JP6439401B2 - Side sill reinforcement structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a reinforcing structure for a side sill that forms a lower frame of a vehicle door opening.

  Conventionally, a hollow cylindrical skeleton structure called a side sill is disposed in a lower frame portion of a door opening provided on a side surface of a vehicle. The side sill is formed into a closed cross-sectional shape by overlapping an inner member (inner panel) and an outer member (outer panel) having a hat-shaped cross section, for example, and extends in the front-rear direction along the left and right side edges of the vehicle floor. The A structure in which a reinforcement member (side sill reinforcement) is attached to the inside of the side sill to increase the cross-sectional force is also known.

  Furthermore, adding a new reinforcing member to the side sill has been studied in order to improve occupant protection against a side collision. For example, a reinforcement member (first reinforcement panel) having a U-shaped cross-section is arranged inside the side sill, and the bent portion of the reinforcement member is reinforced by a separate reinforcement member (second reinforcement panel). Proposed. Thereby, the rigidity of the side sill with respect to an impact load can be improved more (refer patent document 1).

JP 2006-199132 A

  However, simply attaching the reinforcing member to the reinforcement member tends to cause the rigidity distribution to become unbalanced, which may reduce the passenger protection. For example, when a load in the side collision direction is input, the load concentrates on the joint portion between the reinforcing member and the reinforcement member, which may cause deformation or breakage of the reinforcement member. Alternatively, the reinforcement member may be deformed so as to sink into the reinforcement member, and there is a possibility that a sufficient stroke and time for absorbing the impact cannot be secured. In these cases, the load acting on the reinforcing member cannot be sufficiently dispersed, and passenger protection can be reduced.

  Further, in the reinforcing structure described in Patent Document 1, for example, before the load acting on the reinforcing member (second reinforcing panel) is transmitted to the reinforcement member (first reinforcing panel), the reinforcing member itself is Can be deformed. As a result, the load in the side collision direction is easily input directly to the reinforcement member, and the reinforcing effect by the reinforcing member may be reduced, and the occupant protection may be reduced.

  The present case has been devised in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a side sill reinforcing structure with improved occupant protection against a side impact load of a vehicle. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this purpose, and is an operational effect that is derived from each configuration shown in “Mode for Carrying Out the Invention” to be described later. Can be positioned as a purpose.

(1) The side sill reinforcing structure disclosed here is a side sill reinforcing structure having a closed cross section formed by overlapping an inner member and an outer member and forming a lower frame of a vehicle door opening. The reinforcement structure has a hat-shaped cross section that protrudes to the outside of the vehicle, and a reinforcement member that is disposed inside the closed cross section with the flange portions at both ends sandwiched between the inner member and the outer member. Is provided. Further, a support member is provided that is fixed to a side surface and a bottom surface of the hat-shaped cross section and reinforces the reinforcement member. The support member has a lower surface portion that is fixed to the bottom surface and extends to the vehicle outer side than the side surface along an extended surface of the bottom surface.
The extension surface means a virtual plane obtained by extending the bottom surface in the vehicle outer side direction, and is an extension of a so-called “extension line” to a plane.

In addition, polymerization width of said bottom surface and said lower surface portion, Ru der more than half of the vehicle width direction dimension of the bottom surface.
The overlap width may be the same dimension as the vehicle width direction dimension. That is, the length which the lower surface part contact | abuts to the flange part may be sufficient. Therefore, the overlap width is preferably 50 to 100% of the vehicle width direction dimension of the bottom surface. In addition, since the weight of the said support member becomes large, so that the said superposition | polymerization width | variety is long, you may set the said superposition | polymerization width according to a desired weight.

Further, the lower surface portion, that have a rib which extends in the vehicle width direction. The rib extends to an inner side edge of the lower surface portion. In addition , it is preferable that the said rib is provided in multiple places by a side view, and the said lower surface part is formed in a waveform.
( 2 ) It is preferable that the said support member is arrange | positioned in the position which avoided the junction location of the pillar of the said vehicle and the said side sill. For example, it is preferable that the rear end of the support member is disposed in front of a side collision detection impact sensor attached to the pillar.

