JP6512486B2 - Vehicle knee bolster - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a knee bolster for a vehicle.

  Conventionally, a knee bolster (knee protector bracket) is provided on the front side of the front seat of a vehicle to receive a knee load at the time of a vehicle collision and to absorb an impact load by deformation (eg, patent documents) 1).

JP 2004-106611 A

  However, since the conventional vehicle knee bolster described above is constituted by a single channel member which is a single component, it can not receive a large knee load at the time of a vehicle collision, and there is a problem that the knee approach amount becomes large. there were. In addition, if the knee bolster itself falls sideways due to the knee load, or if it is deformed in the vehicle width direction in the process of stepwise crushing, the original load absorbing performance possessed by the knee bolster can not be exhibited, so load absorption There was a risk that the efficiency of the

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to prevent a lateral fall in a deformation process which occurs when receiving a knee load at the time of a vehicle collision, and to obtain a load absorbing performance inherent to a knee bolster. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle knee bolster that can be enhanced.

In order to solve the problems of the prior art, the present invention comprises a vehicle front portion joined to a steering support member and a vehicle rear portion joined to an instrument panel, the vehicle front portion and the vehicle The rear portion includes an upper member and a lower member, and the upper member and the lower member of the vehicle front portion extend in a direction perpendicular to the vehicle width direction outer end of the body portion extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The vehicle rear portion has a closed cross section formed by joining the side walls of the upper member and the lower member to each other. An annular portion formed by the main body portion of the upper member extending from the rear end of the vehicle front portion toward the vehicle rear side and folded back to the vehicle lower side and the vehicle front side A rear end portion of the side wall of the upper member is positioned in front of the vehicle than the annular shape section.

As described above, the vehicle knee bolster according to the present invention comprises the vehicle front portion joined to the steering support member and the vehicle rear portion joined to the instrument panel, and the vehicle front portion and the vehicle rear portion An upper member and a lower member are respectively provided, and the upper member and the lower member of the vehicle front portion extend in a direction orthogonal to the vehicle width direction outer end of the main body portion extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction Each of the pair of side walls is formed in a U-shaped cross section, and has a closed cross section formed by joining the side walls of the upper member and the lower member to each other, and the vehicle rear portion is the upper portion The main body portion of the member extends from the rear end of the vehicle front portion toward the vehicle rear side, and has an annular portion formed by being folded back to the vehicle lower side and the vehicle front side. , The rear end of the side wall of the upper member, so positioned on the vehicle front than the annular shape, thereby enhancing the rigidity of the vehicle front portion.
Therefore, the vehicle knee bolster according to the present invention can exhibit the function of preventing the vehicle front portion with high rigidity from falling over in the knee bolster deformation process when receiving and deforming the knee load in the event of a vehicle collision . Therefore, according to the vehicle knee bolster of the present invention, the load absorbing performance inherent to the knee bolster can be improved, and the efficiency of load absorption can be improved.

It is a side view showing the state where the knee bolster for vehicles concerning the embodiment of the present invention was joined to the steering support member and the instrument panel. It is the perspective view which looked at the vehicle knee bolster in FIG. 1 from diagonally upward [vehicles back]. It is the perspective view which looked at the vehicle knee bolster in FIG. 1 from the vehicle front diagonally downward. It shows a deformation process of a vehicle front portion and a vehicle rear portion when a knee load is applied to a vehicle knee bolster according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (a) shows a state before the vehicle front portion and the vehicle rear portion are deformed. (B) is a side view in the middle of which only the rear part of the vehicle is deformed, and (c) is a state after the front and rear parts of the vehicle knee bolster are deformed Side view.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiments.
1 to 4 show a vehicle knee bolster according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, the arrow Fr direction indicates the front of the vehicle.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the knee bolster 1 for a vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention receives the knees of the occupant seated in the front seat (driver's seat, front passenger seat) in the vehicle compartment at the time of a collision. Is a member provided to absorb the load on the knee. Such a vehicle knee bolster 1 is disposed on the lower inside of the instrument panel 2 located in front of the front seat, and is spaced apart in the vehicle width direction from side to side by a predetermined distance corresponding to the occupant's knees. Is located in

