Side structure of the vehicle

Abstract

To obtain a vehicle side structure that can suppress the movement of the door impact beam towards the interior of the vehicle during a side collision. [Solution] The door impact beam is disposed within the rear side door that opens and closes the rear side door opening and extends along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In addition, a portion of the lower part of the rear side frame that forms the rear side door opening is composed of the lower side frame 42. The ribs 54 and 56 provided on the lower side frame 42 are positioned so that a portion of them overlaps with the longitudinal end of the door impact beam when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and are erected in a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] A structure having a door impact beam inside a side door on the vehicle side is known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, there is room for improvement in suppressing the movement of the door impact beam toward the vehicle interior side during a side collision.

[0005] In consideration of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle side structure capable of suppressing the movement of the door impact beam toward the vehicle interior side during a side collision.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle side structure according to a first aspect includes a door impact beam disposed in a rear side door that opens and closes a rear side door opening and extending along the vehicle front-rear direction, a lower side frame portion constituting at least a part of a lower portion of a rear side frame portion forming the rear side door opening, and a rib provided on the lower side frame portion and disposed at a position where at least a part thereof overlaps a longitudinal end portion of the door impact beam in a side view of the vehicle and standing in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam in a side view of the vehicle.

[0007] Furthermore, the concept of "extending along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle" includes not only cases where it extends along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, but also cases where it extends inclined toward the rear of the vehicle towards one side in the vertical direction of the vehicle, but can still be understood as extending along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0008] According to the first embodiment of the vehicle side structure, the door impact beam is disposed within the rear side door that opens and closes the rear side door opening and extends along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, at least a portion of the lower part of the rear side frame that forms the rear side door opening is composed of the lower side frame. Here, the ribs provided on the lower side frame are positioned so that at least a portion of them overlap with the longitudinal end of the door impact beam when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and are erected in a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam when viewed from the side of the vehicle. Therefore, when a collision load is applied to the rear side door during a side collision, a portion of the collision load is efficiently transmitted from the door impact beam side to the lower side frame side via the ribs, thereby suppressing the movement of the door impact beam into the passenger compartment.

[0009] The vehicle side structure according to the second embodiment is configured as described in the first embodiment, wherein a cross member extending in the vehicle width direction is connected to the inner side of the lower side frame in the vehicle width direction, and the rib extends toward the cross member in a plan view of the vehicle.

[0010] According to the second embodiment of the vehicle side structure, since the rib extends toward the cross member in a plan view of the vehicle, when a collision load is applied to the rear side door during a side collision, a portion of the collision load is transmitted from the door impact beam side through the rib and the lower frame to the cross member side. As a result, the collision load is transmitted more effectively, and the movement of the door impact beam toward the interior of the vehicle can be effectively suppressed.

[0011] The vehicle side structure according to the third embodiment is configured in the first or second embodiment described above, wherein the lower side frame, the rib, and the rear wheel house portion provided on the rear side of the lower side frame are integrally formed by die casting.

[0012] According to the third embodiment of the vehicle side structure, when a collision load is applied to the rear side door during a side collision, it becomes possible to efficiently distribute a portion of the load transmitted from the door impact beam side to the lower frame side via the rib to the rear wheel house. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] As described above, the vehicle side structure according to the present invention has the excellent effect of suppressing the movement of the door impact beam inward into the vehicle interior during a side collision. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a rear skeletal structure applied to a vehicle side structure according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a side view showing the positional relationship between the rear of the door impact beam and a part of the rear frame, as viewed through the main body of the side door. [Figure 3] This is a side view showing a portion of the rear side in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle to which a vehicle side structure according to one embodiment is applied. [Figure 4] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in Figure 3. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] A vehicle side structure according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In Figures 1 to 4, arrows FR indicate the front side of the vehicle, arrows UP indicate the upper side of the vehicle, arrows W indicate the vehicle width direction, and arrows IN indicate the inside in the vehicle width direction.

