Vehicle shock absorbing structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle shock absorbing structure which can effectively absorb impact when an occupant collides with a partition wall part positioned in front of a seat.SOLUTION: A partition wall part 26L includes a frame 30 (30a) forming a skeleton, and an interior material 32L made of resin which covers the frame 30 (30a), wherein a rib 52 erected so as to extend to the frame 30 (30a) is formed on the rear face of the interior material 32L.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle impact absorption structure.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1 below, a partition is provided in the passenger compartment of a vehicle (a bus or other passenger vehicle), and a seat for a passenger to sit on is fixed to one side of the partition. This partition has a skeleton part (frame) in which a plurality of columns and a plurality of beams made of metal members are assembled in a grid pattern.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a vehicle provided with a partition part having a frame as in Patent Document 1 above, a seat may be provided on the rear side of the partition part. For example, when the vehicle collides, a passenger sitting on the seat on the rear side of the partition part may move forward or swing their head forward and collide with the partition part. Therefore, for the purpose of protecting the passenger during a vehicle collision, a configuration for absorbing the impact when the passenger collides with the partition part is required.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle impact absorption structure capable of effectively absorbing the impact when a passenger collides with a partition part located in front of the seat.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle impact absorption structure disclosed in the present application has the following configuration. (1) A vehicle impact absorption structure provided in a partition portion located in front of a seat of a vehicle, for absorbing an impact when an occupant sitting on the seat collides, The partition portion includes a frame forming a skeleton and an interior material made of resin covering the frame, The interior material has ribs standing upright on the back surface in a state of extending toward the frame, and is a vehicle impact absorption structure.

[0007] In the vehicle impact absorption structure disclosed in the present application, ribs are interposed between the frame and a plate-shaped interior material main body portion that is the main body covering the frame with the interior material. When an occupant collides with the partition portion, the buckling of the ribs can absorb the impact at the time of the occupant's collision. Note that the ribs may be one or two or more. Specifically, when the occupant is wearing a seat belt and the location where the occupant's head abuts can be predicted, a single rib can be provided at the location where the occupant's head is predicted to abut, that is, the location facing the center of the seat. Also, in the vehicle impact absorption structure disclosed in the present application, the partition portion may extend to the ceiling or may extend to an intermediate height in the vehicle interior. That is, the location where the occupant abuts may be the rear surface of the partition portion, the upper end of the partition portion, etc., and the ribs may be provided at least at the location where the occupant is predicted to abut.

[0008] Also, in the vehicle impact absorption structure having the above configuration, it is possible to adopt various aspects shown below.

[0009] (2) The frame has a horizontal frame portion extending in the horizontal direction, The interior material has a pair of attachment portions for attaching to the horizontal frame portion at positions spaced apart from each other with the center of the seat interposed therebetween, The rib is formed between the pair of attachment portions, and is the vehicle impact absorption structure according to item (1).

[0010] The vehicle impact absorption structure of this configuration can effectively absorb the impact by deforming the interior material (the above-mentioned interior material main body) between a pair of attachment parts, thereby surely buckling the rib located therebetween.

[0011] (3) The interior material has a bulging portion bulging upward at a position facing the center of the seat. A pair of the attachment parts are provided on both sides of the bulging portion, and the vehicle impact absorption structure according to item (2).

[0012] In the vehicle impact absorption structure of this configuration, a bulging portion is formed at a position where the head of the occupant is predicted to come into contact, and by utilizing the deformation of the rib and the bulging portion, the impact on the occupant can be effectively absorbed.

[0013] (4) The partition portion is set to a height at which the head of the occupant may collide with the upper end. The frame has a horizontal frame portion extending horizontally at the upper end. The horizontal frame portion has a rectangular cross-section in the longitudinal direction. The interior material is configured to cover the upper surface side to the rear surface side of the horizontal frame portion. The rib has a tip adjacent to both the upper surface and the rear surface of the horizontal frame portion, and the vehicle impact absorption structure according to any one of items (1) to (3).

