JP6806038B2 - Pillar structure for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle pillar structure.

In the front pillar described in Patent Document 1 below, a part of the front pillar is made of a transparent resin material. As a result, the generation of a blind spot area blocked by the front pillars for the driver is suppressed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-273057

However, in the front pillar, the front pillar inner panel and the pillar ganish formed opaquely are erected on both sides of the transparent pillar portion in the vehicle width direction and inside the vehicle. For this reason, the front pillar inners and the like may be reflected on the inner side surface of the transparently formed pillar portion to the occupants in the vehicle, and the visibility to the object outside the vehicle visible through the front pillar is improved. May decrease.

In consideration of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to provide a pillar structure for a vehicle capable of improving the visibility of the pillar portion to an object outside the vehicle as seen by an occupant.

The vehicle pillar structure according to claim 1 extends along one end of the windshield glass in the vehicle width direction, is formed opaquely, and has an inner side wall portion that forms a part of the pillar frame. And the outer wall portion which is arranged apart from the inner side wall portion in the vehicle width direction, extends along the inner side wall portion, is formed opaquely, and forms a part of the skeleton. A transparent portion that is transparently formed and extends along the inner side wall portion and the outer wall portion, and is bridged between the front end portion of the inner side wall portion and the front end portion of the outer wall portion. , A low-reflection portion provided on the side surfaces of the inner side wall portion and the outer wall portion which are arranged to face each other and set to have a reflectance lower than that of the side surface in a state before the low-reflection treatment. , Have.

In the pillar structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, an inner side wall portion extending along one end of the windshield glass on one side in the vehicle width direction to form a pillar skeleton, and a vehicle width with respect to the inner side wall portion. It is provided with an outer wall portion that is spaced apart from the outside in the direction and extends along the inner side wall portion to form a part of the pillar skeleton. Further, between the front end portion of the inner side wall portion and the front end portion of the outer wall portion, a transparent portion extending along the inner side wall portion and the outer wall portion and being transparently formed is bridged. ..

As a result, the occupant on the side close to the pillar can visually recognize the outside of the vehicle from the space between the inner side wall portion and the outer wall portion, so that the blind spot of the occupant can be reduced.

Here, in a state where the side surfaces arranged opposite to each other on the inner side wall portion and the outer wall portion have high reflectance, the light incident on the side surface is reflected with almost no absorption, and the side surface inside the vehicle of the transparent portion. Is further reflected by. Then, when the transparent part is viewed from the occupant inside the vehicle, the inner side wall portion and the outer wall portion may be reflected on the inner side surface of the transparent portion, and the pillar portion may be seen from the occupant with respect to the object outside the vehicle. Visibility may be reduced.

Therefore, in the pillar structure for vehicles according to claim 1, the side surfaces of the inner side wall portion and the outer wall portion which are arranged so as to face each other have a reflectance higher than the reflectance of the side surface in the state before the low reflection treatment. Has a low reflection section set low. As a result, it is possible to suppress the light reflected by the side surfaces of the inner side wall portion and the outer wall portion arranged so as to face each other. As a result, when the transparent portion is viewed from the occupant in the vehicle, it is possible to prevent or suppress the reflection of the inner side wall portion and the outer wall portion on the inner side surface of the transparent portion, and by extension, the outer side of the pillar portion of the vehicle. It is possible to improve the visibility of the object as seen by the occupant.

As described above, the pillar structure for a vehicle according to the present invention has an excellent effect that the visibility of the pillar portion to the object outside the vehicle as seen by the occupant can be improved.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an enlarged plan surface of a front pillar to which the vehicle pillar structure according to the embodiment is applied. It is a schematic plan view which shows the front part in the cabin of the vehicle to which the front pillar shown in FIG. 1 is applied.

(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the vehicle pillar structure 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the arrow FR appropriately shown indicates the vehicle front side of the vehicle S to which the vehicle pillar structure 10 is applied, the arrow UP indicates the vehicle upper side, and the arrow RH indicates the vehicle right side. Hereinafter, when the explanation is simply made using the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions, unless otherwise specified, the front-rear direction of the vehicle front-rear direction, the up-down direction of the vehicle up-down direction, and the left-right direction of the vehicle left-right direction (vehicle width direction) are shown. And.

