Impact absorbing material

Abstract

To provide an impact absorbing member that is able to further improve side-collision-load absorption performance in comparison with a conventional one.SOLUTION: A side collision pad is able to absorb an impact from inside or outside a vehicle. The side collision pad 22 has a hollow portion 30 therein and is made of a thermoplastic resin integrally formed by blow molding. An inner wall portion 48 and an outer wall portion 50 of the side impact pad facing each other are respectively provided with recessed ribs 52, which are recessed toward a hollow-portion side. Each of the recessed ribs has; a circumferential wall surface 68 with respect to the wall portion; and a bottom surface 70 surrounded by the wall surface. A projecting portion 74 is partially provided on a connecting portion 72 between the bottom surface and the wall surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an impact absorbing member that can be installed inside a vehicle component such as a door to absorb impacts that occur inside the vehicle or that are received from the outside of the vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an impact absorbing member in which a bulge is formed at the joint of a concave rib due to pressure from the parison during blow molding. This bulge is provided continuously around the entire periphery of the joint of the concave rib.

[0003] In this shock-absorbing member, the bulging portion absorbs the flow of resin that occurs when the parison is pressed during blow molding, preventing the resin from being extruded to the outer periphery of the joint. Patent Document 1 states that this makes it possible to prevent resin from pooling at the joint of the concave rib. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4229676 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] For example, when a side impact load is applied to a door disposed on the side of a vehicle, it is necessary to improve the absorption performance of the impact absorbing member that absorbs the side impact load applied to the door. Also, it is necessary to ensure the safety of passengers in the vehicle cabin by suitably absorbing the side impact load applied to the door with the impact absorbing member.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has an object to provide an impact absorbing member that can further improve the side impact load absorption performance compared to conventional impact absorbing members, and by extension, to contribute to ensuring the safety of passengers in the vehicle cabin. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an impact absorbing component that is installed inside a vehicle component and is capable of absorbing impacts from inside or outside the vehicle, the impact absorbing component having a hollow portion inside and made of thermoplastic resin formed integrally by blow molding, one wall portion and the other wall portion facing each other of the impact absorbing component each having a concave rib that is recessed toward the hollow portion, the concave rib having a circumferential wall surface relative to the wall portion and a bottom surface surrounded by the wall surface, and a convex portion partially provided at the connection portion between the bottom surface and the wall surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention provides an impact absorbing member that can further improve the side impact load absorption performance compared to conventional impact absorbing members. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a front door of a vehicle to which an impact absorbing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective side view showing the positional relationship between a side impact pad and a door stiffener that constitute the impact absorbing mechanism. [Figure 4] FIG. 2(a) is a side view of a side impact pad, and FIG. 2(b) is a partially enlarged perspective view of the side impact pad. [Figure 5] 1A is an enlarged plan view of a concave rib located on the rear side of the vehicle, and FIG. 1B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line VB-VB in FIG. [Figure 6]10 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the displacement of a side impact pad and a load when a side impact load is input to a front door. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, a vehicle has a pair of left and right front doors (vehicle components) 10. As shown in Fig. 2, each front door 10 is configured to have an outer panel 12 disposed on the outside, an inner panel 14 disposed on the inside, and a door lining 16 attached to the inner panel 14.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, an impact absorbing mechanism 18 according to this embodiment is disposed between the outer panel 12 and the door lining 16, at approximately the center of the front door 10 in the vertical direction.

[0013] The impact absorbing mechanism 18 is made up of a metal door stiffener 20 and a resin side impact pad (impact absorbing member) 22 attached to the door stiffener 20.

[0014] 3, the door stiffener 20 has an upper extension portion 24 that extends in a substantially straight line along the vehicle front-rear direction, a lower extension portion 26 that is located below the upper extension portion 24 and extends in a substantially straight line, and a plurality of connecting portions that connect the upper extension portion 24 and the lower extension portion 26 along the vehicle up-down direction. The upper extension portion 24 and the lower extension portion 26 are substantially V-shaped in side view, and the distance between them in the up-down direction increases from the front of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle.

[0015] The multiple connecting portions are configured, in order from the front to the rear of the vehicle, by first connecting portion 28a to fifth connecting portion 28e. First connecting portion 28a is located at the front of the vehicle and connects the front end of upper extending portion 24 to the front end of lower extending portion 26. Second connecting portion 28b is located further rearward of first connecting portion 28a and connects the lower end of upper extending portion 24 to the upper end of lower extending portion 26.

[0016] The third connecting portion 28c is located further rearward of the vehicle than the second connecting portion 28b, and connects the central lower end of the upper extending portion 24 and the central upper end of the lower extending portion 26. The fourth connecting portion 28d is located further rearward of the vehicle than the third connecting portion 28c, and connects the lower end of the upper extending portion 24 and the upper end of the lower extending portion 26. The fifth connecting portion 28e is located furthest rearward of the multiple connecting portions, and connects the rear lower end of the upper extending portion 24 and the rear upper end of the lower extending portion 26.

