Vehicle side structure

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle side structure. The door impact beam is disposed in a rear side door that opens and closes a rear side door opening, and extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. In addition, a part of the lower part of the rear side frame part forming the rear side vehicle door opening part is formed by the lower side frame part. A rib provided on the lower side frame portion is disposed at a position partially overlapping an end portion in the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and is erected in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a vehicle side structure. Background Technology

[0002] A structure in which a door anti-collision beam is provided inside the side door of a vehicle is known (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-227064 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-86178). Summary of the Invention

[0003] However, there is room for improvement in suppressing the movement of the door impact beams toward the inside of the passenger compartment during side collisions.

[0004] In view of the above facts, the present invention aims to obtain a vehicle side structure that can suppress the movement of the door anti-collision beam into the passenger compartment during a side collision.

[0005] The vehicle side structure involved in the first embodiment includes: a door anti-collision beam disposed inside a rear side door that opens and closes a rear side door opening, and extending along the vehicle's longitudinal direction; a lower side frame portion that constitutes at least a portion of the lower part of the rear side frame portion forming the rear side door opening; and a rib disposed on the lower side frame portion and positioned at a location that overlaps at least a portion of the end of the door anti-collision beam in the longitudinal direction when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and erected in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the door anti-collision beam when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

[0006] In addition, the concept of "extending along the front-rear direction of the vehicle" includes not only the case of extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, but also the case of extending obliquely towards the rear of the vehicle and towards the vertical direction of the vehicle, that is, the case that can be understood as extending along the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0007] According to the vehicle side structure of the first embodiment, a door impact beam is disposed within the rear side door, which opens and closes the rear side door opening, and extends along the vehicle's longitudinal direction. Furthermore, at least a portion of the lower part of the rear side frame forming the rear side door opening is constituted by the lower side frame. Alternatively, a rib provided on the lower side frame may be positioned, when viewed from the side of the vehicle, at a location where it at least partially overlaps with the end of the door impact beam in the longitudinal direction, and is erected vertically in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam when viewed from the side of the vehicle. Therefore, when a collision load is input to the rear side door during a side collision, a portion of the collision load is efficiently transferred from the door impact beam side to the lower side frame side via the rib. Thus, it is possible to suppress the door impact beam from moving inwards towards the passenger compartment.

[0008] The second method involves a vehicle side structure in which, in the structure described in the first method, a transverse member extending along the vehicle width direction is connected to the inner side of the lower side frame portion in the vehicle width direction, and the rib extends toward the transverse member when the vehicle is viewed from above.

[0009] According to the vehicle side structure involved in the second method, the ribs extend towards the transverse members when the vehicle is viewed from above. Therefore, when a collision load is input to the rear side door during a side collision, a portion of the collision load is transferred from the door impact beam side via the ribs and through the lower side frame to the transverse member side. Thus, the collision load is transferred more effectively, thereby effectively suppressing the movement of the door impact beam inwards towards the passenger compartment.

[0010] The third approach involves a vehicle side structure in which, in the structure described in the first or second approach, the lower side frame portion, the rib, and the rear wheel arch portion disposed on the rear side of the lower side frame portion are integrally formed by die casting.

[0011] According to the vehicle side structure involved in the third approach, when the collision load is input to the rear side door during a side collision, the rear wheel arch can efficiently share a portion of the load. The load is the load transferred from the door anti-collision beam side via ribs to the lower side frame side.

[0012] As explained above, the vehicle side structure according to the present invention has the excellent effect of suppressing the movement of the door anti-collision beam towards the inside of the vehicle compartment during a side collision. Attached Figure Description

[0013] The features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like symbols denote like elements, and wherein: Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the rear frame body applied in a vehicle side structure according to one embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a side view showing the positional relationship between the rear part of the door impact beam and a part of the rear frame, with the side door body and other components in perspective.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a side view of a portion of the rear side of a vehicle in the longitudinal direction, showing a vehicle side structure according to one embodiment.

[0016] Figure 4 For along Figure 3 An enlarged sectional view cut off by line 4-4. Detailed Implementation

[0017] use Figures 1 to 4 The following describes a vehicle side structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, in Figures 1 to 4 The arrow FR, as shown in the image, indicates the front side of the vehicle, the arrow UP indicates the top side of the vehicle, the arrow W indicates the width direction of the vehicle, and the arrow IN indicates the inside side of the width direction of the vehicle.