(overall structure)
As shown in FIG. 2, in the front portion of the vehicle S to which the vehicle pillar structure 10 according to the present embodiment is applied, a vehicle seat 12 for the driver's seat is provided on the right side portion in the vehicle interior in the vehicle width direction. It is arranged. The vehicle seat 12 includes a seat cushion 14 on which the occupant P sits and a seat back 16 that supports the back of the occupant P, and the lower end portion of the seat back 16 is the rear end portion of the seat cushion 14. It is connected so that it can be tilted to.

A windshield glass 18 is provided at the front end of the passenger compartment of the vehicle S. The windshield glass 18 is formed in the shape of a transparent plate, and is arranged so as to be inclined to the rear side toward the upper side in a side view. Further, the windshield glass 18 is formed in a curved shape in which the central portion in the vehicle width direction slightly bulges forward. Front pillars 20 are provided at both ends of the windshield glass 18 in the vehicle width direction (one side and the other side in the vehicle width direction). Further, the lower end of the windshield glass 18 is supported by a cowl 22 extending along the vehicle width direction, and the cowl 22 is an upper end of a dash panel (not shown) constituting the front portion of the vehicle interior of the vehicle S. It is arranged along the portion. Further, the upper end portion of the windshield glass 18 is supported by a front header 26 arranged along the vehicle width direction at the front end portion of the roof 24 forming the upper part of the vehicle interior.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a transparent plate-shaped side door glass 28 is provided on the right side of the passenger compartment of the vehicle S. A front pillar 20 is arranged between the front end of the side door glass 28 and one end of the windshield glass 18 in the vehicle width direction.

Here, as described above, the front pillar 20 extends along one end of the windshield glass 18 in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle is arranged in front of the vehicle and diagonally to the right when viewed from the occupant P on the driver's seat side. Therefore, if the entire front pillar 20 is formed of an opaque member, the field of view in front of the vehicle and diagonally to the right of the occupant P is blocked by the front pillar 20, and the blocked area becomes a blind spot area BS. ing.

Specifically, it is a region outside the vehicle with respect to the front pillar 20, and is between a pair of tangents T1 extending from the eye point EP of the occupant P and in contact with both sides of the front pillar 20 in the vehicle width direction. The area is a blind spot area BS. The eye point EP is an intermediate point between the eyes of the occupant P and the center point of the line connecting the eyes of the occupant P when the occupant P is seated on the vehicle seat 12. Further, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the occupant P has the same physique as AM50 (50th percentile of an American adult male) and is seated on the vehicle seat 12 in a standard sitting posture.

Hereinafter, the front pillar 20 on the right side close to the vehicle seat 12 for the driver's seat will be described. The left front pillar 20 has the same configuration.

(Main part of this embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 1, the front pillar 20 is composed of a pillar frame 30 and a pillar glass outer 32 as main parts. The front pillar 20 corresponds to the "pillar" in the present invention, and the pillar glass outer 32 corresponds to the "transparent portion" in the present invention.

The pillar frame 30 has an inner side wall portion 34 extending along the right end portion (one end portion in the vehicle width direction) of the windshield glass 18 and an inner side wall portion 34 on the rear side of the vehicle and outside in the vehicle width direction with respect to the inner side wall portion 34. It is provided with an outer wall portion 36 which is arranged apart from each other and extends along the inner side wall portion 34. Then, it is bridged between the front pillar lower and the front header (not shown). The inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36 form the skeleton of the front pillar 20, and are inclined toward the rear side of the vehicle toward the upper side of the vehicle.

The inner side wall portion 34 is formed by joining the pillar outer panel 34A and the pillar inner panel 34B made of, for example, an ultra-high-strength steel plate to each other, and has a hollow columnar shape. Further, the inner side wall portion 34 forms a substantially rectangular closed cross section when viewed from the longitudinal direction (extending direction).

Specifically, the pillar outer panel 34A includes a front side wall 34A1 forming the front surface of the inner side wall portion 34, and an inner side wall 34A2 extending from the rear end portion (inner end portion in the vehicle width direction) of the front side wall 34A1 to the rear side of the vehicle. It is composed of. The front side wall 34A1 extends substantially along the vehicle width direction, but the cross section of the inner side wall portion 34 when viewed from the longitudinal direction is bent in a substantially crank shape. The front side wall 34A1 has a portion on the outer side in the vehicle width direction protruding toward the front side of the vehicle from the portion on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. In other words, the pillar outer panel 34A is formed in a substantially M-shaped cross section when viewed from the longitudinal direction (extending direction).