( 3 ) It is preferable that the support member forms a trapezoidal closed section whose vertical dimension is narrowed toward the outside of the vehicle between the side surface and the side surface.
( 4 ) It is preferable that the said side surface has the 2nd rib extended in the front-back direction.

  According to the disclosed side sill reinforcement structure, the lower surface of the support member is arranged along the extended surface of the bottom surface of the reinforcement member, so that the impact input to the support member can be efficiently transmitted to the reinforcement member and the inner member. can do. Thereby, the cross-sectional force with respect to the load in the side collision direction of the vehicle can be increased, and the occupant protection performance can be improved.

In addition, since the lower surface portion of the support member has a shape along the bottom surface of the reinforcement member, when the hat-type reinforcement member is deformed by a side impact load, the tip of the lower surface portion becomes the flange portion of the reinforcement member. You can hit it. Thereby, the impact input to the support member can be dispersed to the reinforcement member, the inner member, and the outer member, and the occupant protection performance can be improved. Furthermore, by extending the rib to the vehicle inner side edge of the lower surface portion, the tip of the lower surface portion can be easily brought into contact with the flange portion of the reinforcement member when the side sill is deformed, and passenger protection performance can be further improved. .

It is a figure which shows the vehicle to which the side sill reinforcement structure as an Example was applied. It is a disassembled perspective view of a pillar and a side sill. It is the perspective view which looked at the side sill reinforcement structure from the vehicle outer side upper direction. It is the perspective view which looked at the side sill reinforcement structure from the vehicle outside lower part. (A) is AA sectional drawing of FIG. 3, (B) is BB sectional drawing of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the side sill which illustrates the deformation | transformation state at the time of a side collision.

  A side sill reinforcing structure as an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and there is no intention of excluding various modifications and technical applications that are not explicitly described in the following embodiment. Each configuration of the present embodiment can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit of the present embodiment, and can be selected or combined as necessary.

[1. Constitution]
The side sill reinforcement structure of this embodiment is applied to the side sill 9 in the monocoque vehicle body structure of the vehicle 10 shown in FIG. The side sill 9 is a structure that forms the lower frame of the door opening 7 of the vehicle 10, and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction along the left and right ends of the passenger compartment floor. The cross-section of the side sill 9 has a closed cross-sectional shape, and is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape in which the inner member 4 (side sill inner) having a hat-shaped cross section and the outer panel 1 (side panel outer, outer member) are overlapped.

  The side sill 9 is coupled with lower ends of a front pillar 14 (A pillar), a center pillar 11 (B pillar), and a rear pillar 15 (C pillar). On the other hand, the upper ends of the pillars 11, 14, 15 are coupled to the roof side rail 13. As a result, an annular side frame structure surrounded by a side sill 9, a roof side rail 13, a front pillar 14, and a rear pillar 15 is formed around the door opening 7 of the vehicle 10, and a center pillar 11 is formed on the inside thereof. Arranged vertically. In the present embodiment, a side sill reinforcing structure for reinforcing the side sill 9 between the front pillar 14 and the center pillar 11 will be described.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the structure of the center pillar 11 and the side sill 9. The center pillar 11 and the side sill 9 are both provided on the vehicle inner side (inner side in the vehicle width direction) of the outer panel 1 that is an exterior panel of the vehicle 10. The outer panel 1 is provided with a pillar portion 1A whose horizontal cross-sectional shape bulges toward the vehicle outer side and a sill portion 1B whose vertical cross-sectional shape bulges toward the vehicle outer side. The pillar portion 1 </ b> A is an exterior panel of the center pillar 11 and extends in the vertical direction on the side surface of the vehicle. The sill portion 1B is an exterior panel of the side sill 9, and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction (horizontal direction) at the lower end of the pillar portion 1A. Hereinafter, the sill portion 1B is also referred to as an outer member 1B.