[0016] (Configuration of the embodiment) Figure 3 shows a side view of a portion of the rear side in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle 10 to which the vehicle side structure according to this embodiment is applied. As shown in Figure 3, a rear side door opening 12 is formed on the rear side of the vehicle side portion 10S. The rear side door opening 12 connects the outside of the vehicle compartment to the inside of the vehicle compartment and is opened and closed by a rear side door 20. The outer surface of the vehicle 10 in the vehicle width direction is composed of a vehicle body panel 18.

[0017] The rear side door 20 is positioned on the side of the vehicle 10S and includes a side door body 20H as its main body. In this embodiment, the side door body 20H is attached to a center pillar 16, which forms part of the vehicle body, by a door hinge (not shown), and is rotatable around the hinge pin of the door hinge. In this embodiment, the rear side door 20 is a so-called swing-type side door, but it may also be a so-called sliding-type side door.

[0018] The side door body 20H includes a metal (for example, steel) door outer panel 22 positioned on the outside in the vehicle width direction when the door is closed, forming the outer panel of the door. When the door is closed, a metal (for example, steel) door inner panel 24 is positioned on the inside in the vehicle width direction of the door outer panel 22. In Figure 3, a portion of the door outer panel 22 is cut out to show the door inner panel 24. The door inner panel 24 forms the inner panel of the door of the side door body 20H.

[0019] In the central part of the door inner panel 24, a bulging portion 24A that bulges toward the vehicle interior side and houses a window regulator (not shown) or the like is formed. Further, on both sides and the lower side of the vehicle in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the bulging portion 24A in the door inner panel 24, shelf portions 24B arranged with the substantially vehicle width direction as the plate thickness direction are formed. The edges on both sides and the lower side of the vehicle in the vehicle front-rear direction of the door inner panel 24 are joined to the edges on both sides and the lower side of the vehicle in the vehicle front-rear direction of the door outer panel 22 by hemming. As a result, the door outer panel 22 and the door inner panel 24 are integrated to form a side door main body portion 20H that is bag-shaped with the upper edge portion open.

[0020] Further, a door window frame 26 in the shape of a frame body is provided above the vehicle of the door outer panel 22. Inside the door window frame 26, a window glass (side glass) 28 that can protrude and retract from inside the side door main body portion 20H is disposed so as to be able to move up and down.

[0021] Inside the side door main body portion 20H of the rear side door 20, a door impact beam 30 extending along the vehicle front-rear direction is disposed. Note that the door impact beam 30 of the present embodiment is slightly inclined downward toward the rear side of the vehicle in a side view of the vehicle. The door impact beam 30 is a high-strength and high-rigidity member composed of a pipe-shaped member.

[0022] At the front end portion 30F, which is one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam 30, a mounting bracket (also referred to as an "extension") 32 as a sheet metal bracket is fixed to the portion inside the vehicle width direction thereof by welding. The mounting bracket 32 is fixed to the portion on the front side of the vehicle of the shelf portion 24B of the door inner panel 24 by welding or bolt fastening or the like. That is, the front end portion 30F of the door impact beam 30 is fixed to the side door main body portion 20H of the rear side door 20 via the mounting bracket 32.

[0023] Furthermore, a mounting bracket (also called an "extension") 34, which is a sheet metal bracket, is welded to the rear end 30R, which is the other end of the door impact beam 30 in the longitudinal direction, on its inner side in the vehicle width direction. The mounting bracket 34 is fixed to the rear side of the shelf portion 24B of the door inner panel 24 by welding or bolting. In other words, the rear end 30R of the door impact beam 30 is fixed to the side door body portion 20H of the rear side door 20 via the mounting bracket 34.