[0018] Structure of the implementation method exist Figure 3 The image shows a portion of the rear side of a vehicle 10, which incorporates the vehicle side structure described in this embodiment, in the longitudinal direction, as illustrated in the side view. Figure 3 As shown, a rear side door opening 12 is formed on the rear side of the vehicle side 10S. The rear side door opening 12 connects the outside of the vehicle compartment with the inside of the vehicle compartment and is opened and closed through the rear side door 20. In addition, the outer surface of the vehicle 10 in the vehicle width direction is formed by the vehicle body outer panel 18.

[0019] The rear side door 20 is disposed on the side of the vehicle 10S and has a side door body 20H as its main body. In this embodiment, as an example, the side door body 20H is mounted on the center pillar 16, which is part of the vehicle body, via a door hinge (not shown), and is configured to rotate around the hinge pin of the door hinge. In addition, in this embodiment, the rear side door 20 is configured as a so-called swing-type side door, but it can also be a so-called sliding side door.

[0020] The side door body 20H includes a metal (for example, steel) door outer panel 22 that, when the door is closed, is disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction to form the door outer panel. When the door is closed, a metal (for example, steel) door inner panel 24 is disposed on the inner side of the door outer panel 22 in the vehicle width direction. Additionally, in... Figure 3 In the image, a portion of the outer door panel 22 is cut away to reveal the inner door panel 24. The inner door panel 24 constitutes the inner door panel portion of the side door body portion 20H.

[0021] A bulge 24A is formed in the center of the inner door panel 24, protruding inwards to accommodate window regulators (not shown). Furthermore, shelf portions 24B are formed in the inner door panel 24 on both sides in the vehicle's longitudinal direction and on the lower side of the vehicle, relative to the bulge 24A. The edges of the inner door panel 24 in the vehicle's longitudinal direction and on the lower side of the vehicle are joined to the edges of the outer door panel 22 in the same direction by a folding process. This forms a pocket-shaped side door body 20H where the outer door panel 22 and the inner door panel 24 are integrated, with the upper edge open.

[0022] In addition, a frame-like window frame 26 is provided on the upper side of the door outer panel 22. A window glass (side window glass) 28 is provided in the window frame 26 in a liftable manner, which can be raised or lowered relative to the side door body 20H.

[0023] A door impact beam 30 extending along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is provided inside the side door body 20H of the rear side door 20. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the door impact beam 30 is slightly inclined towards the rear of the vehicle and downwards when viewed from the side. The door impact beam 30 is a high-strength and high-rigidity component made of tubular parts.

[0024] At one end of the door anti-collision beam 30 along its length, namely the front end portion 30F, a mounting bracket (also called a "protrusion") 32, which is a metal plate bracket, is fixed by welding to the inner portion of the door panel 24 along its vehicle width. The mounting bracket 32 ​​is fixed to the front portion of the shelf portion 24B of the inner door panel 24 by welding or bolting. That is, the front end portion 30F of the door anti-collision beam 30 is fixed to the side door body portion 20H of the rear side door 20 via the mounting bracket 32.

[0025] Furthermore, at the other end of the door anti-collision beam 30 along its length, namely the rear end 30R, a mounting bracket (also called a "protrusion") 34, which is a metal plate bracket, is fixed by welding to the inner part of the door panel 24 along its vehicle width. The mounting bracket 34 is fixed to the rear side of the shelf portion 24B of the inner door panel 24 by welding or bolting. That is, the rear end 30R of the door anti-collision beam 30 is fixed to the side door body portion 20H of the rear side door 20 via the mounting bracket 34.

[0026] Here, the mounting bracket 34 will be described in more detail. The mounting bracket 34 has a beam-corresponding portion 34M that is positioned at a location overlapping a portion of the door impact beam 30 when viewed from the side of the vehicle. Figure 4 In the middle, it is shown that along Figure 3An enlarged sectional view cut along line 4-4. Additionally, in Figure 4 For simplicity, the portion of the outer body panel 18 that is positioned inside the vehicle width direction relative to the rear side door 20 is omitted from the illustration. Figure 4 As shown, the beam corresponding portion 34M is curved into an arc shape such that the side surface of the door anti-collision beam 30 is curved along the outer peripheral surface of the door anti-collision beam 30. This beam corresponding portion 34M includes a first fixing portion 34A that is fixed to the door anti-collision beam 30. The range of the first fixing portion 34A when viewed from the side of the vehicle is as follows... Figure 2 As shown. Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 As shown, the mounting bracket 34 has side portions 34S and 34T that are continuous with the beam corresponding portion 34M and are positioned on both sides of the door anti-collision beam 30 in a direction intersecting its length direction (axial direction) when viewed from the side of the vehicle. The side portions 34S and 34T include second fixing portions 34B and 34C that are fixed to the side door body portion 20H of the rear side door 20 (see reference). Figure 2 (exist Figure 2 In the text, for convenience, “×” is used to indicate the position of the second fixing parts 34B and 34C.