  A pillar inner member 2 and a pillar reinforcement member 3 are disposed inside the pillar portion 1A. These horizontal cross-sectional shapes are, for example, a hat shape in which the pillar inner member 2 protrudes toward the inside of the vehicle, and a hat shape in which the pillar reinforcement member 3 protrudes toward the outside of the vehicle. That is, it is the shape which extended the flange surface from the both ends in the groove member of a U-shaped cross section. By overlapping and fixing these flange surfaces, a hollow closed section skeleton extending in the vertical direction is formed.

  Further, the flange surfaces which are both ends of the pillar portion 1 </ b> A in the vehicle front-rear direction are also overlapped and fixed on the flange surfaces of the pillar reinforcement member 3. As a result, a closed cross-sectional structure surrounded by the pillar inner member 2 and the pillar portion 1 </ b> A of the outer panel 1 is also formed inside the center pillar 11. That is, a double closed cross-sectional structure is formed inside the center pillar 11.

  Similarly, a double closed cross-sectional structure is also formed inside the side sill 9. That is, the inner member 4 and the reinforcement member 5 (side sill reinforcement) are disposed inside the outer member 1B. These vertical cross-sectional shapes are, for example, a hat type in which the inner member 4 protrudes to the inside of the vehicle, and a hat type in which the reinforcement member 5 protrudes to the outside of the vehicle. By overlapping and fixing these flange surfaces, a hollow closed section skeleton extending in the vehicle front-rear direction is formed.

  Further, the flange surfaces that are both ends in the vertical direction of the outer member 1 </ b> B are overlapped and fixed to the flange surface of the reinforcement member 5. Therefore, the side sill 9 has a closed cross section formed by overlapping the inner member 4 and the outer member 1B. Further, the reinforcement member 5 is sandwiched between the inner member 4 and the outer member 1B, and is disposed inside the closed cross section.

  The pillar inner member 2 is attached with an impact sensor 12 for detecting the magnitude of impact or acceleration input to the vehicle body. In the present embodiment, the impact sensor 12 is mounted in a space sandwiched between the pillar inner member 2 and the pillar reinforcement member 3. Information detected by the impact sensor 12 is used for occupant protection control of the vehicle 10. For example, conditions for operating an in-vehicle airbag device, a seat belt autotensioner, and the like are determined based on detection information of the impact sensor 12.

  In the present embodiment, a support member 6 for reinforcing the reinforcement member 5 is provided for the side sill 9 between the front pillar 14 and the center pillar 11. The support member 6 is disposed at a position that avoids the junction between the front pillar 14 and the center pillar 11 and the side sill 9, and as shown by a broken line in FIG. 1, the support member 6 is rearward of the front pillar 14 and forward of the center pillar 11. It is attached to the part of. Further, the rear end of the support member 6 is set at a position in front of the vehicle relative to the impact sensor 12.

  3 and 4 are perspective views schematically showing the structure of the joint portion between the reinforcement member 5 and the support member 6. In these drawings, the side sill 9 (the inner member 4 and the reinforcement member 5) and the support member 6 are cut at appropriate positions in the vehicle front-rear direction in order to clarify the joint location. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG.

  The reinforcement member 5 is provided with a flange portion 5A, a side surface 5B, a bottom surface 5C, and an upper surface 5D. The flange portion 5 </ b> A is a flange portion in the hat-shaped cross section, and is a planar portion corresponding to the upper and lower end portions of the reinforcement member 5. These flange portions 5A are overlapped and fixed to the flange portion 4A of the inner member 4. The direction of the surface of the flange portion 5A is set so that the normal line is directed to the outside of the vehicle.

  The side surface 5B is a surface arranged in the vertical direction outside the vehicle in the hat-shaped cross section. As shown in FIG. 3, a lower end portion of the pillar reinforcement member 3 is fixed to the side surface 5 </ b> B, and a fixing surface portion 6 </ b> D of the support member 6 described later is fixed. The direction of the surface of the side surface 5B is set so that the normal line is directed to the outside of the vehicle. Further, a groove-like reinforcement rib 5E (second rib) extending in the vehicle front-rear direction is formed on the side surface 5B. The reinforcement rib 5E is for increasing the rigidity with respect to the load in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and is formed, for example, by bending the side surface 5B. The cross-sectional shape of the reinforcement rib 5 </ b> E is a shape that is recessed toward the inside of the closed cross-section surrounded by the inner member 4 and the reinforcement member 5.

