, there was a problem that the strength of the joint was low, and many processes and manufacturing facilities were required, resulting in poor productivity and economy.
[0004]
In order to cope with such a problem, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-293535 discloses a reinforcement made of a hollow material in which portions having different cross-sectional areas are continuous and a boundary portion between these portions is tapered. ing.
According to this, as shown in FIG. 6, the crushing portion 102 of the hollow material 101 is gripped by the chuck 113 and moved in the direction A in the figure. Thus, the outer diameter of the portion 101 a that has passed through the hole 112 of the die 111 is defined as the inner diameter of the hole 112 of the die 111, and the wall thickness is defined by the hole 112 and the outer diameter of the mandrel 114. Thereafter, the mandrel 114 is extracted, the chuck 113 moves in the direction B in the figure, and pushes the hollow material 101 back.
[0005]
Subsequently, the crushing portion 102 of the hollow material 101 is again gripped by the chuck 113 and moved in the direction A in the figure. As a result, the outer diameter of the portion 101 b that has passed through the hole 122 of the die 121 is defined as the inner diameter of the hole 122 of the die 121, and the wall thickness is defined by the hole 122 of the die 121 and the outer diameter of the mandrel 123. . Thereafter, the mandrel 123 is extracted, the chuck 113 moves in the direction B in the figure, and pushes the hollow material 101 back.
[0006]
Thereafter, swaging is performed on the boundary portion P between the portion 101c and the portion 101a and the boundary portion Q between the portion 101a and the portion 101b by the swaging device to form the tapered portion 103, thereby completing the reinforcement. To do.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Of the taper portion 103 of the reinforcement, the large-diameter portion side (the portion 101c side) is supported by a support member erected on the floor of the automobile, and therefore requires a certain degree of rigidity and is therefore thick. It is desirable. Since this portion 101c side is formed from the boundary portion P, its thickness is substantially the same as the portion 101c having a large diameter portion, and it can be said that this point is satisfied.
[0008]
However, the small diameter portion side (portion 101b side) of the taper portion 103 is formed by compressing the material in the length direction by swaging and enlarging part or all of the cross section. In addition to being unable to control, it is quite thick.
[0009]
Therefore, in spite of adopting a structure divided into a large-diameter part and a small-diameter part for the purpose of reducing the weight of the reinforcement originally, the swage-processed part in the above-mentioned reinforcement Contrary to weight reduction, it causes weight increase. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the invention according to claim 1 is to provide a reinforcement for an instrument panel that can be sufficiently reduced in weight without causing any trouble in the support structure. And Further, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing the reinforcement according to the first aspect.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 includes a large-diameter portion having a large plate thickness, a small-diameter portion having a thin plate thickness, and a tapered portion connecting the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion, In the reinforcement for instrument panels mounted horizontally on the vehicle,
The tapered portion is
A thick portion that substantially matches the plate thickness of the large diameter portion from the connecting portion with the large diameter portion to an intermediate position ;
And a gradually changing portion that gradually decreases from a plate thickness of the thick portion to a plate thickness that substantially matches the plate thickness of the small diameter portion from the intermediate position to the connecting portion with the small diameter portion .
[0011]
The invention according to claim 2 includes a large-diameter portion having a large plate thickness, a small-diameter portion having a small plate thickness, and a tapered portion connecting the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion, and is horizontally mounted on the taper portion. In the method of manufacturing the reinforcement for the instrument panel supported by the vehicle at
A large-diameter portion front stage portion that substantially matches the plate thickness and outer diameter of the large-diameter portion, and a taper that is connected to the large-diameter portion front-stage portion, and substantially matches the plate thickness of the large-diameter portion. A pre-stage portion of the thick portion, and an intermediate portion connected to the pre-stage portion of the thick-walled portion and substantially coincident with the outer diameter of the small-diameter portion, the intermediate portion from the thickness of the pre-stage portion of the thick-walled portion A hollow stepped pipe having a gradually changing portion before the gradually changing portion and a small diameter portion preceding step portion connected to the gradually changing portion preceding step and substantially equal to the plate thickness of the small diameter portion is formed.
[0012]
Next, the thick-walled portion that substantially matches the plate thickness of the large-diameter portion by applying pressure from the inside to the outside of the gradually changing portion front-stage portion and the thick-wall-portion front-stage portion of the hollow stepped pipe The taper portion is formed by forming a gradually changing portion that gradually decreases from the thickness of the thick portion to the thickness of the small diameter portion .
