Vehicle side part structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle side part structure that is able to increase, without a weight increase, the strength of an inner panel of a pillar to which a seat belt retractor is fixed.SOLUTION: In a vehicle side part structure 100, an inner panel 110 of a pillar 104 includes: a fixing portion 122 which is provided distant from an opening 114 for causing a seat belt 112 to pass therethrough toward a side where the seat belt extends and to which a seat belt retractor 106 is fixed; first parallel beads 132a, 132b which extend from a lower edge 126 of the opening along a direction in which the seat belt extends, are line-symmetrical along this direction with respect to a straight-line B passing through the fixing portion, and are located within a range of a width C of the seat belt; and second parallel beads 134a, 134b which extend from the lower edge of the opening along the direction in which the seat belt extends, are more distant from the fixing portion in the width direction of the seat belt than the first beads, are line-symmetrical with respect to the straight-line B, and are located outside the range of the width of the seat belt. The first beads and the second beads respectively extend to positions more distant from the opening than the fixing portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle side structure. [Background technology]

[0002] Pillars that support the roof are provided on the sides of vehicles such as automobiles. The pillars include an outer panel that is exposed on the outer surface of the vehicle side, and an inner panel that is joined to the inner side of the outer panel and forms the surface on the inner side of the vehicle.

[0003] A seat belt retractor that withdraws and retracts the seat belt may be fixed to the inner panel of the pillar (for example, Patent Document 1). In such cases, there is a possibility that a load is input to the inner panel of the pillar due to withdrawal and retraction of the seat belt or vibration of the vehicle while traveling, causing local deformation. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the strength of the inner panel to which the seat belt retractor is fixed.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle side panel structure. In this structure, an opening is formed in an inner panel of a pillar, and a support part is formed at the edge of the opening to fasten and support a mounting part of a seat belt retractor. The support part has a surface of the inner panel facing the interior of the vehicle and a mounting panel, and the mounting part of the seat belt retractor is sandwiched between the inner panel and the mounting panel.

[0005] Patent Document 1 describes that by arranging the mounting panel of the support part along the inner panel, the inner panel can be made thin. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-163258 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the side panel structure of Patent Document 1 adds a mounting panel as a reinforcing member to the inner panel of the pillar to fix the seat belt retractor, which results in increased weight and costs.

[0008] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to provide a vehicle side structure that can increase the strength of the inner panel of the pillar to which the seat belt retractor is fixed without increasing the weight. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problem, a representative configuration of the present invention is a vehicle side structure including an inner panel that forms the interior surface of a pillar on the side of the vehicle, and a seat belt retractor that is fixed to the exterior side of the inner panel and that withdraws and retracts a seat belt, wherein the inner panel has an opening through which a seat belt withdrawn from the seat belt retractor passes, a fixed portion that is spaced from the opening on the side along which the seat belt extends and to which the seat belt retractor is fixed, a pair of parallel first beads extending from a lower edge of the opening in the direction in which the seat belt extends, the first beads being formed in positions that are line-symmetrical about a straight line that passes through the fixed portion in the direction in which the seat belt extends and being located within the width range of the seat belt, and a pair of parallel second beads extending from the lower edge of the opening in the direction in which the seat belt extends, the second beads being formed in positions that are line-symmetrical about the straight line and are located outside the width range of the seat belt, and the first and second beads extend to positions that are farther from the opening than the fixed portion. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle side structure that can increase the strength of the inner panel of the pillar to which a seat belt retractor is fixed without increasing the weight. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle side structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram showing a main part of the vehicle side structure of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 3 is a diagram showing the vehicle side structure of FIG. 2 with the various members omitted. [Figure 4] 4 is an E-E cross-sectional view of the vehicle side structure of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] A typical configuration of one embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle side structure including an inner panel that forms the interior surface of a pillar on the side of the vehicle, and a seat belt retractor that is fixed to the exterior side of the inner panel and that pulls out and retracts the seat belt, wherein the inner panel has an opening through which the seat belt pulled out from the seat belt retractor passes, a fixed portion that is spaced from the opening on the side along which the seat belt extends and to which the seat belt retractor is fixed, a pair of parallel first beads extending from a lower edge of the opening in the direction in which the seat belt extends, the first beads being formed in positions that are linearly symmetrical about a straight line that passes through the fixed portion in the direction in which the seat belt extends and being located within the width range of the seat belt, and a pair of parallel second beads extending from the lower edge of the opening in the direction in which the seat belt extends, the second beads being formed in positions that are linearly symmetrical about the straight line and are located outside the width range of the seat belt, and the first and second beads extend to positions farther from the opening than the fixed portion.

