JPH0747896A - Car superstructure - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] By effectively reinforcing the roof side rails, the cross-sectional shape of the roof side rails was changed to a smaller size on the cabin side to reduce the amount of impact cushioning material overhanging to the cabin side. It is to eliminate the pressure on the passengers. [Structure] A roof side rail 4 having a closed cross-sectional shape extending between the front pillar 2 and the rear pillar 3 in the vehicle front-rear direction is provided on the outer side of the occupant's head. A reinforcing member 21 having an annular cross section for reinforcing the roof side rail 4 is provided inside the car, and the cabin of the cab side inner panel 6 of the roof side rail 4 corresponding to the outer side position of the occupant's head. 5 On the side surface, an impact cushioning material 22 is provided to alleviate the impact on the occupant's head that acts during a side collision.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an upper structure of an automobile, and more particularly, to a measure for protecting an occupant's head in a side collision.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an automobile, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-65432, a door panel including an inner panel and an outer panel, and an upper portion of the inner panel on the side opposite to the vehicle compartment are provided. The inner reinforcement that forms a closed cross section that extends in the front-rear direction of the door panel together with the inner panel, the door trim attached to the passenger compartment side of the inner panel, and the vicinity of the inner reinforcement through the opening formed in the inner panel. Is provided between the inner reinforcement and the door trim so as to be disposed in the interior of the door panel, and a thick shock absorbing material is provided inward and outward of the door panel for cushioning the impact on the shoulders of the occupant during a side collision. Things are known. In this case, when the outer panel is deformed and the inner reinforcement is deformed by the impact applied at the time of the side collision, the impact cushioning material is projected through the opening of the inner panel to the vehicle interior side with the door trim, and The impact cushioning material that protrudes to the side protects the shoulders of the occupant during a side collision.

[0003]

By the way, in the safety standards of the United States and the like, in order to protect the head of an occupant in a side collision, the vehicle body side corresponding to the outer side of the head of the occupant seated on the seat. There is a tendency to obligate the member to be provided with a thick shock absorbing material having a cross-sectional shape with a thickness of about 1 inch in the vehicle interior and exterior directions.

In this case, a roof side rail having a closed cross-section extending between the front pillar and the rear pillar in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is usually provided at a position corresponding to the outer side of the occupant's head. If the above-mentioned thick shock absorbing material is placed on the side of the passenger compartment on the side rail, the amount of the shock absorbing material protruding to the passenger compartment side will be very large due to the thick wall, and it will give the passenger a considerable sense of pressure. become.

Therefore, it is conceivable to change the shape of the roof side rail to reduce the amount of impact cushioning material overhanging to the passenger compartment side. However, the roof side rail has a shape change on the side opposite to the passenger compartment due to design restrictions. In addition, since it is not possible to change the cross-sectional shape to a small size in order to secure the rigidity strength of the roof side rail itself, it is very difficult to reduce the amount of the shock absorbing material overhanging to the passenger compartment side.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to make it possible to change the cross-sectional shape of the roof side rail to a smaller size on the passenger compartment side by effectively reinforcing the roof side rail. The purpose of the present invention is to reduce the amount of impact cushioning material that extends toward the passenger compartment and eliminate the feeling of pressure on the occupant.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the means for solving the problems described in the first aspect of the present invention is to provide a means for extending in the vehicle front-rear direction between the front pillar and the rear pillar on the outer side of the occupant's head. It is premised on the superstructure of a vehicle provided with roof side rails having a closed cross section. And
A reinforcing member having a closed cross-section is provided inside the roof side rail to reinforce the roof side rail, and at the time of a side collision, the vehicle side surface of the roof side rail corresponding to the position outside the head of the occupant is provided. It is configured such that an impact cushioning material that alleviates the impact on the head of the occupant that acts is provided.

[0008] Further, the solution means taken by the invention of claim 2 is to specify the reinforcing member of the invention of claim 1 and to provide the reinforcing member at least in a portion corresponding to the shock absorbing material between the front pillar and the rear pillar. It is configured.

Further, the solution means taken by the invention of claim 3 is, in the upper structure of an automobile, which is the premise of the invention of claim 1, on the side surface of the cabin of the roof side rail,
A reinforcing member having a closed cross-section having an opening that opens to the passenger compartment side at a position outside the head of the occupant is provided, and inside the reinforcing member, the impact on the occupant's head that acts during a side collision is mitigated. Fill with shock absorber. Further, the above-mentioned opening is configured to be opened so that the above-mentioned shock absorbing material is projected toward the vehicle compartment side in a longitudinal front-rear view of the vehicle body.

