JP3569882B2 - Front pillar structure - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a body structure of a passenger car, and more particularly to a structure of a front pillar.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 7 shows an example of a structure around a front pillar in this type of vehicle.
In this body structure, a front pillar 1 is arranged in front of the occupant as shown. In this case, the front pillar 1 is extremely important for occupant safety. That is, if the occupant's head collides with the front pillar 1, a body structure that can effectively absorb the impact at that time is indispensable.
[0003]
FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional structure of a conventional front pillar 1. In the figure, 2 is an outer panel, 3 is an inner panel, and 4 is a reinforce. These members constitute a pillar body. A garnish 5 is provided on the inner panel 3 side of the pillar body, and a resin rib 6 is mounted in the garnish 5 as a pad material. The outer panel 2 and the inner panel 3 are joined as shown to form a closed section, and flanges 1a and 1b are extended along the longitudinal direction of the front pillar 1 at the joints at both ends in the closed section. .
[0004]
By the way, the head protection structure in the body structure falls within the applicable range of laws and regulations. For example, according to test conditions based on the North American law FMVSS201, the collision position is determined under the strictest conditions. In this case, the evaluation is made based on the head injury value HIC (d) determined from the impact (acceleration) when the vehicle collides at a speed of 24 km / h. The most important matter in meeting such a criterion is to reduce the acceleration of the occupant's head.
[0005]
In the conventional front pillar structure, in order to protect the occupant's head with respect to the front pillar 1, the head is prevented from directly colliding with the pillar body. For example, by increasing the thickness of the garnish 5 which is an interior product, the distance L until the head M collides with the pillar main body is increased, or the resin rib 6 is provided inside the garnish 5 as shown in FIG. By mounting the device, the energy absorbing effect at the time of collision is enhanced. By taking such measures, it is intended to end the collision phenomenon before the occupant's head substantially collides with the pillar body.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional front pillar structure, the garnish 5 must have a certain thickness or more in order to effectively protect the occupant's head. For this reason, an effective indoor space is restricted.
[0007]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a front pillar structure capable of improving safety for an occupant and effectively securing an indoor space.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The front pillar structure of the present invention forms a closed cross section by joining the outer panel and the inner panel, and a pillar body formed with the joint as a flange; a garnish attached to the inner panel side of the pillar body ; A resin pillar integrally formed with the garnish inside the garnish, wherein the resin rib comprises a first rib, a second rib, and a third rib, and the first rib comprises: At a position close to one of the joints of the outer panel and the inner panel, the outer panel and the inner panel are erected from the inner panel side so as to generate a lateral counter load against an external load. At the position close to the other joint, the above-mentioned b Standing from Napaneru side, further, the third rib is arranged adjacent to the first rib, in which so as to generate opposing force that controls the deformation direction of the garnish due to external loads.
[0011]
According to the present invention, the trajectory of the head is changed at the garnish portion attached to the pillar body so that the occupant's head does not substantially collide with the vehicle body (pillar body). That is, a resin rib is integrally formed inside the garnish, and a counter load for controlling the direction of deformation of the garnish due to an external load received from the head is generated. By generating the opposing load in this manner, the trajectory of the head is changed so that the deceleration distance becomes longer, and the absorption of impact energy can be improved.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the front pillar structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0013]
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a main part of a front pillar 1 in this embodiment. The front pillar 1 has a pillar body having a closed cross section formed by joining these members with a reinforce 4 interposed between the outer panel 2 and the inner panel 3. A garnish 5 is attached to the pillar body on the inner panel 3 side. Flanges 1a and 1b extend along the longitudinal direction at both ends of the closed cross section of the pillar body.
[0014]
Further, the resin rib 7 is integrally formed inside the garnish 5. The resin ribs 7 include first ribs 7a that stand up from the inner panel 3 so as to generate a lateral counter load against an external load. The first rib 7a is provided at a position close to one of the joints of the outer panel 2 and the inner panel 3, that is, the flange 1a. Here, the front pillar 1 receives a load from the occupant's head M as an external load.
[0015]
The resin rib 7 further includes a second rib 7b raised from the inner panel 3 side at a position close to the other joint of the outer panel 2 and the inner panel 3, that is, the flange 1b. The first rib 7a and the second rib 7b can generate a counter load necessary for changing the trajectory of the occupant's head M as described later. In particular, the first rib 7a has a function of promoting the change of the trajectory and the rotation of the head M in the early stage of the collision.