[0013] In the above configuration, the first bead and the second bead are formed on the inner panel of the pillar at positions that are symmetrical with respect to a straight line passing through the fixing part to which the seat belt retractor is fixed, and extend to a position farther from the opening than the fixing part, and the first bead is located within the width range of the seat belt. The second bead is located outside the width range of the seat belt. In this way, by adjusting the lengths and positions of the multiple beads, the strength of the inner panel of the pillar can be increased without adding reinforcing members, and an increase in weight and cost can be prevented.

[0014] Therefore, with the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the pillar inner panel from being locally deformed in the direction perpendicular to the surface (toward the inside of the vehicle) due to the pulling out and retracting of the seat belt or vibration of the vehicle while in motion, thereby preventing stress from being concentrated in the fixed portion.

[0015] The above-mentioned inner panel further has a bulge portion formed along the lower edge of the opening and bulging toward the inside of the vehicle, the bulge portion extending around and surrounding the corners located at both ends of the lower edge of the opening, and the first bead and the second bead are joined to the bulge portion.

[0016] In this way, the bulge formed along the lower edge of the opening extends around the corner of the lower edge of the opening and is further joined to the first bead and the second bead. This reliably prevents the side edges of the inner panel that are continuous with the corner of the lower edge of the opening from deforming apart, which would cause the lower edge of the opening to deform open. This makes it possible to suppress deformation of the inner panel of the pillar.

[0017] The above-mentioned inner panel further has a pair of third beads extending parallel to the lower edge of the opening and farther from the fixed portion in the width direction of the seat belt than the pair of first beads, the third beads being formed in a position that is linearly symmetrical about a straight line and farther from the opening than the fixed portion and intersecting the first and second beads, and a fourth bead being formed in an arc shape between the pair of first beads and farther from the opening than the fixed portion and being discontinuous with the first and third beads.

[0018] In this way, the pillar inner panel is formed with a third bead that intersects with the first and second beads, and an arc-shaped fourth bead that is located between the pair of first beads, which increases the strength of the inner panel, prevents the fixing portion of the inner panel and its surroundings from bending from the first and second beads, and also prevents stress from concentrating on the fixing portion of the inner panel.

[0019] The above vehicle side structure further includes a patch fixed to the outer side of the inner panel and overlapping the periphery of the fixed portion in a side view, and the inner panel further has a pair of welds formed in positions that are line-symmetrical about a line and for welding the patch, and the welds are formed in a position surrounded by the bulge, the first bead, the second bead and the third bead.

[0020] In this way, since the patch is fixed only around the periphery of the fixing portion of the inner panel, an increase in weight and cost can be prevented.

[0021] In addition, since the welded portion of the inner panel is formed at a position surrounded by the bulge portion, the first bead, the second bead, and the third bead, the rigidity of the welded portion can be increased and stress concentration at the welded portion can be prevented. Furthermore, since a pair of first beads is located between the pair of welded portions, the patch is fixed across the pair of first beads. This makes it possible to sufficiently suppress deformation of the welded portion of the inner panel and its surroundings. EXAMPLES

[0022] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific values ​​shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to avoid repeated explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0023] 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle side structure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure shows the right side periphery of a vehicle 102 to which the vehicle side structure 100 is applied, as viewed from the inside of the vehicle. In each of the figures below, the vehicle front-rear direction is illustrated by arrows Front and Back, the left and right in the vehicle width direction are illustrated by arrows Left and Right, and the vehicle up-down direction is illustrated by arrows Up and Down. In the following description, the right side periphery of the vehicle 102 is illustrated, but this embodiment may be applied to either the left or right side periphery of the vehicle 102.