  The bottom surface 5C and the top surface 5D are planar portions that connect the upper and lower ends of the side surface 5B and the flange portion 5A. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the direction of the bottom surface 5C is an upward gradient toward the vehicle outer side, and the direction of the upper surface 5D is a downward gradient toward the vehicle outer side. Here, L is the dimension in the vehicle width direction of the bottom surface 5C (the width dimension along the inclination of the bottom surface 5C). In addition, a lower surface portion 6A of a support member 6 described later is fixed to the bottom surface 5C.

  The support member 6 adds a new box-shaped cross section to the vehicle outer side of the reinforcement member 5, and has a shape in which the flange portion extends upward only from the upper end side in the U-shaped cross section. . As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5A, and 5B, the support member 6 is provided with a lower surface portion 6A, an elevation surface portion 6B, a connection surface portion 6C, and a fixed surface portion 6D. The shape of the support member 6 can be similar to a shape in which three planes are connected in a crank shape and one plane is connected to the lower end side thereof. The upright surface portion 6B, the connection surface portion 6C, and the fixed surface portion 6D are crank-shaped portions, and the lower surface portion 6A is a flat surface portion connected thereto.

  The lower surface portion 6 </ b> A is a planar portion that is fixed to the bottom surface 5 </ b> C of the reinforcement member 5. The lower surface portion 6A extends to the vehicle outer side than the side surface 5B along the extended surface of the bottom surface 5C. The extended surface here means a virtual plane obtained by extending the bottom surface 5 </ b> C in the vehicle outer direction, and a so-called “extension line” is extended to a plane. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the direction of the lower surface portion 6A is an upward gradient toward the vehicle outer side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the lower surface portion 6A is formed with a plurality of ribs 6E extending in the vehicle width direction so as to have a corrugated shape. These ribs 6E are arranged at intervals in the vehicle front-rear direction. A planar portion between the rib 6E and the rib 6E is a portion that is fixed in surface contact with the bottom surface 5C of the reinforcement member 5. Moreover, the rib 6E is formed in the length which reaches to the vehicle inner side edge in the lower surface part 6A. Therefore, the end side of the lower surface portion 6A has a shape that undulates in the vertical direction.

  The rib 6E has three functions. The first function is a function to increase rigidity against a load in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, the rigidity of the support member 6 with respect to a side collision is ensured. The second function is a function of increasing the area of the portion in contact with the lower surface portion 6A without changing the thickness of the end side of the lower surface portion 6A. That is, by wobbling the edge of the lower surface portion 6A in the vertical direction, the tip of the lower surface portion 6A can easily come into contact with the flange portion 5A of the reinforcement member 5 when the side sill 9 is deformed. The third function is a function that improves workability in the electrodeposition coating line. As a result, the electrodeposition liquid easily enters the closed cross section formed between the reinforcement member 5 and the support member 6, and the construction quality of the coating film is improved.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the overlapping width M between the lower surface portion 6A and the bottom surface 5C is set to be not less than half the vehicle width direction dimension L of the bottom surface 5C. That is, the relationship between the overlapping width M and the vehicle width direction dimension L is 0.5L ≦ M ≦ L. By setting the overlapping width M to be more than half of the vehicle width direction dimension L, the tip of the lower surface portion 6A is disposed at a position relatively close to the flange portion 5A, and when the side sill 9 is deformed, they are likely to come into contact with each other. . Thereby, the load in the vehicle width direction is easily transmitted from the support member 6 to the inner member 4 and the reinforcement member 5, and load dispersibility is improved.

  When M = L, the tip of the lower surface portion 6A is in contact with the flange portion 5A before the side sill 9 is deformed, and good load dispersibility can be expected. However, as the overlapping width M is increased, the weight of the support member 6 is increased. Therefore, it is preferable to set the polymerization width M within a range of 50 to 100% of the vehicle width direction dimension L according to the desired weight.