[0024] Here, the mounting bracket 34 will be described in more detail. The mounting bracket 34 includes a beam-compatible portion 34M positioned to overlap with a part of the door impact beam 30 in a side view of the vehicle. Figure 4 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in Figure 3. For convenience, in Figure 4, the portion of the vehicle body outer panel 18 that is positioned inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the rear side door 20 is not shown. As shown in Figure 4, the beam-compatible portion 34M is curved in an arc shape so that the surface facing the door impact beam 30 follows the outer circumferential surface of the door impact beam 30. This beam-compatible portion 34M includes a first fixing portion 34A that is fixed to the door impact beam 30. The range of the first fixing portion 34A in a side view of the vehicle is shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the mounting bracket 34 includes side portions 34S and 34T that are continuous with the beam-compatible portion 34M and are positioned on both sides in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the door impact beam 30 in a side view of the vehicle. The side sections 34S and 34T include second fixing sections 34B and 34C (see Figure 2 (in Figure 2, for convenience, the positions of the second fixing sections 34B and 34C are indicated by "×") which are fixed to the side door body section 20H of the rear side door 20).

[0025] As described above, by fixing the front end 30F and rear end 30R of the door impact beam 30 to the side door body 20H of the rear side door 20 shown in Figure 3, the rigidity of the side door body 20H of the rear side door 20 against loads in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is improved.

[0026] A die-cast rear frame 40 is provided on the rear side of the vehicle side portion 10S. The rear frame 40 is composed of a lower frame portion 42 which constitutes a part (more specifically, the rear) of the lower part of the rear side frame portion 14 that forms the rear side door opening 12, and a rear wheel house portion 44 provided on the rear side of the lower frame portion 42.

[0027] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the rear frame 40. Note that the detailed shape of the rear frame 40 in Figure 1 has been simplified as appropriate. As shown in Figure 1, the rear frame 40 is provided with lower frame sections 42 and rear wheelhouse sections 44 on both sides in the vehicle width direction. The lower frame section 42 extends along the vehicle's longitudinal direction. The rear wheelhouse section 44 is formed continuously with the rear end of the lower frame section 42. The rear frame 40 also includes a cross member (sometimes referred to as a cross member section) 46 that connects the left and right lower frame sections 42 in the vehicle width direction, and a connecting frame section 48 that connects the left and right rear wheelhouse sections 44 in the vehicle width direction. The cross member 46 is formed in a beam shape and is connected to the inside of the lower frame section 42 in the vehicle width direction, extending along the vehicle width direction. The connecting frame section 48 is formed in a frame shape when viewed from above, and the left and right side components 48S are continuous with the rear wheel house section 44.

[0028] Figure 2 shows the positional relationship between the rear of the door impact beam 30 and the mounting bracket 34 and a part of the rear frame 40, in a side view (viewed from the outside in the vehicle width direction) with the side door body 20H (see Figure 3) and the like visible through it. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rear frame 40 includes a vertical wall portion 50 erected from the lower frame portion 42. As shown in Figure 1, the thickness direction of the vertical wall portion 50 is set to align with the vehicle width direction. The lower end portion 50B of the vertical wall portion 50 is continuous with the lower frame portion 42, and the rear end portion 50R of the vertical wall portion 50 is continuous with the rear wheel house portion 44, for example. For convenience, on the left side in the vehicle width direction of Figure 1, the positions of the lower end portion 50B and the rear end portion 50R of the vertical wall portion 50 on the outer surface in the vehicle width direction are shown by dashed lines. The upper end surface 50A of the vertical wall portion 50 is, for example, inclined toward the front of the vehicle and toward the downward side of the vehicle.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the vertical wall portion 50 is positioned to overlap with the rear end portion 30R of the door impact beam 30 (one of the longitudinal ends of the door impact beam 30) when viewed from the side of the vehicle. The vertical wall portion 50 is also positioned to overlap with a part of the mounting bracket 34 (more than half of it in this embodiment) when viewed from the side of the vehicle. Furthermore, the vertical wall portion 50 has a portion that overlaps with the intersection point A of the center line 30X along the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam 30 and the line segment L connecting the second fixing portion 34B of one of the two side portions 34S and 34T of the mounting bracket 34 and the second fixing portion 34C of the other side portion 34T when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