Further, the portion of the front side wall 34A1 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction is the right end portion of the windshield glass 18 arranged on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the portion, and an adhesive 38 such as urethane sealant. It is joined via. Further, a cushion rubber 40 is provided on the right side of the adhesive 38 in the vehicle width direction, and the cushion rubber 40 closes the gap between the front side wall 34A1 and the right end portion of the windshield glass 18 in the vehicle width direction. ing.

The pillar inner panel 34B has an outer wall 34B1 extending rearward of the vehicle and inward in the vehicle width direction from the outer end portion of the front side wall 34A1 in the vehicle width direction, and a vehicle width from the rear end portion (inner end portion in the vehicle width direction) of the outer wall 34B1. It is composed of a rear side wall 34B2 extending inward in the direction. In other words, the pillar inner panel 34B is formed in a substantially inverted L-shape in cross section when viewed from the longitudinal direction (extending direction).

Garnish 56s are arranged along the vertical direction of the front pillar 20 on the vehicle rear side surface of the rear side wall 34B2 of the pillar inner panel 34B and the vehicle rear side surface of the inner side wall 34A2 of the pillar outer panel 34A, and are arranged inside the rear side wall 34B2. It is joined to the wall 34A2 via an adhesive 38. As a result, the inner end portion of the front pillar 20 in the vehicle width direction and the design surface inside the vehicle are formed.

Similar to the inner side wall portion 34, the outer side wall portion 36 is formed by joining the pillar outer panel 36A and the pillar inner panel 36B to each other, and has a hollow columnar shape. Further, the outer wall portion 36 forms a substantially rectangular closed cross section when viewed from the longitudinal direction (extending direction).

Specifically, the pillar outer panel 36A has an outer wall 36A1 extending rearward of the vehicle and slightly outward in the vehicle width direction from the outer end portion of the front side wall 36B1 described later in the vehicle width direction, and a vehicle width direction from the rear end portion of the outer wall 36A1. It is composed of a rear side wall 36A2 that extends inward and slightly to the rear side of the vehicle. The rear side wall 36A2 extends substantially along the vehicle width direction, but the cross section of the outer wall portion 36 when viewed from the longitudinal direction is substantially crank-shaped. The rear side wall 36A2 has a portion inside the vehicle width direction protruding toward the rear side of the vehicle with respect to the portion outside the vehicle width direction. In other words, the pillar outer panel 36A is formed in a substantially M-shaped cross section when viewed from the longitudinal direction (extending direction).

Further, a retainer 50 formed by bending a strip-shaped stainless steel or the like is provided at the rear end portion of the rear side wall 36A2. The retainer 50 is formed in a substantially U shape that is opened outward and rearward in the vehicle width direction in a plan view, and the bottom wall of the retainer 50 is fixed to the rear side wall 36A2 by a fastening member such as a screw (not shown). ing.

The retainer 50 is equipped with a door seal 52 made of an elastic member such as ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM). As a result, the door seal 52 is held by the front pillar 20 via the retainer 50. Further, when the front side door (not shown) is closed, the weather strip provided on the side door frame (not shown) is pressed against the door seal 52, and the front end portion of the side door glass 28 and the front pillar 20 are sealed. It has a structure.

The pillar inner panel 36B has a front side wall 36B1 forming the front surface of the outer wall portion 36 and an inner side wall 36B2 extending rearward of the vehicle and slightly outward in the vehicle width direction from the rear end portion (inner end portion in the vehicle width direction) of the front side wall 36B1. And is composed of. In other words, the pillar inner panel 36B is formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section when viewed from the longitudinal direction (extending direction). The rear end portion (inner end portion in the vehicle width direction) of the rear side wall 36A2 of the pillar outer panel 36A is joined to the intermediate portion of the inner side wall 36B2.

A garnish 56 is arranged along the vertical direction of the front pillar 20 on the vehicle rear side surface of the inner side wall 36B2 of the pillar inner panel 36B, and is joined to the inner side wall 36B2 via an adhesive 38. ing. As a result, the outer end portion of the front pillar 20 in the vehicle width direction and the design surface inside the vehicle are formed.