[0024] The vehicle side structure 100 includes a pillar 104 and a seat belt retractor 106. The pillar 104 has an outer panel 108 exposed on the outer surface of the vehicle side, and an inner panel 110 joined to the inner side of the outer panel 108 and constituting the inner side of the vehicle. The seat belt retractor 106 is fixed to the outer side of the inner panel 110, and withdraws and retracts a seat belt 112.

[0025] The seat belt 112 is pulled out from the seat belt retractor 106, passes through an opening 114 formed in the inner panel 110, and is further passed through a through anchor 116 attached to the upper part of the side surface of the passenger compartment, and folded back downward. A tip 118 of the folded back seat belt 112 is attached to a floor panel 120 that forms, for example, the floor surface of the vehicle 102.

[0026] The inner panel 110 of the pillar 104 receives loads due to the unwinding and winding of the seat belt 112 and the vibration of the vehicle 102 while it is moving. For this reason, the inner panel 110 of the pillar 104 needs to have high strength to prevent local deformation in the perpendicular direction (toward the vehicle interior) due to the load.

[0027] Therefore, the vehicle side structure 100 of this embodiment employs a configuration that can increase the strength of the inner panel 110 of the pillar 104 to which the seat belt retractor 106 is fixed, without adding a separate member such as a reinforcing member.

[0028] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a main part of the vehicle side structure 100 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the vehicle side structure 100 in Fig. 2 with each member omitted. Fig. 3(a) shows the vehicle side structure 100 in Fig. 2 with the seat belt retractor 106 and the like omitted. Fig. 3(b) shows the vehicle side structure 100 in Fig. 3(a) as viewed from the outside of the vehicle.

[0029] The inner panel 110 has a fixing portion 122 shown in Fig. 2. The fixing portion 122 is provided away from an opening 114 through which the seat belt 112 pulled out from the seat belt retractor 106 passes, on the side along which the seat belt 112 extends, and is a portion to which the seat belt retractor 106 is fixed.

[0030] Here, the side of the opening 114 along which the seat belt 112 extends is the side along which a lower edge 126 intersecting with side edges 124a, 124b of the opening 114 is located. The side edges 124a, 124b of the opening 114 form flanges that protrude toward the opening 114. The fixing portion 122 is spaced apart from the lower edge 126 of the opening 114 along the direction along which the seat belt 112 extends (see arrow A).

[0031] The fixing portion 122 includes a bolt 128 and a hole portion 130 shown in Fig. 3(a) into which the bolt 128 is inserted. Note that Fig. 3 omits the seat belt 112 and the bolt 128 in addition to the seat belt retractor 106.

[0032] 2 and 3, the inner panel 110 further has a pair of first beads 132a, 132b, a pair of second beads 134a, 134b, and a bulge 136. The pair of first beads 132a, 132b are parallel beads extending from a lower edge 126 of the opening 114 along the direction indicated by the arrow A in which the seat belt 112 extends. The first beads 132a, 132b are formed at positions that are symmetrical with respect to a straight line B shown in FIG. 2 that passes through the fixing part 122 along the direction indicated by the arrow A.

[0033] 2, that is, within a range where the first beads 132a, 132b overlap the seat belt 112 when the seat belt 112 is extended along the arrow A. Furthermore, the first beads 132a, 132b extend to a position farther from the opening 114 than the fixing part 122.

[0034] The pair of second beads 134a, 134b are parallel beads extending from the lower edge 126 of the opening 114 along the direction indicated by the arrow A in which the seat belt 112 extends. The second beads 134a, 134b are farther away from the fixed part 122 in the width direction of the seat belt 112 (see arrow D) than the first beads 132a, 132b, and are formed at positions symmetrical with respect to the line B. The second beads 134a, 134b extend to positions farther away from the opening 114 than the fixed part 122. The second beads 134a, 134b are shorter than the first beads 132a, 132b as shown in FIG. 2. The second beads 134a, 134b are located outside the range of the width C of the seat belt 112.

[0035] The bulging portion 136 is a portion formed along the lower edge 126 of the opening 114 and bulges toward the vehicle interior. The bulging portion 136 also extends around and surrounds corners 138a, 138b located at both ends of the lower edge 126 of the opening 114. The first beads 132a, 132b and the second beads 134a, 134b are joined to the bulging portion 136. The first beads 132a, 132b also extend to positions more than twice as far away from the bulging portion 136 as the second beads 134a, 134b.