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle knee bolster 1 of the present embodiment is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a vehicle front portion 11 joined to the lower side of the outer peripheral surface of the steering support member 3, and an instrument It is comprised from the vehicle back part 12 joined to the back surface side (vehicle front side) of the panel 2. FIG. The vehicle front part 11 mainly has a function as a support part of the vehicle knee bolster 1 at the time of knee load input, and the vehicle rear part 12 mainly deforms the vehicle knee bolster 1 at the time of knee load input It has a function as a part.
The vehicle front portion 11 and the vehicle rear portion 12 respectively have an upper member 4 and a lower member 5 which are arranged vertically, and are configured as two parts. Moreover, the vehicle front portion 11 has a closed cross section formed by joining the upper member 4 and the lower member 5.

On the other hand, the steering support member 3 is formed using a rigid pipe-shaped member. The steering support member 3 is a member for supporting the instrument panel 2 and extends along the vehicle width direction, and both left and right ends are attached to a vehicle body side (not shown) such as a dash side panel.
In addition, a vertical wall-shaped mounting surface 21 is provided so as to protrude on the back surface side of the instrument panel 2 and at a position corresponding to the vehicle rear portion 12 of the vehicle knee bolster 1 to be mounted. Reference numeral 21 is formed on a downward slope toward the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, the vehicle rear portion 12 of the vehicle knee bolster 1 is fixed to the instrument panel 2 by fastening the screw 6 and the nut 7 in a state where the rear end portion of the vehicle rear portion 12 is superimposed on the mounting surface 21 It is supposed to be

The upper member 4 and the lower member 5 of the vehicle front portion 11 are, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a panel-shaped main body 41, 51 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a vehicle width direction of the main body 41, 51. Each is formed in a U-shaped cross section including a pair of left and right side walls 42 and 52 extending in a direction orthogonal to the outer end, and the openings are arranged to face each other. Therefore, the closed cross section of the vehicle front portion 11 is formed by overlapping the pair of left and right side walls 42 and 52 of the upper member 4 and the lower member 5 and joining them together by welding or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle front portion 11 of the present embodiment is a base 11A extending in a downward slope to the vehicle rear side and the vehicle lower side, and a bending portion located on the rear end side of the base 11A and curved downward. A horizontal portion 11B extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction toward the rear side of the vehicle through 11C, and is formed in a substantially L shape in a vehicle side view. The vehicle rear portion 12 extends continuously from the horizontal portion 11B to the vehicle rear side. That is, in the vehicle knee bolster 1 of the present embodiment, the boundary between the vehicle rear portion 12 and the horizontal portion 11B of the vehicle front portion 11 is set on the occupant side in the vehicle compartment.
Further, in the front portion 11 of the vehicle, the upper portion of the pair of left and right side walls 52 located in the bending portion 11C of the lower member 5 is substantially U-shaped with a large cutout on the upper side as shown in FIGS. The notch 54 is formed, and the notch 54 is configured not to inhibit the deformation of the bending portion 11C at the time of the input of the knee load.

