Knee guard structure

Abstract

To provide a knee guard structure which is excellent in energy absorption performance during a vehicle collision.SOLUTION: A knee guard structure 10 is provided at a vehicle 1 and includes: an energy absorption member 11 provided between an instrument panel reinforcement 2 and a lower panel 4 located at the vehicle front relative to an occupant knee part K; load receiving parts 14, 15, 16 provided at the vehicle front relative to the energy absorption member 11; and a guide part 17 which guides the energy absorption member 11. The guide part 17 is configured to guide the energy absorption member 11 toward the load receiving parts 14, 15, 16 in a state that the energy absorption member 11 is restricted from moving to the vehicle upper side when an impact is input from the occupant knee part K to the energy absorption member 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a knee guard structure provided in a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses this type of knee guard structure. This knee guard structure includes an energy absorption member that absorbs the impact on the occupant's knees during a vehicle collision. The energy absorption member is disposed between an instrument panel and a steering support beam. This energy absorption member is configured to be connected to the instrument panel via a bracket and supported by the steering support beam.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the design of this type of knee guard structure, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that conditions such as the relative position of the occupant's knees with respect to the energy absorption member and the input direction of the impact change due to differences in the physique of the occupants. However, the knee guard structure disclosed in Cited Document 1 does not take this point into consideration. Therefore, variations may occur in the energy absorption performance during a vehicle collision depending on differences in the physique of the occupants.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a knee guard structure having excellent energy absorption performance during a vehicle collision.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is A knee guard structure provided on a vehicle, An energy absorbing member is provided between the instrument panel reinforcement and the lower panel located in front of the vehicle at the occupant's knees, A load-receiving portion is provided in front of the vehicle, above the energy-absorbing member, A guide portion that guides the energy absorbing member, A regulating section is provided above the guide section of the vehicle, Equipped with, The above-mentioned guide portion is provided on the lower panel so as to be located directly above the energy absorbing member, and has a sliding surface that extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction opposite to the upper surface of the energy absorbing member. The guide portion described above is configured to guide the energy absorbing member toward the load-receiving portion while restricting the energy absorbing member from moving upwards on the vehicle when an impact is input to the energy absorbing member from the occupant's knee portion. Occasionally, The guide portion described above is configured to buckle at the lower panel when the upward input load received from the energy absorbing member exceeds a threshold. The above-mentioned restricting portion is configured to restrict the upward movement of the energy absorbing member to the vehicle in place of the guide portion when the guide portion buckles. Knee guard structure, It is located there. Another aspect of the present invention is: A knee guard structure provided on a vehicle, An energy absorbing member is provided between the instrument panel reinforcement and the lower panel located in front of the vehicle at the occupant's knees, A load-receiving portion is provided in front of the vehicle, above the energy-absorbing member, A guide portion that guides the energy absorbing member, Equipped with, The above-mentioned guide portion is a plate-like portion that is provided to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle with the plate thickness direction being in the vertical direction of the vehicle, without being connected to the above-mentioned load-receiving portion. The above-mentioned plate-shaped portion is configured to guide the energy-absorbing member toward the load-receiving portion toward the front of the vehicle while restricting the energy-absorbing member from moving upwards towards the vehicle when an impact is input to the energy-absorbing member from the occupant's knee, thus forming a knee guard structure. It is located there. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the knee guard structure of the above aspect, the energy absorption member provided between the inner panel force and the lower panel is guided by the guide portion toward the load receiving portion. At this time, the guide portion has a function of restricting the upward movement of the energy absorption member in the vehicle. Thereby, even when conditions such as the relative position of the occupant's knee with respect to the energy absorption member and the impact input direction change due to differences in the physique of the occupant, the energy absorption member can be efficiently guided toward the load receiving portion. And the input load of the energy absorption member is received by the load receiving portion.