  The upright surface portion 6B is a planar portion extending upward from the vehicle outer end side of the lower surface portion 6A. The elevation surface portion 6B is disposed with a space in the vehicle width direction with respect to the side surface 5B of the reinforcement member 5. As shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B), the direction of the elevation surface portion 6B is substantially parallel to the surface of the side surface 5B. The elevation surface portion 6B of the present embodiment is also arranged with a space in the vehicle width direction with respect to the outer member 1B, and is arranged substantially parallel to the surface of the outer member 1B.

  The connection surface portion 6 </ b> C is a sloped portion extending from the upper end side of the elevation surface portion 6 </ b> B toward the side surface 5 </ b> B of the reinforcement member 5. 6 C of connection surface parts are arrange | positioned toward the upper part rather than the reinforcement rib 5E formed on the side surface 5B. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the direction of the connecting surface portion 6C is inclined downward toward the vehicle outer side. The fixed surface portion 6 </ b> D is a planar portion that is fixed in surface contact with the side surface 5 </ b> B of the reinforcement member 5. The fixed surface portion 6D extends upward along the side surface 5B from the vehicle inner side edge of the connection surface portion 6C.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the lower surface portion 6A of the support member 6 is an inclined surface having an upward slope toward the vehicle outer side. On the other hand, the connection surface portion 6C is an inclined surface having a downward slope toward the vehicle outer side. Therefore, the support member 6 forms a trapezoidal box closed section whose vertical dimension is narrowed toward the outside of the vehicle, with the side surface 5B of the reinforcement member 5.
In addition, a reinforcement rib 5E formed on the side surface 5B is disposed inside the portion surrounded by the closed cross section. Thereby, the cross-sectional force of this closed cross section increases, and the rigidity against the load input from the vehicle width direction is improved.

[2. Action, effect]
(1) In the above-mentioned side sill reinforcing structure, the lower surface portion 6A of the support member 6 extends along the extended surface of the bottom surface 5C of the reinforcement member 5 to the vehicle outer side than the side surface 5B. By adopting such a structure, for example, even when the vehicle 10 has a side collision, the lower surface portion 6A is less likely to be compressed and deformed in the vehicle width direction, or is not easily bent in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the input of the load to the elevation surface portion 6B can be efficiently transmitted to the reinforcement member 5, and the cross-sectional force against the load in the side collision direction of the vehicle 10 can be increased.

  Moreover, since the lower surface portion 6A has a shape along the bottom surface 5C, when the side sill 9 is deformed by a side collision load, the tip of the lower surface portion 6A can be easily abutted against the flange portion 5A. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the joint portion between the flange portion 5A and the bottom surface 5C of the reinforcement member 5 is deformed, and the end side of the bottom surface portion 6A comes into contact with the flange portion 5A. Thereby, the load input to the support member 6 can be distributed to the reinforcement member 5, the inner member 4, and the floor panel 8 to absorb the displacement, and the passenger protection performance can be improved.

  (2) In the above-mentioned side sill reinforcing structure, the overlapping width M between the lower surface portion 6A and the bottom surface 5C is set to be equal to or more than half of the vehicle width direction dimension L of the bottom surface 5C. Thereby, the front-end | tip of the lower surface part 6A will be arrange | positioned in the vicinity of the flange part 5A, the front-end | tip of the lower surface part 6A can be easily abutted on the flange part 5A, and passenger | crew protection performance can be improved. Further, by setting the overlapping width M to be relatively large, it is possible to easily increase the length and area of the fixed portion, the number of fixed portions, and the like, and to increase the fixing strength between the reinforcement member 5 and the support member 6. it can.