On the other hand, the pillar glass outer 32 is made of, for example, inorganic glass or a high-strength transparent resin, and is formed in a transparent plate shape. In the present embodiment, as an example, the pillar glass outer 32 is formed of a resin having a visible light transmittance of 30% or more. Examples of the high-strength transparent resin include polycarbonate (PC-GF) reinforced with glass fiber, polycarbonate (PC-CNF) reinforced with cellulose nanofiber, and the like. The pillar glass outer 32 is bridged between the front end portion of the inner side wall portion 34 in the vehicle front-rear direction and the front end portion of the outer wall portion 36 in the vehicle front-rear direction.

Specifically, the pillar glass outer 32 is arranged on the outer side of the vehicle on the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36, and the side surface 32A on the outer side of the pillar glass outer 32 is the design surface on the outer side of the front pillar 20. Is forming. The pillar glass outer 32 is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the front pillar 20 as a plate thickness direction, and is inclined inward in the vehicle width direction toward the front side of the vehicle. In other words, the pillar glass outer 32 is formed in a curved shape that is convex outward in the vehicle width direction and toward the front side of the vehicle when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the front pillar 20.

The front end portion of the pillar glass outer 32 on the side surface 32B on the vehicle interior side is arranged outside the vehicle width direction and on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the portion of the front side wall 34A1 of the inner side wall portion 34 in the vehicle width direction. , Is joined to the front side wall 34A1 via an adhesive 38. Cushion rubbers 40 are provided on both sides of the adhesive 38 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the cushion rubbers 40 close the gap between the front side wall 34A1 and the front end portion of the pillar glass outer 32.

Further, the rear end portion of the pillar glass outer 32 is arranged on the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the portion on the outer wall 36A1 of the outer wall portion 36 in the vehicle width direction. Further, similarly to the relationship between the front side wall 34A1 of the inner side wall portion 34 and the pillar glass outer 32 described above, the pillar glass outer 32 is joined by the adhesive 38, and the cushion rubber 40 betweens the outer wall 36A1 and the rear end portion of the pillar glass outer 32. The gap is closed.

Here, in the front pillar 20 having the above configuration, as described above, the outer wall portion 36 is arranged on the rear side of the vehicle and on the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the inner side wall portion 34. A transparent pillar glass outer 32 is bridged between the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36. As a result, as schematically shown in FIG. 1, the occupant P forms a visible region VA in which the outside of the vehicle S can be visually recognized from the space 35 between the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36. Has been done.

Specifically, a pair of pillar glass outers 32 that are included in the blind spot region BS, extend from the eye point EP of the occupant P, and are in contact with both side portions of the pillar glass outer 32 that is connected to the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36, respectively. The area between the tangents T2 is defined as the visible area VA. That is, the visible area VA reduces the blind spot area BS of the occupant P.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the surfaces of the outer wall 34B1 of the inner side wall 34 and the front side wall 36B1 of the outer wall 36 are covered with the low-reflection film 42, and are in a state before the film is attached. The reflectance is set lower than the reflectance of the outer wall 34B1 and the front side wall 36B1. Further, the low-reflection film 42 constitutes a design surface of the outer wall surface 34B1 of the inner side wall portion 34 and the front side wall 36B1 of the outer wall portion 36. The outer wall 34B1 and the front side wall 36B1 correspond to the "side surfaces of the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36 arranged to face each other" in the present invention, and the low reflection film 42 corresponds to the "low reflection" in the present invention. Corresponds to "part".

As an example, the low-reflection film 42 is composed of a sheet member whose surface color is lower than that of the outer wall 34B1 and the front side wall 36B1. The lightness is defined in the HSV model, and 100% lightness is pure color and 0% lightness is pure black. By attaching the low-reflection film 42, the brightness of the surfaces of the outer wall 34B1 and the front side wall 36B1 is set lower than that before the film is attached. Then, the absorption rate for the light incident on the outer wall 34B1 and the front side wall 36B1 is improved, and as a result, the reflectance of the outer wall 34B1 and the front side wall 36B1 is lowered.

Here, FIG. 1 shows an enlarged plan view of the front pillar 20 at the height of the eye point EP of the occupant P. In FIG. 1, as an example, the path of light incident on the outer wall portion 36, reflected by the side surface 32B inside the vehicle of the pillar glass outer 32, and incident on the occupant's eye point EP is roughly defined by a line segment L1. Shown.