[0008] Therefore, according to the above aspect, it is possible to provide a knee guard structure excellent in energy absorption performance during a vehicle collision.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009] [Figure 1] Side view of the vehicle body structure including the knee guard structure of Embodiment 1 as viewed from the side of the vehicle. [Figure 2] Perspective view of the peripheral portion of the inner panel force in the knee guard structure of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] Cross-sectional view taken along the arrow III-III in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] View of the energy absorption member in FIG. 1 as viewed from the back side of the lower panel. [Figure 5] Side view showing the first stage operation of the knee guard structure for an occupant of the first physique. [Figure 6] Side view showing the second stage operation of the knee guard structure for an occupant of the first physique. [Figure 7] Side view showing the third stage operation of the knee guard structure for an occupant of the first physique. [Figure 8] Side view showing the first stage operation of the knee guard structure for an occupant of the second physique. [Figure 9] Side view showing the second stage operation of the knee guard structure for an occupant of the second physique. [Figure 10] Side view showing the third stage operation of the knee guard structure for an occupant of the second physique. [Figure 11] A side view showing the fourth stage of operation of the knee guard structure for a crew member of the second size. [Figure 12] A side view showing the first stage of operation of the knee guard structure for a third-class crew member. [Figure 13] A side view showing the second stage of operation of the knee guard structure for a third-class crew member. [Figure 14] A side view showing the third stage of operation of the knee guard structure for a crew member of the third size. [Figure 15] A side view showing the fourth stage of operation of the knee guard structure for a crew member of the third size. [Figure 16] A side view showing the fifth stage of operation of the knee guard structure for a crew member of the third size. [Figure 17] A side view of the vehicle body structure, including the knee guard structure of Embodiment 2, as seen from the side of the vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] In the knee guard structure according to the above-described embodiment, the guide portion is preferably provided on the lower panel so as to be located directly above the energy absorbing member, and has a sliding surface that extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle opposite to the upper surface of the energy absorbing member.

[0011] With this knee guard structure, during a vehicle collision, the upper surface of the energy-absorbing member comes into contact with the sliding surface of the guide portion, and then the energy-absorbing member slides forward along this sliding surface. This allows the energy-absorbing member to be smoothly guided toward the load-bearing portion using the sliding surface of the guide portion.

[0012] Preferably, the knee guard structure in the above-described embodiment includes a restricting portion provided above the guide portion on the vehicle, wherein the guide portion is configured to buckle at the lower panel when the upward input load received from the energy absorbing member exceeds a threshold, and the restricting portion is configured to restrict the upward movement of the energy absorbing member on the vehicle in place of the guide portion when the guide portion buckles.

[0013] This knee guard structure allows the energy absorbing member to move upwards within the vehicle even if the input load increases due to differences in occupant size, causing the guide section to buckle. This ensures that the energy absorbing member is reliably guided toward the load-bearing section in response to changes in the input load of the energy absorbing member.

[0014] In the knee guard structure of the above-described embodiment, the load-receiving portion preferably has a plurality of brackets extending individually from the instrument panel reinforcement side, and the plurality of brackets are arranged with gaps between them in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0015] This knee guard structure allows the energy absorption member to receive the input load using multiple brackets arranged with gaps between them in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In other words, the input load of the energy absorption member is received in multiple stages by multiple brackets arranged in a multi-layered configuration. In this case, by appropriately setting the number and arrangement of brackets, it becomes possible to control the load-receiving action on the energy absorption member during a vehicle collision.

[0016] In the knee guard structure according to the above-described embodiment, the load-receiving portion preferably has a joining member joined to at least one of the plurality of brackets, and the joining member is provided with an intervening portion that is interposed in the gap.

[0017] With this knee guard structure, the intervening portion of the connecting member can be used as a load-bearing portion that receives the input load of the energy-absorbing member, just like multiple brackets. In this case, by appropriately setting the joining strength of the connecting member to the bracket, variations can be added to the load-bearing operation of the energy-absorbing member.

[0018] The knee guard structure of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0019] In the drawings of this specification, unless otherwise specified, the front of the vehicle is indicated by the arrow FR, the top of the vehicle by the arrow UP, and the inside of the vehicle by the arrow IN.

[0020] (Embodiment 1) As shown in Figure 1, the knee guard structure 10 of Embodiment 1 is provided on the vehicle 1 corresponding to the occupant's knee K. This knee guard structure 10 comprises an energy absorbing member 11, a first bracket 14, a second bracket 15, a connecting member 16, a guide portion 17, and a regulating portion 19.

[0021] The energy absorbing member 11 is designed to absorb energy generated during a collision involving the vehicle 1. The energy absorbing member 11 is installed between the instrument panel reinforcement 2 and the lower panel 4. The energy absorbing member 11 has a main body portion 12. A grid-like rib 12a is formed inside the main body portion 12.