  (3) In the above-described side sill reinforcing structure, as shown in FIG. 4, the rib 6E is formed on the lower surface portion 6A. By providing the rib 6E, the end side of the lower surface portion 6A has a shape that undulates in the vertical direction, and the front end of the lower surface portion 6A easily comes into contact with the flange portion 5A of the reinforcement member 5 when the side sill 9 is deformed. Therefore, the front end of the lower surface portion 6A can be easily abutted against the flange portion 5A, and occupant protection performance can be improved. Moreover, since the shape of rib 6E itself acts so that the rigidity of the support member 6 may be improved, a passenger | crew protection performance can be improved. Furthermore, by forming the rib 6E, the wraparound property of the electrodeposition liquid can be improved, and the construction quality of the coating film can be improved.

(4) In the above-described side sill reinforcing structure, as shown in FIG. 1, the support member 6 is disposed at a position that avoids the junction between the pillars 11 and 14 and the side sill 9. Thereby, the impact absorption performance by deformation | transformation of a joining location can be improved. That is, it can prevent that the base end part of the pillars 11 and 14 becomes hard too much by the support member 6, and can improve passenger | crew protection performance.
Further, in the vehicle 10 in which the impact sensor 12 is attached to the pillars 11 and 14, the impact input to the support member 6 can be quickly input to the pillars 11 and 14. Sensitivity can be increased.

  (5) In the above-described side sill reinforcing structure, a trapezoidal closed cross section is formed between the reinforcement member 5 and the support member 6 as shown in FIGS. Thereby, the cross-sectional force with respect to the load in the vehicle front-rear direction can be increased, and deformation with respect to the load in the vehicle width direction can be made difficult. Therefore, occupant protection performance can be improved for both front and rear collisions and side collisions.

  (6) In the above-mentioned side sill reinforcing structure, the reinforcement rib 5E is formed on the side surface 5B of the reinforcement member 5 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the rigidity with respect to the load of the vehicle front-back direction can be improved. Further, since the reinforcement rib 5E is disposed inside the closed section formed between the reinforcement member 5 and the support member 6, it is possible to improve the sectional force of the closed section, thereby protecting the passenger. The performance can be further improved.

[3. Modified example]
Regardless of the embodiment described above, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Each structure of this embodiment can be selected as needed, or may be combined appropriately.

Various known methods can be adopted as a method of fixing the reinforcement member 5 and the support member 6 in the above-described embodiment. For example, it may be fixed by spot welding or laser welding, or may be fastened and fixed using a fastener such as a bolt or nut.
Moreover, although the structure which fixed the support member 6 to the side sill 9 between the front pillar 14 and the center pillar 11 was illustrated in the above-mentioned embodiment, the reinforcement object site | part is not limited to this, For example, the center pillar 11 and the rear pillar The side sill 9 between 15 may be reinforced.

1 Outer panel 1A Pillar part 1B Outer member (sill part)
4 Inner parts (side sill inner)
5 Reinforcement material (side sill reinforcement)
5A Flange 5B Side 5C Bottom 5D Top 5E Reinforce rib (second rib)
6 Support member 6A Lower surface part 6B Elevated surface part 6C Connection surface part 6D Fixed surface part 6E Rib

Claims (4)

A side sill reinforcing structure having a closed cross section formed by overlapping an inner member and an outer member, and forming a lower frame of a vehicle door opening,
A reinforcement member having a hat-shaped cross section that protrudes to the outside of the vehicle, the flange portions at both ends being sandwiched between the inner member and the outer member, and disposed inside the closed cross section;
A support member that is fixed to the side surface and the bottom surface of the hat-shaped cross section and reinforces the reinforcement member;
Said support member is fixed to the bottom surface, along the extension plane of the bottom have a lower surface portion extending to the vehicle outside than the side surfaces,
The overlapping width of the lower surface portion and the bottom surface is more than half of the vehicle width direction dimension of the bottom surface,
The lower surface portion has a rib extending in the vehicle width direction,
The side sill reinforcing structure , wherein the rib extends to an inner side edge of the lower surface portion . The side sill reinforcing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the support member is disposed at a position avoiding a joint portion between the pillar of the vehicle and the side sill. The side sill reinforcement structure according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the support member forms a trapezoidal closed cross-section whose vertical dimension becomes narrower toward the outside of the vehicle. The side sill reinforcement structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the side surface includes a second rib extending in the front-rear direction.

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