[0013]
[Action]
The large-diameter portion of the instrument panel reinforcement according to claim 1 has sufficient rigidity because the plate thickness is large and the cross-sectional area is large. Therefore, for example, heavy objects such as a steering support and a speedometer are attached. Further, the small-diameter portion has less rigidity than the large-diameter portion because the plate thickness is small and the cross-sectional area is small. Therefore, for example, lightweight interior parts such as heat control and radio are attached.
[0014]
On the other hand, this instrument panel reinforcement is supported by the vehicle at the thick wall portion of the taper portion and is supported by the thick wall portion because it has sufficient rigidity. There will be no structural problems. In addition, the gradual change portion of the taper portion gradually decreases in thickness from the thick portion to the small diameter portion, so that a sufficient weight reduction of the reinforcement can be achieved without impairing the rigidity of the thick portion. Can do.
[0015]
Note that this reinforcement is preferably formed by, for example, subjecting a hollow pipe to plastic working in order to avoid the risk of damaging the surrounding wire harness.
The reinforcement for an instrument panel according to claim 1 can be manufactured by the manufacturing method according to claim 2 . That is, the thick-walled portion and the gradually changing portion are formed from the inside to the outside by applying pressure from the inside to the outside of the thick-walled portion of the hollow stepped pipe . At the same time, the step portion before the large diameter portion of the hollow stepped pipe becomes the large diameter portion, and the step portion before the small diameter portion becomes the small diameter portion.
[0016]
【Example】
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a reinforcement for an instrument panel.
The instrument panel (hereinafter referred to as “instrument panel”) reinforcement 1 according to this embodiment includes a large-diameter portion 2, a small-diameter portion 4, and a tapered portion 3 that connects the two by performing plastic working on a single hollow pipe. It is formed by continuous integration.
[0017]
The large diameter portion 2 has an outer diameter of 60.5 mm and a plate thickness of 2.0 mm, and the small diameter portion 4 has an outer diameter of 38.1 mm and a plate thickness of 1.0 mm.
The tapered portion 3 is formed with a thick portion 5 having a plate thickness of 2.0 mm from a connecting portion 7 to the large diameter portion 2 to a predetermined intermediate position 8. Further, a gradually changing portion 6 that gradually decreases from a plate thickness of 2.0 mm to a plate thickness of 1.0 mm is formed from a predetermined intermediate position 8 to a connecting portion 9 with the small diameter portion 4.
[0018]
The large diameter portion 2 of the instrument panel reinforcement 1 has a plate thickness of 2.0 mm and a large cross-sectional area, so a sufficiently high rigidity is ensured. Accordingly, a heavy object such as a steering column or a speedometer is attached to the large diameter portion 2.
The small-diameter portion 4 has a thickness as small as 1.0 mm and a small cross-sectional area, and therefore does not have the rigidity as the large-diameter portion 2. Accordingly, lightweight interior parts such as a heater control, a radio, and a passenger side airbag are attached to the small diameter portion 4.
[0019]
On the other hand, the thick portion 5 of the tapered portion 3 is connected to a brace (not shown) as a support member extending from the floor of the automobile, but has sufficient rigidity because the plate thickness is thick, There will be no problems with the support structure.
Further, the gradually changing portion 6 of the taper portion 3 gradually decreases in thickness from the intermediate position 8 to the connecting portion 9 with the small diameter portion 4, so that the instrument panel rein is obtained without impairing the rigidity of the thick portion 5. A sufficient weight reduction of the hosement 1 can be achieved.
[0020]
In the vicinity of the instrument panel reinforcement 1, a wire harness which is a bundle of electric wires connected to various interior parts is disposed. The instrument panel reinforcement 1 is formed by plastic working a single pipe. Since it is manufactured, there is no risk of burrs or the like that may damage the wire harness.
[0021]
Next, a manufacturing example of the instrument panel reinforcement 1 according to this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a hollow stepped pipe, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a die for manufacturing a reinforcement.
[0022]
First, the hollow stepped pipe 10 and the die 51 are prepared.
