JP2987153B2 - Energy absorption structure on the side of the vehicle - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an energy absorbing structure for a vehicle body side portion, and more particularly, to an energy absorbing structure for effectively absorbing an impact load applied to a vehicle body side portion. The present invention relates to a possible energy absorbing structure on the side of the vehicle body.

Prior art In order to absorb the impact energy when a lateral impact load is applied to the side of the vehicle body, a cushion is provided as a shock absorbing material at the lower part of the inner panel of the side door as a shock absorber, and the inner panel and the outer panel are used. There is known an energy absorbing structure on the side of a vehicle body in which a reinforcing member is provided in a space formed with a predetermined gap from the cushion (for example, JP-A-53-147323).

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in such an energy absorbing structure at the side of the vehicle body, the side panel inner trim panel greatly protrudes from the surface of the door trim toward the interior of the vehicle, and the impact is a special member. Since the absorber is provided, the interior space of the vehicle is narrowed, and the appearance of the inside of the side door is damaged.In addition, the shock absorber is provided at the lower part of the inner panel of the side door on the vehicle interior side. Therefore, it is possible to absorb the energy of the impact load applied to the lower part of the side of the vehicle body in the lateral direction, but it is not possible to absorb the energy of the impact load applied to parts other than the lower part of the body side. It is impossible to absorb the energy of the impact load applied to the substantially central portion on the side of the vehicle body, which is required to absorb the energy of the vehicle body. The structure was insufficient.

Such a problem cannot be solved by providing such a shock absorbing material in all portions that need to absorb the energy of the impact load in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, such as the substantially central portion of the inner panel of the side door on the vehicle interior side. However, as described above, such a shock absorbing material is specially provided in all parts that need to absorb the energy of the impact load in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, such as the substantially central portion of the inner panel of the side door on the vehicle interior side. In addition, not only does the appearance of the inside of the side door deteriorate, and not only does the space inside the vehicle compartment become narrower, but also there is a problem that it interferes with getting on and off the occupants, and as an energy absorbing structure on the side of the vehicle body, It was far from practical.

An object of the present invention is to provide an energy absorbing structure on a side of a vehicle body having a shock absorber for absorbing energy of a shock load in a lateral direction of the vehicle body, which prevents the interior space of the vehicle from being narrowed and the appearance of the inside of the side door from being damaged. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle body side energy absorbing structure capable of effectively absorbing the energy of an impact load applied to the vehicle body side.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and in an energy absorbing structure of a vehicle body side portion provided with a shock absorber for absorbing energy of a shock load in a vehicle lateral direction, The door trim includes a side door that opens and closes, a door trim that covers the vehicle interior side of the side door, and an armrest that is formed on the door trim so as to protrude in the vehicle interior direction. When the vehicle is subjected to an impact load in a lateral direction of the vehicle body that is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the door trim covers the vehicle interior side and the armrest protrudes toward the vehicle interior side. The airbag is configured to inflate and expand in the vehicle interior direction, and the airbag is folded and stored in an upper portion near an armrest of the door trim. An opening is provided for deploying the airbag toward the interior of the vehicle, and the opening is normally provided so as to be substantially flush with the surface of the door trim around the opening. When the back is deployed, a cover which is detached from the door trim and moves toward the vehicle interior is attached.

According to the present invention configured as described above, it is not necessary to provide a special shock absorber that protrudes greatly from the surface of the door trim to the interior of the vehicle on the interior side of the side door, so that the interior of the interior is not narrowed. The interior space of the vehicle can be effectively used, and the energy of the impact load applied to the side of the vehicle body can be more effectively absorbed without damaging the appearance inside the side door. Also, when the airbag is deployed, the airbag expands vertically from the opening and in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body,
The occupant can be surely protected without being affected by the armrest because it is deployed and covers from the upper surface of the armrest to the vicinity of the upper end of the door trim.

Also, when the airbag is deployed, the cover of the opening provided in the upper portion near the armrest is disengaged from the door trim and moves toward the interior of the vehicle when the airbag is deployed. The loaded occupant's arm is pushed out toward the passenger compartment and is less likely to be damaged.

Furthermore, since the opening for deploying the airbag is provided near the upper portion of the armrest formed so as to protrude in the vehicle interior direction, the opening is formed without providing a separate reinforcing member. This can prevent a decrease in rigidity due to the above.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, further, the shock absorber is folded and stored below an armrest of the door trim, and expands when a vehicle body lateral shock load of a predetermined value or more is applied. A second airbag that deploys, wherein the second airbag is folded,
An opening for deploying the second airbag toward the interior of the vehicle is provided in a portion of the door trim that is stored, and a cover that covers the second airbag is substantially flush with a surface of the door trim around the second airbag. They are provided so as to be on the same plane.