[0030] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lower frame section 42 is provided with multiple ribs 52, 54, and 56 (three in one example) on the inner side of the vertical wall section 50 in the vehicle width direction. In Figure 2, for convenience, only the boundaries between the ribs 52, 54, and 56 and the vertical wall section 50 are shown with dashed lines. In this embodiment, the multiple ribs 52, 54, and 56 are formed on both the left and right sides of the rear frame section 40 so as to be aligned in the vehicle longitudinal direction, connecting the vertical wall section 50 and the lower frame section 42. As shown in Figure 1, the ribs 52, 54, and 56 extend toward the cross member 46 in a plan view of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the ribs 52, 54, and 56 extend linearly from the vertical wall section 50 side toward the inward and diagonally forward side in the vehicle width direction. Note that while ribs 52, 54, and 56 are formed in a triangular shape as an example when viewed from the front of the vehicle, they may also be in other shapes such as a square.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, the ribs 52, 54, and 56 are erected in a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam 30 when viewed from the side of the vehicle. Parts of each of the ribs 52, 54, and 56 are positioned to overlap with the mounting bracket 34 when viewed from the side of the vehicle. In addition, the second rib from the front, 54, and the rearmost rib, 56, are positioned to partially overlap with the rear end 30R of the door impact beam 30 (one of the longitudinal ends of the door impact beam 30) when viewed from the side of the vehicle. As a modification of this embodiment, for example, the height of the front part of the vertical wall 50 may be made higher than the height shown in Figure 2, and the vertical height of the foremost rib 52 may be increased so that a part of the foremost rib 52 is positioned to overlap with the rear end 30R of the door impact beam 30 when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second rib 54 from the front and the rearmost rib 56 include portions that overlap with the line segment L connecting one second fixing portion 34B and the other second fixing portion 34C of the mounting bracket 34 in a side view of the vehicle. Moreover, in this embodiment, the second rib 54 from the front is set on the front side of the vehicle from the intersection A of the center line 30X along the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam 30 and the line segment L in a side view of the vehicle, and the rearmost rib 56 is set on the rear side of the vehicle from the intersection A of the center line 30X along the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam 30 and the line segment L in a side view of the vehicle.

[0033] The lower frame portion 42, cross member 46, vertical wall portion 50, ribs 52, 54, 56, rear wheelhouse portion 44, and connecting frame portion 48 shown in Figure 1, as described above, are integrally formed by die-casting of a metal material (for example, a light metal material such as an aluminum alloy). The rear frame body 40 is a component that can be grasped as a rear gigacast.

[0034] (Effects and mechanisms of the embodiment) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0035] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, 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 14 that forms the rear side door opening 12 is composed of the lower frame 42. Here, as shown in Figure 2, the ribs 54 and 56 provided on the lower frame 42 are positioned so as to partially overlap with the rear end portion 30R of the door impact beam 30 in a side view of the vehicle, and are erected in a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam 30 in a side view of the vehicle. Therefore, when a collision load F is applied to the rear side door 20 shown in Figure 4 during a side collision, a portion of the collision load F is efficiently transmitted from the door impact beam 30 side to the lower frame 42 side via the ribs 54 and 56, thereby suppressing the movement of the door impact beam 30 into the vehicle interior.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the cross member 46 connected to the inner side of the lower frame portion 42 in the vehicle width direction extends along the vehicle width direction, and the ribs 54 and 56 extend toward the cross member 46 in a plan view of the vehicle. Therefore, when a collision load is applied to the rear side door 20 shown in Figure 3 during a side collision, a portion of the collision load is transmitted from the door impact beam 30 side to the cross member 46 side shown in Figure 1 via the ribs 54 and 56 shown in Figure 2 and the lower frame portion 42. As a result, the collision load is transmitted more effectively, and it is possible to effectively suppress the movement of the door impact beam 30 shown in Figure 3 toward the interior of the vehicle.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the components including the lower frame portion 42, ribs 54 and 56, and rear wheelhouse portion 44 shown in Figure 1 are integrally formed by die casting. Therefore, when a collision load is applied to the rear side door 20 (see Figure 3) during a side collision, it is possible to efficiently distribute a portion of the load transmitted from the door impact beam 30 side to the lower frame portion 42 side via the ribs 54 and 56 to the rear wheelhouse portion 44.