[0017] The side impact pad 22 is provided inside the front door 10, which is a vehicle component (see FIG. 2), and is provided so as to be able to absorb impacts from the inside or outside of the vehicle.

[0018] The side impact pad 22 is made of thermoplastic resin and is integrally formed by blow molding. The side impact pad 22 has a main body 32 with a hollow portion 30 (see FIG. 2) having a rectangular cross section inside, an upper attachment portion 34 provided on the top of the main body 32, and a lower attachment portion 36 provided on the bottom of the main body 32 (see FIG. 4(a)).

[0019] As shown in Fig. 4(a), the upper mounting portion 34 is composed of an upper extension portion 38 that extends upward toward the vehicle, and a pair of skirt portions 40 that are continuous with the lower end of the upper extension portion 38 and whose width dimension in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction increases toward the main body portion 32. The upper end of the upper extension portion 38 has a chamfered portion 42 that is chamfered in a curved shape. As shown in Fig. 3, the upper mounting portion 34 is attached to a portion on the vehicle rear side of the upper extension portion 24 of the door stiffener 20, which is located further rearward than the fifth connecting portion 28e.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 4(a), the lower mounting portion 36 has a plurality of protrusions extending downward, which are configured in order from the front to the rear of the vehicle by a first protrusion 44a to a third protrusion 44c. A recess 46 that is approximately U-shaped in side view is provided between the first protrusion 44a and the second protrusion 44b, and between the second protrusion 44b and the third protrusion 44c. As shown in Fig. 3, the lower mounting portion 36 is attached to a portion that is on the rear side of the lower extension portion 26 of the door stiffener 20 and is located further rearward than the fifth connecting portion 28e.

[0021] 2, the side impact pads 22 face each other in the vehicle width direction with the hollow portion 30 therebetween, and have an inner wall portion (one wall portion) 48 provided on the inner side in the vehicle width direction, and an outer wall portion (the other wall portion) 50 provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The inner wall portion 48 and the outer wall portion 50 are each provided with a plurality of concave ribs 52 (see FIG. 4(b)) that are concave toward the hollow portion 30 side.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4(a), the main body 32 has a thick portion 54 where the gap between the inner wall 48 and the outer wall 50 is large, and a thin portion 56 where the gap between the inner wall 48 and the outer wall 50 is small. The thin portion 56 is composed of a first thin portion 58a located at the front of the vehicle and having a rectangular shape that is elongated in the up-down direction, and a second thin portion 58b located at an upper corner of the rear of the vehicle. A front step 60 extending substantially linearly in the up-down direction is provided at the boundary between the first thin portion 58a and the thick portion 54. Furthermore, a rear step 62 having a compound curved shape is provided at the boundary between the second thin portion 58b and the thick portion 54.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, the first thin portion 58a is disposed so as to engage with the vehicle rear side of the fifth connecting portion 28e of the door stiffener 20 along the vertical direction.

[0024] The first thin-walled portion 58a is provided with two recessed ribs 64 spaced apart in the vertical direction. The second thin-walled portion 58b is provided with a single recessed rib 64 that faces a corner of the second thin-walled portion 58b and is located at the boundary between the second thin-walled portion 58b and the thick-walled portion 54.

[0025] 4(a), two recessed ribs 66a, 66b spaced apart in the vehicle longitudinal direction are arranged in the approximate center of the thick portion 54. In addition, two recessed ribs 64 spaced apart in the vehicle longitudinal direction are arranged below the thick portion 54.

[0026] Each of the recessed ribs 64, 66a, 66b has a circumferential wall surface 68 with respect to the corresponding wall portion (inner wall portion 48, outer wall portion 50) and a bottom surface 70 surrounded by this wall surface 68 (see FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b)). Of the multiple recessed ribs 64, two recessed ribs 66a, 66b located approximately in the center of the thick-walled portion 54 have a convex portion 74 partially provided at a connection portion 72 between the bottom surface 70 and the wall surface 68 (see FIG. 4(a)). The convex portions 74 are located in two locations facing each other at an angle of approximately 180 degrees along the circumferential direction.

[0027] As shown in Figures 4(b), 5(a), and 5(b), the convex portion 74 is composed of an arcuate ridge portion 76, a top plate portion 78, and an arcuate peripheral surface portion 80. The arcuate ridge portion 76 protrudes from the circumferential wall surface 68 toward the center O of the bottom surface 70 (see Figure 5(a)), and is curved in a semicircular arc shape in plan view. The top plate portion 78 is composed of a flat surface surrounded by the arcuate ridge portion 76 and the wall surface 68.

[0028] The arcuate peripheral surface portion 80 extends downward from the arcuate ridge portion 76 toward the bottom surface 70 (connection portion 72) and continues to the bottom surface 70 (connection portion 72), and is provided so as to continue in the circumferential direction along the arcuate ridge portion 76. The top plate portion 78 of the convex portion 74 extends from the connection portion 72 between the wall surface 68 and the bottom surface 70 to a position at a predetermined height dimension H of the wall surface 68.