[0014] In the vehicle impact absorption structure of this configuration, although the head of the occupant is in a positional relationship of contacting the upper end of the partition portion, the rib can contact both the upper surface and the rear surface of the horizontal frame portion and surely buckle, so that the impact at the time of the occupant's collision can be surely absorbed.

[0015] (5) The interior material has a pair of attachment parts for attaching to the horizontal frame portion at positions spaced apart from each other with the center of the seat interposed therebetween. Each of the pair of attachment parts and the horizontal frame portion are fixed by a metal connecting member. The connecting member has an L shape, with one end fixed to the upper surface of the horizontal frame portion in a state of extending forward, and the other end fixed to the mounting surface facing the front side of the mounting portion in a state of extending upward. The vehicle impact absorption structure according to item (4).

[0016] In the vehicle impact absorption structure with this configuration, the deformation of the connecting member for attaching the interior member to the frame can also be utilized for impact absorption. In the vehicle impact absorption structure with this configuration, the high load in the initial stage of a collision is received by the deformation of the metal connecting member, and buckling of the rib is continuously generated following the deformation of the connecting member, enabling effective absorption of the impact during a passenger collision.

[0017] (6) The mounting portion has a box shape and protrudes forward from a plate-shaped interior member main body portion that is the main body covering the frame in the interior member. The vehicle impact absorption structure according to item (5).

[0018] In the vehicle impact absorption structure with this configuration, since the other end of the connecting member is fixed to the mounting portion that is a box-shaped pedestal, the impact of a passenger colliding with the interior member can be reliably transmitted to the connecting member.

Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle impact absorption structure that can effectively absorb the impact when a passenger collides in a partition portion located in front of the seat.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Vehicle 10, which is an embodiment in which the vehicle impact absorption structure of the present invention is adopted, will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. In a part of the drawings, directions are indicated using the reference signs Fr, Rr, IN, OUT, U, D, which represent the front side, rear side, inner side of the passenger compartment (vehicle compartment) in the vehicle width direction, outer side of the vehicle compartment, upper side, and lower side of the vehicle, respectively.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment is box-shaped with relatively large dimensions in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction and can carry and transport a large number of people. The vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 12 that forms a passenger compartment (vehicle compartment) inside, and a pair of boarding doors 14 for those a large number of people to board and alight on one side surface of the vehicle body 12, and a plurality of seats 20, 22 are provided in the passenger compartment.

[0023] The seat 20 is arranged in a row in the vehicle width direction at the rearmost part of the vehicle interior (five in this embodiment). These seats 20 are arranged on a stepped portion 25 that is one step higher than the floor 24. Further, at the boundary between the floor 24 and the stepped portion 25, partition portions 26L and 26R that stand upright from the floor 24 are provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction. These partition portions 26L and 26R do not extend to the ceiling and are up to the intermediate height in the vehicle interior. Between these partition portions 26L and 26R is a passage to the rearmost seat 20. Also, a folding seat 22 is provided on the front side of the left partition portion 26L. That is, in a crowded situation, this vehicle 10 can expand the space in front of the boarding and alighting door 14 by folding the seat 22 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "folding seat 22") so that many people can board.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the left partition portion 26L is fixed to a side member 12a that forms the skeleton of the side wall portion of the vehicle body 12. More specifically, the partition portion 26L is composed of a frame 30L that forms its own skeleton and trim materials 32L and 34L made of resin that cover the frame 30L. One end of the frame 30L is fixed to the side member 12a and includes beam members 30a, 30b, and 30c that extend horizontally toward the center of the vehicle interior, and column members 30d and 30e that extend in the vertical direction and connect the other end sides of the beam members 30a, 30b, and 30c. These beam members 30a, 30b, and 30c and column members 30d and 30e are made of metal. The beam member 30a and column members 30d and 30e located at the upper end are formed from hollow square pipes, and the lower two beam members 30b and 30c are formed from C-shaped steel materials. The column member 30d connects the other ends (ends on the vehicle center side) of the lower two beam members 30b and 30c, and its lower end is fixed to a floor member (not shown) that forms the skeleton of the vehicle body 12. The other column member 30e is located outside the vehicle body relative to the column member 30d and connects the upper beam member 30a to the beam members 30b and 30c.