[0022] The lower panel 4 is located in front of the occupant's knee area K when the occupant is seated in the driver's seat. This lower panel 4 is made of resin material. When the side of the lower panel 4 facing the occupant's knee area K is called the surface 4a, the energy absorbing member 11 is attached to the back surface 4b, which is the side opposite to the surface 4a.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the instrument panel reinforcement 2 is a pipe member with a circular cross-section that extends in the vehicle width direction as the axial direction X (see Figure 2). This instrument panel reinforcement 2 is made of metal. The intermediate bracket 3 is fixed to the instrument panel reinforcement 2 by rivets 3a.

[0024] 1. Structure of the load-bearing section The first bracket 14 is made of metal and is joined to the intermediate bracket 3 by laser welding. Therefore, the first bracket 14 is fixed to the instrument panel reinforcement 2 via the intermediate bracket 3. The first bracket 14 extends downward from its joint with the intermediate bracket 3 towards the buffer area A below the instrument panel reinforcement 2. Thus, the first bracket 14 is configured to deform forward of the vehicle around its joint with the intermediate bracket 3 due to the input load received from the energy absorption member 11. Alternatively, the first bracket 14 may be directly joined to the instrument panel reinforcement 2 if necessary.

[0025] The second bracket 15 is made of a metal material and is joined to the instrument panel reinforcement 2 by laser welding. Similar to the first bracket 14, the second bracket 15 extends downward from the joint with the instrument panel reinforcement 2 toward the buffer area A. Therefore, the second bracket 15 is configured to be deformable forward of the vehicle around the joint with the instrument panel reinforcement 2 due to the input load received from the energy absorption member 11.

[0026] Thus, both the first bracket 14 and the second bracket 15 extend individually from the instrument panel reinforcement 2 side. The term "instrument panel reinforcement 2 side" here broadly includes not only the configuration in which they are directly joined to the instrument panel reinforcement 2, but also the configuration in which they are directly joined to a separate component that is joined to the instrument panel reinforcement 2. Furthermore, the second bracket 15 is positioned further forward than the first bracket 14.

[0027] The joining member 16 is made of a metal material and is joined to the second bracket 15 by arc welding. The joining member 16 has a joint portion 16a with the second bracket 15 and an intervening portion 16b that is interposed between the first bracket 14 and the second bracket 15 from the joint portion 16a. Therefore, the joining member 16 is configured so that the input load from the energy absorbing member 11 can be received by the intervening portion 16b.

[0028] As shown in Figure 3, the first bracket 14 is provided with an opposing wall portion 14a that faces the front surface 11b (see Figure 1) of the energy absorbing member 11. The opposing wall portion 14a is the part whose thickness direction is in the vehicle's longitudinal direction.

[0029] The second bracket 15 has a roughly U-shaped or U-shaped cross-section. Similar to the first bracket 14, the second bracket 15 has an opposing wall portion 15a that faces the front surface 11b of the energy absorbing member 11 and has the plate thickness direction in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. The opposing wall portion 15a of the second bracket 15 is positioned closer to the opposing wall portion 14a of the first bracket 14, separated by a gap G, and is located further forward on the vehicle. This allows for the construction of a space-saving load-bearing structure. Furthermore, when viewed from the vehicle's longitudinal direction, the opposing wall portion 15a of the second bracket 15 is positioned so that it partially overlaps with the opposing wall portion 14a of the first bracket 14.

[0030] The joining member 16 has a substantially L-shaped cross-section. The joining member 16 has a joining portion 16a that is joined to the side wall portion 15b of the second bracket 15, with the vehicle width direction being the plate thickness direction, and the intervening portion 16b is configured to extend from the joining portion 16a toward the rear of the vehicle and interpose in the gap G. In other words, the intervening portion 16b of the joining member 16 is positioned in front of the vehicle relative to the opposing wall portion 14a of the first bracket 14, and further, the opposing wall portion 15a of the second bracket 15 is positioned in front of the vehicle relative to this intervening portion 16b.

[0031] The first bracket 14, the second bracket 15, and the connecting member 16 are all positioned in front of the energy absorbing member 11 and function as load-receiving parts that receive load input from the energy absorbing member 11 (right side in Figure 3) when the vehicle 1 collides. Therefore, in the following description, the three members, the first bracket 14, the second bracket 15, and the connecting member 16, will be collectively referred to as the "load-receiving part."