In the vehicle rear portion 12 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the main body portion 41 of the upper member 4 extends from the rear end of the vehicle front portion 11 toward the vehicle rear side and the vehicle upper side It has an annular portion 12A that is formed by being folded back to the lower side and the vehicle front side. That is, the torus-shaped portion 12A is formed in a substantially U-shape in a lateral arrangement in which the front side of the vehicle is opened in the side view of the vehicle, and the toroidal-shaped portion 12A that receives the initial load from the occupant's knees It is configured to be crushed and easily deformed.
At the end of the upper member 4 located at the rear end of the vehicle rear portion 12, a mounting piece extending from the lower front end of the annular portion 12A toward the vehicle lower and joined to the mounting surface 21 of the instrument panel 2 The part 43 is provided. Therefore, the mounting piece portion 43 is formed in the shape of a downward slope corresponding to the mounting surface 21, and a plurality of mounting members such as the shaft portion of the screw 6 are inserted in the lower middle portion In the embodiment, two insertion holes 6a are provided side by side.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the left and right side walls 42 and 52 of the upper member 4 and the lower member 5 in the vehicle rear portion 12 are from the rear end of the vehicle front portion 11 to the vehicle rear side and the vehicle upper side It extends toward and is configured as load adjustment flanges 42a and 52a, respectively. Moreover, the upper member 4 in the vehicle rear portion 12 is provided with a concave load adjustment bead 44 extending toward the vehicle rear side and the vehicle upper side, and the load adjustment bead 44 includes the main body portion 41 and It is arrange | positioned at the width direction center part of 12 A of annular ring shaped parts. The load adjusting flanges 42a and 52a and the load adjusting bead 44 are provided to adjust the amount of crushing of the annular portion 12A when the knee load is input.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the rear end portion of the lower member 5 in the vehicle rear portion 12 is joined to the front upper portion of the mounting piece portion 43 which is the end portion of the upper member 4 by welding or the like. 53 is formed by being bent downward of the vehicle. That is, the attachment piece 43 at the end of the upper member 4 and the joint surface 53 at the end of the lower member 5 extend in the direction orthogonal to the annular portion 12A, and receive the load of the knee, and the annular ring The shape portion 12A is easily crushed and deformed.
Moreover, the joint surface 53 of the lower member 5 is formed smaller in size in the vertical direction and the width direction than the attachment piece portion 43 of the upper member 4 and is configured such that the bent portion becomes fragile. Thus, bending of the bent portion of the joint surface 53 is promoted in the deformation process in which the annular portion 12A is crushed. Further, by arranging the joint surface 53 at a position not covering the insertion hole 6 a of the mounting piece portion 43, a fastening space to the mounting surface 21 of the mounting piece portion 43 is secured.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pair of left and right side walls 42 of the upper member 4 on the side of the base 11A of the vehicle front portion 11 of the present embodiment has a large vertical length on the steering support member 3 side. It is joined to the outside of the pair of left and right side walls 52 of the lower member 5 by welding or the like. Moreover, the main body portion 41 and the upper end portions 42 b of the pair of left and right side walls 42 in the upper member 4 are joined to the outer peripheral surface of the steering support member 3 by welding or the like. Therefore, the upper end portions 42 b of the pair of left and right side walls 42 are bent substantially at right angles to the outside, and the surfaces to be joined are formed in a curved surface shape corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the steering support member 3. Thus, the base portion 11A of the vehicle front portion 11 and the steering support member 3 are integrally joined, and the base portion 11A of the vehicle front portion 11 is not lifted above the vehicle when the knee load is input. The steering support member 3 is pivoted forward and downward of the vehicle.

4A to 4C show the vehicle front portion 11 and the vehicle when the vehicle knee bolster 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention receives the knee load indicated by the arrow F via the instrument panel 2. It shows a deformation process of the rear portion 12.
As shown in FIG. 4A, no deformation occurs in the vehicle front portion 11 and the vehicle rear portion 12 in the initial stage when the vehicle knee bolster 1 receives the knee load.
Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the knee load is input to the vehicle rear portion 12 of the vehicle knee bolster 1, the annular shape portion 12A is provided with the load adjustment flanges 42a and 52a and the load adjustment bead 44. And the vehicle rear part 12 is deformed toward the vehicle front and above the vehicle from the boundary between the horizontal part 11B of the vehicle front part 11 and the vehicle rear part 12 as a starting point. Rotate.
Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, when the knee load is further applied to the vehicle rear portion 12 of the vehicle knee bolster 1, the vehicle rear portion 12 bends substantially at a right angle toward the vehicle front, and the vehicle front portion 11 is lifted while being deformed starting from a bending portion 11C having a notch 54, and the base 11A of the vehicle front portion 11 is deformed in the vehicle front and the vehicle lower centering on the steering support member 3 Rotate.
In such a deformation process and rotation operation of the vehicle front portion 11 and the vehicle rear portion 12, the vehicle knee bolster 1 of the present embodiment absorbs the knee load received.