[0027] As mentioned above, in Figure 3 The rear side door 20 shown has a front end 30F and a rear end 30R of a door anti-collision beam 30 fixed to its side door body 20H. This improves the rigidity of the rear side door body 20H of the rear side door 20 against loads in the vehicle's longitudinal direction.

[0028] A die-cast rear frame body 40 is provided on the rear side of the vehicle side portion 10S. The rear frame body 40 is configured to include a lower side frame portion 42 and a rear wheel arch portion 44 provided on the rear side of the vehicle at the lower side frame portion 42. The lower side frame portion 42 constitutes a portion (more specifically, the rear) of the lower part of the rear frame portion 14 that forms the rear side door opening portion 12.

[0029] exist Figure 1 The rear frame 40 is shown in a three-dimensional view. Additionally, in... Figure 1 In this representation, the detailed shape of the rear frame 40 is appropriately simplified. For example... Figure 1As shown, the rear frame 40 has a lower side frame portion 42 and a rear wheel arch portion 44 on each side in the vehicle width direction. The lower side frame portion 42 extends along the vehicle's longitudinal direction. The rear wheel arch portion 44 is continuously formed with the rear end side of the lower side frame portion 42. Furthermore, the rear frame 40 has a transverse member (sometimes also called a transverse member portion) 46 that connects the left and right lower side frame portions 42 to each other in the vehicle width direction, and a connecting frame portion 48 that connects the left and right rear wheel arch portions 44 to each other in the vehicle width direction. The transverse member 46 is formed in the shape of a beam and is connected to the inner side of the lower side frame portion 42 in the vehicle width direction and extends along the vehicle width direction. The connecting frame portion 48 is formed in the shape of a frame when viewed from above, and the left and right side structural portions 48S are continuous with the rear wheel arch portions 44.

[0030] exist Figure 2 In the middle, the main body of the side door 20H is shown in perspective (refer to...). Figure 3 The side view (viewed from the outside in the vehicle width direction) shows the rear of the door impact beam 30 and the positional relationship between the mounting bracket 34 and a part of the rear frame 40. (e.g., ...) Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 As shown, the rear frame 40 includes a longitudinal wall 50 that is erected from the lower side frame 42. (As...) Figure 1 As shown, the longitudinal wall portion 50 is set such that its thickness direction is along the vehicle width direction. The lower end portion 50B of the longitudinal wall portion 50 is continuous with the lower side frame portion 42, and the rear end portion 50R of the longitudinal wall portion 50, as an example, is continuous with the rear wheel arch portion 44. Furthermore, in Figure 1 For convenience, double-dotted lines are used to indicate the positions of the lower end 50B and the rear end 50R of the longitudinal wall portion 50 on the outer surface in the vehicle width direction, on the left side in the left-right direction of the vehicle. As an example, the upper end face 50A of the longitudinal wall portion 50 is inclined towards the front side of the vehicle and towards the lower side of the vehicle.

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, the longitudinal wall portion 50 is positioned to overlap with the rear end 30R (one of the ends of the door anti-collision beam 30 in the longitudinal direction) of the door anti-collision beam 30 when viewed from the side of the vehicle. Furthermore, the longitudinal wall portion 50 is positioned to overlap with a portion (more than half in this embodiment) of the mounting bracket 34 when viewed from the side of the vehicle. Additionally, the longitudinal wall portion 50 has a portion that overlaps with intersection point A. When viewed from the side of the vehicle, the aforementioned intersection point A is the intersection of the centerline 30X along the longitudinal direction of the door anti-collision beam 30 and line segment L. The aforementioned line segment L is the line segment connecting the second fixing portion 34B of one of the two sides 34S and 34T of the mounting bracket 34 to the second fixing portion 34C of the other side 34T.