[0032] 2. Structure of the guide section 17 As shown in Figure 1, the guide portion 17 functions to guide the energy absorbing member 11 toward the load-receiving portion while restricting its upward movement when an impact is input to the energy absorbing member 11 from the occupant's knee portion K. In other words, the guide portion 17 is responsible for both guiding and restricting the energy absorbing member 11. To achieve these functions, the guide portion 17 is provided on the lower panel 4 so as to be located directly above the energy absorbing member 11. The guide portion 17 is a plate-like portion that extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, with the plate thickness direction being the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0033] The guide portion 17 is integrally molded with the lower panel 4 and is further reinforced by a rib 18 provided on the upper side of the guide portion 17. The guide portion 17 is provided with a sliding surface 17a that extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, facing the upper surface 12c of the main body portion 12 of the energy absorbing member 11. When the energy absorbing member 11 receives a load directed toward the front of the vehicle, the upper surface 12c of the main body portion 12 can slide forward along the sliding surface 17a of the guide portion 17. In addition, the guide portion 17 is deformable by the upward input load received from the energy absorbing member 11, and is configured to buckle in the lower panel 4 when this input load exceeds a threshold.

[0034] 3. Structure of the regulatory section 19 As shown in Figure 1, the restricting portion 19 is located above the guide portion 17. This restricting portion 19 functions to restrict the upward movement of the energy absorbing member 11 to the vehicle in place of the guide portion 17 if the guide portion 17 buckles. To achieve this function, the restricting portion 19 is configured as an opposing wall portion facing the occupant's knee portion K, separated from the guide portion 17 located on the back surface 4b of the lower panel 4.

[0035] In this embodiment, the restricting portion 19 is formed by the lower end portion of the instrument panel body 5, which is made of resin material (the portion of the instrument panel body 5 that extends diagonally downward and backward). The instrument panel body 5 has a fitting hole 5a, and is connected to the upper panel 6 by fitting the claw portion 6a of the upper panel 6, which is made of resin material, into this fitting hole 5a. As a result, the rigidity of the restricting portion 19 is configured to exceed the rigidity of the guide portion 17.

[0036] 4. Structure of the energy absorbing member 11 As shown in Figure 4, the energy absorbing member 11 has a main body 12 and a mounting base 13 for attaching the main body 12 to the back surface 4b of the lower panel 4. The mounting base 13 is fixed to the lower panel 4 with screws 8.

[0037] The mounting seat 13 of the energy absorbing member 11 is provided with a cylindrical portion 13a. The internal space of the cylindrical portion 13a communicates with a through hole 4c that penetrates the lower panel 4, and the switch 7 is housed and fixed in this internal space. In other words, the mounting seat 13 of the energy absorbing member 11 also serves as the mounting seat for the switch 7. This simplifies the mounting structure of the switch 7. Examples of switches 7 include various switches for providing driving assistance through manual operation by the occupant.

[0038] The main body 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 is made highly rigid by a grid-like rib 12a. This improves rigidity when the switch 7 is operated by an occupant or when the lower panel 4 is pressed against by the occupant's knee K, except during a vehicle collision.

[0039] 5. Operation of the knee guard structure 10 Next, the operation of the knee guard structure 10 during a collision of vehicle 1 will be explained with reference to Figures 5 to 16. In this explanation, three different body sizes (first body size, second body size, and third body size) are assumed, and the operation of the knee guard structure 10 for each body size will be illustrated. Furthermore, this explanation will use a schematic diagram in which only the elements relevant to the explanation are extracted from the elements shown in Figure 1.

[0040] 5.1 In the case of a crew member of size 1 The first body type is based on the physique of an adult woman, child, or small occupant. In this case, the input load from the occupant's knee K to the energy absorbing member 11 is relatively small, and the relative position of the occupant's knee K to the energy absorbing member 11 is relatively low.

[0041] As shown in Figure 5, when the occupant is of the first body size, in the first stage P1 of the knee guard structure 10 during a vehicle collision, the input load from the occupant's knee K acts diagonally upward and forward on the lower part of the lower panel 4 side of the energy absorbing member 11. As a result, the main body 12 of the energy absorbing member 11, after its upper surface 12c comes into contact with the sliding surface 17a of the guide portion 17, slides the sliding surface 17a forward of the vehicle due to the horizontal load component of the input load. At this time, the upward movement of the main body 12 is restricted by the guide portion 17.