[0010]

With the above construction, in the invention according to claim 1,
Since the roof side rail is reinforced by the reinforcing member with a closed cross-section inside the roof side rail, the roof side rail does not change the shape of the anti-cabin side, which affects the design, Even if the cross-sectional shape is reduced by changing the shape, the rigidity is ensured, and the cross-sectional shape of the roof side rail is changed to be smaller toward the outside of the vehicle compartment on the vehicle interior side.

Further, since the shock absorbing material is provided on the side surface of the cabin of the roof side rail whose cross-sectional shape is changed as described above, a thick (about 1 inch) shock absorbing material is provided outside the head of the occupant. Although the roof side rail corresponding to the one side position is provided on the side surface of the vehicle compartment, the amount of the impact cushioning material protruding toward the vehicle compartment is reduced.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the reinforcing member is provided at least in a portion between the front pillar and the rear pillar, the portion corresponding to the shock absorbing material,
The rigidity strength of the roof side rail portion corresponding to the shock absorbing material is secured by the roof side rail and the reinforcing member whose cross-sectional shape is changed small, while the rigidity strength of the remaining roof side rail portion not corresponding to the shock absorbing material is This is ensured by the roof side rail having a large cross-sectional shape that does not change the cross-sectional shape small, and the increase in weight of the roof side rail due to the reinforcing member is suppressed to the minimum.

Further, according to the third aspect of the invention, since the roof side rail is reinforced by the reinforcing member having a closed cross-sectional shape provided on the side surface of the vehicle compartment of the roof side rail, the roof side rail has the opposite side surface of the vehicle compartment. Even if the cross-sectional shape is reduced by changing the shape of only the side surface of the passenger compartment without changing the shape, the rigidity and strength are ensured, and the cross-sectional shape of the roof side rail is further reduced toward the outside of the passenger compartment on the passenger side.

Moreover, the shock absorbing material is filled inside the reinforcing member provided on the side surface of the cabin of the roof side rail whose cross-sectional shape is changed as described above, so that the impact cushioning material is provided on the cabin side at the position outside the head of the occupant. Since it is projected to the vehicle compartment side in a longitudinal sectional view through the opening that opens, despite the thick shock absorbing material being provided at the occupant's head outside position,
The thickness of the shock absorbing material is offset in the reinforcing member, so that the amount of the shock absorbing material protruding toward the passenger compartment is further reduced.

[0015]

As described above, according to the upper structure of the vehicle in the first aspect of the present invention, the rigidity of the roof side rail is secured by the reinforcing member on the side surface of the roof side rail compartment, so that the side surface opposite the passenger compartment is secured. Without changing the shape, the cross-sectional shape of the roof side rail can be changed to a smaller size by changing the shape only on the side of the passenger compartment, and the thick side shock absorbing material on the side of the roof side rail The amount of overhang can be reduced, and the feeling of pressure on the occupant can be eliminated.

According to the upper structure of the automobile in the second aspect of the present invention, the reinforcing member is provided at least in a portion corresponding to the shock absorbing material to secure the rigidity strength of the roof side rail. The weight increase of the roof side rail due to the member can be suppressed to the minimum.

Further, according to the upper structure of the automobile in the third aspect of the present invention, the reinforcing member inside the roof side rail secures the rigidity strength of the roof side rail without changing the shape of the side surface opposite the vehicle compartment. The cross-sectional shape can be changed to a smaller size on the passenger compartment side, and the thick shock absorbing material that offsets the thickness inside the reinforcing member can further reduce the amount of overhang to the passenger compartment side, making the passengers more oppressive. It can be resolved.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

2 and 3 show an upper structure on the right side of the vehicle body of an automobile according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a roof panel of the vehicle body A, and a side end portion (right side in the figures) of the roof panel. (Only shown) is provided with a roof side rail 4 having a closed cross-sectional shape extending in the vehicle front-rear direction between the front pillar 2 and the rear pillar 3. The roof side rail 4 has a cab side inner panel 6 arranged on the vehicle compartment 5 side and a cab side outer panel 7 arranged on the opposite vehicle compartment 5 side joined to each other at the upper and lower ends thereof. , 7 are joined and fixed to the side ends of the roof panel 1. In addition, the front pillar 2 described above
Is formed into a closed cross section by joining and fixing the front pillar inner panel 2a and the front pillar outer panel 2b, while the rear pillar 3 is formed into a closed cross section by joining and fixing the rear pillar inner panel 3a and the rear pillar outer panel 3b. Has been done. Further, a front pillar reinforcement 8 is provided in the front pillar 2 so as to partition the closed cross section thereof, while a rear pillar reinforcement 9 is provided in the rear pillar 3 so as to partition the closed cross section thereof. ing. In the roof side rail 4, the front and rear ends of the cab side inner panel 6 are located at the front pillar inner panel 2.
On the other hand, the front and rear ends of the cab side outer panel 7 are joined and fixed to the front pillar outer panel 2b and the rear pillar outer panel 3b, respectively.