[0025] The trims 32L and 34L respectively cover the rear side and the front side of the frame 30L, and in the following description, they will be referred to as the rear trim 32L and the front trim 34L. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the headrest 22a, the seat back 22b, and the seat cushion 22c of the folding seat 22 are attached to the front trim 34L.

[0026] Also, the right partition wall portion 26R, similar to the left partition wall portion 26L, consists of the frame 30R and the trims 32R and 34R. However, no seat is provided in front of the front trim 34R, and the wall surface of the front trim 34R is flat.

[0027] In the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment, as described above, in front of the seat 20 which is the rearmost seat, instead of a seat having a normal cushion material or the like, partition wall portions 26L and 26L having metal frames 30L and 30R are provided. Therefore, for example, when the vehicle 10 is in a frontal collision, the occupant P sitting on the seat 20 may come into contact with the partition wall portions 26L and 26R, and a configuration for protecting the occupant P is required. And the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment is characterized by having a vehicle impact absorption structure (vehicle impact absorption structure) that is a structure for absorbing the impact when the occupant P sitting on the seat 20 collides with the partition wall portions 26L and 26R.

[0028] Specifically, since the seat 20 is arranged on a stepped portion 25 that is one step higher than the floor 24, the occupant P sitting on the seat 20 is in a positional relationship where the upper body protrudes above the upper ends of the partition wall portions 26L and 26R. Therefore, when the vehicle 10 is in a frontal collision, if the occupant P sitting on the seat 20 is wearing a seat belt, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the upper body will tilt forward, and there is a risk that the head will come into contact with the upper ends of the partition wall portions 26L and 26R. Therefore, the vehicle impact absorption structure in the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment is for absorbing the impact when the head of the occupant P comes into contact with the partition wall portions 26L and 26R.

[0029] First, the shock absorption structure in the left partition portion 26L will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. As described above, when the head of the occupant P contacts the upper end of the partition portion 26L, to be more specific, it will contact the rear trim 32L that covers the beam member 30a at the upper end of the frame 30L from the rear. That is, the shock absorption structure in the present embodiment is provided between the plate-like trim main body portion (interior material main body portion) 40 that serves as the main body covering the frame 30L of the rear trim 32L and the beam member 30a.

[0030] The rear trim 32L has a plurality of attachment portions for attaching to the frame 30L on the back side of the trim main body portion 40. A part 42 of those plurality of attachment portions is for attaching the upper right end of the trim main body portion 40, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a pair is provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction (left - right direction). To be more specific, it is provided at positions separated by approximately the same distance from the center to the left and right, sandwiching the center in the vehicle width direction of the seat 22 provided on the front side of the partition portion 26L and the center in the vehicle width direction of the seat 20 provided behind the partition portion 26L.

[0031] The pair of attachment portions 42 consists of a clip 43 and a clip seat 44 for fixing the clip 43. The clip seat 44 has an attachment seat (attachment surface) 44a facing the front side, and together with the upper surface portion 40a of the trim main body portion 40, it is formed in a generally box shape that opens in one direction (the left one is in the horizontal direction, and the right one is in the downward direction). That is, the clip 43 is in a state of extending forward by being attached to the clip seat 44.