[0029] Of the two recessed ribs 66a, 66b arranged in the approximate center of the thick portion 54, the recessed rib 66a located in the front of the vehicle is provided with an opening 82 configured by cutting out at least a portion of the side wall connecting the inner wall portion 48 on one side and the outer wall portion 50 on the other side (see FIG. 4(b)). One of the convex portions 74 arranged opposite each other is arranged in this opening 82.

[0030] The impact absorbing mechanism 18 according to this embodiment is basically configured as described above, and its effects will now be described.

[0031] In this embodiment, one inner wall portion 48 and the other outer wall portion 50 facing each other of the side impact pad 22 are provided with concave ribs 52 that are recessed toward the hollow portion 30. The concave ribs 52 have a circumferential wall surface 68 on each wall portion (inner wall portion 48, outer wall portion 50) and a bottom surface 70 surrounded by the wall surface 68. Of the multiple concave ribs 52, two concave ribs 66a, 66b located approximately in the center of the thick portion 54 have a convex portion 74 partially provided at a connection portion 72 between the bottom surface 70 and the wall surface 68.

[0032] Fig. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the displacement of the side impact pad and the load when a side impact load is applied to the front door. In Fig. 6, the thick solid line A shows the load characteristic curve according to this embodiment, and the thin solid line B shows the load characteristic curve according to a comparative example in which no convex portion is provided in the concave rib.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 6, in the comparative example (thin solid line B) that does not have the convex portion 74, there is a problem in that when a certain load is reached, only the amount of displacement increases, and the load does not increase.

[0034] In contrast, in this embodiment, by partially providing a convex portion 74 at the connection portion 72 between the bottom surface 70 and the wall surface 68, it is possible for the side impact pad 22 to brace itself before it is completely crushed (see region R of the load characteristic curve A in FIG. 6), and the rise of the load characteristic curve A for the side impact load can be made larger. As a result, in this embodiment, it is possible to control the side impact load input to the side impact pad 22, and the side impact load absorption performance can be further improved compared to conventional methods.

[0035] In this embodiment, among the plurality of recessed ribs 52, in the two recessed ribs 66a, 66b arranged in the approximate center of the thick portion 54, the convex portions 74 are arranged in two locations so as to face each other.

[0036] In this embodiment, by arranging the convex portions 74 in two locations so that they face each other, the side impact load can be absorbed in a cooperative and dispersed manner, and the rise of the load characteristic curve A of the side impact load can be made larger.

[0037] In this embodiment, the convex portion 74 extends from the connection portion 72 between the wall surface 68 and the bottom surface 70 to a position at a predetermined height H of the wall surface 68. In other words, the top plate portion 78 of the convex portion 74 extends from the connection portion 72 between the wall surface 68 and the bottom surface 70 to a position at a predetermined height H of the wall surface 68 (see FIG. 5(b)).

[0038] In this embodiment, the top plate portion 78 of the convex portion 74 is extended from the connection portion 72 between the wall surface 68 and the bottom surface 70 to a position of a predetermined height dimension H of the wall surface 68, thereby obtaining the desired side impact load absorption characteristics (see load characteristic curve A in Figure 6).

[0039] In this embodiment, of the two recessed ribs 66a, 66b arranged in the approximate center of the thick-walled portion 54, the recessed rib 66a located in the front of the vehicle is provided with an opening 82 configured by cutting out so as to open at least a portion of the side wall connecting the inner wall portion 48 on one side and the outer wall portion 50 on the other side. One of the convex portions 74 arranged opposite each other is arranged in this opening 82.

[0040] In this embodiment, by disposing one of the convex portions 74 in the open portion 82, the open portion 82, which is weaker than other portions, can be reinforced by the convex portion 74. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10 Front door (vehicle component) 22 Side impact pad (shock absorbing material) 30 Hollow part 48 Inner wall (wall) 50 Outer wall (wall) 52, 64, 66a, 66b Concave ribs 68 Wall 70 bottom 72 Connection 74 Convex part 82 Open area A, B Load characteristic curve H Height dimension

Claims

1. An impact absorbing member that is installed inside a vehicle component and is capable of absorbing impacts from inside or outside the vehicle, the impact absorbing member has a hollow portion therein and is made of a thermoplastic resin integrally formed by blow molding, One wall portion and the other wall portion facing each other of the impact absorbing member are provided with a concave rib recessed toward the hollow portion, The concave rib has a circumferential wall surface relative to the wall portion and a bottom surface surrounded by the wall surface, a convex portion is partially provided at a connection portion between the bottom surface and the wall surface, The convex portions are arranged at two locations so as to face each other. A shock absorbing member characterized by the above.

2. The impact absorbing member according to claim 1, The impact absorbing member is characterized in that the convex portion extends from the connection portion between the wall surface and the bottom surface to a position on the wall surface at a predetermined height.

3. The impact absorbing member according to claim 1, the concave rib has an opening configured to open at least a part of a side wall connecting the one wall portion and the other wall portion, The impact absorbing member is characterized in that one of the convex portions is disposed in the open portion.

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