A center pillar 11 is arranged at a substantially intermediate position between the front pillar 2 and the rear pillar 3, and the center pillar 11 is formed by joining and fixing the center pillar inner panel 11a and the center pillar outer panel 11b. The center pillar 11 is provided with a center pillar reinforcement 12 which is formed in a closed cross section and divides the closed cross section. In addition, cutout portions 13, 13 are formed in the lower portion of the roof side rail 4 at a substantially middle position, and cut out from the cabside inner panel 6 and the cabside outer panel 7 corresponding to the center pillar 11. The upper ends of the center pillar inner panel 11a and the center pillar outer panel 11b are joined and fixed to the cab side inner panel 6 and the cab side outer panel 7 via notches 13 and 13, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, a reinforcing member 21 having a substantially circular cross section is provided inside the roof side rail 4 to reinforce the roof side rail 4. The front end of the reinforcing member 21 is bonded and fixed to the upper end of the side surface of the front pillar reinforcement 8 on the side opposite to the passenger compartment 5 while the rear end is bonded and fixed to the upper end of the side surface of the rear pillar reinforcement 9 on the opposite side of the passenger compartment 5. In addition, the roof side rail 4 functions as an impact bar that is suspended only in the front and rear ends of the roof side rail 4. An approximately middle position of the reinforcing member 21 is fixedly joined to the upper end of the side surface of the vehicle body 5 of the center pillar reinforcement 12. The roof side rail 4 is arranged so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body on the outer side of the occupant's head seated on a seat (not shown). The roof side rail 4 has a side surface of the vehicle compartment 5, that is, a cab side inner panel 6. An impact cushioning material 22 is provided on the side surface of the vehicle compartment 5 to reduce the impact on the occupant's head that acts during a side collision. In this case, the cab side inner panel 6 and the cab side outer panel 7 are arranged along the reinforcing member 21 from the inside and outside directions of the vehicle compartment 5 so as to make the closed cross section of the roof side rail 4 as small as possible. .

The impact cushioning material 22 has a wall thickness of about 1 inch inward and outward from the portion of the cab side inner panel 6 which is attached to the side surface of the passenger compartment 5 corresponding to the outer side position of the occupant's head. Is formed of a thick foam. Further, the roof panel 1 corresponding to the position above the occupant's head
The side surface of the passenger compartment 5 is formed of a thin foam body having a thickness of about half (about 0.5 inch) inward and outward of the passenger compartment 5 in order to easily avoid the interference of the occupant's head during a side collision. The cushioning material 20 is attached. The shock absorbing material 22 and the shock absorbing material 20 are integrally formed. Further, an integral trim member 23 is attached to the side of the impact cushioning material 22 on the side of the vehicle compartment 5, that is, also around the roof panel 1 side, that is, the side of the cushioning material 20 on the side of the vehicle compartment 5.

In FIG. 1, 24 is a side glass, 27 is a sash provided integrally with a side door (not shown), and the sash 27 is a cab side outer panel 7.
It is adapted to be sealed by abutting against the weather strip 25 attached to the lower surface of the. Further, in the figure, 26 is a molding for covering the joints at the lower ends of the cab side inner panel 6, the cab side outer panel 7 and the center pillar reinforcement 12 so as to cover them.

Therefore, in the above embodiment, the roof side rail 4 has the front end thereof at the upper end of the side surface of the front pillar reinforcement 8 opposite the vehicle compartment 5 and the rear end of the rear pillar reinforcement 9 inside the vehicle compartment 5. At the upper end of the side surface, a substantially intermediate position is reinforced by a reinforcing member 21 having an annular cross-section joined and fixed to the upper end of the side surface of the vehicle compartment 5 of the center pillar reinforcement 12. As a result, the roof rail 4 can secure the rigidity and strength even if the cross-sectional shape is reduced by changing the shape of only the cab side inner panel 6 without changing the shape of the cab side outer panel 7 that affects the design. An existing roof rail 4'shown by a phantom line (two-dot chain line) in FIG.
The cross-sectional shape of the roof side rail 4 can be changed to be smaller inward and outward in the vehicle compartment 5 on the cab side inner panel 6 side than the (cab side inner panel 6 ').