In a further preferred aspect of the present invention, when the second airbag is deployed, the second airbag expands and deploys in the vertical direction and the vehicle longitudinal direction from the opening, and extends from the lower surface of the armrest to the vicinity of the lower end of the door trim. It is configured to cover.

In a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the airbag is configured so as to expand and expand into the vehicle compartment when the airbag is deployed, by more than the amount of protrusion of the armrest into the vehicle compartment.

Examples Hereinafter, based on the accompanying drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
Add a detailed explanation.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a side door provided with a body side energy absorbing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken along a line DD of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the armrest 17 of the door trim 4 attached to the side door 1 is provided.
Above and below, two shock absorbing devices 18 are provided. 13
Is a window glass.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of a shock absorbing device 18 provided above the armrest 17. In FIG. 2, the side door 1 includes a door outer panel 2, a door inner panel 3, and a door inner panel 3. It is constituted by a door trim 4 attached to the vehicle interior side. Further, in a space formed between the door inner panel 3 and the door trim 4 attached thereto, an igniter 40 around which an explosive is loaded, and gas is generated by heat generated by the ignition of the igniter 40. Propellant 41, a filter 42 that captures undesired components in the gas generated by the propellant 41,
An expansion member 28 made of a flexible material such as nylon is provided on the periphery thereof, and an airbag 27 and an airbag that can be expanded when gas generated by the propellant 41 and passing through the filter 42 are introduced. The shock absorbing device 18 including the case 43 is formed. In FIG. 2, the normal state in which the airbag 27 is stored in the side door 1 is indicated by a solid line, and the state in which the airbag 27 is deployed is indicated by a broken line. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 5 denotes an opening for expanding the airbag 27 formed in the door trim 4.

An airbag cover 29 for covering the airbag 27 is provided on the vehicle interior side of the shock absorbing device 18 so that its surface is normally flush with the surface of the door trim 4 and a storage portion for the propellant 41 is provided. The inner surface of the vehicle cabin side surface 44 and the inner surface of the airbag cover 29 are connected to each other at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction by a fixed support member 31 formed of a net. The deployment member 28 at the peripheral edge of the airbag 27 has an airbag cover 43 at one edge and an airbag cover 29 at the other edge.
, Respectively. Further, when the airbag 27 is deployed, the airbag cover 29 is detached from the door trim 4 and moves toward the vehicle interior as shown by the broken line in FIG. The structure of the shock absorbing device 18 provided below the armrest 17 is the same as in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an impact load detecting device for detecting whether or not a lateral impact load of a predetermined value or more is applied to a vehicle body.
45 is a schematic perspective view of 45. FIG. An impact load detecting device 45 shown in FIG. 3 includes an air tank 26 provided inside the door outer panel 2 over substantially the entire surface of the side door 1, a pressure valve 46 for keeping the air pressure in the air tank 26 constant, and an air tank. A pressure sensor 47 outputs an ignition signal to the igniters 40 of the two shock absorbing devices 17 when the air pressure in the air exceeds a predetermined value.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line D--D showing the structure of the pressure valve 46. The valve 48 is connected to the air tank 26 via a spring 49.
The valve 48 and the halve seat 52 are normally not in close contact with each other, and the air in the air tank 26 communicates with the outside air. Even if it changes, the pressure in the air tank 26 is kept constant, and the outside air temperature changes,
The pressure in the air tank 26 increases, and the pressure sensor 47 is prevented from outputting an ignition signal to the igniter 40.

When an impact load of a predetermined value or more in the vehicle lateral direction is applied to the impact load detection device 45 configured as described above, the door outer panel 2 is deformed toward the vehicle interior, and accordingly, the door outer panel 2 of the air tank 26 is deformed. Since the side surface is deformed so as to be crushed, the valve 48 comes into close contact with the valve seat 52, and as a result, the pressure in the air tank 26 increases.