[0042] As shown in Figure 6, in the second stage P2 of the knee guard structure 10, first, the front surface 12b of the main body 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 comes into contact with the first bracket 14. The main body 12 then presses the first bracket 14 forward of the vehicle, causing it to plastically deform until it reaches a buckling load. The input load decreases as the first bracket 14 buckles. In addition, the first bracket 14 presses against the connecting member 16 as it plastically deforms, causing it to plastically deform as well. At this time, the connecting member 16 remains connected to the second bracket 15 without detaching. Therefore, the load applied to the first bracket 14 is received by the second bracket 15 via the connecting member 16. As a result, the movement of the main body 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 forward of the vehicle is prevented by the second bracket 15.

[0043] As shown in Figure 7, in the third stage P3 of the knee guard structure 10, the upward input load received by the guide portion 17 exceeds a threshold. As a result, the guide portion 17 buckles at the lower panel 4 and loses its aforementioned guiding and restricting functions. The buckling of the guide portion 17 further reduces the input load. Then, the main body 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 comes into contact with the restricting portion 19, which is located above the guide portion 17 on the vehicle, thereby preventing it from moving upward on the vehicle.

[0044] As described above, in the case of an occupant of the first size, the series of operations from the first stage P1 to the third stage P3 of the knee guard structure 10 makes it possible to absorb energy during a vehicle collision.

[0045] 5.2 In the case of a crew member of size 2 The second body type is based on the physique of a standard adult male. In this case, the input load from the occupant's knee K to the energy absorption member 11 is greater than in the first body type, and the relative position of the occupant's knee K to the energy absorption member 11 is higher than in the first body type. Also, the direction of the input load is slightly upward than in the first body type.

[0046] As shown in Figure 8, when the occupant is of the second size, in the first stage Q1 of the collision with vehicle 1, the input load from the occupant's knees K acts diagonally upward and forward on the approximately central part of the lower panel 4 side of the energy absorbing member 11. As a result, the upper surface 12c of the main body 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 comes into contact with the sliding surface 17a of the guide portion 17. At this time, the upward movement of the main body 12 is restricted by the guide portion 17.

[0047] In the case of the second body size, the direction of the input load is upward and the vertical load component of the input load is larger than in the case of the first body size. Therefore, as shown in Figure 9, in the second stage Q2 of the knee guard structure 10, the upward input load received by the guide portion 17 exceeds the threshold. As a result, the guide portion 17 buckles at the lower panel 4 and loses the aforementioned guiding and restricting functions. The input load decreases due to the buckling of the guide portion 17. Then, the main body portion 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 comes into contact with the restricting portion 19 which is located above the guide portion 17 on the vehicle, thereby preventing it from moving upward on the vehicle.

[0048] As shown in Figure 10, in the third stage Q3 of the knee guard structure 10, the front surface 12b of the main body 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 comes into contact with the first bracket 14. The main body 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 then presses the first bracket 14 forward of the vehicle, causing it to plastically deform until it reaches a buckling load. The input load decreases as the first bracket 14 buckles. In addition, the first bracket 14 presses against the joining member 16 as it plastically deforms, causing it to plastically deform as well.

[0049] In the case of the second body size, the horizontal load component of the input load is larger than in the case of the first body size. Therefore, as shown in Figure 11, in the fourth stage Q4 of the knee guard structure 10, the connecting member 16 separates from the second bracket 15 due to the load received from the first bracket 14. Then, the first bracket 14 comes into contact with the second bracket 15. Therefore, the load applied to the first bracket 14 is directly received by the second bracket 15. As a result, the movement of the main body 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 toward the front of the vehicle is prevented by the second bracket 15.

[0050] As described above, in the case of an occupant of the second size, the series of operations from the first stage Q1 to the fourth stage Q4 of the knee guard structure 10 makes it possible to absorb energy during a vehicle collision.

[0051] 5.3 In the case of a crew member of size 3 The third body type is based on the assumption of a large adult male. In this case, the input load from the occupant's knee K to the energy absorption member 11 is greater than in the second body type, and the relative position of the occupant's knee K to the energy absorption member 11 is higher than in the second body type. Also, the direction of the input load is slightly downward than in the second body type.

[0052] As shown in Figure 12, when the occupant is of the third size, in the first stage R1 of the collision of vehicle 1, the input load from the occupant's knees K acts diagonally upward and forward on the approximately central part of the lower panel 4 side of the energy absorbing member 11. As a result, the upper surface 12c of the main body 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 comes into contact with the sliding surface 17a of the guide portion 17. At this time, the upward movement of the main body 12 is restricted by the guide portion 17.