[0032] like Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 As shown, on the lower side frame portion 42, multiple (three in this example) ribs 52, 54, and 56 are provided on the inner side of the longitudinal wall portion 50 in the vehicle width direction. Additionally, in Figure 2 For convenience, the boundaries between ribs 52, 54, and 56 and the longitudinal wall portion 50 are shown only by dashed lines. In this embodiment, multiple ribs 52, 54, and 56 are formed in a manner that arranges them on the left and right sides of the rear frame body 40 along the vehicle's longitudinal direction, connecting the longitudinal wall portion 50 to the lower side frame portion 42. Figure 1 As shown, ribs 52, 54, and 56 extend toward the transverse member 46 when viewed from above the vehicle. In this embodiment, ribs 52, 54, and 56 extend linearly from the longitudinal wall portion 50 side toward the inward and obliquely forward side in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, when viewed from the front side of the vehicle, as an example, ribs 52, 54, and 56 are formed in a triangular shape, but other shapes such as quadrilaterals are also possible.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, when viewed from the side of the vehicle, ribs 52, 54, and 56 are erected in a direction intersecting the length direction of the door anti-collision beam 30. A portion of each of ribs 52, 54, and 56 is positioned to overlap with the mounting bracket 34 when viewed from the side of the vehicle. Furthermore, when viewed from the side of the vehicle, the second rib 54 from the front and the rearmost rib 56 are positioned to partially overlap with the rear end 30R (one of the ends of the door anti-collision beam 30 in the length direction) of the door anti-collision beam 30. Additionally, as a variation of this embodiment, the height of the front portion of the longitudinal wall 50 may be higher than... Figure 2 The height shown is increased, and the vertical height of the foremost rib 52 is increased, so that when viewed from the side of the vehicle, a portion of the foremost rib 52 is positioned to overlap with the rear end 30R of the door anti-collision beam 30.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when viewed from the side of the vehicle, the second rib 54 from the front and the rearmost rib 56 include portions overlapping with line segment L that connects one second fixing part 34B and the other second fixing part 34C of the mounting bracket 34. Moreover, in this embodiment, when viewed from the side of the vehicle, the second rib 54 from the front is positioned closer to the front of the vehicle than the intersection point A of the centerline 30X along the length direction of the door impact beam 30 and line segment L. The rearmost rib 56 is positioned closer to the rear of the vehicle than the intersection point A of the centerline 30X along the length direction of the door impact beam 30 and line segment L.

[0035] The above explanation Figure 1The lower side frame 42, transverse member 46, longitudinal wall 50, ribs 52, 54, 56, rear wheel arch 44, and connecting frame 48 shown are integrally formed by die casting of a metal material (such as a light metal material like aluminum alloy). Furthermore, the rear frame 40 can be understood as a component that is an integrally die-cast rear section.

[0036] The role and effects of the implementation method Next, the function and effects of this implementation method will be explained.

[0037] In this embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the door impact beam 30 is disposed within the rear side door 20 and extends along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, a portion of the lower part of the rear side frame portion 14 forming the rear side door opening 12 is constituted by the lower side frame portion 42. Here, as... Figure 2 As shown, ribs 54 and 56 are positioned at a location that partially overlaps with the rear end 30R of the door impact beam 30 when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and are erected vertically in a direction intersecting the length direction of the door impact beam 30 when viewed from the side of the vehicle. Here, the aforementioned ribs 54 and 56 are provided on the lower side frame portion 42. In the event of a side collision, they may sometimes... Figure 4 The rear side door 20 shown is subjected to a collision load F. In this case, a portion of the collision load F is efficiently transferred from the door anti-collision beam 30 side to the lower side frame 42 side via ribs 54 and 56, thus suppressing the door anti-collision beam 30 from moving inward toward the passenger compartment.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, the transverse member 46, which connects to the inner side of the lower side frame portion 42 in the vehicle width direction, extends along the vehicle width direction, and the ribs 54 and 56 extend toward the transverse member 46 when the vehicle is viewed from above. In a side collision, they may sometimes extend toward... Figure 3 The rear side door 20 shown is subjected to a collision load. In this case, a portion of the collision load will travel from the door anti-collision beam 30 side via... Figure 2 The ribs 54 and 56 shown are transmitted to the lower side frame portion 42. Figure 1 The transverse member 46 is shown. Therefore, the collision load is transferred more effectively, thus effectively suppressing [impact]. Figure 3 The door anti-collision beam 30 shown is moving inwards towards the inside of the vehicle compartment.