Moreover, the shock absorbing material 22 has a cabside inner panel 6 whose cross-sectional shape is changed as described above.
Since it is provided on the side surface of the cabin 5 of the (roof side rail 4), the thick (about 1 inch) impact cushioning material 22 corresponds to the outer side position of the occupant's head. Despite being provided on the side surface, the impact cushioning material 22 'attached to the existing roof rail 4' (cab side inner panel 6 ') shown in phantom in FIG. As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of protrusion of the shock absorbing material 22 toward the passenger compartment 5 side, and it is possible to eliminate the feeling of pressure on the occupant.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is a modification of the shock absorbing material of the first embodiment. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

That is, in this example, the cab side inner panel 6 of the roof side rail 4 is formed so as to bulge in a semicircular arc shape in cross section on the side opposite to the vehicle compartment 5. A sheet-like rubber 31 is attached to a side surface of the cab side inner panel 6 which is a bulging portion of the vehicle compartment 5, and a reinforcing member 32 having an annular cross-section is rotated about the axis thereof through the rubber 31. Is supported as. Further, inside the roof side rail 4, there is provided a roof side rail reinforcement 33 that partitions the closed cross section into the inside and outside of the vehicle compartment 5. Roof side rail reinforcement 33 above
The upper and lower ends of the cab side inner panel 6 and the cab side outer panel 7 are joined and fixed in a state of being interposed between the upper and lower ends of the cab side outer panel 7, while the front and rear ends thereof are the upper end of the front pillar reinforcement 8 and the rear pillar. Each of the reinforcements 9 is fixedly joined to the upper end of the reinforcement 9, and the middle portion of the roof side rail reinforcement 33 is further fixedly joined to the upper end of the center pillar reinforcement 12. The roof side rail reinforcement 33 is fixed to the side surface of the cab side inner panel 6 on the side opposite the vehicle compartment 5 at the bulging portion so that the inside of the roof side rail 4 is divided into the inside and outside of the vehicle compartment 5 by itself. The closed cross section inside the chamber 5 is further divided into upper and lower parts.

The reinforcing member 32 is substantially supported by a bearing portion 41 (only the center pillar 11 is shown in the figure) provided on each pillar 2, 3, 11. The rotating means 42 for rotating the reinforcing member 32 is linked between the reinforcing member 32 and the bearing portion 41, and the rotating member 42 is rotated.
2 when viewed from the front of the vehicle body, a spring 43 for urging the counterclockwise rotation (in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 4) and the bearing portion 41.
The cam 44 that is swingably supported by the
And a pressing spring 45 for positioning the cam 44 at a restricting position for restricting the rotation of the spring against the urging force of the spring 43, and the spring 44 is linked to the cam 44 via a wire 46.
And an actuator (not shown) for swinging the cam 44 to a turning position where the reinforcing member 32 is turned by the biasing force of 3. The actuator is provided in the center pillar 11 and pulls the wire 46 based on the output of a sensor (not shown) that detects a shock at the time of a side collision, thereby pressing the cam 44 by the pressing spring 45. It is arranged to swing from the restricted position to the rotating position against the pressure. Further, a service hole 47 for inspecting the rotating means 42 is provided on the vehicle compartment 5 side of the bearing portion 41, and the service hole 47 is provided with the plastic cover 4.
It is designed to be shielded by 8.

The reinforcing member 32 is provided with an opening 51 that opens toward the passenger compartment 5 at the position outside the head of the occupant. Further, in the vicinity of the opening 51 in the reinforcing member 51, a foam material 52 is filled in the radial direction without any gap so as to have a substantially circular cross section. Further, a foam material 52 exposed through the opening 51 at the turning position of the reinforcing member 32 by the turning means 42 is provided on the side surface of the trim member 23 opposite the vehicle compartment 5 corresponding to the outer side position of the occupant's head. A thin (for example, about 0.5 inch) sheet-shaped cushioning material 5 that partially overlaps the periphery and wraps around the roof panel 1 side
3 is attached to the cushioning material 53 and the foam material 5
2, the shock absorbing material 54 is configured to reduce the impact on the head of the occupant that acts at the time of a side collision. And
The opening portion 51 is cut out in a substantially semi-circular shape in cross section so that the foam material 52 is projected in a vertical cross sectional view. in this case,
The opening 51 of the reinforcing member 32 is opened so that the foam material 52 is projected to the side opposite to the vehicle compartment 5 in the longitudinal front-rear view of the vehicle body A at the position regulated by the rotation means 42, while the foaming is performed at the rotation position. The member 52 is opened so as to project toward the vehicle compartment 5 side in a longitudinal front-back view of the vehicle body A. That is, the reinforcing member 3
2 is to contact the reinforcing member 32 which is normally uncomfortable in that the foam material 52 is normally restricted in rotation so as not to project to the vehicle compartment 5 side in a longitudinal front-back view and touches the soft foam material 52 through the trim material 23. However, the impact on the occupant's head at the time of a side collision is buffered by rotating the foam material 52 through the opening portion 51 so as to project toward the vehicle compartment 5 side in a longitudinal front-back view only during a side collision. I am trying to do it.