[0036] The inner panel 110 further has a pair of third beads 140a, 140b and a fourth bead 142. The pair of third beads 140a, 140b are beads that are farther away from the fixing portion 122 in the width direction indicated by the arrow D of the seat belt 112 than the first beads 132a, 132b and extend parallel to the lower edge 126 of the opening 114.

[0037] The third beads 140a, 140b are located farther from the opening 114 than the fixing portion 122, are formed in positions that are symmetrical with respect to the line B, and intersect with the first beads 132a, 132b and the second beads 134a, 134b.

[0038] The fourth bead 142 is an arc-shaped bead formed between the first beads 132a, 132b and farther from the opening 114 than the fixing portion 122. The fourth bead 142 is discontinuous with the first beads 132a, 132b and the third beads 140a, 140b.

[0039] Fig. 4 is an E-E cross-sectional view of the vehicle side structure 100 of Fig. 3(a). In the drawing, a cross-section of the vehicle side structure 100 taken along a depth direction is shown.

[0040] The vehicle side structure 100 further includes a patch 144. As shown in Fig. 3(b), the patch 144 is fixed to the vehicle outer side of the inner panel 110 and overlaps the periphery of the fixing portion 122 in a side view. The patch 144 also has a through hole 146 as shown in Fig. 4.

[0041] The through-hole 146 of the patch 144 overlaps with the hole 130 of the fixing portion 122 of the inner panel 110, and the bolt 128 shown in Fig. 2 is inserted through the through-hole 146. In this manner, the fixing portion 122 of the inner panel 110 fixes the seat belt retractor 106 together with the patch 144.

[0042] Furthermore, the inner panel 110 has a pair of welds 148a, 148b. The welds 148a, 148b are formed at positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to the line B as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and are sites where the patch 144 is welded. Furthermore, the welds 148a, 148b are formed at positions surrounded by the bulge 136, the first beads 132a, 132b, the second beads 134a, 134b, and the third beads 140a, 140b, respectively.

[0043] Thus, in the vehicle side structure 100, the inner panel 110 of the pillar 104 has first beads 132a, 132b and second beads 134a, 134b formed at positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a straight line B passing through the fixing part 122 to which the seat belt retractor 106 is fixed, the first beads 132a, 132b extending to positions farther from the opening 114 than the fixing part 122, and further the first beads 132a, 132b are positioned within the range of the width C of the seat belt 112. The second beads 134a, 134b are positioned outside the range of the width C of the seat belt 112.

[0044] Therefore, in the vehicle side structure 100, by adjusting the length, direction, and position of the multiple beads of the inner panel 110 of the pillar 104, it is possible to increase the strength without adding reinforcing members and prevent increases in weight and cost. This makes it possible to prevent the inner panel 110 of the pillar 104 from locally deforming in the perpendicular direction (toward the vehicle interior) due to the unwinding and winding of the seat belt 112 or vibration of the vehicle 102 while traveling, and to prevent stress concentration in the fixing portion 122.

[0045] In addition, in the inner panel 110, a bulge 136 formed along the lower edge 126 of the opening 114 extends around and surrounds the corners 138a, 138b of the lower edge 126 of the opening 114, and is further joined to the first beads 132a, 132b and the second beads 134a, 134b.

[0046] Therefore, in the vehicle side structure 100, it is possible to reliably prevent the side edges 124a, 124b continuing to the corners 138a, 138b of the lower edge 126 of the opening 114 in the inner panel 110 from deforming so as to move apart from each other, thereby deforming so as to open the lower edge 126 of the opening 114. This makes it possible to suppress deformation of the inner panel 110 of the pillar 104.

[0047] Furthermore, the inner panel 110 is formed with third beads 140a, 140b intersecting the first beads 132a, 132b and the second beads 134a, 134b, and with a fourth bead 142 having an arc shape located between the pair of first beads 132a, 132b.

[0048] This allows the vehicle side structure 100 to increase the strength of the inner panel 110, thereby preventing the fixing portion 122 of the inner panel 110 and its surrounding areas from bending from the first beads 132a, 132b and the second beads 134a, 134b, and further preventing stress from concentrating on the fixing portion 122.