[0032] On one side, a pair of brackets 46 are fixed to the beam member 30a corresponding to each of the pair of attachment portions 42 of the rear trim 32L. The bracket 46 is an L-shaped metal member, and one end portion 46a is fixed to the upper surface 30a1 of the beam member 30a in a state of extending forward by welding. That is, the bracket 46 is in a state where the other end portion 46b extends upward from the rear end of the one end portion 46a. A through hole penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed in the other end portion 46b, and the clip 43 is fitted into the through hole, so that the rear trim 32L is attached to the frame 30L. From such a configuration, the bracket 46 functions as a connecting member that connects the pair of attachment portions 42 and the beam member 30a which is a horizontal frame portion.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5, the trim main body portion 40 of the rear trim 32L has a bulging portion 50 that bulges upward between the pair of attachment portions 42. This bulging portion 50 hides the shaft portion 22a1 of the headrest 22a in the seat 22. Further, this bulging portion 50 is located at a position corresponding to the center in the vehicle width direction of the rear seat 20, that is, in front of the seated occupant P, and as shown in FIG. 3, it is set to a height position where the head of an occupant P of average height contacts the upper end. That is, at the time of a collision of the vehicle 10, the head of the occupant P seated on the seat 20 is configured to easily contact the bulging portion 50.

[0034] Also, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rear trim 32L has a pair of ribs 52 formed between the pair of attachment portions 42 on the back surface side. These ribs 52 are erected in a state of extending from the back surface of the trim main body portion 40 toward the beam member 30a. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the base end of the rib 52 is connected to both the upper surface portion 40a of the trim main body portion 40 and the back surface portion 40b facing the rear side, and the tip has an upper surface side adjacent portion 52a adjacent to the upper surface 30a1 of the beam member 30a and a back surface side adjacent portion 52b adjacent to the back surface 30a2 of the beam member 30a.

[0035] Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the pair of ribs 52 are provided substantially directly below the pair of side wall portions 50a of the bulging portion 50. This is because when forming the rear trim 32L, if the rib 52 is provided, sink marks may occur on the surface side. However, since the side wall portion 50a of the bulging portion 50 is located at that position, the influence of sink marks can be suppressed, and the degradation of the design property of the rear trim 32L can be suppressed.

[0036] Next, consider the case where the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment configured as described above collides and the head of the occupant P contacts the bulging portion 50 as shown in FIG. 3. In this case, a large load at the initial stage of the collision is applied to the trim main body portion 40 including the bulging portion 50 on the rear trim 32L. At that time, the clip seat 44 is box-shaped and has high rigidity, so the load is first applied to the bracket 46 to which the rear trim 32L is attached. That is, due to the collision load, the L-shaped bracket 46 is deformed so that the other end portion 46b is pushed down forward. When the bracket 46 is slightly deformed, the tips of the pair of ribs 52 come into contact with the beam member 30a, so that as the bracket 46 is deformed, the ribs 52 begin to buckle. Further, the trim main body portion 40 is more easily deformed in the vicinity of the bulging portion 50 between the pair of attachment portions 42 connected by the metal bracket 46, and the deformation of the trim main body portion 40 can also be utilized for shock absorption. As described above, according to the vehicle shock absorption structure in the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to effectively absorb shock energy with a simple configuration without separately providing shock absorption parts and members.

[0037] Next, the shock absorption structure in the right partition portion 26R will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The shock absorption structure of the right partition portion 26R does not have a bulging portion 50 like the left partition portion 26L. That is, the upper surface portion 60a of the trim main body portion 60 in the rear trim 32R of the right partition portion 26R is formed flat. Also, in the left partition portion 26L, since the column member 30d existed directly below the location where the head of the occupant P was predicted to contact, ribs could not be formed at that location. However, in the rear trim 32R of the right partition portion 26R, ribs 62a are formed directly below the location where the head of the occupant P is predicted to contact. Further, the rear trim 32R of the right partition portion 26R is provided with a pair of attachment portions 64 on both sides sandwiching the location where the head of the occupant P is predicted to contact, similar to the left partition portion 26L. Between these pair of attachment portions 64, in addition to the above-mentioned rib 62a, two ribs 62b are provided, and a total of three ribs 62a, 62b are provided. As described above, in the present invention, the number of ribs is not particularly limited, and an appropriate number may be set according to the magnitude of the predicted impact. Also, the thickness and size of the ribs can be appropriately changed.