[0053] In the case of the third body size, the vertical load component of the input load is larger than in the case of the first body size. Therefore, as shown in Figure 13, in the second stage R2 of the knee guard structure 10, the upward input load received by the guide portion 17 exceeds the threshold. As a result, the guide portion 17 buckles at the lower panel 4 and loses the aforementioned guiding and restricting functions. The input load decreases due to the buckling of the guide portion 17. Then, the main body portion 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 comes into contact with the restricting portion 19, which is located above the guide portion 17 on the vehicle, thereby preventing upward movement of the vehicle. Also, in the case of the third body size, the horizontal load component of the input load is larger than in the case of the second body size. Therefore, the front surface 12b of the main body portion 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 comes into contact with the first bracket 14. Then, the main body portion 12 presses the first bracket 14 forward on the vehicle, causing it to plastically deform until it reaches a buckling load. The input load decreases due to the buckling of the first bracket 14. The first bracket 14 presses against the joining member 16 as it undergoes plastic deformation, causing it to deform plastically as well.

[0054] As shown in Figure 14, in the third stage R3 of the knee guard structure 10, the first bracket 14 comes into contact with the second bracket 15. Therefore, the load applied to the first bracket 14 is directly received by the second bracket 15.

[0055] As shown in Figure 15, in the fourth stage R4 of the knee guard structure 10, the main body 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 presses the second bracket 15 forward of the vehicle via or detached from the first bracket 14, causing it to plastically deform until it reaches a buckling load. The input load is further reduced as the second bracket 15 buckles.

[0056] As shown in Figure 16, in the fifth stage R5 of the knee guard structure 10, the main body 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 itself buckles significantly. The input load is further reduced by the buckling of the main body 12 of the energy absorbing member 11.

[0057] As described above, in the case of a third-class occupant, the series of movements from the first stage R1 to the fifth stage R5 of the knee guard structure 10 makes it possible to absorb energy during a vehicle collision.

[0058] 6. Effects According to Embodiment 1 described above, the following effects and advantages can be obtained.

[0059] In the knee guard structure 10 of Embodiment 1, the energy absorbing member 11 provided between the instrument panel reinforcement 2 and the lower panel 4 is guided by the guide portion 17 toward the load receiving portion (first bracket 14, second bracket 15, and connecting member 16). At this time, the guide portion 17 has the function of restricting the movement of the energy absorbing member 11 toward the vehicle. As a result, even if conditions such as the relative position of the occupant's knee K with respect to the energy absorbing member 11 and the direction of impact input change due to differences in the occupant's physique, the energy absorbing member 11 can be efficiently guided toward the load receiving portion. The input load of the energy absorbing member 11 is then received by the load receiving portion.

[0060] Therefore, according to Embodiment 1, a knee guard structure 10 with excellent energy absorption performance during vehicle collisions can be provided.

[0061] Furthermore, according to the knee guard structure 10, when a vehicle collision occurs, the upper surface 12c of the main body portion 12 of the energy absorbing member 11 comes into contact with the sliding surface 17a of the guide portion 17, after which the energy absorbing member 11 slides forward along this sliding surface 17a. This allows the energy absorbing member 11 to be smoothly guided toward the load receiving portion using the sliding surface 17a of the guide portion 17.

[0062] Furthermore, with the knee guard structure 10, even if the input load on the energy absorbing member 11 increases due to differences in the occupant's physique, causing the guide portion 17 to buckle, the movement of the energy absorbing member 11 upwards on the vehicle can be restricted by the restricting portion 19. This ensures that the energy absorbing member 11 is reliably guided toward the load-receiving portion in response to changes in the input load on the energy absorbing member 11.

[0063] Furthermore, the knee guard structure 10 allows the energy absorbing member 11 to receive the input load using multiple brackets 14 and 15 that are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In other words, the input load of the energy absorbing member 11 is received in multiple stages by the multiple brackets 14 and 15 arranged in a multi-layered configuration. This makes it possible to control the load-receiving action of the energy absorbing member 11 during a vehicle collision.

[0064] Furthermore, with the knee guard structure 10, the intervening portion 16b of the joining member 16 can also be used as a load-receiving portion that receives the input load of the energy absorbing member 11, similar to the multiple brackets 14 and 15. In this case, by appropriately setting the joining strength of the joining member 16 to the second bracket 15, variations can be added to the load-receiving operation of the energy absorbing member 11.