[0038] As described above, the vehicle side structure according to this embodiment makes it possible to suppress the movement of the door impact beam 30 shown in Figure 3, etc., into the vehicle interior during a side collision.

[0039] (Supplementary explanation of the embodiment) In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 4, the lower frame portion 42 constitutes a part of the lower part of the rear side frame portion 14 that forms the rear side door opening 12. However, as a modification of the above embodiments, the lower frame portion may constitute the entire lower part of the rear side frame portion (14) that forms the rear side door opening (12). Furthermore, in the modification in which the lower frame portion constitutes the entire lower part of the rear side frame portion (14) that forms the rear side door opening (12), the lower frame portion may be provided with ribs that are positioned so as to overlap at least a part with the front end of the door impact beam in a side view of the vehicle, and are erected in a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam in a side view of the vehicle.

[0040] Furthermore, as a modification of the above embodiment, one or more ribs that function similarly to the ribs 54 and 56 of the above embodiment, in other words, ribs that are positioned so as to overlap at least a portion with the longitudinal end of the door impact beam (30) in a side view of the vehicle and erected in a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam (30) in a side view of the vehicle, can be provided on each of the left and right lower frame parts (42).

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ribs 54 and 56 are positioned so that they partially overlap with the rear end 30R of the door impact beam 30 when viewed from the side of the vehicle. However, as a modification of the above embodiment, a configuration can be adopted in which all of the ribs provided on the lower frame and erected in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam when viewed from the side of the vehicle are positioned so that they overlap with the longitudinal end of the door impact beam when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ribs 54 and 56 extend toward the cross member 46 in a top view of the vehicle. However, as a modification of the above embodiment, a configuration can be adopted in which ribs provided on the lower frame portion (42) are positioned so that at least a portion of them overlap with the longitudinal end of the door impact beam (30) in a side view of the vehicle, and are erected in a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam (30) in a side view of the vehicle, and these ribs do not extend toward the cross member (46) in a top view of the vehicle.

[0043] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the lower frame portion 42, the ribs 54 and 56, and the rear wheelhouse portion 44 are integrally formed by die casting, and this configuration is preferred. However, as a modification of the above embodiment, a configuration can also be adopted in which the lower frame portion (42) and the ribs (54 and 56) are integrally formed, and the rear wheelhouse portion, which is formed separately from the integrally formed part, is joined to the lower frame portion (42).

[0044] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the rear skeletal body 40 includes a vertical wall portion 50 erected from the lower skeletal body portion 42, but a configuration in which the vertical wall portion 50 is not formed is also possible.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the lower frame portion 42 and the cross member 46 are formed integrally, and this configuration is preferred. However, as a modification of the above embodiment, a configuration can also be adopted in which the cross member, which is formed separately from the lower frame portion 42, is joined to the lower frame portion (42).

[0046] Furthermore, the above embodiments and the various modifications described above can be combined as appropriate.

[0047] Although an example of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it is of course possible to implement it in various ways without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0048] 10 vehicles 10S Vehicle side 12 Rear side door opening 14. Rear side frame 20 Rear side door 30 Door Impact Beam 30R Rear end of door impact beam (longitudinal end of door impact beam) 42 Lower skeletal section 44 Rear wheel arch area 46 Crossmember 54 Ribs 56 Ribs

Claims

1. A door impact beam is installed inside the rear side door that opens and closes the rear side door opening and extends along the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, The lower side frame portion which constitutes at least a part of the lower part of the rear side frame portion that forms the rear side door opening, A rib is provided on the lower frame portion, positioned so as to overlap at least a portion with the longitudinal end of the door impact beam in a side view of the vehicle, and erected in a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the door impact beam in a side view of the vehicle, A vehicle side structure having the following characteristics.

2. A cross member extending along the vehicle width direction is connected to the inner side of the lower frame portion in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle side structure according to claim 1, wherein the rib extends toward the cross member in a plan view of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle side structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the lower frame portion, the rib, and the rear wheelhouse portion provided on the rear side of the lower frame portion are integrally formed by die casting.

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