Thus, the vehicle knee bolster 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the vehicle front portion 11 joined to the steering support member 3 and the vehicle rear portion 12 joined to the instrument panel 2. The vehicle front portion 11 and the vehicle rear portion 12 respectively have an upper member 4 and a lower member 5, and the vehicle front portion 11 has a closed cross section formed by joining the upper member 4 and the lower member 5. Therefore, the rigidity of the vehicle front portion 11 can be enhanced. Therefore, in the vehicle knee bolster 1 of the present embodiment, the high rigidity vehicle front portion 11 prevents the knee bolster 1 from falling over when the knee load is received and deformed in the event of a vehicle collision. Since the posture is maintained, the knee load can be efficiently absorbed.

Further, in the vehicle knee bolster 1 of the present embodiment, the upper member 4 and the lower member 5 of the vehicle front portion 11 are main body portions 41 and 51 extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the vehicle width direction outer end of the main body portions 41 and 51 A closed cross section is formed by joining the side walls 42 and 52 of the upper member 4 and the lower member 5 to each other. Since it is possible to improve the rigidity in the vehicle width direction outer side of the vehicle front portion 11, when the knee load is received and deformed at the time of a vehicle collision, the lateral fall of the knee bolster 1 is effectively prevented. be able to.

Furthermore, in the vehicle knee bolster 1 of the present embodiment, the vehicle front portion 11 is located at the rear end side of the base 11A and the base 11A extending to the vehicle rear side and the vehicle lower side, and the vehicle rear portion 11C via the bending portion 11C. The vehicle rear portion 12 extends continuously from the horizontal portion 11B to the vehicle rear side. Therefore, with respect to the excessive load on the vehicle knee bolster 1 of the present embodiment, the bending portion 11C is bent and deformed, and the base 11A is pivoted and deformed about the steering support member 3 toward the vehicle lower side. Load can be absorbed efficiently.
Further, since the horizontal portion 11B extends continuously in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the front end of the vehicle rear portion 12, the input load from the vehicle rear portion 12 is transmitted to the base 11A side of the vehicle front portion 11 as movement toward the vehicle front. It is possible to prevent the side 11A from falling sideways. Moreover, since the vehicle rear portion 12 having a function as a deformation portion is provided on the vehicle rear side of the horizontal portion 11B, the boundary between the vehicle rear portion 12 serving as a starting point of load absorption and the horizontal portion 11B of the vehicle front portion 11 Can be set on the passenger side, and response to load input can be quickened, and load can be absorbed quickly with a short back and forth stroke.

And, in the vehicle knee bolster 1 of the present embodiment, the main body 41 of the upper member 4 in the vehicle rear portion 12 extends from the rear end of the vehicle front portion 11 toward the vehicle rear side, and the vehicle lower side and the vehicle front side Since the ring-shaped portion 12A is formed by being folded back, the ring-shaped portion 12A can be easily deformed in the collapsing direction with respect to the initial input of the knee load, and the initial input load can be It can be absorbed effectively.

Moreover, in the vehicle knee bolster 1 of the present embodiment, the side walls 42, 52 of the upper member 4 and the lower member 5 in the vehicle rear portion 12 are configured as load adjustment flanges 42a, 52a, and The upper member 4 of the portion 12 is provided with a load adjusting bead 44 extending toward the vehicle rear side and the vehicle lower side, so that the bead 44 and the flanges 42a and 52a of the folded portion of the annular portion 12A make a circle. The amount of collapse of the ring-shaped portion 12A can be easily adjusted, and has excellent applicability to various types of collisions, knee loads, and the like.

Further, in the vehicle knee bolster 1 of the present embodiment, the joint surface 53 to be joined to the attachment piece 43 at the end of the upper member 4 at the rear end of the lower member 5 in the vehicle rear portion 12 is bent downward. Since the joint surface 53 is formed smaller in size than the attachment piece 43 at the end of the upper member 4, the bending of the vehicle front portion 11 occurs in the deformation in which the annular portion 12A is crushed. The bending of the bent portion of the lower member 5 located in the portion 11C can be promoted. In particular, when the main body portion 41 of the upper member 4 is formed wider than the main body portion 51 of the lower member 5, the side wall 52 of the lower member 5 enters the inside of the side wall 42 of the upper member 4. The lateral falling prevention effect after the crushing deformation of the ring-shaped portion 12A can be enhanced. Moreover, when the attachment piece 43 and the joint surface 53 which are the end portions of the upper member 4 and the lower member 5 extend in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the annular portion 12A, the annular portion 12A Can be easily caused to collapse.