In this way, when an impact load in the lateral direction of the vehicle equal to or more than the predetermined value is applied and the pressure in the air tank 26 increases, the pressure sensor 47
Transmits the ignition signal to the igniter 40 of the two shock absorbers 17
The igniter 40 ignites the explosive charged around it and explodes, and the heat generated by the explosion causes the propellant 41 to generate gas, passes through the filter 42, and enters the airbag 27. , Gas is introduced. as a result,
The airbag 27 starts deploying. The inner surfaces of the cabin side surface 44 and the airbag cover 29 of the propellant 41 storage unit are connected to each other by a fixed support member 31 made of a net at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction, so that the development in the vehicle body width direction is The airbag is restrained by the fixed support member 31, and therefore, by appropriately selecting the length of the fixed support member 31,
The amount of deployment of the airbag 27 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and in the vertical direction of the vehicle body can be set as desired. The energy of the lateral impact load can be absorbed. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the airbags 27 of the two shock absorbing devices 18 are deployed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the airbag 27 that constitutes the shock absorbing device 18 is usually arranged such that the surface of the airbag cover 29 is located substantially on the same surface as the surface of the door trim 4 in a normal state. Because it is stored in the side door 1,
Without narrowing the cabin space, the livability is improved, and the installation position of the airbag 27 can be arbitrarily selected,
By providing the airbags 27 in two parts that need to absorb the energy of the impact load in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, it is possible to sufficiently absorb the energy of the impact load in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. When the airbag 27 of the shock absorbing device 18 provided above the armrest 17 is deployed, the airbag 27 expands and deploys in the vertical direction and in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body from the opening.
Cover from the upper surface of 17 to the vicinity of the upper end of the door trim 4,
In addition, a shock absorbing device provided under the armrest 17
The 18 airbag 27 expands and expands in the vertical direction and the vehicle longitudinal direction from the opening at the time of deployment, and covers from the lower surface of the armrest 17 to the vicinity of the lower end of the door trim 4.
The occupant can be reliably protected without being affected by the armrest 17.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, which are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, two shock absorbing devices 18 are provided. However, if there are a plurality of portions that need to absorb the energy of the impact load in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, each portion has an impact absorbing device. Naturally, the device 18 can be provided, and the shock absorbing device 18 may be provided only on the upper side of the armrest 17.

In the above embodiment, the mesh-shaped fixed support member 31 is used.
However, it goes without saying that a string-shaped fixed support member may be used, and the fixed support member 31 is not limited to a net shape or a string shape. Any material can be used as long as it can regulate the deployment in the width direction and can control the amount of deployment in the vehicle longitudinal direction and the vertical direction to desired values.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the livability in the vehicle interior, prevent the appearance of the inside of the side door from being damaged, and effectively absorb the energy of the impact load applied to the side of the vehicle body. It is possible to obtain an energy absorbing structure on the side of the vehicle body that can be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a side door provided with a body side energy absorbing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken along a line DD of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the impact load detecting device of the energy absorbing structure on the side of the vehicle body shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of a pressure valve of the impact load detecting device. FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the shock absorbing device is operated in the embodiment of FIG. 1 ... side door, 2 ... door outer panel, 3 ... door inner panel, 4 ... door trim, 5 ... opening, 13 ... window glass, 17 ... armrest, 18 ... shock absorber, 26 ... … Air tank, 27 …… Airbag, 28 …… Deployment member, 29 …… Airbag cover, 31 …… Fixed support member, 40 …… Igniter, 41 …… Propellant, 42 …… Filter, 43 …… Airbag Case, 44: Side of inflator cabin, 45: Impact load detector, 46: Pressure valve, 47: Pressure sensor, 48: Valve, 49: Spring, 50: Side of air tank cabin, 51 …… bracket, 52 …… halve sheet.

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An energy absorbing structure on a side of a vehicle body provided with a shock absorber for absorbing energy of a shock load in a lateral direction of the vehicle body, comprising: a side door for opening and closing a vehicle compartment; and a door trim for covering the vehicle interior side of the side door. An armrest formed in the door trim so as to protrude in a vehicle interior direction, wherein the airbag of the shock absorber is folded and stored in an upper portion near the armrest of the door trim, and a side of the vehicle body having a predetermined value or more. When an impact load in the direction is applied, the door trim is configured to cover the vehicle interior side, and to expand and deploy in the vehicle interior direction by a greater amount than the armrest protrudes toward the vehicle interior side. An opening is provided at an upper portion near the armrest of the door trim that is folded and stored, so as to deploy the airbag toward the vehicle interior, The opening is normally provided so as to be substantially on the same plane as the surface of the door trim around the opening, and when the airbag is deployed, the cover is detached from the door trim and moves in the vehicle interior side direction. The energy absorbing structure on the side of the vehicle body, characterized in that the energy absorbing structure is attached. A second shock-absorbing pair that is folded and stored under an armrest of the door trim and expands and expands when a lateral impact load greater than a predetermined value is applied. Wherein the cover covering the second airbag is substantially flush with the surface of the door trim around the portion of the door trim where the second airbag is folded and stored. The energy absorbing structure for a vehicle body side portion according to claim 1, wherein the energy absorbing structure is provided as described above. 3. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the second airbag is inflated and expanded from the opening in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the vehicle body from the opening to cover from a lower surface of the armrest to a vicinity of a lower end of the door trim. The energy absorbing structure for a vehicle body side portion according to claim 2, wherein the energy absorbing structure is configured.