[0039] Furthermore, in this embodiment, including Figure 1 The lower side frame portion 42, ribs 54 and 56, and rear wheel arch portion 44 shown are integrally formed by die casting. In a side collision, the impact load may sometimes be transferred to the rear side door 20 (see reference). Figure 3In this case, the rear wheel arch portion 44 can efficiently share a portion of the load that is transferred from the door anti-collision beam 30 side to the lower side frame portion 42 side via ribs 54 and 56.

[0040] As explained above, the vehicle side structure according to this embodiment can suppress side impacts such as Figure 3 The door anti-collision beam 30 shown in the figure moves inward toward the inside of the carriage.

[0041] Supplementary Description of Implementation Methods In addition, Figures 1 to 4 In the embodiment shown above, the lower side frame portion 42 constitutes a portion of the lower part of the rear side frame portion 14 that forms the rear side door opening 12. As a variation of the above embodiment, the lower side frame portion may also constitute the entire lower part of the rear side frame portion 14 that forms the rear side door opening 12. Furthermore, there are variations in which the lower side frame portion constitutes the entire lower part of the rear side frame portion 14 that forms the rear side door opening 12. In this variation, it may also be configured to have a rib provided on the lower side frame portion, and when viewed from the side of the vehicle, this rib is positioned at a location that at least partially overlaps with the front end of the door impact beam, and is erected in a direction intersecting the length direction of the door impact beam when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

[0042] Furthermore, as a variation of the above embodiment, a structure in which one or more ribs performing the same function as the ribs 54 and 56 in the above embodiment are respectively provided on the lower side frame portions 42 on the left and right sides can be adopted. In other words, the aforementioned ribs performing the same function as the ribs 54 and 56 in the above embodiment are ribs that are positioned at a location that at least partially overlaps with the end of the door anti-collision beam 30 in the length direction when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and are erected in a direction that intersects the length direction of the door anti-collision beam 30 when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

[0043] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, ribs 54 and 56 are positioned at locations that partially overlap with the rear end 30R of the door impact beam 30 when viewed from the side of the vehicle. As a variation of the above embodiment, a structure may also be adopted in which all ribs are positioned at locations that overlap with the ends of the door impact beam in the longitudinal direction when viewed from the side of the vehicle. The term "all ribs" refers to the entirety of a rib that is provided on the lower side frame portion and erected vertically in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

[0044] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, ribs 54 and 56 extend toward the transverse member 46 when viewed from above by the vehicle. As a variation of the above embodiment, a structure may also be adopted in which the ribs provided on the lower side frame portion 42, positioned at least partially overlapping the end of the door anti-collision beam 30 in the longitudinal direction when viewed from the side by the vehicle, and erected vertically in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the door anti-collision beam 30 when viewed from the side by the vehicle, do not extend toward the transverse member 46 when viewed from above by the vehicle.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a preferred structure is that the lower side frame portion 42, ribs 54, 56, and rear wheel arch portion 44 are integrally formed by die casting. As a variation of the above embodiment, a structure may also be adopted in which the lower side frame portion 42 and ribs 54, 56 are integrally formed, and the rear wheel arch portion, which is separately formed from the integrally formed component, is joined to the lower side frame portion 42.

[0046] Furthermore, although in the above embodiment the rear frame body 40 includes a longitudinal wall portion 50 erected from the lower side frame portion 42, a structure in which the longitudinal wall portion 50 is not formed may also be adopted.

[0047] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a preferred structure is one in which the lower side frame portion 42 and the transverse member 46 are integrally formed. As a variation of the above embodiment, a structure in which the transverse member, which is separately formed from the lower side frame portion 42, is joined to the lower side frame portion 42 may also be adopted.

[0048] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and the various modifications described above can be appropriately combined for implementation.

[0049] The present invention has been described above as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the above content. In addition to the above, various modifications can be made without departing from its spirit.

Claims

1. A vehicle side structure, comprising: The door anti-collision beam is installed inside the rear side door, which opens and closes the rear side door opening, and extends along the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The lower side frame portion constitutes at least a portion of the lower part of the rear side frame portion that forms the rear side door opening; The rib is provided on the lower side frame portion and is positioned at a location that overlaps at least part of the end of the door anti-collision beam in the length direction when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and is erected in a direction that intersects the length direction of the door anti-collision beam when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle side structure as described in claim 1, wherein, A transverse member extending along the vehicle width direction is connected to the inner side of the lower side frame portion in the vehicle width direction. The rib extends toward the transverse member when viewed from above by the vehicle.

3. The vehicle side structure as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The lower side frame portion, the rib, and the rear wheel arch portion disposed on the rear side of the lower side frame portion are integrally formed by die casting.

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