The hollow stepped pipe 10 shown in FIG. 2 includes a large-diameter portion front stage portion 12, a thick portion front stage portion 15, and an intermediate portion 11. The large-diameter portion pre-stage portion 12 has an outer diameter of 60.5 mm and a plate thickness of 2.0 mm, and the thick-wall portion pre-stage portion 15 is tapered and has a plate thickness of 2.0 mm. The intermediate portion 11 has an outer diameter substantially coincident with the small diameter portion 4. The intermediate part 11 includes a small diameter part pre-stage part 14 and a gradual change part pre-stage part 16. The small diameter portion front stage portion 14 has an outer diameter of 38.1 mm and a plate thickness of 1.0 mm. The gradually changing portion pre-stage portion 16 is formed so as to gradually decrease from 2.0 mm to 1.0 mm until the small diameter portion pre-stage portion 14 is reached from the connecting portion 18 with the thick-wall portion pre-stage portion 15. Has been.
[0023]
On the other hand, in the die 51 shown in FIG. 3, the hole 52 substantially coincides with the outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion 3 of the instrument panel reinforcement 1.
Next, the thick part front stage part 15 and the gradual change part front stage part 16 of the hollow stepped pipe 10 are arranged in the hole 52 of the die 51, and pressure is applied from the inside of the hollow stepped pipe 10 to the outside. Add As a method of applying pressure, for example, a well-known bulging process using high-pressure gas or high-pressure liquid may be employed, or a mandrel (not shown) that substantially matches the shape of the hole 52 of the die 51 is inserted. May be.
[0024]
Thereby, the instrument panel reinforcement 1 is formed. That is, the thick part front stage part 15 and the gradual change part front stage part 16 of the hollow stepped pipe 10 form the thick part 5 and the gradual change part 6 of the instrument panel reinforcement 1, and the taper part 3 is formed. . Further, the large diameter portion front stage portion 12 of the hollow stepped pipe 10 becomes the large diameter portion 2 of the instrument panel reinforcement 1, and the small diameter portion front stage portion 14 becomes the small diameter portion 4.
[0025]
Next, an example of manufacturing a hollow stepped pipe will be described. FIG. 4 is a process diagram for processing a hollow pipe. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a tool for manufacturing a hollow stepped pipe.
First, one hollow pipe 20, a die 61 and a mandrel 71 are prepared.
The hollow pipe 20 has an outer diameter of 60.5 mm and a plate thickness of 2.0 mm.
[0026]
The die 61 includes a portion 63 that coincides with the taper outer peripheral surface of the thick portion front stage portion 15 of the hollow stepped pipe 10, and a portion 64 that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the intermediate portion 11. The mandrel 71 includes a portion 72 that substantially matches the inner diameter of the large-diameter front stage portion 12 of the hollow stepped pipe 10, a portion 73 that substantially matches the tapered inner peripheral surface of the thick-wall front stage portion 15, and the intermediate portion 11. A portion 74 that is slightly larger than the inner diameter is provided.
[0027]
The gap between the part 63 of the die 61 and the part 73 of the mandrel 71 is designed to be 2.0 mm, and the gap between the part 64 of the die 61 and the part 74 of the mandrel 71 is 1.5 mm.
First, one end of the hollow pipe 20 is bent radially inward to form a bent portion 21 (see FIG. 4B). Next, the mandrel 71 is inserted from the opposite side of the bent portion 21 of the hollow pipe 20 and the tip of the portion 74 of the mandrel 71 is brought into contact with the bent portion 21 (see FIG. 4C). Subsequently, the hollow pipe 20 is inserted from the side of the portion 63 of the die 61 from the side of the bent portion 21, and a drawing process is performed (see FIG. 4D). At this time, since the tip of the mandrel 71 is locked to the bent portion 21 of the hollow pipe 20, if the mandrel 71 is moved to the left, the hollow pipe 20 is also moved to the left together. Then, when the portion 73 of the mandrel 71 reaches the portion 63 of the die 61, the leftward movement of the hollow pipe 20 is restricted. Thereafter, the hollow pipe 20 and the mandrel 71 are pulled out from the die 61 in the reverse direction.
[0028]
As shown in FIG. 4E, the hollow pipe 30 obtained in this way is composed of a large-diameter portion pre-stage portion 32, a thick-wall portion pre-stage portion 35, and an intermediate-portion pre-stage portion 31. The step portion 32 before the large-diameter portion has an outer diameter of 60.5 mm and a plate thickness of 2.0 mm. The step portion 35 before the tapered thick-walled portion has a plate thickness of 2.0 mm and the intermediate step portion 31 has an outer diameter. The thickness is 41 mm and the plate thickness is 1.5 mm.