Furthermore, in the vehicle knee bolster 1 of the present embodiment, since the notches 54 are formed in the pair of side walls 52 located in the bending portion 11C of the lower member 5, the horizontal portion receiving the knee load from the vehicle rear portion 12 It does not occur that the deformation of the bending portion 11C in which the pair of side walls 52 located in the bending portion 11C is pushed out to the outside in the vehicle width direction is inhibited by the forward movement of the vehicle 11B.

Further, in the vehicle knee bolster 1 of the present embodiment, the pair of side walls 42 of the upper member 4 is joined to the outside of the pair of side walls 52 of the lower member 5 at the vehicle front portion 11. Since the upper end portion 42b of the pair of side walls 42 is joined to the steering support member 3, when the knee load is input from the vehicle rear portion 12, the base 11A of the vehicle front portion 11 lifts the vehicle upward It is possible to suppress deformation and to accelerate the deformation of turning downward in the vehicle centering on the steering support member 3, and effectively prevent the knee bolster 1 from falling sideways.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible based on the technical idea of the present invention.

  For example, although the vehicle rear part 12 in the embodiment described above is set shorter than the vehicle front part 11, the length, thickness, etc. are changed corresponding to the occupant layout, the collision mode, the knee load, etc. Also good. Further, it is possible to change the height of the load adjustment flanges 42a and 52a and the width and depth of the load adjustment bead 44. Furthermore, it is possible to change the welding position etc. of the upper member 4 and the lower member 5 in the vehicle front part 11 as well.

1 Vehicle knee bolster 2 instrument panel 3 steering support member 4 upper member 5 lower member 6 screw 6a insertion hole 7 nut 11 vehicle front portion 11A base portion 11B horizontal portion 11C bent portion 12 vehicle rear portion 12A annular shape portion 21 mounting surface 41 upper part main part 42 upper part side wall 42a load adjustment flange 42b upper end part 43 attachment piece 44 load adjustment bead 51 lower part main body 52 lower part side wall 52a load adjustment flange 53 joint surface 54 notch

Claims (6)

It consists of a vehicle front part joined to a steering support member and a vehicle rear part joined to an instrument panel,
The vehicle front portion and the vehicle rear portion each include an upper member and a lower member,
The upper member and the lower member of the vehicle front portion have a U-shaped cross section including a main body extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a pair of side walls extending in a direction orthogonal to the outer end of the main body in the vehicle width direction. Each has a closed cross section formed by joining together the side walls of the upper and lower members, which are formed respectively;
The vehicle rear portion is an annular portion formed by the main body portion of the upper member extending from the rear end of the vehicle front portion toward the vehicle rear side and being folded back to the vehicle lower side and the vehicle front side Have
A rear end portion of the side wall of the upper member is positioned forward of the annular portion in the vehicle. The vehicle front portion has a base extending to the vehicle rear side and the vehicle lower side, and a horizontal portion located on the rear end side of the base and extending to the vehicle rear side via a bending portion, and the vehicle rear portion is The vehicle knee bolster according to claim 1 , continuously extending from the horizontal portion to the rear side of the vehicle. A pair of side walls of said upper member and said lower member in the vehicle both rear portion, together are configured as load adjusting flange, the upper member in the vehicle rear portion, toward the vehicle rear side and the lower side of the vehicle The vehicle knee bolster according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a load adjusting bead extending . The vehicle knee bolster according to claim 2 , wherein a notch is formed in a pair of side walls located in the bent portion of the lower member . In the vehicle front portion, the pair of side walls of the upper member is joined to the outside of the pair of side walls of the lower member, and the main body portion of the upper member and the pair of side walls are joined to the steering support member A vehicle knee bolster according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Each vehicle rear side end portion of the side wall of the upper member and the lower member, according to claim 1, characterized in that spaced in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in side view of the vehicle Knee bolster for vehicles.

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