[0016]
Further, the resin rib 7 includes a third rib 7c arranged adjacent to the first rib 7a. The third rib 7c has a function of controlling the deformation mode of the garnish 5 so as not to hinder the movement of the occupant's head M as described later.
[0017]
Here, the present invention avoids substantial collision with the vehicle body (particularly the flange 1a of the pillar body) by changing the trajectory of the occupant's head M, as schematically shown in FIG. Is intended. Further, in addition to such a change in the trajectory, rotation (rotation) of the head M is caused to occur simultaneously. Further, it is intended to control the deceleration distance by the deformation mode of the garnish 5. That is, the collision phenomenon is ended before the head M of the occupant substantially collides with the pillar body.
[0018]
FIG. 3 shows a principle operation for changing the trajectory of the head M in this embodiment. In order to increase the magnitude of the change in the trajectory of the head M, it is necessary to increase the lateral counter load on the head M. That is, in the drawing, the angle φ is increased to increase the load F2. Further, in order to increase the rotation amount of the head M, it is necessary to increase the rotation moment about the center of gravity O. That is, the offset distance d is increased in the figure.
[0019]
The resin ribs 7 including the first ribs 7a, the second ribs 7b, and the third ribs 7c are integrally formed inside the garnish 5 in the above-described arrangement relationship, so that these ribs move along the trajectory of the head M. To generate a load for changing or rotating.
[0020]
Next, a description will be given of an effect confirmation test performed using a simplified model in the front pillar structure having the above configuration.
In this example, the effect was confirmed by FEM (finite element method) using a model as shown in FIG. In this case, the thickness of the garnish 5 was examined as 18.3 mm. A head injury value to be achieved for safety was set to 800 or less, and a similar test was performed for a conventional example.
[0021]
According to the present invention, the head injury value is 615, which is much better than the target value. Incidentally, in the case of the conventional example, it is difficult to achieve the target value. In the present invention, even if the thickness of the garnish 5 is reduced as a result, head protection performance can be effectively secured. This makes it possible to substantially increase the indoor space while maintaining and improving safety.
[0022]
FIGS. 5 and 6 show deformation states of cross sections before and after the collision in the calculation models of the present invention and the conventional example. As is clear from the figure, according to the present invention, no obstacle or deformation occurs in the head M after the collision, whereas in the case of the conventional example, the head M collides with the body (the flange portion 1a of the pillar body). The portion M is deformed.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, even if the thickness of the garnish is reduced by setting the resin ribs in the garnish in a specific arrangement state, the head protection performance can be effectively secured, and It is possible to ensure high safety for occupants after effectively expanding the space. In addition, since the garnish and the resin rib are integrated, there is an advantage that the manufacturing cost of the resin rib is reduced and the cost is extremely advantageous.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a main part in an embodiment of a front pillar structure of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a basic principle of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a principle operation for changing the trajectory of the head according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a calculation model used for an effect confirmation test in the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a deformation state of a cross section before and after a collision in a calculation model according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a deformation state of a cross section before and after a collision in a calculation model in a conventional example.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a structure around a front pillar according to a conventional example.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 7, showing a configuration example of a front pillar structure according to a conventional example.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 1 front pillar 2 outer panel 3 inner panel 4 pillar body 5 garnish 7 resin rib 7a first rib 7b second rib 7c third rib

Claims (1)

The outer panel and the inner panel are joined to form a closed cross section , and a pillar body formed as a flange at the joint, a garnish attached to the inner panel side of the pillar body, and a garnish integrated with the garnish inside the garnish. In the front pillar including the formed resin rib ,
The resin rib is constituted by a first rib, a second rib, and a third rib,
The first rib is erected from the inner panel side so as to generate a lateral counter load against an external load at a position close to one of the joints of the outer panel and the inner panel, and the second rib is At the close position of the other joint of the outer panel and the inner panel, stand from the inner panel side to generate a counter load required for changing the trajectory of the occupant's head,
A third rib is disposed adjacent to the first rib ;
A front pillar structure characterized by generating an opposing load for controlling the direction of garnish deformation due to an external load.

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