[0029]
Subsequently, a predetermined die 81 and a mandrel 91 are prepared. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a die and a mandrel for producing a hollow stepped pipe.
The die 81 includes a hole portion 82 that substantially matches the outer diameter of the small diameter portion front stage portion 14 of the hollow stepped pipe 10. Further, the mandrel 91 includes a portion 92 that substantially matches the inner diameter of the small diameter portion front stage portion 14 of the hollow stepped pipe 10 and a portion 93 that substantially matches the shape of the gradually changing portion front stage portion 16.
[0030]
The gap between the hole 82 of the die 81 and the portion 92 of the mandrel 91 is designed to be 1.0 mm, and the gap between the hole 82 of the die 81 and the portion 93 of the mandrel 91 is from 2.0 mm to 1.mm. It is designed to gradually change to 0 mm.
The hollow stepped pipe 20 can be obtained by drawing only the intermediate portion front stage portion 31 of the hollow pipe 30 with the die 81 and the mandrel 91.
[0031]
As a manufacturing method of the instrument panel reinforcement 1, a method of manufacturing the instrument panel reinhose from the hollow pipe 20 shown in FIG. It was difficult to process the excess for forming the gradually changing portion 6 of the ment 1. Therefore, the method of the said Example is excellent as a manufacturing method of the instrument panel reinforcement 1. FIG.
[0032]
Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be carried out in various modes without departing from the technical scope of the present invention.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the instrument panel reinforcement according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to achieve a sufficient weight reduction without causing any trouble in the support structure.
[0034]
Moreover, the reinforcement according to claim 1 can be easily produced by the production method according to claim 2 .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a reinforcement for an instrument panel.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a hollow stepped pipe.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a die for manufacturing a reinforcement.
FIG. 4 is a processing diagram of a hollow pipe.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a die and a mandrel for producing a hollow stepped pipe.
FIG. 6 is a process chart of a conventional example.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... Reinforcement for instrument panel, 2 ... Large diameter part,
3 ... taper part, 4 ... small diameter part,
5 ... Thick part, 6 ... Gradual change part,
10 ... hollow stepped pipe, 11 ... middle part,
12 ... stage part before large diameter part, 14 ... stage part before small diameter part,
15 ... Stage part before thick part, 16 ... Stage part before gradually changing part,
20 ... Hollow pipe,

Claims (2)

A large-diameter portion having a large plate thickness, a small-diameter portion having a thin plate thickness, and a tapered portion connecting the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion are horizontally mounted on and supported by the vehicle by the tapered portion. In the reinforcement for instrument panels,
The tapered portion is
A thick portion that substantially matches the plate thickness of the large diameter portion from the connecting portion with the large diameter portion to an intermediate position ;
A gradually changing portion that gradually decreases from a plate thickness of the thick portion to a plate thickness that substantially matches the plate thickness of the small diameter portion from the intermediate position to the connecting portion with the small diameter portion. Reinforcement for the reinforcement panel. A large-diameter portion having a large plate thickness, a small-diameter portion having a thin plate thickness, and a tapered portion connecting the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion are horizontally mounted on and supported by the vehicle by the tapered portion. In the manufacturing method for instrument panel reinforcement,
A large-diameter portion front stage portion that substantially matches the plate thickness and outer diameter of the large-diameter portion, and a taper that is connected to the large-diameter portion front-stage portion, and substantially matches the plate thickness of the large-diameter portion. A pre-stage portion of the thick portion, and an intermediate portion connected to the pre-stage portion of the thick-walled portion and substantially coincident with the outer diameter of the small-diameter portion, the intermediate portion from the thickness of the pre-stage portion of the thick-walled portion A hollow stepped pipe having a gradually changing portion before the gradually changing portion, and a small diameter portion preceding step portion connected to the gradually changing portion before the step portion and substantially equal to the plate thickness of the small diameter portion,
Wherein said thickness of said and said gradually changing portion preceding stage portion and the thick portion before step portion of the hollow stepped pipe from the inner applying pressure toward the outer large-diameter portion and substantially matching the thick portion thickness reinforcement of the process for in-stringency instrument panel, characterized in that forming the gradually changing portion gradually becomes thinner from a thickness of approximately the thickness that matches the thickness of the small diameter portion of the meat portion and the said tapered portion.

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