JPH09193832A - Welded structure of car body - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] To improve the external visibility by forming a pillar of a vehicle body thin. SOLUTION: The outer panel 1 and the upper portion of the inner panel 2 and the upper reinforcement 3 are formed in a gutter shape without flanges, and have a closed structure in which both side portions thereof are overlapped in parallel. A laser beam is applied to the portions m and m to join them by seam welding.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a welded structure for pillars of a vehicle body of an automobile or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An automobile body has a skeletal structure as shown in FIG. 5 in which steel plates are welded. Since spot welding is the main joining method, a flange portion is provided at the joining portion. It is configured to be spot welded to. Although the width of the flange portion varies depending on the width of the electrode for spot welding, it is generally about 15 mm in mass production.

FIG. 3 shows a cross section of a conventional product of the center pillar S of the vehicle body as shown in FIG. FIG. 3A shows a cross section of the center pillar within the height of the window of the door when the door is attached to the vehicle body. The upper reinforcement 13 is spot-welded at the points, and the upper reinforcement 13 is fitted to the outer panel 1 and spot-welded at the points q and r. FIG. 3B
Shows the cross section of the center pillar below the door window,
The outer panel 11, the inner panel 12, and the lower reinforcement 14 are configured such that the flange portions of these three members are overlapped with each other and spot welding is performed at the points o and p.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of individual panel parts of a conventional center pillar. 11 is an outer panel, 12
Is an inner panel, 13 is an upper reinforcement, and 14 is a lower reinforcement. On both sides of the outer panel 11 and the inner panel, spot welding flanges 11a and 12 are provided.
a is provided, and the rear reinforcement 1
The flanges 14a for welding are also provided on both sides of 4.

[0005] In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-47884, a front windshield side joint portion of a front pillar formed by a front pillar outer upper portion and a front pillar inner upper portion has a superposed structure, and a lower portion of the front pillar inner upper portion is formed. A structure of a front pillar in which a cross-sectional shape is enlarged and a positioning bead is formed along the overlapping portion of the front pillar inner upper to enlarge a lower cross section of the front pillar is described.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-130694 discloses a plurality of arc-shaped contact plates for internally supporting a cooling ring inserted into the inner surface of a cylindrical combustion cylinder of a gas turbine combustor, and the contact plates. Consists of a column supporting each of them in the radial direction of the combustion cylinder, and a mandrel placed at the axial center of the combustion cylinder that supports this pillar via a wedge. By driving the wedge, the cooling ring and the combustion cylinder are firmly attached. Then, a welding device of a combustor for irradiating a laser beam to the close contact portion from the outside to perform welding is described.

[0007]

In recent years, the need for improving the external visibility (field of view) from the passenger compartment of an automobile or the like has been increasing from the viewpoint of safety. However, in the conventional spot welding joining structure, However, it is indispensable to provide a flange for welding, and therefore the pillar of the vehicle body cannot be made thin, and the visibility of the outside cannot be improved.

In the one disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-47884, a bead portion is provided in order to increase the rigidity of the front pillar, so that the pillar becomes thick and it cannot be expected to improve the visibility. The one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-130694 is intended to bring the cooling ring and the cylindrical combustor into close contact with each other by pressing the cooling ring from the inside of the cylindrical combustor to the outside with a jig during laser welding. However, it cannot be applied to a shape in which a jig cannot be installed inside, such as a pillar of an automobile, and it does not help improve visibility.

[0009]

According to the present invention, at least a part of a pillar of a vehicle body of an automobile or the like is fitted inside both side pieces of a first gutter-shaped member and outside both side pieces of a second gutter-shaped member. Let
It is a welded structure in which the overlapping portion is seam welded. It is also possible to fit the insides of both side pieces of the second gutter-shaped member to the outsides of both side pieces of the third gutter-shaped member, which serve as a reinforcing member, and simultaneously seam weld the overlapping portions. Since it is not necessary to provide a flange projecting from the pillar at the welded portion, and seam welding is performed from the outside even with a member closed in the longitudinal direction, it is possible to maintain the rigidity and strength of the pillar and to make the pillar thin.

[0010]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows a cross section of the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1A shows a cross section taken along the line XX of FIG. 5, and this portion of the center pillar S corresponds to the range of the height of the glass window of the automobile door, and the center pillar S is narrowed to improve the visibility. This is the part that is required to do. The upper part of the outer panel 1 and the inner panel 2 and the upper reinforcement 3 are each formed in a gutter shape without a flange, and have a closed structure in which both side portions of the outer panel 1 and the upper reinforcement 3 are overlapped in parallel, and the parts 1 and m thereof are formed. A laser beam is radiated onto the joints and joined by seam welding.

The outer width of the upper reinforcement 3 is made larger than the inner width of the outer panel 1, the outer width of the outer panel 1 is made larger than the inner width of the inner panel 2, and when these three parts are superposed. In addition, the dimensions and structure are designed so that the overlapping parts can be closely attached.

FIG. 1B shows a cross section taken along line YY of FIG.
This part of the center pillar S corresponds to the height of the lower end of the glass window of the automobile door. The upper part of the outer panel 1 and the inner panel 2 and the upper end part of the lower reinforcement 4 are formed in a gutter shape without a flange.
A closed structure is formed by laminating both side pieces in parallel, and the portions 1 and m are irradiated with a laser beam and joined by seam welding. It is similar to the above that the size and configuration are such that when the three parts such as the outer panel 1 are superposed, the overlapping portions can be brought into close contact with each other.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the individual parts of the center pillar. Reference numeral 1 denotes an outer panel, 2 an inner panel, 3 an upper reinforcement and 4 a lower reinforcement, respectively, and no flange is provided in a height range corresponding to a window of the outer panel 1 indicated by w. Similarly, the inner panel 2 is not provided with a flange in the range indicated by z, and the flanges 1a and 2a are formed only below them. Since a flange 4a is formed in addition to the upper end portion of the lower reinforcement 4, the lower portion of the center pillar can be continuously joined by laser welding (seam welding), and FIG. It is also possible to join by conventional spot welding of the flange portion as shown in FIG.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the closed cross-section structure portion without flange is stopped within the range corresponding to the height of the door window above the center pillar, and the lower portion is formed by conventional seam welding or spot welding of the flange portion. Of course, the center pillar including the lower portion may have the welding structure shown in FIG. In this case, since the rigidity and strength of the center pillar are increased as compared with the above-described embodiment, it is possible to make the center pillar even thinner, and it is also possible to reduce the plate thickness of each panel, thereby achieving weight reduction.

Further, although the center pillar of the vehicle body has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention can be applied to other pillars of the vehicle body and a structure having a similar structure to the pillar.

[0016]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, in a welded structure for a pillar of a vehicle body of an automobile or the like, it is not necessary to provide a flange portion for welding on a panel component forming the pillar, and the rigidity and strength of the welded pillar are maintained. Since the pillars can be formed thin, the visibility from the inside of the vehicle can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of individual parts of the center pillar of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional center pillar.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of individual parts of the center pillar of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a welded vehicle body.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Outer panel 2 Inner panel 3 Upper reinforcement 4 Lower reinforcement

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. At least a part of a pillar of a vehicle body of an automobile or the like is fitted to the insides of both side pieces of a first gutter-shaped member and the outer sides of both side pieces of a second gutter-shaped member, and the overlapping portion is formed. A welded structure for a vehicle body, characterized by being formed by seam welding. 2. The outside of both side pieces of the third gutter-shaped member, which is a reinforcing member, is fitted inside the both side pieces of the second gutter-shaped member,
The welded structure for a vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein the overlapping portions are simultaneously seam welded.