(Action and effect)
Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

In the vehicle pillar structure 10 having the above configuration, a transparently formed pillar glass outer 32 is bridged between the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36. As a result, even if there is an obstacle such as a sign on the other side of the front pillar 20 when viewed from the occupant P, the obstacle can be visually recognized from the space 35 between the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36. As a result, the area that becomes the blind spot of the occupant P (blind spot area BS) can be reduced.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, most of the incident light L1 on the outer wall portion 36 is absorbed by the outer wall portion 36, and the generation of the reflected light incident on the eye point EP of the occupant P is suppressed. Therefore, when viewed from the occupant P, the phenomenon that the outer wall portion 36 appears to be reflected on the side surface 32B of the pillar glass outer 32 is suppressed.

In this way, the generation of reflected light on the side surfaces of the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36 arranged to face each other is suppressed, and when the occupant P sees the pillar glass outer 32, the pillar glass outer 32 becomes The phenomenon that the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36 are reflected is less likely to occur. As a result, the visibility of the occupant P is improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the reflection of the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36 on the pillar glass outer 32 is suppressed without restricting the cross-sectional shapes of the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36. Therefore, it is possible to provide a cross-sectional shape that can sufficiently secure the strength of the front pillar 20. As a result, it is possible to secure the strength of the front pillar 20 and improve the visibility of the occupant P in the vehicle.

Further, the low-reflection film 42 provided on the side surfaces of the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36 which are arranged so as to face each other reduces the reflectance of the side surface and partially covers the design surface of the front pillar 20. It is configured. Therefore, the decrease in the visible region VA of the occupant P can be remarkably suppressed as compared with the case where another member such as the garnish 56 is provided on the side surface to form the design surface. Further, it is possible to secure the design surface while suppressing the increase in the weight of the front pillar 20.

Further, since the low-reflection film is attached to the side surfaces of the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36 which are arranged so as to face each other, it can be easily produced.

In the present embodiment, the low-reflection film 42 composed of a sheet member whose surface color is lower than that of the outer wall 34B1 and the front side wall 36B1 is referred to as the "low-reflection portion" in the present invention. Is not limited to this. For example, a film material having a rough surface such as a matte finish and capable of diffusing incident light may be attached to the outer wall 34B1 and the front side wall 36B1 as a low-reflection film 42. As a result, the reflectance in a certain direction can be set low, so that the reflected light incident on the eye point EP of the occupant P can be suppressed. Further, the low-reflection film 42 may be a sheet material having a color lower in brightness than the outer wall 34B1 and the front side wall 36B1 and having a rough surface condition.

In addition, a film material having a moss-eye structure described in JP-A-2008-233850 on the surface or a film material having a multilayer structure composed of a plurality of transparent thin films having different refractive indexes is used as a low-reflection film 42 as an outer wall. It may be attached to 34B1 and the front side wall 36B1.

Further, a low reflection portion may be provided by processing the surfaces of the outer wall 34B1 and the front side wall 36B1. For example, the outer wall 34B1 and the front side wall 36B1 may be colored with low lightness by painting. Further, a matte surface having a rough surface may be provided by painting. Further, the surfaces of the outer wall 34B1 and the front side wall 36B1 may be processed to have the moss eye structure described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-233850.

Further, in the above embodiment, the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36 constituting the pillar frame 30 are made of an ultra-high-strength steel plate, but the present invention is not limited to this. The inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36 may be solid, and may be made of resin (as an example, reinforced plastic containing carbon fiber). Further, in this case, the inner side wall portion 34 and the outer wall portion 36 may be integrally formed with the pillar glass outer 32.

In the above embodiment, the vehicle pillar structure 10 is applied to the vehicle S having a right-hand drive specification, but the vehicle pillar structure 10 may be applied to a vehicle having a left-hand drive specification.

10 Vehicle pillar structure 18 Windshield glass 20 Front pillar (pillar)
32 Pillar glass outer (transparent part)
34 Inner side wall 36 Outer side wall 42 Low reflection film (low reflection part)

Claims (1)

An inner side wall that extends along one end of the windshield glass in the vehicle width direction, is formed opaquely, and forms part of the pillar skeleton.
An outer wall portion that is arranged apart from the inner side wall portion in the vehicle width direction, extends along the inner side wall portion, is formed opaquely, and forms a part of the skeleton.
A transparent portion that is transparently formed and extends along the inner side wall portion and the outer wall portion, and is bridged between the front end portion of the inner side wall portion and the front end portion of the outer wall portion.
A low-reflection portion provided on the side surfaces of the inner side wall portion and the outer wall portion which are arranged to face each other and set to have a reflectance lower than that of the side surface in a state before the low-reflection treatment.
Pillar structure for vehicles with.