As a result, in the second embodiment, the roof side rail 4 is reinforced by the reinforcing member 32 having an annular cross section provided on the side surface of the cab side inner panel 6 on the side of the vehicle compartment 5. The rigidity is ensured even if the cross-sectional shape is changed to a small size by changing the shape of only the cab-side inner panel 6 without changing the shape of the cab-side outer panel 7, and the cross-sectional shape of the roof side rail 4 on the passenger compartment 5 side is It can be made smaller in the inside and outside directions of the chamber 5. Moreover, the shock absorbing material 54 is filled in the reinforcing member 32 having an annular cross-section provided on the side surface of the cabin 5 of the cab side inner panel 6 of the roof side rail 4 whose cross-sectional shape is changed as described above. A foam material 52 that is projected toward the vehicle compartment 5 side in a longitudinal cross-sectional front view through an opening 51 that is open to the vehicle compartment 5 side only at a side collision at an outer side position of the portion, and a part of the periphery of the foam material 52. Since the shock absorbing material 54 is configured with the overlapping cushioning material 53, the foaming material 52 is foamed in the reinforcing member 32 even though the thick foam material 52 is provided at the outer side position of the occupant's head. Since the thickness of the material 52 is offset, the amount of the shock absorbing material 54 (foam material 52) protruding toward the passenger compartment 5 can be further reduced, and the occupant's feeling of pressure can be more effectively eliminated.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but includes various other modifications.
For example, although the reinforcing member 21 is arranged between the front pillar 2 and the rear pillar 3 in the first embodiment, the reinforcing member may be arranged at least in a portion corresponding to the shock absorbing material. In this case, the rigidity strength of the roof side rail portion corresponding to the shock absorbing material is ensured by the roof side rail and the reinforcing member whose cross-sectional shape is changed small, while the rigidity strength of the remaining roof side rail portion not corresponding to the shock absorbing material. Is secured by the roof side rail having a large cross-sectional shape that does not change the cross-sectional shape small, and the increase in weight of the roof side rail due to the reinforcing member can be minimized.

Also, in the second embodiment, the reinforcing member 32 is used.
Although it is configured to be rotatable by the rotating means 42, the reinforcing member may be fixed in a state in which the shock absorbing material is projected to the vehicle compartment side in the longitudinal cross-sectional front view through the opening. The discomfort when touching the soft shock absorbing material instead of the reinforcing member through the trim material may be eliminated by a resin panel or the like having appropriate tension.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view of the vicinity of a roof side rail according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of the roof side rail according to the first embodiment, taken along the axial direction.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a right end portion of the vehicle body.

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the reinforcing member according to the second embodiment as viewed from the passenger compartment side with the trim member removed in a rotated state.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a rotating means.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Front pillars 3 Rear pillars 4 Roof side rails 5 Cabin 6 Cab side inner panel (cabin side of roof side rails) 21,32 Reinforcing member 22,52 Impact cushioning material 51 Opening

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. In an upper structure of an automobile, a roof side rail having a closed cross-sectional shape extending between a front pillar and a rear pillar in a vehicle front-rear direction is provided on an outer side of a head of an occupant. Is provided with a reinforcing member having a closed cross-sectional shape for reinforcing the roof side rail, and acts on the side surface of the cabin of the roof side rail corresponding to the outer side position of the occupant's head when a side collision occurs. An upper structure of an automobile, characterized in that an impact cushioning material is provided for alleviating an impact on a passenger's head. 2. The upper structure of the automobile according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member is provided at least in a portion between the front pillar and the rear pillar, the portion corresponding to the shock absorbing material. 3. An upper structure of an automobile, wherein a roof side rail having a closed cross-sectional shape extending between a front pillar and a rear pillar in a vehicle front-rear direction is provided on an outer side of a head of an occupant. A reinforcement member having a closed cross-section having an opening that opens to the passenger compartment side at a position outside the head of the occupant is provided on the side surface of the passenger compartment, and inside the reinforcement member, an occupant that acts during a side collision. Is filled with an impact cushioning material for cushioning the impact on the head of the vehicle, and the opening is opened so that the impact cushioning material protrudes toward the vehicle compartment side in a longitudinal front-rear view of the vehicle body. Car superstructure.