[0049] Furthermore, in the vehicle side structure 100, when the seat belt retractor 106 is fixed by inserting the bolt 128 into the hole 130 of the fixing portion 122 of the inner panel 110, the patch 144 is fixed only around the periphery of the fixing portion 122, thereby preventing an increase in weight and cost.

[0050] Furthermore, the welded parts 148a, 148b of the inner panel 110 are formed at positions surrounded by the bulging part 136, the first beads 132a, 132b, the second beads 134a, 134b, and the third beads 140a, 140b. Therefore, in the vehicle side structure 100, the rigidity of the welded parts 148a, 148b can be increased, and stress concentration at the welded parts 148a, 148b can be prevented.

[0051] Furthermore, the pair of first beads 132a, 132b are located between the pair of welded portions 148a, 148b. Therefore, the patch 144 is fixed across the pair of first beads 132a, 132b. This makes it possible for the vehicle side structure 100 to adequately suppress deformation of the welded portions 148a, 148b of the inner panel 110 and their surrounding areas.

[0052] In the vehicle side structure 100, in order to suppress a deformation mode in which the inner panel 110 oscillates and deforms in the direction perpendicular to the surface, analysis is performed to identify parts of the inner panel 110 that are prone to break in the direction perpendicular to the surface. Then, in the inner panel 110, for example, beads are formed so as to be perpendicular to the fold line generated by the breakage of the part, and the length, direction, and position of each bead are optimized as described above, thereby increasing the strength of the inner panel 110.

[0053] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can think of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0054] The present invention can be used in a vehicle side structure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 100...vehicle side structure, 102...vehicle, 104...pillar, 106...seat belt retractor, 108...outer panel of pillar, 110...inner panel of pillar, 112...seat belt, 114...opening in inner panel, 116...through anchor, 118...tip of seat belt, 120...floor panel, 122...fixing portion, 124a, 124b...side edge of opening, 126...lower edge of opening, 128...bolt of fixing portion, 130...hole of fixing portion, 132a, 132b...first bead, 134a, 134b...second bead, 136...bulge, 138a, 138b...corner of opening, 140a, 140b...third bead, 142...fourth bead, 144...patch, 146...through hole of patch, 148a, 148b...welded portion

Claims

1. An inner panel that constitutes an interior surface of a pillar on a side of the vehicle; a seat belt retractor fixed to the outer side of the inner panel for withdrawing and winding a seat belt, The inner panel is an opening through which a seat belt pulled out from the seat belt retractor passes; a fixing portion provided on a side of the seat belt extending from the opening and spaced apart from the opening, and to which the seat belt retractor is fixed; a pair of first beads extending from a lower edge of the opening in a direction in which the seat belt extends, the first beads being parallel to each other and formed at positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a straight line that passes through the fixing portion in the direction in which the seat belt extends and positioned within a range of the width of the seat belt; a pair of second beads extending from a lower edge of the opening in a direction in which the seat belt extends, the second beads being parallel to each other, the second beads being farther away from the fixing portion in the width direction of the seat belt than the pair of first beads, and being formed at positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to the straight line, and being located outside the range of the width of the seat belt; A vehicle side structure, characterized in that the first bead and the second bead extend to a position farther from the opening than the fixing portion.

2. The inner panel further has a bulging portion formed along a lower edge of the opening and bulging toward the vehicle interior side, The bulge extends around and surrounds corners located at both ends of a lower edge of the opening, The vehicle side structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first bead and the second bead are joined to the bulge portion.

3. The inner panel further comprises: a pair of third beads extending parallel to a lower edge of the opening and farther from the fixing portion in the width direction of the seat belt than the pair of first beads, the third beads being formed at positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to the straight line and farther from the opening than the fixing portion and intersecting the first beads and the second beads; 3. The vehicle side structure according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth bead formed in an arc shape between the pair of first beads and away from the opening relative to the fixing portion, the fourth bead being discontinuous with the first beads and the third beads.

4. The vehicle side structure further includes a patch that is fixed to the outer side of the inner panel and overlaps a periphery of the fixing portion in a side view, The inner panel further has a pair of welds formed at positions symmetrical with respect to the straight line and for welding the patch, 4. The vehicle side structure according to claim 3, wherein the welded portion is formed at a position surrounded by the bulge, the first bead, the second bead, and the third bead.

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