[0038] <Other Embodiments> Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms with various changes and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 8, when there is a high possibility that the head of the occupant P contacts the back side of the partition portion 80, that is, the back surface 84a which is the surface facing the rear side of the trim main body portion 84 in the rear trim 82, it is desirable that the rib 86 extends to the lower end of the horizontal frame portion 90 so as to firmly abut against the back surface 90a of the horizontal frame portion 90 during a collision.

[0040] In the above-described embodiment, the bulging portion 50 formed in the rear trim 32L had a shape that bulged in a rectangular shape, but it is not limited thereto, and it may be a bulging portion 102 having a shape that bulges spherically, like the rear trim 100 shown in FIG. 9. Note that ribs 104 may be provided inside the bulging portion 102.

[0041] In the above-described embodiment, the partition portions 26L and 26R were of a height up to the middle in the vehicle interior, but they may extend up to the ceiling. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, it is desirable that the ribs extend at least from the upper end to the lower end of the horizontal frame portion.

[0042] In the above-described embodiment, an impact absorption structure in a bus-type automobile was exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and it can be widely applied to vehicles having a configuration in which partition portions are provided in front of seats in other vehicles, railways, airplanes, ships, etc.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0043] 10…Vehicle [automobile], 20…Seat [chair], 26L…Partition portion, 26R…Partition portion, 30L…Frame, 30a…Beam member [horizontal frame portion], 30a1…Upper surface, 30a2…Rear surface, 32L…Rear trim [interior material], 30R…Frame, 32R…Rear trim [interior material], 40…Trim main body portion [interior material main body portion], 42…Attachment portion, 44a…Attachment seat [attachment surface], 46…Bracket [connecting member], 46a…One end portion, 46b…The other end portion, 50…Bulging portion, 52…Rib, 60…Trim main body portion [interior material main body portion], 62a, 62b…Ribs, 64…Attachment portion

Claims

1. A vehicle shock absorption structure provided in a partition wall portion located in front of a seat of a vehicle, for absorbing the impact when an occupant sitting on the seat collides, comprising: The partition wall portion includes a frame forming a skeleton and an interior material made of resin covering the frame; The interior material has ribs formed on the back surface standing upright in a state extending toward the frame, the vehicle shock absorption structure.

2. The frame has a horizontal frame portion extending in the horizontal direction; The interior material has a pair of attachment portions for attaching to the horizontal frame portion at positions spaced apart from each other with the center of the seat interposed therebetween; The rib is formed between the pair of attachment portions, the vehicle shock absorption structure according to Claim 1.

3. The interior material has a bulging portion bulging upward at a position facing the center of the seat; The pair of attachment portions are provided on both sides of the bulging portion, the vehicle shock absorption structure according to Claim 2.

4. The partition wall portion is set to a height at which the head of the occupant may collide with the upper end; The frame has a horizontal frame portion extending in the horizontal direction at the upper end; The horizontal frame portion has a rectangular cross section in the longitudinal direction; The interior material is configured to cover the upper surface side to the rear surface side of the horizontal frame portion; The rib has a tip adjacent to the upper surface and the rear surface of the horizontal frame portion, the vehicle shock absorption structure according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

5. The interior material has a pair of attachment portions for attaching to the horizontal frame portion at positions spaced apart from each other with the center of the seat interposed therebetween; Each of the pair of attachment portions and the horizontal frame portion are fixed by a metal connecting member; The connecting member is in an L shape, one end is fixed to the upper surface of the horizontal frame portion in a state extending forward, and the other end is fixed to an attachment surface facing the front side of the attachment portion in a state extending upward, the vehicle shock absorption structure according to Claim 4.

6. The attachment portion is box-shaped in a form protruding forward from a plate-shaped interior material main body portion that is the main body covering the frame in the interior material, the vehicle shock absorption structure according to Claim 5.

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