[0065] Next, other embodiments related to Embodiment 1 described above will be explained with reference to the drawings. In these other embodiments, elements identical to those in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0066] (Embodiment 2) As shown in Figure 17, the knee guard structure 10A of Embodiment 2 differs from the knee guard structure 10 of Embodiment 1 in that it has a third bracket 20 instead of the joining member 16. The third bracket 20 is made of a metal material and is joined to the instrument panel reinforcement 2 by laser welding. This third bracket 20 extends from the joint with the instrument panel reinforcement 2 so as to be interposed between the first bracket 14 and the second bracket 15.

[0067] The other configurations are the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0068] According to the knee guard structure 10A of Embodiment 2, similar to the knee guard structure 10 of Embodiment 1, it becomes possible to control the load-bearing operation on the energy absorption member 11 using the three brackets 14, 15, and 20 during a vehicle collision.

[0069] Furthermore, it exhibits the same effects and advantages as in Embodiment 1.

[0070] The present invention is not limited to the typical embodiments described above, and various applications and modifications are conceivable as long as they do not depart from the purpose of the present invention. For example, the following embodiments can be implemented by applying the embodiments described above.

[0071] In the above-described embodiment, the example shows the case where the guide portion 17 is integrally molded with the lower panel 4. However, instead, the guide portion 17 may be constructed as a separate component from the lower panel 4 and then fixed to the lower panel 4. Furthermore, the location where the guide portion 17 is provided is not limited to the lower panel 4; for example, the guide portion 17 may be provided on the instrument panel body 5 or the upper panel 6.

[0072] In the above-described configuration, the example shows a case where the restricting section 19 is positioned above the guide section 17 of the vehicle. However, the number of restricting sections 19 is not particularly limited, and multiple restricting sections 19 may be arranged as needed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1...Vehicle, 2...Instrument panel reinforcement, 4...Lower panel, 10,10A...Knee guard structure, 11...Energy absorption member, 12c...Upper surface, 14...First bracket (load receiving part), 15...Second bracket (load receiving part), 16...Jointing member (load receiving part), 16b...Intervening part, 17...Guide part, 17a...Sliding surface, 19...Restricting part, 20...Third bracket (load receiving part), K...Occupant knee area, G...Gap

Claims

1. A knee guard structure provided on a vehicle, An energy absorbing member is provided between the instrument panel reinforcement and the lower panel located in front of the vehicle at the occupant's knees, A load-receiving portion is provided in front of the vehicle, above the energy-absorbing member, A guide portion that guides the energy absorbing member, A regulating section is provided above the guide section of the vehicle, Equipped with, The above-mentioned guide portion is provided on the lower panel so as to be located directly above the energy absorbing member, and has a sliding surface that extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction opposite to the upper surface of the energy absorbing member. The guide portion described above is configured to guide the energy absorbing member toward the load receiving portion while restricting the energy absorbing member from moving upwards on the vehicle when an impact is input to the energy absorbing member from the occupant's knee portion. The guide portion described above is configured to buckle at the lower panel when the upward input load received from the energy absorbing member exceeds a threshold. The above-mentioned restricting portion is configured to restrict the upward movement of the energy absorbing member to the vehicle in place of the guide portion when the guide portion buckles, thus forming a knee guard structure.

2. A knee guard structure provided on a vehicle, An energy absorbing member is provided between the instrument panel reinforcement and the lower panel located in front of the vehicle at the occupant's knees, A load-receiving portion is provided in front of the vehicle, above the energy-absorbing member, A guide portion that guides the energy absorbing member, Equipped with, The above-mentioned guide portion is a plate-like portion that is provided to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle with the plate thickness direction being in the vertical direction of the vehicle, without being connected to the above-mentioned load-receiving portion. The above-mentioned plate-shaped portion is configured to guide the energy-absorbing member toward the load-receiving portion toward the front of the vehicle, while restricting the energy-absorbing member from moving upwards towards the vehicle, when an impact is input to the energy-absorbing member from the occupant's knee.

3. The knee guard structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the load-receiving portion has a plurality of brackets that extend individually from the instrument panel reinforcement side, and the plurality of brackets are arranged with gaps between them in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

4. The knee guard structure according to claim 3, wherein the load-receiving portion has a joining member joined to at least one of the plurality of brackets, and the joining member is provided with an intervening portion that is interposed in the gap.

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